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 THE 
 
 HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES, 
 
 BOROUGH OF READING. 
 
 /iV THE COUNTY OF BERKS. 
 
 JOHN MAN. 
 
 NON TAHEN PIGEBIT VEL INCONDITA ^'OCE MEMORIAM PRIORIS SERVITUTIS, AC TESTIMONIUM PRESENTIUM 
 BONOnUM COMPOSUISSE Tacitus llta Agriculee. 
 
 READING : 
 
 ^tintttt fij) Snare anB J¥lan ; 
 
 SOLD BY NICHOLS, SON, AND BENTLEY, RED LION PASSAGE, FLEET STREET; J. RICHARDSON, 
 ROYAL EXCHANGE, LONDON; AND E. SNARE, MINSTER STREET, READING. 
 
 1816.
 
 THE IJBR MCY 
 
 CMVEiisn Y cn- <. ai.iforma 
 
 SANTA BAMB/JIA 
 
 TO 
 THE WORSHIPFUL 
 THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN, BURGESSES, 
 
 AND 
 
 INHABITANTS, 
 
 OF 
 
 THE BOROUGH OF READING, 
 
 THIS WORK 
 
 IS 
 
 inscribe!) 
 
 BY 
 
 THEIR 
 
 OBEDIENT SERVANT, 
 JOHN MAN. 
 
 Reading, Dec. 30, 1815.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 JL HE Author of the following sheets feels himself called upon to 
 apologize to the public for thus intruding on their notice a subject that 
 has already been treated on by Mr, Coates^ in his History and Antiquities 
 of Reading ; but when the different arrangement of the j)resent work, 
 compared with his, is considered ; and the variety of new and interesting 
 subjects introduced in it, which were either unknown to, or omitted by that 
 gentleman, some of which materially affect the interests of the inhabitants, 
 he flatters himself he shall not be considered too presuming in submitting 
 to their candor a work commenced long before that gentleman'' s appeared, 
 and which has only been hitherto delayed through an apprehension that 
 an earlier publication might have interfered with the sale of that work. 
 
 In making a selection from various manuscripts and ancient authors 
 for the following History, the author may have omitted many circum- 
 stances which to others may appear of consequence to be known, xchiic 
 on the contrary, he may have inserted some which may appear too 
 trifling for the subjects of history. To this he can only observe, thai 
 it is almost impossible for an author to satisfy the great variety of tastes 
 of an enlightened public in literary subjects ; for while the antiquary is 
 delighted with the contemplation of mouldering walls and broken columns, 
 the man of the world is equally pleased with tracing ' the manners living 
 as they rise,"* and bringing into view the habits of the people from the 
 unpolished state of our barbarous ancestors, to the present rejinemen's 
 of civilized society. Under this conviction, he has endeavored to vary
 
 11 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Jus selections as much as possible, corisistent mlh the interest of the mvrk, 
 and has placed them under distinct heads or chapters, to render them 
 as interesting as possible to the generality of readers. 
 
 In the historical part of the work, it may be thought that he has 
 introduced too many petitions and addresses; but it should be considered 
 that such things make up almost all the political interest of corporate 
 towns, and though they may flow be thought of insignificant value, yet 
 should this work survive but a very few years, they may perhaps be read 
 by the succeeding generation as matters of curiosity, if not of imitation. 
 
 The list of the members of parliament wlw have represented the 
 borough from the commencement of the representative system ; is taken 
 from Brown TFillis, as far as his list goes, with some few additions 
 extracted from the Corporation Diaries, which are not to be found in the 
 Rolls : particularly during the Protectorship, which he says ' he had 
 purposely omitted for the credit of the nation f but as this motive no 
 longer exists, they are here inserted in their proper order. 
 
 For want of a regular list of mayors, he has been under the necessity 
 of searching the Corporation Diaries, through every year from the first 
 mayoralty in the year 1432 to nearly the present time, so that considering 
 the great length of time from the era of their commencement, and the 
 difficulty arising from the mayoralties always taking place in the last 
 quarter of the year, whereby the same person sometimes appears to have 
 served in two succeeding years, when in fact he had only officiated one, 
 it is hoped it will be found as nearly accurate as possible. 
 
 To those gentlemen who have furnished tlte Author with original 
 papers for the present work, he begs to return his sincere acknowledg- 
 ments, particularly to the members of the Corporation for the readiness 
 with which they permitted him to examine their original records, from 
 which he has extracted the most valuable part of his work, and to William 
 Andrews, esq. town clerk, for his condescending attendance while 
 examining the various records in his possession. His best thanks are
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 lU 
 
 also due to Jonathan Tanner,, esq. for the loan of some original docu- 
 ments ; and he feels equally obliged to his friend Mr. Williams for much 
 useful information on subjects of a later date. 
 
 In a work which embraces so many subjects,) some errors or inad- 
 vertencies may possibly have arisen without any intention on the part of 
 the author to mislead his readers ; if any such should be discovered,, he 
 trusts they will meet with a candid interpretation from a generous public, 
 especially when it is considered, that this is not the work of an author 
 by profession, but the humble attempt of one whose only aim has been to 
 give to his fellow townsmen a more detailed account of the various 
 changes that have taken place in the government of the borough, and 
 the rights they possess, than has hitherto appeared ; and he has only to 
 regret, that it has not been in his power to render it more worthy of 
 their acceptance. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 READING, Dec. 30, 1815.
 
 LIST OF PLATES. 
 
 300 
 
 J No, I. Map of the Borough to face the Title. 
 
 A Danish House at Mortimer 23 
 
 J II. Siege of Reading 33 
 
 J III. Archbishop Laud 48 
 
 J IV. Tokens 113 
 
 y. A View of the large West Window \ 
 
 of St. Mary's Church I 
 
 ' VI. Speed's Map 122 
 
 J VII. High-bridge 129 
 
 VIII. Mr. John Keridrick 150 
 
 y IX. The Canal 162 
 
 / X. The Arms of the Corporation 169 
 
 y XI. The Castle 176 
 
 yXII. Miscellaneous 185 
 
 J XIII. Sir Thomas Rich 205 
 
 J XIV. Forbury Gate 249 
 
 J XV. Plan of the Abbey Church 253 
 
 ^XVI. Flan of the Forbury 285 
 
 ^XVII. Interior of the Friary 289 
 
 ^ XVIII. Mr. Blagrave's Monument 318 
 
 J XIX. The Charter 342 
 
 J XX. Caversham Bridge 365 
 
 ■^ XXL Sir Thomas Whyte 396 
 
 ^/XXIl. Mr.Aldworth 410
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES 
 
 OF 
 
 READING. 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 Historj/ of Reading. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 X ROVINCIAL towns have so seldom attracted the notice of our best 
 historians^ that very few authentic memorials have been -handed down to 
 posterity, even of our largest capitals. It will not, therefore, be considered 
 extraordinary, if the following History of Reading should be deficient in 
 many requisites for forming a correct idea, of the rise, and progress of its 
 civilization, to its present improved state ; or, if the few circumstances we 
 have been able to collect, from the pages of history, or ancient records, 
 should be little more than a catalogue of its misfortunes. 
 
 When a country is in a floiirisliing condition, its happiness seldom attracts 
 the attention of the historian, but its distresses, and calamities, afford an ample 
 field for the scope of his patience, abilities, and eloquence. 
 
 Whether Reading owes its origin to the Britons, the Romans, or the 
 Saxons, is a question very difficult to be ascerfaincd at this distant period ; 
 yet we may safely conclude, from the silence of our early historians, that it 
 must have been very inconsiderable, if it existed at all, prior to the estab- 
 lishment of the latter in this island; under whose auspices, it formed a part ^-^^ 
 of the kingdom of Wessex, towards the close of the fifth century. At this 
 period, Cerdic, accompanied by his son, Kenric, with five ships, landing on 
 the Sussex coast, at a place called Chardford, or Cerdic's Ford, made himself 
 master of the western coast, and gained several battles over the Britons, who
 
 S HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. contended for the possession of their native soil with so much courage, 
 that, although they were routed in several engagements, Cerdic was unahle 
 to push his conquests far beyond the sea-coast. His victories, however, 
 by reducing the number of the Britons, paved the way for further conquests 
 by his son Kenric, who subdued Salisbury, and extended his dominion as far 
 as Benson in Oxfordshire; at which time it is reasonable to suppose, that thi» 
 part of the country submitted also, to the authority of the conqueror. 
 333 From this period to the union of the Saxoa Heptarchy, under Egbert, 
 
 king of Wessex, it is likely that the Saxons held an undisturbed possession^ 
 of the kingdom ; the Britons being either expelled or subdued ; and, except 
 the quarrels that arose among petty kings for the sovereignty of England, 
 and which were chiefly carried on in distant parts of the country, nothing 
 of consequence, or of importance, occurred, for the space of nearly three 
 hundred years, to prevent the inhabitants of Berkshire from cultivating the 
 829 arts of peace, and of civilized life. 
 
 Notwithstanding these flattering appearances, the fate of the country 
 remained yet undecided. A more daring and ferocious enemy, under the 
 denomination of Danes, encouraged by the success of their precursors, began 
 at this time to ravage the coast, from whence they afterwards made predatory 
 excursions into the interior of the country ; but, as plunder, rather than con- 
 quest, formed the most prominent feature of their warfare, they had no sooner 
 freighted their ships with the spoils of the unfortunate inhabitants, than they 
 returned to their homes, to enjoy the fruits of their courage, and rapacity. 
 
 The display of so much wealth, to a people just emerging from barbarism^ 
 was a bait too tempting to be resisted; the success therefore of these marauders, 
 became a stimulus to other adventurers to pursue the same course. Piratical 
 bodies issued from every part of the North, and the Saxons who had for a 
 long time before enjoyed an uninterrupted series of success, were doomed in- 
 their turn, to become the victims of an invading foe. 
 
 Among the leaders of these Danish freebooters was Ivar, one of their 
 piratical kings, who, encouraged by the feeble opposition he had met with 
 from the inhabitants on former occasions, at length determined to attempt 
 the subjugation of the whole kingdom. Having collected a formidable fleet,, 
 he sailed from Denmark in the year 868, and soon after landed at Southampton 
 without meeting with any opposition. Leaving a garrison to secure that town, 
 ggg he marched with the remainder of his army into the interior, ravaging and 
 burning every place he came to, from the sea to the Thames ; and at length fixed 
 on Reading for his head quarters, which he fortilied, so as to resist any attack 
 that could be made on it by the Sa.\ons. Ivar was followed in 870 by another
 
 870 
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 3 
 
 party of his countrym^n^ more numerous than before, under the command of Chap. I. 
 Hinguar and Hubba;* who, after having conquered the kingdom of the' 
 East Angles, and slain Edmund their king, marched to Reading, where, for 
 their better security, they are said to have dug a deep trench from north to 
 south, between the rivers Thames and Kennet.* Three days after their arrival 871 
 at Reading, a battle was fought at Englefield, between them and the English, 
 commanded by Ethelwulph, earl of Berks ; which was contested with equal 
 obstinacy on both sides, 'till one of the Danish commanders, with a great part 
 of his army, being killed, the remainder were put to flight, and victory declared 
 in favor of the Saxons. After this engagement, the Danes retreated to Rea- 
 ding, whither they were pursued, by Ethered, and his brother Alfred ; after- 
 wards deservedly called, Alfred the Great : here a second battle was fought, 
 more violent than the former ; when the Danes, with the assistance of the 
 garrison, which they had left in the town, making a sortie at the same instant, 
 from every part of their lines, and falling upon the English, with an impetuosity 
 not to be resisted, obliged the royal brothers to break up the siege, after an 
 obstinate contest, in which many lives were lost on both sides, and to retreat 
 towards Aston ; where, being followed by the Danes, another sanguinary battle 
 took place, in which the English were victorious, the Danes being again 
 compelled to retreat with great loss. With such animosity did the two con- 
 tending parties pursue each other, that these three engagements, are said to 
 
 • It is, perhaps, difficult to determine, whether this trench was dug on the east, or west side, of 
 the town, though I am inclined to think it was on the former, from considering the high ground 
 between the two rivers on the west side, which must have rendered such a measure, almost impossible 
 to have been executed, at least, sufficiently near the town, to have been of any use for defensive 
 operations; while the eastern side, being a flat countr)', was very well adapted for the purpose. And, 
 indeed, this opinion seems corroborated by the account given of the transaction by the ancient historian 
 Hoveden, whose words are, " pracdictus paganorum exercitus, occidentales Saxones adiens, Radingum 
 venit, in meridiana Thamesis fluvii ripa, in ilia plaga, quse dicitur Bearocshyre, tertioque adventus die, 
 duo comites eorum, cum magna multitudine, in praedam equltaverunt, aliis interim vallum facientibus, 
 inter duo flumina, Tamesin et Cinetam, a dexira parte ejusdem regis villae." 
 
 ^' The aforesaid army of pagans, marching to the West Saxons, came to Reading, situated on the 
 South side of the river Thames, in that part of the country called Berkshire, and on the third day 
 after their arrival, two of their leaders, with a great multitude, rode out to forage, the others, in the 
 mean time, digging a trench between the two rivers, the Thames and Kennet, on the right-hand side of 
 the same regal town." 
 
 Here, we see, it was on the right-hand side of the town, that the trench was dug, which could be 
 no other than the eastern, supposing a person to be looking towards the north, as is customary in 
 layuig down places on maps ; I conceive, therefore, the trench here mentioned, could be no other than 
 the Flummery Ditch, as it is now called, which actually unites the two rivers, and neariy insulate.s the 
 Forbury, which it is more than probable, from its elevated situation, was the part the Danes fortified. 
 
 • Rog. Hoveden.
 
 4 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. have taken place, in the space of seven days; and no less than nine pitched 
 '''^"^-"'^ battles were fought within the year, w ith various success. In one of these, 
 c-o Ethelwulph, earl (comes) of Berks, lost his life;' and, in another, Ethered 
 himself received a mortal wound, of which he died soon after, and was, as 
 some writers say, buried at Winbourn Minster in Dorsetshire, and the follow- 
 ing inscription placed on his tomb : 
 
 In hoc loco qniescit corpus sancti Etheldredi, regis 
 
 West Saxonum, qui An. Dom. dccclxxiii, xxiii die 
 
 crq Aprilis, per manus Danorum paganorum occubuit. 
 
 But the principal action, and that which for a time decided the fate of 
 Reading, is said to have been fought at a place called ^Merantem,* where the 
 Saxons were defeated. From the great changes efiected by time in the names 
 of places, and the difficulty of ascertaining the derivation of the Latin 
 appellatives, it is almost impossible to ascertain, with any degree of certainty, 
 where this place really was. It might possibly be jNIoreton, in this county, 
 which lies about fourteen miles distant, north from Reading, from whence one 
 of the hundreds receives its name, and is in the neighbourhood of Aston, where 
 one of these contests is acknowledged to have taken place. Or, if a conjecture 
 might be hazarded, we are rather inclined to fix it at Mortimer ; part of 
 which is in this county, and not more than seven or eight miles from the scene 
 of action. This supposition is strengthened by evident marks of an engage- 
 ment having taken place on its extensive common, at some early period of our 
 history : For, on the left hand of the road leading from Reading to Silchester, 
 are the remains of a square encampment, the south side of which, forms the 
 boundary line between the counties of Berks and Hants ; and opposite to it 
 are several tumuli or barrows,f probably the burial places of some of the chiefs 
 who fell in the engagement. Perhaps this battle was fought by Alfred,;]; who 
 Alfred, succeeded his brother Ethered on the throne, about the year 873 or 874. 
 However this may be, there can be no doubt, but this place, was the scene 
 
 • Scala Chronica. 
 
 • Some writers are of opinion, that by Merantem was meant Merton in Surrey ; others, that Jt 
 was Mertune in Oxfordshire, or Marden, in Wiltshire, but all these places are at too great a distance 
 from the seat of action. 
 
 f This common has lately been enclosed, and all traces of the barrows will soon be obliterated by 
 the plough. 
 
 X We have been led to this conjecture from several traces which still exist in that neighbourhood : 
 particularly a farm adjoining the spot, called Alfred's Farm, and another now united to it, called Danes' 
 Jcra, the property of Jeremiah Moore, esq. of Englefield. On this last, is a ver\' ancient cottage, 
 which, by a tradition among the inhabitants, is said to be of Danish construction. This opinion 
 »cems, in some measure, corroboiated by the peculiar style of the building. It is about 30 feet long.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 5 
 
 of some considerable engagement between the Saxons and Danes, and most Chap. I. 
 likely about the period here stated. 
 
 While this warfare was carrying on for the possession of this town, it is 
 probable that many conflicts, not mentioned in history, took place in its more 
 immediate neighbourhood ; from one of which. Battel Farm* might derive its 
 name ; unless it was so called, from having been given by the Conqueror, as 
 part of the endowment of his newly erected abbey, at Battle, in Sussex. 
 There are several appearances of entrenchments in the meadows belonging to 
 this farm, most of which were undoubtedly thrown up during the contest 
 between Charles and his parliament ; but Comb Bank,f now part of the 
 western boundary of the borough, is, from its Saxon appellation, evidently 
 more ancient than the seventeenth century, and was, probably, one of those 
 thrown up by the Danes at this period ; the storming of which, and their 
 subsequent defeat is alluded to in the following lines from the Cantio Cygni . 
 
 From hence;{; he little Chanscy§ seeth, and hasteneth for to see 
 Fair Redinge towne, a place of name, where cloths y woven bee. 
 This shews our Alfred's victorie, what time Begsceg was slaine 
 "With other Danes, whose carcases lay trampled on the plain. 
 And how the fields ydrenched were, with blood upon them shed 
 Whereas the prince in stables now, hath standinge many a steede.* 
 
 by 14 wide, built of timber, and evidently, in its original form, consisted solely of a ground floor ; 
 chambers having since been formed within the roof, which, together with the sides, is composed of 
 ribs of oak timber, about two feet thick, and one wide, set upright in the ground, which, bending 
 in the form of an obtuse angle, are united at the top. This building must originally have been 
 thatched from the ground, upwards, representing the figure of the hull of a ship, with the keel 
 inverted. A view of this building is given in the tail-piece to this chapter. 
 
 * It has been said by some, that it owed this name to the more recent contest in the reign of 
 Charles the First, but this must be a mistake, as it v/as known by that appellation before that 
 period. In a deed, pmes me, dated l620, the north side of Castle-street, is described to be in Battd 
 part of the Manor of Battel;" we may, therefore, conclude, that it received this appellation from 
 some earlier event, and as no other occurs, of a later date, in the annals of our history, 1 am inclined 
 to fix it at this period. 
 
 + Comb, (Saxon,) a valley between hills. Nothing can be more descriptive of the situation than 
 thb name ; this valley being confined on the north, by Mapledurham hills, and on the south, by 
 the elevated ground, on which the Bath road is carried, and which divides this valley, from that 
 wherein the Kennet flows. Perhaps Comb Bank might have been the commencement of a 
 fortified line from the Thames to the Kennet, though no appearances of it are to be traced beyond the 
 mead, the rest having probably been obliterated by the plough, as the Uimwordvalluni, used by 1 love- 
 den, does not exclusively mean a deep trench, but may be applied to a bank or rampart. The Thames 
 and Kennet, therefore, might have been connected in this manner, as well as by the Plummery ditch, 
 and thus the west Side of the town be secured, as well as that on the east. 
 
 + The Thames. § Cholsey ' Leland.
 
 6 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. Alfred Laving at length obtained several advantages over the enemy, Ivar 
 
 ^ "*- thought fit to make proposals for peace, which the kiog accepted on condition 
 of his evacuating his dominions. In consequence of this treaty, the Danes 
 marched to London, thereby freeing the inhabitants of Reading from the 
 oppression and cruelties they had so long endured from a savage and barbarous 
 foe, to whom no treaties were sacred, and under whose government neither the 
 lives, ncr the properties of the people were secure. 
 
 S74 This tranquility was soon again interrupted by the arrival of a fresh body 
 
 of these freebooters under the command of Halden, who, seizing the castle 
 of Wareham in Dorsetshire, threatened the western parts of England with 
 devastation and ruin. Alfred expostulated with this chief on his breach of a 
 solemn treaty made with Ivar, and was answered, that each of these bodies 
 of adventurers being under an independent chieftain, they were not bound bj 
 any compact made by Ivar. 
 
 Alfred, relying on the peace which he had made, found himself unpre- 
 pared for this unexpected attack ; however, seeing the necessity of immediately 
 opposing force to force, with great exertions, he soon collected a numerous 
 army, which so intimidated the invading enemy that they again sued for peace. 
 The terms were accepted, and ratified in the most solemn manner, Alfred 
 swearing to observe them bij the relics of the saints, and Halden by his brace' 
 let, both equally sacred in the opinion of the respective parties. 
 
 This peace, notwithstanding the solemn pledges by which it had been 
 confirmed, was no better observed on the part of the Danes than the former 
 had been : for landing again on several parts of the coast, they subjugated by 
 degrees a great portion of the interior ; and, it was not without many severe 
 conflicts, and many reverses of fortune, that Alfred was at last enabled to 
 secure to his western subjects the inestimable blessing of peace, by giving up 
 the sovereignty of East Anglia to Guthrun, one of their chiefs, on his con- 
 senting to embrace Christianity. 
 
 900 From this period to the death of Alfred, the country enjoyed a profound 
 
 peace ; but under the reigns of the succeeding Saxon monarchs, the contest 
 for the empire was carried on by the Danes with incessant hostility; and, 
 although many parts of the kingdom suffered dreadfullv, yet Reading seems 
 in a great measure to have escaped the general calamitv, and even to have 
 increased in consequence and population, till the year 1006,' when Sweyn, 
 king of Denmark, landed with a powerful army, and, marching through 
 Hampshire, carried devastation and ruin into the interior of the country, 
 
 * Rog. Hoveden. 
 
 1006
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 7 
 
 burning and destroying towns and villages in his march ; and, at length Chap. I. 
 arriving at Reading, he reduced the town to ashes, together with Walling- ^-""v-**^ 
 ford and Cholsey ; at which time the beautiful monastery for nuns, at Reading, 
 which is said to have been founded by Elfrida, widow of king Edgar, as an 
 atonement for the death of Edward the martyr, whom she caused to be assas- 
 sinated at the gate of Corfe Castle in Dorsetshire, while he was drinking a 
 cup of wine to her health, was destroyed.' 
 
 Owing to the bad government of Ethered, Sweyn met with little difficulty Ethered. 
 in over running the whole kingdom. The king fled to Normandy for safety, 
 and Sweyn, the first of the Danish monarchs, was proclaimed king; he enjoyed, 
 however, the sovereignty of England but a short time, for dying the same 
 year, Ethered was recalled ; who, after holding the reins of government a 
 short time, was succeeded by his son Edmund Ironside. This prince, by a o,/ , . 
 treaty with Canute, king of Denmark, divided his kingdom into two parts, 
 reserving the southern division, including Reading, to himself, but being mur- 
 dered the following year at Oxford by Leolf, a notorious robber, whom p 
 he seized by the hair for insolently coming into the hall, where he kept a 1016 ' 
 festival, and seating himself at table with his attendants, when the ruffian 
 drew a dagger, and stabbing Edmund to the heart, he instantly expired.' 
 
 Canute, succeeded to the sovereignty of England, and was followed 
 by his sons Harold and Hardicanute, but the Danish line of princes became £(iy,(rrd 
 so odious to the people, that in less than forty years they restored the Saxon the Con^ 
 race in the person of Edward, surnanied the Confessor; in which family fessor. 
 the crown remained till the conquest by William, duke of Normandy, ^"*i 
 
 to whom it became an easy prey,* after the death of Harold, in the battle Williaml 
 
 f XT ,• 1066 
 
 or Hastings. 
 
 Nothing particular relating to this town is recorded in history, during 
 
 the reigns of the two Williams ; but in that of Henry I. it began to make /7g«^,, r 
 
 a somewhat more distinguished figure. From this monarch's partiality, or 1100 
 
 as others say, from remorse of conscience for having imprisoned his brother 
 
 Robert, and depri\ed him of his eye sight, he began the erection here, in tlie 
 
 twentieth year of his reign, of a splendid abbey for benedictine monks, the 1120 
 
 whole of which, except the church, was finished in the space of five years.* 
 
 Besides liberally endowing it with large possessions, he also added a donation 
 
 • Traces of Danish ancestry are still observable in the names of some of the most ancient families 
 here, as the Deanes ana Adeancs, formeriy a Dane, Selwyn or Swaine has also been a common name hercv 
 ' Turner's Anglo-Saxon 11 istory. ' Hume 
 
 » Matthew Paris.
 
 8 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. of several precious relics, and among them the hand of St. James the Apostle, 
 "'--^'^''''^ which was given to him by his daughter the empress Matilda.' 
 
 11 "3 Henry spent much of his time at this place, but, dying* at Rouen, in 
 
 Normandy, the 1st Dec. 1135, from eating too heartily of stewed lampreys, 
 his bodv was embalmed, and transported, agreeably to his own request, to this 
 abbey for interment. The monks, in gratitude, erected a magnificent monu- 
 ment to his memory, which was destroyed at the reformation, in the reign of 
 Edward the Sixth.* 
 Stephen. His nephew, Stephen, having seized the throne, in violation of a solemn 
 
 ^ •^" oath he had taken to Henry, to support the right of his daughter after the 
 king's decease, found it necessary, in order to support his usurpation, to 
 build castles in various parts of his dominions ; among these was one at 
 Reading, which was surrendered to Henry II. duke of Normandy, and grand- 
 son to Henry I. in 1153, by the treaty of Wallingford. And Henry, as soon 
 as he came to the throne, caused it, with many others, to be destroyed. 
 1141 During the contest between Stephen and Henry for the throne, Henry's 
 
 mother, the empress INIatilda, came to Reading, and was favorably received 
 by the inhabitants, but whether they otherwise espoused her cause, or that of 
 Stephen, is uncertain, 
 Henryll, Henry II. ascended the throne, on the death of Stephen, in 1154; and 
 
 1^"^4 soon after the commencement of his reign his eldest son, Prince William, 
 dying in the fourth year of his age, was interred near his great grandfather^ 
 Henry I. in the abbey at Reading.' 
 
 About this period chivalry was carried to its utmost extravagance. Tilts 
 and tournaments were practised in every court in Europe, and it was by no 
 means unconmion to see charges for high treason, and other crimes, determined 
 by single combat in the field. A remarkable instance of this was decided 
 here in this reign, which we present to our readers, nearly as we find recorded 
 in " Norroy Segur's Honours Military and Civil." 
 1163 " '^'^^ '''"^ having marched an army into Wales, Robert of Mountford 
 
 accused Henry of Essex of treason, in having, near to a place called Colshill, 
 thrown away the royal standard, saying the king was dead ; by which all 
 those who were marching to his assistance turned back. Essex denied the 
 charge, and challenged INIountford to prove it by single combat, which was 
 accepted, and a pleasant island,f near Reading, was fixed on for the decision 
 
 * The death of Henrj', says Matthew Paris, was foreshewn by a tremendous hurricane, on the 
 tve of St. Simon and St. Jude, which thiew down church steeples, houses, &c. and tore up trees by 
 the roots, so that many thought the end of the world was coming on. 
 
 + This combat was probably decided on the island in the Thames to the eastward of Caversham bridge, 
 Rog. Hoveden. » Dodd's Church History. » Matth. Paris,
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 9 
 
 of the contest, when the success of either of the combatants was supposed to Chap. I. 
 determine the truth or falshood of the accusation. On the appointed day, the *'-*'*>^-^^ 
 knights met on horseback, clad in armour, and the charge being sounded, Mount- 
 ford attacked his adversary* with so much violence, as, almost at the first onset, 
 to throw him from his saddle, when, being stunned by the fall, and fainting 
 with the loss of blood, he was taken up, apparently dead, and conveyed to the 
 abbey, where, by the care and assiduity of the monks, he was recovered ; but, 
 whether from shame for having been overcome, or from a conviction of his 
 guilt, which was confirmed in the minds of the people by his defeat, he 
 renounced the world, and having, with the king's permission, and to avoid 
 the mark of infamy, and the loss of his estates, received the tonsure, he became 
 a monk, and bestowed all his property to encrease the revenues of the abbey." 
 
 Under this reign also the abbey church was completed and consecrated by 
 archbishop Becket, in the presence of the king and ten bishops;' and the par- 
 liament, for the first time, met here in 1 171,' when several statutes were enacted. ] j^j 
 
 Henry II. passed much of his time at this place, either allured by the 
 pleasantness of the situation, or from respect to the memory of the royal 
 founder, from whom he inherited the throne. He kept his whitsuntide here in 
 1165, and his caster in 1177; and in 1184 he was present at a convocation held 
 here, in which Baldwin was elected archbishop of Canterbury ;' in 1185 he 1185 
 received here Heraclius, patriarch of the holy resurrection, and Roger, master 
 of the hospital of Jerusalem, who were sent on a solemn embassy by pope 
 Lucius, to inform him of the successes of Saladine against the crusaders in the 
 holy war, and to solicit his assistance. At the same time Heraclius presented 
 him the keys of the holy sepulchre, and the royal banners of Jerusalem; 
 these the monarch returned, and, as the question so deeply involved in it the 
 interest of his kingdom, he declined giving a direct answer, till he had an 
 opportunity of consulting the prelates and barons of his realm.* 
 
 Henry, dying in 1189, was succeeded by his son Richard, who soon /?/(.;, ^,,^j 
 after his accession to the throne was prevailed on by the pope to join with 1188 
 
 * In Leland's Colkctarua, vol. 3, p. 410, he says " Anno D. 1 163. Duellum factum inter R. de 
 Munford et Henricum de Essex, vi Id. Apr. apud Radinge, quern Robertum Henricus in campo semi- 
 vivum reliquit." — Ex. Chron. Vestust : 
 
 But according to Matthew Paris, " Anno 1 163, Robertusde Montforde, cum Henrico de Essexia ; 
 de proditione regis, singulari certamine congrediens : victoriam reportavit. Qua de causa, Henncus 
 notam infamia: simul, et exhasreditationis jacturam incurrens; indulgentia pii Regis, apud Radingum, 
 habitum monachalem susceptit." 
 
 So uncertain are historical records, that these early writers assign the victory differently to each of 
 the combatants. 
 
 • Mat. Paris. » Brompton. » Lyson's Berkshire. - * Roger Hoveden. 
 
 C
 
 10 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I, Philip, king of France, in an expedition to the holy land, leaving his own 
 dominions a prey to civil dissensions, brought on by the oppressive government 
 of Longchamp, chancellor and bishop of Ely, whom the king, during his 
 absence, had appointed to the regency of the country. The mal-administration 
 '^^^ of Longchamp being represented to the king on his voyage, he sent a commis- 
 sion to William the earl niareschal, and three others, impowering them to bring 
 the chancellor to trial, and inflict on him such punishment as the nature of his 
 oflences might require. But John, the king's brother, impatient of the delays 
 attending a regular trial, summoned a meeting of the great men of the nation 
 to take place at Lodden (Leodone) bridge, between Reading and Windsor, on 
 the first Sunday after michaelmas, to take into consideration the arduous aflairs 
 of the kingdom.* The convention seems to have no sooner met, than it 
 adjourned to Reading, where several charges were made against the chan- 
 cellor ; particularly one for having caused the archbishop of York to be 
 violently taken out of a church, and sent to prison ; for which oflence, he, and 
 all those who had been concerned in the transaction, were, by the bishops then 
 at Reading, excommunicated with lighted candles, in the most solemn manner. 
 This is the only occurrence of a public nature which is recorded to have taken 
 place at Reading, during Richard's reign, most of which he spent in the 
 1199 '^^^'■s abroad, or in captivity; and dying soon after his return home, be left 
 
 his kingdom to his brother John. 
 John. W hile John was engaged in a war with France, the pope sent Teren- 
 
 1206 tinus, legate of the apostolic see, to visit the principal towns in England, in 
 order to levy a considerable sum of money. At Reading he held a council, 
 on the eve of St. Luke, but we are not informed of any particular business 
 •which was transacted at it. Probably it was called only for the purpose of 
 levying money from the clergv ; for the historian adds, that " after seeing his 
 packages secured and disposed of with the utmost care, the hasty traveller 
 took his leave of England."* 
 
 This year, Joceline, bishop of Wells, was consecrated bishop of Bath, at 
 Reading, by William, bishop of London. 
 1209 In the year 1209, a priest of the university of Oxford having, as it is 
 
 said, by accident, killed a woman, the mayor of the city sent immediately to 
 arrest him at his lodgings, but, the offender having fled, three other priests 
 who were found there were seized, and committed to prison, though they were 
 wholly innocent of the crime. These, the king ordered to be hanged, in 
 
 * Mr. Coates, p. 8, says, Richard held a parliament here this year, but this must be a mistake 
 he being then m Palestine, warring against Saladine. 
 
 A parliament was held here, but Richard was not present at it, Brompton. 
 
 ' Matthew Paris,
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 11 
 
 direct opposition to the privileges of their order, which so exasperated the Chap. 
 clergy, that both masters and students, to the number of about three thou- ^'^^^'^^ 
 sand, quitted the university in 1213, most of whom settled at Reading, Vv-here 
 they pursued their studies, to the great emolument, and advantage of the town.' 
 
 The oppressive government of John having created a civil war between 1313 
 him and his barons, the pope seized this opportunity of converting it to his 
 own advantage, for the purpose of levying an extraordinary Romescot, or 
 Peter's pence, in England. He therefore sided with the barons, who, with 
 the bishops and clergy, were prevailed upon to hold a council, to consider of 
 his demands. This council, however, broke up by the king's order, without 
 coming to any determination ; on which the legate immediately convoked a 
 synod to be held at Reading, where he extorted from the members a con- 
 siderable aid in lieu of Peter's pence, for having, as he pretended, beenthe 
 occasion of the king's opposition to the pope's measures. * 
 
 John, finding himself unable to contend with such powerful opponents, 
 supported by the menaces of the pope, resolved upon surrendering his crown 
 into the hands of the legate ; and, in order to make it appear, that the interest 
 of the barons was not neglected on this occasion, he agreed to hold a con- 
 vention at Reading, for the restoration of those possessions which he had so 
 unjustly seized. This meeting, however, the king did not think proper to 
 attend ; and it was adjourned to Wallingford, where he promised to restore 
 their property in the most ample manner. This engagement also he found 
 means to evade ; and, at another meeting held at Reading, the legate favoring 
 his Majesty's cause, the business was again deferred, notwithstanding each 12] *? 
 of the sufferers produced a schedule of the losses he had sustained from the 
 king's arbitrary proceedings.* 
 
 The barons, finding no reliance could be placed on the royal word, igij, 
 again had recourse to arms, and convoked another council to be held here, at 
 which the king was present, when the appeal, brought by them against the 
 conduct of the legate, who was then at Boulogne, and who had supported the 
 monarch in the oppression of his subjects, was confirmed. This so exasperated 
 the pope, that he sent over a commission empowering the bishop of Winchester, 
 the abbot of Reading, and Pandulpli, sub-deacon of the Roman church, to 
 excommunicate the barons, with all those w ho favored their cause ; and to 
 place their estates under an ecclesiastical interdict. But, the excommuni- 
 
 • The author of Historia Aurea says, ' Stephan Langton, archbishop of Canterbiry, kept a 
 counsail at Reding, for goodes to be restorid to the clergy, taken away bv King John. Stephan had 
 adjudgid to hym 3 M. Maikes. The residew of the clergy, 15 M. Maikes.' ' 
 * Wood's Annals of the University of Oxford, vol. I. fol. 182. ^ Mat. Paris. 3 Leland's Coll. 
 
 c2
 
 12 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Ch4P. I. cation being eeneral, it in some measure lost its effect ; and the barons con- 
 '-'•^^.^-^^ tinned their opposition in defiance of the threats of the church, or the autho- 
 1014 rit>' of the kinij. His holiness then sent another bull to the same commis- 
 sioners, authorizing them to excommunicate each of the refractory barons by 
 name ; but this had no more effect than the former ; and the wounds which 
 this afflicted kingdom had sustained during the civil war, were only closed by 
 the death of the monarch, which happened in 1216. 
 Henry His son and successor, Henry III, seems occasionally to have made 
 
 III- Reading the place of his residence ; and, as it was the custom of those days, 
 1216 for our kings to pass the festival of christraas at one of the principal towns 
 of their dominions, so Henry chose this place for that purpose in 1227, Here 
 1227 aJso he appointed his army to rendez-vous, preparatory to its embarkation at 
 1230 Portsmouth for France, in the beginning of April, 1230.* 
 
 As this prince pursued the same impolitic line of conduct as his father 
 had done, in the latter part of his reign, in assisting the pope to plunder 
 bis subjects, it is not surprising that he met with the same opposition. — 
 Althouffh much may be said for the dark superstition which unfortunately 
 1240 prevailed in those davs, vet almost the whole of his reign exhibited a series 
 of rapacity by the monarch, and of resistance by his people. In 1240, an 
 assembly of the clergy, and principal men of the realm, was convened at 
 Reading, by Otto, the pope's legate, to take into consideration the distresses 
 of his holiness, arising from the ill success of the war which he had for a 
 long time carried on against the emperor Frederic ; in defence, as he stated, 
 of the rights of the church. The legate concluded a long speech, by earnestly 
 requesting a grant of one fifth part of all their property, for the further 
 prosecution of this disasterous war. After the many impositions the people 
 bad submitted to, from the same quarter, this request appeared particularly 
 unseasonable ; and the legate was informed, that thev could not take upon 
 themselves so insupportable a burthen, without more mature deliberation. Otto, 
 finding them inflexible in their resolution, and proof against all his artifices, 
 was obliged to adjourn the meeting to a future day.' 
 
 While this assembly was sitting, Richard earl of Cornwall, the king's bro- 
 ther, with other noblemen and gentlemen who had espoused the cause of the 
 cross, came here to take leave of their friends previous to their departure for 
 the Holy Land. Although their presence must have added much to the splen- 
 dor of the company already assembled, yet a general gloom pervaded the minds 
 «f all the people from the distressed state the country was reduced to^ and made 
 
 • Matthew Pam. • Matthew Paris.
 
 HISTORY. OF READING. IS 
 
 the departure of tlio^e who had taken the cross peculiarljr to be regretted. Cha?. I. 
 The bishop? earaestlv entreated the prince,, not to desert his countrr in such a. ~^'~*~ 
 situation,, and leare it a prey to rapacioui foreisroers.. who. no longer awed hj 1'240 
 his presence, woald place no limits to their extortion, and OTerwhelm it witfe 
 beggarv, oppression, and ruin. These rentenstrances were not snficioit to 
 prevail upon the earl to delay his departure ; he assured them he had done 
 ererv thiaz in his power to aUeriate their miseries,, and finding all his effort? 
 fruitless, he could no longer witness the desolation to which his country was 
 reduced, but felt himself under a neces-itv of lea^ins it, eren if his oath had 
 oot bound him to the defence ot the Holy Land.* 
 
 Soon after the prince's departure, the legate conxened a meeting' of all 1-44 
 the clergv of the countv of Berks, in hopes of finding them more tnctaMe 
 than a general svnod ; but in this he was disappointed, for the same spirit of 
 opposition to his measures manifested itself here, till the kin^, by the advice of 
 Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, interposed his authority, by which the^" 
 were at lensrth oblized to coraplv with the legate's request.* 
 
 In 1246, we find the king held a court here, and probably spent his 1246 
 Christmas at the abbev ; as the deed whereby he granted to his uncle Peter of 
 Savov all the houses in the Strand, in London, '^for which he was to pay 
 annually into the exchequer three barbed arrows in lieu of service ^ wij 
 dated at this town.* 
 
 The first charter ever granted bv anv of onr kings to the guiii ■- 
 chants of Readins, was bv Henry, on the 5th of July 1234, at Portsmouth, \2bi 
 while on his wav to the Continent; bv which he laid the foundation of those 
 privileges the corporation now possess^ although the liberalities of succeeding 
 monarchs have considerably enlarared thera. 
 
 The sererities practised towards the Jews in this reign, compelled many of 1253 
 those unfortunate people to leave the country, while others to preserve their 
 lives, embraced christianitv, and were quartered on different monasteries ; 
 two of these converts were sent to the abbot of Readieg:, to be supported 
 out of his revenues, and instructed in the doctrines of the church- Tfas mode 
 of tasin:r religious establishments, was probably not very acceptable to the 
 incumbents ; for on the king's attempting to borrow lai^ sums of the great 125S 
 abbies, such as St. Albans, Westminster, Reading, &c- most of them refused, 
 and particularly the abbot of Reading, who successfully supported his deter- 
 mination to the last, alledsrina: the hardships thev had sustained by maintaining' 
 the Jews. Notwithstandicff this denial of the abbot and m«»nks to the kings 126S 
 
 Mi:.b= Psns. » Matbw cf WestMBtocw ' ^•->^
 
 H HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. reqviesf, it appears the king resided here, and most probably in the abbey, in 
 
 "^^"^•^^-"^^ the following- year, where michaelmas term was held. ' 
 
 1263 The arbitrary conduct of the sovereign towards his inferior subjects, and 
 
 his perfidy towards the barons, alienated the aflections of both from his 
 o-ovcrnment, and obliged them to unite in defence of their violated liberties. 
 On this occasion Henry called a parliament to be held here, instead of London, 
 fearing it might be overawed by the trained bands of that city, and conse- 
 quently not so much at his devotion, as it would be in a provincial town; 
 but the earl of Essex who was at the head of the rebellious barons, refusing 
 to attend, it was dissolved, without entering on the business for which it had 
 been assembled. 
 1273 Hitherto parliaments, or rather conventions of the barons and clergy, 
 
 (for the commons had hitherto no share in the government,) had met without 
 any regular writs being issued; but when king Henry and prince Edward 
 ■were made prisoners by the barons, Henry, for the first time, issued writs for 
 convoking a parliament, to concert measures for obtaining his liberty, in which 
 every shire was ordered to return two knights, and every city and borough two 
 burgesses. Soon after which, at a council held here, it was decreed that the 
 clergy of each diocess should elect two proctors, to appear for them at the next 
 convocation: ^ qui auctoritatem habeant una nobiscum, tractare de his, quae 
 ^ ecclesise communi utilitati expediant Anglicans in proxima congregatione 
 * nostra tempore parliamenti proximi.'* From which time the clergy have 
 always met in convocation at the beginning of a new parliament ; but since 
 the reign of queen Anne, they have not been permitted to act.' 
 
 EduardI Henry dying soon after, left his crown to his son, Edward I. whose 
 1279 reign was so much occupied with his wars in France and Scotland, that it 
 is doubtful if he ever visited this place ; however, a synod was held here, 
 in the seventh ^ear of his reign, which was convoked by John de Peck- 
 ham, archbishop of Canterbury, under pretence of obtaining the ratification of 
 the canons of the general council, held at Lyons, in France, concerning 
 pluralities ; but the real design was to procure the passing of some canons, in 
 opposition to thero^al prerogative.' 
 
 The first, decreed excommunication against those who sued for the king's 
 letters, to prohibit certain causes being tried in the ecclesiastical courts. 
 
 The second, subjected those magistrates to the same penalty, who refiised 
 to imprison excommunicated persons. 
 
 * " Who, together with us, shall have authority to treat of those things, which are expedient for 
 the common good of the church of England, at our next meeting in the time of parliament." 
 * Coates's History of Reading, p. 10. » Hutchinson's History of Dorset, ' Rapin.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 15 
 
 The third, subjected to the same punishment^ all those who invaded the Chap I. 
 church lands. '^-^v-«^ 
 
 The fourth, prohibited, under the same penalty, the selling of provisions to 
 the archbishop of York, whenever he came within the jurisdiction of the see 
 of Canterbury. ' 
 
 TheSe canons were considered by Edward, so great an encroachment on 
 his prerogative, that he soon after compelled the archbishop to rescind them. 
 He afterwards, according to Prynne, ordered all monasteries to be searched, 
 and the money found in them to be sent to his exchequer, but as this circum- " "* 
 stance is not mentioned by our best historians, it is probably not correct, and 
 the more so, as a convocation of the clergy was held this year when they 
 granted him a tenth. ' 
 
 During the reign of the unfortunate Edward II. we find nothing re- Edward 
 markable concerning the subject of this history, except that in 1314, Edward II- 
 being this year at Reading, his officers seized twenty-three quarters of oats, 1307 
 belonging to Nicholas At-Oke of Stratfield Mortimer, for the king's chickens, 
 and as much litter as was valued at thirteen shillings, which he had provided 
 for the reception of his landlord, the bishop of St. Davids. On a petition to 
 parliament, satisfaction was ordered to be made to the owner, the officers having 
 refused to pay either for the litter or corn. The latter was valued at £3. \3s 4(1. * 
 
 The attachment which Edward shewed to his favorites, was the principal 
 occasion of these illegal seizures, which, with other acts of tyranny, was the 
 cause of the civil war which soon after followed, and the deposition of the 
 unfortunate monarch ; and to add to the misery of the people, so great a famine 
 raged in every part of the kingdom, that 'the wealthiest noblemen were |0|g 
 
 * obliged to dismiss the greater part of their domestics. The highways were 
 ' infested with robbery and murder: the streets and public places exhibited the 
 ' most dismal scenes of misery and distress. Numbers of wretched creatures 
 ' were seen fainting and dying for want of subsistence ; and helpless parents 
 ' lying in their last agonies, surrounded by their tender ofispring, clamorous for 
 ' food. The prisons were burst open, and the malefactors devoured by the 
 ' desperate populace; the dead became a prey to the living ; the graves were 
 ' robbed of their tenants, to allay the rage of hunger ; and to such a degree of 
 
 * horror did this calamity increase, that even the mother was known to destroy 
 
 ' and feed upon the fruit of her own womb.'* Such is one of those pictures 
 
 which historians have drawn of former times; which, although too frequent in 
 the chequered page of history, we are too apt to admire, and even to prefer 
 
 ' Rapin. * Hume. ' Lyson's Berkshire, * Smollett.
 
 16 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. io the present auspicious period^ when plenty presides at our boards, the laws 
 ^**'"^'^'*^ are distributed with impartial justice^ religion is cultivated by reason, and 
 1316 Itinffs are taught to consider the rights, the liberties, and the happiness of the 
 people, as the surest foundation of their own glory. By this happy change in 
 the administration of our government, famine, and its attendant miseries, have 
 been banished the land ; arts and sciences cultivated; industry rewarded; and 
 a degree of public happiness has been experienced, unknoTNTi to our fore- 
 fathers, from the invasion of the Romans, when we became civilized^ 'till 
 the expulsion of the Stewarts, when we became free. 
 Edicard In the year 1346, Edward III passed his Christmas here; at which time a 
 
 ///. great tournament was held, and at his departure, being in want of money to 
 1346 carry on the war against France, he borrowed a large sura of the monks, for 
 which he pledged his jewels as a security for the repayment, but how or when 
 they were redeemed, history remains silent. 
 1359 '^^^ marriage of John of Gaunt, earl of Richmond, Edward's third son, 
 
 with Blanche daughter of Henry duke of Lancaster, was solemnized in the 
 abbey church here, on the 19th of May, 1359; on which occasion great rejoic- 
 ings were made, and which Chaucer has celebrated in a poem called, ' hi» 
 dream,' wherein are the following lines descriptive of the spot, and the at- 
 tending circumstances : 
 
 " And the feste holden was in tentes, 
 " In a rome, in a large plaine, 
 •" Under a wode, in a champaine, 
 " Betwixte a river, and a well, 
 " Where never had abbey ne sell 
 " Yben, ne kirke, house, ne village ; 
 ' " In time of any mane's age, 
 " And dured three monthes the fest." * 
 
 * Though this description of the spot where the feast was held is written in the form of a dream, 
 ■yet, from its being ' in a champaine, betwixt a river and a well ;' it is probable the poet had his eye 
 upon the King's-mead, than which, in the month of May, no place could be better adapted for such an 
 occasion. Its being ' under a wode,' is another characteristic of this place, which is overhung by the 
 Oxfordshire hills, at that time, no doubt, clothed with wood. There is, however, some difficulty in 
 assigning a place for the well he mentions, from the insignificancy of the object, and their frequency 
 in every part of the town, but this might not have been the case when Chaucer wrote ; or, if it were, 
 It IS probable this term was not merely confined to its present acceptation, but was used as a general 
 term for all springs ;+ and this idea seems coiTobated by the following passage in the same poem : 
 
 " in his thoughtes as he lay 
 " Within a lodge, out of the way, 
 " Beside a xueU. in a forest. 
 + Wael at Weallan (Saxon for a spring). ThU definition is alto confirmed in Jamieson's Scotish Dictionary, article wAit.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 17 
 
 Again, Chap. I. 
 
 " Unto a tente prince and princes ^^^""y"^-' 
 
 " Methought brought me, and my maistres, 
 " Which tente as church parochiall, 
 
 " Ordaint was in especiall 1359 
 
 " Both for the fest, and for the sacre^ 
 " Where archbishop, and archdiacre 
 " Ysongen full out the service." 
 
 If we consider the splendor of Edward's court, who was at this time in 
 the meridian of his glory, attended by his five sons in the flower of youth, 
 the king of France his prisoner, and all the principal nobles of the land, 
 together with the tilts and tournaments that were every day exhibited, as well 
 as the number of the tents, and variety of banners displayed on this occasion, 
 we may conclude this to have been the most picturesque and pleasing sight ever 
 beheld in this town. 
 
 Edward III. dying in 1377^ was succeeded on the throne by Richard II, 
 son of Edward the black prince, at that time little more than ten years of age. 1377 
 The king's uncle, John of Gaunt duke of Lancaster, owing to some insinuations 
 which had been thrown out against him, as wishing to place the crown on his 
 own head, refused to take upon himself the office of regent during the king's 
 minority, to which he was certainly entitled by his birth, being the eldest sur- 
 viving son of the late king; whereupon a council was appointed in his stead; 
 who, almost as the first act of their new government, took into consideration 
 the debts of the crown, which had increased to an alarming degree, in conse- 
 quence of the late wars in France. In order therefore to reduce these debts, 
 they obtained the sanction of parliament, to levy a poll-tax of one shilling j^gj 
 per year on every inhabitant above the age of puberty ; and, as taxes were at 
 this time but little known, and less understood, this was considered as a very 
 grievous oppression, by a people already laboring under the bondage of their 
 
 In this expression, the wcU is generally understood to be a spring in Woodstock-park, called 
 Rosamond's-well ; and therefore this under consideration, might also be intended to denote a spring: 
 and the only one connected with the abbey, being the conduit, whereby it was supplied with water, 
 I think it not improbable that this luas the well intended by Chaucer ; between which and the river 
 Thames the feast was kept; though perhaps after all, this expression was only introduced for the sake 
 of the rhyme, as our poet might have entertained the same opini m as one of his successors, who 
 
 thought, that 
 
 " Those who write in rhyme, still make 
 " The one verse for the other's sake, 
 " For one for sense, and one for rhyme, 
 " I thmk's sufficient at one time."— — Samwe/ Butlir, 
 D
 
 138^2 
 
 18 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. Jordj*^ apj gave rise to serious insurrections in difl'erent parts of the kingdom. 
 The rebels from Kent and Essex, ( wlio ^^ ere at'terwards joined by those of 
 other counties, and particularly bv the inhabitants of Reading/) headed by 
 Wat T\ler and Jack Straw, marched into London, where they connnitted the 
 most dreadful outrages, murdering everv person whom they deemed obnoxious 
 to their cau^e, and destroyed all the public records which fell in their way. 
 To put an end to this scene of confusion and dread, the young king appointed 
 a njeeting with the rebels in West Smithfield; where their leader, Wat Tyler, 
 behaving in an indecent and insolent manner to his sovereign, was stabbed by 
 Sir William of Walw»^rth, lord mayor of London ; and, his followers were 
 so confoiuulod at the death of their leader, and the magnanimity of their 
 young prince, that they were prevailed upon to return to their homes, with 
 such concessions as it was thought expedient to grant them, but which were 
 never afterwards fulfilled ; for, his majesty, having raised a large army, set 
 out for the purpose of making a tour through his dominions, and of taking 
 a severe revenge on all who had been concerned in the rebellion ; among other 
 places, he came the following year to Reading. What the eSects of this 
 visit were, history has not informed us ; but there can be no doubt, that the 
 same severities were exercised on the inhabitants here, as at other places. 
 
 Soon after the rebellion was quelled in every part of the kingdom, the 
 king thought it necessary to eflcct a reconciliation between himself and his 
 uncle, the duke of Lancaster, for an affront which had been offered to hin> in 
 Scotland ; for which purpose, he, by letter, invited his injured kinsman to 
 return to England, and sent orders to the different sheriffs of the counties 
 through which he was to pass, to escort hi.ii, with a thousand men at arms, 
 besides archers, on his way to Reading, where Richard waited his arrival. 
 From hence they proceeded together to London, where the parliament was 
 summoned to meet in the November following.* 
 
 From the earliest period of this king's reign, a diff'erence had subsisted 
 between the court, and the citizens of London, whereby the peace of the city 
 1381 had been often disturbed; but, particularly in I3S1, when the re-election 
 of the chief magistrate afforded an opportunity of renewing their former 
 animosities, by open acts of violence. The court party brought forward Sir 
 Nicholas Brembar, in opposition to John of Northampton or Combarton, who 
 
 * It is customary in England, as well as in several other countries, for the nobility to have great 
 privileges over the commonalty, whom they keep in bondage ; that is to say, they are bound by law 
 and custom, to plough the lands of gentlemen, to harvest the grain, to carry it home to the bam, to 
 thrash and winnow it : they are also bound to harvest the hav, and carry it home. All these service 
 they are obliged to perform for their lords, and many more in England than in other countries.— 
 i'roissart's Chronicle, • Froissart's Chronicle. * Stowe,
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 19 
 
 was supported by the city ; and who had filled the civic chair during the two Chap. I. 
 preceding years, and was accounted an upright and virtuous magistrate, for the ^'"'"V^-^ 
 strictness of his government, and the vigilance which he used to suppress the 
 ruling vices of the times. His inflexible honor and integrity, were by no means 
 pleasing to those profligate ministers, who, unfortunately for the nation, sur- 1384 
 rounded the throne. They therefore resolved, if possible, to procure the election 
 of the former, whom they considered more likely to support their views : For 
 which purpose, every eff'ort was made, within the reach of a corrupt adminis- 
 stration to efl^cct their design ; and although they succeeded in the attempt, 
 yet, the election was not carried without great opposition and rioting, which 
 was at length suppressed by the summary but arbitrary means used by Sir 
 Robert Knollys,* who, entering the city with some troops, seized one of the 
 chief members of the opposition, and dragging him from his horse, struck 
 o(F his head without waiting for the forms of a legal trial. And, though this 
 act was committed by an individual, in defiance of all law and justice, yet, 
 80 little were cither of them observed in those times, that it does not appear 
 that Sir Robert, was ever called in question for thus violating both, by an 
 arbitrary and wilful murder. 
 
 John Northampton himself was taken into custody, and committed to 
 Corflfe castle in Dorsetshire, from whence he was afterwards conveyed to 
 Carisbrooke castle in the Isle of Wight ; and, as the administration were 
 doubtful of being able to convict him, if tried in the city of London, he was 
 conveyed to Reading, where his majesty then was, and arraigned before judge 
 Tresilian, for conspiring against the king's life ; but, refusing to plead in the 
 absence of his superior lord, the duke of Lancaster, he was sentenced to 
 perpetual imprisonment, in the castle of Tintegal in Cornwall, and all his 
 goods to be confiscated to his majesty's use. 
 
 In I3S9, Richard being at Reading, a peace was concluded between 
 himself and the barons, under the mediation of John of Gaunt the king's 
 uncle, but the arbitrary measures of the government still continuing, the nobles 
 became again discontented, so that when it was found necessary, in 1390, 1390 
 to call the parliament together, the king's ministers, being afraid to summon 
 them to Westminster, the usual place of holding the sessions, they were 
 appointed to meet at Reading. Oiie of the principal objects of their attention 
 was, to efl'cct a reconciliation between the dukes of Lancaster and Gloucester, 
 which they accomplished, and gavegreat hopes, it is said, of a happy union among 
 
 * This gentleman was a solrlier of fortune, who had risen by his own merit, and was the founder 
 of the family of that name, which was afterwards so intimately connected with this town, andrepre. 
 tented it in many succeeding parliaments. 
 
 d2
 
 20 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. I. all the branches of the royal family. But, these flattering prospects were 
 *"*" of short duration ; for Richard, suffering himself to be governed by a few 
 favorites, whose mal-adniinistration filled the nation with murmurs and dis- 
 contents, at length produced a conspiracy for overturning the government ; 
 at tiie head of which were Thomas of Woodstock, the king's uncle, the arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, tlie earls of Arundel, and Warwick, and many other 
 noblemen ; but, the king gaining intelligence of their intentions, they were 
 all seized, and committed to prison, except Thomas of Woodstock, whom 
 Richard, (not daring to bring to trial in London,) sent to Calais, where he was 
 privately murdered by the governor. These tyrannical measures of the crown 
 
 1399 were succeeded by others equally oppressive, which so effectually alienated the 
 affections of his subjects, that they soon after broke out into open revolt, under 
 Henry of Bolingbruke, duke of Lancaster, who, being joined by a numerous 
 army, compelled the misguided monarch to resign his crown to him, and laid 
 the foundation of that destructive civil war between the houses of York and 
 Lancaster, which, for so many years afterwards, desolated this unhappy country. 
 IlenrylV During the reign of Henry IV. the succeeding prince, this town seems 
 to have been unnoticed by history, nor is it certain whether that monarch wasi 
 Henry V *^^^'" ^^'''^J ^^^ his son Henry V. visited it in 1415, from whence he issued 
 
 1415 * proclamation, stating, that the money granted by parliament was insufHcient 
 to make a second payment to his troops engaged in the war against France, 
 and inviting his loving subjects to lend hiui a sum of money, upon such secu- 
 rities as he should propose.* 
 Henry VI Henry dying, at Vincenncs in France, in 1422, was succeeded by his sott 
 
 1422 Henry VI. This prince sununoned a parliament to meet at Reading, the 12th 
 of February 1440, at which time a new order of nobles was instituted, stiled 
 viscounts, and placed between earls and barons, below the former and above 
 the latter; John lord Beaumont being created viscount Beaumont, in full par- 
 liament.* Another parliament was summoned to meet here, on the 6th of March 
 
 1452 1452, which, after sitting a short time, was prorogued to Westminster, to meet 
 on the 20th of April, where it sat till the 2d of July, when it was again pro- 
 rogued to Reading, to meet on the 7th of November, where it sat till the 11th 
 of February following.' 
 Echvard In the succeeding reign of Edward IV. the plague breaking out in Lon- 
 
 don, in 1461, the parliament was again adjourned to Reading, to meet on the 
 
 1461 6th of November, where it sat till the early part of the following year. This 
 was the last parliament held here, and the reformation coming on soon after, 
 put an end also to synods, councils, and ecclesiastical assemblies, which had 
 occasionally met here since the foundation of the abbey by Henry II, 
 
 • Rymer's Faedcra, * Selden's Titl« of Honor, p. 6S0. ' Cotton's Abridgment.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 21 
 
 In 1464, Edward held his court at Reading, from whence he issued a p^^J^ 
 proclamation, dated the 29th of September, for raising the price of bullion 
 from 29 sterlingez the pound of silver at the mint, to 33 sterlingez ; after 
 which the noble of gold, which then passed for 6s. 8d. was to be raised to 14/54, 
 8s. 4(1. sterlings; the half noble at 4s. 2d. and the ferling of gold at 2s. Id, 
 " and to the intent to eschewe all man' diflicultez doubtez and arabiguitcz that 
 peradventure might falle in mcnnes myndez in this partie our seide sovign 
 lord the kynge willeth and ordaineth that three grotes shall make a shillynge. 
 six half grotez a shyljnge, twelve pence which shall be called sterlinges a 
 shylynge, twenty four half pennys a shillyng. forty eight ferthings a shillyngc. 
 and twenty shyllinge shall make a pound, and thirteen shillynges and four pence 
 shall make a mark.'" 
 
 In the same year, Edward's marriage with Elizabeth, lady Grey, after 
 having been kept secret many months, was first openly acknowledged at 
 Reading, on which occasion she made her public appearance at the abbey, being 
 conducted thither by the duke of Gloucester, and the earl of Warwick.* 
 
 In 1475, this borough was assessed by parliament to raise thirty shillings 1475 
 and ten pence, as their proportion of the subsidy granted ; and, for the collec- 
 tion of which, four persons were appointed by the corporation.* This is the 
 first instance we find here of any taxes having been levied upon the inhabitants 
 in this way. 
 
 Richard III. does not appear to have visited this place during the short Richard 
 period of his reign; but Henry VII. was here in 1487, when he ordered the HI- 
 abbot to convert an almshouse, which had been recently suppressed, to some 1487 
 religious purpose ; who thereupon founded the present free grammar school, 
 which has continued to increase in reputation, to the present time, and wherein j^q^ 
 many learned men have received their education. 
 
 Henry VIII. frequently resided here, and particularly in 1524, when the 1524 
 churchwardens of St. Lawrence's parish received two shillings " for the house 
 in the Market-place wherein the fletcher lived, for the time of the king's being 
 here;" but this was probably for the accommodation of some of his atten- 
 dants, and not for the king himself, whose residence was always at the abbey. 
 Ilis queen, Catharine of Arragon, was here in 1529, as was his majesty, a second 
 time, in 1541. 
 
 In 1543, a subsidy being granted the king, by parliament, to be paid in three 
 years, the proportion assessed on this borough was nine shillings and four pence 
 each year, and was paid in equal proportions, by each of the three parishes.* 
 
 Edward VI in his progress through the kingdom, arrived here the 13th j-^o 
 of September 1552, and was received in the following manner : 
 
 ' Archaiologia, vol. 12. * W. Wyrcester, p. 500. ' Corporation Diary. « Ibid.
 
 22 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 ^^*^;J* " Mr. Thomas Aldworth, the mayor, accompanied by the substance of the 
 
 « gentlemen of the town, as well burgesses as others, in their best apparel, re- 
 " ceived his majesty at Coley Cross,* all being on foot, where the mayor, on his 
 " knee, humbly welcomed his majesty, and kissed the mace, and delivered it to 
 " his majesty, who most gently stayed his horse, and received it, and immediate- 
 " ly delivered the same mace unto the mayor. And also his majesty, further 
 " stayed his horse, until the mayor had taken his horse, and then the mayor, 
 " appointed by a gentleman usher, rode before the king's majesty through the 
 " town, unto the king's place, at the which time, forasmuch as it was the 
 " first time of his majesty's coming, the said mayor presented, and gave unto 
 " his majesty two yoke of oxen, which cost fifteen pounds ; the charge 
 " whereof wps born by the inhabitants of the said town, as well by the 
 " burgesses as others. And, at the same time, being his majesty's first 
 " coming, certain officers demanded certain duties, as they call it, which were 
 " paid unto them, at the cost and charges of the said mayor and burgesses, 
 " as follows : — ' 
 
 Imprimis, s. d. To the footmen x o 
 
 "^ To the herald xx o 
 
 To the Serjeant at arms xiii iv 
 
 To the trumpeters at arms xx o 
 
 J\Iarrj The same ceremony was observed when queen Mary came here in the 
 
 ,^^_ beginning of her reign, accompanied by her husband, Philip king of Spain, 
 
 at which time the presents made to their majesties, as well as the fees paid to 
 
 their attendants, were nearly the same : but this custom seems to have been 
 
 dropped in the succeeding reign, for though queen Elizabeth frequently ho- 
 
 •jf-^Q nored this place, by making a temporary residence at the abbey, which had been 
 
 convertfd into a royal palace, there is no record, I believe, in the corporation 
 
 Elizabeth books, of any particular form being observed on her arrival. She resided here 
 
 in 1601, at which time she conferred the honor of knighthood on John Norris, 
 
 of Fyfield. 
 
 This town was greatly indebted to Elizabeth for many donations, which 
 will be spoken of in their proper places. She also confirmed and enlarged the 
 charter, granted by former monarchs to the corporation, and was a great 
 encourager of the woollen manufixctory here, which during her reign was 
 carried to a greater extent than at any other period, and was the means of 
 raising to affluence many of the inhabitants, from whose bounty even the poor 
 of the present times are considerably benefitted. From one of these indus- 
 
 * Probably where the turnpike now is, ' Corporation Diary. 
 
 To the king's cup-bearer vi viii 
 To the clerk of the market vi viii 
 To the marshall iii iy
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 23 
 
 trious inhabitants, sprung archbishop Laud, who was born October 1, 1573 Chap. I. 
 in a house ( as it is said, ) lately standing on the north side of Broad street.* 
 
 Prynne, in his Life of Archbishop Laud, says, " he was born at Redding, 
 in Rarkshire, of poore and obscure parents, in a cottage over against the cage : 
 which cage, since his coming to the archbishoprick of Canterbury, upon com- 
 plaint of master Elveston, was removed to some other place ; and the cottage 
 fulled dorvn, and new built by the bishop ;" but this seems a mere calumny of 
 the author's, to degrade the archbishop, whose parents were not so obscure as 
 he pretends, neither was there ever, as far as we have been able to learn, a cage 
 in the situation here stated ; and, it is more than probable, that the cottage, as 
 it is here called, was not rebuilt by the archbishop, who paid occasional visits 
 to this his native town, but never made it his rtsidence after leavinu: college. 
 
 Nothing particular occurred here during the reign of James I. respecting 
 this place, except that he was once here, on his way to Bath, in 1GI2; and the 
 following year, his queen, Ann of Denmark, also visited the town, but made 
 no long stay here. 
 
 •This house has lately been taken down; but a view of the building, as it appeared in 1811, is 
 annexed to the portrait of this generous benefactor to his native town. One of the chambers retained 
 the name of ' Laud's study,'
 
 History of Reading, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Chap. II. Vr E now come io the eventful reign of Charles I. a period replete witli 
 
 ^-^"^'^^ misfortunes both to the monarch and his people^ from its commencement to the 
 
 C/jrtr/csi. melancholy catastrophe which put an end to the life of the one, and the 
 
 liberties of the other ; during which period this town experienced more 
 
 distress than it had suffered in any former times since the invasion of the 
 
 Danes, in the tenth century. 
 
 In the first year of his reign, the plague having broke out in the cities 
 of London and Westminster, Charles, to prevent the spreading of the infec- 
 tion, adjourned a part of michaelmas term, as also the receipt of the revenue,* 
 to this town, where a commission passed the great seal, for executing the laws 
 against recusants, which were read in all the courts of judicature here, some 
 of which were held in the town-hall and the abbey, as the high court of chan- 
 cery, the court of exchequer, the courts of king's bench, common pleas, wards 
 and liveries, and the court of requests, but these not being sufficient to contain 
 them all, the augmentation court was held in the school-room, the lord-keeper 
 lodged with Sir E. Clarke, the recorder : the attorney-general lodged at the 
 Fryers in Mr. John Saunders'* house, who was also recorder, and appears to 
 have held the office conjointly with Sir E. Clarke. Some of the judges lodged 
 at the Golden-bear, at the south-east corner of Castle-street, which was then 
 called Serjeant's-inn in Fleet-street, and others at iNIr. Thomas Turner's,f the 
 mayor's, near the High-bridge, which was then denominated Sarjeant's-inn in 
 Chancery-lane. But this precaution, instead of preventing the plague from 
 spreading, was, in all probability, the occasion of bringing it to Reading,;]; 
 
 • This gentlemen was member for the borough in five successive parliaments, 
 + He served the office of mayor three times. 
 J The dread occasioned by this visitation, as it is called, among the people, cannot be better exem- 
 plified, than by the following passage in W'hitlock's Memorials; when the plague was somewhat as- 
 
 • Rushworth's Collections,
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 25 
 
 Avlierc It soon after made its appearance. At first, only two persons were Chap. IF. 
 aflected with it, and it was hoped the contagion would stop here ; but, unfor- ^-^"y""^ 
 tunately it soon began to break out in various parts of tiie town, and at length 
 became so alarming, that all communication among the inhabitants was mutu- 
 ally avoided, all the houses, where the infection was known to exist, were 
 ■^hut 2/j),*and the following regulation published by order of the magistrates :' 
 
 " This day it was ordered, for the better preventing of the visitation of 
 " the plague in this corporation, that if any inhabitant shall, at any time 
 " hereafter, during the infection of the plague, receive, or take into his house, 
 " any person or persons, goods or merchandize, brought from London, every 
 '' such offender shall be shut up in his own house, by the space of one month, 
 " and to be kept at his own charge." 
 
 And, for the better enforcing a compliance with this order, watchmen 
 were stationed in each parish, to prevent any communication with the visited 
 houses, and to take care that no goods brought from London should be landed 
 at the wharf. Besides these precautions, an order was sent from his majesty 1626 
 in council to the mayor to " remove the market and staple of cloth to a more 
 safe place, luitil Almighty God of his goodness should stop the violence of the 
 contagion," and to send up to the council two well experienced clothiers to 
 give their opinion, what place would be most proper to remove the staple to, 
 and particularly to appoint at his discretion, a sufficient number of watchmen, 
 to watch all houses that were infected or suspected to be so, and also the pest- 
 house at the Conduit-close, and to keep all snspected perst)ns out of the town. 
 And, for the better performance of these instructions, the mayor was autho- 
 rised to appoint a sufficient number of the most respectable inhabitants to 
 patrole their several parishes day and nigh-t, to see that the watchmen did their 
 duty. From this period, for nearly fifty years, the town docs not appear to 
 
 sua^ed, and there died in London but 2500 in a week, it fell to judge Whitlock's turn to go to 
 Westminster-hall, to adjourn michaelmas term, from thence to Reading; and accordingly he went 
 from his house in Buckinghamshire, to Horton near Colnbrook, and the next morning early to High- 
 park-corner, where he and his retinue dined on the ground, with such meat and drink as they 
 brouglit in the coach with them, and afterwards he drove fast tlirough the streets, which were empty 
 of people, and overgrown with grass, to Westminster-hall ; where the officers were ready, and the judge 
 and his company went straight to the King's-bench, adjourned the court, returned to his coach, and 
 drove away presently out of town. 
 
 * The manner of shutting up infected houses, as we learn from a contemporar)' writer, was, by 
 fastening the doors on the outside, on each side of which -was painted a large red cross, on the arms 
 whereof, extending about two feet on each side, was inscribed, in capital letters, lord havi 
 
 MERCY UPON US, Hodgc's Loimolo^ia. 
 
 * Corporation Diaiy, 
 E
 
 26 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. have been perfectly free from this dreadful visitation, asitAvas emphatically called, 
 ^"■^""^^"^^ thou2:h it was never so fatal as at this time, except in 1638, when great num- 
 bers fell victims to its virulence. It first broke out in a house in Minster- 
 street, from whence it spread so rapidly into other parts of the town, that it 
 1626 ^^^g found necessary to adopt the same methods of precaution as on the former 
 occasion ; but, as many of the sufferers were unable to maintain themselves, 
 a tax was levied on the inhabitants for their assistance, out of which those iu 
 the pest-house v/ere allowed four-pence a day, the others three-pence.* 
 
 The infection raged principally among the poorer classes, occasioned, no 
 doubt, from their want of cleanliness, and the crowded state of their dwell- 
 ings, evils which are now happily in a great measure removed, by the improved 
 state in which this deserving class of people now live.f 
 
 1635 ^" account of the plague still raging iu London, the last term this year 
 ■was held in Reading, where the commission, under the great seal of England, 
 for the due, and effectual, putting in force the several laws and statutes against 
 popish recusants, was publicly read in all the courts. 
 
 During this scene of distress, the king had successively called together 
 several parliaments, which had been dissolved almost as soon as convened. 
 The representatives of the people demanded the redress of grievances, while 
 the monarch and his ministers were calling on them in vain for fresh subsidies. 
 At length Charles determined to govern without the control of parliament, 
 and to raise the necessary supplies by virtue of his prerogative. In the pro- 
 secution of this plan, the country was harassed by arbitrary and unconstitu- 
 tional measures, and his perseverance in levying the unpopular tax for ship- 
 
 1636 monej', on the inland counties, was one of those numerous acts of oppression, 
 which soon after involved the nation in all the horrors of civil dissention. 
 
 Though this town possessed neither materials for building ships, nor 
 sailors to man them, yet, under pretence of guarding the coast, the inhabitants 
 were ordered to provide a ship completely equipped, to be at Portsmouth by 
 the first of March 1636, and the magistrates were authorised to levy the sum 
 of ^260, under the pretext of building it, but in reality to be paid into the 
 treasury.;]; Small as this sum may now appear, the difficulty of collecting it 
 
 • During the continuance of the infection, the com market is said, by tradition, to have been 
 kept on a waste piece of ground in Mapledurham parisii, since called New Market-green. 
 
 + Contagium inter sortis infinus homines difFusum, repente admodum luxuriasse ; hinc praeter 
 propter ZuM ^a«/ifr«?n vulgo appellitata, equibus holocaustum fere in mensum libitinx sacratum.— 
 Hodge's Loimologia. 
 
 :j: The proportion of ship money levied on each corporation, within this county, was, — for 
 Reading, 260/. Newbury, 120,'. Abingdon, 100/. Windsor, 100/. Wokingham, 5a'. Wallingford, 20/.— 
 Ruihwerth's ColUction,
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 27 
 
 was so great, that the corporation petitioned the throne, though in vain, " to Chap. II. 
 have some abatement of some part thereof."* v.^-v^«^ 
 
 After the decision of the court of exchequer in favor of the crown against 1640 
 Mr. Hampden, who had disputed the legality of the tax, the ministry were 
 encouraged to resort to the same measure, and this town was again assessed 
 in the sum of .^220, for the purpose of providing a ship, with men and 
 ammunition." But these sums were so inadequate to the king's necessities* 
 that, after a long struggle, he was at length obliged to resort not only to the 
 ancient mode of calling a parliament, but also to agree that they should not 
 be dissolved without their own consent. Confident of their own strenffth and 
 popularitj', the parliament immediately sat about reforming the government, 
 and retrenching the prerogatives of the crown ; but Charles, finding all his 
 efforts for the support of his pretended prerogatives unavailing, appealed to 
 the swordj in defence of what he considered his just rights, and the civil-war 
 ensued. 
 
 After the battle of Edge-hill, his majesty fixed his residence at Oxford; 1643 
 and, in order to render his out-posts more secure, he placed garrisons in as 
 many of the neighbouring towns as the number of his forces would admit of, 
 from whence they were ordered to scour the country in flying parties. One 
 of these, which had been stationed at Abingdon, advancing farther into the 
 country than it had been ordered to do, came within sight of Reading, when 
 Harry Martin, at that time governor of the town for the parliament, taking 
 alarm, fled with all his men towards London, leaving the town open to the 
 king's troops, who accordingly took possession of it without opposition, and 
 Charles appointed sir Arthur Aston to be the governor, with a salary of seven 
 pounds per week, to be paid by the inhabitants.' 
 
 Aston no sooner took possession of his new government, than he deter- 
 mined to make the town as strong as the nature of the ground would admit ; 
 and that the new entrenchments might be completed before the return of the 
 parliament's forces, he issued a proclamation, ordering all the principal inha- 
 bitants to " work in raising the bulwarks in the Forbury,* on pain of forfeit- 
 ing seven pence a day for every day's non attendance, out of which fines the 
 poorer sort -were to be allowed eight pence per day for their labor : Posts and 
 chains were likewise fixed at the end of every street, at the desire of the cor- 
 poration, who, in a loyal address to the governor, assured him " that they 
 would assist him with their counsel and purses to the utmost of their abi- 
 
 * The only remains of these is the Forbury-hill, and part of the fences of the adjoining garden. 
 • Corporation Diary. * Ibid, ^ Ibid. 
 
 e2
 
 2& HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Ch\p. II. lities.'" and that the garrison might not be taken by a surpiise, a tax \va? 
 
 ^''*'''"*'"*^ levied on the inhabitants, " to defray the cxpence of providing men and horses 
 to ride out daily as a scout to inform the town of their danger, as they might 
 learn and understand,"' and, an additional assessment ^vas made ''to supply the 
 "^ garrison with cloth, apparel, victuals, and such other things as they stood in 
 
 need of." A guard w as constantly kept in the Oracle, \vho were provided 
 with wood and coals at the expence of tlie town. And, to prevent the garrison 
 and inhabitants being distressed for want of provisions, in case of their being 
 besieged, care was taken, not only to have the town supplied with every 
 article of necessitv ; but on complaint being made, " that one Matthew Pane 
 and others were secretly conveying wheats and other corn out of the town, 
 the corporation issued an order, forbidding any person to carry away'wheat, 
 maslin*j or rye, and confining the exportation to barley alone, and that the 
 markets niiglit be regularly supplied, " four men were appointed by day, and 
 four by night, to attend the sentinels, for the quiet passage of such townsmen 
 and countrymen, as might pass to and from the market." Notwithstanding 
 these burthens, which the loyalty of the corporation induced them to lay on 
 the inhabitants, they were found inadequate to the maintenance of the soldierSj 
 whom the king, from the low estate of his finances, was incapable of paying. 
 
 " The king (says Clarendon) was at this time very much distressed for 
 want of money ; for, of all his own revenues, he had not the receiving of one 
 penny within his power ; neither did he think fit to compel any one, even such 
 as were known freely to have contributed to the parliament, to supply him ; 
 only by letters, and all other gentle ways, he invited those who were able, to 
 consider how much their own interest and prosperity was connected with his." 
 After this favorable display of the king's forbearance, it might be supposed, 
 that he would have been satisfied, with respect to this town, with the great 
 sacrifices the inhabitants had already made in his favor, but this was not the 
 case : Charles had it not in his power, had it been his inclination, to follow 
 the practice ascribed to him by the historian ; his necessities compelled him 
 to use harsher modes ; and, accordingly we find, that soon after the town 
 had been taken possession of by his troops, he issued an order to tlie magis- 
 trates to make a fresh assessment on the inhabitants, and those who did not 
 make good their payments, within a given time, were, by his express command, 
 to be doubly rated. ^ 
 
 Every species of oppression was at this period exercised on the unfor- 
 tunate inhabitants : taxes, assessments, contributions, and forced loans, fol- 
 
 * Different sorts of com mixed together. 
 ' Corporation Diary. 2 j^id. ' Ibid.
 
 I'? 
 
 HISTORY OF READING, 29 
 
 lowed each other In rapid succession. The former assessment was no sooner Chap. IT, 
 paid, than the governor levied a contribution of one hundred and two pounds """^^"^"^ 
 on the houseJiolders, for the pay of the garrison, which was to be paid in 
 within seven days at the farthest; and this was followed by a forced loan 
 of two thousand pounds for his majesty's own use, to be raised by four weekly ^"^J 
 payments. The demand of so large a sum, after the drains which the town 
 liad already experienced, together with the short time allowed for the collect- 
 ing it, induced the corporation to present the following petition to his majesty : 
 "To the J:ing's most excellent majesty, 
 " The humble petition of the mayor, aldermen, and th« inhabitants of 
 the town of Reading humbly sheweth, 
 
 " That your petitioners, in obedience to your majesty's commands, did 
 attend on sir Arthur Aston, governor of the said town, Avho, in your majesty's 
 name desired your petitioners, to undertake the further monthly loan of 2000/. 
 whereas, your petitioners, since the first advancement of your majesty's army 
 to the said town, have been charged with near 4000/. besides 1000/. contri- 
 bution for cloth, 4000/. loan, and other losses of the inhabitants of the said 
 town ; that your petitioners have been enforced to engage themselves, and the 
 lands and means of the said town, in 1000/. for the payment of the said sum, 
 even to the undoing the said town. 
 
 " May it please your most excellent majesty, the premises considered, ia 
 take into your princely consideration, the miserable estate of your petitioners." 
 
 This request not being complied with, they endeavored to raise the loan by 
 an assessment on the principal inhabitants, in the proportion of fifteen shillings 
 per week on every penny laid on each house for the relief of the poor. But 
 this assessment producing no more than five hundred pounds, the corporation 
 borrowed one thousand pounds more on the toll of the market, the rents 
 of Portman's Brook,* and two tenements in the town, five of their most 
 opulent members being security for the repayment of the money. This sum 
 it was hoped would have satisfied his majesty's immediate wants, and that 
 more time would have been granted them to raise the remaining five hundred ; 
 but, being disappointed in this expectation, they were under the necessity 
 of mortgaging their estates, called the Town Orts, Brownshill, and the 
 Wooll Hall.f' 
 
 Heavy and oppressive as this loan was, and notwithstanding the great 
 difficulty the corporation found in raising the money, the governor was soon 
 
 * Now the Hog-moors. 
 + Boult's-wharf, top of King street, and the buildings which separate the west end of Fislier 
 and Butcher-row. * Corporation Diary.
 
 30 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. after authorised bj his majesty, to demand of them a further loan of two 
 ^'■■^'\'''*'^ thousand pounds. It having been already found impossible to raise so large 
 a sum on the inhabitants, the corporation again had recourse to his majesty, 
 by a petition, soliciting, in the most earnest manner, a mitigation of the sum, 
 164o 'c in consideration of the very heavy burthens they had already borne." This 
 petition having met with no better success than their former one, the corpo- 
 ration, without attempting to harass the people for money they were convinced 
 vas out of their power to pay, took the immediate resolution of mortgaging 
 the remainder of their possessions, and thus, by involving their revenues in a 
 state of doubt and uncertainty, led the way, perhaps, to that system of pecu- 
 lation, which, in the minds of the inhabitants, is supposed to have been prac- 
 tised by the members of the corporation up to the commencement of the 
 seventeenth century. It no where appears, I believe, in the corporation books, 
 that either of these mortgages were ever paid by Charles or his successors, and 
 consequently must have been discharged from the surplus produce of their 
 rents, but which not having been regularly accounted for, has given rise to 
 this report, as unjust to the parties concerned, as disgraceful to the town. 
 
 The frequent repetitions of these oppressive demands, alienated in a great 
 measure the affections of the inhabitants from the cause they had at first so 
 warmly espoused, and prepared them for the change which was about to 
 take place. 
 
 The treaty for peace, which had been for some time negotiating at 
 Oxford, being at length broken off", the parliament determined to pursue the 
 war with the utmost vigour ; and accordingly, Essex, who at that time had 
 the command of the forces, was ordered to attempt the recovery of Reading, 
 as well for the future security of London, as for the opening a ready commu. 
 nication with the west of England. Charles had neglected to place a garrison at 
 Henley, which being perceived by Essex, he determinedto take possession of it for 
 the parliament, thereby securing to himself a safe retreat, in case of his failing in his 
 attempt on Reading. Accordingly, in the month of February, this year, he 
 detached a large body of horse and foot from Windsor, who, the same evening, 
 entered the town, after being delayed a short time in repairing the bridge, 
 which had been previously broken down. His thus taking possession of Henley, 
 was, probably, a feint to deceive Charles, who expecting, as it had been given 
 out, to be besieged in Oxford, would not venture to diminish his forces, by 
 sending a part of them to strengthen the garrison at Reading. Aston, however, 
 having gained some information of the enemy's route, immediately dispatched 
 a party of horse, in hopes of driving the enemy out of the town, should they 
 not be so fortunate as to preoccupy it before their arrival. But he was disap-
 
 HISTORY OF READING. SI 
 
 pointed in this expectation^ for the enemy received them with so much spirit, Chap. II. 
 that thej were obliged to retreat, after a short action, with the loss of several ^— ^v-'-^ 
 of their men. 
 
 The following letter, written by an officer in Essex's army, is so descriptive lQi3 
 of the place, and the manner of the attack, that the insertion of it in this place 
 may not be altogether uninteresting : 
 
 '' About nine o'clock at night, we came into Henley, where, before we 
 could get in, by reason that the bridge was not quite laid down, we were en- 
 forced to slay an hour and half at the least ; so soon as wc were come in, and 
 our men but gone to their quarters, some of us, among whom myself was one, 
 rode round to view the town, how it lay ; which, when we had done, we ap- 
 pointed four companies to watch all night, one towards Redding, another at 
 the bridge, a third at the upper end of the town, and myself, having the main 
 guard, it being mine for that night, as I was eldest captain of those that 
 watched, I divided my company, and sent my lieutenant, with about forty men, 
 to guard some w orks which the town had made, on the way to Oxford, I having 
 the rest on the main guard, which was kept in a little round house,* close by 
 the town hall, where four ways divide themselves, 
 
 " Having thus ordered our men, and having planted our ordnance, which 
 were but three in all ; one of our biggest pieces towards Redding road, another, 
 which was our best, towards Oxford, and the third, which was but a drake, 
 we planted towards the upper end of the town. And, by the time that this 
 was done, it grew near eleven o'clock. About half an hour after, being in 
 company with captain Betting, it being my place to go the round, he desired 
 to go with me, and so we went with six musqueteers round about the hills 
 which compass the town. About half an hour after twelve, we came in again, 
 and found all quiet and well. About two of the clock in the morning, being 
 in a house with the mayor, and most of our gunners, discoursing together, 
 news was brought, that the enemy was coming upon us, and had fired upon 
 our sentinels, which presently caused an alarm through the town, we all 
 putting on resolution to withstand them to the utmost. The enemy came 
 furiously upon us, with a loud cry " the town is our's," and made no question 
 to have broken through us all, being most of them troopers and dragooners, 
 in number about one thousand, and riding two on a horse. The first sentinel 
 that made discovery of them, having given fire, presently ran away to the 
 court of guard, who also were presently in readiness, and came forth and 
 fired upon them, so as they could not come into the town, so soon as they 
 made account of, but being all, except ten or twelve dragoons, on horse, they 
 
 * This house was removed at the time the paving of the town took place.
 
 S3 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. broke throii2;li oiu's, and came along the lane towards the town^ the waj 
 "^-^"'''^^ Ihey came being but narrow, and not above a flight shot, or little more in 
 lenoth from their first entrance, we being in readiness to have fired upon 
 them, but durst not, bj reason that they drove our men before them all the 
 1643 ■vvay alone:, but our parliament dog lay ready both to bark and to bite, being 
 laden with one great shot, and two cases, containing one hundred and twenty 
 musket bullets ; at length the way being cleared of our men, but full of their's, 
 we let fly; myself being within a yard or two at most when it gave fire, I 
 could easily see the execution it did upon them ; yet some of their horse came 
 so desperately on, that they were even ready to enter upon the mouth of the 
 cannon, as presently after the shot was given, appeared by that which follows ; 
 but some of our company crying very loud, to let fly and discharge the rest 
 of the ordnance at them, they were put into a terrible fright and flight too, 
 we following the execution. But their desperate onset appeared by this, 
 that we found three men and four horses lying dead within less than a quoit's 
 throw of the mouth of the cannon, and an ensign, which was found half dead, 
 Lavina: his lee: shot off", and some three shots more in his bodv, confest the 
 whole aflair to us. 
 
 " I believe they were so bit, they will scarce brag of their victory, or 
 come again m haste to visit our town. The number of men which we found 
 of their's, were but four that were killed outright, and five horses. One horse 
 also the gunner himself took, and another which fell into a muddy ditch, and 
 there was left till morning, when we took him out. One of these four men, 
 as our soldiers were stripping him, said he was the first captain of the lord 
 Grandison's regiment, and so immediately expired, having received a dozen 
 wounds ; six more w ere found dead in a wood, one of them was a captain ; 
 and we were also informed of some who came from Caversham, that divers-lay 
 wounded there, so that we may justly conceive, they lost at least thirty 
 ef their men. A\ e lost but three in all ; one of which was a soldier of mine, 
 Thomas Ilyett, a fishmonger's man, who was shot through the body with a 
 pistol shot, as he was coming from his quarters, who was forced to make use 
 of the cavalier's language, and cry out, where are these round headed rogues; 
 but they pursued him, and struck him through the hat with a pole-axe." 
 
 Essex determined to pursue his advantage, by laying siege to Reading, 
 as soon as the season of the vcar would admit of his takinc: the field. — 
 Accordingly, on the fifteenth of April, he marched from Windsor with an 
 army consisting of sixteen thousand foot and three hundred horse, and reached 
 Henley the same night, from whence he pursued his march the next day, by 
 Binfield-heath, towards Reading. The fortifications which surrounded the
 
 n.2 
 
 0Ae 
 Siege of Reading 
 
 Earl of Essex. 
 
 3. Antteri/ /ft/fninfinimf 
 
 b Modem /)'' 
 
 C WatcntUf I'lacr 
 
 d Sir /-' khoJlys 
 
 e Forbnri- Walt EmbrQ,rzzred 
 
 § Qdvaiirfd /hfi ofliif C-um/lti 
 
 \X. Jintrrnfftrnentt 
 
 1 Irtvint-tblf Fori 
 
 k F»rt Hoya-l ,4^
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 33 
 
 town were not sufficient to resistj for any length of time, a large army, and Chap. II. 
 being commanded by the neighboring hills, the result of a siege was easily *~*~ 
 foreseen ; for this reason, it is said, his majesty had determined to withdraw 
 his troops before the end of the month, had not the sudden arrival of Essex 
 before the town prevented it.* This was the more to be regretted, as the 
 garrison was not provided with more than forty barrels of powder ; but, as 
 the town was well supplied with provisions, hopes were entertained, that the 
 garrison, which consisted of picked men, would be able to hold out till the 
 king came to its relief, especially as the parliament's forces consisted chiefly 
 of young recruits, and the officers unacquainted with the methods of conduct- 
 ing a regular siege, this being the first that had been undertaken since the 
 commencement of the war. Accordingly, as soon as Charles was informed 
 of the designs of the enemy, he called in all his troops from the neighboring 
 garrisons, in hopes of raising such a force, as might enable him at their head 
 to relieve the garrison ; and, in the mean time issued a proclamation ofi'cring 
 " a free pardon to all that would lay down their arms, and return quietly to 
 their respective homes." This, however, made no impression upon the minds 
 of men who were become enthusiasts in the cause they had espoused, and 
 which they were taught to consider as their own. Essex met with no oppo- 
 sition on his march, till he reached Cavcrsham-hill, -where the royalists had 
 thrown up a slight entrenchment, which they defended 'till, being overcome 
 by numbers, they were obliged to retire towards the church, which they had 
 fortified ; but the steeple being beaten down by the cannon of the enemy, 
 they at length gave way, and, passing the bridge, were followed by Essex, 
 who immediately encamped with liis whole army in the meads on the west 
 side* of the road, where they threw up intrenchments ;* " the soldiers. (says 
 Vicars) being as willing to deal with the spade as the sword." 
 
 At the same time the lord Gray of Warwick, who commanded another 
 division of the parliament's forces, sat down with seven thousand horse and 
 foot on the south east side of the town.f All the avenues to the town, except 
 on the west being thus shut up, and the garrison nearly confined to the limits 
 of their own lines, Essex called a council of war, to consult, whether tliey 
 should immediately storm the works, which would bring the siege to a speedy 
 decision, or proceed by the slower, but more sure, means of taking the town 
 by regular approaches. The officers of the cavalry were unanimous for storni- 
 
 • These entrenchments are marked in the annexed plan, by dotted lines. 
 
 t Probably on the top of Red-lane. 
 
 * Clarendon's History of the Rebellion. * Codrington's Life of Essex, 
 
 F
 
 34 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. ing the works ; but those of the infantry, considering the great sacrifice 
 ^^-^'^'■^•^ of men that must ensue in such an attempt, for which no success in the present 
 state of the arm}' could compensate, were for the other alternative. The 
 majority of the court being of this opinion, the execution of it was entrusted 
 1643 ^Q major-general Skipton, an old and experienced officer, who had formerly 
 served in the Low Countries, and had lately been appointed to this rank by 
 both houses of parliament.' 
 
 Under his direction, batteries were erected on Caversham-hill ; but, either 
 from the distance at which they were placed, or from the unskilfulness of the 
 engineers, very little damage was done either to the town, or the fortifications 
 in the Forbury ; and the only officer killed was lieutenant-colonel DEws, 
 whose leg was shattered by a cannon-ball. Nevertheless sir Arthur Aston, to 
 whom the government of the town had been entrusted by his majesty, pro- 
 bably in the hope of gaining time, till the king's arrival, from whom he 
 expected to receive a supply of ammunition, of which the garrison was in 
 great Avaot, offered to capitulate, on condition, that he might be permitted to 
 retire with his men, baggage, arms, and ammunition. But this was refused 
 by Essex, who returned for answer, that he was not come merely for the pur- 
 pose of recovering the town, but with the hope likewise of making the gar- 
 rison prisoners of war.' 
 
 While this negotiation was carrying on, Essex had advanced his works 
 to the south-west part of the town, and by that means had gained possession 
 of the high ground leading to Castle-street, from whence every effort was 
 made by the governor to dislodge him, but without effect. 
 
 The garrison had placed some ordnance on the tower of St. Giles's 
 church to annoy the enemy, but this was beaten down, either from the batteries 
 raised by the forces under Essex, or from those which had been planted on 
 Red-lane-hill, by order of the lord Grey. 
 
 In addition to the batteries on that side the town, there were two very strong 
 forts which defended the entrance towards the west. One of these, called 
 Fort-royal, was, I believe, near the end of Coley-lane ; the position of the 
 other, called the Invincible Fort, at Harrison's-barn, is not so clearly pointed 
 out, but I am inclined to think it was situated at Chapel-hill, now Town's-end, 
 where was a strong brick and stone barn* which flanked the Caversham-road, 
 
 • This was originally St, Edmund's-chapel ; after the reformation, it was called the King's-bam, 
 and at this time was probably rented by one Harrison, a carpenter ; it was taken down about 40 years, 
 ago, and re-built at Battle-farm, where it now stands, 
 
 ' Ludlow's Memon-$, ' Ibid,
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 35 
 
 and was admirably placed to prevent the enemy from forcing liis way into the Chap. II, 
 town, either by the Cavcrsham or Pangbourn roads. ^-""V^-^ 
 
 These forts greatly impeded the besiegers, and might have preserved the 
 town, had riot sir Arthur Aston, the governor, been wounded in the head, on 
 the third day of the siege, by a splinter from one of the walls in the abbey, *"*^ 
 as he was standing in the court of guard. Though the wound did not prove 
 mortal, his intellects were so much deranged by the blow, as to render him 
 incapable of continuing the command, which devolved on colonel Fielding, 
 as the oldest officer in the garrison.' This accident was considered very detri- 
 mental to the royal cause, sir Arthur being looked upon as the best officer in 
 the royal army, and, as such, the most feared by the enemy.* 
 
 About this period, lieutenant-colonel Wilmot, with a party of horse, was 
 sent by his majesty, from Oxford, to the relief of the garrison ; this he eflected, by 
 throwing in a small supply of ammunition, with about 500 men, from Sonniiig, 
 by means of the river^ the town not being wholly invested on that side. But, 
 sir William Waller having joined Essex with the forces under his command, 
 that general was enabled to extend his lines more to the eastward of the town, 
 so as to cut off all hopes from the garrison of receiving any more supplies 
 from that quarter by means of the Thames. For which purpose he caused 
 a battery to be erected on the bank of the Thames, in a farm yard now belong- 
 ing to Mr. Maitland, and nearly opposite the principal works in the Forbury, 
 some remains of which are still visible. 
 
 * Sir Arthur Aston, knt. governor of the garrison of Oxford, was created doctor of physic, and 
 was admitted with this clause : honoratissime domine tu dabis fidem ad observandum statuta, libertates 
 et consuetudines hujus universitatis. This person was of an ancient and knightly family in Lan- 
 cashire, a great traveller, and had spent most of his time in wars abroad ; whence, coming in the begin- 
 ning of the rebellion into England, with as many soldiers of note, as he could bring with him, joined 
 himself and them, to his majesty's forces ; commanded the dragoons at Edge-hill fight, and with them 
 did excellent service. Afterwards, his majesty, having a great opinion of his valor, made him governor 
 of the garrison at Reading, where he beat the earl of Essex thrice from the place, 'till having received a 
 dangerous wound, was forced to devolve the command upon colonel Fielding, who afterwards surrendering 
 that garrison to the parliament, upon easy terms, sufFcredmuch in his reputation. As for sir Arthur, who 
 was lately made governor of the garrison of Oxford, being very cruel and imperious in the execution 
 of that office, he broke his leg, by a fall from his horse, on BuUington-green, near Oxford, on the IQth 
 September, l644, and on the 25th December following, was discharged from his office, to the great 
 rejoicmg of the soldiers and others, in Oxford. Sir Arthur then had his broken leg cut off, to save his 
 life, and in its place had one of wood put, so that being recovered, and fit to do his majesty farther 
 service, he went, with the flower of the English veterans, into Ireland, where he became governor of 
 Drogheda, but at length the garrison being overpowered, and taken by Oliver Cromwell and his forces, 
 in September \6-tg, all the defendants were put to the sword, and Aston, the governor, (a zealous 
 Roman Catholic) was hezvn in pieces, and his brains b^at out of his head, with his wooden kg.—liood's Athena, 
 
 ' Clarendon's History of the Rebellion. 
 
 f2
 
 36 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. However Fielding found means to inform his majesty, by frequent raes- 
 
 '^•^""^^"'^ sages, of the state of the garrison ; which determined him to hasten to their 
 relief, with such troops as could be spared from Oxford ; and to order prince 
 Rupert, who Avas then at Litchfield, to join him with all the forces he had 
 1643 with him, as well as those he could collect bv the wav : and that Fieldinar 
 might not surrender the town before his arrival, he sent one Flower, a servant 
 of sir Lewis Dives, to inform Fielding of his coming, and of some ammunition 
 he was forwardina: to him. Flower found means, bv swimmins: across the 
 Thames in the night, to get into the town, and to deliver his message ; but, 
 endeavoring to return the same way, he was seized by some of Essex's 
 patroles, as he was coming out of the water, and being interrogated, confessed 
 all he knew ; whereupon colonels Barclay and Holbourn's regiments were 
 stationed to the vestward of Caversham, on the road leading to Oxford, as 
 an out-post to watch the motions of the enemy.* 
 
 An attempt was made, about the same time, by a deserter from the lord 
 Robert's regiment, to blow up the parliament's magazines in the camp ; by 
 setting fire to a train, laid for that purpose, to a barrel of gunpowder, for which 
 he was to receive five guineas, but being discovered, he was immediately tried 
 and executed.* 
 
 Essex, having information that the king was on his march, sent a party 
 of horse, under the commands of colonels Middleton and Miles, to gain intel- 
 ligence of his strength, and to throw as many obstacles in the way of his 
 march as possible. These, falling in with the king's advanced guard, stationed 
 at Dorchester, consisting of some regiments of horse and one of foot, under 
 the command of colonel Vavasor, so completely surprised them, that one 
 captain and sixty privates were taken prisoners, and about the same number 
 were killed. His majesty's standard had nearly fallen into their hands; and 
 captain ^\atson, his majesty's gentleman harbinger, was among the prisoners. 
 They also took one hundred and forty horses, from " forty to fifty pounds 
 value" each ;' but this value must certainly have been exaggerated, consider- 
 ing the low rate of money at that time, unless we suppose the war to have 
 occasioned a disproportionate rise in the value of these useful animals. 
 
 News having been brought to Fielding of this defeat, which was erro- 
 neously asserted to have happened to the main body of the army, under Charles, 
 who was advancing to the relief of the town, that commander inconsiderately 
 hung out the white flag, and commissioners being sent in by Essex, a truce wa» 
 
 * The main road to Oxford was, at this period, on the Oxfordshire side of the water. 
 « Vicars. » Ibid.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 87 
 
 agreed upon by both parties, to continue while the articles of capitulation Chap. II. 
 were drawing up. . 
 
 This check, which Charles had received at Dorchester, did not, however^ 
 prevent his marching the next day to Wallingford, where he was joined by his 
 nephews, Rupert and Maurice, withthe troops under their command, making the 
 whole of the forces, collected for the relief of the garrison, to consist of forty- 
 five troops of horse, with nine regiments of infantry, and twelve pieces of 
 cannon. These were opposed at Caversham, by two regiments, under the 
 command of the lord Robert, and colonel Barclay, which had sustained a 
 principal share in the late action at Dorchester. These last were stationed on 
 the right of Caversham bridge, having with them three divisions of the lord 
 Robert's regiment, the other two being stationed on the left. In this situation, 
 they waited the approach of the enemy, whose right column, consisting of 
 about one thousand men, headed by the earl of Forth, were soon after seen 
 marching down the hills, when, falling on the two divisions placed at the en- 
 trance of the bridge, they were so warmly received by this veteran corps, that 
 after a short, but warm conflict, they were obliged to retreat, with the loss of a 
 great number of their men. The lord Robert was not present at the com- 
 mencement of the action, but came up in time to partake of the victory. 
 
 In this engagement, the king fought at the head of his troops with great 
 gallantry, but finding all his efforts to gain the passage of the bridge to be 
 ineffectual, he retreated with the remainder of his forces, to Caversham-house» 
 then the seat of lord Craven, where Fielding, the same night, found means to 
 attend him. 
 
 All the accounts we have of this engagement, coming from his majesty's 
 enemies, they must be considered as very partial. It is hardly possible to sup- 
 pose, that so large a force as we are told he brought with him, for the relief of 
 the town, could have been defeated by only two regiments. Vicars, indeed, 
 says, " it pleased the Lord, in the midst of the fight, to send among them a 
 very violent and vehement shower of hail and rain, which the wind blew into 
 the faces of the king's cavaliers, and greatly offended and molested them, while 
 it was equally favorable to the parliament's forces, being in their backs." 
 
 But this miracle, which has been conveniently brought in by many his- 
 torians, to account for the achievement of the most improbable victories, is 
 not sufficient of itself, to account for a victory gained by such an inferiority of 
 strength. We maj, therefore, conclude, either that the disparity between the 
 opposite forces was less, or that Charles had no serious intention of passing the 
 bridge. If the advantage had been so much in favor of the parliament's forces, 
 they certainly would not have suffered him to retreat, and to pass the night
 
 38 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. without molestation, within reach of their own batteries. The king is also 
 ^'"^'^^"^ said to have brought with him twelve pieces of cannon ; but as little or no use 
 appears to have been made of them in the engagement, I am inclined to think 
 that his whole force consisted only of some regiments of horse, collected pur- 
 1643 poselj for throwing some ammunition into the town, of which the garrison stood 
 in great need j and that the attack on the bridge was only a feint to draw the 
 attention of the enemy to that point, while several cart-loads of ammunition 
 were conveyed to the river side, and from thence carried by water to the town.* 
 
 It is probable that Charles, when he made the attack on the bridge, was 
 unacquainted with the truce which had lately been agreed upon between the 
 generals on each side ; and, for the better keeping whereof, hostages had been 
 reciprocally given. Ignorant of this particular, he seems to have expected 
 that the garrison would have seconded his efforts for their relief, by making a 
 sally at the same time on the rear of the enemy ; but, being disappointed in 
 this expectation, and finding the bridge barricadoed, and defended by a strong 
 force at each of its extremities, and so narrow as scarcely to admit of four men 
 marching abreast of each other, he was compelled, as we have said, after a short 
 but brisk action, to retreat to lord Craven's at Caversham-park.* 
 
 This seeming breach of faith, on the part of his majesty, was often made 
 use of by his enemies to his disadvantage ; and, on his trial, the storming 
 of Caversham-bridge was one of the principal charges brought against him, 
 as having upon that occasion " made war upon his subjects." 
 
 At the conference which Fielding had with his majesty at lord Craven's, 
 he informed him of the state of the garrison ; that they were in treaty, and 
 he believed might have very good conditions, with liberty to march out with 
 all their arms and baggage. This news was so agreeable to the king, that, 
 in the presence of prince Rupert, he told Fielding, if he could procure such 
 terms, to accept them ; the men and arms being all he wanted, as the loss 
 of either might prove fatal to the cause, in the present situation of aflairs.* 
 
 Thus authorised by his majesty. Fielding returned to the garrison, and 
 the next morning the negotiation, which during the attack on the bridge had 
 been interrupted, was renewed, and the capitulation signed on the 25th of 
 April, after a siege of ten days ; during which, the garrison, consisting of 
 about 3000 men, with 22 pieces of ordnance, had gallantly defended the town 
 against the attacks of an army, consisting of nearly 30,000 men ; as, in 
 addition to those already mentioned, must be added some regiments of dra- 
 
 * Late the property of lord Cadogan, but now of major Charles Marsack. 
 * Vicars. a Clarendon's History of the Rebellion.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 39 
 
 goons, under the sheriff of London, and colonel Langham, who had joined Chap. II. 
 the besiegers previous to its surrender. ^^^->„-««^ 
 
 The following were the articles of capitulation : — 
 
 I. That the governor, commanders, and soldiers, both horse and foot, 
 should march out, with colors fljing, arms, and four pieces of ordnance, am- 1643 
 munition, bag and baggage, lighted match, bullet in mouth, drums beating, 
 
 and trumpets sounding. 
 
 II. That they should have free passage to his majesty's city of Oxford, 
 without interruption of any of the forces under the command of his excellency 
 the earl of Essex, provided tlie said governor, commanders, and soldiers use 
 no hostility until they come to Oxford. 
 
 III. That what persons were accidentally come to the town, and shut 
 up by the siege, should have liberty to pass without interruption, such persons 
 only excepted as had deserted from the army under the earl of Essex. 
 
 IV. Thatthey should have 50 carriages for baggage, sick and wounded men. 
 
 V. That the inhabitants of the town should not be prejudiced in their 
 estates or persons, either by plundering or imprisonment, and that they who 
 should leave the town, might have free leave and passage to go to what place 
 they would, with their goods, within the space of six weeks after the sur- 
 render of the town. 
 
 VI. That the garrison should quit the town by twelve of the clock the 
 next morning ; and that the earl of Essex should provide a guard, for the 
 security of the soldiers when they began their march. 
 
 And lastly, that the outworks should immediately be given up, and three 
 persons of qualify, as pledges for the faithful performance of these articles.* 
 
 These articles having been ratified by both parties, the garrison marched 
 out at the time appointed, but, in passing the enemy's guard, they were not 
 only grossly abused, but many of them were disarmed, and their baggage 
 plundered, even in the presence of the commander in chief, who was unable 
 to restrain the licentiousness of the soldiers. 
 
 This breach of the articles of capitulation, was afterwards pleaded as 
 an excuse, for many acts of cruelty and injustice practised by the royalists on 
 such of the contrary party as the chances of war threw into their power ; 
 which was again retaliated by their enemies, neither of them thinking them- 
 selves bound to a strict observance of those treaties which were made in the 
 sequel* of the contest. 
 
 * He delivered up the town (Bristol), upon articles, which were not well kept, in retaliation, as 
 they pretended, for the like breach of our's at the taking of Reading. — Ludlow's Manoirs, 
 
 * Robert Codrington's Life of Essex.
 
 40 ■ HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. As soon as the garrison had joined the king at Nettlebedj he proceeded 
 
 ^^^""y""^ Q,j jjis march to Oxford, where it was whispered about, among the officers 
 and soldiers, that there had not been fair dealing, and that Reading had been 
 betrayed. Whereupon colonel Fielding, whose reputation as a soldier and a 
 *"'*'' man of honor was called in question, requested his majesty to call a council 
 of war, to investigate his conduct while in command, and to clear him from 
 the imputation of treachery. This was the more necessary, as the soldiers 
 in a disorderly manner, accused him, not only of betraying and delivering 
 up the town to the enemy, but also " for having had frequent intercourse 
 with the earl of Essex ; and for hindering, and forbidding them, to issue out 
 of the town to join the king, when he came to their relief, although the 
 officers had drawn them up for that purpose."* 
 
 In consequence of these insinuations, and his own request, the colonel 
 was put under arrest, in order to be tried by a court martial ; his majesty 
 being particularly incensed against him, for that clause in the third article, 
 which gave leave to all who were accidentally come into the town, and 
 detained by the siege, to pass without molestation, wilh an exception to the 
 deserters from Essex's armj', under color of which, several soldiers were taken 
 after the surrender of the town, and shot : the natural consequence of civil war. 
 
 Notwithstanding the able and spirited defence made by the colonel on 
 his trial, so strong were the prejudices against him, that he was found guilty 
 of disobeying orders, and thereupon sentenced to be beheaded ; although he 
 had his majesty's own sanction and approbation previously to his signing the 
 treaty. For this reason, perhaps, it was not thought fit to put the sentence 
 in execution ; so that, after being respited from time to time, he at length 
 received a free pardon ; but, according to Clarendon, " he never ■wholly 
 recovered the shock which his reputation felt in this affair." 
 
 During the siege, the town itself suffered very little from the enemy's 
 cannon, for excepting the injury done to the abbey, yvhich was the principal 
 point of attack, and the destruction of the tower of St. Giles's church, by 
 cannon shot, we do not hear of any other material injury it received ; three 
 houses indeed were burnt doNvn in Sievier-street; but this was occasioned rather 
 by the carelessness of the soldiers, who were quartered in them, than by the 
 fire of the enemy. The town was besides so yvell supplied with provisions, 
 that when the parliament's forces took possession, " they found the butchers' 
 stalls full of meat, there was plenty of beer and wine in all the taverns and 
 ale-houses, and seventy quarters of oats, and fifty quarters of wheat in one 
 
 * Clarendon's History of the Rebellion.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 41 
 
 place of the town/" so that it was supposed, if sir Arthur Aston had not been Chap. II. 
 disabled in the early part of the siege, the earl would not so soon, if at all, '^-'^v**-^ 
 have gained possession of the place.* iclQ 
 
 In confirmation of the above description of the siege of Reading, we 
 shall add the following testimony of colonel Codrington, who was himself 
 present at the siege, and consequently was best able to give a correct account 
 of every transaction attending it: 
 
 " His excellency, the earl of Essex, about the middle of April 1643, did 
 quit his winter quarters at Windsor, and advanced towards Oxford ; he seemed 
 to pass by Reading, to render that garrison more secure, and that the chicfest 
 strength being gone, where the chiefest danger did appear, he might take 
 Reading with the more ease and speed ; having therefore wheeled about, he 
 unexpectedly came and sat down before Reading, and sent his trumpeter to 
 the governor, to surrender that town unto him, for the service of the king and 
 parliament. Colonel Ashton, (Aston) who was governor of it, returned a stubborn 
 answer ; that he would either keep the town or starve, and die in it. There- 
 fore his excellency, taking compassion of the women and children, which were 
 to undergo the common danger, he sent unto the governor, that they might be 
 suffered to come forth ; but this also was refused by the colonel. 
 
 " Hereupon our soldiers began to entrench themselves, and daily to make 
 their approaches nearer and nearer to the town ; his excellency encamped on 
 the west part thereof, betwixt Reading- and Oxford, to prevent any relief that 
 might come to it. The enemy had many strong out-works, and in the garrison 
 ■were three thousand soldiers, besides townsmen ; many pieces of ordnance, 
 and great store of provision and ammunition. They had strongly fortified 
 Caversham-hill, which commands the town ; from this place they were beaten 
 and driven nearer their works. This hill being gained, we raised our batteries 
 on it, which much annoyed the enemy, who endeavouring to make several 
 sallies, were always beaten in with loss. They planted some ordnance on a 
 steeple, but our cannon were levelled against it with such dexterity, that both 
 cannoneers and cannon were soon buried under the ruins. Our ordnance perpe- 
 tually beating down the houses, and Ashton (Aston) the governor being wounded 
 in the head by the fall of some bricks from a battered chimney, made him willing 
 to surrender the town if his soldiers might march away with bag and baggage; 
 but his excellency sent him word that he came for men, and not the town only. 
 
 " The king, resolving to raise the siege of Reading, marched from Oxford, 
 
 • 
 
 Sir Samuel Luke, tlie Hudibras of Butler, was with the parliament's army before the town, 
 and is said to have written a journal of the siege. — Lyson's Britannia. 
 
 * Vicars.
 
 42 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. II. with nine reirinK'n^s of horse and nine of foot, and twelve pieces of ordnance. 
 ^^■^^'y'^ Jljs excellency understanding that his majesty and the two German princes 
 were with them in person, he ordered two regiments out to oppose them, which 
 •were those of the lord Roberts and colonel Barclay. 
 
 " The fio-ht beffan about Caversham-bridge, and on both sides great valor 
 and resolution were expressed. After less than half an hour's fight, the enemy 
 bcaan to eive srround, leaving about three hundred arms, and many of their 
 men behind them ; their horse also which came down the hill to assist the foot 
 were gallantly repulsed. There were about one hundred of the enemy slaia 
 upon the spot, among whom was serjeant major Smith, in whose pockets were 
 found good store of gold. 
 
 " The enem.y being thus beaten in the field, retreated to Wallingford, 
 and colonel Botles, lieutenant-colonel Thehvell and serjeant-major Gilby, were 
 sent in by his excellency to treat for the surrender of the tow n ; and lord 
 Rochford, lieutenant-colonel Russel, and serjeant-major King, were given up 
 as hostages for their safe return. 
 
 " On one of the king's standards, the invention was, the effigies of the 
 parliament-house, with two traitors' heads on poles upon the top of it, with 
 this inscription : Sicut extra, sic intiis. {the same within, as without. ) The 
 parliament being so indignant at it, voted, that the author of it, whoever he 
 might be, should be for ever banished the kingdom, as being unworthy to live 
 in the English air."* 
 
 Thus ended the siege of Reading,* to the relief and satisfaction of the 
 
 * Robert Codrington's Life of Essex. 
 * The accounts of the siege of Reading, published at the time, are so vague and contradictory^ 
 that it is almost impossible, from them alone, to fix the situation of the besieging armv with any cer- 
 tainty. Mr. Coates, following the Weekly Intelligencer, says, that " Esse.x marched from Windsor 
 by Loddon-bridge, and set down on the west-side of the town, where the works were weakest." But 
 it must be evident, to every one acquainted with the country, that it was impossible for the army 
 under Essex, to have reached the west-side of the town by that route, without either passing through 
 It, which was impossible, or, by a circuitous march towards Whitley, to have encountered all the 
 difficulties attending the march of an army, with their artillery and baggage, over a deep and rapid 
 river, and through swampy meadows, intersected by wet ditches and brooks, and exposed the whole of 
 the march, to a cross fire from the enemy's batteries at each extremity of the town. However, 
 we are told, that the earl having, some how or other, got on the west side of the town, " secured a 
 post at a knight's house, at about a mile's distance,*" and afterwards attacked sir Chailes Blount's house, 
 
 • One of the BUgrave family, which possessed the house alluded to, had, in a former reijjn, been knighted, but the 
 person who then possessed the house, was only a country gentleman, as appears fiom a protection granted him by Charles, 
 and now in the possession of J. Blagrave, esq. at Calcot. In this proiection, his majesty " requires and commands all 
 bis loving subjects, to protect and defend John Blagrave, esq. and his wife, against the violence and oppression of aU 
 tebcU and traitoii."
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 43 
 
 Inhabitants, who though they were at the time divided into parties, with the Chap. II. 
 
 usual animosities against each other, yet the preservation of the place in the ^^"V^^ 
 
 hands of the royalists, or the surrender of it to the parliament's forces, could 
 
 be of triflins: consideration, in comparison of what each must have endured, 
 
 had the siege continued for a longer period. *"*"* 
 
 at the distance of four miles from his position, and on the opposite side of the Thames, which, from 
 its width at Mapledurham, we may suppose, could not have been easily passed ; after this, the army 
 possessed themselves of Caversham, thus completely reversing every operation of the siege. The ac- 
 count given by Vicars, and which I have principally followed, is much more consistent. He says, 
 that the " general gave out he was going to lay siege to Oxford, to draw off his majesty's attention from 
 the real object of his attack ; and accordingly, at first, seemed to pass by Reading, (and this is con- 
 firmed by Codrington,) but suddenly wheeling about, he came and sat down before it." He had 
 before secured Henley, which lay in his direct road to Oxford, and, to keep up the deception, followed 
 the same way himself, thus seeming to pass by Reading. From Henley, he wheeled about to his destined 
 object, and as the main road at that time passed through Binfield-heath, the first opposition he 
 might be expected to meet with in his way, must have been at Caversham, where he fell in with the 
 outpost, but these being driven back, were pursued over the bridge by the general, who immediately 
 began to intrench his army in the meadows, on the west side the road. These lines are yet in tolerable 
 preservation, and at their extremity is Battle-farm, belonging to sir Francis KnoUys, the knight at 
 whose house Essex took up his quarters. This account is plain and consistent, and removes many 
 difficulties attending the other. 
 
 c2
 
 Ilistori/ of Reading, 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Jlt^* Immediately on his taking: possession of the town, Essex began to 
 _^^-,^< make preparations for undertaking; the siege of Oxford, according to the plan 
 laid down for him by the parliament; hut was prevented from putting it into 
 immediate execution, by an epidemic fever which broke out in the garrison, 
 1643 and which carried off great numbers of the men,* so that it was nearly the 
 end of July, before he was able to leave Reading with his army greatly 
 reduced in number. f 
 
 Before his departure, having called together the members of the cor- 
 poration, he commanded a very heavy contribution to be levied on the inha- 
 bitants for the payment of the soldiers, but it being found impossible to raise 
 the money, a committee was appointed from their body " to wait on the 
 lord general, and to inform him that the town was so much impoverished by 
 the late siege, and the exactions of his majesty, that they were utterly unable 
 to raise any more money among them.'" It is probable that this represen- 
 tation had its effect with the general, as no entry is made in the diary of any 
 money being collected on this occasion. 
 
 Towards the end of the year, Essex being sent to the relief of Glocester ; 
 Charles was obliged to raise the siege of that city, and marched towards New- 
 bury, in hopes of intercepting Essex on his return, whither that nobleman 
 arrived on the 20th of September, and was surprised to find, that, by hasty 
 marches, Charles had got possession of the town before him. Here he found 
 himself under the necessity of coming to an engagement, which was the 
 
 * On digging the foundation for the county bridewell, the north wing of which is built on the spot 
 where the cemetary of the abbey church was, several human skeletons were discovered, some at the 
 usual depth in the ground, others very near the surface, as if deposited in haste. Many of the bones 
 were in a perfect state, and the teeth such as might be expected in young men who compose the prin- 
 cipal part of an army, and were doubtless the remains of those who fell victims to this disorder, or were 
 killed during the siege. 
 
 + Not long after the surrender of the town, it pleased Almighty God to visit the army of the 
 parliament with sickness, by which many of our young men perished, and the test, on account of their 
 weakness, were disabled from doing much service in the field. Physic, and whatever else was thought 
 expedient, was sent for from London, as well as money and clothes for the soldiers, 
 
 • Corporation Diary,
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 43 
 
 lioHest that had hitherto taken place between the contending parties. Many Chap. 
 noblemen and gentlemen, as well as privates, fell on both sides, and the ^ ]^^' 
 victory, as is common in doubtful cases, was claimed by both parties, though 
 the king's forces had evidently the advantage, as they kept possession of the 
 town, while those of the parliament were obliged to pass the night in the |^^<j 
 open fields, in want of almost every necessary. However, early in the next 
 morning, Essex ordered a gun to be fired, as a challenge to the enemy, which 
 not being accepted, he immediately began his march towards Reading ; this 
 being perceived by the enemy, prince Rupert was ordered to follow him with 
 one thousand musketeers and some troops of cavalry ; who greatly impeded 
 his march, by continually attacking his rear guard, so that it was late in the 
 evening before he arrived at Englelield. The darkness of tlie night having 
 occasioned some confusion in their march, through the narrow lanes between 
 that village and Theale, the prince took advantage of their disorder, and 
 falling upon them with his whole force, so increased the confusion, tiiat the 
 officers had no longer the command of their men, but each shifting for himself, 
 took the different roads, and it was not 'till near ten o'clock at night, that Essex, 
 with part of his army reached Theale,* As it was, the slaughter was very great ; 
 and one of the lanes in the road to Englefield still retains the name of Dead- 
 men's-lane, from the number of the dead that was afterwards found in it. 
 
 Essex remained that night at Theale, and the next morning pursued his 
 march unmolested to Reading. Here he remained several days, to recover his 
 troops from the fatigue they had undergone from so long a march, after which 
 he retired to his former quarters at Windsor, taking with him the garrison, 
 to supply the deficiency in his army, occasioned by the loss it had sustained 
 in the battle of Newbury, as well as in the different conflicts with prince 
 Rupert, who had hung on their rear from Gloccster to Theale. Charles no 
 sooner lieard that he had evacuated the town, than he sent Sir Jacob Ashley 
 with two thousand five hundred men to take possession of it. 
 
 About this time the house of commons determined to bring archbishop 
 Laud to trial, he being considered as the principal instigator of the arbitrary 
 measures pursued by the king, which had involved the nation in all the horrors 
 of civil war. He had been committed to the Tower, on the commencement 
 of the troubles, and on the 25th of April, 1642, was fined in the sum of 
 twenty thousand pounds, in virtue of a bill that had passed both houses of 
 parliament, for the punishing the late members of the convocation ; and Mr. 
 Pym, in the name of the commons, exhibited fourteen articles of accusation 
 
 * Ludlow's MemoirSo
 
 46 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap, against him at the bar of the house of lords, but these had been suffered to 
 _ , lie dormant 'till the 23d of October 1643, when being again presented at the 
 bar of the house by Mr. AVilde,' a serjeant at law, together with ten additional 
 articles, he was ordered by the lords to give in his answer within seven days, 
 j^.„ but by the great number of petitions he presented to the house, and the expe- 
 dients his counsel furnished him with for the sake of delay, in hopes no doubt 
 that some favorable occurrence might happen in his majesty's favor, which 
 he might take advantage of, he found means to put off his appearance 'till the 
 12th of March following, when, says the historian, " he replied to each 
 separate article, and made as full, as gallant, as pithy a defence, and spake 
 as much for himself as was possible for the wit of man to invent, and that 
 with so much vivacity, oratory, audacity and confidence, that he shewed not 
 the least acknowledgment of guilt, in any of the particulars that were charged 
 against him.'"* Indeed the commons seemed to have been convinced that they 
 should not be able to convict him of the treason wherewith he was charged, 
 from either of the articles taken separately, and accordingly had recourse to 
 a bill of attainder, which was carried through the house with only one dissent- 
 ing voice, at the very time that Laud was making his defence before the lords, 
 and as the bill was founded on all the articles taken collectively, it was pre- 
 sumed such strong evidence would not be required to convict him, as if they 
 were taken separately. 
 
 The bill being sent up to the lords, they, after some time, requested a con- 
 ference with the commons, in which they informed them, that they found the 
 archbishop guilty of the articles as to matter of fact, but requested further 
 satisfaction whether they amounted to treason in point of law. The commons 
 endeavored to satisfy them as to the point of law, but suspecting by the dila- 
 tory manner of their proceedings, that they meant to skreen him from punish- 
 ment, they had recourse to their former practices, and by their emissaries 
 procured subscriptions to be set on foot, and petitions presented to themselves, 
 from the citizens of London and others, in which they were requested to pro- 
 ceed with vigour against all delinquents. These proceedings so intimidated 
 the lords, that the greater part of them are said to have withdrawn from the 
 house, when the remainder, only seven or eight in number, passed the bill 
 without any amendments. 
 
 When the archbishop was informed by the lieutenant of the tower, that 
 the bill was passed, " he neither entertained the news with stoical apathj', nor 
 waited his fate with weak and womanish lamentations ; but heard it with so 
 
 * Heylin's Life of archbishop Laud. ' Clarendon's History of the Rebellion.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 47 
 
 even and smootli a temper, as shewed he neither was ashamed to live, nor Chap. 
 
 afraid to die. The time between the sentence and execution he spent in prayer ^ _ ' 
 
 and application to the Lord his God. For so well was he studied in the art 
 
 of dying-, that by continual fastings, watchings, prayers, and such like acts 
 
 of christian humiliation, his flesh was rarified into spirit, and the whole man 1^1/1 
 
 so fitted for eternal glories, that he was more than half in heaven, before death 
 
 brought his bloody but triumphal chariot to convey hiin thither.'" »Whea 
 
 sentence was passed upon him, he produced a pardon, signed by his majesty 
 
 in the preceding Apiil, but this being voted of no effect by his unrelenting 
 
 persecutors, he was ordered to be executed as a traitor to his country, in the 
 
 January following. In the mean time he petitioned the two houses, that the 
 
 manner of his execution might be changed to decapitation, and that some 
 
 of his own chaplains might be admitted to attend him, both before, and at 
 
 the time of his execution. These requests were readily granted by the peers, 
 
 but the commons refused both, only sending him two ministers whom he did 
 
 not ask for. The next day he presented another petition for decapitation, on 
 
 the ground that he was a divine, a bishop, a privy counsellor, and a peer ; 
 
 whereupon the commons were at last induced to consent to his being beheaded. 
 
 Accordingly, on the 10th of January, he was brought upon the scaffold 
 on Tower-hill, when he addressed the spectators in a long speech, or ralher 
 sermon, taking his text from Hebrews, xii, 2. " Let us run with patience the 
 race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our 
 faith ; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising 
 the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." 
 
 In this speech, he declared his abhorrence of the crime of treason, and 
 added, " in my answer at the bar of the house of lords, to the several charges 
 brought against me, I protested my innocency, but it has been said, that 
 prisoners' protestations at the bar must not be taken. I can bring no witness 
 of my heart, and the intention thereof; I must therefore, come to my protes- 
 tation, not at the bar, but my protestation of this hour, and instant of my 
 death, in which I hope all men will be such charitable christians, as not to 
 think I would die and dissemble, being instantly to give an account of the 
 truth of it. I do therefore here, in the presence of God, and his holy angels, 
 take it upon my death, that I never intended the subversion of law or religion ; 
 and I desire you all to remember this protest of mine for my innocency in this, 
 and from all treasons whatsoever. 1 have been accused also as an enemy to 
 parliaments ; no, I understand them, and the benefit that comes b_y thera, too 
 
 * Heylin's Life of Archbishop Lau4»
 
 48 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 ■well, to be so. But I did mislike the misgovernment of some parliaments 
 many wajs, and I had good reason for it ; for corruptio optimi, est pessima ; 
 there is no corruption in the world so bad, as that which is of the best things 
 within itself, for the better a thing is in nature, the worse it is corrupted. 
 And that being the highest court, over which no other has jurisdiction, when 
 it is misinformed or misgoverned, the subject is left without all remedy. But 
 Ihave/ione, I forgive all the world, all, and every of those bitter enemies which 
 have prosecuted nie, and humbly desire to be forgiven of God first, and then 
 of every man whether I have offended him or not, if he do but conceive that 
 I have. Lord, do thou forgive me ! And I beg forgiveness of him. And so 
 I heartily desire you to join in prayer with me.'" 
 
 He then prayed aloud for some time; M'hich done, he called the execu- 
 tioner to him, and said, " here honest friend, God forgive thee, and I do, and 
 do thy office upon me with mercy." He then kneeled down, and after a short 
 prayer, laid his head upon the block, exclaiming, Lord receive my soul ! which 
 was the signal to the executioner, who at one blow severed his head from 
 his body.* 
 
 Thus fell archbishop Laud,* a man endowed by nature with great abilities, 
 but these were counterbalanced by an unbounded ambition, and an inflexible 
 severity. Though born in rather an obscure station, he raised himself to the 
 hi2;hest office in the church, and was supposed to have had a great influence 
 in the civil administration of the country, from the deference paid him by the 
 monarch. Had he been more moderate in his political conduct, and less 
 bigoted in his "religious tenets, the country might have derived considerable 
 advantage from his great abilities, and the power which fortune had placed in 
 Jiis bands. But he no sooner became archbishop of Canterbury, than he dis. 
 
 • The following inscription is round the frame of his picture in the council-chamber : 
 
 To the Memory of Dr. William Laud, Arch Bishop of Cant ; who 
 
 was a Liberal Benefactor to this Town, which was honored 
 
 with his Birth : 
 
 After he had many years served the Church, under the 
 
 Defenders of the Faith ; King James, and King Charles 
 
 the Martyr : 
 
 '■ ' He was solemnly murdered by a fiction of Rebells, 
 
 upon Tower-hill, London, the 10th day of January, 
 
 A, D, MDcxLiiii, Aetatissuae lxxii ii. 
 
 The gift of Dr. Peter Mews. Vicar of St. Maries 
 
 Reading, and Arch Deacon of Berks, 1667. 
 
 » Heylin's Life of Archbishop Laud. * Hume's Histor)' of England.
 
 AKCJELTSISMOF l.AUi). l-liOI)! TIDE ©MIGJU^AL, IN TJBDE C©TErHCII]L C 
 
 
 jMs ]k®Bise in JBwsad- Street
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 49 
 
 gusted the major part of the nation by the severity he used against every Chap. 
 denomination of dissenters, who in return accused him of a desire to introduce HI- 
 the exploded doctrines of popery ; as a proof of which, they asserted, that 
 the windows in Lambeth chapel, had, by his order, been ornamented with 
 paintings in glass, among which was a representation of God the father, in the 
 form of a little old man in a blue coat ; this Laud excused by saying, (hat God 
 was in scriptures styled " the ancient of days." But what seemed most to con- 
 firm the general opinion, was the manner of his consecrating the new church 
 of St. Catherine, which we shall quote from one of our ablest historians.' 
 
 " On the bishop's approach to the west door of the church, a loud voice 
 cried. Open, open, ye everlasting doors, that the king of glory may enter in ! 
 Immediately the doors of the church flew open, and the bishop entered. 
 Falling upon his knees, with eyes elevated, and arms expanded, he uttered 
 these words : This place is holy, the ground is holy : In the name of the 
 Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I pronounce it holy. 
 
 " Going towards the chancel, he several times took up from the floor 
 some of the dust, and threw it in the air. When he approached, with his 
 attendants, near to the communion-table, he bowed frequently towards it : 
 And on their return, they went round the church, repeating as they marched 
 along, some of the psalms : And then said a form of prayer, which concluded 
 with these words : We consecrate this church, and separate it unto thee, as 
 holy ground, not to be profaned any more to common uses. 
 
 " After this, the bishop standing near the communion table, solemnly 
 pronounced many imprecations upon such as should afterwards pollute that 
 holy place, by musters of soldiers, or keeping in it profane law-courts, or 
 carrying burdens through it. On the conclusion of every curse, he bowed 
 towards the east, and cried. Let all the people say, amen. 
 
 " The imprecations being all so piously finished, there were poured out 
 a number of blessings, upon such as had any hand in framing and building 
 that sacred and beautiful edifice, and on such as had given, or should here- 
 after give to it, any chalices, plate, ornaments, or utensils. At every bene- 
 diction, he ill like manner bowed towards the east, and cried. Let all the 
 people say, amen. 
 
 " The sermon followed : after which, the bishop consecrated the sacra- 
 ment in the following manner : 
 
 " As he approached the communion table, he made many lowly reverences: 
 And coming up to that part of the table where the bread and wine lay, he 
 
 * Hume, 
 U
 
 1644 
 
 50 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap, bowed seven times. After the re.iding of many prayers, lie approaclied <Iie 
 III. sacred clement?, ami gently lifted up the corner of the napkin in which the 
 bread was placed. ^^ hen he beheld the bread, he suddenly let fall the napkin, 
 flew back a step or two, bowed three several times towards the bread; then 
 he drew nigh again, opened the napkin, and bowed as before. 
 
 " Next he laid his hand on the cup, which had a cover upon it, and was 
 filled with v/ine : He let go the cup, fell back, and bowed thrice towards it. 
 He approaclied again ; and lifting up the cover, peeped into the cup. Seeing 
 the wine, he let fall the cover, started back, and bowed as before. Then he 
 received the sacrament, and gave it to others. And many prayers being said,^ 
 the solemnity of the consecration ended. The walls and roof of the fabric 
 were then supposed to be suflicicntly holy." 
 
 These superstitious ceremonies did in appearance warrant his enemies 
 in the charge they brought against him, of his endeavouring to introduce 
 popery, though it is certain he differed from that church in many of its essen- 
 tials, as may be seen in his conference with Fisher the Jesuit, and the pains he 
 took in bringing over many of that communion to the church of England. 
 But though he must be acquitted of that charge, yet his conduct shews, that 
 he was arbitrarj- in his principles, and carried the authority of the star- 
 chamber, while he presided in it^ to a greater extent than any of his prede- 
 cessors, and did not scruple to make use of it in vindication of himself, when- 
 ever an opportunity offered of puting it in practice, as may be seen by the 
 following instances still on record. 
 
 One Bowyer, a gentleman's servant, coming to Reading soon after Laud's 
 elevation to the see of Canterbury, gave out, " that the archbishop was con- 
 fined to his house at Fulham, where twenty-four of the guards, twelve by 
 night, and twelve by day, were set to watch him. That his confinement was 
 for four points of high treason, which he affirmed to be these : 1st, That the 
 said archbishop was an armenian ; 2d, that he had sent letters to the pope ; 
 3d, that the archbishop said, that the midwife of the virgin Mary, was a 
 mediatrix to our saviour ; 4th, that the virgin Mary was no human creature. 
 And also affirmed, that he had seen four letters, written with the archbishop's 
 own hand ; which were to be sent to Rome, two to the pope, and two to car- 
 dinal Blunt, the substance whereof was, as he affirmed, that the said archbishop 
 was ready to do for those at Rome what was in his power, and that they should 
 direct their letters to the queen of England's court. That the said archbishop 
 would be an agent to them, to send letters back again. That the archbishop 
 preached a sermon before the king in Scotland, that was fit to be preached 
 before the pope, and that he was reproved for the same, in a sermon preached
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 51 
 
 by bishop Hambleton^ before his majestj. That the archbishop allowed five Chap. 
 hundred pounds a year of his own means to the pope, and that seventeen thou- m* 
 sand pounds a year was also allowed the pope by his means." 
 
 Being brought to trial before the high court of star-chamber' for this 
 offence, he was sentenced^ " to be committed to bridewell, there to be kept to 
 hard labor during his life, and never to be suffered to go abroad ; he was also 
 fined in the sum of three thousand pounds, and ordered to be set in the pillory 
 at Westminster, with a paper on his head, declaring his offence, and there to 
 acknowledge and confess the same. To be set in the pillory at Cheapside, with 
 the like paper, and there make the like submission and acknowledgment, and 
 to be burnt in the forehead, with the letters L and R, and to be set in the pillory 
 at Reading, with the like paper, and both his ears to be nailed thereto, and to 
 make the like submission and acknowledgement as before."* 
 
 Though the offence committed by this man must be allowed to have been very 
 provoking, yet the feelings of every humane person must revolt at the severity of 
 his punishment, inflicted it is true, under the appearance of justice, but in reality 
 dictated by revenge. If, however, some excuse may be pleaded in behalf of Laud, 
 from the aggravating nature of the offence in this case, which was wholly per- 
 sonal ; yet even that apology cannot be admitted in the following one, the only 
 offence committed by thesuflerer, being a compliance with his master's order, in 
 carrying an engraved letter to the printer's, when Mr. Prynne was publishing 
 his Histrio-Mastix. Mr. Prynne had got the first letter of the work, which 
 happened to be a C, ornamented in a peculiar style, so as to represent several 
 objects, this he sent by his servant, N. Wickens, to the printer ; for which 
 supposed crime Wickens was afterwards tried by the high commission court 
 at Lambeth, as appears from his subsequent petition to the house of commons, 
 wherein he states, that " he had been excommunicated by the court, and fined 
 one thousand pounds on several articles to this efl'ect : We object to you N. 
 Wickens, that you know or believe, that the letter, which you carried to the 
 printer, to be set the first letter upon the book, was a very complete letter, 
 and so artificially cut, as that to look on it the usual way, it seemed a complete 
 and perfect C, but turned one side of it, and it appeared a pope's head, and 
 then turned another way, and there appeared an army of men or soldiers. And 
 we require you to declare, by virtue of your oath, to your best knowledge and 
 belief, who or what was meant by the pope's head, in the said letter or seal ? 
 and who or what by the army of soldiers ? and who by the letter C ? and 
 whether by the C was meant his grace of Canterbury ? and by the pope's 
 
 • Star Chamber Reports, Qih of Charles I. = Rushworth's Collections. 
 
 H 2
 
 5S HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 head, that his grace was meant? and that by the army of men or soldiers was 
 meantj that his grace would be the cause of wars in this kingdom about reli- 
 gion, or some other like meaning or device?'" For this supposed oSence, 
 Wickins was sentenced to pay a fine of one tliousand pounds w ith cost of suit, 
 -.f..* was excommunicated, and committed to prison, there to remain in safe custody 
 'till further order should be taken by the court. 
 
 We shall conclude this account of Laud with the following extracts from 
 contemporary authors, which if read with proper allowances for private pique, 
 and party piojudices, may enable the reader to form a general estimate of hi& 
 character. Archbishop Abbot,* his predecessor in the see of Canterbury, 
 describes him " as the only inward counsellor of Buckingham, sitting witli 
 him sometimes privately whole hours, and feeding his humors with malice 
 and spite. His life in Oxford was to pick quarrels in the lectures of the 
 puulic readers, and to advertise them to the then bishop of Durham, that he 
 might fill the ears of king James with discontent against the honest men that 
 took pains in their places, and settled the truth (which he called puritanism) 
 in their auditors." 
 
 " He made it his work to see what books were in the press, and to look 
 over epistles dedicatory, and prefaces to the reader, to see what faults might 
 be found. 
 
 " It was an observation. What a sweet man this was like to be ! That the 
 first observable act that he did was the marrying of C. Blunt, esq. of Devon- 
 shire to lady Rich ( wife of the earl of AYarwick, who was then alive ) when 
 it was notorious to the world that she had another husband, and the same a 
 nobleman, who had divers children by her then living. 
 
 " King James did for many years take this so ill, that he would never 
 hear of any great preferment of him, insomuch that the bishop of Lincoln, 
 doctor Williams, w ho taketh upon him to be the first promoter of him, hath 
 many times said, that when he made mention of Laud to the king, his majesty 
 was so averse from it, that he was constrained oftentimes to say, ' that he would 
 never desire to serve that master which could not remit one fault of his servant.' 
 
 " Well ! in the end, he did conquer it, to get him to the bishoprick of St. 
 David's, which he had not long enjoyed, but he began to undermine his bene- 
 factor, as at this day it appeareth. 
 
 " The countess of Buckingham told Lincoln, that St. David's was the 
 
 ♦ Abbot had been suspended from his office, at the instigation of Laud, fas he supposed,) for not 
 licensing Siblhop's and Manwaring's Sermons, in favor of the general loan demanded by his majesty* 
 ' Wickins's petition to the House of Commons,
 
 1 644 
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 53 
 
 man that undermined him with her son. And verily, such is his aspiring Chap. 
 nature, that he will underwork any man in the world, so that he may gain by it." ^H. 
 
 Clarendon observes, that " let his favorites say what they will, he was one 
 of the thief authors of the troubles that in his time afflicted England, first, 
 by supporting with all his power, the arbitrary principles which the court 
 strove for several years to establish : secondly, by a too rigid observance of 
 trifles in the divine service, and by the compelling every one to conform thereto." 
 
 " His diary (says Rushworth) shews liim to have been superstitious, 
 and a rcgardcr of dreams, but in the main he was a learned, sincere, and 
 zealous man, humble in his private deportment, but withal hot and indiscreet. 
 
 " Among other works of piety and magnificence, he built a court at St. 
 John's college, Oxford. Procured from Charles I. for the clergy in Ireland, 
 all the impropriations then remaining in the crown. Got commendams an- 
 nexed to the bishoprics of the new foundation. Obtained very ample charters 
 for the universities of Oxford and Dublin, and regulated the statutes of the 
 former, where he founded an Arabic lecture."' 
 
 Wood, in his Athena?, gives the following epitome of his life . 
 
 *' William Laud, son of William Laud by Lucia his wife, widow of John 
 Robinson of Reading, and daughter of John Webbe of the same place, was 
 born in St. Lawrence's parish on the 7th of October 1573, educated in the 
 free school there, elected fellow of St. John's college 1590, was made fellow 
 in 1594, and four years after, master of arts. About that time he read the 
 divinity lecture newly set up in the college, and maintained by one Mrs. May. 
 In 1603, he was elected one of the proctors of the university, and became 
 chaplain to the earl of Devonshire. In 1604, he was admitted to the reading 
 of the sentences, and in 1607, he became vicar of Stamford in Northampton- 
 shire. In the year following he proceeded D. D, and was made chaplain to 
 doctor Ncale, bishop of Rochester. In 1609, he became rector of West Tilbury 
 in Essex, for which he exchanged his advowson of North Kileworth in Leices- 
 tershire. The next year his patron the bishop of Rochester gave him the 
 rectory of Kuckstone in Kent, but that place proving unhealthy to him, he 
 left it, and was inducted into Norton by proxy. This year 1610, he resigned 
 his fellowship, and the next was elected president of his college. In 1614, his 
 patron, then bishop of Lincoln, gave him a prebendship in that church, and 
 after that the archdeaconry of Huntingdon in 1615. In the year 1616, the 
 king gave him the deanery of Gloucester, and the year following he became 
 rector of Ibstock in Leicestershire. In 1620, January 22d, he was installed 
 canon or prebendary of the 8th stall in the church of Westminster, and the 
 next year, his majesty (who upon his own confession had given him nothing
 
 16U 
 
 54 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 but the deanery of Gloucester, which he well knew was a shell witliout a. 
 kernel ) gave him the bishopric of saint David's, and leave to hold his presi- 
 ■dentship of saint John's college in commendam with it, as also the rectory 
 of Ibstock before mentioned, and Creek in Northamptonshire. In September 
 1626, he was translated to Bath and Wells, and about that time made dean 
 of the roval chapel. In 1627 he was sworn a privy counsellor, and on the 
 15th of July 162S was translated to London, much about which time his old 
 acquaintance sir James A\ hitlock, a judge, used to say of him, that ' he was 
 too full of fire, though a just and good man, and that his want of experience 
 in state matters, and his too much zeal for the church, and heat, if he pro- 
 ceeded in the way he was then in, would set this nation on fire.' In 1630 he 
 was elected chancellor of the university of Oxford, and in September 19, 1633, 
 he was translated to Canterbury, which high preferment drew upon Iiim such 
 envy, that, by the puritans in the beginning of the long parliament, he was 
 impeached of high treason. He was an encourager of learning, a stiff main- 
 tainer of^the rights of the church, and clergy, and one that did honor to the 
 imiversity and his countr}'. Such a liberal benefactor was he also towards the 
 advancement of learning, that he left little for his own use, and that if the 
 severe stroke of the rebels had not untimclj' cut him ofl", St. Paul's cathedral 
 had silenced the fame of ancient wonders, our English clergy had been the 
 glory of the world, ihe Bodleian library in Oxford had daily outstripped the 
 Vatican, and his public structures had overtopped the Escurial. Whosoever 
 will read over the breviate or diary of his life and actions, penned by himself 
 for private use, will find that he was a man of such eminent virtues, such 
 exemplary piety, such unwearied fidelity to his sovereign, of such public soul 
 towards the church and state, of so fixed a constancy in what he undertook, 
 and so little biassed in his private interests, that Plutarch, if he were alive, 
 would be much troubled to find a sufficient parallel wherewith to match him 
 in all the lineaments of public virtue. This breviate was a pocket book, 
 which he had written in Latin, but restless Prynuc having had a hint of it, 
 obtained an order from the committee of lords and commons, appointed for the 
 safety of the kingdom, dated 30th of May 1643, to seize upon his papers, 
 letters, &c. by virtue of which, he, with others, repaired to the tower, the 
 next morning early, and rushing suddenly into his chamber before he was 
 stirring, went directly to his breeches lying by the bed side, and thrusting his 
 hand into his pocket, took the said breviate out, and published it, in order to 
 render the archbishop more odious to the mobile than before. In the begin- 
 ning of the civil wars, he was, upon suspicion of introducing popery into the 
 kingdom, arbitrary government, &c, committed, first, prisoner to the black rod.
 
 IGli 
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 55 
 
 and afterwards to the tower : Where remaining about four years, he was by Chap. 
 the votes of a thin house beheaded on Tower-hill the 10th of January 1614, m- 
 and his body buried in the chancel of the church of Allhallows, Barkin, which 
 he before had consecrated, but was on the 21th of July 1663, deposited in a 
 little brick vault near the high altar of St. John's college chapel, Oxford, 
 after he had lived 71 years 13 weeks and 4 days." 
 
 Though from the discordant opinions given of the archbishop, by the 
 authors above quoted, it may be difficult to trace his true character with any 
 certaintv, yet we may conclude from their general testimony, that he was a 
 sound divine, and a zealous defender of the church over which he presided. 
 If in the pursuit of this object he deviated too much from those general prin- 
 ciples of humanity which ought to have guided his conduct, it should be 
 remembered, how much the minds of men were at that time soured by con- 
 troversy, and the struggle for supremacy in the church. Persecution, for the 
 sake of religion, was become an inherent principle VY'ith all sects when in 
 power, and the putting it in force was so far from being thought criminal by 
 any, that it was in general considered as a duty they were bound to perform, 
 for the salvation of souls. 
 
 He was an encourager of literature and of learned men, and the sums 
 he expended in the purchase of valuable books and MSS. for the promotion 
 of knowledge, shew that if not a proficient in learning himself, he sat a just 
 value on the advantage to be derived from it, and was willing to promote it 
 to the utmost of his power.* 
 
 If his religion was tinctured with bigotry and superstition, some allow- 
 ance should be made for the prejudices of the age. When witchcraft, judicial 
 astrology, divination by dreams, omens, &c. were considered as true as " holy 
 Avrit," it cannot surely be wondered at, if Laud joined in the belief of them in 
 common with his contemporaries. 
 
 As a member of the administration, he was arbitrary, cruel, and oppres- 
 sive ; and from the confidence placed in him by Charles, is generally supposed 
 to have prompted the unfortunate monarch to the commission of those unjusti- 
 fiable measures in support of his prerogatives, which brought on the civil war, 
 and ended in the ruin both of the church and state, which he had so unjudici- 
 ously endeavored to promote. In a printed paper which he left behind him, he 
 excuses himself by alleging, that " he was but one of many, who either in council, 
 
 • Laud was a lover of and encourager of learning, and learned men. His MSS. bequeathed to 
 the Bodleian Library, and his printed books, in the library of St. John's college, Oxford, sufficiently 
 attest this. In the archives of the latter, is the cap, which the archbishop wore at his execution, 
 shewing the cut of the axe, which severed his head from his body, — Rev. T, F, Dibdin,
 
 1644 
 
 56 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap, star- chamber, or high commission court, had voted illegal things.'" But surely 
 l^I- this is a poor excuse for an arch-bishop to say, that he only followed others 
 in vice, whom it was his duty to have led in the paths of virtue. Raised from 
 a comparatively low condition to the highest offices in church and state, lie 
 is said to have so far forgot himself, as to treat his inferiors and dependants 
 with haughtiness very unbecoming the character of a bishop ;* while to his 
 superiors or those who could promote his interest, he was altogether as humble. 
 He certainly possessed many virtues, amidst a variety of errors which tarnished 
 their lustre ; and though for that reason we may not allow him to have been 
 a good man, we must acknowledge that he was a great one, and deserved a 
 better fate than what he met with from his persecutors in the two houses 
 of parliament. 
 
 While Laud was a prisoner in the tower, Mr. Prynne took his diary out 
 of his pocket, which he afterwards published, from which we have made the 
 following extracts : 
 
 July 1589, I came a poor scholar to Oxford. 
 
 June 1590, chosen a scholar of St. John the Baptist's college. 
 
 June 1593, admitted a fellow thereof. 
 
 June 1594, bachelor of arts. 
 
 July 1599, master of arts. 
 
 June 4, 1600, I was made deacon. 
 
 April 5, 1601, a priest, by doctor Young, bishop of Rochester. 
 
 December 26, 1605, being the earl of Devonshire's chaplain, married this 
 earl to the lady Rich, at Wanstead, in Essex. 
 
 November 16, 1607, I was invested into the vicarage of Stanford, in 
 Northamptonshire. 
 
 September 17, 1609, 1 preached my first sermon to king James, at Theobald's. 
 
 August 4, 1633, There came one to me at Greenwich, that oficred me to 
 be a cardinal. I went presently to the king, and acquainted him with the thing 
 and person. 
 
 News came to court of the lord archbishop of Canterbury's death, and the 
 king resolved presently to give it me, which he did August 6. 
 
 August 17, I had a serious offer made me again to be a cardinal. I was 
 then from court, but so soon as I came thither, I acquamted his majesty with 
 
 * A pool- curate, once having waited a long while to speak with the archbishop of Canterbury, at 
 last obtained an audience. In their discourse, the great metropolitan told him, he was an idle fellow ; to 
 whom the curate replied, " it is most true, my lord, for had I not been so, I could not have spared s,o 
 many idle hours to attend upon your grace to such small purpose.'' — Life of Laud, 
 
 * Rushworth's Collections,
 
 HISTORY OF READING, 57 
 
 ■it ; but my answer again was, that somewhat dwelt within me^ which would Chap. 
 not suffer that 'till Rome were other than it is. Hf* 
 
 When first I went to Lambeth, my coach, horses, and men, sunk to the ^''""'''"*' 
 bottom of the Thames, in the ferry-boat, which was overladen ; but I praise 
 God for it, I lost neither man nor horse. 
 
 November 13. About the beginning of this month, the lady Davis pro- 
 phesied against me, that I should very few days outlive the 5th of November ; 
 and a little after that, one Green came unto the court at St. James's, with a 
 great sword by his side, swearing the king should do him justice against me. 
 All the wrong I ever did this man, was, that being a poor printer, I procured 
 him of the company of stationers, ^5 a year, during his life. God forgive me 
 and him. He was committed to Newgate. 
 
 November 24-, I clnistened king Charles' second son, James duke of York, 
 at St. James's. 
 
 May 13, 163i, I received the seals of my being chosen chancellor of the 
 university of Dublin, on the 14th September, 1633. 
 
 March 14, 1634-5, I was named one of tlic commissioners for the ex- 
 chequer. 
 
 August 19, 1636, king Charles, and queen Mary entered Oxford, being to 
 
 be there entertained by me as chancellor of the vuiiversity. 
 
 August 30, I entertained them at saint John's college. Charles prince 
 elector palatine, and his brother Rupcrtus was there, and with other nobles 
 were made masters of arts. 
 
 March 11, 1637, Archibald, the king's fool, said to me, as I was going to 
 the council, " Whea's the feule now ? Doth not your grace hear the news 
 from Striveling about the liturgy ?" This I complained of, and the following 
 order was issued. 
 
 " It is this day ordered by his majesty, by advice of the board, that Archi- 
 bald Armstrong, the king's fool, for certain scandalous words of a high nature, 
 spoken by him against the archbishop of Canterbury, shall have his coat pulled 
 over his head, and discharged the king's service, and banished the court." 
 And the same was immediately put in execution. 
 
 May 9, 1640. At midnight, my house at Lambeth was beset with five 
 hundred persons of the rascal rontons multitude. I had notice, and strength- 
 ened the house as well as I could, and, God be blessed, I had no harm. Since 
 that I have cannons, and foriified my house as well as I can, and hope all may 
 be safe ; but yet libels are continually set up in all places of note in the city. 
 
 May 21. One of the chiefs being taken, was condemned at Southwark, 
 and hanged and quartered on Saturday following. 
 
 I
 
 1644 
 
 58 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Oct. 27. I went into my upper study to see some ?tISS. wliicli I was 
 sending to Oxford. In that study hung my picture taken by the life, and 
 coming in, I found it fallen down upon the face, and lying on the floor, the 
 string being broken by which it hanged against the wall. I am almost threat- 
 ened every dav with my ruin in parliament. God grant this be no omen. 
 
 December 18, I was accused by the house of commons of high treason, 
 and committed to the gentleman usher. 
 
 December 2\, I was fined five hundred pounds, and the lords ordered 
 me presently to pay the money, which was done. I was forced to sell ^)late 
 to pay where I borrowed. 
 
 February 26, 164t. This day I had been full ten weeks in restraint at 
 Mr. INIaxwell's house. I had favor of the lords not to go to the tower 'till 
 the Monday following. 
 
 March 1. I went in Mr. Maxwell's coach to the tower. No noise 'till 
 I came to the end of Cheapsidc, but from thence to the tower, I was followed 
 and railed at by the rabble in multitudes, to the very tower gates, where I left 
 them, and thank God, he made me patient.
 
 Histori/ of Reading. 
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 After the death of Laud, nothing particular occurred at Reading (of Chap. 
 which the king's troops still kept possession) 'till the next year; when the ^^ • 
 parliament's forces, being united under Essex and Waller, with an intent to ^""^'''^ 
 besiege Oxford, his majesty found himself under the necessity of concentrating 
 his own army, by dismantling some of his garrisons. For this purpose he 
 r-ame to Reading early in the spring, and after ordering all the works to be 
 demolished, he withdrew the garrison to Oxford. This measure, which 
 secured the inhabitants from the dread of undergoing a second siege, did not 
 free them from the insolence of the disorderly soldiery, who, immediately 
 after the king's departure, took possession of the town, and demanded free 
 quarters. TJiis demand, made at the point of the . bayonet, they were so far 
 obliged to comply with, as to order an assessment to be made on the most 
 opulent house-keepers, for the purpose of paying these freebooters the follow- 
 ing sums per week: To the sergeants 5s. 6d. drummers 4s. soldiers 2s. 8d. and 
 those who refused to pay the assessment, were to have soldiers quartered on 
 them 'till they complied.' 
 
 A party of 120 horse came from Wallingford and Donnington, to gather 164j 
 contributions near Reading, when colonel Baxter, with 30 horse, marched 
 after them, beat up their rear, but they facing about, one of Baxter's men 
 was slain, and twenty wounded and taken ; however a troop of 100 horse, who 
 by accident quartered at Reading, coming up to the relief of Baxter, they in 
 their turn routed the enemj-, recovered all the prisoners, took 25 men, with 
 captain Barker, their commander, and 50 horses. ° 
 
 On the 8th of September, the earl of Manchester was Avith the parlia- 
 mentary army at Reading, and on the 15th of next month Cromwell entered ^b46 
 the town, with his regiment of horse, at which time the earl of Manchester 
 marched from Reading to Aldermaston, but returning on the 2od of Novem- 
 ber following, they kept possession of the town till the 24th of December fol- 
 lowing, when major Crawford marclicd out of tJie town with 4000 horse and 
 foot to the relief of Abingdon. In the following month it was again visited 
 
 " Corporation Diary. * Whitlock's Memorials. 
 
 i2
 
 eo HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap, by the army, when orders were issued for martial law to be enforced on all thfr 
 ^^ • inhabitants, as well here as at Henley. 
 
 The committee for secluding unfit ministers from their livings, sat this 
 1646. year at Reading, as appears from the register of West Ilsley, in this county, 
 wherein is the following entry : 
 
 '' The comniittee for the county of Berks, sitting at Reading 13 April 1646. 
 " Whereas Dr. Goodman, late bp. of Glousester hath held in commendam 
 the rectory of the parish church of West lldesley, in the county of IJcrks, and 
 is a notorious delinquent to the parliament, it is therefore ordered by this com- 
 mittee, that the said rectory and the profits thereof, be sequestered from the 
 said Dr. Goodman, and that Humphry Newberry and Mr. Artes, a goodly 
 and orthodox divine be forthwith placed, and settled to officiate the cure 
 of the said church, as the minister and rector thereof, and to enjoy the parson- 
 age house, glebe lands, and all and singular the tithes, rents, duties and other 
 profits thereof belonging. 
 
 Tanfield Vatchell, Francis Pike, 
 
 Daniel Blagrave, John Blagrave." 
 
 George Wooldridge, 
 
 1647 The army having got the king in their power^ after he was delivered up 
 
 l>y the Scotch, to whose protection he liad surrendered himself, marched with 
 him to Reading, where they took up their head quarters, under sir Thomas 
 Fairfax, and placed his majesty under a guard at the house of lord Craven, at 
 Caversham. Here he was treated in the most respectful manner by Fairfax, 
 who then commanded the army, and obtained his permission, for his children 
 to visit him, " so that there was a gallant court, and his majesty very cheerful, 
 being attended by many brave gallants.'" This cheerfulness which his majesty 
 exhibited at this time, was probably occasioned by the apparent kindness he 
 experienced from all the officers of the army, particularly from Cromwell, 
 who told sir John Barclay, one of his majesty's attendants, that " he had 
 lately seen the tenderest sight that ever his eyes belield, which w as, the interview 
 between the king and his children, that he wept plentifully at the remembrance 
 thereof^ saying, tliat never man was so abused as he in his sinister opinion 
 of the king, who he thought was the most upright and conscientious of his 
 kingdom ; that they of the independent party had infinite obligations to him, 
 for not consenting to the propositions sent to him at Newcastle, which would 
 have totally ruined them, and which his majesty's interest seemed to invite- 
 
 * Private letters from the army.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 61 
 
 him to ; concludinsr with this wish, ' that God would be pleased to look upon Chap. 
 
 . • TV 
 
 him, according to the sincerity of his heart towards the king.'*' ^ _ • 
 
 When the peace of the country was restored, by the melancholy death 
 of the monarch, and the dispersion of his adherents, the new government com- 1649 
 pclled the royalists to compound for their estates, which were supposed to be 
 forfeited, for their adherence to their sovereign, and commissioners were sent 
 round the country to regulate the proportion each individual should pay. In 
 the list of the compounders returned to government, are the following gentle- 
 men of this town : 
 
 Dr. Thomas Bunburyt 117 
 Mr. Anthony BraxtonJ 100 
 John Fartham 2 13 4 
 
 Edward Hamlyn SS G S 
 
 Christopher Milton§ 80 
 
 Thomas Reeves 160 
 
 The taxes at this period were collected weekly ; those for the support of 
 government, were thirty-seven pounds eleven shillings, and towards carrying on 
 the war in Ireland, nine pounds four shillings and eight pence three farthings. 
 The committee for Berkshire also applied to the corporation for a loan of two 
 hundred and forty pounds, but as they were not able to raise the money, their 
 request could not be complied with. 
 
 During Cromwell's administration the taxes were considerably increased, Cromivell 
 but as the trade of the town increased in proportion with them, the burthen 
 was not so oppressive to the people, so that at the restoration it had nearly 
 recovered its trade and its opulence. 
 
 In 1663, when Charles II. with his queen, passed through the town, the Charles 
 corporation presented his majesty with 50 pieces of gold, the queen with 30; -'^• 
 and 37Z. 6s. was paid as fees to their servants. During this reign the internal 
 repose appears to have been for a long time disturbed, by party feuds and 
 animosities, which frequently broke out into open acts of violence. The mem- 1660 
 bers of the church of England could not forget the persecutions they had 
 suffered from the dissenters, when in power; nor could the latter help regretting 
 the influence they had lost in the state, by the restoration. Each had become 
 persecutors in turn, and nothing but the misguided couduct of James II. m 
 
 * When Cromwell first heard of the king's capture, he started up with savage e.v:uItalion, ex- 
 claiming,—" Then I have the parliament in my pocket."— S^act'i CromzcdLiana. 
 
 + Ex-rector of St. Mary's, in this town, 
 
 + A member of the corporation, who had served the ofEce of mayor. 
 
 § Brother to John Milton, author of Paradise Lost. His father, Mr. John Milton, resided with 
 him here till about this period, when he went to live with his son John, in Aldersgatc street, Lon- 
 can, where he died. — Buhop Newton's Life of Mdton. 
 
 *• Ludlow's Memoirs.
 
 62 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 endeavoring to introduce popeiv, the common enemy of both, could have 
 reconciled minds so much exasperated by mutual injuries. The nation being 
 at length alarmed by the rapid strides James was making for overturning the 
 J^rtWfs//. protestant religion^, and establishing an arbitrary government, in the room of 
 a limited monarchy, invited over the prince of Orange, who in right of his 
 '^ wife was considered as heir to the crown, notwithstanding James had a son 
 lately born who was styled prince of Wales. Vtilliam landed at Torbay on 
 the 4tli of November 1688, and immediately marched to Exeter, from whence, 
 after stopping a few davs to refresh his men, and to give time for the country 
 to join him, he proceeded on his march to London. 
 
 Alarmed by the march of the prince with his army, as well as by the 
 defection of the principal nobility, James issued writs to call a new parlia- 
 ment, to meet on the 25th of January 16St, and deputed the marquis of 
 Halifax, the earl of Nottingham, and the lord Godolphin, to propose a treaty 
 with "\^ illiani. They arrived on the 3d cf December at Reading, where they 
 met a trumpeter with the prince's passport, who at the same time demanded 
 a passport for one of his gentlemen, whom he wished to send to the princess 
 of Denmark.' 
 
 In the mean while the royal army was encamped on Hounslow-heath, and 
 a party of eight hundred Irish soldiers, horse and foot, were quartered in this 
 town. As the prince's army advanced, a report was circulated in the town, 
 that the men had received orders to massacre the inhabitants, and plunder the 
 town, upon the following Sundav, during divine service. 
 
 The alarm occasioned by this report induced many of the inhabitants to 
 leave the town ; and as the number of the fugitives increased daily, the com- 
 mander in chief placed sentinels at all the avenues, with orders not to sutler 
 any person to leave the place without his permission. This order, which was 
 considered as a confirmation of the report, increased the general panic which 
 had spread through every rank of the inhabitants, who waited with the utmost 
 impatience for the arrival of the first division of the prince's army, which was 
 marching to their assistance. As soon, therefore, as information was received 
 of their arrival at Newbury, the magistrates found means, notwithstanding 
 the watch that was kept, to send an express the same evening to the com- 
 manding officer, requesting immediate assistance. In consequence of this 
 request, the officer dispatched a corps of about three hundred men, the same 
 night, with orders to expedite their march towards Reading as much as pos- 
 sible, so great was the apprehension of the threatened destruction of the town, 
 
 ■' History of William III. page US.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 63 
 
 and the massacre of the inhabitants, which it was supposed would take place Chap. 
 on the following morning, the 10th of December. However, if any such ^^' 
 intention had manifested itself on the part of the Irish, which is very probie- ^^^""^ 
 matical, it was happily prevented by the critical arrival of the party sent from 
 Newbury the over nig-ht. 
 
 The Irish, who were apprized of their coming, had taken every precau- 
 tion to prevent their penetrating into the heart of the town. For this purpose, 
 a party of horse was drawn up in the golden bear yard, the corner of Castle- 
 street, and the walls, which at that time enclosed saint Mary's church-yard, 
 on the west and south sides, were lined with musketeers. A strong corps was 
 likewise stationed in Broad-street, and the main body was drawn up in the 
 Market-place, and a sentinel was placed on saint Mary's tower to give notice 
 by signal, as soon as the enemy appeared in sight. From this disposition 
 of the forces, it is evident, they expected the Dutch troops would have at- 
 tempted to enter the town by Castle-street, that being the direct road from 
 Newbury ; but in this they were disappointed, for the latter, having got infor- 
 mation of the disposition of the enemy from the inhabitants, filed off to the 
 left before they came in sight of the town, and marching along Pangbourn- 
 lane, under cover of the hedges, they entered the town unperceived by the 
 sentinel, who in consequence had not time to give the alarm, before the Irish 
 found themselves vigorously attacked in dificrent points. 
 
 On entering the Butts, the main body of the prince's troops fell with 
 such impetuosity upon the Irish, drawn up at the bottom of Castle-street, that 
 they immediately gave way, and were pursued by the enemy towards the 
 Market-place, where they arrived just as those, to whom the defence of Broad- 
 street had been entrusted, were entering; having been driven back by another 
 party of the prince's troops. These two parties, meeting in the narrow streets 
 which united at the top of Sun-lane, were so pressed together, that they were 
 unable to keep their ranks, so that rushing into the Market-place in a tumul- 
 tuous manner, the main body stationed there were struck with such a panic, 
 that without waiting to learn the number or strength of the enemy, they fled 
 with the utmost expedition towards Twyford. 
 
 As soon as order could be restored in the town, a party of horse was 
 sent in pursuit of the fugitives, but they were not able to come up with them 
 'till they were seen passing CuUum-bridge, at the entrance of Twyford, where, 
 being joined by some of the king's troops, and night coming on, it was thought 
 advisable by their pursuers to return to Reading.* 
 
 • At a piace called Horsepit-hill, just beyond Twyford, as some laborers were digging gravel,
 
 G4 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. During the surprise, sir John Lanier^ Avho commanded the Irish troops, 
 
 ^^ • narroNvly escaped being taken by some Dutch troopers, who fired at his horses, 
 
 ~*~'~*~ as he was galloping oft' in a calash and four^ leaving his men to extricate them- 
 selves in the best manner they could. 
 
 In this engagement, if such it may be called, very few lives were lost on 
 
 \\ ilhnm j;i(jjpj. gi(i(»^ and those were prin^'ipally of the king's troops, the Dutch having 
 
 Mani ^"'.y ^^^ officer killed, and some few privates wounded. 
 
 It is probable that this success of the Dutch, over a body of regular 
 forces, superior in number, if not in discipline, to themselves, may in some 
 measure be attributed to the assistance they obtained from the town's people,* 
 who, exasperated by the menaces of assassination, which they had received 
 from the Irish soldiery, previous to the arrival of their deliverers, willingly 
 embraced the opportunity oft'cred them of revenging their own cause, while 
 fighting for that of their country. However this may be, it was certainly a 
 day of deliverance for the inhabitants, and as such was annually celebrated by 
 the ringing of the bells in all the churches, on the 21st of December, new 
 style, until the completion of a century ; since which time, that custom has 
 been omitted, and the day of Reading-fight, as it was called, is gradually 
 wearing out of memory. 
 
 they discovered several skeletons lying in a row, with their heads and feet placed alternately. There 
 was likewise found a metal box, inclosing a smaller one, probably a cartridge box, with some other 
 things, but these being carried away by one of the workmen, and lost, its proper use cannot now be 
 ascertained. These were, probably, some of the victims who fell on this occasion. 
 
 * On the approach of a small party of the prince's cavalry, the Irish fired, and quitted their 
 post, and were followed by the Scotch in disorder ; there were not many of the Irish killed, and as few 
 taken ; however, the court complained that the town's-people shot at them out of their windows, while 
 ihey were attacked by the prince's horse,— ^w^ory of William, vol. Ill, page 152.
 
 History of Reading. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 W E are now arrived at that period of our history, when we shall no longer Chap. V. 
 be obliged to trace the melancholy consequences of civil disscntions, arising 
 from political oppression. The revolution of 16SS, has defined and established 
 the rights of the monarch, and the liberties of the subject, on such clear and 
 firm ground, as will, we trust, for ever prevent the return of those jealousies 
 and animosities, which for nearly six centuries had agitated this country. The 
 benefits arising from this happy event, have been experienced by every part 
 of the empire ; and the inhabitants of Reading in particular, are indebted to 
 it for a longer series of tranquility than perhaps they ever before experienced, 
 as well as for all the advantages derived from it, in improving their manu- 
 factures, and extending their trade beyond what might be expected from an 
 inland town. But these improvements were slow in their progress. The 
 oppressions of former governments had prevented the inhabitants from accu- 
 mulating capitals, without which it is impossible to carry on trade to any 
 extent; or, if amidst the general penury, a few capitalists were found, their 
 ignorance in mercantile affairs, rendered them cautious of extending their 
 dealings beyond the limits of their own town. These reasons may account 
 for the slow change that was observable, either in the increase of the trade, or 
 the improvement of the town, during the reigns of William and Mary and 
 of queen Anne, to which may be added the continual foreign wars the nation 
 was engaged in for almost the whole of that period. For though the supplies 
 for carrying on these wars were raised on the funding system, whereby the 
 former weight of taxes on such occasions was greatly diminished, yet it 
 still tended to damp the exertions of individuals, already too prone to a state 
 of inactivity. 
 
 The manufacturing of sail-cloth began about this time to be encouraged 
 in Reading, in the room of the woollen manufacture, which had been gradually 
 declining since the civil war, for the encouragement of which the flax dres- 
 sers, f-pinners, whitsters, weavers, venders and others, concerned in the 
 working and making of British made sail-cloth, presented a petition to the 
 
 K.
 
 66 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. house for the furtherance of their trade ;' but it does not appear that any bilt 
 was passed. 
 
 1713 Another great impediment to the improvement of the borough, was the 
 miserable state of the high roads leading to it. These had been sufl'ered to 
 be worn down by carriages, during a long series of years, without the least 
 attempt being made towards their improvement, 'till they had become almost 
 impassable ; so much so, that, nearly within the limits of the borough, a single 
 carriage could seldom proceed on its journey, 'till others came up to its assis- 
 tance. To remedy this evil, as turnpike roads began about this period to be 
 formed in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, the gentlemen of Reading, in 
 1714, petitioned the house of commons, by their members, for leave to bring 
 in a bill to enable them to repair the high-way from the bear-inn, in this 
 borough, to Puntfiold, in the county of Berks, which being agreed to, a bill 
 
 1714 for that purpose received the royal assent, the same year. 
 
 George I. On the accession of George I. the partisans of the abdicated family en- 
 
 deavored to raise disturbances in various parts of the kingdom, particularly 
 at the elections for the representatives in parliament, which took place on that 
 occasion. In Reading the contest was the warmest ever known: the majority 
 of the middling class of the inhabitants supported the whig interest, while those 
 of the lower orders, from being less informed, and consequently more easily 
 deceived, embraced that of the tories. It had been the practice to admit to 
 the privilege of voting for members to serve in parliament for this borough, 
 atl who could prove that they had been accustomed to boil a pot within its 
 limits ; and, on this occasion, the town had all the appearance of a large camp 
 of gypsies ; fires being lighted in every street and alley, for even lodgers were 
 entitled to this privilege. These, under the appellation of pot wabblers, from 
 the superiority of their numbers, and the riotousness of their dispositions, 
 could at all times ensure success to those candidates, whose interests a blind 
 partiality, or the spirit of party, might induce them to adopt. At this electipn, 
 they were almost unanimous in favor of Robert Clarges and Felix Calvert, 
 esqrs, who were elected, in opposition to William Cadogan, esq. who was 
 known to be a friend to the reigning prince. But, on a petition of certain 
 of the inhabitants of the borough, paying scot and lot, against the return, a 
 committee was appointed to take the same into consideration, who, after the 
 examination of witnesses, declared the election to be null and void, and that 
 the right of election was solely in the inhabitants paying scot and lot,* bjt 
 whom it has ever since been exercised. 
 
 > Votes of the Commons, * Ibid.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 67 
 
 A bill having been brought into parliament, this 5'ear, for making the Chap. V. 
 river Kennct navigable from Reading to Newbury, the inhabitants of the ^^-"^y"'*-'. 
 former w^ere greatly alarmed lest the trade of the town, now become cousi- niQ 
 derable, should be proportionably diminished, if not entirely ruined, by beino* 
 diverted through another channel ; in consequence of this persuasion, every 
 measure was taken that could be devised, to obstruct its progress through the 
 house, and to prevent, if possible, its passing into a law. For this purpose, a 
 petition of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and other inhabitants of the 
 borough, was presented to the house, on the 26th of April, praying to be heard 
 by counsel against the bill, which was granted. On the 20th of May follow- 
 ing, a petition was presented to the house, on behalf of H. Boult, esq. Thomas 
 Constable, merchant, and John Sylvester, gent, proprietors of the water works 
 for supplying the inhabitants with water, praying to be heard by counsel 
 against the said bill ; and on the day following, another petition was presented 
 from George Blagrave, esq. proprietor of several mills called saint Giles, and 
 Minster mills, both within the borough, and standing on the river Kennet, 
 and also one other mill called Calcot mill, in the parish of Tilehurst, praying 
 likewise to be heard by counsel ; petitions were also presented to the house 
 from the owners of wharfs and others.* But all these petitions were of no 
 avail, the bill having passed the house of conuiions the 13th of August, and 
 soon after received the royal assent. 
 
 Though this measure at the time was considered very injurious to the 
 interest of the town, yet Reading does not appear to have suffered from it, 
 except in a small diminution in the carrying trade, and in the hire of a few 
 warehouses, which have since been converted to different purposes; but in 
 other respects, we believe, the extension of the navigation has been rather 
 beneficial than injurious to the general interest of the place ; and as the com- 
 munication is now opened with Bristol and the north west parts of the king- 
 dom, by means of the Kennct and Avon canal, the additional influx of trade 
 by this conveyance, which has already began to be experienced, will, we have 
 no doubt, more than compensate the trifling loss the tov/n may have sustained 
 since its first opening. 
 
 In the ensuing year, a bill passed the legislature, for improving the high 1713 
 road from Maidenhead-bridge to Reading, and from the Folly, near Maiden- 
 head, to Henley. This bill was divided into three separate districts, the man- 
 agement wliercof is placed in different comniissioncrs, who have the sole 
 conduct of every thing that regards their separate districts. Being thus inde- 
 
 ' Votes of tlie Commons. 
 
 k2
 
 68 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. pendent of each other, except on the occasion of renewing the bill, many of 
 ^'^■'"*~ the Reading commissioners thoiig'ht it advisable, on that occurrence taking 
 17 IS place in 1806, for each of the district commissioners to go to parliament for 
 a separate bill, particularly as though the new clauses to be inserted were 
 such as concerned each district solely, yet they were liable to be lost in the 
 house, from the opposition that might arise in either of the other districts. 
 For this, and other reasons, a meeting of all the commissioners was requested 
 at Twyford, where the subject was deliberately canvassed, and being put to 
 the vote, was carried in the negative by one voice only; since which, as was 
 foreseen, so many difficulties arose in passing the bill, that the other two 
 districts, who had opposed the measure, expressed their conviction, that, on a 
 future occasion, it would be better to apply to parliament for separate bills. 
 1720 The powers granted the commissioners for improving the navigation of 
 
 the river Kennet, being found inadequate for the purpose, a new bill passed 
 in 1720, whereby they were considerably enlarged, and tlie term extended to a 
 longer period, without meeting with any opposition from this borough. 
 
 On the 2d of May, 1721, a petition of the mayor, recorder, aldermen, 
 burgesses, and inhabitants, was presented to the house and read, complaining 
 of the miseries the nation labored under, by the great decay of trade, manu- 
 factures, and public credit, occasioned by the mismanagement of the late 
 directors of the South-sea company, their aiders, abetters, and confederates, 
 and prayed that the house would take such further measures as should be 
 judged proper for the encouragement of trade, redressing of grievances, 
 restoring of public credit, and doing justice to an injured nation.' 
 j^QQ And on the 18th of October 1722, a petition was presented to the house of 
 
 commons from Charles Cadogan, and Richard Thompson, esqrs. complaining of 
 an undue election and return for this borough, w hich being referred to a com- 
 mittee of privileges and elections, the sitting members were declared duly elected. 
 As the prosperity of the town increased, the inhabitants began to turn 
 their attention to its improvement, which appears for a long series of years to 
 George have been entirely neglected : the first attempt of this nature occurs about 
 * the middle of this century, when Mr. John Richards, an eminent draper, and 
 alderman of the borough, purchased a row of houses which had long divided 
 the present King's-street into two lanes, called Sun-lane and Back-lane, which 
 he pulled down, and converted the site into the present street, for the benefit 
 of the public. Had this improvement been extended, by taking down the 
 row of houses which separate Butcher-row and Fisher-row, the communi- 
 
 ♦ Votes of the Coramon?.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 69 
 
 cation between the western parts of the town and the Market-place would Chap. V. 
 have been rendered much more commodious than it now is. "^-^"v-*^. 
 
 On theSSth of September 1754, a fire broke out in Sievier-street, whereby ir^i, 
 six hop-kilns, two barns, and several store-houses were destroyed. 
 
 On the first of November in the following year, being the same day on 
 which the city of Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake, a remarkable agi- 
 tation was perceived here in the waters of the Kennet : Whether this pheno- 
 menon was at all connected with that melancholy event, would be dilGcult to 
 ascertain, but from the coincidence of time, and from the like agitation having 
 been perceived in Plymouth on the same day, such a connexion seems by no 
 means improbable.' 
 
 The peace concluded with France, by the treaty of Utrecht, began about ^'75^ 
 this time to be disturbed, after a period of more than 30 years uninterrupted 
 tranquility. The enemy, as usual, held out threats of invasion, which they 
 knew would distract our councils and alarm the inhabitants, even though these 
 threats should never be put in execution. On this occasion, addresses, expres- 
 sive of the loyalty and attachment of the people, were presented to the throne 
 from various parts of the kingdom. That from this borough, in the name 
 of the corporate body, was as follows : 
 "■ JMost gracious Sovcreigiiy 
 
 " We, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the mayor, alder- 
 men, and burgesses of your majesty's ancient borough of Reading, being 
 warmed with a just indignation, at the daring menaces, and hostile violences 
 of France, beg leave to assure your majesty, that in the present, and all future 
 occasions, we are, and ever shall be, ready to exert ourselves to the utmost of 
 our power, in the defence of your sacred majesty's person, crown, and dignity. 
 
 " We think ourselves bound in duty, to return your majesty our unfeigned 
 thanks, for the vigorous and seasonable measures your majesty has taken to 
 vindicate the honor of the crown, and the rights of your subjects, not doubt- 
 ing but that vour majesty will obtain that satisfaction by the sword, which 
 could not be procured by pacific and more agreeable measures. 
 
 " From the justice of our cause, we place a strong confidence in the 
 blessing of the Almighty, upon your majesty's councils and arms, and pray that 
 your unwearied endeavors for the public good may be crowned with success ; 
 and that your majesty may long live to enjoy the fruits of it, which we hope 
 will be continued in your royal and illustrious progeny to the latest ages." 
 " Given under our common seal the 25th of May, 1756." 
 
 On the conclusion of the peace in 1763, the corporate body again ad" 
 
 ' Philosophical Transactions.
 
 70 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. dressed die throne. This address >vas not presented by the members, which 
 "^■"''"^'''^^ is usual on such occasions, but transmitted to the earl of Halifax, one of his 
 J-Q3 majesty's principal secretaries of state, by whom it was presented to his ma- 
 jesty, and is as follows : 
 George " Jtlost gracioits Sovereign, 
 ill. cc ^Yp^ your majesty's most faithful and loyal subjects, the mayor, alder- 
 men, and burgesses of Reading, beg leave most humbly to congratulate your 
 majesty on the termination of a just, though bloody, and expensive war ; and 
 on the happy establishment of peace, and the public tranquility. For this so 
 desirable and inestimable event, we entreat your majesty graciously to accept 
 our most dutiful and sincere acknowledgments ; and as the prosperity and 
 happiness of your people is the sole object of your rojal endeavors, we beg 
 leave to assure your majesty, that we most ardently beseech the Almighty, that 
 your majesty may live and reign in the hearts and afl'ections of all your sub- 
 jects, united, and ever zealous of your majesty's honor and dignity, and studi- 
 ous, gratefully to cultivate and improve the invaluable fruits and blessings 
 of peace. Given under our common seal, the 11th of June, 1763." 
 
 It is remarkable that both the foregoing addresses are in the name of the 
 corporate body alone, and given under their common seal. I have not been 
 able to trace, when this practice began, but it is probably coeval with the 
 first institution of that body, when the mass of the people was rather con- 
 sidered as property, than fellow citizens, who had a right to participate in 
 whatever tended to the advancement of the good of the nation. Since this 
 period, however, a diflerent system has been adonled in the borough ; all the 
 subsequent petitions and addresses having run in the name of the inhabitants 
 as well as the corporate body. 
 
 In the autumn of the year 1766, almost every part of the kingdom was 
 disturbed by riots and disorders, occasioned, as was pretended, by the high 
 price of provisions : These generally took place on market days, and seem to 
 have spread over every part of the county, except this town, where they were 
 happily prevented by the seasonable arrival of a troop of lord Albermarle's 
 dragoons, and captain Cave's company of infautrv. 
 
 Anonymous letters were sent to the magistrates, and principal farmers, 
 threatening, v^ith the most horrid imprecations, to burn them and their houses, 
 if the prices of grain, and other provisions, were not reduced ; and so great 
 was the apprehension of the farmers, that they advertised, in the public prints, 
 their willingness to dispose of their best wheat to the poor, at five shillings 
 the bushel of nine gallons, and the millers agreed to grind it for them gratis. 
 By these salutary measures, together with the spirited exertions of the 
 magistrates, and the assistance of the military, the spirit of insubordination
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 71 
 
 was subdued before the close of the year. Sixteen of the principal rioters Chap. V. 
 were committed to our county jail, and Mr. Baron Perrot, and Mr. Justice ^'-'"v-"*^ 
 AstoH;, were sent, with a special commission, to this town, to hold an extraor- j^gg 
 dinary assize, which commenced the second of December, and continued the 
 two following days, when sentence of death was passed on three of the rioters, 
 but, through the lenity of the government, only Daniel Eclands, who, in 
 addition to the crime of committing the riot, had extorted money from one 
 James Stone, of Stevcnton, sufiered the penalty of the law ; but so great was 
 the commiseration of the town's-people for the unhappy sufferer, that none 
 of the tradesmen would furnish the instrument of death, nor could the meanest. 
 individual be prevailed with to perform the office of executioner, so that the 
 keeper of the prison, it is said, was obliged to officiate himself, with an old 
 cord procured for the purpose. 
 
 It is remarkable, that notwithstanding the plea for these excesses, was 
 the exorbitant price of provisions, yet the best wheat sold at the time from 
 16 to 17Z. per load : the quartern loaf at 6d. beef i^d. per lb. veal 5d. mutton 
 3^d. lamb bd. and pork bd. So little cause had the people to disturb the peace 
 of the country, and threaten the lives of individuals, for no other crime than 
 that of not parting with their property for less money than they could actu- 
 ally afford. 
 
 In the year 1770, a design was set on foot for making a navigable canal 1770 
 from Sonning to Monkey Island, near Bray, in this county, and from thence 
 to Isleworth, in the county of Middlesex, whereby the trade would have been 
 greatly facilitated, and the freight of heavy goods, which are mostly conveyed 
 by water, very much reduced. 
 
 Mr. Brindley, being desired by the Thames' commissioners to make a 
 survey of the proposed line, and to give in an estimate of the expence, pre- 
 sented the plan and report to the commissioners, at Reading, on the 26th of 
 February, who gave it their unqualified approbation. However, at a meeting 
 held at Oxford, in tlie following March, another plan was laid before them 
 for the improvement of the old river, by means of pound locks through it^ 
 whole extent ; this was likewise agreed to. 
 
 These different proposals were supported, as is common on such occasions, 
 by calculations, from which, for want of actual proofs, either party were at 
 liberty to draw whatever conclusions might best suit their purpose. The 
 expence of navigating a barge of 130 tons from Reading to London, and back 
 again, was proved, by experience, to be on an average about 88/. To lower 
 this expence was the object of both parties. The advocates for a canal, by 
 their calculations, made the supposed expences, that would accrue in navigat-
 
 73 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. ing the same vessel through the proposed canal, without taking into consi- 
 ^"*''"^*'"^^ deration the saving in time, to be no more than 54/. \0s.3d. It was, therefore^ 
 necessarv for the advocates for the improvement of the old river to prove, that 
 the savings by their plan would be still greater ; accordingly they made it 
 ^' '^ evidently appear, on paper, that by their proposed plan the expence would be 
 reduced to 50/. lis. -id. But so erroneously do we reckon when we wish to 
 promote a favorite object, that notwithstanding the pains the gentlemen took 
 in forming their calculations, the expence of navigating the same distance on 
 the river, since the pound locks have been erected, is more than double what 
 they so c.learlij proved it would only be. 
 
 The Thames' commissioners being thus divided into two parties, and 
 acting from different motives and interests, endeavored to throw every obstacle 
 in the way of each other's plan. At the meeting held at Reading on the 5th 
 of June, the commissioners agreed to petition parliament, for leave to bring in 
 a bill to enable them to carry their intended plan into execution, and proposed 
 to borrow the sum of seventy thousand pounds, on bonds, bearing 5 per cent, 
 interest, to meet the expence. As soon as these resolutions were made public, 
 another set of commissioners met at Henley, and resolved to petition parlia- 
 ment for powers to borrow money for the purposes of erecting pound-locks, 
 wiers, &c. as proposed by the other plan. These two opinions were so oppo- 
 site that it was easily seen, that some secret influence M'as made use of. It is 
 impossible but every man, who had given the subject the least consideration, 
 must have been convinced of the superior advantages arising from a short 
 navigation over a long one, even supposing the expences to be equal on both, 
 because expedition is the life and soul of trade, and the want of it is at this 
 day severely felt by the commercial inhabitants of this town. Public benefit 
 is generally the ostensible motive for national improvements; and public benefit 
 is as often the plea for obstructing their execution. This was the professed 
 plan of those who proposed to improve the navigation by means of the canals, 
 and so it was of their opponents, tliough the latter were thought at the time 
 to have been a little biassed by friendship, gentlemen having been brought to 
 the meeting to qua'ify and vote, at the same time, on the propriety of a 
 measure which their habits of life disqualified them from being acquainted 
 with. " As well (said the advocates for the canal) might the legislature ap- 
 point a certain number of barge-masters to set in convocation, or to regulate 
 the interior management of our colleges, as to empower the vice-chancellor, 
 or heads of colleges, to preside at a navigation meeting. Very few country- 
 gentlemen, who are qualified in point of property, pay that attention to the 
 difficult task of improving navigation, so as to qualify them to debate on the
 
 HISTORY OF READING. n 
 
 least of those topics, which must at times be laid before them ; how then can Chap. V. 
 men, who are entrusted with the cure of souls, and whose whole attention, no ^^""V^*^ 
 doubt, is taken up with the study of the holy scriptures, know any thing of 
 navigation affairs?" The objection to ecclesiastics' interfering in the manage- 1770 
 ment of the Thames, seems to have arisen from the first opposition to the 
 plan having originated at Oxford, where the clergy generally preside, and 
 where another meeting was held, on the 20th of August, when the resolutions 
 entered into at Henley were agreed to, with the addition, that an allowance 
 should be made to the hirelings,* who, by the proposed mode of towing with 
 horses, would be deprived of their maintenance. 
 
 On the 9th of October, another meeting of the commissioners was held 
 at Reading, when, notwithstanding the resolutions entered into at the two last 
 meetings, they determined to persevere in the prosecution of the original plan, 
 and because an objection had been started, that the old river, by being neg- 
 lected would become unnavigable in the lower districts, they agreed to keep 
 it in its present state from Sonning to Boulter's-lock, out of the tonnage to 
 be paid on the canals ; and moreover, that the mayor and body corporate of 
 Reading, with the town and county members, and such other gentlemen as 
 should hereafter be appointed, should be a body corporate, to raise the money 
 to be advanced by life annuities, and when all the expences of cutting the 
 canals were discharged, and a fund prepared for the perpetual repair thereof, 
 then the tolls to cease, and the canals made a free navigation for ever. 
 
 At length, towards the close of the year, the bill was brought into par- 
 liament, where it was lost, on the third reading, by a majority, procured, as 
 it was asserted, by one of the members for the county, whose premises lay in 
 the line of the proposed canals. Had this plan been carried into execution, 
 every inhabitant of Reading would have been benefitted by a considerable de- 
 crease in the price of the carriage of goods, and the barge-owners been enabled 
 to make their voyages to and from London in half the time they now do. 
 
 Henry Vansittart, esq. chosen one of the members for this borough in 1768, 
 having been appointed to an honorable post in the East India company's service, 1^73 
 sailed for India in the Aurora, soon afler his election, but as the ship had not been 
 heard of after her leaving the Cape, no doubt was entertained of her having 
 been lost : The corporation thereupon requested Mr. Dodd, the other member, 
 to move in the house of commons for a new writ to be issued for the election 
 of another member to serve the remainder of the time. Accordingly, on the 
 2d of March 1772, that gentleman moved for a new writ, on the ground 
 
 • These were a set of men who got their living by tovs'ing the barges against the stream.
 
 74 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. of the a;reat probabilitv of the loss of the Aurora, and that every soul on board 
 ^""""^i''*^ had perished, as she had not been heard of for more than two years, and that the 
 town miaht no longer be deprived of the services of one of its members. 
 1772 To this it was answered, " that mere probability was not a sufficient motive 
 
 for the house to proceed upon, in a case wherein a new writ was required to be 
 granted, and a member to be chosen in consequence of it. That if Mr. Van- 
 sittart should be alive and return, the house would be plunged into a difficulty 
 it would not easily get rid of. In the case of general Stanwix, introduced 
 in the debate, who was supposed to have been lost in his passage to Ireland, 
 as the ship in which he embarked had never been heard of, there could be 
 no doubt of the fact, the Irish seas being too near, and too well known, for 
 any person to remain in them undiscovered ; bujt it wai not so in distant seas, 
 from whence persons might return a long time after they had been supposed 
 to have been lost, as in the case of captain Cheap, who went io the South-seas 
 with commodore Anson, and was not heard of for four years, and yet returned." 
 For these reasons the writ was refused by the house ; but the inhabitants 
 of the town considered the argument as a manoeuvre to get rid of the motion 
 as handsomely as possible, because it was no longer likely to answer the 
 expectations of the original proposers. John Walter, esq. of Farley-hill, Mr. 
 Dodd's friend and near neighbor, was designed to fill the vacant seat, and 
 accordingly had the preceeding week offered himself a candidate, with the 
 usual professions of independence, and a promise of a strict attention to the 
 interest of the borough : but these professions were not so cordially received 
 by the electors as was expected, they being jealous that it was the intent of the 
 ministerial party to surprise them into the choice of a gentleman, who would be 
 thereby bound to give them his support. As it was not doubted but that the elec- 
 tion, if the writ were granted, would be hurried on, the opposition made choice of 
 Francis Annesley, esq. a gentleman that had long resided in the town, and was well 
 known and respected by the majority of the people, as a proper person to 
 support the independence of the borough. At a meeting of the inhabitants, 
 at the town-hall, on the 29th of February, on the two gentlemen being put iu 
 nomination, the shew of hands was so decidedly in favor of Mr. Annesley, that 
 Mr. Walter, " not willing to disturb the peace and unanimity of the borough," 
 declined giving them any further trouble ; whereupon the anxiety expressed 
 for filling up the vacancy in the representation of the borough subsided, and 
 the business got rid of, as we have said, by the house putting a negative on 
 Mr. Dodd's motion.* 
 
 The great weight of taxes which were imposed on the nation in support 
 
 • Mr. Coates erroneously states, that Mr. Annesley was returned at this time.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. (f^ 
 
 of the American war, which from the beginning had been always unpopular^ Chap. V. 
 so much increased the public discontent, that petitions were presented to the ^""*"'"v"*^> 
 house of commons, during its continuance, from almost every part of the 
 kingdom, for the redress of public grievances, but in none was the necessity 
 of reform more fully expressed, than in the following one from this borough: 
 
 " The humble petition of the inhabitants of the borough of Reading, ' 
 
 to the house of commons : 
 " We, the mayor, aldermen, burgesses, and inhabitants of the borough 
 of Reading, considering the vast sums of money expended in this most unfor- 
 tunate war, sensibly affected themselves, by the heavy taxes already laid on 
 the subjects of this kingdom, and alarmed at the idea, that others may shortly 
 be imposed ; humbly request your honorable house to turn their most serious 
 consideration to the diminished resources, and growing burthens of the country. 
 " Your petitioners conceive, that, in this time of general distress, it will 
 be necessary to alleviate the public burthens, by abolishing sinecure and useless 
 places, curtailing the exorbitant salaries and perquisites annexed to others^ 
 and rescinding many unmerited pensions, the disposal of which not only occa> 
 sions a great waste of the public treasures, but gives unconstitutional power 
 to the ministers of the crown, subverts the independence of parliament, and 
 operates with an undue influence on all that is dear to our country. 
 
 " Your petitioners humbly conceive, that the interposition of your honor- 
 able house, in these points, and its diligent attention to the just and econo- 
 mical expenditure of the public revenue, by persons entrusted with it, may 
 be productive of great national good, and enable this country, by properly 
 directing and combining its resources, to prevail over its most powerful enemies. 
 " They therefore presume to address their petition to your honorable 
 house, assuring it, that it does not in any wise originate from a spirit of party, 
 but is dictated by the clearest conviction, that the present situation of affairs, 
 requires the attention of every man, and of his honest and speedy exertion 
 of all possible means to promote or defend the public-weal." 
 
 This petition was carried by a great'majority of the inhabitants, at a 
 meeting held at the town-hall, on the 3d of February, when Henry Deane, 
 esq. being called to the «hair, it was proposed by Mr. James Simonds, and 
 seconded by the reverend doctor Nicholls, and ordered to be presented to the 
 house by the members. 
 
 After the death of the marquis of Rockingham, then at the head of the 17S4 
 administration, under which the peace of Europe had been restored, and the 
 independence of North America confirmed, Mr. Fox, disgusted at not being 
 permitted to take the lead in government, threw up his place, and formed a 
 
 L 2
 
 W HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. coalition with the late premier, with whom he had been in the habits of 
 ^^"'""y*^ constant opposition during the continuance of the war. This coalition was 
 so odious to the people, that his majesty soon aft«r found it necessary to re- 
 move the new ministry, who, by this means, had obtained an unconstitutional 
 authority over the state, and to appoint Mr. Pitt to the head of the new 
 ' administration. This measure was so acceptable to the nation at large, that 
 
 addresses were carried to the throne, from most of the counties, and corporate 
 towns, in the lungdom ; amorg- which, was the following one from the inhabi- 
 tants of this borough : 
 
 " Most gracious Sovej'cigJi, 
 " We, your majesty's most dutiful and loving subjects, the mayor, alder-, 
 men, burgesses, and inhabitants of the borough of Reading, beg leave t» 
 approach your majesty, with assurances of our most cordial attachment io- 
 your person and government, and our reverence to the constitution, as estab- 
 lished at the glorious revolution. 
 
 "We cannot reflect upon the peculiar situation of this country at the 
 present moment, without representing the necessity that appears, for the most 
 diligent, and active endeavors of those, whom your majesty has thought proper 
 to entrust with the conduct of public affairs, and we trust that such measures 
 will be pursued, as may tend effectually to establish the glory and happiness, 
 of your majesty's reign, and the true interests of your people. 
 
 " We beg leave to thank your majesty for having removed your late 
 ministers., and having appointed others whom we are persuaded possess the 
 confidence- of your subjects, and we assure your majesty of our resolution to- 
 unite in the support of your royal prerogatives, and our happy constitution." 
 J785 About this time, the inhabitants began to turn their attention to the 
 
 improvement of the town, particularly with respect to the paving of the 
 streets, which had been suffered to fall into a ruinous state, from the negligent 
 manner in which they were generally repaired, each inhabitant being obliged, 
 from custom, to keep that part, in front of his premises, in repair, as far as the 
 kennel which ran through the middle of each street, and as it frequently hap- 
 pened that no two, though near neighbours, could agree to perform the neces- 
 sary work in concert, the streets were frequently obstructed by workmen, and 
 for want of a true level being observed, the stagnated waters in the hollows 
 not only became dangerous, from their putrescency, but frequently intercepted 
 the communication from one side of the street to the other. In the narrow 
 streets, no part of tJie pitching, rough as it was, was appropriated to the foot- 
 passenger ; and in the wider ones, though the pitching was less rough in the 
 foot-ways, yet these were so incommoded with posts and rails^ and trees, that
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 77 
 
 it was equally difficult and dangerous for the passengers passing them in the Chap. V, 
 night. To remedy these inconveniences, it was this year proposed to procure ^>-»"v"*»^ 
 an act of parliament, for the better paving, lighting, and watching the town. 
 This scheme, notwithstanding the great advantages that would evidently be 
 derived from it, met with such opposition, that the bill would have been lost 
 in the house, had it not been for the persevering efforts of John Deane, esq. •* '°'* 
 at that time mayor of the borough, to whom the town is principally indebted 
 for its present improved state. 
 
 By this act, the commissioners are authorised to assess the occupiers of all 
 the houses within the borough, the rents whereof are five pounds per annum, 
 and under twenty, the sum of six-pence in the pound ; for all houses above 
 twenty pounds per annum, and under forty, the sum of nine-pence in the 
 pound ; and for all houses of forty pounds per annum and upwards, one 
 shilling in the pound, whatever may be the rent of their houses. 
 
 As soon as the act had received his majesty's assent, the commissioners 
 began to take the necessary steps for putting it in execution. To have 
 waited for the slow progress of collecting the rates, before the work was- 
 commenced, would, in a great measure, have defeated the ends of the bill; 
 it was therefore agreed to raise the money for carrying it on, by life annuities, 
 and accordingly eight hundred pounds were borrowed, on two lives, at the 
 rate of ten per cent, but this being insufficient, a further sum of one thousand' 
 pounds was borrowed, by a free loan,* without interest. By the aid of these 
 sums, the commissioners were enabled to complete the work in a short time ;■ 
 and, as a compliment to the gentleman, by whose exertions the act had been 
 procured, the first stone was laid before the door of his house, with the fol- 
 lowing inscription : 
 
 J^imis aspera, sana levdbit cultw 
 Oppidi cultus offlcium magistratus. 
 
 The next improvement was made by the corporation, by rebuilding the 1786 
 town-hall on the ancient site, from a design of Mr. Poulton, one of their 
 members. The former edifice was disfigured by a row of massive pillars, 
 supporting heavy pointed arches, which, extending along the centre, through 
 the whole length of the hall, divided it into two parts, thereby rendering it 
 very unfit for the purposes for which it was intended, and had, therefore, beer> 
 frequently complained of by the judges who occasionally held the assizes in it. 
 
 In the following year, the corporation took down the old wooden bridge, 
 which had been erected across the Kennet, in Duke-street, and built the 1787. 
 
 5 This loan hss been since repaid by instalments, but the annuitants are still living.
 
 78 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. present elegant stone one on the same spot, at a considerable expence. Great as 
 ^"^""^'''^^ these burthens were, the3' were enabled to execute them without incurring any 
 additional debts, by a scrupulous attention to economy, and curtailing the 
 expences of their annual festivals. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 17S8, his majesty was aflflicted with a 
 " disorder that incapacitated him from performing the executive duties of the 
 crown. On this occasion, Mr. Pitt brought a bill into the house of commons, 
 for appointing a regency, under certain restrictions. This was opposed by 
 Mr. Fox, on the ground that the regency was, by the constitution, vested in 
 the prince of Wales. This bill was debated with considerable warmth on 
 both sides, but at length passed the house. It being thought necessary to 
 support the minister, on this occasion, a meeting of the inhabitants took place at 
 the town-hall, on the 19th of January, when it was unanimously resolved — 
 
 " That the thanks of the mayor, aldermen, burgesses, and inhabitants, 
 be presented to the right honorable William Pitt, and also to Francis Annesley, 
 and R. A. Neville, esquires, members of this borough, and the other members 
 of parliament, who, supporting the plain principles of the glorious revolution, 
 by their votes in parliament, upon the 16th day of December last, nobly 
 asserted the people's rights, by the lords and commons of the realm, to provide 
 the means of supplying the deficiency of the executive power, during his 
 majesty's very melancholy indisposition. 
 
 " Who, by the firmness of their conduct upon that occasion, have carried 
 into effect the first principles of civil society, and have probably prevented 
 calamities, which might have arisen from the establishment of opposite doc- 
 trines, subversive of the lawful rights of the crown, and of the liberties of 
 the people." 
 
 The above resolutions having been transmitted to Mr. Pitt, at the request 
 of the meeting, by R. Maul, esq. mayor, he was pleased to return the fol- 
 lowing answer : 
 
 " Sir, — Having had the honor of receiving through you, the resolutions 
 of the mayor, aldermen, burgesses, and inhabitants of Reading, I hope you 
 will allow me to request of you, to take the first opportunity of conveying my 
 sincere acknowledgments for the very flattering testimon}' of their approbation. 
 It gives me particular pleasure to find, that the sentiments of so respectable a 
 body, coincide with the principles, on which I felt it my duty to act, on an 
 occasion so important and critical as the present. 
 
 lam, &c. W. PITT." 
 
 His majesty's happy recovery being announced in the month of March 
 following, another meeting of the inhabitants was held at the town-hall, at
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 79 
 
 which a loyal and congratulatory address to his majesty on the occasion was Chap. V 
 moved for by Mr. alderman Blandy^ and seconded byMr. H. Finch; as was one ^"^"v-"*^ 
 to her majesty^ by Mr. John Deane, and seconded by Mr. Jonathan Tanner, 
 both which were graciously received. 
 
 The question on the abolition of the slave trade^ was at this time agitated 1793 
 with much earnestness among every description of people. The French revo- 
 lutionists, ( whoj under the mask of virtue and humanity, were practising every 
 species of vice and cruelty,) had emancipated the negroes in their West India 
 islands, and Mr. Wilberforce had introduced a bill into the house of commons 
 to the same effect, for those under the authority of this country. This was 
 a sufficient stimulous for well-meaning people to exert all their energies, to 
 put an end to a practice, which so evidently militates against all our ideas 
 of humanity, and the natural rights of mankind. Had they confined the 
 measure to a gradual annihilation of the trade, no man of feeling, no man 
 that had a just idea of the " human form divine," would have hesitated in 
 giving the measure his cordial support ; but when they went to a sudden and 
 universal emancipation, it was tim-e for the prudence of the house to interpose, 
 and, by a wise procrastination, to ward off from our islands those dreadful 
 calamities, which the white inhabitants had experienced in the island of St. 
 Domingo, from the precipitate adoption of the same measure. 
 
 When the passions of men are roused, the still voice of reason is seldom 
 heard, or attended to ; it is not therefore to be wondered at, if petitions in 
 favor of the immediate abolition of the trade flowed into the house of com- 
 mons from all parts, or that the inhabitants of Reading, who are always 
 among the first in supporting popular measures, should have assembled in an 
 early stage of the business, to express their abhorrence of that trade. On this 
 occasion, Mr. Jonathan Tanner being called to the chair, the following petitioa 
 to the house of commons was read, and agreed to unanimously : 
 
 " The humble petition of the inhabitants* of the borough of Reading. 
 
 " We, your humble petitioners, having maturely considered the African 
 slave trade, presume to lay before you our most serious conviction, that it is 
 a system of commerce repugnant to every principle of sound policy, justice, 
 and humanity ; and the most iniquitous that ever disgraced a civilized nation. 
 
 " In the full possession of civil and religious liberty, we feel it our duty, 
 to exert our utmost endeavors, in extending these blessings to the rest 
 of mankind. 
 
 * This is the first instance, we believe, on record, wherein the petition did not run in the nam*, 
 of the corporate body as well as the inhabitants.
 
 3792 
 
 80 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. " We^ therefore, humbly pray your honorable house, to pass an act for 
 
 abolishing a traffic, the continuance of which must ever prove disgraceful to 
 the character of a free people." 
 
 The revolutionary principles, which had been disseminated in France, 
 began, about this time, to make a great progress in this country : seditious 
 meetings were held in different parts of the metropolis, wherein inflammatory 
 speeches were made by the popular leaders, subversive of all order and go- 
 vernment. Whereupon his majesty issued a proclamation for the suppressing 
 of all such unlawful meetings, which met with the warmest approbation from 
 the loyal part of the nation, particularly from the friends of government in 
 this town, who having requested that a meeting of the inhabitants might be 
 called at the town-hall, the same took place on the 22d of June, when the 
 following address was proposed by doctor Taylor, and seconded by Mr. alder- 
 man Blandy, and being unanimously agreed to, was, on the Wednesday follow- 
 ing, presented to his majesty, by the members for the borough : 
 " J\Iai) it ■please your Majesty, 
 " We, your most dutiful and loyal subjects, the mayor, aldermen, bur- 
 gesses, and inhabitants of the borough of Reading, beg leave to approach your 
 throne, with the assurance of our unfeigned loyalty, and attachment, to your 
 sacred person, and our zealous regard for the preservation of our most excel- 
 lent constitution. 
 
 " Whilst the greatest part of Europe is distracted with civil dissentions, 
 and laboring under the calamities of war, we behold with pleasure, and heart- 
 felt gratitude, this kingdom enjoying the blessings of peace, improving her 
 manufactures, extending her commerce, and, by her increasing revenues, en- 
 abled to diminish the burthens of the public taxes. 
 
 " These superior advantages, we gratefully ascribe, under the divine 
 providence, to your majesty's auspicious government, and to the wisdom, and 
 happy influence of the British constitution. 
 
 " We cannot then, without horror, observe the late insidious attempts 
 of certain factious and evil-minded persons to infuse a spirit of discontent into 
 the nation, and, under the specious name of reform, to subvert the foundations 
 of a government so wisely constructed, and which so effectually maintains, at 
 the same time, the dignity and authority of the sovereign, and the liberty and 
 happiness of the subject. 
 
 " We do therefore most humbly thank your majesty for your late gra- 
 cious proclamation, tending to counteract such evil designs, and to prevent 
 the unwary from being ensnared by false and specious pretences ; and we hope.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 81 
 
 by a cheerful and ready obedience to our king, and the laws of our country. Chap. V. 
 to prove ourselves not unworthy of the blessings we enjoy. ~*~ ^r""^-^. 
 
 " May your majesty continue to reign in the hearts of a loyal and afTec- 1793 
 tionate people, and may the British constitution ever remain pure and uncor- 
 rupted, the envy and admiration of succeeding ages." 
 
 His majesty's proclamation for the suppression of seditious meetings, was 
 no doubt a wise and constitutional measure, but unfortunately it was not suffi- 
 ciently discriminative in pointing out those meetings to which it was princi- 
 pally intended to apply ; and, in consequence, the inoifensive, as well as the 
 guilty ; the harmless meetings of a few members of an evening club, as well 
 as the traitorous ones at Chalk-farmj were in like manner subject to the same 
 control. Among the former, was a club which met at the Feathers, under the 
 name of a debating society. This society had been some years established 
 under the patronage of the late lord Barrymore, who took much delight in 
 attending their meetings, and, we believe, sometimes took a part in the debate 
 of the evening. The subjects to be debated upon, were always announced 
 previous to the meeting, so that it would have been easy for the magistrates 
 to have interfered, whenever any improper subject was to be debated. Besides, 
 as the meetings were public, it was impossible that subjects of a treasonable 
 nature could have been entered into, and the more so, as the speakers were all 
 personally known to the magistrates, and amenable to the laws of the country 
 for any unconstitutional tenets they might introduce into their speeches. But 
 these considerations were not sufficient to ward off the blow from this for- 
 midable club, whose members, whatever might be their demerits as orators, 
 were as free from plotting, against the government, as the most loyal of their 
 fellow subjects. 
 
 The country still continuing to be disturbed by political disagree- 
 ments, it was thought advisable, by the supporters of government, to enter 
 into associations for the defence of the constitution ; and, at a meeting at the 
 town-hall, on the 5th of December this year, the following resolutions were 
 proposed by Henry Deane, esq. seconded by Martin Annesley, esq. and approved 
 by the meeting : 
 
 " We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, being decidedly of opinion, 
 that a declaration of our loyalty to our sovereign, and our attachment to the 
 constitution of our country, is rendered necessary, by numerous attempts which 
 are made to destroy the foundation of our happiness, and that of all classes 
 of our fellow subjects ; do unanimously agree to the following resolutions : 
 
 First. That the unexampled blessings which this nation now enjoys, are 
 io be chiefly ascribed, under the favor of providence, to the excellent consti- 
 
 M
 
 82 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap V. tution of our country^ from which our hberties and properties derive protec- 
 ^"*~ tion and securily. 
 
 Secondhj. That we will maintain and defend the form of government., con- 
 sistina: of king, lords, and commons, so happily established in these kingdoms. 
 1792 Thirdlij. That we will, to the utmost of our power, counteract the 
 
 attempts, so industriously and wickedly made, by seditious meetings and pub- 
 lications, or by any other means whatsoever, to disturb the public peace. That 
 we will promote a strict and uniform obedience to the laws, and that we will 
 afford, bv our individual exertions, that assistance to the authority of the 
 lawful magistrate, and to the maintenance of the established government, 
 which is at all times due from the subjects of this realm, but which we feel 
 to be peculiarly necessary under the circumstances of the present times." 
 1795 1" tJie month of July, this year, the town was alarmed by a serious affray 
 
 that took place between the town's-mcn and a detachment of dragoons, on the 
 Irish establishment, quartered here. From their first arrival, they had evinced 
 a riotous disposition ; whether this was owing to a want of proper discipline, 
 or to the provoking sarcasm of the lower class of the inhabitants, we arc 
 unable to say ; but the principle cause of the riot, arose from one of the 
 soldiers drawing his sword upon a person walking down King-street, striking 
 him several times with it, and thrusting at him through the window of a shop 
 in which he had taken refuge. The offender was seized by some of the by- 
 standers, and on complaint being made to the commanding officer, was tried 
 by a court-martial and acquitted. This act of injustice, as it was supposed 
 to be, together with other assaults committed by the soldiers, so enraged the 
 common people, that they anxiously waited for an opportunity of taking their 
 revenge. For this they were not kept long in suspence, as the next day 
 a soldier wantonly shaking one of the poles of a scaffold, on which some 
 carpenters were at work, a battle ensued, when others of the soldiers joining 
 their comrade, the carpenters were severely beaten ; the riot now became general, 
 for others of the same trade, resenting the treatment their fellows had received, 
 armed themselves with clubs, and attacked the military, who had by this time 
 increased in numbers. In vain the mayor and other reputable inhabitants ex- 
 postulated with the combatants ; their rage prevented them from hearing the 
 dictates of humanity; and, as the gentlemen's own safety began at length to 
 be endangered, they were for a while obliged to leave them to their fate, when 
 a scene of confusion ensued, that is hardly to be described. The soldiers 
 knocked down all that came in their way, and their opponents were not want- 
 ing in retaliating on them without mercy. 
 
 Fortunately for both parties, the volunteers happened at the same time to
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 83 
 
 be exercising in the Forbury, when the commanding officer being informed of Chap. V, 
 the disturbance, marched them immediately into the market-place, with fixed '^"^^"^-^ 
 bayonets, and their muskets loaded with ball cartridges. At first the Irish 
 faced them with intrepidity, but observing the resolution with which they 
 advanced, they thought fit to retire, and afforded the townsmen, as they dis- ** 
 
 persed, an opportunity of exercising vengeance on such as fell in their way. 
 Such of the soldiers as fled to the volunteers for protection, were escorted to 
 their quarters ; and to prevent a renewal of the quarrel, major Deane, the com- 
 mandant of the volunteers, formed his men into three divisions, who, with their 
 officers, paraded the streets the greater part of the night, and by their orderly 
 and spirited conduct, happily put it out of the power of either party to renew 
 the affray. Several were wounded on both sides, but what is most to be re- 
 gretted on this occasion, is, that a sense of the injury still rankles in the breasts 
 of the lower orders of the people, which always shews itself whenever any 
 troops of that nation are quartered in the town. 
 
 During the present reign, addresses to the throne have become common on 
 every extraordinary occurrence ; but on no occasion Mas one more necessary, 
 than on the affront offered to his majesty, as he was going to the house of lords, 
 in the state coach. A mob, said to have consisted of 200,000 people, accom- 
 panied the procession, with every insult common to an enraged multitude, and 
 in the confusion, some person, more diabolical than the rest, broke one of the 
 coach windows, with a pebble, marble, or bullet, shot, as was supposed, from 
 an air gun. This outrage afforded the inhabitants of Reading, a fresh oppor- 
 tunity of expressing their loyalty, in the following affectionate address, pro- 
 posed by Henry Deane, esq. and seconded and supported by the reverend 
 doctor Valpy : 
 
 " TO THE king's MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY, 
 
 " The humble address of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and other inhabi- 
 tants, of your majesty's ancient and loyal borough of Reading. 
 
 " May it please yoiir JMajcstij., 
 '* We, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the mayor, aldermen, 
 burgesses, and other inhabitants of your ancient borough of Reading, be"- 
 leave to approach your royal presence, with our warmest congratulations, on 
 your late escape from the violent and atrocious attack, made on your majesty's 
 sacred person, by som« of the most unprincipled of your factious and deluded 
 subjects. Permit us, at the same time, to express, in the strongest terms, our 
 utmost indignation and abhorrence, of the conduct of those men, who either 
 joined in, or were privy to this insult, the heinousness of which (were it capa- 
 ble of aggravation, ) was increased, by its being committed at a time, when 
 
 m2
 
 1795 
 
 S4 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V.your majesty was in the exercise of that part of your royal function, which it 
 is the peculiar happiness of Englishmen to witness^ and boast of, that of meeting 
 the two other branches of the legislature. 
 
 " That the almighty king of kings may continue to be jour defence 
 ao-ainst all your open and secret enemies ; that he may^ not only protect your 
 person, but direct and bless your councils, so that, during the remainder of 
 your reign, which we ardently wish may be long and happy, we may have 
 nothing to dread, either from foreign or domestic foes, is the fervent and 
 earnest prayer of your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects." 
 
 This insult ofiered to his majesty, was followed by a measure that ^eatly 
 exasperated the great body of the people, already discontented, and struggling 
 with difficulties in support of a war, which they conceived unnecessary, and 
 whose burdens were much aggravated by the unprecedented high price of 
 provisions of all kinds. 
 
 In this situation of the country, his majesty's ministers, encouraged per- 
 haps by the loyalty of the people, expressed in the late addresses, and under 
 the pretence of securing his majesty's person, brought into parliament two 
 bills, for the more eflectually preventing seditious meetings. 
 
 Hitherto the inhabitants of Reading had remained firm in their attach- 
 ment to their sovereign, and in the support of his ministers ; but, on this occa- 
 sion, when all their dearest rights were struck at, and the privilege of discuss- 
 ing political subjects placed under the control of a single magistrate, whose 
 word might dissolve any meeting however constitutional, they became exceed- 
 ingly irritated, and were among the first to petition the house of commons 
 against the passing of the bills. 
 
 The meeting for this purpose took place in the town-hall, on the 21st 
 of November, and was more numerous than was ever known on a similar 
 occasion ; and though some slight symptom of a riotous disposition evinced 
 itself in the course of the debate, yet, upon the whole it was conducted with 
 as little interruption as could have been expected from such a body of people, 
 whose minds were irritated in an extraordinary manner. As this business 
 seemed to involve some of our dearest interests, as Englishmen, we hope to be 
 excused, if, on such an occasion, we deviate from the plan we have hitherto 
 observed, by inserting the substance of the speeches made during the discus- 
 sion of the question, previous to the insertion of the petition, which gave rise 
 to them. 
 
 The business was introduced by a call on the mayor to take the chair, 
 when that gentleman addressed the meeting as follows : 
 
 " Gentlemen, — I am very sensible of the honor you intend me, by wishing
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 85 
 
 me to continue in the chair, but as I am no friend to the present measure, I Chap. V; 
 am totally unfit to retain it. I would ask every well-meaning man in this ^^^""^^i 
 kingdom, what he has to fear, from restraints laid upon the seditious and tur- 
 bulent ? It is only that description of men who can be restrained by the 
 present bills ; and what honest man can wish, that seditious and factious spirits A<95 
 should be left to the mischiefs they are too apt to devise, and, as we have 
 experienced, too ready to execute ? I am a firm friend to the constitution : I 
 am a stranger to courts, places, and pensions; but I flatter myself, I am 
 blessed with common sense enough to see, the necessity for great and spirited 
 exertions, to save this country from those intestine broils, that have long been 
 said to be, the only enemies to destroy it." 
 
 On the mayor's refusal, B. Lancaster, esq. was called to the chair, and, 
 on his taking the seat, Mr. H. Finch arose, and after charging the mayor with 
 partiality in favor of the executive government, severely animadverted on the 
 ministers, who were, he asserted, taking bold strides, to rob us of the few 
 remaining liberties. He adverted to the difficulties which would occur in 
 forming a meeting for the consideration of a public object, when those who 
 might sign the requisition, must have their names affixed to a public adver- 
 tisement, and become the mark of vindictive oppression. He asserted, that 
 the unfortunate situation in which we were placed, was solely to be ascribed 
 to the war in which ministers had plunged this country. He reprobated the • 
 vast power given to magistrates by the bills, and which, if passed into laws, 
 would, for ever, prevent us from grumbling at the unhappy situation we 
 should thereby be placed in. He then moved the petition, which was seconded 
 by doctor Mitford. 
 
 Mr. Walter, in a very sensible, well-digested speech, opposed it. He 
 denied that the bills infringed the least on our liberties : he insisted, that they 
 did not obstruct those meetings which were called by the sheriff" or mayor, 
 and that even others, under particular restrictions, might convene a meeting to 
 deliberate on subjects of public importance, but that their sole intent was io 
 stop sedition disseminated by political lecturers, particularly those who dealt 
 out treason for pence, and were by that means amassing fortunes at the expence 
 of the unwary. 
 
 Dr. Barry observed, that being an inhabitant of this borough, he desired, 
 in common with others, to offer a few ideas on the business of the meeting, 
 and confining himself to that, he would forbear to comment on the perilous 
 and deplorable condition of our country, under the present administration. It 
 had been asserted, but it had been admirably refuted, that the existing laws 
 were not adequate to the suppression of sedition and tumult ; and, under such
 
 SB HISTORY OF READING, 
 
 Chap. V. a pretence, two bills, striking at the vitals of our liberties, were introduced. It 
 ^""^"^'''^^ had been the stratagem, he said, of a certain description of people, to make 
 an obsequious approbation of ministerial measures, a criterion of our loyalty 
 to our king ; but this he scontetl by many apt observations : The master and 
 '^'^^ the servant had two distinct duties to perform; and the latter should not 
 attempt to skulk their misconduct under the wings of the former. The regal 
 character could do no wrong, and the darkness of administration should not 
 be cast around the lustre, which surrounds the throne. Against the sowers 
 of sedition and rebellion, and against the reapers of apostacy and despotism, 
 * I am, (said he) alike an enemy.' He pointed out the danger of referring 
 to the severity of one act of parliament, as an argument for the introduction 
 of another; and thus, step by step, the privileges of Englishmen might become 
 as little as their loaf. He concluded by conjuring each individual present, as 
 a part of the community, who were now earnestly applied to, to come forward ; 
 for silence, at such alarming strides as were going on, appeared to him both 
 dastardly and criminal. He exhorted them, in justice to themselves^ to God, 
 and their country, bj' every legal and firm endeavor, to hand down to posterity, 
 a fair copy of those blessings, which their ancestors did not hesitate to pur- 
 chase with their blood. 
 
 Mr. T. Newbery expressed his disapprobation of the petition, and thought 
 the bills necessary. He cautioned the meeting from being led away, by the 
 assertions of persons, who affected discontent, and to be guarded against their 
 insinuations, for there were those, he said, who would be happy to see England 
 lying at the feet of France, in the same prostrate situation that Holland 
 Jiow exhibits. 
 
 Martin Annesley esq, also opposed the petition, and observed, that if a 
 few alterations were made in one particular clause of Mr. Pitt's bill, (which 
 he hoped the good sense of the house of commons would not fail to make) 
 it would then have his hearty concurrence. 
 
 The reverend doctor Valpy, after some preliminary local observations, 
 m which he intreated the numerous class of tradesmen, with whom he was 
 connected, to be guided solely by their own judgment, on the present occasion, 
 replied, in a speech of considerable length, to the arguments used by the 
 speakers in favor of the bills. He declared his abhorrence of the tumultuous 
 meetmgs of persons, who were not exclusively the inhabitants of a particular 
 place : and said, that if the bills had only for their object, the suppression of 
 such assemblies, they should have his concurrence. But he totally disapproved 
 the arbitrary power given to magistrates, to dissolve a meeting, for expressions, 
 which, in their judgment, were improper. He was sorry to say, that the cause
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 87 
 
 of the ministry, was more the object of the bills, than that of his majesty. Chap. V. 
 Of this, the negative given to the amendment of the duke of Leeds, and lord ^^^"v-^^. 
 Thurlow, was a striking proof He then took a review of the history of the 
 statutes respecting treason, from the time of Edward III, and proved, that 
 whenever any alteration had been made in them, under arbitrary administrations, ^^^^ 
 the greatest calamities had befallen either the monarcli, or the people, and 
 that the good sense of the nation always returned to the original laws. He 
 was actuated, he said, by the most loyal sentiments, and exclaimed with great 
 warmth, " when this heart shall cease to glow with affection for my kino-, 
 may it from that moment cease to beat." Were I a republican, he added, I 
 would hold up both my hands in favor of both the bills, so firmly am I per- 
 suaded, that if the flame is thus smothered, it will burst out on the constitution 
 with double ruin, and accumulated destruction. He pathetically described 
 the disastrous situation of France; owing, as he said, among other causes^ 
 to those ministers who advised their king to banish the parliaments, who had 
 exercised the right of petitioning, and who, in revenge, threw their weight 
 into the scale of the people. He warned his country to shun the same dangers, 
 and conjured the meeting to obey the laws, which, he asserted, were fully 
 sufficient, if properly enforced, to ensure public order. 
 
 These were the principal arguments used in the course of this interesting 
 debate, when the question being put on the petition, it was carried by a great 
 majority, and was as follows :* 
 
 " To the honorable the commons of Great Britain, in parliament asseniNed.' 
 
 " The humble petition of the inhabitants of the borough of Reading, 
 sheweth, — 
 
 " That your petitioners have been, in ail ages, distinguished for their 
 attachment to the crown, and for their regard to the constitution. 
 
 " That, on the late atrocious attack on the person of his majesty, your 
 petitioners were foremost in testifying their indignation at the horrid attempt^, 
 and their gratitude to the king of kings for preserving a life so deservedly dear 
 to every loyal heart. 
 
 " That, during the present administration, they have been unanimous, to 
 a degree, almost unexampled, in adherence to their principles, and in support 
 ©f their measures. 
 
 " That they unequivocally disapprove, and will unite their endeavors, to 
 check tlie promiscuous and tumultuary meetings of pcrjions, who are not assem- 
 
 * A counter petition, expressive of their approbation of the two bills, was afterwards presented 
 to the house, signed by 301 electors of the borough.
 
 1793 
 
 88 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. bled in the civil or political capacity of members of a county, town, or parish, 
 such as have lately taken place in the neighborhood of the metropolis. 
 
 " That, influenced by the same motives of loyalty and patriotism, your 
 petitioners view with considerable alarm two bills introduced into your honor- 
 able house : the first, entitled '' a bill for the safety and preservation of his 
 majesty's person and government, against treasonable and seditious practices 
 and attempts." The second, " a bill for more eflectually preventing seditious 
 meetings and assemblies." 
 
 " That, in the former, they see, with the most serious concern, a revival 
 of those attempts to increase the catalogues of treason which were made in 
 former ages by weak and arbitrary administrations, with equal danger to the 
 safety of the monarch, and the liberty of the subject : but which a wiser 
 policy constantly restricted, by recurring to the only beneficial statute on that 
 subject, a statute sanctioned by the experience of more than four hundred 
 years, that of the 23d of Edward III. 
 
 " That jour petitioners consider the second bill as subversive of the fifth 
 article of the bill of rights, of that solemn compact made at the revolution, 
 between the king and the people, for the establishment of the religion, laws, 
 and liberties of this country, which acknowledges ' the right of the subject 
 to petition' in the capacity already described, of members of a county, town, 
 or parish, and declares ' all commitments and prosecutions for such peti- 
 tioning, illegal. 
 
 •' That they conceive the free exercise of this privilege to be the strongest 
 argument against democratic innovators, whose theories of universal suffrage, 
 and annual parliaments, would acquire some plausibility, if the voice of the 
 people could be suppressed at the arbitrary command of two individuals. 
 
 " That, in the opinion of your petitioners, the existing laws are suflScient 
 to protect the civil and political rights of every branch of the constitution ; 
 and that, if, according to the opinion of a great law character, the persons 
 who were tried for high treason, had been indicted for sedition, the public 
 order would probably have received a more effectual security. 
 
 " That, above all, your petitioners are apprehensive, that the present 
 uneasiness may be traced to a higher cause, than that which is represented' as 
 productive of public danger. They, therefore, humbly implore your honorable 
 house, as citizens, as christians, and as men, to take into your more serious 
 consideration, the circumstances of a war, which, whatever difference of 
 opinion may exist on its principle, must be acknowledged to have been ill- 
 conducted in its progress, and calamitous in its consequences. 
 
 That, conceiving the restoration of peace to be better calculated to allay
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 89 
 
 the public discontent, bj diminisbing the public burthens, than the most Chap. V. 
 coercive regulations, they humbly hope, that your honorable house will urge ■^""V"*-^ 
 the necessity of treating with the executive power of France, under whatever 
 form it may be established, on safe and honorable terms ; and particularly, as 
 the more immediate object of this address; they most earnestly entreat, that '^''^" 
 the bills which they deprecate, may not receive the sanction of your honor- 
 able house. And your petitioners shall ever pray." 
 
 This opposition, which the measures intended to be adopted, in virtue of 
 these bills, met with from the inhabitants of Reading, did not arise from any 
 disloyalty in the people, but from their conviction, that they evidently tended 
 to intrench on the political liberties, which this country, by the blessing of 
 providence, had enjoyed, since the glorious revolution in 1G8S. Their loyalty 
 had been conspicuous throughout the whole of the war, notwithstanding the 
 privations they had been reduced toby its effects, but was never more eminently 
 exerted, than in a short time after this meeting, when it being thought neces- 
 sary to arm the people in defence of the country, this town was among the first 
 to raise a new volunteer corps; for, on the 21st cf April, 1798, the mayor, 
 having called a meeting of the principal inhabitants, for the purpose of forming 
 a military association, the motion was cheerfully adopted, and a committee ap- 
 pointed to carry into effect the following resolutions, which were passed una- 
 nimously : 
 
 " Resolved, that, at a time when the country is in imminent danger of an H^S 
 invasion, it becomes all well-disposed persons to come forward, and contribute 
 to avert this dreadful calamity, by every exertion in their power, to prove their 
 fixed determination to resist, with spirit and indignation, the atrocious designs 
 of a daring and unprincipled enemy. 
 
 " Resolved, that this meeting, actuated by their allegiance to their king, 
 and by the duty they owe to themselves and their country, are willing to asso- 
 ciate and enrol themselves, for the purpose of defending their families and 
 property within the borough, repelling from thence our inveterate enemy, and 
 strengthening the power of the civil magistrate. 
 
 " Resolved, that the several persons enroling themselves, do not claim 
 any exemptions in respect thereof, under any former act of parliament, or re- 
 ceive pay from government, arms and accoutrements excepted, if required : the 
 intention of the persons forming this association, being only the more effectually 
 to assist in guarding tlie town of Reading, and in promoting its safety. 
 
 '* Resolved, that no person shall become a member of this association, 
 without the previous approbation of the committee. 
 
 N
 
 90 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap. V. " Resolved, <hat ihc plan of enrolment, and other matters, incident and re- 
 
 '^-*'~-v^^ latin"- tliercto, be under the direction of the chief magistrate and the committee." 
 
 In consequence of this additional security to the town, the original corps 
 
 of volunteers, who had pledged themselves to march in defence of their king 
 
 ^''^^ and country, to a certain distance from the borough, in case of an invasion, 
 
 extended their services at this time to any part of the kingdom, whenever they 
 
 should be called upon by the executive government. 
 
 When in addition to these measures, a general subscription was set on foot 
 in every part of the kingdom, for the support of the war ; tiie voluntary contri- 
 butions collected in this town, amounted to 1G05/. 2s. 6d. which, if we consider 
 the weight and magnitude of the taxes, under which the people at that time 
 labored, must appear a considerable sum to have been collected, from a popu- 
 lation not much exceeding ten thousand, and is an evident proof, if any were 
 wanting, of the loyalty and patriotism of the inhabitants. 
 
 The glorious victory obtained by lord Nelson, over the French fleet at 
 Aboukir, on the coast of Egypt, afforded a fresh opportunity to the inhabitants, 
 to express their sentiments of gratitude to the Almighty, and loyalty to their 
 sovereign, by the following address : 
 
 " Most gracious Sovereign, 
 
 " We, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, animated by every 
 sentiment of gratitude, for the many blessings we enjoy, under your majesty's 
 government, beg leave, humbly to address, and warmly to congratulate your 
 majesty, on the late brilliant and decisive victory obtained by your majesty's 
 fleets, under the command of admiral lord Nelson, and sir J. B. Warren. The 
 former has extended the fame of the British arms in Asia and Africa, and has 
 been the instrument of saving whole countries from the miseries, which the 
 system of our enemies would have introduced among them. The latter has 
 happily frustrated their designs on our sister island. 
 
 " Next to the devout acknowledgments of the mercies of the Almighty, 
 which we conceive, have been, in some measure, drawn down on this country, 
 by that national spirit of religious gratitude for past favors, of which your ma- 
 jesty has given so august an example ; we cannot sufficiently express our admi- 
 ration of the skill, energy, and valor, of our commanders, and of the discipline, 
 zeal, and intrepidity, of our gallant seamen and marines. 
 
 " W ith the most heartfelt satisfaction, we perceive the unanimity that 
 pervades all ranks of people, in defence of your majesty, and of our happy 
 constitution ; and we trust, that by means of this patriotic ardor in the nation, 
 and of wisdom and firmness in your majesty's councils, under the protection of
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 91 
 
 providence, the cause of social orders good government^ and true religion, will Chap. V. 
 at last be successful. ^'■^'V^^ 
 
 " That the blessings of a secure, honorable, and lasting peace, may soon 
 be granted to your majesty's dominions ; and that your majesty may long reign 1798 
 over an united and happy people^ is the fervent wish of your majesty's most 
 loyal and affectionate subjects." 
 
 The last year of this century was rendered remarkable, by an attempt on 
 his majesty's life, while sitting in his box at Drury-lane theatre. This was at ISOO 
 first considered as the consequence of the traitorous machinations of some de- 
 luded people, who, notwithstanding the atrocities that had been committed in 
 France, during the revolution, and the subsequent enslavement of the inhabi- 
 tants, were still known to be the advocates for their extravagant notions of 
 reform, and were, therefore, considered capable of executing any crime, however 
 wicked or enormous, for the attainment of tlieir end ; but, on investigation, 
 the assassin was found to be a maniac, and in no waj' connected with the party 
 above-mentioned ; but as this was not known 'till some time after, the address 
 from this town to his majesty, on the occasion, was founded on the then current 
 opinion, and was as follows : 
 
 " Marj it 'please your Majesty, 
 
 " We, the mayor, aldermen, burgesses, and inhabitants of the borough 
 of Reading, do most anxiously embrace the earliest opportunity, of congratu- 
 lating your majesty, and the nation in general, on your happy and providential 
 escape, from the late horrid and traitorous attempt upon your sacred person. 
 
 " Animated in the highest degree with a sense of duty, loyalty, and affec- 
 tion to your person and government, and conscious of the many blessings we 
 enjoy under your auspicious reign, we cannot but express our astonishment, 
 that any man should be found, so completely depraved, as to raise the arm 
 of violence against a life so deservedly dear to every member of the empire, 
 and upon which the security and happiness of these kingdoms so much depend. 
 
 " What motives could have led to such an attempt, we arc at a loss to 
 conceive; but we feel ourselves called upon, in conjunction with the rest of 
 our countrymen, to declare, in the strongest terms, our abhorrence and detes- 
 tation of so wicked an act, and to return our devout thanks to that Almighty 
 Providence which has so graciously preserved your majesty, on this, as well 
 as on former occasions. 
 
 " It is our most fervent wish and prayer, that the same good Providence 
 may still watch over and protect your sacred person ; and that your majesty 
 may long continue to live and reign, in the hearts and affections of a free, 
 
 HAPPY, and UNITED PEOPLE." 
 
 n3
 
 1800 
 
 92 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Cif\p. V. The last vcai- of the eighteenth century, was also remarkable for the 
 
 '^*''^"**^ almost totil failure of the crops throughout the kingdom^ so that though in 
 the neighborhood of Reading they had sufiered less from the wetness of the 
 season, than in other districts, yet, on the 20th of December, this year, wheat 
 sold at the cnorn\ous price of 180s. per quarter, a price we may venture to 
 sav, hitherto unprecedented in this country. 
 
 During tlis eighteenth century, Reading produced very few authors, 
 whose works have been handed down to us, and as most of these have already 
 been noticed in Mr. Coates's History of the Borough, I shall only mention 
 one, whose merits seem to have been overlooked by that gentleman, though 
 equal, if not superior, to some, whose names were thought worthy of being 
 recorded in his work. 
 
 ■Mr. Richard Cole, called by his neighbors, for distinction sake, poet Cole^ 
 was born in this town abjut the year 1713, of creditable parents. Whether he 
 was brought up to any business is uncertain, as in the latter part of his life 
 he lived on a small patrimony, in a very retired way, in St. Mary's Butts. He 
 was rather of an indolent disposition, and, though fond of company, very 
 reserved, particularlv among strangers ; but to those he was better acquainted 
 with, he would at times be exceedingly communicative and instructive. He 
 was very attentive to young people, whom he found to be of a sober and indus- 
 trious turn of mind, making them his companions, and by his conversation 
 inspiring them with the love of virtue, and the laudable ambition of exceling 
 in their several callings. A respectable tradesman of this town has been often 
 heard to sav, that it was to his advice and encouragement, and by introducing 
 him early in life into better company than people of his line are usually ad- 
 mitted to, that he was indebted for his present fortune and happiness. 
 
 Some of his pieces were of a satyrical cast, and written in the style of 
 Butler's Hudibras, but the generality of his writings were of a more serious 
 and religious nature, as most suitable to his turn of mind. He died in 1777, 
 and was buried in St. Mary's church yard. 
 
 The following specimen of his poetrv is selected, not as possessing a 
 superiority over his other works, but, because it is inscribed to the memory 
 of an artist of whom so little is known, that he has been overlooked bj 
 Mr. Coates: 
 
 " To the Memorij of Mr. John WeV.er, Limner, of Rending, 
 ivho died December 24, 1763. 
 
 " If thou canst yet, lamented shade ! attend 
 
 The heartfelt sorrows of a faithful friend. 
 
 Accept the humble homage of a lav. 
 
 The only tribute that the muse can pay.
 
 1800 
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 93 
 
 In blameless confidence who dares impartj Chap. V. 
 
 By song sincere^ the dictates of the heart. 
 
 Friend to thy fame, but more a friend to trutbj 
 
 Thou once kind guide of my unstable youth, 
 
 Tho' well thy worth a loftier lyre demands. 
 
 Than that which trembles in my artless hands — 
 
 Yet, more approved by thee, th' unfeigned verse 
 
 Than gilded trophies to adorn thy hearse. 
 
 For, truth triumphant, crowns the immortal just, 
 
 When trophies fail, and marble falls to dust. 
 
 Unjustly, thou, a deist hast been decm'd, 
 
 (So Clerk and Hoadley were by some esteem'd) 
 
 No deist thou, nor zealous bigot blind, 
 
 Whose slavish principles enthral the mind ; 
 
 But genuine virtue, well digested faith. 
 
 Sustain 'd thy progress in religion's path; 
 
 Replete thy mind with universal love. 
 
 How didst thou imitate the blest above ! 
 
 What, all the wise and good, would wish to know. 
 
 What, once the great messiah taught below. 
 
 What, his true sons, dispers'd through various climes. 
 
 Have, faithful, tender'd to succeeding times. 
 
 Was thine to know, to cherish and receive. 
 
 By. hope to trust in, and by faith believe ; 
 
 The gospel's practical, important plan. 
 
 Glory to God — on earth, good will to man. 
 
 Yet — did thy modest merit live unknown ! 
 
 And scarcely mark'd, save by the muse alone; 
 
 Tho' genius, learning, science, all combined. 
 
 To spread attracting influence o'er mankind '. 
 
 While a good name to human sense is sweet. 
 
 While virtue's praise, with pleasure we repeat. 
 
 The grateful muse, essays to hymn thy name. 
 
 And bid thy merit shine in future fame; 
 
 Tho' scenes more blissful now thy mind engage. 
 
 Than charm poor mortals on this changeful stage. 
 
 Go then, my friend ! enjoy thy vast reward;,. 
 Careless of man's weak malice, or regard ; 
 Remain it mine, thy life to imitate 
 By calm submission to the will of fate.
 
 94 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 CaKP. V. To follow truth e'en through a thorny way, 
 
 ^■^"V**^ And meet the blest, in realms of happy day. 
 
 Where virtues heighten'd to perfection rise^ 
 And, clad in light, possess their native skies. 
 ISOO The world, unworthy of a soul like thine, 
 
 Shall see it one day, in refulgence shine. 
 Where harmony celestial dwells, and peace. 
 And vain distinctions, shall for ever cease." 
 
 Another artist, though I believe not a native of this town, has some claim 
 to our notice, from having resided many years in it, this was Mr. John Rowell, 
 professor of the ancient art of staining glass. Sir Horace Walpole speaks 
 of him, as one of those, through whom this noble art was preserved, and by 
 whom it was delivered down to the present time. His colors are said to have 
 been glaring, but not lasting. Mr. Coates has given a list of his works, but 
 it is imperfect. The only one to be depended on, is in his own appeal to the 
 public, in the following advertisement, published in the Reading Mercury, 
 February 13, 1753 : 
 
 " John Rowell, professor of the ancient art of staining glass, late of 
 Wycomb, Bucks, but now of Reading, having no son to succeed him, doth 
 therefore, for the encouragement and improvement of that curious art, pro- 
 pose to explain and teach the same, to any proper person, for a reasonable con- 
 sideration. Performances by him are to be seen, in the chancel window at 
 Hambleton, near Henley in Oxfordshire, in which are the twelve apostles, and 
 Moses and Aaron, in their robes, with a large window of our savior's resur- 
 rection triumphing over death and the grave. The figures as big as the life. 
 
 " Also, a large altar window of our savior's last supper, at Apthorpe, in 
 Northamptonshire. 
 
 " At Newnham church, in Hampshire, is the history of our savior, making 
 himself known to his two disciples, at Emmaus, by breaking of bread. 
 
 " The same history, in a chancel window, at Pen, in Buckinghamshire. 
 Also, a large history of our savior's passion in the garden, in a chapel 
 window of the lord bishop of Worcester, at Hartlebury. 
 
 Likewise, Moses and Aaron, supporting the ten commandments, in an 
 altar window, at Arborfield in Berks." 
 
 In the Gentleman's Magazine, for October 1758, is a letter, signed Edgar 
 Bochart, giving an account of an enormous water serpent, that was killed in 
 1578, in a pond, belonging to a farm house, near Hitchendon, in the county of 
 Bucks. The house, he observes, had formerly been an hospital of the knights- 
 teniplars, and the circumstances of the monster's death, had, soon after the
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 95 
 
 transaction, been painted on the walls of the refectorv^ and renewed as often as Chap, V; 
 found necessary. The present painting, he adds, was done about forty years ^'■'"v^'^^- 
 since, by the famous Rowell, the glass stainer. 
 
 As Mr, Rowell, in the former part of his life, carried on the business of a 
 painter and glazier, at High Wycomb, in the same county, it is very probable ^^00 
 that this anecdote is correct, though we have no other account of his paintings, 
 except on glass. 
 
 Mr. Rowell died at his house in London-street, in 1756, and was succeeded 
 in the business of a plumber, by the late Mr. Truss, who had been his appren- 
 tice in that branch, but the art of staining glass, so far as was peculiar to him- 
 self, died with him. Mr. Truss has a very good portrait of Mr. Rowell, said 
 to be a striking likeness, but by whom drawn is uncertain.
 
 ISOl 
 
 Histori/ of Reading. 
 
 CHAPTER VI, 
 
 Chap. J_ HE nineteenth century commenced with the melancholy prospect of famine, 
 •^^ arising from the scarcit}^ and consequent high price of corn; by which the 
 poorer classes of society, and even many of the middle rank in life, were 
 reduced to the greatest distress. Bread, made of barley, or wheat mixed with 
 other grain, and even pulse, was recommended and adopted by the rich, but 
 neither precepts, nor examples, could prevail on the poor to comply with so 
 salutary a measure, till compelled by dire necessity. Rice was purchased and 
 distributed at low prices, and soup-shops were established by public subscrip- 
 tion, but so rooted are the prejudices of the poor, that few would accept the 
 assistance oflered them by this means, and those that did, considered it rather 
 in the light of an insult offered to their feelings, than the effect of a charitable 
 disposition. The price of wheat kept gradually encreasing till the middle 
 of March, when it was sold in this market, at an average of 195s. the quarter ; 
 \i\\.i as the harvest approached, with the prospect of an abundant crop, the 
 price of this necessary article of life began to decline, and the expectation 
 of a general peace, afforded hy the signing of the preliminary articles, in the 
 autumn of this year, brought it to nearly its usual level before the commence- 
 ment of the next. 
 
 1RA9 Peace between (he belligerent powers having been signed early in the 
 
 spring of this year, under the auspices of Mr. Addington, high steward of this 
 borough, who had succeeded Mr. Pitt in the office of chancellor of the ex- 
 chequer, a meeting of the inhabitants was called, for the purpose of addressing 
 his majesty on the occasion, when Martin Annesley, esq, being called to the 
 chair, the address was proposed by Mr. alderman Blandy, and seconded by 
 Mr. Robert Harris. 
 
 The rev. doctor Valpy opposed the address, in a speech that might be 
 considered prophetic of what this country has since experienced. " He wished 
 to know, (he said) whether it was the intent of the meeting, that the address 
 should be signed individually, or by the chairman in the name of the inha- 
 bitants. If the former, he had nothing further to say : every person might 
 sign whatever he pleased : but in the latter case, he must assure the meeting.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 97 
 
 in order to remove the appearance of unanimity on that subject, that there Chap. 
 were several gentlemen of respectability, both present and absent, who, like ^ ^'• 
 himself, could not be induced to congratulate his majesty, on what they con- 
 ceived to be the triumph of the French republic. If the ministry found them- 
 selves obliged, by hard necessity, to submit to the present terms, he was sure 
 they could not wish the high spirit of Englishmen, to be so degraded, as to ^^01 
 express any satisfaction at a treaty, which could only be considered as a sus- 
 pension of arms, obtained by the enemy, to deprive us of our conquests, and 
 to consolidate and extend his own. A treaty which was inconsistent, equally 
 with the interest, and with the diarnitv, of this countrv. 
 
 " No man, (he said) could love peace more than he did; but, he could 
 not consent to sacrifice future permanent security, for present temporary peace. 
 No man, it was well known, entertained a higher respect, or a more sincere 
 regard for the minister ; but he would not sacrifice his public, to his private 
 feelings. He wished that every man had spoken his real sentiments, with the 
 same independence and disinterestedness, on an event which must produce an 
 alarming degeneracy in the national character. Had that been the case, the 
 definitive treaty could not have been more diflerent than it was from the pre- 
 liminary articles ; but, it would have been as much more advantageous, and 
 honorable, as it was now detrimental and disgraceful. He would not detain 
 the meeting by dwelling on the particulars of the treaty, on the situation of 
 this country, during the war, during the ncgociation, and at the peace, or on 
 the acquisitions we had made ; a short time, he feared, would give a melan- 
 choly proof of the dangers to which we had, by this treaty, subjected ourselves." 
 
 A counter address was then submitted to the meeting by the rev. doctor 
 Barry, and seconded by doctor Mitford, but, on the shew of hands, the original 
 one was adopted by the meeting, and was as follows : 
 " To the king's inost excellent majesty, 
 
 " We, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the mayor, alder- 
 men, burgesses, and inhabitants of the borough of Reading, beg leave to offer 
 to your majesty, our most sincere congratulations, on the happy return of peace. 
 
 " We are truly sensible, that to the favor of divine Providence, aiding the 
 persevering valor of your majesty's forces, by sea and land, through the most 
 arduous struggle, in which this kingdom has ever been engaged, and the 
 wisdom of your majesty's councils, at a time when the world was looking for 
 a prolongation of the dreadful ravages of war, we are indebted for the accom- 
 plishment of this auspicious event. 
 
 " That your majesty's dominions, by the goodness of divine Providence, 
 may long continue to enjoy the blessings of peace ; that its progress may be 
 
 o
 
 98 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 Chap, marked by plenty and prosperity; and that the life of your majesty maybe 
 VI- lengthened to the latest period, for your own happiness, and the benefit and 
 ■*'^'*" advantage of your united kingdoms, is our earnest and ardent prayer." 
 
 On the renewal of hostilities, in the succeeding year, this borough again 
 addressed his majesty, in the following loyal and patriotic effusion of their 
 sentiments : 
 
 " TO THE king's BIOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 
 
 " The humble address of the mayor, aldermen, burgesses, and inhabitants 
 of the borough of Reading. 
 " May it 'please your Majesty y 
 " We, your majesty's most dutiful subjects, tlie mayor, aldermen, bur- 
 gesses, and inhabitants of the borough of Reading, humbly beg permission to 
 approach your majesty, at this important crisis, with a declaration of that active 
 loyalty, and affectionate attachment to your royal person and government, 
 which have always distinguished the inhabitants of this ancient borough. 
 
 " We have beheld with just indignation, the restless spirit, and ambitious 
 views, of a power, whom no concessions can sooth, whom no treaties can bind. 
 
 " The French government, not conciliated by the endeavors of your ma- 
 jesty, to restore the blessings of peace, to a world wasted with the ravages of 
 war, have invariably, since the treaty of Amiens, pursued a system of hostility 
 to the commerce and constitution of this kingdom, and to the liberties of man- 
 kind. Conscious that they could not succeed in their design to subjugate the 
 Continent, while Britain interposed her protecting arm, they have affected io- 
 represent her as secluded from the concerns of the rest of Europe, and che- 
 rished the vain expectation, that they could annihilate her political influence. 
 
 " The forbearance and moderation of your majesty's councils, instead of 
 producing reciprocal sentiments of amity, and communication of good offices, 
 have been repaid only with personal insults, and with national injuries. 
 
 " In these circumstances, it must be a soothing consolation to your majesty^ 
 to observe the unanimity displayed by your people, in their determination to 
 resist the common enemy of the repose, and of the independence of Europe. 
 And we beg leave to assure your majesty, that the inhabitants of Reading- 
 yield to no class of your majesty's subjects, in the warmth of their feelings, 
 and in the sincerity of their professions, to maintain the noblest cause, in which 
 their hearts can be engaged — the honor of their king, and the prosperity of 
 their country. 
 
 *' It is our fervent prayer, that, under the protection of a wise and gracious 
 Providence, your majesty may be enabled, by the valor of your fleets and armies, 
 and the zealous support of your people, to place the commercial interests of
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 99 
 
 the nation on a basis, which cannot be shaken, by the intrigues of secret, or 
 the violence of open hostility." 
 
 On the fifteenth of July, this year, a continual firing of cannon was heard 
 throughout the day, by many of the inhabitants of the town, and neighboring 1804 
 villages. This phenomenon being circulated with great industry, by those that 
 heard it, occasioned a considerable anxiety during that, and the succeeding 
 days, many people here imagining that the French had actually put their threat 
 of invasion in execution. This anxiety was not removed 'till some days after, 
 when it became known, that the firing proceeded from the batteries at Bou- 
 logne, which had been the whole of that day firing at our cruizers, who were 
 endeavoring to cut off a fleet of vessels coming from Flushing. We should 
 not have mentioned this circumstance, had it not been for the incontestible 
 proof it affords, of the explosion of great guns having been heard at upwards 
 of one hundred miles distance. At a subsequent engagement at the same place, 1805 
 in 1805, the report of the guns was heard here, by many of the inhabitants, 
 equally distinct, and clear. At both these periods, the wind was at N. E. and 
 nearly calm. 
 
 At a meeting of the inhabitants in the town-hall, on the 6th of May, this year, 1807 
 in consequence of a requisition to the mayor, for the purpose of addressing his ma- 
 jesty, on the catholic question, which had for some time agitated the minds of 
 the people, and eventually caused the unprecedented dissolution of parliament, 
 within seven months from the last general election, the address was proposed 
 by Mr. Wilsdon, and seconded by Mr. Jesse, but H. Marsh, esq. having pro- 
 posed an adjournment, it occasioned a very interesting debate, in which the 
 reverend W. Marsh, the reverend doctor Barry, the reverend C. Mitford, and 
 Mr. Ring, supported the address ; and the reverend doctor Valpy, Mr. Wal- 
 ter, the reverend Gauntlett, Mr. Monck, and Mr. E. Vines, spoke in favor 
 
 of the adjournment. 
 
 On the question being put from the chair, the shew of hands was so equal, 
 it was impossible to determine which had the majority ; it was, therefore, agreed, 
 that each side should be told out, when it appeared there were 115 for the ad- 
 dress, and 117 against it. 
 
 Though the catholic question was the leading point in dispute, there can 
 be no doubt that political considerations of another kind, had a great weight in 
 the determination of the meeting. 
 
 The late dismissal of his majesty's ministers, with the subsequent disso- 
 lution of parliament, had irritated many, who had been warm supporters of 
 the late administration, and induced them to come forward on this occasion, 
 in opposition to a measure, which otherwise, from their well known loyalty to 
 
 o 2
 
 1807 
 
 100 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 their kins:, and love for the constitution, they would, there is no doubt^ have 
 supported with their accustomed energy. 
 
 While one party deprecated the danger that threatened the established 
 church, bv the proposed emancipation of the catholics, by placing the command 
 of the armv, and navy, in the hands of a bigotted set of men, devoted to a 
 foreign head, whom they acknowledged to be their spiritual chief, althougli 
 he was at that very time under the influence of our greatest enemy; of men 
 whose forefathers, during the reign of James II. when they enjoyed the rights 
 now so earnestly solicited, had attempted to subvert our national church, and 
 to introduce an arbitrary government : the other displayed all their eloquence, 
 in the praise of mutual toleration, on the harmlessness of the modern catho- 
 lics, their reduced numbers, and the benefit to be derived to the united king- 
 doms, in the present war, by attaching to our interests, by a liberal conduct, 
 the hearts of a loyal and brave people, who had too long been held in a 
 state of bondage, unbecoming the subjects of a free country. 
 
 Such were the arguments used in the course of the debate, and though 
 a negative was put on the address, it would be an injustice to tax the ma- 
 jority on the division, with the want of loyalty and respect to their king ; 
 for although some few might perhaps vote against it, from party motives, yet 
 the greater part appeared convinced, that the catholics were entitled to all 
 the privileges that they themselves enjoyed as protestants, 
 1808 The convention agreed upon in the following year, between our comman- 
 
 ders, in Portugal, and the French general Junot, attracted the attention of the 
 people throughout the country. Addresses were sent up from every part of 
 the kingdom, among which was the following from this borough, proposed by 
 Mr. Monck, and seconded by ]Mr. Ovcy : 
 
 " TO THE king's most EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 
 
 " JVIost gracious Sovereign, 
 
 " We, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the inhabitants of the 
 borough of Reading, beg leave to approach your majesty, with our assurances 
 of attachment to your sacred person, and to your mild and paternal government. 
 
 " Me feel ourselves most grateful to your majesty, for the zeal which you 
 have manifested in the emancipation of Spain and Portugal, and we congra- 
 tulate your majesty on the two splendid victories obtained by your forces ia 
 the latter country. We owe it also to your majesty, the sovereign of a free 
 people, as faithful subjects, ever alive to the true support and honor of your 
 crown, not to conceal our sentiments on any public emergency, and to declare 
 to you, that our disappointment and regret were extreme, when we found the
 
 1808 
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 101 
 
 heroic exertions, and brilliant successes of your majesty's army in PortugaJ, Chap. 
 terminating in the most afflicting, and apparently, most humiliating convention. ^I* 
 
 " We are far from presuming to prejudge the case of any individual, but 
 wc most humbly beseech your majesty, that you will cause to be instituted a 
 full, open, and effectual investigation ; so that^ if any persons, either at home 
 or abroad, shall be found culpable, they may experience such signal marks 
 of your displeasure, as may serve for an example, and tend to the promotion 
 of your majesty's service, and to tbe glory of your arms." 
 
 Soon after Mr. Gleed's entering into liis office this year, he issued an 
 injunction to the iohabitants against the heinous sin, as it is called, of selling 
 goods in the morning of the sabbath day, which by no means tended to lessen 
 the evil, (if such it be) at the same time that it exasperated the minds of many 
 of the inhabitants, who found themselves, under the sanction of their chief 
 magistrate, subjected to the prying curiosity, and insolent interference of the 
 most ignorant, and superstitious part of the community. 
 
 An enquiry having taken place at the commencement of this year, on tbe icofS? 
 motion of Mr. Wardle, in the house of commons, respecting the conduct of 
 his royal highness the duke of York, in the disposal of commissions in the 
 army ; and the decision of that house appearing to the public at large, to have 
 been in opposition to the evidence given at the bar, and tending to skrecn his 
 royal highness from the punishment due to such ofi'ences, public meetings took 
 place in most of the cities and boroughs in the kingdom, to express their dis- 
 satisfaction of the conduct of the majority of the house, and to return their 
 thanks to colonel Wardle, and those who supported his motion. 
 
 In some places, advantage was taken, from the present fermentation of the 
 public mind, to introduce into the discussion of the question, the subject of a 
 reform in parliament. This had often before been brought forward by the 
 opposition, to serve their own political purposes, and as often carefully con- 
 cealed from public notice as soon as these purposes were attained. Thus Mr. 
 Pitt, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Grey had at dift'erent times brought the question before 
 the house, but without any intention of succeeding, as was afterwards evident 
 io all, by their silence on the subject when they got into power ; or if, for 
 decency sake, they brought it forward, they gave it so feeble a support, that 
 it had been constantly rejected by the house. Though the people however 
 had in this manner been frequently duped by the demagogues of the day, yet 
 no sooner was the subject revived by sir Francis Burdett, and others, who 
 wished to be thought the friends of the people, than they adopted the flattering 
 idea, with as much eagerness and simplicity, as if they had never been deceived 
 before. Among these, the town of Reading was one of the first to add a.
 
 102 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 clause io that purpose, in the requisition to the mayor to call a hall, not of the 
 electors only, but very properly, of all the resident inhabitants. At this 
 meeting, which was attended by upwards of a thousand persons, the necessity 
 of a parliamentary reform was enlarged upon by Mr. Monck in his introduc- 
 tory sneech on the occasion, and met with such universal approbation, that the 
 measure became a striking figure in the following resolutions ; almost all of 
 which were carried unanimously, and those that were not, had only two or 
 three dissenting voices : 
 
 " Resolved, that corrupt practices have been found to exist in the grant 
 of commissions and appointments in the army, no less disgraceful to the 
 character of the late commander in chief, as a soldier, than ruinous to the 
 public service. 
 
 " Resolved, that Gwyllym Lloyd Wardle, esq. is entitled to the thanks 
 of his country, for the zeal, integrity, and intrepidity, with which he main- 
 tained the charges of corruption against his royal highness the duke of York, 
 in spite of the lukewarmness of the leading members of opposition, and the 
 open hostility, and direct menaces of ministers. 
 
 " Resolved, that Charles Shaw Lefevre, esq. one of the representatives for 
 this borough, has deserved well of his constituents, and conferred honor on their 
 choice, by the plain, intelligible, independent, consistent, and decisive manner, 
 in which he acted and voted, during the whole course of the late inquiry. 
 
 " Resolved, that our thanks are due to sir Francis Burdett, hart, who 
 seconded Mr. Wardle; Lord Viscount Folkstone, sir Samuel Romilly, kt. 
 Samuel Whitbread, esq. admiral Markham, the gallant general Ferguson, and 
 the remainder of the one hundred and twenty-five members, who supported 
 Mr. Wardle's motion. 
 
 " Resolved, that the vote of the house of commons, upon the motion of 
 the chancellor of the exchequer, for the acquittal of his royal highness the duke 
 of York from all knowledge of the corrupt practices proved, has done violence 
 both to the understanding, and feelings of Englishmen, and afiords a prominent 
 and striking example of the very imperfect representation of the people. 
 
 " Resolved, that the only eflectual barrier against the inroads of corrup- 
 tion, is to be found in the constitutional resort to obtain a fair and faithful 
 representation of the people in their house of commons. 
 
 " Resolved, that the number of placemen, and pensioners, having seats 
 m the house of commons, is a growing evil ; contrary to an ancient resolution 
 of that house; destructive of the independence of parliament ; and that the 
 number ought to be restricted to certain officers of state, whose presence may 
 be expedient in the house of commons.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 103 
 
 " Resolved^ that the state of the decayed boroughs in the united kingdom, 
 returning members to parliament, and which have become by lapse of time the 
 private property of individuals, is one great cause of the present wide extended 
 and deplorable corruption, and demands the serious attention of parliamentj as 
 a mockery of representation. 
 
 " Resolved, that the restoration of triennial parliaments, agreeable to the 
 statute 6th of William and Mary, would greatly check corruption, and in the 
 words of the preamble to that memorable act, would ' tend very much to the 
 happy union, and good agreement of the king and people.' 
 
 " Resolved, that the only way to have independent men in parliament, is, 
 to send them independent there ; and, that the example set by Westminster, in 
 the manner of electing sir Francis Burdett, cannot be too highly commended, 
 and is worthy to be imitated by all the free boroughs in the kingdom. 
 
 " Resolved, that during the present reign, every successive administration 
 has yielded to the force, or to the temptation of the present system of corrup- 
 tion ; and the result of every change has been, to hold the people in delusion* 
 and not to remove, but perpetuate abuses. 
 
 " Resolved, that we have no hopes, that his majesty's present ministers 
 will ever seriously and earnestly take in hand the work of reformation ; as the 
 proceedings in parliament have fully proved them to be, the ministers of the 
 crown only, and not of the people ; the stillers of enquiry, and the abettors- 
 of corruption." 
 
 The additional resolution, proposed by the rev. doctor Valpy, *' that the 
 vote of John Simeon, esq. one of the representatives for this borough, in favor 
 of Mr. Banks's amendment to Mr. Wardle's original motion, is highly deserv- 
 ing of the thanks of his constituents ;" was negatived by a great majority. 
 
 The following resolution was then put by doctor Valpy, and carried 
 unanimously, " that, in order to set the example of purity of representation, 
 it is unfit for any elector of this borough, to accept a public dinner, or any 
 other gratuity, directly or indirectly, from his representative." — The unani- 
 mous thanks of the meeting was then given to Thomas Gleed, esq. mayor, for the 
 readiness with which he called the meeting ; for his attention to the business 
 of the day ; and, for his able, impartial, and conciliating conduct in the chair. 
 
 On the 25th of June, this year, a mutiny took place among the local 
 militia, while exercising in the Forbury, on being refused their marching 
 guinea, previous to their dismissal on the next day ; on which occasion, several 
 companies laid down their arms ; to which conduct, as it was afterward 
 asserted, they had been incited by some of the volunteers imprudently urging 
 them on, and promising to stand by them. How far this assertion is founded 
 
 1803
 
 1809 
 
 104 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 in fact, we know not, but certain it is, the officers of the volunteers were hy 
 no means implicated in the charge ; neither could it be expected, that they 
 should be answerable for the conduct of their men while off from duty ; notwith- 
 standing this, liowever, on complaint being made at the war-office, by the com- 
 mander of the local militia, on the supposed misconduct of the regiment of 
 Reading volunteers, they were in the July following dismissed from his ma- 
 jesty's service, without the smallest remuneration, and without even a compli- 
 ment being paid them for their meritorious conduct, in coming forward, in the 
 hour of danger, to serve their country almost wholly at their own expence. 
 
 Whether the return these brave fellows met with from his majesty's mi- 
 nisters, for their patriotic service, and the self-denial they must frequently have 
 experienced, in attending their military duties in all seasons, and in all weathers, 
 was merited, the country must judge ; but certainly common prudence ought to 
 have dictated a different conduct. The danger may be deferred, but is not 
 ■wholly warded off"; and should the time again arrive, when the services of the 
 volunteers shall be again called for, the treatment these have received, will not, 
 we fcarj be an inducement for others to come forward in defence of their king 
 and country. 
 
 On his majesty's entering into the fiftieth year of his reign, in the month 
 of October, in the present year, it was proposed by some friends of government, 
 that the anniversary should be kept as a jubilee throughout the kingdom, in 
 such manner as should be thought most advisable to each tow n or village. In 
 consequence of this intention, the following requisition was sent to the mayor : 
 
 " Sir, — We, the undersigned, request you to call a meeting of the corpo- 
 ration, as early as may be convenient, to consider of a plan to celebrate, in the 
 most appropriate and respectful manner, the fiftieth anniversary of the accession 
 of our venerated and beloved sovereign to the throne ; an event almost unexampled 
 in tlie history of this country : 
 
 Richard Richards. William Andrews. 
 
 Robert Harris. 
 
 Charles Poulton. 
 
 Thomas Sowdon. 
 
 John Bulley. 
 
 W. B. Simonds. 
 
 William Blandy. 
 
 John Stephens. 
 
 In consequence of this requisition, a hall was called, and a committee 
 appointed, consisting of the following gentlemen, to take the same into con- 
 sideration t 
 
 George Gilbertson. 
 Launcelot Austwick. 
 John Blandy. 
 William Garrard. 
 W illiam Stephens. 
 Thomas Ward.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 105 
 
 Mr. Poulton. 
 Mr. Knapp. 
 Mr. Annesley. 
 Mr. Maul, 
 Mr. Blandy. 
 Mr. Westbrook. 
 
 The Mayor. 
 
 Mr. Austwick. 
 Mr. J. Blandy. 
 Mr. Simonds. 
 Mr. Harris. 
 Mr. J. Richards. 
 Mr. Ward, 
 by whom the following plan was proposed. 
 ^' That the bells be rung at the several churches^ at six o'clock in the 
 morning, and at different intervals through the day^ 'till njne in the evening, and 
 that colors be displayed on the different towers. 
 
 '' That the corporation meet in common hall, with their gowns, and in- 
 signia of office^ at eleven o'clock, and proceed from thence to St, Lawrence's 
 church. 
 
 " That the several societies be requested to attend divine service on that 
 day; and that a sum of money be presented to each of tliem (if acceptable^) 
 towards promoting any rational entertainment, 
 
 " That Mr, Binfield be requested to play the organ, and to select appro- 
 priate pieces of music. 
 
 " That the several charity and Sunday schools also attend divine service in 
 their respective parishes ; and that a cake be afterwards given, in the market- 
 place, to each scholar, and half-a-crow n to the master or mistress. 
 
 " That there be a public dinner and ball^ at the town hall^ and tickets 
 issued for the dinner, at 7s, 6d. each (exclusive of wine) and for the ball atSs. 
 That stewards be appointed, and no tickets for dinner delivered out after Sa- 
 turday, the 21st instant. 
 
 " That instead of an illumination, it be earnestly recommended that a 
 subscription be entered into, and that the vicars, church-wardens, and over- 
 seers of the several parishes, be requested to assist in the distribution thereof, 
 so as to enable every one of his majesty's faithful but indigent subjects to 
 unite and participate in the general festivity of the day. 
 
 " That Messrs Marsh, Deane, Westbrook, and Deane, and IMessrs, Ste- 
 phens, Simonds and Harris, be requested to receive such subscriptions, and that 
 the names of the subscribers be advertised. 
 
 " That the rev. doctor Valpy, Henry Marsh, W. Southgate, James 
 Wardsworth, John Dorset, and John Berkley Monck, esqrs. be added to the 
 pommittee, and requested to attend their next and future meetings. 
 
 '' TJiat a copy of these resolutions be sent to the right honorable the 
 
 1809
 
 1809 
 
 lOS HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 hi"h steward, the members and recorder for the borough, and to the vicars 
 of the respective parishes." 
 
 But the inhabitants at large, conceiving themselves aggrieved, in being 
 excluded from expressing their sentiments publicly on this occasion^ another 
 requisition, respectfully signed, was presented to the mayor, requesting him to 
 call a meeting of the inhabitants of the borough, " to take into consideration 
 the proprietij of celebrating the day." To this it was answered, that " tJie 
 terms of the requisition appeared exceptionable ; and that it was not expe- 
 dient to call such meeting ; as the object of the requisition was to consider 
 the propriety of celebrating the approaching anniversary, and not the mode 
 of carrying the same into ellect." 
 
 In consequence of this refusal, the gentlemen who signied the requisition, 
 and whose names had been added to the committee appointed by the corpo- 
 ration, withdrew their names, and called a meeting of the inhabitants in the 
 Forbury, independent of the mayor and corporation, which was numerously 
 attended ; when John Hooper, esq. being called to the chair, the following 
 resolutions were carried unanimously : 
 
 " Resolved, 1st, That it will be proper to commemorate the ensuing an- 
 niversary of his majesty's accession, by attendance on divine service, at our 
 respective churches, or at other places of worship. 
 
 " 2dlv, That a dutiful, loyal, and congratulatory address be presented to 
 his majesty, suitable to the occasion. 
 
 " 3dly, That it is the opinion of this meeting, that it will be more agree- 
 able to the will of the Almighty, and more consonant to the paternal feelings 
 of his majesty, that all fire-works, illuminations, and other useless expenditure 
 should be avoided and discountenanced ; and that, in lieu thereof, a subscrip- 
 tion be opened, to be called the town subscription, for the purpose of reliev- 
 ing, and liberating such of the debtors, now in the county gaol, in this borough, 
 as shall be deemed proper objects ; and also, for distributing bread, meat, and 
 beer to the poor inhabitants, under distinct heads of subscription. 
 
 " 4thly, That subscriptions be received at both the banks, and the post- 
 ofiBce ; and that one churchwarden and one overseer of each parish, the rev. 
 doctor Valpy, rev. Archibald Douglas, rev. John Holloway, Messrs. James 
 "Wardsworth, Henry Marsh, John Hooper, Thomas White, E. S. White, Thos. 
 Letchworth, George Hetherington, John Adams, Edward Vines, Benjamin 
 Williams, and Francis Millard, be appointed to apply the money to be sub- 
 scribed in manner aforesaid. 
 
 " 5thly, That is is the undoubted privilege of the inhabitants of this 
 ■borougbj in common with their fellow subjects, as confirmed to them by the
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 107 
 
 bill of rights, to assemble on all public occasions, and to mate their sentiments Chap. 
 known to his majesty and the people; and that to throw obstacles in the way ^^• 
 of this privilege, is in direct violation of the principles of the constitution. >^"v-^ 
 
 " 6thly, That the mayor and corporation, in refusing to convene a public 
 meeting of the inhabitants in the town-hall, to enable them to express their 
 sentiments, and to decide and act for themselves on the ensuing accession, and 1S09 
 in attempting to give their own plan exclusive authority, have acted partially, 
 and disrespectfully, to the whole borough, and deserve the severest censure 
 of their fellow townsmen. 
 
 " 7thly, That, as the maj'or and corporation have acted in exclusion of 
 the public opinion, it is the duty of the inhabitants to with-hold all aid from, 
 and support to the plan recommended by them on this memorable occasion. 
 
 There was one dissenting voice to these two last resolutions. 
 
 " Sthly, That the thanks of this meeting be given to the rev. doctor 
 Valpy, H. Marsh, W. Soulhgate, J. Dorset, and J. B. Monck, esqrs. who 
 signed the requisition to the late mayor, to call a meeting of the inhabitants — 
 and especially to doctor Valpy, Messrs. Marsh and Monck, who have so mag- 
 nanimously asserted and protected the inalienable rights of the people." 
 
 Notwithstanding this disagreement between the members of the corpo- 
 ration and the inhabitants, the day was spent with the utmost harmony, almost 
 every individual in the town partaking of the plentiful provisions provided for 
 them, either from the public subscription, amounting to 2661. Is. or the bounty 
 of private individuals. And what added to the hilarity of the day, was the 
 free discharge of all the Danish prisoners on parole in the town, to the amount 
 of nearly 200, who paraded the streets, expressing their gratitude and thanks 
 to the best of kings. 
 
 The following address was afterwards unanimously voted, at a meeting 
 called by the corporation, held for the purpose, and presented to his majesty by 
 Mr. Ryder, and most graciously received : 
 
 " The humble address of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the 
 borough of Reading, in the county of Berks. 
 " Most gracious sovereign, 
 
 " We, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the mayor, alder- 
 men, and burgesses of your majesty's ancient borough of Reading, beg leave 
 to express our abundant joy in approaching your throne, with our sincere and 
 loyal congratulations, on the arrival of a period so remarkable as the fiftieth 
 year of your benevolent reign. 
 
 " It has pleased the Almighty to ordain, that your majesty should reign 
 in times of unexampled difficulty and danger, from causes which have aficcted 
 
 p2
 
 1809 
 
 108 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 the whole state of society throughout Europe, but he has yet thought fit to 
 shew, by the illustrious example of your majesty's throne, how firm^ even in 
 the most arduous struggles^ are the supports of justice, mercy, and piety. 
 
 " It cannot often happen, that the reign of a king should be extended to 
 fifty vears ; but nuich more rare must it be, in the nature of things, for a 
 sovereign to find the esteem, adnuration, affection and gratitude of his people, 
 constantly increasing through the whole of such period. 
 
 " We cannot conclude our dutiful address on the present joyful occasion, 
 without adding our most cordial wishes and prayers, that your majesty's 
 paternal reign may be continued, till some happy turn of public prospects shall 
 give delight, as well as lustre, to the remaining days of a sovereign, so remark- 
 ably distinguished by the protecting care of Providence." 
 1810 ^" ^''" commitment, tliis year, of sir Francis Burdctt to the tower, for 
 
 a libel on the house of commons, on the miscarriage of the expedition to 
 "Walcheren, the public mind became very much discontented, and vented itself 
 in petitions to the house of commons, from most of the counties and principal 
 towns in the kingdom ; among the latter, Reading may be said, almost to have 
 taken the lead, by a requisition to the mayor, signed by more than 250 elec- 
 tors, to convene a meeting of the inhabitants, to " take into consideration the 
 state of the country, in relation both to foreign and domestic occurrences, par- 
 ticularly the policy and conduct of the late expedition to Walcheren, the im- 
 prisonment of Gale Jones, and sir Francis Burdett, and the necessity of a 
 reform in the representation of the people." 
 
 Charles Poulton, esq. the mayor, after opening the meeting, withdrew, 
 when Thomas White, esq. was called to the chair, and the following resolu- 
 tions were carried unanimously : 
 
 " Resolved, that the late expedition to Walcheren has been marked by 
 an enormous waste of men and money, and that its failure is attributable to 
 the misconceptions, blunders, and dissensions of his majesty's ministers ; and, 
 that it is with surprise and pain, we have witnessed, that their gross folly and 
 incapacity had not been punished, or even censured, by the house of commons, 
 whereby the authors of our calamities are emboldened to proceed in the pro- 
 secution of measures, which have uniformly tended to make the nation con- 
 temptible abroad, and dissatisfied at home. 
 
 " 2dly, That we have viewed with the deepest concern, the commitment 
 of Mr. Gale Jones to Newgate, and of sir Francis Burdett, bart. to the tower, 
 for alleged libels, without evidence on oath, or trial by jury, because all 
 charges of libel are cognizable, and may, or ought to be prosecuted in the 
 courts of law ; and, because we consider summary commitments, by way of
 
 HISTORY OF READING, 109 
 
 [)unislinient for libel, contrary to the spirit of our laws, subversive of the trial 
 by jury, and the liberty of the subject, and the no less invaluable blessing — the 
 liberty of the press. 
 
 " 3dly, That the want of a more full and effectual representation of the 
 people in parliament, is every day more and more apparent, and that until this ^^^0 
 be effected, there can be no solid security for our rig;hts, nor any hope, that 
 grievances will be redressed at home, and the glory of England promoted, as 
 it ought to be, abroad. 
 
 " 4thly, That a respectful petition be presented to the commons' house 
 of parliament, praying for the immediate discharge of Mr. J. G. Jones, and sir 
 Francis Burdett, from imprisonment, and that the petition now read be adopted. 
 
 " 5thly, That another petition be presented to the commons' house of par- 
 liament, for a more full and effectual representation of the people in parliament, 
 and that the petition now read, be adopted." 
 
 These petitions were, as follow : 
 
 " To the honorable the commons of the united kingdom, in parliament 
 assembled. 
 "' The petition of the inhabitants of the borough of Reading, in the county 
 of Berks, sheweth — 
 
 " That your petitioners consider it to be one of the undoubted rights of 
 the people, to lay before your honorable house their grievances of every kind ; 
 and that this right in no wise ceaseth, or is diminished, when the cause of 
 complaint originates within the walls of your honorable house. 
 
 ' " Your petitioners have witnessed, with great concern, the commitment 
 of Mr. Gale Jones, to Newgate, and sir Francis Burdett, bart. to the tower, 
 for alleged libels, without any examination of evidence upon oath, and without 
 any trial by jury. Far be it from your petitioners, to wish to disarm your 
 honorable house of any privilege that serves to maintain its dignity, indepen- 
 dence, and just prepondercnce ; but, your petitioners have been taught, and 
 believe, that the privileges of your honorable house are not of a higher value, 
 than the prerogatives of the crown ; and that both the one and the other 
 were given solely for the benefit of the people, the ultimate end and object 
 of all good and rational governments. 
 
 " The two greatest benefits that Englishmen enjoy, as a free people, are,, 
 the liberty of person, and the liberty of the press. The right of public dis- 
 cussion is the strongest barrier against every species of tyranny and oppression ; 
 and, if at any time this right be abused, for purposes of libel or sedition, these 
 oflences are cognizable in the courts of law. Summary commitments in exe- 
 cution, by way of punishment for libel, are considered by your petitioners, a»
 
 as 10 
 
 mo HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 an encroaclimcnt on the trial by jury, injurious to the liberty of the subject, 
 and the liberty of the press. The power of commitments may be necessary 
 for the protection of yoiir honorable house, in cases "where obstruction is 
 actually given, or menaced ; but your petitioners are not aware, that any such 
 obstructions made the exercise of that power necessary in the cases of Mr. John 
 Gale Jones and sir Francis Burdett, or that any mischief or inconvenience 
 ■was likely to have ensued, if their cases had been left to be decided in the 
 ordinary course of law. 
 
 "^ We therefore most humbly pray, that jour lionorable house will dis- 
 charge Mr. John Gale Jones, and sir Francis Burdett, from their confinement. 
 
 " And your petitioners shall ever pray." 
 
 " To the honorable the commons of the united kingdom, in parliament 
 assembled. 
 
 " The petition of the inhabitants of the borough of Reading, in the 
 county of Berks, shewetli — 
 
 " That your petitioners have observed of late years, and especially during 
 the present administration, an entire difference of opinion between the people 
 and their representatives in parliament, upon almost every question of general 
 feeling and national importance ; and being sensible how much the stability 
 of our constitution depends upon the restoration of mutual confidence, we 
 sincerely lament that difl'ereuce, and beg leave to draw your attention to the 
 grounds and causes of it. 
 
 " Your petitioners believe, that the chief grounds and causes of this dif- 
 ference will be found in the very defective mode of representation which pre- 
 vails at present, in the number of placemen and pensioners that have seats in 
 your honorable house, and in the duration of parliaments. 
 
 " It is well known to your honorable house, that many boroughs, return- 
 ing members to parliament, are utterly decayed, and become the property of 
 individuals, and are now the subject, like any other property, of barter and 
 exchange. By this means, the people find themselves excluded from the share 
 which they ought to have in elections ; and a body of men have been intro- 
 duced into parliament, that are an anomaly in the constitution, being neither 
 called by the king, nor elected by the people. Under such a state of things, 
 your petitioners think that no exaggeration, which was said in your lionorable 
 house by a late distinguished member, ' that no honest man can long semain 
 minister of the country.' Your petitioners lament extremely, that in the 
 course of last session, two of his majesty's ministers were charged with being 
 concerned in the disgraceful traffic of boroughs ; and that this practice, al-
 
 HISTORY OF READING. Ill 
 
 tliQugh reprobated^ by your learned and upright speaker, with becoming zeal 
 and indignation;, was jusiified, ' as being as notorious as the sun at noon day' 
 
 "^ Another ground of the constant and growing difl'creiice between vour 
 honorable house^ and the people, is the number of placemen and pensioners that 
 are permitted to have seats in it, by which the influence of ministers is increased 
 beyond control. Upon any other supposition, we cannot conceive it possible, 
 tliathis majesty's present incapable and arbitrary ministers, should be still per- 
 mitted to carry on the government of tlie country, after having wasted our 
 resources, in fruitless expeditions, and having shewn no vigor, but in support of 
 antiquated prejudices, and in attacks upon the liberties of the subject. Finally, 
 the bold innovation of septennial, for triennial parliaments, has not been found 
 to produce the salutary effects mentioned in the preamble of the statute, passed 
 in the first year of the reign of king George I. but has certainly tended to 
 relax tlie tie, and set at a wider interval the connection between constituent and 
 representative, so that the same is hardly felt and acknowledged. 
 
 " These arc the chief grounds and causes of the unhappy difference in 
 opinion and feeling, that prevail between your honorable house and the people. 
 
 " Your petitioners, therefore, most earnestly pray of your honorable house, 
 that you will take into your timely and serious consideration, the present 
 .state of the representation, and will adopt such measures of reform as may be 
 .sufficient to restore to the house, the confidence of the people, which is its true 
 dignity, and to make your honorable house, in practice and effect, what it is 
 constitutionally, the organ of the sense of its constituents. 
 
 '•' And your petitioners shall ever pray." 
 
 Such was the general language of the people at this period, grounded oa 
 the conduct of the house, and the speeches of the ministers, which seemed to 
 afford too much reason for such remarks to the mass of the people ; but these 
 sentiments were not adopted by all, and in consequence, about seventy of the 
 principal inhabitants, including the mayor, and the greater part of the corpo- 
 rate body, conceived it incumbent on them to publish the following declaration 
 of their sentiments : 
 
 '• Reading, May 17, 1810. 
 
 " We, the undersigned, inhabitants of the borough of Reading, having 
 seen in public advertisement, the resolutions and petitions to parliament, 
 agreed upon at a meeting holden at the town hall, on Monday the 7th instant, 
 and being unwilling that they should go forth as containing the unanimous 
 sentiments of the borough, think it necessary to declare as follows: 
 
 " That, we view with sincere regret the attempts industriously made to 
 \iUfy and degrade^ in the opinion of the country, the commons' hoyse of par- 
 
 ISIOJ
 
 ISIO 
 
 112 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 liamcnt, that most important part of the legislature, which the wisest and 
 ablest men have considered and declared to be, the safeguard and protection 
 of the libertj' of these kingdoms, against the encroachments of power on the 
 one hand, and the excess of popular violence on the other. 
 
 " That, the confidence in the wisdom of parliament, and resolution to 
 support its privilege, which we are bound, as friends to the constitution, to 
 aiford them at all times, were never more imperiously required, than at the 
 present eventful period, when the throne of our venerable king, and our very 
 existence as a nation, are threatened by the most implacable and powerful 
 enemy to whom our country has ever been opposed. 
 
 " That, we therefore strongly disapprove the petition to the house of 
 commons, for the release of John Gale Jones and sir Francis Burdett, being 
 of opinion that there is no small degree of presumption, in attempting to dic- 
 tate to that honorable house, the conduct it ought to pursue towards those 
 persons ; and also, that questions of so great import, aftecting the honor, the 
 independence, and the very existence of parliament, should be left for decision 
 to those tribunals, in which, by the constitution, they are ultimately vested. 
 
 " That, we also fully rely on the wisdom and patriotism of the house of 
 commons, to originate and carry into effect such measures, as may conduce to 
 remove all such imperfections as the lapse of time may have produced ; but 
 we cannot think that this end is likely to be efi'ecfed, by such expressions of 
 direct or implied reproach, as we find in the petitions — expressions, which, on 
 many accounts, meet our decided disapprobation. 
 
 *' That, we disapprove the revival of such questions, as that relating to the 
 policy and conduct of the late expedition to Walcheren, however we may regret 
 the termination of that affair ; yet, as it has undergone a laborious inquiry, and 
 received a solemn decision, by the proper constitutional authority, it can only 
 be productive of renewed irritation in the public mind, by being brought into 
 finther discussion. On the whole, we feel it our duty to declare, that as Me 
 admire the excellent frame of government under which we live, and are grate- 
 ful for the blessings we enjoy, we cannot consent to be considered as uniting 
 in measures, Mhich we think calculated only to promote discontent and disaf- 
 fection. Independent, however, of all party, and zealous for the public good, 
 we can never cease to implore the divine Providence, for the permanence of our 
 happy constitution, which we arc determined to support, in all its branches, 
 against every attempt to injure and degrade it, from whatever quarter it may 
 proceed." 
 
 lOlO 
 
 In consequence cf the atrocious assassination of Mr. Percival, the late 
 chancellor of the exchequer, in the lobby of the house of commonSj which
 
 2i:MijEn'© Tl 
 
 y^j T^ E.23.:oa:yrrc]E, lEgcQ.
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 113 
 
 filled every friend to his country with horror and detestation, the following Chap. 
 address was drawn up, and signed by most of the principal inhabitants of the VI, 
 boroughj and afterwards presented to the prince regent ; 
 
 " To his royal highness the prince of Wales, regent of the united king- 
 dom of Great Britain and Ireland : 1812 
 '' The humble and dutiful address and condolence, of the mayor, alder- 
 men, burgesses, and other inhabitants of the borough of Reading, in 
 the county of Berks. 
 
 " J\Injj it please your rojjal Highnes-^, 
 
 " We, his majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the mayor, aldermen, 
 burgesses, and other inhabitants of the borough of Reading, humbly beg leave 
 to offer to vour royal hiclincss the assurance of our loyalty and attachment 
 id your person and government, and of our firm and devoted reverence and 
 affection to the laws and constitution of our country. 
 
 " We feel most sensibly the outrage which has been committed against 
 these laws, in the recent assassination of the right honorable Spencer Percival, 
 first lord commissioner of the treasury, and chancellor of the exchequer. We 
 lan)cnt the foul stain which has been thrown on the national character of 
 England by this atrocious act, and cannot sufficiently express our detestation 
 and abhorrence of the horrid, and almost unprecedented crime, and of the 
 person who committed it. More particularly we deplore and regret, the great 
 and heavy loss which your royal highness's council, and the nation, have sus- 
 tained, at this critical period, in the death of a most able, virtuous, and 
 uncorrupt minister ; vthose probity and integrity, whose many public and 
 private virtues, arc acknowledged, even by those who differed from him in 
 political opinions, and whose name and character will be transmitted in the 
 fairest colors to succeeding ages. 
 
 " We earnestly implore the protection of that gracious Providence, which 
 has hitherto delivered us from the common ruin, which has so rapidly over- 
 whelmed the nations of the Continent; and we indulge the pleasing hope, that 
 under the auspicious council and direction of your royal highness, the united 
 kingdom may still be preserved free and inviolate, and may, under the divine 
 favor, ultimately prove the means of restoring the oppressed nations of Europe 
 to liberty and peace." 
 
 The inhabitants of the town bring much distressed this year, by the want 
 of a circulating medium, owing to the war on the Continent, and the constant 
 drain of the specie for the payment of our forces in Spain, J. Berkley Monck, 
 esq. of Coley-house, issued gold and silver tokens to a large amount, which
 
 1812 
 
 114 HISTORY OF READING. 
 
 were a great relief to the trading part of the comniunifj'. Impressions of the 
 several pieces are given in plate 5. 
 
 "While the renewal of the East India charter was agitating, in the house 
 of commons this j'ear, several members of the different religious persuasions 
 in this town, wishing to encourage the promotion of the christian religion in that 
 vast empire, bj means of missionaries, held a meeting in the town-hall, when Mr. 
 Tanner being called to the chair, the following resolutions were passed : 
 
 " 1st, That the petition to the two houses, now read, be adopted. 
 
 " 2nd, That the right honorable lord Brajbrook be requested to present 
 the petition to the house of lords, and to support the same. 
 
 " Sd, That the pelitiou to the house of commons be presented by the 
 members for this borough, and that thej be requested to support the same." 
 
 The petition was as follows : 
 
 " To the right honorable the lords spiritual and temporal, in parliament 
 assembled. 
 
 " The humble petition of the undersigned inhabitants of Reading and its 
 vicinity, sheweth — 
 
 " That your petitioners most cordially approve of the important and en- 
 lightened sentiments contained in the resolution formed bv the honorable house 
 of commons, in the year 1793. ' That it is the peculiar and bounden duty 
 of the British legislature to promote, by all just and prudent means^ the 
 interests and happiness of the inhabitants of the British dominions in India; 
 and that for these ends, such measures ought to be adopted, as may gradually 
 tend to their advancement in useful knowledgCj and to their religious and 
 moral improvement.' 
 
 " Your petitioners, however, deeply lament, that so little has hitherto 
 been done, to carry those humane and christian principles into effect, notwith- 
 standing the awful state of ignorance, superstition, and gross idolatry, in 
 which that immense population has so long remained. 
 
 *' Your petitioners, therefore, earnestly implore your lordships, that such 
 arrangements may be made, as shall afford the utmost facilities to those bene- 
 volent persons, as may be desirous of going to India, for the purpose of com- 
 municating the useful knowledge, and the blessings of the christian religion ; 
 and also, such provisions be made, as may prevent any future obstruction 
 of their endeavors to forward these great designs in that country, so long as 
 the persons thus engaged, shall conduct themselves in a peaceable and orderly 
 manner. And your petitioners shall ever pray, &c." 
 
 This was the last public act of the inhabitants of this ancient borough, 
 whose historic records we have endeavored to trace from the earliest ages
 
 HISTORY OF READING. 115 
 
 of our history to the present time. A period^ during which, notwithstanding 
 the inhabitants have experienced many reverses, and misfortunes, the town has 
 gradually advanced to its present state of improvement, both in the number 
 and elegance of its buildings, and the increase of its trade, which is daily 1813 
 extending itself through the most distant parts of the kingdom, by means of 
 the various rivers and canals connected with the Thames and Kennet ; the 
 latter of which passes through the heart of the town, and the former flows 
 at a very short distance from it. 
 
 q2
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES 
 
 OF 
 
 READING, 
 
 Town of Reading, 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Chap. ThE town of Reading is situated nearly in the centre of the county of 
 VII. Berks, on the borders of Oxfordshire, from which it is separated by the river 
 Thames, which forms its northern boundary: On the east it is bounded by the 
 parish of Sonning : on the south by the hamlets of Whitley and Southcot ; 
 and on the west by the parish of Tilehurst. Its latitude is 51° 25' N. and its 
 longitude 1** 0' W. being nearly four minutes later in time than London. 
 Authors differ so much in the etymology of its name, that it is become very 
 difficult, from that alone, to determine, who were its original founders. Cam- 
 den supposes it to have been of British original ; and Leland, by a forced 
 construction of the distances set down in Antoninus's Itinerary, conjectures 
 that the Romans had a station here called Pontes, but that its present name 
 was derived from the Saxons. The reverend Henry Beeke, D. D. F. A. S. in 
 a paper published in the Archslogia, for 1S07, from the Roman Itinerary of 
 Richard of Cirencester, asserts, that Reading was the ancient Caleva of the 
 Romans, from which name he derives the manor of Coley, near Reading. 
 Conjectures so very wide of each other, require some elucidation. The fol- 
 lowing disquisition therefore, if not entirely satisfactory, may at least furnish 
 a plausible solution of the difficulty :
 
 TOWN OF READING. 117 
 
 The opinion^ fliat the name was adopted from the British word redin. Chap. 
 signifyhig fern, was, I believe, first started by Camden, in his Britannia, who VII. 
 has been followed by most writers since his time, for no other reason that I 
 can conceive than the similarity of sound in the two words, which must be 
 allowed too vague to found any reasonable conjecture upon. It is certainly 
 true, that fern does grow in the neighborhood of the town, but not in such 
 profusion as to entitle it to the exclusive privilege of giving it its name. There 
 are very few places in England where this plant is not to be found, and there- 
 fore so common an occurrence cannot, I conceive, be admitted, as a decisive 
 proof, unsupported by other e\idences, either of its name or origin. 
 
 Julius Ca:sar, who wrote his Commentaries about fifty years prior to \\\e 
 birth of Christ, who was the first of the Romans that invaded this country, 
 and has left us the best authenticated account of the manners of the ancient 
 Britons, makes a distinction between the inhabitants of the coasts, and those 
 of the interior. The houses of the former, he says, were thickly scattered 
 about the sea side ; but makes no mention of any in the interior. What the 
 inhabitants called towns, were only thick woods surrounded by deep ditches, 
 whither they occasionally retired to avoid the incursions of an enemy.* Tiie 
 nearer we trace mankind to a state of nature, the more we shall be convinced, 
 that many refinements must be made, and wants created, before they can be 
 induced to form themselves into fixed societies. In the earliest ages of the 
 world, all mankind appear to have been herdsmen, and such were most pro- 
 bably the original inhabitants of this isiland, who, as Casar informs us, for 
 the most part, sowed no corn, but lived chiefly on flesh and milkf, a mode of 
 living better adapted to the roving nature of savage life, than to the inhabitants 
 of regular towns. We may, therefore, conclude, that, at the period above men- 
 tioned, the inhabitants of the interior were not so far civilized, as to have 
 built towns ; and consequently that this place could not be indebted for its 
 origin to them, prior to the invasion of the Romans ; and, from the state of 
 vassalage they were afterwards held in by their conquerors, there is little 
 reason to suppose they formed any settlement here during their government. 
 The wars carried on between the aborigines and the Romans, during so 
 many years, and the number of recruits from the natives annually sent to the 
 Continent, to fill up the vacancies in the Roman legions, must, under their 
 government, have greatly reduced their numbers, and rendered many parts 
 
 * Oppidum autem Britanni vocant, quum sylvas impeditas vallo atque fossa munierunt, quo, 
 jncursiones hostmm vitandae causa convenire consueverint, 
 
 t Interiores plerique frumenta non serunt, sed lacteet caine vivunt. — Casar's Comment iria.
 
 IIS TOWN OF READING. 
 
 of the country a desert ; many fled to the mountainous parts for safety, and 
 those who submitted, were generally incorporated with their conquerors, in 
 their military stations, or fixed their habitations as near to them as possible, 
 for the sake of affording; reciprocal assistance. Now, as no such place is 
 mentioned by any of the Roman writers, we may, I think, fiiirly conclude, that 
 the origin of Reading must have been subsequent to their departure in the 
 fifth century. 
 
 The number of bridges in this town, seems to have suggested to Leland, 
 the idea, that the place called Pontes (Bridges) in the Itinerary, was Reading ;* 
 this notion he endeavors to support, by supposing the number of miles, set 
 down in that work, between London and Marlborough, to be incorrect ; but 
 consequences formed from conjecture only, cannot be admitted as sufficient 
 evidences of (ruth. Had the Romans made a settlement here, some remains 
 of their buildings or coins,f would, at some time or other, have been dis- 
 covered; but as nothing of the kind has happened, nor any notice taken of such 
 a place, by their historians, it is evident we must look to another race of people 
 for the founders of Reading. 
 
 These I conceive to have been the Saxons, who 6oon after the departure 
 of the former conquerors of this country, were called in, by the effeminate 
 natives, to defend them against the attacks of their more ferocious enemies, in 
 the northern parts of the island. 
 
 It was customary with the Saxons to give names to their towns, and 
 villages, from some peculiar circumstance attending the spot, on which they 
 ■were built ; as Windsor, in Saxon, Windle-slioran, a winding shore ; so we find 
 Reading compounded of two Saxon words, rhe a river, and ing a meadow, 
 exactly answering to its situation on the banks of the Kennet, and surrounded 
 by meadows. And, although Leland supposes that this town existed in the 
 time of the Romans, yet he acknowledges that it derived its present name 
 
 • Pontes, numero plurali, &c. Pontes, in the plural number, is, as I conjecture, the town which 
 the Saxons called Radige, and Radyng, for thus I find it written in very ancient writings. Anto- 
 ninus makes mention of Pontes. Although the number of miles, expressed in the Itinerary, between 
 Pontes and London, does not agree with the distance of Radyng from London ; yet I have learned 
 from experience, that the numerals in Antoninus are incorrect. Besides the town of Alaunodunum, 
 now called Maidenhead, and Uxinum pontem and Colunum, in Saxon Colunbroke, by corruption 
 Colebroke, are of a more recent date, and therefore cannot refer to the ancient Ponies. And in that 
 place he only mentions cities and towns of note, of which, except Radyng, there are none between 
 Cunetione alias Marlebyri and London. — Ldand's Cygnea Cantio. 
 
 =+ Heme, in his preface to Leland's Collectanea, mentions some Roman coins found at Reading, 
 but adds ut fcrtur, therefore no stress can be laid on his assertion. " Et hie Radingi Bercheriensi 
 jrepertus erat, una cum aliis, ut fertur."
 
 TOWN OF READING. 119? 
 
 from the Saxons. Radynge, he says, " in my opinion, took its name, among Chap. 
 the Saxons, from the conflux of the two rivers. There is another place of this VII. 
 name on the banks of tlie river Limen alias Rother, which divides Kent from 
 Surrey. The river that intersects the town of Reading, was called by the 
 Romans Cunelio, and by the Saxons Kennet. It rises in Wiltshire, at the 
 bottom of a small hill, formerly thrown up for warlike purposes, called Selburo-. 
 From thence passing by Cimetionem (Marlborough) a celebrated town of that 
 name ; Speen, alias Neocia^ia, and Radynge, it falls into the Thames This 
 confluence of the two rivers contributes somewhat to the etymology of its 
 name, as does Cunetio, which passes through this ancient town. At the 
 pleasant village of Bere, it divides into two streams, the larger of which passes 
 under the bridge on the south side of Radynge, the smaller one, called the 
 Holy-brook, flows on the northern part of the town ; after which the two 
 streams unite in one channel. In their passage through the town, they form 
 several pleasant islands. Lastly, and which is an additional proof of the cor- 
 rectness of this derivation, the Saxons call a brook or river rhe, and sometimes 
 Hrie, from whence come Rhegate, that is the course of the river ; Overrhe, 
 beyond the river; Rheford, the ford of the river; Rhkhuie, a. town near a 
 river; Suderhe, on the south side the river; and from hence comes the 
 name of the county on the south side the Thames, Surrey." So far Leland, 
 And although his description of the Kennet is not quite correct, particularly 
 where he states it to branch off at Bere Court, which it certainly docs not ; 
 yet he clearly proves, that the name of the town is of Saxon derivation ; and 
 if so, it is most probable that our Saxon ancestors were the real founders 
 of the town. 
 
 As a further proof, it may be observed, that the names of all the villages 
 in its neighborhood, except Sylchester, at the distance of ten miles from Rea- 
 ding, which is acknowledged to be a Roman military station, are of Saxon 
 derivation. Thus, from f eld, a field; as Arborfield, Binfield, Burghfield, 
 Heckfield, Swallowfield, Stratfield, Warfield, Shinfield, Winkfield, and Engle- 
 field. From ha77i, home ; as Beenham, Caversham, Barkhara, Mapledurham, 
 Sulham, Wokingham, and Waltham. From hyrst, a wood ; as Hurst, Tile- 
 hurst, and Sandhurst. From leah, a pasture ; as Langley, Henley, Whitley, 
 Coley, and Hartley. From cote, a cot; as Woodcot, Southcot, Northcot, and 
 Calcot. From stacd^ a bank ; as Ashamsted, Berkhamsted, Sulhamsted, Finch- 
 amsted, and Hampsted. And many others ending in hoiirne, by the side of a 
 river; as Pangbourn : in grave^ the place of interment; as Wargrave, &c. 
 la addition to these observations, it may be noticedj that Asserius Mene-
 
 120 TO^yN OF READING. 
 
 vensis,* who flourished in the reign of Alfred, was the first writer that men- 
 tions Readinc'.f and that consequently it could not have existed long, prior 
 to the ninth century. 
 
 Should this conjecture be allowed, it may be necessary to examine, at what 
 period its foundation took place ? And here we shall find less difficulty ; for 
 though historians have been silent on this head, there are other circumstances 
 from which we may deduce a warrantable conclusion on the subject. 
 
 Cerdic, the first of the Saxon monarchs, who conquered a part of AVessex, 
 did not land on the Sussex coast till the year 495, and it was nearly fifty years 
 from this period before his successors penetrated to the Thames, and as it 
 cannot be supposed, that during the wars that attended their conquests, they 
 could have formed lasting settlements, we may infer that this town could not 
 have been founded prior to the seventh century. At which period I am the 
 more inclined to fix it, as it seems to have risen to some eminence prior to its 
 being seized by the Danes in the middle of the ninth century, which could not 
 have been the case iiad it taken place at a later period. 
 
 After the destruction of the town by the Danes, it was a long while before 
 it recovered its former consequence, for even so late as the Norman conquest, 
 the number of houses was very small, and even those few were in a dilapidated 
 state, as appears from the following extracts from Doomsday book : 
 
 " Rex tenet in dominio Radinges. Rex Edwardus tenuit in Radingcs 
 Hundred. Tunc et modo defendit se pro xliii hidis terras, est xl carucarum. 
 In dominio est una et lv villi et xxx bordarii cum lv caragiis. Ibi sunt iiii 
 molini de XXXV solidis, et tres piscarias de xiii solidis et *ex denariis, et cL 
 acrffi prati. Silva de centum porcis. De pastura xvi solidis et vi denariis. 
 Tempore Regis Edwardi et post valebat xl libris, modo xlviii libris. Rex 
 hnbct in Bin\s,o Radinges xxviii hagas reddentes iiii libras et iiii solidos pro 
 omnibus consuctudinibus. Tamen qui tenet, reddit c solidos. Henricus de 
 Ferreres habet ibi unam hagam, et dimidium virgata? terrse in qua sunt quatuor 
 acrs prati, valentes sex solidis. Godric vicecomes tenuit banc terram ad 
 hospitium, eodem Henricus tenet. 
 
 " Reinbaldus filius Petri episcopi tenuit unam hagara ibi quam trahebat 
 ad Erlei manorium suum, modo est in manu regis et valet xvi denariis." 
 
 " The king holds Reading in demesne. King Edward held in the hun- 
 
 Readingi, primus quod ego sciam, Asserius Menevensls, illustrem in annalibus suis mentionem 
 fecit. — Lcland. 
 
 + The orthography of this name has been frequently changed ; at first it was Rheadynge, then 
 Radynge, Reddin, and lastly Reading, according to the present manner of expressing it, which took 
 place about the beginning of the seventeenth century.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 131 
 
 dred of Reading. Then and now it defended itself for fifty three hides of Chap. 
 land.* There are forty carrucates. There are in demesne fifty five slaves ^^I* 
 and thirty cottagers with fifty five ploughs. There are four mills of thirty- 
 five shillings value, and three fisheries of thirteen shillings and six-pence, and 
 one hundred and fifty acres of meadow. A wood for one hundred hogs. In 
 pasture to the value of sixteen shillings and six pence. In the time of king- 
 Edward, and since- it was worth forty pounds, now forty eight pounds." 
 
 Thus far this extract from Doomsday Book seems wholly to refer to the 
 hundred of Reading ; what follows belongs to the town : 
 
 " The king has within the borough of Reading twenty-eight houses, 
 yielding four pounds four shillings annually for all customs. Nevertheless, he 
 that farms them pays one hundred shillings. Henry de Ferrers has there one 
 house and half a virgatef (fifteen acres of land,) amongst which are four 
 acres of meadow, worth six shillings. Earl Goderic held this land for hospi- 
 tality, for which purpose it is now held by Henry. 
 
 " Reinbaldus the son of Peter the bishop, held one house there, which 
 he has annexed to his manor of Erley ; now it belongs to the king, and is 
 worth sixteen pence per annum." 
 
 In this description of the tov/n, it is evident that only the king's demesne 
 is mentioned, except in one instance, which was appropriated to charitable 
 purposes. What other houses there were, cannot now be determined ; but 
 that there were more, is clear from the subsequent account, in the same book, 
 of the possessions in this town belonging to the abbey of Battel. 
 
 " Ipse Abbot (de la Batailge) tenet in Redinge ecc!esiam,;[; cum viir 
 hidis ibi pertinentibus. Leveva Abatissa tenuit de Rege Edwardi. Trnc 
 defendebat se pro viii, modo pro vii hidis terrje, et vii caragiis. In dominio 
 est, una et ix villi, et viii bordarii, cum v carragiis. Ibi sunt duo molini§ de 
 XL solidis, et duo piscarias et dimidium, de quinque solidis. In Radinges sunt 
 XXIX masurffi de xxviii solidis et viii denariis, et xn acrae prati. Sylva de v 
 porcis. De ecclesia in libris. Tempore Regis Edwardi valebat ix libris, et 
 post VIII libris, modo xi libris." 
 
 * The hide is a Saxon term, and means lOo acres of stiff land, or i 20 of light land, the quantity 
 one plough was supposed to work in a year. The carrucate was a Norman term, signifying the 
 same quantity. 
 
 + A virgate, or yard of land, was thirty acres. 
 J This was, no doubt, St. Mary's, being the oldest church in the town. 
 § It is very doublful what kind of mills these were; but it is probable they were only hand- 
 mills, as wind, and water mills must have been of a later date. 
 
 B
 
 122 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 " The abbot of Battel holds in Reading a church with eight hides of 
 land belonging to it ; Leveva the abbess held it of king Edward. At that 
 time it defended itself for eighty now for three hides of land^ and seven ploughs. 
 Tiierc arc two mills of forty shillings, and two fisheries and a half of five 
 shillin"-s. In Reading are twenty-nine houses in ruins, worth twenty-eight 
 shillings and eight pence, and twelve acres of meadow. A wood sufiicient to 
 feed five hogs.* The church is worth three pounds. In tlie time of king 
 Edward it was worth niue pounds^ afterwards eight pounds, but now eleven 
 pounds." 
 
 It is probable, from this extract, that the Conqueror endowed his newljr 
 erected monastery called Battelf Abbey, with the remaining possessions of the 
 lately destroyed nunnery here, including tiic church, consisting of three hides 
 or 360 acres, which, nearly corresponding with the extent of Battelf -farm, I 
 conceive the land here described must have been the same, and probably 
 received its present name from this circumstance ; though some imagine it 
 took its rise in the civil wars, in the reign of Charles I. 
 
 The present buildings are in general large and built with brick, inter- 
 mixed with a few lath and plaster ones, the remains of the sixteenth century. 
 These are in general low and ill-constructed, and were probably originally 
 covered with thatch.;}; They are easily distinguished by the gable ends being 
 turned towards the street, for the convenience of receiving lights in the attics ; 
 a mode of building universally adopted prior to the introduction of dormer 
 windows. 
 
 It appears from Speed's map of the town, published iu 1610, that although 
 
 • Acorns were thought of so much consequence, by the Saxons, for fattening hogs, that an 
 express law was made, by Ina, king of the West Saxons, for the preservation of the oaks on which 
 they grew, and the regulations of the pay, for each fat hog to the proprietor of the wood ; by which 
 it was decreed, that " a man, on conviction, for having felled a tree, whose branches would have given 
 shelter to thirty hogs, should be fined six hundred shillings ; and if a person received hogs into his 
 woods to fatten, if the fat was three fingers thick, he was to have every third hog ; if t\N'o fingers thick, 
 every fourth ; and, if one finger thick, every fifth. — Sammcs' Britannia. 
 
 + So spelt originally. 
 
 J Forasmuch as there are divers hovels, and thatched houses, builded within this borough, which 
 are verie daungerous if casualtie of fire should happen, neare to anie of them, which God forbidde : 
 Therefore it is ordeyned, by the assent of the whole companie present, that all such persons, as have 
 builded any hovell, or buildynge, in any place within this boroughe which shall bee thought by the 
 maior and burgesses to be inconvenient, shall forlhwithe take awaye all the thatch from suche hovells 
 or buildynges, and that no person or persons from henceforthe, shall erect or builde, any hovells or 
 buildynge within the precincts of this boroughe, except the same shall bee covered with tiles, without 
 the special license of the maior and burgesses, upon paine, that everie person which shall doe thft 
 contrarie, shall, for everie such hovell or buildynge forfeite fonie shillings."— Cor/<?ratttf« Diary,
 
 /'/ f; 
 
 srr.EB's MAP or keadi>'« i6!o
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 123 
 
 the streets covered the same space of ground as at presentj the houses were not 
 so numerous. Vastern-lane, Boarded-lane, Pigney-lane, Kate's-grove-lane, 
 Church-street, East-street, with great part of West-street, Seven-bridges, Horn- 
 street, Southampton-street, and Cross-street, besides most of the courts and, 
 entries were then only partially built on. 
 
 In the abstract of the population act, the number of births, burials, 
 and marriages, within the three parishes, during the last century, is given ia 
 the following table : 
 
 Yrs. 
 
 Baptisms. 
 
 Burials. 
 
 Marriages. 
 
 Marriages. 
 
 
 Males. 
 
 Females. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Males. 
 
 Females. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Yeats. 
 
 No. 
 
 Yean. 
 
 No. 
 
 1700 
 
 107 
 
 99 
 
 206 
 
 80 
 
 81 
 
 161 
 
 1754 
 
 54 
 
 1783 
 
 71 
 
 1710 
 
 84 
 
 89 
 
 173 
 
 114 
 
 132 
 
 246 
 
 1755 
 
 38 
 
 1784 
 
 74 
 
 1720 
 
 125 
 
 110 
 
 235 
 
 114 
 
 87 
 
 201 
 
 1756 
 
 57 
 
 1785 
 
 76 
 
 1730 
 
 119 
 
 96 
 
 215 
 
 118 
 
 128 
 
 246 
 
 1757 
 
 70 
 
 1786 
 
 75 
 
 1740 
 
 109 
 
 108 
 
 217 
 
 138 
 
 111 
 
 249 
 
 1758 
 
 81 
 
 1787 
 
 75 
 
 1750 
 
 130 
 
 108 
 
 238 
 
 89 
 
 106 
 
 195 
 
 1759 
 
 55 
 
 1788 
 
 78 
 
 1760 
 
 95 
 
 105 
 
 200 
 
 106 
 
 124 
 
 230 
 
 1760 
 
 66 
 
 1789 
 
 81 
 
 1770 
 
 124 
 
 121 
 
 245 
 
 101 
 
 92 
 
 193 
 
 1761 
 
 67 
 
 1790 
 
 84 
 
 1780 
 
 127 
 
 136 
 
 263 
 
 143 
 
 116 
 
 259 
 
 1762 
 
 70 
 
 1791 
 
 77 
 
 1781 
 
 142 
 
 110 
 
 252 
 
 120 
 
 93 
 
 213 
 
 1763 
 
 70 
 
 1792 
 
 90 
 
 1782 
 
 120 
 
 117 
 
 237 
 
 117 
 
 121 
 
 238 
 
 1764 
 
 66 
 
 1793 
 
 72 
 
 1783 
 
 125 
 
 122 
 
 247 
 
 149 
 
 129 
 
 278 
 
 1765 
 
 70 
 
 1794 
 
 65 
 
 1784 
 
 125 
 
 130 
 
 255 
 
 101 
 
 126 
 
 227 
 
 1766 
 
 44 
 
 1795 
 
 82 
 
 1785 
 
 132 
 
 142 
 
 274 
 
 118 
 
 149 
 
 267 
 
 1767 
 
 51 
 
 1796 
 
 72 
 
 1786 
 
 153 
 
 116 
 
 269 
 
 110 
 
 88 
 
 198 
 
 1768 
 
 53 
 
 1797 
 
 84 
 
 1787 
 
 164 
 
 126 
 
 290 
 
 125 
 
 106 
 
 231 
 
 1769 
 
 73 
 
 1798 
 
 60 
 
 1788 
 
 135 
 
 119 
 
 254 
 
 192 
 
 145 
 
 337 
 
 1770 
 
 66 
 
 1799 
 
 86 
 
 1789 
 
 133 
 
 146 
 
 279 
 
 118 
 
 111 
 
 229 
 
 1771 
 
 80 
 
 1800 
 
 81 
 
 1790 
 
 150 
 
 139 
 
 289 
 
 97 
 
 102 
 
 199 
 
 1772 
 
 64 
 
 
 1791 
 
 124 
 
 146 
 
 270 
 
 143 
 
 153 
 
 296 
 
 1773 
 
 40 
 
 
 1792 
 
 149 
 
 135 
 
 284 
 
 107 
 
 120 
 
 227 
 
 1774 
 
 56 
 
 
 1793 
 
 151 
 
 134 
 
 285 
 
 169 
 
 158 
 
 327 
 
 1775 
 
 81 
 
 
 1794 
 
 106 
 
 135 
 
 241 
 
 137 
 
 129 
 
 266 
 
 1776 
 
 71 
 
 
 1795 
 
 154 
 
 132 
 
 286 
 
 140 
 
 147 
 
 287 
 
 1777 
 
 77 
 
 
 1796 
 
 113 
 
 131 
 
 244 
 
 109 
 
 86 
 
 195 
 
 1778 
 
 78 
 
 
 1797 
 
 119 
 
 146 
 
 265 
 
 104 
 
 113 
 
 217 
 
 1779 
 
 84 
 
 
 1798 
 
 144 
 
 116 
 
 260 
 
 180 
 
 195 
 
 375 
 
 1780 
 
 93 
 
 
 1799 
 
 1S2 
 
 136 
 
 258 
 
 98 
 
 108 
 
 206 
 
 1781 
 
 66 
 
 
 1800 
 
 m 
 
 114 
 
 242 
 
 131 
 
 149 
 
 280 
 
 1782 
 
 76 
 
 
 r2
 
 124 
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap. In llic census taken in 1810, tlie number of baptisms, burials, and mar- 
 
 VII. riagcs, for the last ten years, was as follows : 
 
 Yrs. 
 
 Baptisms. j 
 
 i 
 
 Burials. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 
 Males. 
 
 Females. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Males. Females. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Nu. 
 
 1801 
 
 133 
 
 123 
 
 256 
 
 105 105 
 
 210 
 
 83 
 
 1802 
 
 140 
 
 121 
 
 261 
 
 137 142 
 
 279 
 
 97 
 
 180.S 
 
 137 
 
 149 
 
 286 , 
 
 131 
 
 126 
 
 257 
 
 111 
 
 1804 
 
 146 
 
 124 
 
 270 
 
 106 
 
 105 
 
 211 
 
 96 
 
 1805 
 
 140 
 
 129 
 
 269 
 
 100 
 
 107 
 
 207 
 
 \ 95 
 
 1806 
 
 151 158 
 
 309 
 
 141 
 
 129 
 
 270 
 
 1 110 
 
 1807 
 
 146 
 
 133 
 
 279 
 
 105 
 
 124 
 
 229 
 
 1 101 
 
 1808 
 
 139 
 
 131 
 
 2/0 
 
 131 
 
 129 
 
 260 
 
 107 
 
 1809 
 
 142 
 
 134 
 
 276 
 
 126 
 
 125 
 
 251 
 
 99 
 
 1810 
 
 151 
 
 139 
 
 290 
 
 137 
 
 125 
 
 262 
 
 111 
 
 From the daily increase of dissenters of all denominations from the esta- 
 blished church, many of whom baptize the members of their own community, 
 without having them registered by the ministers of the several parishes, it is 
 evident, that the above list of births cannot be relied on, in forming a calcu- 
 lation of the number of inhabitants at distant periods in the town, without 
 making an allowance for this deficiency. If, therefore, we add one third to the 
 number of births, iu each year, we shall probably come pretty near the truth. 
 
 " Dr. Halley found, from the state of the population of Breslaw, in 1690, 
 that 34000 inhabitants produced, on an average, every year, 1238 births, being 
 in the proportion of 27^ to one ; but other writers, particularly Messance, in 
 his Reclierclies sur la Population des generalites d'Auvergne, de Lyon, ^c. have 
 discovered, that taking the average from towns of the second order, suchas 
 Rouen, &c. it will be found to be as 28 to 1 ." ' 
 
 Taking therefore this datum of 28 inhabitants to one birth, and allowing 
 one third in addition to the number of births, in the foregoing table, the nura.« 
 ber of births at the several periods, will be nearly as in the following table : 
 
 A table, shewing the population of Reading, exery tenth year, from 1700 to 181Q.. 
 
 Yeaij. 
 
 Population. 
 
 Years. 
 
 Population. 
 
 Years. 
 
 Population. 
 
 Years. 
 
 Population. 
 
 1700 
 1710 
 1720 
 
 7690 
 6459 
 
 8773 
 
 1730 
 1740 
 17.50 
 
 8027 
 8101 
 
 888,5 
 
 1760 
 1770 
 
 1780 
 
 7467 
 9147 
 9819 
 
 1790 
 1800 
 1810 
 
 10789 
 
 9035 
 
 10827 
 
 * Recreations in Mathematics.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 125 
 
 The above numbers are, 1 believe^ nearly correct, though they may some- 
 times appear irregular, owing to the number of births in one year being less 
 than in the preceding one; whenever that is the case, it will be generally found 
 to be made up in the succeeding one, as in 1760, when the population appears 
 to have decreased, but this deficiency is made up in 1770; therefore taking the 
 average of these years, the result will shew a gradual increase. 
 
 The following are the returns made by order of the house of commons, 
 in 1800 and 1810, stating the number of houses and of the inhabitants under 
 their respective classes : 
 
 Return of the Population for 1800. 
 
 St. Mary. 
 St. Lawrence. 
 St. Giles. 
 * Whitley H. 
 
 Inhabited 
 Houses. 
 
 Families. 
 
 Uninha- 
 bited 
 Houses. 
 
 Males. 
 
 Females. 
 
 Families 
 £mplo}cd in 
 AgiicnltuTe 
 
 In Trade. 
 
 Others. 
 
 Total. 
 
 539 
 
 561 
 
 651 
 
 4 
 
 660 
 706 
 769 
 
 4 
 
 9 
 13 
 10 
 
 1576 
 
 1468 
 
 1598 
 
 13 
 
 1580 
 1702 
 
 1818 
 15 
 
 119 
 
 23 
 300 
 
 27 
 
 770 
 
 885 
 841 
 
 1 
 
 2267 
 2263 
 2275 
 
 3156 
 3170 
 3416 
 
 1755 
 
 2139 
 
 :i2 
 
 4655 
 
 511j 
 
 468 
 
 '^497 
 
 6805 1 9742 
 
 Chap. 
 VII. 
 
 Return of the Population for 1810. 
 
 St. Mary. 
 St. Giles. 
 St. Lawrence 
 WhitlcyHani 
 Southcot H. 
 
 Inhabited 
 Houses, 
 
 Families. 
 
 Uninha- 
 
 bitcd 
 
 Houses 
 
 Males. 
 
 Females. 
 
 Families 
 Employed ir 
 Agriculture 
 
 In Trade. 
 
 others. 
 
 Total. 
 
 • 
 
 662 
 
 672 
 
 611 
 
 49 
 
 6 
 
 754 
 
 760 
 
 767 
 
 51 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 15 
 
 8 
 3 
 
 1617 
 
 1587 
 
 1686 
 
 134 
 
 23 
 
 1884 
 
 2040 
 
 1974 
 
 126 
 
 22 
 
 49 
 14 
 91 
 41 
 2 
 
 538 
 
 629 
 
 428 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 167 
 
 117 
 
 248 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 3501 
 
 3627 
 
 3660 
 
 260 
 
 45 
 
 2()(A) 
 
 2.^39 
 
 32 
 
 5047 
 
 6046 
 
 197 
 
 1604 
 
 538 
 
 11,093 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pop 
 
 ulation 
 I 
 
 in 1800 
 icrease 
 
 9742 
 
 
 1351 
 
 The increase in the number of the inhabitants within the last ten years, 
 according to the above returns, is by much too large. For taking the average 
 annual increase, during the last century, according to the above table of the 
 population, for every tenth year, we shall find it to be 30 ; which for the last 
 ten years would give an increase of 300 only instead of 1351. 
 
 But this difference may be accounted for, by the incorrect manner in 
 
 * No notice is taken in the population abstract, published by order of the house of commcns, of 
 4he hamlet of Southcot.
 
 126 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap, whirh <lit census was at first taken, owing to its being: a new measure, and to 
 ^'11- the jealousy of some of the inhabitants, who suspected it was intended to lead 
 to some new system of taxation, and therefore diminished the real numbers 
 in their returns. But, from its being at length better understood, and more 
 caution having been taken in collecting the last returns, it is probable that 
 those are the most correct, and that the number of inhabitants exceeds, as 
 there stated, eleven thousand. 
 
 According to an account taken by order of Cardinal Pole^ in 1555, the 
 number of inhabitants of all descriptions in the town was only 2500, being in 
 St. IMary's parish 500, in St. Lawrence's 850, and in St. Giles's 500 * But 
 these being all round numbers, I am inclined to think no great strength can 
 be laid on their correctness, especially as the aggregate amount of the three 
 parishes, as here stated, is considerably under 2500, the number of the inha- 
 bitants given before, and that the real number of the inhabitants, at that time, 
 Avas nearer 4000; for I find, in 1600, the number of births was 168, which, 
 multiplied by 28, ( the number of dissenters being at that time very incon- 
 siderable^ will give a population of 470-1, which is nearer the truth, and cor- 
 responds nearly in proportion with the foregoing table for every tenth year. 
 
 It is evident, therefore, that the town has, for the last two or three centuries, 
 gone on gradually increasing, and, from tbe number of new buildings in every 
 street and avenue in the town, there is reason to believe it is still in a progres- 
 sive state of improvement, both in its extent and in the number of its population. 
 
 The site of the town is nearly in the form of an equilateral triangle, of 
 which Friar-street, on the north, may be considered the base. The eastern 
 side is formed by the INIarket-place, High-street, Duke-street, London-street, 
 and Sievier-street ; and the western, by West-street, the Butts, Seven Bridges, 
 Horn-street, and Southampton-street ; each of these sides have streets branch- 
 ing from them at right angles, as New-street on the east, and Castle-street on 
 the w«st, with other smaller streets, leading to different parts of the town, 
 covering in "the whole a space of about three miles and a half in circumference, 
 but the whole extent of the borough exceeds nine miles in circumference. 
 
 Beyond the limits of the borough, are the hamlets of Whitley, and 
 Southcot ; the former attached to the parish of St. Giles, the latter to that 
 of St. Mary. The inhabitants of these hamlets are not entitled to vote for 
 the members for the town, though they are assessed to both the church and 
 poor's rates of their respective parishes. An attempt was lately made by the 
 hamlet of Whitley, to obtain a separation from the parish, but without eftect; 
 and they continue, as before, a constituted part of the parish, with particular 
 rights, exemptions, and separate interests. 
 
 • Lyson's, from the Bodleian Library.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 127 
 
 In the year 1785, an act passed for the better pavings lighting, and watch- Chap. 
 ing the town, under the superintendance of certain of the inhabitants, who 
 are therein named commissioners, with power to levy a rate of six-pence in the 
 pound on all houses under twenty pounds per annum, encreasiiig to one shilling 
 in the pound for larger houses, which is the highest rate that can be levied. 
 Under the powers granted by this act, the town has been much improved ; 
 the streets are well paved and clean, the fronts of the houses better arranged, 
 and every part well lit, by lamps suspended in front of the houses, from Mi- 
 chaelmas to Lady-day.* This is not only a great convenience to the inha- 
 bitants, who may have occasion to be out in dark evenings, but is also in a 
 great measure a preventative to the commission of crimes and robberies. 
 
 These improvements were at first carried on by means of a voluntary 
 loan without interest, which has since been repaid by yearly instalments, and 
 of two annuities of forty pounds a year each, for lives granted to individuals : 
 these being still payable, have hitherto prevented the town from receiving 
 all the benefit it otherwise would, both in paving and watching, according to 
 the powers granted by the act for those purposes. 
 
 The old town-hallf having been found very incommodious for the pur- 
 poses for which it was appropriated, was taken down in 1786, and the present 
 elegant room erected over the free school, under the superintendance of Mr. 
 alderman Poulton. Adjoining the town-hall is the council-chamber ; a large 
 handsome roora^ in which the members of the corporation hold their courts, 
 
 * Among the luxuries and comforts of the present age, this of lighting the streets by means of 
 lamps, is not the least. It is uncertain when they were first introduced in this town, but it must have 
 been posterior to 1656, when we find the following entry in the Corporation Diary. " Upon the 
 petition of Richard Reddatt, bellman ; agreed, that he be allowed ten shillings for his pains, in warning 
 the inhabitants, to hang out lanthorns and candles in the dark nights." 
 
 In like manner, in 1 466, " the lord mayor of London ordamed lanthorns with lights to be hanged 
 out in the winter from hallontide to candlemass." — Stowe, 
 
 + On a stone tablet, fixed in the wall of the old town-hall, was the following inscription : 
 
 Auspiciis Caroli 2di Regis. 
 
 Curiam banc laBantem refeci 
 
 Augeri et ornari Curaverunt 
 
 Sumptu puBlico Praetor et 
 
 Decuriones hujus Municipii 
 
 Liberali ope Johis Blagrave 
 
 Armigeri non parum adjuti. 
 
 It appears, from this inscription, that the hall was at that time repaired at the public expence ; 
 
 but whether this was done by a subscription among the inhabitants, or by any other means, is uncertjiix ; 
 
 but there can be no doubt it ought, as in a recent instance, to have been at the expence of the 
 
 corporation.
 
 If28 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap, and transact all the private affairs of the community; and here the grand jury 
 *' !*• assemble, both at the assizes and quarter-sessions. In this room are preserved 
 the portraits of some of the principal benefactors to this town, as sir Thomas 
 ^Vhitc, queen Elizabeth, Mr. John Kenrick, and archbishop Laud. The lent 
 assizes for the county arc always* held here in the town-hall, which is fitted up, 
 vith convenient courts at each end, for the purpose ; and here also the quarter- 
 sessions for the county are held twice in the year. 
 
 The borough, being by its charter a county within itself, all offences com- 
 mitted within its limits, except capital ones, are determined at the town sessions, 
 which arc held four times in the year, at which the mayor, or his locum tenens, 
 assisted by the recorder, presides. 
 
 The mayor also holds a court of record every Wednesday, for hearing 
 and determining such complaints among the inhabitants, as are not of con- 
 sequence to be decided at the quarter sessions. 
 
 When the town sessions are held, thejurj'men are selected from among 
 the inhabitants ; but they are exempt from serving on the jury, cither at the 
 assizes, or quarter sessions for the county, even if held in the town ; neither 
 do they pay gaol money or county rates. 
 
 Even so far back as the reign of Henry III. this town was considered to 
 be distinct from the county, " for it was then judged upon computation that 
 xvL in Gaynz and xls. in the foreign hundred of Reading ought not to be 
 allowed the sheriff of Berkshire, because he had without them, enough in 
 assised lands to make up the full sum of the iody of the county, with vs. over 
 and above, "f 
 
 At the commencement of the last century, a person that had been robbed 
 in Southcot-lane, between sun and sun, sued the hundred for damages, and 
 having obtained a verdict, the sheriff of Berks assessed the borough for their 
 share of the damages, in common with the other parts of the hundred : 
 
 * Mr. Coates thinks, from a passage in one of lord Clarendon's letters to the lord treasurer, dated 
 in 1689, thanking him " forgetting the assizes to be kept at Abingdon," that both the assizes, prior to 
 this time, were held at Reading, but several instances might be adduced, of their having occasionally 
 been held at Abingdon, long before this period, and therefore the passage in question, could mean 
 nothing more, than to thank him for having got that fixed, which was before uncertain. While the 
 judges are here on the circuit, their expences aie defrayed by the corporation, without any limitation, 
 but formerly they were allowed " one mutton, one veal, three barrels of beer, one gallon of sack, and 
 one gallon of claret." — Corporation Diary, 164.O, 
 
 + Satis probatum est, quod vxL. in Gaynz et xls. in forinseco hundredo de Rading nondebent 
 allocari Vicecomiti ; quia sine illis habet Vicecomes in terris Assisis unde plene respondeat ad summam 
 
 Corpus Comitatusei v solidos plus.— McWior, II, H. 3. Rot, 10. Berks/lire, Maddox Hist, of the 
 
 Exchequer, page 652,
 
 i
 
 TOWN OF READING. 129 
 
 Whereupon the corporation resisted the payment, and the county justices Chap. 
 committed the constable of St. Lawrence's parish to the county gaol, for not VIl- 
 levying the fine; but, on the cause being heard at the assizes, a verdict ^Yas ^"*'^'"^*^ 
 given in favor of the town. 
 
 The corporation likewise rebuilt the High-bridge, of a light and elegant 
 construction, with stone,* in the room of the old wooden bridge, which was 
 often dangerous to the public, and at all times incommodious. 
 
 The alms-houses were also mostly rebuilt, or put into the best state of repair, 
 to the great comfort of the individuals who resided in them, as well as to the 
 credit of the members of the corporation, who thus judiciously expended the 
 funds entrusted to their care, instead of squandering them in their annual 
 feasts, which had been too much practised by their predecessors. 
 
 Here are three parish churches: St. Mary's, St. Giles's, and St. Law- 
 rence's, which we shall speak of hereafter ; and several meeting houses for 
 protestant dissenters. Among the principal of these, is the independant meet- 
 ing house in Broad-street, lately under the pastorship of the rev. Thomas 
 Noon, upon whose demise the rev. Archibald Douglas was elected preacher, Calvinists 
 by the unanimous consent of a respectable congregation. Tlie meeting-house 
 has been lately rebuilt, and enlarged, at a considerable expence, with the addi- 
 tion of a burial ground, by a subscription among the more wealthy part of the 
 congregation. It contains a numerous and respectable audience, and is well 
 adapted for the purpose. 
 
 The baptists are a numerous and respectable congregation. Their prin- 
 cipal meeting house has been lately much enlarged, and made more capable 
 of containing the members of this society, which seems daily increasing. Their 
 burial-ground is in Church-street. 
 
 The quakers, as a sect, are the only ones among the dissenters in Reading, q j. 
 who appear to be on the decline. Education, that great polisher of human 
 nature, may in some measure account for this change. The intellect, purified 
 and enlightened, by the study of the best authors, among the ancient and 
 modern writers, spurns at those fetters which the ignorance or fanaticism of 
 former ages have prepared for it, and prompts the younger members of this 
 religious society to rise superior to early prejudices, and boldly dare to think 
 for themselves. Another reason for this decline, may be given, from the stiff- 
 
 * On digging the foundation for the new bridge, the workmen discovered part of an ancient 
 pier, which, from the spring of the arch, shewed the original span to have been very small. This 
 fragment being too firmly cemented together, to be removed without great difficuhy, was worked into 
 the new one. From the smallncss of the span, it is probable the passage of the water in this place, 
 was, in the early ages, divided into small streams or brooks, and did not flow in one channel as at present. 
 
 S
 
 130 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 ncss of demeanoiv, and dress of the quakers, so uncongenial with the manners 
 and habits of the present age, but which has long been considered among the 
 discriminating marks of (he members of this society ; it is no wonder, there- 
 fore, if when these are laid aside, a change of religious opinions, in some mea- 
 sure founded upon them, should follow. Their meeting house, with the burial 
 ground annexed to it, is situated in Church-street, and held under a lease from 
 the corporation for ninety-nine years. 
 
 In addition to the above, may be enumerated the methodists, who have, 
 •'''in like manner, seceded from the established church, though they make use 
 of its liturgy, and the other offices appointed in the common prayer. They 
 boast of a stricter conformity to the tenets of our first rcforniers, than is ob- 
 servable among the regular clergy : but, if time is to be considered as the 
 criterion of religious orthodoxy ; if we are still to be tyed down to opinions 
 that were held in the dark ages, when the reformed churches first emerged 
 from the errors of popery, all the benefits derived from the invention of print- 
 ing, by which knowledge has been diffused, and all the labors of the learned, 
 since that time, have been thrown away. Their chapel is in Castle-street^ 
 built, from a plan by Mr, Billing, on the site of an ancient religious house, 
 lately the county gaol. This society does not support a constant preacher, 
 but is occasionally supplied with one from other congregations. Mankind are 
 in general delighted with novelty, and this, with their holding several calvin- 
 istic tenets in common with the other dissenters, occasions their chapel to be 
 very much crowded. 
 
 In Minster-street is another meeting-house, called Salem chapel, belonging 
 to a society of methodists, who have seceded from the chapel in Castle-street. 
 
 In London-street are two meeting-houses, one for the cudworthians or 
 disciples of Mr. Cudworth ; the other for the unitarians, but whether for arians 
 or socinians, I have not learned. 
 
 Here is also a catholic chapel, lately erected by some French emigrants, 
 in Vastern-lane ; And a newly erected meeting-house, for baptists, in Sievier- 
 street, built by subscription. 
 Lecture. '^''^ monthly lecture was established in 1618, in consequence of a letter 
 
 to the mayor and corporation, from the then bishop of Salisbury, requesting 
 " their assistance in promoting so necessary a measure ;" this they very readily 
 granted, and, as a further support to it, they soon after entered into the fol- 
 lowing agreement : 
 
 " It was agreed the 2d of September, 1628, that the lecturer shall have 
 two shillings and sixpence a day, every lecture day, paid to him that shall 
 provide his diet, and it shall be raised of this company, after the rate of six-
 
 TOWN OF READING. 131 
 
 pence per month, and every man shall pay from time to time a month's pay Chap. 
 before hand, and to the end it shall take effect, and hold to them, the company VII. 
 present have paid their sixpence a piece, which is just twelve shillings.'" ^— "V*- 
 
 The lecture was originally read weekly : but at present it is appointed to 
 be preached in the first Tuesday in every month. At first it was read at either 
 of the churches indiscriminately, but in 1624 the corporation ordered it to be 
 at the church of the parish, in which the mayor for the time being resided ; 
 and in 1650, it was fixed at St. Lawrence's church, where it still remains. 
 
 In 1653, Mr. John Webb, of Reading, gent, by will dated the 20th of 
 November 165,5, " gave to the corporation a rent charge of four pounds a year 
 on lands at Shinfield, (now in the possession of Mr. Body,) towards the main- 
 tenance of a weekly lecture at St. Lawrence's church for ever." 
 
 Among the public buildings in this town, may be reckoned the theatre, _ 
 which has lately been erected here, under the act of parliament past a few 
 years ago for the regulation of provincial theatres. The house is neat and 
 convenient, and capable of containing a numerous audience, but the exhi- 
 bitions are confined to a month or six weeks in autumn. At which time, a 
 respectable company attend, under the management of Mr. Thornton ; when, 
 notwithstanding the number of religious people in the town, who are enemies 
 to theatrical representations, the theatre is respectably attended, and the players 
 encouraged to exert their best endeavors to gratify the audience, by the exhi- 
 bition of some of our best plays. 
 
 Plays are acted in every respectable town in Europe, and are acknow- 
 ledged to have a greater tendency to polish the manners, improve the mind, 
 and form the character of a nation, than any other species of entertainment ; 
 and while the actors observe a proper decorum in performing their parts, and 
 a decency of behavior off the stage, they not only deserve the protection of 
 the legislature, but the encouragement of the public. 
 
 The town is very well supplied with water, as well from the river Kennet, 
 and its collateral branches, which pass through it, as from a great number 5j,j.,«frs 
 of wells, which have been opened in almost every street ; but, notwithstanding 
 their proximity to this river, it is the general opinion, that they derive their 
 waters from the Thames, though at a greater distance. This opinion may in 
 part be true ; because the former, in its way through the town, passes over a 
 bed of stiff clay, impervious to water, while the latter flows along a bed of 
 chalk, which eagerly imbibes it ; and, it may be observed, that in digging 
 wells here, whatever may be their depth, it is necessary to penetrate into the 
 
 • Corporation Diary. 
 
 s2
 
 132 TOWN OF READIXG. 
 
 stratum of chalk, before water can be procured. But, though the Thames 
 may be the grand reservoir, from whence our wells are principally supplied, 
 vet there can be no doubt, that in many parts of the town, they derive a partial 
 supoly of water from other sources, because it is a well known fact, that 
 the springs, in difierent parts of the town, possess very diSerent qualities, 
 which would not be the case, if they were all supplied from the same source. 
 This diO'erence in the quality, consists chiefly in the difterent degrees of hard- 
 ness, as it is termed, of the water, in some parts than in others. At the new 
 bridewell, I have been informed, the water is of so corrosive a quality, that 
 the cistern in which it is preserved, has been perforated like a sieve, three or 
 four times in the space of twelve years. The same phenomenon is observed 
 to take place all along the north side of Friar-street, while the pumps on the 
 south side arc only partially affected by it, as is the case in Broad-street, and 
 the north side of Minster-street, while on the south side of the same street, 
 the water in the wells is so free from any corrosive quality, that the leaden 
 pipes have remained, for a century, uninjured, as do those in Gun-street, 
 and on the south side of Castle-street, about half way up ; above which level, 
 and all along the north side of the same street, the water in the wells is found 
 to be more or less hard. As the water becomes more and more soft in the 
 wells, the nearer they approach to the Kennet, it is probable that they are in- 
 debted to this river for their greater degree of softness. This is easilv account- 
 ed for, from the difierent qualify of the water in the two rivers, ^hich no doubt 
 partakes of the soil through which they flow; that of the Kennet, from its 
 spring head to Reading, passing through a soil almost wholly composed of peat 
 and vegetable matter, must be of a softer nature than that of the bed of chalk, 
 which forms the stratum of the Thames, as well as the substance of those lofty 
 hills, under which it flov.s for the greater part in its course to Caversham, 
 and which, abounding with a sulphate of lime, probably impregnate the water 
 with the same corrosive quality. 
 
 The water in these wells having been found unfit for many household pur- 
 W ris P^^^^' recourse has been had to the waters of the Kennet, which, by means of 
 works erected in Mill-lane, are distributed to most of the houses in the town, 
 at a small expcnce. This necessary undertaking was planned in 1694, by Am- 
 brose Crowlev, Daniel Dcnnell, Edward Dvsou, and Richard Lowbrid^e, with 
 whom the corporation entered into the following agreement : 
 
 " 1st. They grant unto the aforesaid undertakers, a term of one thou- 
 sand years, quietly to enjoy the same. 
 
 " 2d. They shall have the liberty to employ their own men, to make and 
 mend the water-works, so as they do not become chargeable. 
 
 " 3d. They agree to quit, free, and excuse, as far as in them lies, the
 
 TOWN OF READING. 133 
 
 Vater-works, from all taxes and payments whatsoever^ except such as are im- Chap. 
 posed on them by act of parliament. VII. 
 
 " 4th. They engage to prevent all other persons from building any 
 engine, or water work, to serve any part of the town with water, during the 
 term aforesaid. 
 
 " 5th. The grant to be under the rent of five shillings per annum. 
 
 " 6th. The mayor, aldermen, and burgesses shall have liberty, in case 
 of fire, to open any of the pipes, for water to extinguish the same ; the breaches 
 to be repaired at the cxpence of the corporation. 
 
 " 7th. The said undertakers to be obliged to serve so many of the in- 
 habitants with water, as will agree for, and take the same. Times of repa- 
 ration, great frosts, and high floods excepted. 
 
 " 8th. That the undertakers shall lay a pipe to the Counter-house, with- 
 out rent or fine for the same, subject to all other agreements, and common 
 covenants, which are to be inserted in the tenants' leases. The pipes to be laid 
 at the Counter-house charge."* 
 
 Under the sanction of these clauses in their lease, the undertakers erected 
 a small engine in Mill-lane, on the mill-stream, having agreed with the pro- 
 prietor of the mill for one hundred superficial inches of water for the purpose 
 of turning the water w'leel ; but the supply from this machine was, for many 
 years, very inadequate to the demands of the town, owing to the imperfect 
 state of the engine, and the want of skill in the managers, as well to the defi- 
 ciency of the funds necessary for keeping the works in repair. The original 
 shares had, from time to time, been disposed of, at low prices, to individuals, 
 whose interest in the proprietaryship being small, gave themselves little trouble 
 in the management of the concern ; and some of the proprietors, or their heirs, 
 had even left the town, so that the works were daily getting more and more 
 inefficient, when, about the conmiencement of the present century, two respec- 
 table gentlemen of the town, having purchased the principal shares, immedi- 
 ately determined to improve the works, so as to make them answer all the 
 purposes required from them. Accordingly, they have erected, at a great 
 expence, an engine of much larger dimensions than the original one, and upon 
 an entire new principle, by which they are enabled to supply the most distant 
 and highest parts of the town with water, at a trilling expence to each inha- 
 bitant, who may wish to enjoy so great an accommodation, and with so much 
 regularity and certainty, that the supply is seldom interrupted, except in times 
 of floods and frost, which no human ingenuity can at all times provide for or 
 prevent. Their cistern is built on the high ground in Broad-street, and plugs 
 
 * Corporation Diary.
 
 131 TOWN OF READING, 
 
 are placed in all the principal streets, affording a ready supply of water when- 
 ever a fire breaks out in any part of the town. 
 
 It is surprising, considering the great profits the insurance offices make, 
 and the large sums that are annually remitted to London, for insurances here 
 from fire, that none of the wealthier inhabitants have hitherto instituted an 
 office, which might at the same time secure the property of individuals, and 
 promote the benefit of the persons insuring in it. 
 
 The advantages derived to this town, from a plentiful supply of water, in 
 case of fire, renders the risk so trifling, that if every person insured had a 
 proprietary interest, as is the case in the Norwich insurance office, the expence 
 Avould not amount to a tenth part of what it now does, as the greater part of 
 the premium would be returned at the close of the annual accounts. As it can- 
 not be to the interest of the offices to make known the sums they annually draw 
 from tliis town for insurance, it is impossible to say what the real amount may 
 be ; but taking the number of houses at 2000, and supposing them to pay, on an 
 average, for the value of the premises, and stock in trade, &c. only 15s. each, the 
 amount would be 1500/. per ann, which is something less than half the loss that 
 has been incurred, by this town, from fire, during the last 60 years, as appears 
 by the following list of fires, with the gross valuation of the damages : 
 In 1754 Six hop-kilns, two barns, and 26 cwt. of hops, £ 
 destroyed, in Sievicr-street, value . . 300 
 
 1755 A stable, granary, and one small dwelling-house, at 
 
 the Elephant, ..... 200 
 
 1756 A workshop, and two granaries, by the Abbey mill, 150 
 1774 One hay rick destroyed, and three damaged, at 
 
 Hocker's-green, . . . . 100 
 
 1785 A stable, work-shop, and one horse, in the Wharf, 100 
 1789 A work-shop, chaise-house, stable, and barn, at the 
 
 same place, .... 100 
 
 1791 A range of stables, and nine horses, in Castle-street, 400 
 
 1798 One house destroyed, and three others damaged, at 
 
 the entrance of the Forbury, . . . 800 
 
 1799 A work-shop, stable, soap-house, «&c. in the Market, 300 
 1802 A boat-house, shed, and about 20 tons of hay, in the 
 
 Wharf, 150 
 
 1804 A carpenter's shop, some deals, &c. in London-street, 150 
 
 A work-shop, and cottage, in the Island, , 100 
 
 1812 An outhouse, some cork, and a horse, in Friar-street, 100 
 
 1813 The lower part of a dwelling-house, in Oxford-road, 70 
 
 Total £ 3020
 
 TOWN OF READING. I35 
 
 It docs not appear that this borough ever possessed any very valuable Chap. 
 right of coramon; that at Portman's-brook, now erroneously called Potman's- VII. 
 brook, being the only one we have any certain knowledge of, and that only 
 from the following entry in the Diary ; the right itself having been lost beyond 
 the memory of man : 
 
 " The ninthe day of maie in the 20th yeere of our Soveraigne Lord Harry 
 the seventh, 1505, in the time of Thomas Carpenter then beinge major, this 
 acte and statute was made, by the assent and agreement of all the Comburgers 
 there, that every Burger shall have a daie to putte theirc kine into the lease 
 of Portman's-brook, tlie mundaie next before the feaste of Corpus Cliristi 
 (5 June.)" 
 
 It is remarkable, that this statute, as it is here called, was not solely an 
 act of the corporate body, but of all the comburgers (freemen of the borough, ) 
 who at least gave their assent to the measure, if it did not originate with them. 
 
 Though this brook is still in existence, it is difficult to say, on which side 
 the road this commonable land was situated. A tradition has been handed 
 down, among the lower class of the inhabitants, whose interest was most con- 
 cerned in it, that the Vasterns* formerly belonged to the town's people, and 
 as such, was used as a place for sports, by the junior classes; but, as I have 
 not been able to discover any foundation for this tradition, in any of the books 
 belonging to the corporation, I cannot say, how far it is founded in fact, 
 though I am rather inclined to think, the place here designated was on the 
 opposite side of the road, and what is now called the Hog Moors, which be- 
 longs to the corporation, who probably enclosed it, as lords of the soil, in the 
 civil wars, or soon after, which they might easily do, from its having made 
 part of the fortifications of the town, and consequently was become of less 
 consideration with the inhabitants. 
 
 Since the dissolution of the abbey, the Forburyf has been considered by 
 the inhabitants, as common ; for though this spot, with other of the abbe}- 
 lands, is let by the crown to private individuals, who consider it as freehold, 
 yet the town has a prescriptive right, not only to hold fairs in it, but to use 
 
 * If this word is a corruption of the old law term Vastum, a waste or common, as I conceive 
 it is, it very much strengthens this tradition. 
 
 + They say indeed Fauxbourg, corruptly for Forisbourg, as it WM anciently written by Froissart 
 and others (La bourg d: Four n'istoit anciennement qu'un Fauxbourg, quon apptUoit en Savoyard Bourg de 
 Four, c'est a dire Bourg de dehors), Histoire de la Fille de Geneve, par Jacob Upon ; who gives us likewise 
 from their aichives, the translation of it into Burgi foris. For the same reason, 1 suppose, a part of the 
 town of Reading is called the Forbury, t. e. without the town. 'Tooke's Diversions of Purity. 
 
 In confirmation of this conjecture of Mr, Home Tooke, it may be observed, that the Forbury 
 was always considered as being out of the jurisdiction of the magistrates of the town.
 
 136 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 it as a place of amusement^ and exercise. This right both the corporation and 
 the inhabitants have been ahvavs tenacious of preserving-. Even^ during the 
 confusion of the civil wars, when the rights of individuals were but little 
 regarded, we find by the following entry in the Diary, that the corporation 
 were not neglectful of their own rights, or the interests of the people : 
 
 " George Harrison acquainted the company, that colonel Hammond had 
 given orders to set up a gate and stiles, at the entrance into the Forbury, and 
 dcsireth to know, whether the company would forbid him : but was answered, 
 that he may set up a gate and stiles, so as he do in no wise prejudice the 
 liberties of the town, in the said Forbury, for if he do, the town will endeavor 
 to defend their liberties."* 
 
 Colonel Hammond had the command of the garrison in the abbey, at that 
 time, and was also governor of the town, under the parliament ; yet this, we 
 see, did not deter the corporation from a determination to support their right 
 to this favorite spot. 
 
 About two years afterwards, we find the inhabitants calling upon the 
 
 corporation for their assistance towards leveling the works which had been 
 
 thrown up in the Forbury, for the protection of the garrison, to the end " the 
 
 fairs might he kept, and the inhabitants of the toivn enjoy their privileges, 
 
 us formerly."^ 
 
 Shortly after this, Mr. Harrison, who had been so cautious as not to exe- 
 cute colonel Hammond's orders, without acquainting the corporation with 
 them, took the liberty of building on some part of the Forbury, on his own 
 account, without giving them any notice of his intentions, or of his right so to 
 do ; whereupon they ordered the sergeants " to remove all his wood, and to fill 
 in his ditches, and besides, to forbide his building any more there, that the 
 fairs might be kept without interruption."' 
 
 From these instances, it appears, that the corporation were principally 
 desirous of preserving the right of holding fairs in the Forbury, while the 
 inhabitants were equally anxious to secure their former privileges. These 
 indeed were not openly disputed, till 1776; at which time, the reverend John 
 Spicer, then master of the free school, conceiving that the public use of this 
 place was originally confined to the keeping of fairs in it, and that the privilege 
 claimed by the junior classes of the inhabitants, of playing at cricket and 
 other exercises, was an encroachment on the rights of the lessees under the 
 crown, determined, if possible, to put a siop to the practice, though it had 
 been sanctioned by an uninterrupted enjoyment of more than two hundred 
 
 Corporation Diary. "* Ibid. ' Ibid.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 137 
 
 years, and accordingly published the following advertisement, which appeared Chap. 
 in the Reading Mercury, on the 6th of June this year : VII. 
 
 " Whereas, the pasture land, in the outer court of the abbey, called the 
 Forbury, and subject to the public use, only, during the continuance of the 
 fairs, as recited in the charter of queen Elizabeth and king Charles the first,* 
 to the corporation of Reading, though many persons have erroneously asserted 
 it to be common to the inhabitants in general, at all times of the year ; and, 
 whereas the said Forbury has been improved at great cxpence, with the view 
 of ornament, and doing credit to the town, and such intention is frustrated, 
 by persons playing there at cricket, to the great annoyance of passengers, and 
 damage of the pasture; all persons so offending, are desired to forbear such 
 practices for the future, or their pretended claim will be disputed in due course 
 of law, by me, John Spicer." 
 
 In consequence of the above advertisement, a meeting of the inhabitants 
 was called, to consider of the best means of defending their right to the use 
 of the Forbury, when upwards of one hundred respectable tradesmen signed 
 a resolution, " to defend any one or more persons who might be prosecuted for 
 playing there, either by Mr. Spicer or any other person." They also agreed to 
 take the opinion of counsel, as to the legitimacy of their claim ; which being an- 
 swered in favor of the town, they advertised a cricket-match to be played in the 
 Forbury in the following week. This was numerously attended, every well-wisher 
 to the town, conceiving it a duty to support the public right to this favored spot, 
 and was done with the intent to give that gentleman an opportunity of bringing 
 the matter to trial ; but as he did not think fit so to do, they appointed a committee 
 of three gentlemen, to wait on John Blagrave, esq. one of the lessees under the 
 crown, to know, if he objected to the youths of the town playing in the For- 
 hury ? who replied, " that he had no objection to their playing, provided they 
 asked it as a matter of favor :" this they refused to do; and added, " that, 
 if he would try the matter in a court of law, the gentlemen who had attended 
 the meeting were determined to defend the liberties of the town." 
 
 In consequence of this spirited conduct of the inhabitants, no further 
 opposition was made, either by Mr. Blagrave or Mr. Spicer ; and the young 
 people have ever since, uninterruptedly enjoyed the privilege of playing in the 
 Forbury, as before, till the present year, (1813) when the following anony- 
 mous hand-bill was circulated in the town : 
 
 * The reverend gentleman, on tliis occasion, was not very scrupulous in asserting what he knew 
 to be a falshood ; for whatever may be the powers in tins respect granted by queen Elizabeth, it is 
 certain that no mention is made of the Forbury, in that of Charles I.
 
 138 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 " Whereas^ several acts of mischievous aggression have lately been com- 
 mitted on the narrow part of the Forbiiry, rented for the use of the grammar- 
 school, with manifest injury to that establishment ; it is with great reluctance^ 
 but from absolute necessity, that notice is liereby given, that whosoever shall 
 trespass on that ground will be prosecuted, — June 9, 1813." 
 
 In consequence of this notice, the inhabitants, friends to the prosperity 
 of Reading, called a meeting at the council-chamber, on the AVednesday fol- 
 lowing, at six o'clock in the evening, for the purpose of taking into conside- 
 ration the propriety of adopting some measures to preserve as heretofore, with- 
 out infringing on the privileges of the borough, part of the Forbury for the 
 use of Reading school, and, by timely interference, prevent, if possible, any 
 appeal to the courts of law. 
 
 Though this meeting seems to have been called by the friends of the school, 
 who wished that the part commonly used by the scholars in their amusements 
 might be preserved to them, at the same time infringing as little as possible on 
 the privileges of the inhabitants, yet the numbers that attended, being decidedly 
 of opinion, that in giving up one part of the Forbury would only be opening 
 the door to further encroachments on their rights, and might hazard the 
 loss of the whole, came to the following resolutions : 
 
 " Reading, July 18, 1813. 
 
 " Resolved, 1st. — That the inhabitants of this borough have an esta- 
 blished right to walk, exercise, and divert themselves, in and upon the Forbury, 
 and every part of it, at their free will and pleasure, without the interruption 
 or disturbance of any person whomsoever ; and that they have, from time im- 
 memorial, used and exercised such right. 
 
 " Resolved, 2dly. — That Reading school has never had an exclusive 
 right to any part of the Forbury. 
 
 *' Resolved, Srdly. — That a subscription be forthwith opened, to support 
 and defend the rights of the inhabitants, against any attempts that may be 
 made to deprive them of the same. 
 
 " W. BLANDY, Chairman." 
 
 It now remains to be seen, should the author of the above hand-bill put his 
 threats in execution, whether the corporation, as they are bound to do, will, in 
 the words of their predecessors, determine to defend tlie liierties of the town ; 
 or whether the inhabitants at large, will be left to protect their right io 
 the use of the Forbury, handed down to them unimpaired by their ancestors : 
 in either case, there can be no doubt of the ultimate success of their cause, 
 founded on a prescriptive right of more than two hundred years, and fre- 
 quently asserted with success, both by the magistrates and the inhabitants.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 139 
 
 A public library has lately been instituted by some of the principal inha- 
 bitants of the town and neighborhood, under the title of the Reading Insti- 
 tution. The shares, as first subscribed, were purchased at thirty pounds each, 
 but a fresh call has since been made. With the sum thus raised, a house was 
 fitted up at the entrance into the Forbury, with reading rooms and other con- 
 veniences for a library, and a residence for the librarian. This institution is -''^■^'^^"■* 
 in a flourishing state, and promises to be of the most essential benefit to the 
 inhabitants, who, at a small expence, are enabledj by reading most of the best 
 authors, both ancient and modern, with which the library is already stored, to 
 become not only useful but enlightened members of society. 
 
 Among other useful institutions in this town, the dispensary, lately esta- 
 blished in Chain-lane, is not the least beneficial to the poorer classes of society, Dispen- 
 who are supplied with medicines, gratis, under the direction of the medical *^'i/- 
 gentlemen of the town, who attend the dispensary daily, for the purpose of 
 prescribing for the poor such medicines as the nature of their cases may re- 
 quire : an act of benevolence the more meritorious, as most of them have very 
 little time to spare from the more profitable employment of visiting their own 
 patients. The house is the property of the corporation ; and tbe expences 
 of the medicines, and other charges, are paid by a voluntary subscription. 
 
 After the dissolution of the monasteries, and other religious houses, the 
 poor, who had before been supported by the charitable provision made for Poor. 
 them by the founders of those places, were reduced to the sad necessity of 
 depending on the frigid hand of voluntary charity, scantily held forth,* for 
 that support, which their age or infirmities entitled them to expect from the 
 humane and charitable. But this uncertain mode of relief being soon found 
 inadequate to their wants, and encreasing numbers, occasioned the passing 
 of an act of parliament, in the 31th of queen Elizabeth, appointing overseers 
 to superintend their conduct, and to relieve their necessities, by a rate to be 
 levied on the parishioners in their respective parishes. Though this measure 
 was become highly necessary, at the time, and, from the distresses of the poor, 
 was loudly called for by the nation, it unfortunately laid the foundation of that 
 system of poor's laws, which is now become so burthensomc, and ruinous, to 
 the middling class of parisliioiicrs, in all parts of the kingdom. 
 
 The mode of assessment, at first adopted, was, by what was called a 
 ■week's pay, the value of which varied according (o the size, or opulence of 
 the parish, and accordingly a greater or less number of weeks' pay, like the 
 
 * The sum collected for the poor in St. Mary's parish, from charitable donations, in 157?, was 
 only thirty-nine shillings. 
 
 T 2
 
 140 
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap. 
 VII. 
 
 Roman months in Germany, were raised wiiliin the year, io supply the wants 
 of the poor. The amount of one week's pay, in St. Mary's parish, in this 
 town, appears to haA'e been at first about twenty shillings. This was raided 
 among the inhabitants, who were divided into four classes, in the following 
 ratio : The first paid two pence, the second three half-pence, the third one 
 penny, and the fourth one half-penny. It is probable, that at first, the num- 
 ber of weeks pay to be raised within the year was fixed at twelve, making 
 about twelve pounds per annum, for the maintenance of the poor in St. Mary's 
 parish.* This number of weeks soon began to encrease, at first by slow 
 degrees, but afterwards very rapidly, as will appear from the following table 
 of assessments, taken, every tenth year, from the parish registers, till the present 
 mode of assessment, by a pound rate, was adopted : 
 
 Years. 
 
 1047 
 
 1657 . 
 
 1607 
 
 lG77t 
 
 1687 
 
 1697 
 
 Weeks Pay. 
 
 Years. 
 
 2i 
 
 1707 
 
 40 
 
 1717 
 
 63 
 
 1727 
 
 156 
 
 1737 
 
 208 
 
 1747 
 
 338 
 
 1757 
 
 Weeks Pay. 
 286 
 
 . 338 
 312 
 
 . 442 
 364 
 
 . 547 
 
 The great increase in the number of weeks pay for the last year, was 
 probably the reason of their adopting the present mode of assessing the inha- 
 bitants, by a pound rate on lands, houses, and stock in trade, in the proportion 
 of two thirds on houses, and the full amount of the rate on lands. Of late 
 years, these assessments have been increased considerably, by the payment of 
 the parliamentary allowances, to the wives and families of militia men, while 
 absent from the town on duty, and for bounties for substitutes, to the following 
 amount in 1812 : 
 
 on land, on stock. 
 
 s. d. s. d, 
 
 10 6 2 6 
 9 3 
 6 3 
 
 On Jioiiscs. 
 
 s. d. 
 
 St. Mary's, 7 
 
 St. Lawrence's, 6 
 St. Giles's, 4 2 
 
 Amount of rate. 
 
 I. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 3789 
 
 11 
 
 6 
 
 2579 
 
 11 
 
 4 
 
 2616 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 Total of one year, £ 8985 3 H 
 
 * In the year I607, the sum levied for the use of the poor, was ijl, I2s. 5d. 
 
 + In 1674, the churchwardens and overseers of St. Mary's parish, alarmed at the rapid increase 
 
 of the rates, made an order, " that any person receiving strangers into their houses, and not giving security 
 
 to the parish, within forty days, their taxes should be doubled." And, strange as it may appear, this 
 
 order was enforced in I676, on Richard Landers, who, for this offence, was obliged to pay the penalty.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 14J 
 
 So much and so rapidly lias this burthen encreased on the inhabitants, the Chap. 
 industrious part of whom are, by this mode, obliged to maintain the idle and "^H- 
 profligate members of society, as well as the aged and infirm. 
 
 This subject has attracted the attention of so many able writers, that it 
 IS unnecessary, in this place, to enter largely upon it. I shall only, therefore, 
 observe, that were a proper discrimination made, in the distribution of the 
 public money, so that none but real objects of charity should be supported, 
 and the price of labor be regulated by that of provisions, the poor would be 
 prompted to industry, and encouraged to lay up a small annual sum for their 
 future support, instead of looking, as they now do, to that wretched asylum 
 for indigence, a parish workhouse. 
 
 One of the principal causes of the great increase of the poor-rates, of 
 late years, is, I have no doubt, owing principally, to the low price of labor, in 
 proportion to the high price of all the necessary articles of life. Give a man 
 an adequate reward for his labor, equal to the support of an honorable inde- 
 pendence, and he will spurn at the idea of relief from the parish, if volun- 
 tarily offered, as an insult to that spirit of freedom which the poor, equal to 
 the rich, inherit from nature.* 
 
 That the present price of day labor is greatly disproportioned to the high 
 prices of provisions, is, I believe too evident to be controverted ; but, if any 
 doubt remains on the subject, the following statement of the prices of both 
 labor and provisions, in 1558, prior to the passing of the acts for the relief 
 of the poor, compared with those of the present time, must satisfy every un- 
 prejudiced person. 
 
 * Though there is no poor's tax in Scotland, there is not a people in the world among whom real 
 objects of compassion find readier protection and assistance. To the honor of the lower class of the 
 Scotch, they th;nk it disgraceful to beg, and even to accept the smallest charitable donation. They 
 therefore, for the most part, pursue their different paths of industr)', as long as they are able to crawl 
 about, and subsist rather upon the private bounty, however scanty, of their nearest relations, than make 
 their wants known to the parish. It is only re?.l and urgent necessity, that obliges the humblest Scot 
 to accept the elemosynary contributions of his countrymen, which are not compulsory, but voluntary. 
 When the late lord Kinnoul retired from public life in England, to his paternal estate in Perthshire, he 
 was astonished to find there was not one pauper in the parish. The collection at the church doors on 
 Sundays, was either sent to other parishes, or laid out at mterest, as a growing fund for contingencies. 
 His lordship, sole proprietor of the parish, struck with this circumstance, recommended to the kirk 
 session, to distribute the weekly contributions among poor cottagers. Of these, however, there was 
 not one who would accept a shilling ; and at last, when it was offered in the form of flax, to poor, but 
 industrious women, they did not accept it without hesitation and reluctance. 
 
 This sense of honor among thi lowest people in Scotland, is a powerful restraint on dissipation, 
 and an incentive to industry ; while it is justly remarked, that the parliamentary provisions for the 
 poor in England, encourage idleness, insolence, and debauchery, and increase the load of taxation 
 on the industrious and sober part of the nation. — A'ewtc's Tour in Scotland, 1/85.
 
 142 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Tradesmen and mechanics, from the nature of their employment, being 
 generally collected, in large towns, in great numbers, have opportunities of 
 combining together for the purpose of compelling their employers to raise the 
 price of their labors, which accounts for the wages of this description of 
 persons being at all times equal to, if not surpassing, the average price of 
 provisions : but day laborers, who are seldom collected in great numbers, and 
 consequently have no such opportunities, are compelled to labor for a sum 
 scarcely adequate to support a miserable existence. We shall, therefore, con- 
 fine our comparison to this useful but neglected description of persons. 
 
 In 155S, the wages of a day laborer was 6(1. per diem, or 3s. per week; 
 with which sum might be purchasedj for his week's consumption. 
 
 Half a bushel of wheat. 
 Fourteen pounds of meat, . 
 Seven pints of strong beer, « 
 
 One pound of butter. 
 One pound of cheese, . 
 Other articles, . ; 
 
 In 1813, the wages of a day laborer, 2s. per diem, or 12s. per week : if there- 
 Tore he were to purchase the same articles now, the sums would be as follow : 
 
 Half a bushel of wheat, at 118s. per qr. 
 Fourteen pounds of meat, at 9d. . 
 Seven pints of strong beer, . 
 
 One pound of butter, . • 
 
 One pound of cheese, . 
 
 Other articles, . , 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 H 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 s. 
 
 (I. 
 
 7 
 
 4i 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 I 
 
 9 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 1 1 7i 
 
 This therefore is nearly the proportionate price a day laborer sbould now 
 receive for his week's work, to put him on the same footing with his own 
 class, before the establishment of the poor rates. 
 
 Were the legislature, instead of attempting to amend and improve, as it 
 is called, the poor's laws, to abolish the system, and to establish, in their stead, 
 a more just and adequate rate of wages, a very great beuefit would be derived
 
 TOWN OF READING. 143 
 
 to all classes of the commuuity : the poor, for whose benefit they have inef- Chap. 
 fectually been adopted, would be emancipated from their present degraded VII. 
 situation ; and the industrious tradesman, who now contributes to their sup- 
 port, be relieved from a burthen that threatens the ruin of many who con- 
 tribute to their relief. 
 
 There are, we may venture to say, very few, that would refuse to give up 
 all their claims on the parish, if their pay were advanced in proportion. 
 
 The legislature, aware that the wages of the laboring poor were inade- 
 quate to the maintenance of their families, has authorized the parish officers 
 to pay a weekly sum to each individual, in proportion to the number of his 
 children, which, in some instances, more than doubles their earnings. Would 
 it not therefore be more advisable, to give him the same sum at once, as the 
 price of his labor ? as, by thus freeing him from the degraded state of depen- 
 dance on others, you would thereby stimulate him to greater exertions for the 
 support of himself and family.* In this case, however, it would be neces- 
 sary, perhaps, to guard against that thoughtlessness, and want of foresight, so 
 natural to man in every station of life ; and, this cannot better be done, than 
 by forming the poorer individuals of each parish, into benefit clubs, under the 
 guardianship and control of the principal inhabitants. To these clubs, every 
 individual who gains his bread by daily labor, should be induced to pay a small 
 weekly sum, to be set apart for his use, in time of age or infirmity. By this 
 means, they would receive all the benefit arising from these institutions, with- 
 out the disadvantage of spending additional sums, on club nights, and annual 
 feasts, which, on the present plans, are a great drawback on the benefits ex- 
 pected to be derived from these otherwise useful institutions. 
 
 The increase of the annual expences for the support of the poor of the 
 three parishes, in the year 1726, suggested to some of the principal inhabitants, 
 
 * Nothing can be more partial and unjust, than the present mode of levying this tax indis- 
 criminately, when connected with the supplying the deficiency in the wages of the laboring poor. 
 —For instance, a person engaged in a large manufactory, or a gentleman raising a spacious build- 
 ing, instead of paying their workmen the full value of their labor, sends tliem, at the end of the 
 week, to the parish officers, to make up the deficiency required for their sustenance, which must 
 be levied on the parish at large, who are very little interested in the success of the one, or the 
 ostentation of the other. In like manner, among farmers, the proprietor or renter of five hundred, or 
 a thousand pounds per annum, who employs a number of day laborers on his farm, receives back, by 
 their weekly allowance from the parish, all that he may have paid to his propo rticn of the poor's 
 rate, while housekeepers, tradesmen, and even little farmers, who, with the assistance of their families, 
 perform all the drudgery of their small concerns, have no means of remunerating themselves from the 
 pro.'^uce of the rates, which they are obliged to pay, to the benefit of the overgrown farmer, on whom 
 the burthen ought principally to fall.
 
 144 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap, the idea of incorporating them into one body, and, as the Oracle was at that 
 ^11' time ill part unoccupied, that building-, with the consent of the corporation, 
 was fixed on for the receptacle of the united poor, and the following articles 
 of agreement entered into, and signed by the respective officers of each parish : 
 
 " Articles of agreement, had, made, and concluded the 13th day of June, in 
 the 12th year of the reign of our sovereign lord George, by the grace 
 of God, &c. between the church-wardens and overseers of the poor of 
 the parish of St. Lawrence, in Reading, in the county of Berks, of the 
 first part, and ihc church-wardens and overseers of the poor of the parish 
 of St. Mary, in Reading aforesaid, of the second part, and the church- 
 wardens and overseers of the poor of the parish of St. Giles, in Reading 
 aforesaid, of the third part. 
 " Whereas, a certain house, called the Oracle, in the parish of St. Mary 
 aforesaid, is agreed upon by the parties to these presents, to be the house and 
 place for maintaining and keeping their poor people. And, whereas the fitting 
 up the said house, for the necessary reception of the said poor, and the pro- 
 viding beds, bedding, clothes, and all other necessaries and implements, for the 
 keeping, maintaining, and employing the said poor people, will be a consi* 
 derablc charge to the parishioners of the several parishes. 
 
 " And it being the intent and agreement of the parishioners of the said 
 three several parishes, that such charges, and expeuces, should be born and 
 paid, in equal proportions, according to the number of poor people of each 
 respective parish, who shall be placed in the said house, by and from each 
 respective parish, there to be kept, maintained, and employed, for the benefit, 
 advantage, and ease, of the parishioners of the parish to which such persons 
 do respectively belong ; and that separate and distinct accounts, be for those 
 purposes kept by a proper person, who shall have the care of such poor people. 
 For that end it is agreed, and concluded, by and between all the parties to 
 these presents, for themselves, and for the respective parishioners of each 
 parish, to which they belong, in manner following, viz. 
 
 " That a proper person shall be elected and chosen, by the parties to these 
 presents, to be the master and governor of such poor people, so to be kept, 
 maintained, and employed, in the said house, under such rules, orders, and 
 regularities, as shall be approved of, by the parties to these presents, and their 
 successors from time to time, and that such master shall have such salary and 
 allowances, as shall be aareed upon by the parties to these presents, to be paid 
 in such manner as shall be for that purpose also agreed upon. 
 
 " That the said house shall be fitted up with beds, bedding, cloathes.
 
 TOWN OF READING, 145 
 
 brewing utensils, and implements of brewing, and all other necessaries, of what Chap, 
 nature or kind soever, and also all such necessaries, as shall be agreed upon 
 by the parties to these presents, for employing the said poor people, shall be 
 forthwith provided, for the keeping, maintaining, and employing, such poor 
 persons, and that the same shall be paid for in manner aforesaid, by the parties 
 to these presents, out of the rates made, or to be made, for the relief of the 
 poor of the respective parishes. 
 
 " And it is further agreed, that the respective officers of each parish, 
 sball forthwith provide fifteen bedsteads a-piece, to be placed in the said house, 
 for the reception of the poor of each respective parish. In witness, &c." 
 
 In consequence of this agreement, the parishes of St. Mary and St. Law- 
 rence sent in their proportion of furniture, with their respective poor,* but 
 that of St, Giles refusing to send their's, for reasons not at present known, 
 but probably owing to the alarm excited among the poor from the commence- 
 ment of the measure, this economical plan was dropt. 
 
 During the short time this establishment lasted, it seems to have been 
 conducted with great order and regularity : The poor who were able to work 
 were employed in spinning of flax for the sail cloth manufacturers, cotton for 
 candle-wicks, washing, and the necessary duties of the house. There was 
 besides a school established in it, where the children were taught to read. 
 
 When any persons were to be admitted into the house, they were obliged 
 to bring an order from the mayor, or a justice of the peace belonging to the 
 corporation, and signed by the church-wardens and overseers of the parish 
 to which they belonged, and their names, age, and parish were entered in an 
 alphabetical register. If found necessary, they were new clothed, at their 
 admission, and properly cleansed, to prevent the beds and bedding being 
 infested with vcrmine. 
 
 A committee, of the most respectable inhabitants of the two parishes, 
 met, every Friday, at the house, to regulate their affairs, to hear complaints, 
 and to redress grievances, whose proceedings were regularly entered in a book 
 kept for (hat purpose. Once a fortnight the accounts of the house were regu- 
 larly audited, and passed, and the quota of expences adjusted to each parish. 
 Prayers were read to the poor every morning, Sundays excepted, to all v. ho 
 were able to attend ; and on that day, they attended morning and evening 
 service at their parish churches. 
 
 * The following list of persons sent into the house, from the parish of St. Lawrence, forms a 
 just criterion of the persons deemed, at that time, fit to partake of parish relief; 
 
 " Sixteen aged, one natural child, four widows, fourteen orphans, one idiot, one lunatic, and one 
 lame, in all thirty-eight." At present there are upwards of 100 in each of the three work-houses. 
 
 U
 
 146 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap. On the whole, the regulations adopted on this occasion^ appear to have 
 
 ^i^- been calculated^ both for the advantage of the poor, who were the immediate 
 oinects of them, and of those who were to contribute to their support ; and 
 if persevered in^ must have been attended w ith great benefit to the town, as 
 bj uniting all the poor under one roof, much regularity and order would have 
 been produced in the expenditure of the public money, and many of the pre- 
 sent sources of extravagance avoided. The same habitation, the same oflSccs, 
 the same utensils, would have served for all ; and the accommodations aft'orded 
 by the Oracle, would have been competent to any number that could have 
 been sent into it. 
 
 Some gentlemen, well informed on the subject, are still of opinion, that 
 a union of the three parishes should be again resorted to, as the best means, 
 with economy, of reducing the poor's rates ; and such a measure, if we may 
 judge by the success of it in other places, would, no doubt, be highly bene- 
 ficial, if conducted on different principles from what have, for a long course 
 of years, been invariably adopted in each distinct parish. 
 
 Perhaps the plan of appointing standing overseers in each parish, might 
 be adopted with advantage. The present system of nominating new overseers 
 annually, is attended with great disadvantages, as it rarely happens that the 
 gentlemen, thus as it were rapidly succeeding each other, have time to learn 
 the necessary duties of their office, (among which a perfect knowledge of the 
 characters of the poor, who apply for relief, is not the least) before they are 
 succeeded by others, who are to perform the duties of the office, without being 
 in the least acquainted with the routine of the business. 
 
 The appointment of a standing overseer has long been adopted in St. 
 Giles's parish, with such success, under the discreet management of Mr. 
 Harvey, who was elected into that office by the parishioners, that the rates in 
 that parish have been considerably reduced, and are now little more than two 
 thirds of their amount in the other parishes. 
 
 The names of many of the streets having been changed in the course of 
 years, their ancient and present appellations will be found in the following list : 
 
 New-street, now called Friar- street. 
 
 Chapcll-hill, Town's-end, - Friar's-place. 
 
 Old-street, - .i Horn-street. 
 
 Wode-street, - - St. IMary's Butts. 
 
 Lurkman's-lane, . - Hosiers'-lanc. 
 Cattlc's-grove-lane, - Kate's-grove-lane.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 147 
 
 Orte-lanc, - 
 
 The Ortes, 
 
 Orte Bridge, 
 
 Town Ortes, 
 
 Rudden-lane, 
 
 Sievyer-street,* - 
 
 Tute-hill, - 
 
 Yield or Guild-hall, 
 
 Sun-lane, - 
 
 Cheese-rewe and Fish-rewe,f 
 
 Rotten-rewe,J 
 
 Shoemaker 's-rewe. 
 
 The Sanctuary, - 
 
 Gutter-lane, 
 
 Hythe Bridgc,§ 
 
 Back-lane, - 
 
 New-street. 
 
 Watlington's-lane. 
 
 Blake's Bridge. 
 
 Boult's-wharf. 
 
 Red-lane. 
 
 Silver-street. 
 
 North end of Minster-street. 
 
 Hill-hall. 
 
 King-street. 
 
 Fisher-row. 
 
 West-street. 
 
 East side of the Market-place. 
 
 South side of Crown-lane. 
 
 Cross-street. 
 
 High-bridge. 
 
 East-street. 
 
 Chap. 
 VII. 
 
 Ray mentions, in his Synopsis, a curious plant, called the man-orchis, ,^ 
 found in the meadows near Reading ; this plant is very rare to be met with, Ujctoru 
 but, if I am not misinformedj has been lately found by Mr. Thomas Lamb, a 
 surgeon of this place. 
 
 Peat abounds in almost all the meadows to the south-westward of the 
 town ; but being supposed inferior in quality to that found in the neighbor- 
 hood of Woolhampton, very little use is made of it. Mr. John Stephens, of 
 this town, lately opened a pit in one of liis grounds, for the purpose of pro- 
 curing peat-ashes; but the prejudices were so great, among the farmers, in 
 favor of the Woolhampton ashes, that the attempt was found not to answer 
 the purpose. 
 
 * The sieve-makers street. 
 
 + Before the cheese-fair was removed to the Forbury, it was held in this street, and all the cheese 
 sold, was obliged to be weighed in the town-scales, kept in the wool-hall, now Mr, Farrcr's dwelling- 
 house, to the passage eastward. This street was also appropriated to the sale of fish and gardenage, 
 as appears from the following order, made by the corporation, in the 31st of queen Elizabeth : 
 
 " It is this day agreed, by the company present, that all kind of boatmen, as do use this town, 
 shall bring all kind of fish, which they do bring, into the cheese-rewe, alias fis.h-rcwe, except it be all 
 shell-fish, and as for roots, onions, and such like, they maie sell them in their boate, paving toll therefore." 
 
 X Rewe, derived from the French word, rite, has been corrupted into row, but improperl)', as the 
 latter is only applicable to a single line of houses. 
 
 § From the Saxon word hjthr, a wharf, 
 
 v2
 
 148 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 In dig2:ing for the peat in Mr. Stephens's ground, the workmen found 
 two white rats ; one of which thev caught, and hrought to Mr. C. Toovev, of 
 this town, who kept it several months till it was become partially tame, when 
 it escaped frouj if.M prison, and was irrecoverably lost. It was perfectly white, 
 with red eves, and something smaller than the common rat ; but whether a 
 new species, or only a variety, I must leave to naturalists to determine. 
 
 At a place called Plum's-grove, adjoining the boundary of the corpo- 
 ration, in digging sand, the workmen discovered several balls of clay, called 
 lu«us helmontite : these balls were of several sizes, forming a shell of about 
 an inch in thickness, in which was enclosed a nucleus of a black friable matter, 
 in appearance like the filings of iron. 
 
 But the greatest natural curiosity discovered here, is the stratum of sea- 
 sand, af the depth of about twenty yards from the level of Bob's-mount, in 
 Kate's-grove-lane. In this bed of sand, are found a great number of oyster- 
 shells, intermixed with small sharp pointed fishes' tectli. These shells, though 
 perfect when taken out of the ground, if not dried by a slow fire, are apt to 
 crumble to pieces in a short time ; but with this precaution they may be kept 
 many years. How they came to be deposited in this place, it is, at this time, 
 impossible to discover with certainty ; and little depcndance can be placed on 
 the theories, however ingenious in their construction or application, which 
 have been formed, to account for those phenomena, which have for ages been 
 concealed in the bowels of the earfli. 
 
 By one of these theories, it has been conjectured, that the shells in ques- 
 tion were overwhelmed by the hill above them, at the time of the flood : a 
 supposition that has been found very convenient for deciding many difficult 
 operations of nature, of which our confineil knowledge can afford no better 
 solution ; but, great as the power of WMtcr is, I cannot conceive it equal to 
 the task it is here required to j)crform. That the dry land was covered with 
 water, we are assured from the best authorifjj ; but it does not therefore 
 follow, that the sea afterwards became dry land ; but supposing it might, in 
 some particular places, this will not account for its former bed being buried, as 
 in this instance, under so large a mass as this hill evidently is, and to which 
 this phenomenon is not exclusively confined ; for the same appearances are 
 discovered on digging wells in a north west direction from this spot, as on the 
 top of Castle-street, and at a fiirm-house in Pig's-green, in the parish of Tile- 
 hurst, where the stratum could no further be traced, from the extent of the 
 hill which rises at this place, and from its height, which prevents the earth
 
 TOWN OF READING. 149 
 
 from being explored to a sufficient depth to determine its continuation.* From VII.* 
 the observations aheady made, it appears certain, that this stratum of sea-sand 
 abounding with ojster-shells, extends much further than is generally supposed 
 and is more likely to have been the ruins of another world than the decom- 
 position of this.f We may therefore say with the psalmist, 
 
 " Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord I 
 *' And thy ways past finding out." 
 
 • Among the different theories on this subject, the following, from the Natural History of Oxford- 
 shircj printed in 1677, is perhaps the most extraordinary : 
 
 " Reading having been a town of very great action, during the invasion of the Danes, who 
 cutting a deep trench cross, between the Kennet and Thames, and inclosing themselves, as it werej in 
 an island, held it against king Ethelred and Alfred his brother, a considerable time, from whence, in 
 all probability, the Saxons having removed their cattle, 'tis likely that they might be supplied by their 
 navy with oysters, which, during the time of the abode of the army on land, might be very suitable 
 employment for it : Which conjecture, if allowed, there is nothing more required to make out tlie 
 possibility of the bed of oysters coming thither, without a deluge, but that Catsgrove was the place 
 appointed for the armies repast".— Plot's Oxfordshire. 
 
 + On digging a wcU at J. E. Liebenrood's, esq. at Prospect-hill, in Tylehurst parish, at a very 
 great depth from the surface of the hill, the workmen came to a large block of stone, which being with 
 difficulty removed, they found under it a vast quantity of cockle-shells, on a layer of sea-sand : this 
 seems to have been on a level with the shells above mentioned, and which may confirm the idea, that a 
 large mass of extraneous matter had at some time overwhelmed this spot, in the direction above-- 
 mentioned.
 
 n^own of Reading. 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 Chap. X HE trade of Readlns", owina: to its situation on the conflux of two navi- 
 
 VTTT . 
 
 gable rivers, has, from the most distant period, been very considerable. The 
 
 woollen manufactory, in particular, to which, in some measure, it owes its 
 present consequence, was established here soon after its first introduction into 
 this kingdom by Edward I, in whose reign one Thomas Cole is said to have 
 amassed a very considerable fortune in it, for the time in which he lived.* 
 
 Mr. Kendrick, who was afterwards a great benefactor to this town, was 
 another instance of the success which has attended the manufacturers of Rea- 
 ding, in this branch of business. This gentleman is said to have kept one 
 hundred and forty looms in constant cniplov, whereby several hundred laborers, 
 such as pickers, sorters, carders, spinner?, weavers, dyers, teazers, «S:c. were 
 comfortably maintained. This trade kept encreasing here, till the reign of 
 Charles I, when it appears to have been considered of so much importance to 
 the kingdom at large, that during the civil war in that reign, the governor 
 having summoned all the clothiers of the town to appear at the town-hall, 
 informed them, that " his majestic granted them full libcrtie to trade to Lon- 
 don, Avithout let or molestation of his majestic or any of his armies, and de- 
 sired them to obtain the same libertie from the parliament."' After which, 
 owing to the shock it had received during the civil war, and to the means pro- 
 vided by Mr. Kendrick for its encouragement and support, but which unfor- 
 tunately had a contrary eflect, it gradually declined, till the beginning of the 
 eighteenth centur}-, or soon after, when it was entirely lost.f 
 
 * Mr. Thomas Cole, born in Berksliire. was commonly called the rich clothier of Reading. He 
 is reported to have been a man of vast wealth, maintaining one hundred and foity menial servants, 
 ■besides three hundred people, whom he set on work, insomuch, that his wains with cloth filled the 
 highway from Reading to London, to the stopping of the king in his progress, who gratified this 
 cmment clothier Cole, with a standard yard, the length of his arm. — Historical Dictionary l6g2. 
 
 + Jan. 6, 1719! a petition was presented to the house of commons, from the mayor, aldermen, 
 burgesses, and clothiers, drugget-makers, &c. of the borough of Reading, in behalf of themselves and 
 •several thousands depending upon them. — Votes of ih Commbns. 
 
 • Corporation Diar)'.
 
 I'l.,^ 
 
 \-\ 
 
 KENBii-ICK, 
 
 ^/''?r/// ///r r^///M/// r// ///r ( r/f//r// ( //a////r/
 
 TOWN OF READING. 151 
 
 As the building now called the Oracle, was eventually the cause of the Chap, 
 failure of this manufactory here, it may be necessary to give some account of VHI. 
 it in this place, which we shall do, after making a few observations on its 
 present appellation, the incongruity of which must have struck every one who 
 has attended to its present appropriation. 
 
 Mr. Coates, in his History of Reading, supposes it to be derived from 
 Oriolum, a word used by Matthew Paris to designate a porch or entrance, 
 and as there is a large gate-way* to the Oracle, he conjectures it took its name 
 from this particular. In confirmation of this opinion, he quotes Cowcl, who 
 supposes that Oriel college, in Oxford, might derive its name from some such 
 room, or portico, or cloyster. How far the latter may be right in this deri- 
 vation, I cannot say, but it is certain the disproportioned, and rude gate-way 
 leading into the Oracle, could not have been of sufficient consequence to have 
 given a name to the whole building, even, if we could suppose that the mem- 
 bers of the corporation, at its building, had looked into the history of a bar- 
 barous Latin author, which nobody reads, for a name by no means appropriate 
 to the use of the house, and that they afterwards corrupted it into Oracle, 
 which has only the two first letters of the original word in its composition. 
 
 The difficulty in this case, I conceive, arises wholly from the mistaken 
 orthography of the name, which was probably given to it accidentally, from 
 the principal ingredient used in the dying business ; for though the Oracle 
 was intended for the convenience of carrying on every branch of the woollen 
 manufactory, yet it was more particularly so for the business of dying ; many 
 of the weavers being allowed to have looms in their own houses, but were 
 obliged to bring all their cloth to be dyed at the Oracle, 
 
 Among the articles principally used in the dying business, as then prac- 
 ticed, was a drug originally brought from the Canary islands, called Orchal, 
 but imported into this country from Italy, where it was called Oricello, in 
 Latin Oricola ; from either of which, I presume the Oracle might derive its 
 present name. This drug was thought of sufficient consequence to claim the 
 attention of the legislature, as appears from several statutes that were passed 
 
 -* 
 
 It is plain that Matthew Paris did not mean the word Oriolum to signify the gateway itself, but 
 rather a hall or room adjoining it. His words are, nid in rcjcctorio vd oriolo, cum sociis sids prandent : 
 (unless he should dine with his companions in the refectory or oriolum.) And so, in another place, 
 he says, Ut non in injirmaria, Si'd seonim in oriolo, monachi infirmi carnem comedercnt : (that the sick 
 monks should not dme in the infirmary, but a-part in the oriolum :) From both which passages, it is 
 plain, he did not mean a porch or entrance, but an eating loom; and so he explains it himself, ia 
 another place, where he says, AdjacU ainum nobilissimum in intruku, quod portxus wl oriolum appdlatur, 
 (At the entrance is a most noble hall, which is called the porch or onolura.j
 
 152 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 in different reigns concerning it.* It was of such general use, that there can 
 be no doubt, but large quantities were stored up in some part of the building, 
 which might be called the Orchal-house, and from the frequent use made of 
 the term, be afterwards applied to the whole of the building. This is the more 
 probable, as from whatever cause it arose, it is certain the name now given 
 to it, was wholly accidental, it having, for nearly a century after its erection, 
 been called in the corporation books, the work-house, and so it is styled in 
 archbishop Laud's decree. 
 
 This building is erected on the angle that divides Minster-street from Gun- 
 street. It is of a quadrangular form, inclosing a square court, the longest sides 
 of which are about one hundred and fifty feet, and the shorter, one hundred. 
 The entrance is in the centre of the west front, facing Gun-street, and consists 
 of a square gateway, on the sides whereof are two ionic columns, erected on 
 very slender disproportioned pedestals. In the centre, between the capitals, is 
 a niche, probably intended to receive the statue of the founder; but for what 
 reason this mark of respect was not fulfilled, we have not been able to learn. 
 The two folding oak doors, that enclose the entrance, are loaded with orna- 
 ments. On the left hand leaf, is carved the image of a lion, supposed to be 
 Mr. Kendrick's arms ; and on the right, I. K. 1628. On the right of the gate- 
 way, within the quadrangle, are some alms-houses, and on the south side are 
 the work-shops, formerly occupied by the dyers ; this part is built on a narrow 
 slipof land, which is bounded on the north by the Holy-brook, and on the south 
 by the Back-brook ; the remainder of the quadrangle consists of work-shops, 
 and on the south-side, behind the buildings, is a large plot of ground, formerly 
 used as a tenter-ground and garden. The whole was exceedingly well adapted 
 for the purposes for which it was intended, and might have been of considerable 
 advantage to the trading inhabitants of the town, had the funds intended for 
 its support, been properly administered. 
 
 This building was erected in consequence of the following clause in Mr. 
 John Kendrick's will, in which he bequeathed the sum of seven thousand five 
 hundred pounds, to the mayor and burgesses, in trust, for the benefit of the 
 town, out of which they were to purchase " to them and their successors for 
 ever, a fair plot of ground within the town of Reading, or the liberties thereof^ 
 
 * Orchal, mentioned in the statutes of Richard III, Henrv VIII, and Edward VI, seems to be 
 a kind of cork, or rather stone, like alum, which dyers use in their colors. — Jacob's Law Dictionary. 
 
 Others say, it is a kind of moss, growing in the Canaries, called by the Spaniards OrchxUa j but 
 whether it was a vegetable or mineral, all agree, that it was used in dying a blue color; and the trifling 
 difference in the sound between Orchal, and Oracle, leaves little room to doubt, but that the latter is 
 a corruption of the former, and, as such, has given the present name to this building.
 
 TOWN OF READING. I53 
 
 and thereupon to build a strong- house of brick, fit and commodious for setting Chap 
 the poor to work therein ; or else shall buy and purchase such an house, being VIII. 
 already built, if they can find one already fitting, or that may, with a reason- 
 able sum, be made fit for the said use. The said house to have a garden 
 adjoining, and to be from time to time kept in good and sufficient reparation, by 
 the said mayor and burgesses, for the time being for ever.'" 
 
 It appears, from the chamberlains' accounts, that this sum was appropriated 
 in the following manner : 
 
 For land in North-street, and for ground to build the £. 
 
 house upon ---_-__ 1900 
 To Mr. Blagrave, for a garden - - - _ 32 
 
 Amount of several items for building the house 1846 
 
 Stock employed in the work-house - _ - 3600 
 Goods bought of Mr. Kendrick - - - _ 122 
 
 For Mr. Kendrick's picture - - _ _ 5 
 
 £ 7505 
 
 Though the money thus devised, was for the sole use of the poorer class 
 of manufacturers, yet the greater part of it was soon appropriated by the 
 members of the corporation, or disposed of among their friends in the cloathing 
 line, who being enabled, from the capitals they thus possessed, to undersell their 
 competitors in the same line, occasioned such discontents among the inhabit, 
 ants,* that, in the fourteenth year of Charles I. they exhibited the following 
 English bill of information, by sir John Banks, his majesty's attorney-general, 
 against the mayor and burgesses, and one James Winch, to whom they had 
 lent, out of this charity, the sum of twelve hundred pounds, on insufficient 
 security : 
 
 " Carolus, Dei gratia Anglije, Scotia;, Francia;, et Hibernise Rex, Fidei 
 Defensor, &c. 
 
 " Whereas, sir John Bancks, knt. his majesty's attorney-general, did 
 heretofore exhibit an English bill of information into this court, against the 
 mavor and burgesses of the town of Reading, in the county of Berks, and 
 an-ainst James Winch, and the mayor, comonally, and citizens of the city of 
 Londouj thereby shewing that John Kenerick, late citizen and draper of Lon- 
 
 * In 1631, one William Treacher was committed to the Compter, for saying, " He vviihed tha 
 money paid for building the Work-house were thrown into the nver,"-^— Corporation Diary, 
 
 * Appendix C.
 
 134 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 don, deceased, (amongst others, his pious and charitable works, intending the 
 "•ood and benefit of the said town of Reading, being the place of his birth, 
 and for the continuance and increase of cloathing and other trades, and the 
 help and furtherance of clothiers and other tradesmen in that town,) by his 
 last will and testament, bearing date the nine and twentieth dav of December, in 
 the year of our Lord God, one thousand six hundred and twenty four, amongst 
 divers other legacies, did give and bequeath to the mayor, burgesses, and 
 corporation of the said town of Reading, the sum of seven thousand five hun- 
 dred pounds, to buy and purchase land, of the clear yearly value of fifty 
 pounds bv the year, above reprises. 
 
 " AVhich sum of fifty pounds a year should be paid, by the said mavor 
 and burgesses, and their successors, to the overseers of the said town, for the 
 time being for ever. 
 
 " And by them the said overseers for the time being, should be bestowed 
 and distributed to, and amongst the poor people of the said town, for ever, 
 according to the necessity of the several persons. 
 
 " And if the same should be bestowed contrary to his meaning, or omitted 
 and neglected, and not performed, for the space of one whole year, tiien the 
 said sum of fifty pounds a year should, by the said mayor and burgesses, and 
 their successors, for the time being, for ever, be paid unto the treasurer of 
 Christ's hospital, in London, and by the governors of the same hospital em- 
 ployed to the relief of the poor children of the said hospital, or else the said 
 mayor and burgesses should convey the said land io the mayor and comonalty, 
 and citizens of London, for the use of the said hospital, to be employed as 
 aforesaid. 
 
 " And, that the will and njeaning of the said Mr. Kenerick was, that the 
 said mayor and burgesses, of the said town of Reading, with another compe- 
 tent part of the said sum of seven thousand five hundred pounds, should buy 
 and purchase unto them, and their successors for ever, a fair plot of ground, 
 within the town of Reading or the liberties thereof. 
 
 *' And, thereupon should erect and build a strong house of brick, fit and 
 commodious for the setting of the poor in work therein, or some other house 
 already built for the said use, with a fair garden adjoining, to be from time to 
 time kept in good reparation, for ever, the same to be occupied by such as the 
 said mayor and burgesses, from time to time, should appoint, for the employing 
 and handling of the stock of money by him thereby left and devised to that 
 purpose. 
 
 " And that the said land, and house and garden, being purchased as afore- 
 said, with parcel of the said seven thousand five hundred pounds, then the
 
 TOWN OF READING. 155 
 
 whole residue and remainder of the said sum of seven thousand five hundred Chap. 
 pounds should make and be a common stock, to be employed in trade of VIII. 
 clothing, working of wool, hemp, flax, iron, grinding of brazil wood, and 
 other stuff, for dying or otherwise, as to the said mayor and burgesses afore- 
 said, and their successors, for ever, should seem convenient, for the employment 
 of poor people, and for the preservation and increase of the said common stock. 
 
 " But if the said mayor and burgesses, or' their successors, should neglect 
 to perform the premises according to his said will, or should misemploy the 
 said stock, contrary to his true intent and meaning, and such neglect or mis- 
 employment should continue at any time for the space of one whole year 
 together, then the whole legacy of seven thousand five hundred pounds to be 
 utterly void, and of none effect, as to the said mayor and burgesses, and their 
 successors, and as to the uses before expressed. 
 
 " And that the said whole common stock should be by them, the said 
 mayor and burgesses, for the time being, forthwith paid unto the mayor and 
 commonalty, and citizens of the city of London, according as is before devised. 
 
 " And, as well the said lands, as also the house and garden to be pur- 
 chased, should, by the said mayor and burgesses, be conveyed by their deed, 
 sufficient in law, unto the said mayor and commonalty, and citizens of London, 
 and their successors, for ever, to the like use of Christ's hospital, in London, 
 as aforesaid. 
 
 " As, by the said last will and testament, amongst other things therein 
 contained more at large, it doth and may appear. 
 
 " Further shewing that shortly after the making of the said will, the said 
 John Kenerick died, and the said sum of seven thousand five hundred pounds 
 was paid, by the executor of the said will, unto the mayor and burgesses of the 
 said town of Reading, for the time being, for the uses and purposes in the 
 said will expressed. 
 
 " And that the said mayor and burgesses, finding, that in case of any 
 mis-employment of the said legacy, or stock of money, the said gift unto them 
 to be void, and the benefit thereof wholly transferred over to the mayor and 
 commonalty, and citizens of tiie city of London, for the benefit of Christ's 
 hospital, have, in that respect, for fear of committing a forfeiture of the said 
 legacy, tied themselves strictly to the employment of the said stock, to the very 
 letter of the said will. 
 
 " And with part of the said sum of seven thousand five hundred pounds, 
 which remained over and above what was bestowed in the purchase of (he 
 lands, of the yearly value of fifty pounds, have built or purchased a work- 
 house, with a garden adjoining to it, and furnished the same with implements 
 
 X 2
 
 156 TOWN' OF READING. 
 
 Chap, for clothing, and have diverted the said sums, or stock, in the hands of several' 
 Vlll. persons (that is to say), into the hands of the defendant, James Winch, the 
 sum of twelve hundred pounds, or thereabout?, and to divers other persons, 
 whose names are as yet unknown to his majesty's attorney-general, and have 
 appointed those persons to employ the said stock in the said houses, who, by 
 that means are enabled to pay dearer rates for their stock, than other poor 
 clotliiers of the said town can aQord to give, and to sell their cloth at lower 
 rates than the rest can afford to sell at, whereby they have got into their hands 
 the greatest part of the trade of the said town, especially of clothing, and all 
 the rest of the clothiers of that town, which is the greatest number, are for 
 the most part of the poorer sort, and for whose benefit the said legacy was 
 principally intended, are much prejudiced and impoverished, and are likely, by 
 this unequal division of the said stock, to be driven out of their trades. 
 
 " And by this means there are not so many clothes made in the said town, 
 by near a third part, as were before the legacy was given, and those worsen 
 wrought than formerly they were wont to be, which turns to his majesty's 
 great loss in his customs, and to the decay of trading in that flourishing town, 
 which is utterly against the mind of the said testator, and the scope and 
 intention of his will. 
 
 " And some of the sureties who became bound for part of the said stock, 
 upon the delivery thereof, are grown weak in their estates, whereby the said 
 stock may in time be lost and diminished. 
 
 " Further shewing the right honorable the lords of his majesty's privy 
 council taking notice of this great and bountiful gift to the said town, and 
 of the ill consequence which had happened, and were likely to grow more and 
 more, by the employment of it iu manner as aforesaid, and finding it fit in 
 point of state, that some course shall be set lor the remedying of these in- 
 conveniences. 
 
 " Thereupon their lordships desired the most reverend father in God, the 
 lord archbishop of Canterbury's grace, to take consideration thereof, who, upon 
 examination of the matter, and upon great advisement thereupon, had made 
 certificate to their lordships, iu these words following :" 
 
 " My lords, 
 " I have, according io your direction, taken advice with Mr. Attorney, 
 and INIr. Solicitor, and Mr. Recorder of London, about Mr. John Kendrick's 
 will, and his great and charitable gift to the town of Reading, for the benefit 
 of clothiers, and other trades, and do therefore propose to your lordships aa 
 foUowcfh :
 
 TOWN OF READING. 15? 
 
 " I find that the stock of Reading, besides the fifty pounds per annum, 
 which is already applied to the right use,* consisteth in two things, a gross 
 sum of money, and a \vork-house,f for the future employment of it. And, 
 before any thing be done in either, I think it necessary that there be a 
 remission from the city of London,]; from their pretences, by breach of any. 
 condition in the will, and an assent from the town of Reading, 
 
 " For the first, which is the sum of money, I find it confessed, that the 
 town makes fewer cloths now than it did before this great stock was giverv 
 unto it. So the trade decays by the abuse of this money, and the king loseth. 
 ia his customs ; and this decay is near a third part. 
 
 " I conceive, this decay comes by unequal divisions af this great stocky 
 by which means, they, which have a greater portion of it, out-bye all the 
 younger and poorer clothiers, for whose benefit principally this stock was 
 given, who are, contrary to the donor's intent, almost undone by it. 
 
 " I do further conceive, there can be no safety in keeping this great 
 stock, in money. 
 
 " First, because the security given for it may fail, and so the stock iit 
 time be utterly lost. 
 
 " Secondl}', because the will requires an increase of the stock yearly^^ 
 which I cannot so well like, out of money given to charity. 
 
 " Thirdly, because I see some loss like to fall on the stock already, if it 
 be not timely prevented by your lordships' care : for I am informed, from the 
 town, that one James Winch, hath in his hands twelve hundred pounds of tha 
 8-tock ; his best security failing, the town hath given him six months warning 
 to bring ill better security, or pay the money ; yet, he being of kin to tha 
 testator, and to divers of the magistrates, doth neither. 
 
 " And this I pray, your lordships, may be presently remedied. I an^ 
 farther informed, that divers other parts and portions of this stock are let out 
 upon weak securities, and the cloth made in the common work-house at Res* 
 ding, (unless it be for those few men that have the great stock in their hands,) 
 is ill wrought, and turns much to the loss of the clothier that way, and hin- 
 dereth the increase of the stock, which the donor intended. Upon the whole^ 
 I think (but with all submission to your lordships' better judgments, ) that this 
 great stock, or rather the remainder of it, will never be safe, if it be kept in 
 
 * This was an annuity to Mrs. Newman, Mr. Kendrick's sist?r, en an estate at North-street^ 
 Tilehurst, purchased with a part of the legacy. 
 
 + ^ince called the Oracle.. 
 
 J The city, on behalf of Christ's hospital, had a reversion of the whole legacy, in case of laiij - 
 3nanagement on the part of the corporation.
 
 158 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 money, nor ever put to the right use and benefit of the town^ if it be used with 
 all such particulars as are mentioned in the will, for the common workhouse. 
 
 " My humble proposal therefore is, that the remainder of this stock, 
 •which is about four thousand pounds, may be laid out upon lands, by which 
 means the stock may be safe, and as much in money as now it is ; the rent 
 of the lands may be put to the charitable use intended.* 
 
 " The first year's rent may be paid to the town, and kept by them as a 
 stock, to defend the title of the land, should it at any time be controverted, 
 and to repair the work-house ; for the defence of which title, and reparation 
 of the house aforesaid, the town shall have power to make stay of a year's rent 
 of the said lands, as often as need shall require, after this one year's rent 
 received to the use above mentioned, and no other. 
 
 " Then the town shall, yearly, upon good security, lend out this money, 
 gratis, to men of the town, especially to poor young beginners, and clothiers, 
 in the first place, by fourscore pounds a man, and for ten years, if the parties 
 so long live, and no man to have this loan more than once, but shall, at the 
 ten years' end, deliver in the money to the tovni ; if he die before, then his 
 executors shall pay the money within one year after his decease, that another 
 may make use of it, and so for ever, until it shall appear, by the greatness 
 of the stock, there are not men enough to employ the money. In which case, 
 if by God's blessing, and continuance of time, it so happen, then the four- 
 score pounds, per annum, may be increased to one hundred pounds, or to two 
 hundred pounds a man, and no more, be the stock never so great. f 
 
 " And, after it is come to two hundred pounds a man, that bank shall 
 continue still in Reading, as the testator intended. But then the yearlv pro- 
 ceeds of the land shall go for ever to the binding of poor children apprentice, 
 
 • In consequence oF this decree, tTie sum of ^gsyl. being part of the then remaining sum of 
 
 36OOI, was hid out in the purchase of the following estates : I. s, d. 
 
 For a farm at Sulhamstead, called BraEcnhead's, or Paris, 8O7 11 7 
 
 For the Crown Fields, - - - 1 1 00 O 
 
 For a farm at Greenmer-hill, Goring, - - 1050 O 
 
 £. 2957 11 7 
 + The whole contained about 200 acres, and was let for 173/. per annum ; which sum, supposing 
 no increase in the tent, during 170 years they have been in possession of the corporation, and without 
 making any allowance for fines, timber, or underwood sold during that period, would, at the present 
 time, if none of the money had been misapplied, or lost from taking insufficient security, amount to 
 the sum of iwenty-nine thousand Jour hundred and ten pounds ; which, if lent according to the decree, 
 would have benefitted no less that three hundred and sixty-seven of our poor tradesmen and young 
 beginners.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 159 
 
 and the marrying of poor maids, inhabiting in the said town for seven years Chap. 
 before, and of honest conversation, at the choice and nomination of the mayor » iH* 
 and burgesses ; no one receiving above fifty pounds for her portion or gift, 
 with the apprentice, but as much less as they shall think fit. 
 
 " For the second thing, which is the work-house, I would have all the 
 implements therein, belonging to clothing, sold at the best rate, and, with 
 the money, land bought, and the yearly rent of that land employed to set 
 young poor fatherless children to work in some part of that house, upon such 
 handy-crafts as are most fitting for the service of that town. 
 
 " And the rest of that house may stand, and be allowed rent free for the 
 habitation of some honest townsmen, that shall teach the younger people their 
 handy-crafts, and keep them to work. And when they have learned their 
 trades, which may be in some good measure by that time they come to sixteen 
 years of age, then they may be bound apprentices, and men will, I conceive, 
 be willing to take them with little or no money, because they will be able to 
 work at the trade the first day they come to their service. 
 
 " And, if the said lands purchased with the remainder of tlie money do ex- 
 ceed the rent of one hundred and three score pounds, per annum, then the sur- 
 plusage may be converted to the further maintenance of trade in the said house. 
 
 " And I do the rather desire the house may stand, and be thus employed 
 in public service, that the donor's name may the better be kept in memory, for 
 this great and charitable bounty to the town, the place of his birth and first 
 education." 
 
 This decree was confirmed in the 14th of Charles I, in the court of ex- 
 chequer, and in part acted upon, though not to the full extent required ; 
 about six hundred pounds of the then remaining sum having been diverted 
 from its pi .per application in the purchase of estates, as well as the sum raised 
 by the sale of the ma,terials. 
 
 Nothing particular occurs respecting this charity, during the two suc- 
 ceeding reigns of Charles II, and James II, but, at the commencement of the 
 following reign of William and Mary, the city of London, in the name of the 
 governors of Christ's hospital, who had a reversionary right, by the will of the 
 donor, to the whole of the charity, in case of its misapplication by the corpo- 
 ration of Reading, filed a bill in chancery against them, alleging, that " the 
 defendants, conscious of their mismanagement of the several legacies left in 
 the will, and not doubting b:it, from their mismanagement, the governors of 
 Christ's hospital were entitled to the v/hole, for the benefit of the poor boys 
 educated there, did contrive how to prevent »he governors taking advantage 
 of the conditions, and, for that purpose, the mayor and burgesses preferred *
 
 16G TOWN OF READING. 
 
 C/HAP. petition to the lords of the council, by means of the lord archbishop Laud) 
 VIII. ^,.|jQ j,^(j jj kindness for the said town of Reading, whereby a decree was made 
 in their favor, by color of which the mayor and burgesses sold the implements 
 for clothing, and disposed of several sums of stock and proceeds to their owh 
 and friends' uses, and employed the stock, or great part of it, to other uses 
 Ihan were directed by the will, and received the profits of the purchased lands, 
 ^nd increase of the stock, and employed them to their own uses." 
 
 However, fortunately for the poor of the town, notwithstanding the alle- 
 gations in the bill were of such a nature as not easily to be disproved, the 
 archbishop's decree was confirmed by the lord chancellor, after a long and 
 close examination of witnesses, and inspection of all the books and writings 
 of the corporation, relating to the subject. By this decree, the reversionary 
 right of Christ's hospital, in case of the mismanagement of the trust by the 
 corporation, appears to be abolished, and the whole management of the charity 
 henceforward entrusted to the existing corporation, without any apparent re- 
 sponsibility or risk of forfeiture. 
 
 During the civil war, the Oracle was converted into a barrack for the 
 soldiers ; after which it reverted to its former use, till the beginning of the last 
 century, when a part of it was appropriated as a work-house, for the poor 
 of the three parishes ; but, that scheme not succeeding, it has ever since been 
 applied according to the decree, for the use of manufacturers residing in the 
 town : but so unfortunate has the donor been, in the means he took to serve 
 the inhabitants, that this building, instead of a benefit, has ever been an injury 
 "to the greater part of the industrious manufacturers, while only a few favored 
 particulars could be advantaged by it. 
 
 We have already seen, that it was the first occasion of the ruin of the 
 •woollen manufacture in this town, bv enablina: such as could obtain its advan- 
 tages to undersell those who were not so fortunate. The same complaints still 
 exist, and will continue to do so, as long as the same causes shall remain. The 
 best way, perhaps, to remove the present complaints and jealousies among the 
 rival tradesmen, would be, to exclude all parties from partaking of its benefits, 
 by converting it to some other use ; or, the whole might be disposed of, and 
 the interest of the money arising from the sale, which would no doubt be 
 considerable, might be applied, according to the decree, to the use of the 
 poorer tradesmen, without interest, for a term of years. 
 
 Among the manufactures carried on at present in the Oracle, is one for 
 the making of pins, belonging to Mr. Henry Deane, which furnishes employ- 
 onent for many of the industrious poor, as well here as in tlicir own houses.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 161 
 
 particularly in the heading part, which is principally performed by children, by Chap. 
 means of an engine worked by the foot. Vlll. 
 
 There are also several manufactories here for the making of coarse linen, 
 such as, sheeting, sail cloth, floor cloth, and sacking goods ; but this place 
 not being sufficient to accommodate all the trade, such as could not procure 
 xooms here, have opened manufactories of the same kind, in various parts of 
 the town ; one of these, in Kate's-grove-lane, belonging to Mr. Musgrave 
 Lamb, has been established here upwards of a century, and is remarkable for 
 the strength and whiteness of its sail-cloth, owing to a peculiar process the 
 yarn is exposed to in boiling before it is woven. There are said to be about 
 140 looms employed here in this trade only, some of which are capable of 
 weaving cloths six or seven yards wide. The sail-cloth made here is pur- 
 chased by government for the use of the navy, and by the East India company. 
 
 There is a gauze manufactory here, containing 109 looms, which find 
 employment for a great number of men, women, and children, in the making 
 of gauze, crapes, muslinets, and plain and figured silk dresses, some of which 
 are from eighteen to sixty inches broad. This manufactory has sufl'ered a good 
 deal by the American embargo and non-importation acts. 
 
 There are several other manufactories in the town ; among which are two 
 for the making of ribbons, hat-bands, shoe-strings, &c. which are carried on 
 to a great extent; in all of which a great number of the poor are employed : 
 but the usual consequencies attending the establishment of these manufac- 
 tories, in causing a great increase in the poor-rates, have been experienced in 
 this town, in common with other places where they have been carried on to 
 any extent. 
 
 The articles of exportation from this town, are, flour, of which about 
 twenty thousand sacks are sent annually to London ; but this quantity natu- 
 rally varies, according to the fertility of the season. Malt is likewise a con- 
 siderable article, though it has much decreased of late years : the present 
 average quantity may be about ten thousand quarters. Wheat, beans, pease, 
 oats, and every species of seeds are likewise exported ; but tliis trade depends 
 very much on the variation of the markets : in favorable seasons, great quan- 
 tities are sent to London and other places ; but when there is a deficiency in 
 the crops, the importation of corn from London becomes equally considerable. 
 
 Besides corn and flour, the principal articles of exportation are, timber, 
 bark, straight hoops, linen, wool, cheese, beer, and a variefy of minor things, 
 chiefly for the London market ; from whence are imported grocery of every 
 kind, iron, spirits, fir timber, deals, staves, Portland stone, bricks, hemp, flax, 
 
 r
 
 162 TOWN OF REyVDING. 
 
 Chap, corn, hides, leather, coals, &c. these are conveyed in barges from 60 to 128 
 ^ I^I- tons bnrtlien ; the last article fornierlv amounted to between five and six thou- 
 sand chaldrons annually ; but this quantity is now very much reduced, owing 
 io the introduction of pit-coal by the Oxford canal, in boats of 25 tons burthen. 
 The Thames and Severn canal also having joined the Isis at Letchlade, where- 
 by a communication by water has been made as far as Brimscombe-port, Bristol, 
 and part of Wales, the trade has, in some instances, quitted its former channel* 
 and gone this way : but tlie articles of export, and import are not very nu- 
 merous ; the former, consisting chiefly of peat-ashes, corn, woollen rags, flints, 
 &c. and the latter of wrought and unwrought iron, Birmingham goods, slate, 
 salt, and coal, conveyed in barges from 40 to 60 tons burthen, making the whole 
 of the export and import trade amount to about fifty thousand tons annually. 
 A new branch of trade has lately been opened from Bristol and Bath, 
 by means of the Kcnnet and Avon canals, which promises to be of consider- 
 able benefit to this town. At present, the principal articles derived from this 
 channel of communication, are, Bath free-stone, and Somersetshire pit coals ; 
 which have been introduced here in considerable quantities. 
 
 The river Kcnnet, from the High-bridge to its junction w ith the Thames,* 
 had long been placed, by the authority of parliament, under the management 
 of the Thames' commissioners : but, from some unaccountable neglect, or 
 from their not recollecting their right to interfere out of the direct course of 
 the Thames, this part of the Kennet, so essential to the prosperity of the town, 
 had become not only difficult to navigate, but attended also . w ith so much 
 loss of time, and additional expence to the navigator, as to call loudly for 
 improvement ; accordingly one of the agents of the navigation company, in 
 the year ISOO, conceived the plan of improving it, by means of a canal to be 
 cut in a straight line along the leather mill stream, and to fall into the old 
 river a little below the present staunch lock, and also to improve the intricate 
 part of the river above the bridge, as far as the pound-lock. Having com- 
 municated this idea to some of the proprietors, and particularly to Messrs. 
 Stephens, Harris, and Williams, these gentlemen were so convinced of the 
 utility of the plan, that they immediately took measures for putting it in train, 
 
 * It appears, from Doomsday-book, tliat the river Thames was at that time navigable from Wal- 
 lingford, downvirartls, if not through its whole extent, though no doubt attended with many diffi- 
 culties and delays, trom the want of locks, to keep up a sufficient depth of water ; for, in the account 
 of Wallingford, king Edward is said to have possessed cclxxvi hagic, leddentes xi lib. de gablo et qui 
 ibimanebant faciebjnt servitium regis cum equis, vel per aquam usque ad Blidberia, Reddinges, Sud- 
 stone, Besintone, et hoc facientibus dabant propositi mercedem aut corrodium non dc censu regis sed 
 de suis.
 
 J 
 
 #
 
 TOWN OF READING. 163 
 
 so as to be proceeded on as soon as an act could be obtained for the purpose, Cnw 
 and the supposed sum necessary for its completion, was subscribed in a very VIII. 
 short period. But, it having been discovered, in the course of the proceed- 
 ings, that this part of the river Kennet vi^as, as is said above, under the juris- 
 diction of the Thames' commissioners, it became necessary to obtain their 
 consent, previous to going to parliament for the bill. 
 
 Accordingly, application for that purpose was made, at the next meeting 
 of the Thames' commissioners, held at Reading, who very willin£;ly consented 
 to wave their right of jurisdiction over their part of the line, to promote the 
 improvement of the whole. This resolution was afterwards confirmed, at a 
 meeting held at Oxford. 
 
 In consequence of this uniformity of consent of the commissioners of 
 these two districts, the subscribers were encouraged to proceed in their plan ; 
 and, accordingly Mr. Rennie was requested to survey the proposed line, and 
 to deliver in an estimate of the expence ,• which he did, at the next meeting 
 of* the subscribers, when the same was taken into consideration, and unani- 
 mously approved of. Nothing now appeared to be necessary, but to make the 
 proposed application to parliament, when two gentlemen, who held navigation 
 bonds to a large amount, put a stop to their proceedings, by bringing the 
 question a third time before the Thames' commissioners at Marlow : at which 
 meeting, the consent given at the former ones was revoked, and it was then 
 agreed, that the canal should be made, under the powers the commissioners 
 possessed, by virtue of an act of parliament already made. 
 
 In pursuance of this determination, a canal has been cut, and a pound- 
 lock erected ; but, as the powers of the Thames' commissioners did not enable 
 them to interfere with the river above High-bridge, that part of the navi- 
 gation, by far the most intricate and dangerous, still remains a disgrace to (he 
 town, and is likely to continue so, unless the communication now open for 
 water-carriage, from Bristol to London, by means of the junction of the river 
 Kennet, and Kennet and Avon canal, at Newbury, should induce the gentle- 
 men, who are now proprietors of both canals, to form a new line, to unite 
 with the new canal at the Five Bells ; which may be done at no very consider- 
 able expence, according to the following plan proposed by Mr. Rennie, in the 
 report which he laid before the subscribers ; 
 
 " The channel of the navigation between the lock and the Bear mead, 
 and the lower end of Mr. Simonds's brewery, is so much occupied with build- 
 ings, and the waste and tail waters from St. Giles's mill are so inconvcniint, 
 that it is much to be wished, this part could he avoided; and could funds 
 sufficient be raised to defray the expence, I would advise it to be deserted, and 
 
 Y 2
 
 164 . TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap, kept entirely for the use of vessels frequenting the present wharfs, and for 
 Vlll. evadin"- the floods. St. Giles's mill head may then be taken for the trade, 
 which passes through Reading, a lock formed at the south end of the mill,* 
 and a new channel cut in a straight line from the tail of this lock to the bottom 
 ©f the evot below the Plumraery ditch. Bj this scheme, all the narrow, 
 crooked, and inconvenient places would be entirely avoided ;f but as the cut 
 would be long, the number of houses to be pulled down, and property occu- 
 pied, great, and as a new bridge must be built in London-street, and Seven- 
 bridges, I doubt the expence would exceed any possible advantages, that could, 
 in the present state of the trade, be derived from it." 
 
 Such was the plan proposed by Mr. Rennie, and the reasons why it was 
 not undertaken at that time ; but, as these may not always apply, I conceived 
 that the plan proposed by this eminent civil engineer might be of service to 
 those who at a future period might undertake to perfect this part of the navi- 
 gation; for the improvement of a town like this, cannot be the work of a day, 
 a month, or a year, but may continue for ages. 
 
 Next to the advantages arising from water carriage, are the benefits de- 
 rived by it to the possessors of large and convenient wharfs ; but, in this 
 respect, Reading is very deficient, having few places for landing goods, and 
 those of no great magnitude, if we except such as belong to the Crown-lands, 
 and these, being leased to an under-tenant, it is his interest to monopolize the 
 whole, and make the best use of them he can, for the advantage of his own 
 trading concerns. 
 
 In the reign of Edward Vlth, we find the corporation were in possession 
 of a wharf, for the benefit of the inhabitants ; a person having been at that 
 time appointed, at a salary oi four shillings per annum, to superintend '' the 
 wharf, wharfage, and the beam.'" This ofiice continued, as appears from the 
 books of the corporation, till the reign of Charles 1st ; at which time, owing 
 probably to the confusion caused by the civil war, this privilege appears to 
 have been lost to the inhabitants ; as after that period no such officer is men- 
 tioned. This was called the Common Landing Place/l and was, I conceive, 
 that part of Mr. Blandy's wharf included between the north east corner of 
 High-bridge, along the river as far eastward as the posts which are the boun- 
 
 • It was Mr, Rennie's opinion, that when this end of the mill was taken away, for forming tho 
 canal, the remainder might be made to execute more work than it can on its present construction, 
 + Only about sixty poles remain now uncut to complete this plan. 
 + Even so late as the beginning of the last century, it retained that name, and is so called in tb« 
 first act of parliament, for making the river Kcnnet navigable. 
 
 * Corposation Diary,
 
 TOWN OF READING. 165 
 
 dary between the corporation and Crown-lands; tliis part being still the pro- Chap 
 pertj of the corporation. VII[. 
 
 The repairs of this wharf were made at the expence of the corporation, 
 who, in return, received wharfage for all goods landed there, not being the 
 property of the freemen of the town, but of strangers. This privilege, how- 
 ever, it seems, was sometimes abused, by landing goods under false entries; 
 which occasioned the following bje-law to be made by the corporation, to 
 prevent such abuses for the future. 
 
 " It is ordered, that, if any person or persons resident, or to be resident 
 within this borough, shall colorably or deceitfully say or affirm, that any goods 
 or merchandize that he shall traffic, within the city of London, or elsewhere, 
 shall be the goods of any of the burgesses ( freemen ) of this borough, when 
 in the truth it is not so, to the intent to defraud the wharfinaer of his tollace ; 
 such person or persons to forfeit, for every time so doing, ten shillings ; 
 whereof the one half to be to the mayor and burgesses, the other half to the 
 wharfinger."* 
 
 Whether the town's-rnen may have lost this right by prescription or other- 
 wise, we must leave to others to determine; but, in point of equity, the right 
 might still be supposed to exist ; as it never appears to have been formally 
 given up, but lost through disuse, or for want of the people's knowing they 
 possessed any such right. 
 
 The freemen of this borough were likewise exempted from the payment 
 of tolls in the city of London, as appears from the following agreement, made 
 " between the citizens of London, and the burgesses of this borough touch- 
 ynge the aunciente freedom and privylege of the major and burgesses to 
 bee free, and discharged of tolle within the saide city, 
 
 " Ad curiam in interiore camera Guildhalde, civitatis London, Sgc. 
 
 " In the court, in the interior chamber of the Guildhall, of the city or 
 London, held, on the fifth day of July, in the seventh year of the reign of 
 queen Elizabeth, before those great and respectable men,, the lord-mayor and" 
 aldermen of the said city of London, among other things, it was agreed, 
 
 " That all the burgesses of the town of Reading in the countye of Berks, 
 shall, immediatelie after suche time as this courte shall be trulie certifyed of 
 their names in writing, under the common scale, of their saide town, bte dis- 
 charged of tolle within this cittye, accordyng to the auntiente allowance of 
 their libertyes to them made by this courte in this behalf.' Black well." 
 
 In addition to the quantity of goods imported and exported from this 
 
 * Corporation Diary. • Ihjd.
 
 166 
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap, place, by water carriage, may be added about one hundred tons, annually, by 
 
 land carriage, employing several road waggons beside those from Bath and 
 
 Bristol, which frequently take up or put down goods here, in their passage to 
 
 and from London. 
 
 Here arc two weekly markets : one on Wednesdays, chiefly for fruit ; the 
 
 other on Saturdays, for corn, butchers' meat, fruit, butter, eggs, poultry, «S:c. 
 
 The corn market is held in a spacious open piece of ground, of a tri- 
 angular form, surrounded by elegant shops for the accommodation of people 
 attending the market, who may be supplied here with colonial or manufactured 
 articles, cheaper than in any other town in the county. This particular spot 
 is kept in repair by the corporation ; for which they are entitled to take one 
 pint out of each sack, for all the corn sold in the market. This toll is farmed, 
 on a lease for years ; the value of which has been considerably increased of 
 late years, owing to the present high prices of cornj in comparison with those of 
 former times. 
 
 According to the weekly returns of the average quantity and price of the 
 several sorts of grain sold in this market, in the year ISOO, the proportion* 
 are as follow : 
 
 Species, 
 
 Price perQr. 
 
 QtsWeekl). 
 
 Ann. Sale.Qrs. 
 
 Toll per Ann 
 
 Value of Corn 
 
 Value of Tolls. 
 
 . Wheat 
 
 60s. 
 
 400 
 
 20,800 
 
 SOqrs. 
 
 62,400/ 
 
 240/. 
 
 Barley 
 
 34 
 
 350 
 
 18,200 
 
 70 
 
 30,940 
 
 119 
 
 Oats 
 
 26 
 
 120 
 
 6,240 
 
 24 
 
 8,112 
 
 35 
 
 Beans 
 
 37 
 
 no 
 
 5,720 
 
 22 
 
 10,582 
 
 40 
 
 Pease 
 
 47 
 
 70 
 
 3,640 
 
 15 
 
 8,554 
 
 30 
 
 Total 
 
 1 1050 
 
 54.600 
 
 211 
 
 1 20. .588 
 
 464 
 
 The provision market is held in a building lately erected, with two en- 
 trances ; one opening into the Market-place, the other into Fisher-row. The 
 building forms a long square, consisting of two ranges of butchers' shops 
 facing each other, with a passage between, covered with a roof, or rather 
 awning, raised on pillars, sufficiently high above the shops to admit the light, 
 while it secures the purchasers from the rain. These shops take up one half 
 of the building, lengthways ; the other half is, in the same manner, defended 
 from the rain, and has a covered portico, the whole length, furnished with 
 seats, for the market-women, who bring, butter, eggs, poultry, &c. for sale. 
 At the south end of the building is a square open area, for fishmongers' and 
 hucksters* stalls, and next to this, and fronting Fisher-row, is a large square
 
 TOWN OF READING. 167 
 
 portico, enclosed with iron gates ; and over it, supported on stone columns. Chap. 
 is the clerk of the market's house, who is generally one of the sergeants at VIII, 
 mace. The corporation receive the stallage, toUs^ and rent of the butchers' 
 shops. 
 
 About michaelmas, when the corn-market is at the highest, the number 
 of farmers' waggons, bringing the produce of the countrj' to market, is nearly 
 two hundred per day : some of these return empty, but others carry back 
 stable dung, ashes, chalk, coals, and various retail articles from the sbops ; but 
 the village shops are chiefly supplied with goods by the higglers' carts, who 
 attend each market day, and some every day for that purpose ; these, with the 
 farmers' market carts, frequently exceed the number of waggons. 
 
 There is also a weekly market here, for store pigs, very conveniently situ- 
 ated for the purpose, having a communication opening into Friar-street and 
 Broad-street. This is private property; but the corporation receive the toll. 
 
 There are four fairs, annually : one on the 2d of February, another on 
 the first of May, a third on the 23th of July, and the fourth on the 21st of 
 September; the three first are chiefly for the sale of horses and cows; but 
 the last is also a statute fair for the hiring of servants, and is remarkable for 
 the quantity of cheese brought from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire ; the 
 number of tons diflers according to the seasons, varying from three to five 
 hundred, which last it is seldom known to exceed. 
 
 Formerly, the cheese fair was held in the Cheese-rewe, now Fisher-row, 
 and when the cheese was sold, it was weighed oft' at the wool-hall, adjoining, 
 by a person appointed by the corporation for that purpose ; but this spot being 
 found too confined, to receive the whole that was brought, with convenience to 
 the buyer and seller, in the year 1697, the following order was made by the 
 corporation, for fixing it for the time to come, in the Forbury, where it is now 
 held: 
 
 " Ordered, that the next St. Matthew's fair be kept at the weste ende of 
 the Forbury, from the pathc leadinge towards the King's-meadow, for the selling 
 of cheese and hops ; St. Lawrence's church walk for the servants, and the 
 town-hall for the serges.*" Upon the whole, the situation of the town, and the 
 industry of the inhabitants promises, not only to secure to them their present 
 trade, but affords a prospect of a cousidcrable increase. 
 
 * Neither hops nor serges have, for many years, been sold at this fair ; the latter, probably, de- 
 clined with the v/ooUen manufactures of this town.
 
 Town of Reading, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 X HE borough of Reading does not appear to have given a title of nobility 
 prior to the reign of Charles I. when that monarch, in the twentieth year of 
 his reign created sir Jacob Astley, a peer, by the title of baron Astley of Rea- 
 ding ;' but, this family becoming extinct, his majesty George 1st. created 
 lieutenant-general Cadogan, the friend and companion of the great duke of 
 Peerage, Marlborough, in all his campaigns, a peer, by the title of baron Cadogan, of 
 Reading ; who dying without issue, his younger brother Charles, who had 
 been put into the patent, succeeded to the title; from whom the present lord 
 Cadogan is descended. 
 
 The manor of Reading originally belonged to the abbots, and after the 
 Man r dissolution came into the hands of the crown. James I. settled it upon his 
 queen, and afterwards on his son prince Charles, in augmentation of his re- 
 venue. At what time it came into the hands of the corporation, is uncertain. 
 The manor is contained within a ring fence of about ten miles in circumference, 
 including in it the manors of Battel and Coley. The manor is confined within 
 fhe limits of the borough ; and, like it, is bounded on the north by the manor 
 of Caversham, belonging to Charles Marsack, esq. on the east, by the manor 
 of Sonning, belonging to Richard Palmer, esq. on the south, by the manor of 
 Whitley, belonging to Mrs. Jennings, and on the west by the manor of Tile- 
 hurst, belonging to John Blagrave, esq. The mayor, for the time being, is 
 lord of the manor ; who, w ith the consent of the corporate body, appoints a 
 game-keeper. 
 
 The town arms are azure ; five maidens'-heads in saltire, the middle one 
 crowned, with the initials E. R. in compliment to queen Elizabeth, who fre- 
 quently resided here, and contributed by her munificence to raise the corpo- 
 ration to the respectable state in which it has since appeared. 
 
 * Brown Willis.
 
 yit 
 
 ^ , fiunntijh at Ura^tui\ // / / 
 
 liy t/l<- l/llt/irr.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 169 
 
 From tins circumstance, it has been supposed that the}' were indehled to Chap. 
 her for the whole of their arms ; but this supposition is unfounded, as appears ^ *^« 
 from a tablet among the archives of the corporation, preserved in the council- 
 chamber, on which are delineated the same arms, with the exception of the 
 initial letters, and the following testimonial, shewing them to have been of a 
 more ancient date : 
 
 " These are the auntiente armes and sele, appertevninge and belonginge 
 to the maior and burgesses of the townc and burrough of Reddyng, in the 
 countie of Berks, and at this my present visitation was Edward Butler maior ; 
 the right honourable Robert earle of Leicester knight of the most noble order 
 of the garter, master of the horse to the queen's majestic, and one of her 
 highnesses privie councel, high stewarde of the towne and burrough ; Robert 
 Eowyer, Thomas Aldworthe, Thomas Turner, John Ockham, Robert Filbie, 
 and Richard Watlington, head burgesses, and late maiors of the said towne 
 and burrough ; John Ockham aforesaid, stewarde of the courts of the said 
 burrough ; which armes I, Clarencieux, kinge of armes, have ratified and con- 
 tinued unto the said maior, and burgesses of the towne and burrough of Red- 
 ding, in the countie of Berks. In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed 
 ni_y name, the sixthe of October, 1566. 
 
 " Will Henry Clarencieux, king of armes." 
 
 On another tablet, among the archives, the same arms are depicted, with 
 this inscription under them : 
 
 " Insignia natalitia villas et corporationis de RadvTige, in monumentij 
 Collegii Regii Heraldorum, tempore visitacionis ejusdem comitatiis, anno 
 salutis a Christo, 16^3; testamur hoc Hen. Chittinge, Chester, John Philpott 
 de rubeo dracone, marescalli, ac deputati Willielmi Camdeni Clarencieu.x, 
 regis armorum in partibus australibus citra ripam fluvii de Trent."* 
 
 In Ashmole's MS. at Oxford, vol. S51, page 4, is a representation of the 
 arms, with the five heads; the middle one crowned, but without the E. R; 
 underneath is the following certificate : 
 
 " These are the arms pcrteyningto the maior and aldermen of Reading, in the 
 county of Berks ; and, at this visitation, ThomasKenton was maior, EdwardDalby, 
 esq. steward, V/illiam Broxton, sen. George Thornc, Thomas Seakes, Robert 
 Creede, James Winch, Edward Johnson, Thomas Cotes, William Broxton, jun. 
 RobertTerrold, Michael Reading, Thomas Tilliard, and Richard Fellowcs, alder- 
 men. In witness w hereof I have hereunto set my hand the five and twentieth day of 
 
 * The original fnatalitiaj arms of the town and corpontion of Reading, in the archives of the 
 loyal college of Heralds, in the time of the visitation of that county, in the year of Christ, l623. 
 Witness, Hen. Chittinge, Chester, John Philpot rouge dragon, marshalls and deputies of Willian* 
 Camden Clarencieux, king at arms, on this side Trent. 
 
 2,
 
 170 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 March, in the seventeenth year of the rcigne of our most gracious sovereign© 
 lord Charles the second, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, king, 
 defender of the faith, Annoque D"'- 1665. Thos. Kenton, niaior." 
 
 From the above inscriptions, it is evident that the five niaidens'-headsj ia 
 the arms, bear no allusion to that virgin queen, but must have been of aa 
 earlier origin ; though, at this distance of time, we may not be able, to deter- 
 mine, on what occasion they were adopted, or, at what period they were first 
 introduced into the corporation seal. 
 
 Where history is silent, we have nothing left but conjecture to guide us 
 in the research of any doubtful circumstance ; to that only, therefore, in the 
 present instance, can we apply, to account for the origin of the town arms ; 
 and though conjecture alone, may not be quite so satisfactory as written tes- 
 timony, yet, when founded on probability, it will at least be entitled to some 
 consideration. 
 
 The custom of assuming coats of arms, is of a very early date, as well 
 as of general practice, in this country : they were assigned to cities and towns, 
 as well as to individuals, and generally took their rise from some remarkable 
 circumstance that had befallen either ; if, therefore, we suppose the insignia 
 in question to have been assumed at an early period ; perhaps in a century or 
 two after the foundation of the town, it is probable some remarkable feature 
 in the history of its infancy may lead us to the solution of the difficulty. 
 
 Most of the cities and towns in the kingdom owed their beginning to some 
 religious foundation ; and this seems to have been more particularly the case 
 with Reading ; it having been indebted for its origin to a convent of nuns,* 
 founded here by Elfrida, in the tenth centurv, but which was soon after de- 
 stroyed by the Danes, when the nuns were cruelly murdered by these merciless 
 freebooters. f We are not informed of the number of nuns on this foundation, 
 whether five or more ; but the circumstances attending their early origin, and 
 subsequent destruction, are sufficient to justify the supposition, that the five 
 maidens'-heads in question were introduced into the town arms from this circum- 
 stance, especially when connected with the adjective natalitia, (native) used by 
 the heralds in the second testimonial above recited. If this reasoning be just, we 
 can no longer be at a loss to account for the five maidens' heads, or to speak 
 more properly, nuns' heads, in the arm.s. Instead, therefore, of the heads 
 
 * There is a farm in Ti'ehurst parish, the property of the reverend doctor Wilder, called Nun« 
 hide, which was, probably, part of the possessions of this monastery, as was Battel-farm and manor, 
 near this town. 
 
 + In the time of William I, this monastery appears, from Doomsday Book, to have remained in 
 ruins.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 17J 
 
 being dressed wifh flowers, as they are now depicted, they ought to be restored 
 to their original form of nuns heads veiled, as they no doubt were previous 
 to the compliment paid to the memory of queen Elizabeth, by making her 
 head the centre one.* 
 
 The town of Reading does not appear to have been inclosed with a wall at any 
 period, and consequently could never have been a place of any great strength ; yet. Castle, 
 it is the general opinion, that there was formerly a castle here ; and Leland 
 jfixes the date of its erection to the period of our Saxon ancestors. " There 
 was (he says) a castelle, in the Saxons' tyme, in this town, and the name of 
 Castelle streat yet remaynithe lying from est to west to passe to Ncwbyri, 
 But I could not perceive or clerelie lerne wher it stood. But bye all lykely- 
 hood at the west ende of Castelle streat, and as sum think about the place of 
 execution." Afterwards, he adds, " it is very likely that a peace of the abbey 
 •was buikled of the ruins of it ; peradventure it stood wher the abbey was." 
 
 This uncertainty, respecting the situation of the castle, seems to have 
 originated from the name given to one of the streets, which has led to the 
 supposition, that a castle had, at some period, existed in its vicinity. But, 
 considering how frequently inns have given names to the streets, wherein they 
 are situated, and that even in this town, three or four instances of this kind 
 occur, it is evident that no certain conclusion can be drawn from this circum- 
 stance, that this was the spot where the castle was situated. 
 
 If the situation of the castle has been hitherto a matter of great uncer- 
 tainty, the reality of its existence, or whether there have been one or more 
 fortresses of this kind, still remains to be determined. By some, it is con- 
 tended, that there never was more than one castle here, which was built by 
 the Saxons, and afterwards occupied by the Danes, when they became masters 
 of the town ; while others contend, tiiere was a second, erected by king Ste- 
 phen, and afterwards destroyed by Henry II. The former of these opinions 
 is founded on the following passage, from Hovedune, as quoted by Leland, ia 
 his Collectanea: 
 
 "■ Pr (edict lis pnganorum exercitns, Sfc. 
 
 " The Danes marching into Wessex, came to Reading, situated on the 
 south side of the river Thames, in the county of Berks. On the third day 
 after their arrival, two of their leaders, with a part of their army, went on a 
 foraging party ; the remainder, in the mean time, being employed in throwing 
 up an entrenchment, between the Thames and the Ivennet, on the right hand 
 
 * I have not found an instance of the E. R. being inserted during the reign of the Stewarts ; 
 they were probably, therefore, assumed at the revoUition. 
 
 z 2
 
 17^ TOWN OF READING. 
 
 side of (he town of Reading. These were met by Ethchvulph, earl of BerR- 
 shire, at a place called Englafield, that is, the field of the English. Here 
 both parties fought with the utmost animosity, till one of the Danish generals 
 beino" killed, and their army being either routed or destroyed, the Saxons ob- 
 tained a complete victory. Four days after this battle, king Ethclred and his 
 brother Elfred, having collected their forces, marched to Reading, killing and 
 destroying all before them, as far as the gate of the fortress. ( arcis) At length 
 the Danes, sallying out from all the gates, attacked the victorious army ; when 
 after a long and bloody battle, the Danes obtained the victory." 
 
 From this account of the transaction, it appears, that the Danes defended 
 themselves by means of a forlificalion of some sort, but not by a castle, in th» 
 present sense of the word. Besides, if we consider the very few records that 
 could have remained of this barbarous age, in which history was little knowa 
 or cultivated, very little reliance can be placed on the testimony of an author 
 who wrote nearly four hundred years after the circumstance is supposed to 
 have happened. jMoreovcr, it is allowed, that the Saxons were not in the habit 
 of erecting castles for the defence of their possessions ;* and, even if they had, 
 Reading could not have been, at this periotl, of sufiicient consequence to have 
 required such a security ; for, even whert Doomsday Book was compiled, the 
 number of houses was but small, and most of these were little better than ruins. 
 Perhaps this difficulty may be solved, by an attentive examination of the 
 passage in question, supposing it to be authentic. By it, we learn, that while 
 one part of the Danish army were employed in military operations, the re- 
 mainder were busied in throwing up entrenchments between the two rivers: 
 but, as this alone would not have been sufficient to have secured them against 
 any sudden attack of the enemy, it is reasonable to suppose, the whole line 
 was strengthened by temporary forts, erected at different distances ; this agrees 
 with Hovedune's account, that the Danes issued out of alt the gates; many 
 of which there no doubt were, along the whole line of entrenchment ; but 
 this could not have been the case, had there been only a single castle, as is 
 supposed, which seldom has more than one entrance. Besides, the Latin word 
 arx, seems to have been used by this author, in a more enlarged sense, for every 
 
 • Mr. AgarJ, treating on the etymology, &c. of Castles, savs : " I read, in the historyc cf Nor- 
 nandy, wrytten in Frenchc, that when Sweyne, kinge of Denmark entered this realme, againste kinge 
 Alfred, or Alured, to revenge the night slaughter of the Deanes, done by the Saxons of Englande, he 
 subdued all before him, because there were no fortes of Englande, to stop him. And the reason 
 yelded is, because the Jortcs of England, Jot tht most part, zctre buyltt ajur thi Normans posstsscd the 
 tnlmc,"
 
 TOWN OF READING. 173 
 
 kind of fortifications, as may be shewn by many passages in his work ; but I Chap. 
 shall confine myself to the following : ^^ ^^• 
 
 The Danes having besieged Rochester, " king Alfred, (he says) obliged 
 them to take refuge in their ships ; rclicta ibi arce, which they had built 
 before the gates of that city." It is evident, from this passage, the word here 
 used, could not mean a castle, such as is now affixed to that idea, but a small 
 fort at the head of their entrenchments, with which they had surrounded 
 the city. 
 
 For these reasons, I am inclined to think, that no such fortified place zs 
 a castle, existed hero, at the invasion of the Danes ; or, if it did, that it could 
 not have been situated on the spot mentioned by Leland, as not even the least 
 vestige of such a building remained in his time ; nor has any been discovered 
 since, though great part of the hill has lately been built upon, and the remain- 
 der used as a brick ground. 
 
 Having thus endeavored to prove, tliat the general opinion of a castle 
 having been built on this spot, either by the Saxons or Danes, is erroneous ; 
 it remains to shew, at what time the one, mentioned by historians to have been 
 destroyed by Henry II. was erected ; and to point out, as near as possible, the 
 precise spot ; which I cannot better do, than in the words of that eminent 
 antiquary, Mr. Hearne ; who, in his preliminary observations on Brown 
 Willis's View of Mitred Abbeys, says, " I cannot now enter upon, or indeed 
 promise, an addition to Mr. Willis's Mitred Abbeys ; yet, I cannot pass by 
 one particula:-, (which 1 am apt to imagine will be acceptable) and that is^ 
 what Lelaud says, in the second volume of his Itinerary, about the old castle, 
 that was at Reading, in the Saxon times, which is mentioned, in Asser Mene- 
 vensis, to have been taken, with the town of Reading itself, by the Da«es. 
 
 " After he has told us, that it is likely it stood at the west end of Castle- 
 street, and, as some thought, about the place of execution ; he at last ad- 
 vances another opinion, and that is, that perhaps it stood where the abbey 
 •waf!. I shall not take upon me to determine, which of those opinions is the 
 truest ; but this I cannot but remark, that whatever the place be, where the 
 castle stood; it is my own opinion, that a piece of the abbey was built of the 
 remains of it. But some worthy gentlemen, to whom I have mentioned this 
 opinion, are pleased to object against it an observation in Mr. Cambden's Bri- 
 tannia, which is this : Heading vera urbecula sive oppidum, Anglo Saxoiiice 
 Rendrjge a Rhea i. e. jlumine, vcl a Briiunica diclione Redin quod filices 
 denotat, qiue, ajfatim hie provenerunt, liodie pl;i1earum eleganlia, (cdium 
 splendorCy sua opuhntia, et lanci paiini texendi gloiia, C(Eteris hujus agri 
 eppidis pra:ceUit,_ licet mnxiiiia ornamenta amisscrit, templuin scilicet speci-
 
 174 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap, osiim et casii'umvetustissimum. Hoc enim Danos tcnuisse prodit Asserius, 
 I^* qnum i^allitm inter Cunetionem et Tnmesin ducerent, et in hoc se reccpisse 
 quum ad Inglejield ab ^^thelxvidfo rege fiigarentur. Sed Hcnricus sccundus 
 ita illud excidit quod Stephani militibiis perftigium esset, ut nihil jam 
 supersil prcrfer nudum nomen in platea proxima.* 
 
 " Tis likely Mr. Camdea thought^ that the castle Leland mentions, out 
 of Robert Bcccensisj to have been fortified by king Stephen, and demolished 
 by the forces of king Henry the second, was the very same castle spoken of by 
 Asser. But that Mr. Leland is otherwise to be understood ; and that Jir- 
 maverat is here to be taken for erexerat, is plain to me, from the very passage 
 of Robert Beccensis : Soluta est itaque obsidio (saith this historian) qu(B 
 <;irca Wallingford ordinata fueratf rege Stephana Crauenense subvertente. 
 JVam anno prist crito familia ducis Henrici, qua; Wallingford incolehat nan 
 solum contra jus et fas erexerat apud {*) Abbatiam JRadinges pessumdcderat. 
 The castle we see that was demolished, was built at the abbey of Reading, 
 and that it was not the arx mentioned by Asser, I think will be as plain as 
 a thing of this nature can be, from a MS. we have in the Bodleian library, of 
 Robert Beccensis, which is published by du Chesne, not only without any 
 author's name, but likewise very imperfectly; the MS. we have, being as large 
 again as the print ; and, for that reason, it was, some years ago, transcribed 
 by me for the use of a gentleman in France. Du Chesne himself supposed 
 the passage was not entire ; upon which account he put an asteric before the 
 word abbatiam ; and that his suspicion was well grounded, will be undeniably 
 clear from the words themselves, as I have here written them out of the MS. 
 Soluta e>t itaque obsidio, qua circa Wallingford ordinata fiierat, Rege Ste- 
 phana Crauenense subverteiite. J\am anno prteterito familia ducis Henrici 
 qua Wallingforte incolehat, non solum castrum Bretnelli, quod din eos /?«- 
 •pugnerat, verum etiam castcllmn quod rex etiam Stephanas contra jus et 
 fas erexerat apud abbaciam Badingis pcssundederat."f 
 
 * " Reding, a village or town, called by tlie Saxon Rheadyge, from rhea a river, or from the 
 British redin, fern, which grows in great plenty m its neighborhood; for the elegance of its streets, 
 the splendor of its houses, its opulence, and its manufactories of woollen cloths, excels every other in 
 this county, though it hos lost its greatest ornaments, its spacious abbey, and its ancient castle. This, 
 we are told by Asserius, was possessed by the Danes, when they cut a trench between the rivers 
 Thames and Kennet, within which they withdrew, when ihcv were put to flight at Englefield, by king 
 Ethelwulph. But king Henry II, so destroyed it for having been a place of refuge to kmg Stephen'* 
 followers, that nothing now remains but its hire name, in a neighboring street." 
 
 + " Stephen having raised the siege of W'allingford, destroyed Crowmarsh. For, in the preceding 
 year, the followers of duke Henry, who resided at Wallingford, had not only destroyed the camp at 
 Britwf 11, which had long infested their quarters, but also the castle, which king Stephen, against all 
 right, had erected near the abbey of Reading."
 
 TOWN OF READING. 17 5 
 
 " As I take it, there can be no ground for any further dispute, that the Chap. 
 castle destroyed by king Henry the lid, at Reading, was that erected by king IX. 
 Stephen. And, as I do not expect any doubt upon this account, so I may 
 venture to assert, that it is one of the 115 castles that were built by king 
 Stephen, on purpose to defend his unjust title." 
 
 Though I cannot agree with this learned antiquary, in the opinion that 
 a castle existed here in the time of the Danes, which he seems to admit, by 
 adding, " that a piece of the abbey was built from the ruins of the former 
 castle ; which I have shewn above to have been nothing more than a fort, or 
 fortified entrenchment ; yet, the proofs he has brought of a subsequent castle 
 having been erected, and afterwards destroyed, here, are so convincing, that I 
 cannot help agreeing with him, that the castle at Reading was not only built 
 by Stephen, but was also situated within the confines of the abbey. 
 
 The opinion of a castle having been erected here by the Saxons, and 
 afterwards possessed by the Danes, I ain inclined to think originated from 
 Leland's visit to this place. He had read, that a castle was formerly here; 
 and not recollecting where it was situated, endeavored to gain the information 
 from the inhabitants, who could only inform him, that there was a street in 
 the town which probably derived its name from such a building, from whence he 
 conceived, it might have been situated on the rising ground, at the ^outh-west 
 end of that street ; but, being afterwards told, perhaps by the monk«, with 
 whom he resided, while here, that they had a faint tradition of such a building 
 having stood within the precincts of the abbey, he adds, " peradventure it 
 stood where the abbey was." Camden, who generally copies this author, gives 
 nearly the same account, only thinking, perhaps, the original word arx, would 
 not bear him out in the assertion, or probably quoting the passage from me- 
 mory, he substitutes castellum for it ; a word of a more confined sense, and 
 generally used to express, what is now understood to mean a castle. An au- 
 thority, coming from so great a man, was sufficient to establish the opinion, 
 which has ever since been followed, without the least suspicion of its being 
 erroneous. 
 
 From this discussion of the question, it is, I think, very evident, that 
 the opinion which seems to be supported only by hearsay evidence, and con- 
 jectures, derived to Leland during his visit to this place, of a castle having 
 been here during the heptarchy, is totally void of foundation ; and that, con- 
 sequent!}, no such building ever did exist on the spot mentioned by him, nor 
 could have given a name to the street, as he supposes ; and that the only castle 
 in Reading, whose real existence is supported by historical evidence, was that 
 built by king Stephen, and was, without doubt, situated within the confines 
 of the abbey.
 
 176 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 To this place^ therefore, we should turn our attention, if we Avish to dis- 
 cover the precise spot on which this castle stood, which can only be done, bj 
 tracin"- out its vestiges, if anv such still remain. To do this, I have examined 
 with attention, every part of these noble ruins, their uses and connections with 
 the principal building ; and after weighing every circumstance, am induced to 
 believe, that the remains of this celebrated castle are still in existence, and that 
 it was erected on the south-east corner of the Forbury, near Blake's-bridge, 
 within the precincts of the abbey, but at a distance from, and consequently form- 
 ing no part of the original building. These ruins are very much dilapidated, 
 but thcv evidently appear to have been intended for a place of defence. 
 
 From the ruinous state of this structure, it is dilficult to trace its original 
 form, but I conjecture it to have been a square building, with projecting towers 
 at the four corners. The side next the river, the only one now remaining, was 
 about 60 feet in length, and had a square tower at each end, projecting a small 
 distance before the front wall. That at the south-east corner* has been lately 
 removed, for the purpose of mending the foot-way on the bank of the river, but 
 the otherhas two ofits sides almost perfect. Theslopeof thehill has been scarped 
 away from the water's edge, to the height of about twenty feet ; this is faced with 
 a strong perpendicular wall of flints, on which this tower is erected, and is about 
 fifty feet high, from the level of the water, to its summit ; the top seems 
 to have been finished v/ith battlements, but these are so covered with ivy, that 
 it is impossible to discover m ith certainty, whether they are really such, or ra- 
 ther the remains of the broken wall. In the side walls, still remaining, are 
 loop-holes, some of which front the river, the others command the space be- 
 tween the towers, in front of the building. These towers were admirably well 
 situated, to command the river and the bridge, which was the only entrance on 
 that side of the town to the abbey. The loop-holes had a double purpose, that 
 of giving light to the interior of the building, and for the emission of arrows, 
 and other missile weapons ; as a proof of which, they are carried through the 
 wall in an inclined plane, whereas, had they been intended to convey light only, 
 they would have been horizontal ; in which case, the garrison would not have 
 been able to have molested, or even seen the besiegers below, the walls being at 
 least three feet tJiick f 
 
 * See plate XI. fig. 1. 
 + Godwin's description of ancient castles, corresponds with tlie appearance of this building, as 
 Far as its remains will enable us to judge. " The projector," he says, " always chose for the site of 
 his edifice, a rising ground, in the neighborhood of a river. Having marked out the limits of his 
 iiiclosure, he then suiTounded it with a wall, ten or twelve feet high, flanked with towers. The 
 apartments were very inadequately lighted, those below the story, upon which the state rooms were 
 placed, received the beams of the sun, only through chinks or loops, extremely narrow, and cautiously 
 constructed, in such a manncrj as to afford ao advantage to the beiiegers. — Godzcin's Lxjc of Chaucer,
 
 ^
 
 TOWN OF READING. I77 
 
 Sir Henry Englefield has not noticed this building in his plan of the 
 abbejj as from its distance it evidently could not have formed any part of that 
 structure ; besides, from the materials with which these buildings were erected, 
 there can be no doubt of their having been the work of different ages ; for 
 though both are cased with flints, the inside walls of the abbey are chiefly 
 composed of the luins of a former building, while those of the supposed 
 castle are wholly filled with chalk, without any materials of a difl'erent nature. 
 For these reasons, I am inclined to think, that these ruins formed a part of the 
 castle built by Stephen, and were partially destroyed in the reign of Henry II. 
 
 In questions that involve in themselves much difliculty, we can only decide 
 from circumstances ; and, as in the present instance, we have all that can be 
 required to form our judgment upon, independent of positive facts, I hope the 
 conclusion I have drawn, from the above premises, will not be considered 
 extravagant, nor the investigation of the question wholly useless, as it tends 
 to elucidate a part of our history hitherto involved in doubt and obscurity. 
 
 Prior to the establishment of standing armies, the defence of the town 
 was entrusted to the trained bands, or what was denominated the posse comitatus, "^■^* 
 
 who were called out by the magistrates on any appearance of riot or distur- 
 bance. Thev were regularly summoned once a year to attend the court-leet, 
 and the magistrates were authorised to fine such as did not appear at the time 
 appointed ; this gave rise to the custom of granting exemptions, by which 
 those who could not, or did not wish to attend the general muster, were excused 
 on paying a small fine. . After the muster, they were regularly trained to the 
 use of the long bow, by shooting at butts set up in each parish. Those for 
 St. Mary's, were in the street now called St. Mary's Butts : St. Lawrence's 
 were sometimes in the Forbury, and sometimes in Caversham-lane, as it was 
 then called : and St. Giles's in Horn-street.* 
 
 If men were wanted for foreign service, a requisition was made of a 
 certain proportion of each district, according to the number of its inhabitants, 
 or the emergency of the case ; thus, in the reign of Edward III. while the 
 war was carrying on in France, this town was assessed at twenty men, accor- 
 dmg to the following abstract of the number of men raised at this period by 
 some of the principal cities and towns in the kingdom : 
 
 * Though the trained bands are no longer assembled, the constables still summon the junior inha- 
 bitants to the court-leet, and, under the pretext of exempting them from personal altcudance, extort 
 from them a pinny, which the recorder claims as his fee, but is generally expended by the constable, on 
 3 supper. 
 
 a A
 
 178 
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 
 Men. 
 
 Reading, - - 
 
 ■ - 20 
 
 Lancaster, - - 
 
 - - 13 
 
 St. Albans, - 
 
 ■ - 13 
 
 Abingdon, - 
 
 - - 10 
 
 Rochester, - - 
 
 - - 10 
 
 Maidstone, - ■ 
 
 - - 10* 
 
 Men. 
 
 London, - - 1000 
 
 Norwich - - - 1*20 
 
 Bristol,- - - - 60 
 
 Oxford, - - - - 30 
 
 Winchester, - - 30 
 
 Gloucester, - - 20 
 
 Worcester, - - - 20 
 
 In the year 144V, the 20th of the reign of Henry VI. this borough was 
 summoned to provide thirty men for the king's defence, at their own cxpence ; 
 for which purpose ninety of the principal inhabitants were divided into classes; 
 each class was to provide one man at their common expence. At the head 
 of the classes was Mr. William Justice,* who alone found two men, and two 
 other rich proprietors who provided three men between them. The small 
 number among whom the expence of levying this force \vas divided, shews, 
 the borough to have been very inconsiderable at that period, in comparison 
 with its present state of population. 
 
 In the 34th of Henry VIII. (1543) this borough was ordered to raise 
 twenty-four horse soldiers, to be sent into Scotland. On this occasion, the 
 expences of the men and horses were paid by sixty persons only. Of these, 
 the mayor paid for " half a horse and his apparell :^ the three vicars, half 
 a horse each, without the harness ;" and the remainder were provided by the 
 different classes into which the whole number were divided. The expences. 
 for the harness were in like manner divided among ninety-two inferior house- 
 holders, making together one hundred and fifty-two persons on the assessment; 
 nearly one third more of this description than were assessed in this town at 
 the former period. 
 
 In the following year, the town was ordered to provide twelve men and 
 horses, and twenty foot soldiers, to attend the king then going with an army 
 into France; and, in 155.3, they were ordered to send " ten soldiers well 
 garnished and wcaponcd,"' to the assistance of quf^en Maiy, who was then 
 asserting her ri^ht to the succession, of which she had been deprived by her 
 brother's will. 
 
 In the third year of this queen's reign, they were again required " to 
 send forty men to attend her person, well appoynted, in blew coates, wythe 
 red dfcssyngs, that cost six shvllings and four pence a coate, with forty new 
 
 • Mont'fiori's Commercial Dictionary. 
 * Corpuratioti Diary. ' ibid. * Ibid.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 179 
 
 bills, that coste eiglitcen-pence a bill, all whyche was payde for by the inha- Chap. 
 bitants.'" This is the first instance of the military of the town being clothed IX. 
 in an uniform. 
 
 From this period, we have no record of the number of men furnished bj 
 the town ; indeed the practice, adopted in the succeeding reigns, of keeping 
 up standing armies, has rendered the former custom unnecessary ; and, as 
 these consist of men raised by enlistment, as well as by ballot, the proportion 
 afforded by this town cannot at present easily be ascertained. 
 
 At the commencement of the last war, when parties ran high, and dan- 
 gerous opinions were disseminated, by the disafiectetl, among the lower class 
 of people, tending to produce those scenes of anarchy and insubordination that 
 had overwhelmed France, and overturned the throne of the Bourbons, it 
 being thought necessary, for the safety of the country, to raise volunteer corps 
 m most of the principal towns in the kingdom, this borough raised two com- 
 panies, commanded by Henry Dcane, esq. and the following officers : 
 
 Martin Annesley, esq. | Captains. 
 John Wilmshurst, esq. 3 
 
 John Stephens, esq. "j Lieutenants. 
 John Deane, esq. ) 
 
 Thomas Cowslade, ") t^ . 
 
 ' J- LiHSigns. 
 
 Jonathan Tanner, j 
 Thomas Lamb, Surgeon. 
 
 Both the officers and men received pay from government, but tlie expencei 
 of the men's uniforms were paid by public subscription. 
 
 In the year 1798, when the unparallelled successes of the French had pa- 
 ralized all Europe, and obliged most of the powers on the Continent, to sue foh 
 peace, from the directory at Paris ; that nation, under wh.atever form of go- 
 vernment, always envious of the superior industry, wealth, and commerce of 
 this country, and enraged by the opposition made to their inordinate ambition, 
 by tlie skill and courage of our soldiers and seamen, during the war, turned 
 their attention to the means to be adopted, for the invasion of England. For 
 this purpose, the plunder of Holland, Germany, and Italy, was expended in 
 fitting out a fleet, for the conveyance of tlie troops to tliis country, with which 
 their coasts were lined, fiom the Texcl to the Sein.'?, and, to add to the insult, 
 the troops were arrogantly stiled, the Army of England. 
 
 On this occasion, the system of volunteer enrolments was again resorted 
 to, as the most expeditious means of raising a defensive force, suOicient t© 
 
 ■* Corporation Diary, 
 
 a A 2
 
 ]8a TOWN OF READING. 
 
 repel the invaders, should they attempt to disturb the peace of this happy 
 countrv, bv putting their insolent threats into execution; and, whether it was 
 owing to the danger being considered more imminent than on the former oc- 
 casion, or men's minds were better reconciled to military habits, by custom, 
 which reconciles us to every change^ certain it is, there was at this time no 
 backwardness in the formation of a very respectable corps, from among tlie 
 principal inhabitants, who were no longer averse from taking the ranks, and per- 
 forming the duties of common soldiers, at their own expence. The number 
 originally enroled, was about two hundred, but they seldom mustered more 
 than one hundred and fifty. They were divided into three companies^ the gre- 
 nadiers, ceutre, and light infantry, with the following officers : 
 
 Thomas Newbery, esq. captain commandant. 
 
 W. B. Moreton, 1 n ^ • 
 
 > Captains. 
 
 Ross Lewin, 
 
 Thomas Gleed, 
 
 William Watlington, J. Lieutenants. 
 
 John Blandy, 
 
 William Parkins, 
 
 William AV illiams, S- Ensigns, 
 
 Wi 
 
 I 
 
 l^illiam Parkins, "^ 
 i^illiam AV illiams, > 
 'illiam Blandy, j 
 
 Their uniforms were blue, with scarlet facing, caps, and helmets ,* they 
 were provided with an excellent band of music, and a pair of elegant colors, 
 presented to the corps by a lady, since deceased ; the one, the union, the other 
 the town arms, encircled by a wreath of laurels, with the motto. Goo save the 
 King ; the whole elegantly embroidered by Mrs. Jesse. 
 
 On the 26th of July, 1799, these corps, with all the other volunteer corps 
 in the county of Berks, were reviewed by his majesty, on Bulmarsh heath, and 
 afterwards received his thanks, for the correctness with which they had per- 
 formed the different manoeuvres of an army. 
 
 On this occasion, they were drawn up in the following order, according to 
 their seniority ; the cavalry forming the two wings, and the infantry the centre : 
 
 CAVALRY. 
 
 Men, Commanders. 
 
 33 T. Goodlake, captain. 
 26 J. Law, ditto. 
 
 34 Richard Townsend, ditt<^. 
 
 
 Officers. 
 
 Abingdon . . 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Maidenhead . 
 
 . . 3 
 
 Newbury . 
 
 . . 2
 
 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 181 
 
 
 
 INFANTRY. 
 
 Chap 
 
 
 Oficers. 
 
 Men, Commanders, 
 
 IX. 
 
 Wantage . . . . 
 
 2 
 
 40 G. Garrett, lieutenant. 
 
 
 Reading, without pay 
 
 9 
 
 121 T. Newbery, captain. 
 
 
 Windsor . . . . 
 
 6 
 
 56 W. Highniore, ditto. 
 
 
 Wallingford . 
 
 3 
 
 86 E. Wells, ditto. 
 
 - 
 
 Maidenhead . 
 
 3 
 
 45 G. Vansittart, ditto. 
 
 
 Newbury . . . . 
 
 5 
 
 104 E. Sheppard, ditto. 
 
 
 Wokingham 
 
 3 
 
 52 J. Webb, ditto. 
 
 
 Faringdon . . . . 
 
 4 
 
 40 W. Ward, ditto. 
 
 
 Abingdon . . . , 
 
 5 
 
 96 S. Sellwood, ditto. 
 
 
 Readings with pay 
 
 8 
 
 97 H. Deane, major 
 
 CAVALRY. 
 
 
 Woodley .... 
 
 3 
 
 54 Rt. Hon. H. Addiiigton, captain. 
 
 
 Thatcham . . . . 
 
 1 
 
 17 John Croft, ditto. 
 
 
 Hungerfoid 
 
 3 
 
 19 John Pearce, ditto. 
 
 
 Making a total for the county, of 183 horse, and 737 infantry. 
 
 From this return, made by the lord lieutenant of the county, it appears,, 
 that the number of men raised in this town, independent of those included in 
 the Woodley cavalry, more than doubled those of Newbury, which is the next 
 highest return in the whole list. 
 
 After the peace, concluded at Amiens, in 1801, these corps were dissolved* 
 and the Reading colors suspended in St. Lawrence's church, as a memorial of the 
 loyalty and patriotism of the inhabitants, who flattered themselves they should 
 never again be called upon to take up arms in defence of their dearest rights ; 
 but the unbounded ambition of Buonaparti-, then first consul, soon blasted 
 these expectations, by goading this country, by his insolence and ojtprcssion, 
 once more into the horrors of war. The threat of invasion was again resorted 
 to ; and that this might not appear an empty menace, every city and town in 
 France, situated on navigable rivers, was ordered to build flat-bottomed boats, 
 for the purpose of conveying his troops to this country, who wore again de- 
 nominated the Army of England. The troops were encamped on the shores 
 of the opposite coast, and every preparation made for putting his threats in 
 execution, that art could contrive, or malice suggest. In this situation of the 
 country, it was thought advisable again to have recourse to the volunteer sys- 
 tem, which had been so serviceable on (he former occasion, and accordingly 
 both the Reading corps were revived, and increased ; those receiving pay, were 
 formed into four companies, amounting together to nearly two hundred ; and
 
 1^5 TOWN OF READING. 
 
 Chap, the other, called the Loyal Reading Volunteers, into eight companies, con- 
 IX. sisting, in the whole, of nearly five hundred effective men. 
 ' These corps were comniauded by the following officers : 
 
 Volunteers. 
 Martin Anneslev, esq. major commandant. 
 
 Captains. 
 John Wilmshurst. Jonathan Tanner. 
 
 John Stevens. Henry INiarsh, esqrs. 
 
 Lieutenants. 
 Thomas Cowslade. John Rugman. 
 
 Richard Richards. William Williams, jun. 
 
 W'illiam Winkworth. Robert Boyle Deane, 
 
 James Douglas, M. D. Jacob Newbury. 
 
 The Loyal Volunteers. 
 
 Thomas Newbery, esq. lieutenant-colonel commandant, 
 
 Samuel Swinfen, esq. lieutenant-colonel. 
 
 W. B. Simonds, esq, major. 
 
 'William Pilkington, esq. adjutant. 
 
 Captains, 
 
 W. B. Moreton. W. Williams. 
 
 Thomas Gleed. W. Blandy. 
 
 W. Watlington. Robert Harris. 
 
 John Blandy. Rev. E. Valpy. 
 
 Lieutenants. 
 Charles Benwell. Thomas Wilsdon. 
 
 AVilliam Parkins. John Goodwin, 
 
 William Truss. John Moore. 
 
 Thomas Bath, James Sanderson, 
 
 John Lamb, G. W. Joplen. 
 
 Ensigns. 
 Thomas Hallows. William Stephens, 
 
 Richard Poulton. Robert Palmer. 
 
 Blackall Simonds. Benjamin Moore. 
 
 Dav id Lcgatt, quarter-master, 
 
 Thomas Stokes Salmon, M. D. physician. 
 
 Richard Sherwood, surgeon. 
 
 Reverend Richard Valpy, chaplain.
 
 TOWN OF READING. 183 
 
 On the 8th of Junp, 1805, the vokinteers of the county were again reviewed Chap. 
 by his majesty, on BiUmarsh-heath ; when he was pleased to express " the par- *^'^' 
 ticular gratification he felt, in having thus witnessed the military perfection of 
 his Berkshire volunteers." 
 
 These corps were dissolved, as soon as the danger of the threatened inva- 
 sion was removed, and most of the men, with some of the officers of the first 
 battalion of the Reading volunteers, having offered to serve in the local militia, 
 about to be raised, in 1808, were embodied in that regiment, commanded by the- 
 Right honorahle the marquis of Blandford, lieutenant colonel, 
 John Wilmshurst, and H. Marsh, esqrs. majors. 
 J. Tanner, R. Wcstbrook, and R. Richards, esqrs. captains. 
 W. Robinson, T- N Truss, T Ward, and E. Phillips, lieutenants^ 
 W. Gunnell, and M. Robinson, ensigns. 
 W. Winkworth, adjutant, 
 J. BuUey, surgeon. 
 F. Cowslade, quarter-master.
 
 Schools. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 FREE-SCHOOL. 
 
 Tn the year 1445, according to Leland, John Thome, the then ahbot of the 
 monastery of Reading, suppressed an old ahns-house for poor sisters, which 
 had, probably, been founded by one of his predecessors,* and employed the reve- 
 nues thereof, to the use of the almoner ; but Henry VII, being here soon after, 
 was offended with the abbot, for converting the funds of a religious house, to 
 purposes so foreign to the intentions of the donor, and ordered him to settle the 
 house and lands on some charitable establishment. In consequence of this in- 
 timation from his majesty, the abbot made it a free grammar school, in which 
 he was seconded by one William Dene, an officer in the abbey, who gave two 
 hundred marks towards the advancement of the foundation, as Leland collected 
 from his tomb in the abbey church ; how this money w as applied, is not known, 
 but after the dissolution, the sum of ten pounds per annum, was paid to the 
 master, by the crown, but in the reign of queen Elizabeth, the corporation under- 
 took to pay the master's salarv, in return for certain lands bestowed on them 
 by her majesty ; and in return they were authorised, by their charter, to nomi- 
 nate, elect, appoint, and remove the master, at their discretion. In the subse- 
 quent reign of Charles I. archbishop Laud, by his will, increased the master's 
 salary, to thirty pounds a year.f This was all the emolument the master re- 
 ceived from this institution, except, perhaps, a free gift annually, from the 
 parents of the children, which was afterwards converted into a regular quar- 
 terage, but I believe this never exceeded five shillings, previous to the middle of 
 the last century. 
 
 • This hospital for poor sisters, is not mentioned, I believe, by any author, prior to Leland, who 
 does not mention when or by whom it was founded. There was an hospital here, for lepers, founded 
 by Aucherius, and another for strangers and pilgrims, by Hugh. It is possible one of these might 
 have been convened to this purpose, but of this we have no certainty. 
 
 + The farm at Bray, in this county, given by archbishop Laud, to the corporation, for this and 
 other purposes, having been lately let at an increased rent, the master's salary will, in future, be con- 
 siderably increased.
 
 'Pi. 
 
 /I 
 
 
 ,¥/^ 
 
 l^hfy///r^/fj e/'^^^fer/j ef/?/z^M&f^/r/////7^/j^/'M^^ vyr'<^^
 
 SCHOOLS. 185 
 
 At the scliool-meetingj held at the Bear inn, hi the year 1771, *' it was 
 unanimously agreed, to forward a subscription^ in order to raise a fund towards 
 purchasing or building a house, for the master of the free-school, for the time 
 being, and to invest the principal in the trustees, appointed by archbishop Laud, 
 to be visitors of the school, and the mayor of Reading for the time being, who 
 •were empowered to receive the interest of the said principal, so to be raised, 
 'till a house could be either purchased, or built therewith." With the sum 
 collected on this occasion, and some additional subscriptions in 1785, the house, 
 situated at the south-west corner of the Forbury, wherein the masters of the 
 school had lately resided, was purchased of the late doctor Addington, and 
 annexed to the school. Previous to this house being purchased, the masters 
 provided their own residence, and the one here alluded to, was built by Mr. 
 Hiley, about the commencement of the last century, for the accommodation of 
 his boarders ; prior to which, it is doubtful if any other boys, than natives, or 
 sons of the inhabitants, were educated in the school, as the former masters 
 seem mostly to have resided in private houses, or lodgings, and no prior mention 
 is made of boarders. 
 
 There are two scholarships in St. John the Baptist's college, Oxford, be- 
 longing to this school, founded by sir Thomas White, in 1557, concerning 
 which I find the following particulars, in the statutes of the college, drawn up 
 by himself: 
 
 " De qualitnie et circumstantiis, Sgc. 
 
 " Of the qualifications and circumstances of the scholars to be elected. 
 
 " Seeing that there is nothing in the whole society of man more divine ; no- 
 thing more analagous to our nature, than to be liberal and bountiful towards those, 
 to whom we conceive ourselves most beholden. Neither are we tied by stricter 
 bonds of friendship to any, more than to the citizens of London ;* among whom we 
 have been, not only long conversant, and brought up almost from our infancy, but 
 but also have attained and gotten the greatest part of such goods and commo- 
 dities, as now, by divine permission, we enjoy. Wherefore, being moved with 
 that love and piety, which we bear towards our fellow citizens, we do appoint, 
 ordain, and will, that forty-three of the poorer scholars, who, cither within 
 London, or the suburbs thereof, shall bestow their time diligently in grammar, 
 may be admitted into this our college, founded and endowed at our costs and 
 charges, and they shall enjoy all such advantages, as the present scholars possess. 
 
 " Also, each of the following schools, viz. Coventry, Bristol, and Reading, 
 shall send two scholars, who shall partake of the same advantages and privi- 
 
 • Sir Thomas Whyte was mayor of London in 1553. 
 
 b B
 
 ISe SCHOOLS. 
 
 Chap, leges, as the others enjoy. One, also, shall be chosen out of Tunbiidge schooF, 
 ■^j^ J in the county of Kent. 
 
 " And now, to the end that there may be some certainty appointed, con- 
 cerning: the nominating and electing of these seven scholars, whom we will 
 have equal to the others, in all the advantages and privileges of the college. 
 
 " As often as any place of these seven shall become void, we will, that 
 within forty days after such vacancy, that the president and fellows shall certify 
 and advise, by letters, signed with their own hands, the mayors and aldermen 
 {pratoreset seniores)* of those places, out of which such scholars are to be 
 named and chosen, that is to say, Coventry, Bristol, Reading, and Tunbridge, 
 out of which two scholars each are to be elected, except out of Tunbridge, 
 from which, out of respect to Ihe great love we bore to sir Andrew Judd, knt. 
 founder of the grammar school there, we do ordain and will, that one scholar 
 shall be nominated and elected, as often as the place assigned for this school 
 shall be void. And they shall take care to send such out of their schools, to 
 the college, as either they themselves shall know, or in the judgment of others^ 
 shall believe to be fit to learn logic (ad dialccticam percipicndam). And we 
 do decree, ordain, and will, that this nomination, assignation, evocation, and 
 election, of forty-three scholars, and six choristers, by the worshipful men, the 
 master, wardens, and assistants, and the president, and vice-president, and two 
 of the chief senior fellows ; and also, the nomination, evocation, and election, 
 of those seven scholars, by the mayors and aldermen of those places, of which 
 we made mention before, be made and kept for ever ; neither shall it be 
 lawful at any time, for the president and fellows, whicli now are, or for their 
 successors, to invert, change, break, or weaken the form of electing scholars, 
 which we have prescribed, nor to expound, or interpret otherwise than the 
 true, natural, and grammatical sense of the words do bear, under pain of ex- 
 pulsion out of the college; neither shall they at any time consent, either in 
 word or deed, to them that do otherwise." 
 
 Though the words of this statute are plain and easy to be understood, yet a 
 dispute originated a few years back, between the master, and some of the mem- 
 bers of the corporation, \vhe(hcr a boy, who had been educated as a boarder in 
 the school, without being a native of the town, was eligible to the scholarship. 
 
 As the issue of tliis dispute involved the general interests of all the inha- 
 bitants, it was thought fit to take the opinion of counsel upon it, and the fol- 
 lowing case was drawn up : 
 
 • Stniores, is used here in a general sense, for the chief magistrates of all the places mentioned, 
 and when applied to those of Reading, which at this tinK consisted only of the mayor and burgesses, 
 must be considered to mean the burgesses only.
 
 SCHOOLS. 187 
 
 " During the government of John Tliorne, who was elected abbot of Chap, 
 Reading, in 1445, he suppressed an old alms-house of poor sisters, near St. 
 Lawrence's church, founded by some of his predecessors, and employed the 
 revenues to the use of the almoner of Reading, which Henry the seventh Case. 
 heing informed of, at his coming to Reading, he ordered the abbot to convert 
 both the house and lands to pious uses ; upon which, the abbot begged it might 
 be made a grammar school ; which being assented to, one William Dene gave 
 two hundred marks towards its advancement; but the abbot dying soon after- 
 wards, in 1486, and the second of Henry the seventh, the settlement was not 
 completed. This abbot was succeeded by another of the same name, who died 
 in 1519, and was succeeded by Thomas de Worcester, who governed but for a 
 short time, for in 1520, Hugh Farringdon, the last abbot, was elected, and 
 executed at Reading, in 1533. 
 
 " The first charter,* that appeareth to have been granted to Reading, was 
 in the second year of Henry the seventh, and is dated at Mayiield, August 5th, 
 1487 ; about which time it is believed, that the corporation erected their town- 
 hall, on the said ground, leaving the under part of it for the said grammar- 
 school. 
 
 " Hugh Farringdon, thelastabbot, andhis predecessors, 'till the act of sup- 
 pression in 1539, were seized in fee, to them and their successors of the said borough, 
 and of divers messuages, lands, tenements, and hereditaments, within the same ; 
 which, by virtue thereof, and of the surrender of the monastery, reverted to the 
 crown. Henry VIII granted a charter to Reading,f in the 37th year of his 
 reign, dated at Portsmouth, July 5, 1546; and at his death, the said borough, 
 and the possessions within the same, descended to Edward the sixth, who died, 
 seized thereof; and it likewise descended to queen Mary, and from her to Eli- 
 zabeth, who, by letters patent, the 23d of September, in the second year of her 
 reign, viz : in 1560, reciting shortly, the charters of Henry the seventh, and 
 Henry the eighth, granted the said borough, and the said estates, J; to the cor- 
 poration of Reading; and, in consideration thereof, they are liable to several 
 public charges, among which, they are to find a schoolmaster for ever, to teach 
 grammar, within the said borough, 
 
 * In this charter the corporation arestiled mayor and burgesses. 
 
 + Incorporated by the title of the mayor and burgesses, of tlie guild of merchants of Reading, 
 ■which was a community of such inhabitants who dealt in merchandize, combined together into one 
 body, by royal permission, and every trading inhabitant was, or might be, free thereof. 
 
 J The rents of the estates then amounted to only about 41/. Qs. -jd. annually, but since that time 
 they have been consideiably increased, though no other bounty has since been given by tlie crown to 
 the corporation. 
 
 bB2
 
 188 SCHOOLS. 
 
 ^ " Oueen Elizabeth, bv her charter of the 23d of September, 1560, incof- 
 
 \ If \ P 
 
 X * poratcd them, bv the title of mayor and burgesses ; and says, that nine men, 
 -^Y-*^ of the most discreet inhabitants of the borough, shall be primary and head 
 burgesses, and they sliall choose twelve more inhabitants, called secondary bur- 
 jicsscs ; and the mayor chief, and secondary burgesses shall be called a common 
 council of the borough, for all things and business, or the rule and government 
 thereof, or the public profits and commodities of the said borough, and inha- 
 bitants thereof, by the major part of them, to be done and handled for the 
 better order and government of men, inhabiting therein, and of the business of 
 the said boroujrh. And the said charter directs, that the said mayor and bur- 
 gesses shall, from thenceforth, in future, annually acquit the said queen, her 
 heirs and successors, from ten pounds, to be paid yearly to the master of the 
 free-school, within the borough aforesaid, for his stipend and salary. And in 
 the said charter is the following recital : 
 
 " ' And whereas, a school, or grammar-school, founded and built by our 
 predecessors, is in the borough, for educating the boys of the inhabitants of the 
 same borough, and others, in literature, and for the better training up, order, 
 and benefit of the school aforesaid, to be practised, we will, &c. &c.' Here, 
 the mayor and capital burgesses, are impowered to nominate, elect, and appoint, 
 and to remove him, &c. 
 
 " Fourteenth of Charles the first, 1638. This is the governing charter 
 of the borough ; and it is incorporated by the title of the mayor, aldermen, and 
 burgesses ; and says, that there shall be within the borough aforesaid, of the 
 free burgesses of that borough, one, who shall be called mayor ; thirteen, who 
 shall be called aldermen, whereof we will the mayor to be one, and twelve, who 
 shall be called assistants. And the said king thereby gave full power to any 
 person or persons, to give, grant, bequeath, assign, or alien, manors, messuages, 
 lands, tenements, and hereditaments, to the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, 
 and confirms all former charters ; and, among other things, free-schools, power 
 of naming and removing a master or masters of those schools. 
 
 '' Second of Charles the second. This charter confirms the one of 
 Charles the first, verbatim, and gives some direction concerning the steward 
 and town clerk. 
 
 " Tenth of Charles the second, confirms the letters-patent aforesaid, and 
 every thing therein contained; and also all, and all manner of liberties, &c. 
 free- schools, power of nominating and removing the master or masters. 
 
 " You are particularly requested to peruse sir Thomas White's statutes, 
 and advise whether or not the right of election is in the mayor solely ; in the 
 jiiayor and aldermen ; or in the corporation at large ? and Reading school
 
 SCHOOLS. 189 
 
 being in a very flourishing way, and chiefly consisting of boarders,* gentlemen's CnAPi 
 sons in the country, and but a few boys of the town, you are desired to ad- X. 
 vise, whether or not the corporation can, consistent with their trust, elect a ^^'^'"^ 
 scholar out of the school at large, which some are desirous of doing, thinking 
 it for the benefit of the town and school so to do ? the town, on the other hand, 
 insisting that it cannot be done where there is a town's boy in the school, qua- 
 lified, though in a lower class. As the corporation wish to do what is strictly 
 just, your opinion is desired fully." 
 
 To this case, the counsel gave the following opinion : 
 
 " The questions in this case, are two ; who are entitled to be elected into Opinion^ 
 these fellowships ? and who are entitled to elect ? 
 
 " I think both the questions are doubtful, especially the last. But my 
 opinion is, as to the first, that ( upon supposition some facts are true, which I 
 shall bye and bye state, and there is no time to inquire into,) the free-scholars, 
 if they be fit to go to the university, are entitled to be elected, to the exclusion 
 of the boarders, though such free scholars be not so high on the arrangement of 
 classes by the master, as the boarders. 
 
 " As to the second, I think the mayor and aldermen are the electors, in 
 exclusion of the burgesses. 
 
 " I think it very probable, from the haste M'ith which this case seems to 
 have been drawn up, that there has not been time to collect, and state accu- 
 rately, all the information upon the subject, and therefore, I must be under- 
 stood to write upon the case and papers, as laid before me, explained by two 
 letters, which I have since received from Mr. Andrews, and which I have re- 
 turned with the case. 
 
 " As to the first question, I take it for granted, that the boarders are 
 charged for their schooling, and that the free-scholars, or rather, those that are 
 entitled to be free scholars, are not so charged, but make a present to the master, 
 which is merely discretionary, and that by custom, the sons only, of those who 
 are inhabitants of the town, are considered to be entitled as free scholars, 
 
 "^ I mention this, because, in the very foundation of merchant taylor's 
 school, the scholars^ who go off to St. John's, pay, as I am informed, nothing, 
 
 * The custom of receiving boarders into the school, is certainly of a modern date, not, perhaps 
 exceeding a century back, and consequently must be an innovation on the original foundation, when- 
 no such practice was in use, and, however beneficial it may be to a few tradesmen, requires a reform 
 on the part of the corporation. As a charitable foundation, it was at first established, and as such, sir 
 Thomas White endowed it with two scholarships, not certainly for gentlemen's sons, who may be 
 brought from any part of the world, with which the donor had no connection, but of the inhabitant* 
 of the town, to whom he concaved himsiif most beholden.
 
 igO SCHOOLS. 
 
 or only a small customary stipend to the master, and yet board with him ; and, 
 further, the objects of this free-school are not accurately pointed out. 
 
 " There is no deed of foundation, and the charter of Elizabeth recites 
 the school to be for the educating of tlie boys of the inhabitants of the borough, 
 and others ; but in fact, the town's boys only have been considered as entitled 
 to be free scholars : this usage will supply the want of a deed of foundation, 
 and restrain the general words in the recital of Elizabeth's charter. These 
 premises being taken for granted, I think the word scliola, ought to be applied 
 to the state of the school in sir Thomas Whijtc's time, vjhcn iliere appears to 
 have been no scholars, but free scholars, and it should be taken, that he meant 
 these to be the objects of his bounty, who were the objects of the bounty of 
 the foundation of the school, that is, the free scholars, and that no others should 
 be chosen, if there be a free scholar fit. 
 
 " This construction, I think, is strengthened by the reason that the founder 
 gives, for his giving a scholarship to Tunbridge school, viz : his regard for the 
 founder of it, which should seem to be no reason for extending his bounty to 
 any, who are not the objects of that founder's bounty, that is, his free scholars. 
 As to the remedy that such scholars have, if rejected, it is a matter of more 
 consideration, than the very short time I have had this case, will allow me to 
 advise upon. He must be careful to take all steps to declare himself to be a 
 candidate ; and I think it can do no harm to him, to tender himself for ad- 
 mission to St. John's college, with a proper memorial and certificate. 
 
 " As to the second question, I presume, that by the corporation at large, 
 is meant the mayor, aldermen, and assistant burgesses only, and not the whole 
 body of freemen, who, I think, cannot claim any right to join in the election. 
 The words of sir Thomas White's statutes are very doubtful ; it seems to me, 
 that the mayor alone might at first have had some claim to the nomination, 
 notwithstanding the words are in the plural number, as sir Thomas White is 
 speaking of three, if not four corporations ; and I think, that on the questioQ 
 between the aldermen and burgesses, the construction is rather on the aider* 
 men's side, but the uncertainty upon the words is such, that I think the usage 
 must prevail, which, in my opinion, is in favor of the aldermen, notwithstanding 
 the four instances which are the other way. 
 
 •' The c&seof doctor Merrick's son, in 1734, was not submitted io, but 
 bishop Iloadley, either thinking he had no authority, or not wishing to decide 
 •the matter, seems to have effected a sort of compromise. ^ The seal does not 
 seem to be necessary to the appointment, so that all arguments drawn from 
 thence fail. 
 
 'f If the burgesses choose .to follow up their claim, they should take care.
 
 SCHOOLS. 191 
 
 that the person they vote for, should declare himself a candidate, and send such 
 candidate, with an appointment, signed by them, and the aldermen who voted 
 witJi them, (if they will do it) to St. John's college. But, as I said before, I 
 have no time to consider what subsequent steps they ought to take. 
 
 W. Dampier." 
 
 In consequence of this opinion, though nothing decisive seems determined 
 by it, the burgesses were not permitted to vote; however, the election of a 
 native, in opposition to a boarder, from another part of the country, was car- 
 ried by a majority of eight to four : more, perhaps, in consequence of the 
 vigorous opposition of the inhabitants, than from any other motive, as the ma- 
 jority of the aldermen appeared, at first, favorable to the wishes of the master. 
 
 However difficult the decision of these two questions might appear in the 
 eyes of a lawyer, nothing seemed clearer to men of plain understandings, than 
 that sir Thomas White intended these scholarships for the benefit of the natives 
 alone, and he gives, as a reason for so doing, because " he considered that 
 nothing is more divine, than to he bountiful to those to whom we conceive 
 ourselves most beholden." 
 
 Now, this obligation, which sir Thomas appears so sensible of, could only 
 arise from the affection he bore to this, (as is supposed by some) his native 
 town ; or, from his connection with the woollen manufacturers of this place, 
 who there can be no doubt furnished him with the greater part of the cloth, 
 his extensive dealings required, and who were, therefore, virtually the means 
 of his accumulating his immense fortune. Under this view of the subject, I 
 have no hesitation in saying, that it would be contrary to the intent and mean- 
 ing of the statute, and an anniliilation of that sense of gratitude which the 
 donor has so pointedly expressed, as having prompted him to give the prefer- 
 ence to this town before many olhers ; to elect a boy from a different part 
 of the kingdom, where the donor was bound by no such obligation, as well as 
 a perversion of a noble institution for the encouragement of indigent merit, 
 to bestow it upon gentlemen's sons of opulent fortunes, such as are generally 
 educated at this seminary. 
 
 Those who contend for the eligibility of the boarders to these scholar- 
 ships, found their opinion on the words in queen Elizabeth's charter, specifying 
 the school to have been " for the education of the sons of the inhabitants, and 
 others." ( hominum ct inhaMtantium cjusdem burgi et alios J But, supposing 
 the school to have bc^n established for others, as well as for boys resident ia 
 the town, it does not, therefore, follow, that scholars, who are not sons of the 
 inhabitanls, are eligible to the scholarships given by sir Thomas White, to 
 the school, at a time, when no other boys were educated in it, but such as be-
 
 192 SCHOOLS. 
 
 Chap, lonsjed to the iown, and %vlien the system of boarding the scholars from different 
 parts of the kiugdoni, and much less from the colonies, could not have entered 
 into the contemplation of any one. As to the word others, so much relied on, 
 it ou"-ht, certainly, to be taken in a more limited sense, meaning nothing more 
 than such others, as might come from the neighboring villages or hamlets, to 
 receive their daily education here, where, probably, from the low state of lite- 
 rature, at the time sir Thomas made his donation, it was only to be had. 
 
 But that the word others, in queen Elizabeth's charter, may appear to possess 
 a greater degree of consequence, than it is entitled to, it is added, '' as the 
 school was founded for educating the sons of the inhabitants, and others, in lite- 
 rature, it follows, that the sons of the inhabitants, and others, are eligible, both 
 by the letter and spirit of the endowment.'" Now, as th* school was founded 
 in 1445, in the reign of Henry VIT, and the charter of Elizabeth was not 
 granted 'till more than a century afterwards, this charter could make no 
 part of the original foundation, and therefore, the word others, mentioned in 
 the charter, is no proof that the school was founded for the educating of the 
 sons of the inhabitants, and others. 
 
 After all, perhaps, it would be better not to rely too much on a single word, 
 which, in all probability, was not quite correct at the time of w ording the charter. 
 Charters weregenerally drawn upby the officers of the crown, who, not being resi- 
 dents of the places, for which the charters w ere intended, it is not unlikely, that 
 many things of a local nature might be inserted in them, which were not strictly 
 true ; as, in the very doubtful passage in question, wherein it is asserted, " that 
 the school was founded and built by her progenitors, (kings of England)* whca 
 in fact, it was neither founded nor built by any one of them. Henry VII, it 
 is true, was the primary cause of its being founded, by ordering the abbot to 
 settle the house and lands of a suppressed monastery, on some charitable esta- 
 blishment, but he did not eves point out what that establishment should be, nor 
 did he advance one farthing towards it : afterwards, when Henry VIII. had 
 seized the temporalities of the abbey into his own hands, he agreed to pay out 
 of them, ten pounds per annum, to the master of the school, and it was for 
 the purpose of exonerating the crown from this charge, that the clause respect- 
 ing the school, was introduced into the charter, w ithout any intent, as it should 
 seem, of interfering with the original foundation of the school, no one clause 
 iaving been inserted in it for its future regulation and government. 
 
 "• " CuiB quidam schola sive ludus literarius fundat. et erect, existit in burgo praedicto per pro- 
 genitores nostros ad educand. pueros hominum et iiihabiuntium ejusdem burgi et alios in literatur."— 
 Charter of Elizabtth. 
 
 * Letter to the reverend the vice chancellor, &c. pag. 14,
 
 SCHOOLS. 19S 
 
 In addition to the above arguments in favor of the eligibility of strangers. Chap. 
 the supporters of this opinion quote the case of Mr, Pope, who, in 1769, ^* 
 " though a stranger, was elected in preference to a native of the town, who 
 claimed the scholarship." This case appears, at first sight, to carry with it 
 much weight, in favor of the argument, but when properly considered, will be 
 found rather to militate against it, than for it. 
 
 The case, as I am informed, by good authority, was this : At the vacancy 
 in 17G9, Mr. Davenport, jun. a native of the town, was a candidate for the 
 scholarship, being qualified in every requisite particular. It had happened, that 
 on a former vacancy, his brother, Mr. David Davenport, had been elected to 
 the scholarship, and was at this time at St. John's college. Whether it arose 
 from some of the members of the corporation thinking it not right, that one 
 family should engross both the scholarships ; and had, therefore, opposed the 
 election of the younger brother, or from some other cause, is uncertain ; but 
 some disagreements existing between them and Mr. D. Davenport, the latter, 
 under the prevailing idea that his brother alone was eligible, prevailed with 
 him not to attend at the hall on the day of election, it being, in his opinion, 
 sufficient, that he had declared himself a candidate. These suggestions of his 
 elder brother, the young man complied wiih, and on his not attending at the 
 time, when the corporate body was assembled, for the purpose of the election, 
 the town sergeant was sent to make proclamation on the top of the hall stairs, 
 for the candidates to appear, and none other answering to the proclamation, 
 Mr. Pope was elected, as a matter of necessity, not of choice. The Daven- 
 ports, afterwards, made some endeavors to set the election aside, but without 
 effect. Mr. Pope, however, was, we are assured, always considered by the 
 collegians from Reading school, as an intruder. 
 
 What steps these gentlemen took to set aside the election, we have not 
 heard; it is probable, however, that they applied to the visitors for redress, 
 but these gentlemen are only judges of the fitness for the scholarships, of the 
 boys presented to them, by the corporation, and not of the legality of the 
 choice; to determine this point, they ought to have applied to the legal 
 tribunals of the country, which alone are competent to decide the question. 
 However, as this case has been cited as a precedent for the election of strangers, 
 it becomes the corporate body to be cautious, never, in future, to elect any to 
 these scholarships, that are not inhabitants of the borough. ^Sc have thus 
 endeavored to place this questionable opinion in its true liglit, %\i(hout the 
 smallest wish to give olTence to any one: the love of truth, and the duty we 
 owe to the inhabitants of the town of Reading, whose cause we have adopted, 
 would not permit us to say less, to have said more might appear invidious. 
 
 c c
 
 191 SCHOOLS. 
 
 As to the other question, whether the burgesses had a right to vote, it 
 maybe observed, that though it had been negatived by the aldermen at this 
 election, they were onlv a part of the corporation, and had no right to decide, 
 in a case, wherein themselves were interested^ especially as that decision was 
 contrary, both to the statute itself, and to former custom. 
 
 The only diflaculty that had arisen on this question, was on the true con- 
 struction of the word seniores, used in the statute, which can only be disco- 
 vered by a retrospect to the time when it was written. 
 
 Of the four places mentioned to partake of these scholarships, (for Tun- 
 bridge is out of the question ) three are cities, governed by mayors and alder- 
 men ; therefore, sir Thomas could not, without making a separate clause for 
 Reading, have better expressed the governing part of each, than by the words, 
 prcetores et seniores, though Reading had no aldermen, 'till many years 
 afterwards. At the time this statute was made, this corporation consisted only 
 of the mayor and burgesses ; if, therefore, the burgesses had a right to vote at 
 the election of a scholar, on its first institution, they being then the senioi-es of 
 the borough, their subsequent division into primary and secondary burgesses, 
 and after that, into aldermen and assistant burgesses, could not deprive the 
 latter of the right of voting, which they before possessed, so that notwith- 
 standinc: such areat stress is laid on the w ord seniores, it is evident the founder 
 meant by that general term, to include all the members of the corporation, of 
 w horn the burgesses are an essential part, as without their consent, no act of 
 the corporation can be valid.* 
 
 That the aldermen were not justified in their decision by custom, many 
 cases might be adduced from the Diaries ; but I sliall content myself with the 
 two following, as coming most, perhaps, to the point at issue: 
 
 " Letters from St. John's college bcinge reade, Jan*'. 11, 1631, for the 
 electinge a schollar from the free schoole : this was the manner of proceedinge 
 in the election, viz : Mr. doctor Bird beinge schoolmaster, was called in, and 
 acquainted with the letters from the college, and required to name three of 
 the most fit schollars, whereof one of them may be chosen, and sent with a 
 certificate to the college; and he named three, and affirmed that everie one of 
 them was fittc. There were present, at this meeting, nine capital, and sixteen 
 secondary burgesses; and the mayor and burgesses elected Mr. Creed, the 
 son of John Creed, aged sixteen years." 
 
 * According to the charter of Charles I. the duties of an assistant burgess is to be counselling and 
 helping the mayor and aldermen, in all causes, things, and business, touching, or any way concern* 
 ing the said borough.
 
 SCHOOLS. 195 
 
 At this election, there were twenty votes for Mr. Creed, and five for the 
 other candidates; noWj as the corporation consisted only of the same number 
 of persons, it is evident all the burgesses must have voted on this occasion.* 
 
 " On May 3, 1700, Mr. Mayor communicated to the aldermen and iur' 
 gesses, a letter, which he had received from the president and fellows of St. 
 John the Baptist's college, signifying that the two fellowships, belonging to 
 this borough, will be both void at Midsummer, at which time they desire them 
 to send two young men, chosen by themselves, into those places, qualified both 
 for learning and manners."" 
 
 There were present at this election, eleven aldermen, and Jive burgesses^ 
 and the number of votes was thirty-two, proving that all the burgesses present, 
 did vote, as well as the aldermen, and so I believe they will always be found 
 to have done, prior to this period ; and though in some later instances, this does 
 not appear to have been the case, these ought to be considered rather as vio- 
 lations of their original right of voting, than a confirmation of the late de- 
 cision of the aldermen in their own favor.* 
 
 The intentions of the founders of charitable institutions, are seldom scru- 
 pulously fulfilled by those, to whose trust they are committed. Self interest, 
 prejudice, favor, affection, and many other inducements frequently interfere, to 
 to pervert the true meaning of words, or to obviate the force of expressions 
 that counteract our wishes. We have seen above, how readily the literal sense 
 of the statute was controverted, for the purpose of placing the election in the 
 hands of a few, and those a part only of the corporation. In like manner^ the 
 heads of St. John's college took upon themselves to determine, what were the 
 qualifications required in a scholar, besides the one mentioned in the founda- 
 tion statute of sir Thomas Whytc, and to send back such as they were pleased 
 to say were not fit.' Now the necessary qualification, according to the statute, 
 is such, as might be supposed not easily to be mistaken, viz : if, in the Judgment 
 of the electors, he be ihotight fit to learn logic ; yet notwithstanding this plain 
 exposition of the donor's meaning, respecting the qualification, the president 
 
 * That arclibisliop Laud considered the burgesses as something more than a mere nominal part of 
 the corporation, appears from his appointing, in his decree respecting Mr. Kenrick's charity, the ap- 
 prentice fees to be paid, at the choice of the mayor and burgesses, without mentioning the aldermen, 
 though thev then held a principal rank in the corporation ; as well, therefore, might the burgesses 
 object to the aldermen voting, in this instance, because their name is omitted, as the aldermen can with 
 justice object to the burgesses voting at the election of scholars, because only mayors and enalderm are 
 mentioned in sir Thomas Whyte's statute. The truth, no doubt is, that in both instances, t lie whole 
 of the corporation was intended, because none of its members are expressly excluded, 
 * Corporation Diary. * Ibid, ' Ibid, 
 
 c c2
 
 1% SCHOOLS. 
 
 and fcllowsj in 1677,' returned one of the two scholars that had bee just 
 elected, as wiqiialijied ; not because he was unfit to learn logic, as might have 
 been supposed, but because he had been for some time employed in trade,* and 
 " therefore they desired another might be sent." This is the only instance I 
 have met with, of such a charge being alleged as a disqualification, and it is 
 much t(! be regretted, that the then existing corporation submitted to it, not 
 merely as being contrary to the intent of the donor, but because such senti- 
 ments tend to diminish the merit of industry, without which civilized society 
 could not subsist, nor the clergy themselves be maintained ; for however useful 
 and necessary their labors may be, in checking the licentiousness of the people, 
 they themselves add nothing to the general stock of industry, 
 
 MASTERS OF THE SCHOOL. 
 
 John Long, was elected in 1503, and was succeeded in 1530, by 
 Leonard Cox, A. M. This gentleman wrote a treatise on Rhetoric, de- 
 dicated to the last abbot of Reading. He was esteemed an eloquent writer, 
 in the times in which he lived. Among Leland's Encomia Illuslrium I7ra- 
 rum, is the following to Leonard Cox : 
 
 IncUjta Sarmaticce Cracovia gloria gentis, 
 
 Viriutes novit, Coxe diserte, tuas. 
 
 J^ovit et eloquii phoenix utriusque 3Iclancthony 
 
 Quam te Phoebus nmet, Pieriusque chorus. 
 
 Praga tuas cccinit, cccinitque Lutitia laudesy 
 
 Urbs crga doctos officiosa viros. 
 
 Tnlia quum consteht, genctrix tua propria, debet 
 
 Anglia te simili concelehrare modo. 
 
 £t faciei, nam me cantaniem nuper adorta. 
 
 Hoc ipsiim jussit signijicare tibi. 
 
 In 1541, Henry VIII. granted him his office, by patent, with a salary of 
 ten pounds per annum, cliarged on the rectory of Cholsey, which had been an 
 appendage to the abbey. He was succeeded by 
 
 Leonard Bilson, in 1516, styled, by Wood, in his Fasti, the learned 
 
 * The boy, who was sent by the electors to St. John's, at this tune, was a native of the town, and 
 the son of a tailor, and the reason given, by the heads of the college, for his rejection, was, his having^ 
 been known to have occasionally assisted his father on the shop-board. Thus, from the narrow pre- 
 judices of the times, this poor boy was punished for doing that, for which he deserved to have beea 
 rewarded, 
 
 ' Corporation Diary.
 
 SCHOOLS. 197 
 
 schoolmaster of Reading. He was uncle to doctor Thomas Bilson, bishop of Chap. 
 Winchester. He possessed several dignitaries in the churchy one of which was X- 
 a prebendship of Winchester. To him succeeded 
 
 Julius Palmer, in 1554. This gentleman was the son of a respectable 
 tradesman at Coventry, and received the first part of his education at the free- 
 school in that city^ from whence he was sent to Oxford^ and obtained a fellow- 
 ship in Magdalen college. Educated in the tenets of the church of Rome, 
 of which he was a zealous member, he refused to conform to the new doctrines, 
 in the reign of Edward VI, and was expelled the college, and for some time 
 kept a school in that city. 
 
 On the accession of queen Mary, he got himself reinstated in his fellow- 
 ship, which he held but a short time ; for having, during his expulsion, asso- 
 ciated with many of the reformers, he began to doubt of the orthodoxy of the 
 tenets he had hitherto maintained with so much zeal, and having witnessed 
 with what piety and resignation many of the martyrs sufl'ered for their faith, 
 he became a sincere convert to the new prhiciples, and was again expelled. 
 
 On leaving the college, his friends procured him the mastership of this 
 grammar school, but this he was soon afterwards obliged to resign, on account 
 of his opinions. From Reading, he went to Eversham in Worcestershire, 
 where his mother lived, in order to obtain from her a legacy, bequeathed to 
 him by his father, which she refusing to give him up, and upbraiding him with 
 his change of religion, he returned privately to Oxford, depending on the con- 
 fidence of a few friends, vvhere, through the interest of one Allen Cope, a 
 fellow of the college, he obtained a recommendation to a school in Gloucester- 
 shire, but he had not proceeded far on his journey, before he altered his reso- 
 lution, and determined to go to Reading, to try if he could obtain bis salary 
 that was due, and at the same time dispose of the goods he had left there. 
 
 Immediately on Mr. Palmer's arrival at Reading, he was taken into custody, 
 and carried to prison, where he remained ten days in the custody of an unmer- 
 ciful keeper ; at the expiration of which time, he was brought before the 
 mayor of Reading, and charged with the following crimes : 
 
 1st. That he said the queen's sword was not put into her hand to execute 
 tyranny, and to kill and murder the true servants of God. 
 
 2nd. That the sword was tod blunt towards the papists^ but too sharp 
 towards the true chris ians. 
 
 3rd. That certain servants of sir Francis Knowles, and others, resorting to 
 his lectures, fell out among them, and had almost committed murder, tJicrcfofe- 
 he was a sower of sedition, and a procurer of unlawful assemblies.
 
 198 SCHOOLS. 
 
 4th. That his landlady* had -written a letter to him, -which they had in- 
 terceptedj -wherein she requested him to return to Reading, and sent her com- 
 mendations by the token, that the knife lay hid under the beam, whereby they 
 inferred, that she had conspired with him against her husband. 
 
 5th. That they once found him alone with his said landlady, by the fire 
 side, the door being shut, thereby suspecting him of incontinency with her. 
 
 Three men who were suborned for the purpose, swore these things against 
 him before the mayor, who thereupon sent him to the cage,t to be an open 
 spectacle of contempt to the people ; and a report was spread, that he was thus 
 punished for the most enormous crimes and misdemeanors, which had been 
 fully proved against him. 
 
 After he had been thus unjustly exposed to public shame, the mayor sent 
 for him to answer for himself, concerning what was laid to his charge. He 
 fully overthrew all the evidence, by proving the letter, said to have been written 
 to him by his landlady, to be of their own forging, and in the most incontes- 
 tible manner acquitted himself of all the other charges brought against him. 
 The mayor was confounded to think he should have given such credit to his 
 persecutors, and though he did not chuse to discharge him immediately, yet he 
 thought of doing it as soon as a convenient opportunity should offer. 
 
 When Mr. Palmer was in prison, he was visited by one John Galant, 
 who said to him, "^ Oh Palmer ! thou hast deceived many men's expectations, 
 
 * From the mention here made of his landlady, it is evident Mr. Palmer, instead of possessing a 
 house for the reception of boarders, was himself only a lodger ; and as no notice is taken of anv sums 
 being due to him, from his scholars, which must have been the case, if any thing had at that time been 
 payable for their education, (the only motive given for his return, being to recover his salary, and -dis- 
 pose of his goods,) it may reasonably be inferred, that the education afforded by the school, was entirely 
 free, as its name imports, and however small the salary [lOL per annum) may now appear, yet, con- 
 sidering the very low price of every article of necessity, at this period, we may not unreasonably sup- 
 pose it to have been equal to 50/. or GOL of our present money, which, though not a very plentiful 
 income, might, even now, be acceptable to many a poor curate. The truth is, the nature of this 
 foundation, has, for a long period, been misunderstood. The original intention was certainly charity ; 
 as a charitable institution, it was founded by the abbot, at the request of Henry VII. the funds for its 
 support were paid from lands belonging to a charity, and as such it seems to have been considered for 
 more than a century, 'till the introduction of the system of boarding boys in the master's house ; since 
 which, the original institution has been gradually obscured, by the splendor of large establishments ; it 
 has no longer been considered as it really is, a charity school for the benefit of the town, but as a semi- 
 nary for the education of gentlemen's sons, whose parents being better able to reward the literary abilities 
 of the masters, their reception has been encouraged, to the almost total exclusion of those, for whom 
 it was designed, 
 
 + The cage then stood over the entrance into the church yard, belonging to St. Lawrence's pa- 
 rish, and now forms part of Mr. John Blandy's house: it was rented of the parish, by the corpora 
 tion, at the yearly rent of twelve-pence.
 
 SCHOOLS. 199 
 
 for we hear that you suffer not for righteousness* sake, but for thy own de- Chap. 
 merits." X. 
 
 Palmer replied : " Oh brother Galant ! these be the old practices of that 
 fanatical brood ; but be well assured, and God be praised for it, I have so 
 purged myself, and detected their falsehood, that from henceforth I shall be no 
 more molested therewith." 
 
 When his enemies found they had miscarried in their plot against him, 
 they determined to accuse him of heresy. This was accordingly done ; in con- 
 sequence of which, he was taken before the mayor, and Mr. Bird, the bishop 
 of Salisbury's official, in order to give an account of his faith, and to answer 
 such information as might be laid against him. 
 
 In the course of his examination, they gathered from him sufficient 
 grounds to proceed against him. Articles were accordingly drawn up, and 
 sent to doctor Jeffrey, at Newbury, who was to hold his visitation there on the 
 Thursday following. 
 
 The next day, Mr. Palmer was conducted to Newbury, and immediately, 
 on his arrival, was committed to the blind-house prison. 
 
 On Thursday, July 10. 1556, a place being prepared in the parish church, 
 of Newbury, to hold the consistory court : doctor Jeffrey, representative of the 
 bishop of Sarum, sir Richard Abridge, John Winchcomb, esq. and the minister 
 of Englefield, repaired thither, as commissioners appointed for that purpose. 
 
 After the prisoner was produced, the commission read, and other things 
 passed according to the usual form, doctor Jcflrey, in the presence of a great 
 many spectators, called to Palmer, and asked if he was the writer of a two- 
 penny pamphlet, that had been lately published ? 
 
 Having some altercation about this affair, in which Palmer answered in 
 his own behalf, with great force, the doctor, rising from his seat, said to him : 
 " Mr. Palmer, we have received certain writings and articles against you, from 
 the right worshipful the mayor of Reading, and other justices, whereby we 
 understand, that being brought before them, you were convicted of certain 
 heresies : 
 
 *' 1st, That you deny the supremacy of the pope's holiness. 
 
 *' 2nd, That you affirm there are but two sacraments. 
 
 ♦' 3d, You say that the priest sheweth up an idol at mass, and therefore- 
 you went to no mass since your first coming to Reading. 
 
 " 4ih, You hold there is no purgatory. 
 
 " 5th, You are charged with sowing sedition, and seeking to divide the 
 unity of the queen's subjects." 
 
 Several books and pamphlets were then produced, and Mr. Palmer being
 
 200 SCHOOLS. 
 
 asked if lie was the author of them, replied in the affirmative, declaring, at the 
 same time, that they contained nothing but what was founded on the word of 
 God. 
 
 JeflVey then reviled him, declaring that such opinions were dictated by no 
 good spirit, and that he was very w icked in slandering the dead ; and railing 
 at a catholic and learned man living. 
 
 Mr. Palmer replied, " if it be a slander, he slandered himself, for I do 
 but report his own writings, and expose absurdities therein contained ; and I 
 esteem it not railing, to inveigh against Annas and Caiaphas, being dead. 
 
 The doctor, incensed at this reply, assured him that he would take such 
 measures, as should compel him to recant his damnable errors and heresies ; 
 but Palmer told him, that although of himself he could do nothing, yet, if he 
 and all his enemies, both bodily and ghostly, should exert their eiforts, they 
 would not be able to eflect what they desired, neither could they prevail against 
 the mighty powers of divine grace, by which he understood the truthj and was 
 determined to speak it boldly. 
 
 After some further discourse, the minister of Englefield pointed to the 
 pix, over the altar, saying to Palmer, " What seest thou there ?" to which he 
 replied, " A canopy of silk, embroidered with gold." " But what is within ?" 
 demanded the priest, " A piece of bread in a cloth," replied he. 
 
 The priest then upbraided him as a vile heretic, and asked him if he did 
 not believe that those who receive the sacrament of the altar, do truly eat 
 Christ's natural body ? He answered, " If the sacrament of the Lord's sup- 
 per be administered as Christ did ordain it, the faithful receivers do, indeed, 
 spiritually and truly eat and drink in it Christ's body and blood " 
 
 On being asked if he meant, with the holy mother church, really, carnally, 
 and substantially .? He declared, '' He could not believe so absurd and mon- 
 strous a doctrine." 
 
 After this, the court adjourned, when one of the justices took Palmer 
 aside, -and in the presence of several persons, exhorted hira to revoke his opi- 
 nions, and thereby preserve his life, promising at the same time, if he would 
 conform to the church, to' take him into his family, as his chaplain, and give 
 him a handsome salary ; or, if he chose not to resume the clerical function, 
 to get him an advantageous farm. 
 
 Mr. Palmer thanked him for his kind offer, but assured him that he had 
 already renounced his living, in two places, for the sake of Christ, and his 
 gospel, and was ready to yield up his life in defence of the same, if God, in his 
 providence, should think fit to call him to it. 
 
 When the justice found he could by no means make him recant, he said.
 
 SCHOOLS 201 
 
 " Well, Palmer, I perceive that one of us two must be damned, for we are of <^hap. 
 two faltlis, and there is but one faith that leads to Hfe and salvation." 
 
 Palmer observed on the occasion, that it was possible they might both be 
 saved, for that as it had pleased a merciful God, to call him at the third hour 
 of the day, that is, in the prime of life, at the age of twenty-four, so he trusted, 
 that in his infinite goodness, he would graciously call him at the eleventh hour 
 of his old age, and give him an eternal inheritance among the saints in light. 
 
 After much conversation had passed, and many efforts tried in vain. Palmer 
 was remanded back to prison. 
 
 The next morning, the commissioners required him to subscribe to certain 
 articles, which they had gathered from his answers, with the addition of those 
 odious epithets and terms, horrid, heretical, damnable, and execrable doctrines ; 
 which, when he had read, he refused to subscribe, affirming, that the doctrines 
 which he held and professed, were not such, but agreeable to, and founded on, 
 the word of God. 
 
 Jeffrey being now greatly incensed. Palmer consented to subscribe, pro- 
 vided they would strike out those epithets ; upon which, they gave him a pen, 
 and bade him do as he pleased ; when he had made such alterations as he 
 thought proper, he then subscribed. 
 
 Having thus set his hand to the articles, which they had drawn up, they 
 asked him if he would recant, but he peremptorily refusing, they pronounced 
 sentence against him, and he was delivered over to the secular power, and af- 
 terwards burnt in the sand-pits at Newbury.' 
 
 He was succeeded by Thomas Thackham, in 1556, by means not very 
 honorable to his character, and having held the mastership several years, he was 
 succeeded by 
 
 John Smyth, 1569, who, according to Wood, was also vicar of St. Law- 
 rence's, in this town, and died in 1596, but had resigned the mastership in his 
 life time, and was succeeded by 
 
 Hampton, 1583.* who held the school five years, and was followed 
 
 by the 
 
 Rev. Thomas Braddock, B. A. in 1588. 
 
 Rev. Thomas Charlcton, A. M.f 1596. 
 
 Andrew Bird, D. D. 1610. 
 
 • See Rowe Mores Collections. 
 + As no regular register has been kept of the masters of the school, it is difEcult to assign the 
 exact time of their admission. Mr. Coates says, Carleton succeeded Braddock in 1589, but I find 
 Braddock was the master in 15g4, 
 
 • Fox's Book of Martyrs, 
 
 dD
 
 202 SCHOOLS. 
 
 William Pao-e, A. M. 1629. He was elected at the particular request of 
 Charles I. in consequence of a letter, written in the life time of doctor Bird, 
 by iVIr. secretary 'SVindcbank, to \^ horn the corporation voted a "present of 
 two "-ood sugar loaves, of thirty or forty shillings value ;"* but whether for 
 this, or other services, does not appear. In \6i2, ]Mr. Page was sequestered, 
 by the commissioners for Berkshire, and the school-room converted, by their 
 order, into a magazine for the soldier?, then in garrison here. After this, 
 
 Mr. S. Pocock got possession of the school, but does not appear to have 
 been considered by the corporation, who alone had the nomination of the mas- 
 tership, in any other light, than as an intruder. Accordingly, many attempts 
 were made to remove him, and among others, it was alleged against him, that 
 he was incapable of instructing the scholars; and the three vicars were de- 
 sired to meet in the council chamber, to examine him in this particular, but 
 the gentlemen not attending at the appointed time, nothing was done, and he 
 held the mastership 'till 1649, but was not allowed to receive the twenty pounds 
 per annum, given by archbishop Laud, as appears from the following entry in 
 the diary : 
 
 " Upon enquiry made concerninge the abillitie and diligence of the 
 sclioole-master, in the free-schoole in Reading, it was resolved as foUoweth ; 
 Upon several complaints against Mr. Pocock, the schoole-master of Reading, 
 and examination of the proficiencies of his schollers, in his presence, ( he him- 
 self refusing to be examined, and declining all other ingenious waies of tryall, 
 by the visitors,) we do conceive the said Mr. Pocock to be altogether unable to 
 govern the school aforesaid ; and, therefore, we do not approve of the said 
 Mr. Pocock, as having any right, for the time to come, to receive the twenty 
 pounds per annum, payable to the schoole-master of Readinge, by the will and 
 graunte of the late archbishop of Canterbury." 
 
 " It was likewise thought fitt, that, for tlie time to come, the masters of 
 the frce-schoolc, in Readinge, be examined as followeth : 
 
 " Articles of enquirie, for the visitation of the schoole of Readinge : 
 
 " 1st. What authors are your schollers able to give an account of in their 
 leveral forms ? 
 
 2nd. How many schollers have you in the schoole ripe for the university ? 
 
 " 3rd. What method doe vou use in teachins:? 
 
 " 4th. \N hat exercises doe your schollers dailie or weeklie perform ? 
 
 " 5th. Doe you train up your schollers in the knowledge of religion : and 
 what course doe you take for that purpose ? 
 
 • Presents of this kind were, at this period, commonly made by the corporation, to the membeit 
 of parliament for the borough, and to the judges, at the assizei.
 
 SCHOOLS. <;03 
 
 " 6th. Doe you pray -with your schollcrs morning and evening ? 
 
 " 7th. By what testimonie doth it appeare that you have been approved to 
 be able^ and that you are diligent in discharge of your duty ? 
 
 " 8th. What times of remission are usually graunted your schollers, by way 
 of recreation ? 
 
 " 9th. Doe you diligentlie attend upon the publick ordinances of God ? 
 doe you cause your schollers to frequent the place of worship, and see that 
 they behave themselves reverently there^ duringe the time of all exercises of 
 religion ?" 
 
 He was succeeded by William Waddon, in 1G49, who was followed by 
 Gabriel Reeve, 1652 To him succeeded 
 
 Robert Jennings, 1654, who was expelled by the commissioners appointed 
 to remove all such as were accounted scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient mi- 
 nisters. After this 
 
 Thomas Gerrard, A. M. was elected, in 1655, in consequence of an or- 
 der from Oliver Cromwell ; and Mr. Jennings, at that time master, was removed, 
 to make way for his immediate successor. On the death of the protector, the 
 corporation ordered Mr. Jennings to be restored, but Gerrard refusing to re- 
 sign, or acknowledge their right, an action was brought against him, at the 
 next Abingdon assizes, and the cause being heard, a verdict was given in favor 
 of the corporation, whereupon they again nominated Mr. Jennings, but he re- 
 fusing the mastership, they elected 
 
 Edwards, 1659, who afterwards resigned, and was succeeded by 
 
 Thomas Ireland, 1668, who was dicharged for lunacy, in 1673, when the 
 corporation elected 
 
 William Gostwick, 1673. 
 
 Thomas May, 1687. 
 
 Haviland John Hiley, 1716. 
 
 John Spicer, 1749. 
 
 William Wise, 1771. On this gentleman's resignation, in 1781, the re- 
 verend Richard Valpy, the present master, was elected. 
 
 THE BLUE - COJ T SCHOOL. 
 
 This school takes its name from the dress worn by the children, which con- 
 sists of a blue vest, girt round the loins by a leather strap, a waistcoat, leather 
 breeches, and yellow stockings, probably the common dress of the period of 
 its original institution. 
 
 dD2
 
 204 SCHOOLS. 
 
 The school vas founded by Mr. Richard Aldworth,* in 1656, who, by his 
 will, dated in 164G, bequeathed the sum of four thousand pounds to the cor- 
 poration, in trust, for the purpose of maintaining a schoolmaster, lecturer, and 
 twentv boys. With a part of this sum, they immediately purchased the lease 
 of a house, called the Talbot, where the school was first established, but the 
 house being out of repair, they soon afterwards obtained a new lease of Mr. 
 Blagrave, for the term of five hundred years, at the yearly rent of eight pounds, 
 and a fine of eight pounds, at the end of every ten years. In consequence of 
 tliis extension of the lease, the corporation took down the original building, 
 and erected the present school-house, on the same site, for tlie sum of three 
 hundred pounds, exclusive of the old materials. 
 
 The house consists of a centre, and two wings extending to the street, 
 and enclosed in front with a brick wall, forming in the centre a square plot 
 for a play ground. At each extremity of the wings, is a carved figure of a boy, 
 •with a bible in his right hand, and pointing upwards with the fore finger of 
 his left, in appropriate habiliments, one being dressed in blue, the other in green, 
 with the following inscriptions on two tablets, placed against the wall, on each 
 side the figures : 
 
 The "blue-coat hoy. 
 
 Clad in this hieroglyphic -veil. 
 Two niystick emblems I reveal ; 
 The sacred volume in my hand. 
 Directs you to the promised land, 
 
 My azure mantle of the sky, 
 To heav'n above directs your eye ; 
 While to it's seat I guide your look. 
 Your guide to find it is this book. 
 
 The green-coat ioi/. 
 
 The Great Creator at it's birth. 
 Did in my garment cloath the earth. 
 Whose emblem sets before your c^es. 
 The scene of the first paradise. 
 
 ♦ An ancestor of the present right honorable lord Braybrook. There is a full-length picture of 
 him in the council chamber, holding' a book in his right hand ; on one side, is represented a globe, with 
 a female figure standing on it ; over her liead, on a scroll, Veritas omnia vatct. On the other side, is a 
 death's head, and under it, 7)iors vdhi salus.
 
 PI n 
 
 Eis Monument- in Sonniruf Church .Berks.
 
 SCHOOLS. 205 
 
 The sacred oracles that tell 
 How from it our first parents fellj 
 Here teach us how by grace to win 
 The paradise they lost by sin. 
 
 It is difficult to discover what motives could induce the corporation to erect 
 this building on so confined a spot^ at a time when they were possessed of land in 
 the neigliborhoodj so much better adapted to the purpose; even the piece of 
 ground allotted to the house for a garden, would have been much more eligible 
 than the present situation, where the children have only a paved court, about 
 forty feet square, to play in, walled in on every side, where the rays of the sun 
 never penetrate, and where the atmosphere must be particularly noxious, from 
 the want of a free circulation. 
 
 In the year 1657, they purchased, with this legacy, a farm at Sherfield, 
 for the sum of two thousand pounds, and in 1659, with the further sum of one 
 thousand nine hundred and ninety pounds, they purchased another farm, ad- 
 joining, making together, three hundred and sixty acres and a half, of arable, 
 meadow, and wood land. 
 
 In 1666, sir Thomas Rich, hart, of Sonning, gave, by will, to the corpora- 
 tion in trust, the sum of one thousand pounds, producing fifty-four pounds per 
 annum^ for the purpose of maintaining and educating six boys in this school ; 
 one to be chosen out of each of the three parishes, and the three others from 
 the parish of Sonning.* In which church is an elegant tabic monument, 
 to the memory of sir Thomas Rich, and his eldest son, on which are placed 
 two handsome marble urns, with the following inscriptions : 
 
 On the left-hand urn: 
 
 P. M. S. 
 
 In Crypta sub hac marmorum strue, 
 
 Rcposta sunt Exuviae 
 
 D. Thoniffi Rich, Baronetti. 
 
 Qui 
 
 Gloucestria natus 
 
 Educatus Londini, 
 
 Commerciis toto orbe locupletatus 
 
 SunningJB hie obijt, 
 Dives opum et operum bonorum. 
 Ob'. Octob . XV.'' 
 (Dm. MDCLXVIF. 
 -^"""'(/Etatis sufe LXVF. 
 
 • A copy of sir Thomas's will, is entered in the church-wardensbook, for the parish of Sonning.
 
 206 SCHOOLS. 
 
 On the reverse : 
 
 Quantum, Vir optimus, vivus^ vidensque 
 
 Quis dixerit. 
 
 (Vel sinistra ejus nesciente quid dextra fecerat) 
 
 Moriens certe plus decern librarum millibus, 
 
 In Dei cultum, et pauperum levamen, 
 
 Sparsit, dicam, an prodegit. 
 
 Quae si tacuerint homines, 
 
 Vel hi lapides loquentur, 
 
 Deus certo certius. 
 
 Quem de substantia sua, tarn impense honoravit 
 
 Suum, in die decretorio non negabit, 
 
 Euge serve bone et fidelis. 
 
 Abi, Lector et fac similiter. 
 
 On the right-hand urn : 
 
 Quin iterum cedo oculum, Lector : 
 
 Ut et legas denuo, et lachryraeris. 
 
 Nam duplici urn»^ hand sufficit simplex dolor. 
 
 Thomas Rich Armiger, Thoms Baronetti filius 
 
 Primogenitus et unice dilectus 
 
 Suavissimus et magna spei juvenis. 
 
 Amor et delicite parentum. 
 
 In eadem hac Crj'pta sepultus est. 
 
 Cui ipse pater ultra quadrienium 
 
 Et dolori et desiderio ejus superstes non fuit 
 
 Huic enim iramortuus est. 
 
 Obijt quindecennis Febr. xxvi. 
 
 A. D. MDCLXin. 
 
 On the reverse: 
 
 Antiqua Elizabetha Cokaynorum familia oriunda 
 
 Maesta, in hoc funere, mater, 
 
 Conjux, in illo, meesta. 
 
 Hoc, amoris sui pariter, 
 
 Et doloris, monumentum, 
 
 Suis sumptibus erigi curavit; 
 
 Et tam charis cineribus, spondet, suos
 
 SCHOOLS. 207 
 
 Cum Dcus voluen'tj sociandos. 
 
 Vos interim qui legitis, 
 
 Estote etiam parati. 
 
 Quia, qua non putatis hora. — 
 
 In 1696, Mr. John Hall gave lands^ to the value of twenty-five pounds 
 fifteen shillings per annum, vested in the corporation, for tlse support of a 
 schoolj to be established adjoining his alms-houses, in Chain-lane, for the main- 
 tenance and education of three poor boys ; one to be chosen out of each parish, 
 but the fund having, of late years, been found insufficient for their maintenance, 
 the school-house has been let for a dispensary, and the boys transferred to the 
 blue-coat school. 
 
 In 1720, Mr. John West, among other charitable gifts, gave to the town the 
 sum of one thousand pounds, producing annually, the sum of forty-nine pounds 
 sixteen shillings, for the maintenance and education of two poor boys out of 
 each parish, and for placing the said boys out apprentices ; he also gave fee farm 
 rents, to the annual value of six pounds five shillings and three-pence, for the 
 same purpose, vested in the corporation. 
 
 In the same year, Mr. William Malthus, gave by will, a rent charge of 
 ninety-one pounds per annum, for the education and maintenance of eleven boys^ 
 taken by equal proportions out of each parish.* These were originally dressed 
 in green, but now all the dresses are alike. 
 
 Likewise, in the same year, Mr. John Fottenger, gave fifteen pounds per 
 annum, towards the maintenance and education of two boys, to be chosen al- 
 ternately, out of each parish; payable out of an estate at Blossora's-eud in the 
 parish of Tilehurst. 
 
 And in 178G, Mr. John Leggatt, as a mark of his gratitude for the main- 
 tenance and education he had received in the school, left the sum of fifty pounds, 
 towards its support, without entailing it with any further burthens 
 
 From the above list of benefactions to this school, it appears to be endowed 
 with no more than the annual sum of 384Z. (allowing two hundred pounds 
 to be the annual income of the lands purchased with the four thousaml 
 pounds bequeathed by Mr. Aldworth,) for the maintenance of forty-eight boys, 
 independent of the master's salary, rent of the house, repairs. &c. reducing 
 the average for each boy, under eight pounds per annum. This sum being in- 
 adequate for the purpose, under the present advanced prices of all the neces- 
 sary articles of life, the corporation have at times been under the necessity of 
 reducing the number of the boys, but, in general, the school is nearly full, 
 
 * Perhaps the number of boys is not quite correct, it being impossible to divide ckven equally in 
 three parts, without a fraction, which the subject here will not easily admit of.
 
 209 SCHOOLS. 
 
 owinn- io the economical manner iu which (he funds are applied, and the in- 
 dofafi2;al)le exertions of one of the members of the corporation, under whose 
 mana<>-emeut the afl'airs of the school are more immediately placed. 'As a 
 proof of the desire of the corporation to render this useful charity as beneficial 
 to the poorer inhabitants, as was intended by the founders, they have, within 
 these few years, expended more than three thousand pounds, besides what the 
 funds for their maintenance have afforded, in keeping up, as near as possible, 
 the orio-inal number of boys. But this could not be eflected without intreuch- 
 inff on some other charities less beneficial. 
 
 'o 
 
 THE GREEN SCHOOL. 
 
 This school likewise takes its name from the dress of the children educated 
 in it, who arc females, daughters of decayed tradesmen, residents in the town, 
 or orphans, who have been left unprovided for by their parents. 
 
 In the year 1779, the reverend Charles Sturges, vicar of St. Mary's, the 
 reverend doctor Nicholls, vicar of St. Lawrence's, and the honorable and re- 
 verend W. B. Cadogan, vicar of St. Giles's, considering the advantages of a 
 religious and moral education, to be equally, if not more necessary for the fe- 
 male sex, for whom no establishment had hitherto been formed in this town, 
 than for the bovs, whose education had long before been provided for, set oa 
 foot a plan for the maintenance and education of an indefinite number of girls, 
 to be supported by voluntary contributions ; the girls to be chosen equally, out 
 of each parish, and their number to be increased, as often as the funds ap- 
 propriated for the purpose would admit. 
 
 This scheme was so favorably received by the public, that they had it io 
 their power to open the school in the same year, in a house in the Butts, for the 
 maintenance of six children, from the first subscriptions ; and these increasing 
 annually, have smce enabled the trustees to add considerably to the number of 
 children, and to provide a very commodious house in Broad-street, for their 
 reception 
 
 This institution promises to be of infinite advantage to the objects of the 
 charity, as, in addition to their receiving a judicious education, they are amply 
 provided, while in the house, with dress, and every other necessary, and at their 
 leaving it, they are apprenticed to some of the most respectable families in the 
 town ; that as their infant da3s were relieved from penury and ignorance, so 
 their riper jcars may be passed in the duties more immediately necessary to 
 render them useful members of society.
 
 SCHOOLS. 209 
 
 The following particulars of this institution^ are extracted from a pamphlet Chap. 
 published by the trustees^ entitled, an Account of the Reading Girls Charity ^• 
 School : 
 
 " While at school, they are brought up in the habits of diligence and in- 
 dustry, to do all kinds of plain work, chiefly at the roj'al asylum prices, to cut 
 out linen, mark, and knit, to perform the business of the house, and kitchen, to 
 wash, iron, and get up linen, and thus to qualify themselves for good and useful 
 servants, and they are encouraged, by a reward of two-pence, to be deducted 
 out of every shilling that is paid for needle-work, performed by them, which 
 needle-work has been approved by their employers, and of which they have, in 
 general, great plenty upon their hands. They are regularly trained up in the 
 principles of the christian religion, in virtue and modesty, in honesty and truth, 
 in decency, humility, civility, and mutual kindness, and in all due subordi- 
 nation. And an account of their behavior is given to the governesses, gover- 
 nors, or trustees, at their frequent visits, to superintend the government of the 
 school. They rise early, prayers are read every morning in the family, after 
 which they make the beds, and sweep the rooms. They breakfast at eight. 
 At nine o'clock school begins, when lessons, in the old and new testaments, 
 and in Mrs. Trimmer's abridgment of those sacred scriptures, are read. 
 They are taught to spell from Mrs. Trimmer's charity-school spelling-book, 
 and Entick's dictionary, and to say their prayers and hymns by heart. They are 
 instructed in Crossman's introduction to the knowledge of the christian religion. 
 
 " After the reading and spelling, they work 'till twelve. At twelve they 
 dine, play one hour after dinner, and then return to their work, 'till it grows 
 dark, in the winter, when they leave off 'till six o'clock, and then return to 
 reading and working 'till eight. In summer they continue at their work, from 
 about half-past one 'till six, and then leave off for play or walking 'till eight. 
 At eight they sup, and after prayers have been read to them in the evening, they 
 go to bed about nine.* 
 
 " They, with the mistress, or assistant, or both, attend divine worship at St. 
 Mary's church, on certain week days, and twice on every Sunday, when they 
 likewise bear no inconsiderable part of the psalmody of the church, from the 
 gallery, in which they are placed during divine service. 
 
 * With due submission to the trustees of this excellent charit)-, we conceive that this routine oF 
 work and play, partakes too much of the former. Early youth is the season intended by providence 
 for the enjoyments of play, and exemption from wo'.k ; but do we not endeavor to counteract this 
 benevolent intention, when we doom the infant race, who fly to us for succour, to twdve hours hard La- 
 bor, and close confinement, in the short space of one day, while we allow them only two houis for re- 
 creation ? Shall we, in return for the common necessaries of life we bestow upon them, deprive thcifl 
 «f thatj which at their age can alone make life comfortable to them ? 
 
 E
 
 210 SCHOOLS. 
 
 " For the last half-year of their continuance in the school, they are taught, 
 by a proper master, to write, and cast accounts. When they arc in their fifteenth 
 year, they are regularly examined before the committee, with respect to their 
 proficiency, and in or at the expiration of that year, they are, with the appro- 
 bation of the committee, bound apprentices to creditable and respectable 
 house-keepers, in or out of the borough of Reading, as domestic servants, or 
 to learn a trade, for the space of four or five years, upon condition that five 
 pounds shall be paid, or allowed by the charity, for their being clothed, accord- 
 ing to the following articles : one bonnet, three night-caps, three day-caps, one 
 coloured handkerchief, one white handkerchief, two gowns, one quilted petti- 
 coat, one baize petticoat, three shifts, one pair of stays, two pair of stockings, 
 one pair of pattens, one pair of shoes, two colored aprons, two white aprons, 
 one pair of pockets, one pair of gloves, one cloak, buckles, and other odd ar- 
 ticles. And upon condition that the masters and mistresses shall be bound 
 to find them in every thing afterwards, for the term of their apprenticeship, 
 and at the expiration of that term, to clothe them as well as they were clothed 
 at the beginning of their apprenticeships, or to pay the sum of five pounds in 
 trust, to the governors and trustees, to be laid out for the use of the girls. 
 
 " The girls, upon leaving the school, are furnished with a Bible, and a 
 Common Prayer-book, the Whole Duty of Man, and Grossman's Introduction 
 to the Knowledge of the Christian Religion. To encourage them to behave 
 well, and do credit to the institution, after they have left it, the girls, at the 
 expiration of half their apprenticeships, upon producing to the committee a 
 certificate, signed by their masters or mistresses, of their good behaviour, are 
 rewarded with half-a-guinea ; and at the expiration of the whole of their ap- 
 prenticeships, upon the same conditions, they receive another half-guinea. 
 And we have the satisfaction to add, that several girls have produced the re- 
 quired certificates, and received the rewards at both periods. 
 
 " Every St. Thomas's day, a sermon is preached alternately, at each church, 
 and a collection made at the church doors, for the benefit of this charity, the 
 amount of which is carried to the original fuad. 
 
 " The foundation deed, with a declaration of trust, was enrolled in his 
 majesty's high court of chancery, on the fifth day of February 1793." 
 
 The government of this charity, is vested in a committee, composed of the 
 mayor of the town, for the time being, and the senior alderman of the borough, 
 and six ladies, two out of each parish, as governors and governesses, and the 
 three vicars, who act as trustees. 
 
 One of the greatest promoters and benefactors to this charity, at its foun- 
 dation, was the late Mr. alderman J. Richards, who, in addition to a donation in 
 his life time, of five hundred pounds bank stock, left by his will, out of his
 
 SCHOOLS. 211 
 
 personal estate^ the further sum of fifteen hundred pounds, subject to the pay- 
 ment of one guinea to the preacher, and five shillings to the clerk, on St. Tho- 
 mas's day. 
 
 In 1780, the reverend James Smith, rector of West Bagborough, gave, by 
 will, to this charity, the sura of ten pounds ten shillings. 
 
 In 1783, a friend unknovi^n, gave the sum of one hundred pounds, for the 
 promotion of this charity. 
 
 The reverend John Spicer, by his will, dated July 30, 1784, gave to this 
 institution, two leasehold tenements, situated in Cross-street, the annual rent 
 ■whereof was twelve pounds : and likewise the reversion of two hundred pounds, 
 at the demise of one life, since deceased. The whole vested in the three vicars ; 
 but the former bequest has been since set aside, being contrary to the mortmain 
 act. 
 
 A lady unknown, gave two benefactions, amounting together to thirty 
 pounds ten shillings. 
 
 Mrs. Clementina Frognall, in her life time, gave to this charity the sum 
 of fifty pounds, at its commencement, to purchase furniture for the house, and 
 at her decease, bequeathed the further sum of one hundred pounds stock, in 
 the four per cent bank annuities. 
 
 The honorable and right reverend doctor Shute Barrington^ bishop of 
 Salisbury, gave ten pounds towards its establishment. 
 
 In 1786, John Leggatt, esq. of Ipswich, gave to it by will, the sum of 
 twenty pounds. 
 
 In 1788, Mrs. Coventry, at her decease, gave to the charity, the sum of 
 ten pounds ten shillings. 
 
 In 1789, Aubery Flory, esq. gave, by will, the sum of three hundred 
 pounds, to increase the funds of the school. 
 
 In 1790, a friend to the charity gave twenty pounds, and 
 
 Mrs. Zinzan, another benefactress, gave five guineas for the same purpose. 
 
 In 1792, the right honorable the earl of Radnor, gave thirty pounds to the 
 charity. 
 
 The same year, Mrs. Rachel Veasey gave to it, by will, a reversion of 
 three guineas per annum, secured in the South Sea funds. 
 
 Several other small gifts have since been added to it, and the annual sub- 
 scriptions amount to about eighty pounds on an average, but these are con- 
 tinually varying, as deaths, or other circumstances, take place. 
 
 The following is the amount of the funded stock, belonging to this foun- 
 dation, as certified under the hands of two commissioners, acting under th«. 
 property tax . 
 
 ez2
 
 212 SCHOOLS. 
 
 500/. three per cent, reduced. In the names of Henry Deane, John 
 Richards, William Bromley Cadogan, and Charles Sturges. 
 
 100/. ditto. In the names of Charles Sturges^ Joseph Eyre, and John 
 Green. 
 
 100/. four per cent. In the names of Richard Maul, Charles Sturges, 
 and others. 
 
 300/. ditto. In the names of Charles Sturges, John Green, and Wil- 
 liam Bromley Cadogan. 
 2500/. New South Sea annuities. In the names of Charles Sturges, W il- 
 liam Bromley Cadogan, John Green, and Joseph Eyre. 
 
 600/. Old South Sea annuities. In the names of John Nichols, William 
 Bromley Cadogan, John Green, and Joseph Eyre. 
 
 500/. Old South Sea annuities. In the names of Charles Sturges, Wil- 
 liam Talbot, John Nichols, William Bromley Cadogan, Joseph 
 Eyre, and John Green. 
 The present number of children educated in this school, is twenty-one. 
 
 THE FOUXDATIO.Y SCHOOL. 
 
 This school is situated adjoining the Oracle, in Minster-street, and was 
 founded in 1766, in consequence of the sum of three hundred and fourteen 
 pounds five shillings and eleyen-pence. South Sea stock, being purchased with 
 a legacy, left by Mr. Joseph Neale, for that purpose. The vicar of St. Mary's, 
 and two others, are the trustees. In this school, eight male, and eighteen fe- 
 male children are taught to read. 
 
 THE SCHOOL OF LYDUSTRY. 
 
 This school, for female cliildrcn, was instituted under the patronage of Mrs. 
 Cadogan, and is supported by the voluntary contribution of several ladies of 
 the town. The number of children educated in the seminary, are thirty-four 
 who are taught reading and plain-work, and are likewise clothed. IMany ladies 
 in the town and neighborhood employ their leisure hours in making a variety 
 of articles in fancy-work, which are afterwards disposed of at fairs, for which 
 purpose, a vacant shop or stall is provided, and some of the ladies attend the 
 sale ; the money arising from which is appropriated to the maintenance of the 
 school. This is a most excellent charity, and worthy of being imitated by all 
 who have it in their power, by a little industry, to contribute towards the future 
 happiness of this too much neglected class of individuals, who, instead of pass- 
 ing their youthful days in vice and idleness, receive, under the protecting
 
 SCHOOLS. 213 
 
 hand of their patroness^ an education sufficient for all the purposes of their sta- 
 tion in lifej and are placed in a situation to become useful members of society. 
 
 Sunday schools are established by subscription, in each of the three pa- 
 rishes, as well as by the dissenters, in their respective congregations. All the 
 children attending these schools, have been annually clothed by Mr. Edward 
 Simeon, during his life time ; and at his decease, he bequeathed the sum of 
 2500/. in trust to the corporation, to apply the interest arising therefrom, an- 
 nually, for the same purpose of providing the children with new clothes, 
 to be given them prior to the day of electing the mayor, on which day they 
 are all to attend divine service in St. Lawrence's church. 
 
 In addition to the above schools, most of which have been long established, 
 we have to record the two following : the consequences of the liberal senti- 
 ments entertained by the present generation, who, in works of charity, have 
 shewn themselves not inferior to their forefiithers ; in liberality of opinion 
 much their superiors. If we recur back but a few years, we find the teachers 
 of schools were very few in number, and those mostly confined to members 
 of the established church, who were obliged to procure a licence from the 
 diocesan before they were permitted to exercise their laborious calling. Now 
 the avenues to knowledge are not only thrown open to all who are desirous 
 of being instructed, but they are even invited to learn the elements of reading, 
 writing, and arithmetic, without any expence to their parents, and that on 
 principles so easy to be impressed on infant minds, that children taught in 
 these schools very soon acquire a proficiency in learning sufficient for most 
 of the purposes of common life, which is all that is intended by them. The 
 poor man will, by means of these useful institutions, be no longer confined, 
 through a want of the necessary education, to toil all the days of his life for 
 the advantage of others : if he is but possessed of an active spirit, and 
 endued with common understanding, he may now aspire to a higher rank in 
 society, and benefit by his exertions that society, who by giving him an edu- 
 cation have enabled him to throw off those fetters, with which his forefathers 
 had so long been bound. 
 
 The first of these, according to the period of their establishment, is the 
 
 LANCASTRIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 This school was established in the year ISIO, in consequence of the im- 
 pression made on the minds of his auditors by Mr. Lancaster, on reading 
 his lectures, the preceding year, in the Town-hall. A method so novel in its 
 nature, and so easy in practice, could not fail to attract the notice of men 
 of liberal minds, and accordingly several gentlemen of the town were induced
 
 214 SCHOOLS. 
 
 to set on foot a subscription, for the purpose of establishing a school on his 
 cheap and comprehensive mode of education. Their first experiment was 
 tried on one hundred boys, who were instructed in a room hired by a com- 
 mittee for that purpose. This trial having succeeded beyond their expec- 
 tations, and the subscriptions encreasing, they determined to enlarge the esta- 
 blishment, and accordingly purchased a piece of ground in Southampton- 
 street, in the name of trustees nominated for the purpose, and erected on it 
 a spacious room, sufficient to contain from three to four hundred boys, with 
 desks, seats, &c. This building, with the purchase of the land, cost the 
 subscribers about six hundred pounds. Having procured one of Mr. Lan- 
 caster's pupils for a teacher, the school was opened in November, when two 
 hundred children were admitted ; since which, the number has encreased to 
 three hundred and twenty. The annual expenditure, including the master's 
 salary, is only one hundred and ten pounds, or about six shillings yearly for 
 each boy, and " the general improvement of the children is a source of great 
 satisfaction to the committee and the subscribers." Two visiters are appointed 
 ■out of the committee, monthly, who inspect the school, and enter their 
 observations in a book kept for that purpose, which is laid before the com- 
 mittee at their meetings. The public are also invited to visit the school ; 
 and the master has shewn a laudable desire to give every information and 
 satisfaction to enquiries. A small box is fixed in the school to receive the 
 benefactions of visiters, which is afterwards bestowed among those whose 
 proficiency entitles them to rewards. 
 
 Soon after the first establishment of the school, the late E. Simeon, esq. 
 who was ever ready to contribute towards every charitable institution that pro- 
 mised advantage to his native town, gave the sum of five hundred pounds three 
 per cent, stock, which remains as a fund toward the annual expences of the 
 year, if wanted ; but, as the subscriptions have hitherto exceeded the out- 
 goings, it is hoped the committee will soon be enabled to increase the funded 
 property. 
 
 To such of the boys whose good behavior and improvement have at- 
 tracted the notice of the committee, a bible is given, on their leaving school. 
 
 The committee consists of tw enty-one, who are elected by the subscribers, 
 and to whom, together with the treasurer and secretary, the management of 
 .the establishment is entrusted. 
 
 Subscribers of one guinea annually, have the privilege of nominating two 
 children, to be instructed in the school. Those who subscribe ten guinea* 
 at one payment have the same privilege, and are governors for life. 
 
 The following regulations have been established for the school:
 
 SCHOOLS. 215 
 
 fC 
 
 First. That a school-master be appointed. 
 " Second. That the committee shall, at each monthly meeting, which 
 shall be the last Thursday in the month, appoint two inspectors or visiters for 
 each week in the ensuing month, who shall attend at least twice in the week 
 at the school-room, for the purpose of ascertaining the progress made by the 
 children in their learning, These visiters, after having received the master's 
 report, shall enter any remarks they may deem proper in a book to be kept 
 for that purpose : these remarks are to be signed by them, and are to be laid 
 monthly before the committee. 
 
 " Third. That no book of instruction be introduced into the school, but 
 the holy scriptures, (without comments) extracts therefrom, Watts's hymns 
 for children, and lessons in spelling and arithmetic. 
 
 " Fourth. That children of five years old and upwards be received, 
 by a written recommendation from a subscriber, who shall state the name* 
 age, and residence of the same ; and, as it is desirable the small schools already 
 in the town should be injured as little as possible, it is hoped that such children 
 will be selected whose parents are unable to provide them education.* 
 
 " Fifth. That the recommendations for the admission of children be 
 sent to the secretary or treasurer. 
 
 "Sixth. That no child be admitted with any infectious disorder; and 
 the parents arc required to send them each day washed, combed, and decent 
 in their appearance: for neglect of which (if persisted in) the child to be 
 dismissed. 
 
 " Seventh. That if any child be dismissed for improper behavior, or other 
 eause (after suitable admonition) the subscriber who presented him shall be 
 immediately informed thereof, that the vacancy may be filled up, 
 
 " Eighth. That the children attend school from the first day of No- 
 vember to the twenty-fifth day of March, from nine to twelve o'clock in <he 
 morning, and from two till four in the afternoon ; and from the twenty- fifth 
 day of March to the first day of November, from eight to twelve in the 
 morning, and from two to five in the afternoon. That Saturday afternoon be 
 considered a half holiday, and that there be two vacations in the year: the 
 two first weeks in August, and two weeks at Christmas. 
 
 " Ninth. That on the children's going from school, both morning and 
 afternoon, the master and monitors do attend them to the corner of Crown- 
 lane, in Southampton-streetj from whence they are to go quietly to their 
 respective homes, 
 
 * This regulation is, we fear, not sufficiently atteeded to.
 
 216 SCHOOLS. 
 
 " Tenfli. That the school be open at all times during school-hours to 
 visiters, introduced by a subscriber. 
 
 " Eleventh. That the annual subscriptions be collected by the master, 
 •who shall pay them into the hands of the treasurer, and be allowed six-pence 
 in the pound. 
 
 "■ Twelfth. That the object of this institution being solely to instruct 
 the children in readings writing, and arithmetic, thereby rendering them more 
 useful members of society, without any reference whatsoever to sect or party 
 in religious opinions, it is expected their parents and friends will see they 
 attend some place of divine worship on the Lord's day. 
 
 " Thirteenth. That the committee, for any just cause, may remove the 
 school- master, upon giving him two months' notice in writing. And, if the 
 master should at any time be desirous of leaving his situation, he shall be at 
 liberty to do so, upon giving similar notice to the committee. 
 
 " Fourteenth. That if any additional regulation should be thought 
 necessary for the better management of the school, the same shall, previous 
 to its being acted upon, be submitted to, and approved by, a majority of the 
 subscribers specially convened for that purpose. 
 
 N. B. Every subscriber of ten guineas, or of one guinea per annum, 
 will be entitled (this year) to send two boys, and so in proportion. The 
 committee request the subscribers to nominate their children as soon as con- 
 venient. 
 
 SCHOOL FOR KATIOjXJL EDUCATION. 
 
 Some gentlemen of the town and neighborhood, and particularly the clergy 
 of the established church, conceiving Mr. Lancaster's plan to be deficient, in- 
 asmuch as it did not inculcate on the minds of the children any peculiar sys- 
 tem of religion, determined to establish a school on doctor Bell's plan of edu- 
 cation ; in which, together with reading, writing, and arithmetic, the children 
 should be taught the church catechism, and be brought up in the tenets of the 
 established church, exclusive of all others. 
 
 For carrying this plan into effect, a committee was appointed, who soon 
 after convened a meeting of the subscribers, to be held at Reading, on the 
 18th of April 1812, which was numerously attended, when the following par- 
 ticulars were resolved unanimously : 
 
 " \. That it is highly expedient that a society be here constituted, for the 
 purpose of promoting the education of poor children, in this part of the dio- 
 cese of Sahsbury, by instructing them in suitable learning, and above all, in the
 
 SCHOOLS. 217 
 
 principles of the christian religion^ according to the doctrine and discipline of Chap. 
 the church of England: and that this society be carried on in general con- ^• 
 formitj with the plans of the national society, in London^ and in correspondence 
 with that body. 
 
 " 2. That this society will^ to the utmost of its power, assist any neigh- 
 boring parishes, which may need such assistance, in the erection or enlarging of 
 school-rooms, and in other matters relative to this design, so as to enable them 
 to conduct the education of children, according to the plan above-mentioned. 
 
 ^' 3. That the funds of this society shall be under the management of a 
 committee, any five of whom shall be competent to act ; and that this com- 
 mittee shall, from time to time, make such rules and regulations as shall seem 
 to them expedient, to forward the designs of the society. But that such rules 
 and regulations shall not take eftect, 'till they shall have been approved by the 
 patron, president, and three of the vice-presidents of this society. 
 
 " 4. That the right reverend the lord bishop of Salisbury be appointed the 
 patron of this society. 
 
 " 5. That the most noble the marquis of Blandford be requested to un- 
 dertake the office of president. To which request the marquis has already 
 communicated his assent. 
 
 " 6. That the very reverend the dean of Worcester, archdeacon of Berks, 
 be appointed a vice-president; and that the several rural deans, and all dig- 
 nified clergymen, being subscribers to this society, be also vice-presidents. 
 The following gentlemen, also, being present, accepted the same office : 
 Sir Nathaniel Dukinfield, bart. Sir Moris Ximenes, knt. 
 
 John Blagrave, esq. Edward Golding, esq, 
 
 Thomas Neate, esq. 
 
 " Also, that the mayor and aldermen of this borough, being subscribers, 
 shall be vice-presidents, and that application be made to other noblemen and 
 gentlemen, who may be likely to accept the office. 
 
 " 7. That the patron, president, vice-presidents, and all persons sub- 
 scribing not less than two guineas a year, or making a donation of five guineas 
 and being also annual subscribers, and likewise all beneficed clergy, in the 
 deanery of Reading, being subscribers to this society, or to the national society 
 in London, shall be members of the acting committee. 
 
 " 8. That John Blandy, esq. of Reading, be appointe d treasurer of this 
 society. 
 
 " 9. That the reverend archdeacon Nares, vicar of St. Mary's, Reading, 
 be appointed secretary. 
 
 fp
 
 218 SCFIOOLS. 
 
 " 10. That the committee, as above appointed, shall meet for the dispatch 
 of business, when the proposed hiy vice-presidents shall have accepted the office. 
 
 " II. That books be opened for tlie receipt of benefactions, and annual 
 subscriptions, to be placed to the account of the treasurer, at the two banks ia 
 Reading. 
 
 " 12. That the thanks of this meeting be given to the chairman. 
 
 (Signed) " R. NARES, chairman and secretary." 
 
 At the close of the meeting, the sum of four hundred and twenty-four 
 pounds were subscribed for tlie current expences of the establishment, and one 
 hundred and three pounds nine shillings in annual payments for its support. 
 
 With this sum the coininiltee erected two spacious rooms within the walls 
 of the great hall in the abbey, sufficient to contain from three to four hundred 
 children; at the east end, apartments are fitted up for the residence of the 
 master and mistress ; and, however much antiquaries may regret this dis- 
 ligurement of the finest and most perfect remains of this once beautiful abbey^ 
 it must be allowed it could not have been employed to a better purpose. The 
 plan of this school diflers from that of the Lancastrian, in as much as it provides 
 for the education of female children, which the other docs not, and is so far 
 preferable ; in other respects, the mode of instruction is nearly similar. 
 
 Whether Dr. Bell, or Mr. Lancaster, was the inventor of this simple plan 
 of education, is of little consequence to the public, but for the benefits derived 
 from its adoption, they are equally indebted to both these gentlemen, by whose 
 industry and perseverance, schools are establishing in every part of the kino-- 
 dnni, which promise to confer the greatest blessing on this country it has, 
 perhaps, ever experienced, by producing a total change in tlie manners and con- 
 duct of the risins: generation among the poor. 
 
 This school was opened on the Glh of September, 1813, when nearly one 
 liundred children were admitted.
 
 Itepresentation. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 *' Jv-EADING," says Brown Willis, "has always sent two members to parlia- Chaf. 
 ment, without at any time pleading exception, notwithstanding the great power ^ _ 
 of its abbots, which sheltered all the great parliamentarj' abbey towns, before 
 the reign of Henry VIII." But he does not inform us in whom the right of 
 election was vested ; whether in the corporation alone, or, with them, in com- 
 mon with the freemen or inhabitants. 
 
 The following statement, collected from the archives of the town, will 
 therefore, we trust, be acceptable to our readers : 
 
 In the early period of parliamentary representation, the right of election 
 ■was, most probably, vested in the freemen of the town, they being most in- 
 terested in the laws about to be made ; and accordingly we find Iheir chief ma- 
 gistrate was generally returned by them, for one of their representatives ; not 
 as an honor intended to be conferred upon him, but as a duty he was bound to 
 perform, for the preservation of their rights and liberties, as citizens. 
 
 This right appears to have been exercised by them, as late as the year 
 1504, at which time " electi fuerant in officinm lurgcnsium farliamenti Ri~ 
 cardus Smith, et Carolus JVicholas per omnes comhiirgenses tunc ibidem cxis- 
 tentes,"*^ Here we see the members are expressly said to have been chosen by 
 all the coburgesses, ( freemen ) at that time in the town ; how much longer this 
 right remained exclusively in the coburgesses is uncertain, but from the return of 
 the precept, the thirty-eighth of Henry VIII. 1545, it appears that all the in- 
 habitants, as well freemen as others, did then vote for the two members, and so 
 it is expressly mentioned in the following extract from the indenture between 
 .the parties on the occasion : 
 
 " INDEJ^TURE inter Johannem Bourne, majorem hurgi de Rndtjnge, 
 in comitalu Berks, burgtnses, et comitatus burgi, ex una parte, ^c. tcstat 
 quod predictus major, hurgenses et comitatus burgi, prcdicti unanimiter con- 
 
 * Corporation Diarj'. 
 fF 2
 
 gyO? REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Chap. gre2;ati, ordinnrunt, clegerunt, et nominarunt Thomas VatcheU et Roger 
 ■^^" Auit/ce, dicti biirgi, hnrgenbes parliamenti."* 
 
 It is observable, from this indenture, that though they might not always 
 return the chief magistrate of the town, yet they did not look beyond it for 
 the choice of their representatives. Both the members on this occasion being 
 expressly mentioned as inhabitants of the borough. Indeed the neighboring 
 gentlemen, instead of soliciting the suftVages of the people at this time, appear 
 to have cautiously avoided taking on themselves an office, which however ho- 
 norable to the individual, was, from the caprice and tyranny of the prince, 
 always attended with difficulty and danger. This custom of choosing their 
 representatives from among themselves, gradually obtained the force of law on 
 the minds of the inhabitants, so that when strangers, as they were called, first 
 solicited the honor of representing the borough, it was considered a gross inno- 
 vation on the ancient practice, and dangerous to the interest of the electors. 
 In the early ages of the representation, it was customary to allow the members 
 a certain stipend, according to the number of days they were summoned to 
 attend in parliament ; this sum never exceeded two shillings each per diem, 
 and was, at the time, little more than four times the v\'ages of the meanest la- 
 borer ; of so little value was at that time a seat in the house, now considered one 
 of the most honorable distinctions that can be conferred on a commoner. 
 
 Notwithstanding the wages of the members were so very moderate, the 
 corporation found a difficulty in raising the money to pay them, at the end of 
 the sessions ; several instances of this sort occur in the diaries, from among 
 which the following is extracted : 
 
 " Att this day, forasmuch as Mr. Bell, being niaior, was at thyse time one 
 of the burgesses for the parliament, for the borough, begun the twentie-first 
 daie of October, in the yere above written, and continued unto the dissolution 
 of the same parliament, whych was the nineteenth daie of December then 
 nexte, that is to wit, fiftie daics ; and whereas evrie of the saide burgesses 
 ought to have for one daie, endureiugc the saide parliament, two shyllyngs ; 
 yet neverthelesse, the saide maior, see beinge burg-ess for the said parliament, is 
 contented to remitte and forgette, the saide sum, and to take but onlie twentie 
 shyllyngs, which twentie shyllyngs to be borne and paide by the burgesses of 
 
 • This indenture made between John Bourne, mayor of the borough of Radynge, in the county 
 of Berks, the burgesses and commonalty of the borough, on the one part, &c. witnesseth, that the 
 said mayor, burgesses, and commonalty, unanimously assembled, have ordained, chosen, and named 
 Thomas Vatchell, and Roger Amyce, of the said borough, burgesses of parliament.
 
 REPRESENTATION. 221 
 
 Hie saide hall ;* to wit, for oae burgess of the chayre^f eighte pence, and for 
 one other burgessc, six-pence, although the charge ought, of righte, to bee 
 borne and pavde bj' the inhabitants of the borough." 
 
 It may be observed here, that the cxpence incurred in this case, was to have 
 been paid by the inhabitants at large, had not the above compromise taken 
 place, and is a further proof that the commonalty had voted at the preceding' 
 election, else it would be difficult to conjecture, how they could be liable to 
 contribute towards the pay of persons who had not been submitted to their 
 choice. 
 
 This difficulty in raising the money for paying the wages of the representa- 
 tives, prepared the way for those innovations on the right of election, which 
 soon afterwards followed ; for, on the appointment of the high stewards, by the 
 charter of Henry VII. thepcrsons who afterwards filled that office requested the 
 privilege of nominating one of the members, on condition of exonerating tlie 
 town from the payment of his wages, which was readily complied with, and 
 the same custom continued for nearly a century. 
 
 In 1623, the earl of Wallingford, being high steward of the borough^, 
 after exercising his privilege, by nominating sir Francis Knollys, requested the 
 corporation, by letter, to return also sir Robert Knollys, they being his rela- 
 tions; this they so far complied with, as to put them in nomination, but sir 
 Francis only was returned, as appears from the following poll, conducted in 
 much the same manner as the election of parish officers. 
 
 There were four candidates, and the number of votes for each; were as 
 follows, the corporation alone being the electors : 
 
 Sir Francis Knollys, senr. _1-|.|J-|-|-|.|-|-|-1-|-|.|-].|-|.|-|-|-| 
 
 Sir Robert Knollys, _|-|.|.|-|.|-|-|.| 
 
 Sir Richard Lydall, 
 
 Sir John Saunders, recorder, _|-|J-I-|-|-|-|-!-|-;-|-|-/.|-| 
 
 On this occasion the following agreement was drawn up, and entered in 
 tlie diary ; but, as it is not signed by the successful candidates, it was probably 
 done without their knowledge prior to the election, and refused to be signed 
 by them afterwards : 
 
 " Seeing that the mayor and burgesses have chosen me to be one of their 
 Burgesses for the next parliament, I do hereby promise and agree to bear mine 
 own charges in that service, and that the same mayor and burgesses shall stand 
 
 * The burgesses of the hall formed a more immediate part of the corporation ; the others were only 
 Jo denominatedj from being free of some of the companies. 
 
 + Those who had served the office of mayor.
 
 ^22 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Chap, clear and be acquitted of and from the payment of any wages or duties 
 payable in this business." 
 
 This is the first instance I have met with wherein the corporation alone 
 returned the members : how long they had previously exercised this right, I 
 have not been able to discover ; nor can I conjecture what gave rise to the 
 innovation, unless it was to relieve the commonalty from their share of the 
 expence incurred, by sending their representatives to parliament. But how- 
 ever this may be, we find, on the present occasion, the corporation were as 
 desirous as the people to get rid of the burthen if possible all together ; and 
 though thev did not succeed in their first attempt, they did not loose sight 
 of their object ; for at the election which took place in the following year, 
 they say, " that having received the sherift^'s precept for the electing of two 
 burgesses for this borough, and likewise letters from the right honorable lord 
 Wallingford (high steward) concerning the choosing of the burgesses, &c. 
 which were openly read and respected, the mayor and burgesses, according 
 to their warrant, did name these two to be burgesses, viz. Sir Francis KnoUys 
 and Mr. John Saunders, esq." and then follows the agreement, nearly in the 
 same terms as before 
 
 " Seeing that the said mayor and burgesses, at ray request, have named 
 and chosen me, sir Francis KnoUys, jun. to be one of their burgesses for the 
 next parliament, &c. I do hereby promise, grant and agree to be, appear, and 
 attend, in the said next parliament, at mine own proper costs and charges, and 
 that the said mayor and burgesses shall, at all times, be clear and acquitted, 
 and discharged of and from the payment of any wages, fees, or duties payable 
 io me in that behalf." "Fran: KnoUys." 
 
 Another agreement to the same purport was signed by Mr. Saunders. 
 
 Though from this period the custom of paying tlieir representatives 
 ceased, yet it was usual, for a long time afterwards, for the corporation, at 
 the end of the sessions, to make them a present of some sugar loaves, which, 
 from their novelty, perhaps, at the time, more than their value, were con- 
 sidered a respectable mark of acknowledgment from the donors. Accor- 
 dingly, in 1640, the following order for this purpose is entered in the diary : 
 
 " Ordered, that sir Francis Knollys, sen, and sir Francis Knollys, jun. 
 should be presented with sugar loaves to the value of forty shillings at least." 
 And in 1646 '■' it was agreed to present Mr. Ball with a good sugar loaf, a 
 pottle of sack, and a pottle of claret :" But these trifling tokens of gratitude 
 towards their representatives, have long been laid aside; and tlic consciousness 
 of having acted with upright intentions and clean hands in the fulfilment
 
 REPRESENTATION. 223 
 
 of their duties, is the only recompense they now receive, in return for their Chap. 
 arduous services, XI. 
 
 Though the corporation Millingly consented to allow their high stewards 
 the privilege of nominating one of their representatives, while they confined 
 their choice to the town and neighborhood, yet they were so impressed with the 
 conviction, that none other ought to be admitted to represent them, that when 
 a stranger was attempted to be forced upon them, for the first time, by their 
 high steward, notwithstanding their former abject agreement, they refused ta 
 comply with the request, and returned, as they pointedly observed, ''their own 
 neighbours.'" This happened in 1627, in the ease of sir John Brooke, who had 
 been recommended by the earl of Banbury, at that time high steward, " to 
 be one of the burgesses of this corporation in the parliament, &c. but he 
 being a stranger, it was agreed that a letter should be written to his lordship, 
 requesting that we may continue our neighbours, who at the last parliament 
 were recommended by his honour." After waiting fourteen days for the 
 earl's answer, the mayor and burgesses, on the 18th of February, assembled 
 again, and " having read his lordship's letter and the answer to it, it was the 
 opinion of the whole company, that the earl was therein satisfied, having^ 
 received no letter from him since, and so proceeded to the election, and chose 
 their former members." This exercise of their just right, so offended the 
 earl that he immediately sent in liis resignation ; at the same time requesting 
 them to choose the earl of Holland in his place, " which was by all the com- 
 pany thankfully enibra^ced." 
 
 However, notwithstanding the corporation in this case had exerted a 
 proper spirit in resisting the mandate of their high steward, yet when arch- 
 bishop Laud soon after requested them to return Edward Herbert, esq. the- 
 king's solicitor, who was likewise a stranger, they almost unanimously com- 
 plied with his request, only six of their body having had the courage to resist 
 this undue use of court influence, alleging " that being a stranger, he could 
 be no friend to the town."" At the same time, and probably under the same 
 influence, they chose sir John Berkley, knt. who was also a stranger, at the 
 request of the carl of Holland, their high steward ; thus courting the favor 
 of the archbishop, by the abandonment of a principle they had sn lately deter- 
 mined not to depart from. So dangerous it is for the election of the members 
 to be confided to few hands, and those loo a corporate body, the majority 
 of whom have mostly the same views and the same interest, and, from the 
 
 • Corporation Diary. " Ibid.
 
 
 «24; REPRESENTATION. 
 
 C.HAr. smallness of their nun)l)er, arc easily biassed, either from party motives, or 
 ^^' lucrative rcmuneralions, to forsake the true interest of the people at large. 
 
 In IGljj when the corporation was freed from the influence of archbishop 
 Laud, at that time a prisoner in the tower, an attempt was made to revive 
 the priivciple; for one Mr. Ball, " a stranger, having requested to be made 
 a burgess, or to be admitted a freeman of the borough, to qualify him to be 
 put in nomination, he was answered, that the number oi burgesses was full, 
 and that they did not admit freemen, save only tradesmen '" The custom is 
 now to admit either, indiflercntly ; by which means, instead of being confined 
 to the small enclosure of our own borough, we enjoy the advantage of choos- 
 uig our representatives from the great stock of wealth, integrity, and abilities 
 of the whole country. 
 
 This opposition to Mr. Ball's request might perhaps originate in the 
 violence of party ; the king's troops had just capitulated to the parliament's 
 forces, under Essex, and his friends here enraged at loosing their preponderance, 
 might, on this occasion, have exerted all their influence to return a member 
 of their own party. Mr. Ball was the gentleman fixed upon for this purpose ; 
 and, though a stranger, was cordially received by the mayor, at the head 
 of the court party, by whose assistance, notwithstandlKg their former answer, 
 he was not only admitted a burgess, but was also supported at the election by 
 the mayor, in so unconstitutional a manner, as to occasion the inhabitants to 
 petition the house of commons against the return.* 
 
 As this is the first Instance of a controverted election for this borough 
 on record^ the following particulars of the case, extracted from the diary, 
 may not be unacceptable to the reader, as it throws some light on the manner 
 in which elections were conducted in those days, and as being the first, after 
 a lapse of several years, wherein the people were reinstated in their right 
 of voting for their members, notwithstanding the opposition of the mayor 
 and his party. 
 
 " On November the twenty-fourth 1645, another writ was received from 
 the sherifl', to elect one burgess for sir Francis Knollys, with an order of par- 
 liament with direction for the election, when the corporation proceeded to the 
 
 * There is some obscurity attending this election: Whitelock says, "on November 17, 1645, 
 the election of Mr. Tanfield Vatchell for Reading was declared to be void, for miscarriage, and 
 denying the poll, and a new election to be there." Probably there had been a prior contest between 
 •he same parties, as the writ for this election was not received here till the 2.1th of the same month, 
 aad Ml-. Vatchell, after this election, was permitted to take his seat in the house. There seems, 
 .indeed, to have been a writ sent down, prior to this, on the 6th oiF November, but what was done in 
 it is not mentioned, perhaps it was on tliis first application, that they refused to admit Mr. Ball to his 
 freedom. 1 Corporation Diary.
 
 REPRESENTATION. 225 
 
 election with the commonalty, putting Mr. Vatchell and Mr. Ball in nomi- Chap. 
 nation; after the votes* on either part^ with unanimous consent, they pro- XI. 
 ceeded to polling, which held them in work till about four of the afternoon, 
 and after the polling was ended, it was made known and declared, that the 
 iKiraber of votes for Mr. Vatchell was five hundred and sixty, and for Mr, 
 Ball three hundred and nine, and night being come, the inhabitants departed 
 for that time. 
 
 " The first of December the companyf being informed that Mr. Mayor, 
 and Mr. Ball and his party, the last night, by candle light, met in the town- 
 hall, and there formed an indenture, and signed and sealed it, for the return 
 of Mr. Ball, as chosen burgess for the parliament. The following questions 
 were put : 
 
 " 1st. Whether the company would take into consideration the casting 
 out of the names of them that voted for either party upon their exceptions ? 
 
 " Resolved, that they would not, neither had they power so to do. 
 
 " 2d. Whether at the election Mr. Vatchell had most votes ? 
 
 " Resolved, that Mr. Vatchell had a majority of two hundred and fifty 
 votes. 
 
 " 3d. Whether the judgement should be returned, under the town seal, 
 for Mr. Vatchell, or Mr. Ball ? 
 
 " Resolved, that it should be speedily returned for Mr. Vatchell, whose 
 right it was. 
 
 " 4th. Whether the company are of opinion that the delay of Mr. Mayor 
 in sealing the indenture now tendered, and in doing Mr. Vatchell justice, 
 will pjove prejudicial ? 
 
 " Resolved, they are of opinion, that it will be prejudicial to the par- 
 liament, to this company, to the town, and to Mr. Vatchell. 
 
 " The indenture was afterwards tendered by Mr. Vatchell to the mayor 
 and company, to sign and seal the same for his dispatch to the parliament, 
 which indenture was signed, sealed, and delivered to the sheriff's use, and 
 afterwards taken up by Mr. Mayor, who cajried away the same, and promised 
 to return that to the company within two or three days, which was not dona. 
 
 " The next day Mr. Vatchell again requested Mr. Mayor to do hiin 
 justice, and to return Hie indenture concerning his election, which Mr. Mayor 
 delayed, by saying, he would consider of il ; and after niiuli lime spent, lie 
 sjiid, he would return the one and the other;]; l)y Mr. William Bellchambor, 
 
 • Shew of hands. 
 
 + By the company, is meant those of the corporation who were llicn present. 
 
 J -Both the indentures.
 
 226 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Chav. which the company refused, for that he was for Mr. Ball ; and, at last, after 
 ^I* more time spent, he said he would return the indentures himself; whereupon, 
 the company present protested against the act done by the mayor on Mr. Ball's 
 behalf, and said, Mr. Mayor should loose his fee for so doing, without their 
 consent and agreement. Thereupon the company did rise, and did order and 
 agree to petition the house of commons concerning this business, and to 
 certify the proceedings thereof. Mr. Mayor went home; the rest of the com- 
 pany staid, and framed their petition, then sent to Mr. Mayor, to come to the 
 hall to acquaint him with the contents thereof, who sent word he would con- 
 sider of it ; after some distance of time, they sent again to him, and thea 
 he came and demanded of them, by what authority they sent for him ? they 
 said, to acquaint him with what they had done ; and so, he turned himself 
 about, and went his way ; and afterwards they signed the petition." 
 
 " To the right honourable the house of commons in parliament assembled, 
 
 " The humble petition of the aldermen and burgesses of the borough, 
 of Reading, humbly sheweth— 
 
 " That, whereas, the mayor and aldermen received a precept from the 
 sheriff of the county of Berks, bearing date the 24th of November 1645, 
 requiring them to choose a burgess of parliament for the said borough, instead 
 of sir Francis Knollys the younger deceased, in pursuance whereof due 
 notice was given to the inhahitants of the said borough, to attend service 
 upon ^Monday December the first 1645, at the town-hall in Reading aforesaid, 
 where, after the votes were given for each party, the poll was desired by 
 Tanfield Vatchell and William Ball, esqrs. that so the election, where it fell, 
 might be clear and unquestionable. 
 
 " After the poll was ended, the votes were numbered by the mayor and 
 aldermen; the number of votes for Mr. Vatchell being 560, and the number 
 for Mr. Ball 309, and no more. Thereupon the mayor and aldermen put it 
 to the question, in their council chamber, for whom the indenture should be 
 returned ? Resolved, for Mr. Vatchell, to whom the right (without all per- 
 ad venture) belongs. 
 
 " Yet, notwithstandins:, the mavor of the town srivina: his vote for Mr. 
 Ball, although he has confessed that he is convinced in his judgement and 
 conscience that 'tis Mr. Vatchell "s right by the greater number of voices, and 
 thereupon did sign, seal, and deliver the indenture to the use of the sherifl^ 
 for Mr. \ atchell, -^ci, by the persuasion of a discontented party in the town, 
 who (as we conceive) resolve never to be satisfied, keeps the said indenture in 
 his hands, protracting time, on purpose, (as we are informed) 'till Mr. Ball
 
 REPRESENTATION. 227 
 
 can take some exceptions against Mr. Vatchell's party, although there are 
 more exceptions^ or as many, as we conceive, to be taken against Mr. Ball's, 
 insomuch that the division in town grows so high, that we fear the conse- 
 quences thereof will be very sad. 
 
 " These premises considered, the petitioners humbly desire your honours 
 •would take the whole carriage of the business into your consideration ; and 
 that the mayor (for prevention of further mischief) may be compelled to shew 
 cause (if he can) why he retards the doing of justice, keeping the indenture 
 in his hands on purpose to cross Mr. Vatchell, who is a gentleman that the 
 town and country have reason to honour for his constant adhering to the par- 
 liament in the cause of the gospel. All which, notwithstanding, we most 
 humbly submit to your honours most grave wisdom and judgement, and 
 your petitioners, &c." 
 
 We are not informed, either in the above otherwise minute statement of 
 facts, or in the petition itself, on what grounds the mayor founded his excep- 
 tions to Mr. Vatchell's votes, or what were their nature ; but, if we consider 
 the very great majority in favor of that gentleman, we must be convinced that 
 the question turned upon some great constitutional point, the decision whereof 
 alone could have afforded him any prospect of setting aside the return. This 
 was probably founded on the distinction between free burgesses and inhabit- 
 ants. A long period had elapsed since the former had been called upon to 
 exercise their prescriptive right of election, and the civil war, now raging, 
 liad overturned all former distinctions, so that it is no wonder if the inhabit- 
 ants at large should conceive themselves entitled to vote, or that the mayor 
 should wish to bring back the right to its ancient limits. This appears the 
 more likely, as the petition expressly states, that due notice was given to the 
 nhahitants to attend service, instead of the freemen, who, had they voted 
 alone, would not have amounted to more than half the number on the poll. 
 In consequence of this petition, Mr. Vatchell was declared duly elected, 
 thereby fixing the right of election, as it should appear, in the householders, 
 and not in the freemen as it had formerly been. 
 
 This decision, however, was of no immediate consequence, as the repre- 
 sentative system was now about to undergo greater changes than any it had 
 hitherto experienced. In 1649, his excellency, general lord Fairfax, with the 
 council of officers belonging to the army under his command, presented a 
 petition to the parliament, " for an agreement of the people," together with 
 some regulations for new modelling future parliaments. Bj' these, the number 
 of the members were reduced to four hundred, divided among the counties 
 and principal boroughs in certain proportions, according to which the " county 
 
 gc 2
 
 908 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Chap, of Berks, with the boroughs, towns, and parishes therein, except Reading, 
 ^ !• were to send five members ; the town of Reading, one." 
 
 By this agreement, the electors were to be natives of England not receiv- 
 ing alms, nor servants receiving wages, but house-keepers dwelling withii* 
 their respective districts. The parliament was to dissolve itself on the last 
 day of April, and all the elections were to take place on the first Thursday 
 in May following ; but this plan did not take place till after Cromwell had 
 assumed the reins of government, who, having dissolved the long parliament 
 in 1653, soon aftei** summoned a new one, which was called Barebones, or 
 the convention parliament ; but, as the members were all nominated by 
 himself, no elections took place, and consequently no regular return could 
 be made- It is impossible to say, with certaint}-, who was the representative 
 for this place ; but it is very probable that it was colonel Hammond, one 
 of his creatures, and at that time governor of the town. 
 
 On the resignation of the convention, Cromwell adopted the mode of 
 election pointed out by Fairfax and the council of officers, except, that in 
 the instrument of government, as it is called, one member for Abingdon was 
 added to the number for the county of Berks, and the qualification for an 
 elector was restricted to the possession of property to the amount of two 
 hundred pounds. 
 
 This election took place in 1654, when colonel Hammond was returned 
 for this town. In 1656 the corporation received a precept from Cromwell, to 
 choose one member for the borough, and the election being fixed for the I4tli 
 of July, it was then conducted with that religious enthusiasm so characteristic 
 of the age, when no business, however foreign from the subject of religion, 
 could be transacted without first seeking the Lord, as it was called, by ex- 
 hortation and prayer. Accordingly, we find, that, on the day fixed, " the 
 company, with the ministers, and divers other people, assembled in the town- 
 hall, to seek God for a blessing, in their elioice* of a burgess, for this borough, 
 to serve in parliament ; and Mr. Jemmatt and Mr. Ford performed the duties 
 of exhortation and prayer for that purpose. The exercises being done, the 
 company went into the council chamber, and upon debate pitched upon sir 
 John Barksteade, knt. lieutenant of the Tower, to be put in election for the 
 
 * This pretence of seeking God to direct their choice, could be nothing more than a religious 
 mockery, as it does not appear they had any alternative in their choice, there being no opposition, and 
 even if there had, we are informed by Ludlow, " that to prevent the election of any that were dis- 
 affected to the court, ietters were dispatched to all parts oj England, t» give notice, that it would be M- 
 sented, and they were too well acquainted with Cromwell's character, to hesitate one moment in their 
 choice,"
 
 REPRESENTATION. 229 
 
 eorporation, and then Mr. Major went into the hall, and acquainted the Chaj. 
 people therewith." Such was the gloomj solemnity with which this solitary ^^• 
 member was elected for Cromwell's last parliament. 
 
 At the restoration, the right of electing two members was restored to the 
 town ; but the qualification of an elector not having been properly defined, 
 lodgers and inmates, under the name of pot-wabblers, intruded themselves at 
 subsequent elections, whereby the number of voters was rapidly encreased 
 beyond any former example, as we find in 1678, when the number of voters 
 tor each candidate was as follows : 
 
 John Blagrave, esq. - - 927 
 
 Nathan Knight, esq. - - 766 
 
 Thomas Vatchell, esq. - - 426 
 
 Sir William Kendrick, - - 384 
 
 2503 
 
 This practice having occasioned great dissentions among the inhabitants, 
 at the subsequent elections, the corporation, at the commencement of the last 
 centur}', endeavored to counteract its influence by the following bye law, 
 which they ordered to be entered on their journals, as a means of asserting 
 the right of giving their sanction, by a previous nomination of such candidates 
 as they thought proper objects for the choice of the people : 
 
 " October 22, 1705, it is likewise the opinion of the board, that, for the 
 time to come, the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, in their common council, 
 in case of members of parliament for this borough, do first determine and 
 resolve amongst themselves, who shall be deemed fit representatives for that 
 purpose.'" 
 
 But it does not appear that this bye law ever took effect, as the right 
 of election continued the same till 1714, when, in consequence of a petition 
 of the inhabitants paying scot and lot, to the house of commons, against the 
 return of Felix Calvert and Robert Clarges, esqrs. it was resolved by the house, 
 that the right of election of burgesses to serve in parliament for the borough 
 of Reading, in the county of Berks, is in the inhabitants only, paying scot and 
 lot.* Accordingly they annulled the election, by the following resolutions : 
 
 " Resolved, that Robert Clarges, esq is not duly elected a burgess to 
 serve in the present parliament for the borough of Reading. 
 
 " Resolved, that Felix Calvert, esq. is not duly elected a burgess to serve 
 ia this present parliament for the said borough of Reading. 
 
 * Corporation Diary. 
 ' Votes of the Coroiaons.
 
 230 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 " Resolved, that William Cadogan, esq. is not duly elected a burgess to 
 serve in this present parliament for the said borough of Reading. 
 
 " And Mr. Speaker was ordered to issue his warrant for making a new 
 writ for the electing two burgesses to serve in the present parliament for the 
 borough of Reading, in the room of Robert Clarges and Felix Calvert, esqrs. 
 whose election for the said borough has been declared void." 
 
 This decision of the house, in favor of the inhabitants paying scot and 
 lot, has been observed ever since. This has considerably reduced the number 
 of electors, so that at the contested election in 1S02, only 643 polled. — 
 This diminution had been increasing for several years, through the opera- 
 tion of the poor's laws, whereby every person receiving relief from the 
 parish to which he belongs, is excluded from the privilege of voting at 
 elections. But, at the election in 1813, such of the poorer housekeepers 
 as had not paid up their rates, and even those who had been struck off 
 the books, by having the word foor set against their names, were admit- 
 ted to vote on paying their arrears. It was also determined at this elec- 
 tion, that persons occasionally resident in the town, and paying scot and lot, 
 were good voters : and one of doctor Valpy's assistants was allowed to vote 
 ( though at the time only a lodger ) for a house he had lately resided in, but 
 tor which the doctor was the real tenant and paid the taxes. 
 
 From the above statement of facts, it appears, that the right of election 
 here has received considerable changes, from the first institution of regular 
 parliaments, in the reign of Edward I. to the commencement of the last 
 century. At first, the elective franchise was in the freemen of the borough, 
 or such as were free of some of the five companies of which the guild- 
 merchant were for a long time composed. During this period, the members 
 were paid for their services by the free burgesses at large, though, in some 
 few instances, the expenses of the representatives were paid by the corporate 
 body ; and, as the natural consequence of the representative system, the 
 master of the gild was g-enerally, if not always, one of the members ; the 
 other was elected from among the principal inhabitants of the town or neigh- 
 borhood. After the dissolution of tlie monastery, and the subsequent appoint- 
 ment of high stewards, we find those noblemen (for such they generally were ) 
 covenanting with the borough for tlie privilege of nominating one of the 
 members, on condition of relieving the town from the expense of paying the 
 wages of such representatives. This was no doubt done, with a view to 
 parliamentary interest on the part of the high stewards, and seems to have 
 been assented to, by the electors, as a relief from what they considered a great 
 burthen. Tliis innovation in the elective franchise, soon after led to another.
 
 REPRESENTATION. 231 
 
 arising from the same cause ; for the electors having thus been relieved from 
 the expense attending one of their representatives^ were easily prevailed upon 
 to give up their choice of the other to the corporate body, on the same terms, 
 so that the election of both the members became vested in the corporation 
 alone, though the right of nominating one remained in the high steward. 
 
 We are not certain at what time this alteration first took place, but it was 
 probably some time in the reign of Henry VIII. or soon after, and continued 
 to be observed till the civil war, in the reign of Charles I. during which time, 
 as well as in the former period, the representatives were always chosen from 
 among themselves, or near neighbors. 
 
 Among the changes which took place in this town, during the contest 
 between Charles I. and the parliament, the alteration made in the elective 
 ranchise was not the least considerable. The electors, being no longer 
 obliged to pay the wages of their representatives, the freemen reassuraed the 
 right, they had formerly conceded to the corporate body, of electing their 
 own representatives, but as the exclusive privileges attached to the guild- 
 merchant, were becoming every day of less value, and were consequently 
 neglected, few persons thinking it worth while to take up their freedom, the 
 inhabitants at large appear to have claimed the same privilege, which brought 
 on the contest, in 1645, between Mr. Vatchell, a native of the town, and Mr. 
 Ball, who was a stranger. On the day of election the former gentleman had 
 the greater number of votes including non freemen, the latter, of the freemen. 
 This occasioned a double return to be made to the house of commons, who, 
 by deciding in favor of Mr. Vatchell, extended the right of voting for mem- 
 bers to those who were not freemen. This determination of the house was 
 productive of another change in the mode of election ; as, soon after the 
 restoration, we find pot-wabblers, or lodgers, exercising the right of voting 
 for (he representatives, and the practice of admitting candidates from every 
 part of the kingdom became general ; any one who desired it being readily 
 admitted a burgess by the corporation. Tliis claim of the inhabitants at large 
 to vote for representatives of the borough, appears never to have been sanc- 
 tioned either by charter, or by any decision of the house of commons, and may 
 be considered rather as an usurpation quietly acquiesced in, 'till, from the 
 violent conduct of the lower class of electors, on every election, the house 
 of commons was obliged to interfere, and, by their decision in 1714, to fix 
 the right of election in the house-keepers paying scot and lot ; since whicb 
 time the elections here have been conducted with more decency, and the objects 
 of their choice been men of the greatest integrity, lujally, and independence.
 
 233 
 
 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Anno 
 
 1295 
 
 1307 
 
 1327 
 
 ^ ut Westminster, 
 
 29 
 30 
 33 
 34 
 35 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 5 
 B 
 « 
 
 7 
 
 « 
 13 
 12 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 19 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 S 
 
 9 
 
 Lincoln, 
 London, 
 Westminster, 
 
 Carlisle, 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 London, 
 Westminster, 
 
 ji List of all (he Burgesses who have served in Parliament 
 for the Borough of Reading. 
 
 * Those marked toiih an asterisk were masters of the guild.merchant, 'till the reign of Henry VII. after 
 which period they were mayors, or such as had passed the chair. Those in italics are not in Brown 
 Willis's list, but are taken from the diaries. 
 
 Edward the First. 
 
 Resnl. 
 
 Geoffry de Engleys, Elias de Baringby, 
 Thomas Siward, Thomas de Leycestre. 
 Walter Gerrard, William Bonenfaunt. 
 John de Akatur, William Bonenfaunt. 
 Adam de Pulatur, Thomas Siward. 
 Thomas de Farle, Thomas de Ardene. 
 
 Edward the Second. 
 Northampton, Thomas Siward, John Siward. 
 
 William Bonenfant, Thomas Siward. 
 
 Henry le Greywell, Adam le Pulatur. 
 
 The same. 
 
 The same. 
 
 Roger Cousin, John de Stokes. 
 
 The same. 
 
 Henry de Worcester, William le Peynteur. 
 
 Adam le Palmer, William Tilktero. 
 
 Adam le Horner, John de Stoke. 
 
 Thomas Langton, John Buckhorne, 
 
 Adam le iHorner, Walter Beyvyn. 
 
 Nicholas atte Heath, John de Aldermanston. 
 
 John Siward, John de Stow. 
 
 John Lakatour, John Siward. 
 
 Edward the Third. 
 
 William de Wyttenham, John Aunger. 
 Richard Wytote, Henry Wycestre. 
 William de W\-ttenham, Richard Wytote. 
 John Aunger, Henry de Wycestre. 
 Adam le Horner, Richard Wytote. 
 William AVyttenham, John de Pangbournc. 
 John le Goldsmith, William de Wyttenham. 
 The same. 
 John le Goldsmith, Hugh Ughtred. 
 
 York, 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 York, 
 
 Lincoln, 
 
 York, 
 
 Northampton, 
 
 Winchester, 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 York,
 
 REPRESENTATION. S35 
 
 Anna Regni •-, 
 
 1336 9 at Westminster, Henry Foliot. John Aunger. yV' 
 
 10 The same. 
 
 11 a Council, J.deAldremaston,H. Foliot, Walter Staunton. 
 II a Parliament, John le Harpere, John Aunger. 
 13 Adam le Horner, John Aunger. 
 13 C. at Northampton, Thomas de Oseneye, John Aunger. 
 
 13 P. at Westminster, David de Breghenock, John Aunger, 
 
 14 Adam le Horner, John Stokes. 
 
 14 William Wyttenham, John Aunger. 
 
 15 John Caplach, John Aunger. 
 17 John Siward, John de Stoke. 
 31 John Stratfield, Thomas Yevedon. 
 
 33 Thomas Yevedon, John Stratfield. 
 
 24 Ralph de Cornwall, William Spenser. 
 
 25 The same. 
 
 29 Thomas atte Garston, Thomas Helveldrestli. 
 
 31 William Ward, Walter Whatemore. 
 
 34 The same. 
 34 William Ward, Thomas Clerk. 
 
 36 William Ward, Henry le Rover. 
 
 37 William Ward, John Fowles. 
 
 38 Thomas Mortmayne, John Wymondle. 
 
 39 John Farham, Thomas Mittayne. 
 43 William Throp, William atte Grove. 
 43 William Cate, Henry Roper. 
 
 45 Counc. Winchester, William Catour. 
 
 46 Parliament, Henry Roper, John atte Hyde. 
 50 Reginald Sheffield, John Goldory. 
 
 1377 Richard the Second. 
 
 1 Winchester, William Catour, David atte Heath. 
 
 1 Westminster, Thomas Smith, Henry Ropere. 
 
 3 Gloucester, Walter Read, David atte Heath. 
 
 3 Westminster, William Dauntsey, Richard Solham. 
 
 5 John Kent, William Derby. 
 
 6 John Hunt, Richard Glovere. 
 
 7 Newcastle, John Kent, mercer, f Thomas Drover. 
 
 + From this accidental mention of Mr. Kent's business, it seems probable that most in the above 
 list, if not all. were tradesmen residing in the town. 
 
 hH
 
 234 
 
 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Anno 
 
 1384 
 
 RtSni 
 
 7 
 
 at New Saruir 
 
 
 8 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 Cambridge, 
 
 
 13 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 1399 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 S 
 
 ,1' 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 1413 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Leicester, 
 
 
 3 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 1422 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 Leicester, 
 
 
 6 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 Cambridgp, 
 
 
 18 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 
 20 
 
 
 i, John Balet, Richard Burton. 
 
 Henry Barbour, Walter atte Greem 
 Thomas Smith, John Doublet. 
 Robert atte Lee, William Stapper. 
 David atte Hatche, Richard Bedull.. 
 John Balet, Nicholas Fachell. 
 John Kent, Robert Cuppolade.f 
 Henry Barbour, John Doublet. 
 William Shortwade, John Ida. 
 
 Henry the Fourth, 
 
 Robert Hay, John Hunt. 
 
 John INIcrkhara, William Kennett. 
 
 John White, Alexander CoUshull. 
 
 Henrit/ the Fifth. 
 
 William Wynton, Richard Farley, 
 
 Thomas Hastinges, John Gierke. 
 
 Thomas Levington, William Mustard. 
 
 Stephen Strapping, John Puecote. 
 
 Philip Richards, John Hunt. 
 
 *Robert IMorys,]: Richard Crowe. 
 
 Thomas Levina-ton, *John Vevre. 
 
 John Hunt, William King. 
 Henry the Sixth. 
 
 Thomas Levington, *Simon Porter. 
 
 Thomas Levington, William Wilton. 
 
 Thomas Levington, *Simon Porter. 
 
 John Barton, *Thomas Swayne. 
 
 Thomas Levington, * William Barbour. 
 
 Thomas Levington, *John Kiikbt/. 
 
 AVilliam Baron, Thomas Levington. 
 
 *Jobn Kirkby, *Simon Porter. 
 
 Thomas Levington, *Simon Porter. 
 
 *Simon Porter, *John Kirkby. 
 
 Henry Cleche, William Justice, 
 
 Thomas Levington, *Robcrt ]Moris 
 
 + Others say tliis parliament was held at Reading. 
 t Those marked with an asterisk in this reign, were only m.nters of the guild, not maj-ors ; that 
 title wa$ not conferred on the head of the corporation 'till the next reign.
 
 REPRESENTATION. 235 
 
 Anno Kegui 
 
 1447 25 at Westminster, Simon Kent, Simon Ladbrook. 
 
 27 The same. 
 
 28 Simon Kent, * Thomas Clerk, draper, mayor* 
 
 29 *Thomas Beke^ John Orpyd. 
 
 31 Reading, * William Bede, John Penicock.f 
 
 38 Westminster, * Thomas Beke, * William Perncote, 
 
 39 John Prowi/ght, * William Perncote, 
 1461 Edward the Fourth. 
 
 1 Thomas Beke, *William Perncote. 
 
 2 William Rede, William Lynacre. 
 7 *John Beke, John Wyston. 
 
 9 York, Stephen Dunster, John Hunt. 
 
 10 *William Rede, *William Lynacre. 
 
 12 John Bront, William Lynacre. 
 
 17 *Thomas Beke, Thomas Besteney.J 
 21 Richard More, Thomas Bestenet/. 
 
 148| Richard the Third. 
 
 1 Richard More, Thomas Bestcney.§ 
 
 1485 Henri/ the Seventh. 
 
 4 Westminster, Richard Cleche, Thomas Bye. 
 
 6 Richard More, John Williams. 
 
 12 John Stanivall, esq. Rd. Smith, generosm.J 
 
 18 Richard Smith, *Christian Nicholas. 
 1509 Henrij the Eighth. 
 
 1 Richard Cleche, William Justice. 
 
 3 * Thomas Carpenter, William Justice. 
 3 Richard Smith, William Jefford. 
 
 6 *John Pownser, Edmund Knightly. 
 
 14 Richard Hyde, Richard Edmunds. 
 
 30 Thomas Vatchell, John Raymond. 
 32 Thomas Vatchell, *Richard Justice. 
 36 Thomas Vatchell, Roger Amy ce. 
 
 + Leland says thememters for this parliament were, Giles Sainiloe, and John Penicock, esqrs. 
 The two following parliaments were several times adjourned to Peadmg. 
 
 X In the diary they are, Thomas Selvyn, Thomas Besteney. 
 
 ^ There was only one parliament called in the reign of Richard III. but Mr, Contes mentions 
 two, and places the above as members, in the reign of Edward V. which could not be, as no parliament 
 was called during his short reign, or if called, did not sit. 
 
 jl So styled in the diary, perhaps to distinguish him from those who were tradesmen. 
 
 hu2
 
 g36 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 1*5"|7 "'"'• Edward the Sixth. 
 
 1 at Westminster, William Grey, John Marsh, gent. 
 
 5 John SeyviSi John JMarsh. 
 
 Q *John Bourne, John Winchcomb, esq, 
 
 1553 '^^«''^- 
 
 1 Thomas Vatchell, *John Bell, esq. 
 
 Oxford, Eohert Boxvyer, John Lovelace, esq. 
 
 2 Westminster, *John Bourne, Edward Plowden. 
 
 3 Thomas Vatchell, esq. *John Bell. 
 4. *Thomas Aldworth, *John Bell. 
 
 5 The same. 
 
 1558 Elizabeth. 
 
 I * Thomas Aldvcorth, Thomas Turner. 
 
 5 Henry Knollys, esqf. Robert Robotham, esq. 
 
 13 Henry KnoUys, jun. esq. John Hastings, esq. 
 
 14; Robert Knollys, esq. Francis Alford, esq. 
 
 27 Robert Knollys, esq.| *Robert Harris, esq. 
 
 28 The same.§ 
 SQ The sanu.W 
 31 The same. 
 
 35 Humfrey Donnat, Chas. Wednester, gents, 
 
 39 Sir Humfrey Foster, knt. Francis More, esq. 
 
 43 Francis More, esq. Anthony Blagrave, esq. 
 
 1603 James the First. 
 
 1 Sir Jerome Bowes, knt. Francis More, esq. 
 
 + The first of this ancient family mentioned in history, was Sir Robert Knollys, in the reign of 
 Edward III. " whom martial virtue," says Speed, " had raised from the lowest rank, to the highest 
 reputation, though some afRrm him born noble." He was buried in the church of White Friars, 
 London, with the following epitaph engraved on his tomb : 
 
 (B IRoberte IKnoUps, per te sit JFrancia mollis, 
 Cnse tuo tolUs praeDas, tians bulnera coUis. 
 
 % Sir Francis Knollys, knight of the garter, and privy consellor to queen Elizabeth ; one of this 
 family wrote a general survey of the Isle of Wight, a manuscript copy whereof was in the library of 
 the late earl of Anglesey. — Nicholson's Historical Library, page 14. 
 
 § This seems a mistake, as the diary mentions, for this year, Thomas Vatchell, esq. and John 
 Raymond, esq. 
 
 U Robert Knollys being elected this year to serve in parliament for the county of Brecknock, 
 Thomas EgertoDj solicitor-general, was chosen in his room.
 
 REPRESENTATION. 237 
 
 Anno. Regni. 
 
 1620 18 at Westminster^ A. Barker, John Saunders, (recorder,) esqrs. ^"^p. 
 
 21 Sir F. KnoUys, jun. knt. John Saunders, esq. 
 
 1625 Charles the First. 
 
 I Eras. KnoUjs, jun. knt. John Saunders, esq. 
 
 3 The same. 
 
 3 The same. 
 
 15 Edw. Herbert, sol. -general, Sir J. Berkley, kt.f 
 
 15 Sir Eras. Knollys, sen. Eras. Knollys, jun.J 
 
 21 Tanfield Vatchell, esq. was chosen in the room 
 
 of Sir E. Knollys, jun^ deceased. Daniel Bla- 
 grave, esq. also succeeded Sir E. Knollys, sen. 
 who either died, or was expelled in the course 
 of their long sittings. 
 1649 Commonwealth. 
 
 Westminster, Tanfield VatchelU esq. JDaniel Blagrave.^ 
 
 16bS Protectorate.\\ 
 
 1 A Convention. The Member nominated by O. Ciromwell. 
 
 + This parliament met on the I3th of April, l640, and from the shoit time it sat, was called the 
 short parliament. 
 
 J This was the famous long parliament, which met on the 3d of November, 1 640, and was not 
 dissolved 'till the 20th of April l653, when Cromwell assumed the reins of government. 
 
 § " This gentleman," says Wood, " was a counsellor at law, who running with the rout, in the 
 beginning of the rebellion, was chosen a burgess for Reading, to serve as a recruiter in the parliament 
 began at Westminster the 3d of November l640. About the same time he was made steward (recorder) 
 of Reading, and treasurer of Berks, and had given him the exegenter's office of the common pleas, 
 then esteemed five hundred pounds per annum. Afterwards he was one of the judges of king Charles, 
 and signed the warrant for his execution ; bought the king's fee-farm of the manor of Sonning, and 
 other estates, at very easy rates ; was master extraordinary in chancery, a constant rumper, and a great 
 persecutor of the ministers in and about Reading, especially when an act of parliament issued out for 
 the ejection of such whom they then called scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient ministers, and school- 
 masters. At length, at the restoration, he fled from justice, and retired to Aeon in Germany, where 
 bving some years, under a disguised name, he died in an obscure condition, anno I668, and was buried 
 in the obscure place, near that city, appointed to receive the bodies of those whom they there call 
 heretics." 
 
 From his conduct towards the corporation, he appears to have been of a troublesome, litigious 
 disposition, restless, and on all occasions seeking to promote his own mterest, though at the expence 
 of justice and honor. From his being styled a constant rumper, and the part he took in the death of 
 the king, he might be supposed to have been a creature of Cromwell's, though his name does not appear 
 in any of the protector's parliaments. 
 
 \\ His loyalty would not permit Brown Willis to admit into his list, those who served in parlia- 
 ment for this town, after the king's death ; those here mentioned, therefore, are taken from the corpo- 
 ration diary.
 
 J 2 
 
 
 13 
 
 
 31 
 
 
 32 
 
 Oxford, 
 
 1 
 
 Westminster, 
 
 238 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 2 Westminster, Col. Rohert Hammond.^ 
 
 3 Sir John Bnrkstead, kt. Lieut, of the Tower. 
 1658 Richard Cromxvell. 
 
 1 Thomas Rich, esq. John Blagrave, esq, 
 
 MONARCHY RESTORED. 
 
 1G60 Charles the Second. 
 
 Thos. Rich, esq. John Blagrave, esq. 
 Sir Thos. Doleman, bart.J Rd. Aldworth, esq. 
 John Blagravej esq. Nathaniel Knight, esq. 
 The same. 
 
 1685 James the Second. 
 
 John Breedon, esq. Thomas Coates, esq. 
 
 Interregnum. 
 A Convention, John Breedon, esq, Thomas Coates, esq. 
 
 1688 William, and Mary. 
 
 1 Sir W. Rich, bart. Sir H. Fane,kt. of the Bath. 
 
 2 The same. 
 
 1694 William the Third. 
 
 7 Sir Wm. Rich, bart. Sir Henry Fane, K. B. 
 
 10 Sir Owen Buckingham, kt. John Dolby, esq. 
 
 12 Sir O. Buckingham, kt. Eras. Knollys, esq. 
 
 13 Anth. Blagrave, esq. Tanfield Vatchell, esq. 
 
 1702 Ann, 
 
 1 SirO. Buckingham, kt. Anth. Blagrave, esq. 
 
 4 Sir O. Buckingham, Tanfield Vatchell, esq, 
 7 Sir O. Buckingham, Anthony Blagrave, esq, 
 
 + Mr. Coates lias inserted the names of two members in this place, but it is certain, from the 
 instrument of government, draw-nup by Cromwell and his council of officers, in l653, that only one 
 member was appointed for Reading, but whether the person chosen was colonel Hammond, or Mr. 
 Holt, is not so certain. This parliament began its sittings the 3d of September, l653, and was dis- 
 solved in January following, so that it is not probable that both could sit in so short a period, and 
 colonel Hammond did not die 'till the following year. 
 
 ;|: Mr. Andrew Marvell, member for Hull, in this reign, in a work, called, "The Seasonable 
 Argument to all the Grand Juries," says, " sir Thomas Doleman, bart, had a pension of two hundred 
 pounds per annum, from the court, and was assisted in the cheating will, whereby he got Ouarle's 
 estate, valued at sixteen hundred pounds, now clerk of the council, which is worth five hundred pounds 
 per annum, and is promised to be secretary of state, &c,"-^Hislory of Boroughs,
 
 REPRESENTATION. '^39 
 
 Anno. R'gBl- 
 
 1711 9 at Westminster, Sir Owen Buckingham, kt. John Dalby, esq. 
 
 13 Felix Calvertj esq. Robert ClargeSj esq.f 
 
 1714 George the First. 
 
 \ The same : but the election being declared 
 
 null by the house of commons, Chas. Cadogan, 
 esq. and Sir O. Buckingham, kt. were elected 
 in their stead, but the latter being killed in a 
 duel with Mr. Aldworth, in 1720, was suc- 
 ceded by Rd. Thompson, esq. In this par- 
 liament, the septennial bill was passed by a 
 majority of 264 to 121. 
 
 8 Anthony Blagrave, esq. Clement Kent, esq. 
 
 1727 George the Second. 
 
 1 Richd. Pottenger, esq.Rd. Thompson, esq, 
 
 7 Rd. Pottenger, esq. Henry Grey, esq. 
 
 12 J- Blagrave, esq.]; vice R. Pottinger deceased.. 
 
 13 On the death of Henry Grey, esq. W.^ Strode, 
 
 esq. was elected after a very violent contest, 
 the majority of the votes being only 28j to 
 275, upon which Mr. Dodd, the unsuccessful 
 candidate, petitioned the house against the 
 return, and Mr. Strode's election was declared 
 void, and Mr Dodd took his seat for a few 
 days, when the house was dissolved. 
 
 14 Wm. Strode, esq. John Blagrave, esq. 
 
 20 John Conyers, esq. Rd. Neville Aldworth, esq.. 
 
 26 Wm. Strode, esq. Rt. Hon. Lord Fane. 
 
 28 J. Dodd, esq. vice W. Strode, esq. deceased. 
 
 1760 George the Third. 
 
 1 Sir Fras. Knollys, bart. John Dodd, esq.. 
 
 + There appears to have been another election in I713, for, on the 3d of March, sir Owen 
 Buckingham petitioned the house, complaining of an undue election and return ; and in April follow- 
 ing, he was permitted to withdraw his petition. — Votes of the Conanons, 
 
 t Parties running high in the town at this period, a very strong contest took place, between 
 John Blagrave, esq. and R. Manlcy, esq. the two candidates ; at the close of the poll the numbers were, 
 for Mr. Blagrave 269, and for Mr. Manley 236. The poll was afterwards printed in two columns, 
 the first for Mr, Blagrave's friends in black ink, and the other for Mr. Manley's in red; but why the 
 distinction was made, is not known.
 
 240 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 ^X T^' ^^"*^^ "^ ^^ Westminster, John Dodd, esq. Henry Vansittart, esq.f 
 
 14 John Dodd, esq. Francis Annesleyj esq. 
 
 20 The same. 
 
 22 Rd. Aldworth Neville, esq. vice J. Dodd dec"- 
 
 2i . Fras. Annesley, esq. R. A. Neville, esq. 
 
 30 The same. 
 
 36 The same. 
 
 37 John Simeon, esq. vice Rd. A. Neville, esq^ 
 
 called to the House of Lords. 
 
 42 F. Annesley, esq. Charles Shaw Lefevre, esq. 
 
 47 Chas. Shaw Lefevre, esq. John Simeon, esq.J 
 
 48 John Simeon, esq. C. S. Lefevre, esq. 
 53 C. S. Lefevre, esq. John Simeon, esq. 
 
 After the decission of the house of commons, which limited the right 
 of voting to housekeepers, paying scot and lot, it became customary after the 
 elections, to print poll papers containing the names of the voters, and the 
 numbers polled for each candidate. From these papers we have extracted 
 the following summary of the number of voters at each contested election 
 since that period : 
 
 + Mr. Vansittart liaving been lost in his passage to India, Mr. Coates says, Mr. Annesley suc- 
 ceeded him in 1 772, but this is a mistake, a motion for a new writ was made in the house of commons , 
 but negatived ; and in consequence no election took place 'till the succeeding general election. 
 
 :{ At this election, Mr. Annesley having declined offering his future services, from an ill state of 
 health, the mayor, aldermen, burgesses, and inhabitants, as a memorial of the high sense they entertained 
 of his long and faithful services, presented him with an elegant piece of plate, with the following 
 inscription : 
 
 Tresented to 
 
 Francis Annesley, esq. L. L. D. 
 
 Master of Downing College, in the University of 
 
 Cambridge, and one of the hereditary 
 
 Trustees of the British Museum. 
 
 "Who in six successive parliaments 
 
 Represented the borough of Reading, 
 
 With honor to himself, and fidelity to his constituents. 
 
 This MEMORIAL 
 
 Of their private esteem, and public gratitude. 
 
 Was unanimously voted at a general meeting 
 
 Of the electors for that purpose, 
 
 The 10th day of December, I8O7. 
 
 L. T. GLEEDj esq. chairman.
 
 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Anno. 
 
 1731 
 
 Names of Candidates, 
 
 Anthony Blagrave 
 Clement Kent, 
 
 
 Richard Thompson 
 C. Cadogan, 
 
 1737 
 
 Richard Pottenger, esq. 
 Richard Thompson, esq. 
 
 Votes. No, of Elector!. 
 
 389 
 383 
 309 
 334 
 
 1734 Richard Pottenger, esq. 
 
 Henry Grey, esq. 
 
 1739 John Blagrave, esq. - 369 
 Richard Manley, esq. - 336 
 
 1740 William Strode, esq. - 385 
 John Doddj esq. - - 375 
 
 1754 William Strode, esq. - - 334 
 Right Honorable Lord Vane, 396 
 John Dodd, esq. - 395t 
 
 1755 John Dodd, esq. 
 
 1760 John Dodd, esq. - - 396 
 
 Sir Francis Knollys, - 316 
 
 Charles de Salis, - - 354 
 
 1768 Henry Vansittart, esq. - 401 568 
 
 John Dodd, esq. - 396 
 
 John Bingley, esq. - - 193 
 
 1774 John Dodd, esq. - 303 537 
 
 Francis Annesley, esq. - 330 
 
 J. Walter, esq. - 350 
 
 + This was the strongest contested election that had occurred for many years ; corruption was got 
 to such a height, that towards the close of t he poll, from thirty to forty guineas were given for votes. 
 When the poll was declared, Mr. Dodd fainted away on the hustings, 
 
 i I
 
 242 REPRESENTATION. 
 
 Chap. 
 
 Anno- 
 
 Names of Candidates. 
 
 
 Votes. 
 
 No. of Electors. 
 
 XL 
 
 f?80 
 
 Francis Annesley, esq. - 
 
 - 
 
 343 
 
 523 
 
 --N-^^ 
 
 
 John Dodd, esq. - 
 
 - 
 
 318 
 
 
 
 
 Hon. Temple Luttrell, - 
 
 - 
 
 199 
 
 
 1782 Richard Aldworth Neville, esq. 267 517 
 
 Joha Simeon, esq. - 179 
 
 1781 No election. 
 
 1790 Francis Annesley, esq. - - 391 562 
 
 Richard Aldworth Neville, esq. 316 
 
 Rt. Hon. Earl of Barry more, 255 
 
 1796 No election. 
 
 1797 No election. 
 
 1802 Francis Annesley, esq. - 385 643 
 
 Charles Shaw Lefevre, esq. - 349 
 
 John Simeon, esq. - - 231 
 
 1807 No election. 
 
 1812. At this election there were three candidates, 
 
 and the poll was kept open two days, for 
 the first time within the memory of man. 
 The numbers were — 
 
 First day. Second day. Total. 
 
 For Mr. Lefevre, 183 256 = 439 738 
 
 Mr. Simeon, 198 193 = 391 
 
 Mr. Monck, 110 176 = 286
 
 Religious Foundations, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE MOjYASTERY. 
 
 A HE first religious establishment at Reading, is said, bv some ancient his- -ytj ' 
 torians, to have been a monastery, for nuns, founded by Elfrida, the mother-in- 
 law of Edward the martyr, whom she caused to be stabbed by a ruflSan, as 
 he was drinking a cup of wine to her health, at the gate of Corfe castle in 
 Dorsetshire. 
 
 In the early ages of Christianity, when the power of remitting or retaining 
 the sins of the laity, was supposed to be vested in the hands of the clergy, 
 the price of the atonement was estimated, not according to the greater or less 
 degree of guilt incurred by the offender, but to his rank in life ; so that 
 while the inferior orders of society might be absolved for a trifling pecuniary 
 fine, the royal or noble Sinner, could not be reconciled to ofi'ended heaven, 
 without the endowment of some religious establishment, that might increase 
 the power and influence of the church. Accordingly, we find, that most 
 of our religious establishments originated either from some real or pretended 
 crimes, committed by their founders. Thus Elfrida, stung with remorse for 
 the crime she had committed, which was further aggravated by the report 
 of the miracles said to have been performed at the tomb of the deceased 
 monarch, endeavored, we are told, to deprecate the wrath of oSended heaven, 
 by building and endowing several monasteries in difierent parts of the king- 
 dom, among which was this for nuns.* 
 
 There is some doubt as to where this monastery was situated. Leland 
 says, "■ for more certente, I knowe not whither the olde niinnerie stood not 
 yn the place Avher th' abbaye of Reddinge stondeth, and whither St. Maries 
 be not of a newer foundation." What reasons Leland could have for the 
 supposition, that it was originally built on the site of the abbey, I know uot ; 
 but it certainly appears more probable that it really was where St. Mary's 
 church now stands. 
 
 * Asserius says it was a monastery for monks, but in this assertion he was certainly mistaken. 
 
 i I 3
 
 244 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap. Places of this description were called by our Saxon ancestors, mynstrers* 
 
 ^11- the same as that of the street leading from St. Marv's church }ard is now 
 called, from whence it may be inferred, it originally took its name; which 
 would not have been tlxe case had the mynstrer been situated at so great a 
 distance from it as the Forbury is. Besides, we may observe, as another cor- 
 roberating circumstance of this opinion, that afterwards, in the reign of 
 William I. when the possessions belonging to this monastery had been bestowed 
 by that monarch on his newly erected abbey at Battle in Sussex, that quarter 
 of the town, adjoining the monastery, and which was a material part, if not 
 the whole of its possessions, was called the manor of Battel or Battle. 
 
 This nunnery was founded in 979 ; but for what number of nuns we have 
 not been able to learn.f 
 
 In 1006, only twenty-seven years after its erection, it was destroyed by 
 the Danes, and the nuns most probably put to death, the usual practice with 
 these marauders, and it does not appear to have been afterwards rebuilt ; 
 indeed the number of ruined houses here mentioned in Doomsday, is a con- 
 vincing proof that the town itself had not recovered, even so long after, from 
 the ruinous state it had been reduced io by the Danes. 
 
 This monastery is expressly mentioned in the charter of the abbey founded 
 by Henry I. in 1121, or, according to 3Iatthew Paris, in 1120; so that there 
 can be no doubt of its pre-existence, or that it was destroyed, as we have said, 
 by the Danes ; but whether, as is therein asserted, for its sins, is not so clear ; 
 it being common, in those days of ignorance, to impute the natural conse- 
 quences of war, or accident, to the interference of providence. However this 
 may be, it is certain he endowed his new-erected abbey with the revenues 
 belonging to the monastery, and it is very probable, that its ruins were ap- 
 plied to the building of the abbey, as, even at this time, traces of a former 
 
 * Mr. Hearne, in his preface to his collection of discourses, speaking cf this town, says, " I am 
 not ignorant that this mynster of Assendune, is commonly reported to have been nothing more than 
 a church, but for my own part I am willing to think it was something beside, viz. that there was a re- 
 ligious house there. The Saxon annals also call it by no other name than mynster, which I think will 
 confirm my notion, the meaning thereof being a monastery, and not a church only." 
 
 + It is very probable that another convent for nuns was subsequently established here, for besides 
 Leveva the abbess, mentioned in Doomsday book, as presiding in the reign of Edward the Confessor, 
 several years after the destruction of this by the Danes, in Tanner's Notitia, is the following clause, 
 7th John, m. 11. '« Rex vicecomiti Berchesyre. Praecepimus quod sine dilatione reddi facias prio- 
 rissae et monialibus de Radynge duodecim solidatas reditus in Wallingford unde desseisitse fuerunt." 
 Perhaps tliese were the poor sisters established here in the hospital called St, John's house ; but if so 
 I do not sec how they could be styled moniaUs,
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 245 
 
 building are discoverable within the walls, particularly pieces of wrougJit free- Chap. 
 stone of different dimensions, in some of which the grooves wherein the lead XII. 
 was run to fasten them together are still visible; these are imbedded among 
 the rubbish that forms the interior of the walls, and shew that they must have 
 been originally intended for a better purpose. 
 
 THE ABBEY. 
 
 Different motives have been assigned for this act of Henry's munificence. 
 Dugdale, in tlie MonasticoUj says, " that he founded the abbey in consequence 
 of a pennance (indicta sibi paenitentia) imposed on him by the church ; while 
 others assert, that Henry, struck with remorse, for having caused his brother's 
 eyes to be put out, and confined him in Cardiff castle during the remainder 
 of his days, founded this abbey as an atonement for his crime. But Henry 
 had too much good sense, to suppose that by this means he could make a 
 propitiation, not for a crime already committed, but for one he was still in the 
 act of perpetrating, as Robert continued in prison till his death in 1134, which 
 was thirteen years after the foundation of the abbey. From this considera- 
 tion, I am inclined to think that Henry was rather influenced by political than 
 religious motives, in adding this munificent establishment to the possessions 
 of the church. Henry knew, that his title to the crown, which he had 
 usurped, in consequence of his brother Robert's absence from the kingdom, 
 depended wholly on the support of the people, and that if they should, at any 
 future time, become disaffected, the clergy alone, by the influence they pos- 
 sessed over the minds of the ignorant multitude, could prevent them, at any 
 time, from rising in the defence of a prince, whose right to the crown could 
 ot be justly disputed. Under this impression, he took every opportunity of 
 binding them to his interest by gifts and emoluments, and there can be little 
 doubt, but the foundation of Reading abbey was one of the means adopted 
 for this purpose. But from whatever motive this once noble structure origi- 
 nated, it must be acknowledged to have been worthy of its royal founder, as, 
 notwithstanding the ruinous state in which it now appears, it bears evident 
 marks of its original magnificence. 
 
 The walls of this building were about six feet thick, coated on the 
 outside with free stone, and filled within with flints and rubbish of various 
 kinds, bedded in mortar, which has so hardened by time, as to resist all the 
 attempts that have hitherto been made to destroy them, and have thus pre- 
 served these noble ruins, which have escaped the ravages of former tunes, 
 from having been converted to other uses.
 
 245 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Afl^r the dissolution, such of the materials as could be removed, were 
 sold by the king's commissioners, for different purposes ; a great part was used 
 in the consfriu(ion of St. Mary's and St. Lawrence's churches ; and a quantity 
 was conveyed to Windsor, sufficient, we are told, to build the hospital for the 
 poor knighfs, containing thirteen rooms, besides a kitchen, and a pastry. And, 
 of late years, several massive pieces of the wall, which could not easily have 
 been reduced, have been used by the late general Conway, in the construction 
 of that stupendous bridge, which he has caused to be erected over a part of 
 the high road leading from Wargrave to Henley, and which, from its singular 
 construction, and the enormous masses of stones brought from distant parts of 
 the island, and hanging together apparently without any support or regularity, 
 must fill the spectator with admiration and astonishment. 
 
 But what principally contributed to reduce it to its present state, was the 
 damage it sustained, from the various attacks made upon it during the civil 
 war, while in the possession of either of the contending parties ; many of the 
 outer walls were at that period destroyed by the artillery ; and, at the evacua- 
 tion of it by the king's troops, in IGll, some of the most considerable were 
 cither undermined or blown up. 
 
 The flints used in the construction of the building, appear io have been 
 brought from the chalk hill, near Caversham church, evident traces remaining 
 of its having been formerly disturbed for such a purpose, the upper stratum of 
 mould being now buried several feet below the surface of the hill, covered 
 with loose chalk, from which the flints have been carefully extracted. 
 
 It is observable, that both the kinds of stone employed in erecting the 
 abbey, have been apparently formedby the concretion of either marine or ve- 
 getable substances. The former of these was employed in the exterior, and or- 
 namental parts of the structure, and appears, on inspection, to be a kind of tes- 
 taceous free-stone, the same as is found in the quarries of Purbeck, and of Pet- 
 worth, in Sussex, from whence it was probably brought ; where the stone has 
 been abraded by the weather, many minute shells appear on the surface, which 
 from the nature of their contexture, have made a stronger resistance to the corrod- 
 ing power of the air, than the sandy parts with which they are combined, the 
 shells being prominent, and still retaining their original form and color. This is 
 most observable on the pillars that support the arch of the Forbury gateway, for 
 these being exposed to a northern aspect, have suftered more from the weather, 
 than those in more favorable situations. 
 
 The other kind of stone, which was used only in the construction of the 
 arched ceilings, which separated the different stories instead of timber floors, is 
 of a more porous nature, very light, and pervious to water, being composed of
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 247 
 
 filamenls of vegetable growth, combined with a chalky substance. There Chap. 
 being no quarries in the neigliborhood from whence this stone could have been ^ _ _ 
 taken, it has been supposed by some to have been brought from Normandy, 
 but a writer in the Gentleman's Magazine* asserts, that the same kind of stone 
 is found in the quarries at Wantage ; if so, we can be no longer at a loss for 
 the place of its production. 
 
 The remains of the abbey are in such a state of dilapidation, tliat it is 
 impossible to form a correct judgment of the ornamental parts in its original 
 state; but from the fragments of broken shafts dispersed among the walls and 
 buildings, in various parts of the town, it is conjectured they were chiefly what 
 are called clustered columns, there being few found of a greater diameter 
 than six inches, which must have been too slight to have singly supported the 
 roof of such a building ; if tliere were any larger, it is probable they were 
 employed in building the churches before-mentioned. The only capital re- 
 maining, is thirteen inches diameter at the base, or under side, and sixteen in 
 the upper. It is divided into four compartments, in each of which is embossed a 
 large scallop shell, in bold relief, the same as in the abbey arms A representation 
 of this capital is given in plate 12, Jig, 1, in which will be seen several other orna- 
 ments taken from stone fragments embodied in the walls and building which 
 surround the abbey, and are no doubt part of its remains. In the same plate 
 will be found an engraving of a massive chimney piece, found bricked up 
 within the walls of a large stack of chimnies, lately taken down at a house in 
 Broad-street, which, from its size and ornaments, I am inclined to think ori- 
 ginally belonged to the abbey. 
 
 The site of the abbey is equal, if not superior, to any spot in the 
 county of Berks, for richness of soil, and pleasantness of situation. Placed oa 
 the ridge of a hill, running east and west, and forming the north-east ex- 
 tremity of the town, it commands a beautiful view of the adjoining country. 
 On the north, the hill descends by a gentle declivity, to a range of meadows, 
 covered with the choicest herbage, and watered by the majestic river Thames, 
 beyond whose boundary the Oxfordshire hills, fringed with trees, and variegated 
 with all the luxuriance of cultivated nature, formed a back ground to the pros- 
 pect, sufficiently near to afford a distinct view of the surrounding scenery. 
 Towards the east, the view is more extensive, comprehending the beautiful 
 vale between this town and the village of Sonning, through which the river 
 Thames is seen gently gliding along, 'till it is intercepted at the latter place, 
 by the near approach of the Berkshire and Oxfordshire hills, where turning to 
 the left, it again appears to view, passing by the beautiful villages of Wargrave 
 
 ♦ Mr. Bicheno.
 
 24S RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap, and Sliyjlack ; soon after which it disappears among the hills that surround the 
 ^^^' pleasant town of Henley. On the west, the prospect, although it has since 
 been intercepted by buildings, was nearly similar to that on the east ; on the 
 south, it was not so extensive, but more picturesque, the river Kennet 
 o-cntly gliding along its banks. On the opposite side the river was the park,* 
 including all the ground between it and the high road, from the Back-lane, 
 now East-street, to the thirty-eighth mile stone ; this space was called the Ortes. 
 Beyond this the ground rises gradually, aflbrding a delightful view of a finely 
 wooded country, bounded by the distant hills of Hampshire. 
 
 Such was the spot which Henry chose for the erection of this once cele- 
 brated abbey, now reduced to a mass of ruins, and involved in so much con- 
 fusion, by the broken fragments which have fallen in almost all directions, as 
 almost to preclude the possibility of tracing an outline of the original building, 
 or the boundaries of its enclosure. Sir Henry Englefield has favored the pub- 
 lic with the best, if not the only ground plan hitherto published of the differ- 
 ent buildings that formerly composed this extensive establishment. With the 
 aid therefore of this, and our own observations on the spot, we shall endeavor to 
 enable our readers to form, if not a correct, at least as accurate an idea as 
 possible of its original state. 
 
 Though the abbey was not perhaps originally intended for a place of 
 stren2;th, yet, as the safety of its secluded inhabitants might hereafter be 
 endangered, whenever the nation should be disturbed by civil commotions, the 
 roval founder, in addition to the massive walls of the buildings, endeavored 
 to render it more secure from violence, by surrounding it on three of its sides 
 with thick and lofty walls, while on the other it was protected by the river, 
 which formed a natural barrier on that side, and was subsequently strengthened 
 by the castle, which was erected, if I rightly conjecture, on its banks. 
 
 The surrounding wall commenced on the northern bank of the Holy 
 brook, adjoining the Saracen's-head inn yard, from whence it was carried, in 
 a straight line, along the back of the Market-place, as far as the Compter ; 
 here its original traces are broken off by the subsequent erection of St. Law- 
 rence's church, and the inclosing of the church-yard in the reign of Philip and 
 Mary, but supposing it to have been continued in a straight line, it would 
 have crossed tlie church -yard to the ancient buildings now partly occupied 
 
 • Leland says, " in enteryng the tovra from Sunning, there is a parke longyng to the late mo- 
 nasterie there." The park here mentioned, has been supposed by some to have been that at Whitley, 
 belonging also to the abbots, but this could not be, as Leland expressly says it was at the entrance of 
 the town from Sonning, whereas Whitley lies more to the south.
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 ^ ^ 
 
 ^
 
 i 
 
 I
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 249 
 
 by Mr. Street, from whence it seems to have tiirned in a right angle westward. Chap. 
 as far as doctor Valpy's,* and from thence again northward, as far as the present ^^ j^ 
 corner of the Forbury, and parallel with the Vasterns. On the north side, 
 the wall was carried along the present line to its extremity beyond the county- 
 prison, where it took a southern direction to the river Kennet. 
 
 This wall appears to have been originally surrounded by a piece of en- 
 closed ground, about fifty yards wide, like the pomserium that surrounded 
 the Roman cities, and was not allowed either to be cultivated, or built upon, 
 for fear of endangering the safety of the place. This boundary is particu- 
 larly observable on the west side ; the line of the buildings next the Market- 
 place and Vastern-lane, being in both places that distance from the original 
 wall. Beside this outer wall, the abbey, as may be seen in Speed's map, was 
 surrounded by another, dividing the Forbury into what were called the outer 
 and inner courts. 
 
 The whole of the ground contained within the outward boundary, con- 
 sisted of about thirty acres of dry gravelly soil, exceedingly well adapted to 
 insure the health and security of the persons intended to reside within its 
 circuit. The entrances to it were defended by four arched gateways, with 
 battlements on their tops similar to those on the walls. The first was on the 
 bank of the Holy-brook, where the wall commenced, on the south west corner 
 of the enclosure ; some of the ruins of which, are still visible on this spot ; 
 another was situated to the eastward of the Compter, entering into the For- 
 bury, where, crossing the road, it abutted against tlie chancel of St. Law- 
 rence's church, as appears both from Speed's map, and the auditor's accounts, 
 mentioned in the church register for loDS.f This, therefore, could not have 
 been that which has lately been taken down, its situation having been more 
 to the westward, and consequently out of the line of the original wall, and 
 neither corresponding, either in strength or beauty, with the building to 
 which it must have formed the principal entry. A third gateway was in the 
 north wall, leading into the meadows, at a place now called the Hole in the Wall, 
 which name it probably received from the opening caused by the destruction 
 of the gateway, during the siege in the seventeenth century. The fourth was 
 at the entrance from the Forbury on the north side of Blake's-bridge. 
 
 Beside these four gates in the outer court, there was another, still exist- 
 ing, which led to the inner court. This building is composed of an inter- 
 mixture of bricks, chalk, and stone ; over the aich-way is a Hat timber floor, 
 
 • I tTiink it not unlikely, thatinsteadof turning westward here, it might have continue m a straight 
 line to the Hole in the Wall, excluding that part where the cheese fair is now kept. 
 
 i See St. Lawrence's pariih. 
 
 k K
 
 250 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap, supporting the chambers above, surmounted by a modern parapet wall, instead 
 ^ ' ^- of the battlements which existed in its original state. At each corner of the 
 buildin«- is an octangular tower, and near the spring of the arch on each side, 
 is a square buttress, which very much diminishes the otherwise elegant appear- 
 ance of the structure. 
 
 The front facing the north is composed of a beautiful Saxon arch with 
 an obtuse point at the top, rising from three stone clustered pillars without 
 capitals, and rounded to the summit of the arch.* 
 
 The south front varies from the north, by the arch being quite circular 
 instead of pointed at the top. At the entrance, on the right hand side, near 
 the spring of the arch, is the mutilated figure of either a dog or a fox, and, 
 on the left is a dolphin, with the red rose, the badge of the house of Lan- 
 caster, in the finny part of the tail ; these served for spouts to carry off the 
 rain water, which they discharged at their mouths. — Plate 12, fig. 3 Sg 4. 
 
 The space under the building, between the two outer arches is twenty 
 feet square, divided into two unequal departments by a third circular arch 
 extending to the ceiling, in which a massive gate was suspended by large 
 hooks, that are still remaining, though the gate has been removed. This 
 judicious position of the gate in the interior of the building, was well calcu- 
 lated to afford a place of shelter for those who came there on business, either 
 from the outer or inner court. In the larger division were two doors, one 
 on each side, forming a communication with the porter's lodges, but these 
 are now more than half buried with rubbish, which has from time to time 
 accumulated in the passage, from the careless manner the road has been 
 mended ; but this might be removed at a trifling expense, and these elegant 
 arches be again restored to their original beauty. 
 
 From the position of the gate, and other circumstances, I am inclined to 
 think, that this is what was called the portsinouth, in the decree concerning 
 the election of mayor in the reign of Henry Vllth, where the three good and 
 able btirgesscs were to be presented to the abbot, for the choice of one to be 
 mayor, and where the fine was to be paid eight days prior to their being 
 presented within the abbey. f 
 
 From the general style of this building, it is evident it could not have 
 formed any part of the original foundation, tliough the precise time of its 
 
 • In the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII. or rather towards the end of that of Henry VII, 
 when brick buildings became common, a new kind of low pointed arch grew much in use ; it was describ- 
 ed from four centres, very round at the haunches, and the angle at the top was very obtuse. This sort of 
 arch is to be found in every one of cardinal Woolsey's buildings at West Sheen; an ancient gate-way 
 at Mile-end, called king John's gate ; and in the great gate of the palace at Lambeth.— G'me'i Antiquilies. 
 
 t See the account of tlie corporation.
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 251 
 
 erection cannot be positively ascertained. But, if I might be allowed the Chap. 
 conjecture, I should place it about the reign of Henry Vllth or Vlllth, when XII 
 this style of building began to take place ; and the above mentioned rose in 
 the dolphin's tail, may allude to the union of the two roses in the person of 
 Henry Vllth ; as the dog on the other side the gateway, may to the doo-s 
 which surround the cypher of Hugh Farringdon, given in Tomkins's Views. 
 Should these conjectures be correct, they will fix the era of this gateway 
 between 1520 and 1510. Within this gateway was the inner court, throu"-h 
 which was the way to the principal entrance to the abbey ; but owing to the 
 ground having been since built upon, and the confusion occasioned by throw- 
 ing up the ramparts in this part, during the civil wars, this cannot now be 
 discovered ; the only entrance on this side, at present, being through an arched 
 passage, which could have received no light, except from the extremities, and 
 therefore is not likely to have been the principal entrance to this superb abbey. 
 This passage* (a) which is 46 feet long and 15 wide, opens into the south-east 
 corner of the cloisters, and was probably only intended as a private way for 
 the monks. 
 
 The part called the cloisters, was an open area about one hundred and 
 forty-five feet square, surrounded by a covered way or piazza, conmiunicating 
 with the main building and cliurch. On the right hand of the passage is a 
 door-way leading to the apartments, and within it is a circular stair case, (b) . 
 leading to the upper part of the building. This wing probably consisted of 
 the offices, as there apjiear to have been arched cellars under the whole range, 
 and at the south end was the kitchen, as is supposed from the spot being 
 called Kitchen-end. 
 
 On the right hand, on entering the cloister, is the great hall or consis- 
 tory. This beautiful room was eighty feet long to the extremity of the bow, 
 and forty feet wide, with three large entrance doors from the cloister, with 
 three windows over them, and five large windows at the cast end ; on each 
 of the side walls were four pilasters, 20 feet high, from which the arched 
 ceiling sprung. This room, from the floor to the centre of the ceiling, was 
 forty feet in height, and arched over with the porous stone above mentioned. 
 On digging lately within the walls at c, and d, the foundation of the outer 
 walls of this room, ( and probably of the rest of the building) was found to 
 be seven -feet deep and twelve feet thick to the set ofi"; above which the walls 
 were six feet thick, as in other parts of the building. This noble room, where 
 general and provincial councils were fiequently assembled, and where parha- 
 
 * See the ground plan of the abbey. 
 kK3
 
 252 RELIGIOUS FOUxNDATIONS. 
 
 ments sometimes met, is now disfigured by the erection of a national school 
 ■within its walls, whereby the spectator is in a great measure deprived of the 
 pleasure he must otherwise have been struck with, at sight of its massive 
 vails, no longer visible but from the outer side. 
 
 On each side of the consistory is a passage with an entrance from the 
 cloister. These passages were fifty feet long, twelve feet wide, and sixteen 
 feet hiffh, with vaulted ceiling of stone, and over them were rooms of the 
 same dimensions, and vaulted in the same manner. These arched ceilings 
 account for the excessive thickness of the outer walls, as nothing less could 
 have resisted the enormous weight of the arches, however light the stone of 
 •which they were composed. 
 
 Adjoining the passage, on the north side, are the ruins represented in the 
 plan, {e. f.) which sir Henry Englefield makes a part of the church, called 
 the south transept; and some others on the north side the church (g.) but 
 which are in a much more imperfect state, he denominates the north transept ; 
 how far he may be right in this conjecture, I am unable to say, but certain 
 it is, these two parts do not assimilate, as might be supposed, for thfe high 
 wall with a window in it, at h, and against which the present cottage was 
 built by lord Fane, shews that this part was much less in length than the oppo- 
 site side, and was certainly without the bow at the east end, which the other 
 has. At the south-east corner of the south transept, is a circular recess, Ci.J 
 formed within the substance of the wall, for what purpose cannot, perhaps, now 
 be ascertained, unless it was intended for a circular staircase, such as are com- 
 mon in ancient bildings, and nearly similar to that at b. Should this have 
 been its original intent, this part of the building may rather be supposed to 
 have belonged to the abbey than the church, and indeed, unless this was the 
 case, we do not see how a communication could have been made with the room 
 over the vaulted passage (kj. We have already remarked that the north 
 transept does not correspond with the south one, as might have been expected* 
 had the building been uniform ; and as there is a corresponding passage on the 
 south side the consistory to that on the north, it seems not unlikely that a 
 building, similar to the south transept, might have been on that side also, 
 which would render the whole uniform. 
 
 The church was erected on the north side of the abbey, and in a line with the 
 cloister, but whether it extended so far westward as this does, is now rendered un- 
 certain, by the fortifications thrown up in the reign of Charles I. having occa- 
 sioned the removal of every vestige of a building, beyond the part de^iribed 
 in the plan. Nevertheless, as there still remain three openings for windows in 
 the part of the wall yet standing on the north side the cloister, they afford a
 
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 Croitind PLA:?f 
 
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 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 253 
 
 strong; conjecture that they were intended to give light to the west end of the Chaf. 
 church, it being unlikely that any other building should be erected on this spot. ?^11. 
 Taking therefore for granted, that the church did originally extend as far as 
 the present wall, in a line with the west end of the cloister, the whole length 
 will be about 260 feet. But the fragment of the wall at /. lying in a dif- 
 ferent direction from the others, as if it made a part of the end wall at that 
 place, seems, at first sight, to militate against this conclusion, though in fact it 
 rather confirms it. In the miniature representation of the abbey in Speed's 
 map, the spire rises from the centre of the building, which, if the length be 
 extended as here supposed, will be found to be exactly in this part, and there- 
 fore the wall lying in this direction, was probably intended the better to sup • 
 port the weight; we may also add, that the cavity in the ground, (m.) 
 supposed to have been a mine sprung for the destruction of the building, is 
 close under it, and the masses of wall pitched in a slanting position, which 
 were most probably part of the steeple, are but a small distance from it. 
 
 The nave was forty feet wide, and separated from the side aisles by alter- 
 nate walls and arches, ranging the whole length. These, from the present state 
 of the ruins, appear as one continued wall, but on closer inspection, it will be 
 found to have many breaks, and the fragments of the walls in the two ranges, 
 to be opposite each other. From the general style of the building, confirmed 
 by the two circular arched windows, still remaining at the west end of the dor- 
 mitory, we may suppose ail the principal windows had circular heads, though 
 from their present appearance, the natural consequence of their ruinous state, 
 some of them appear to have been pointed, but pointed windows were not 
 introduced 'till some years after the building of this abbey. 
 
 The abbey church was not completed 'till 1164, in the reign of Henry 11. 
 at which time it was consecrated by archbishop Beckett, to the honor of the 
 Virgin Mary, and St. John the Evangelist. 
 
 The foundation of a wall is still visible, connected with the chancel of the 
 church, and running in a straight line under the county bridewell wall ; but 
 whether this was, as sir H. Englefield supposes, the eastern chapel, or rather 
 the boundary wall of the church-yard, I am not certain, but am rather inclined 
 to think the latter, because there are no appearances of a corresponding wall 
 on the opposite side ; and if this had been the chapel, it must have obstructed 
 the light from the chancel windows ; but above all, because it was in this spot 
 that the remains of human skeletons were discovered, on digging the founda- 
 tion for the county bridewell, shewing it to have been the common burial 
 ground. Besides the principal building, there were others detached from it, 
 as the kitchen, at a place still called Kitchen's-end^ the infirmary, and the mill.
 
 254 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 toffefher v,ith a long range of stabling, a part of which is still existing within 
 the inner court. 
 
 The ground on the right hand, after entering the inner court from the 
 Forbury, now parti v occupied by Messrs. Bulley and Deane^ is supposed to 
 have been the garden belonging to the abbey, containing about an acre and a 
 half of land, pleasantly situated on a gentle declivity towards the south, and 
 sheltered from the north winds, by the wall that divided the inner and outer 
 courts. 
 
 It is doubtful whether there was any well belonging to the abbey, at its 
 first erection ; one has since been discovered in the cloisters, which is now 
 filled up with rubbish, but it is probable this was of a later date, as it is not, we 
 believe, usual to find wells in such situations ; perhaps this was dug for the 
 use of the garrison in the civil war, in the reign of Charles I. as they could 
 not be supplied with spring water by any other means. Before the reforma- 
 tion, this religious house was supplied from the Conduit, near the turnpike, at 
 the south end of Sivier-street. The name given to this spring shews it to have 
 been derived from the Normans, who were the founders of the abbey. As 
 some laborers were excavating a saw-pit, about the middle of the last century, 
 at the eastern extremity of ]Mr. Blandy's wharf, on the south side of the river, 
 they discovered a leaden pipe, about two inches in diameter, lying in the di- 
 rection of the Conduit, and passing under the river towards the abbey, part of 
 which, from its situation under the water, they were obliged to leave; the re- 
 mainder was sold for old lead. 
 
 It was from this source, therefore, the abbey was supplied with spring 
 ■water ; and as every thing belonging to these religious foundations was supposed 
 to be holy, and to be attended with some miraculous powers, so this spring w as 
 supposed to be beneficial in the cure of sore eves. 
 
 The mill is a substantial flint and stone building of great antiquity, 
 though the exact era of its erection cannot now be ascertained. It is worked 
 by the water of the Holy-brook, which branches out of the river Kennet, at 
 a place called Langley-mead, near Theale^* from whence it flows in a ser- 
 pentine course to Coley, from which place it pursues a straight line eastward 
 till it approaches within a few yards of the river, at a place called the Old 
 Orchard, from whence it suddenly turns to the northward, and preserving the 
 
 * Leland, whois followed ty Mr. Coates, says, "it brekith out of the principal stream of the 
 Kennet, above the town by W. S. W. about the Bere, where the abbot of Reading had a fair manor 
 place of bricke." But this is evidently a mistake, as Bere Court, the abbot's residence, is at tlie dis- 
 tance of at least three miles from the principal stream, or the Kennet.
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 255 
 
 same straight line, continues its course through the town to the mill^ after Chap, 
 passing which, it unites again with the river from whence it originated. From bli- 
 the Holj-hrook running in a perfectly straight line from Coley, there can be 
 no doubt but this part of it was originally formed into a canal at the expense 
 of the abbot and monks, for the express purpose of supplying not only the 
 mill, but even the abbey, with soft water, thus securing the two most necessary 
 articles of subsistence to the inhabitants of this once noble monastery ; where 
 " Triumphant plent}', with a cheerful grace, 
 " Bask'd in each eye, and sparkel'd in each face." 
 The brook, in its passage through the town, was paved at the bottom 
 with bricks, and the greater part of it arched over, and its fall from Coley 
 to the mill has been so gradually preserved, that the latter is able to work, 
 even in the highest floods, without being prevented by the back water, owing 
 to the mill being situated so much above the level of the river, into which the 
 water of the brook falls after passing it. 
 
 From the above imperfect sketch of the abbey, and its precincts, some 
 idea may be formed of the strength and extent of this once stupendous 
 structure, whose ruins, though still venerable from time, are fast mouldering 
 away, and will, probably, in a few years, entirely disappear. 
 
 Henry began the foundation of the abbey at the commencement of the 
 year 1 121, and, as the charter he afterwards granted them was not signed till 
 1125, the intermediate space of four years was probably spent in completing 
 the building, which was afterwards dedicated to the honor of the Virgin Mary 
 and St. John, and endowed, by Henry, with an ample maintenance for an 
 abbot, a prior, and sub-prior, and two hundred monks of the Benedictine 
 order, but this number was not always complete, for, at the inquisition taken 
 in the reign of Edward III. there were only one hundred in all.* 
 
 In the following charter which Henry granted to the abbot and monks, 
 he invested them with almost regal authority, and with such extensive posses- 
 sions, in different parts of the kingdom, as evince the interest he took in the 
 advancement of this his favorite endowment. 
 
 A Copy of the foundation Charter of Henry I.' 
 
 " Ilenricus, Dei gratia, &c. Henry, by the grace of God, king of the English, 
 and duke of the Normans, to all his archbishops, bishops, abbots, carls, 
 barons, and to all christians, as well present as future, health. 
 " SinOlU ye that three abbeys, in the kingdom of England, were, for their 
 
 * Grose's Antic[uities. * Dugdale's Monasticon,
 
 ^56 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS, 
 
 manifold sins, formerly destroyed ; that is to say, Radynge, Cholsey, and Leo- 
 minster, whose lands and possessions have, for a long time, been usurped and 
 alienated by laymen. I, therefore, by and with the advice of the bishops and 
 odicrs, my faithful subjects, for my soul's health, and the souls of king William 
 my father, of king William my brother, of my son William, and of queen 
 Matilda my mother, of queen Matilda my wife, and of all my predecessors 
 and successors ; have built a new monastery at Radynge, in honor, and in the 
 name of the ever blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God, and of St. John the 
 evano-elist ; and have endowed it with the said monasteries of Radynge, Chol- 
 sey,* and Leominster,! with their appurtenances, woods, fields, and pastures, 
 with their meadows and rivers, with their mills and fisheries, and also with 
 their churches, chapels, cemeteries, oblations, and tythes, and with one mint 
 at Radynge. I have also given to the said monastery, Thatcham, and the 
 church of Wargrave, with the said full and absolute power as I myself pos- 
 sessed them, so to remain to the abbot and monks of Radynge. 
 
 " No person, either great or small, may demand any thing, by custom or 
 violence, as due from the men, lands, or possessions, of the said monaster^', 
 nor the levying of men, on accoimt of any expedition, construction of camps, 
 or building of bridges. 
 
 " They shall not demand of them horses, carriages, or boats, labor, 
 tributes, or gifts ; but the monks of Radynge, their servants, and possessions, 
 shall be free from all tribute, taxes, and all other customs, by land and by 
 •water, in passing bridges, and in the sea ports, throughout all England. 
 
 * Chausega, vidgo Ckeasey. Erat hie, &c. Here was anciently a noble monastery, but it fell in 
 that calamity wherein the Danes destroyed the whole province of the Attrebatii. Cholsey was after- 
 wards restored to its ancient dignity, and had, as I collect, canons, whom they called prebendaries. 
 The table of donations in the abbey of Reading, mentions of Roger the deacon of Cholsey. This 
 clearly appears that Henry, surnamed Beauclerc, king of England, endowed his magnificent new abbey at 
 Reading, with the lands of Leominster and Cholsey, pitying, as it is said, the neglected state of religion 
 in those places. From which time Cholsey was an appurtenance to Reading. Now it is a small vil- 
 kge, famous for nothing but the fruitful crops it affords its owner.— Lf/ani. 
 
 + The priory of Leominster, originally a monastery for nuns, said to have been founded by Mere- 
 walcus, king of Mercia, about l656, thus became a cell to Reading, under the jurisdiction of the 
 abbot and monks, who appointed the prior and all the officers belonging to the priory. At the disso- 
 lution, it was valued, according to Tanner, at 660/. 1 8i, Sd. out of which the abbot and monks were used 
 to receive 448/. but according to Price, in his history of Leominster, the temporalities of the priory, in 
 the reign of Edward I. amounted to 581/. Zs. Si. out of which the abbot and monks received 480^ 
 and consequently at the time of the dissolution, their revenue from this priory must have been much 
 greater than it is stated by Tanner. 
 
 In 1434, the corporation of Leominster claimed of the abbot and monks 24 acres of tableland 
 in Portman's-moor, in the parishes of Leominster and Eye, but the cause being tried at the Hereford 
 assizes that year, a verdict was given in favor of the abbot and monks. — Price's History of Leominster,
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 257 
 
 "■ And the abbot and his monks shall have power to try all offences com- Chap. 
 mitted within and without the borough, in the highways, and in all other ^^'^^ 
 places, whether by their own servants or strangers, with all causes which can 
 or may arise, with socca* and sacca,t tol and theani,J: and infangcntheft,§ and 
 outfangenthelf,|| and ham socnaH within the borough and without the borough, 
 in the roads and foot paths, and in all places, and with all causes which do 
 or may arise. 
 
 " And the abbot and his monks shall hold courts of justice for trials 
 of assaults, thefts, and murders, for the shedding of blood, and breaches of 
 the peace, and all other crimes, in the same manner as belongs to the royal 
 authority ; And if the abbot and monks shall in any case neglect to do justice, 
 the king may compel them to do it, so as the right of the church of Reading- 
 may in no case be infringed. 
 
 " And the men of the neighbouring manors, sliall come to the hundreds 
 courts of Reading and Leominster, according to the custom of former times ; 
 and if they shall refuse to come, the king shall receive their fine, and compel 
 them to appear and to perform their duty. 
 
 " We decree also, as well in respect of the ecclesiastical, as regal power, 
 that whenever the abbot of Radynge shall die, all the possessions of the 
 monastery wheresoever situated, shall remain free and entire, with all its rights 
 and customs, in the hands, and at the disposal, of the prior and chapter of the 
 monks of Radynge. But, this also we determine and appoint to be for ever 
 observed, that seeing the abbot of Radynge has no revenues but what are in 
 common with his brethren, therefore whoever by divine consent, and canonical 
 election, shall be made abbot, shall not bestow the alms of the monastery on 
 his lav kindred, or any others, but for the entertainment of the poor and 
 strangers.** 
 
 * Socc3, the place or precinct wherein liberty of court was exercised. 
 + Sacca, a liberty granted by the king to try and judge causes, and to receive the forfeitures 
 arising from them. 
 
 J Theam, a privilege to take and keep bondsmen, villains and slaves, with their generations one 
 after another. 
 
 ^ Infangentheft, a liberty to judge and try a thief, taken within the jurisdiction of a manor or burg. 
 I) Outfangentheft, the same for any thief taken out of their fees. 
 f Ham socna, the levying a fine on the disturbers of the king's peace. 
 ** This part of the charter, Malmsbury testifies, was so well performed, that there was always 
 more expended upon strangers, than upon the inhabitants, " the monks being," as he asserts, "great 
 examples of piety." But the author of the llenriade, speaking of this order of ascetics says, that 
 Bornant a kurs besoins, tous leurs soins paterncls, 
 Vivaient dans I'abondance, a I'cmbre des -.lutels. 
 
 1 L
 
 258 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap. " He may not enfeoff the assessed land, (terras censuales)* nor shall he 
 
 ^ ^^' make knifthts ; but, in the holy garment of Christ, he must be careful in his 
 acceptation of children, but he may receive aged, and discreet people, as well 
 laymen as clcrgymen.f 
 
 "No person shall hold any of the possessions of the abbey of Radynge 
 wholly (absolutum) in fee,^; but shall pay to the abbot and monks an annual 
 rent and service. 
 
 " None shall hold any office by inheritance, in the house and possessions 
 at Radynge, belonging to the abbot and monks, but the abbot and monks 
 shall take cognizance of every principal ( prajpositer ) or other officer, and 
 remove them when they think fit. 
 
 " I give, and confirm for ever, to this monastery of Radynge, and to 
 whatever belongs to it, all the above immunities, free and undiminished ; 
 which, for the sake of God, I recommend to all those kings of England who 
 shall reign after me to preserve ; that God may preserve them for ever. 
 
 " But if any body shall knowingly presume to infringe, diminish, or to 
 change, this our foundation charter, may the great God of all withdraw and 
 eradicate him and his posterity, and may he remain without any inheritance 
 
 * Lands guildable, that is, not waste grounds, but manured lands, by no liberty or ft-anchise exempt^ 
 but subject to taxation, — Antiquarian Discourses, 
 
 + Nee Jaciat milites. These were spiritual, not secular knights, or such as were created by kings, 
 as Mr. Tate obser\'es, who in treating of this clause in the charter, gives the following explanation of 
 the passage : " Though I restrain you from making knights, yet my meaning is not to restrain you 
 from making all kind of knights. The making of secular knights to defend the realm, by service 
 done by themselves in person, or by others in their behalf, I will reserve to myself, and secular men ; 
 but the making of knights to do service to Christ, whether they be clerks or laymen, I leave free to 
 you, so you make none but such as purpose to take upon them the habit of your profession, advising 
 you only to be very sparing in receiving infants into the profession of your order, that are unable to 
 judge themselves how they shall have power to perform their vows." Sir Francis Leigh also observes, 
 •• that besides knights of a higher degree, the abbot made inferiour ones, who were always remaining in 
 the house of the abbot, and in the Book of Reading ;* he adds, their diet, with tlie manner of their 
 allowance in the abbot's houses, is set down, and their place before esquires, so that these milites there 
 made and harboured, could not have been soldiers." — Antiquanan Discourses. 
 
 X Adam de Simplinges was charged with certain scutages,+ for half a knight's fee, holden of the 
 abbey of Reading. The ancient kings of England had granted to that abbey, that they should be quit 
 of scutage, for the lands they had already acquired, or should afterwards acquire. King Henry III, 
 confirmed to them that freedom, of his special grace, and so that the same might not be drawn into 
 consequence or precedent. And by virtue of a writ directed to the barons of the exchequer, testi- 
 f)'ing the said grants, Adam was discharged of the said several scutages ; and the abbey were to be 
 scutage free for the time to come. — Madox's History and Antiquities of the Exchtqucr, page 466, 
 • Probably the leger-book of the abbey, which I have not been able to obtain a sight of. 
 + A scula-e was, tetviluni tcuti| for every knight's fee, the service of one knight.— Z?;i
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. ^39 
 
 in misery and hunger ; but, whosoever shall preserve the above-mentioned Chap. 
 liberties to the abbey of Radynge, may the Most High, who ruleth the hearts XII. 
 of men, confirm to him all good things, and preserve him for ever. 
 
 " I Henry, &c." Here follows the names of the queen, the pope's legate, 
 three archbishops, eight bishops, five abbots, and ten noblemen, viz. Robert, 
 earl of Gloucester; William, earl of Surrey ; Roger, earl of Warwick; Ste- 
 phen, earl of Albermarle ; William, earl of Tancaville, the chamberlain ; 
 Brien-fitz-count, counstable of Wallingford castle ; Humfrey de Bohun ; 
 Robert de Haia ; William fitz-Odo ; and Hugh Bigot; who witnessed the 
 charter, which is dated in the year 1125."* 
 
 This charter was afterwards confirmed by most, if not all the succeeding 
 kings, who considerably enlarged the possessions and privileges of the abbot 
 and monks, and particularly by the following charter, containing a full account 
 of all their estates, and an enlargement of all their privileges : 
 
 " Henricus, rex Anglias, &c. Henry, king of England, duke of Normandy, 
 earl of Anjou. To all archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, barons, &c. 
 " X^HOXM ye that we have granted, and by this our charter confirmed to 
 God, and St. Mary, and to the monks of Radynge, in perpetual alms, all the 
 lands, tenures, and alms, which king Henry the grandfather of king Henry our 
 father, f and all other benefactors have granted and given ; that is to say, 
 Radynge itself, and Cholsey, and Leominster, with all their appendages, with 
 woods, fields, and pastures, with meads and waters, with mills and fisheries, 
 with churches and chapels, and burial-grounds, oblations, and tythes, with a 
 mint at Radynge or London ; Thatcham and the church of Wargrave; the 
 church of Hennebcrg, and Rokinton in Warwickshire with its church ; and 
 Wigestan which was the land of William the Almoner. And in Wiltshire, 
 Wycheber with its church. And in Bedfordshire, the land of Albod of Hoc- 
 tun, and the land of Robert the priest of Hamton, and the land which Robert 
 
 * In addition to king Henry, the original founder of the abbey, the abbot and monks were in- 
 debted to the following benefactors at different periods, for the increase of their possessions : 
 
 Matilda and Adaliza, queens of Henry I, -, William and Richard, sons of Henry I. the founder; 
 Brientius ; Jocelinus Percy ; Ranulphus, the king's chancellor, and his son ; P.obert Achard, and 
 Agnes his wife ; Ada Heitington ; Ela (countess); David, king of Scotland; William, earl of Pem- 
 broke; Nicholas de la Ruge; Rogerus, earl ; Ida, countess; Hugo Mortimer; William Huntcr- 
 cumbe; Roger Lifford ; Roger, dean of Cholsey; Osbert, dean of Leominster; Reginald, duke of 
 Cornwall; Warin, the son of Gerald, &c. — Ldand's Collectanea, vol. l.foL 6(). 
 
 + This charter, though professed to be granted in the name of Henry II. must have originated 
 from one of his sons who succeeded him, either Richard or John ; Henry wes the son of Geoffrey 
 Plantagcnet, earl of Anjou, and therefore could not be the son of king Henr)', as is here erroneously 
 stated ; and as Richard spent most of his reign in foreign parts, I am inclined to believe that this was 
 the charter said to have been granted to the abbot and monks by king John. 
 
 1l2
 
 260 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap, de Fcrrcs liad in flie town of Railynge, and also which Amah-ic gave to tliem 
 ^^I- in Karoswell and in Burgfickl ; and the land which William earl of Mande- 
 >ille gave to them in Rccendene. And the land of Whitley which Peter of 
 Cosham granted and confirmed to them by his charter And Heston in Hert- 
 fordshire, Avith its church and all its appertenances. Also the park which the 
 lord the king our father gave and confirmed to them. And one fair at Ra.- 
 dynge on the day of St. James and the three following days. And one fair 
 at Leominster, on the day of the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul and the three 
 following days. Also the land which William earl of Sussex gave them in 
 Quindenam. And the land which William earl of Ferrers gave to them in 
 Stanford. Also the land which Henry the son of Gerald gave to them in 
 Sebrithsworth. And the land which Michael de Baseville gave to them in 
 Lichbroc. And the land which Lawrence the Iwlds of me in Rance- 
 
 bris;. And the land which Radulf de Offenton gave to them. And the church, 
 of Englefield with its appertenances. And the land which Stephen de Mor- 
 ton gave them in the suburbs of Warwic, and which the empress Matilda our 
 grandmother gave and granted to them^ that is to say, Blewberry with all 
 its appertenances, and Hendred, and the church of Berkley, with its churches^, 
 chapels, and all its appertenances. And the church of Stanton with all its 
 appertenances. And the church of Thatchani with its appertenances, with a 
 market to be held on Sundays in that town. And Hyde and Underor with all 
 their appertenances. Let no person great or small demand any thing as of 
 right, custom, or violence, from the men, lands, and possessions of the monas- 
 tery of Radynge, neither horses nor messengers, (expeditiones) neither for build- 
 ing of bridges, or forming camps, neither carriages, nor rents, ships, works, tri- 
 butes, nor hospitality, nor lestage, nor techinpeny nor tinpeny, and let them be 
 exempt from all waste of woods and of essarts.* No one of the king's foresters 
 may enter the woods belonging to the abbot and monks which are in the 
 forest ; but the abbot and monks may have the same power and liberty of 
 entering to their own woods, wheresoever they may be, as the king himself. 
 And the monks of Radynge, and all their men and possessions, shall be free 
 from Danegeltjf geldage,|. hydagc,§ and pontage,|| tolls, and all other exactions 
 and customs, in fairs and markets wheresoever they may be, in land or by 
 water, in passing of bridges and sea-ports throughout all England, Normandy, 
 and all our possessions. In witness, &c." 
 
 • Essarts, the grubbing or clerir'mg the ground from bushes, &c. 
 + Danegelt, a tax of one shilling for every hide of hnd, imposed by king Ethelred, to redeem the- 
 
 nation from the incursions of the Danes. 
 
 + Gcldage, the payment of taxes. § Hydage, a tiibute raised on every bide of land. 
 
 II Toll paid for t!ie passage of bridges^
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 26T 
 
 Pope Innocent III, anno domini 1207, granted the following letters of Chap. 
 confirmation to the abbot and convent of Reading- of the cluniac order : XII. 
 
 " CI)e holy Roman church, out of her usual motherly affection, doth 
 most tenderly love her dutiful and humble children ; and, like a kind mother, 
 defends them, with the guard of her protection, against all the disturbances 
 which evil men would give them. For this reason, my beloved sons in the 
 Lord, having willingly consented to your just requests, v/e do receive under the 
 protection of St. Peter and ourself the monastery of Radynge, where you are 
 devoted to the divine obedience, together with all the goods which it is at 
 present reasonably possessed of, and which it may for the future obtain by 
 just methods, and the help of the Lord, and also all the persons that serve 
 God therein, 
 
 " And, more particularly we do, by our apostolical authority, and further 
 by the privilege of this present writing, confirm to you the churches, chapels> 
 lands, possessions, revenues, liberties, and immunities, and whatsoever else 
 you have obtained of the pontift's, or bounty of kings, or princes, or by pur- 
 chase, or by gift, or by offerings of the faithful, or by any other just methods* 
 in the same manner as you now enjoy them, justly and peaceably, strictly for- 
 bidding any one to presume rashly to molest you, or your monastery, con- 
 cerning any of the privileges or grants of our predecessors, Roman pontiffs. 
 No one, therefore, shall infringe our protection, confirmation, inhibition, &c. 
 
 " Given at St. Peter's at Rome, the 14th kalends of March, 
 in our tenth year." 
 " To the abbot of Radynge and his brethren, as well those present as the 
 future, professing a regular life for ever. 
 
 " COP, though undeserving, are assumed to the dignity of chief pontiff 
 hy the disposal of the divine mercy, that we might, with a partial care, and 
 tenderness, employ ourselves for the state of all the churches, and afford them 
 the patronage of the apostolical see, that God may be the more worshipped 
 in them, the more quiet they are from the molestation of evil minded persons. 
 
 " Therefore, my beloved sons in the Lord, we have, out of our clemency, 
 yielded to your desires, and do take into St. Peter's and our protection, the 
 above named monastery of St. Mary of Radynge, of the cluniac order, wherein 
 you are devoted to the divine obedience, and do confirm the same by the pri- 
 ■vilege of the present writing. Appointing first, that the monastic order, 
 according to God, and the rule of St. Benedict, which is instituted iu the 
 monastery, be inviolably preserved there for all succeeding times. 
 
 "■ And further, that all possessions of goods, which the monastery now 
 possesses, justly and cauonically, or that hereafter by the grant of pontiffs, t!ic
 
 262 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 bounty of kings or princes, by the gift of the faithful, or by any other just 
 methods, with the help of the Lord obtained, shall remain firm, and un- 
 touched, to you and your successors, among which we thought proper to 
 remark these, by our express words ; Radjnge, Cholsey, and Leominster, with 
 the churches, chapels, church-yards, tenths, oflcrings, together with the woods, 
 fields, pastures, meadows, waters, mills, fish-ponds, or fisheries, with all other 
 the appertcnances, Thatcham with its appertenanccs, and the church of War- 
 grave, Whitley with its appertcnances, Wichbury witli its appertenanccs, 
 Blewbury w ith its appertcnances, the land which you have in Henrede with its 
 appertenanccs, Ilockenton with the church of the same village and all its 
 appertcnances, the churches of Stanton, of Haneborke, and of Inglesfieldc, 
 with their appertenanccs, Dudlesfaude with all its appertcnances, the land 
 which you have in Hcitum with its appertcnances, also the land which you 
 have in Liiigeborchc and in Stratfield, which was Hugh de Mortimer's, and 
 in Ebricheteswerde with all their appertenanccs, the lands and rents which 
 you have in London, and Berchamstede with their appertcnances, the land 
 which you are possessed of below the tenement of Hon, in the name of the 
 dower of your church, with its appertenanccs, the priory of May, with its 
 appertcnances, and Lindgross in Scotland, with its appertenanccs. 
 
 " Also, let no one presume to demand or extort from you, the tenth of 
 your ploughed lands, which you till with your own hands, or at your expence, 
 or of the tenths of the increase of your cattle. 
 
 " But when there shall be a general interdict of the kingdom, you may, 
 after shutting yovir gates, and keeping out the excommunicated, and inter- 
 dicted, without tolling the bell, celebrate divine service in a low voice. 
 
 " We do also, by our apostolical authority, inhibit any one to publish a 
 sentence of excommunication, or an interdict against you, or your monastery, 
 without a manifest and reasonable cause, or to oppress you with new and 
 undue exactions. 
 
 " We command, also, the chrism, or sacred oil, for the consecration of 
 churches, or for the ordination of monks, and others of your clerks, who 
 shall be promoted to holy orders by the bishop of your diocess, provided he 
 be a catholic, and has the grace and communion of the apostolic sec, to be 
 given to you gratis, and without any abuse. 
 
 " Furthermore, we do, by apostolical authority, forbid any one building 
 a church or oratory, within the parishes of your churches, witliout the consent 
 of the bishop of the diocess, and the chapter of Radynge ; the privileges of 
 the Roman pontiff, notwithstanding, being preserved. 
 
 1' Also, being willing to provide for your peace and tranquility for the
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 263 
 
 future, by our fatherly care, we do, by our apostolical authority, forbid any 
 one to commit rapine or theft, put fire, shed blood, rashly to seize or kill any 
 man, or act any violence, within the limits or places of your granges ; and, 
 fiirther, we do, by our apostolical authority, confirm, and, by the privilege 
 of the present writing, do strengthen all liberties, and immunities, granted by 
 our predecessors, Roman pontiffs, to your monastery, and also all liberties, 
 immunities, and exemptions, from secular exactions, which have been granted 
 to you, by kings and princes, and others of the faithful. 
 
 " We do therefore decree it to be unlawful for any person whatsoever, 
 rashly to disturb the monastery, or to take away its possessions, or to keep 
 them when taken away by others, or lessen them, or molest them with any 
 manner of vexation, but that they shall all be preserved entire for the govern- 
 ment and support, and all other general uses, of those for whom they were 
 given : the authority of the apostolical see, and the canonical power of the 
 bishop of the diocess being preserved. 
 
 " If therefore any ecclesiastical or secular person shall, knowingly, en- 
 deavor rashly to controvert these our constitutions, after the second and third 
 admonition, and doth not amend his fault, by making a proper satisfaction, 
 let him be deprived of the dignity of his power or honor, and know that he 
 is guilty before God, for the iniquity he hath committed, and is debarred from 
 partaking of the most sacred body and blood of God, &c. until his punish- 
 ment. But the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all those, who preserve 
 all the laws to this place, &c. to the end. Amen. 
 
 " Given at the Lateran, by the hand of John of Mary in Cormidin, 
 cardinal deacon, chancellor of the holy Roman church, the 
 10th of the kalends of April : of the indiction the 9th of the 
 incarnation of our Lord 1207, and of the pontificate of our 
 Lord, pope Innocent III, the 10th year." 
 David king of Scotland also conferred on the abbot and monks, the two 
 priories of Rindalgos and May, in that kingdom, which in consequence became 
 cells to the abbey : but these priories appearing to have been formerly ap- 
 pendages to the bishopric of St. Andrew's, they were soon after restored to that 
 see, by the abbot of Reading. However, William de Sutton, one of the suc- 
 ceeding abbots, pretending the alienation had been made without the consent 
 of the monks, presented a petition to Edward I. requesting they might be re- 
 stored ; whereupon the bishop appealed to the pope, and the validity of his 
 claim being admitted by the court in Scotland, to which it had been referred, 
 the abbot again applied to Edward in 1293, who, as lord paramount of Scot- 
 land, summoned king Baliol to appear personally before him, fifteen days after
 
 5G4; RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 martiiimasi?, but it docs not appear how the aBair was determined, though 
 it is probable the troubles, which ensued in that kingdom, put an end to the 
 dispute, and left the bishop in possession of the priories.* 
 
 The empress Maud or Matilda gave them the manors of Blcwbury and 
 East Ilcndred, in the hundred of Reading, but in what year is unknown. 
 
 In the reign of Edward IIL the privilege of coining money, granted them 
 bv llenrv I. their founder, but t)f which they had been deprived in the late 
 rci«'-n, was again restored to them by the following order from his majesty, en- 
 tered iu the charter-mint : 
 
 " Rex dilecto sibi Jolinnni de Fleie, ^c. 
 
 " The king, to his well beloved John de Flete, keeper of our mint in 
 London, health. 
 
 '^ SJQljCffSS, by our charter, we have granted to our beloved in Christ, 
 the abbot and monks of Radyng, that they and their successors for ever, may 
 have one mint, and one die at the aforesaid place (locum) of Radyng, there, 
 for money, viz. as well for the coining of farthings, (obolos) half-farthings, 
 (ferlingos) as for pennies, (sterlingos) as the manner is for coining, and as is 
 more fully expressed in our aforesaid charter. We command you therefore, 
 that without delay you cause to be made and fabricated, at the expense of the 
 abbot, three dies, of hard and competent metal, viz. one for pennies, another 
 for farthing>, and a third for half-farthings, for the coining of money at the 
 said place of Radyng, and with whatsoever imipresfiion and circumscription 
 the abbot shall order ; and to send them to our treasury at Westminster as 
 soon as possible, that from thence, within fifteen days next after the feast of 
 St. Martin, at the farthest, they may, for the cause aforesaid, be delivered to 
 the abbot. 
 
 " T. J. de Shardiche, apud Westminster, the 18th of November, 
 in the tenth year of our reign." 
 
 This privilege, iiowever, they seem to have used very sparingly, as only 
 one doubtful specimen of the abbey coin is now to be found in the cabinets 
 of the curious, and not even one has been found within the town itself, where, 
 if they had ever been in any numbers, some of them must, in the course of 
 three or four centuries, have been discovered.* 
 
 * Mr. Coates has given an engraving, in his Histor)' of Reading, of what he supposes to be an 
 ibbey penny ; but there is reason to think, from its similarity to all the pieces coined in the reign of 
 the Edwards, that it is nothing more than the common coin of the kingdom, struck at Reading, it being 
 usual in those times, for such pieces to be circumscribed with the names of the places they were coined 
 at, as villa Kingston, villa Carlisle, &c. ; and in like manner, villa Radinge on this, may only denote 
 
 * Act. Pub.
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 265 
 
 They had moreover the privilege of holding a fair on the festival of St, Chap. 
 Lawrence, and the following day; and, by the charter of Henry II, (if it ^^^'• 
 foe his ) on the festival of St. James, with the same number of days, and the 
 liberty of holding a market every Sunday at Thatcham. King John likewise 
 granted them the power of holding a fair on the vigil of the feast of St. Philip 
 and St. James, on the day of the festival, and the two following ones. 
 
 By a prohibition issued by the bishop of Salisbury, to the archdeacon of 
 Berks, the deans, and all the clergy of the diocess ; no person was allowed 
 to keep a school within the borough, without the consent of the abbot and 
 jiionks. 
 
 The abbot of Reading was called a mitred abbot, having a seat in 
 parliament, and took precedency next after those of Glastonbury and St. 
 Albans. In the 49tli of Henry III, sixty-four abbots were summoned to par- 
 liament, but these being afterwards thought too many to have seats in the 
 house of lords, Edward III. reduced them to twenty-five, among whom the 
 abbot of Reading was included, who retained the privilege uninterrupted 'till 
 the dissolution. 
 
 " The monks took their title of Benedictines from their founder St, Bene- 
 ilict, a native of Nursia, in the dukedom of Spoleto in Italy, who was bora 
 about the year 480, and died in 543. 
 
 " The form and color of the habits ©f these monks, were at first left to 
 the discretion of the abbots, who varied tliera according to the season and 
 climate, but it was afterwards ordained, that they should wear a loose gown 
 of black stuff reaching down to the heels, with a cowl or hood of the same, 
 and a scapulary ; under this another habit of the same size, made of white 
 flannel, and boots on their legs. From the color of theix outward garments, 
 Ihey were called black monks. 
 
 " In order that no man might have any particular propriety, the abbot 
 found them in every necessary ; which, besides their habit, was a knife, a 
 
 its having been coined here. Had it been coined by the abbot, it is reasonable to suppose, it would 
 have been denoted either by the name of the abbot, or canokium Radynge, as they were authorised to 
 do by the above or<ler, and not merely by villa, which signifies the town only. The real difference 
 between this and the common coin is, that instead of (he three pellets in each of the four compart- 
 ments on the reverse, this is supposed to have the representation of a scallop shell in one of them. I 
 have not seen the piece in question, and therefore cannot say if the engraving is a fac-simile or not, 
 but allowing it to be so, it is not a sufficient proof of its being an abbey penny, because, if meant to 
 repesent the abbey arms, all the three scallop shells would have been represented, which might as 
 easily have been done as one. For these reasons I am inclined to think, that this supposed abbey 
 penny is no other than the common coin of Edward IV. to which, except in the single cockle-shell, 
 it is perfectly similar. 
 
 in M
 
 266 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 needle, a steel pen, and tablets to write on. Their beds consisted of a mat, 
 some straw, and a pillow, their covering a blanket and a piece of serge."» 
 
 We have no account of the diet of the monks at Reading, but from the 
 followin"- corrody granted to John Mawne by the abbot, out of the manor 
 of Leominster, we may conclude it was very ample. 
 
 " ^X\0\0 all men, by these presents, that we Thomas, by divine permission, 
 abbot of the monastery of Radyng, and the convent of the same place, to our 
 clioscn in Christ, John Mawne of Aschcton, esq. for the service he has done 
 us, and what he shall do hereafter, have granted him maintenance in victuals 
 and drink, for his life, in our manor of Leominster, viz. While the said John 
 is well, and in the hall there, he shall be served at dinner and supper, as the 
 fellow monks are, except on flesh days in Advent, Septuagessima, Sexagessima, 
 and Quinquagessima, on which days he shall be served as the other esquires 
 are. And if he be sick, or absent for any reasonable cause, he shall have the 
 same maintenance in his chamber within our manor, and he shall receive, 
 yearh', during his life, one robe of the suit of our esquires, and four loads of 
 fuel in our said manor, a chamber which Wm. Mason, chaplain, inhabited, 
 and a stable for one horse to be kept with hay only, and we further grant to 
 the said John, that whilst he dwells in the town of Leominster, or elsewhere 
 out of the bounds of the said manor, he shall receive every day two white 
 (monks) loaves, and one wheatcn or pricked loaf, one flaggon and a half of 
 •the best ale, one mess and a half of flesh or fish, according to the day ; pro- 
 vided that in those days he dines in the hall, he shall not receive the said 
 allowance, &c." 
 
 As this corrody was granted him on occasion of his being absent from 
 the hall at meal times, it is, probably, nearly the same as that allowed to the 
 monks, with whom, at other times, he dined."* 
 
 In addition to performing the regular offices of the church, the monks 
 were employed in transcribing books for the library, the missals, and other 
 offices used in divine service : they also kept the Icger books, f containing the 
 
 ♦ Mr. Elis, in his antiquities of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, on the origin of the technical appel 
 lation of costard-monger, observes, " it is plain that it was an apple in repute with the monks of 
 Reading, as appears from an article in Cowel's Law Dictionary. Costard, an apple, whence costard- 
 mongers, that is, sellers of apples. The article is in a deed, by which the above monks require as an 
 annual acknowledgment, unum pomun costard." 
 
 + Hearne, in his preliminary observations on Brown Willis's Mitred Abbeys, mentions a register 
 or leiger-book of the abbey of Reading, in the possession of the honorable Henry Worseley, esq. ; and 
 Tanner, m his Notitia Monastica, mentions it as a veiy considerable work, as no doubt it was ; but I 
 have searched the public libraries in London, as well as the British Museum, without being so fortu- 
 nate as to meet with it. i Grose's Antiquities.
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 267 
 
 transactions in thehouse; they had, moreover, particular persons among themap- Chap. 
 pointed to take notice of and record the principal events that took place in the XII. 
 kingdom, Avhich, at the end of the year, were digested and formed into annals. 
 
 Among the learned men that this monastery produced, may be reckoned 
 Robert of Reading, w^ho, with Adelard of Bath, were the only two Englishmen 
 in the early period of our history who were famous for their knowledge 
 of the Arabian language. They returned into England in the reign of Henry 
 I. after they had spent several years in the East, learning that language and 
 translating books out of it into Latin.' 
 
 Robert de Sigillo, made bishop of London in 1143, where he sat eleven 
 years. Geofry of Magnaville took him prisoner. Deceased in 1153. 
 
 William of Reading, archbishop of Bourdeaux, born here in the reign 
 of Henry III. 
 
 Friar John Lathbury, who wrote a commentary on the Lamentations, and 
 
 John Holyman, whom Hugh, the last abbot, in a letter to one of the 
 universities, characterizes as " Dominus Ilolymannus, non vita, minus quam 
 eruditione, theologus insignis. Londini nuper e suggesto Paulino concio- 
 natus est, &c," At the dissolution of the abbey, in 1535, he retired to 
 Harborough, near Woodstock, where he was rector, and was afterwards pro- 
 moted to the see of Bristol. By his last will, dated the 4th of June 1558, in 
 which year he died, he gave to Winchester college the Morks of St. Augus- 
 tine, St. Jerome, St. Cyprian, St. Cecil, TertuHian, Irencus, &c. which were 
 afterwards, for their better preservation, chained to the library there. 
 
 Leland says, he found ^t Leicester a work written by Hugh, abbot of 
 Reading, intitled " Quasstiones instar Dialogi." 
 
 " The abbot," says Leland, " had a fair manor place of bricke, at Bere- 
 Court." Hugh Faringdon, the last aljbot, seems to have preferred it for his 
 country residence. In the east window of the chapel was his picture in stained 
 glass, habited in his robes, and kneeling before a desk, with a book open upon 
 it, out of his mouth proceeded a scroll inscribed with these words : 
 
 " f u te 2:)omine spcrabi,** 
 
 This house afterwards came into the possession of sir Francis Englcfield, 
 but lapsing to the crown, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, it was disposed 
 of as part of the manor of Pangbourn, and is now the property of doctor 
 Symonds Breedon. 
 
 The abbot is supposed to have had another seat at Bucklebury, now the 
 
 * Martini et Durand. Thesaur. Anecdot. p. 25- 
 
 m M 3
 
 26S RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap, property ol Hartley^ esq. but Mr. Grose, with more probability, think* 
 
 ^^^ it was nt Cholsey, that being also an appendage to the abbey, and famous for 
 i<9 fijreat barn, yet standing. In the ceiling of the church, over the chanccJ, 
 arc the arms of the abbey, apparently carved on wood, in excellent preservation. 
 
 Wliidev, in the neighborhood of Reading, was also a scat belonging 
 to the abbey, containing a large park, pleasure grounds, fish ponds, &c. but 
 tlicse have long since been converted into a farm. It was granted by queen 
 Mary to sir Francis Englefield, became afterwards the property of the Vat- 
 chels, by whom it was disposed of to the Thompsons, a,nd is now the property 
 of Miss Jennings. 
 
 Fram the number of these residences, there is reason to suppose, they 
 were not all belonging to the abbey, but were probably the private property 
 of different abbots, where they occasionally retired, whenever their religious 
 duties would permit them to be absent from the abbey, and where they might 
 enjoy themselves without that restriction naturally attendant on high situations. 
 
 This abbey was in the king's gift, or at least no abbot could be chosen 
 without his consent, as appears from the following memorandum, in the Close- 
 roll, when Henry III. sailed to Gascony : 
 
 " Rex omnibus, &c. salutem. Cum gubernationem regni nostri Anglije, 
 et terrarura nostrarum Walliae, et Hybernife, comniiserimus dilectae Reginae 
 nostrae Alicnorje, una cum consilio dilecti fratris, et fidelis nostri Ricardi 
 comitis Cornubiffi, usque ad reditum nostrum de partibus Wasconife : Vo- 
 lumus, quod cum archiepiscopatus et episcopatus pradicti regni nostri Angliie 
 et episcopatus Menevensis in Wallia, vacavcrint, a nobis petatur licentia 
 eligendi ; et factis electionibus, noster super hoc requiratur assensus ; et hoc 
 idem fieri volumus de abbatiis Westmonasterii, Waltham, Sancti Edmundi, 
 Ramesife, Burgi S. Petri, S. Albani, Radingae, Oseneyje, Cirencestriae, de 
 Hida, Glastonias vacante sede, Malmesburias, S. Petri Gloucestriac, Evesham^ 
 S. Marise Eboraci, et S. Augustini Cantuariae. In cujus, &c."* 
 
 * Madox's History and Antiquities of tlie Exchequer, p. 47*
 
 Abbots, 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 HUGH;, prior of Lewes, in Sussex, was the first abBot of Reading, being ,„ 
 appointed by Henry, immediately after the abbey was completed. In 1 129, he v ttt' 
 was translated to the bishopric of Rouen, in Normandy, where he died on the 
 10th of November, 1134. On his promotion to the see of Rouen, he was suo 
 ceeded in his abbacy by 
 
 Ausgerus, called in the Monasticon, Aucherius; he founded in Reading aa 
 hospital for lepers, in honor of St. Mary Magdalene, near St. Lawrence's 
 church. 
 
 According to the original institution, every leper was allowed half a loaf 
 a day, half a-gallon of middling beer, five-pence a month for meat, seven- 
 pence for their servants, and every year a cloak, a vest, a mantle, two shirts^, 
 and all other wollens. 
 
 The rules of the hospital were, that if any brother was found guilty of 
 adultery, or struck another in anger, he was to be expelled. 
 
 They were t» rise at the first ringing of the bell, to go to church. He 
 that gave another the lie, was to fast the whole day on bread and water ; if h« 
 resented it, he was to fast the second day ; and if he was still angry the third 
 day, to loose the charity for forty days. 
 
 No one was to go abroad without a companion. If any thing were given 
 to one abroad, it was to be in common, unless given particularly by kindred or 
 friends. None were to go abroad without leave, nor into their laundresses 
 houses without a companion.* 
 
 This abbot deceased in 1135, and was succeeded by 
 
 Edward, who presided over the abbey nearly twenty years, dying in De- 
 cember 1154, and was followed by 
 
 Reginald, who governed only four years, he having deceased the 4th of 
 February, 1158, and was succeeded by 
 
 ' Monasticon*
 
 e:0 ABBOTS. 
 
 Roc'cr, in whose time, 1163, the abbey church was dedicated by archbishop 
 Thomas Becket ; king Henry II. and many of the nobility being present ; so 
 that supposing it to have been begun soon after finishing the abbey, the church 
 was nearly forty years in building ; he died in the following year, and was suc- 
 ceeded by 
 
 "William, who was esteemed a very pious and learned man, and by the spe- 
 cial favor of Henry II. was made archbishop of Bourdeaux, in 1 173, whereupon 
 Joseph was appointed to succeed him, who enjoyed his pre-eminence seven 
 vears, when it devolved on 
 
 Hugh II. a learned writer, and a great benefactor to the monastery. He 
 erected an hospital without the gate of the ahbev', for the maintenance of 
 twenty-six poor people, and dedicated it to St. Lawrence ; the reason he gives for 
 this charity in his deed, is, that whereas king Henry had appointed all persons 
 to be entertained there, he found that the same was performed in a decent 
 manner towards the rich, but not according to the king's intention towards the 
 poor; which miscarriage, he, as steward of that noble charity, was resolved 
 to correct. For this reason, and for the relief of the poor and pilgrims, he 
 built an hospital without the gate of the abbey, that such as were not admitted 
 to the upper house, might there be well entertained, and annexed it to the 
 church of St. Lawrence for ever, for the maintaining of thirteen poor persons 
 in diet, clothing, and other necessaries, w ith maintenance only for the same 
 number, out of the usual alms. He was author of a work, entitled Qiicestioues 
 instar Dialogic In 1199, he was made abbot of Cluney, and in the following 
 year was suceeded by 
 
 Helias, who after enjoying the title about twelve years, had for his suc- 
 cessor, in 1213, 
 
 Simon, who died in the middle of February 1226, and was succeeded by 
 
 Adam de Latebar, or Lathbury, prior of Leominster, in Herefordshire, a 
 cell to the abbey, on whose decease, in April 1238, 
 
 Richard, the sub-prior of this monastery, was appointed his successor, he 
 icnjoyed the seat but a short time, being succeeded by 
 
 Adam, who held it 'till 1249, when he resigned in favor of 
 
 Adam, the sacrist of this house, on whose death or resignation, the same 
 year, 
 
 William, sub-prior of Coventry, was installed abbot, but holding his seat 
 but a short period also, he was succeeded by 
 
 Richard, who dying in 1261, was succeeded by 
 
 ' Leland's Collectanea.
 
 ABBOTS. 271 
 
 Richard de Banaster, alias de Radjng; he presided eight years^ and was Chap. 
 succeeded by XIII. 
 
 Robert de Burghare,* who in 1287, resigned the abbotship to William de 
 Sutton, but he dying in 1305, was succeeded by 
 
 Nicholas de Quaplode, whose election was confirmed in September 1305. 
 He laid the foundation of the chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in 1314j. 
 and dying in 1327, had for his successor 
 
 John Appleford, who dying after twenty years possession, in July 1360, had 
 for his successor, f 
 
 William de Dombleton, who was confirmed abbot anno 1361 ; Tanner sa)'s 
 he had met with one Nicholas, an abbot of Reading, in 1362, but this must be 
 a mistake, for William Dombleton died possessed of the abbey in 1368, and 
 was then succeeded by John de Sutton, upon whose death in 1378, 
 
 Richard de Yately was elected abbot ; it is uncertain when he died, but it 
 probably was not prior to 1409, in which year Thomas Earle was elected abbot, 
 and continued to preside over the abbey 'till his death in 1430, when he was 
 succeeded by, 
 
 Thomas Henley, who, d}ing on the 11th of November 1445, 
 
 John Th.orne was preferred to the dignity on the 7th of January follow- 
 ing ; in whose time the present free school was founded, but dying before the 
 
 settlement could be eflected, anno 1486, in the 2d of Henry Vllth, was 
 succeeded by another 
 
 John Thorne, who held the dignity till 1519, when he died, and was 
 succeeded by 
 
 Thomas de Worcester, who governed the abbey but a short time, being 
 succeeded in the following year by, 
 
 • About this period a Jew, having forged the abbey seal of St. Alban's, affixed it to two deeds, 
 purporting to be for one hundred marks, which the Jew had lent the abbey, and that the monks had 
 pawned, for sums of money certain of their valuable trinkets, as golden crowns, and precious stones, 
 two cups of gold, of 24 pounds weight, besides three hundred silver spoons. The like fraud was 
 found to have been conmitted on the abbey of Reading, where the Jew being taken and prosecuted, 
 suffered death as a cheat and impostor, confessing the fraud. And it was supposed that some Jew 
 had corrupted the keepers of the seals here, and by their connivance had purloined the plate and 
 jewels, — Niwcombi's History of St. Albans, 
 
 f The monks of several abbeys being at this time accused of many vices and irregularities, 
 Edward III. appointed the abbot of St. Alban's to visit them, as president of the general chapter, 
 on which occasion, he brought back, at Reading, many to the rule, who had wandered far from it; 
 and some of the monks, who had formed conspuacies against the abbot, he caused to be sent away to 
 the cells ; he also brought others thence to his own monastery, to undergo some sort of punishment, 
 until they manifested a penitence, — Ibid,
 
 
 ABBOTS. 
 
 Chap. 
 XIIL 
 
 Hiio-h Failngdon, tbe thirty-first and last abbot of Reading, urider whose 
 presidency the monastery vas dissolved, in 1539, and the revenues applied to the 
 use of the crowH. TJiough this abbot, like most of his predecessors, cannot 
 be considered a learned man himself, yet he was a great patron of such as 
 excelled in any of the branches of literature. When the commissioners for 
 the suppression of the monastery arrived, they could find no exceptions, either 
 to his moral or religious behavior, in the administration of his duties, and 
 doctor London, one of the commissioners, in a letter to sir Thomas Cromwell, 
 says, that " Lectures were read in the chapter-house every day in Latin and 
 English, on some portion of the scriptures, which were well attended, as the 
 abbot was commonly present at them himself; adding that he very readily 
 gave up his relics, and they made no doubt, but his majesty would find him 
 as conformable a man as any in the realm." Notwithstanding, however, the 
 favorable light in which his conduct is here represented by the commissioners, 
 it was not sufficient to save him from the rage of a merciless tyrant, when, 
 from an unfortunate prejudice imbibed in his earliest years, he conscientiously 
 refused to acknowledge the king's newly usurped supremacy in ecclesiastical 
 affairs. For this offence, which ought to have been wholly imputed to a 
 religious adherence to what he considered the truth, and deserving rather 
 of pity than punishment, he was sentenced with two of his fellow monks, 
 Rugg and Onion, to be hanged and quartered, as a traitor to his king and 
 country ; which sentence was put in execution at Reading, in the month of 
 November 1539, seven months after the dissolution of the abbey. 
 
 The officers belonging to the abbot, were — 
 
 per ann. per ann. 
 
 The marshal, or master of 
 
 the horse. 
 The panterer. 
 Dean of the chambers. 
 Porter, 
 The pages. 
 The cook, - 
 The scullion. 
 Dean of the chambers, 
 Butler, or manciple. 
 
 d. 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 Second and third ditto. 
 
 Dean of the wardrobe. 
 
 Hostler, 
 
 Baker, 
 
 Second and third ditto. 
 
 First smith. 
 
 Second ditto, 
 
 Keeper of the abbot's palfrey. 
 
 Gardener, - 
 
 Miller - _ - 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 with other inferior officers. 
 " As a proof of the splendor of this establishment, it appears that in 
 abbot Quaplode's time, about the year 1305, when great economy was thought 
 necessary to be adopted, on account of the monastery being then in debt, and
 
 ABBOTS. 273 
 
 a reduction of their household was resolved on, no less than thirty.seven Chap. 
 servants were retained."* XIII. 
 
 The following livings were in the patronage of the abbots : 
 The vicarage of Bucklebury ; the vicarage of Thatcham, with the 
 chapels of Greenham and Midgham ; the vicarages of the three parishes in 
 Reading; the vicarage of Warfield alias B ur field ; the vicarage of War- 
 grave; Choulsey alias Cholesej with the chapel of Moulsford ; the vicarage 
 of Tilehurst, where the abbot was appropriator ; the vicarage of Stanton 
 Harcourt, in Oxfordshire ; the vicarage of Rowinton, in Warwickshire ; the 
 priory of Leominster with the patronage of Eye, with seven chapels annexed, 
 paying annually to the abbey six shillings and eight pence.* 
 
 All the above vicarages paid likewise pensions to the abbot, as appearc 
 from an old manuscript, in the public library at Oxford, entitled " Liber 
 taxationum omnium beneficiorum in Anglia ;" supposed to have been compiled 
 in 1292j as follows : The pension of the abbot of Reading, from 
 
 The church of Thatcham, twenty marks. 
 
 The church of Compton, 
 
 The church of Burhidebury, the abbot rector. 
 
 The vicarage of the same. 
 
 The church of Tlianse, abbot rector. 
 
 The vicarage of the same. 
 
 The church of Beenham, abbot rector, 
 
 The church of Engleticld, 
 
 The church of Stileham, 
 
 The church of Purley, 
 
 The church of Tyglehurst, abbot rector, 
 
 St. Mary's, Reading, abbot rector. 
 
 The vicarage of the same, untithable, 
 
 St. Giles's, Reading, abbot rector. 
 
 The vicarage of the same, - 
 
 St. Lawrence's, Reading, with the vicarage 
 
 untithable, abbot rector. 
 The church of Weregrave, abbot rector. 
 The vicarage of the same, untithable. 
 The church of Silhamstead Abbots, 
 
 I. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total £ 98 12 
 
 • Lyson's Britannia. * Survey of Cathedrals. 
 
 n N
 
 274 ABBOTS. 
 
 Chap. At the dissolution, the revenues belonging to the abbey were estimated 
 
 XIII, at two thousand one hundred and sixteen pounds, three shillings, and nine 
 pence, but, according to Burton, only one thousand nine hundred and ninety 
 eight pounds, fourteen shillings, and three pence, equal, according to the pre- 
 sent value of money, to twenty thousand pounds per annum. From this sum, 
 only fifty-nine pounds, thirteen shillings were reserved for the payment of the 
 annuities granted to those monks who, from infirmities or old age, were in- 
 capable of gaining their livelihoods ; the remainder were turned out to provide 
 for themselves as they could. Those that received pensions for life were, 
 
 Elizeus Burgess, 
 John Fryson, 
 John Wright, - 
 John Harpur, 
 John Mylly, 
 John Turner, 
 Luke Wythorne, 
 Thomas Taylor, 
 Robert Rayner, 
 John South, 
 Richard Purser, 
 Richard Butt, 
 
 The remainder of their income, amounting to 1882/. 9$. lO^d. was seized 
 by the crown, and afterwards parcelled off, either in gifts or leases, under the 
 name of crown land, to different persons. 
 
 A schedule of the revenues of the late dissolved monastery of Reading, 
 31st of Henry Vlllth: I . s. d. 
 
 Cholsey manor* and rectory with their appertenances, 201 16 
 Blewbury manor with its appertenances - 121 4 0^ 
 
 East Hendred manor, given by the empress Maud, 38 14 9 
 
 Burhidebury manor and rectory, - - 50 8^ 
 
 Carried forward ^411 15 6 
 
 * The manor bam is still in existence, though built prior to the dissolution. Mr. Coates says, it 
 carries upon it the date of 1101, and therefore thinks it might have belonged to the ancient abbey of 
 Cholsey ; but this idea is too extravagant to be admitted a moment, as in that case it must now have 
 
 I. 5. 
 
 d. 
 
 G 
 
 per annum. 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 4 6 
 
 8 
 
 3 6 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 59 13 
 
 4
 
 ^411 
 
 15 
 
 d. 
 6 
 
 101 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 24 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 92 
 
 18 
 
 4 
 
 ABBOTS. 275 
 
 _ , Us. d. Chap, 
 
 Brought over - . ^411 15 6 xill. 
 
 Thatcham rectory, with Greenhara, Midgehara, 
 
 Crookham and Colethorp, 
 
 Pangbourne manor,* . - _ 
 
 Basjldon manor, - - - 
 
 Shjningfield, or Shinfield, tenements and land 
 
 Sonning, manor of Bulmershe and lands, 
 
 Weregrave rectory, - _ _ 
 
 Borough of Reading. 
 Rent of assize, _ _ _ 
 
 Customary rents, _ _ - 
 
 Mills. Two grain mills and fulling mills, called St. 
 
 Giles's mills, with the tythes of the same ; a 
 
 fishery called Tan-lock ; two other grain mills, 
 
 and a fulling mill, in St. Mary's parish, called 
 
 Mynster-mills, and a fishery called Grey's-lock, 40 
 
 Heading Deanery. 
 
 Rents in Tilehurst, "Whitley, Colley, Greyshull, 
 
 Stratfield-Mortimer, Sulliamsted, Beenham, 
 
 Ufton, Battel ( farm ) - 
 The farm of Windsor Underorc, 
 The manor of Whitley, 
 Agistment of Whitley Park, 
 Calcot mill and lands in Tylehurst parish, 
 Fishery of the Kennet, 
 Rectory of Beenham, 
 Rectories of Tilehurst, Colley, and Whitley, 
 
 Carried forward 
 
 existed upwards of seven hundred years, which it is impossible for such a building to have done. Had 
 he considered a moment., he would have recollected that these figures, said to be inscribed on one of 
 the beams, were not introduced in common use, 'till long after the period they were maae to comme- 
 morate, and therefore must have been a forgery ; but the truih is, there is no such inscripti .n in being, 
 as I found on inspection, and from the information of persons living on the spot. It is however ihe 
 largest barn in England, being 303 feet long, 54 wide, and 51 1 i;h. 
 
 * Bere-court, in this parish, was given by Bingham, bishop of Salisbury, to the monastery in 
 1730, and became subsequently the summer residence of the abbots. 
 
 n N 2 
 
 130 
 
 9 
 
 n 
 
 6 
 
 19 
 
 m 
 
 26 
 
 18 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 o 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 
 
 £9.'>'S 
 
 19 
 
 n
 
 2X6 
 
 ABBOTS. 
 
 l. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 ^938 
 
 19 
 
 n 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 
 2 
 
 17 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 9 
 
 73 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 19 
 
 8 
 
 ^" j^* Brought over 
 
 Town of Reading. 
 Tolls of the fairs, - ^ - 
 
 Tolls of tlie market, - _ - 
 
 Cheapyng-gavel, 
 
 Perquisites of Courts, - - - 
 
 Bailiwick of the Liberty, 
 Perquisites of its Courts, 
 
 Sussex. 
 Duddlesford manor, 
 
 Waricickshire. 
 Rowington manor and rectory, 
 
 Wilts. 
 Manor of Whitesbury, 
 
 Kent. 
 Manor of Windhull, - - - 38 
 
 Oxon, 
 Stanton-Harcourt rectory, - - - SO 
 
 Lands in Sewell, - - - 6 
 
 London. 
 Divers tenements, particularly one called Redyng- 
 place, in the parish of St. Andrew, near Baynard 
 Castle, reserved to the use of the abbot, 
 umma, - . » _ 
 
 Herts. 
 Sebrightford manor, - _ . 
 
 Aston manor,* _ _ - - 
 
 Bedfordshire. 
 Houghton manor, ... 
 
 Small rents collected by the bailiff, or out-steward, 
 in Tyglehurst and other places. 
 
 Carried forward - ^^1192 4 2t 
 
 * King Stephen, by his charter, granted or rendered to Robert earl of Leicester, and his heirs, 
 the burgh of Hereford, and the castle there, and the whole county of Herefordscyre, to hold by he- 
 reditary right ; except the lands belonging to the bishoprick, to the abbey of Reading, and to other 
 churches and abbeys which held of the king in apke.—Madox's History of thi Exchtqucr, p. 635. 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 0| 
 
 3Q 
 
 19 
 
 Hi 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 13 
 
 10
 
 ABBOTS. 
 
 277 
 
 Brought over _ - ^ 
 
 Pastures and Meado-ws. 
 
 Cowick, - _ _ . 
 
 Estmedcj near the road to Caversham, 
 
 Three fields called Crown-field, Burfield^ and the 
 Grove and lands called Spittlefields, 
 
 An inn in Reading called the Crown, 
 
 Tanner's mead, - - - - 
 
 Meadows in Battel, _ - _ 
 
 Meadows in Sulhamsted, - « - 
 
 A tenement called the Hind's-head, - 
 
 Tithes of Mote-hall in Tjglchurst, 
 
 Tithes of West-wood-row, in the same. 
 
 Tithes in Northcot, . - - 
 
 Tithes in Whitlev, - 
 
 Tithes of a meadow near Reading called Frogmarsh, 
 
 Tithes of Cowick, _ - - - 
 
 Possessions of the office of Almoner. 
 
 Rents of assize in Reading, 
 
 Customary rents therCj . _ _ 
 
 Manor of Burgh field, - - - 
 
 Pension from the vicar of St. Lawrence's in Reading, 
 Possessions of the office of Cellarer. 
 
 Rents of assize in Reading, 
 
 Customary rents, _ _ _ - 
 
 Rents of assize in Sheffield, Calcot, Wokefield, Caver- 
 sham, and Cold-Norton, 
 
 Customary rents in the same, - - - 
 
 A sheepcote and lands in SewcLI, and LittJe Tew, in 
 Oxfordshire, _ - - 
 
 Pension from the abbot of St. Augustin, in Bristol, 
 Belonging to the office of Sacrist. 
 
 Rents of assize in Reading, - - - 
 
 Customary rents there. 
 
 Pensions from the following Churches. 
 
 St. Giles's, Reading, - _ - 
 
 St. Mary'sj _ - - - 
 
 :ii92 
 
 s. 
 
 4 
 
 d. 
 2i 
 
 Chap 
 
 xiir 
 
 4 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 15 
 
 4 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 13 
 
 8 
 
 Hi 
 
 
 7 
 
 IS 
 
 2 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 
 4 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Carried forward 
 
 £ 1335 3
 
 278 
 
 ABBOTS. 
 
 Chap. « , . 
 
 vjjj^ Brought over 
 
 i:i335 
 
 s. 
 
 
 
 d. 
 
 3 
 
 ^-v-**^ Siilhainsted rectory, . - - 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 Englefield rectory, - - - 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 Compton vicarage, - - - 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 Hanborough rectory. 
 
 - 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 Sulham rectory, . - - 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 Purley rectory, ^ - - 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Becnliam vicarage, . - - 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Parigbourn rectory, - 
 
 - 
 
 I 
 
 12 
 
 8 
 
 Wargrave vicarage, _ - - 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 Belonging to the Refectory. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rent of assize in Reading, • 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 
 Customary rents there. 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 Belonging to the office of Suh-pr 
 
 ior. 
 
 
 
 
 Rents of assize, . - - 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 In Blewbury, _ - - 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 
 In Sheepbridge, - - ^ 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 A building in the Market-place, 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 Rents of tenants, copy-holders. 
 
 
 5 
 
 18 
 
 
 
 Belonging to the office of Granetary. 
 
 
 
 
 Rents of assize, - - - 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Customary rents, . _ _ 
 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 4 
 
 Belonging to the office of Woodf older. 
 
 
 
 
 Rents of assize, _ - _ 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 Customary rents, - - - 
 
 - 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 Belonging to the keeper of the chapel of the Virgin JMary. 
 
 
 
 
 Rents of assize, . _ - 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 In Rurgfield, _ - - 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 In Tilehurst, - - _ - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 Customary in Reading, 
 
 1 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 
 0^)1 
 
 
 
 lOi 
 
 From the priory of Leominster, 
 
 - 
 
 480 
 
 
 
 
 
 Reserved annuities to the monks, - 
 
 
 59 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 Pensions to the abbots from rectories, - 
 
 - 
 
 87 
 
 12 
 
 1 
 
 Total 
 
 ^2018 
 
 6 
 
 n 
 
 At the dissolution, it was valued at 5^2116 3s. 9rf.' 
 
 • Leland,
 
 ABBOTS. 279 
 
 This revenue, supposing the number of the monks to have been always Chap. 
 complete^ would have allowed for their maintenance, on an average, ten pounds Xllf. 
 per man, which, according to the present value of money, must have been equa 
 to fifty pounds, a sum more than sufficient, after deducting the pensions pay- 
 able to the abbot, for men, who had renounced the luxuries of the world, to 
 spend their days in meditation and prayer. 
 
 From the savings of their revenue, however, after the payment of their 
 annual expenses, they were at times enabled to assist their sovereigns with 
 money in their exigences, either by way of gifts or loans, many instances of 
 which are on record ; but they were not always equally accommodating, for 
 when Henry III. imposed on them the maintaining of two Jewish converts, 
 both women, they so far resented it, that when he afterwards required a loan 
 of five thousand marks, to enable him to pay the portion he had promised on 
 the marriage of his niece, the daughter of Grey, earl of Angoulesnie, with 
 the young earl of Gloucester, they refused to comply, alleging their inability 
 to advance such a large sum, and the impossibility of justifying it, if they 
 did. But Edward III, who was more res|>ected, borrowed at different tinies 
 large sums of money of the abbey, as well as jewels and other valuables. 
 
 The monks of Reading were not behind the rest of the catholic clergy 
 in their superstitious reverence for relics ; in this respect indeed, the abbey 
 might have been considered the general repository of the nation ; so numerous 
 were the relics confided to their care, that the inventory of them, is said to 
 have filled four sheets of paper ; among these, the most remarkable were, the 
 wing of the angel, who brought over the point of the spear, that pierced Jesus 
 Christ ; as many pieces of the cross whereon Jesus Christ suffered, as would 
 have been sufficient to have made one of a large size ; but what they placed 
 the greatest value upon, was the hand of St. James, to which the greatest 
 reverence was ordered to be paid by a particular charter. William of Mahns- 
 bury says, that Henry, from joy at having got possession of the hand of St. 
 James the apostle, founded the abbey in 1126,* and besides endowing it willi 
 many good things, placed in it the hand of the blessed apostle ; but Matthew 
 Paris says, this circumstance did not take place till 1133, and that after the 
 king's death, it was taken away by the bishop of Winchester, but the moukx 
 
 * Rex vero anglorum Henricus, prx gaudio manus beati Jacobi apostoli, allata ad eum per Ma- 
 tildem emperatncem, filiam suam, fundavit nobilem abbatium de Redinges, et earn bonis multis ditavit, 
 et in ea manum beati Jacobi apostoli posuit (regis 26). — Roger Hovedtine. 
 
 According to Hovedune, this famous relic was presented to Henry by the empress Matilda, his 
 daughter, after the abbey was built, and consequently could not have been the occasion of this en^ 
 dowraent.
 
 280 ABBOTS. 
 
 expressing great dissatisfaction on their being deprived of so valuable a relic, 
 he was soon after obliged to restore it* 
 
 The arms of the abbey were azure, three scallop shells^ or. 
 
 These arms are said to have been described on the scutcheons on the left 
 side of the west door of St. Lawrence's church ; but having, from time, been 
 nearly obliterated, they have lately been renewed. This door way was pro- 
 bably brought from the abbey, which supplied a great part of the materials 
 both for that, and St. Mary's chnrch.f 
 
 Their common seal had, on one side, the figure of the Virgin Mary be- 
 tween St. James and St. John, and, on the reverse, that of the founder, Henry 
 I. sitting with a sceptre in his right hand, and a representation of the monas- 
 tery in his left, between St. Peter and St. Paul ; the figures were in three 
 separate compartments, with gothic ornaments. 
 
 "While the abbey continued in its pristine slate, it became the burial-place 
 of several royal and noble persons ; among whom, may be reckoned the royal 
 founder himself, who dying at Rouen in Normandy, on the first of December 
 1135, was brought over to England, and conveyed, in great funeral pomp, io 
 this his favorite establishment, attended by Stephen earl of Blois, afterward 
 king, William earl of Warren, and four other earls, the archbishops of Canter- 
 bury and York, the bishops, and most of the nobility, and was solemnly in- 
 terred in the abbey church. The body had been previously embalmed, accor- 
 ding to the custom of the times, in a very rude manner ; the heart, ejes, 
 tongue, brains, and bowels, being first extracted, were di'posited, in a hand- 
 some monument erected before the altar of the ancient church of Notre Dame 
 de Prh otherwise de Bonnes 'Sonvclles, at Rouen, founded in the year 1060, 
 and destroyed during the siege of that city in 1592. After the bowels were 
 taken out, the body was salted, and wrapped in a tanned hide, and was then 
 placed in the coffin wherein it was conveyed to England.]; A beautiful monu- 
 ment Avas afterwards erected to his memory, in the abbey church, on which 
 was the king's effigy as large as life, with the usual emblems of royalty ; and 
 when Richard II. in the fourteenth century, renewed the abbey charter, it was 
 
 • Some few years since, some persons employed among the ruins of th; abbey, found a human 
 hand, rather small, the fleshy parts were diy and withered, but in perfect preservation; the persons who 
 found it, disposed of it to the late Mr, Savage, an eminent surgeon of this town, on whose decease it 
 came into the possession of Mr. Osborn, his successor. 
 
 + " Scallop shells, which may fitly for the workmanship thereof, be called ariificium naturte. It 
 seemeth pilgrims carried them, as Diogenes did his dish, to drink out of." — Fuller's Holy IVarre. 
 
 % Cadaver regis apud Radingum in ecclesiae, quara ipse fundaverat, regaliter est sepultum, prxsen- 
 tibuSj archiepiscopis, episcopis, et magistratibus re^m.—Mattliew Paris.
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 281 
 
 on the condition that the abbot should repair the tomb and iniajre of the Chap, 
 
 ■ ■ \ TTT 
 
 founder, at the expense of the monastery, within the space of one year; so ^'^^^' 
 
 much care was then taken for its preservation, but soon after the dissolution, 
 ihis beautiful monument which had been hitherto preserved by succeeding 
 monarchs, and the gratitude of the monks, was permitted to be destroyed by 
 the reformers, who, in their unbridled zeal for religion, were unwilling any 
 monument should remain, however elegant in its form, or venerable for itt 
 antiquity, that was in any respect connected with, or described any of the 
 emblems they were pleased to term the superstition of the Romish church. 
 But, zeal, however violent its influence on the mind of its possessor may be, 
 is not always free from the operations of other passions, particularly avarice ; 
 this is often the secret cause of actions, we are too apt to flatter ourselves 
 arise from more meritorious motives ; to this therefore, in addition to religious 
 enthusiasm, may be imputed the destruction of so many works of art, that 
 accompanied the reformation of religion in this kingdom, and among these 
 may be reckoned this venerable tomb of Henry, which, if considered only ai 
 a specimen of the arts in the twelfth century, ought to have been preserved 
 from the destructive rage of an ignorant populace. 
 
 A tradition is current among the inhabitants, that Henry was buried in a 
 silver coffin ; an opinion that must have prevailed at the time of the refor- 
 mation, and was probably one of the motives that prompted them, after having 
 demolished the superstructure, to violate the repose of the grave, and to 
 scatter abroad the ashes of this once mighty monarch. This circumstance 
 «eems alluded to in the following passage of Leland's Cantio Cigni, quoted 
 by Camden : 
 
 Haeccine sed pietas \ heu, dira piacula, primura 
 
 Neustrius Henricus, situs hic inglorius urna. 
 
 Nunc jacet ejectus, tumulum novus advena quaerit 
 
 Frustra, nam regi tenucs invidet arenas, 
 
 ^uri sacra fames. 
 
 On digging the foundations for the county gaol, in the year 1785, on a 
 «pot a small distance from the east end of the abbey church, the workmen 
 discovered a leaden coffin, of a peculiar form, having a separate division for 
 the head, and the lid composed of two pieces separated longitudinally.* From 
 the form of the coffin, there could be no doubt but it was the workmanship 
 
 • This coffin was sold to Mr. Moore, a plumber of this town, but the workmen had previously- 
 reduced it into a rude unshaped mass, for the convenicncy of carriage, so that it waj difficult to 
 ascertain its real form. 
 
 O O
 
 282 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap, of a very early period, and therefore many considered it to have been that in 
 XIII. -which the royal founder was interred : this opinion was considerably strength- 
 ened by there having been found in it a strip of tanned leather, and a small 
 bit of brass ;* the former was ingeniously supposed to have been the remains 
 of the hide wherein the corpse of Henry had been wrapped ; but this alone 
 is too slender a foundation, to prove the identity of the person, whom I am 
 rather inclined to think was either one of the earliest abbots, or some other 
 rcli2:ious person belonging to the monastery, who, according to the custom 
 of the times had been buried in his usual dress, and the small strip of leather 
 with the piece of brass annexed, might be nothing more than the remains of a 
 sandal, with the clasp to confine it to the foot. That it could not however 
 have been the remains of Henry, is placed beyond all doubt, because he is 
 expressly said to have been entombed in the church, and most probably before 
 the altar ;f but this coffin was found considerably to the eastward of the 
 church, in a part where many other remains of bodies were discovered, and which 
 could be no other than the common burial ground to the monastery. 
 
 Adeliza, Henry's second wife, was interred here, and probably in the same 
 vault; but it is uncertain whether Matilda, his former queen, was not interred 
 in some other place, she having died before the church was completed. 
 
 Adeliza's effigy was placed by the side of Henry's, both crowned and 
 veiled, because she had been a queen and a professed nun. She was daughter 
 of Godfrey of Louvaine, duke of Brabant, a descendant from Charlemagne, 
 emperor of France ; and sister to Joceline of Louvaigne, ancestor of the family 
 of the Percys, dukes of Northumberland, After Henry's death, she married 
 William D'Aubeny, created earl of Arundel by the empress Matilda, daugh- 
 ter of Henry, who was also supposed to have been buried here, but this is 
 uncertain, as some writers assert that she was interred at Bee, in Normandy.' 
 The empress Maud, or Matilda, was the daughter of a king, the wife 
 
 * Mr. Coates says that a perfect skeleton was found in it ; but I am very doubtful of the fact, 
 not having heard of it before ; and the length of time it must have lain in the ground previous to its 
 discovery, seems a convincing proof of the impossibility of such a report being true, unless the body 
 had been embalmed in a more perfect manner. True it is, a perfect skeleton was pretended to have 
 been found in one of the graves by the workmen, which probably gave rise to the report, but in fact 
 this was nothing more than the scattered remains of difierent bodies put together so as to form a whole 
 skeleton ; this was shewn to the curious for a penny each— the sole motive for this rude exercise 
 of deception. 
 
 + Corpus Henrici itaque Radingas delatum cum honore debito in ipsa ecclesia ante altare 
 lepultum est,— Gcrva« of Cantabury, 
 
 * Ashmolc,
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 2S3 
 
 of a king, and the mother of a king ; on which account, the following distich 
 was inscribed on her tomb : 
 
 Ortu magna, viro major, sed maxima partu. 
 Hie jacet, Henrici filia, sponsa, parens. 
 
 The last of the royal familj buried here was prince William, eldest sort 
 of Henry II, and grandson of Henry I, at whose feet his remains were de- 
 posited, under a costly monument erected to his memory. 
 
 Among the nobility interred in the abbey church may be reckoned Con- 
 stance, eldest daughter of Edmund de Langley, duke of York, son of Edward 
 III. Ann countess of Warwick. A son and daughter of Richard earl of 
 Cornwall king of the Romans, and brother of Henry III, This prince wat 
 one of the witnesses to the charter granted by the last mentioned monarch to 
 the corporation. Reginald de Curtenea earl of Cornwall, natural son of Henry 
 II, was interred here 1 175.* There were doubtless many more interred here, 
 as well clergy as laity, whose memories have perished, together with those 
 frail monuments intended to hand down their names and their honors to pos- 
 terity, whose number we can now only conceive from the contemplation of 
 similar places of religious worship, that have been more favored in their 
 duration. From these, the imagination may trace some faint ideas of this 
 once venerable fabric : its elevated but fantastic roof, its gothic windows 
 adorned with paintings of the prophets and apostles, its beautiful altars, its 
 crucifixes and their attendant saints, its floor inlaid with monumental inscrip- 
 tions, and the solemn gloom of the nave and side aisles crowded with ceno- 
 taphs of departed heros. While the imagination is feasting on the imaginary 
 scene, we awake, as from a trance, with additional regret that so grand a 
 structure was not permitted to remain to the present day, and that the destruc- 
 tion should have been so perfect as to have left only a few massive ruins to 
 point out where it once stood. 
 
 Two councils were held in the abbey; one in the reign of king John, 
 summoned by order of pope Innocent III. At this council, tlie abbot of Rea- 
 ding was appointed the pope's legate, to promulgate the sentence of excom- 
 munication against the barons, at that time at war with the king. The other 
 was held here by archbishop Peckham, in the reign of Edward I ; which has 
 been mentioned in a former part of this work. 
 
 Mr Grose, from Brown Willis's Notitia, says, the councils and parlia- 
 ments were held in the refectory, which he adds, was eighty-four feet long by 
 
 • Hoveden says, he was uncle to the king, and that dying at Chertsey he was buried in lh« 
 abbey church here, with every honor due to his exalted rank. 
 
 o o 2
 
 28i RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap. forty-eie;ht wide; but, according to sir Henry Eng-lefield, the refectory wa» 
 ^^^^" only seventv-two feet long by thirty-two wide ; this therefore could not hav<3 
 been the place of assembly. It is more probable that it was the great hall 
 which was used for this purpose, that being the only room answering to the 
 dimensions given by Brown Willis. 
 
 The foUowiii'^- bishops were consecrated in the abbey church : Joceline de 
 Wells, bishop of Bath and Wells, in 1206. William de Coruhill, bishop of 
 Coventry and Litchfield, in the year 1215. Robert Grostete, bishop of Lin- 
 c<»lii, and Hugh, bishop of St. Asaphs, in 1233. Roger, bishop of Bath and 
 Wells, in 1241-, and Richard Blondy, bishop of Exeter, in 1243. 
 
 After the dissolution, the abbey reverted to the crown, and became the 
 occasional residence of the succeeding monarchs, 'till the troubles that arose 
 in tlic reign of Charles I. reduced it nearly to its present state of dilapidation. 
 Camden calls it " a royal seat, with fair stables and princely and most 
 generous steeds." These stables, according to Speed's map, were at the back 
 of the Saracen's-head-yard, just within the gate leading to the inner courts 
 part of which are still standing. On the north side of St. Lawrence's church- 
 yard, was the great barn ; now occupied by Mr. Street, 
 
 James I. appointed a keeper of the house, with a salary of twenty pounds 
 per annum, and a keeper of the stables, at twelve pounds thirteen shillings 
 and four pence. Before this period, most of the possessions belonging to the 
 abbey had been disposed of by the crown, either by gift or purchase to different 
 persons, but the greater part of the houses and laud in the town was purchased 
 by Mr. William Grey, a citizen of London, whose widow afterwards marrying 
 JoIhi Blagrave, esq. the estates came into that family. 
 
 The site of the abbey, with the adjoining lands and fisheries, was let in 
 the reign of Charles If. on lease for a certain number of years, at a low rent 
 and fine uncertain. This lease was afterwards purchased by Messrs. Blagrave 
 and Vansittavt, who still hold them under the crown. At the renewal of the 
 lease, in 1780, to. John Blagrave, and Henry Vansittart, esqrs. for twenty one 
 years, tiie fine paid was 1500/. and the reserved rent payable to the crown, 
 was increased to forty-four pounds thirteen shillings and two pence halfpenny 
 per annum ; the whole had been previously valued at three hundred and fifty- 
 seven pounds five shillings and nine pence per annum. 
 
 These lands are let to under-tenants at increased rents, but the profits to 
 the crown would be considerably augmented, and the advantages to be deriv- 
 ed to the town incalculable, were the parts more immediately connected 
 with the town, particularly those on the banks of the river, disposed of ia 
 small lots to the inhabitants.
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 285 
 
 The state of the abbey^ after its final ruin at the end of the civil wars^ Chap. 
 may be conjectured from the following- survey, made by order of parliament, XIII. 
 in 1650, by commissioners appointed for that purpose. 
 
 " Reading abbey. All that capital messuage, mansion-house or abbey- 
 house, with the appurtenances, called Reading abbey, consisting of two sellars, 
 tw^o butteries, a hall, a parlour, a dining-room, ten chambers, a garret with a 
 large gallery, and other small roomes, with two court yards, and a large gate- 
 house, with several rooms adjoining to the said house, and a small gardine, 
 with an old small house, built with stone, thereto adjoining, and a stable with 
 sellars over the same, and a small tenement in the south end of the said stable, 
 with a little gardine, and a dove-house, which said abbey, with the site thereof, 
 is in the occupation of Mr. Richard Knollys, and is bounded with the court 
 called the Forbury north and east, Pond-haies south, and the great gardine 
 west, in all by measurement two acres, value per annum fifteen pounds. 
 
 "There is on the east side of the said mansion house a great old hall, 
 with a very large sellar under the said hall, arched, with some other decayed 
 rooms, between the said hall, and the mansion-house, with the ruins of an old 
 large chapel, a kitchen, and several other rooms, fit to be demolished ; the 
 materials valued at two hundred pounds. 
 
 " Tlie ground on which the ruin stands, is by estimation eight acres and 
 a half, valued at eight pounds two shillings. 
 
 " Pond-haies alias West-haies, a small tenement in occupation of Henry 
 Aires, per annum sixteen shillings. Brown's messuage ten pounds. 
 
 " Fermary gardine, a messuage, tenement, malt-house, garden, and or- 
 chard, so called, bounded with the river Kennet, south, and butting upon the 
 way leading from the Forbury to Ortc-bridge ; one acre ten poles, per annum 
 fourteen pounds. 
 
 " A small tenement, bounded with the great gardine north, and butting 
 upon the dove-house west, twenty pearches, per annum fifty shillings. 
 
 " A large barn, formerly a stable, in length 137 feet, in breadth 30 feet, 
 with a great yard and small gardine, bounded by the Hollow-brook south, 
 and the said great gardine north, and all that granary standing over the said 
 Hollow-brook butting upon the said gardine called West-haies alias Pond- 
 haies south, in the occupation of Mr. Sharp, per annum six pounds ten shillings. 
 
 " All that gardine or orchard, called by the name of the great gardine, 
 one acre, in occupation of Janses Cannt)n, bounded by the said Forbury north, 
 and said great yard south, one acre three roods, the said three roods lying 
 now waste, by reason of the fortification, per annum eight pounds. 
 
 " The porter's lodge, at the west gate entering into the said Forbury,
 
 286 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 consisting of a sellar, a hall, a buttery, three chambers, three garrets, a small 
 vard, and gardinc, with an out-house, in the occupation of William Newton, 
 bounded with the Forbury north, and butting upon a prison called the Compter 
 west, containing twenty pearches, per annum three pounds. The said tene- 
 ment is claimed by Richard Evans, alledged by will of sir Francis Knollys, 
 knight, deceased, but nothing produced to make it appear. 
 
 " All that messuage or tenement, with a wood wharf thereto adjoining, 
 called the Grange-wharf, in the occupation of John Blake, situate and being 
 by the Orte-bridge ; consisting of two sellars, a kitchen, a hall, a parlour, and 
 three chambers, with a stable and store-house, bounded with the said Kennet, 
 south ; and a close called the Grange-close, north ; butting upon the way 
 leading from the Orte-bridge to the Forbury west, and upon a meadow called 
 the Grange-mead, east; containing by estimation one acre and half, value per 
 annum sixteen pounds. 
 
 " All that piece or parcell of meadow ground in the occupation of James 
 Cannon, bounded with the same Kennet north, the said Orte south, and butt- 
 ing upon Orte-lane west, containing by estimation six acres, value per annum 
 fifteen pounds. 
 
 " All those two small tenements, with three pieces or parcels of meadow 
 ground, now lying in one, in the occupation of John Tirrell, bounded with the 
 said Kennet north and west, the Town Ortes south, and butting upon the 
 said Orte-lane east, containing by estimation five acres two roods, value per 
 annum sixteen pounds. 
 
 " All that piece or parcell of ground called by the name of Shipton- 
 mead, alias the Grange-mead, in the occupation of Matthew Turner, bounded 
 with the said Kennet south, and East-mead alias King's-mead north and east, 
 and butting upon Grange-close, and the said Grange-wharf, containing by 
 estimation eight acres, value per annum eighteen pounds. 
 
 " All that piece or parcel of pasture ground, called by the name of 
 Grange-close, in the said Matthew Turner's occupation, bounded with the 
 Little Flummery, and the said East-meadow north, the said Grange-wharf 
 south, and butting upon the said Shipton-mead east, and the way leading from 
 the Orte-bridge to the Forbury west, containing by estimation four acres and 
 a half, value per annum eight pounds. 
 
 " All that piece or parcell of meadow ground called the Little Flummery, 
 in the said Turner's occupation, bounded with the said East-meadow north, 
 the said Grange-close south, butting west upon the Great Flummery, and east 
 apon the said meadow, containing by estimation one acre and a half, value per 
 annum three pounds.
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 287 
 
 " All that piece or parcel of meadow ground called the Great Flummery, Ch\p 
 in the said James Cannon's occupation, bounded with the said East-meadow XIII.' 
 north, and the said Forburj south, and butting upon the said Little Flummery 
 east, containing by estimation ten acres, value per annum twenty-two pounds. 
 
 " All that fishing and fishing place, in the river Thames, called the Fool 
 under the lock, in Reading : all that fishing and fishing place in the water 
 of Thames aforesaid : and all that fishing place in the water at Caversham- 
 bridge ; which said fishing extends from Battel-mead, on the west side of the 
 said Caversham-bridge, to about four score yards below the said lock, and are 
 now in the occupation of John Salter, which we value at per annum two 
 pounds five shillings. 
 
 " All that fishing and fishing place of the water of Kennet, extendin"- 
 itself from Giles'-mill in the borough of Reading, to the river Thames : and 
 all that fishing place in the water called Graunte's brook alias Gunter's-brook, 
 per annum forty- two shillings. 
 
 " Memorandum : All the aforesaid premisses, except the said abbey, with 
 the scite thereof, and the grange, with the said several houses and orchards 
 and gardines, were, by letters patent of the late queen Elizabeth, granted to 
 Bartholomew Fovvke, esq. bearing date the one and thirtieth day of August, 
 in the four and thirtieth year of her reign, for the term of fifty years, com- 
 mencing from the feast t)f St. Michael the archangel, which should be in t!ie 
 year 1616, under the yearly rent of twelve pounds fourteen shillings, to be 
 paid half yearly, as appears by an indenture of assignment made between the 
 said Bartholomew Fowke on the one part, and sir John Stanhope, kt. on the 
 other part, by virtue of which the said premisses were invested in the said sir 
 John Stanhope, and were afterwards, viz. on the two and twentieth day of 
 February, in the first year of the lale king James, assigned and set over to 
 sir Francis Knollys, kt. by the said sir John Stanhope. But the said pre- 
 misses are worth over and above the said rent per annum, four score and 
 eleven pounds and thirteen shillings. 
 
 " There will be sixteen years to come in the said grant on the feast of St. 
 Michael the arch-angel, next ensuing. 
 
 " Memorandum. There is belonging to the said abbey one court walled 
 round, called by the name of the Forbury, bounded with the Great Flummery 
 north, the Grange east, and the great gardine and scite south, and butting 
 upon the town of Reading west, in which the town doth yearly keep four 
 faires, and doth now lye common, and through which there are several ways, 
 as passages, into and out of King's-mead, into the great barn, stable, and 
 lodgings there, and other ways, which said court contains by admeasurement
 
 2SS RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Cn\P. seven acrci and twenty perches, whieh we value, for the reasons aforesaid, to 
 ■'^^^^', be worth per annum but twenty shillings.* 
 
 « 411 the said several premisses, and every part and parcel thereof, are 
 tvthe free, as having never been charged therewith."* 
 
 The following original papers respecting the abbey are preserved in the 
 record office in the Exchequer : 
 
 Carta regis Abbati de Radynge de libertatibus. Trinitatis Recorda 17 
 Edward III. Rotulo. 
 
 Carta Abbati de Radynge pro Terris in comitatibus Berksira;, et Herc- 
 fordi^p, irrotulata, Trinitatis Recorda 20" Edward III. Rotulo. 
 
 Carta regis Abbati de Radynge, PaschjE Recorda 20 Edward III. Rotulo. 
 
 Carta reo-is Abbati de Radynge in comitatu Berksira; facta Hillarii Re- 
 corda 5 Richard II. Rotulo. Remcm. regis. 
 
 Confinnatio Cartarum de libertatibus Abbati de Radynge Comitatu Bcrk- 
 sira; concessa. Michaelis Recorda. 1st Henry Vth. Rotulo II. 
 
 Carta regis de confirmationc libertatum Abbati et Conventui de Radynge. 
 Michaelis Recorda. 1st Henry VI. Rotulo 10. 
 
 Carta regis de confirniatione de libertatibus Abbati et Conventui B. 
 MarijB de Radynge facta. Hillarii Recorda 8 Henry VI. Rotulo 1. 
 
 Carta regis de confirniatione libertatum Abbati de Radynge facta. Hillarii 
 Kecorda 8 Henry Vlth. Rotulo 4 vcl 21. 
 
 Carta regis Abbati de Radynge de libertatibus facta. Paschas Recorda 
 18 Hcnrici VI. Rotulo 7. 
 
 Carta confirmationis privilegiorum Abbatis et Conventus de Radynge iu 
 Comitatu Bcrksirfe. Hillarii Recorda 3 Edward VI. Rotulo. 10. 
 
 Finis solutus per Abbatem et Conventum de Redynge pro confirniatione 
 libertatum. Originalia 2 Henry VIII. Rotulo 57. 
 
 Carta regis de libertatibus concessa monastcrio de Reding Abbati et 
 Monachis per Henricum filium regis ^'ilhelmi irrotulata Michaelis Recorda 
 13 Henry VIII. Rotulo 23. 
 
 Carta regis de libertatibus Abbati et Conventui de Redinge concessa. 
 Paschae Recorda 18 Henry VIII. Rotulo 7 et 1. pars originalis 34. Henry 
 VIII. Rotulo 75. 
 
 The Leiger Book of the monastery is said to be in the Harleyan library.* 
 
 ♦ From the low rate of the annual value of the Forbury, and the mention here made of the 
 fairs held in it, as well as the passages leading through it, there can be no doubt but that the 
 commissioners considered this part as coftimon, or at least very different from the other portions, 
 oa which they seem to have set their full value. 
 
 ' Mr. Coates's History. • NichoUon's Historical Librarj'.
 
 Religious Foundations, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE FRIARY. 
 
 A HE monastery for the franciscans, or fratres minoresj in Reading was Chap. 
 built about the middle of the thirteenth century, at which time they first XIV. 
 appeared in this country. Having obtained the pope's permission to settle 
 here, they applied to the abbot and monks for a piece of ground to build 
 their convent on, who, after some hesitation, granted them a marshy piece 
 of ground adjoining the Caversham-road ; but this being afterwards found 
 subject to floods, they were prevailed on, after much solicitation, in 1285, to 
 permit them to build on the present site, on condition they did not acquire 
 any other property, or solicit any donations ; but they were at liberty to accept 
 what was gratuitously offiered them ; and among other restrictions, they were 
 not permitted to bury in their church, or cemetery, the bodies of any of the 
 parishioners of the abbey, or of any of the churches belonging to it. With 
 this permission, they set about building their convent, aided by the gift of 
 Robert de Lacey, of fifty-six oaks, out of his wood of Ashbridge. 
 
 " The order of regular priests, (says a modern author*) in the Roman 
 catholic countries, that is, of such as had taken the vom's of perpetual poverty 
 and chastity, are usually distributed under two heads : those of monks and 
 friars. The great basis of distinction between these two classes, as derived 
 from the principles of their original institutions, was, that the monks were 
 forbidden to possess any private property, but had all things in common, while 
 the friars abjured the possession of all property, whether private or in common. 
 The monks, therefore, soon came to possess, from the donations and bequests 
 of the pious, immense revenues. They inhabited stately buildings, the very 
 ruins of which, in the eyes of the nian who loves to transport himself into 
 the times of old. are still among the ornaments of the lands in which they lived. 
 
 ' Godwin,
 
 §90 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap. " Aiisrustine, who first undertook the conversion of our Saxon progenitors 
 
 ^IV. to the christian faith, was a benedictine monk; all the abbeys in England, 
 previously to the Norman conquest, w ere filled with the votaries of this order» 
 and down to the reformation, all the mitred parliamentary abbots of England, 
 were benedictines. The friars, through all their denominations and divisions, 
 were universally mendicants. 
 
 " The characters of the monastic orders no sooner appeared to be on the 
 Tane, than a new race of men sprung up in the persons of the friars, w ho 
 speedily engrossed as much reputation, and were every where held in as great 
 honor and esteem, as the monks had been, in the days of their greatest purity. 
 The friars had no magnificent palaces, like the monks ; no thrones, no painted 
 windows, and stately architecture ; they were, for the most part, wanderers on 
 the face of the earth. In these respects, they professed to act on the model 
 of Christ, and his apostles, ' to take no thought for to-morrow,' ' to have no 
 place where to lay their heads,' and to be indebted for the necessaries of ex- 
 istence to the spontaneous aftcction and kindness of the people, whose neigh- 
 borhood they chanced to frequent. They freely imparted to the profane laity 
 their spiritual gifts ; and, in return, receivea from them those slender atten- 
 tions and donations which might enable them to support life. 
 
 " They exercised the occupation of beggars ; and they undertook peremp- 
 torily to maintain in their sermons, that Jesus Christ and his disciples demanded 
 and subsisted upon the alms of their countrymen. 
 
 " Though beggars and w anderers on the earth, they determined to exhibit 
 in their lives every proof of the most indefatigable industry. ' The lazy monk' 
 Ijad become a term of general disapprobation and obloquy. They resolved 
 to be, in all respects, the reverse of the monks. They did not hide within 
 cloistered walls, and withdraw themselves from the inspection and comments 
 of mankind. They were always before the public, and were constantly em- 
 ployed in the pious oflfices pf counsel, comfort, admonition, preaching and 
 prayer. In pursuit of these objects, they spared no fatigue, they hastened 
 from place to place, and when their frames might be expected to be worn out, 
 with the length of the way, they were still fresli and alert, w ithout repose, 
 and almost without aliment, for all the ofiBces of disinterested toil and chris- 
 tian instruction, and all the duties of men incessantly watchful for the salva- 
 tion of their fellow creatures. This was their labor, their study, their refresh- 
 ment and their joy." 
 
 Such is the character of these mendicants, and such we find them to have 
 been at this place, without any earthly possessions, and without those conve- 
 niences and luxuries so observable in the abbey. There all was on a great
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 291 
 
 scale, their buildings magnificent, their possessions extensive, their conveni- 
 ences adapted to all their wants, and their mode of living not merely confined 
 to the necessities, but indulging in all the luxuries of life ; on the contrary, 
 the building appropriated to the friars, was on a small scale, such as they 
 might be supposed capable of erecting from the eleemosynary gifts of the 
 people, from whom alone they must also have derived their humble mainten- 
 ance, as at the dissolution no return was made of any property they possessed 
 except the friary, and its appertenances, which did not exceed seven acres 
 of land. 
 
 We have no account of the building, nor of the number of the friars 
 who resided in it ; but to judge, from the small extent of the ground it occu- 
 pied, and its appearance in Speed's map of the town, it v?as neither roomy nor 
 elegant. Content with the meanest accommodations for themselves, tlieir prin- 
 cipal care seems to have been to erect a house of prayer suitable to the religion 
 they professed, which, from its being more substantially built, is the only part 
 of their possessions that has withstood the injuries of time. This structure 
 was principally composed of flints, put together with so much precision as 
 almost to appear one solid mass, and is, beyond a doubt, one of the conipletest 
 works of the kind now existing. 
 
 This building consisted of the nave, side aisles, and chancel ; the latter 
 has been destroyed many years, but the former remain nearly in their original 
 state. The aisles are separated from the body of the church by lancet 
 pointed arches, springing from six clustered stone columns, with circular 
 capitals, extending on each side the nave from the two extremities ; the spaces 
 between the pillars are each fourteen feet four inches, except the two at the 
 east end, which are only eleven feet a-part ; but why these differ from the 
 general plan cannot now be conjectured ; some remains of paintings have 
 lately been traced on the wall in this part, that had been whitewashed over, 
 but too faint to make out what they were intended to represent. The win- 
 dows on the north and south sides were small, without any ornaments, but 
 that at the west end is still admired, as a beautiful specimen of gothic ar- 
 chitecture. The entrance from the street was through an arched doorway 
 with circular mouldings, and on the opposite side was another leading into 
 the cemetery, and probably to the convent. The length of the church within 
 side, exclusive of the chancel, was seventy-seven feet six inches, and its 
 breadth, including the side aisles, fifty-one feet six inches, the latter being 
 only ten feet six inches each wide. The whole was covered with an euornioiis 
 heavy tiled roof, rcacliing nearly to the ground. 
 
 At the dissolution, all the lands and tenements belonging to the friars 
 
 pp3
 
 292 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Cm I', minors, except (lie nave and side aisles of the church, were disposed of by 
 XIV. letters patent of Henry Vlllth to Robert Stanshawe, for the sum of thirty 
 pounds, and the payment of six shillings and eight pence annually into the 
 tiu-'-mentation office of the crown rents. This es{ale is now the property of 
 Launcelot Austwick, esq. of tliis place. 
 
 The bodv and side aisles, wilh a competent way thereto, was afterwards 
 •rranted, under the letters patent of (he same monarch to the corporation, on 
 their own reciuest, to m;;kc a town-hall thereof, in lieu of their former one 
 in the Yield hall, where, as they said, the courts were so much annoyed by 
 the battledores used in washing the cloths in the adjoining brook, as to render 
 it impossible for those concerned in them, either to hear or unders(and what 
 was said. This arant was confirmed in the charter granted to the corporation, 
 the ^d of Elizabeth, with the liberty of making what use of it they might 
 think fit. However, it does not appear that it ever was converted to the 
 intended purpose ; for soon after the above grant, it was appropriated to (he 
 use of a general workhouse for the three parishes, or rather of the town, 
 under the superintendance and management of the corporation, and princi- 
 pally at their expense, from lands perhaps purchased with money left for that 
 purpose by some charitable person, which being contrary to the act of mort- 
 main, was probably contested, as we may gather from the following case in 
 Jacob's Law Dictionary : 
 
 " If one devise so much a year for the poor, &c. Jeaving ascts in goods ; 
 this is good, and the executors will be forced (o buy as much land, and (o 
 assure it to that use. And if a devise be to the poor people maintained in the 
 hospital of St. Lawrence of Reading (where the mayor and burgesses, capable 
 to take in mort-main, do govern the hospital) albeit the poor, not being- a 
 corporation, are not capable by that name to take ; yet the devise is good, and 
 commissioners appointed to enquire into lands given to hospitals, may order 
 him that has the lands, to assure it to the mayor and burgesses for the main- 
 tenance of the hospital. 43 Eliz." 
 
 Afterwards, when each parish, in consequence of the acts passed in this 
 reign for the better regulation and maintenance of the poor, were obliged 
 separately to provide for their own poor, this place was made the common 
 prison for all persons offending the laws yvithin the bounds of the corporation ; 
 for which use it is still appropriated, but to render it more airy, the roof over 
 the nave has been taken down, and the aisles converted into cells for the prisoners. 
 Some vaults have been discovered in the body of the church, without cof- 
 fins, or any memorials of the persons interred in them ; and in 1728, at a small 
 distance from the east end of the churchj in the part yvhich was probably the
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 293 
 
 original chance], was found, near the surface of the ground, a stone coffin, with Chap. 
 part of a skeleton undccayed, but to whom it belonged is uncertain ; it had no ■^^^• 
 lid to it, and appeared to have been originally arched over, or covered with 
 tiles. On digging for the foundation of a house lately erected on this spot, 
 the remains of several bodies were discovered, probably the remains of the 
 friars belonging to this establishment. 
 
 Depending entirely for their maintenance on the alms of the charitable, 
 bestowed in support of an institution which had few inducements to recommend 
 it, and those very much abridged by the influence of the new doctrines, the 
 friars very willingly signed the following surrender of their house to the com- 
 missioners appointed for that purpose, without (as it appears) auv provision 
 being made fur their future subsistence. 
 
 " Forasnuich as we do now consider, as well by daily experience as by 
 example and doctrine of divers well-learned persons, which have heretofore 
 professed divers sort of pretended religions, that the very true way to perfec- 
 tion, and to please God, is ministered unto us sincerely and sufficiently, by the 
 most wholesome doctrine of Christ, his apostles and evangelists, and after de- 
 clared by the holy fathers in the primitive church of Christ, and doth not con- 
 sist in the traditions and inventions of man's wit, in wearing of a grey, black, 
 white, or any other colored garment, cloak, frock or coat, in girding our- 
 selves upon our outward garments, with girdles full of knots, or in like peculinr 
 manner of papistical ceremonies; sequestring ourselves from the uniform, laud- 
 able, and conformable manner of living of all other christian men, used many years 
 from the beginning of Christ's religion. Perceiving also, that as well the high 
 estates of this realm, as the common people do note in us, and daily doth lay 
 unto our charges, the detestable crime of hypocris}', dissimulation aad super- 
 stition, which draweth their benevolence and supportation from us, whereby we 
 have been in times past in manner only sustained : We,, therefore, the guardian 
 and convent of the house, called commonly grey friars of lladynge, considering 
 that we may be the true servants of God, as well in a secular habit, as in a 
 friar's coat ; and knowing, and well considering the miserable state we stand 
 in, being fully determined in ourselves to leave all such papistical and strange 
 fashions of living, with the garments appertaining unto the same, with all our 
 mutual and free assents^ and consents, do most humbly in this behalf, submit 
 ourselves, and every one of us, our house and place we dwell in, and all our 
 buildings, ornaments, utensils, jewels, tjthcs, conuuodities, and all our thiiu|,s, 
 whatsoever they be, pertaining unto the same, and by these presents do sur- 
 render the same, and yield them up into the hands and disposition of our most 
 noble sovereign lord, the king's majesty, most humbly beseeching the sanu;.
 
 g94 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap, freely and without any charge, in consideration of our extreme poverties, to 
 XIV. o-rant unto every one of us, his letters under writing, and his grace's seal, to 
 chano-e our said habits, and to take such manner of living, as honest secular 
 priests be preferred unto. And we all shall faithfully pray unto Almighty 
 God, long to preserve his most noble grace. In witness of the premises, and 
 every part of the same, we have subscribed our names unto these presents, and 
 have put our common and conventual seal unto the same, the 13th day of the 
 month of September, and in the 30th year of the reign of our sovereign lord, 
 Henry the 8th." 
 
 Signed, Peter Schefford, guardian, and S. T. B. 
 and ten others. 
 
 The following records are preserved in the exchequer, respecting this con- 
 ■vent, since the dissolution : 
 
 De Willielmo Webbe et Wolstano Dixon, occasionato ad ostendendura 
 quo titulo tenent situm fratrum raiuorum, in Radynge, in comitatu Berksirae. 
 Hilarii RecordaEliz. Rotulo 61. 
 
 De Johanni Carleton, armiger, occasionato ad ostcndendum quo titulo tenet 
 situm prioratus de Reading in comitatu Berksirfe. INIichaelis recorda. 12 Ja- 
 €obi I™' rotulo 155. But I am inclined to think that this last may refer to 
 some other convent, perhaps the following one, as it does not appear that the 
 convent of the friars minors was ever called a priory, except by Speed, though 
 perhaps in both instances it might be so called through a mistake, arising from 
 the length of time that had elapsed since the dissolution. 
 
 The library of the grey friars, as we are informed by Leland, consisted of 
 Beda de Naturis Bestiarum, Alexander Necham super Marcianum CapcUum, 
 Alexander Necham Mythologicon, Johannis Walcys Commentarii super My- 
 thologicon Fulgentii. Small as this catalogue is, it was probably superior in 
 number of books to many of the libraries belonging to this order, in other places; 
 for the same author observes, that " Apud Franciscos sunt tela? aranearum in 
 bibliotheca, praeterea tineae, et blattae, araplius, quicquid alii jactent, nihil, si 
 spcctes erudites libros. Nam ego, invitis fratribus omnibus, curiose bibliothecaj 
 forrulos omnes excussi." In the library of the franciscans, nothing was ob- 
 servable but moths and cobwebs, for whatever others may boast, they had not 
 one learned treatise in their possession, for I myself carefully examined every 
 shelf in the library, though much against the will of all the brethren. 
 
 The Grey Friars in Castle Street. 
 This convent is mentioned by Leland, who calls it " a late fayre house 
 of grey freres, in Castle-strate." This was probably on the spot where the
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 295 
 
 methodist's chapel was lately erected. This convent must have been very Chap; 
 small, as the whole of the ground allotted for the purpose, does not appear to XIV. 
 have exceeded a quarter of an acre. The building for the accommodation of 
 the friars, was on the south-west end fronting the street, and the chapel at the 
 south-east corner fronting the area ; behind this, on the north side, is supposed 
 to have been their burying ground, from three or four human skeletons having 
 been discovered in that part, on taking down the old jail, though it is not im- 
 possible they might be the remains of some of the criminals executed and buried 
 here, before it became customary to inter them in the north-west corner of 
 St. Mary's church-yard, in like manner as they are now buried within the 
 bounds of the present new jail. 
 
 The chapel was a very small edifice without any ornaments. It was only 
 thirty-feet six inches long, by twelve feet six inches wide, within the walls ; 
 the chancel was only ten feet long, and proportionably narrow ; the walls were 
 rather more than two feet think, the heighth could not be ascertained. The 
 only entrance was from the street, the door-way was small and low, and on 
 the right hand on entering, was a niche in the wall for the holy water pot. 
 Under the altar, and in the body of the chapel, several vaults were discovered 
 on removing the rubbish, but they had been previously emptied of their contents. 
 
 Hutchinson, in his history of Dorsetshire, mentions one Margaret Twinio, 
 of Reading, who, by her will, dated in the year 1500, ordered her body to be 
 interred in the chapel of St. Francis, in the grey friars there, near the tomb of 
 her father and mother. There was certainly no chapel belonging to the convent 
 in Friar-street, except this might be so called from its forming a part of the 
 same community ; this therefore was most probably the chapel of St. Francis, 
 mentioned in the willwhere this lady was interred; and if so, the remains of 
 the coflin and bones found in 1728, within the site of the chancel of the church 
 of the grey friars, as supposed by Mr. Coates, could not have been her's. From 
 the very small space occupied by this fraternity, they could not have been very nu- 
 merous, unless we suppose the greater part to have been generally absent on mis- 
 sions, a supposition not altogether improbable, when thenatureof their institution 
 is considered. These, like their brethren in Friar-street, living wholly on alms, 
 had no settled revenue to be returned by the commissioners, nor any properly, 
 except their house, which, in consequence of the late acts of parliament in the 
 reign of Henry VIII, devolved to the crown, who soon after disposed of it, 
 either by gift or purchase, to the magistrates of the county, who converted it 
 into the common prison for debtors, and persons committing crimes williin 
 their jurisdiction ; and so it continued, with some alterations, 'till 1798, when 
 being disposed of to the religious society called methodists, they caused the
 
 296 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Chap, -nliolo to be taken down, and the present chapel erected on its site. According 
 • to Tanner, it was erected in the fourteenth century. 
 
 Si. EdmorKTs Chapel. 
 At ihe west end of Friar-street, called Chapel-hill, was situated St. Ed- 
 mond's chapel, founded in 1284-, by Lawrence Burgess, bailiff of the town, by 
 permission of the abbot, " on condition of his giving an endowment for its 
 support, who built a hermitage near it, where he died. This chapel was de- 
 secrated in the time of abbot Thome, as appears by a memorial presented 
 against him in 1479, to king Edward IV. for various instances of misconduct. 
 The memorial states, that this chapel, wherein were laid the bones of many 
 christians, was then become a barn.'" It was situated on a triangular piece 
 of ground, formed by the Chapel-hill, and the road leaving to Caversham, con- 
 taining about half an acre. It had probably, from the above circumstances, 
 become the property of the crown, before the reformation, when it was annexed to 
 the king's manor of Battel. In the time of the civil war, in the reign of 
 Charles I. this chapel was converted into an invincible fort, called Harrison's 
 barn, and afterwards, about the year 1750, was taken down, and re-erected 
 at Battel farm, where it now is. 
 
 Colncy Chanlry.* 
 
 This chantry or chapel in St. Mary's church, was instituted in the reign of 
 Richard II. probably by one of the Colney family, for the souls of king Ed- 
 ward III. of Thomas Colney, John Colney, and William Catour, and for the 
 souls of all the faithful deceased, with a distinct incumbent, who was nomi- 
 nated by the chief magistrate of the borough. 
 
 How the masters of the guild-merchant became possessed of this right is un- 
 certain, but there can be no doubt of their holding it from its first foundation, 
 and that the master for the time being might not be deprived of his right, in case 
 of a vacancy during his mastership, the " tres chartas pertinentes ad canlariam 
 de Colney ;" the three charters or writings belonging to Colney chantry were 
 always delivered to him on his entry into office, together with the charters of 
 liberties, a ceremony that was continued for some time after the dissolution. 
 
 • Chantries were ekVier small churches, chapels, or particular altars in some cathedral, church, 
 &c. endowed with lands, or other revenues, for the maintenance of one or more priests, daily to 
 •ing mass, and perform divine service for the souls of the founders, and for such others as were 
 by them appointed. Of these chantries or free chapels, there were at the dissolution 2374, and 
 when to be sold in the second year of Edward VI. were valued together at about 2593/. per an- 
 ■VB), and were iold for 624fl/. 14s. being nearly eighteen years purchase. Slr}fc's, Mem. 
 
 * Lyton's Britannia,
 
 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 297 
 
 How this chantry was endowed is uncertain^ but it appears from the fol- 
 lowing entry in the corporation diary, that it was possessed of a certain tene- 
 ment in Reading, but where situated, or how it was afterwards disposed of, I 
 have not been able to learn. 
 
 " At this congregation, a consultation was had for a lease of a tenement 
 belonging unto Colney chantry, let unto Henry Lynacre, by sir Richard Tur- 
 ner, chaplain of the said chantry, by indenture, for the terra of thirty-one years, 
 beginning at the nativity of our Lord, in the twenty-second year of the reign 
 of king Henry VIII, Richard a Man then being major, at the which con- 
 sultation it was agreed, that if it fortune an exchange to be of the said chap- 
 lain, and a new one to be admitted within the said term of thirty-one years, 
 that the mayor then for the time being, do give and grant the said chantry to 
 him that shall have it, with this addition, that he shall perform and fulfil the 
 grant of the said indenture and lease." 
 
 From so much precaution being taken to prevent the succeeding incum- 
 bent from reaping any advantage from this part of his income, it may be inferred 
 that the lease, or rather the fine paid for it, was very advantageous to the 
 lessor, who was probably the son of Mr. Richard Turner, a gentleman so high 
 in the corporation, as to be chosen mayor five times in the space of eighteen 
 years, and whose influence, probably induced his brethren of the corporation, 
 lo consent to an act so unjustifiable. 
 
 List of the Incumhents. 
 
 Chap. 
 XIV. 
 
 John Corneys 
 
 Anno 
 
 1382 
 
 John Andrews 
 
 Anno 1454 
 
 Henry Hayham 
 
 • 
 
 1393 
 
 Richard Tenant 
 
 1465 
 
 Andrew Carpenter 
 
 • 
 
 1398 
 
 Stephen Whitgrave 
 
 1502 
 
 William Deane 
 
 -• 
 
 1419 
 
 Thomas Justice 
 
 1508 
 
 John Asser 
 
 • 
 
 1420 
 
 Edward Colyer , 
 
 1509 
 
 John Meer 
 
 • 
 
 1453 
 
 Richard Turner 
 
 1523 
 
 The latter gentleman was the last incumbent, and had an annuity of six 
 pounds per annum settled on him for life, when the chantry was dissolved ia 
 the reign of Henry VIII. 
 
 qQ
 
 St, Marj/'s Parish and Church*. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The parish of St. Mary is generally supposed to be included in that part 
 of the borough which was first built upon, and therefore is considered the 
 most ancient of the three parishes of which the town is at present composed.. 
 It is bounded on the north by the river Thames, which separates it from 
 Cavcrsham, on the west side as far as the bridge, from whence, taking in a small 
 mead, now a whitening manufactory, it passes along the centre of the high 
 road, and the lane called the Workhouse lane to the Pangbourn-road, where, 
 turning to the left, it passes along the middle of Broad-street and Butcher-row 
 to the end formerly called Tutte-hill, from thence down Yield-hall, now Hill- 
 hall, to a ditch at the bottom, which forms the boundary on the south, and passing 
 under the north end of tiie Bear inn to the Back-brook, and from thence to 
 the Kennet above the Lock, which from this place becomes the boundary line 
 between this parish and St. Giles's, the remainder on the west side is included 
 within the bounds of the borough, but the hamlet of Southcot belonging to this 
 parish, extends beyond the limits of the borough. The making the river Kennet 
 navigable in 1720, had so confused the line of demarcation between the parishes 
 of St. Mary and St. Giles, that, to prevent any further altercations respecting 
 their boundaries, it was found necessary, in 1788, for each of the vicars with the 
 churchwardens and other respectable inhabitants of the two parishes, to make a 
 survey of the whole line, when it was agreed, " that the slip of land adjoining 
 the Pcnlock-nicad, and the mead itself, about four acres, more or less, are in the 
 possession of St. Mary's, and .also a slip near the Wire-mills, and a meadow and 
 coppice of about four acres, called in Mr. Blagrave's map Wallet-mead, near the 
 said mills. And it has since been proved, that a meadow called Dodd's mead, of 
 three acres, near the said mills, belongs to St. Mary's parish, whose oflScers 
 have since received the taxes for the same."* 
 
 • Parish Register,
 
 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 299 
 
 The church belonging to this parish is supposed to have been the first Chap. 
 rehgious fabric erected in this place after the conversion of the inhabitants, . ^^" 
 from which circumstance it has generally been called the minster, giving its 
 name to the adjoining street. It is a plain massive building without either 
 internal or external ornaments, except in the tower, which is composed of 
 small compartments of flints and stone placed checker-wise. Its form is 
 square, with octangular buttresses at each corner, surmounted with lijrht 
 pinnacles ; in that at the north-east corner, is the stair-case leading to the 
 leads, which are surrounded with battlements. The body of the church con- 
 sists of the nave and side aisle, with the usual encumbrance of pews to ac- 
 commodate the parishioners, which in this country detract so much from the 
 otherwise venerable appearance of our churches. At the east end, is a laro-e 
 handsome chancel, with some neat monuments to the memory of some of the 
 principal benefactors to the town. 
 
 In 1547 the old church, which was probably that first erected here by 
 our Saxon ancestors, being found very much decayed, was taken down, and 
 the present structure erected in its stead, except the spire, which was left 
 standing till 1594, when it was blown down in a violent storm of wind. The 
 expense of rebuilding the church, according to the churchwardens accounts, 
 was only 124/. 3s. bd. including the old materials, and those derived from the 
 interior of the abbey. The expense of erecting the tower was in part paid 
 by a rate on the inhabitants, and in part by the sum of fifty pounds, be- 
 queathed by Mr. John Kenrick in 1624 towards completing the pinnacles. 
 
 In 158G the chancel was wainscoted and furnished with seats at the expense 
 of the parishioners, as appears from the following entry : 
 
 " The parish, this year, at their own proper costs and charges, and by 
 their own good will, and well disposed minds, and because it is requisite and 
 godly, for every christian to come most reverently, orderly, and with all 
 humility to that excellent table of the Lord's supper, being unto them that 
 worthily receive the same, a pearl of most precious prize ; and seeing here- 
 tofore how disorderly, for want of good goveriuiicnt, and lacking of decent 
 room, the said place was disordered, hath caused the chancel to be wainscoted, 
 and seated round about, which cost fourteen pounds, saving, and towards 
 which, Mr. William Powell, vicar, of his own good will, and so to instigate 
 the parishioners in this so godly a deed, gave towards the same forty shillings, 
 and there was laid out of the church stock thirteen shillings and four pence, 
 the remainder was raised by a tax on the seats from eight pence to one penny 
 each, yearly." 
 
 The dissolution^ and consequent destruction cf the abbey, at this period, 
 
 qQ3
 
 300 
 
 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 was a favorable circumstance for the parishioners, as it enabled them to furnish 
 themselves with a 2;reat proportion of the materials they wanted, from the 
 spoils of that once stately fabric, at little more than the expense of taking 
 them down and carrying them away. Among other charges for this purpose, 
 in the churchwardens' books, we find tlie following : 
 
 " Payde for takyng downe of the quycr in the abbeye, and 
 the carrvage home of the same twentye one lodes, 
 
 *' Payde for the rowfe in the abbeye, - - - 
 
 " Pavde for twentye one lodes carryage of tymber out of 
 the abbeye, . _ - _ 
 
 " Payde to Serjcante Hynde for the pyllers, 
 
 '* Payde for the door that stood in the cloyster, and for a 
 stowe in the church, _ _ _ 
 
 " Payde the carter for a lode of stone carriage out of the 
 abbey, _ - » - _ 
 
 It is probable the door here mentioned, is that at the west end of the 
 church, which is evidently of an older date than the rest of the building; the 
 jambs and lintel are of massive free stone, and on each side is an escutcheon, 
 like those on the sides of the west door of St. Lawrence's church, but the 
 arms are no longer discernible. Over the door, is a window, in the Norman style 
 of architecture, as here represented, with the letters T. R. three times repeated. 
 
 £. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 G 
 
 18 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 2 6 
 
 and, near the point of the arch, the letters A.andD.; the former of which, 
 from its make, seems of an earlier date than the construction of this church.
 
 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 201 
 
 From all these evidences, it appears that the greater part of this building 
 was erected from the spoils of the abbey, and particularly from its church, to 
 which it is no doubt indebted for its doors and windows, as well as for its 
 pillars and roof above mentioned. 
 
 The first instance that occurs, after the building of the church, of the 
 election of a parish clerk, was in 1571, when Mr. John Marshal was chosen 
 to fill that office; the duties of which, as well as the emoluments, were care- 
 fully registered in the following entry in the church books : 
 
 " And, for the more orderly discharge of divine service, it was agreed 
 by all the parishioners present, that from henceforth John Marshall, now being 
 admitted clerk, and sexton, shall have thirteen shillings and four pence per 
 annum ; in consideration thereof, he shall, from time to time, see the church 
 clean kept, the seats swept and clean made, the mats beaten, the dogs driven 
 out of the church, the windows made clean, and all other things done that 
 shall be necessary to be done for the good and cleanly keeping of the church, 
 and the quiet of divine service." In addition to these duties, Mr. Marshall 
 was afterwards ordered to ring the eight o'clock bell, for which he was to be 
 paid three shillings and four-pence per annum ; but whether this custom of 
 ringing the curfew bell, as it is called, was introduced at this time, or whether 
 it was of an older date, is uncertain, though it is generally supposed to have 
 «wed its origin to the arbitrary mandate of William the Conqueror, as a 
 signal for the inhabitants to put out their fires and candles at a certain 
 hour ; but of this I believe we have no historical proof. William was too 
 great a politician to have resorted to such an useless exertion of power ; which 
 must rather have irritated a high spirited nation, as yet unaccustomed to sub- 
 mission, than reduced them to that state of passive obedience it was his interest 
 to have brought them to. Moreover, this exercise of arbitrary power, not 
 only in a new reign, but at the commencement of a new dynasty, was as 
 impolitic as ill calculated to answer the end proposed ; because neither 
 night nor darkness are exclusively necessary for political intrigues, or if they 
 were, their absence would not deter the assertors of national freedom from 
 uniting for the purpose of wresting that sacred right from the hands of a 
 despot. If we allow the story its full force, how can we account for the hours 
 appointed for this purpose, in Reading, being different in different parishes ? 
 Is it to be supposed, that the inhabitants of St. Lawrence's parish, whose bell 
 is rung at nine, were indulged with one hour more for their nocturnal meet- 
 ings than their neighbors in St. Mary's ? Certainly not. We may therefore 
 conclude, that this story of the curfew, could have no other foundation than
 
 303 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 Cmp. the reveries of one or two monkish historians, who wrote long after the lime 
 XV. ^ t|,e fact is supposed to have happened. Rapin says, that Poljdore Virgil, a 
 ' forci«rnor, was the first that mentioned this degrading circumstance, deceived 
 perhaps bv the following passage in Malmcsbury, who speaking of Henry I. 
 says, " Lucernarum usuni noctibus in curin rcstituit, cjui fuerat tempore fratris 
 intermissus," /. c. he restored in his court the use of lamps at night, which 
 had been disused in his brother William Rufus's reign— such is the foundation 
 of this foolish stor}', which has been adopted by most of our historians, not- 
 withstanding the silence of contemporary writers, particularly Matthew Paris^ 
 who makes no mention of it. For these reasons, I am inclined to place it 
 among those fables which are still suffered to disgrace our national history. 
 
 This is the first mention in the parish books of this bell, the ringing of 
 which at stated hours, was of singular utility to the manufacturing part of 
 the community, at a time when clocks Avere so far from being of that 
 general use they now are, that very few parish churches, except in large 
 towns, possessed one; without, therefore, recurring to distant ages for the 
 introduction of the curfew bell, we ma}" conclude, that its original intention 
 was merely to regulate tlie hour, and serve as a signal for the workmen to 
 begin and leave off work.* As some trades began work earlier and left off 
 later than others, so we find different hours appointed for ringing the cur- 
 few bell. At St. Lawrence's, as now, the hours were five in the morning 
 and nine at night, but, at St. Mary's, six in the morning and eight at night ; 
 this difference arose from the nature f the manufactures carried on in each 
 parish. In St. Lawence's, they were more various than in St. Mary's, which 
 seems to have been almost exclusively occupied in the woollen manufacture ; 
 these, it is probable, did not work so many hours as the other tradesmen, as 
 is observable at the present day, some manufacturers working more hours than 
 others, and therefore it became necessary for the signal bells to be rung at 
 different periods. This custom of tolling the bells at appointed hours, is still 
 
 * This idea of the use of these bells is confirmed by the following passage in Stowe's Survey 
 of London : " In the year 1469, it was ordained by a common councell, that the Bow bell should be 
 nightly rung at nine of the clock. This bell being usually rung somewhat late, as seemed to the 
 young men, prentises, and other in Cheape, they made and set up a rime against the clerke, as followeth : 
 Clarke of the Bow bell, with the yellow locks, 
 For thy late ringbg, thy head shall have knocks. 
 Whereunto the clerke replying wrote— 
 
 Children of Cheape, hold you all still, 
 
 For you shall have the Bow bell rung at your will.'*
 
 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 303 
 
 continued, though the causes for which it was instituted no longer exist; the Chap. 
 more certain division of time, by means of clocks, having rendered the prac- ^V- 
 tice vmnecessarj. 
 
 It was not till 1611 that this parish was at the expense of purchasino- a 
 clock to be set up in the church, for which, as the town did not at that time 
 possess a clock-maker, they contracted with a person from Windsor, who 
 agreed to make one for the sum of twenty-four pounds thirteen shillings and 
 eight pence, and to give a bond to the parish, with sufficient sureties, for its 
 keeping time : but, notwithstanding this precaution, the workmanship does not 
 appear to have been very correct, as, in addition to his former duties, Mr. 
 Marshall was ordered " to set it so as to go and strike, as near as he could, 
 at due hours." 
 
 In 1614, the arch that divides the chancel from the nave, was built at the 
 expense of the parish, and about the same time the ring of bells was increased 
 by a new one, called " the ' fourth bell,' which did cost one and fifty pounds 
 and sixteen shillings, whereof Mr. doctor Powell the vicar, not only of his 
 good will, love, and zeal, which he beareth towards the honor of God, to have 
 such things provided, that are necessary for the same, but also to stir, incite, 
 provoke, and move the parishioners to be willing and forward in such a good 
 action, he did give towards the said bell the sum of twenty pounds eighteen 
 shillings and seven pence, and the parishioners did pay the rest." 
 
 This stimulus, on the part of the worthy doctor, seems to have had its 
 effect, for, in the following year (1604) " the right worshipful lady Bcnnet 
 Webbe, widow of sir William Webbe, knt. citizen and ironmonger, of Lon- 
 don, and lord mayor in 1591, who was born --t Reading, did give one great 
 bell, by the request of the said doctor Powell, to the honor of God, to finish 
 and make up the whole ring, called the fifth bell, weighing one and twenty 
 hundred weight, one quarter and nineteen pounds, and all other things belong- 
 ing to the same, which did cost one hundred and one pounds, and sixteen 
 shillings, which great bell is called our Lady bell, and it is worthy to be regis- 
 tered, for to remain in memoriam sempiternam." At what time the present 
 ring of eight bells was completed is not mentioned. 
 
 In 1679, the south window, opposite the pulpit, was built by the church- 
 wardens, " which was the only thing they did that deserved praise.'" 
 
 About the same time, an order was made for repairing the roads within the 
 parish, they having become almost impassable, by which " all persons paying 
 two pence a week or upwards, should pay or work six days : all such as paid 
 one penny a week, were to pay or work four days : and those that paid one 
 
 * Parish Register.
 
 304 ST MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 Chap, lialfpenny a week, or were above the degree of receiving collections, should 
 XV. pay or work two days, and those who refused to pay were to be indicted at 
 
 the sessions."* 
 
 The revenues of the vicar, consist of the great and small tithes throughout 
 the parish, easter dues, and surplice fees. The glebe consists only of th« 
 ground attached to the parsonage house, and a small piece of ground called 
 the Lock-mead, or the Vicar's orchard, containing tifty-one square or super- 
 ficial poles, now making part of the garden belonging to the Bear inn There 
 is beside a house, on the south side of Castlc-strcct, belonging to the vicarage. 
 The rectorial tythes were granted by queen Elizabeth, in 1573. 
 
 In addition to the above, the vicar receives ten pounds per annum, the 
 gift of Mr. Kendrick, for reading morning prayers, out of which sum he pays 
 the clerk thirty shillings. He also receives three pounds eleven shillings per 
 annum, being the interest of S. S. stock purchased with the sum of one hundred 
 pounds, left for that purpose by Mrs. Thorne. John Blagrave, esq. in 1611, 
 left ten shillings per annum to the vicar for the time being, for ever, for a 
 sermon to be preached on Good-friday ; and Mrs. West, in 1717, left one 
 pound per annum for a sermon to be preached on St. Thonias's-day every year, 
 at one of the three churches alternately. 
 
 Beside the above gifts for extra duties, the vicar receives annually one 
 pound ten shillings, being one third of the tenth part of Mr. Allen's gift. 
 
 The church is rated in the king's books at eleven pounds twelve shillings 
 and three pence halfpenny, and the yearly tenths at one pound three shillings 
 and two pence three farthings. The living is in the gift of the lord chancellor. 
 
 Tricars of this parish since the erection of Ihe present church, 
 
 Mr. William Powell, - - 1571 
 
 John Dennison, D. D. - 1614 
 
 Thomas Bunbury, D. D.* - 1628 
 
 Christopher Fowlerjf - 1641 
 
 * Parish Register. 
 
 * Of Baliol college, was admitted D. D. June lo, 1644. He succeeded doctor John Dennison 
 in the vicarage of St. Mary's, Reading, but being put out there by the presbyterians, when that town 
 came into their possession, he fled to Oxford for protection. Wood's Athena. 
 
 + Christopher Fowler, son of John Fowler, of Marlborough, at the age of sixteen, became a 
 servitor of Magdalen college in 1627, where continuing till he was B. A. he retired to St. Edmund's- 
 hall, took the degree of master of that faculty, entered into holy orders, and preached for some time 
 in Oxford, and afterwards at West-woodhay, near Donnington-castle, Berks. At length, upon the 
 turn of the times, in 1641, he closed with the presbyterians (having before been puritanically affected) 
 took the covenant, and became a very conceitc and fantastical preacher among them. For by his
 
 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 305 
 
 Peter Mews, LL.D* - - 1663 Chap. 
 
 William Llojd, D. D, - 1667 ^ ^^• 
 
 Abraham Brookshanks, - - 1676 
 
 very many odd gestures and antic behaviour, (unbecoming the serious gravity to be used in the pulpit,) 
 lie drew constantly to his congregation a numerous crowd of silly women, and young people, who 
 ■seemed to be hugely taken and ennamoured with his obstreporousness, and undcccnt cants. Soon 
 after t^is, being a zealous brother for the cause, he became vicar of St. Mary's, Reading, and assistant 
 to the commissioners of Berks, for the ejection of such that were then called by the godly party, 
 scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient ministers, and schoolmasters, and at length fellow of Eaton 
 college, near Windsor, notwithstanding he had refused the engagement. After the restoration, he lost 
 his fellowship of Eaton, and being deprived ot his cure at Reading, for non-conformity, retired to 
 London, and afterwards to 'Kennington, near Newington St, Mary, Surrey, and carried on the trade 
 of conventicling to his last. His works are these : 
 
 Demonium Meridianum, Satan at Noon, or Antichristian Blasphemies, Antichristian Divilismes, 
 &c. being a sincere rehtion of the proceedings of the commissioners of the county of Berks, against 
 John Pordage, late rector of Bradiield in Berks, who being ejected by the said commissioners, as 
 having been conversant with evil spirits, as they said, and for blasphemy, ignorance, scandalous beha- 
 viour, devilismes, uncleanness, &c. wrote a book called ' Innoccncy Appearing,' &c. in his own 
 vindication. 
 
 Devioniim Mirtdianmn, 2d part, discovering the slanders and calumnies cast upon some corpo- 
 rations, with forged and false articles upon fhe author, in a pamplet entitled, The Case of Reading 
 rightly Stated, &c. by the abettors of the ;aid John Pordage. 
 
 A Word to Infant Baptism, and a Glaunce to Mr. Pindarres his Arrows sgiinst Babylon. 
 
 Answer of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Assistants of Reading in Beiks, to a scandalous Pamphlet 
 entitled, " The Case of the Town of Reading stated." These two last are printed with the second 
 •part of Demonium Meridianum, 
 
 Sober Answer to an Angry Epistle, directed to all public Teachers in the Nation. In the com- 
 position of which work he was assisted by one Simon Ford, a minister in Reading, but which was 
 soon after severely animadverted upon by that noted quaker George Fox, in his book entitled, ' Tha 
 Great Mystery of the Great Whore unfolded,' &c. Beside which he wrote a great variety of Sermons' 
 At length he died in Southwark, in the latter end of January I67-5-, and was buried in St. John 
 Baptist's church-yaid, near Dowgate, in London. Wood's Athen<2-. 
 
 * Peter Mews, LL. D. bishop of Winchester, was a native of Purse-candel, in the county of 
 Dorset, born 25th of March, 1618. He was educated, at Merchant Taylors school, by Dr. Winnif 
 his uncle, then dean of St. Paul's, and thsnci eh^cted scholar, and fellow of St. John's college, 
 Oxford, ini637. He became A. B. 1641, M. A. 1645, and, during the civil war, was an officer 
 in the king's army. He went on the king's service into Holland in 1648, but returned to his college 
 and proceeded LL.D. 1660. He was successively rector of South Warmborough, Hants, and St. 
 Mary's, in Reading, archdeacon of Huntingdon, canon of St. David's and Windsor 1662. He waa 
 made archdeacon of Berks 1665, on which he resigned the archdeaconry of Huntingdon. In 1667, 
 he was made golden prebendary of St. David's, and succeeded Dr. Bailey in the presidentship of St. 
 John's. He was vice-chancellor of Oxford, from iG'Jg to 167!. Dean of Rochester 1G70, and 
 bjshop of Bath and Wells, February 9th, 1672, in which diocess he was greatly beloved by the loyal 
 gentry, who were almost unanimous in all elections, and public aflairs during his residence amongst 
 them. On the death of bishop Moiley, he was translated to Winchester, November 22, 1684, and 
 
 r R
 
 306 
 
 ST. MARYS PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 William Reeves, - - HH 
 
 Francis Fox, M. A. - - l'?26 
 
 Robert Bolton, D. C. L.* - 1738 
 
 Charles Sturges, - - 1763 
 
 Rev. Archdeacon Narcs, - 1805 
 
 J terrier or rent roll of St. Manfs parish in 1556. 
 
 £. s. (I. 
 
 A quit rent out of a tenement at Tunnyl Lock,t - 6 
 
 A quit rent out of a barn in Lurkman's-lane, - 1 
 
 A quit rent out of a house in Grope-lane,]; - - 3 
 
 A quit rent for a house in Minster-street, - 4 
 A quit rent of Richard Butler, the nvjWer of Burficld, 
 
 for his house in Minster-street, - - 6 
 
 A year's rent for the house of the hill, - - 1 8 
 A year's rent for the tenement at Cornish-cross.;}; called 
 
 the clerk's house, - - - 6 8 
 
 A year's rent of the thatched house, - - 6 
 
 A year's rent for a house opposite the Bear, - 18 
 
 A year's rent for a house in the Butts, - - 1 4 
 
 Total 3 8 
 
 Terrier in 1 799. 
 Mr. Vatchell's chancel, per annum, - - 1 
 
 Rent of a house in Castle-street, in the occupation of 
 
 Mr. Abery, baker, - - - 2 8 
 
 Carried forward - - 3 8 
 
 next year, was commanded by the king, in compliance with the request of the gentr\' of Somerset, 
 to go against Monmouth, and did eminent ser\'ice at the battle of Sedgemoor ; where he managed the 
 artillery, for which he was rewarded with a rich medal. He was a prelate remarkable for his hospi- 
 tality, generosity, justice, and frequent preaching. He died November 9, 1706, sged 8g, and was 
 
 buried in Winchester cathedral Hutchin's History and Antiquit.es of Dorsetshm. 
 
 He presented the corporation of Reading with the picture of archbishop Laud, now in the 
 council-chamber, but whether it was an original, taken in the archbishop's life time, or only a copy, 
 is uncertain. Su pagt 48. 
 
 * He was also dean of Carlisle. 
 + Now called Lock -mead, situated behind the Bear inn. 
 + The site of those marked thus cannot now be ascertained ; though I am inclined to think 
 Coniish-cross stood where the weighmg-engine now is,
 
 £. s. 
 3 8 
 
 
 
 Chap. 
 XV. 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 v«»-v-*. 
 
 1 10 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 G 
 
 
 9 18 
 
 6 
 
 
 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 30T 
 
 Brought forward 
 Rent of Mr. Dixon's house in the Butts, 
 Rent of Mr. Earles's house in Castle-street, 
 Rent of Mr. John Deane's house, - - 
 
 Total 
 
 Copy of an ancient deed relative to some premises situated in St, MarxTs 
 
 Butts^ belonging to this parish, 
 
 " To all faithful christians, to whom this present writing shall come, I John, 
 by divine permission, abbot of Redyng and convent of the same place, 
 greeting in the Lord everlasting. 
 
 *' Q3l)trCaS, Henry Webbe and John Wyke, procurators or church- 
 wardens of the parish church of the blessed Mary of Redyng aforesaid, hold 
 of us in right of the aforesaid church of the blessed Mary, a certain tenement 
 situate in the town of Redyng aforesaid, in a certain street called from anti- 
 quity Olde-street, otherwise Wode-strcet, in a certain place called Bcrnard's- 
 hill, containing in length fourscore feet, and in breadth thirty feet of legal 
 measure, yielding therefore yearly to us and our successors two shillings and 
 sixpence per annum, to be paid at the feast of St. Michael the archangel, for 
 all service ; Be it known, that we, through reverence of God, and for the 
 honor of the glorious virgin Mary, the estate and possession, which the 
 aforesaid procuiators of the church aforesaid have in the aforesaid tenement, 
 with the appertenances, to them and their successors procurators of the church 
 aforesaid, deem it meet for tl^e rent of twelve pence for the rent aforesaid, to 
 be paid yearly at the feast of St. Michael the archangel, in lieu of all exactions 
 and demands, to confirm, ratify, and for us and our successors, by these pre- 
 sents, to grant and approve, and further for us and our successors, to remise, 
 release, and quit claim to tlie aforesaid Henry Webbe and Jolm Wjke, pro- 
 curators of the church aforesaid, and their successors, all our right and claim 
 and demand, which, in the aforesaid tenement, with the appertenances, we and 
 our successors can in future have, saving always to us and to our successors, 
 the said rent of twelve pence. In witness to this our present deed, we ha\e 
 affixed our common seal. 
 
 ♦' Dated at Reading aforesaid, in our cliaptcr house, t'le tcntli day 
 of (he month of March, in the twenty-eighth year ( ! i*^) of the 
 reign of king Henry tl.e sixth." 
 
 r K 2
 
 308 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 (^jj^p It is probable the land here mentioned as making part of the possessions 
 
 XV. of the abbey, was alienated at the dissolution, and consequently lost to this 
 parish ; but if it is included in the foregoing rent roll, it might be that now 
 let to Mr. Dixon, though, from the improvement of the road before it, it 
 cannot be said to be situated on a hill. 
 
 For the benefactions belonging to this parish, see the list of charities^ 
 
 Remarkable entries in the churcJiKardens book. 
 
 1555 Payde the man for watching the sepulcher, - 
 
 Payde the mynstrells, - - _ 
 
 Payde for a cap and two fethers, - - - 
 
 1557 Payde to the mynstrells and the hobby horse upon May-day, 
 Payde to the morrys daunsers and the mynstrells mete and 
 
 drynke at Whitsontyde, - _ « 
 
 Payde to the paynter for paynting their cotes, 
 Payde upon Holy Thursday for the Lords breakfast, 
 
 1558 Payde for hallowing the altars, . _ _ 
 Payde for a pound and halfe of frankinsense, 
 
 1566 Item for makyng of the butts. 
 
 Item for wrytinge of the scripture about the church, 
 
 1570 Paid for two paxe of cardes, - - - 
 
 1571 It is agreed that Mr. Powell, vicar, shall have half the 
 pascall money, he paying for half the bread and wine, 
 according to the agreement made with the old vicar. 
 
 1604 Item to the ringers when the queene came through the town, 18 
 1612 Item to the ringers when the king came through the town, 7 
 1622 Paid the two laborers to playne the grounde where the 
 
 butts should be, - - - 5 6 
 
 1626 Paid for carving Mr. John Kenricke's arms over the 
 
 south arch of the tower, - - . 2 6 
 
 1643 For ringing for the king, at his return from Branford 
 
 after the fight, - - - > 1 
 
 1654 Paid for ringing for the lord protector, - - 6 8 
 
 1670 It was ordered that Lovejoy's boy shall be carried to 
 
 London, to be touched for the king's evill, at the 
 
 charge of the parish. 
 1674 It was ordered, that any person receiving strangers into 
 
 £, 
 
 5. 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 6
 
 ST. MARY'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 309 
 
 their houses, and not giving security to the parishioners 
 within 40 daies, their taxes should be doubled. 
 
 1687 Paid for ringing when the king canie^ - 
 
 1688 Paid for ringing when the prince of Wales was borne. 
 Paid for ringing when the prince of Orange was proclaimed, 
 
 1691 Paid for ringing three days at the king's return from Ireland, 1 
 Memorandum : that upon the 22d day of November Tanfield 
 Vatchell, esq. and Anthony Blagrave, esq. were elected 
 burgesses for this borough, and both of them inhabitants 
 of this parish. 
 
 
 
 
 Chap. 
 
 £, 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 XV. 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 Si*-V-^ 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 19 
 
 

 
 St, Lawrence^ s Parish and Church. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Chap. ThE parish of St. Lawrence is situated on the north-east extremity of the 
 
 borough, and is bounded on that side by the Thames, on the south by the 
 river Kennet, which separates it from the parish of St. Giles, and on the west 
 by Caversham-road, and the boundary line of St. Mary's parish. 
 
 Though this is the least extensive of the three parishes, it is nearly equal 
 to the others in the number of inhabitants, and possesses the greater part of 
 the trade of the town, including within its boundaries the wharfs, the markets, 
 and most of the principal shops for the sale of goods of every description. 
 The church stands on the north side of the market-place, at tbe entrance into 
 the Forbury. It was erected towards the close of the fifteenth century, on 
 the site of the original church dedicated to St. Lawrence. Like that of St. 
 Mary, it was indebted to the abbey for some of the materials used in its con- 
 struction, consisting however chiefly of stone work, such as door-ways, window- 
 frames, and pillars, it having been previously despoiled of its timbers, doors, 
 &c. for other buildings. Among the parts appropriated to this building, may 
 be reckoned the great western door-way, composed of a circular arch, orna- 
 mented with rich mouldings, from which were suspended, on each side, the 
 arms of the abbey, but so obliterated, by the corrosive power of the air, as 
 to be no longer visible.* On one of the pillars adjoining the corporation- 
 pew, is a very ancient escutcheon, engraved apparently on wood in two com- 
 partments, dexter avAXTc, the virgin Mary with the infant Jesus on her left 
 arm, and a lighted torch in her right hand — sinister, on the top a lamb, and 
 Ander it the figure of an ass, rudely carved. This also, probably belonged to 
 
 • These have been lately restored.
 
 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 311 
 
 the abbey, the virg-in and child being the principal figures on their seal, but 
 can have no reference to the corporation. 
 
 The form of this church very much resembles that of St. Mary, but is 
 superior to it in the lightness and elegance of its construction, notwithstanding 
 the latter is generally preferred for its variegated tower, whose novel appear- 
 ance, by its striking effect at first sighf, obtains the preference of the observer 
 before the mind has time to form a just opinion ; whereas it is only from a 
 minute inspection, that we discover the several beauties of the former, and 
 acknowledge, that in uniformity of design, simplicity of style, and elegance 
 of its decorations, it i& superior to St. Mary's, in every particular necessary 
 for the construction of a building appropriated to religious worship.* 
 
 On each side the west door, next the street, are nitches, for the reception 
 of images, but these were taken away, either at the reformation, or in the sub- 
 sequent civil war, in the reign of Charles I. Beside those on the outside the 
 church for ornament, there were within, for religious worship, those of St. 
 Clement, St. Thomas, St. Lawrence, our lady Mary, St. Leonard, St. Vincent, 
 St. John, St. George, St. Nicholas, and the twelve apostles, with Judas Is- 
 cariot, but this last, with the holy sepulchre, the coffin, and the instruments of 
 the crucifixion, were perhaps only used at the easter festivals, the others served 
 to decorate the ditierent altars ; these were seven in number. The high altar, 
 adorned with the crucifix in the centre, and the images of St.' Mary and St. 
 John on each side, of silver gilt, weighing six pounds seven ounces, St. Tho 
 mas'sf altar, St. George's, St. John's, Our Lady's, the Sepulchral altar, and 
 Jesus' altar. 
 
 In the reign of Edward VI. commissioners were appointed io visit all the 
 churches, to remove the images, and take away the superfluous plate and orna- 
 ments, leaving only one or two chalices of silver, with linen for the communion 
 table and surplices. The plate, and all things of value, were to be brought to the 
 
 * There is a tradition in the town, that St. Lawrence's was built by an apprentice of the person 
 who constructed St. Mary's, and that his master was so struck with the superiority of this building 
 over his own, that in a fit of vexation he threw himself off St, Mary's steeple and was killed. 
 
 + On repairing this church in 1802, a painting was discovered under the whitewash, on the north 
 east side of the altar, but too much obliterated to be made out. This was probably over the altar of 
 St. Thomas. As this custom of whitewashing the pictures in our churches was very general after the 
 reformation, it is reasonable to suppose, that several of these works of art may, in like manner, have 
 been obliterated in the other churches. 
 
 In the churchwarden's book for 1526 is a charge of 6/. ty. ^d. for painting the transfiguration 
 on the high altar. 1 have been informed that this was still visible under the whitewash, b^ioie the 
 present altar-piece was erected. 
 
 * King Edward's Journal.
 
 312 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 Chap, treasurer of the king's household, and the money arising from the sale of fhe 
 X^ I* remainder, was to be distributed to the poor, who, says the historian/' had, how- 
 ever the least share of it." The quantity of plate, and other things, belonging 
 to this church, given in the following inventory, was taken a few years prior 
 to the reformation : 
 
 *' Imprimis, a crosse of silver and gilt, with Mary and John, weying Ixxix 
 
 ounces and a qrt of the gifte of master Nichs More, late vicar. 
 " Itin, a sensor of silver gilt without a pan, weying xxx ounces and iij qrts of 
 
 the gift of 
 
 " Itm, a nother sensor of silver gilt with an iron pan in liyra, weying xxx 
 
 ounces and iij qrts. 
 " lira, a shipp of silver, weying ix ounces. 
 
 *' Itm, a nother shipp of silver weying v ounces, of the giffe of maister Cletche, 
 " Itm, ij candle sticks of silver weying xlj ounces of the gifte of Richd Cleche. 
 " Itm, ij bokes a gospello and a pistello the one side coverd with silver gilt, 
 
 with images vppon the same and the other side with boces of silver weying 
 
 yn all cxxxiiij ovnces, of the gifte of Mr. Richard Smyth, yeoman of the 
 
 robes with our sourayne lord the kyng. 
 " Itm, ij basons of siluer weying xlviij ovnces and \ of the gifte of Mr. Smyth. 
 " Itm, a pip of siluer and gilt with a siluer pyn, waving xvj ovnces and iij qrts 
 
 hangyng in the church. 
 " Itm, a monstre of siluer and gilt weying xxiiij ovnces and iij qrts. for the 
 
 sacrament. 
 " Itm, a crismatorye of siluer gilt weying xxij ovnces and qrt. 
 " Itm, a pyp of siluer gilt weying vj ovnces. 
 " Itm, ij ernetts* of silver weying vj ounces aud halfe. 
 " Itm, a bell of siluer weying viij ounces. 
 " Itm, a chalice of siluer and gilt with a crucifix on the fete ennamelled and 
 
 the trynitie ennamellyd on the patent weying xxv ovnces. 
 " Itm, a nother chalice of siluer and gilt with a crucifix graven in the fote and 
 
 an hand on the patent weying xviij ovnces. 
 " Itm, a nother chalice of siluer and gilt with a crucifix ennamcllyd on the 
 
 fote and an hand on the patent weying xv ounces and iij qrtrs. 
 " Itm, a nother chalice of silver and gilt with a crucifix ennamelled on the 
 
 fote and y' trynitys enamelled on the patent, weying xvij ovnces and ^. 
 
 • Small urns.
 
 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 313 
 
 " Itm, a nother chalice of siluer gilt with a crucifix on the fote and a vernacle* Chap. 
 
 on the patent weying xiiij ovnces and a qrtr. " XVI. 
 
 " Itm, another chalice of silver gilt with a crucifix on the fote and a vernacle 
 
 gilt on the patent, weying xiij ovnces. 
 " Itm, a nother chalice of siluer gilt, weying xviij ovnces and a half, of the 
 
 gifte of William Stamford. 
 " Itm, a crosse of siluer and gilt with pte of the holy crosse therein weying vj 
 
 ovnces and a qrtr. 
 *' Itm, a gredyron of silver and gilt with a bone of saynt laurence therein 
 
 weymg iij qrtrs of an ovnce, of the gifte of Tiios. iyade Esqr. 
 " Itm, a rownde box of copr and gilt with divrs reliques therein. 
 " Itm, a table closed with reliques. 
 " Itm, iiij knoppis of coppr and gilt. 
 
 THE VESTMENTS. 
 
 " Imprimis, a cope of clothe of gold of crynison velvett and blewe vclvett of 
 
 the gifte of Mr. Thomas Justice, vicar. 
 " Itm, a cope of blewe velvett with flounces imbroidered of the gifte of Thos. 
 
 Clarke, hosier. 
 " Itm, a cope of crymson velvett with orphrayesf imbroidered, and angells 
 
 flounces, of the gifte of Mr. Thomas Justice, vicar. 
 " Itm, a cope of white damaske tissue with rosys of gold, of the gifte of Raphe 
 
 AVhite of Okyngham. 
 " Itra, a cope of black worsted with branches and birds of red. 
 " Itm, a cope of red silke with signes of the son of the gifte of Danl. Robe, 
 
 of Redyng, monke. 
 " Itm, a sewte of blew velvett with flounces imbroidered, of the gifte of 
 
 Thomas Clarke, hosyer. 
 " Itm, a chesible with a vest and all thapparell of blew silke, the orfray red 
 
 velvett with images and crownes of gold. 
 "■ Itm, a chesible of cloth of bawdekyn,| the orfray of cloth of bawdekyn with 
 
 th'apparell, of the gifte of John Derby, aldeman of london. 
 *« Itm, a chesible of grene damaske, the orfraye of red silke, with an image 
 
 of seynt Lawrence, of the gifte of Margaret Parker of faryngdon. 
 
 » Vernicle, from St. Veronica, whose handkerchief it is pretended received the impression of 
 Christ's face, from his having used it in his way to his crucifixion. 
 
 + Gold embroidered with frieze. 
 
 J A tissue of cloth of gold embroidered with silk. 
 
 S S
 
 814 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 Chap. « itm, a cliesible of white damaske with branches of gold, the orfrey of blew 
 ■^^^* velvett, the gifte of John Thome, abbott of R. 
 
 " Itm, ij awter clothes of velvett, blew and blak, of the gifte of master Smyth. 
 " Itm, a quyshon, the one side cloth of gold, the other side crem color saten, 
 
 the gift of Mr. Smith. 
 " Itm, ij pillows, the one side of them of cloth of gold and silver, and the 
 
 other side grene satcn. 
 " Itm, iij pyllows of russctt ray for weddings. 
 " Itm, a corpus case, with the salutation of our Lady. 
 " Itm, a nether of cloth of bawdekyn, with ij lyons. 
 " Itm, a canapie of crymson velvett imbroidered with gold flounces and the 
 
 holy tombe in the myddle. 
 " Itm, a pall of blew velvett imbroidered with flounces of gold, of the gifte 
 
 of Thos. Clarke, hosier. 
 <■' Itm, a pall of w hit silke lyned with lynen cloth for weddings. 
 ^' Itm, a cloth to ley in the wedding cheyre. 
 " Itm, a baner of red sarsenet for the crosse with images of the trinitie and 
 
 of our ladie. 
 " Itm, V baners of silke with the armys of Englond. 
 " Streamers 3, one of sylke and ij of lynen. 
 " Itm, ij dext clotlies. 
 
 " Itm, a knop of gold with tassells of blewe sylke. 
 " Awter clothes of lynen 20. 
 " Towells of diapper 7. 
 " Itm, a cotte lor mary magdeleyn, of cloth of gold." 
 
 At the accession of queen Mary, these instruments of papal superstition 
 were again introduced into the church, and a new Judas was provided for the 
 use of the paschal, which cost the parish four-pence. And that the old order 
 of things might be more quietly restored, Philip and Mary honored the town 
 with a visit, at the solemnity of restoring the altars to their former places. 
 The high altar was erected in the chancel; St. John's, in the body of the 
 church ; the middle altar in the south side, as was also that called our Lady's 
 altar of the nativity, and St. Thomas's, on the north side the chancel. On 
 this occasion, their majesties gave the parish a part of the Forbury to enlarge 
 the church-yard, which, since the dissolution, was found too small for the size 
 of the parish ; before this period, many of the parishioners were interred in 
 the abbey cemetery. The new ground was walled round at the expense of the 
 parish, as appears from the following entry in the churchwardens accounts 
 for 1557.
 
 ST LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 315 
 
 " Memorandum. That in (he month of August 1557, and the third and Chap 
 fourth of Philip and Mary, king and queen of England, Fraunce, of both XVl 
 Sicilies, and Ireland, defenders of the faithe, archd^uke of Austria, duke of 
 Burgundie, Millajne, and Brabant, counties of Aspurge, Flanders and Tirole, 
 John Bell being then major of Redyng. Hit was graunted by the quenj's 
 majestic unto the inhabitants of this parish a certayne grounde next unto the 
 parish churche, for to erect and make thereof a chnrchc yard, as by the wall 
 it doth and- may appere, which saide grounde so graunted is in recompcnce to 
 the parishe, for a nother church yarde belonging unto the parish, Ijingnexte 
 unto the late churche of the late monasterie there, and from the said inhabit- 
 ants taken. The charges of makjng the said newc churche jarde was payed 
 by the inhabitants in manner following, to wit, fore everie perche of the saide 
 wall contaynynge eighteen fotes, seven shillings." 
 
 " The new church yard, with the altars above mentioned, was conse- 
 crated on the second of May following, being Sunday, by William Fyuche, 
 suffragan to the bishop of Bath and Wells." 
 
 In the following year, on the accession of queen Elizabeth to the throne, 
 the altars were again removed out of the church, and an order of council sent 
 to take down the two pair of organs ; but this not being immediately complied 
 with, a more peremptory mandate was sent, when " it was agreed by the wor- 
 shypfuU of the parishe, that (he organes in St. John's chaunsell, for that they 
 should not be forfeited into the hands of the organ takers, shoulde be taken 
 downe and solde, and the tymbcr of them to be applied, to sett up two seats 
 higher for Mr Major and his brethren, above the seats that they now sit in." 
 The tower was furnished with five bells ; the largest weighed 3-t cwt. 
 1 qr. 10 lb. and was presented to the parish by Mr. Harry Kelsal, on which 
 account it was called the Kelsal, or Great Harry ; it was consecrated in 1499, 
 according to the superstitious practice of the age, by the vicar, who received 
 six shillings and eight pence for his fee ; "^ and over that sir William Symys, 
 Richard Cleche, and maistres Symys beying god faders and god-moder at the 
 consecration of the same bell, and beryng al other costs to the suffrygan." 
 
 This bell was re-cast, by subscription, in 1596, when the weight was in- 
 creased to 36 cwt. 2 qr. 21 lb. The following is a list of the subscribers : 
 
 /. s. d. 
 One hundred and thirty two parishioners, 6 18 4 
 
 The bachelors of the parish, - - 16 9 
 
 Fifty-five parishioners of St. Mary's, - 2 18 
 
 Carried forward, £ 9 16 9 
 
 s s 2
 
 9 
 
 IG 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 316 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 £. s. d. 
 Chap. „ 
 
 "^W, Brought over. 
 
 Seventeen parishioners of St. Giles's, 
 
 The vicar of Shiplake, 
 
 The vicar of Sonning, 
 
 Sir John Radley, 
 
 The miller of Caversham, 
 
 Several persons in the country. 
 
 In 1663, the five bells, with some additional metal, were re-cast, and 
 three more added to their number ; these have since been increased to twelve, 
 forming a very complete ring. 
 
 I am not certain at what time the first clock was put up in this church, 
 but it must have been soon after its erection, as I find a charge, in the church- 
 wardens' books, " for wire for the clock," as early as 1499. 
 
 The honorable Daines Barington, in his History of Clocks, supposes them 
 to have been introduced into this country in the thirteenth century,* at which 
 period he thinks they were common in several parts of Italy, and, as a proof, 
 quotes the following passage from Dante :f 
 
 Iiidi come orologio, die nc chiami, 
 Nel liora die la sposa d'Iddio surge, 
 A mattinar lo sposa, perche Vami. 
 
 But, the orologio in this place, I conceive means no more than a common 
 bell, which he owns was frequently called by this name, and might have been 
 used, in the above passage, to express the solemn sound of (he matin bell. 
 
 * Anderson, in his History of Commerce, says, that clocks were not introduced till the four- 
 taenth century ; and Brown Willis, in his Account of Mitred Abbeys, says, that " Richard of Wal- 
 lingford, abbot of St. Albans, presented a clock to that church in 1326, the like whereof was not to 
 be seen in all England :" but whether he meant for the ingenuity of its workmanship, or as being an 
 unique in this country, is doubtful. Father Barre, in his General History of Germany, says, that 
 " in the year of Christ 805, Haroun al Rashid, caliph of the Arabians, sent, among other presents to 
 Charlemagne, a water clock of very uncommon mechanism, considering the age. It was of brass' 
 and struck the hours:" and Du Cange, in his Annals, adds, that " this clock shewed the hours by 
 the fall of balls of metal on the bell, and by the figures of knights, which opened and shut doors 
 according to the number of hours." But whatever this instrument was, it could not have been suck 
 a clock as is spoken of above. 
 
 + Dante was born in 1269, and died in 1321.
 
 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 317 
 
 This opinion is strengthened by the remainder of the passage, which the hon- Chaf. 
 orable writer has omitted. XVI. 
 
 Che I'unn parte e V ultra tira cd urge, 
 
 Tin, tin, sonando, con si dolce not a, 
 
 Che 7 ben disposto spirlo d'amor turgc. 
 
 He ceas'dj like solemn chimes at noon of nijrht. 
 That call the spouse of God, her faith to plight. 
 And love for love with fervent heart return ; 
 When sound to sound responsive vibrates clear. 
 And falls so sweetly on the vestal's ear. 
 
 She feels her heart with holy ardor burn. Borjd's Dante. 
 
 It is a well known custom in monasteries to summons the monks and nuns 
 to matins, by the chiming of a bell at midnight, or, ncl liora che la sposa 
 d'Idio surge, as the poet has expressed it; and t]\e tin, fin, sonnndo, const 
 dolce nota, is very applicable to the soft and solemn sound of the chiming- 
 bell, but has no similitude to the monotony of a clock striking the hour. 
 
 However, whether they were invented in the thirteenth or fourteenth 
 century, it is certain that this is a remarkable early instance of a clock being 
 put up in a country parish church. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth was a frequent visiter here, on which occasions a seat 
 was appropriated to her use in the chancel of this church, and when her ma- 
 jesty was present, the seat was hung with tapestry, and the aisles strewed with 
 rushes and flowers. The door on the north side the church was made at her 
 expense, on the solicitation of Mr. S.mjth, the vicar, who also obtained from 
 her majesty an order for repairing the chancel, at the expense of the crown, 
 it appearing on the records to have been customary from time immemorial. 
 The following were cited on this occasion : 
 " Auditor Thomson's his office. Com. Berks. 
 
 " There hath not been anie allowance made for repairing of the chaunsell 
 of St. Lawrence in Redyng before her majesties auditor of the said countie 
 since the beginning of her majestie's reigne hitherto, neverthelesse it should 
 seem that the said chaunsell ys to be repaired by her majestic, for that the 
 same was repaired in the 10th yere of hir highness' reign by Lewis Stockett 
 gent, then surveyor of hir majestie's works, by warrant from the late chan- 
 sellour of the court of exchequer, as apperith by a certificate under the hand 
 of John Coiners, esquier, hereunto annexed, SOth Junii 1591. 
 
 " Ex"* p. Rica Sutton, in absen. 
 
 Jo. Thomson, auditor."
 
 318 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 "■ Auditor Coiners his office. 
 " III Ihe act of Lewis Stockctt, surveyor of hir majestie's works, anno 
 regni dna? Elizabetli. regina duodecimo, &c. amonge other ys conteyned as 
 foUowetli, viz. Rcparacons done upon f house,* barn and stable and garrets 
 at Redvng, with fourteen pounds fifteen shillings and four pence. For mend- 
 in"- and repayryng the chaunscll of the church of St. Lawrence, adjoynyng to 
 the said house, the sum of six pound three shillings and nine pence. 
 
 " Ex** per Jo. Coiners, aud." 
 " Office of Works. 
 
 " Upon search made within the saide office, yt appereth that in the moneth 
 of September L)88 there was bestowed upon the repaire of the chaunsell of the 
 church of St. Lawrence, adjoynyng to the queen's majastie's howse at Redyng, 
 the sume of fourteen pounds fifteen shillings and ten pence. 
 
 '' Thomas Fowler." 
 Annexed to these extracts from the public offices, we find the following 
 entry in the church-wardens' books for the year 1593 : 
 
 " The chaunsell was lately repaired at the costes of the queen's majestie ; 
 our vicar, Mr, Smyth, following the long suite thereof, and obteyned of the 
 lord treasurer, through the reddye helpe and counsell of her majestie's super- 
 visor. And the lord treasurer allotted twenty nine pounds ten shillings, to 
 be received of the queen's auditors, towards the reparacon thereof: being 
 comitted to Mr. EUys Burgessc, then major, and the said vicar, to be bestowed 
 thereon, which was done according," 
 
 At present the chancel is repaired by the parishioners. 
 This church, like St. Mary's, was not completed till many vears after it» 
 foundation, as it was not ceiled till 1637, when sir Francis Knollys gave ten 
 pounds towards the expense, and, at the same time, built the small aisle on the 
 south side, for a seat and burial place for himself and familv, which, the 
 following year, was consecrated by the bishop of the diocess. 
 
 On the same side the church, and in a line with the above-mentioned 
 aisle, is a portico or covered way, called the church walk, built with the sum 
 of one hundred pounds, left for that purpose to the corporation, by John 
 Blagrave, esq. On a stone, over the centre pier, is the following inscription : 
 
 Johannes Blagravius, 
 
 Gencrosus Matheseos, 
 
 Encomiis celeberrimus, 
 
 Libras C. ad ambulacrum 
 
 hoc cxtruendura dedit, quod 
 
 * Tl.e gate-house, at the entrance into the Forbun-, which abutted against the church.
 
 wtm 
 
 ^.ti^uiS;

 
 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 319 
 
 Opus Major Biirgensesque (pije 
 
 Beneficii luijiis infer cetera 
 
 Memoriae ergo) perficiendura 
 
 curariint. 
 
 Feb" 1619.* > 
 
 Si. Lawrence'' s terrier in 1498. 
 
 Half an aqer of mcde lying in Langley, in the parish of Tylchurst, /. 
 
 let to John Wylder of the Thcle, per an. - 
 
 A tenemente in the est side of the Market-place, - - 
 
 A tenemente in Gutter-lane, - - - 
 
 s. 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 7 
 
 d. 
 1 
 
 
 
 Carried forward, ^ 18 1 
 
 • On the south wall, near the pulpit, is a monument representing a book-case or library, in the 
 centre of which is a bust of this gentleman, holding a globe in his right hand, and a sector in his left. 
 Two female figures support the pediment inscribed with the words cubus and tetraedon. On the 
 pediment are two others, inscribed ocTAED RON and dodecaedron, and a fifth, in the centre, is 
 inscribed icosaedron : being the names of the five regular solids of equal and equilateral triangles. 
 Beneath is the following inscription : 
 
 Johannes Blagravius, totus mathematicus, cum matre sepultus. 
 Obiit 9 Augusti i5ii. 
 Here lies his corps, which living had a spirit, 
 Wherein all worthy knowledge did inheiit. 
 By which with zeal, our God he did adore, 
 Left for maid-servants, and to feed the poor.* 
 His virtuous mother, came of virtuous race, 
 A Hungerford, and buried near this place. 
 When God sent death, their lives away to csll. 
 They lived beloved, and died bewailed of all. 
 " This gentleman, who was the son of John Blagrave of Bullmaish-court, in the parish of 
 Sonning, was educated at Reading, and from thence went to St. John's college, Oxon ; but did not 
 continue there long, retiring to his estate at Southcote, where he prosecuted his mathematical studies 
 to so considerable an height, that he was esteemed the flower of the mathematicians of his age. 
 " The following are the principal of his publications : 
 
 " A Mathematical Jewel, shewing the making and most excellent use of an instrument so called, 
 he use of which jewel is so abundant, that it leadcth the direct path way through the whole art of 
 astronomy, cosmography, &c. Lond<m, 1585. fol. 
 
 '• On the Making and Use of the Familiar Staff, so called, as well for that it may be made usually 
 and familiarly to walk with, as for that it performeth the geometrical mensuration of all altitudes. — 
 London, 1590. quarto. 
 
 " Astrolabium Uranicum Generale, a necessary and pleasant solace and recreation, for navigators 
 in their long journeying, containing the use of an instrument or general astrolabe. The f.rst siicwins 
 
 plainly, &c. London, 1609." Wood's Athena Oxon. 
 
 * See the account of charitic*.
 
 S'iO 
 
 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 /. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 ;rs 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 19 
 
 8 
 
 Brought forward, 
 A tenemcnte in the south side of the Newe-street, ( Friar-street) 
 A tenemcnte on the same side, _ _ - 
 
 A grownde lying in Gutter-lane, - - - 
 
 Two «-ardens. King in the southe side of Lurkman's-lane, (Hosiers 
 
 lane) let to Henry Sutton, for a yere, 
 A quit rent of a teneniente set in High- street, - 
 A tenemcnte beside the market, for a yere. 
 
 The last mentioned tenement was taken down at the expense of the cor- 
 poration, and rebuilt on the piece of ground in Cross-street belonging to the 
 parish, as appears by the following agreement made in 1G12 :* 
 
 " Upon special considerations, we, the vicar, church-wardens, head 
 burgesses, secondary burgesses, inhabitants, and parishioners of this parish, 
 whose names are subscribed, have agreed, that the mayor and burgesses, 
 within three mouths, may take down, and remove one messuage, parcel of out 
 church-lands, standing in the market-place in Reading, and the ground where- 
 upon the said messuage now standelh, to convert to their own use for ever ; 
 on condition, that within three months after the taking down thereof, they 
 shall, at their own costs, rebuild the said messuage, upon some other conve- 
 nient ground in the same parish, and make the same sufficient with brick- 
 chimnics and lofts habitable, as now it is, and of so good value to the church, 
 and shall convey the same to the use of the said church for ever, with all 
 which we shall be well contented, &c." 
 
 " Memorandum, That it appeareth plainly, that there was a little garden 
 plot lying on the west side of Gutter-lane, which time beyond the memory 
 of man, did belong to St. Lawrence's church ; and true it is also, there was 
 a little plot of void ground, enclosed with pales next adjoining to the said 
 church-garden, which did belong to the corporation, and was used for a dung- 
 hill, and the soil weekly swept up in the market-place, was carried there by 
 the bailifi", and his servants, and in performance of the above agreement, the 
 said mayor and burgesses did remove the said dwelling-house in the market- 
 place, and made the ground ^hereon the house did stand, parcel of the 
 market-place, and at their own costs, did build the same house upon the said 
 
 • The original deed, signed by the parishioners, is among the archives of the corporation.
 
 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 321 
 
 garden-plot, and void ground, in Gutter-lane, and made the same of more Chap. 
 worth than it was before, for the use of the said church, &c." XVI. 
 
 St. Lawrence^ s terrier in 1 783. 
 Three messuages in the tenure of the overseers for the accommo- 
 dation of the poor, with a garden, on the north side of £. s. d. 
 
 Friar street, per annum, - - - 12 6 
 
 One garden in Hosiers-lane, in the tenure of Thomas Watson, 
 
 under a lease ; and one messuage, with a garden, on the 
 
 south side of Friar-street, in the tenure of the said T. 
 
 Watson, on lease, which expires in 1835, - - 1 13 4 
 
 One piece of land, whereon stood two tenements, with gardens, 
 
 on the south side of Friar-street, under a lease, now in 
 
 the occupation of C. Poulton, expires 1835, - 13 6 
 
 Three messuages, with gardens, on the north side of Friar-street, 
 
 now in the tenure of S. French, - - 2 10 
 
 One room over the gate-way leading into the church-yard, and 
 
 adjoining the church, in the tenure of James Hawkes, 
 
 under lease, expires in 1879, _ - _ 
 
 Two tenements on the west side of Gutter-lane, in the tenure 
 
 of the rev. John Spicer, under a lease ; expires in 1836, 
 One tenement and a stable on the west side of Gutter-lane, now 
 
 in the tenure of Matilda Mayhew, on lease; expires 1836, 
 Two half acres of meadow in Aston mead, in the tenure of 
 
 William May,* _ - . . 
 
 Four tenements on the west side of Horn-street, in the tenure 
 
 of Nathaniel Simonds,f _ _ - 
 
 A quit-rent of a messuage, on the west side of the Market-place, 
 
 in the tenure of Martha Whiting, 
 A quit-rent of a tenement on the north side of Broad street, 
 
 in the tenure of Thomas AVhite, - - - 
 
 A quit-rent of a messuage on the south side of Friar-street, in 
 
 the tenure of Thomas Halifax, 
 An annual rent for the vault of Richard Curtis, esq. in the 
 
 north chancel of this church, - _ - 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1| 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 £ 16 14 2i 
 
 • One of these half acres was given to this church by E. Hamblin, in 16: 3. Mr. John 
 Deanc sets the rent at one pound per annum. 
 
 t Out of this the paribh pays twenty shiUings ground rent to the corporation. 
 
 t T
 
 323 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 In Mr. John Dcane's account of the possessions belonging to this parish, 
 the folloNving messuages are added, which do not appear to make part of 
 
 the above terrier : 
 
 One tenement, on the east side of Cross-street, let to J. Cooper, £. s. d. 
 at will, per annum, - - - - 6 6 
 
 One ditto, adjoining, at will, - - " 6 10 
 
 One messuage, on the north side of Friar-street, with land, 
 bounded bj the Vasterns on the north, let on lease for 
 91) years: expires in 1S23, - 12 
 
 £ 24 16 
 
 The revenues of this vicarage are small, " there being, ( says an entry in 
 the church books) no glebe nor tiihes belonging to it, except an occasional 
 
 tithe pig." 
 
 The vicar is entitled to oblations at caster, and all the church-dues, but 
 the principal part of his income ariseth from benefactions, for " *By an inqui- 
 sition taken by Edward Plowden, esq. and several other gentlemen of the 
 county of Berks, and returned into the exchequer the GtJi and 7th of queen 
 Elizabeth : it sets forth. That the income of the living of St. Lawrence's, 
 before the dissolution of the abbey, arose, by the offerings, &c. of rich 
 clothiers, and oiiicers, and servants of the abbey, by half the oflerings to the 
 chapel at Caversham-bridge, and also by dirges, obits, creeping to the cross, 
 and other popish ways ; but the most valuable was a horse kept in the abbot's 
 stables, for the vicar to ride to visitations ; and wine, and victuals at his table, 
 beside the redundancy of wax for the church, and other lesser contingent 
 emoluments. The commissioners further set forth, that the living, after the 
 abbey was dissolved, was vacant thirteen years, though there were at the time 
 a thousand poor inhabitants in the parish, occasioned by the very high charges 
 upon the living, still subsisting, after it was divested of the means of paying 
 tliem. There being, in the time of queen Elizabeth, only the easter oflerings 
 of the poor inhabitants left, to discharge the debt to the crown for the tenths, 
 subsidies, and the arrears for thirteen years past, besides a pension of five 
 pounds per annum, no man could be found to accept it. The commissioners 
 therefore, recommend, the annexing the parsonage and tythes of several 
 meadows and grounds there set forth to this vicarage. But after this recom- 
 mendation, no notice is taken in the decree, it only sets forth that queen Eliz- 
 
 ♦ MSS. Anecdotes relative to the vicarage of St, Lawrence's, Readings
 
 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 323 
 
 ttbcth, to the intent that an honest man might take upon him the cure, she^ by Chap 
 her letters of privj seal, had remitted the debt, and directs, that the livim^ in XVI. 
 future be valued in her books at ten pounds only; before it was twentj-scvf n." 
 " Mr. Joel Stevens, v. ho, at the request of Mr. Boudrev, made the above 
 extracts, reports, that the whole decree is very long, consisting of six or seven 
 rolls of parchment wrote on both sides, but thought Mr. Boudry would think 
 it too expensive to have it copied." 
 
 " With no other provision excepting a house given by one of the Bla- 
 grave family, the vicarage of St. Lawrence remained till arclibisliop Laud's 
 time, anno IG39, when on the 19th of March, in the fifteenth year of kin"* 
 Charles J. the crov/u granted the patronage of the living to St. John's colIc"-c, 
 Oxford." 
 
 " Dr. Lloyd was the first fellow presented to St. Lawrence's bv the 
 college. In a letter of his to doctor Bailie, the president of St. John's, dated 
 May 17, 1641, the doctor relates, that a P.Ir. Jennings, then mayor, in testi- 
 mony of his hearty well willing to the college, purchased and freely annexed 
 to the vicarage during three lives (which was his interest in the property) the 
 garden plot just behind the house. But, for want of a proper provision made 
 for renewing the lives as they dropped, Mr. Jennings's kind benefaction was 
 Boon defeated, and the vicars have long since lost their interest, and paid to 
 Mr- Blagrave an annual rack rent for the same." 
 
 " That the house was annexed to the vicarage before the year 1580, 
 appears from an old terrier, taken by order of the bishop of Sarnm, the nintli 
 of February in that year ; and that it was a benefaction of the Blagrave 
 family, seems clear, from a dispute between doctor Lloyd and sir John Bla- 
 grave, respecting the boundary of the premises, in which sir John claimed all 
 the ground (excepting the houfe itself, which he acknowledged his prede- 
 cessors had given to the church) on the north side of the house. I cannot 
 dismiss this letter of doctor Lloyd, without reciting a peculiar anecdote 
 contained in it." 
 
 " I thank God, (says the doctor) that I have health and strength, and 
 am forced to use it. For to come out of the pulpit under an hour and an 
 half, is thought speaking by the glass,* and not by the spirit." 
 
 In 1606, Mr. Thomas Lydall left ten shillings, per annum, to the vicar, 
 for ever. 
 
 In 1611, Mr. John Blagrave gave ten shillings, to be paid annually to 
 the vicar, for a sermon to be preached on Good Friday, for ever. 
 
 * The hour-glass placed on the pulpit, 
 t T 2
 
 CuAPi 
 
 324 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 In 16H, Mr. John Johnson gave ten shillings, annually, for a sermon to 
 XVI; be preached by the vicar on thefeast-of St. John, the cvaugilist, for ever. 
 
 In 1630, Mr. Richard Johnson gave ten shillings, annually; and Mr. 
 Malthus twenty shillings, for the like purpose. 
 
 In 15.33, Mr. Roger Knight gave the vicar tea shillings, annually, for a 
 sermon to be preached every new-year.'s day ; and in 1G3S, Mr. John Bagley 
 "•ave ten shillings, per annum, to the vicar. 
 
 In 1640, archbishop Laud, among other charities, left fifty pounds, per 
 annum, to be paid to the vicar of this parish^ out of an estate in the parish 
 of Bray, in this county, vested in tlic corporation, on condition of his residing 
 
 at the living. 
 
 In nSG, the rev. Philip Vaughan gave by will to tlie minister and church- 
 wardens of this parish, and their successors, a rent charge upon an estate at 
 Katc's-o-rove, of ten pounds, for reading daily the liturgy of th^ church of 
 England, in this church, in the afternoon. .To be paid quarterly. This bene- 
 faction however did not take place till, lady day, 17S1. 
 
 Mr. Edward Ihingcrford left, by will, to the corporation, two hundred 
 pounds, in trust, to pay the interest thereof, for ever, to the vitar of this 
 parish, by half yearly payments, on condition that he, or his curate, shalt daily 
 read in this church, between the hours of two and seven in the afternoon, the 
 common prayer of the church of England. Of this legacy, fifty pounds were 
 expended in the erection of a gallery on the north side of this church, the 
 rents whereof are received by the vicar. The remaining one hundred and 
 fifty pounds were laid out in the purchase of one hundred and sixty seven 
 pounds fifteen shillings and eight pence stock, in the old South Sea annuities, 
 producing annually five pounds and eight pence, likewise paid to the vifar. . 
 
 In 1731, Mr. John Allen left, by will, the sum of one thousand .pounds, 
 for the purchase of an estate, for the purpose of several charities therein 
 mentioned, and, among others, to pay one pound four shillings, or according 
 to the prcent produce, one pound ten shillings, to each of the vicars, annually. 
 
 In 1745, Mrs. Haydon gave, in her life time, the sum of one hundred and 
 twenty pounds, for the purchase of one hundred and tv.'elve pounds old South 
 Sea annuities, the interest whereof, three pounds seven shillings and two pence, 
 is divided into five parts, three of which are paid to the vicar for the rent 
 of her vault, and the other two parts are reserved for the repair of the same, 
 when necessary. This money is paid, by the bursar of St. John's college, to 
 the vicar, half yearly. 
 
 In 1748, IMrs. Elizabeth Holmes, gave one hundred pounds old South Sea 
 annuities, the interest wJiereof is paid to the vicar half-yearly, by the bursar 
 of St. John's college, Oxon.
 
 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 325 
 
 111 1773, Mrs. Elizabeth Thome gave, by will, the sum of one hundred Chap. 
 pounds, vhich was laid out in the purchase of one hundred and eighteen X.VI. 
 pound six shillings and ten pence stock, in the old South Sea annuities, pro- 
 ducing an annual interest of three pounds eleven shillings, to be paid to the 
 vicar for reading the afternoon prayers. 
 
 In addition to the above gifts, the vicar receives alternately, every third 
 year, twenty shillings, for preaching Mr. West's charity sermon on St. Tho- 
 mas's-day ; and the chamberlain of the corporation pays him for two sermons 
 annually : one at the election of the new mayor, the other on his entrance into 
 office. He is allowed by the parish five shillings for his expenses at the visi- 
 tation, and one pound six shillings and eight pence annually, in lieu of the 
 herbage growing in the church yard. 
 
 The following list of the vicars of this parish is taken from the registers, 
 as they are occasionally mentioned, under the following dates : 
 
 Rev. Sir John Seme, - - 1480 
 
 John Andrewe, _ - - 1484 
 
 Nicholas More, - - 1497 
 
 Sir William Symmys, - - 1499 
 
 Thomas Justice, - - 1504 
 
 John Maynesforthe, - - 1529 
 
 John Radley, - - - 1551 , 
 
 John Smyth, - - - 1574 
 
 . Chandler, - - 1597 
 
 Abraham Grey, - - - 1602 
 
 John Denison, - - 1603 
 
 Theophilus Taylor, - - 1618 
 
 Thomas Lloyd, D. D.* - - 1640 
 
 Simon Ford, . _ - 1651 
 
 Thomas Tuer, - - 1660 
 
 John Brasier, - - - 1671 
 
 Serjeant Hughes, - - 1679 
 
 Phanuel Bacon, _ - - 1690 
 
 E. Owen, - - - ^32 
 
 William Boudry, - - - 1733 
 
 Thomas Shule, D. D.f - -' 1747 
 
 ♦ Vide folio 323. 
 + On the south wall of the chancel of this church, on a marble tablet surmounted with a censer, 
 ii the following inscription, to the memory of this gentleman : the idea is evidently taken from Pope', 
 lines on Gay. They are, 1 believe, from the pen of Dr. Merrick. : 
 
 ^J^■
 
 326 
 
 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 Rev. Jeremiah Nichohon, D. D. 
 John NichoUs, D. D. 
 John Green, 
 William Wise, 
 
 1763 
 1772 
 1788 
 1813 
 
 The ri"-ht of presentation to this living belongs to St. John's college, 
 Oxon. It is valued in the king's books at ten pounds, and the yearly tenths 
 
 at one pound. 
 
 It is probable the foundation of this church gave rise to the great fair 
 held here annually, on St. Matthew's day : the parish being at the expense 
 of building a booth in the Forbury, and receiving the emoluments arising 
 from the price of admission to the religious plays that were exhibited on such 
 occasions. This appears from the following entries in the church-wardens' 
 
 accounts for 1507 : 
 
 £. s. d. 
 
 " Recc* of W\(t sonday afore Bartymass, for the play in the Forbury, 13 8 
 
 Item, rec^ for alder polys, left of the play, - - 5 
 
 Payd for nayles for the sepulchre, and for rosyn for the resur- 
 
 rexyon play, - - - - 2 
 
 Item, payd a carter for carrying of pypys and hogshedds in the 
 
 Forbury, - - - - - 2 
 
 Item, payd to the laborers in the Forbury for settyng up of the 
 
 polys for the schafi'old, - - - - 9 
 
 Item, payd to the ber man for her for the play in the Forbury, 10 
 
 Item, payd for 2 ells^ of crest cloth, for to mak Eve a cote,* - 10 
 
 Item, for a book of the resurrexyon play, - - 9 6" 
 
 «' THOMAS SHUTE, D. D. 
 Vicar of this parish, died August 19th, 1763. 
 Aged 56 years. 
 If fairest honour, friendship void of art, 
 And pure religion, captivate the heart, 
 If virtue fled, demand the silent tear, 
 And the just man be heaven's peculiar care ; 
 Whoe'er by nicest rules, thy life shall scan, 
 Must, struck, with rev'rence, say, Here lies the man." 
 
 • The clergy of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were not deterred from acting what were 
 called miracle plays, by considerations which might influence the more demure and decorous church- 
 men of later ages. They understood the race of men they had to do with. They knew that they 
 might exhibit Eve and the serpent ; and God the father, and the Holy Ghost ; and Christ and the 
 Devil, on a public stage, without, in the least degree, shocking the passive audiences of these pious 
 days.— Ge^m'f Lijt of Chaucer,
 
 £. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 ST. LAWRENCE'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 327 
 
 On the first of May, plajs of another description were represented in Chap. 
 the Forbury, in wliich Robin Hood and his men played the principal parts, -""^VI. 
 and were afterwards entertained in the church,* with the profits arising from ' 
 the exhibition,! as we find by the following entries in the parish registers , 
 
 Anno 1499. 
 
 " Rece* for the gathering of the May-play, called Robin Hood,| £. 
 
 on the fair day, _ - _ 
 
 Payde for a cote for Robin Hood, - - - 
 
 Item, for a supper to Robin Hood and his company when he 
 
 came from Fynchharasted, - - _ 
 
 Item, for makyng clene the church against the day of drynkyng 
 
 in the said church, - - - _ 
 
 Item for flesh, spyce, and baking of pastyes, against the said 
 
 drynkyng, - - _ _ 
 
 Item, for ale, at the same drynkyng, - _ _ 
 
 Item, for horse-meat to the horses for the king of Coley,§ on 
 
 may day, - - - - - 6 
 
 • This was called a church-ale. 
 
 + In the month of May, the citizens of London of all estate';, lightly in every parish, or some- 
 times two or three parishes joining together, had their several mayings, and did fetch in may-poles, 
 with divers warlike shews, with good archers, morrice dancers, and other devices, for pastime all the 
 day long, and towards the evening they had stage plays and bonefires in the streets. These great 
 mayings and may-games, were made by the governors and masters of the city, with the triumphant 
 setting up of the great shaft, or principal may-pole, in CornhiU, before the parish church of St. An- 
 drew, therefore called St. Andrew Undershaft. Stowi, 
 
 * Among the plays in the Garrick collection, is one on the Death of Robert earle of Hunting. 
 ton, otherwise called Robin Hood, of merrie Slierwodde, with the lamentable Tragedye of chaste 
 Matilda, his faire Maid Marian, poysoned at Dunmowe by king John. Imprinted, at London, in 
 1601. Beloe's Anecdotes of Literature. 
 
 The first reformers were most zealous adversaries of these pageants, which they regarded as 
 shreds and relics of popery. Bishop Latimer relates the following incident respecting them, in one 
 of his sermons preached before Edward VI. " Coming to a certain town on a holiday to preach, I 
 found the church-door fast locked ; I tarried there half an hour and more, and at last the key was 
 found, and one of the parishioners comes to me, and says, ' Syr, this is a busy day with us, we cannot 
 hear you ; it is Robin Hood's davi the parish are gone abroad to gnther for Robin Hood ; I pray you 
 let them not,* I thought my rochet would have been regarded, but it would not serve, it was fain 
 to give place to Robm Hood and his men." Latimer's Sermons. 
 
 § Mr. Coatcs seems at a loss to account for the origin of this title ; but supposes it to mean the 
 kings of Colen, in allusion to the three kings supposed to be buried at Cologne, in Germany : but, I 
 rather think this king of Coley, was the person who, this year, won the prize at shooting at the
 
 328 ST. LAWRENCES PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 /. s. d. 
 Item, for liver} s on our fair day, - - - 1 4 
 
 Jnno 1531. 
 Item, for fyve ells of canvas for a cote for Maul Marvon,* at 3d. ob. 1 6^; 
 
 There are also charges for hats and bells for the niorrice dancers, aud 
 hobbv horses, which made a part of the pageantry exhibited under the sanction 
 of religion, intended, no doubt, by the concourse of people brought together 
 on these occasions, to promote the interest of the church. 
 
 butts and tVierefore called the king, with the addition of the place of his residence. This custom 
 is still observed in Flanders, where, at the annual shooting matches with bows and arrows, the person 
 who wins the prize, has the title of king for the following year, with the name of the society or 
 place to which he belongs, and is, for that year, exempt from taxes. — He was, probably, the lord 
 of misrule, mentioned in the following note. 
 
 * Among the pageants exhibited at this festival, was one from the ancient story of Robin Hood. 
 He presided as Lord of the May, and a woman, or probably a man equipped as a woman, represented 
 Maid Marian, his faithful mistress, and was slilcd Lady of the May. Robin Hood was regularly 
 followed by the most noted characters among his attendants appropriately habited, together with a 
 large band of outlaws in coats of green. First of all, " the wilde trades of the parish flockynge 
 together chuse them a graund captayne of myschief, whom they innoble with the title of Lord of 
 misrule, and hym they ciowne with great solemnvtye, and adopt for their kynge. The kynge 
 annoynted chuseth forlhc twentye, fortye, three score, or an hundred lyke hymself, to waite upon 
 his lordlie majestie, and to guarde hys noble person. Then everic one of these men, he investeth 
 with his liveries of green, yellow, or some other light, wanton colour, and as though they were not 
 gawdie enough, they bedecke themselves with scarffs, ribbons, and laces, hanged all over with gold 
 ryngs, precious stones, and other jewels. This done, they tie about either Icgge twentie or fortie 
 belles, with rich handkerchiefs in their hands, and sometimes laid across over their shoulders and 
 necks. Thus, all thyngs set in order, then they have their hobbie horses, their dragons, and other 
 anticks, together wyth their bawdie pypers, and thundryng drummers to strike the devils daunce 
 withall. Then march this heathen companie towards the church, theyr pypers pypyng, theyr 
 drummers thundryng, their belles jynglyng, their handkerchiefs fluttervng about, their heads lyke 
 mad men; their hobbie horses and other monsters skyrmyshyng amongst the throng: and in this 
 sorte, they go to the church dauncyng and syngyng, with such a confused noise, that no man can 
 heare hys own voyce. And thus these terrestryal furyes spend the sabbath daie. Then they have 
 certaine papers wherein is paynted some babelerie, or other, of imagerie work, and these they call my 
 lorde of misrule's badges, or cognizances. These they gyve to everie one that will gyve them money 
 to mayntayn them in their heathenysh devilerie ; and who will not shew hymselfe buxome to them, 
 and gyve them monie, they shall be mocked and flouted shamefullie ; yea and manic tymes carried 
 upon a cowlstaffe, and dived over head and ears in water, or otherwise most horriblieabused."— — 
 Siubbs anatomic cf abuses.
 
 St, Gileses Parish and Church, 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The parish of St. Giles, including the hamlet of Whitley, is of greater « 
 extent than either of the other parishes, hut the population is nearly the same. XVII. 
 It is situated on the south side of the river Keanet, and is connected with the 
 other parishes by the High-bridge^ and Seven-bridges. Tliere are two small 
 islands belonging to this parish on the river Kennet, that on the west side 
 of High-bridge, is separated from St. Lawrence's parish by a water-course 
 branching out above the pound lock, which, after passing under the north end 
 of the Bear inn, takes (he name of the Back-ditch, and re-enters the Kennct 
 on the north-east end of the Island. The other commences at the above- 
 mentioned lock, and extends easterly as far as the mill ; it is divided from the 
 main land on the north by the navigable branch of the river, and on the south 
 by the mill-stream. These islands are very commodious for wharfs, but they 
 have not hitherto been so much appropriated to that use as might have been 
 expected from the great demand for such places in every part of the town. 
 
 The church is situated on a small rising ground on the east side of Horn- 
 street, but the time of its erection cannot now be ascertained, as the records 
 of the church-wardens of this parish, commence only in the year 151 S, which 
 must have been considerably posterior to its first erection. It is large, and 
 built in the usual form of our ancient religious edifices, with a nave and side 
 aisles, divided by arches supported by massive pillars, but without any orna- 
 ments to recommend them to the notice of the spectator. From the great 
 lapse of time since its erection, it was a few years ago considered to be in a 
 yery dangerous state, from the pillars, which supported the roof on the north 
 side, being observed to have declined very considerably from their original 
 perpendicular direction. This occasioned the parish to be at a very consider- 
 able expense to put them into a condition to support the roof with safety a 
 few years longer ; but, as this could only be done by casing the weaker parts, 
 
 u u
 
 XVII. 
 
 330 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 it is doubtful whether this mode has not rather concealed the danger than 
 v\fu removed it ; and perhaps it would have been more prudent to have taken the 
 whole down and rebuilt it, than to have waited to a period, Avhich cannot be 
 far distant, when it must be done at an additional expense. 
 
 In 17S-1- a handsome gallery was built, by subscription, for the accommo- 
 dation of the parishioners, the church having previously been very much 
 crowded by strangers from the other parishes, and even from the couatry, who 
 flocked thither in great numbers^ to hear the late rev. W. B. Cadogan, theu 
 >icar of this parish. 
 
 The chancel is very small in proportion to the size of the church, and 
 has only a few trifling monuments in it. 
 
 The tower, at the west end, was originally square, like those of the other 
 churches, with pinnacles at the four corners, and so continued prior to the 
 civil wars in the reign of Charles I. but during tlie siege of the town by the 
 parliament's forces, in 1643, the king's soldiers having placed a piece of ord- 
 nance on the tower, it so much annoyed the besiegers, that they raised a battery 
 ao-ainst i^ and soon reduced it to a heap of rubbish. After the siege it was re- 
 built in its present form, with the materials taken from the ruins, in the coarsest 
 manner possible. When the body of the church was repaired as above men- 
 tioned, it was thought necessary to improve the appearance of the tower, and 
 accordingly some parts of it were cased with stone, and the rest stuccoed ; tlie 
 top was ornamented with battlements, and a light spire of wood, lined with 
 copper, erected in the centre, and a gothic porch added to the west entrance. 
 
 An eight o'clock bell was formerly rung every evening at this church, 
 but, on the decline of the woollen manufactory, that custom was omitted in 
 this parish ; an additional proof, that whatever was its origin, it could not 
 be the pretended curfew established by king William. When the tower was 
 repaired, it was found necessary to reduce the number of bells to seven, it 
 being considered incapable of supporting a greater weight. 
 
 During the papal hierarchy, this church possessed four images for reli- 
 gious worship, viz. St. Christopher, St. Mary, St. John, and its patron St. 
 Giles. There were also two altars : the high altar on which was the crucifix* 
 and St. John's altar ; these, with the images, were removed at the reformation, 
 in order to introduce a form of worship more« congenial to the new opinions, 
 and better calculated to promote that which ought to be the chief and end 
 of all religions — the reforming the habits and mending the morals of the people. 
 
 ♦ In the churchwardens' book for 1557, is a charge of forty shillings " for making a rood wth 
 Mary and John, and for making the pation of our church,"
 
 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. S31 
 
 Music being next to show and pageantry, one of the greatest instruments Chap, 
 of papal superstition, it is no wonder if we find all their churches furnished XVII. 
 with one or more organs, or, as they were then called, pair of organs, to 
 increase the solemnity of the church service. There is an entry in the church- 
 wardens accounts of this parish, in 1519, of nine pounds, paid for a pair 
 of organs, at which time the salary of the organist was only three shillings 
 and four pence, per annum, an instance of the great value of circulating coin 
 at this period, and of the high price of the instrument compared with those 
 of the present time. 
 
 We have already noticed the early introduction of church clocks into this 
 town, and it is probable that this parish was one of the first to sidopt this 
 useful instrument for the division of time, as meniinn is made of a clock, in 
 the first year of the church register, commencing in I51S, and may therefore 
 be considered as existing prior to that era. I do not know at what time 
 musical chimes Mere first added to the striking parts of clocks, but it appears, 
 from an entry in the parish books, that this clock was furnished with a set 
 of chimes, in this early stage of the invention. 
 
 Although the church stands on an eminence, yet the ground has so accu- 
 mulated round the side walls, from the earth excavated from vaults and brick 
 graves, that the floor within has become considerably below the surface 
 of the ground on the outside ; this therefore ought to be removed, so as to 
 reduce it to the original level, which would greatly contribute towards freeing 
 the body of the church from those pestilential effluvia^ the natural consequences 
 of damp and mouldy walls, and render it more healthy for those, who weekly 
 attend there for the performance of their religious duties. 
 
 The cliurch-yard was inclosed with brick walls at different periods ; those 
 on the north and east sides were built in 1622, but that on the west side 
 next the high road, was of an earlier date, as we find a charge in 1 592, for 
 strengthening that part with buttresses ; these remained entire till a few years 
 back, when it was found necessary to remove <hem for the sake of widening 
 the road, by cutting off a part of the church-yard, which before jutted very 
 considerably into it, and carrying the foot path as near as possible in a line 
 with the houses : this part has since been enclosed with a handsome iron 
 railing. The expense of this improvement was defrayed by a general sub- 
 scription among all the inhabitants of the town, who rightly considered that 
 whatever embellishments are made in either of the parishes, tends equally to 
 the pleasure and convenience of the whole body of the inhabitants. 
 
 There are no remains of antiquity in this parish ; neither does it appear 
 that there were ever any religious foundations in it : the only monument 
 
 u u 3
 
 333 
 
 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 Chap, mentioned in the parish books, was a cross erected in London-street, but th,* 
 XVIL ^vas destroyed in IHO by the reformers, Avhosc over abundant zeal destroyed 
 ' many works of art, and even of literature, wliich might otherwise have de- 
 lio-htcd and improved their descendants of the present day. 
 
 Durin"- the papal hierarchy, sanctuaries were attached to many of our 
 churches, and scarcely any town of consequence was without one of these 
 places of refuge, from wlience maletiictors of every description could bid defi- 
 ance to the laws wilh impunity ; and so sacred were those receptacles consi- 
 dered at the time, that no one, not even the monarch on the throne, dared io 
 violate them, however tyrannical in disposition and conduct towards his sub- 
 jects on other occasions. One of those places, and probably united to the 
 privileges of this church, was, in what is now called the ('rown-lane ; liow 
 fiir it extended, is uncertain, but it is not unlikely that it included the whole 
 space between that lane and the church-yard. 
 
 Copj/ 0/ an ancient rent-roll of this parish, taken in 1518. 
 
 QUIT-RENTS. 
 
 " For a tenement on the west side of London-street, for a year. 
 Do. on the same side, between Mill-lane on the north side, and the 
 
 tenement of T. Pockerig-c on the south sidc^ - 
 The tenement annexed, - - - - _ 
 
 A tenement on the same side, - - _ 
 
 A tenement on the same side, - - - ' 
 
 A tenement on the same side, - - 
 
 Do. next to the tenement of the abbot and convent of Reading, 
 Do. annexed, now in the hands of the churchwardens, 
 A tenement on the same side next to the void ground of the abbot 
 
 and convent, - - - - - 
 
 A tenement on the same side, - _ _ . 
 
 A tenement on the west side of Syvear-street, 
 
 The ground annexed, late a tenement, - - - 
 
 A tenement, on the same side, _ - _ 
 
 A tenement on the east side of London-street next the tenement 
 
 of the abbot and convent, - - - _ Q 3 
 
 A tenement on the same side, next the tenements of the abbot and 
 
 convent, on the north and south, - - . 1 
 
 s. 
 
 (l. 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Carried forward s.
 
 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 333 
 
 Brought iipj s. 
 A tenement on the same side, between W. Goldore, priest, and the 
 
 tenement of the abbot and convent, 
 A tenement annexed, _ - _ - _ 
 
 A tenement annexed, - - _ _ 
 
 Of the abbot and convent for a tenement on the same side, 
 A tenement annexed, between the tenement of the abbot and 
 convent, on the south, and the tenement called the Hind's- 
 head, for a jear, _ - _ _ 
 
 A tenement annexed, called the Hind's-head, 
 
 Chap. 
 XVII. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Of the abbot and convent, for tlie tenement annexed, called the Cage, 
 
 A plot of land on the ?outh side of Mill-lane, 
 
 A tenement next the flood gates, on the north side of Mill-lane, 
 
 A void ground on the north side of the same lane, 
 
 A tenement on the west side of the Old-street, next Catelsgrove- 
 gates, - . _ _ _ 
 
 Of the sub-chamberer of the abbey, for a tenement in Minster street. 
 
 Of the abbot and convent for a tenement on the east side of London- 
 street, called the White-horse, 
 
 Of the said abbot, for a tenement on the south side* of the same 
 street, called the George, . - _ 
 
 Of the said abbot, for a tenement called Pollard's sett. 
 
 Of Thomas Beke, gent, for three tenements, 
 
 A garden in Syvier-street, . . _ _ 
 
 An acre of land in Orlengh-field, 
 
 RENTS. 
 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 1 
 
 6 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 £ 16 11" 
 
 " A tenement on the east side of Syvier-street, next the lands of 7. s. d. 
 
 the abbot and convent, - - - - 4 8 
 
 A tenement on the same side, next the ground of the abbot and 
 
 convent, - - - - -076 
 
 A tenement on the west side of the same street, - G 
 
 A tenement on the same side, - - - 6 
 
 Carried forward £ 14 2 
 
 • This is not reconcilable with the situation of this street, unless we suppose it to have been at th« 
 •ast end of Crowrn-lane,
 
 331 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 Brought up 3& 1 4 
 
 XVn. OfW. Greene, the priest, for a tenement, on the west side of 
 
 8 
 
 London-street, - - - - 
 
 A tenement on the same side, next the tenement belonging to 
 
 the alms house, - - - - 8 
 
 For certain tenements on the same side, called The Rents, 10 
 
 For a tenement on the west side of the Olde-street, - 4 
 
 For a tenement annexed, and joining to the ground called the 
 
 Gravel pit, « _ - - 
 
 A tenement on the east side of the Olde-street, between the 
 
 ground of the vicarage on the north, and a tenement on 
 
 the south, - - - - 10 6 
 
 7 
 
 £ 4 18" 
 
 The frequent mention of tenements belonging to the abbot and convent, 
 accounts for the very small proportion of freehold estates within the town ; 
 all their possessions, having devolved to the crown at the dissolution, and are 
 now let on three lives. 
 
 In consequence of an act passed in the 39th of queen Elizabeth, entitled, 
 *' an act to reform deceits and breeches of trust touching lands, given to 
 charitable uses," commissioners were appointed to enquire, bj a jurv, what 
 lands, tenements, leases, goods, chattels, and sums of money, or other things, 
 had, at any time before, been given by any persons to and for the relief and 
 maintenance of the poor, within the county of Berks ; and whether they had 
 been employed according to the meaning of the founders. This commission 
 was held at Newbury in 1599, when the jurors returned the following pre- 
 sentment* to this parish : 
 
 " That before all the memory of man, there were given and conveyed 
 to certain persons, whose names the jurors do not know, divers messuages, 
 lands, tenements, rents, and hereditaments, w ithin the borough of Reading, 
 that is to say, one messuage divided into two dwellings, with a backside and 
 garden thereunto adjoining, situate on the «ast side of London-street, in 
 Reading aforesaid, and now in the several tenures of W. Malthus, and H. 
 Walker. Two capital messuages adjoining together, on the west side of the 
 
 • Now among the records of the parish.
 
 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. S3>^ 
 
 said London-street, in the several tenures of R. Green and J. West, with an 
 inner court, wherein is made and contained, divers small dwelling places, yvtT 
 inhabited by poor people, and thereunto, likewise, a backside belonging, now 
 divided into small gardens, all which last mentioned dwelling places, and 
 gardens, are now commonly called the Church New-rents. One messuage 
 with a backside and garden adjoining, situate on the west side of the said 
 London-street, and now in the tenure of J. MafForly. One messuage, with a 
 backside and garden adjoining, situate on the west side of the said London- 
 street, and now in the tenure of J. Spurrier. Two messuages adjoining to- 
 gether ; with each of them a backside adjoining, and now in the tenures of 
 Edmond Surman, and Nicholas Burge, and situate on the west part of the 
 street, called Sivyer-street. One messuage with a backside adjoining, on the 
 east side of the said Sivyer-street, and now in the tenure of Katherine Burge, 
 widow. One messuage, with a backside and garden adjoining, situate on the 
 east side of the said Sivyer-street, and now in the tenure of W. Netherclif^ 
 One messuage, with a backside and garden adjoining, situate on the east side 
 of Horn-street, otherwise Oulde street, upon the hill on the south side of St. 
 Giles's church, and now in the tenure of Alice Bedford, widow. One mes- 
 suage, with a backside and garden adjoining, situate on the hill, on the west 
 side of the said Horn-street, and now in the tenure of J. Muffcrlye. One 
 annual rent of a penny, payable out of the messuage now in the tenure of 
 Walter Bye, and situate on the west side of London-street, near the High- 
 bridge. One annual rent of twelve pence, payable out of the messuage now 
 in the tenure of Stephen Harris, and situate at the mill-lock, called St. Giles's 
 mill-lock, on the west side thereof. One annual rent of six-pence, out of the 
 messuage, now in the tenure of T. Lane, and situate on the east side of Horn- 
 street, near the Seven-bridges. One annual rent of two shillings, out of the 
 messuage now in the tenure of T. Turner, and situate on the west side of 
 London-street. One annual rent of sixpence, out of the messuage now in the 
 tenure of T. Kenton, and situate on the west side of London-street. One 
 annual rent of one penny, out of the messuage now in the tenure of T. Deane, 
 and situate on the west side of Horn-street. One annual rent of sixpence, out 
 of the messuage now in the tenure of Gideon Collet, and situate on the west 
 side of London-street. One annual rent of twelve pence, out of the messuage 
 now in the tenure of G. Thorne, and situate on the west side of London- 
 street. One annual rent of three shillings, out of the messuage in the tenure 
 of T. Awborne, situate on the west side of London-street. One annual rent 
 of eighteen pence, out of the messuage now in the tenure of Alexander 
 Pyther, situate on the west side of London-street. One annual rent of fifteen
 
 336 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 pence, out of the messuage now in the tenure of Conway, widow, and 
 
 situate on the west-side of London-street. One annual rent of two-pence, 
 out of divers messuages now in the tenure of W. Rowse, and situate on the 
 west side of London-street. One annual rent of two pence, out of the mes- 
 suan-e now in the tenure of J. Ajlarde, and situate on the west side of Lon- 
 don-street. One annual rent of one pennj", out of the messuage now in the 
 tenure of Martin Russel, and situate on the east side of London-street. 
 One annual rent of one penny, out of the messuage now in the tenure of 
 Wm. Attwater, and situate on the east side of London-street. One annual 
 rent of one penny, out of the messuage now in the tenure of T. Hedde, situate 
 on the east side of London-street. One annual rent of sixpence, out of the 
 messuage now in the tenure of R. Tenchc, called the Ilind's-head, and situate 
 on the east side of London-street. One annual rent of two pence, out of the 
 messuage now in the tenure of J. MuUins, situate on the east side of London- 
 street. One annual rent of eight pence, out of the messuage, and barn, now 
 in the tenure of R. Watlington, and L. Yorkc, and situate on the west side 
 of Sivyer-street. One annual rent of sixpence, payable out of the messuage 
 now in the tenure of P. Lavander, and situate on t!ie west side of Sivyer-street. 
 The intent of which gifts was, that the rents and profits thereof should be, 
 from time to time, employed to these good and charitable uses following; 
 that is, towards the reparation of the church of St Giles, the maintenance 
 of the bells, and seats there, and the overplus to the relief of the poor of the 
 said parish. And the said messuages, and rents, and premises, have been 
 called and known by the name of the Church-lands, by all the time whereof 
 the memory of man is n t to the contrary, and are now so called, and the 
 same charitable uses, by all the time whereof the memory of man is not to 
 the contrary, have been from time to time put in use, and executed, with the 
 said rents and profits, without any interruption, until of late, one Jeflery 
 Cowper, gent, late of the said parish, and sometimes churchwarden there, did 
 pretend, that the said messuages, lands, tenements, rents, and hereditaments, 
 were concealed from the queen's majesty, and procured them, or some part 
 of them, to be passed, as concealed from her majesty, in a book of concealed 
 lands ; and so to be afterwards conveyed to himself, of purpose to defraud 
 the said charitable uses, and make undue gain to himself; and upon the said 
 pretence, and title, the said Cowper has claimed the same as his own, and 
 threatened suit for the same. And the said jurors say further, that many of 
 the evidences that should prove the gifts of the said lands, and the charitable 
 uses, have been of late embezzled away, and taken out of a chest standing in 
 a room called the vestry, within the said church of St. Giles, but by whom 
 they know not."
 
 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 337 
 
 '* Orders and decrees, made and established at Newbury, in the county of CnAr. 
 Berks, the 18th day of April, in the 41st year of her majesty's reign, XVII. 
 by sir Humfrey Foster, kt. &c. in virtue of the commission, &c. 
 
 " First, the said commissioners do order and decree, that the lands, tene- 
 ments, and hereditaments, in the said inquisition mentioned to be called by the 
 name of the Church-lands of St. Giles's church in Reading, and found, and 
 presented, to have been given, to the intent the rents and profits should be 
 applied towards the repair of the said church of St. Giles, in Reading, the 
 maintenance of the bells and seats there, and the surplus towards the relief 
 of the poor of the said parish, shall for ever hereafter be, remain, continue, 
 and be employed to the same uses, and to none other. 
 
 " And, for as much as it appeareth to the said commissioners, by the 
 examination of witnesses, sight of leases, and counterpart of leases, and views 
 of the ancient register book of the said chu;ch, that tiic churchwardens of the 
 said parish and church have used, by all the time whereof the memory of man 
 is not to the contrary, to demise, and let to farm, the said lands, tenements, 
 and hereditaments, and receive, employ, and bestow, the rents, issues, and 
 profits thereof, as owners of the same ; and no other but the said church- 
 -wardens, have intermeddled therewith, whereby the said commissioners are 
 of opinion, that the said churchwardens are a corporation by prescription 
 capable of estates of lands, to the said church, as well as goods. 
 
 *' Therefore the said commissioners do further order and decree, that the 
 said lands, tenements, and hereditaments, shall, for ever hereafter, be, continue 
 and remain, in the churchwardens, and their successors ; and that the said 
 churchwardens and their successors, shall not make any lease, or demise of the 
 same, or any part thereof, for any greater, or further time, than for one-and- 
 twenty years, in possession, and not in reversion, and shall accompt for the 
 fines, rents, issues, and profits thereof, yearly, for ever, at such times as here- 
 tofore they have accustomed, before the parishioners of the said church. 
 
 " And further, that the said churchwardens shall not make the lease, or 
 demise, of any part, or parcel thereof, to any person whatsoever, without the 
 consent, and agreement of the head burgesses and second burgesses of the 
 said borough of Reading, within the said parish, or the greater number of 
 them ; the same consent, together with the brief contents of the fine, rents, 
 conditions, and covenants of the same demise, to be first entered in the register 
 book of the said parish, and the same demi: e to be made by indenture, whereof 
 the counterpart shall remain, amongst other the evidences of the said lands, 
 in a chest to be provided for that purpose. 
 
 X X
 
 338 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 " And, for the better continuance of the said good and charitable uses,. 
 V'v m' ^^^ intents, the said commissioners do further order and decree, that in case 
 the said churchwardens, or any of them, shall refuse to acconipt for the said 
 issues and profits, or being found in arrearages upon their accompts, shall not 
 pay the same to the next new chosen churchwardens, within three days after 
 the same account, or shall be found obstinate, wilful, or negligent, in employ- 
 ing or bestowing the issues and profits of the said lands, tenements, and here- 
 ditaments, in manner and form as is before limited, that then it. shall and may 
 be lawful, for the mayor of the said borough for the time being, upon complaint 
 of the oTcatcr number of head burgesses, and secondary burgesses of the said 
 parish, to commit to prison every such person so oficnding, until payment of the 
 said arrearages, and the reformation and satisfaction of any such of the said 
 abuses wherein he shall be found to offend." 
 
 The revenues of the vicarage arise chiefly from the great and small tythcs 
 of the lands within the parish and hamlet of Whitley, a very small proportion 
 only of the original possessions of the abbey being tithe free. The vicar 
 is also entitled to caster offerings, surplice fees, &c. but it does not appear 
 that there is any glebe belonging to the parish except the parsonage house 
 and garden. The presentation to the Hving is in the lord chancellor : in the 
 king's books it is valued at 14/. 17s. 3^d. and the yearly tenths at 1/. 9s. S^r/* 
 
 List of vicars from the parish registers under the foUomng dales : 
 
 anno. 
 Rev, John More., - - - 1540 
 
 Emery, - - - 1548 
 
 William Webb, - - 1551 
 
 Edward Young, - - - 1572 
 
 Martin, D. D. - - 1600 
 
 William Burton, - - - 1605 
 
 John Denison, A. M. - - 1612 
 
 This gentleman was successively vicar of all the three parishes. He was 
 cried up, says Wood, " for an eminent preacher, became a student in Baliol 
 college ; in 1590, took the degree of A. M. and was made chaplain to king 
 James I ; chief moderator of the free school at Reading, and at leno-th vicar 
 of St. Mary's, there. In which last he was succeeded by Thomas Bunbury 
 of Baliol college, but thrust out thence by the presbyterians, in the beginning 
 of the civil wars. Denison was a learned man, well read in theoloo-ical 
 authors, and published many works on those subjects."
 
 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 339 
 
 anno. 
 Rev. Samuel Ratcliffe, ... I614 
 
 Hugh Dicas, - - - 1616 
 
 William Wilde, D. C. L. - - 1643 
 
 Wood calls him George Wilde, and adds, " he was chaplain to archbishop 
 Laud, and vicar of St. Giles,' when the civil wars broke out. In the heat 
 of the rebellion, he adhered to his majesty, was an appointed preacher before 
 him, and the parliament at Oxford, and, for his eloquent preaching, had the 
 degree of D. C L' conferred upon him. Afterwards, being turned out of his 
 fellowship, by the parliamentarian visitors in 16i8, he suffered much, yet kept 
 lip a religious meeting for the loyalists in Fleet-street, London. At the resto- 
 ration, he was, in requital for his loyalty, made bishop of Londonderry, in 
 Ireland, where he was much esteemed. In his younger years, he was accounted 
 ■a man of great ingenuity, and in his elder, of singular prudence, and a grace 
 to the pulpit. He wrote tl>e ' Hospital of Lovers,' a comedy, and acted in 
 St. John's college refectory, before the king and queen, on the 3Gth of August, 
 1636, but was not printed; as also ' Hermoplus,' a comedy, written in Latin, 
 several times acted, but not printed. And also a sermon, preached on the .3d 
 of March 164.3, before the house of commons, and several other things. He 
 died at Dublin 29th of December 1665, and was buried in Christ's church therct 
 
 Rev. William Jcmmatt, - - 1648 
 
 " William Jcmmatt," or according to Wood, Gemote, " was born in the 
 borough of Reading, of which his father had been twice mayor,* in the reign 
 of Elizabeth, and educated in the free school there, became a student in Mag- 
 dalen college, in 1610; and preacher at Letchlade, in Gloucestershire. After- 
 wards he was made minister of Nettlesfead, in Kent, chaplain to the earl of 
 Northumberland, and for fourteen years a licensed lecturer of Islcworth, in 
 Middlesex ; at length, leaving that cure in 1610, or thereabout, he went to 
 his native place, exercised his function, in praying and preaching there among 
 the brethren, took the covenant, became minister of St. Giles's, and was much 
 followed, and admired, by those of his persuasion. He published a great 
 many works, but chiefly on religious subji'ds. At length, after he had shewed 
 himself a mutable man, according to the times he lived in, he died full of years, 
 on the 2Sth of January 167?, at which time he left a considerable legacy 
 of books to the said church of St. Giles, in the chancel whereof he was buried^ 
 on the 31st of the same month. He had two sons that were ministers, one 
 
 * This is evidently a mistake, as no such nnme occurs in the list of mayors. 
 
 X X 3
 
 340 ST. GILES'S PARISH AND CHURCH. 
 
 named John, wbo was vicar of the said church, and the other Samuel, wha 
 lived and died rector of Eastling, in Kent." 
 
 From his being called, by Wood, " a mutable man," it is very probable 
 that he conformed again, at the restoration, to the established church, and, in 
 consequence, was permitted to hold the living till his death, and was then 
 succeeded by his son John, as mentioned above, who probably died about the 
 year 1685, as at this period we find the vicar to have been William Richards, 
 A. M. afterwards archdeacon of Berks. Mr. Coates places this last, according 
 to the register, in 1676, the year before the elder Jemraatt died ; which can- 
 not be correct, especially if his son John succeeded him in the living, as 
 Wood says, and which assertion is corroborated by the parish register of 
 burials. 
 
 anno. 
 Rev. Samuel Torrent, M. A. - 1712 
 
 Whiting Colton, M. A. - - 1729 
 
 The Hon. Joseph Yorke, - 1756 exchanged with 
 
 W^illiam Talbot, A.M. - - 1768 
 
 The Hon. W^illiam Bromley Cadogan, 1775 
 
 Joseph Eyre, A M. - - 1797
 
 The Corporation. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 XvEADING being, as we have before observed, a borough bj prescription. Chap. 
 it is impossible to assign the precise period, when it assumed the form of a ^^Ill- 
 corporate body ; but it is probable, that it was soon after, if not prior to the 
 foundation of the abbey, which, no doubt, caused a rapid increase to the town 
 by the number of tradespeople this establishment must have attracted front 
 other parts of the country. Those of thi« useful class of people, who first 
 established themselves here, and who made up the aggregate of the inhabit- 
 ants, soon grew jealous of the intrusion of others, and conceiving, perhaps, 
 that they had an exclusive right to the advantages arising from their situation, 
 were desirous, as much as possible, to prevent all others from partaking with 
 them, but as this could not effectually be done while they continued separate 
 and unconnected, they formed themselves into a society which they denominated 
 the guild merchant, over which one of their own members was annually 
 appointed to preside, whom they stiled the master of the guild. Such was, 
 probably, the origin of the corporation ; but, as this society was constituted 
 without the authority of the crown, its powers must have been confined to 
 the making of by-laws only, for the regulation of their own mercantile con- 
 cerns, without any civil jurisdiction over the borougli, which was originally 
 vested in the abbots, as will be shewn hereafter. At present we shall endeavor 
 to trace the rise and progress of the corporation, from this feeble beginning 
 to its being perfected by the charter of Charles I. 
 
 It has already been shewn, that the original corporation, if it may be so 
 called, was nothing more than a society of mechanics and tradesmen, formed 
 into one body, called the guild-merchant, for the mutual advantage of all its 
 members, without pretending to interfere in the government of the borough. 
 That this was all they aimed at in their association, is evident, from the first 
 charter they obtained from the crown, dated the 37th of Henry III. nearly 
 two centuries later than the charter granted to the abbot and monks by Henry 
 I. By this chili lei- they obtained cerlain privileges and exemptions for the 
 benefit of trade, hi t no civil jurisdiction over the town, as appears from the 
 following copy, tai.Ln from the town records :
 
 342 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 XVIli. '^ (SilOHrtUS^,* Del gratia, &c. Edward, by the grace of God, king 
 of England and France, and lord of Ireland, to all archbishops, 
 bishops, abbots, priors, carls, barons, justices, viscounts, governors, 
 magistrates, and to all our bailiffs, and faithful subjects, greeting. 
 
 " WE have inspected a charter, which the lord Henry of celebrated 
 memory, formerly king of England, our progenitor, made, in these words : 
 
 «« IpcnrP, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke 
 of Normandy, of Acquitaine, and carl of Anjou ; to all archbishops, bishops, 
 abbots, priors, carls, barons, justices, viscounts, governors, magistrates, and 
 to all our bailifls, and faithful subjects, greeting. Know ve, that we will, 
 and command for ourself and our heirs, that all the burgesses of Radinge who 
 belong to the guild-merchant in Radinge, may be for ever free from all shires 
 and hundred courts, and from all pleas, {plncitis) complaints, tolls, pas- 
 sages, ways, and carriage ways, and that they may buy and sell wheresoever 
 they will, throughout all England, without paying toll, and no one may 
 disturb them under forfeiture of ten marks. Witness to these presents, the 
 venerable father the archbishop of Xl^anterbury, primate of all England, Richd 
 earl of Cornwall our brother, Peter de Malund, Richard Fitznicholas, Bertram 
 de Croill, John de Grey, ]Master W illiam dc Kilkenney archdeacon of Coven- 
 try, Henry de Wcngh, Henry dc Bathon, Robert Walerand, A^'illiam dc Grey, 
 Nicholas de St. IMaure, Imbert Pugeys, William Gerum, Roger dc Bovin, and 
 others. Given under our hand, at Portsmouth, the fifth day of July, in the 
 37th year of our reiga. 
 
 " Now we grant and confirm the above charter, with its contents, to the 
 burgesses of the aforesaid town, their heirs, and successors, being burgesses 
 of the said town, for us and our heirs, so far as the above charter reasonably 
 witnesses^ and in like manner as the same burgesses and their predecessors 
 have hitherto used and enjoyed, by these words above mentioned, that is to 
 say, that the said burgesses maybe undisturbed in every thing, pleas {placitis)j- 
 only excepted. 
 
 " Witnesses to these presents, the venerable fathers, John, archbishop 
 of Canterbury, primate of all England, Richard of London, Richard of Chi- 
 chester, bishops ; William dc Bohuu carl of Northan.pton, Thomas de Eello- 
 
 ♦Edwaid III. 
 + Planta docs in part signiFy pecuniary matters, such as fines and amercements ; but they were 
 
 also fines and amercements set or entered into upon the occasion, or ground of picas dcpcuumg. 
 
 M.i,.. ox's Histjry and Antiquities of the £xih qw.r, p. i.^c.
 
 filsi^p mau uiotei apiS 6i3Zto jSn^ 
 
 Chap. 
 XVI [I. 
 
 1345 
 
 1379
 
 £Ja'fci5(^ic(i^/iiii,-'Va('utcu»Tii|fi^c units 'tdftftDi qtidiu aleftt6"tinniiajitf>>iils" t^- 
 
 
 yi^s'^UtJl pilUldte TYCO '«Vl4C«kywViLi«*-' ^iw t»^v «4|V CV^fcVCU.u.MC'i^TBllCt'llLi^tll.fl JitJIUXi*.' ix^ 
 
 int*(juurtO' .4; fwa^^. ^.^xj^ ,>.a<fly^ -il?;A«» 
 
 Qi//af-,Mmw r/ //ii'- ^wii//)-/ (•/ ^'^f/it// //y '■>/■
 
 1345 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 343 
 
 campo earl of Warwick, Thomas Wake de Ljdell, Richard de Stafford stew- Chap. 
 ard of our hoiishold, and others. XVIII. 
 
 " Given under our hand at Westminster the tenth day of June, 
 
 in the eighteenth vear of our reign over England, and in 
 
 the fourth over France." 
 
 It is probable that our ancestors, either considered these charters as no 
 longer in force after the demise of the grantor, or, as is more likely, that they 
 •were compelled to renew them when called upon for that purpose by the 
 reigning monarch, as is evident from this charter of confirmation of Edward 
 III. whereby instead of obtaining any fresh immtmitics, they are curtailed 
 of some they before enjoyed^ which could not have been the desire of the 
 guild merchant in renewing their former charter. So, in the succeedino- one 
 of Richard 11. no other object appears to account for its confirmation of the 
 former ones, as it merely recites them, verbatim, and then adds, " We o-rant 
 and confirm the aforesaid charter and confirmation, with all that is contained 
 therein, except as is therein excepted, and for ourselves and our heirs, as far 
 as in us is, to the burgesses of the aforesaid town of Readinge, and to their 
 heirs, burgesses of the said town, we accept, approve, ratify, and confirm the 
 same, as far as they may reasonably require, and like as the said burgesses 
 and their predecessors have hitherto reasonably used and enjoyed. In witness 
 whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness myself 
 at Westminster the twentieth day of February, in the second year of our reio-n. ^^^^ 
 
 " BoNLAND." 
 
 At the bottom, in a smaller hand, is written " for a fine of five marks."* 
 By these charters, called charters by inspeximus, from their leading word, 
 the guild-merchant became a privileged but not an executive government ; 
 they were in some instance exempt from other courts, but possessed none 
 of their own: and, though they were authorized to buy and sell wherever 
 they pleased without paying toll, they were not till long after permitted to 
 levy that small tribute in their own market. 
 
 These charters were renewed by Henry IV. in 1399, and by Henry V. in 
 1418. Hitherto the chief magistrate was only considered as the keeper or 
 master of the guild-merchant, but, by the charter granted in the following 
 reign, (Henry VI.) he is styled the mayor ; the body corporate being therein 
 called the mayor and burgesses, and so it continued and was confirmed by the 
 
 * Hume observes, " that the fines paid for the renewal of charters, being a part of the revenues 
 of the crown, under the Norman race, the subjects were obliged to renew them at the commencement- 
 of every new reign."
 
 344 THE CORPORATION. , 
 
 Chap, subsequent charters of Henry VII. Henry VIII. and Edward VI. but in that | 
 
 XVIII. o-ranted by queen Elizabeth, in the second year of her reign, who very much 
 favored the town, the burgesses were, for the first time, divided into capital 
 and serondarv, consisting of nine of the former, and sixteen of the latter, 
 " and the mayor, primary and secondary burgesses were to be a common 
 council for the borough, for all things and business, for the rule and govern- 
 ment thereof, for the public profit and commodities of the borough and inha- 
 bitants thereof, by the major part of them to be done and handled for the 
 bcffer order and government of men inhabiting therein, and of the business 
 of the borough." She also gave to the corporate body, the borough, and the 
 rents of certain estates ;* in consideration whereof they became liable to the 
 building and keeping in repair the several bridges within the bounds of the 
 corporation, and to find a schoolmaster for the free school, for ever, whom they 
 were entitled to nominate and discharge at their pleasure. 
 
 In the charter of Charles I. thev are incorporated bv the name of the 
 mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and are invested with ample powers for the 
 government of the borough, both in a civil and judicial capacity.' 
 
 A new charter was granted by Charles II. but as it was only a confir- 
 mation of that granted by his father, with a few immaterial alterations, the 
 former has always been considered, as that from which the present corporation 
 derive their powers, and by which they are bound in all their proceedings. 
 
 Beside the charters above enumerated, one was granted to the corporation, 
 under the seal of the commonwealth, but having been in force onlv during 
 the usurpation, it is no longer to be considered but as a matter of curiosity. 
 
 The same may be said of the last charter granted by that unfortunate 
 monarch James II. whose exile, and ultimate exclusion from the throne, put aa 
 end to its authority. 
 
 Mention is also made in the diaries of three other charters, called the 
 charters of liberties, which were formally surrendered by the late, to the new 
 mayor on his entrance into office. These were, probablv, copies of magna 
 cliartn, and the two charters of confirmation granted by Henry III. at the 
 commencement of his reign. Hume, speaking of these charters, says, '' Thus 
 these famous charters were brought nearly to the shape in which they have 
 ever since stood ; and they were, during many generations, the peculiar favor- 
 ites of the English nation, and esteemed the most sacred rampart to national 
 liberty and independence. As they secured the rights of all orders of men, 
 Ihey were anxiously defended by all, and became the basis and support of the 
 
 • These rents at the time amounted to 41^. gj, -jd. annually, 
 * Sec Appendix A.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 315 
 
 English monarchy, and a kind of original contract, which both limited the 
 authority of the king, and insured the conditional allegiance of his subjects. XVIH 
 Though often violated, they were still claimed by the nobility and people ; 
 and, as no precedents were supposed valid that infringed them, they rather 
 acquired than lost authority, from the frequent attempts made against them, 
 in several ages, by regal and arbitrary power." 
 
 From this view of the gradual progress of the corporate body, we may 
 conceive in what manner that institution, which at first consisted only of a 
 guild-merchant for the protccdon of trade, without either judicial, legislative, 
 or executive authority (for the mayor was not even a justice of the peace till 
 the 31th of Henry VIH. ) gradually assumed that form of constitution, wliich 
 prevails in every part of the British empire, inchuling the regal, aristocratical, 
 and dcmocratical authorities, and which., by uniting the interests, and powers, 
 of the three estates, seems best calculated to secure that, which ought to be 
 the end of every government — the freedom and happiness of the people. 
 
 The number of burgesses, before the charter of Elizabeth, having been 
 indefinite, the corporation elected as many as they thoug'it fit, or as their 
 revenue, which was oftentimes inadequate to their expenditure, obliged them 
 to do ; the fines on the ad nission of burgesses and freemen, prior to this 
 period, forming the principal source of their revenue.* These fines probably 
 varied at diirerent periods, according to the vahie of money. In the corpo- 
 ration diaries, commencing with the charter of Henry VI. the fine mentioned 
 on the admission of the son of a freeman, or one who had served his time to 
 a freeman, was four shillings, and for the admission of a stranger eight shil- 
 lings and four pence, half of which was paid to the abbot. These fines, 
 triilinp" as they may now appear, were then of sullicient consequence to induce 
 the corporation to increase the number of burgesses beyond their proper 
 limits, so that frequent contentions aroie at their meetings, and no order could 
 be observed in conducting the public business, where so many persons of dif- 
 
 * 5o great was the poverty of the corporation in the first year of the reign of Edu'ard VI. that 
 haviniT been untier the necessity of horrowing six pounds of the churchwardens of St. Lawrence's 
 parish, they requested to be permitted to rep?y it by instalments of ten shillings h:'.If yearly, and to 
 be excused paving the interest. When the following entry concerning it appears in the corporation 
 diary : " Whereas the ma) or and burgesses arc indebted to the church of St. Lawrence in six pounds, 
 which was borrowed ; for repayment whereof it is agreed, that ihe cofferer of the guild-hall shall piy 
 the said wardens ten shillings every half year, until the whole be fully paid." And in 1555, " It \>'as 
 agreed by the mayor and burgesses, that every burgess of the bench shall leave fifteen shillings to those 
 burgesses who are not able to live without assistance." However, at the commencement of the next 
 century, 1 605, their revenue was so much increased, by gifis from the crown and private thanuet, 
 2": to amount to the annual sum of igg/. 31. Bd, 
 
 7 "
 
 346 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 Chap, ferent interests were concerned ; it became therefore necessary, in the reigiv 
 XVIII. of Edward VI. to forbid the making of any more till their then present num- 
 ber were reduced to thirty, and the following by-law was entered in the diary 
 for that purpose : 
 
 " Forasmuch as a great incumbrance has arisen from the great number 
 of the burgesses, to the great perturbation and disquietment of the rest of the 
 company there minding tranquility and quietness, it is ordered, that henceforth 
 no more shall be made till the present number is reduced to thirty." 
 
 However, in the following reign, they found it necessary, from the state 
 of their funds, to cancel the above by-law, and, in consequence, the number 
 of burgesses kept increasing, till, by the charter of Elizabeth, they were 
 limited to twenty-five, including the mayor. 
 
 The burgesses, on their admission, were to take the following oath : 
 
 " This hcrvna- the maior, ve shall truman be to the kvng our sovravn lorde, 
 and to his heires, to the maior of the borough of Radiuge the kyngs leftenant 
 and burges of the gylde merchant of the seide borough for the tyrae being, 
 and to all matters that may sownde to the con\}'n weel and prophite of the 
 seide gylde; ye shall be truly ayding, helping, and assistyng with your persone 
 and goods to your power, and if ye know an}' persone that would hurt or 
 disturbe the liberties and franceses of the seide gylde, labour, provoke, or styr, 
 to breke any acte or ordynance, made or to be made, by the seide maior or his 
 burgesses for the comyn weele of the same, that shall ye discover, shew and 
 declare to the seide maior, or to his leftenant, in open, or secret wise, (for) the 
 comyn profit of the seide gylde, so that ye shall truly attende at all tymes,. 
 not having regard to your single profight in distresse of the comyn weele 
 of the same gylde. The comyn counscil of this seide gylde and felloship 
 of the same, that shall ye heele, and secret kepe, and it to no persone shew ne 
 declare out of the seide gylde hall, except it be to a burgess of the same hall. 
 All theise thyngs shall ye observe, and truly kepe in all poynts to your power, 
 so help yow God, and holy doonie, and by thys booke.'" 
 
 For the better government of the town, it was divided into five wards, 
 but at \\hat time this regulation took place, cannot now be ascertained, but 
 from the distinction between the old, and the new wards, it is evident it did 
 uot take place at once, though the original division must have been at an early 
 period. From Horn-street and the Butts having been formerly called the 
 Old-street, it is supposed, with great probability, that this part of the towa 
 
 Corporation diary.
 
 THE CORPORxiTION, 347 
 
 iRras first built upon, and was accordingly called the Old-ward. The next, I Chap, 
 conceive to have been High-ward, including the Market-place, as that was XVIII, 
 most likely to have been the part of the town next built on, from its vicinity 
 to the abbey ; next followed Minster-ward, London ward, and lastly New- 
 ward. To each of these wards were appointed two ward officers or wardmen 
 in the nature of constables, to preserve the peace in each district, but their 
 appointment occasioned several disputes between the masters of the guild and 
 the abbots ; each claiming the right of nomination, which, by a decree made 
 by the king's justices in the year 1507, was determined to be in the mayor and 
 burgesses, and the burgesses or freemen of the town, as will be shewn here- 
 after. These officers are still appointed under the name of wardens, with this 
 difference, that they are now parish officers, rather than wardmen, and are 
 nominated by the constables on their entrance into office, but the constables 
 themselves are chosen by the mayor to serve with him for one year. The next 
 regulation, if indeed it was not made prior to the former, was the distributing 
 all the tradesmen and mechanics into classes or companies, into one of which 
 every inhabitant was obliged to be admitted, or made free of, before he was 
 suffered to exercise his trade or calling. These likewise were five in number ; 
 consisting of the mercers,' cutlers' and bellfounders', tanners', clothiers', and 
 vintners' ; each of which companies had their appropriate fines of admission, 
 and were governed by rules or by-laws, either made by themselves, or by the 
 whole body of freemen assembled in their common hall. 
 
 These regulations are contained in the following record belonging to the 
 corporation, and, though without date, may, from collateral circumstances, be 
 judged to have been written either, in the reign of Edward VI. or in that 
 of his sisters queen Mary or Elizabeth : 
 
 " ^n account of the several companies belonging to the guild-merchant 
 of Readings with their fines of admission, and the rules by which they 
 were governed, 
 
 " THE MERCERS' AND DRAPERS' COMPANY, 
 
 comprising the mercers, drapers, potuaries,* haberdashers, chapmen^ taylors, 
 and cloth- drawers. 
 
 * Earthenv.'^ircmcn. 
 
 y Y 2
 
 Chap. 
 XVII 1. 
 
 348 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 " The fines of admission into this company were, for 
 
 /. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 A mercer, - - - 
 
 A draper, 
 
 A potuary, _ - - 
 
 A haberdasher, 
 
 A chapman, - - 
 
 A taylor, 
 
 A cloth-drawer, 
 
 RULES. 
 
 " Any foreigner* retailing cloth in the town, to forfeit ten shillings each 
 
 time. 
 
 " No mercer, or taylor, to retail cloth, or women's hosen, under pain of 
 three shillings and four-pence each time. 
 
 " No taylor may set a journeyman to work, except he give him meat, 
 drink, wages, and lodging in his own house, on forfeiture of three shillings 
 and four-pence. 
 
 " No haberdasher, except he be a freeman, to sell hats or cap?, by retail, 
 within the borough, except straw hats, on forfeiture of twelve pence. 
 
 " THE CUTLERS' & BELL-FOUNDERS' COMPANY, 
 
 including the cutlers, bell-founders, brazierers, pewterers, smiths, pinners, 
 barbers, carpenters, joinirs, flet<liers,f wheelers, basket makers, coopers, 
 sawyers, bricklayers, card makers,]; turners, plumbers, painters, and glaziers* 
 
 " The fines of admission into this company, were 
 
 Cutler, - . - 
 
 Bell-founder, 
 
 Smith, _ - . 
 
 Barber, 
 
 Joiner, _ . _ 
 
 Wheeler, 
 
 Cooper, - - _ 
 
 Bricklayer, 
 
 * ^ non-f'-eeman. + AiTOw^maker. $ Woolcombers' cards. 
 
 /. 
 
 s. 
 
 d 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 

 
 THE CORPORATION". 
 
 S4& 
 
 Painter, 
 
 Turner, 
 
 Brazier, 
 
 Pinner, - 
 
 Carpenter, - 
 
 Fletcher, 
 
 Basket-maker, 
 
 Sawyer, 
 
 Plumber, 
 
 Glazier, 
 
 Card-maker, 
 
 /. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 Chap. 
 XVIII. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 " No smith may sell iron wares, within the borough, except a freeman, 
 on forfeiture of two shillings each time. 
 
 " If any barber, who is a foreigner, shall draw teeth in any part of the 
 town, except in a barber's shop, he shall forfeit twelve pence each time. 
 
 " Any barber inhabiting within the borough, shaving, trimming, dressing, 
 or cutting any person on Sunday, except on the four fair daysi shall forfeit 
 for each time, twelve pence." 
 
 The following by-law was made by the corporation in 1443, at the com- 
 mencement of the dispute between the houses of Lancaster and York, and 
 might be intended to prevent unlawful meetings taking place under the mask 
 of a barber's shop : 
 
 " The mayor and burgesses of Reading, grant and ordain, that from 
 this time forward, no barber of Reading open any shop, nor shave any man, 
 after ten of the clock in the night, between caster and micbaelmas, nor, after 
 nine of the clock in the night, from micbaelmas to easter, but if (except) it be 
 any stranger, or any worthy man of the town, he shall pay three hundred tiles 
 (tegulas) to the guild-hall of Reading, as often times as he is found faulty, 
 to be received by the cofferers for the time being.*" 
 
 " No carpenter may retain a bachelor except as an indented servant for 
 a year, and lodge and board him in his own house, on forfeiture of twelve 
 pence each time." 
 
 • It is very probable that at tbis period all tbe houses in Reading were covered with thatch, for 
 even so late as 1558, there is an entry in the chuich wardens' book of 6t. Mary's parish, " of two shil- 
 lings for a load of straw to mend the church-house ;" which shews, that thatch was even then not
 
 350 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 CiiAP. " THE TANNERS' & LEATHER SELLERS' COMPANY, 
 
 ' containing the tanners, leather-sellers, shoemakers, curriers, glovers, sadlers, 
 jerkin-makers, bottle-makers, collar-makers, and coblers. 
 
 " The fines payable for admittance into this company were, for a 
 
 /. s. d. 
 
 Tanner, ~ - - 4 
 
 Shoemaker, - - 3 
 
 Sadler, - - - 1 
 
 Bottle-maker, - - 10 
 
 Point-maker, - - 10 
 
 Cobler, - - - 10 
 
 Glover, - - - 2 
 
 Jerkin-maker, - - 10 
 
 Girdle-maker, - - 10 
 
 Collar-maker, - - 3 
 
 Currier, - - - 2 
 
 RULES. 
 
 " No shoemaker to make any boots, or shoes, in any part of the town. 
 Taut only in Shoe-makers' roM', that is to say, from the east side of the street 
 from the Forbury-gate unto the Hallowed-brook, upon pain of forfeiting three 
 shillings and four-pence each time. 
 
 " No foreigner to bring into the borough shoes or boots for sale, except 
 on fair-days, on forfeiture of three shillings and four pence each time. 
 
 " Shoe-makers to board and lodge their journeymen in their own houses 
 being unmarried, on pain of forfeiting for each time twelve pence. 
 
 " There shall be no bear-baiting or bull-baiting on the sabbath-daj 
 during service, on pain of twelve pence, to be paid by every householder where 
 the baiting is. 
 
 exclusively used for the habitations of the poor. Mr. Newcombe, in his History of the Abbey of St. 
 Alban, observes, that tiles and bricks of clay, and burnt, were invented about 1440. Now, as the time 
 here specified is only three years prior to this by-law, it is not unlikely, that, to prevent in future the 
 dreadful eiTect of fires, so frequently attendant on this species of covering, the corporation were in- 
 duced to order this fine to be paid in tiles, instead of monev, in hopes of introducing them into 
 general practice. And to shew they were in earnest, we soon after find one John Bristol was fined 
 jwo thousand one hundred tiles, for shaving seven peisons after the time specified, but which, on 
 account of his poverty, were reduced to twelve hundred. This assertion of Mr. Newcombe is not 
 however quite correct, as tiles were used in a much earlier age, though perhaps not before brought 
 into general practice.
 
 THE CORPORATION. ^51 
 
 "THE CLOTHIERS' & CLOTH-WORKERS* COMPANY, XV III. 
 
 mcludingthe clothiers, djers, weavers, shearmen, shuttle makers and ash-burners. 
 " The fines of admission into this company were, for a 
 
 /. s. d. 
 
 Clothier, - - - 3 
 
 Dyer, - - - 2 
 
 Shuttle-maker, - - 10 
 
 Cloth-drawer, - - 10 
 
 Weaver, - - - 2 
 
 Fuller, - - - 2 
 
 Ashburner, - = - 10 
 
 RULES. 
 
 " Clothiers using, or occupying in their houses, more than two broad 
 looms, shall forfeit, for each loom, ten shillings; but Mr. Aldworth to be 
 allowed four.* 
 
 " No clothier shall weave in his own house cloth for another clothier, on 
 pain of paying six shillings and eight pence each time. 
 
 " Any person of the weaving business, who shall be proved false in con- 
 veying away, or detaining any yarn, shall be for ever disfranchised, 
 
 " If any weaver has more journeymen than he can lodge in his house, he 
 ic to give notice to the warden of the company how many he has more, and 
 the warden shall assign them a mecte house to dwell in, on pain for not giving 
 notice twelve pence. 
 
 " Any clothier being a sliearman, who shall work any work of any other 
 clothier but his own, shall forfeit each time three shillings and four pence. 
 
 " Any clothier putting his cloth to burle, rowe,f or shear to any mill- 
 man, or any that keepeth a fulling mill, shall pay for each three shillings 
 and four pence, except Mr. Aldworth, who may have two cloths weekly burled 
 at Caversham-mill, during the time he shall have any interest therein. 
 
 " Persons putting wool out to dry, or hanging cloth on the sabbath day, 
 to forfeit twelve pence. 
 
 * See the list of mayors, 
 
 + This word is still in use at the Orkney Islands, for sheraing, or rather pulling the wool cff 
 the sheep by the handi-— ^ar^^'j Orkneys,
 
 /. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 0" 
 
 355 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 XVlli. ''THE VICTUALLERS' & INNHOLDERS' COMPANY, 
 
 comprising the vintners, innholders, bakers, brewers, butchers, fishmongcri, 
 chandlers, maH-makers, wood-mongers, salters, and flax-dressers. 
 " The fines payable for admission into this company were, for a 
 
 Vintner, _ - - 
 
 Baker, - - ■ 
 
 Innholder, - - - 
 
 Fishmonger, 
 
 Malt-maker, 
 
 Salter, - - - 
 
 Brewer, _ - - 
 
 Butcher, 
 
 Chandler, _ - _ 
 
 Woodmonger, 
 
 Flax-dres3er, 
 
 Tlie rules belonging to tliis company are missing ; but we collect from the 
 diaries, that the victuallers were strictly enjoined to observe lent, and v.cre 
 forbidden to kill or dress flesh meat in that season, without a licence from the 
 abbot, while his authority existed, and afterwards, of the mayor. 
 
 And, to prevent impositions in the price and strength of beer sold at 
 public-houses, two ale tasters were appointed to set the price thereof; and 
 if the mayor for the time being happened to be a victualler, the following 
 addition was made to the oath taken by lum on his entrance into oCice : 
 
 " That he would truly and indiftercntly, according to the plenty or scar- 
 city of victuals within the borough, assess and set the price and assize thereof, 
 for the time he should remain in the office."* 
 
 The price of ale and beer set by assize, was, for double or strong beer, 
 eight shillings per barrel, or two pence three farthings per gallon ; ale four 
 shillings the dozen, and small beer four shillings the barrel ; but, for retail, 
 a full quart of the best beer one penny, and of small beer one halfpenny. 
 
 The number of freemen belonging to the different companies in Reading, 
 in the sixteenth century, was as follows : 
 
 • It appears from this, that the corporstion assumed the power cf setting a iT^axiiauin en other 
 articles of provision, as \vell as on bread and ale.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 353 
 
 Clothiers, 
 
 Dyers, 
 
 Weavers, 
 
 Shearmen, 
 
 Shuttle-maker, 
 
 Ash-burner, - 
 
 Tanners, - 
 Shoe-makers, - 
 Curriers, - 
 Glovers, 
 Sadiers, - 
 Jerkin-makers, 
 Bottle-maker, 
 Collar-makers, 
 Coblcrs, - 
 
 Mercers, 
 
 Drapers, - 
 
 Potuarics, 
 
 Haberdashers, 
 
 Chapmen, 
 
 Hosier, 
 
 Carried forward 187 
 
 26 
 
 Bi 
 
 •ought up 
 
 187 
 
 3 
 
 Taylors, 
 
 m 
 
 35 
 
 30 
 
 Cloth-dravk^er, 
 
 m 
 
 1 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 Cutlers, 
 
 . 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 Bell-founders, 
 
 - 
 
 3 
 
 
 Braziers and Pewterers, - 
 
 G 
 
 12 
 
 Smiths, - 
 
 . 
 
 9 
 
 12 
 
 Pinners, 
 
 . 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Barbers, - 
 
 . 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 Carpenters, 
 
 - 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 Painters, - 
 
 . 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 Joiners, • 
 
 • 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 Fletchers, 
 
 _ 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 Wheelers, 
 
 _ 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 Basket-makers, 
 
 _ 
 
 3 
 
 
 Coopers, 
 
 _ 
 
 3 
 
 15 
 
 Sawyers, - 
 
 - 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 Bricklayers, - 
 
 - 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 Card-makers, 
 
 - 
 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 Plumber, 
 
 • 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 Turner, - 
 
 • 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Glaziers, 
 
 - 
 
 2 
 
 Chaf. 
 XVIII. 
 
 Total 
 
 301 
 
 The vintners' company are not included in this account ; but from the 
 •um total, as here given, some idea may be formed of the populousness of this 
 place, in the reign of Elizabeth. 
 
 If we go back to a period prior to the reformation, we shall find the 
 corporation frequently contending with the abbot and monks for rights they 
 could not be entitled to, as the latter had, from their foundation, been endowed, 
 by charter, with such ample powers, that little could be left for the corporation 
 beside the right of regulating their own mercantile aflairs- 
 
 By the charter granted to the abbot and monks in 1121, among other 
 things, they are empowered " to try all offences committed within and without 
 the borough, in the highways and in all other places, whether by their own 
 servants or strangers, with all causes that may or can arise, with socca andl 
 
 z z
 
 351 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 sacca, fol and tlieam, and infiingentheft and outfangentlieft, and ham-socna* 
 X\ui -^"^ ^''^ ^^^°^ ^^'^ '"^ monks shall liold courts of justice for the trial of 
 assaults, thefts, murders, shedding of blood, and breaking the peace, and all 
 other crimes, as much as belongs to the regal power." 
 
 The power thus granted to the abbot and his monks must be considered 
 as nearly equal to that of the sovereign himself ; and, as the clergy were at 
 all times tenacious of their prerogalives, either in their civil or religious capa- 
 cities, and as the corporation must have been equally anxious to emancipate 
 themselves from their jurisdiction, we need not wonder if, during the latter 
 part of their government, frequent disputes arose between them, even of matters 
 seemingly of trifling moment. One of these was on the appointment of con- 
 stables and wardmen, which both claimed the right of doing, the one bj 
 prescription, the other under the powers given them by their charter. The 
 right to the butchers* shambles, which the corporation had rebuilt, and the 
 privilege of permitting stalls to be set in the high-ways of the town, were 
 likewise subjects of contention, inasmuch as they were sources of revenue to 
 Avhich ever party could establish the right. But the principal cause of dis- 
 pute was, the claim made by the abbots, of appointing the mayors and burgesses 
 of the corporation by their own authority, thereby endeavoring to render them 
 subservient to their jurisdiction in matters that only concerned the interests 
 of the corporate body, which in fact they denied them to be. This inter- 
 ference of the abbot was consequently resented by the corporation ; for on his 
 subsequently putting his claim in force, by choosing a mayor without their 
 consent, they came to the following resolution, which is entered in their diary. 
 
 " It is agreed bye William Jcfi'ord, major of the borough of Redynge, 
 and the burgesses of the same, that whatever person be elected and chosen to 
 be major bye the lord abbot, the same person not to be put in election by the 
 space of three years nexte followynge. It is also agreed, that no burgess be 
 chosen, without the consent of the major for the time being, or, without him, 
 of twelve of the burgesses." 
 
 These contentions were the natural consequences of two powers differ- 
 ently constituted presiding in the same place, and whose supposed rights must 
 frequently clash with each other. These disputes continued so long to disturb 
 the peace of the town, and to prevent that unanimity in the governing autho- 
 rities, without which it was impossible the public business could be carried on 
 with propriety, that the corporation came to the resolution of laying their 
 
 • A liberty of irj'ing persons guilty of burglary ('pro ingressu hospilii violinterj and to be exempt 
 from paying a fine to the king on that account.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 355 
 
 complaints before doctor Fox, bishop of Winchester, and the lord chamberlain „ 
 Daubeny, who advised them to refer the decission to sir Robert Rede, kt. and XVIII 
 Mr. John Kingsmill, justices of the king's-bench, who, after considering all 
 the circumstances, made the following decree, which is here inserted at large, 
 as it will afford the best evidence of the facts, and of the situation of the in- 
 habitants at this period : 
 
 " It is to be had in mynde and knowyn, that in the yere of our Lorde God 
 1507, and in the 23d yere of the reigne of our sovraync lorde king Henry 
 the seventhe, in the tyme of Christyne Nicliolas then beinge mayre of the 
 .gylde-merchante of the burgh of Rcdynge, certayn variances and grevances 
 of long tyme were dependynge, between abbott John Thorne lorde of Redyngc 
 foreseide, and the mayre and burgesses of the same, by the space of nineteen 
 yeres before the date above written, for approvynge of the corporation of the 
 seide gylde-merchant, for orderynge of constables and wardens, with other 
 articles. Which grevances and varyances, the aforescide mayre with Richard 
 Cleche and Thomas Carpenter, burgesses and late mayres of the seide gylde, 
 withe the assent and consent of all the burgesses of the same, by way of com- 
 playnte shewyd unto doctor Fox lorde prive scale, and bysshopp of Wynchestre, 
 and lorde Daubeny, chamblayn to our seide sovrayn lorde, for the whych, the 
 same lorde wyllinge and dcsyringe the seide mayre, Richard and Thomas, bur- 
 gesses, bv the syght of the evydence 9a both parties t'abyde the direction of 
 Robert Rede, knyght, chief justice of the comen benche at Westmynster, and 
 John Kyngcsmill, justice of the same benche. Whereupon the seide justices 
 havynge sight of the seide evydence, firste gave sentence and aflcrmjd the 
 seide mayre and burgesses of the seide gylde-merchant to be corporate. And 
 concernyng all other the premisses for a full conclusion and contynual peace, 
 between the parties aforescide for ever to be had, the seide lorde chamblayn 
 and justices dctermyncd and concluded in manner and forme followynge As 
 in such a byll of papyr to thys boke annexed, wherein theie have subscribed 
 their names withe theire owne hands, more playnly it apperith." 
 
 " Th 'artycles mocyoned by the reverend fader in God Richard byshopp 
 of Wynchestre, Gvles Daubeney knyghte, lorde Daubeney chamblayn to the 
 kynge our sovrayne lorde, Robert Rede knyghte, chief justice of the comen 
 benche at Westmynster, and John Kyngesmill, justice of tlic same benche, 
 for agreemente to be hadd between th' abbot of the monastry of our lady 
 seynt Mary the virgin of Redynge of one paitie. and the kepcr of the gylde 
 merchante of Redynge, and the burgesses of the same gylde of th' other 
 partie. Fyrst for makyng of the kepcr of the seide gylde-merchante, it is 
 advysed by the seide lorde and justices, that the burgesses of the seide gylde 
 
 z z 2
 
 356 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 shall name and present three good and able burgesses of the seide gylde, to the 
 
 •XV HI '''^'^'^ ^^^"^ ^*'^^^^'' ^" *''^ ^*''* ^^ ^^'^'"* ^^'''''^^^'' th' archangel!, if the same 
 ' abbot be at Redynge, within eight daies next after the same fcst, and if he 
 be absent from Redynge by the space of eight daies, next after the seide fest, 
 then to name and present three persones to the pryor, chanibrcr or snhchambrer 
 of the monastery, for the tyme being. And in the same nianer desycr and 
 pray the same abbot, if he be present, or in his seide absens the seide pryor, 
 chanibrcr, or sub-chambrer, to chose and adniytt one of the same three persons, 
 at his pleasure, to be keper of the seide gylde-merchante for a yere then next 
 ensuing. And the same person so chosyn keper, in the presens of the seide 
 abbot, if he be present, be to hym sworne, or in his foreseide absens, then in 
 the presens of the seide pryor, chambrer or sub-chambrer, or before one of 
 them, be sworne accordyngly to the eSect and words conteyned in an olde fyne 
 thereof leveyed in the tyme of king Henry tlie thyrde. And also that all 
 other thyngs and articles comprised in the same fyne shall be, betwene the 
 seide abbott, and the foreseide keper of the seide gylde -merchant and bur- 
 gesses thereof, ferraly helde and kept, accordyng to th' effect and porte of the 
 same fyne. 
 
 " And for election of two constables and ten wardmen of five wards in 
 the towne of Redynge, to be made hereafter, as oft as nede shall requyre, it 
 is moved by the seide lorde and justices, that the seide abbott shall suffer the 
 keper of the seide gylde, and the comonalte howsholders of the seide town, and 
 the most nombre of them, to chose one able and dyscreto pcrsone of the bur- 
 gesses of the seide gylde, to be one constable, and five honest burgesses to be 
 five of the wardmen of the seide five Mards, And also the seide keper, bur- 
 gesses and comynalte, howsholders of the same towne, to chose another able 
 persono of the same comynaltie at large, beying no burgess of the seide gylde, 
 to be the other constable of the seide towne. And other five able persons 
 of the seide comynaltie at large, by the same five burgesses of the seide gylde, 
 and no burgesses thereof, to be the other five wardmen of the seide town. 
 
 " And all the seide elections to be made in the lete and law day of the 
 seide abbot of his seide town. And also both the seide constables and ten 
 wardmen to be admytted, and solemnly sworne, only in the same lete and 
 law day, before the steward of the seid abbott, or his depute, truly to do and 
 exercise all things truly apperteyning to their offices in the seide town. 
 
 " And, as to makyng of burgesses of the seide gylde, it is dyrected by 
 the seide lorde and justices, that whensoever any persone shall be able and 
 named by the keper and burgesses of the seide gylde, to be a burgess of the 
 lame, that then, the keper of the seide gylde, for the tyme being, as oft as auj
 
 THE CORPORATION. 357 
 
 personc shall be hereafter so made burgess of the seid gjlde, shall shew to Ch^p 
 
 the seide abbott thereof, by the space of a fortnjght next before the same XVIlf. 
 
 persone shall be made burgess, and requyre the seide abbot, or, in his absens, 
 
 the seide prjo.*, chambrcr or sub-chambrer of the seide monasterie for the 
 
 tyrae being, to assign a monk of (he same monasteria to surveie, and be present 
 
 at, the cessyng of the fyne of the same persone to be made burgess of the 
 
 same gylde. And the seide abbot shall from hensforthe, upon everie such 
 
 reasonable request, assygne, or cause to be assygned, one of his conioyns to do 
 
 the same. The one half of every such fyne to be levied for th 'use of the 
 
 seide abbot, and his successors, and th' other half thereof to th'useof the 
 
 seide keper and burgesses of the seide gylde, to the comon profet of the seide 
 
 gylde to be applyed. And that the fvne of a son of everie burgess of the 
 
 seide gylde, lawfully begotten, be onlie four shyllyngs, when he shall be made 
 
 a burgess. And if the fyne of any forcner hereafter to be made a burgess, be 
 
 testified in any of the seide courts by six burgesses of the seide gylde, in 
 
 such forme as bath been used in tymes past to be reasonable, that is to say, to 
 
 be testyfyed by the same burgesses by the othe that they made when they were 
 
 made burgesses of the seide gylde, then the seide comoyne of the said abbott, 
 
 shall not refuse that fyne, but then the same persone to be admyttcd burgess 
 
 for the same fyne so testyfyed, 
 
 " And, as touching chepyn gavell,* which is a yerely fyne only, of all 
 and everie burgess of the seide gylde, which out of tyme of raynde hath been 
 payed yerely to the predecessors of the seide abbot, by everie burgess of the 
 seide gylde, tliat is to saie, every burgess of the same gylde hath payed five 
 pence yerely, and the widowe of everie burgess of the seide gylde two pence 
 farthinge yerely, at the fest of seynt Peter ad vincula, for their occupation 
 of merchandies in the seide towne, for whych fyne of chepyn gavell it is 
 thought by the seide lorde and justices, for a full declaration thereof hereafter, 
 that everie burgess of the seide gylde and widowe aforeseid for the seide fyne 
 of chepyn gavell, shall and rnay frely bye and sell all manner of merchandies 
 in their bowses and shoppes in the seide towne, and also bye and sell, all manner 
 of merchandies and thyngs venable in feyres and markets of the seide towo 
 out of their bowses and shoppes. 
 
 " And it is advysed by the seide lorde and justices, that now from hens- 
 forthe the seide abbott shall sufter the keper of the seide gylde and burgesse* 
 of the same to set stalles in the voyde growndes of the seide town, without 
 
 * Among the articles that composed the rftvenues of the abbey, we find the annual amount 
 
 of cheapyn gavel to be only lis, iid, so that the number of freemen could not be very great. Sa 
 
 Jolio 276.
 
 35S THE CORPORATION. 
 
 any other thyng thereof paying, but only the seide yerely fyne of chepyn gavell, 
 
 -VVITT so allway, that the same stalles be not to the prejudice ne noysance of any 
 
 * inhabitant of the same towne, ne be any lett of passage in any high way or 
 
 strete of the same towne. And if the stalles so set be to the noysance of any 
 
 of the scidc inliabitants, or lett of the seide highway, then it is to be reformed 
 
 only, by the baylift' of the seide abbott. And that of all other inhabitants 
 
 of the seide towne beyng no burgesses, the seide abbott shall take and have 
 
 such fynes and customs for their merchandies to be occupied in the same 
 
 towne, as he and his predecessors have had thereout tyme of mynde. And 
 
 as to the determination of the ryght of the flesh shambellys or botcherie in the 
 
 seide town, which the keper of the seide gylde and burgesses of the same 
 
 claymed, it is advysed by the seide lorde and justices, that the keper of the 
 
 seide gylde, and the burgesses of the same hereafter, shall shewe their evydences 
 
 for them thereof, before my lorde bishopp of Wynchestre, and the seide lorde 
 
 chambleyn, and that then both the seide parties to be ordered further by the 
 
 «eide lorde, upon sight thereof. 
 
 " R. Bynton. 
 
 " Giles Dawbeney. 
 
 ^' R. Rede. 
 
 " John Kingesmill." 
 
 It appears from this decree, that the authority of the keeper and burgesses 
 was at this time very circumscribed : they were not considered a body corpo- 
 rate, till it was confirmed by this decision ,• and even then, they were permitted 
 to enjoy very little of the power which civil magistrates are usually invested 
 with. They could not even choose a keeper (mayor) without submitting their 
 choice to the approbation of the abbot ; neither could they admit any person 
 to the freedom of the borough, without giving him a formal notice of their 
 intention so to do, that he might share in the fine. 
 
 By the manner in which they are permitted to elect constables and ward- 
 men, it is plain the arbitrators considered their right so to do, was at least 
 doubtful, else they would not have desired the abbot to sufl'er it ; implying 
 more of a concession on the part of the abbot, than of right in that of the 
 corporation. The same may be inferred from tlie permission to set up stalls in 
 the town, which, if the abbot's bailiff considered a nuisance, he might remove 
 at his pleasure; so that in fact the corporation possessed no jurisdiction over the 
 town before the decree was passed, and had only the shadow of one afterwards. 
 
 The inhabitants of the town, in consequence of the feudal system, had 
 always been considered, as the property of the abbots who was their supreme
 
 THE CORPORATION. 359 
 
 lord ; even at the time of this decision, we find they were not permitted to 
 
 buy or sell in their own houses or shops, without paying an annual fine to the XVIII 
 
 abbot ; neither could the son of a freeman be admitted to his freedom, without 
 
 paying a certain sum to the lord ; and the only advantage he gained from 
 
 being entitled to his freedom by birth or servitude, was, that his fine to the 
 
 lord was fixed, while that for a foreigner was undetermined. 
 
 Notwithstanding the regulations above prescribed, respecting the election 
 of the mayor, and the admission of burgesses into the corporation, the dispute 
 was revived in the subsequent reign, and the decision referred to the king in 
 council, by whom the following decree was made, dated at Windsor, October 
 26th, 1510: 
 
 " As well by the assent of the abbot of Reading, as of the mayor or 
 keper of the gylde and his comburgenses, that whensoever any persone shall 
 be ennabled by the saide mayor or keper to be made a burges, the said mayor 
 or keper shall give monycion unto the saide abbot, or, in his absens, to the 
 pryor, chamberer, or subchamberer of the seide monastre, to send one of his 
 comoynes unto the guild-hall of the seide town at the Portsmouth there to be 
 liolden then next after, to survei and be presente at the assessyng of the fyne 
 of the seide burgesses, and if the seide monke take any exception unto the 
 seide fyne, then if the seide fyne be then testy fied and affirmed by four bur- 
 gesses of the seide gylde, by such othe as they made, when they were made 
 burgesses, the seide monke for this tymc only, because there be presente by no 
 more but five burgesses in the seide borough, shall be content, and then and 
 there forthwith, in the presens of the seide monke, before the mayor of the 
 gylde, the steward or under steward of the seide abbot, shall enter the moyety 
 of the fyne to the seide abbot belongynge, and take then a pledge for the 
 same. And then shall minister unto the burges then made, an othe under 
 the words following: 
 
 " Thou shalt true man be, unto the king and to his heires, kings; thou 
 shalt truly and diligently observe and keep all and singular articles con- 
 cernynge the gylde-merchante of this borough, so help thee God and holj 
 dome, and by all the evangelists. 
 
 " And if the seide abbot, or in his absens, the pryor, chamberer or sub- 
 chamberer, at any tyme hereafter, refuse to send their comoyne upon monycion 
 given as is above, or after the seide fyne so assessed or affirmed, the steward 
 or under steward, at any tyme hereafter refuse unto him the seide othe, then 
 it shall be lawful to the seide mayor, and his successors for the tyme beyng, to 
 minister unto hiin the seide othe, and then that persone to be admytted for a 
 burges, to enjoy e all liberties of the seide gylde, without any exceptions. And
 
 360 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 this order to be observed and kept for makyng of burgesses, and takyng of the 
 XV-'lYi "^'"^ hereafter for ever, so that tlieir fyncs, if any exception be taken to them. 
 ' be tcstyficd from henceforth by six burgesses, accordyngc to the oldc fyne. 
 
 " xVnd for makyng of the mayor of the seide gylde, for this tyme only, 
 it is ordered by the seide counciii, that when those three persons lately pre- 
 sented unto the pryor of the seide monastrc, have been at the portsniouth 
 aforeseide, his fyne there entered, and the othe taken, as is above, that then 
 they shall be presented unto the seide abbot within eight daies, then next after 
 iu the seide nionastre, by Thomas Carpenter, or if the seide abbot be absens 
 from thense, by the space of eight daies, then, there to be presented by the 
 seide Thomas, to the pryor, chambercr or sub-chambercr, within the said 
 nionastre, and one of them to be taken and admytted for maior of the gylde 
 till the fest of seynt Michael next following, and then thensforth such order 
 to be taken for makyng of the maior of the seide gylde yerely, as was agreed 
 by mv lorde of Wynchcstre, lordc Daubcny, sir Robert Rede and John 
 Kyngesmill, justices. And the like othe to be gyven by the. seide abbot, 
 pryor, chamberer, or sub-chamberer, to the seide maior, at the admission 
 hereafter, at every tyme as is above seide, for the burgesses, and no other. 
 
 (Signed) '' Thomas Surrey. 
 
 " Richard Wintox. 
 4 " Charles Somerset. 
 
 " Harry Morney. 
 " Thomas Englefield." 
 
 From the manner in which this decision is drawn up, it may be inferred, 
 that the principal cause of the dispute was, the distribution of the fines to 
 be levied on the admission of burgesses. It is probable that the abbot, either 
 wishing to encreasc the fine above the usual rate, or suspecting some collusion 
 among the members of the corporation to defraud him of his moiety, had 
 refused to allow any burgesses to be made, so long, that their number was 
 reduced below six, which by the former decree were required to swear to the 
 true amount of the fine given ; on which account the corporation appealed to 
 the king in council, who by this decision authorises the four remaining bur- 
 gesses to testify on this occasion, but that in future six only should be a com- 
 petent number ; so necessary it appeared in those days to guarantee from fraud 
 80 trifling a fine. 
 
 The delay in the admission of the new mayor into office by the abbot, 
 probably arose from the same cause — the reduced number of burgesses, who 
 must, all but one, have returned themselves ; this irregularity hovvever was
 
 THE CORPORATION. 361 
 
 sanctioned by the present decree, for the abbot was now obliged to make 
 choice of one of the three, whom he had before refused, to serve the office -vvnr 
 of major for the remainder of the year ; after which the elections were to be 
 conducted in the usual course. At length the dissolution of the abbey, which 
 soon after followed, put an end to these disputes which had so long been 
 agitated between the rival authorities, and the corporate body by degrees 
 entered upon all the functions the abbots had before exercised, except the 
 tryal of capital offences, which has since been referred to the decision of the 
 judges at the county assizes ; in other respects their authority is nearly the 
 same. The mayor for the time being is lord of the manor, holds Icte and law 
 courts, appoints all the civil officers, is with the aldermen and burgesses 
 exempt from military service, and determines in all minor cases relative to 
 the town. 
 
 Having now shewn in what manner the corporation attained their present 
 civil jurisdiction over the borough, it remains to make a few remarks on their 
 government of the ancient guild-merchant; for although, as it has been already 
 shewn, their authority in the town was originally very limited, yet, in respect 
 to their own members, they seem to have exercised an almost despotic power 
 over them. They could elect any of the freemen to serve as burgesses or 
 assistants, and on their refusal to take the oaths of admission, could fine them 
 at their own discretion, at first; but in 1673 the fine was limited to forty 
 pounds ; and soon after John Ilall, Charles Calverly, and Thomas Thome, on 
 being chosen burgesses, and refusing to take the oath, were severally fined in 
 the above sum ; when, Mr. Hall, " for his present compliance and peaceable 
 and quiet manner,"' had his fine reduced to thirty pounds ; but the other 
 gentlemen, after a trial at law, in which the corporation obtained a verdict, 
 ■were obliged to pay the whole sum. However, in the same year, and 
 perhaps, in consequence of the opposition made to the above regulation, the 
 fine was, as we find, from the following entry in the diary, reduced to 
 tvrenty pounds : 
 
 *' Forasmuch as divers persons being burgesses and inhabitants of the 
 borough of Reading, have been duly elected to be assistants to the said 
 borough ; that, out of their disaffection to government have contemptuously 
 refused to take the oath, lawfully tendered them for the execution of the said 
 office of assistant ; which mischief, if not speedily prevented, will turn to the 
 decay and ruin of the said borough, by wanting of sufficient rnen to supply 
 the place of assistants for the said borough ; be it therefore ordered by the 
 
 ' Corporation Diary, 
 3 A
 
 362 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 mavor, aldermen, and assistants, that if any burgess or inhabitant, shall be 
 ^"tiT hereafter elected to be an assistant to the said borough, shall without any 
 C-v^-^*/ reasonable or just cause, refuse to take the oath, for the execution of the said 
 ofiice of assistant, being duly thereunto required, shall incur and forfeit the 
 penalty of twenty pounds, or such other reasonable pain (not exceeding the 
 sum of thirty pounds) as shall be imposed and inflicted upon him by the 
 mavor and aldermen of the said borough, or the greater part of them." 
 
 However, since this period, they have had very few occasions to put this 
 by-law in force, particularly of late years ; the honor alone being considered 
 bv the most respectable gentlemen in the borough, a sufficient recompense for 
 fulfilling the arduous duties of an office which ultimately leads to the chief- 
 magistracy of the borough. 
 
 The fine of an alderman, for refusing to take the oath, was, in like 
 manner, at first, indeterminate, and perhaps was never positively fixed at any 
 particular sum ; in some instances it appears to have been twenty pounds ; in 
 others more, as in the case of Edward Hamblin, in 1612, who, refusing to take 
 the oath, on being elected an alderman, was fined one hundred marks ; and, 
 on non-payment of the fine, was committed to the compter prison.* This 
 gentleman, being a rovalist, was afterwards obliged to compound with the 
 parliament's commissioners, for his estate, iu Ihe sum of thirty-six pounds, 
 six shillings, and eight pence. 
 
 Another authority exercised by the corporate body, was the disfranchising 
 such of their members as they conceived had, by their misconduct, forfeited 
 their freedom, as in the following instance, which we have selected from 
 others for the peculiarity of the case, and the severity of the punishment, as 
 it appears to have been inflicted without trial, and for an ofl'ence, if it was 
 any, that is daily committed, and never noticedj in these more happy times : 
 
 " Forasmuch as Joseph Saunders, one of the said burgesses, for sedition 
 and slanderous and opprobrious words, by him openly spoken, against the 
 king's (Edward VI.) honorahle council, hy their commandment, was com- 
 mitted to punishment, on the pillory, on the market day, and there to stand 
 all the market-time, and then both his ears cut off. And after, for other 
 seditious, lewd, and slanderous words, by him, at sundry times after that, 
 spoken, to the great perturberance and disquietness of his honest neighbors, 
 it was therefore thought fit, by the said mayor and burgesses, that the said 
 
 • Over the gateway leading into the Forbury from the Market-place, lately taken do\vn.
 
 Chap. 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 36S 
 
 Joseph Saunders be no fit man to continue of the said company ; whereupon 
 the said mayor and burgesses, with one assent and consent, for the causes XVIII 
 aforesaid, the said day and year, have expelled and discharged the said Joseph 
 Saunders, from the said hall and company, for ever."* 
 
 But the most oppressive privilege they possessed, and which tended 
 more than all the rest, to confine the commerce of the town, and the number 
 of the inhabitants within too narrow limits, was that of refusing the freedom 
 of the town, and consequently, the liberty of trading within its bounds, to 
 strangers, who might otherwise have considerably increased its population, 
 and improved its commercial resources. 
 
 Under this selfish and tyrannical system of municipal government, which 
 formerly prevailed, an Englishman, who was so unfortunate as not to have 
 obtained his freedom in any town, either by birth, servitude, or purchase, was 
 considered a foreigner in his native land, and consequently liable to be driven 
 from borough to borough, as an alien, or as one who was every where consi- 
 dered an intruder. Capital, industry, abilities, and those numberless shades 
 which mark the different characters of individuals, were of no avail, when 
 put in competition with corporate rights, however absurd. 
 
 If perchance an industrious tradesman, from being overlooked, had, for 
 a short time, been permitted to reside in any of these chartered towns, the 
 least prospect appearing of his succeeding in his business, or mercantile con- 
 cerns, was sufFicieut to rouse the jealous envy of others in the same line, who, 
 by a proper information laid before the chief magistrate, could, at any time, 
 get him sent away with ignominy, on the shortest notice. The process was 
 simple, and arbitrary ; many examples of which might be produced, from 
 entries in the diaries of this corporation ; but, the following instance of op- 
 pression, though of an obscure individual^ may serve to shew to what a pitch 
 this system had arrived : 
 
 " July 1545, Robert Hooper, a barber, being a foreigner, was this day again 
 ordered to be gone out of the town at his peril, with his wife and children." 
 
 If the unfortunate objects of tliese persecutions were, even from un- 
 avoidable circumstances, detained a few days longer than the term specified, 
 " the town sergeants were sent to shut up their shops, and to sec them beyond 
 the limits of the borough.'" 
 
 • Corporation diary. * Ibid, 
 
 3 A 2
 
 3(j4 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 So fniacioiis were even all the lowest members of the guild raerchanf> 
 ^Vui "ndcr this oppressive system of municipal government, that no individual 
 ' member of one company was allowed to interfere with the exclusive rights 
 of another, but, like the different casts in India, every man was obliged to 
 confine his exertions and his ingenuity to his own trade. The carpenter, 
 thou"-h qualified in every other respect, could not execute any works that were 
 appropriated to the joiners' company ; nor could either of them presume to 
 interfere with those of the sawyers. Even the shoe-makers were not permitted 
 to mend a pair of shoes, because, by so doing, they intrenched on the rights 
 of the coblcrs. In 1G52, " The coblers, being freemen, petitioned the cor- 
 poration against the shoe-makers, for mending old shoes contrary to the rights 
 of the town; whereupon it was recommended to the slioe-makers not to offend, 
 therein, at their peril."* 
 
 Such were the oppressions and restrictions, that not only strangers, but 
 even freemen, were subject to, under these municipal regulations, in former 
 times ; re""u!ations, adapted, it should seem — to chill the natural exertions 
 of the inhabitants — to paralize their means of improving their talents, and 
 their conditions — and to render them fit objects for oppression. In con- 
 sequence of this exclusive system, trade was stagnated ; the town depopu.^ 
 fated ; and, for want of a proper stimulous, the lower classes were suffered to 
 pass the greater part of their days, without employment, in poverty and every 
 species of distress.* But, thanks to circumstances that have intervened, or 
 to the more enlightened system that has been adopted for nearly a century 
 past, these shackles on trade have been taken off, and every man, wherever 
 born, is now entitled to the same privileges as the natives, without its being 
 in the power of any individual to molest him in his trading concerns. f 
 
 • In the i6th and 17th centuries, the lower class of people seems to have been degraded to the 
 lowest state of wickedness; robberies of every kind were committed; and scarcely a day passed. 
 without the commission of some crime; as may be seen by the examinations in the corporation 
 diaries. The following entries, are proofs, if any were wanting, of this prevalence of vice among 
 the lower orders : 
 
 " Feb. 29, 1629, The assizes were holden at Abyngdon; at which time thirteen men and youths 
 died here for their offences committed." 
 
 " April 1631, At this assizes, eleven men suffered death for their crimes ; three of which were 
 of this town." 
 
 + The last instance of a stranger obtaining the freedom of the borough, was in 1757, when 
 Thomas Bramley, bricklayer, was admitted a freeman. But this seems to have been occasioned by a 
 doubt that had been started, whether a non-freeman could partake of the charitable gifts belonging to 
 the town ; for it appears, that on the same day that he was admitted to his freedom, he gave security 
 for sixty pounds, part of Mr. Kendrick's gift, to be lent to poor tradesmen, for three years, without 
 interest. « Corporation Diary.
 
 ^
 
 I 
 
 1
 
 THE CORPORATION. 365 
 
 The corporation also exercised a jurisdiction over part of the river 
 Thames^ Iving' eastward of the town; but of what kind, is not now known, -vyTTT 
 as their power, whatever it was, has been long since superseded bj the acts 
 passed for the improvement of that river. However, as long as they retained 
 the right, they endeavored, like the city of London, to preserve it, by keeping 
 a certain number of swans upon it, called " the game of swans," which were 
 protected by a keeper, or farmer, appointed for that purpose, as ia the year 
 1457, when the mayor, in right of his office, farmed the whole, eight in 
 number, to Thomas Benwell, who agreed to take the stock, and to be at all 
 charges attending them, paying yearly to the mayor three cygnets ; but this 
 agreement being soon afterwards cancelled, a keeper was appointed by the 
 corporation, with a salary of twenty shillings, per annum, to look after them. 
 
 It is uncertain how far their jurisdiction extended, but it was, probably 
 as far as Maidenhead-bridge, if not farther ; for, in 1522, Richard Bemc, the 
 keeper, came and shewed that there were at Hambleden-mill two white swans, 
 at Kellerman three, at Marlow-bridge one, at Cookham one."* 
 
 Another right exercised by the corporation, was the levying a toll on 
 all strangers passing any of the bridges within the town ; and also of all barges 
 passing under Caversham-bridge :* The former had long been disused, but 
 the latter continued till the reign of James II. when the payment was opposed 
 by one Walter Chapman and others, bargemasters of the city of Oxford, who 
 alleged, " that since the alteration of the bridge, by removing several, old. 
 decayed stoue and brick arches, which formerly obstructed the passage, by 
 penning up the water above the bridge, boats could now pass without the 
 use of the winch, which alone they had been accustomed to pay for, and 
 not as a toll for passing under the bridge."' They moreover claimed their 
 privilege, as citizens of Oxford, to be exempt from the payment of pontage, 
 throughout all England, by a charter granted to the citizens, by Richard II. 
 
 * This bridge crosses the Thames at the village from whence it takes its name, separating the 
 counties of Berks and Oxford nearly in its centre. The south division, under which the barges pass, 
 and the five brick arches on the north side of this passage, as represented in the plate, are within the 
 county of Berks, and are kept in repair by the corporation. Over one of the arches, is a tablet, with 
 
 the following inscription: 
 
 WILLIAM EVERETT, 
 
 Mayor. 
 
 JOHN THORPE, 
 
 Chafnberlain, 
 1730. 
 
 *■ Corporation, Diary, * Ibid,
 
 TiVllI. 
 
 355 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 This cause was tried in the Exchequer, and a verdict given in favor 
 S^ri'^i of the bargemasters ; since wliich no toll has been required for barges belong- 
 in"- to Oxford, or any other place on the river, on passing this bridge. 
 
 By a late act of parliament, the corporation have disused the power 
 of holdino- a court of record for the recovery of small debts, which had before 
 been of -^reat service to the inferior class of tradesmen, from the cheap and 
 expeditious manner they could enforce the payment of small debts from the 
 unprincipled debtor ; most of which are now either lost, or obtained at a price 
 disgusting to humanity. 
 
 ^ copy of the original oath taken by the iiiayor^ as chief magistrate, 
 justice of the peace^ and clerk of Ike market. 
 
 " You shall swear to bear faith and troth, and also obedience unto our 
 sovereign lord the king's majesty, his heirs and successors, and well and truly 
 serve him in the several offices of mayor, justice of the peace, and quorum, 
 and clerk of the market of this borough, and guild merchant of Reading, 
 whereunto vou are elected, and chosen, for this year ensuing; the liberties 
 and franchises of the said borough, to the utmost of your power, you shall 
 maintain and defend. You shall carefully endeavor the profit and good 
 government of this borough, and so far as in you lieth, take care, that the 
 state, stock, and bequests of benefactors of this borough, be maintained, pre- 
 served, and employed, as they ought. You shall likewise endeavor to main- 
 tain a just and legal proceeding in the court of pleas in this borough. You 
 shall not be a counsel in any cause there depending before you. You 
 shall well and truly do, and cause to be observed and kept, in this borough, 
 the good assize of bread, beer, ale, and wine, and all victuals, weights, 
 measures, and other things thereunto appertaining. You shall observe, main- 
 tain, and keep, and in all others, so much as in you lieth, do, to be observed, 
 maintained, and kept, all and singular the laudable acts, laws, constitutions, 
 and ordinances made at nieetin£;s and councils, for the weal and ffood 2:0- 
 vernraent of this borough. The consultations, counsels, secret, and good 
 passages of jour brethren, and your own, consulted, conferred on, and hap- 
 pening at your councils, and meeting-, you shall utter and disclose to no 
 man; but the said several offices of mayoralty, justice of peace, and quorum, 
 and clerk of the market, whereunto you are elected and chosen, you shall, to 
 the best of your skill and power, well and duly demean yourself So help 
 you God, and by the contents of this bible."* 
 
 * Corporation Diary,
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 367 
 
 The following is the present mode of electing tlie mayor : On the day Chap 
 of election, which always takes place on the first Monday after St, Bartho- XVIII. 
 lomew's day, the aldermen, being assembled in the council-chamber, choose 
 three of their members to be put in nomination to serve the office — this done, 
 they all retire into the town-hall, where the nomination is proclaimed ; they 
 then return to the council-chamber, leaving the three candidates in the hall, 
 where being re-assembled, they, together with the burgesses, elect one of the 
 three to be mayor, which is generally in rotation. However, from the 
 adoption of this mode, it is evident, that by the reduction of three of their 
 brethren, who are thus excluded from voting on this occasion, the choice 
 of the mayor for the ensuing year greatly depends on the burgesses, sup- 
 posing the whole number to be present ; the latter being twelve in number, the 
 former only ten. 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE CORPORATION. 
 
 George Gilbertson, esq. Mai/or. 
 Aldermen. 
 
 William Knapp, esq. 
 Martin Annesley, esq, 
 Richard Maul, esq. 
 Charles Poulton, esq. 
 William Blandy, esq. 
 Richard Westbrook, esq. 
 
 Richard Richards, esq. 
 Launcelot Austwick, esq. 
 John Stephens, esq. 
 William Andrews, esq. 
 William Garrard, esq. 
 ■ Vacant. 
 
 Burgesses. 
 
 John Simeon, esq. 
 John Blandy, esq. 
 W. B. Simonds, esq. 
 John Bulley, esq. 
 Thomas Sowdon, esq. 
 Robert Harris, esq. 
 
 John Richards, esq : 
 Thomas Ward, esq. 
 William Stephens, esq. 
 Henry Deane, esq. 
 Richard Westbrook, jun. esq. 
 William Andrews, jun. esq. 
 
 The right hon. lord viscount Sidmouth, high steward. 
 
 Charles Abbot, esq. steward, or recorder. 
 
 William Andrews, esq. town clerk, and coroner.
 
 368 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 ji list of the mayors of Bending, from their first appointment by the charter 
 XVIII. granted in the lOth year of the reign of Henry FI. to the present time. 
 
 Those marked toith an asterisk represented the borough in parliament. 
 
 Henry VI. 
 1432 John Kirkley.* 
 
 Simon Porter.* 
 
 Robert Morjs.* 
 
 John Kirkby.* 
 
 Thomas SelvyUj or Swaine. 
 
 William Hunt. 
 
 William Russel. 
 
 William Selvya. 
 1440 JohnVeyrd. 
 
 Robert Morys. 
 
 Simon Porter. 
 
 William Selvyn. 
 
 Edward Lynacre.* 
 
 William Russel. 
 
 William Hunt.f 
 
 Jolin Sayers. 
 
 John West. 
 
 ;J;Thomas Clerk, sen.* 
 
 John Chamberlain. 
 1450 Simon Porter. 
 
 Edward Lynacre. 
 
 William Rede.* 
 
 The same. 
 
 The same. 
 
 The same. 
 
 John Chamberlain, 
 
 Thomas Beke.* 
 
 Thomas Clerke.* 
 
 Thomas Beke. 
 1460 AVilliam Lynacre.* 
 Edward IV. 
 
 William Rede. 
 
 Thomas Clerke. 
 
 John Buck.* 
 
 William Rede. 
 
 William Lynacre. 
 
 William Rede. 
 
 John Upston. 
 
 Robert Quedhampton. 
 
 William Lynacre. 
 1470 John Upston. 
 
 William Perncote.* 
 
 Stephen Donster. 
 
 Thomas Beke, 
 
 William Lj'nacre 
 
 John Baxter, or Bakester. 
 
 The same. 
 
 William Lynacre. 
 
 Stephen Donster. 
 
 John Baxter. 
 1480 Thomas Bye. 
 
 John Langham. 
 
 Richard Cleche. 
 Richard IIL 
 
 John Langham. 
 
 The same. 
 
 John Baxter, 
 
 + In the south aisle ot St. Lawrence's church, is a flat stone, inlaid with brass, on which ij 
 inscribed the following epitaph : 
 
 Hie jacet Willms Hunt, quondam major huj us Reding, 
 
 ct uxor ejus. Qui quidem Willms obiit 3 die Martis, anno 
 Dsmi 1463. Quorum animabus propitietur Deus. Amen. 
 
 J Died in His mayoralty.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 369 
 
 Henry VII. 
 
 John Lanorliam. 
 
 The same. 
 
 The same. 
 
 Christian Niclas.* 
 1490 The same. 
 
 John Bakester. 
 
 The same. 
 
 Christian Niclas. 
 
 Richard Cleche. 
 
 The same. 
 
 The same. 
 
 Christian Niclas. 
 
 Richard Cleche. 
 
 Christian Niclas, 
 1500 John Wilcox. 
 
 Thomas Puckridge. 
 
 Richard Cleche. 
 
 John Turner. 
 
 Thomas Carpenter. 
 
 Richard Cleche. 
 
 Thomas Carpenter. 
 
 Christian Niclas. 
 
 Thomas Carpenter. 
 Henry VIII. 
 
 Thomas Carpenter. 
 1310 William V»^hite. 
 
 William GifFord. 
 
 William Watte. 
 
 William Justice. 
 
 John Pownsar.* 
 
 John Hopton. 
 
 Thomas Bye. 
 
 William Justice. 
 
 William Watte. 
 
 The same. 
 
 John Hopton. 
 ir)20 William Gyfford. 
 
 Thomas Bernard. 
 
 Richard Hyde.* 
 
 Richard Turner. 
 
 William Gyflbrd. 
 
 Thomas Bernard. 
 
 Richard a Man. 
 
 Richard Turner. 
 
 John Vansby. 
 
 Thomas Bernard. 
 1530 Richard a Man. 
 
 Richard Turner, 
 
 William Style. 
 
 John Rede. 
 
 Thomas Bernard. 
 
 Richard a Man. 
 
 John White. 
 
 Richard Turner. 
 
 Thomas Myrlh. 
 
 Richard Justice.* 
 1540 William Edmunds.* 
 
 William Burton. 
 
 Richard Bowyere. 
 
 Richard Turner. 
 
 John White. 
 
 Richard Justice. 
 
 John Bourne. 
 
 Edward VI. 
 
 Richard Bowyere. 
 John Bell. 
 John Buckland. 
 1550 William Edmunds. 
 Thomas Aldworth. 
 John Bourne.* 
 
 Mary. 
 
 Robert Bowyere. 
 Edward Butler. 
 John Bell.* 
 Thomas Turner. 
 Thomas Aldworth.* 
 
 Chap. 
 XVIII. 
 
 3 B
 
 370 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 Chap. 
 XVIII. 
 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 John Bourne. t 
 
 Robert Bowyere. 
 
 Edward Butler. 
 15G0 Thomas Turner.* 
 
 Thomas Conyers. 
 
 John Bell. 
 
 John Buckland. 
 
 John Phipps. 
 
 John Kendrick. 
 
 Richard Watlington, 
 
 Thomas Turner. 
 
 Humphrey Jackson. 
 
 Richard Johnson. 
 1570 Robert Bowyere. 
 
 Thomas Aldworth. 
 
 John Ockham, recorder. 
 
 William Lydoll. 
 
 Richard Watlington. 
 
 Edward Butler. 
 
 Ricliard Aldworth. 
 
 William Finncmore. 
 
 Richard Johnson. 
 
 John Wcbbe.J 
 15S0 Thomas Kendrick. 
 
 Edward Butler. § 
 
 Richard Watlington. 
 
 Elizeus Burges. 
 
 Richard Aldworth. 
 
 Richard Turner. 
 
 William Finnemore. 
 
 Richard Johnson. 
 
 Thomas Lydoll. 
 
 Richard Watlington, 
 1.590 Robert Harris.* 
 
 Thomas Deane. 
 
 Elizeus Burgesse. 
 
 Richard Aldworth. 
 
 Richard Watlington. 
 
 Richard Turner. 
 
 + John Bourne died in his mayoralty, on the 15th of December 1558, and was buried in St. 
 
 Mary's church : on a brass plate preserved in the vestry, is the following inscription; 
 
 John Bourne, of Reading, and also Alice his wife, 
 
 Continued in marriage years thirty six and one : 
 
 In his ihirde maioraltie dyd end their honest life, 
 
 And lye here engraved under thys marble stone. 
 
 One sone they had, and also daughters five, 
 
 Of all whose bodyes fayr issue they did see. 
 
 In seven weeks space death did theyr lives deprive : 
 
 Theyr honest fame here liveth, theyr souls with Christ be. 
 
 John Bourne deceased the 15th day 
 
 of Decemb. Anno 1558. 
 
 Alice his wife deceased the 29th day 
 
 of October Anno 1558. 
 
 'I Father to sir William Wcbbe, Salter, lord mayor of London in 1591, and maternal grandfather 
 to archbishop Laud. Stozoe, 
 
 § In the chancel of St. Lawrence's church, on a grey marble slab, is an inscription to the 
 memory of Mr. Edward Butler, and Alice his wife, wherein he is said to have been five times mayor ; 
 but we have not been able to discover in what other year he served the office, besides the four times 
 here mentioned.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 371 
 
 Robert Revc 
 
 Bernard Harrison. 
 
 Thomas Ljdoll. 
 
 Robert Harris. 
 
 Thomas Deane. 
 1600 John Blake. 
 
 Edward Birmingham. 
 
 John Webbe. 
 James I. 
 
 Thomas Turner. 
 
 Robert Reve. 
 
 Bernard Harrison. 
 
 Thomas LydoU. 
 
 Richard Giinter. 
 
 Thomas Deane. 
 
 Bernard Harrison. 
 
 John Blake. 
 1610 John Blake. 
 
 Edward Birmingham. 
 
 Thomas Turner. 
 
 Robert Reve. 
 
 William Maulthus. 
 
 Roger Knight. 
 
 Christopher Turner. 
 
 William Iremonger. 
 
 Nicholas Guntcr. 
 
 Walter Bateman. 
 1620 Thomas Turner. 
 
 Anthony Knight. 
 
 Robert Maulthus. 
 
 Roger Knight. 
 
 Christopher Turner, 
 Charles I. 
 
 William Iremonger. 
 
 Nicholas Gunter. 
 
 The same. 
 
 The same. 
 
 Thomas Turner. 
 1630 Walter Bateman. 
 
 Thomas Turner. 
 
 John Newman. 
 
 William Kendrick. 
 
 Robert Maulthus. 
 
 Robert Kent. 
 
 John Dcwcll. 
 
 George Thorne. 
 
 Anthony Brackstone.f 
 
 Richard Burren.;}; 
 1640 John Jenning. 
 
 Thomas Harrison. 
 
 Peter Birmingham. 
 
 Thomas Thatcham. 
 
 William Brackstonc. 
 
 Simon Dee. 
 
 George Wooldridge. 
 
 Ricliard Halloway. 
 
 John Harrison. 
 
 Commonwealth. 
 
 Thomas Bateman. 
 1650 Peter Thorne. 
 James Arnold. 
 William Wilder. 
 John Webb. 
 Henry Frewin. 
 William Mills. 
 Thomas Cope. 
 Richard Alwright. 
 
 Chap. 
 XVIII. 
 
 + Being a royalist, he was obliged afterwards to compound with the parliament's commissionert 
 for his estate, in the sum of one hundred pounds. 
 
 + He was nominated in the charter granted this year. 
 
 3 B 2
 
 S72 
 
 THE CORP 
 
 ORAT 
 
 ION. 
 
 
 Richard Ilalloway. 
 
 1690 
 
 Francis Tyrrell. 
 
 
 Joel Stephens. f 
 
 
 John Thorne. 
 
 1660 
 
 Robert James. 
 
 
 John Saunders. 
 
 
 Joel Stephens. 
 
 
 John Thome. 
 
 
 Charles II. 
 
 
 James Quarrington. 
 
 
 Robert James. 
 
 
 Samuel Watlington. 
 
 
 George Thome. 
 
 
 William Moore. 
 
 
 Thomas Seikes. 
 
 
 Thomas Oades. 
 
 
 Thomas Kenton. 
 
 
 Francis Brown. 
 
 • 
 
 Robert Creed. 
 
 
 Thomas Tyrrell. 
 
 
 Thomas Coates. 
 
 1700 
 
 Francis Morgan. 
 
 
 ^Villiam Brackstone. 
 
 
 Robert Noake. 
 
 
 Robert Tvrrell. 
 
 
 Ann. 
 
 16T0 
 
 Michael Reading. 
 
 
 John Merrick, M. D 
 
 
 Thomas Tilleard. 
 
 
 William Wilder. 
 
 
 John Blake. 
 
 
 INIoses Gill. 
 
 
 Richard Jolinson. 
 
 
 Luke Wise. 
 
 
 Giles Pocock. 
 
 
 John Aberv. 
 
 
 George Goswell. 
 
 
 Francis Bristow. 
 
 
 Samuel House. 
 
 
 Thomas Piercy. 
 
 
 Reginald Thornborough. 
 
 
 Robert Parran. 
 
 
 Henrv IIe.ide. 
 
 1710 
 
 Robert Biake. 
 
 
 Thomas Harrison. 
 
 
 Samuel Watlington. 
 
 1680 
 
 David Webb. 
 
 
 Thomas Tyrrell. 
 
 
 Francis Tyrrell. 
 
 
 John Merrick. 
 
 
 Michael Reading. 
 
 
 George I. 
 
 
 John Thorne. 
 
 
 W'illiam Wilder. 
 
 
 John Blake. 
 
 
 Moses Gill. 
 
 
 Richard Johnson. 
 
 
 Luke W ise. 
 
 
 James II. 
 
 
 John Abery. 
 
 
 Richard Johnson. 
 
 
 Thomas Piercy. 
 
 
 Giles Pocock. 
 
 
 Robert Parran. 
 
 
 Hugh Champion. 
 
 1720 
 
 Robert Blake. 
 
 
 ^Villiam and IMarv. 
 
 
 Richard Richards. 
 
 
 Henry Ileade. 
 
 
 John Watts. 
 
 + Parties running very high in this gentleman's mayoralty, he was turned out of the hall in a 
 riotous manner, by a part of his brethren ; who elected in his place Mr. H. Frewin ; but was soon 
 after restoied, and his opponents expelled: some of whom were afterwards re-admitted, but the 
 gieaier part cxcludcJ for ever.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 373 
 
 William Everett. 
 
 Luke Wise. 
 
 John Abery. 
 
 Thomas Piercy. 
 George II. 
 
 Richard Richards. 
 
 John Watts. 
 
 William Everett. 
 1730 Jeremiah Iremonger. 
 
 John Thome. 
 
 Thomas Noake. 
 
 John Abery. 
 
 Abraham Watlington.f 
 
 E. Lambden, 
 
 John Abery. 
 
 John Spicer. 
 
 Thomas Piercy. 
 
 Richard Richards. 
 
 William Everett. 
 1740 Jeremiah Iremonger. 
 
 John Thorpe. 
 
 John Abery. 
 
 Abraham Watlington. 
 
 John Spicor. 
 
 Richard Tillcard. 
 
 William Armstrong. 
 
 John Dredge. 
 
 John Harrison. 
 
 Thomas Flory. 
 1750 John Richards. 
 
 John Hocker. 
 
 H. Austin Deane. 
 
 Benjamin Armstrong. 
 
 Richard Fisher. 
 
 Abraham Watlington. 
 
 John Spicer. 
 
 Richard TillearJ. 
 
 John Hocker. 
 
 John Dredge. 
 1760 John Richards. 
 
 George III.. 
 
 H. Austin Deane. 
 
 Richard Fisher. 
 
 Richard Westbrook. 
 
 Francis Whitchurch. 
 
 Richard Tilleard. 
 
 John Coates. 
 
 Adam Smith. 
 
 William Blandy. 
 
 John Dredge. 
 1770 John Richards. 
 
 Richard Fisher. 
 
 Richard Westbrook. 
 
 Francis Whitchurch. 
 
 William Blandy. 
 
 John Deane. 
 
 John Everett. 
 
 E. Skate White. 
 
 William Knapp. 1st. 
 
 Thomas Deane. 
 1780 Robert Micklem. 
 
 Edward Micklem. 
 
 Henry Deane. 
 
 Martin Annesley. 1st 
 
 John Deane. 
 
 John Taylor, M. D. 
 
 Thomas Hanson. 
 
 John Bui ley. 
 
 Richard Maul. 1st 
 
 Thomas Gleed. 
 1790 William Knapp. 2d 
 
 Thomas Deane. 
 
 Chap. 
 XVIII. 
 
 + This genlleman was an apothecary, and a friend of Ashmole; who says, he was a very good 
 botanist.
 
 374 
 
 Chap. 
 XVIII. 
 
 1800 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 2d 
 
 2d 
 
 Robert Micklem. 
 Henry Deane, 
 Henry Deane. 
 Martin Annesley. 
 John BuUey, 
 Richard Maul. 
 Thomas Gleed. 
 Charles Poulton. 
 Thomas West. 
 William Blandy. 
 Richard Westbrook. 1st 
 Richard Richards. 1st 
 
 1st 
 
 1st 
 
 1810 
 
 Launcelot Austwick. 1st 
 George Gilbertson. 1st 
 John Stephens. 1st 
 Martin Annesley. 3d 
 Richard Maul. 3d 
 Thomas Gleed. 
 Charles Poulton. 2d 
 William Blandy. 2d 
 Richard Westbrook. 2d 
 Launcelot Austwick. 2d 
 
 George Gilbertson. 
 
 2d 
 
 I
 
 The Corporation, 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Of the HIGH STEWARD, and STEIFJED or RECORDER. 
 
 X HESE were originally appointed by the abbot; but whether the former 
 was only an honorary distinction, as at present, is very uncertain ; as we find 
 them united, in the decree made in the year 1510, respecting the elections 
 of mayors and burgesses to receive the fines payable to the abbot, and to 
 administer the oath to such as were to be admitted ; the under steward, or 
 recorder, however presided in the courts of law ; and most probably conducted 
 the civil concerns of the monastery. 
 
 After the dissolution, the appointment of these officers devolved with the 
 civil power on the corporation, who must have required a law officer, like the 
 steward, to preside in their courts ; but for what purpose the high steward 
 was appointed, except for the sake of patronage, I have not been able to dis- 
 cover, as no such appointment is authorized by the charter. 
 
 In former times, when the small portion of civil or religious liberty 
 allowed the subject, was liable, on the least occasion, to be taken from him, 
 by the arbitrary mandate of a minister ; when chartered rights might be 
 annulled, at the will or caprice of the sovereign ; and burthensome taxes 
 imposed on the people, to satiate tiie avarice, or gratify the ambition, of some 
 worthless minion of the crown^ it was very natural for corporations to place 
 themselves under the protection of some powerful nobleman, who, by his 
 interest or influence, might, as their high steward, protect them from oppres- 
 sion, and secure them in the enjoyment of the few rights allowed them by the 
 constitution. Accordingly, we find the high steward of this borough, was, at the 
 time of his election, either a favorite of the reigning monarchy or one who took 
 an active part in the administration of the government; such were Cromwell, 
 earl of Essex, in the reign of Henry VIII; the carls of Leicester and Essex,
 
 376 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 m 
 
 XIX. 
 
 that of Elizabeth ; ihe earls of Banbury and Holland, in the reign of 
 ^Vv* Charles I ; Bulstrodc, lord Wliitelock, under Cromvvel's usurpation, and the 
 carl of Clarendon, during the reign of Charles II : but since the government has 
 been better administered, and the rights of the sovereign and the people better 
 defined, bv the act of settlement and the bill of rights, and liberty secured on 
 the foundation of impartial laws, it has been thought by some of the corpora- 
 tion, unnecessary to have recourse to an officer— who is appointed without the 
 authority of the governing charter— who is invested with no power, nor can 
 render the least assistance to the town, from which he receives his honorary 
 title. Under this idea, the office was left vacant a considerable time; the 
 interval between the death of the last and the election of the present high 
 steward, falling little short of a hundred years ; and at last when the question 
 of the appointment came to be agitated in the corporation, it was, if I am 
 riMitly informed, carried by a very small majority ; not out of any disrespect 
 to the gentleman concerned, for whom every one had the highest opinion ; but 
 because such an appointment was thought unnecessary, under the present 
 circumstances. The election may therefore be considered as a revival of the 
 title, rather than the introduction of a new office. 
 
 It is difficult to say, what were the original rights of this officer ; but, as 
 patronage and protection seem to have been the original motives for the 
 appointment, it is probable these were very few, and may be considered, rather 
 as concessions on the part of the corporation, than as positive prerogatives 
 belonging to, and inherent in the office ; for this reason, they were enabled 
 to do much good, as well to individuals of the town, as to the corporate body ; 
 -while, at the same time, they were debarred from the power of injuring either. 
 Indeed, it is doubtful, whether they possessed any authority that could 
 interfere with the rights of the body corporate ; as they never presided at 
 their sessions or councils, or claimed any share in the government of the 
 borough, except in one particular instance, which happened in 1622, when the 
 earl of Wallingford, then high steward, granted a license, on his own autho- 
 rity, to one John Bunsday, to kill flesh meat in the season of lent, that year.* 
 But, this invasion of their rights, is rather to be imputed to the overbearing 
 disposition of the earl, which he evinced in many other instances, than to any 
 acknowledgment on the part of the corporation, that he, as high steward, 
 possessed any such prerogative. 
 
 • It was customary for the corporation, on the approach of lent, to bind all victuallers under a 
 certain penalty, not to kill flesh meat during that season. The number so bound in 1626, was one 
 hundred and fifty-one.
 
 THE CORPORx\TION. 377 
 
 It is true, that in 1539 Thomas lord Cromwell, then high steward of the 
 borough, was present, and gave his consent to the election of the major for xlx ' 
 that year, as appears from the following entry in the diary : " Onines huroen- 
 ses, S^c." " All the burgesses of the said borough proceeded to the election of 
 the mayor, with the assent and consent of Thomas lord Cromwell, hin-h steward 
 of the liberties of the aforesaid borough." It might be inferred from this entry 
 that the presence and consent of the high steward was necessary to the election 
 of the mayor ; but it should be considered, that prior to this period, the 
 choice of the mayor had been vested in the abbot, whose authority in the 
 town being now at an end, by the suppression of the monastery, it was natural 
 for the corporation to call in their high steward, to give a sanction to this 
 perhaps, the first exercise of their new prerogative; especially as he was 
 visitor general of all the religious houses, and at this time actually exercisin* 
 the duties of his office in this town. His presence and assent therefore was 
 merely accidental, and by no means implies the right of interfering on these 
 or any other elections connected with the government of the borough. It 
 may also be observed, that he is styled in this entry, the high steward of the 
 liberties of the borough ; in which light only he was always considered, as 
 well by the inhabitants at large as by the corporation, who equally appealed 
 to him on every occasion wherein the interest of individuals in particular, or 
 of the borough in general, were concerned. 
 
 Thus in the case of ship-money, in the reign of Charles I. the corporation 
 instructed the recorder to lay their situation before the earl of Holland, then 
 their high steward, and "to assure him (as they say) of their inability to 
 raise the money, and to pray relief."* So in other instances, application was 
 always made to the high steward for his protection, which was seldom if ever 
 denied ; and it might be in return for the benefits derived from their influence 
 with the existing governments, as much as from the penury of the borough, 
 that the privilege of nominating one of the representatives, as mentioned in 
 a former chapter, was granted them : they may therefore be considered as the 
 link that united as it were the monarch and the subject together, and thereby 
 rendered that service to their constituents, which it was beyond the power 
 of their more subordinate officers to afford them. 
 
 Tlie high steward was also sometimes consulted on affairs that concerned 
 the interior government of the borough ; but his opinion was not in all cases 
 binding, except when approved of by a majority of the corporation : thus ia 
 the case of sir Edward Gierke, the recorder of the borough in 1623, who had 
 
 * Corporation Diary, 
 
 3 c '
 
 378 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 not onlv taken upon himself to exact exorbitant fees of office, but likewise 
 ^"^' called upon the corporation for an addition to his salary : On this occasion, 
 ^ bavin"- taken the opinion of counsel, they afterwards enclosed it in a letter to 
 
 the earl of Wallingford, at that time their higb steward, requesting him " to 
 fix what salary the recorder should have?" To this his lordship replied, 
 " that be should have six pounds per anniimj according to the opinion 
 of the counsel they had sent him." 
 
 This decision of the earl, meeting with the approbation of the majoritj 
 of the corporate body, was immediately complied with ; but sir Edward Gierke 
 remaining still dissatisfied, and continuing to exact larger fees than they con- 
 sidered him entitled to, they removed him from his office, bv a majority of the 
 principal burgesses, and then proceeded to elect Mr. Saunders into his place ; 
 whereupon sir Edward also applied to the earl, to intercede with the cor- 
 poration on his behalf, who, in con^pliance with his request, sent a message 
 addressed to the mayor and burgesses, " requesting they would reinstate him 
 in his office:" To whicb they replied, " they did hope to give his lordship 
 satisfaction, but that it was not in their power to do it :'" Not satisfied with 
 this reply, his lordship determined to try the extent of his influence, attended 
 the next court day in person. In the mean while the corporation had drawn 
 up fifteen articles of accusation against the recorder, for extortion ; which 
 being publicly read in bis lordship's presence, and the question being put to 
 the vote, it was unanimously determined, that " sir Edward Gierke was rightly 
 put out:" and, notwithstanding every effort made, by his lordship, on his 
 bel'.alf, he was not re-admitted to the recordership till the year 1625, and 
 then only in conjunction with Mr. Saunders, who, equally with him, partook 
 of the duties and emoluments of the office, till the renewal of the charter in 
 the reign of Charles I. when, probably by the assistance of archbishop Laud, 
 be procured himself to be nominated the sole recorder. 
 
 From these, and other instances that might be adduced, it is evident that 
 the high steward, though looked up to with respect by the corporation, bad 
 little influence in their decisions; and, that they considered him only in the light 
 of a patron or protector, from whose high rank they might reap advantage 
 to themselves in their corporate capacity, while at the same time they were 
 cautious to confine his influence within moderate bounds. 
 
 Having thus explained the nature of the high steward's office, and the 
 motives for the appointment, as far as the scanty documents we are possessed 
 of will permit^ wo shall now give some account of the gentlemen who have 
 
 * Corporatioa Diary.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 379 
 
 had the honor of filling this respectable office, from the first appointment in 
 the reign of Henry VIII. to its suspension in that of George I. 
 
 The dissolution of the monastery, and the consequent addition of power 
 that thereby devolved on the corporation, afforded them an ojjportunity for 
 the first time of appointing a high steward, in the person of Thomas lord 
 Cromwell, at that time secretary of state, and one of the principal instru- 
 ments in the reformation of the church. It is uncertain when this election 
 took place; but it probably was in 1539, at which time he attended as high 
 steward, at the election of the mayor ; but the corporation did not long enjoy 
 liis services, for in the following year he was convicted, without being beard in 
 his defence, by a bill of attainder, for divers heresies and treasons, and con- 
 demned to suffer such punishment as his majesty sliould think proper to direct. 
 Being required to send the king a full account of his transactions, in bringing 
 about the king's marriage with Ann of Clcves, he concluded his answer in the 
 most abject manner, and subscribed himself " a most woful prisoner, ready 
 to take the death when it should please God and his majesty;" yet he added, 
 " the frail flesh incited him continually to call to his grace for mercy for hii 
 offences.'" The letter was dated from the Tower, " this Wednesday the last 
 of June, with the heavy heart and trembling hand of your highness's most 
 heavy and most miserable prisoner and poor slave, Thomas Cromwell." 
 
 Below the subscription he wrote, " most gracious prince, I cry for mercy, 
 mercy, mercy :" but mercy not being one of this gracious prince's virtues, he 
 immediately signed the warrant for his execution. 
 
 In this transaction we know not which most to deplore, the cruelty of the 
 despot, or the abject servility of the sufferer. When he was brought on the 
 scaffold, his regard for his son is said to have prevented him from asserting 
 his innocence. He thanked God for bringing him to that death for his trans- 
 gressions ; he acknowledged his offences against God and his prince, who had 
 raised him from a low degree* to high rank in life ; confessed he had been 
 seduced, but that now he died in the catholic faith ; and after having spent a 
 short time at his own private devotions, submitted his head to the executioner, 
 who, either through fear or malice, mangled him in a most shocking manner. 
 
 Thus fell this great minister, who by his own merit had raised himself to 
 the highest offices in the state, and the confidence of the sovereign; but the 
 reputation he had thereby gained, and even the sincerity of his conduct with 
 respect to the part he took in the reformation of religion, were very much 
 diminished by his apostacy at his death. 
 
 • He is said to have been the son of a blacksmith. 
 
 « Smollet. -:.. 
 
 3 2
 
 4 
 
 380 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 He is said however to have borne his elevation with great moderation ; 
 and the purity of his conduct as a minister, to have been such, that his 
 n-reatcst enemies could not fix the stain of corruption on his character; and 
 even the king is said, when too late, to have lamented his death. 
 
 After the death of Cromwell, and during the remainder of this and the 
 two following reigns, the high stewardship of Reading appears to have re- 
 mained vacant, as no mention is made of such an officer in the corporation 
 records, till 1566, at which time the earl of LiMcester was in possession of the 
 title, which he retained twenty-two years, to 15SS, when being seized with 
 a fever at Cornbury-lodge, in Oxfordshire, he expired at the time the patent 
 was making for creating him her m'tjcsty's lieutenant in the governmeiit of 
 Ireland. He was a great favorite with queen Elizabeth, who expressed the 
 deepest sorrow for his death ; notwithstanding which, in conformity to the 
 economical svstem of government she had laid down, she ordered his cflects 
 to be sold by public auction, to pay his debts to the crown. 
 
 He was succeeded in the stewardship by sir Henry Neville, who was 
 afterwards one of the queen's commissioners for concluding a peace with 
 Spain ; but dving in 1594, the corporation nominated the right hon. Robert 
 Devereux, earl of Essex, to be high steward of the borough, with the per- 
 mission, for the first time, of nominating one of the burgesses to be sent to 
 the next parliament.* 
 
 This nobleman who possessed the same title as the unfortunate CromwcU, 
 their first high steward, was, like him, doomed to loose his head on the scaffold. 
 Thinking himself slighted by the queen, whose favorite he had long been, he 
 attempted, but without success, to stir up an insurrection in the city, and being 
 seized in the prosecution of his plan, he was committed a p.isoner to the Tower, 
 from whence he was brought to the bar of the House of Lords, the 19th of 
 February 1601, and being convicted of the crime, was sentenced to be beheaded. 
 Thus this great man— once the minion of fortune — for a long time the favorite 
 of the queen — and always looked up to by the people — fell by the hands of the 
 executioner, who, with three strokes of the axe, severed his head from his 
 body in the thirty-fourth, year of bis age. 
 
 " He was," according to SmoUet, " a nobleman possessed of excellent 
 and amiable qualities ; brave, liberal, and humane ; a patron of learning, in 
 which he himself had made good progress ; a warm friend, and an avowed 
 
 * This appears to have been a personal compliment paid to the earl, or rather to her majest)', 
 without any intention, on the part of the corporation, to continue the privilege, though it afterwards 
 became the general custom to grant the nomination of one member, as a part of the prerogative of the 
 high stewardship.
 
 F. 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 381 
 
 enemy. His follies were, vanity, ambition, and an impetuosity of temper, by 
 which he fell a sacrifice to the artful intrigues of those who dreaded his power ^]x 
 and envied his good fortune." 
 
 The earl of Essex was succeeded in the oflice of high steward by baron 
 KnoIIys of Grays, afterward created viscount Wallingford, and earl of Ban- 
 bury. We have already observed, that the reigning features in this gentle- 
 man's character were, an inordinate ambition, and a desire to govern the cor- 
 poration at his pleasure ; but though they had hitherto shewn the most sub- 
 missive respect to the will of their high steward, while he kept within the 
 bounds of moderation, yet when he wanted to arrogate to himself, as we have 
 seen, the nomination of both the members, they very properly resisted the 
 demand, as tending to deprive them of one of their dearest privileges. 
 
 When they formerly submitted the choice of one of their representatives 
 to the high steward, the sending members to parliament was considered, rather 
 as a burthen upon the electors, than as a desirable object of ambition for 
 any one, who, however desirous he might be of serving his country, could 
 not be expected to come voluntarily forward to solicit the suffrages of the 
 people for an office neither attended with honor nor emolument, at the same 
 time that the person possessing it was surrounded with difficulties and dangers, 
 from either the cruelty or caprice of the tyrant who happened at the time to 
 possess the throne. But now that the representative system was better under- 
 stood, and candidates were not wanting to offer their services, even without 
 pay, the corporation began to consider the privilege in a new light, and by 
 thus putting a stop to the encroachments of the high steward, happily pre- 
 served the town of Reading from becoming, perhaps, like many others, a 
 close borough. 
 
 In consequence of their opposition to his interference in this and other 
 concerns of the corporation, he was so offended, that he resigned the office in 
 disgust ; but with the same spirit he had held it, he took upon himself to recom- 
 mend his successor, in the person of sir Henry Rich, earl of Holland ; which, 
 though an encroachment on their prerogative, the corporation readily, as they 
 say, granted ; being, no doubt, happy to be released from his interference 
 in their concerns. 
 
 The character of sir Henry Rich, as given by his contempories, does not 
 appear to have been of that exalted nature as to have influenced the corpo- 
 ration in the choice of him for their high steward, had they been left to their 
 own option.* 
 
 • SmoUet calls him one of James I, worthless favorites ; from whose extravagance he accu-
 
 382 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 By his abject submission to the will and caprice of James I. he accumu* 
 ^yv' lated a large fortune. During the reign of this monarch, he was sent ambassador 
 to Henry IV. of France, to negotiate a treaty of marriage between the prince 
 of Wales, afterwards the unfortunate Charles I. and the princess Henrietta 
 of France ; and, though in the ensuing reign he was made groom of the 
 stole, and received other favors from the monarch, yet at the commencement 
 of the civil wars he united himself to the popular cause, and in 1642 was 
 one of the commissioners appointed by the parliament to treat with the king 
 at Oxford for an accommodation of the existing dift'erences. 
 
 In the following year he deserted the parliament, and went over to the 
 king's garrison at Wallingford, and is said to have behaved very gallantly 
 both at the siege of Gloucester and at the battle of Newbury; but on being, 
 on some occasion afterwards, received with coolness by his majesty, he again 
 joined himself to the parliament, from whom he received a pardon for having 
 fought on the side of his benefactor and sovereign. 
 
 During the time of his majesty's imprisonment in the Isle of Wight, when 
 the royalists in different parts of the kingdom had taken up arms for the purpose 
 of restoring him to his former authority, the versatile earl of Holland again 
 forsook the cause he had so recently espoused, and raised a small corps in 
 defence of the unhappy monarch whom he had twice before deserted. 
 
 With a body of horse, consisting of about one hundred men, he marched 
 to Kingston on Thames, where he was joined by the duke of Buckingham, 
 with his brother the lord Charles Villiers, and the earl of Peterborough, 
 ■who had collected a small body of infantry. After their junction, they dis- 
 patched a messenger with a letter to the lord-mayor and common council 
 of the city of London, declaring their intention of joining the forces of 
 Surrey, Sussex, and Middlesex, in order to set the king at liberty, and establish 
 the peace of the nation. 
 
 On receiving the letter, the magistrates, ( who, had they been so inclined, 
 could have placed very little confidence in the earl and his associates, ) sent it to 
 
 mulated a large estate : in corroboration of this assertion, lie gives the following anecdote. 
 
 " The king being one day in the gallery at Whitehall attended by sir Henry Rich, and James 
 Maxwell, some porters happened to pass, loaded with money for the privy purse. The king per- 
 ceiving Rich whispering to Maxwell, insisted on knowing what he had said ? and being informed, 
 that he expressed a wish that he had so much money, the king immediately ordered the porters to carry 
 the whole sum to Rich's lodgings, saying that he had more pleasure in giving, than the other could 
 
 possibly have in receiving his bounty." But Whitelock speaks of him very differently, observing 
 
 that he was " a noble gentleman, who was as full of generosity and courtship to all sorts of persons, 
 and readiness to help the oppressed, and to stand for the rights of the people, as any person of his 
 quality in this nation."
 
 THE CORPORATION. S83 
 
 the parliament, by whom these noblemen were immediately declared traitors and 
 enemies to their country ; and colonel Lewesy being sent against them with a su- 
 perior force, they were the same day attacked and defeated, after a sharp but 
 short conflict, in which Francis lord Villiers was slain. During the subsequent 
 night, the duke, and the earl of Holland, thought fit to abandon Kingston, 
 with the remains of their forces, consisting of about four hundred men, with 
 which they marched to St. Albans, where colonel Scroop soon after coming 
 upon them, by surprise, the earl was taken prisoner, and committed to War- 
 wick castle, from whence, soon after the execution of his royal master, he was 
 brought before the high court of justice, at which Bradshaw presided, when 
 being overcome with age and infirmities, he was unable to make any defence, 
 and was in consequence found guilty, and sentenced to loose his head on the 
 scaffold. This sentence was executed upon him the ninth of March 1649, fol- 
 lowing, and his death was considered the best atonement he could make, for 
 having so often forsaken his royal master, and benefactor, whom he was bound, 
 by the strongest ties of gratitude and honor, to have constantly supported.* 
 
 The earl of Holland was the third instance, among only six successive 
 high stewards of Reading, who, in less than a century, had died on the 
 scaffold ; to whom, if we add archbishop Laud, who had suffered in like 
 manner, we must own, that the corporation had hitherto been very unfor- 
 tunate in the choice of their patrons. 
 
 To the above account of this extraordinary person, we cannot refrain 
 from adding the following sketch of his life, given by the noble historian in 
 his history of the rebellion, as, notwithstanding the author's political bias, it 
 appears to have been faithfully delineated : 
 
 " The earl of Holland was a younger son of a noble house, and of a 
 very fruitful bed, which divided a numerous issue between two great fathers : 
 The oldest gave many sons and daughters to the lord Rich ; the younger of 
 both sexes to Mountjoy earl of Devonshire. The reputation of his family 
 gave him a great advantage in the world, though his elder brother was earl 
 of Warwick, and owner of a great fortune, and his younger earl of Newport, 
 of a very plentiful revenue likewise. He after some time spent in France 
 betook himself to the wars in Holland, which he intended to have made his 
 profession, where after two or three campaigns, according to the custom 
 of the Endish volunteers, he came in the leisure of winter to visit his friends 
 
 • His titles were Henry earl of Holland, lord chief justice, and justice in eyre of all the forests, 
 chaces, parks, and warrens on this side Trent ; first gentleman of the bed-chamber, and knight of th« 
 most noble order of the garter. Rushuiorth's CoUeclions.
 
 gg. THE CORPORATION. 
 
 in England, and the court, that shined then in the plenty and bounty of king 
 James ; and about the time of the infancy of the duke of Buckingham's 
 favors,'to whom he grew in a short time very acceptable. But his friendship 
 vas more intire to the earl of Carlisle, who was more of his nature and 
 humour, and had a generosity more applicable at that time to his fortune and 
 his ends. And it was thought by many who stood within view, that for some 
 years, he supported himself upon the familiarity and friendship of the other ; 
 which continued mutually between them very many years, with little inter- 
 ruption to their death. 
 
 " He was a very handsome man, of a lovely and winning presence, and 
 gentle conversation, by which he got so easy an admission into the court and 
 grace of king James that he gave over the thought of farther intending the 
 life of a soldier. He took all the ways he could to endear himself to the 
 duke, and to his confidence, and wisely declined, the receiving any grace or 
 favor but as his donation : above all he avoided the suspicion that the king 
 had any kindness for him, upon any account but of the duke, whose creature 
 he desired to be esteemed, though the earl of Carlisle's friend. And he pros- 
 pered so well in that pretence, that the king scarce made more haste to 
 advance the duke, than the duke did to promote the other. 
 
 " He first preferred himself to a wife, the daughter and heir of Cope, by 
 whom he had a good fortune, and amongst other things the manor and seat 
 of Kensington, of which he was shortly after made baron, and he had quickly 
 so entire a confidence in him, that the duke prevailed with the king, to put 
 him about his son the prince of Wales, and to be a gentleman of his bed- 
 chamber, before the duke himself liad reason to promise himself any pro- 
 portion of his highness'^ grace and protection. 
 
 " He was then made earl of Holland, captain of the guard, knight of the 
 garter, and privy council ; sent the first ambassador into France to treat 
 of the marriage with the queen, or rather privately to treat about the 
 marriage, before he was ambassador ; and when the duke went to the Isle 
 of Ree, he trusted the earl of Holland with the command of that army, with 
 which he was to be recruited and assisted. 
 
 " In this confidence and this posture he was left by the duke when he was 
 killed, and having the advantage of the queen's good opinion and favor 
 (which the duke never had, nor cared for) he made all possible advances 
 towards the obtaining his trust, and succeeding him in his power; or rather 
 that the queen might have the sole power, and he only be subservient to her ; 
 and upon this account, he made a continual war upon the earl of Portland, 
 the treasurer, and all others who were not gracious to the queen, or desired
 
 THE CORPORATION. 385 
 
 not the increase of her authority. And in this state, and under this pro- 
 tection, he received every day new obligations from the king, and great ^".^ 
 bounhes, and continued to flourish, above any man in the court, whiht the 
 weather was fair ; but ihe storm did no sooner arise, but he chan"-ed so 
 much and declined so fast, from the honor he was thought to be master of, 
 that he fell into that condition, which I shall afterwards have too much 
 cause to enlarge upon." 
 
 Speaking of his death, he says, " the consideration of the petition of the 
 earl of Holland, took up a long debate in parliament : the interest and the 
 interposition of the earl of Warwick his brother was applied, and every prcs- 
 byterian to a man, was solicitous to preserve him. They urged his merit 
 towards the parliament, in the beginning of the troubles : how mucli he had 
 suffered in the court for his afiection for them; his age and infirnjiiies, which 
 would not sufler him long to enjoy that life they should give him : and the 
 consideration of his wife and children which were numerous. IJiit these 
 arguments stirred up others, to envcigh against his backslidings with the more 
 bitterness, and to undervalue the services he had ever done ; to tax his 
 vanities, and his breach of faith. 
 
 "When the question was put concerning him, they who were for the. 
 negative exceeded the number of the others by three or four votes, Cromwel 
 having more than an ordinary animosity against him, for his behaviour in the 
 beginning of the summer, and for some words of neglect and contempt, he 
 had let fall concerning himself. 
 
 " The earl was brought upon the scaffold before Vl^cstminster-hall upon 
 the ninth of March 164;), but by his long sickness was so spent, that his 
 spirits served not to entertain the people with a long discourse. He spoke 
 of his religion as a matter unquestionable, by the education he had had, in 
 the religious family of which he was a branch : which was thought a strange 
 discourse for a dying man, who though a son, knew enough of the iniquity 
 of his father's house, which should rather have been buried in silence, than 
 by such an unseasonable testimony, have been revived in the memory and 
 discourse of men. He took more care to be thought a good friend to parlia- 
 ment, than a good servant to his master, and was thought (o have said too 
 little of his having tailed in his duty to him, which most men believed 
 to be the source from whence his present calamity sprung. He was a verj 
 well bred man, and fine gentleman in good times, but too much desired to 
 enjoy ease and plenty, when the king could have neither ; and did think 
 poverty the most insupportable evil that could befall any man in the world. 
 
 3 D
 
 386 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 " He was then so weak that he could not have lived long; and when 
 his head was cut ofif very little blood followed." 
 
 Upon the decease of this nohleman, the corporation appear to have been 
 at a loss on whom to confer the vacant honor. The nobility, to whom they 
 had hitherto looked up for protection, were either dispersed or without 
 influence with the ruling party, and little confidence could be placed in 
 commoners, who, amidst the jarring interests which at that period convulsed 
 the republic, were every moment in danger of being thrown from the pinnacle 
 of power to which they had aspired. It was on this account, probably, that 
 the office was suffered to remain vacant till 1654, when they elected colonel 
 Robert Hammond, at that time governor of the town, to be their high steward. 
 
 The choice of this gentleman seems to have been as much dictated by 
 prudence as that of any of their former high stewards, he being the creature 
 and confident of Cromwel, as well as governor of the town, and in conse- 
 quence was more capable than any otiier of affording them that protcctiou 
 they had always sought by the nomination. 
 
 Colonel Hammond had been appointed governor of the Isle of Wight, by 
 the parliament, in 1647; which situation he held at the time Charles effected his 
 escape from Hampton-court, with an intent to leave the kingdom ; for this pur- 
 pose his majesty directed his route through Hampshire to the sea coast, but 
 being disappointed of the vessel which was to have conveyed him to Jersey, he 
 was prevailed upon by his attendants to pass over to the Isle of Wight. But 
 Charles being justly apprehensive of the treatment he might receive from the 
 governor, whom he knew to be wholly in the interest of his enemies, sent 
 Ashburnham forward to exact from him a promise, that if he could not protect 
 he would not detain his majesty. Hammond expressed his inclination to 
 serve the king, but added at the same time, that he was under the necessity 
 of obeying his superiors. 
 
 W hen he understood where the king was, he accompanied them to Titch- 
 field, with a guard of soldiers, and staid in an apartment below, whilst Ash- 
 burnham went up to his majesty's chamber. Cliarles no sooner heard that 
 colonel Hammond was in the house, than he exclaimed " Oh Jack thou hast 
 undone me !'" and Ashburnham immediately, seeing his error, burst into tears, 
 and would have gone down and dispatched the colonel, had not his majesty 
 prevented him— on so small a thread does the lives of those hang who become 
 agents in civil dissentions. 
 
 Hammond conducted the king to the Isle of Wight, and confined him in 
 
 * Smollct's History of England.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 387 
 
 Carisbrook castle, where he remained till the following: year, when Cromwcl 
 ordered Hammond to deliver him up to colonel Eure, who conducted him to 
 Hurst-castlc; and Hammond, for his readiness in obeying the order, was soon 
 after made governor of Reading, which post he enjoyed but a short time, 
 dying in 1656, and was succeeded in the office of high steward by the honor- 
 able Bulstrode Whitelock, one of the lords commissioners of the treasury 
 under Cromwel's administration ; in which year " a certificate was signed by 
 the company, whereunto the common seal was put testifying the election ; with 
 which Mr. Mayor and certain of his brethren attended liis lordship with."' 
 
 Whitelock was a lawyer of great eminence ; and thougli he appears to 
 have been much in the confidence of Cromwcl, was a man of strict honor and 
 integrity, unimpeachable in his public character, and the most impartial 
 historian that ever recorded the events of his own times. When Cromwel be> 
 came desirous of assuming the regal character, Whitelock dissuaded him from 
 the attempt, by the most powerful arguments, which tliough not " perfectly 
 satisfactory to his highness,"* were sufficient to induce him to abandon the 
 idea, which he found from this instance to be equally disapproved of by hi« 
 civil as well as military officers. 
 
 In a long conversation that passed between Cromwel and Whitelock 
 respecting the office and title of king, which Cromwel aimed at, the latter 
 made use of such forcible arguments to dissuade him from the measure, and 
 to enter into treaty with the king, that Cromwel, to avoid coming to a de- 
 cision, put an end to the conversation, by saying, '' I have not, I assure you, 
 the least distrust of your faithfulness and friendship to me, and to the cause 
 of the common-wealth, and I think you have much reason for what you 
 propound, but it is a mater of so higli importance and difficulty, that it de- 
 serves more time of consideration and debate, than is at present allowed us ; 
 we shall therefore take further time to discourse of it,*"* 
 
 Notwithstanding the guarded manner in which Whitelock had expressed 
 his opinions, and advice in this conversation, and the apparent approbation with 
 which they were received by Cromwel, it is certain he never again recovered 
 
 * It is remarkable, that in the conference held with Cromwel some years afterwards by a com- 
 mittee of the commons whereof Whitelock was one, to request him to take the title of king, White- 
 lock makes use of the same arguments that Cromwel himself used in this conference, and Cromwel 
 gives much the same answers against the proposal as Whitelock did in the above conversation ; but, 
 says a contemporary writer, " Whitelock and the rest had then learned what was the real aim of this 
 aspiring commander, and so gave him an opportunity to save appearances, by refusing that ciown 
 when offered him, which he had before so openly confessed himself desirous of wearing." 
 » Corporation Diary. ' Whiielotk's Memorials. 
 
 3 D 2
 
 388 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 his favor, and was, not long after, sent into honorable banishment under the 
 pretext of an embassy to Sweden. 
 
 Whitelock was a member of the long parliament^ but it does not appear 
 that he took any part in the king's death. He was afterwards nominated 
 by the house one of the council of state, consisting of forty members, appointed 
 for the government of the new common-wealth. He was also a commissioner 
 of the treasury, and afterwards keeper of the great seal. After the resto- 
 ration, he retired to his seat near Henley> where he resided till his death. 
 
 On the fifth cf February 1674, the office of high steward for this borough 
 was conferred on the carl of Clarendon, son of the chancellor, whose father 
 bad done and siifl'ered so much for his ungrateful master Charles II. who 
 permitted him at last to die an exile in France. He was brother-in-law to 
 James II. and uncle to the queens IMary and Ann. He was appointed lord 
 lieutenant of Ireland by James II. but being a protestant, and shewing an 
 unwillingness to promote the king's designs against the church, he was soon 
 after superseded by the earl of Tyrconnel, a rigid papist. 
 
 At the revolution in 1688, he joined the friends of the former govern- 
 ment, and refused to take the oaths to king William In 1690, he entered 
 into the conspiracy for the restoration of the abdicated monarch to the 
 throne, but the plot being discovered, he was committed prisoner to the 
 Tower, where he remained several months, but was afterwards, through the 
 mediation of queen Mary, permitted to reside in his own bouse, where he 
 died in 1707.* 
 
 He was succeeded in the office of high steward of Readins:, bv the earl 
 
 of Cadogan in . This nobleman was a general of the king's forces ; 
 
 colonel of the first regiment of foot guards ; governor of the Isle of Wight ; 
 master of the robes, and a member of the privy council. His titles were 
 in 1716, first, baron of Reading, afterwards, baron Cadogan of Oakley, 
 viscount Caversham, and earl of Cadogan. He died June 3d, 1726; from 
 which period the office of high steward for Reading was sufiered to lie 
 dormant till the year 1798, when it was conferred on the present hio-h 
 steward, the right honorable lord viscount Sidmouth, soon after made one 
 
 • The last of this family in the female line, was Mr. John Uyde Badger, a gentleman farmer at 
 Shinfield, in this neighborhood, well known for his knowledge in the mathematics. The family house 
 in which he resided was moated round in the ancient style, and the hall was hung with every species 
 of offensive and defensive armor, the remains of the civil war in the seventeenth century. Being a 
 descendant of the great lord Clarendon, he possessed many relics of the family, among which were a 
 curious pair of gloves worn by the chancellor when he went to court, and several articles that once 
 belonged to queen Ann. This gentleman died in 1790, and was buried in the family vault at Shinfield.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 389 
 
 of his majesty's principal secretaries of state, and a member of the privy ^ 
 
 f'fT A O 
 
 council. Previous to his election, he was presented by the corporation with xi\ ' 
 the freedom of the borough in an elegant gold box. 
 
 STEWARD OR RECORDER. 
 
 The steward, or as he is now stiled the recorder, differs from the high 
 steward, in being expressly appointed in the charter, and the choice confined 
 to his being " a discreet man, learned in the law, and fit," which is not neces- 
 sary in the high steward ; they are also removable at the pleasure of a majority 
 of the corporation, which the others are not ; at least no instance of the kind 
 appears with respect to the high stewards, while, in addition to that of sir 
 Edward Clerke already mentioned, may be added that of Daniel Blagrave, 
 esq. who was also dismissed from his oflice of recorder, by the corporation. 
 
 In the sixth of Elizabeth, the corporation drew up the following schedule 
 of the duties to be performed by the steward, which they caused to be entered 
 in their journals . 
 
 " Impi^imis, That he, or his sufficient deputy, shall be present at every 
 court, to sec justice indifferently administered to all parties. 
 
 " Item, That he make out, in the mayor's name, all precepts, warrants^ 
 attachments, distringas, and levies according to the order of the law. 
 
 " Item, That he, as in him shall lie, shall foresee, that the said mayor in 
 all things be saved harmless, as well concerning the execution of the court, as 
 the execution of the clerk of the market, and also as justice of the peace, so 
 that the said mayor will be advised by him. 
 
 Item, That he in all causes, concerning the commonalty of the hall, as 
 return of writs for the parliament, supplications and letters, be general soli- 
 citor, and in all causes concerning the mayor and burgesses and commonalty 
 of the hall, as well within the town as without, so that always if he be about 
 any such business forth of the town his costs and charges always to be borne, 
 that is to say, for every day, two shillings and eight pence. 
 
 Item, that he shall well register all processes of court, inquisitions taken 
 before the clerk of the market, and all other things requisite to the said 
 mayor, in any ofnce which to him doth appertain ; and that he shall make 
 out extracts thereof accordingly. 
 
 Item, That he shall keep the audit belonging to the said hall, and the 
 same shall register and engross from year to year. 
 
 Item, He shall make proclamations directed to the said mayor. 
 
 Item, He shall enter and register all acts and elections of mayors, and 
 all other officers from time to time yearly."
 
 XIX. 
 
 390 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 The salary of this officer was originally forty shillings per annum, but in 
 ^" Y* I62i it was raised to six pounds ; in addition to which he was entitled to the 
 following fees : 
 
 " He shall take of every inhabitant within the borough, for entry of his 
 
 plaint one penny. 
 
 Item, For every stranger for the same two pence. 
 
 Jioii, For putting in of any declaration where the action is under forty 
 pence, and for the answer of the same, he shall take nothing. 
 
 Item, For putting in of any declaration where the action is forty pence 
 and above, if he be a townsman one penny, if a stranger two pence. And for 
 an answer of a townsman one penny, of a stranger t\Y0 pence. 
 
 Item, For making every levy four pence. 
 
 Item, For making every distress of a town dweller one penny, of a 
 stranger two pence. 
 
 Item, For making every warrant of the peace four pence. 
 
 Item, For every recognizance twenty pence. 
 
 Item, Of every burgess at his first entry, for registering his name, four 
 pence."* 
 
 Most of these functions are now performed by the town clerk, who is 
 necessarily a law officer. He attends the corporation in all their sittings, and 
 advises the mayor in all cases of importance that come before him as a magis- 
 trate. The recorder's duties are now principally confined to attending on the 
 chief magistrate at the quarter sessions for the borough, where he presides as 
 judge, and is on all occasions considered as standing counsel for the corpo- 
 ration. At his entrance into office he was required to take the following oath : 
 
 " I shall duly and justly do and execute the office of the stewardship 
 of the borough of Reading, and the liberties of the same ,• and I shall well 
 and faithfully execute and do, all things concerning the court holden before 
 the mayor and head burgesses, that belongeth to my office, during the time 
 that I shall continue steward there. And to all matters that may be for the 
 common-wealth and profit of the said borough and guild, I shall truly aiding, 
 helping and assisting be, to the utmost of my power, according to my know- 
 ledge and cunning The secret counsel and common counsel of the said 
 guild and fellowship of the same I shall keep close and secret, nor it to any 
 person publish, shew, or declare, except it be to the head burgesses of the 
 said borough, all these things shall I do, so God help me, and by this book."* 
 
 * Corporation Diary. * Ibid.
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 391 
 
 High Stewards and Recorders from the 30th of Henry VUh 
 
 to the present tiine. 
 
 Chap." 
 XIX. 
 
 Anno. 
 
 1539 
 1565 
 15S8 
 1594 
 1601 
 1622 
 1630 
 1638 
 1645 
 1654 
 1656 
 1658 
 1674 
 1694 
 1700 
 1725 
 1739 
 1765 
 1768 
 1779 
 1798 
 1807 
 1813 
 
 High Stewards. 
 
 Cromwell, earl of Essex, beheaded. 
 
 The earl of Leicester. 
 
 Sir Henrv Neville, 
 
 Devereux, carl of Essex, beheaded. 
 
 Knolljs, earl of Wallingford, 
 
 Richard, earl of Holland, beheaded. 
 
 Colonel Robert Hammond. 
 Bulstrode, lord Whitelock. 
 
 The second earl of Clarendon. 
 
 The earl of Cadogan, 
 
 The right hon. Henry Addington. 
 
 Stewards or Recorders, 
 Mr. John Ocham. 
 
 Sir Edward Clerke. 
 
 The same & Sannders, esq. M. P. 
 
 Sir Thomas Mainwaring, esq. 
 
 Sir Edward Clerke.* 
 
 Daniel Blagrave, esq. M. P. 
 
 Richard Bulstrode, esq. 
 
 Daniel Blagrave, esq. 
 
 Sir Thomas Holt. 
 
 John Dalby, esq. 
 
 Thomas Pettit, esq. 
 
 Richard Pottinger, esq. M. P. 
 
 Charles Hopson, esq. 
 
 John Dalby, esq. 
 
 T. Septimius Dalby, esq. 
 
 John Simeon^ esq. 
 
 ^ m, m 
 
 J. Gleed esq. vice Simeon resigned. 
 C. Abbot, esq. vice Gleed resigned. 
 
 • This gentleman was appointed steward in the charter granted by Charles I. 17th December 
 i6'>8. Mr. Ashmole says, " Sir Thomas Mainwaring, recorder of Reading, was knighted in 1643 >" 
 if so, he must have succeeded sir Edward Clerke. Sir Thomas resided at Bradfield-park, where it is 
 prcbable he died about the year 1647, as on the 20th of June that year Ashmole informs us the 
 " Lady Mainwaring gave him a ring enamelled with black, whereon was this posy. A true friend's 
 gift. On the 3d of the following July, he adds, she entered on her jointure lands, and on the 30th, 
 about two hours post meridiam (as 1 was afterwards told) the lady Mainwaring's second son, Mr, 
 Humphiey Stafford, suspecting I should marry his mother, broke into my chamber where I was 
 confined to my bed with a violent lever, and had like to have killed me, but Christopher Smith 
 withheld him by force; for which all persons exceedingly blamed him, in regard it was thought I 
 was near death, and knew nobody," 
 
 The young gentleman's suspicions however were not entirely groundlesSj as appears from the 
 following extracts from this curious diary :
 
 393 
 
 THE CORPORATION. 
 
 By the ruling charter the corporation are empowered to appoint four 
 other law officers called attornies of the court, " to prosecute and defend all 
 actions commenced and complaints levied in the said court of record ;" but 
 this exclusive right is now done away by the existing laws respecting attor- 
 nies the courts being now free to all indiscriminately. Insignificant as this 
 
 privilege must have been at all times, it was thought of so much consequence 
 in the reign of Charles I. that in 1642, when the king's troops were in pos- 
 session of the town, he sent by sir Arthur Aston the governor a preremptory 
 message to the nuayor and burgesses to discharge Henry Bradley from being 
 an attornev in their court, and to elect Francis Sykes in hi^ room, which was 
 done accordingly.' 
 
 The inferior officers appointed by the corporation are the crier of the 
 court, who is generally one of the sergeants, three sergeants at mace, the town 
 crier, who also collects the tolls on market and fair days, except that of corn, 
 which is usually farmed to the best bidder ; a keeper of the town bridewell, 
 and a game-kcper. 
 
 They have a common seal on which the town arms are engraved, inscribed 
 round the verge-}- ?• communitatis radixgie, but of no particular interest 
 except for its antiquity. 
 
 The mace is silver gilt, embossed with the king's arms surmounted with 
 a crown. After the execution of Charles I. the old mace was ordered to be 
 sold, and a new one made with the arms of the common-wealth ; this was 
 again disposed of at the restoration, and the present one substituted in its 
 place. It is always carried before the mayor on public occasions ; and while 
 the court is sitting at the quarter sessions, it is placed on a table before the 
 presiding magistrate, on a velvet cushion. 
 
 From the above view of the rise, progress, and power of the corporation, 
 it appears to have been founded on the strictest principles of the constitution 
 of the country, and calculated to secure the rights and privileges of the 
 inhabitants from violence. 
 
 la BO part of the country is justice more fairly and impartially admi- 
 nistered, or the police conducted with less expense to the community, as except 
 
 " May 22. The lady Mainwaring sealed me a lease of the park at Bradfield, worth — per ann." 
 " aglh. The lady Mainwaring sealed me a lease of the field mead, worth fifty pounds per annum." 
 •' November the sixth, having several times before made application to the lady Mainwaring in 
 
 way of marriage, this day, eleven hor : seven minutes ante mmd : she piomised me not to marry any 
 
 man, unless myself." 
 
 *' November the sixteenth, eight hor: ante mcrid : I married the lady Mainwaring." 
 
 * Corporation Diary,
 
 THE CORPORATION. 393 
 
 the appointment of the night watch^ which is paid by the voluntary sub- 
 scription of the inhabitants in each parish, the whole is defrayed by the 
 corporation. 
 
 All that is required from the inhabitants, is to serve on parish offices, 
 and juries at the town sessions, as well as the market and coroner's juries, 
 for which, as the town is a county within itself, they are exempt from serv- 
 ing on juries either at the assizes or county courts, which are frequently 
 attended with great inconvenience and expense to the parties, who may be 
 called to a distant part of the county to attend them. They are likewise 
 exempt from paying the county rates, which are at all times very con 
 siderable. 
 
 3 E
 
 Charitable Donations, 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 jj:|- Those marked aith an asterisk are not in the returns made to parliaincnt by the three parishes. 
 
 J EW country towns in the united kingdom can, we believe, boast of greater 
 or more beneficial charities than the borough of Reading, whether we consider 
 them in the aggregate, or in their separate application. In every instance 
 the donors have considered either the present advantage, or future benefit 
 of almost every class of its inhabitants : schools and exhibitions have been 
 provided for the junior classes, loans without interest, workshops rent free for 
 the industrious, and alms-houses for the aged and infirm. 
 
 The greater part of the charities bequeathed at diti'erent periods still 
 remain, and are applied according to the intentions of the respective donors ; 
 but some have been lost in the confusion of the civil wars, and the changes 
 in the government subsequent to the reformation ; and some, if we believe 
 Mr. alderman Watts, in a work which he published called " The Black Scene 
 opened," have been diverted from their original application, for the purpose 
 of enriching some of the members of the then existing corporation ; but this 
 gentleman's statement ought not to be implicitly relied on. The charges 
 of peculation which he has brought against his brethren in the corporation 
 could not altogether have arisen from a conviction of their truth, because he 
 must have known, that many of them were without foundation, and others, 
 according to his own account, took their rise as far back as 1643, for which 
 his brethren could not be answerable. When he notices the deficiences that 
 have from time to time arisen in the diff'erent charitable funds, he ought in 
 fairness to have stated, that in the reign of Charles I. while that monarch 
 kept a garrison here, the corporation, to relieve the distresses of the inhabit- 
 ants, mortgaged the greater part of their estates, amounting to upwards 
 of three thousand pounds, which could only have been redeemed after a length 
 of time by the surplus revenue arising from the difi'erent charities. Mr. Watts 
 ought certainly to have made himself better acquainted with the facts before 
 he brought his charges against the corporation, whose greatest delinquency 
 
 1
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 395 
 
 seems to have arisen from the inattention of their officers, in not regularly p 
 keeping their accounts, so as to have been able to shew, at one view, in what XX. 
 manner the different sums had been applied. For want of this necessary ^^-'— v-^* 
 regulation, thej were obliged to sit down under the odium of a charge, which, 
 however unfounded, has not been erased from the minds of the common 
 people, always ready to embrace every accusation brought against their rulers, 
 but never capable of being convinced of an error. That there had been no 
 mismanagement of the charitable funds from the year 1643, the period \'\hcn 
 he commences his charges, to 1749, when he published them, is what no man 
 who considers the frailty of human nature, and the numerous persons through 
 whose hands the funds must have passed in that space of time, can assert ; but 
 to suppose on the other hand, that a succession of the most respectable gen- 
 tlemen of the town, for of such only the corporation has always been com- 
 posed, could be so systematically base and wicked, as to convert to their own 
 use what was entrusted to their care for charitable purposes, is as unwarrant- 
 able as uncharitable. There are, there is no doubt, bad men in all commu- 
 nities, but to admit the charges alleged by Mr. Watts against the corporation 
 of 1749, is to suppose, that not merely one or two individuals but the whole 
 were corrupt, it being impossible for any one among them to appropriate to his 
 own use one sixpence of the public charities without the consent of the whole. 
 After all, perhaps, the number, and present flourishing state of the charities, of 
 which the following is as correct a list as could be procured, is the best proof 
 of the care the corporate body have at all times taken for their preservation. 
 
 (*) The first charitable institution on record in Reading was, the foun- 1445 
 dation of the free school by John Thome, the 28th abbot, who, at the request 
 of Henry VII. converted to this purpose an old alms-house for poor sisters, 
 with all the revenues thereof; to what amount these were we are not told; 
 but Mr. William Dene, as Leland informs us, a rich man, and servant to the 
 abbey, gave two hundred marks towards the advancement of the same, as 
 appeared, he says, from his epitaph in the abbey church. 
 
 John Leche, otherwise John of the Larder, from the post he held in tlie 1477 
 abbey, left by will tenements and lands, within the borough, with all debts owing 
 to him, for the purpose of building three alms-houses, for women, in addition 
 to five others erected by him in his life time, for the acconmiodation of eight 
 poor people, who were to have thirteen shillings and four pence each per year, 
 or more, if the charity would allow of an increase. The men to have a new coat, 
 and the women a new gown once in three years. Vested in the corporation.' 
 
 * Appendix B. 
 
 3 E 2
 
 1551 
 
 396 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 These alms-houses are in the Butts. Those for the men were re-built 
 XX. in 1775, and those for the women in 1790. The latter are increased to four, 
 and thev all receive twenty pence per week. 
 
 Sir Thomas Whyte, lord mayor of London, and a native of this town,* 
 purchased Gloucester Hall in Oxford^ for scholars and students to receive 
 there the benefit of learning, '' but bis private thoughts very often soliciting 
 him that he should (in time) meet with a place where two elms grew, and 
 that there his further purpose should take cflect. At length he found out the 
 place where (at his own costs and expense) he founded the famous college 
 called St. John the baptist's college, and where these two elms (as I have 
 learned) are yet standing.'" 
 
 Though this gentleman was not the founder of the free-school, as some 
 have supposed, he was a great benefactor to it, by endowing it with two 
 exliibitions to this college ; but as we have already given an account of these 
 in another part,' we shall now only mention a further instance of his muni- 
 ficence, as related by Stowe, as extraordinary for the magnitude of the charity 
 as unprecedented in the method he adopted to extend its benefit to every place 
 with which he had been any ways connected : , 
 
 " Then according to his will, which remaineth yet to be seen, out of this 
 bountiful gift to Bristol, these memorable branches and benevolences were by 
 himself devised, and thus ordered, beginning in the year 1577, and so thence- 
 forward they went on, according to his own direction. Then on the feast 
 of St. Bartholomew, was brought to Merchant-taylors-hall one hundred and 
 four pounds, the hundred pounds to be lent for ten years space to four poor 
 young men in the city of York, freemen and inhabitants, being clothiers, and 
 the four pounds overplus, to be employed about the charges and pains, that no 
 man used in the business might receive discontentment. f Then in 1578 the 
 
 • Fuller, in the 30th page of his second alphabet of his Worthies of England, printed at London 
 1662, folio, makes hira to be born at Rixmansworth, or Rixmeresvvorth, in Hertfordshire, and is 
 followed in this error by sir Henry Chauncy, in his History and Antiquities of that County, pag. 481. 
 But, contrary to these two, Mr. Griffin Ifiggs, at first fellow of St. John's college, and afterwards 
 fellow of Merton college, in Oxford, who wrote sir Thomas White's Life (who died the uth of 
 February 1566) has fixed the place of his nativity at Reading. Ashmole. 
 
 Fuller probably followed Stowe in his Survey of London, wherein he says, " Sir Thomas White, 
 merchant-taylor, Sonne to Thomay White, of Rickmansworth, in Hertfordshire." He was sheriff 
 of London in 1547, and lord mayor 1553. 
 
 + The 4/. surplus was formerly employed to defray the expenses of the mayor in going to London 
 to receive the legacy, but as the money is now paid without being attended with any expense, the 
 mayor, it is said, ought not, to appropriate it to his own use, particularly as the persons to whom the 
 twenty-five pounds each are lent, now pay the expenses of their bonds, contrary to the will of the 
 donor, who expressly says, the money shall be lent without deductions. 
 
 ' Stowe's Survey of London. » Folio 185.
 
 SUl TM03(AS Willi K, 
 
 'Aldeiiuau\is Ciritatis Loudon 
 
 //Vv// /// r!M//tr' // 
 
 '/ ///^ Cmi///y7 ( /f///r^/ /
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 39r 
 
 like sum was to be delivered thence to Canterbury, and so thenceforward the 
 same sums yearly to the cities and towns following : 
 
 In 1576 to Bristol. 
 
 1577 — York. 
 
 1578 — Canterbury. 
 
 1579 — Reading. 
 
 Chap. 
 XX. 
 
 1580 — Merchant Taylors. 
 
 1581 — Gloucester. 
 1583 — Worcester. 
 
 1583 — Exeter. 
 
 1584 — Salisbury. 
 
 1585 — West Chester. 
 
 1586 — Norwich. 
 
 1587 — Southampton. 
 
 In 1588 to Lincoln. 
 
 1589 — Winchester. 
 
 1590 — Oxford. 
 
 1591 — Hereford East. 
 
 1592 — Cambridge. 
 
 1593 — Shrewsbury. 
 
 1594 — Lynn. 
 
 1595 — Bath. 
 
 1596 — Derby. 
 
 1597 — Ipswich. 
 
 1598 — Colchester. 
 
 1599 — Newcastle. 
 
 " This sum of one hundred and four pounds passing thus yearly to the 
 forenamed places, is delivered still at the Merchant-taylors Hall, and to the 
 good intended uses of the giver ; and that there might be no breathing while 
 for so just a steward's talent, but to have it still kept in continual employment 
 for the poor, the same order was appointed to take beginning again as before, 
 while the world endureth, to the towns before named, in the self same courses 
 it had in the original, with great care and observance in them to whom it 
 belongeth, that the dead may not be abused, nor poor men's rights injured." 
 
 It appears, from the foregoing list, that the first payment to Reading 
 was in 1579, which returning every twenty-fourth year in rotation, the ninth 
 payment should have been in 1795, but it did not take place till 1798. This 
 was occasioned by the troubles during the civil war in the 17th century, for 
 the fourth payment becoming due in 1651, should have been then discharged; 
 but the corporation did not receive it till three years after, and that only in 
 consequence of frequent applications. The total of the money already received 
 from this benefaction is one thousand pounds.* If therefore this sum be 
 applied, according to the intentions of the donor, forty tradesmen, inhabitants 
 of Reading, are entitled to the free loan of twenty-five pounds each, for ten 
 years ; at the end of which period it should go to forty others, and so on 
 for ever, increasing every twenty-four years.' The next payment of the ^104 
 
 * When the accounts were made up in »666, of the four hundred pounds then received, 275/. 
 was lent to eleven persons at a^U each, 25I. remained m the chamberlain's hands undisposed of, and 
 
 the remaining lool. was owing by the corporation. Diary, 
 
 * Appendix D.
 
 398 
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 P will be in 18'2'2 ; and the one hundred pounds principal money, according to the 
 
 XX. above rotation of twenty-four years, supposing none of it to have been lost or 
 
 misapplied, would return to the corporate body, to be re-lent to industrious 
 
 tradesmen, at the following periods, viz. 
 
 1576 
 
 1602 
 
 Of the 1st hundred pounds in 1819 
 2d - - 1823 
 
 3d - 1817 
 
 4tli - - 1824 
 
 5th - 1818 
 
 Of the 6th hundred pounds in 1822 
 
 7th 
 8th 
 9th 
 
 10th 
 
 1816 
 1820 
 1824 
 1818 
 
 1605 
 
 In the council chamber is the portrait of sir Thomas Whyte, in his alder- 
 man's gown and gold chain, with the following inscription : 
 
 Thomas Jlliite, miles, nidermanns civitatis London. 
 
 natus apud Readinge in comitatu Berks. Fundator 
 
 CoUcgii Sancti Johamiis Baptisti etAulce Gloucestria; 
 
 Oxon. Cum 24 civitates et villas hvjus regni Anglie 
 
 suis ditasset operibiis, ohiit anno Domini 1566. 
 
 ,Etatis sucE 72. 
 
 Auxilium meum a Domino. 
 
 Underneath, 
 
 A worthy benefactor, who gave to this town of Reading 
 
 and to other cities and towns, every 24 years, af 104. and 
 
 more to this town he gave two fellowships in St. John 
 
 Baptist's College, Oxon, for ever. 
 
 (*) Mr. Robert Boyer, tanner of Reading, by will dated June 24th 1576^ 
 gave to the mayor and burgesses, in trust for the use of the poor, all his lands, 
 tenements and hereditaments in the parish of Burghfield; the proceeds of which 
 are not now known, or how applied. 
 
 Mr. Augustine Knapp of Rotherfield Peppard, Oxon, veoman, by will 
 dated November 26, 1602, gave to the mayor and burgesses, in trust, the sum 
 of twenty pounds, to buy a stock for the employment of the poor for ever in 
 work. He also gave twenty shillings yearly, out of lands at Rotherfield Grays, 
 to the church-wardens of the parish of St. Giles, to be bestowed by them on 
 the cloathing of poor, lame, blind, or impotent people, within the said parish, 
 on the eve of the feast of All Saints, for ever. 
 
 (*) William Palmer, of Southstoke, Oxon, esq. gave by will an annual 
 rent of forty shillings for the use of the poor. Vested in the corporation.
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 399 
 
 (*) Mr. John Noyse of Shinfield, Berks, by will dated the 24th of June r 
 
 1605, gave to the corporation a rent charge of twenty shillings a year out XX.* 
 of the rent of a meadow called Lovan's-mead, alias Loffan's-mead, for what "^■^■"v"^ 
 purpose is not mentioned. 
 
 (*) Mr. Thomas Lydall, by will, dated March the 6th 1606, gave to the 1606 
 church-wardens of St. Lawrence's parish, ten shillings annually, out of a tene- 
 ment in Friar-street, towards repairing the church- seats, and bells ; and also 
 ten shillings annually to the preacher, out of the same tenement ; and for the 
 payment thereof, he vested in the corporation all his other tenements in the 
 same street, and the surplus of the profits to be bestowed upon the relief of 
 such poor people, and fatherless children, as from time to time shall be 
 relieved and kept in the hospital.* 
 
 Mr. Thomas Deane, clothier of Reading, by will, dated June the 35th 
 
 1606, gave a rent charge of three pounds, on an estate, now belonging to the 
 right hon. lord Braybrooke, at Ruscombe Berks, to be bestowed on the poor 
 of Reading, in bread, for ever ; that is to say, upon St. Thomas's day, twenty 
 dozen, on Good-Friday twenty dozen, and upon Ascension-eve twenty dozen. 
 Vested in the church-wardens of St. Giles. 
 
 Mr. John Ball, of Shinfield, Berks, yeoman, by will dated September 26, i^ns 
 
 1608, gave to the poor of this town twenty pounds, to purchase stock for 
 their employment. Vested in the corporation. 
 
 ( * ) Mr. Joseph Carter, of Reading, bell-founder, gave by will to the 
 corporation, twenty shillings a year, for the- use of the poor, and orphans in the 
 hospital, payable out of two tenements, over against St. Edmund Chapel, in 
 Reading. 
 
 Mr. Edward Kemys, of London, merchant, by will dated May the 15th, 
 
 1609, gave to the mayor and burgesses fifty pounds, to purchase an annuity to 
 be distributed among twenty-four poor people, at three shillings and four pence 
 each per annum. This sum of fifty pounds was laid out on the purchase of 
 land, which produces four pounds per annum. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Deane, by indenture dated the 25th of March 1610, gave -^q^q 
 one hundred and sixty pounds, to be laid out in the purchase of land, for the 
 support of two poor men, not less than fifty-five years of age ; and of three 
 fatherless children, under the age of ten, and to remain till they were sixteen. 
 The men and boys were to be kept and placed in the hospital (now the town, 
 bridewell) called the Grey Friars, and when a vacancy happened, it was to 
 be filled up by the corporation, in whom the gift was vested, within the space 
 
 ♦ Now the town bridewell. 
 
 1609
 
 400 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 of ten days. The men to have fifty-two shillings pe»' annum each, and the 
 remainder to be for the maintenance of the children. The lands purchased 
 produce the annual sum of ten pounds eight shillings. 
 
 Mr. James Pocock, by will dated September 25, 1610, gave to the mayor 
 and burgesses twenty-five pounds, for the purchase of land ; the rent and 
 profits whereof were to be expended in the purchase of eight shirts and eight 
 shifts, of two shillings value each ; of which, five shirts and five shifts were 
 io be distributed to ten poor people of Reading, of the best characters, on the 
 second Sunday in December, yearly, and the remaining three shirts and three 
 shifts were to be given to the poor of Frilsham, Berks, the first year, and to 
 the poor of Yattenden the second year, and so on interchangeably in future. 
 The mayor or his assignees to have six-pence, and the church-wardens of 
 Frilsham or Yattendon four pence each, to see the same properly executed.— 
 With this sum of twenty-five pounds, and a part of Mr. Deane's money, some 
 houses were purchased in Sieviers'-street ; but these soon after being burnt 
 down at the siege of Reading, the number of shirts and shifts was reduced 
 to six. 
 
 (*) Mr. Richard Turner, of Reading, clothier, by will dated October 
 20th, 1610, gave ten pounds to the corporation, a tenement in the Old-ward, 
 and five pounds to furnish the hospital for the benefit of the poor. 
 1611 Mr. Nicholas Russel, of Shinfield, Berks, by his will dated February 25, 
 
 1611, gave a yearly annuity of thirteen shillings and four pence, out of a house 
 in Minster-street, and a garden plot in Hosiers'-lane, to be paid on St. Thomas's 
 day, for ever, to the church-wardens of St. Mary's, to be by them imme- 
 diately bestowed on the poor of that parish. 
 
 John Blagrave, esq. by will dated 30th of June, 1611, gave a rent charge 
 to the corporation, in trust, to pay annually one shilling each to twenty poor 
 people of St. Mary's parish, twenty of St. Lawrence's, and six of St. Giles's. 
 
 He likewise gave fifty shillings yearly, to be divided among twenty poor 
 housekeepers, and forty shillings a year among twenty poor widows of the 
 parish of St. Mary. 
 
 He moreover gave in trust to the corporation a rent charge of ten pounds 
 yearly, for ever, on an estate at Swallow field, to be paid on Good Friday; out 
 of which they are to pay to the vicar of St. Lawrence's parish, ten shillings 
 for a sermon on that day ; six pounds thirteen and fourpence to one poor 
 maid servant, out of either of the three parishes, to be decided by the cast 
 of dice; twenty shillings to be distributed, after the sermon, among sixty 
 of the poorest householders of St. Mary's parish, who are to accompany the 
 poor maid, who hath the twenty nobles that day to her house ; and the ringers
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 401 
 
 are to have three shillings and four-pence, to ring a peal while she is returning (>„.„ 
 home, and the clerk of the parish and the youngest church-warden are to have XX. 
 three shillings and four-pence each, for their care and pains to be taken in the ''•-•'v"** 
 business, exclusive of the sermon and fees.* Every fifth year one is to be 
 admitted out of the hamlet of Southcot, where the donor resided. The losing 
 candidates on this occasion receive a part of Mr. Annesley's gift. 
 
 Mr. Edward Harablin, of Tilehurst, yeoman, by indenture dated February ]a^^ 
 1st, 1613, gave a rent charge of four pounds per annum, out of eight acres 
 of arable and pasture ground, called South-moor, in the parish of Burghfield, 
 for the terra of one thousand years. Vested in the corporation for the relief 
 of poor men ; two or three of whom at least to be butchers. 
 
 Mr. John Johnson, of Reading, mercer, by will dated September 2, 1614, 
 gave fifteen pounds, in trust, to the church-wardens of St. Lawrence's parish, 
 on condition that they should, yearly, for ever, pay ten shillings towards the 
 repairs of the church and bells ; and ten shillings to the vicar, yearly, to preach 
 a sermon at morning prayers, on the feast day of St. John, for ever. 
 
 He likewise gave them twenty pounds, to provide bread to the value of 
 twenty-two shillings annually, to be distributed among the poor at the end 
 of morning prayers, on the same day, for ever, " provided always the clerk and 
 sexton shall have twelve pence a piece in bread yearly, on condition that they 
 keep the gift in memory, remember the preacher, cause the church-wardens to 
 provide the bread, and fetch it in readiness for the poor accordingly.'" 
 
 These two sums, making together thirty-five pounds, were laid out in 
 1617 on the purchase of a house in Fisher-row, opposite the wool-hall, f which 
 produced at the time only forty shillings per annum, but has been since . 
 increased to three pounds eleven shillings and four-pence annually, according 
 to the return made to the house of commons. 
 
 He also gave ten pounds towards raising a fund to provide wood or other 
 fuel for the poor of St. Lawrence's parish every winter, to which the parish- 
 
 * The following is the method observed, in determining who is to have the twenty nobles : Three 
 
 girls, one out of each parish, who must have lived at least five years in one place, appear on Good 
 
 Friday before the corporation, in the council-chamber, where they throw dice, and she who has the 
 
 highest number, is to receive the money, and is attended home by the losing candidates, for whom the 
 
 master or mistress generally provides a dinner : the next year the two who lost attend again, with one 
 
 more, but if either loose three successive years, she is incapacitated from tiying again. It it lucky 
 
 money, for I never heard but the maid that won the prize, suddenly had a good husband. AslmoU's 
 
 Berkshire. 
 
 + The wool-hall, where Mr. Farrer's house now stands. 
 
 * Church-wardens' Accounts. 
 
 3 F
 
 402 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 ioners, by fubscription, added twenty pounds more, for the same purpose ; but 
 XX^ in the'ycar 1657, one Edward Burreu, a maltster, and senior church-warden, 
 ---v-*-^ dying insolvent, the whole of this fund, which had been entrusted to his man- 
 a«-enient, for the benefit of the poor, was lost. 
 
 He also gave twenty pounds, to be lent free of interest, to apprentice poor 
 children born in Reading ; and no one to have more than five pounds to hold 
 during his apprenticeship. 
 
 Moreover he gave four pounds towards the making of a fair pump, or 
 
 conduit, in the Market-place, and five pounds more towards enlarging the 
 
 jTuild-hall over the school. 
 
 1G15 (*) ^^'■' George Lane, of Reading, woollen draper, gave by will, in trust 
 
 to the corporation, for the benefit of the poor, for ever, a certain messuage, in 
 
 Whitchurch, Oxon : the rent of the premises is not expressed; and, as no 
 
 return is made of it to parliament, this gift has probably been lost. 
 
 1617 ■^^'^' Barnard Harrison, of Reading, brewer, by will dated September 2, 
 
 1617, gave four tenements, in the parish of St. Giles, built on land belonging 
 
 to the corporation, for the use of the poor and impotent persons, also a 
 
 tenement on the south side of Castle-street, and the reversion of a plot of 
 
 ground at Henwick, for the benefit of the said poor, for ever; out of which 
 
 the mayor is to receive five shillings annually for his pains, on condition, that 
 
 the corporation does not raise the rents of the said tenements for ever ; and no 
 
 man to be put in who has a wife under fifty years of age. 
 
 He likewise gave them a rent charge of four shillings, per annum, for 
 the same purpose. 
 
 These alms-houses are situated in Southampton-street, and have been 
 lately re-built. They are eight in number, and are now wholly appropriated 
 to women, who have six shillings and three pence quarterly. 
 
 Mrs. Wimbleton gave also sixty pounds to the same charity, which pro- 
 duces three pounds, per annum, in the 3 per cent, consols. 
 
 Mr. Shirley left forty shillings, per annum, to be divided on May-day 
 among the same alms-people. These three charities are vested in the corporation. 
 From the surplus arising from these sums, two hundred and twelve 
 pounds seventeen shillings and three pence has been purchased in the South 
 Sea annuities, producing six pounds seven shillings and three pence per annum. 
 1619 ^Ir* Anthony Thome alias Legg,of Mortimer, by will dated July 8, 1619 
 
 gave fifty pounds to the corporation, in trust, for the relief of eight poor 
 people, of this town ; and Mrs. Mary Worsely gave forty pounds more for the 
 benefit of sixty poor widows of the same place. These sums have been placed
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 403 
 
 in the public funds, in the name of the corporation, and produce ten pounds r;„ ,» 
 per annum. XX. 
 
 (*) Mr. Peter Wyboe, of London, merchant, gave by will twenty pounds '^-'-v"*- 
 to the poor of this town, to be disposed of at the discretion of the corporation.* 
 
 (*)Mr. Gabriel Barber, gentleman, agent for the council and company 
 of Virginia, gave to the corporation forty pounds, to be lent to six poor 
 tradesmen, at the rate of six pounds thirteen shillings and four pence each, for 
 five years, gratis, and so on from time to time for ever, on condition that 
 they do not keep an inn or tavern, or reside out of the borough. 
 
 This gift, in the diary, is called " the lottery money." One having been 
 drawn this year for the benefit of the new settlers in Virginia, and might be 
 given by their agent for the privilege of disposing of the tickets within the 
 borough.f 
 
 Mr. Robert Reeves, clothier, gave twelve penny loaves, to be distributed 1620 
 every Sunday among the poor of St, Mary's parish, by the church-wardens, 
 whom he invested for the purpose with tenements on the south side of Castle- 
 street, late in the tenure of Mr. Francis Lockey and Mr. William Cockell. 
 
 Mr. John Mills, by will, gave six pounds, per annum, to be paid to six 
 householders of St. Mary's parish who do not receive alms of the parish, out 
 of houses in Castle-street, vested in the church-wardens. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Elwes, of London, by will dated March 4, 1621, gave to ^qq^ 
 the church-wardens of the parish of St. Lawrence, the sum of one hundred 
 pounds, in trust, to purchase lands; the produce whereof to be distributed 
 annually towards the relief of the poor of the parish for ever. This, witii 
 other legacies, was laid out in the purchase of tenements in Reading. 
 
 (*) Mr. Richard Ironside, citizen of London, leather seller, by will dated 
 in April, 1621, gave to the corporation, in trust, twenty pounds, to purchase 
 lands, the produce whereof to be distributed annually among the poor for ever. 
 
 * Probably this twenty pounds was added to the foregoing, for the purchase of annuities, other- 
 wise we cannot conceive, how they should have produced ten pounds interest. 
 
 + In the year 1612, king James, in especial favor for the present plantation of English colonies 
 in Virginia, granted a lottery to be drawn at the west end of St. Paul's, whereof one Thomas 
 Sharplys, a taylor, of London, had the chief prize, which was four thousand crowns in fair plate.— 
 Baker's Chronicles. 
 
 Perhaps Mr. Barber had been another of the fortunate holders of a ticket, which occasioned this 
 to be called lottery money. 
 
 " When this lottery was censured in parliament, it was said to have supplied the food that 
 nourished Virginia," — Monthly Review. 
 
 3 f2
 
 401 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 lie also gave one hundred pounds, to be lent gratis, for four years, among 
 four tradesmen, who were to find security for the re-payment of the principal 
 at the expiration of the said term ; after which it was to be leut to four 
 others, and so on, every four years, for ever. 
 
 1623 ( * ) The rev. William Swadden, D. D, and archdeacon of Worcester, gave 
 by will four pounds, out of several estates, to be distributed among the poor 
 of Reading, at the discretion of the corporation. 
 
 Mr. John Newman, gave four-pence each, to eighty poor people of the 
 parish of St. Lawrence, to be paid them every Mid-lent Sunday, by the church- 
 wardcns and overseers, in whom he vested property for the purpose. 
 
 Mr. Richard Aldworth,by will dated the 14th of April IG-^S, added three 
 pounds to the gift of his father-in-law, ]Mr. Thomas Deane, (1606) to be dis- 
 tributed in the same manner, and vested in the church-wardens of St. Giles. 
 
 1624 ^^'* ''"''" Kendrick of London, clothier, by will dated December 29, 
 1624, gave to the corporation, in trust, the Sum of seven thousand five hundred 
 pounds, to be disposed of for the benefit of the clothing manufactories in 
 this town.* 
 
 He also gave one hundred pounds, to be bestowed by the corporation on 
 poor maids of this town, on the day of their marriage, at the rate of forty 
 shillings each ; but no one to receive it who had not served either master or 
 mistress, or dame, faithfully for seven successive years. 
 
 He also gave to the church-wardens of St. INIary's parish, the sum of 
 fifty pounds towards finishing the pinnacles on the tower of the church. 
 
 He also gave to the corporation, the sum of five hundred pounds, in trust, 
 to be by them lent gratis^ from three years to three years, for ever, to ten 
 honest industrious poor clothiers of the town, after the rate of fifty pounds 
 each ; they giving security for the re-payment of the same at the expiration 
 of the three years ; they who employed most w orkmen to be preferred ; and 
 in default of clothiers, to be lent in the same manner to other tradesmen, free 
 of interest. 
 
 He gave moreover to the corporation, in trust, the further sum of two 
 hundred and fifty pounds, to purchase land and hereditaments, to the annual 
 value of ten pounds, to maintain divine service to be said in the parish church 
 of St. Mary, by the vicar or his curate, every morning of the week, at six 
 of the clock, for ever.f 
 
 * In the church-wardens' accounts for 1626, is a charge of two shillings and sixpence, for 
 carving Mr. John Kendrick's arms over the south arch of the tower; but there is no appearance 
 of the arms at preheat. 
 
 + See Appendix C.
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 405 
 
 The following lines are inscribed round the frame of Mr. Kendrick's 
 picture, in the council-chamber : 
 
 At the top. 
 Congeries amplum complebat copia cornu. 
 At cum quinque suos decies numeraverat annos, 
 Et sine conjugio, coelebs, sine prole, deinque,* 
 Munificura reputans, studiis raoribundus adhsesit. 
 
 On the right side. 
 Languida nativse reparare repagula \i\\x. 
 Sic nieditans, dedit huic nummorum millia septem, 
 Et plus eo, ut solos operantes pascat egenos : : 
 
 Structura fieri varias, mandavit ad artes. 
 
 O71 the left side. 
 Natus in hac villa fuit, hinc posuere parentes, 
 Musajis deditum, post haec, intentus ad urbem < 
 
 Londini, sortem res mercatoria fixit. 
 Magna erat in quEestu, longo conamine rerum. 
 
 At the bottom. 
 Atque hsc majori et burgensibus omnia recte 
 Constituenda dedit, nullumque abolenda per fevura. 
 
 On the right hand side under his arms. On the left hand side. 
 
 Pauperibus in vita 
 
 munificus, 
 la morte 
 
 munificentissimus. 
 
 Johannes Kendrick, Civis et 
 
 Draper de London. Anno iEtalis 
 
 suse 50. Obiit 30 die Decembris, 
 
 Anno Domini 1624. 
 
 Mr. Griffin Jenkins, of Reading, hair merchant, hy will dated March 26, 
 1634, gave five tenements situated in Johnson's-yard, in Minster-street, in 
 trust, to the corporation, to place in them five poor old men of the parishes 
 of St. Lawrence and St. Mary, to reside therein, rent free. 
 
 (*) Mr. Richard Shade, broad weaver, by will dated March 23, 1625, jgg^ 
 gave to the church-wardens and overseers of the parish of St. Giles, the sum 
 of ten pounds, to provide, with the interest thereof, yearly, three shirts and 
 three shifts, worth half a crown each, for six poor aged men and women 
 of that paris^h ; to be distributed by them every Good Friday; which was done 
 till 1688, when the money was lost, by one Francis Millard, a taylor, dying 
 insolvent, to whom the ten pounds had been lent. 
 
 • Deumque in the original.
 
 406 
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 (*) William Martin, of London, esq. by will dated the 7th of April, 
 
 1629, "•ave forty shillings per annum, to the poor of this town, for ever, 
 arisino- from lands and tenements near Reading. Vested in the corporation. 
 
 1629 (*) Mr. Richard Winch, of Reading, clothier, by will dated November 
 13, 1629, gave forty pounds to the corporation, in trust, to be lent to four 
 youno- clothiers, from seven years to seven years, for ever, free of interest, on 
 their finding security. 
 
 1630 IMr. Richard Johnson, of Reading, mercer, gave by will dated March 28, 
 
 1630, the sum of one hundred pounds, to the corporation, in trust, to purchase 
 land ; also several freehold tenements in Reading, on condition that, on the 
 feast day of St. Thomas, every year, they shall pay, to the church-wardens 
 of St. Lawrence's parish, the proceeds thereof, who, on the day of St. John, 
 the evangelist, shall pay, to the vicar of the said parish, ten shillings, for a 
 sermon, and give to the poor twenty dozen of bread, and twenty shillings in 
 money ; and, to the clerk and sexton, twelve pence each, and the residue to 
 go to the repairs of the church.* 
 
 He gave also one hundred pounds to the corporation, in trust, to be by 
 them lent to four tradesmen of the town, free of interest, they giving security 
 for ten years, and so on every tenth jear. Twenty pounds to apprentice 
 orphans, at five pounds each, and ten pounds more to build a conduit in the 
 Market-place, and six pounds, to buy a silver bowl, to remain from mayor to 
 mayor, for ever. 
 
 He also gave to St. Lawrence's parish, a rent charge of four pounds. 
 Vested in the corporation. 
 
 Mr. William Brackstone, of Reading, tanner, by will dated the 21st of 
 December 16.30, gave sixty pounds, in trust, to the corporation, to purchase a 
 rent charge of four pounds a year, to be distributed on Good Friday annually, 
 among one hundred and eighty poor women, and twenty poor men; that is to 
 say, four pence each to the women, and twelve pence each to the men : one 
 hundred and twenty of the women to be those appointed to have the groats 
 given by Mr. John Blagrave, and the other sixty to be chosen out of St. 
 Giles's parish, by the church-wardens and overseers, and the twenty poor men 
 to be nominated by the mayor; seven from St. Mary's parish, seven from St. 
 Lawrence's, and six from St. Giles's. 
 
 ( * ) Randulph Warcupp, of English, Oxon, esq by will, gave to the corpo- 
 ration a suir. of money withMhich they purchased a tenement in the Old-ward, 
 of the yearly rent of forty shillings, for the use of the most poor and needy. 
 
 * Oniy forty shillings of this gift is accounted for in the return made to the house of commons.
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONST. 407 
 
 (*) Mr. William Tajlor, alias Plonk, gave to the poor of this town rju.- 
 twenty shillings, per annum, to be paid to the church-wardens of the three XX. 
 parishes, on St. Thomas's-day, out of the lease of a house in the parish of St. ^*^~v-^* 
 Giles, of which about sixty years were unexpired. loo4 
 
 ( *) Mr. Henry Morley, of Reading, yeoman, gave to the church-wardens 
 and overseers of the poor of St. Lawrence's parish, five pounds, to add to their 
 stock for the purchase of fuel for the poor.* 
 
 (*) Mr. Nicholas Gunter, of Reading, by will dated March 9, IGS^, 1(334 
 gave, in trust to the corporation, one yearly rent charge of four pounds, out 
 of lands and tenements in the parish of St. Giles ; out of which they were to 
 pay forty shillings, per annum, to the surveyors of the highways of the parish 
 of St. Lawrence, for the repairing of " Caversham way which goeth from the 
 Vasterns to the east end of Frogmarsh-mead," and twenty shillings to the 
 surveyors of St. Giles's parish, for the "repairing of Mill-lane,"f and tea 
 shillings for the relief of the poor women in Bernard Harrison's alms-houses, 
 and the remaining ten shillings, to the relief of the poor women in the alms- 
 house on the north side of St. Mary's church gate, in the Butts. 
 
 Mr. William Kendrick, of Reading, clothier, by will dated August 30, 
 1634, gave five tenements, on the west side of Sieviers '-street, for alms-houses, 
 for two men of St. Lawrence's parish, two of St. Giles's, and one woman 
 of St. Mary's, to be elected by the corporation. He also endowed them with 
 a rent charge of twenty pounds a year, on lands at Hartley, and fifty pounds 
 to purchase land to keep the alms-houses in repair ; also the rent of a house 
 and barn adjoining the alms-houses. Each poor man to have one shilling 
 and sixpence weekly for his support, and the woman one shilling per quarter 
 for washing for the men. With the remainder of the money, they were to 
 pay forty shillings]; a year to the church-wardens of St. Mary's parish, for the 
 lights used at the morning prayers, ten shillings to the vicar for his vault in 
 the chancel, and ten shillings to the corporation, to be spent by them at then- 
 meeting to settle the accounts of this charity, and to provide a gown for each 
 of the alms-people every third year ; and should any surplus remain, it was 
 to be distributed to the poor of Reading. § • 
 
 * This was probably lost in 1657 : see folio 402. 
 + It should seem, by this legacy, that Mill-lane was not at that time considered private property,- 
 otherwise the money would not have been left to the repair of it. 
 
 % In the return to the house of commons, only 19/. 4^. is mentioned. 
 § Early prayers have long been disused at St. Mary's : but how the 40 shillings, for the lights, 
 have been since employed, we have not heard.
 
 408 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 P Sir Thomas Vatchel, knt. by indenture, dated January 6, 1635, gave to 
 
 XX. tlie corporation, one brick tenement on the south side of Castle-street, between 
 -""^''^ tlie inn called tire Castle, on the west, and the lane leading to the meadows 
 
 1G35 called Piuckncy, on the east; also the yearly rent of forty pounds, per annum, 
 on arable, meadow, and pasture lands, called Great and Little Garston, in the 
 parish of Shinfield, to be paid quarterly. The said house to be au alms-house 
 for six aged and impotent men, without wives, to be placed therein, during 
 his life by sir Thomas himself, and afterwards by the corporation, and the 
 proprietor of the Coley estate. Four to be out of St. Mary s parish, one out 
 of St. Lawrence's, and one out of St. Giles's; each to have two shillings per 
 week, to be paid them every Saturday ; and whenever the surplus would admit 
 of it, to have a gown each, and two loads of wood annually. 
 
 Mr. Roger Knight, of Reading, gentleman, gave by will a rent charge 
 of three pounds, per annum, on two tenements in Cross-street, to the church- 
 wardens of St. Lawrence's parisli, in trust, to pay yearly, on new year's day, 
 twenty-four shillings to forty-eight poor people of that parish equally. Twenty 
 four shillings towards the reparation of the church, bells, &c. ten shillings to 
 the preacher (if there be a sermon on that day) and the reraaiuing two 
 ■shillings to the clerk and sexton. 
 
 1636 Mr. John Ayre, alias Eyres, of Shinfield, yeoman, gave, by indenture, to 
 
 the corporation, a rent charge of five pounds, per annum, on lands at Shin- 
 field, in trust for two poor young men of the parish of St. Lawrence, who have 
 served their apprenticeships, forty shillings each to begin trade with : and, one 
 shilling each to twenty poor laboring men; seven to be out of the parish of 
 St. Lawrence, seven out of the parish of St. Giles, and six out of St. Mary's 
 parish ; to be selected by the corporation. 
 
 1Q37 Mr. William Ironmonger, of Reading, by will dated May 4, 1637, gave 
 
 forty shillings, per annum, out of a tenement in Minster-street, towards pro- 
 viding ten waistcoats for four poor people of St. Mary's parish, three of St. 
 Lawrence's, and three of St. Giles's, to be distributed on All Saints-day in 
 every year. Vested in the corporation. 
 
 1638 ^^' William Elkins gave, by will, ten shillings, per annum, io three of 
 
 the poorest aged men, at easter, and ten shillings, per annum, to three of the 
 poorest aged widows at whitsuntide; all to be of St. Mary's parish, and 
 em.ployed in the cloathing trade. This gift was a rent charge upon Chasey- 
 farm, in Mapledurham, Oxon, and has been disputed by the present proprietor. 
 Mr. Reginald Butler, gave, by will, a rent charge of twenty shillings, 
 per annum, on an estate called Field-farm, in the parish of Burghfield, now 
 in the possession of the earl of Shrewsbury, to be distributed every Good-
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 409 
 
 Friday among the poor of St. Mar}''s parish, by the churchwardens, in whom 
 it is vested. 
 
 Mr. John Bagley gave, by will, to the poor of St. Lawrence's parish, a 
 rent charge of ten shillings, per annum ; vested in the church-wardens and 
 overseers. 
 
 Archbishop Laud, by deed, dated March 26, 1640, gave to the mayor and 
 burgesses of Reading, a rent charge of two hundred pounds, per annum^ on a 
 farm at Bray, in trust, among other things to apprentice ten poor boys of the 
 three parishes in Reading ; one from Wokingham, and one from Bray, for two 
 succeeding years ; and, every third year, one hundred and twenty pounds to 
 be divided among five servant maids, natives of the town, who had served 
 three years in one place, and one from Wokingham. The donor's relatives to 
 be preferred. 
 
 Dr. Heylin, in his life of archbishop Laud, says, " he left two hundred 
 pounds, per annum, to the corporation, to be disposed of in the following 
 manner : One hundred and twenty pounds for apprenticing boys, and setting 
 up young beginners ; fifty pounds, per annum, for the augmentation of the 
 income of the vicar of St. Lawrence's parish, (the perpetual parsonage of 
 which he purchased, and presented to St. John's college, Oxford) on condition 
 of his residing at the living; twenty pounds to be allotted yearly, to increase 
 the stipend of the schoolmaster ; eight pounds for the entertainment of the 
 president and fellows of St. John's college, his visiters, to see all things carried 
 fairly ; and the remaining two pounds, to be given, as a yearly fee, to the 
 town-clerk, for registering the names of those, who should from time to time 
 enjoy the benefit of his charity."* The estate consists of three hundred and 
 eighteen acres of arable and meadow lands, with the farm house and offices. 
 
 From the following passage in doctor Lloyd's letter to doctor Bailie, pre- 
 sident of St. John's college, Oxford, dated May 17, 1611, it appears that the 
 tenant's rent was not io be increased, but he was to pay a tine of two hundred 
 pounds every eighth year for a renewal of the lease, but it does not appear, that 
 the fine was appropriated by the donor to any specific purpose: 
 
 " The archbishop (Laud) hath appointed one year's rent for the renew- 
 ing of the tenant's estate, after eight years expired ; which, every eighth year, 
 will return two hundred pounds. I conceive his grace may, without prejudice 
 to his gift, assign the first time of two hundred pounds towards building tlii« 
 house (the parsonage) which is extream old and low -built. 
 
 * According to the original intention of the donor, the rent charge of two hundred pounds pi 
 annum was not to have been raised on the tenant ; but the family who then possessed tlie farm bein 
 extinct, it is now let for upwards of six hundred pounds, and the chanties increased m proportion.
 
 410 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 " Among divers opinions of this gift, one is, that they will soon want bojs 
 to bind apprentices in the town. I am sure the annual number of ten will 
 sweep them sufficiently. The general grievance and want of this town is, 
 that they have fair and stately broad streets, if they had means to pitch the m 
 Now if you think good to move my lord's grace, that the fines after the first 
 may be expended every eighth year upon pitching the streets with stone, and 
 the bridges, and so -successively to repair these, and the near highways, the 
 inhabitants, I am sure, will be more sensible, and retain a sweeter savour of hi» 
 "•race's mairnificence from thence than from all the other liberality." 
 
 On the receipt of this charitable donation, the corporation sent the follow- 
 ing letter of thanks to the archbishop, supposed to have been written by sir 
 Thomas Mainwaring, at that time the recorder : 
 
 " Most reverend lord, 
 
 *' We have received from your grace, so great a gift for measure, and so 
 judicious an one for manner, that nothing could more suit with the ample 
 eharitv of so pious an heart, or more comport with the occasions and neces- 
 sities of this your native place, now made joyful by this large addition, which 
 supplies our present, and prevents our future poverty. For which so muni- 
 ficent a donation, we can return nothing but thanks to your grace that gave it, 
 our praises to almighty God for raising us up so great and good a friend, and 
 our prayers to the same God, to continue so father*like a patron to us, so 
 strong a pillar to our chxirch, and so able a prop to the common-wealth. 
 
 " Wherein, should we or our successors fail in the faithful distribution 
 of what is so wisely and worthily directed by your grace, the very stones of St. 
 Lawrence's church, the scholars yet unborn, and the poor of both sexes, might 
 justly rise in judgment against us. But gratitude equal to so ample a benefit 
 being not to be repaid in words, wc humbly entreat your grace, (as physicians 
 judge the dispositions of the heart by the beating of the pulse,) by this small 
 manifestation, to conceive the ardent desires and afi'ections of our hearts and 
 souls, ever to appear 
 
 " Your grace's most dutiful and grateful servants." 
 
 1646 Richard Aldworth, esq. by will dated December the 21st, 1646, gave 
 
 four thousand pounds, to purchase a convenient spot for a school, in which 
 twenty' poor boys of Reading were to be clothed, boarded, and educated, and 
 two of them every year to be apprenticed out, at the age of sixteen years. 
 Vested in the corporation : who, from the same legacy, were to bestow twenty 
 gowns annually to so many aged men and women of this town, and to give to 
 each of them a loaf every Sunday. Of this sum of four thousand pounds.
 
 MICIEARB AlLDWORTH. 
 
 // 
 
 '3^')/^//!. ///^ /h'l/'im^ III f^'-f ''Ui/f'iiri/ cdinit^'ft
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 411 
 
 two thousand pounds was laid out in the purchase of an estate at Sherfield, in (-;„.„ 
 1657, and one thousand nine hundred and ninety pounds in 1659, probably for XX. 
 another portion of the same estate, it consisting originally of three or four ^^^''V** 
 farms. They were surveyed in 1723, and found to contain three hundred and 
 sixty acres one rood and thirty eight poles. 
 
 BIi Richard Jayes, of Reading, left by will four houses in Hosiers'-lane, 1617 
 for four poor widows, who must be fifty years of age at the least; to be elected 
 by the church-wardens and overseers of St. Mary's parish, and endowed them 
 with -one shilling and three pence each, per week, arising from the rent of 
 two meadows called Middlehams, in the parish of Sulhamstead, Berks, which 
 in 1730 were let for twenty-one pounds, per annum. Part of one of these 
 meadows having been cut oft' when the canal between Reading and Newbury 
 was made, the church-wardens of Woolhampton, who are joint trustees with 
 those of Reading, refusing to agree with the terms proposed by the commis- 
 sioners, no rent, we believe, has been received for that part for several years. 
 
 Mr. John Webb, of Reading, gent, by will dated November the 20th, 16.j3 
 1653, gave to the corporation a rent-charge of four-pounds, per annum, on 
 land at Shinfield, in trust, for the maintenance of a weekly lecture at St. Law- 
 rence's church, for ever, and ten pounds towards purchasing a convenient 
 dwelling-house for the master of the free school ; also twelve pence 'per week, 
 to each of the four poor widows in the alms-houses on the north side of St. 
 Mary's church-yard-gate, payable out of a tenement on the south side of 
 Broad-street. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Ward, of Reading, cloth-worker, gave by will a rent-charge 1601 
 on a messuage and land at Swallowfield, of ten shillings per annum, for ever, to 
 the church-wardens and overseers of the parish of St. Giles, in trust, to be dis- 
 tributed in equal proportions among four poor persons of that parish annually. 
 
 Sir Thomas Rich, by will dated May 16, 1666, gave to the corporation 1666 
 the sum of one thousand pounds, in trust, to purchase land io the amount of 
 fifty four pounds per annum, for the maintenance of six poor boys of this 
 town, and three of the village of Sonning (the place of his residence) in the 
 blue-coat school, founded by Mr. Aldworth.* 
 
 Mr. William Jones, of Whitley, yeoman, by will dated February 27, 16G9 
 1669, gave to the corporation a rent-charge of five pounds per annum, in 
 lands and tenements in Whitley, in trust, to be given annual'y on Good Friday 
 to five poor butchers of this town, in equal proportions. 
 
 • A copy of the will may be seen in the register of Sonning parish, 
 
 5 G 2
 
 4Vi CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 !Mr. J. Chaiiiltcilavnc gave a rent charge of one pound per anninn, on 
 an csJate at Slialtoii, Wilts, to be given to the poor of St. IMarj's parish, on 
 ' Ash VVcdiicsday. 
 
 \(\]\ (*) Mr. Francis Mitchell, of London, by will, dated July 1st, 1671, gave 
 
 (Hie luindred pounds to the corporation, in trust, to purchase a house for the 
 master of tlie frcc^ school to live in rent-free, on condition he does not take 
 more than two shillings and six-pence, per quarter, for teaciiing any child 
 born in Reading; but if he refuse these terms, then the money to be laid out 
 in iipprenticiiig poor bovs of the town. As the masier's house was not pur- 
 chased till more than a century after this donation, it is probable the money 
 was appropriated to the apprenticing poor boys. 
 167.3 Mr. Stephen Atwater, of Reading, clothier, gave twenty shillings, per 
 
 aniniin, rent charge, on a freehold estate in Whitley, to the church-wardens 
 of St. Giles's parish, in trust, to be divided among four poor aged men, em- 
 ployed in the clothing trade, on the feast of St. Stephen, the martyr. 
 
 Mr. Samuel Jemmatt gave twenty shillings a year, out of an estate at 
 Shinficld, to the church-wardens of St. Giles's parish, in trust ; io be distri- 
 buted on the first day of February every year, among four poor house-keepers 
 belonging to that [jarish, equally. 
 1681 (*) Mr. John Bacon, of Reading, woollen draper, by will, dated Sep- 
 
 tember the 11th, 16S1, gave to the corporation, in trust, the sum of one hun- 
 dred pounds, to be lent out at inter-^st, and the produce thereof to be laid out 
 at their discretion, at their quarterly meetings. 
 
 He also gave to the church-wardens of St. INIary's parish, certain tene- 
 ments in Hosicrs'-lane, in trust; with the produce thereof, to distribute on St. 
 Thomas's-day, annually, six shirts to six poor men of that parish. These 
 houses produce forty shillings per annum. 
 1696 Mr. John Hall, of Reading, apothecary, by will dated June 30th, 1696, 
 
 gave a rent charge on lands and tenements at Caversham, Oxon, of five 
 shillings per week, for five poor alms people, and ten shillings per annum, for 
 fuel, during the life of his wife; and, at her decease, he gave to the corpo- 
 ration, in trust, a rent charge of twenty-five pounds, per annum, on messuages 
 and lands at Caversham, and also seven tenements on the east side of Chain- 
 lane, and all his messuages and lands at Englefield, also his messuages and lands 
 at Sylchestcr, together with a tenement in the Market-place, Reading, called the 
 Elephant, and the remainder of tlie lease of another tenement called the Anchor, 
 to dispose of the two last, and with the amount of the sales thereof, to take down 
 the two lowermost of the seven houses in Chain-lane, and on the same site, to 
 build one tenement for a school-master, to maintain and instruct three poor
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 413 
 
 boys, gratis, in reading, writing, and accounts, one to be out of each parish ; p 
 for which he was to be allowed eighteen pounds per annum, to be paid quar- XX. 
 tcrly out of the above mentioned estates ; and twenty shillings, per annum, ^^^■^v"^" 
 to provide them with shoes and stockings, and every second year he was to 
 have a new cloth cloak of forty shillings value ; and each boy to have six 
 pounds, on leaving the school, as an apprentice fee. 
 
 The five remaining tenements, to be for the benefit of five poor single 
 alms-people : one out of St. Lawrence's parish, two of St, Mary's, and two 
 of St. Giles's ; to be allowed eighteen pence per week each, and twelve shil- 
 lings per annum for fuel, and ten shillings for clothing. The alms-houses to 
 have the following inscription : 
 
 Ex dono Johannis Hall Pliarmacofei. 
 
 To the town-clerk he left twenty shillings per annum, for his care in 
 keeping the accounts, of which the three vicars, with the corporate bod}', were 
 appointed auditors ; and, if any surplus remained at the end of the year, it 
 was to be applied towards the increase of the charity, which at that time 
 produced fifty-five pounds fifteen shillings, per annum. 
 
 The fund appropriated by the will for the support of the school, being 
 lately found inadequate to the maintenance of the master and boys, the latter 
 have been added to the blue-coat school, and the house converted into a 
 dispensary : this is the more to be regretted, as the corporation is said to have 
 since discovered, that a Mrs. Norwood, who appears to have deceased about 
 the year 1780, left by will to the corporation, the reversion of three thousand 
 pounds stock, for the increase of Mr. Hall's school, in Reading, after the 
 decease of a Mrs. Whitehorn ; it is therefore probable that this legacy will 
 soon, if it has not already, come into the possession of the corporation, when 
 the interest in whatever stock it may be, would have enabled them to continue 
 the school on its old foundation, and to have doubled the number of the boys. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Harrison, by will, gave to the church-wardens and overseers |f,9(; 
 of St. Giles's parish, a rent charge of twenty shillings per annum, on an estate 
 in that parish, for the benefit of the eight poor women in Mr. Harrison's 
 alms-houses. 
 
 Mr. William Malthus, by will dated November the 16th, 1700, gave to j-qq 
 the corporation a rent charge of ninety-one pounds per annunh in trust, for 
 the purpose of maintaining eleven boys of this town, in the blue-coat school.* 
 
 • Mr. Malthus also endowed a school at Blewbury, for thirty boys and tliirty giils, witli lands 
 at Noke, in Oxfordshire.
 
 4U CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 INIr. John Pottinger gave, by will, a rent charge of fifteen pounds per 
 ■annum, on an estate at North-street in the parish of Tilehurst, for the main- 
 tenance of two bojs in the above school, to be taken alternately out of each 
 of the three parishes. 
 1712 (*) Mr. Thomas Hussey, by a deed dated August 31, 1712, conveyed a 
 
 apiece of ground in Woodley, in the liberty of Sonning, Berks, to a certain 
 trustee thej-ein named, for the sole use and benefit of the poor of St. Mary's 
 parish : Value and application unknown. 
 
 Mrs. INIary Keurick, by will dated December the 15th, 1712, gave all her 
 €states, situated in the counties of Berks, Oxon, and Wilts, in trust to four 
 persons named in the will, to dispose of the same, and from a part of the 
 money arising therefrom, to purchase an estate of the value of eight pounds 
 per annum, to be given by the trustees to poor people of the three parishes, 
 who do not receive alms, in the following proportion : three pounds to St. 
 Mary's parish, three to St. Giles's, and two to St. Lawrence's. An estate was 
 accordingly purchased at Lawrence Waltham, consisting of a cottage, barn, 
 ofiices, garden and orchard, together with about nine acres of land. M ith 
 the surplus money arising from the rents of this estate, above the eight pounds 
 per annum, given among the poor, the trustees have purchased one hundred 
 pounds South Sea annuities. The present trustees are Messrs. Maul, Deane, 
 Sowdon, and Deane. 
 
 1717 Mr. John West, and Mrs. Frances West, his wife, by indenture dated 
 January 25th, 1717, conveyed to the governors of Christ's-hospital in London, 
 houses and lands there, to the value of one hundred and sixtj'-thrce pounds 
 per annum, in trust, to pay the same to poor ancient persons, at the rate of 
 five pounds each, per annum, for life : three of the said persons always to be 
 inhabitants of St. Mary's parish in Reading, and to be elected by the vestry ; 
 Avhich election must be certified by a written voucher, signed by the major 
 part of them. 
 
 1718 And, by another indenture, dated May 24th, 1718, they conveyed to the 
 cloth-w^orkers' company, houses and lands at that time let for fifty-four pounds 
 nineteen shillings and four pence per annum, in trust, to pay the rents and 
 profits thereof to poor blind people of either sex, at the rate of five pounds 
 each, per annum. Those of Reading, Newbury, or the donor's kindred, to 
 be preferred. 
 
 1720 By another indenture dated November the 19th, 1720, they conveyed io 
 
 the governors of Christ's-hospital, houses and grounds let for two hundred 
 and forty-one pounds eight shillings, in trust, to admit into the hospital, 
 maintain, clothe, educate, and apprentice, as many poor boys and girls as the
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 415 
 
 fund would admit of, at the rate of ten pounds per annum eachj and to pay Qat.^- 
 with each boy, when apprenticed, twenty pounds, and for each girl five pounds; XX. 
 two fifths of such children always to be elected and presented by the three ^^^"V^ 
 parishes of Reading alternately. 
 
 Mr. West gave also to the cloth-workers' company, the sum of twelve 
 hundred pounds, in trust, to purchase therewith lands for the maintenance 
 of six boys in the blue-coat school at Reading : two to be elected out of each 
 parish, by the corporation ; and to pay twenty shillings a year to the vicar, 
 for a charity sermon to be preached every St. Thomas's-day, at one of the 
 three churches alternately. Moreover he gave fee farm rents in the county 
 of Northampton, amounting to six pounds five shillings and five pence, per 
 annum, for the purchase of a new suit of clothes, stockings, cap and shoes, 
 for each of the said boys, for ever. 
 
 Mrs. Frances West, by indenture dated December 12th, 1723, conveyed 1723: 
 to the president and fellows of Sion-coUege, houses and grounds then let for 
 two hundred and forty pounds, per annum, in trust, to pay twenty persons 
 therein mentioned ten pounds jier annum each, for life ; and twenty pounds 
 per annum, to be paid towards placing out two orphans, sons of clergymen ; 
 and two pounds ten shillings per annum, to the accountant; and afterwards to 
 divide the rents and profits into three parts, and to pay one of the three parts 
 to poor men and women, not less than fifty years of age, at the rate of five 
 pounds per annum, for life : three fourths of these poor people to be natives 
 of Reading.* 
 
 (*) She also gave, by a codicil annexed to her will, to the vicars and 
 church-wardens of each of the three parishes, in trust, several tenements, and 
 a wliarf, held by lease under the corporation, at the yearly rent of six pounds ; 
 (which houses and wharf were then let for sixteen pounds per annum,) on 
 condition that the said trustees do, from^ time to time, during the lease, pay 
 the clear yearly rents thereof, for placing out poor boys apprentices, who had 
 been placed in the blue- coat school on her husband's foundation. This lease 
 has since expired. 
 
 (*) And, by the third codicil to her will, she gave to the ministers and 
 church-wardens of the three parishes, the sum of one hundred pounds, to be 
 by them distributed amongst poor old men and women of this town, at the 
 rate of twenty shillings each. 
 
 (*) In 1726, the rev. Philip Vaughan gave, by will, to tlie minister and $72(> 
 
 * The president and fellows of Sion-college have since resigned tiiL-ir interest in this charity to 
 ihe cloth-wotkers' company.
 
 Chap 
 
 416 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 cluirch-wardens of St. Lawrence's parish, and their successors, a rent charge 
 XX. upon an estate at Kate's-giove, of ten pounds, per annum, for reading daily 
 •^"^ the liturgy of the church of England, in that church, in the atternoon. 
 
 To be paid quarterly. This benefaction, however, did not take place till 
 
 Ladv-day, 178 1. 
 
 iSli. Edward Hungerford left, by will, to the corporation, two hundred 
 pounds, in trust, to pay the interest thereof, for ever, to the vicar of St. Law- 
 rence's parish, by half yearly payments, on condition that he or his curate shall 
 daily read in that church, between the hours of two and seven in the after- 
 noon, the common prayer. 
 
 1731 Mr. John Allen, by will dated February 2, 1731, gave the sum of one 
 
 thousand pounds, for the purchase of freehold lands in Berks ; the rents 
 whereof were to be applied, among other purposes, to the apprenticing of one 
 poor boy annually out of each parish in Reading. 
 
 An estate was in consequence purchased, in the parish of Tilehurst, in 
 1736, for the sum of one thousand and fifty pounds, part of the principal and 
 interest arising from the original sum ; and, with the remainder, the sum of 
 two hundred and fiftv pounds was purchased in the old South Sea annuities. 
 The whole is vested in the three vicars, and other trustees. The estate was let 
 in 1779, for forty-five pounds per annum; nine tenths whereof are employed 
 in apprenticing poor boys, pursuant to the will of the donor, and the remaining 
 tenth is divided yearly between the three vicars, for their care and trouble 
 in the execution of their trust, which amounts annually to about the sum of 
 one pound four shillings each. 
 
 1755 The rev. 'NVilliam Boudry and John Richards, esq. gave, by deed, lands io 
 
 the value of seven pounds fourteen shillings per annum^ the produce whereof to 
 be cast lots for by three poor maids (one to be out of each parish) on the first 
 Monday after St. Bartholomew's-day, every year : each girl must have lived five 
 years in one service to be entitled to a chance. This land is situated on the west 
 side of Horn-street, and in the occupation of Messrs. Hewlings, Tomkins, and 
 Fulbrook, gardeners, with a part attached to the row of houses lately built 
 by Mr. BiUiua:, in Southampton-street. The whole is vested in the corporation. 
 From the commencement of this gift till nearly the present time, the suc- 
 cessful candidate was paid eight pounds ; but the rents of the land having 
 been lately increased very considerably, she now receives twenty-eight pounds ; 
 and the girl who throws the next highest number receives four pounds, and 
 the other three pounds, the gift of Martin Anneslcy, esq. 
 
 1765 ^^^- Jos^P'i Neale, by will dated October 8, 1765, gave towards the sup- 
 
 port of a charity school, a sura of money, with which was purchased three
 
 Sir Thos. Vatchell's, 1050 ditto, to 6 men. 
 
 3 u 
 
 1773 
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 417 
 
 hundred and fourteen pounds, five shillings, and eleven pence, South Sea stock, 
 vested in the rev. Charles Sturges, late vicar of St. Mary's, and two others. 
 
 Mrs. Mary Love left, by vi^ill, the sum of three hundred pounds, to the 
 corporation, in trust, for the purchase of stock in the public funds, and the 
 interest arising from the same to be distributed quarterly among the poor of 
 Reading, in bread. 
 
 Mr. J. Richards transferred five hundred pounds consolidated reduced 
 annuities, to four trustees, namely, H. Deane, esq. J. Richards, esq. hon. and 
 rev. W. B. Cadogan, and. the rev. C. Sturges, for the benefit of the girls' 
 charity school, of which he was the principal promoter. 
 
 The rev. J. Spicer gave, by will, a leasehold estate in Cross-street, during 
 the remainder of the term, for the benefit of the girls' charity school, amount- 
 ing to eight pounds six shillings per annum ; also the reversion, after the death 
 of Mrs. Spicer, of two hundred pounds, for the same charity. 
 
 Mr. John Leggatt, by will dated March 24, 1786, gave to the corporation y'JSG 
 the sum of two hundred and ten pounds, in trust, with the interest thereof, 
 to apprentice one poor boy out of the three parishes alternately. He likewise 
 gave them fifty pounds towards the support of the boys in the blue-coat school. 
 
 Mrs. Clementina Frognall gave, by will, the sum of one hundred pounds 
 stock in the four per cent, bank annuities, in trust, for the benefit of the girls 
 charity school. 
 
 Aubery Florey, esq. gave, by will, three hundred pounds for the benefit j^gjj 
 of the above school. 
 
 Mrs. Rachel Veasy, bequeathed, in 1700, the reversion of eight hundred j^qq 
 and five pounds, new South Sea stock, vested in the vicar and church-wardens 
 of St. Lawrence's parish, to pay out of the interest arising therefrom annually, 
 to five poor men and five poor widows of that parish not receiving alms, ten 
 guineas, in equal proportions ; and three guineas, per annum, to the girls' 
 charity school in this town. This charity has since fallen in. 
 
 About the year 1811, Mr. Thomas Cooke, of Pcntonville, Middlesex, left, 
 ^y will, the sum of six thousand three hundred pounds, 3 per cent, consols, for , 
 
 the purpose of encreasing the weekly pay of all the poor in the alms-houses at 
 Reading, in the following proportions ; to be paid from the interest of the 
 difterent sums appropriated to each alms-house : 
 
 To John a Larder's ^1400 3 per cent, to 8 men and women. 
 
 William Kendrick's, 875 ditto, to 5 ditto. 
 
 Carried over 3325
 
 418 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 Brought over £ 3325 
 
 John Hall's, 875 3 per cent, to 5 men. 
 
 Barnard Harrison's, 1400 ditto, to 8 women. 
 
 John Webb's, 700 ditto, to 4 ditto. 
 
 £ 6300, interest 189/. or 5Z. 5s. each, annually.* 
 
 * Hitherto persons leaving charitable donations to the poor of Reading had been either natives, 
 ©r iuliabitants, or such as by trade or otherwise had been connected with it ; but this was not the case 
 in the present instance, Mr. Cooke appearing to have been an entire stranger to the town. All we 
 have been able to learn respecting him, is, that he began the world as an officer of excise, and having 
 been for some years employed in taking the slock, among others, of a widow, who carried on the 
 business of a distiller, he prevailed with her, for prudential reasons, to marry him. Having thus 
 become master of her property, which was very considerable, he continued the business with such 
 success, as to accumulate a property of one hundred and thirty thousand pounds, the whole of which 
 (v.-ith the exception of twenty pounds per annum, left to a poor relation) he bequeathed at his death 
 towards the improvement of the incomes of such alms-houses, as, from the great advance in the price of 
 all the necessary articles of life, were become inadequate to support the poor for whose benefit they were 
 originally designed. The better to accomplish this plan, he sent, a few years before his decease, a con- 
 fidential person to visit different towns, and to send him the necessary information respecting decayed 
 alms-houses, such as — the names of the founders — the sums left for the maintenance of the poor— 
 their number in each house — and the state of repair of the several buildings. In all these particulars 
 the returns were so correct with respect to this town, that he seems to have been as well acquainted with 
 the wants of the poor in the alms-houses as if he had been a resident in it ; and so nicely has he 
 apportioned the different sums to the number of the inhabitants in each house, that every one will 
 in future, receive just five pounds five shillings annually in addition to his present pay. Whether it 
 was accident or design that brought the visitant to this town, is not known, but the occurrence was a 
 very providential one to the poor inhabitants of our alms-houses, who, prior to this increase of income, 
 were incapable of existing on the small pittance appropriated to their use by the original founders. 
 It appears from iome papers left behind him at his death, that, after leaving Reading, his agenf 
 proceeded to Newbury, from whence he states the alms-house (we believe Mr. Kimber's) to be in very 
 good repair, and the funds appropriated to the charity sufficient for all the purposes designed. In 
 consequence of this favorable report, this alms-house is not mentioned in the will, his intent being to 
 improve those only which stood in immediate want of an increase of income. He afterwards visited 
 Devizes, &c. in his way to Bath and Bristol, till he had given his employer an account of a sufficient 
 number of alms-houses, whose incomes were inadequate to the maintenance of their tenants, to employ 
 the great sums he had appropriated for the purpose of establishing funds for their future better support. 
 The fulfilment of the various trusts mentioned in the will, being considered by the executers as 
 likely to be attended with difficulties, they applied to the lord chancellor to put in a new trust ; and, 
 accordingly his lordship has appointed the corporation of Reading the trust, for the execution of such 
 parts of the will as relate to the borough. 
 
 The sums left by Mr. Cooke for charitable purposes, exclusive of legacies, were forty-four thou- 
 sand five hundred pounds, three p(r cent, stock, as follow : 
 
 Bray Hospital, - 
 Badger's Ditto, 
 Fuller's, ■ 
 
 £' 
 
 King's Lynn, • 
 
 2300 
 
 5900 
 
 Paradise, 
 
 2100 
 
 1050 
 
 Vallenger's, 
 
 700 
 
 2100 
 
 Wollaston and Pauncefort, 
 
 21QO
 
 Bourne's, - • 
 
 2100 
 
 Norwich, - 
 
 1000 
 
 Weavers, 
 
 2100 
 
 Ditto Infirmary, 
 
 1000 
 
 Spanish, 
 
 1400 
 
 Humane Society, 
 
 50 
 
 Reynardson's, - 
 
 1400 
 
 Tendell's, Exon, 
 
 1750 
 
 Doughty's, Norwich, 
 
 6600 
 
 Palmer's, - 
 
 700 
 
 Cook's, - 
 
 1750 
 
 Magdalen, 
 
 2100 
 
 1813 
 
 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 419 
 
 Edward Simeon, esq. bequeathed to the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, q 
 in trust, the sum of one thousand pounds, to be invested in the public funds, the XX.* 
 interest thereof to be expended yearly, at or about Christmas, in the purchase 
 of bread tickets, to be distributed among the industrious and deserving poor of 
 the three parishes, entitling them to purchase bread one third below the assize 
 price. And to prevent the bakers receiving injury, the corporation are to ap- 
 point different bakers, to whom an equal number of tickets are to be distributed. 
 
 Also one hundred pounds for the benefit of the blue-coat school. 
 
 Also two thousand five hundred pounds in trust, to apply the dividends 
 arising therefrom every other year towards clothing the children of the Sunday 
 schools. Those who have the clothes, to attend divine service in their new 
 clothes, on the day when the mayor is elected. 
 
 Also two hundred pounds for the benefit of the girls charity school. 
 
 Also one hundred and five pounds to the infants' friends society. 
 
 Also two hundred and ten pounds to the Reading dispensary. 
 
 Also six hundred pounds, three fer cent, consols, bank annuities, to the 
 widows* society. 
 
 And one guinea to each member of sucli friendly societies of which he 
 was a member, who did not divide their stock every year^ but no society 
 dividing their stock yearly, to take any benefit by this bequest. 
 
 Martin Annesley, esq. has placed in the hands of the corporation the sum 
 of five hundred pounds, 3 per cent, consols, to remain in the national funds, 
 or for the purchase of land, as they may think best, and with the interest or 
 produce thereof to bestow on the four servant maids who may be unsuccessful 
 in casting the dice on Good-friday, and the first Monday after St. Bartholo- 
 mew's-day, in the proportion of four pounds to the second highest number, 
 and three pounds to the lowest, on each of those days. 
 
 To the above list of charitable donations may be added, the fund for the 
 purchase of coals, for the benefit of the poor of the three parishes indiscri- 
 minately. This excellent charity, established in the year 1800, owed its rise 
 to the humane exertions of Mr. alderman Austwick, who kindly undertook to 
 superintend the purchase and delivery of the coals to the poor, in the proper 
 
 3 n2
 
 420 CHARITABLE DONATIONS. 
 
 seasons. This fund was raised by voluntary subscriptions of five guineas from 
 ^"4^' each subscriber, for ^vhicll tliey were entitled to a certain number of tickets, 
 to be distributed among the poor at the discretion of each subscriber, as soon 
 a< the frost should set in. The coals veere purchased at an early season in the 
 summer, and re^sold, to the holders of tickets, at prime cost. The difference 
 between these and the retail price, in 1803, was as three to four, or six-pence 
 in the bushel ; and, notwithstanding this great diminution in the price, the 
 subscribers were enabled to deliver eighteen hundred bushel at the profit of 
 forty-five pounds to the consumers, with the very trifling loss to themselves 
 of four shillings only on each subscription. 
 
 Among the schemes which have of late years been adopted, for the benefit 
 of the poorer classes of society, none has been found more congenial to their 
 feelings of independence, when under the necessity of soliciting the aid of 
 their fellow men who have been more favored by fortune, than this method 
 of enabling them to purchase the necessaries of life, at all seasons, in propor- 
 tion to their means. It is therefore with great satisfaction, we congratulate 
 the town on having set the example of so useful and so beneficent an instr- 
 •tution, and hope that its success, in the present instance^ may recommend the 
 adoption of a similar plan, whenever the necessaries of life shall have risen 
 above that medium, at which only it is in the power of the industrious laborer 
 to purchase them. 
 
 While speaking of the charities which do credit to the donors, we must 
 add, the very generous donations for which the poor of the present day are 
 indebted to the philanthropy of E. Simeon, esq. who has done more for the 
 benefit of the poor than they ever experienced from any former benefactor. 
 In the winter season, since the year 1802, till his death, this gentleman has been 
 in the habit of distributing, among poor families, blankets, and under-garments 
 for the women, besides clothing a number of children of both sexes, in neat 
 dresses befitting their situation in life; and every year, on the election of a 
 new mayor, the}, together with the school charity children, were paraded in the 
 market-place, and regaled with a large plumb-cake: this, though it may 
 appear a trifling circumstance in the eyes of some, is a higher gratification to 
 the infant mind than even their new dress, whereby they appear elevated above 
 their equals.
 
 ADDITIONS. 
 
 History^ folio 20, 
 
 JKICHARD II. held a great council of peers at Reading, where the duke 
 of Gloucester and the lords of his party were brought to court by the duke 
 of Lancaster, and reconciled to the king through his mediation. Walsing- 
 hatn, page 343. 
 
 Folio 59. 
 
 The following are the reasons given by sir Edward Walker in his Histo- 
 rical Discourses, page 11, for his majesty's slighting the fortifications of Rea- 
 ding : " His majesty, that he might draw the greater number out of his 
 garrisons of Oxford and Reading, gave instant orders for completing the city 
 regiment, and raising two regiments of auxiliaries, consisting of gentlemen 
 scholars and their servants resident in the city of Oxford, under the command 
 of the earl of Dover and the lord Lyttleton, lord keeper, and for the raisins; 
 another regiment of auxiliaries in the garrison of Reading, under the command 
 of colonel Richard Neville, high sheriff of Berks Those regiments in Oxford 
 were raised and completed to considerable numbers, and have done constant 
 duty ever since, to their great honor and the manifest preservation of this 
 city, but the other regiment at Reading was no sooner raised but it was dis- 
 banded, the works about that town slighted, and the garrison drawn out and 
 joined to the rest of the army. To give satisfactory reasons for quitting that 
 place of so great importance may be very difficult, but the army being quar- 
 tered at Newbury, as the most apt situation in regard to Reading, Walling- 
 ford, and Oxford, and whence, if it should be resolved that Reading should 
 be quitted, we might with our army slight the works before the rebels should 
 
 possess it." 
 
 Folio 115. 
 
 The prince regent being on a visit to R. Boroughs, esq. at Basildon-house, 
 now sir Richard Boroughs, bart. the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, attended 
 by the members of the borough, and the mayor's chaplain, waited on his royal 
 
 3h 3
 
 433 ADDITIONS. 
 
 highness there, and were introduced by Mr. Boroughs and lord Charles Ben- 
 tinck into the grand saloon, where his royal highness the prince regent, at- 
 tended bv his royal highness the duke of Clarence, and a large circle of nobi- 
 lity and gentry, received them in the most gracious manner. 
 
 The mayor and corporation having advanced to the top of the room, 
 where his royal highness had taken his station, the mayor supporting the mace 
 in his right hand, the town-clerk read the following address, and after- 
 ward delivered it to the mayor, ( Lancelot Austwick, esq. ) who, upon one knee, 
 presented it to his royal highness the prince regent : 
 
 " The humble address of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the ancient 
 borough of Reading, in the county of Berks, in common hall assembled. 
 
 " May it 'please your royal highness, 
 
 " We, his majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the mayor, aldermen, 
 and burgesses of the ancient borough of Reading, approach your royal high- 
 ness with our sincere congratulations on your safe arrival in our vicinity. 
 
 " We rejoice that the condescension of your royal highness has afforded 
 us this opportunity of renewing the assurances of an unvaried attachment to 
 his majesty's person and government, and to his illustrious family, and in an 
 especial manner to your royal highness, under whose wise and energetic admi- 
 nistration, during the lamented indisposition of his majesty, the rank and 
 character of the united kingdom have been supported among foreign nations, 
 and its military glory raised to an eminence of which the history of this 
 country affords few examples. 
 
 " Allow us to add our humble hope and confidence, that the exertions 
 of his majesty's faithful people, under the wise and vigorous guidance of your 
 royal highness's councils, may, through the blessing of divine providence, be 
 crowned, at no distant period, with a safe and lasting peace. 
 
 '' Done under our common seal, this fourteenth day of September, in 
 the fifty-third year of his majesty's reign." 
 
 To which his royal highness read the following answer : 
 
 " Mr. mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Reading, 
 " I receive with true gratification the renewed expressions of your afiec- 
 
 tionate welcome to the vicinity of your ancient borough. 
 
 " I feel sensibly the renewed expressions of your loyalty and attachment 
 
 to his majesty and my family, and no one can so deeply deplore as myself the 
 
 lamented indisposition which has been the occasion of transferring to me the 
 
 high functions of our beloved and venerable king.
 
 ADDITIONS. 423 
 
 " I heartily rejoice witli you in the glorious and unrivalled successes with 
 which it has pleased providence to bless our arms, and I look forward with 
 fervent hopes, that, by the continuance of vigorous councils, and by the united 
 exertions of a brave and patriotic people, we may be unmoveably fixed on the 
 proud pre-eminence upon which we stand, and ultimately succeed in obtaining 
 an honorable and lasting peace. 
 
 "■ Accept my best wishes for the welfare and prosperity of your ancient 
 and respectable borough." 
 
 Population, folio 123. 
 
 January 26, 1719, a petition was presented to parliament from the mayor, 
 aldermen, and burgesses, and from the clothiers, drugget makers, &c. of the 
 borough of Reading, in behalf of themselves and seven thousand depending 
 on them. Votes of the commons. 
 
 Miscellaneous, folio 168. 
 
 The manors of Reading and Whitley appear to have been united in the 
 time of the abbots, and as such were given, in the second year of king Edward 
 VI. to his uncle, the lord protector, on whose death soon after, they reverted 
 to the crown, and were separated in the following reign, when queen Mary 
 gave the manor of Whitley to sir Francis Englefield : 
 
 " Berks, anno , 3 of May, anno 2 of Edward 6th. 
 
 " The manor of Redinge and Whitley, in the countie of Berkshire, pacllc 
 of the possessions of the attainted monasterie of Reading, above xl, 6s. Sd. for 
 the fee of the bayliffe of Redinge ; 3?. 10. for the collectors fee of roytelege : 
 31/. 5. 10. for certain fees granted by letters patents, granted to sir William 
 Penyston, knt. 8^ 10. 8. for the keeper of the park of Whitley : bl. 6. 8. for the 
 understeward's fee : 61, and 20d. for the keeper's fee of the gayle in Redinge : 
 2s. for rente extincte: 15s. for rente discharged, and 3s. for decayes by the 
 year. Some is per an. «£102. 13s. 9d. 
 
 " All which premesses, with their appurtenances, the king's majestic, by 
 the advice of his highnesses counsell is pleased and contented to give and 
 graunt to the saide lord protector's grace, to his heirs and assigncs for ever, 
 as parcel of the sum of ccccce^ by the yeare, given by his majesty with the 
 advice aforesaid unto the saide lord protector, in recompense of the right and 
 notable service by him done, through the goodness of Almighty, unto the 
 kings majestic and this realm at his last voyage into Scotland." Harl. MS. 
 4316, p. 237. 
 
 3 H 4
 
 
 434 ADDITIONS. 
 
 Military^ folio 179. 
 
 Exeter being besieged by an insurrection of the people, on account of 
 the chano-e of religion and the enclosure of comraons, the lord Gray was des- 
 patched to its relief with some German and Italian mercenaries, together with 
 200 men sent hira from Reading. Haijivard's Life and Reign of Edward 
 VI. fol. 295. 
 
 Green School^ folio 211. 
 
 Mr. Brookman gave by will the sum of 200 pounds, in ISll, and Mr, 
 Edward Simeon, the sura of 180 pounds, in 1813, which has since been 
 employed in the purchase of stock for the benefit of this school. 
 
 Representation^ folio 2.39. 
 
 March 30, 1715, a petition, from divers inhabitants of Reading paying- 
 scot and lot within the borough, was presented to the house, complaining of 
 an undue election and return. And, on the 19th of June, 1716, a petition 
 from Felix Calvert, esq. was presented to the house, complaining of an undue 
 election. Votes of the commons. 
 
 October 28, 1772, a petition was presented to parliament by Charles 
 Cadogan, esq. and Richard Thompson, esq. complaining of an undue election 
 for the borough. Ibid. 
 
 Antiquities^ folio 28 1 . 
 
 In a letter printed in the gentleman's magazine for 1786, this coffin is 
 represented to have been 8 feet 7 inches long, roofed at the top, the ridge 
 fluted and remarkably thick with lead ; the lid ornamented with a few studs 
 in form of diamonds, with an inscription in brass, which was sent to the anti- 
 quarian society, but only two initial letters were distinguishable. 
 
 Corporation, folio 353* 
 
 We have already noticed how far the prerogatives of the corporate body 
 were subordinate to the abbot and monks : and this remark is further cor- 
 roborated by the following extract, which she^vs that (he former were not 
 even allowed to have the mace carried before the mayor ; it being considered 
 an usurpation on the rights of the abbey : 
 
 " Lre reg. Henrici Sexii directe ciisiodi gildie de Rading 
 
 " Welbeloved we grete you wel, and how be hit that we calle to ovre 
 
 remembrance how that att our last beinge at the towne of Radynge we 
 
 licensed you to .here only the mase before us, so that yi be not prejudicial! to 
 
 ovr churche and monasterye of Redyng, yet nevertheless ye use it otherwise
 
 ADDITIONS. 435 
 
 than was or is according to ovr intent. In so much that as we sithence have 
 
 clerelj perceived by shewing of euidence and credible report made unto us 
 
 of the antique usage and customc had in the same towne that yt is contrarye 
 
 to the franchise and liberties of ovr saide church and monasterye by our noble 
 
 ancestors graunted and by us confirmed, you to be called or here other in name 
 
 or w" signe otherwise than as keeper of the gilde of Redyng admitted by the 
 
 abbot of our saide monasterie and not by us for to have any mase or any other 
 
 signe of office to be born by you or any other man within the said town and 
 
 franchise of Redyng saving only two tipped stafis to be born by the bayliffe 
 
 of the abbot of our said monasterie graunted and given to the abbot and 
 
 convent of the same oure monasterie at the first foundation thereof oute of 
 
 courte of raarchalsie eldest of recorde with all manner of court pices of dettc 
 
 of trespasse and other and all execution of the same to be don by his bayliffe 
 
 and by non other, as in their charters of graunte and confirmation more 
 
 evidently yt appeareth. We therefore will and charge you straitly that ye ne 
 
 use nor here any mase nor other signe nor do to be borne by none other 
 
 personne within the said towne and franchise thereof whereby the intercsse 
 
 and right of our said monasterie might in any wise be interupted or hurted 
 
 which else we wolde nor never entended saving only the two tipped stafis in 
 
 maner and forme as is above rehersed as ye desire to plese us and will eschew 
 
 the contrary. Geven under our signet at Eltham the 30 day Juille ." 
 
 Begistrum Cartarum Abiatice de Radlng. 
 
 Castle Street Chapel^ folio 130. 
 
 A new chapel was erected in Castle-street, in the year of our Lord 1799, 
 and opened under the toleration act, though the worshippers there do not call 
 themselves dissenters : they before attended divine worship at St. Giles's church, 
 but not hearing the same doctrine preached that they had been accustomed to 
 hear, they erected this neat and commodious chapel, where a very large con- 
 gregation has worshipped ever since. 
 
 Folio 249, line 34. 
 
 Fordurif Gate. " Upon the left open door of the gate-house is tliis 
 inscription : Angeli qui custodiant jntiros ejus, and this coat 3 escallop shells. 
 In the windows of a large upper room adjoining the gate-house, now used as a 
 dining room, are those of queen Elizabeth and of Seymour with its 5 quarferings.'" 
 
 " In this room hang divers old pictures of the family of Knollys. Sir 
 Francis Knollys did live here. The father and son chosen burgesses of Reading. 
 The son dying in this town when the Earl of Essex and his rebels were pos . 
 sessed of the town in 1643.'*
 
 42G ADDITIONS. 
 
 The last quotation is taken from the Topographer for 1789, and was 
 extracted by the editor of that work from notes taken by Richard Symonds, 
 who was in the king's (Charles I.) army during the civil war, and took notes in 
 small pocket books, of remarkable transactions, &c. that took place, during 
 the troubles, eight or ten of which he says are in the Harleian library, two 
 were in Dr. Mead's, and two or three in the Herald's- office. Among the books 
 in the Harleian library. No. 964 and 965 contain Oxford, Worcester, Berks, 
 and Shropshire; for 1644, No. 939, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, and 
 Berks. 
 
 The Ahhexj Church, fol. 252. 
 
 In 1815, some workmen digging in search of gravel in the nave of the 
 abbev church discovered about six feet under the present surface the remains 
 of a stone sarcophagus, resting on two collateral brick walls at a small distance 
 from each other. The sarcophagus had been apparently wilfully destroyed, 
 only the bottom and a small proportion of the sides remaining. The stone is 
 similar to Bath stone, and had been excavated in form of a chest or cistern. 
 The bottom was seven inches thick, and was furnished with three holes about 
 one inch diameter placed longitudinally in the centre, and at equal distances, 
 apparently for the purpose of carrying ofl' the moisture from the corpse. There 
 are two iron rings about four inches diameter on each side, and one on each end ; 
 these are much corroded : but one of them still runs in the eye of the iron pin 
 which is square and let into the stone about six inches. These rings, by their 
 position, seem intended for the purpose of receiving bars or ropes for the more 
 easily removing the sarcophagus. The sides and ends appear to have been orna- 
 mented with slender pillars in bass relief resting on small pedestals with circular 
 mouldings, from which the shaft rises. There were sixteen of these pillars on 
 each side and several at the ends. The length of the bottom is seven feet three 
 inches, breadth three feet five inches at the head, and two feet nine at the bot- 
 tom. This stone was found in the centre of the nave of the church, near the 
 skreen which probably divided the nave from the chancel ; and from its being 
 ornamented as above described, was probably intended to have been ex- 
 posed to view ; in which case it might have stood on the pavement. No re- 
 mains were found except a small piece of bone much decayed, nor any memorial 
 of the deceased; therefore no conjecture can be formed for whom it was designed. 
 Like the leaden coffin discovered a few 3ears since, as mentioned in the former 
 part of this work, (fol. 280) this was supposed to have contained the remains of 
 Henry I. but that monarch was interred near the high altar, as was always the 
 case with the founders of religious houses ; and if my conjectures are right in 
 tracing the ruins of the church, as shewn in plate XV. the spot where this
 
 ADDITIONS. 427 
 
 fragment was found, was at too great a distance from the altar, being in the 
 centre of the nave, on a line with the cottage shewn in the plan. Besides we 
 are told that the monks erected a magnificent monument to his memory, on 
 which his figure as large as life was placed: this therefore could not have been 
 the same, as it does not contain any characteristic marks of magnificence. For 
 these reasons, I am induced to think that this sarcophagus made no part of the 
 royal sepulchre, but had been the receptacle of the remains of some of the 
 abbots or great personages who were interred in this church, and who probably 
 died abroad, from the circumstance of the rings remaining, intended to 
 assist in the more easy removing it on board ship and conveying it from the 
 coast to the place of its interment. If the interior of this ruin was carefully 
 investigated there can be little doubt but many interesting discoveries might 
 be made, and the real place of the royal sepulchre discovered, or at least the 
 foundation of the walls still remaining under ground might be traced at a small 
 expense, so as to furnish a correct plan of the form and dimensions of this 
 church, which appear very much to resemble, in its ground plan, that of 
 Westminster Abbey, though perhaps on a smaller scale. 
 
 Folio 269, line 9. 
 " To the lepar's house at Reading, after every day (sic), there was a» 
 allowance among them, thus ; that the ' elemosinarius ministrat oinni tempore, 
 singulis singulos panes armigerorum et singnlos galones cervisits mediocris, 
 ita quod duce partes sint de cervisia militum, tertia de dolio conventus :'* the 
 almoner was to give to each a loaf of the esquire's (armigerorum) bread, and 
 a gallon of mixed beer, so that it should contain two parts of knight's ( mili- 
 tum ) beer, and one taken from the cellar of the convent. What sort of bread 
 that called the esquire's was, is uncertain, but it was perhaps coarser than the 
 better sort used by the knights and people of superior rank. The beer called 
 here knights beer might be what was afterwards called double or strong beer ; 
 that from the convent, small beer." 
 
 History, folio 282. 
 According to Eadmerus, fol. 122, queen Matilda died and was interred 
 at Westminster. " His diebus gravi damno AngUa percussa est, in moric 
 regime. Defuncta siquidem est apud Westinonasteriunii Jcl. Mail, et in ipsa 
 
 monasterio decenter sepulta." 
 
 Folio 318. 
 John and Daniel Blagrave. " About a small mile distant from Reading, 
 westward, stands a pretty small house of brick, with about forty acres of 
 
 • Mon. Ang. fol. 420.
 
 40S ADDITIONS. 
 
 meadow and otlier plowing ground round about it, built by John Blagrave, 
 who has a fair new wrought monument within tlie south wall of the church 
 of St. Lawrence of Reading, near the pulpit. His nephew and heir Daniel 
 Blan-rave did live in the house 'till the kings forces frighted such guilty rebel- 
 lious spirits away. He was an attorney of Staples Inn. This house stands just 
 befwccn Cowlev (Colev) house belonging to Vatchel and sir John Blagraves." 
 
 Topographer, foL 414, /or 1789. 
 
 The o-reater part of this building has been since demolished, and the remain- 
 der converted into a farm-house. It is now the property of Messrs. Stephens. 
 
 Folio 332. 
 
 St. Giles' Church. " The king has the gift of the vicarage of St. Giles, 
 and he that is vicar is also parson. Most of the parish was the abbot's 
 demesne, viz. The manor of Whitley, a hamlet belonging to this parish, and 
 the park of Whitley was the abbot's park, and the fields lying towards 
 Sonning, eastward, were therefore called the *****, and were the abbot's 
 warren, and were for the provision of the abbot's household, and therefore 
 free from tythes." Ibid. 
 
 Corporation, folio 374. 
 
 MAYORS. 
 
 1814. William Andrews, esq. 
 
 1815. John Blandy, esq. vice Mr. William Garrard, the senior alderman 
 in rotation, who refused to serve on the ground of excessive deafness. 
 
 ALDERMEN. 
 
 1814. John Blandy, esq. 
 
 1815. John Bulley, esq. vice Mr. Richards, resigned. 
 T. Sowdon, esq. vice Mr. William Garrard. 
 
 BURGESSES. 
 
 1814. Mr. Thomas Garrard. 
 Mr. Henry Simonds. 
 
 1815. Mr. Thomas Ward, jun. 
 
 High Stewards, folio 391. 
 
 Whitlocke had a salary of one thousand pounds per annum, as commis- 
 gioner of the treasury; and, on the event of Cromwel's being made king of 
 England, was to have been one of the forty-three members intended to form 
 a house of lords. Harleian Miscell. v. 3, p. 460.
 
 ADDITIONS. 429 
 
 Folio 408. 
 
 Sir Thomas ValcheU. " In the north window of the north aisle of St. 
 Mary's church in Reading, these arms are lately set up for Vatchell. Bendy 
 of 6 B. and Erm, quartering O, a chevr. int. 3 cocks S, impaling Knollys 
 with this motto : Better suffer than revenge. A. D. 1633. Against the wall 
 of this chapel hangs the coat armour helm, mantle and a penon with the crest, 
 and the above motto. Mr. Tanfield Vatchell whom the king (Charles I.) 
 made sheriff of Berks in 1643, and who left his service, and went to rebellion 
 (whose house on the north side the town newly built upon the old priory now 
 pulled down) is heir to the said Sir Thomas Vatchell his uncle. The reason 
 assigned for this family adopting the above motto, is, according to the tradi- 
 tion of the inhabitants of Reading, on account of a dispute which arose 
 between one of the abbots of the town and a proprietor of this estate of the 
 name of Vatchell. It seems the former claimed a right of passage for the 
 carriage of his hay through Mr. Vatchells yard, which he resisted, and after 
 many messages had passed between the two, the abbot sent one of his monks 
 to force a passage through, which so incensed Mr. Vatchell that in a violent 
 passion he slew the monk, and afterwards, on repenting the act, he took the 
 above motto. Topographer for 1789, fol. 415. 
 
 Mrs. Veaseips Charily^ fol. 417. 
 
 The interest arising from the eight hundred and five pounds SS. annuities 
 is to be divided on St. Thomas's-day, as follows : To five industrious house- 
 keepers and five widows of St. Lawrence's parish not receiving alms, one guinea 
 each. To two servant girls of the borough, who have lived two years in one 
 place to the satisfaction of the master or mistress, two guineas each. To the 
 green girls charity school, three guineas. To the Sunday schools, for the 
 purchase of books, one guinea ; and to ten poor persons of that parish male or 
 female, ten shillings and sixpence each. 
 
 At the end of the arduous contest which this nation had been engaged in 
 for more than twenty years, by the treaty of peace concluded with France, on 
 the restoration of the ancient dynasty, in 1814, the people not only solemnised 
 the event by every demonstration of joy usual on such occasions, but wishing 
 that every class of the inhabitants who had experienced the pressure of the 
 times past, might partake, in a particular manner, of the joy manifested on the 
 occasion, determined to celebrate the happy event in a manner io be remem- 
 bered by the latest posterity. For this purpose, the poor of every town and 
 village were regaled, at the expense of the superior classes of the inhabitants, by
 
 430 ADDITIONS. 
 
 voluntary subscriptions. In this characteristic display of benevolence peculiar 
 to this country, the wealthier inhabitants of Reading were not behind-hand 
 with their neighbors. A subscription was set on foot, and a sufficient sum 
 of money collected to entertain all the lower class of inhabitants, with their 
 wives and children, to the number of nearly six thousand individuals, who 
 partook of a sumptuous entertainment, dressed at the houses of the principal 
 inhabitants. On this occasion tables were set out along the streets, deco- 
 rated with branches of laurel and other insignia of peace. These tables 
 extended from the top of London-street, over High-bridge, Duke-street, King- 
 street, the Market-place, and the greater part of Friar street, forming a conti- 
 nued line of nearly one mile in length. At the end of the Market-place, near 
 St. Lawrence's church, a canopy was erected at the head of one of the tables, 
 under which Martin Annesley, esq. the deputy-mayor, presided; each of the 
 other tables, eighty in number, and forty feet each in length, with some 
 smaller ones, was superintended by 480 of the principal inhabitants, who, as 
 stewards, attended, to carve and supply the wishes of their guests, and who 
 conducted the whole of the entertainment so as to give universal satisfaction 
 to the numerous spectators attracted by curiosity to the spot, as well as to the 
 individuals who partook of this truly civic feast, and whose decorum of 
 behavior cannot be too highly praised. In the evening several rural sports 
 took place in the Forbury, and the festivities concluded without the slightest 
 circumstance taking place to disturb the harmony of the day.
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 «»»ei€s;@««<« 
 
 Copy of the governing Charter of Charles the FirsL 
 Appendix A. 
 
 QWS%t>R* 
 
 %l^h^t^t00, ^y ^'le grace of God, king of England, Scotland, France, and 
 Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. 
 
 To all to xvhom these -presents shall come, greeting-^ 
 
 82tl)ftffl£i in every monarchy the health of the people doth depend upon the crown, and alt 
 authority is derived from the prince, and kings are for that purpose authorized in the sublime scat ' 
 of majesty, t'nat as fathers of the country they should protect the people committed to ihcm by the 
 king of kings, that with the dew of their benignity they should refresh their faithful subjects, either 
 employed in trading or any other way whatsoever, concerning the good of the commonwealth ; and 
 that they should substitute subordinate officers, who for the administration of justice and the con- 
 servation of the peace, should be rulers over cities, and other places of their territories, and over th4 
 people inhabiting the same. 
 
 And whereas our borough of Radings, alias Reading in our county of Berks, is ancient and 
 populous, chiefly inhabited by burgesses, diligently exercising the making of cloth and merchandizing. 
 And although the burgesses of the same borough, as well by reason of divers charters and letters 
 patents made and granted to them and their predecessors, by divers of our progenitors and antecessors', 
 kings and queens of England, as of prescriptions and customs used within the said borottgh, from the 
 time whereof the memory of man is not to the contrary, have used and enjoyed divers liberties, 
 franchises, privileges, immunities, and easements. Since the said burgesses have most humbly besought 
 us, that, for the better ordering of things within the said borough, we would vouchsafe of our royal 
 goodness to favor them, and the said borough, by granting them more ample privileges. We favorably 
 beholdmg the said burgesses and borough, have resolved to adorn and encourage them with tiie 
 influence of our goodness, not only by confirming their ancient, but also by conferring new privileges 
 upon them; hoping, that- the said burgesses, being invested with our authority, and animated wiih 
 our favor, will, (as it is mete) have a care — that trades be nourished — that our peace he kept wiihin 
 the same borough — that the vicious be corrected with the severe sword-of jus'ice — and that condijjn 
 rewards be given to the virtuous.
 
 ii APPENDIX. 
 
 Know ye ihcicfore tlial of our especial grace, and certain knowledge and mere motion, we have 
 
 /Kitf»-/'«rfl(;<i«^^^^^^^ ^^^^ declared, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, we do ordain and declare, 
 that the said borough be, and from henceforth for ever remain, a free borough of itself, terminated 
 by its wonted limits and bounds ; and that the men and free burgesses of the borough aforesaid, by 
 whatsoever name or incorporation they are called, known, or incorporated, be and for ever hereafter 
 shall be, a body corporate and politic, in deed and in name, by the name of the mayor, aldermen, and 
 burgesses, of the borough of Reading, in the county of Berks. And by these presents, we do really 
 and fully, for us, our heirs, and successors, make, create, and declare them, a body corporate and 
 politic, in deed and in name, by the name of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of 
 Reading, and that by the same name they may have perpetual succession, and that they and their 
 successors, by the name of mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Reading, in the county 
 
 Power topos- ^f 35,1^5^ \y^ j^d for ever hereafter shall be, persons able and capable in law, to have, take, purchase, 
 stss at , ^^j possess, manors, lands, tenements, rents, liberties, privileges, jurisdictions, franchises, and here- 
 ditaments, of whatsoever kind, nature, name, or sort they shall be of, to them or their successors, in 
 fee and perpetuity, or for any terms whatsoever, and also goods and chattels, and whatsoever other 
 
 Porccr to (lis- thing of whatsoever kind, nature, name or sort ; and also to give, grant, assign, and dispose of manors, 
 pose of lands ]aj,(js, tenements, hereditaments, goods and chattels, and by the name aforesaid, to do and execute all 
 and singular other things, touching the said borough ; and that by the same name of mayor, aldermen, 
 and burgesses of the borough of Reading in the county of Berks, they may plead and be impleaded, 
 answer and be answered unto, defend and be defended, in all and singular actions, pleas, suits, com- 
 plaints, causes, matters, and demands, real, personal, or mixed, whatsoever, and of whatsoever kind, 
 in whatsoever court, and before whatsoever judges, justices, or other officers, of us, our heirs, or 
 successors, moved or to be moved, in the same manner and form as other our subjects of our kingdom 
 :^outrtopkad of England, being persons able, or capable in law ; or any other body corporate and politic, within 
 our kingdom of England, may or can possess, give, grant, demise, assign, or dispose, plead or be 
 impleaded, answer and be answered unto, defend or be defended, do, or execute. 
 To havt a ^^^ ^^^^ '^^ mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, may 
 
 common seal, for ever have a common seal, to serve for all their causes and business, any way concerning the said 
 borough ; and that it shall and may be lawful, for the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their 
 successors, from time to time at their pleasure, to break, change, and make new the same seal, as it shall 
 seem expedient to them. 
 
 And further, we wiH, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, do declare, that for 
 
 The corporate ever hereafter, there may and shall be within the borough aforesaid, of the free burgesses of that 
 borough, in manner hereafter in these presents mentioned to be elected, viz. one who shall be called 
 mayor, thirteen who shall be called aldermen (whereof we svill the mayor to be one) and twelve who 
 shall be called assistants of the same borough, which said assistants shall be from time to time coun- 
 selling and helping to the mayor and aldermen of the borough aforesaid, in all causes, things, and 
 businesses, touching or any way concerning the said borough, as often as they shall be thereunto 
 required ; and for the better effecting of our business in this behalf, we have assigned, named, con- 
 stituted, and made, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do assign, name, 
 constitute, and make, our well-beloved Richard Burren, the first and present mayor, and our well- 
 beloved Thomas Turner, gent. Robert Maulthus, gent. Christopher Turner, gent. John Newman, 
 gent. Robert Bent, gent. John Dewell, gent. George Thome, gent. Anthony Brackston, gent, the 
 aforesaid Richard Burren, gent, above constituted mayor of the borough aforesaid, John Jennings, gent. 
 Robert Dee, gent. WilUam Jacobs, gent, and Thomas Harrison, gent, the first and present aldermen ; 
 and our well-beloved Peter Burningham, Thomas Thackham, George Wooldridge, Richard Jeyes, 
 Edward Baker, William Turner the elder, WUliam Brackstone, Edward Hamlin, Christopher
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 UL 
 
 Blower, William Turner the younger, George Thome the younger, and Thomas De well, the first «r^,^^, , 
 and present assistants of the said borough. Willing, and by these presents ordaining, that the said "'IZrn. ' 
 Richard Burren, before he be admitted to exercise the office of mayor within the said borough, shall 
 take his corporal oath before our well-beloved sir Edward Gierke, knt, and John Harrison, esq. or 
 either of them, to execute the said office of mayor, justly and faithfully, in all things touching that 
 office, and after that oath so taken, he may exercise the same office of mayor of the said borough, 
 until the last Monday in the month of August next ensuing the date of these presents, and until 
 another shall be duly elected, preferred, and sworn in the same place, according to the provision here- 
 after in these presents declared, if the said Richard Burren shall live so long. 
 
 And further, we will, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant unto jf-;^^„ ^^ 
 the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Reading aforesaid, and their successors, choose the 
 that 5'early from henceforth for ever, upon the last Monday in August, it shall and may be lawful, as viayor. 
 well for the mayor and aldermen of the same borough, for the time being, or the greater part of them, 
 to name three of themselves, whomsoever they please, as to the mayor, the rest of the aldermen and 
 the assistants of the same borough, for the time being, or the greater number of them, to elect one 
 of these three aldermen, so named to be mayor for the same borough, and that, he that shall be so 
 elected mayor of the borough aforesaid, before he be admitted to exercise the office of mayor of the 
 same borough, viz, upon Monday next after the feast of St. Michael the archangel next following 
 after such election, shall take his corporal oath, before the last mayor, predecessor of the mayor so 
 elected, the rest of the aldermen, and the assistants of the said borough, for the time being, or so 
 many of them as will be present to execute the office of mayor of the borough justly and faithfully, 
 in all things touching that office, and after that oath so taken, may exercise the office of mayor of the 
 said borough, until the last Monday in the month of August, then next following, and until another 
 shall be duly elected, preferred, and sworn into the same office, and so firom year to year, every year, 
 for ever ; as often as any one elected to be mayor shall die, or refuse to bear the office of mayor of the 
 same borough, before he hath taken such oath, we will, and by these presents do ordain, tliat the 
 nomination and election be made anew, and that he that is newly elected (his oath being first taken as 
 aforesaid) may execute the office of mayor of the borough in form aforesaid. 
 
 And if it shall happen, that the said mayor before constituted, or any other mayor of the afore- ^,^ ^^ j^^(/, 
 said borough hereafter to be chosen, by virtue of these presents, for the time being, shall die after his of the mayor, 
 oath so taken, and before another is dulv named and elected mayor, we will, and by these presents, for to proceed to a 
 us, our heirs, and successors, do grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses ot the boiougn 
 aforesaid, and their successors, that after the death of such mayor (to wit) within a convenient and 
 fit time, and not procrastinated by unnecessary delay, it may and shall be lawful, as well for the rest 
 of the aldermen of the same borough, for the time being, surviving the said mayor, to name three of 
 themselves whomsoever they please, in form aforesaid, as for the aldermen not named, and the assis- 
 tants of the borough, for the time being, or the greater part of them, to elect and prefer one of tlie 
 three aldermen so named, to be mayor of the said borough, in the place and office of the mayor so 
 dead ; which said alderman so elected and preferred, to be mayor of the said borough, his oath being 
 taken before the rest of the aldermen, and the same assistants of the same borough, or so many of 
 them as shall be present in form aforesaid, may have and exercise the office of mayor of that borough, 
 until another be duly elected, preferred, and sworn in the same office, in form aforesaid ; and in tlie 
 mean time, and in every other vacancy of the mayoralty of the borough aforesaid, the senior alderman 
 for the time being shall officiate in the mayoralty, and so from time to time, as often as the case shall 
 happen, for ever. 
 
 We will further, and by these presents do declare, that every one of the said aldermen before _^,^^^;„,„ ,^ 
 constituted by these presents, before he be admitted to exercise the office of one of the aldermen i>i si^-orn, 
 »f the borough aforesaid, shall take his corporal oath, before the mayor afore constiyued, sir Edward
 
 ^ APPENDIX. 
 
 Cleike and John Harrison, or either of them, to exercise the office of one of the aldermen of the 
 same borough, justly and faithfully, in all things touching that office, and after that oath so taken, may 
 exercise the office of one of the aldermen of the borough during his natural life, unless in the interim, 
 in the manner and for the cause hereafter mentioned, he shall be removed from that office, and if it 
 shall happen, that any of the aldermen of the borough, before constituted, by these presentsj or by 
 virtue hereof hereafter to be chosen, shall die, or be removed from his office, we will, and by these 
 presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, do grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and 
 their successors, that after the death or removal of such aldermen ^to wit) at a fit and convenient time, 
 and not procrastinated by unnecessary dtlays, it shall and may be lawful for the mayor and the rest of 
 Elfction 0/ j|^^ aldermen aforesaid, for the time being, or the greater number of them, to elect and prefer one 
 of the assistants of the borough for the time being, to be one of the aldermen of that borough in the 
 place of such aldermen so dead or removed, to supply the said number of aldermen aforesaid, and that 
 the assistant who shall be elected one of the aldermen of the borough aforesaid, before he be admitted 
 to exercise the office of one of the aldermen of the borough, shall take his corporal oath before the 
 mayor and the rest of the aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or so many of them as 
 shall be present, to execute the office of one of the aldermen of the borough, justly and faithfully, in 
 all things touching that office, and after that oath so taken, may exercise and use the office of one 
 of the aldermen of the said borough, during his natural life, unless in the interim, in the form, and 
 for the cause, hereafter declared, he shall be removed from that office, and so from time to time, as 
 eften as the case shall so happen, for ever. 
 
 We will further, and by these presents do ordain, that every of the aforesaid assistants before 
 
 Assistants to constituted by these presents, before he be admitted to exercise the office of one of the assistants of the 
 ie sworn, borougii aforesaid, shall take his corporal oath, before the mayor so constituted as aforesaid, sir Edward 
 Gierke and John Harrison, or any one of them, to execute the office of one of the assistants of the 
 same borough well and faithfully in all things touching that office, and after that oath so taken, may 
 exercise the office of one of the assistants of the same borough, during his natural life, unless in the 
 interim he shall be elected or preferred to be one of the aldermen of that borough, or in the manner, 
 or for the cause hereafter mentioned, he shall be removed from that office ; and if it shall happen, any 
 of the assistants of the borough, before constituted by these presents, or by virtue hereof hereafter to 
 be chosen, do die or be elected and preferred to be one of the aldermen of the borough, or be removed 
 from his office, we will, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, do grant unto the 
 said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, that after the death, preferring, or removing 
 of such assistant, viz, at a fit and convenient time, and not procrastinated by unnecessary' delays, it 
 may and shall be lawful to and for the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the time being. 
 
 Election oj an or the greater number of them, to elect and prefer one of the burgesses of the said borough to be one 
 of the assistants of the same borough, in the place and office of such assistant so dead, preferred, or 
 removed, to supply the said number of assistants of that borough, which said burgess so elected to be 
 one of the assistants as aforesaid, before he be admitted to exercise the office of one of the assistants 
 of the borough, shall take his corporal oath before the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the 
 tmie being, or so many of them as will be present, to execute the office of one of the assistants of the 
 borough justly and faithfully in all things touching the same office, and after that oath so taken, may 
 likewise have and exercise the office of one of the assistants of the said bortsugh during his natural 
 life, unless in the interim he shall be elected and preferred to be one of the aldermen of the same 
 borough, or in manner, or for the cause hereafter mentioned, he shall be removed from the same 
 office, and so from time to time, as often as the case shall so happen, for ever, 
 SUuard. ^'^^' ^""^^"^ ^^*= ^'^'j *nd by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, do grant unto the 
 
 said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, that for ever 
 hereafter they shall and may have in the borough aforesaid, one discreet man skilful in the law, and
 
 APPENDIX. ^ 
 
 fit, who shall be called the steward of the same borough, to execute all things which do belong 
 
 to the stewards of the same borough ; and also, for the better execution of our pleasure in this 
 
 behalf, we have assigned, named, constituted and made, and by these presents, for us, our heirs 
 
 and successors, we do assign, name, constitute, and appoint the aforesaid sir Edward Gierke the 
 
 first and present steward of the borough aforesaid; which said sir Edward Gierke, before he be 
 
 admitted to exercise the ofEce of steward of the borough aforesaid, shall take his corporal oath 
 
 before the mayor and aldermen so above constituted as aforesaid, or any two or more of them to 
 
 execute all things well and faithfully, which do belong to the office of steward of that borough, 
 
 to be done ; and, after that oath so taken, he may execute and exercise the office of steward of 
 
 the same borough, and may have and take so many, so great, such, the same, and the like fees ^"^ receive 
 
 wages, rewards, and profits, how many, how great, what manner, and what, have heretofore * 
 
 appertained, belonged, been incident, or incumbent, to the office of steward of the said borough, 
 
 and how many, how great, what manner, and what the stewards of the same borough lawfully and 
 
 anciently have received and had, or ought or were wont to receive and have, during the good 
 
 will of the mayor and aldermen of the aforesaid borough for the time being, or the preater 
 
 number of them. 
 
 And, if It shall happen that the steward above constituted, or any other steward of that Ekction of 
 borough hereafter to be chosen by virtue of these presents, shall die, leave his office, or be the stmard. 
 removed therefrom, our pleasure is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we 
 do grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, that after such death, 
 leaving, or removing, viz. at a fit and convenient time, and not procrastinated by unnecessary 
 delays, it shall and may be lawful, for the mayor and aldermen of the said borough for the time 
 being, or the greater number of them, to elect and prefer another honest man, learned in tlie law, 
 and fit, to be steward of the same borough, in the place and office of such steward so dead, 
 leaving, or removing as aforesaid ; and, that he so elected shall take his corporal oath before the 
 mayor and aldermen of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or so many of them as will be 
 present, to execute the office of steward of that borough, well and faithfully -, and after that 
 oath so taken, may have and exercise the office of steward of that borough, and may receive so 
 many, so great, such, the same, and the like fees, wages, rewards, and profits, how many, how 
 great, what manner, and what, have appertained, belonged, been incident, or incumbent to the 
 office of steward of the said borough ; and how many, how great, what m.anner, and what, the 
 stewards of that borough have lawfully and anciently received and had, or ought or were wont 
 to receive and have, during the good will of the mayor and aldermen of the said borough for the 
 time being, or the greater part of them, and so from time to time, as often as the case shall so 
 happen, for ever. 
 
 And further, our pleasure is, and we do by these presents ordain, that for ever hereafter, Chamberlains 
 there may and shall be within the borough, two, who shall be called the chamberlains of the 
 same borough ; which said chamberlains shall and may, from time to time, receive and keep, in 
 the chamber of the said borough, for the use of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of that 
 borough, all, and all manner of rents, fines, amerciament, revenues, profits, commodities, and 
 emoluments, any ways belonging or appertaining to the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the 
 borough aforesaid, and their successors, in right of the corporation ; and shall and may lay out 
 and disburse the same, so received and kept, at the command and appointment of the mayor and 
 aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or the greater number of them ; and shall well 
 and faithfully do, and execute, all other things which belong to the office of the chamberlains 
 of the said borough ; and, for the effecting our pleasure herein, we have assigned, named, con- 
 stituted, and made, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do assign, name, 
 constitute, and make, the aforesaid Thomas Harrison, and Peter Burningham, the first and 
 
 3 I
 
 ^i APPENDIX. 
 
 present chamberlains of the borough aforesaid ; willing, and by these presents ordaining, that 
 each of the aforesaid chamberlains so constituted, before he be admitted to execute the office 
 of chamberlain within the said borough, shall take his corporal oath before the mayor and 
 aldermen aforesaid, constituted in form aforesaid, or any two or more of them, rightly and 
 faithfully to execute the said office in all things touching that office ; and after that oath so 
 taken, may exercise the office of one of the chamberlains of the same borough, until the last 
 EUction of Monday in the month of August next ensuing after the date of these presents, or until himself, 
 (kamkrlains. ^^ another, be in due manner elected, preferred, and sworn in that office ; and our pleasure 
 further is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant to the aforesaid 
 mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, that upon Monday which shall happen last 
 in the month of August, yearly, for ever, it may and shall be lawful for the mayor and aldermen 
 of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or the greater number of them, to name and elect 
 two of the burgesses of that borough to be chamberlains of the same borough ; each of which 
 chamberlains so elected, before he be admitted to exercise the office of the chamberlains of the 
 said borough, within that borough (to wit) upon the Monday next following after the feast of 
 St. Michael, the archangel, next after such election made, shall take his corporal oath, before 
 the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or so many of them as will be 
 present, rightfully and faithfully to execute that office in all things touching the same, and truly 
 and justly to account, in manner hereafter declared in these presents; and after that oath so 
 taken, may have and exercise the office of one of the chamberlains of the said borongh, until 
 the last Monday in the month of August then next ensuing, and until two others, or himself and 
 one other, shall be duly elected, preferred, and sworn in the same office, unless in the interim 
 he shall die, or in the manner, or for the cause hereafter mentioned, he shall be removed from 
 that office : and so from year to year, every year, for ever. And, as often as either of the said 
 chamberlains so elected shall die, or refuse the office of one of the chamberlains of the borough 
 aforesaid, before he hath taken his oath, we will, and by these presents do ordain, that the like 
 election be made anew, and that he that is newly elected, his oath being as aforesaid taken before 
 the mayor and aldermen of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or so many of them as will 
 be present, may execute the office of one of the chamberlains of the same borough, in form 
 aforesaid ; and, if it shall happen, that either of the aforesaid chamberlains before constituted 
 by these presents, or any other chamberlains hereafter to be chosen by virtue of these presents, 
 for the time being, shall die, or be removed from his office, before another shall be elected to 
 be chamberlain of the same borough, our pleasure is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, 
 and successors, we do grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the said borough, 
 and their successors, that after such death, or removal, to wit, at a fit and convenient time, and 
 not procrastinated with unnecessaiy delays, it may and shall be lawful for the mayor and alder- 
 men of the same borough for the time being, or the greater number of them, to elect, prefer, 
 and swear another of the burgesses of the same borough, to be one of the chamberlains of that 
 borough, in the place and office of such chamberlain so dead or removed, and that he so elected, 
 preferred, and sworn to be one of the chamberlains of the same borough, may have and exercise 
 that office, until two other, or himself and one other, shall be duly elected, preferred, and sworn 
 into the same office, in form aforesaid ; and, in the interim, the surviving chamberlain may 
 alone officiate, and execute that office, and so from time to time, as often as the case shall so 
 happen, for ever. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and we do hereby ordain, that the aforesaid chamberlains shall 
 yearly, when they shall be thereunto required, faithfully give a true and just account to the 
 mayor and aldermen of that borough, or the greater part of them, of all things by them respec- 
 tivcly received and done, as chamberlains of the borough aforesaid, to the use of the mayor,
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Vll 
 
 Corontr. 
 
 aldermen, and burgesses of the same borough, willing that the said account so made be publicly > 
 read upon the morrow after the ending of that account, in the guild-hall of the said borough, to be publidy 
 before the mayor, aldermen, and assistants, and all other burgesses of the borough, or so many read, 
 of them as will be present, and so from year to year, for ever.* 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we 
 do grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their suc- 
 cessors, that the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or the greater 
 part of them for the time being, shall and may, from time to time, for ever hereafter, elect and 
 constitute one of the burgesses of the borough aforesaid, to be the coroner of the same borough ; 
 which said coroner so elected and constituted, his corporal oath being before first taken before 
 the mayor and aldermen of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or so many of them as wil' 
 be present, well and faithfully to execute that office, may and shall have full power and authority 
 to do and execute all things which appertain to the office of coroner, to be done within the 
 borough aforesaid, the liberties, and precincts thereof, during the good pleasure of the said 
 mayor and aldermen of that borough for the time being, or the greater part of them, in as ample 
 manner and form as any other coroner or coroners within any county, city, or borough of our 
 kingdom of England ; may or can exercise, or execute, his or their office or offices, so that no 
 other coroner or coroners, of us, our heirs, or successors, do enter or presume to enter into the 
 borough aforesaid, the liberties and precincts thereof, to do any thing that belongeth to the office 
 of coroner or coroners. 
 
 And also, we have granted, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do 
 grant, unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the said borough, and to their successors, 
 that, for ever hereafter, they may and shall have within the borough, three ministers, to be 
 named and appointed by the mayor of the same borough for the time being, who shall be called 
 sergeants at mace ; every which sergeants at mace shall be, from time to rime, attendant upon 
 the mayor of the same borough for the time being, and shall bear and carry a silver, or silver-gilt 
 mace, engraven and adorned with our royal coat of arms, every where within the said borough, 
 the limits and precincts thereof, before the mayor of the same borough for the time being, and 
 also shall serve in the courts of us, our heirs, and successors, of the said borough, to be holden 
 within the said borough, to make proclamations, and to do all other things which belong to the 
 office of a sergeant at mace, there to be done ; and also shall execute and serve all and singular 
 processes to him directed, and whatsoever other precepts given him in charge, and all other 
 things which belong to the office of a sergeant at mace within the borough aforesaid, the liberties 
 and precincts of the same, and shall answer in the said courts for the execution thereof. Willing 
 and ordaining by these presents, that every one of the said sergeants at mace, before he be 
 admitted to exercise the office of sergeant at mace, shall take his corporal oath before the mayor 
 and aldermen of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or so many of them as shall be present, 
 to execute his office justly, and faithfully, in all things touching the same; and, after that oath 
 so taken, he may execute the office of one of the sergeants at mace of the same borough, during 
 the pleasure of the mayor of the borough for the time being. 
 
 And our pleasure further is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do 
 grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors. 
 
 Scrgtanfs 
 at mace. 
 
 • It does not appear that this regulation, though so necessary to insure a proper application of the corporate fund, 
 was ever acted upon : The burgesses, or what may now be called the inhabitants at large, having never been considered 
 by the corporation as being in the least connected with them; though, from the distinction made here, and in other paits 
 cf the chatter, between the free burgesses and assistants, there can be no doubt that, at the time of framing the charter, 
 the former were considered, if not a compouent part of the corporation, at least as mterested in its concern!. 
 
 3 I 2
 
 ^ii APPENDIX. 
 
 that tKe mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or the greater part of them, 
 
 Zaytt ''^ may elect and prefer such, and so many other officers and ministers, what, and how many, have 
 
 a^pointfd. hitherunto been wont, or been accustomed to be elected and preferred in the same borough, if 
 
 to them it shall seem expedient. 
 
 And, in whatsoever nomination, or election, of any officer or minister of the borough 
 
 ,. aforesaid, from henceforth to be made, and in all other things and businesses whatsoever, any 
 
 haviacaslin" «'»>' concerning the said coiporation, wherein these who have voices are equally divided in their 
 
 voti. votes, the mavor of the same borovigh for the time being, shall in that case have a casting voice. 
 
 And, if it shall happen, that the mayor of the same borough for the time being shall be sick, 
 
 Mayor may emploved, or otherwise busied in the service of us, our heirs, and successors, so that he cannot 
 appoint a ' ' 
 
 deputy, attend the neo^ssary businesses of the same borough, touching the office of mayor of that borough, 
 
 then, and so often, it shall and may be lawful for the same mayor, so sick, employed, or busied, 
 
 to put and constitute in his place, one of the senior aldermen of the same borough for the time 
 
 being, his deputy; which said deputy, so to be put and constituted, before he be admitted to 
 
 exercise the office of deputy mayor within the borough aforesaid, shall take his corporal oath, 
 
 before the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or so many of them as 
 
 will be present, for the faithful execution of the same office ; aad, after that oath so taken, may 
 
 be present at all causes or businesses any way touching the borough aforesaid, and may do and 
 
 execute all things which belong to the office of mayor of the same borough, to all purposes, and 
 
 in as ample manner and form as the mayor himself, during his sickness or absence, and so from 
 
 time to time, as often as the case shall so happen, for ever. 
 
 And, further our pleasure is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors we do 
 
 Pif^i'tr to Jine grant unto the Slid m^yor, aldermen, and burgesses of ths borough aforesaid, and to their suc- 
 
 -' cessors, that if any one that shall hereafter be duly elected to the office of mavor, alderman, and 
 to serve as ^ ■ , > > 
 
 ■mayors, &c. assistant, or to any other office within the borough aforesaid, being a member of the said corpo- 
 ration, and partaking of the liberties, and having notice of such election, shall refuse to exercise 
 the same office unto which he shall be elected, that then, and so often, it may and shall be 
 lawful for the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or the greater number 
 of them, to impose a reasonable fine or amerciament upon every one refusing, for such his refusal ; 
 Tc commit and, if such person so refusing shall deny to pay the fine, or amerciament, so imposed on him, 
 ■' ' then and so often to commit every such person so denying to oar prison within the borough 
 aforesaid, and to cause him to be there detained, until he hath paid his fine or amerciament. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and we do by these presents ordain, that it shall and maybe 
 Oaths to be lawful for the aforesaid sir Edward Gierke and John Harrison, or either of them, to cause the 
 administered, oath to be taken by the aforesaid mayor above constituted by these presents, to be administered 
 to him, and for the said mayor sir Edward Gierke and John Harrison, or any one of them, to 
 cause the oaths to be respectively taken by the said aldermen and assistants before constituted by 
 these presents, to be respectively administered to the said aldermen and assistants, and to the said 
 mayor and aldermen, or arvy two or more of them ; to cause the oaths respectively to be taken by 
 the aforesaid steward and chamberlains before hereby constituted, to be administered to the said 
 steward and chamberlains, without any further warrant or commission to be procured or obtained 
 from us, our heirs, or successors, in that behalf; 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and we do by these presents ordain, that it shall and may be 
 
 Power to lawful, as well for the mayor and steward of the same, borough for the time being, to make, frame, 
 
 Jorlffices'! ^^^ °'^'^3'" fii forms of oaths, to be from time to time for ever hereafter respectively taken by the 
 
 officers and ministers of the same borough hereafter to be chosen, by virtue of these presents ; 
 
 snd the said deputy mayor, as to all others, before whom such oaths ought to be taken, to cause 
 
 the same oaths to be administered from time to lime, to the said officers, ministers, and deputy,
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 i}L 
 
 according to those forms, without any further warrant or commission to be obtained from us,' 
 our heirs, or successors in that behalf. 
 
 And, further our pleasure is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do ^y ^ eg 
 grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, may ht 
 that for ever hereafter it shall and may be lawful to the mayor and aldermen of the same borough nmovid,- 
 for the time being, or the greater number of them, to remove any alderman, assistant, or cham. 
 berlain of the same borough for the time being, for misbehaving himself in his said office, or 
 for any other reasonable and just cause. 
 
 And, further our pleasure is, and we do ordain by these presents, that no alderman of the Not to reside' 
 borough aforesaid, unless he be very aged, and hath been four times mayor ; nor any assistant out of the 
 of that borough, that he might decline the care and burthen of government, do go out of the '''^"* 
 said borough with his family, with an intent of making his' abode elsewhere, or leave his office, 
 without the consent of the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or the 
 greater part of them ; and, if any shall go out, and leave his office, then it shall and may be 
 lawful for the said mayor and aldermen, or the greater part of them, to impose a reasonable fine 
 or amerciament upon such person going out of town, or leaving his office ; and, if he shall' 
 refuse to pay such fine or amerciament, then to cause such fine or amerciament to be levied by 
 distress or distresses, or by any other lawful manner whatsoever, or to commit such person denying 
 to our prison within the aforesaid borough, and to cause him to be there detained until he pay, 
 or cause the said fine or amerciament to be paid. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and we do by these presents ordain, that every of the said 
 
 aldermen and assistants of the borough aforesaid for the time being, as long as he shall continue Exempt from 
 
 in his office of alderman or assistant, shall be exempt from bearing arms, ia his own person, in ^'^'^'■H '" '« 
 
 . / . , , , ''■<^^" bands. 
 
 the train bands, so that every one so exempf, at his own charge, provide a fit man, armed and 
 
 prepared with such -warlike instruments as he that is so exempt ought to provide, who, aS often 
 
 as the train-soldiers shall be mustered, to be instructed in military discipline, and to shew their' 
 
 arms, or for any other cause, so often, he, being so armed and prepared, shall appear for such 
 
 person that is exempt, that so the safety of the kingdom be notthereby endangeredj or arty ways - 
 
 neglected. 
 
 And, whereas certain covetous persons, preferring their own private benefit to the public ' 
 good of the said borough, have built, and daily do build, divers cottages within the said borough, " * 
 
 the liberties, and precincts of the same, and have subdivided, and daily do subdivide, several 
 messuages and houses fairly built, fitting for dwellings of men of the belter sort, in small tene- 
 ments, or rather receptacle's and harbours for poor people, not only those that are natives, and 
 people of the same borough, but also foreigners flocking thither from other places, and coming 
 privately and intruding into the same borough, to the great grievance and manifest impoverish- 
 ment of that borough, unless it be prevented by our princely care, as we are informed. We 
 therefore seriously advising for the good of the said borough, and minding to prevent so great :x HouKs "j' '" 
 mischief, by applying a speedy remedy, we do command, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, ^.^^^^ ^„a/; 
 and successors, we do declare, that, for ever hereafter, no cottage be erected, no messuage be tcncmai'.s> 
 divided into two tenements, nor two families live asunder in one messuage either so divided or 
 not divided, upon any demise, grant, or contract hereafter to be made within the said borough, 
 the liberties, and precincts thereof ; and, if any one presume to offend, in any case, contraiy to 
 the form and effect of these letters patent, he shall incur the pains and penalties to be ordained 
 by the mayor, aldermen, and assistants of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or the greatct 
 number of them, in their assemblies hereafter mentioned in that behalf. 
 
 And, because it often happens, houses and whole towns are endangered to be burned, there- Thatch''d 
 fore our pleasure is, and we do ordain by these presents, that no house,- within the said borough, jcwi-.-.*-
 
 X APPENDIX. 
 
 be covered with straw, stover, or any other combustible materials ; and, if any one shall presume 
 to offend herein contrary to the form and effect of these our letters patent, he shall also incur 
 the pains and penalties to be ordained by the mayor, aldermen, and assistants of the said borough 
 for the time being, or the greater part of them, in their said assemblies, in that behalf. 
 
 And, that the intrusion of foreigners may hereafter be the more easily prevented, our pleasure 
 ^ta widfin' >«• an^ ^^ ^° hereby ordain, that no person whatsoever, being a foreigner from the liberty of the 
 the borough, aforesaid borough, do hereafter intrude himself into the said borough, the liberties, or precincts 
 thereof, with an intent there to make his abode : And, that no burgess of the same borough, nor 
 any other, do receive such foreigner into his house within the said borough, the liberties, and 
 precincts thereof, nor do let any house to any such foreigner, without the license of the mayor 
 and aldermen of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or the greater number of them first 
 had and obtained in that behalf. And, if any foreigner shall henceforth intrude himself into 
 the said borough, the liberties, or precincts thereof, contrary to the fonn and effect of these our 
 letters patent, it shall and may be lawful for the mayor and aldermen of the borough aforesaid 
 for the time being, or the greater number of them, whereof the said mayor to be one, to cause 
 such persons intruding, to be extruded, expelled, and removed out of the said borough, the 
 liberties and precincts thereof; and, if any burgess of the said borough, or any other, shall 
 without such license receive such foreigner into his house within the said borough, the liberties 
 and precincts thereof, with the intent aforesaid, or shall, for that end, demise any house to such 
 foreigner, the receiver of such person, or letter of such house, shall incur such pains and penalties 
 as by the mayor, aldermen, and assistants of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or the 
 greater number of them, shall, in their said assemblies, be ordained in that behalf, 
 „ , And. our pleasure further is, and we do, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, 
 
 making laws, S""^ ""'" '^^ "''^ mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and to their suc- 
 i3c, cessors, that, from time to time for ever hereafter, it shall and may be lawful for the mayor, 
 aldermen, and assistants of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or the greater number of 
 them, to meet together in the guild-hall of the said borough, or any other convenient place 
 within that borough, and there to have assemblies ; and in those assemblies so had, to confer, 
 consult, and discourse on the statutes, laws, articles, and ordinances, any way touching the good 
 rule, state, and government of the same borough : and, also to make, frame, constitute, ordain, 
 and establish good, honest, wholesome, profitable, necessaiy, and reasonable laws, constitutions, 
 ordinances, and provisions, according to their sound discretions, for good ruling and governing 
 of the same borough, and of all and singular officers, ministers, tradesmen, inhabitants, and 
 residents within the borough, the liberties and precincts thereof, and of others coming to the 
 same borough, and for declaring in what manner and order the said mayor, aldermen, and assis> 
 tants, and all and singular other officers and ministers of the borough shall respectively bear and 
 behave themselves within the borough aforesaid, the liberties and precincts thereof, and with what 
 garments and ornaments they shall be clad upon the Lord's days, fast days, and other solemn 
 times, for the greater honor of the said borough, and also, how the said mayor, aldermen, and 
 assistants, officers and ministers, and all and singular the burgesses, tradesmen, inhabitants, and 
 residents of the borough aforesaid, the liberties and precincts thereof, shall behave and dispose 
 of themselves in their offices, ministries, functions, mysteries, trades, and respective manners 
 of living within the same borough, the liberties and precincts thereof, for the public good and 
 common weal of the said borough ; and, for the discovery of frauds and sophistications used in 
 making and compounding of wares, and for the reforming thereof; and also for victualling of 
 the said borough, and for better restraint of the building of cottages, the dividing and subdividing 
 of one messuage into two dwellings, for the habitation of two families in one and the same 
 messuage; and of covering houses with straw, or other combustible matter, within the said
 
 APPENDIX. XI 
 
 borough, the liberties and precincts thereof; and for the restraint of the intrusion and reception 
 of foreigners into the said borough, the liberties and precincts thereof; and the letting of any 
 house there to any such foreigner ; and also for the better preserving, ordering, disposing, placing, 
 and demising of the lands, tenements, possessions, revenues, and hereditaments, heretofore given, 
 granted, or assigned unto the burgesses of the same borough, or to the mayor and burgesses of 
 that borough, in their politic capacity, by whatsoever name or names, or hereafter to be given, 
 granted, or assigned to the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and also for other matters and 
 things whatsoever, touching or any way concerning the said borough, the liberties or precints 
 thereof, to put the same laws, constitutions, ordinances, and provisions so framed, ordained, and 
 established, in due execution : which laws, constitutions, ordinances, and provisions we command 
 shall be observed, under such pains and penalties, to be inflicted upon offenders against them, by 
 imprisonment of body, or by reasonable fines or amerciaments, or both, to be contained in the 
 same laws, ordinances, and provisions, as to the said mayor, aldermen, and assistants of the borough 
 aforesaid for the time being, or the greater number of them, shall seem necessary to be imposed, 
 for the better observing of the same laws, constitutions, ordinances, and provisions, and that they 
 may cause the same fines and amerciaments so imposed to be levied by distress or distresses, or by 
 any other lawful manner, so that those laws, constitutions, ordinances, and provisions, and the 
 pains and penalties to be contained in the same, be not contrary to the laws, statutes, or customs 
 of our kingdom of England. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do r,'^;;, r^y ^a, 
 grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the said borough, and to their successors, use of the 
 that they and their successors may take, and have to the use and better support of the said corporatien. 
 corporation, all and singular fines, amerciaments, and sums of money, by virtue of these presents 
 imposed, or to be imposed upon whatsoever burgess, for what cause soever, within the said 
 borough, the liberties and precincts thereof, without the occasion or impediment of us, our heirs, 
 or successors, and without any account to be therefore rendered to us, our heirs, or successors, so 
 that the common stock of the said corporation be not converted to private uses, but being safely 
 kept by the said chamberlains, be disposed of, for the discharging of the politic affairs of the 
 aforesaid borough, for the common benefit of the burgesses of the same borough, and no other- 
 wise, in any wise. 
 
 And, as often as any burthen shall oppress the said town, or any extraordinary occasion Burthens 
 shall happen, for discharging whereof the common stock of the same town will not suffice, out oppns sing the. 
 pleasure is, and we do by these presents ordain, that, so often, it may and shall be lawful for the .J^J^^"^ '/^ 
 mayor and aldermen of the said borough for the time being, or the greater number of them, j^^j,^^,^ ^^^^^^ 
 whereof the mayor of the said borough for the time being, to be one, to assess every burgess 
 of the aforesaid borough, according to his estate or family, towards that burthen, or occasion, 1/ not 
 and if any burgess shall refuse to pay it, to levy the money assessed upon him, by distresses, or ^"^'^'Jl^' 
 by any other lawful way, and to dispose of that money being paid or levied, to the use for which assessments, 
 it was assessed. 
 
 And, that full and speedy justice may be the better administered, within the said borough, justues, 
 to all our subjects there residing, and coming thither (as the law requires) our pleasure is, nnd 
 we do by these presents ordain, that the mayor and deputy mayor of the said borough, and the 
 right reverend father in Christ, the lord bishop of Sarum, and his chancellor or commissary, the 
 senior alderman, and he that was or shall be, yearly, the last mayor of the same borough for the 
 time being, may and shall be our justices, and every of them may, and shall be the justice of us, 
 our heirs, and successors, for the keeping of the peace of us, our heirs, and successors, within 
 the borough aforesaid, the liberties, and precincts thereof; and, also for the keeping of the 
 statutes, and ordinances made at Winchester, Northampton, and Westminster, for the keeping
 
 xH APPENDIX. 
 
 of the same peace, and the statutes and ordinances made there, concerning hunters, laborers, artificers, 
 servants innkeepers, beggars, vagabonds, and other beggars who call themselves travelling men, and 
 also of another statute made in the parliament of king Henry the fifth, holden at Westminster 
 aforesaid, concerning the counterfeiting, dipping, washing, and other falsities of the money of our 
 land and for the keeping of all other statutes and ordinances, in all their articles made, and to be made, 
 for the good of the peace of us, our heirs, and successors, and for the quiet ruling and governing of 
 the people, oT us, our heirs, and successors, within the borough aforesaid, the limits, and precincts 
 thereof, according to the force, form, and effect thereof, and to cause all those ^vhom they shall find 
 to offend against the form of the said ordinances, and statutes, to be chastised, and punished, and to 
 cause all those who shall threaten any of the people of us, our heirs, and successors, of hurting their 
 bodies, or burning their houses, to find sufficient security for their peace, and good behavior towards 
 us, and all the people of us, our heirs, and successors ; and, if they shall refuse to find such security, 
 to cause them to be safely kept in the prison of us, our heiis, and successors, until they shall find 
 such security. 
 
 And further, that they or any two of them, (whereof the mayor or deputy mayor of the aforesaid 
 
 ■ to misdi- borough for the time being to be one) shall have full power and authority for ever hereafter, to enquire, 
 
 meattors, as well by the oath of good and lawful men of the borough aforesaid, the liberties and precincts 
 
 thereof, by whom the truth may be the better known, of all manner of felonies, trespasses, fore" 
 
 stallers, regraters, and extortions, by whomsoever and howsoever done, and perpetrated, or that 
 
 shall happen hereafter to be done within the borough aforesaid, the liberties, and precincts thereof; 
 
 and also of all and singular other things ' howsoever done, attempted, or perpetrated, within the 
 
 borough aforesaid, the liberties and precincts thereof, and which shall there happen to be done, 
 
 attempted, or perpetrated, that are inquirable by the keepers of the peace, of us, our heirs, and 
 
 successors, and by the justices of us, our heirs, and successors, assigned, or to be assigned, to enquire 
 
 of such like felonies, trespasses, and offences, in any county of our kingdom of England, by virtue 
 
 of the aforesaid ordinances and statutes, or other ordinances, or statutes heretofore made, or hereafter 
 
 to be made, according to the force and effect of the letters patents of us, our heirs, and successors, 
 
 to them for that purpose made, or to be made ; and to hear, and determine according to the law and 
 
 custom of our kingdom of England, and the form of the aforesaid ordinances and statutes before 
 
 them, the said mayor, deputy-mayor, lord bishop, his chancellor or commissar)', the senior alderman, 
 
 and that alderman, who, as aforesaid, was, or shall be last mayor, or any two of them, whereof the 
 
 mayor, or deputy mayor for the time being to be one ; all and singular the premises and other 
 
 things, whatsoever done, attempted, or committed, or to be done, attempted, or committed, within 
 
 the borough aforesaid, the Uberties and precincts thereof, which may be discussed or determined by the 
 
 keepers of the peace, of us, our heirs, and successors, and the justices of us, our heirs, and successors, 
 
 assigned, and to be assigned, by virtue of the aforesaid ordinances, statutes, and letters-patent, to hear 
 
 and determine such felonies, trespasses, and offences, in any county of our kingdom of England, so 
 
 that all writs, precepts, and other warrants to be made for the premises, and every of them to be 
 
 directed to the ministers of the aforesaid borough, and be by them executed, without any writ, 
 
 precept, or warrant, to be directed to the sheriff or coroners of our county of Berks. 
 
 County So also, that the keepers of the peace of us, our heirs, and successors, assigned or to be assigned, 
 
 '^"'intakrc '" '** ^""^ ""^ "^^'^^^e ^^^^h felonies, trespasses, and offences, done, or committed in our county of 
 
 in trjcrc. Berks, or any of them, do not enter into the aforesaid borough, the liberties and precincts thereof, to 
 
 do any thing which doth belong to such keepers of the peace, or justices, or intermeddle therein, in 
 
 any manner. 
 
 ^bTl^n ^°'°'"«'d'"g that every one of the said mayor, deputy mayor, lord bishop, his chancellor or 
 
 commissary, senior alderman, and that alderman which was or shall have been last mayor for the time 
 being, before he be admitted to exercise the office of justice of the peace, within the said borough,
 
 APPENDIX. xiii 
 
 the liberties and precincts thereof, shall take his corporal oath, upon the holy evangelists, according 
 to the laws and statutes of our kingdom of England, provided, in that behalf, well and faithfully to 
 execute the office of justice of the peace, within the borough aforesaid, the liberties and precincts 
 thereof, before the steward of the aforesaid borough for the time being, to whom, for us, our heirs, 
 and successors, we do give and grant full power and authority to administer such oath. ' 
 
 And, lest any thing should be admitted into the said borough from whence the burgesses thereof Power to 
 should be corrupted, or our peace disturbed, we do command that the said justices of the peace of the 5'"'*"' it'^cncs, 
 said borough for the time being, do not hereafter permit any person to sell beer or ale within the said 
 borough, the liberties, and precincts thereof, without a licence being first had, and obtained, in that 
 behalf, and that they do not grant such licence rashly or unadvisedly to any ; but if they do at all 
 grant any, let that licence so granted be made in writing, and subscribed by two justices of the peace 
 for the time being, whereof the mayor or his deputy to be one, otherwise that licence shall be void. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant 
 unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and to their successors, that it ■' '' '' 
 shall and may be lawful to and for the said mayor, deputy mayor, lord bbhop, his chancellor or sesiions, 
 commissary, the eldest alderman, and that alderman which was last mayor, or deputy mayor, to be 
 one, to have, hold, and keep a sessions of the peace, every year, at the four times of the year, according 
 to the form of a statute in that behalf provided, in the guild-hall of the said borough, or in some 
 other convenient place withm that borough, of all things, matters, causes, and offences coming, 
 happening, or arising, done, or committed, within the said borough, the liberties or precincts thereof, 
 and shall and may do, and execute, all and singular thmgs in the same sessions of the peace, in as 
 ample manner and form, as justices of the peace, in the said county of Berks, in the sessions of the 
 peace to be holdcn for that county, may do or execute the same. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and we do hereby, for us, our heirs, and successors, grant unto the ^^^^^^ ^ 
 said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and to their successors, that for ever record. 
 hereafter they may hold and have, within the borough aforesaid, for ever, a court of record, to be 
 holden on Wednesday every week through the year, except the weeks of christmas, easter, and 
 penticost, before the mayor and aldermen, or deputy mayor and aldermen of the same borough for 
 the time being, or any two of them, whereof the said mayor or his deputy to be one, and that in 
 the same court they may hold, by plaint to be levied in that court, all and singular pleas of debt, 
 detinue, breaking of covenant, account, trespass, trespasses upon the case, taking and detaining of goods 
 and chattels, and all and singular other personal pleas, had, moved, committed, or happening, withm 
 the borough aforesaid, the liberties, and precincts thereof, if the same pleas do not exceed the sum 
 of ten pounds of lawful money of England, and also, shall and may cause the persons against whom -iVo| "'^^^^jj^ 
 such plaint shall be levied, in due manner of law, to be attached by their goods and chattels, within 
 the borough aforesaid, the liberties and precincts thereof, or to cause them to be there arrested by their 
 bodies, and to cause their bodies so arrested to be committed to prison, and also shall and may, in like 
 due manner of law, bring all and singular the said pleas, and judgments, and to hear and determine 
 them, and to cause executions to be thereupon, in as ample manner and form, as is accustomed la 
 our city of London. 
 
 And, if it shall happen, that any complaint, matter, plea, or special verdict, shall be entangled ^^^^^ 
 with so great doubts and difficulties, that it cannot be fully heard, discussed, and determined, upon ^^ adjourn. 
 the said Wednesday, it may and shall be lawful for the mayor and aldermen, or the deputy mayor and 
 aldermen, being present at the hearing of that complaint, matter, plea, or verdict, from time to 
 time to adjourn the same complaint, matter, plea, or verdict, either unto the next day, or unto the 
 next court day, at the pleasure of the same mayor and aldermen, or deputy mayor and aldermen being 
 present, and then the mayor and aldermen, or deputy mayor and aldermen of the borough aforesaid 
 
 3 K
 
 xiv APPENDIX. 
 
 for the lime being, or any two of them, whereof the said m.iyor or his deputy to be one, to proceed 
 to the full hearing, discussing, and final determination thereof. 
 
 Power to take And, our pleasure further is, and by these presents \vc do declare, that the mayor and aldermen, 
 
 fees. or the deputy mavor and aldermen of the aforesaid borough for the time being, before whom the 
 aforesaid court may be holden for ever hereafter, taiie and have to their own proper uses, so many, so 
 freat, such, the same, and the like fees, emoluments, and profits, of the same court, how many, how 
 great, whit manner, and what, have belonged, appcnaiaed, been incident, or incumbent to, whatsoever 
 the judges of any the like courts of record, heretofore held within the aforesaid borough, and how 
 many, how great, what manner, and what, the same judges in like cases have taken and had, or 
 ought or were wont to take and have. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and we do hereby ordain, that, for ever hereafter, there may and 
 Atloriiies, shall be in the borough aforesaid, four attornies of the aforesaid court, to be named and appointed by 
 the mayor and aldermen of the borough for the time being, or the greater number of them, to prose- 
 cute and defend all actions commenced, and complaints levied, in the said court of record as aforesaid, 
 and also, to do and execute all other things which belong to the office of attornies to be done and 
 executed ; evei-y one of which attornies so named and appointed, before he be admitted to exercise 
 the office of attorney of the court aforesaid, shall take his coi^poral oath before the mayor of the 
 borough aforesaid for the time being, for the faithful execution of his office of attorney of that 
 court ; to which mayor we do by these presents give power to frame and administer such an oath ; 
 and, after that oath so taken, he may exercise the office of one of the attornies of that court, during 
 the good pleasure of the mayor and aldermen of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or the 
 greater number of them ; and, for the exercise and execution of the same office or ministry, may take 
 and have the wages, fees, and rewards, by the same mayor and aldermen, or the greater number 
 of them, to be ordained, settled, or appointed in that behalf. 
 
 Small debtst And, that contentions and controversies begun, and hereafter to be begun, between the poorer 
 
 burgesses of the same borough for petty matters, may be the more easily composed, if they be not 
 utterly taken away ; our pleasure is, and we do ordain by these presents, that from time to time, for 
 ever hereafter, it shall and may be lawful for the mayor and aldermen, or deputy mayor and aldermen, 
 of the same borough for the time being, or any two of them, whereof the said mayor or deputy 
 mayor to be one, to call before them both parties, as well the plaintiff as defendant, in whatsoever plea, 
 suit, cause, or action, moved, or to be moved between such poor burgesses, in the court of record 
 of the same borough, so that the debt, damage, or value, supposed or demanded in the same plea, 
 suit, cause, or action, do not exceed the sum of five shillings ; and, if they can, to compose the con- 
 tention, and controversy thereupon ; and, if they cannot, then the witnesses being produced on both 
 sides, and examined viva voce, to hear, and finally to determine, such plea, suit, cause or action, 
 according to their sound discretion, which said determination, made in form aforesaid, shall be 
 definitive, and shall conclude both parties in every such plea, suit, cause, or action, so heard and 
 determined, that so, that which is gotten by their labor, for their subsistance, may not be exhausted 
 in contending ; and that, as much as may be, concord, amongst the members of the same body, may 
 be kept firm, for ever. 
 Orphans And, further of our special grace, certain knowledge, and meer motion, we have given and 
 
 granted, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do give and grant unto the said 
 mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and to their successon, that for ever here- 
 after, there be had, within the borough aforesaid, a certain court to be holden before the mayor and 
 aldermen, or deputy mayor and aldermen of the same borough, for the time being, or the greater part 
 of them, whereof the said mayor, or his deputy, to to be one, m some convenient place, in that 
 borough, once in every week, at the mayor's or deputy mayor's appointment, for the government 
 of orphans of freemen and free women of the s:- ' borough, who, by writing, or by their last wills 
 
 court.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 XV 
 
 m writing respectively made in their lives, or at the time of death, shall commend their orphans to 
 the tuition of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the same borough, which court shall be called 
 the court of orphans of the borough aforesaid, and that it shall and may be lawful for the same 
 court, to settle and dispose of the custody of goods and chattels, rights, credits, and monies of such 
 orphans, in such manner and form as the court of orphans in London, by an ancient custom of the 
 same city, ought, and is wont to settle and dispose the same. 
 
 Provided always, that the said court shall allow towards the education and maintenance of such 
 orphans, according to the rate of four pounds at least in the hundred, for every year, so long as they 
 shall remain in the tuition of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and that 
 the same mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, shall be from time to time responsible, 
 and shall be chargeable to the aforesaid orphans, of and for all sums of money, goods, and chattels, 
 received into their hands, and of the profits of the same, after the rate aforesaid, to what person or 
 persons soever the said court shall commit the same, or any part thereof: And, that the mayor, 
 aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, shall, from time to time, give 
 security under the common seal of the same borough, for restitiitfon of all goods, and for the safe 
 payment of all sums of money so by them received, so that the saidarphans do apply themselves for 
 satisfaction in that behalf, to no other person or persons than the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses 
 of the said borough, to whose tuition they are committed. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant unto the said Ckrk of 
 mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, that the mayor of the ike market, 
 same borough for the time being, or his deputy, may, and for ever hereafter shall be clerk of the 
 market of us, our heirs, and successors, within the borough aforesaid, tlie limits and precincts of the 
 same, and as well in the presence as in the absence of us, our heirs, and successors, may have and exercise 
 assize, and assay of bread, wine, ale, and beer, and also the custody and assize of weights, measures, 
 and all other things appertaining to the clerk of the market there, and may in a due manner punish 
 the transgressors of the said assize of bread, wine, ale, and beer, and may correct and amend the 
 defects of measures and weights, and other things belonging to the office of clerk of the market, and 
 as often as need shall require, may there do and execute all things as fully and entirely as the clerk 
 of the market of the household of us, our heirs, and successors might or ought, if this present grant 
 had not been made, so that the clerk of the market of the household of us, our heirs, and successors, 
 or any other minister of us, our heirs, and successors, do not enter into the same borough, the limits 
 •r precincts thereof, to do any thing which doth belong to the office of clerk of the maiket, or do 
 in any wise intermeddle therein, and if any one shall intermeddle, then it may and shall be lawful for 
 the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough for the time being, in a lawful manner, to resist 
 him so intermeddling, and in no wise to permit him so intermeddling to execute the office of clerk 
 of the market, and this without the impeachment of us, our heirs, or successors, or any other whom- 
 soever, and that each of the said mayors, and their deputies for the time being, before he be admitted 
 to exercise the office of the clerk of the market within the borough, shall take his corporal oath, befoie 
 the aldermen of the same borough for the time being, or so many of them as will be present, faith- 
 fully to exercise the office of clerk of the market within that borough, the liberties, and precincts 
 thereof ; to which aldermen we do by these presents give full power and authority to administer 
 such an oath without further warrant or commission to be procured or obtained from us, our heirs, 
 or successors, in that behalf. 
 
 And further, we have granted, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do 
 grant unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, 
 that the mayor of the same borough for the time being, together with the clerk deputed for the 
 taking of recognizances, according to the form of the statute of merchants and the statute of Acton 
 
 3 K 2 
 
 Raogni- 
 zances.
 
 xvi APPENDIX. 
 
 Burnell, may, for ever, have full power and authority, to take and receive whatsoever recognizances 
 for debts, according to the aforesaid statute of merchants and statute of Acton Burnell, and also to 
 make executions thereupon, and to do all other things respectively belonging to such mayor and 
 clerk, according to the form of the said statute, and the steward of the same borough for the time 
 being, may, and for ever hereafter shall be the clerk of us, our heirs, and successors, to take recog- 
 nizances of debts according to the form of the aforesaid statute, and that the said mayor and clerk 
 Seal in may have a seal consisting of two parts, to wit, a greater and a less, for the sealing of all recognizances 
 tivo parts, j^ 1^ taken within the said borough, the liberties and precincts thereof, according to the form of the 
 aforesaid statute, and that the said greater part of the same seal shall remain in the custody of the 
 mayor, and the lesser part thereof in the custody of the steward for the time being. 
 n'aUr bailiff'. ^^^ pleasure further is, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do ordain, 
 
 that the mayor of the same borough, for the time being, may, and for ever hereafter shall be the 
 bailiff of us, our heirs, and successors, of all and singular rivers, streams, and v/aters running within 
 the said borough, the limits and precincts thereof, and shall have the survey, and conservation of the 
 same ; and we will, and by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant unto the said 
 mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, that they may take and 
 have all manner of fines, and amerciaments, hereafter to be imposed upon any one whomsoever* 
 offending in or about the said rivers, streams, or waters, and all forfeitures to be forfeited by any such 
 delinquent, to the use and supportation of the said corporation, without the let, or hinderance, of us, 
 our heirs, and successors, or of any officer or minister of us, our heirs, or successors, and without 
 any account, or other thing whatsoever, to be rendered, paid, or done, to us, our heirs, or successors, 
 in that behalf. 
 Bridges, And, whereas the bridges within the borough aforesaid, the limits and precincts of the same, are 
 
 so ruinous and broken, that great danger may easily happen to men passing over those bridges, and 
 we, considering how great a charge it will be to the men and free burgesses of the same borough, who 
 ought and are wont to repair and maintain the same, of our special grace, certain knowledge, and 
 meer motion, we will, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant unto the 
 said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and to their successors, that for ever 
 p hereafter they may and shall have pontage of our subjects, being foreigners from the liberties of the 
 
 same borough, passing the same bridges with a wain or horse loaden, that is to say, for every wain 
 laden, two pence ; and for every horse loaded with a pack, a half penny. And, if such foreigner 
 shall refuse such pontage, it may be lawful for the same mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their 
 successors, to restrain him that shall so refuse payment of passage ; or if he shall pass over, to levy 
 the pontage of the wain or horse wherewith he hath passed over. 
 
 And, whereas a certain bridge called Caversham bridge, whereof one half is in Reading, and the 
 , • I . ..' other half in Caversham, in the county of Oxon, is built across the river of Thames, the foundation 
 of which bridge is often shaken with barges passing under that bridge, so that those foundations, by 
 reason of the same shaking, do oftentimes become ruinous and broken, and as often as the said half 
 in Reading is ruinous and broken in any part thereof, the men and burgesses of the borough aforesaid 
 ought, and are wont, to repair the said half so ruinous or broken. Therefore we will, and by these 
 presents, do grant, unto the aforesaid mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, that, for 
 the better repairing and maintaining of the same half of the said bridge in Reading aforesaid, it may, 
 and for ever hereafter shall be lawful for the same mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, 
 to take, and have, for every barge passing under the said half of the same bridge, in Reading aforesaid, 
 of the owner, or hirer of that barge, four-pence, of lawful money of England, in the name of passage. 
 And, if such owner, or hirer, shall refuse to pay the said four-pence for the cause aforesaid, it may be 
 lawful for the same mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, to hinder any one so refusing,
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 XVll 
 
 oF passage, with such barge, under the same, or if that barge shall pass under the same half, to cause 
 the four-pence to be levied of the same barge, or of" the goods and merchandise being in the same. 
 
 And, least that the limits, or bounds, of the borough aforesaid, although sufficiently known, 
 yet in succession of time should vanish out of the frail memory of men, from whence conten- Peranlula. 
 tions and discords may arise : We will, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we tions to be 
 do grant unto the aforesaid mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their sue- ^^'^'' 
 cessors, that it may and shall be lawful for the same mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their succes- 
 sors, yearly, for ever hereafter, to make perambulations of the aforesaid borough, the limits and pre- 
 cincts thereof, by meets and divisions to be put and erected in necessary places, and, as often as need 
 shall be, to be renewed, that so a certain knowledge of these limits, and bounds, may be retained 
 for ever. 
 
 And, our pleasure further is, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant. Power to 
 and give licence, unto the aforesaid mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, zndP"^'^^^''^'"'^ 
 their successors, that they and their successors, whensoever to them it shall seem expedient, shall and 
 may purchase and receive manors, messuages, lands, tenements, rents, and hereditaments, with the 
 appertenances, of whatsoever person or persons that shall be willing to grant, bequeath, assign, or 
 alien the same unto them, to have and to hold the same manors, lands, tenements, rents, and heredi- 
 taments with the appertenances, to them and their successors, for the support of the said corporation, 
 so that those manors, lands, tenements, rents, and hereditaments, with their appertenances, do not 
 exceed the yearly value of five hundred pounds, above all reprises, nor be held of us, our lieirs, and 
 successors immediately in capite, or by knights service. And, we do give full power, authority, and 
 licence, by these presents, to the same person or persons, so being willing to give, grant, bequeath, 
 assign, or alien, manors, messuages, lands, tenements, or hereditaments, with their appertenances, that 
 he or they may be able to give, grant, bequeath, assign, or alien, manors, messuages, lands, tenements, 
 rents, and hereditaments, with their appertenances, to the same mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and 
 their successors, to have and to hold, in form aforesaid, so that those manors, messuages, lands, tene- 
 ments, rents, and hereditaments, with their appertenances, do. not exceed the yearly value of five 
 hundred pounds, above all reprises, nor be held of us, our heirs, and successors, immediately in capita, 
 or by knights service, or of any other by knights service, the statutes concerning lands, not to be put 
 to mortmain, in any wise notwithstanding. 
 
 And further, we will, and, by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, we do ratify and Ratification 
 confirm unto the aforesaid mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, all and singular, so ojlhi above, 
 many, so great, such, the same, such manner, and the like, manors, messuages, lands, tenements, wastes, 
 waste grounds, tythes, oblations, common of pasture, purprestures,* rents, revenues, services, fairs, 
 markets, courts of pye-powder, venue of frank pledge, and other courts, returns of writs, fishings, 
 waters, conservation of waters, banks, wharfs, keys, trovage, tolls, stallage, pontage, murage, goods, 
 and chattels, waifes, stays, treasure found, fines, amerciaments, profits, commodities, advantages, 
 emoluments, hereditaments, gaols, free schools, power of naming and removing a master or masters, 
 a teacher or teachers of those schools, authorities, liberties, privileges, rights, jurisdictions, immunities, 
 easements, and exemptions whatsoever, how many, how great, what manner, and what, the men and 
 free burgesses of the borough aforesaid, or by whatsoever name called, or by whatsoever incorporation 
 incorporated, now lawfully have, hold, enjoy, or use, or how many, how great, what manner, and 
 what, they, or any of them, or their predecessors, burgesses of the aforesaid borough, by whatsoever 
 name or names, or by whatsoever incorporation they have been known or incorporated^ have here- 
 tofore lawfully had, held, enjoyed, or used, or ought to have, hold, enjoy, or use, to them and their 
 
 • Encroachments on the highways, by jutting windows, stalls, Ac.
 
 xvjii APPENDIX. 
 
 successors, by virtue of any charters or letters patent heretofore granted, made, or confirmed, or by 
 whatsoever other lawful means, right, title, custom, prescription, or use, heretofore lawfully used, 
 had, or accustomed, although for any cause whatsoever, tiiey are forfeited, or not forfeited unto 
 us, or any of our progenitors, or predecessors (except all and singular things contrary to these 
 presents, or any clause, or grant, contained in the same, or excepted in any charter of grant or 
 confirmation, heretofore made to the burgesses of the borough aforesaid, by whatsoever name, 
 by any of our progenitors, or ancestors, to be had, hold, exercised, and enjoyed, by the aforesaid 
 mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, for ever, to the 
 only proper use and behoof of the same mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors 
 under the ancient form therefore due, or accustomed, and to be rendered to us.) 
 
 Willinf that the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, may for ever 
 have, hold, enjoy, exercise, and use, all those manors, messuages, lands, tenements, wastes, waste 
 grounds, tylhes, oblations, common of pasture, purprestures, rents, revenues, services, fairs, 
 markets, courts of pye powder, venue of frank pledge, and other courts, return of writs, fishings, 
 waters, conservations of waters, banks, wharfs, keys, tolls, piccage, stallage, pontage, murage, 
 goods and chattels, waifes, strays, treasure found, fines, amerciaments, profits, commodities, 
 advantages, emoluments, hereditaments, gaols, free schools, powers to name and remove a master 
 or masters, teacher or teachers, of those schools, authorities, privileges, rights, jurisdictions, immu- 
 nities, easements, and exemptions, except as is before excepted, according to the true intent 
 of these presents, without the let, or hinderance, of us, our heirs, and successors, or any the 
 justices, sheriffs, bailiffs, officers, or ministers, of us, our heirs, or successors whomsoever. 
 Willing that the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, or any of the justices, 
 officers, or ministers, of us, our heirs, or successors, of the aforesaid borough, be not impeached, 
 molested, or compelled to answer for the due use, claim, or abuse, of any liberties, franchises, or 
 jurisdictions, heretofore made. 
 
 Willing further, and by these presents, unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the 
 borough aforesaid, and their successors, that they and their successors may, for ever hereafter* 
 have, hold, take, use, and enjoy, the full and entire profit and benefit of all and singular, gifts, 
 grants, bargains, recognizances, obligations, annuities, and sums of money, before the date of 
 these presents, any wise given, granted, bequeathed, acknowledged, disposed, or appointed by 
 any person or persons to the aforesaid burgesses, and their successors, by whatsoever name or 
 names, or by whatsoever incorporation, to whatsoever use or uses, together with power of reco- 
 vering and receiving the same, in whose hands soever the same do or shall happen to remain, 
 as fully and entirely as the burgesses of the same borough, by whatsoever name or names, or by 
 ■whatsoever incorporation, might have, recover, and receive the same, if these presents had not 
 been made ; further commanding, and by these presents granting, that the said mayor, aldermen, 
 and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, may and shall have, these our letters-patent in due 
 manner made and sealed, under our great seal of England, without fine or fee, great or smallj 
 to be therefore rendered, paid, or made to us, our hanaper, or otherwise to our use. Lastly, we 
 will, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, we do grant unto the said mayor, 
 aldermen, and burgesses, of the aforesaid borough, and their successors, that these our letters- 
 patent, or the enrolment of the same, and all and singular clauses, and grants therein contained, 
 may and shall be good, firm, valid, and effectual, in all things, according to our real intentions, 
 and shall be taken, construed, reputed, and adjudged, in all courts, and before whatsoever judges, 
 justices, officers, or ministers, of us, our heirs, or successors, most strongly, and benignly, in favor 
 of the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and their successors, against us, our heirs, and 
 successors, notwithstanding the not particularly mentioning the manors, messuages, lands, tene- 
 ments, wastes, waste-grounds, tithes, purprestures, rents, hereditaments, fishings, waters, con.
 
 APPENDIX. xix 
 
 servation of waters, banks, wharfs, quays, tolls, authorities, liberties, customs, immunities, 
 privileges, or exemptions, had, used, or enjoyed, by the burgesses of the aforesaid borough, by 
 whatsoever name, or incorporation, and notwithstanding the not taking or not finding any 
 inquisition by virtue of any writ of ad quod damnum, to be directed to the sheriff of our county 
 of Berks, to enquire of the damage, prejudice or harm of the premises, or any of them, or any 
 other uncertainty, or imperfections in these presents, or in any clause, or grant in the same 
 contained, and although express mention of the true yearly value, or any other value, or certainty 
 of the premises, or of any other gifts, charters, or grants, made or granted by us, or any of our 
 progenitors, or predecessors to the aforesaid men, and free burgesses, and their successors, by 
 whatsoever name, or names, in these presents, is not made, or any statute, act, ordinance, provision, 
 proclamation, or restraint heretofore made, published, ordained, or provided, or any other thing, 
 cause, or matter whatsoever to the contrary thereof, in any wise notwithstanding. 
 
 In witness whereof, we have caused these our letters to be made patent. 
 
 "Witness ourself at Westminster, this seventeenth day of December, 
 
 in the fourteenth year of our reign. 1639
 
 XX APPENDIX. 
 
 Appendix B. 
 
 Translation of a deed of gift made by John Leche, alias John a Larder^ to 
 the mat/or arid corporation of Beading. 
 
 Sciant pnsentes et futuri, Be. KNOW all men present and to come, that I, John Leche, 
 alias John a Larder, esq. have given and granted, and by these presents have confirmed, to Mr. 
 Robert Ger)', gentleman, John Hanger of London, gentleman, William Aspull, gentleman, John 
 Briminger, of London, draper, John Dry, citizen of London, William Perncote, John Upstone, 
 Thomas James, and John Norfolke, of Reading, all that my capital messuage, vi^ith its apper- 
 tenances, and my five small tenements with their appertenances adjoining to the said capital 
 messuage, situated and built together, and upon a certain spot of waste land, lying in Reading 
 aforesaid, in the county of Berks, in a certain street called Old -street, in the parish of St. Mary 
 in Reading aforesaid, that is to say, between a certain tenement belonging to the abbot and 
 convent of St. Mary in Reading aforesaid, belonging to the office of keeper of the chapel of the 
 aforesaid monastery on the south part, and a certain tenement on the west part of the said tene- 
 ment, belonging to the aforesaid chapel of St. Marj' on the north part, and containing in length 
 one hundred and thirty-five statute feet, and seventeen statute feet in breadth, which said plot 
 of waste land, by the name of the plot of waste land, I the said John Leche bought for myself, 
 my heirs, and assigns, by a perpetual exherlditation, demission, and feofiFment, and by the con- 
 firmation of John, abbot of the monastery of St. Mary in Reading aforesaid, and the convent 
 of the same, as more fully will appear by referring to a certain indenture. 
 
 Moreover I have given and granted, and by these presents have confirmed, to the aforesaid 
 Roger Gery, John Hanger, William Aspull, John Briminger, John Dr^', William Perncote, 
 John Upstone, Thomas James, and John Norfolke, one waste piece of land, with its apperte- 
 nances, lying in the said town, viz. a garden belonging to the said church of St. Mary, con- 
 taining, towards the north part, in length, thirty eight statute feet, and twenty-six statute feet 
 in breadth, which said piece of waste ground, together with the other piece of waste ground 
 aforesaid, with their appertenances, I, the said John Leche, have purchased by exheredation, 
 demission, and feoffment, and by the confirmation of the said John, the abbot and the convent, 
 as may appear more fully contained in the aforesaid indenture. And, moreover 1 have given 
 and granted, and by this my deed have confirmed, to the said Roger Gery, John Hanger, William 
 Aspull, John Briminger, John Dry, William Perncote, John Upstone, Thomas James, and 
 John Norfolke, all that tenement situated in the town of Reading, in a certain place opposite 
 the Corn-cheaping, between the tenement of Thomas Beke on the south side, and the tenement 
 late in the occupation of John Sawyer, but now of Christopher Dunster, on the north side, and 
 also two acres and a half of arable land, lying in a certain field, in that part of Reading aforesaid 
 called Erie-field, which tenement, with its appertenances, and the said two acres and a half of 
 arable land, 1 the said John Leche, alias John a Larder, lately purchased for myself, my heirs, 
 and assigns, for ever, by the dismission, release, and confiimation of the aforesaid John Dry, and 
 Robert Cowper, as appears from a certain writing for that intent made. 
 
 Also, I give and grant to the aforesaid Robert Gery, John Hanger, William Aspull, John 
 Briminger, John Dr>', William Perncote, John Upstone, Thomas James, and John Norfolke, all 
 that my tenement and garden adjacent, with their appertenances, situated in Reading aforesaid, 
 in a certain street called London-street, on the west side of that street, between a tenement 
 belonging to the church of St. Giles, in Reading, on the south part, and a tenement belonging 
 to Robert Mansfield, esq. on the north part ; which tenement, with the adjoining garden, and 
 their appertenances, I, the said John Leche, alias John a Larder, bought of the aforesaid John
 
 APPENDIX. xxi 
 
 Dry, who, by a certain writing, yielded and surrendered up, for himself and his heirs, all his 
 right, title, claim, and interest, in the said tenement and garden, with their appertenances, to 
 me, the said John Leche, alias John a Larder, my heirs and assigns, by the release, feoffment, and 
 confirmation of Christopher Dunster and Gilbert Sawyer, as in a certain writing for that purpose 
 Blade will more fully appear. 
 
 Also, I have given and granted, and by this present writing confirmed, to the aforesaid 
 Roger Gery, John Hanger, William Aspull, John Briminger, John Drj', William Perncote, John 
 Upstone, Thomas James, and John Norfolke, all that my tenement, with its appertenances, 
 situated in Reading aforesaid, in a certain street called Old-street, on the Seven-bridges, between 
 a certain tenement of the abbot and convent in Reading aforesaid, on the north part, and by a 
 water-course of the river Kennet, on the south part, which said tenement, with its appertenances, 
 1, the aforesaid John Leche, alias John a Larder, bought, together with the aforesaid John Dry, 
 by the name of John Dry, citizen of London, dwelling at Billingsgate at London; who, by his 
 writing, has,, for himself and. his heir, lately released and surrendered the same up tome, and 
 my assigns, for ever, by the gift, grant, and confirmation of Thomas Webbe, of Reading afore- 
 said, tanner, as by a certain writing for that intent mads will more fully appear. 
 
 To have and to hold all and singular the above mentioned messuages, tenements, gardens,> 
 and waste plots of ground, with all and singular their appertenances, to the aforesaid Roger 
 Gery, John Hanger, William Aspull, John Briminger, John Dry, William Perncote, John 
 Upstone, Thomas James, and John Norfolke, their heirs and assigns, for ever, for the fulfilling 
 the will of me, the aforesaid John Leche alias John a Larder. 
 
 And I, the aforesaid John Leche, alias John a Larder, and my heirs, will warrant, and for 
 ever defend against all people, by these presents, all and singular the said messuages, tenements, 
 gardens, and waste plots of ground, with all and singular their appertenances, to the aforesaid 
 Roger Gery, John Hanger, William Aspull, John Briminger, John Dry, WilWam Perncote, 
 John Upstone, Thomas James, and John Norfolke, their heirs and assigns. 
 
 Know ye, moreover, that I, the aforesaid John Leche, alias John a Larder, have made, 
 ordained, and, by these presents, in my place, appointed, Richard Carpenter of Reading aforesaid, 
 yeoman, and William Broome, of the same place, dyer, my true and lawful attornies, conjointly 
 and separately, to deliver over for me, to the said Roger Gery, John Hanger, William Aspull, 
 John Briminger, John Dry, William Perncote, John Upstone, Thomas James, and John Nor- 
 folke, full and peaceful seizure, and possession, in and over all and singular the aforesaid 
 messuages, tenements, gardens and waste plots of ground, with all and every their appertenances, 
 and whatsoever these my attornies shall do, in persuance of this my will, 1 hereby by this 
 present writing ratify and confirm. 
 
 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my seal, in the presence of Thomas Beke, mayor, 
 John Derling, and Henry Justice, bailiffs of the said borough, Robert Evydington, Richard 
 ClechCj John Pasteller, Thomas Hert, Simon Nashe, and others. 
 
 Given the loth day of February, in the i6th year of the reigti 
 of Edward the IVth, since the conquest. 
 
 [In his will, after devising his clothes, &c. he continues]— 
 
 Also, I will, that my executers above mentioned, out of the money arising from the debts 
 owing to me, and to be received by them, do cause to be constructed and built three almshouses, 
 for three poor people, near to those my five alms-houses, situated together in the town o 
 Reading aforesaid, which five alms-houses 1 have lately caused to be built for the reception 
 of five poor people.
 
 srii APPENDIX. 
 
 And moreover, I will, that my aforesaid executers, out of my debts so to be received by 
 them shall buy lands and tenements to the yearly value of ■ marks sterling over and above 
 
 all incumbrances and reprisals. 
 
 And I will, that after the said lands and tenements shall be thus purchased, that then mj 
 said executors shall provide and ordain, that the aforesaid eight poor people may enter and 
 receive among 'themselves, of pure alms, eight marks sterling, to pray for my soul, and for the 
 soul of the illustrious prince Richard, late duke of York, father of our lord the king, that is to 
 say, that each of the said poor persons may enter, and receive thirteen shillings and four-pence, 
 or more, if it can be done, yearly, for ever, to be paid in equal proportions, on the four usual 
 nuarterly days of payment, out of the rents, perquisites, and revenues arising from the said lands 
 and tenements, and from all my lands and tenements, with their appertenances, in the said town 
 of Reading, however arising and increasing. 
 
 And, my will is, that my executers obtain leave of our said lord the king, to hold the said 
 tenements and lands in mortmain, to the intent that my will in the form expressed may be 
 fulfilled. 
 
 And, if my executers, in default of payment of my debts aforesaid, cannot fulfil my will 
 concerning the aforesaid lands and tenements, then, I will, that my said executers may sell the 
 above-mentioned five alms-houses by me built, and all other my lands and tenements, and that 
 my said executers may dispose of and distribute all the money arising from the sale thereof, in 
 masses to be said for the poorest of the poor, and in other pious uses, and charitable works, 
 according to the discretion of my aforesaid executers. 
 
 All the rest and residue of my effects, not hereby disposed of, when my debts arc paid, and 
 my will above-mentioned fulfilled, I will that they be disposed of for the good of my soul at 
 the discretion of my executers, &c, 
 
 ™®g»g5==^ — — 
 
 Appendix C. 
 
 Extract from Mr. John Kendrick's will, as far as relates to the borovghs of 
 
 Reading and Newbury. 
 
 IN the name of God, amen, the nine and twentieth day of December, anno Domini 1624, and 
 in the two and twentieth year of the reign of our sovereign lord king James, &c. I, John 
 Kcndrick, of the city of London, draper, being sick in body, but of good and perfect memory, 
 (for which I give most humble and hearty thanks to Almighty God) do make, ordain, and declare 
 this my last will and testament, in manner and form following, that is to say- 
 First, and before all things, I commend and commit my soul to Almighty God, my creator, 
 trusting most assuredly to be saved by the death, passion, and only merits, of Jesus Christ, my 
 •aviour and redeemer : 
 
 And I will, that my body be decently interred, in christian burial, in the parish church 
 
 of St. Christopher,* where 1 dwell, as my executers herein after named shall order and appoint. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath to three-score poor men, to every of them a gown of broad cloth, 
 
 to wear on the day of my burial, and twelve pence a piece in money to pay for their dinners. 
 
 The same poor men to be such as my executers shall appoint. 
 
 • Towards the end of the list century, the church of St. Christopher wa» taken down by an agreement entered Iota 
 between the patron, the rector of St. Christopher's, and the directors of the bank, under the sanction of an act 
 of parliament, at which time the tite of the church and church-yard was incorporated with the bank buildings, and th» 
 Rmaint of Mr. Kendrick were removed from the vault in which they had first beea dtpctited, aad re-inttrrcd in tk* 
 •burch of St. Mtrgvct, lotbbury.
 
 APPENDIX. ixiii 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath black gowns and cloaks, to be worn »t my burial by my kindred, 
 friends, and servants, as my executers shall think meet, not exceeding the sum of six hundred 
 pounds in the said gowns and cloaks, and the rest of the charges of my funeral. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath the sum of three-score pounds, to be bestowed upon a dinner, to be 
 provided for my friends, and the inhabitants of the parish of St. Christopher, where I now dwell, 
 upon the day of my burial, and in such place as my executers shall think meet and convenient. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath to the mayor and burgesses of the town of Reading, in the county 
 of Berkshire (I mean to the body corporate or corporation of the said town of Reading, by 
 ■whatsoever name or addition the same is made known) the sum of seven thousand and five 
 hundred pounds, upon especial trust, and confidence, that they shall therewith perform the uses 
 following, that is to say, 
 
 The said mayor and burgesses shall buy, and purchase unto them and their successors, for 
 ever, (I say to the body corporate of the said town of Reading, by whatsoever name or addition 
 the same is made known) lands and hereditaments, of the clear value of fifty pounds, by the year, 
 over and above all charges and reprises.* Which sum of fifty pounds a year, my will and 
 meaning is, shall be paid by the said mayor and burgesses, and their successors, unto my sister, 
 Ann Newman, yearly, during her natural life ; and, after her decease, the same yearly sum of 
 fifty pounds, shall be paid by the said mayor and burgesses, and their successors, to the overseers 
 of the poor of the said town of Reading for the time being, yearly, for ever; and, by them, the 
 said overseers for the time being, shall be bestowed and distributed to and among the poor 
 people of the said town, for ever, to wit, the moiety thereof every half year, in such sums, and 
 to such persons, as the said overseers for the time being shall think meet, according to the 
 necessity and desert of the same several persons. 
 
 Provided always, and my meaning is, that this my yearly gift shall not any way abridge the 
 said poor of the ordinary allowances usually assessed and collected of the wealthier sort of the 
 inhabitants of the said town, towards the relief of the said poor people, but shall be unto them 
 as an additament, and clear increase of relief, yearly, for ever. 
 
 And, if this my gift and provision shall happen (which I trust it shall not) to be by the 
 said mayor and burgesses, or by the said overseers for the time being, ordered and disposed, 
 contrary to my meaning, thus declared : or that my will and desire above expressed, touching 
 the bestowing and distribution of the said sum of fifty pounds, yearly, be omitted and neglected, 
 or left unperformed, by the space of one whole year, after it is by this my will appointed to be 
 distributed, and bestowed, as aforesaid, then my will and meaning is, that the said sum and 
 revenue of fifty pounds a year, shall be by the said mayor and burgesses, and their successors 
 for the time being, for ever, paid into the treasurer of Christ Hospital, and by the governors of 
 the same hospital, employed and bestowed in the relief and education of the poor children c£ 
 the said hospital, or else, that the said mayor and burgesses for the time being, shall, by their 
 deed in law, convey and make over the lands and hereditaments of the said yearly value of fifty 
 pounds, unto the mayor and commonalty, and citizens of the city of London, and their suc- 
 cessors, for ever, unto the use of the said hospital, to be employed as aforesaid. 
 
 Provided always, that the said fifty pounds a year be yearly paid to my sister Ann Newman, 
 during her natural life, and, after her decease, to the charitable uses aforesaid. 
 
 Moreover my will and meaning is, as also my trust and confidence in the said mayor and 
 burgesses of the town of Reading, is, that with another competent pr.rt of the said sum of seven 
 thousand five hundred pounds, so by me devised as aforesaid, they, the aforesaid mayor and 
 burgesses, shall buy and purchase unto them, and their successors, for ever, a fair plot of ground, 
 
 • North-street farm, in the parish of Tilthurst, was purchased v. ith part of this moary. 
 
 3 L 2
 
 xxiv APPENDIX. 
 
 within the said toxvn oF Reading, or the liberties thereof, and thereupon shall erect and build 
 a strong house of brick, fit and commodious for setting the poor to work therein ; or else shall 
 buy and purchase such an house being already built, if they can find one already fitting, or that 
 may with a reasonable sum be made fit for the said use. The same house to have a garden 
 adjoining, and to be from time to time kept in good and sufficient reparation, by the said mayor 
 and burgesses for the time being, for ever. Which house and garden, my will is, shall be used, 
 and occupied by such as the said mayor and burgesses, and their successors, from time to time, 
 for ever, shall appoint, and ordain, for the employing and handling of the stock of money by 
 me hereby left, and devised, to that purpose. 
 
 And my will and meaning is, that the said lands and hereditaments of the yearly value of 
 fifty pounds, and also the said house and garden, being bought and purchased as aforesaid with 
 parcel of the said sum of 7500 pounds, then the whole residue and remainder of the same 750O 
 pounds shall make, and be a common stock, to be employed and bestowed in trades of clothing, 
 either in making coloured clothes or whites, as the times shall require, and also in working of 
 wool, hemp, flax, iron, grinding of Brasil woods, and other stuffs for dying, or otherwise, as to 
 the said mayor and burgesses aforesaid, and their successors, for ever, shall seem meet and con- 
 venient, for the employment of the poor people, and for the .preservation and increase of the 
 said common stock. 
 
 And, the said mayor and burgesses, and their successors, for ever, shall have the election, 
 placing, and ordering, as also the displacing, if cause be, of all and every person and persons 
 to be employed in the handling and husbanding of the common stock, in the house aforesaid, 
 according to their, the said mayor and burgesses, good discretion, from time to time, for ever. 
 
 Wherein yet my desire is, that they shall prefer the poor of the said town to the said work 
 and employment, before others of other places. 
 
 And, for the performance of these premises, my will is, that the sum of seven thousand 
 and five hundred pounds, before, for this end, by me bequeathed to the said mayor and burgesses, 
 and their successors, shall be paid unto them, or their successors, in manner and form following, 
 that is to say, two thousand pounds thereof, at the end of one year next after my decease ; 
 other two thousand pounds thereof, at the end of two years next after the day of my decease, 
 and the residue of the said whole sum, being three thousand and live hundred pounds, at the 
 end of three years next ensuing, after and from the day of my decease. 
 
 But, if it should happen, as my trust is it will not, that the said mayor and burgesses, or 
 their successors, shall neglect, omit, or fail to perform the premises, according to my will and 
 meaning above declared : or shall misemploy the said stock, contrary to the true intent and 
 meaning of this my devise, and disposition, for the good of the poor and their honest employ- 
 ment, and maintenance, as aforesaid, and that such their neglect shall continue at any time by 
 the space of one whole year together, then my will and meaning is, that my said whole legacy 
 of 7500/. and every part and parcel thereof, shall be thenceforth utterly void, frustrate, and 
 of none effect, as to, for, and concerning the said mayor and burgesses and their successors, and 
 as to, for, and concerning the uses thereof before limited and expressed. And, that the said 
 whole common stock shall be by them, the said mayor and burgesses, and their successors for 
 the time being, forthwith paid unto the mayor and commonalty, and citizens of the city of 
 London, to the use of Christ Hospital in London, according as I have above devised, and 
 disposed, touching the revenue of fifty pounds a year for ever, bequeathed to the use and reliet 
 of the poor people of the town of Reading. 
 
 As also my will and meaning is, that in this case of non performance by the said mayor 
 and burgesses, the house and garden to be purchased in Reading, as aforesaid, shall be, 
 by the said mayor and burgesses, and their successors, conveyed, and made over, by their deed
 
 APPENDIX. xxT 
 
 sufficient in law, unto the said mayor and commonalty, and citizens of the city of London, and 
 their successors, for ever, to the like use of Christ Hospital in London aforesaid. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath to the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Newbury, 
 in the county of Berks, I mean the body corporate of the said town, the sum of four thousand 
 pounds, to buy and purchase therewith a commodious house and garden, within the same town, 
 or the liberties thereof, to set the poor to work, and, with the residue of the same sum, to make 
 a common stock for the employment of the poor in the said house, according to the good 
 discretion of the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, from time to time, for ever, and according 
 to my meaning before declared, in the devising of the sum of 7500 pounds to the mayor and 
 burgesses of the town of Reading to the like use. 
 
 But my will and meaning is, that if it shall happen, which I trust will not, that the said 
 mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Newbury, or their successors, shall neglect, or 
 fail to perform my trust and meaning hereby committed unto them, or shall misemploy the said 
 stock, contrary to my good intent to the poor before declared, by the space of one whole year, 
 at any time after my said legacy shall be paid unto them, then my will and meaning is, that my 
 said whole legacy of four thousand pounds, and every part and parcel thereof, shall thenceforth 
 be utterly void, and of none effect, as, to, for, and concerning the mayor, aldermen, and bur- 
 gesses of the town of Newbury, and their successors, for ever, and that the whole common 
 stock be by them the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of Newbury, and their successors hn- 
 the time being, forthwith paid over unto the mayor and burgesses of the town of Reading, in 
 the same county, to be by them, and their successors, for ever, employed, bestowed, and used, 
 in like manner as I have by this my will devised and appointed, on other stock common for 
 the poor in the same town of Reading, as by my said devise and disposition (before herein more 
 at large expressed) doth and may appear. 
 
 In like manner also, my will and meaning is, that in case of such non-performance of my 
 will, and intent, by the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Newbury, the housa 
 and garden by them so to be purchased and built as aforesaid, shall be by the said mayor, aldermen, 
 and burgesses of the town of Newbury, and their successors, conveyed and made over by their 
 deed sufficient in law, unto the mayor and burgesses of the said town of Reading, and their 
 successors, for ever, to be by them sold and converted into money, and the same money to be 
 used and employed in their common stock, for the poor, in the said town of Reading aforesaid, 
 in such sort as I have formerly hereby expressed. 
 
 And, for the performance of the said trust, and uses, by the said mayor, aldermen, and 
 burgesses of the town of Newbury aforesaid, my will and meaning is, that the said sum of four 
 thousand pounds, so to them bequeathed and devised as aforesaid, shall be paid unto them, or 
 their successors, in manner following, that is to say, one thousand pounds thereof, at the end 
 of one year next ensuing of the day of my decease ; one other thousand pounds thereof, at tha 
 end of two years from and after my said decease ; and the residue, being two thousand pounds, 
 shall be paid them, at the end of three years next after my decease. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath to be given and distributed to poor maids in the town of Reading, 
 in the county of Berks, and at their several marriages, by forty shillings a-piece, at the discretion 
 of the mayor and burgesses of that town, the sum of one hundred pounds, provided none enjoy 
 the benefit thereof but such as have served master, mistress, or dame, by the space of seven 
 years together. This hundred pounds to be paid to the said mayor and burgesses, for the use 
 aforesaid, within one year next after my decease. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath to the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Newbury, 
 in Berkshire, the sum of fifty pounds, to be by them bestowed and distributed to twenty-fiv^e 
 maids on their several days of their weddings, in the same town. None to enjoy this gi t
 
 XXYI 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 but such as have well and honestly served with one master, mistress, or dame, by the spac« 
 of seven years at the least. And this fifty pounds to be paid to the said mayor, aldermen, and 
 burgesses within one year after my decease. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath towards the finishing of the pinnacles of the steeple of the 
 parish church of St. Mary, in Reading, in Berkshire, fifty pounds, to be paid to the church. 
 wardens of the same parish, within one month after the same pinnacles shall be finished. 
 
 Iton, I give and bequeath, to the mayor and burgesses of the town of Reading aforesaid, the 
 sum of five hundred pounds, to be first lent to these parties, and in the sums hereafter named, 
 for seven years, gratis. That is, to James Winch, two hundred pounds ; and to Walter Rye, 
 Richard Stamp, and William Blacknall, clothiers, one hundred pounds a-piece, each of them 
 giving bond, with two sufficient sureties, for repayment thereof to the said mayor and burgesses, 
 at the end of the said seven years. And afterwards the same five hundred pounds shall be lent 
 to ten several honest industrious poor clothiers, freemen of the same town, by fifty pounds 
 a-picce, gratis, for three years, upon like good security, and no man to have the use of this money 
 twice, but if there shall not be clothiers enow found in the same town to enjoy this loan in 
 manner aforesaid, that then the said money shall be lent also unto other tradesmen, free of the 
 said town, by the sums and terms of years last before appointed, to such as set most poor people to 
 work, according to the discretion of the said mayor and burgesses. And this said sum of five 
 hundred pounds shall be paid to the said mayor and burgesses, to the use aforesaid, at the end 
 of one year next after my decease. 
 
 Item, I give and bequeath to the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Newbury, 
 in the county of Berks, the sum of five hundred pounds, to be lent first for the term of seven 
 years gratis, unto these several clothiers here named, that is to say, to Thomas Newman, one 
 hundred pounds; to Richard Averj', one hundred pounds; to Martin Breaker, fifty pounds ; to 
 William Goodwin the elder, fifty pounds ; to Timothy Aver)', fifty pounds ; to Robert Bacon, 
 fifty pounds ; and to Griffin Forster, fifty pounds. Every of the said several parties entering 
 into bond, with two sufficient sureties, for repayment of the said sums to the said mayor, 
 aldermen, and burgesses at the end of seven years. And afterwards, the same five hundred 
 pounds shall be lent to ten several industrious poor clothiers, free of the said town of Newbury, 
 by fifty pounds a-piece, gratis, for three years. And after that, in like manner, from three years 
 to three years, for ever, and no man to have the same money twice. But if there shall not be 
 clothiers enow, found in the same town of Ncwburj', to enjoy this loan, in manner as aforesaid, 
 then the same money shall be lent also unto other tradesmen, free of the same town, by the 
 sums and terms of years last before appointed, to such as set most poor people to work, according 
 to the discretion of the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, to whom this said five hundred 
 pounds shall be paid, to the use aforesaid, at the end of one year after my decease. 
 
 Item, 1 give and bequeath to the mayor and burgesses of the town of Reading, in the county 
 cf Berks, the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, to be paid them at the end of one year 
 next after my decease. Therewith to purchase land and hereditaments, to the clear yearly value 
 of ten pounds, for ever, to maintain divine service to be said in the parish church of St. Mary 
 in that town, by the parson or his curate, every morning of the week, at six of the clock, for ever. 
 Item, I give and bequeath to the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Newbury, 
 in the county of Berks, the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, to be paid them at the end 
 of one year next after my decease, therewith to purchase lands, or hereditaments, of the clear 
 yearly value of ten pounds, for ever, to maintain divine service, to be said in the parish church 
 of that town, by the parson or bis curate, every morning of the week, at six of the clock, to 
 continue for ever, &c.
 
 APPENDIX. „^jj 
 
 Appendix D, 
 Copt; of an indenture concerning sir T. White's gift to the town of Reading. 
 
 MEMORANDUM. 
 
 THAT in an indenture, tripartite, made the first day of July 1566, and the eighth of queen 
 Elizabeth, between the mayor, burgesses and commonalty of the city of Bristol on the one part, 
 and the president and scholars of St. John, the baptist's college, founded in the university of 
 Oxford, by sir Thomas White, knt. and alderman of the city of London, on the second part, 
 and the master and wardens of the merchant taylors of the fraternity of St. John, the baptist, 
 in the city of London, on the third part. Among other things is contained as follows. And 
 FURTHER, the said mayor, burgesses, and commonalty of the city of Bristol, do grant and 
 consent, with the said sir Thomas White, knt. that they, or their successors, shall, on the feast 
 day of St. Bartholomew, the apostle, which shall be in the year of our Lord 1579, ^^ '^^ common 
 hall of merchant taylors in London, between the hours of two and six of the clock in the 
 afternoon, pay the mayor and burgesses of the town of Reading the sum of one hundred and 
 four pounds, on condition that they shall at the feast of St. Michael, next after the receipt 
 of the said sum, pay, or cause to be paid, to four poor young men of the said town of Reading, 
 of honest name and fame, occupiers or inhabitants within the said town, and freemen of th« 
 same, and clothiers to be preferred above all others, to be named and appointed by the iaid 
 mayor and burgesses for the time being, the sum of one hundred pounds of lawful raonev of 
 England, that is to say, to every of them twenty-five pounds, to have and to occupy the s^-me for 
 the term of ten years next following, without paying any thing for the loan of the same, to 
 as they dwell within the said town or the suburbs of the same, they and every of them finding 
 •ufficient surety or pawn for the repayment of the same, at the end of the said ten years. 
 
 To the intent and upon condition that the mayor, burgesses, and chamberlain, or other 
 head officers of the town of Reading, or their assigns, upon the receipt of the said one hundred 
 pounds, shall deliver the said sum on the feast of St. Michael, the archangel, to four otlwr poor 
 young men, of good fame and name, of the said town of Reading, to be named and ^•ppcintcd, 
 es aforesaid, to every of them twenty-five pounds, to hold the same for ten years next .nsuiti^ 
 the receipt thereof, finding sufficient security or pawn for the same, for the true repayment 
 thereof without paying any thing for the loan thereof; and, at the end of every ten yi^rs, ths 
 said sum of one hundred pounds to be delivered to four other young men, in mr.nner and form 
 as aforesaid, for ever, provided that none of the young fnen that have once had the benefit 
 ©f occupying thereof shall be admitted to have it any more. 
 
 And further it is agreed, between the said parties, that the said four pounds, residue of the 
 one hundred and four pounds, shall be employed, after the receipt thereof : / th;t:id mayor 
 and burgesses, as by them shall be thought good, for their pains to bt taUen in and about the 
 receipt and payment of the said one hundred pounds. 
 
 And the said parties to these indentures do further agree, that the said mayor, burgesses, 
 and commonalty of the city of Bristol (after the sum above mentioned in form afores.iid 
 delivered and paid) shall, yearly, on the feast day of St. Bauholomev, the zpostle, in the 
 common hall of the said merchant taylors, in London, between the hours aforesaid, from year 
 to year,, from henceforth, for ever, deliver and pay to every of the cities, companies, and towns, 
 before in these indentures named and placed, beginning first with the said city of Bristol, then 
 the said city of York, and to the mayor and commonalty, or other head officer, of every the 
 caid cities, companies, and towns, or to their sufficiently authorised factors and attornies, under 
 their common seal, the sum of one hundrsd and four pounds, of the rects, profits, and issues
 
 xxTiii APPENDIX. 
 
 of the said lands, yearly arising of the same, for the intent that the mayors and other head 
 officers, shall, on the feast of St. Michael, the archangel, next, after the receipt thereof, pay 
 the said sum of one hundred pounds, to four other poor young men, in manner as aforesaid, 
 
 for ever. 
 
 And further it is agreed, that if the said mayor, burgesses, and commonalty of the city 
 of Bristol do make default of payment of the said sum of one hundred and four pounds, to 
 any of the said cities or towns above named, at the days, time, and place thereof above limited,, 
 in part or in all, contrary to the form aforesaid, that then the said mayor, burgesses, and 
 commonalty of Bristol, and their successors, shall forfeit, loose, and pay to the said president 
 and scholars, and to their successors, the several fines, rates, and penalties ensuing. That is to 
 say, for the first tim« of non-pavment of the said one hundred and four pounds, to any of the 
 said cities, companies, or towns, as it shall be due, to forfeit one hundred and ten pounds : for 
 the second time of the like forfeiture, one hundred and fifteen pounds: and the third time to 
 forfeit one hundred and twenty pounds : and for the fourth time one hundred and thirty 
 pounds : and the fifth time one hundred and forty pounds: and the sixth time one hundred 
 and fifty pounds, provided always, that if the said lands or premises, as before specified, be 
 notoriously decayed, by any sudden misfortune, by reason of fire, or other like occasion, or 
 be lawfully evicted by order of law, and taken from the possession of the said mayor, burgesses, 
 and commonalty of Bristol, without fraud or covyn, and not being by the will, negligence, or 
 sufferance, of the said mayor, burgesses, and commonalty, whereby upon declaration of accompt 
 thereof made, and certified, upon the oaths of four aldermen of the city of Bristol, of all the 
 said decays, to the president and vice president, and two of the ancient fellows of the said 
 college of St. John, the baptist, in the university of Oxford, for the time being, and to the 
 mayor of the city of Gloucester aforesaid, and one of the aldermen of the same, so as it shall 
 and may truly appear to the said persons, that the rents, perquisites, revenues, and issues of the 
 lands, tenements, and hereditaments purchased, and to be purchased, by the mayor, burgesses, 
 and commonalty of the city of Bristol aforesaid, shall not be sufiBcient to bear the charges before 
 and hereafter mentioned, the said payment to cease, and not to be paid until such decay be 
 reformed, and amended, any thing in the indenture before-mentioned to the contrary thereof, 
 notwithstanding. 
 
 Provided always, and it is by these presents fully agreed and granted, between the said 
 parties, that within the term of twenty years next after the date hereof, two discreet and honest 
 persons, one on and for the said town of Bristol, to be nominated, chosen, and appointed by the 
 mayor, burgesses, and commonalty ; the other of and for the said college, to be chosen by the 
 president and fellows of the said college, to ride, and to view, at the equal and indifferent costs 
 and charges of the said mayor, burgesses, and commonalty, and the said president and fellows 
 aforesaid, which shall ride and travel unto all and every of the said cities and towns afore-named, 
 to the intent to know, and shall duly enquire, know, and search, whether the disbursions aforesaid 
 be duly paid, delivered, used, ordered, and continued, within every of the said cities, companies, 
 and towns, as it ought to be, according to the true meaning of the said sir Thomas White, and 
 according to the articles and covenants herein-before mentioned, and declared. 
 
 And, such of the said cities and towns as they shall, upon due proof, find negligent in the 
 performance hereof, to have the same one hundred and four pounds no more everafter that, but, 
 the said disbursion of money shall be delivered to some other town, company, or city, as the 
 eaid mayor, burgesses, and commonalty of the city of Bristol, and the president and fellows 
 •t St. John's eoUege^ at Oxford, shall deem meet and convenient, in manner aforesaid.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ••*»^«r- 
 
 f^ The figures inserted denote the pages of the article re/erred to. The numerals refer to the appendix. 
 
 A BBEY 7, 245. Site of 247. Church 9, 
 '^*- 252. Garden 254. Well 254. Mill 254. 
 Dedication of 255. Lands 284. Mate- 
 rials 300. Arms 268, 280. Penny 264. 
 Abbot 1 1, 265. List of 269. Authority of 354. 
 Abbot archbishop, his character of Laud 52. 
 Accounts chamberlains, to be publicly read in 
 
 the guild-hall, annually vi. 
 Acorns, law in favor of 122. 
 Act for paving the borough 77, 127. 
 Adam de Latebar, abbot 270. 
 
 The sacrist 270. 
 Address, to sir A. Aston 27. To George XL 69. 
 to George IH. 76, 80, 83, 91, 97, 98. 
 On lord Nelson's victory go. On the 
 catholic question 99. Of the inhabit- 
 ants 100. On the jubilee 107. On the 
 death of Mr. Percival 113. To the 
 prince regent 421. 
 Adeliza 282. 
 
 Adjourning, power of xiii. 
 Agreement with the city of London 165. 
 Aldermen may be removed ix. 
 Aldermen not to reside out of the borough on 
 pain of imprisonment ix. Exempt from 
 bearing arms on providing a substitute ibid. 
 Aldermen, to be sworn iii. Election of iv. 
 Aldermen refusing to take the oath 362. Fine 
 
 of ibid, 
 Aldworth Thomas 22. Richard 204) 404, 41 1. 
 Ale-tasters 352. Assize of ale ibid. 
 Alfred pursues the Danes to Reading 3. En- 
 gagement on Mortimer common 4. 
 Allen John 324, 416. 
 Alms-houses xxi. 
 Altars 311. 
 
 Andrews William, esq. 104. 
 Ann countess of Warwick 283. 
 Annesley Francis, esq. 240. 
 Annesley Martin, esq. 81, 86, 96, 182, 416, 419. 
 Appleford John, abbot 274. 
 Arms of corporation 168. Their origin 170. 
 
 Of the abbey 2B0. 
 Articles of capitulation 39. 
 Ashburnham Mr. 386. 
 Ashmole's diary, extract from 391. 
 Assessments on the inhabitants 28. 
 Assessments to be made xi. 
 Assistant may be removed ix. 
 Assistants, to be sworn iv. Election of ibid. 
 Assistants refusing to act gCit 
 Assizes extraordinary 71, 
 Association military 89. 
 
 Aston village 3. Manor 276. Mead 321, 
 
 Aston sir Arthur 27, 35. 
 
 At-Oke Nicholas 15, 
 
 Attorniesxiv. 
 
 Attorniesof the mayor's court 392, 
 
 Atwater Stephen 412. 
 
 Ausgerus abbot 269. 
 
 Austwick Launcclot, esq. 104. 
 
 Bacon John his legacy 412. 
 
 Badger John Hyde 388. 
 
 Bagley John his legacy 409. 
 
 Bailiff, water xvi. Of the borough xxi. 
 
 Ball John his legacy 399. 
 
 Ball M.r. candidate for the borough 224. 
 
 Banks sir John 153. 
 
 Baptists meeting 129. 
 
 Barber Gabriel 403. 
 
 Barn, Cholsey 274, Great 284, 
 
 Barnard Harrison's 296. 
 
 Barrows on Mortimer-common 4. 
 
 Barry Dr. 85, 97, 99. 
 
 Battel-farm 5, 1 22. Manor 244. Meadows 277, 
 
 Property of Battel-abbey 121, 
 Battery at Caversham-farm 35. 
 Bear-baiting forbid 350. 
 Bceke, Rev. Dr. 116. 
 Bell Mr. mayor 220. 
 Bells 315. 
 
 Benedictines whence called 265. Dress of i&W. 
 Benson village 2. 
 Bcre-court 267, 275. 
 Berkhamsted, land at 262. 
 Berkley church 260. 
 Berkley, sir John, knt, 223. 
 Bicheno Mr. 247. 
 
 Bill regency 78. To suppress seditious meet- 
 ings 84. Septennial 239. 
 Bilson Leonard, schoolmaster 197. 
 Bird rev. Andrew 201. 
 Bishops consecrated 284. 
 Bbgrave John 137, 229, 318, 400. 
 Blagrave Daniel 237. 
 
 Blandy William, alderman 79, 96, 138, 180. 
 Blandy John, esq. 104, 180, 425. 
 Blewbury 260, 278. Manor 264. 
 Blossom's-end estate 207. 
 Boarders in the school i8g. 
 Body corporate ii. 
 Boudry rev. William 416, 
 Boundaries, St. Mary's 298. 
 Bower's accusation of archbishop Laud 59. 
 Boyer Robsil his legacy 398, 
 SI
 
 X X X 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bradley Henry, attorney of the court discliarged 
 
 from liis office 392. 
 Bradock rev. I'homas, schoolmaster 2ci. 
 Bramlcy Thomas made a freeman 364. 
 Brackstonc William, his legacy 406. 
 Brcmbcr, sir Nicholas 18. 
 Biidcwell 292. 
 Bridge High 77, 129. 
 Bridges xvi. 
 
 Buckingham, sir Owen 239. 
 Buildings I23, 
 
 BuUev John, mayor, 85, 104. 
 Bunuiir)' rev. Thomas, vicar 304. 
 Burdett sir Francis loi. 
 Burgess of the hall and chair 221. 
 
 Making of, 356. Number of, 359. 
 
 Expelled, 362. 
 Burgesses, capital and secondary, 344. 
 
 Number of, 345, 359. 
 Burghfield 260. 
 Buupn Edward 402. 
 Biitlcr Reginald his legacy 408. 
 
 Cadogan Wm. esq. not duly elected 230. 
 
 Cadogan e;:rl of. high steward 388. 
 
 Cadogan Wm. Bromley, vicar 340. 
 
 Cassar's description of Britain 117. 
 
 Cage, the situation of the 198. 
 
 Caleva, ancient 116. 
 
 Calvert Felix, esq. representative 229. 
 
 Calvcrly Cliarles fined 361. 
 
 Canal to Monkey Island 71. New 162, 
 
 Kennet and Avon 162. 
 Cannons, report of gg, 
 Cantio cygni 5. 
 Canute king of England 7. 
 Capital of a column 247. 
 Carisbrook castle 387. 
 Carter Joseph his legacy 399. 
 Case on the scholarships 187. 
 Castle 8, 171, 248. 
 Catherine's church consecrated 49. 
 Catholic ch.-pel 130. 
 Caversham bridge toll xvi. 
 Caversham-hill 33, 41. Bridge 37, 42, 365. 
 Cerdic's-ford 1. , 
 Chamberlain James, his legacy 412. 
 Chamberlains v. Election of, annually vi. 
 Chamberlains may be removed ix. 
 Chancel St. Lawrence's 317, Repaired by the 
 
 queen 318. 
 Chantry, Colney 296. 
 
 Chapel of grey friars 295. St. Edmond's 296. 
 Charities 394. 
 
 Charles I, 27. II. his reception 61. 
 Charlton rev. Thos. schoolmaster 201. 
 Charter, granted 13. Of the abbey 255. Of 
 
 king John 259. Of Colney chantry 296. 
 
 Of Hemy III. 342. Of Richard II, 343. 
 
 Of Charles I. 344. Of liberties 344. In 
 
 the exchequer 288, 
 Charter of Charles I. i. 
 
 Chaucer's description of the feast 16. 
 
 Cheaping-gavel 276, 357. 
 
 Chci.se fair 147, 167. 
 
 Cholsey abbey 255. Barn 274. 
 
 Chrism, or sacred oil 262. 
 
 Christ's Hospital governors of, file a bill in 
 
 chancery 159, i6o. 
 Church, St. Lawrence's 310. St. Mary's 299. 
 
 St. Giles's 329. 
 Church-walk 318. 
 Church-wardens a corporation 337. Not to 
 
 grant leases without consent of burgesses 
 
 Church-vard 314, 331. 
 
 Chimes 331. 
 
 Clarendon earl of, high steward 388, 
 
 Clarges Robert, esq, not duly elected 249. 
 
 Cler^v, assembly of 12. 
 
 Gierke, sir Edward, recorder 377. 
 
 Clerk of St. Mary's 301. 
 
 Clerk of the market xv. 
 
 Clock, St. Mary's 303. St. Lawrence's 316. 
 
 Cloisters, abbey 251. 
 
 Clothiers' company 351. 
 
 Coals, pit, introduced 162. Fund for 419. 
 
 Coblers, right of 3G4. 
 
 Coffin found 281, 424. 
 
 Coley cross 22. King of Coley 327. 
 
 Cole, poet 92. 
 
 College, St. John's 396. 
 
 Combat single in the Island 8. 
 
 Comb-bank 5. 
 
 Combarton John, tried here ig. 
 
 Commons, right of 135. 
 
 Companies 347, 
 
 Compounders 61. 
 
 Compter prison 362, 
 
 Compton vicarage 278. 
 
 Conduit 254. 
 
 Constables, right of choosing 354, 356. 
 
 Constitutions, the pope's 263. 
 
 Convention, at Loddon-bridge 10. Or Bare- 
 bone's parliament 228, 
 
 Converts Jewish 279. 
 
 Convocation held here 14. 
 
 Conway, general 246. 
 
 Cooke Mr. Thomas, his legacy 417. 
 
 Coroner vii. 
 
 Corporation 341. Lands pledged 29, 30. On 
 the choice of representatives 229, Power 
 of 361. 
 
 Corrody 266. 
 
 Costard apple 266. 
 
 Cottage in the abbey 252. 
 
 County rates, town not liable to 128. 
 
 Councils ic, II, 14, 283,421. 
 
 Courts, hundreds 257. 
 
 Cowick mead 277. 
 
 Cowper Jeffery, church-warden, embezzled the 
 writings of St. Giles's parish 3361 
 
 Cowslade, Mr. Thomas 182. 
 Cox Leonard, school-master 196,
 
 INDEX. 
 
 XXXI 
 
 Craven lord, his seat 37. Charles I. confined 
 there 60. 
 
 Cromwel Oliver enters Reading gg. Opinion 
 of Charles I. 60. Appoints the school- 
 master 203. 
 
 Cromwell lord Thomas, high steward 377. 
 
 Crown inn 277. Fields 277. 
 
 Cudwerthians 130. 
 
 Curfew 301, 330. 
 
 Cutlers' company 348, 
 
 Danes, piratical incursions 2. Unite the Thames 
 
 and Kennet 3. House 4. 
 David, king of Scotland 263. 
 Davenport Mr. not elected to the scholarship 
 
 Deane Henry, esq. 75, 8j, 83. 
 
 Deane John, esq. 77. 
 
 Deane Thomas 399. 
 
 Dene William, his tomb 184. 
 
 Debating society 81. 
 
 Decree, arciibishop Laud's 156. Of commis- 
 sioners concerning St. Giles's cliurch-lands 
 337. Ditto, keepers of the guild 355, 359. 
 
 Declaration of loyalty 81. On the petition to 
 the commons 11 1. 
 
 Deed ancient concerning St. Mary's parish 307. 
 
 Demonium meridianum 305. 
 
 Dennison, rev. Dr. 304. Modeiator of the 
 free school 338, 
 
 Dies for coining 264. 
 
 Dinners public, unconstitutional 103. On the 
 peace 426. 
 
 Dispensary 139. 
 
 Dodd John, esq, contested election 241, 
 
 Dodd's-mcad 298. 
 
 Domblcton William, abbot 271. 
 
 Doomsday book 120, 121. 
 
 Duddlesford manor 276. 
 
 Earlc Thomas, abbot, 271 . 
 
 Earthquake at Lisbon 6g. 
 
 Edmund Ironside 7. 
 
 Education national 216. Lancastrian 2i3. 
 
 Edward the confessor 7. 
 
 Edward IL 15. IIL 16. IV. 21. VI. his 
 reception 21. 
 
 Edward abbot, 269. 
 
 Election, right of 66, 2ig, 221, 227. Contro- 
 verted 224. Void 229, 239. 
 
 Elfrida, her monastery burnt 7. 
 
 Elizabeth queen 22, 317. Gifts to the town 344 
 
 Elkins William, his legacy 408. 
 
 Elwes Elizabeth, her legacy 403. 
 
 Englefield 3. Battle of 45. Church of 2C0. 
 
 Englcfield sir Henry 248. 
 
 Entries remarkable 308. 
 
 Escutcheon ancient 310. 
 
 Essex, Robert Devereux, earl of 380. 
 
 Essex, earl of, lays siege to Reading 32. 
 
 Essex, Henry de, duel with Robert de Mont- 
 forde q, 
 
 3 M 
 
 Estates, corporation, mortgaged 29, 30, 
 
 Ethelwulph) earl of Berks> 3. 
 
 Ethered besieges Reading 3. His de»tk 4* 
 
 Ethered II. flies to Normandy 7. 
 
 Eve 326, 
 
 Evidences, St. Giles's embezzled 336. 
 
 Fairs 167, 260, 265, 326, 327. 
 
 Faringdon Hugh, abbot 272. 
 
 Fees, power to take xiv. 
 
 Fees lo the 'King's officers 22. 
 
 Fellows, St. John, the baptist's xxviii. 
 
 Fermary garden 285. 
 
 Ferrers Roger de 260. 
 
 Field farm 408. 
 
 Fielding, governor 37. Tried by a court mai". 
 
 tial 40. 
 Fight, Reading 63. 
 Finch Henry 79185. 
 Fines of burgesses 345, 361. Of companies 348. 
 
 Of aldermen 361 . 
 Fines, how to be applied xi. 
 Fisiiing-ph;ce 287. 
 Flesh shambles 358. 
 Flints 246. 
 
 Florcy Aubrey, esq. his legacy 211, 417. 
 Forbury 27, 135, 287. Gate 396. 
 Fort-royal 34. 
 
 Foreigners not to reside here 363. 
 Foundations religious 243. 
 Fowler, rev. Christopher, vicar 304. 
 Fox, rev. Francis, vicar 306. 
 Fox Charles, esq. 76. 
 Francl-.ise elective 230. 
 Freemen, number of, 353. 
 Free school 184. 
 
 Friars library 294. Church 291. Grey 29^. 
 Friary surrendered 293. Records of 294. 
 Frognal Mrs. her legacy an, 417. 
 Frogmarsii 277. 
 Fuel, fund for 401. 
 
 Gallery, St. Gihs's 329. 
 
 Garr.ird, Wm. esq. 104. 
 
 Garrard Thomas 203, 425. 
 
 Gate Forbury 249. 
 
 Gaunt John of, marriage of 16. Escorted tf. 
 
 Reading 18. 
 Gerrard Thomas, schoolmaster 203. 
 Gifts to the representatives 222. 
 Gift, sir Thomas Whyte's 397. 
 Gilbcrtson George, alderman 104. 
 Giles's St. parish 229. 
 Gleed Thomas, alderman 103. 
 Gostwick William, schoolmaster 203. 
 Governors of the free school 2ic» 
 Grange wharf 286, 
 Green school 208. 
 Grey, Lidv Elizabeth 2t. 
 Grey William, esq. 284. 
 Grey friars 294, 
 Guns, report of gg. 
 Q
 
 xxxu 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Gunter Nicholas, his legacy 407. 
 Guild-merchant 341. 
 Guthrun, a Danish chief 6. 
 
 Halden makes a peace with Alfred 6. 
 
 HaU, town 77. 
 
 Hall John, his school 207. Legacy 412, 
 
 HjH Mr. his fine reduced 361. 
 
 Hall or consislory 251. 
 
 Hamblin Edward committed to the compter 
 362. Compounded !^(/. His charity 401. 
 
 Hammond col, 136, 228, 386. 
 
 Hand, liunian, found 280. 
 
 Hand-biU on the Forbury 137. 
 
 Hariison's barn 34. 
 
 Harrison George, his request 136. 
 
 Harrison Barnard's gift 402. 
 
 George, his legacy 413. 
 
 Harris Robert, esq. 96, 104. 
 
 Harvey Mr. standing overseer 146. 
 
 Havdon Mrs. her legacy 324. 
 
 Helias, abbot 270. 
 
 Henley taken by the parliament's forces 30. 
 
 Henley Thomas, abbot 271, 
 
 Henncberg church 259. 
 
 Henry I. builds the "abbey 7. Monument 8. 
 Burial 280. 
 
 Henry II. g. 
 
 Heniy III. kept his christmas here, 13. 
 
 Henry Vth. his proclamation 20. 
 
 Henry Vlth institutes a new order 20. 
 
 Heraclius the pope's legate o. 
 
 Herbert Edward, esq. the king's solicitor re- 
 turned to parliament 223. 
 
 Heston, church of 260. 
 
 High stewards 221, 375. 
 
 Highways 303. 
 
 Hiley»rev. Haviland John, schoolmaster 203. 
 
 Hinguar, a Danish chief, 3 
 
 History natural 147. 
 
 Holland, earl of 223, 377. 
 
 Holmes Elizabeth, her legacy 324. 
 
 Holt sir Thomas, recorder 391. 
 
 Holy brook 255. 
 
 Holy sepulchre, the keys of 9, 
 
 Holyman John, abbot 267, 
 
 Hood Robin 327. 
 
 Hooper Robert compelled to leave the town 
 
 „ 363. 
 
 Hospital Christ's .\xiv, 
 
 Houghton manor 276. 
 
 House exchanged 320. 
 
 House, the fletcher's 2t. 
 
 Houses great, not to be divided into tene- 
 ments ix. Not to be thatched x. 
 
 Hoveden, his account of the trench cut by 
 the Danes 3. 
 
 Hubba, a Danish chief, 3; 
 
 Hugh, abbot 269. 
 
 Hungerford Edward, his gift 416. 
 
 Hussey Thomas, his gift 414, 324,. 
 
 Images 311. 
 
 Incorporation of the borough il. 
 
 Indenture parliamentaiy 225. 
 
 Independants, meeting of 129. 
 
 Industry, school of 212. 
 
 Information, bill of 153. 
 
 Inquisition on St. Lawrence's church living- 
 322. At Newbury, on St. Giles 'i church- 
 lands 334. 
 
 Institution 139. 
 
 Insurance office wanted 134, 
 
 Interdiction, the pope's 262. 
 
 Irish troops fired on by the inhabitants 64. 
 
 Ireland, rev. Thos. schoolmaster, a lunatic 203. 
 
 Ironmonger, Wm. his legacy 408. 
 
 Ironside Richard, his legacy 403, 
 
 Islands 329. 
 
 Ivar, a Danish chief 2, 6, 
 
 Jacob on devisees 292, 
 
 James, the apostle, his relics and hand 8, 279^ 
 
 Jayes Richard, his legacy 411. 
 
 Jemmatt, rev. Wm. vicar, 339. 
 
 Jemmatt Samuel, his legacy 412. 
 
 Jenkins Griffin, his legacy 405. 
 
 Jennings Robert expelled the free school 203» 
 
 Jerusalem, the royal banners of g. 
 
 Jesse Mr. 99. 
 
 Jew, forgery of a 271. 
 
 Jewels pledged to the monks 16. 
 
 Jewish converts quartered on the abbey 13. 
 
 Jewels, abbey, borrowed 279. 
 
 Joceline, bishop of Bath, consecrated 10. 
 
 John, prince, calls a convention at Loddon* 
 
 bridge 10, 
 Johnson Richard, his legacy 324, 406. 
 Johnson John, his gift 324, 401. 
 Johnson's yard 403. 
 Jones William, his legacy 411, 
 Joseph, abbot 269, 
 Jubilee 104. 
 Judas 314. 
 
 Justice, courts of 257. 
 Justices, county, not to interfere xii. 
 To be sworn xii. 
 
 Katesgrove, a rent charge 416, 
 
 Kemis Edward, his legacy 399, 
 
 Kendrick John 150, 153,404. 
 
 Kendrick John, his will xxii, 
 
 Kendrick sir William, 229. 
 
 Kendrick William, 407. 
 
 Kendrick, Mrs. Mary 414. 
 
 Kennet river made navigable 67. 
 
 Kennet and Avon canal opened 67. 
 
 Kenric, a Danish chief 1. 
 
 Kitchen-end 251. 
 
 Knapp Augustine, his legacy 398, 
 
 Knight Nathan, esq, his election 229. 
 
 Knight Roger, his legacy 324, 408. 
 
 Knights spiritual made by the abbot 258. 
 
 Knollys, sir Francis, elected by the corporation 
 
 3£1.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 xxxm 
 
 Knollys, viscount WallingFord 381, 
 KnoUys, sir Robert ig, 236. 
 
 Lamb Musgrave, his manufactory 161, 
 
 Lancaster Benjamin, esq. 85. 
 
 Land, power to purchase xvii. 
 
 Lands abbey, value of 287. Tithe free 288, 
 
 Lane George, his legacy 402, 
 
 Lathbury friar John 267, 
 
 Latimer bishop, his sermon 3271 
 
 Laud's archbishop birth 23. Trial of 4,5. 
 
 Execution 47. Character 52, Diary c6. 
 
 Charities 323, 409. 
 Lawrence's St. church and parish 310, 322. 
 
 Augmentation 409. Patronage 323, 410. 
 
 Garden 323, Church-yard enlarged 31,5. 
 Laws, power to make x. 
 Leche John alias John a Larder, his deed of gift 
 
 XX. His estates, where situated xx. 
 Leche John, his gift 395. 
 Lecture monthly 130. Read 272. 
 Ledger book of the abbey 266, 288. 
 Lefevre Charles Shaw, esq. 102, 240. 
 L.egg alias Thorne,. his legacy 402. 
 Leggatt John, his legacy 207, 211, 417. 
 Leicester earl of, high steward 380. 
 Leiland's derivation of Reading 118, 
 Leominster abbey 256. 
 Lepers, hospital for 269. 
 Licenses, power to grant xiii, 
 Lindgross priory 262. 
 Livings, abbey 278. 
 
 Lloyd, rev. Wm. vicar 305. His letter 323, 
 Loans of money, gratis xxvi, xxvii. 
 Loan to Charles I. 29. Refused 279, Free 397. 
 Lock-mead 304. 
 
 Loddon-bridge, convention at 10. 
 Lodge porters 285. 
 Lottery-money 403. 
 Love Mary, her legacy 403. 
 Lusus helmontiae 148. 
 Lydall Thomas, his legacy 323, 399. 
 
 Mace, the, not to be used 392, 424, 
 
 Mace, sergeants of vii. 
 
 Maid Marian 328. 
 
 Maids poor xxv. 
 
 Maidenhead-road act 68. 
 
 Mainwaring, his letter to archbishop Laud 411. 
 
 Militia local 103. 
 
 Malthus William, his legacy 207, 324, 413. 
 
 Manor of Reading i68. Of Battel 5. 
 
 Manors belonging to the abbey 275, 423, 
 
 Manufacture', gauze 161. 
 
 Market-place, house in the, exchanged 320, 
 
 Market and staple of cloth removed 25. 
 
 Markets 166. 
 
 Marsh Henry, esq. 99, 182, 
 
 Martin Harry 27. 
 
 Martin William, 406, 
 
 Mary, queen 22. 
 
 Mary's St. parish and church 298, 
 
 Masters of the free school ^gS. To be ex- 
 amined 202. 
 Master of the guild 341. 
 Matilda, empress at Reading 8, 282. 
 May Thomas, schoolmaster 203. 
 May, priory of 263. 
 Mayors first appointed 343, Choice of 354, 
 
 360, 367. Oath 360. List of 368. 
 Mayor, how chosen iii. Refusing to act viii. 
 
 Oath to be taken by the corporate body 
 
 viii. 
 Mayors to be justices xi. 
 Mayor the, with the steward to frame the oatli 
 
 viii. 
 Mayor, deputy viii. 
 Meeting on the treason bills 84, 
 Members, wages of 220. List of 232. 
 Memorial of Francis Annesley, esq. 240» 
 Merantem 4. 
 Mercers' company 347. 
 Methodists chapel 130. 
 Mews, re/. Peter, vicar 305. 
 Michaelmas term held here 24, 
 Military 177, 424. 
 Mill Calcot 275. 
 Mill-lane, repairs of 407. 
 Mills 127, 275. 
 Mills John, his legacy 403. 
 Milton John 61. 
 Mine sprung 253. 
 Mint, privilege of 256, 264. 
 Misdemeanors, power to enquire into Jrir. 
 Misrule, lord of 328. 
 Mitchel Francis, his legacy 412. 
 Mitford Dr. 85, 97. 
 Mitford rev. Charles 99. 
 Monastery for nuns 7. Situated 243, 
 Monck J. Berkley, esq. 99, 100, to2. 
 Monks benedictine 255, 266. Annuities to 
 
 274. Character 290. 
 Monument, sir T. Rich's 205. 
 Moreton, supposed Merantem 4, 
 Morton, captain 180. 
 Morley Henry, his legacy 407. 
 Mortgage of corporation lands 29, 30. 
 Mortimer common 4. 
 Mote-hall, Tyglehurst 277. 
 Mountford Robert accuses Henry of Essex 8» 
 
 Duel 9. 
 Mynstrer or minster 244. 
 
 Names of places, Saxon iig. 
 
 Nares, rev. archdeacon, vicar 306, 
 
 Neal Joseph, his legacy 212, 416. 
 
 Neville sir Henry, high steward 380. 
 
 Newbury, borough of xxv. 
 
 Newbury, battle of 45. 
 
 Newbery Thomas 86, 180. 
 
 Newman John his legacy 404. 
 
 Newman Ann, her annuity xxiii. 
 
 New-rents 335. -j 
 
 Nicholas de Quaplode, abbot 27.1,
 
 XXXIV 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 NichoUs doctor, vicar 75, 326. 
 Nobility, title of 168, 
 Norwood Mrs. her legacy 413. 
 Nunnery 243. 
 
 Oath mayors' 366. Burgesses 346, 359. 
 
 Officers of the crown, fees of 22, 
 
 Officers of the abbey 272. 
 
 Officers of the borough, by whom elected viii. 
 
 Old-street, on the Seven-bridges xxi. 
 
 Opinion on the scholarships 189. 
 
 Oracle, or work-house, 28, 144,151,159' -^ 
 
 barrack. j6o. Expense of building 153. 
 
 Made a work-house 144. Derivation of 
 
 152- 
 Orchilla 152. 
 
 Orchard, vicar's 304. 
 
 Order for the regulation of shops on Sunday 101. 
 
 Organs 315, 331. Takers 315. 
 
 Ornaments of the abbey 247. 
 
 Orphans, court of xiv. 
 
 Ortes, the town, m.ortgaged 29, 248. 
 
 Orte bridge 286. 
 
 Oito, the pope's legate 12. 
 
 Oxford university removed to Reading 11. 
 
 Oyster-shells, bed of 148. 
 
 Page William, schoolmaster 202. 
 
 Paintings in the friery church egi. On glass 
 
 94. 
 Pain M.ntthcw 28. 
 Palmer Julius, school-master 193. 
 Palmer William, his legacy 398. 
 Pangbourn rectory 278. 
 Papers concerning the abbey 288. 
 Parish, St. Lawrence's 310. St, Mary's 298. 
 
 St, Giles's 329. 
 Parishes, union of 144. 
 Park, abbey 248, 260. 
 Parkins William 180. 
 Parliaments held here 9, 14, 19, 20. First 
 
 established 14. 
 Paving, act for 77. 
 Pay weekly to the poor 139. 
 Peace justices of 345, 
 
 Peace signed 96. 
 
 Peat 147. 
 
 Peckham, John de, archbishop of Canterbury, 
 convokes a synod here 14, 
 
 Penalty on non-payment of the 104^, xxviii. 
 
 Penny, abbey 264. 
 
 Pensions to the abbot 273. To the monks 274. 
 
 Perambulation of the borough xvii. 
 
 Pest-house 25, 
 
 Petition to Charles I. 29. 
 
 Petitions to parliament 67, 68, 75, 79, 87, 109, 
 110, 114, 226. 
 
 Pews, tax on 299. 
 
 Pig-tythe 322. 
 
 Pin manufactory 160. 
 
 Pinnacles, St. Mary's x.xvi. 
 
 Pipe, leaden, foupd 254. 
 
 Pitt William, esq. thanks to 78. 
 
 Plague ^,4. 
 
 Plate, St. Lawrence's 312, 
 
 Plav I'f the resurrection 326. 
 
 Plumm?ry ditch 3, 286. 
 
 Pocock James, his legacy 400. 
 
 Pocock Samuel, schoolmaster 202. 
 
 Poll-paper 239. 
 
 Pond-haics 285. 
 
 Pontage xvi. 
 
 Pontes not Reading 118 
 
 Poor 139. Of St. Lawrence's 145. In tho 
 
 oracle 144. 
 Poor sisters almshouse 184. 
 Poor to receive Mr. Kendrick's gift xxiii. 
 Pope the, confirms the abbey charter 261. 
 
 Pope Mr. elected to a scholarship 193. 
 
 Population abstracts 123. 
 
 Pordage John 305. 
 
 Portman's brook 135. 
 
 Portraits in the council-chamber 128. 
 
 Port's-mouth 250. 
 
 Possessions of the abbey not to be alienated 263. 
 
 Pottengcr John, his gift 207. Legacy 414. 
 
 Pot-wabblers 66. 
 
 Poulton, Mr. Charles 104, 108. 
 
 Powell, doctor, vicar 303. 
 
 Prayers, early 407. 
 
 Presentments jurors 334. 
 
 Prior of the abbey 257, 294. 
 
 Privileges 165. 
 
 Proclamation, king Henry's 20. 
 
 Provisions, prices of 71, 142, 
 
 Puntfield, rQad to 66. 
 
 Quakers' meeting 129. 
 Quilifieation of scholars 195. 
 Quarter-sessions 128, 
 
 Radnor, earl of 211, 
 
 Radyngc, chapter of 262, 
 
 Radynge-plnce, London, 276. 
 
 Radynge, Robert of 267. 
 
 Rates, amount of 140. 
 
 Rats white 148. 
 
 Reading, history of i. Origin il>iJ. Burnt 7. 
 Siege of 30. Evacuated by Essex 45. By 
 the king's forces 59. Fight 62. A county 
 128. Town of 116. Etymology of ibid. 
 
 Reading to ha\e the reversion of the legacy 
 left to Newbury on misapplication xxv. 
 
 Recognizances xv. 
 
 Record, court of 128. 
 
 Record, Court of xiii. 
 
 Recorders 375, 389. Duties ibid. 
 390. 'I'wo appointed 378. 
 List of 391. 
 
 Reeves William, vicar 306. 
 
 Reeves Robert, gift of 403. 
 
 Reform of parliament 101. 
 
 Reginald, aljbot 269. 
 
 Reginald de Curtenea 283. 
 
 Salary 378, 
 Fees 390.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 XXXV 
 
 Relics 279. 
 
 Rennie Mr. his plan of the canal 162. 
 
 Rents, St. Giles's 333. Quit 332. 
 
 Representation 219. 
 
 Representatives, pay of 220. How chosen 221, 
 
 List of 232. 
 Requisition for a hall 104, 108. 
 Resolutions 78. On the duke of York 102. 
 
 On the jubilee io5. On the Walcheren 
 
 expedition 108, On the right to the For- 
 
 bury 138. 
 Return petitioned against 226. 
 Revenues of the abbey 274. 
 Richard II. 18. Earl of Cornwall 12. 
 Rich, sir Henry, carl of Holland, high steward 
 
 381. His death 383. 
 Rich, sir Thomas 205, 411. 
 Richards, Richard 104. John 210, 416. His 
 
 legacy 4' 7- 
 Richard, abbot 270. 
 Richard de Banaster alias Radyng 271. 
 Ridalgos priory 263. 
 Right to possess manors, lands, &c, ii. 
 Riots 70 
 
 Robert de Sigillo 267. 
 Robert de Buighare, abbot 27J. 
 Robin Hood 327. 
 Rockington church 259, 
 Roger, abbot 269. 
 Rowel! John 94. 
 Rowington manor 276. 
 Russel Nicholas, his legacy 40O. 
 
 Sail-cloth manufactories 65. 
 
 Salem chapel 130. 
 
 Sanctuary 332. 
 
 Saunders, su- John, recorder 221, 278. 
 
 Saunders Joseph, a burgess, pillored and ex- 
 pelled 362. 
 
 Saxons defeated 3. At Merantem 4. 
 
 Scallop shells 280. 
 
 Schools 184, Free 21, 184, 395. Blue-coat 
 203. Green girls 208. Foundation 212. 
 Sunday 213. Lancastrian 213. National 
 216. Of Industry 212. 
 
 School free, list of masters 196. 
 
 School house, subscription for 185. 
 
 School green, funded stock 212. 
 
 Scholarships 185, 
 
 Scutage 258. 
 
 Seal, abbey, forged 271, 280. Common 392. 
 
 Seal in two parts xvi. 
 
 Seal common ii. 
 
 Sebrightford manor 276. 
 
 Sergeants at mace 392. 
 
 Servants of the abbot 272. 
 
 Service, divine, at six o'clock xxvi. 
 
 Sessions, quarter, power to hold xiii. 
 
 Shaile Richard, his legacy 405, 
 
 Shambles 354. 
 
 Sherfield farm 205. 
 
 Ship money 26. 
 
 Shirley, Mr. his legacy 402. 
 
 Shute Dr. his epitaph 326. 
 
 Sickness of the garrison 42. 
 
 Sidmouth viscount 388. 
 
 Simeon Edward 213. His legacy 419, 
 
 Simeon John, esq. 103, 240. 
 
 Simonds James 75. W. Blackall 104. 
 
 Simonds Henry 425. 
 
 Simon, abbot 270. 
 
 Skeletons found 253, 282, 295. 
 
 Skipton, major-general 33, 
 
 Slave bill 79. 
 
 Smith, rev. James 2U, 
 
 Smyth John, schoolmaster 201. 
 
 Society, debating 81. 
 
 Soup shops 96. 
 
 Soathcot, hamlet of 126. 
 
 Sowdon Thomas 104. 
 
 Spicer, rev. John 137, 203, 2i 1 . His legacy 41 7. 
 
 Spire, St. Giles's 330, 
 
 Strangers not admitted 363, 
 
 Stalls 357. 
 
 Stanford, lands in 260. 
 
 Stanshawe Robert 292. 
 
 Stanton church 260. 
 
 Stanton Harccurt rectory 276, 
 
 Staple of wool 25. 
 
 Stephens John. esq. 104, 182. '\Villiam 104. 
 
 Steward high 375. List of 391. 
 
 Steward 389. 
 
 Steward iv. Election of v. 
 
 Stock, common xxiv. 
 
 Stone used in the abbey 246. 
 
 Streets, names of 147. 
 
 Strode William, esq. election void 239. 
 
 Sturges, rev. Charles, vicar 306. 
 
 Subsidy, how levied 2j. 
 
 Sugar-loaves presented 202. 
 
 Sun-lane widened 68. 
 
 Survey of the abbey 285, 
 
 Sutton John de, abbot 271. 
 
 William de, abbot ibid. 
 Swadden, rev. William, his legacy 404. 
 Swallowfield, estate at 400. 
 Swans, game of 365. 
 Sweyn, king of Denmark, lands 6. 
 Sykes Francis, appointed attorney of the court 
 
 Synod 11, 14. 
 
 Tanner Jonathan, esq. 79, 114, 182, 
 
 Tanners' company 350. 
 
 Taylor, doctor 80. 
 
 Taylors', merchant, hall xxvii. 
 
 Taylor William, alias Plonk, his legacy 407. 
 
 Taxes under the commonwealth 61. 
 
 Tenement in the market-place exchanged 320. 
 
 Term held here 14, 24, 25. 
 
 Terrier, St. Mark's 306. St. Lawrence's 319, 
 
 321. St. Giles's 332. 
 Thackham Thomas, schoolmaster 201. 
 Thames united to the Kennct 3.
 
 XXXVl 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Thatcham church S56. Maiket 260. 
 
 Theatre 131. 
 
 Thorne John, abbot zjl, 395. 
 
 Thome Elizabeth, her legacy 325. 
 
 Thorne Thomas fined 3G1. 
 
 Thorne Anthony alias Legg, his legacy 402. 
 
 Tiles first used 349. 
 
 Tolls of fairs 276, Markets Hid. Bridges 365. 
 Mortgaged 29. Of Caversham-bridge dis- 
 puted 365. 
 
 Tower, St. Giles''s 330. 
 
 Town 1 1 6. Form of 1 26. The abbots 356. 
 
 Town-hall 127. 
 
 Town-clerk 390. 
 
 Trade of the town 150, 161. 
 
 Transept 252. 
 
 Treacher William, committed for speaking 
 against the oracle 153. 
 
 Tresilian, judge 19. 
 
 Tunbridgc school 186. 
 
 Turner Richard grants a lease of Colney- 
 chantry 297. 
 
 Turner Richard, his legacy 400. 
 
 Twlnio Margaret 295. 
 
 Twyford, skeletons discoveted at 63. 
 
 Tyler's rebellion 17. Joined by the inhabit- 
 ants of Reading 18. 
 
 Unitarian chapel 130* 
 
 Valpy, rev. Dr. 83, 86, 96, 99, 103. 
 
 Vansittart Henry 73. 
 
 Vatchel Mr. his election disputed 225. 
 
 Vatchel sir Thomas, his gift 408. 
 
 Vaughan rev. Philip, his legacy 324, 415. 
 
 Vault, sir F. KnoUys 318. 
 
 Veasey Mrs. Rachael, her legacy 211, 417. 
 
 Vernicle 313. 
 
 Vestments 313. 
 
 Vicars, of St. Mary's 304. St. Lawrence's 325. 
 
 St. Giles's 338. 
 Vicarage of St. Lawrence 322. 
 Victuallers' company 352. 
 Vines Edward 09. 
 
 Viscounts, first created at Reading 20. 
 Visitation by the abbot of St. Albans 271. 
 Visitors of sir Thomas White's gift xxviii. 
 Volunteers 83. Extend their services go. Dis- 
 
 missed 104. 
 Vote, casting viii. 
 Votes for representatives 229, 241. 
 Voting, right of 219. 
 
 Waddon William, schoolmaster 203. 
 Wallingford burnt ^. 
 Walk, the church 318. 
 Wallingford earl of 221, 376. 
 Walls, interior, of the abbey 245, 
 
 Walter John, esq. a candidate 74. 
 
 Walter Jacob 85, 99. 
 
 Warcup Randulph, his legacy 406. 
 
 Ward Thomas 104. His legacy 41 1. 
 
 Ward-men 347, 
 
 Wards 346. 
 
 Wargrave church 256, 278. 
 
 Warrants not to be directed to the sheriff or 
 
 coroner of Berks xii. 
 Watlingtpn William 180. 
 Warwick, lands in 260. 
 Water, nature of 131. 
 Water-works 132. 
 Watts alderman 394, 
 Weller John, the artist 92, 
 Webbe lady Bennet 303. 
 Webb John, his legacy 411. 
 Webbe sir William 303. 
 West llsley register 60. 
 West John, his charities 207, 397, 414. Ser« 
 
 mon 304. 
 West Mrs. Frances, her legacy 415, 
 Wheat, price of in 1800, 92. 
 Wharf public 164. 
 
 White sir Thomas, his indenture xxviia 
 White Thomas, esq. 108. 
 Whitesbury manor 276. 
 Whitley hamlet 126. 
 
 Whitley, lands in 260, 268. Manor 275. 
 Whitlock, high steward 387, 425, 
 
 Whyte, sir Thomas 185, 390. 
 
 W^ickens, his sentence 51. 
 
 Wilde Wm. vicar 339. 
 
 William, prince, buried here 8. 
 
 William of Radynge 267. 
 
 William, abbot 269. 
 
 Williams Wm. 180, 182. 
 
 Williamshurst John 182, 
 
 Wimbleton Mrs. her legacy 402, 
 
 Winch James 157. 
 
 Winch Richard, his legacy 406, 
 
 Windhull manor 276. 
 
 Windows abbey 253. 
 
 Window, St. Mary's church 300. 
 
 Wire-mill 298. 
 
 Wise, rev. William, school-master 203. 
 
 Worcester Thomas de, abbot 271. 
 
 Workhouse 159, 292. 
 
 Workhouse, persons placed therein may b* 
 displaced xxiii. 
 
 Worseley Mary, her legacy 402. 
 
 Writ, motion for 73. 
 
 Wyboe Peter, his legacy 403. 
 
 Wycheber church 259. 
 
 Yately Richard de, abbot 271, 
 Yattendon, poor of 400. 
 Yield hall 292. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 Snare and Man, Printers, Snen Bridges, Reading.
 
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