,('■ 
 
 
 
 
 WL 
 
 
 
 
 ■ ' *'C '* 
 
 }%■■■ 
 
 
 
 
 i*» 
 
 P 
 
 
 
 *t 
 
 
 S • 
 
 'j?* 
 
 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 -'-. 
 
CA f < OCNlA 
 
 1 r ; £" res ^,''\ X' c ' u ^ in Staffordshire 
 
 "»»«™que Views in Staffordshire Rnin-Svcd I / / , 
 
 2^ W a rasp ^-^ «~-A*- '«~* %^, ^ 
 
 iue Views in Shropshire, by Calvert. 'Descriptionir 
 it ; 34 fine plates, 4to, half morocco, 25/- 1831 
 
 s^^jL ^6c£T /w^*^-^ 
 
 1^ 
 
 Views in Shropshire ; plates, 4to, halt 
 
 , halt A 
 
 ,830 
 , half [ 
 
 »5/- 
 e Views in Staffordshire ; plates, 4to 
 
 •Sh 1830 
 
 e Views of Castles and County Houses in 
 e; 4to, cloth, fz.\- _ 1885 
 
 
 
 6ue±yrfz 
 
 
 /<r^ 
 
 
 
 4/a£ 
 
 AS#Pl**f 
 
 £ ^/&+6y 
 
 ^f/jY^Co^i^^j> fa 
 
* ^ $^^fW^ X^^- 
 
 'kxfjM-ssyj. _ 
 
 e#~ 
 
 ItnrU a^^ 
 
 fe y® 
 
 w> 
 
 u 
 
 V 
 
 *K 
 

 * v ^, 
 
5- 
 
PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 AND DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 CITIES, TOWNS, CASTI.ES, MANSIONS, 
 
 AND OTHER 
 
 OBJECTS OF INTERESTING FEATURE, 
 
 IN 
 
 TAFF§11§MI1I 
 
 9 
 
 FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS, TAKEN EXPRESSLY FOR THIS WORK, 
 
 BY FREDERICK CALVERT; 
 
 EINKSKAWI® ©M STEEL ®Y M\& a T. G8AE>©LWIFII : 
 
 WITH HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 BY WILLIAM WEST. 
 
 BIRMINGHAM : 
 PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM EMANS, 170, BROMSGROVE STREET. 
 
 1834. 
 
\ 
 
5 7 &17 
 
 INTRODUCTION. M # (AJ 
 
 The intention of the following pages has been to present short sketches of 
 the principal Towns, and most of the Mansions and Seats of the Nobility 
 and Gentry, with which this delightful and interesting County is so 
 abundantly graced. 
 
 The Proprietor is aware that the Work might have been carried to a far 
 greater extent, but he has been unwilling to increase the expenses of the 
 Publication by elaborate details. 
 
 References have been made to the ancient as well as to the modern 
 structures, which perhaps exceed in this those of most other Counties ; 
 Views of the most interesting will be found to be accurately delineated. 
 
 In the concluding pages is given a general outline of the County, as 
 regards its ancient name, its Topographical situation, Climate, and Soil, as well 
 as an account of its Agriculture, Commerce and Population, Civil and 
 Ecclesiastical establishments, &c. 
 
 In reference to various places described, some Biographical sketches, and 
 traits are inserted to eminent men, to whom the County has had the honour 
 of giving birth. 
 
 I 091 
 
PICTUKESQUE VIEWS 
 
 OF 
 
 STAFFORDSHIRE 
 
 LICHFIELD, 
 
 Formerly called Litchfield, and said to be of Saxon origin, is an ancient and interesting city, 
 and approached with feelings of veneration and respect, by all admirers of architectural taste, 
 and of the literary character : it is topographically described, as containing three parishes, in 
 Offlers hundred, Staffordshire, on a small branch of the Trent 16 miles N. of Birmingham, and 
 119, N. W. from London by Coventry, 67 from Manchester, 30 from Newcastle, 16 from 
 Wolverhampton, 16 from Stafford, 9 from Walsal, 7 from Rugeley, and 7 from Tamworth. 
 It is a city and county of itself, lying in the lap of a delightful and fertile valley surrounded by 
 gentle eminences, and nearly in the centre of England. It consists of four principal streets, and 
 several of a minor character ; but the majority of the houses are very handsome, and are occupied 
 by persons of independent fortunes, whose good taste and love of quiet and retirement it would 
 appear, has attached them and their families so long and so closely to this small city. The 
 cathedral commands much interest, and the associations connected with it, considerable clas- 
 sical taste. This circumstance and the picturesque beauty of the surrounding country, thickly 
 studded, as it is, with the mansions and demesnes (which we shall hereafter describe) of the 
 nobility and gentry, naturally renders this city the desirable place of residence for the class of 
 persons already noticed. 
 
 The city is divided by a small stream of water from the Close, which consists of the bishop's 
 palace and houses principally belonging to the church. — The city contained in 1821 — 1028 
 houses and 4022 inhabitants, 2237 of whom were males and 2783 females — and although 509 
 
 B 
 
2 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 families were said to be employed in various trades and manufactures, they are not of a descrip- 
 tion that can affect the health of the inhabitants, being principally, in addition to the usual handy 
 craft trades, that of manufacturing carpets, horse rugs and sail cloth, coarse earthen-ware, tan- 
 ning-leather, kc. Lichfield is said to have originated from the ruins of a Roman town, called 
 Elocteum, about a mile distant ( Chesterjield Wall), at the crossing of the Ikenild and Watling- 
 street roads. 
 
 The cathedral it is said was first built at the early date of 300 — rebuilt in 766 by Offa, king 
 of Mercia, who, in the latter part of the 8th century erected this city into an archbishopric, but 
 it was soon after under the archbishop of Canterbury reduced to a bishopric. This see was re- 
 moved to Chester in 1075 — and in 1102 to Coventry, but soon after was restored to Lichfield 
 united with Coventry. The cathedral was again rebuilt in 1148, and considerably enlarged in 
 1296. There appears, however, a great contrariety of opinion respecting the origin of this city 
 and its cathedral, which has occasioned learned controversies among antiquaries. Mr. Britton, 
 that excellent antiquary and historian of Lichfield, and of all our principal cathedrals, observe* 
 that " the name of Lichfield is of Saxon origin, but its Etymology has long been a subject of 
 dispute. In the Saxon chronicle the word is written Licetjield ; in Bede, Lycetfelth and Licit- 
 field ; subsequent writers call it Licethfield, Lichesfield, and Lychefield. By some authors it is 
 derived from " leccian" to water; as being watered by the river; by others from " lose e^ a 
 physician ; perhaps it may with more probability be supposed to have originated in the verb 
 " licean" or " lician," to like, or be agreeable ; and therefore to signify pleasant field. But it 
 has generally been considered as derived from lie, a dead body, and consequently as signifying 
 u cadaverum campus," the field of dead bodies. This derivation is however conceived to be sup- 
 ported by a tradition, which prevails very generally in Lichfield, that of the martyrdom of a 
 great number of British Christians there, during the persecution under Dioclesian and Maximian : 
 as this tradition has been noticed in every history of the cathedral, and by some is adduced as 
 the reason for the establishment of the see on the spot consecrated by an event of such religious im- 
 portance, it cannot with propriety be neglected in this place. The substance of it is, that a thou- 
 sand Christians, the disciples of St. Amphibalus, suffered martrydom in the time of that perse- 
 cution, on the ground whereon Lichfield was afterwards built ; " whence the city retains the 
 name of Lichfield or Cadaverum Campus, the field of dead bodies, and bears for its device rather 
 ihan arms, an escutcheon, of landscape with many martyrs in it, several ways massacred." But 
 as this device could not have been used in any authentic shape before the incorporation of the 
 guild in 1387, it can add little weight to the tradition of a fact so very remote. Several 
 writers of eminence are of opinion, that St. Amphibalus never existed ; that his name originated 
 in a mistake made by Jeffrey of Monmouth, that the whole legend relating to him was fabricated 
 after the time of that historian, and that " the first authentic mention of Lichfield occurs in 
 Bede's Ecclesiastical History, where it is alluded to as the see of an Anglo-Saxon bishop, nearly 
 four hundred years after the date ascribed to the martyrdom of the disciples of Amphibalus.'* 
 Dr. Stukely derives the Etymology of the name of this city from Lich, a Saxon word, signifying 
 a morass, and which not only appears to correspond with the term '■' Cadaverum Campus,'" but 
 also agrees with the name and site of Lichfield. In consulting authorities, it appears, that during 
 the war between Charles I. and his parliament, this city was several times taken and retaken ; 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 3 
 
 and during these unhappy disputes the cathedral was garrisoned by royal troops, ana suuered 
 materially. 
 
 Lord Brook and Sir John Gell, in March, 1643, the former was shot through the eye, by a 
 o-entleman of the Dyott family, and the spot where he fell is now distinguished by a pavement 
 of white pebbles, and a marble tablet bearing an inscription commemorating the event. During 
 these unhappy disputes the cathedral suffered very considerable damage, not orrfy from the fire 
 of the batteries and musketry, but also from the rapacity of the republican soldiers. Immedi- 
 ately after the restoration, Dr. Hackett was appointed to this see ; and he the very morning 
 after his arrival, set about cleaning and repairing his episcopal church ; and by his own large 
 contributions, and the subscriptions he obtained from the neighbouring gentry, was soon enabled 
 to restore this noble pile to its former splendour ; he also repaired the palace. 1 ' 
 
 The bust in the east aisle of the cathedral of Dr. Samuel Johnson, simply inscribed thus : 
 " as* a tribute of respect to the memory of a man of extensive learning, a distinguished moral 
 writer, and a sincere Christian," is strictly appropriate, and as Mr. Britton truly remarks, u had 
 all the admirers of Johnson been content with that moderate and justly merited praise, his weak- 
 nesses would never have been brought into that public notoriety, which makes the present gene- 
 ration hesitate to rank him with the truly great. In early life Johnson attempted to establish a 
 school at Lichfield, for preparing gentlemen for the universities. Of his three pupils David 
 Garrick was one, and, after a short probation the master and scholar migrated together to the 
 metropolis in search of more congenial pursuits. This journey ultimately led the way to fame 
 and fortune to the latter, and literary fame to the former : their friendship was only terminated 
 by death. Mrs. Garrick erected a cenotaph, after a design by James Wyatt, to her husband, 
 near that of Dr. Johnson with a bust by Westmacott. 
 
 There is also a handsome monument executed by Mr. Bacon Jun. in 1818, by request of 
 Miss Anna Seward (who died at the age of 66 in 1809) to the respective memories of her father, 
 mother and sister : a female figure (with a harp hanging on a willow) representing filial piety, 
 weeping over a tomb is well executed ; the conclusion of the inscription written by Sir Walter 
 Scott is as follows, 
 
 " Honour'd, belov'd, and mourn'd, here Seward lies ; 
 Her worth, her warmth of heart, our sorrows say, 
 Go seek her genius in her living lay." 
 
 The church is walled in like a castle, and stands so high as to be seen at the distance of many 
 miles. Its length is 411 feet, and breadth 153 ; from the centre rises a spire 256 feet high, 
 and two towers which rising from the west front terminates also into, and forming pyramidal 
 spires : the beauty of its proportion is hardly to be paralleled in England. The chancel is paved 
 with alabaster, and Connel coal, in imitation of black and white marble. One of the windows 
 is fitted up with very handsome stained glass, purchased by the dean and chapter from a 
 ruined abbey in France, and the north door is extremely rich in sculpture. In 1789 this church 
 underwent a thorough repair ; behind the altar piece is an elegant stone screen, which divides 
 it from St. Mary's chapel. In the inside of the dome are some neat marble monuments, 
 particularly two near the south entrance, to the memory of Dr. Johnson, (that Hercules in lite- 
 
4 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 rature), and David Garrick, both natives of this place : another in the north aisle to lady Mary 
 Wortly Montague, another to Anna Seward ; but the most beautiful monument here is that of 
 the two grandaughters of dean Woodhouse, by Chantry, which are models of taste and genius. 
 There belong to this cathedral, a bishop, dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, four archdeacons, 
 (of Coventry, Stafford, Shropshire, and Derby,) and twenty-seven prebendaries, beside five 
 priest vicars, seven lay clerks or singing men, choristers and inferior officers. There are three 
 other churches in Lichfield, one of which St. Michael's, has a church yard containing six or seven 
 acres. On the site of its ancient castle (where Richard II. was confined on his way to London) 
 now stands a handsome building, erected by Andrew Newton Esq., and well endowed for clergy- 
 men's widows and unmarried daughters. At the S. E. end of the city is a college priory, or 
 hospital of St. John the Baptist, for a master and poor brethren. Here is also a new theatre. 
 The guildhall has a very neat and elegant appearance, the top being ornamented with the city 
 arms carved in stone, and under it is the goal. The market house is neat. Lichfield, as we 
 have before remarked, is a county of itself, and contains a jurisdiction extending about twelve 
 miles in compass ; it has the power of holding assizes, and determining cases of life and death. 
 
 It is governed by two bailiffs (chosen yearly out of twenty-four burgesses), a recorder, a 
 sheriff, a steward, and other officers. Lichfield is famous for its ale, — the sale of which is consi- 
 derable and lucrative : it has sent two members to parliament since 33rd Edward I. the right 
 of election being in the bailiffs, magistrates, freeholders of forty shillings a year, the holders of 
 burgage tenures, and in such freemen as are enrolled and pay scot and lot. The number of 
 votes is about 620. This city gives title of earl to the family of Lee ; it has a good free-school, 
 founded by Edward VI., at which Dr. Johnson, Addison, Ashmole, Woolaston and Garrick 
 received the rudiments of grammatical instruction. It has also an English school. The mar- 
 kets are on Tuesday and Friday — fairs the three first Thursdays after twelfth-day, Ash Wed- 
 nesday, May 1st and the Friday before St Simon and St. Jude. Lichfield by the means of the 
 Wyerly and Essington canal, communicates with the Mersey, Dee, Ribble, Ouse, Darwent, 
 Trent, Severn, H umber, Thames and Avon. The churches of St. Michael and St. Chadstow, 
 are only chapels to St. Mary's and in the patronage of the vicar thereof. St. Mary's in Foro is 
 a vicarage, value ten pounds, in the patronage of the chapter of Lichfield. 
 
 In taking our leave of Lichfield associated and connected as it is with English literature, it is 
 worthy of remark that it has not only been the natal spot of the eminent characters to which we 
 have alluded, but also the chosen residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edgeworth, Dr. Darwin, and other 
 eminent literary characters. 
 

 I 
 
 
 

OP STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 TRENTHAM HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 THE MANSION OP 
 GEORGE GRANVILLE LEVESON GOWER, MARQUIS OF STAFFORD, K. G. 
 
 • This noble modern structure is said to resemble in its plan, the late edifice of Buckingham- 
 house, in St. James's park, the interior of which was, doubtless, unexceptionable at the time, 
 and furnished an excellent model. The exterior of Buckingham-house was not, however, gene- 
 rally admired — Trentham hall, in this respect appeared vastly its superior, not only from the 
 advantages of its site, but from being divested of that dull uniformity, and barrack-like appear- 
 ance which characterised Buckingham house. 
 
 This fine seat, situate four miles south from Newcastle-under-line, and five north-west from 
 the town of Stone, has been erected (although termed modern) about a century — the grounds 
 and beautiful picturesque scenery which surround it, were laid out by Brown, who, at that time, 
 was considered a complete master of the art. 
 
 The grounds originally possessed peculiar advantages and have been, with the mansion, at 
 subsequent periods much improved. 
 
 The late marquis made considerable and general alterations and improvements to this edifice, 
 from chaste and elegant designs by the talented Holland, giving a new and imposing feature 
 to the whole. 
 
 This extensive demesne furnished with fine timber, abounds in charming prospects, exqui- 
 sitely diversified with spacious sheets of water — and the river Trent, which here pursues its 
 beautiful course, supplies these apparent lakes ; the banks of which are not only overshadowed 
 with trees, but their umbrageous branches hang considerably over the water, and produce a 
 picturesque effect. 
 
 The fine lawn, the various clumps of shrubs — the distant hill — with 
 
 Tree above tree, 
 A woody theatre, 
 
 produces a grand effect. 
 
 The numerous and spacious apartments of this mansion are graced with an extensive and 
 fine collection of paintings by ancient and modern masters — and when it is recollected that the 
 principal gallery and collection belonging to the marquis — is at Cleveland house in London, 
 some idea may be formed of the noble proprietor's patronage to the fine arts. 
 - In addition to the alterations made in this mansion, as before alluded to, the present marquis 
 has, on the western side, added an extensive drawing room, and, on the eastern, some excellent 
 private apartments. 
 
6 
 
 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 As our work is of a pictorial character, we have exhibited a compressed list of many of the 
 pictures which ornament the walls of the numerous apartments of this mansion, without pro- 
 fessing any particular arrangement or order. 
 
 It will be observed that many repetitions of the portraits of the same noble personages occur, 
 and also similar paintings on other subjects, by different masters. 
 
 In taking our leave of this subject and of Trentham-Hall we may apply the lines of Mr. 
 Britton, prefixed to his " Catalogue Raisonne" of the paintings belonging to the noble Mar- 
 quis, in the gallery at Cleveland-House. 
 
 " Hail Painting hail ! whose imitative art, 
 Transmits through speaking eyes the glowing heart." 
 
 St. Peter, 
 Young Fifer, 
 Old man's head, 
 Hare-skin man, 
 
 Shee. 
 
 Collins. 
 
 Sir William Becchey. 
 
 T. Barker. 
 
 Portrait of Henry Charles, Earl of 
 
 Surrey, . . Phillips. 
 
 Portraits of Charlotte, Countess of Surrey, 
 
 Lady Elizabeth, and Lord Francis 
 
 Leveson Gower, - Phillips. 
 
 The Virgin, Christ, and St. John, 
 
 Ferrara. 
 Portrait of Elizabeth, Marchioness of Staf- 
 ford, . Mrs. Mee. 
 Virgin and Child, Charles Wilkins, after 
 
 Vandyck. 
 Portrait of Mademoiselle de Charolois, sister 
 of the present minister, Monsieur le 
 Due, . . Nattier. 
 
 Christ and Mary Magdalen Westall. 
 
 Ruins at Rome . Paolo Panini. 
 
 Moses in the Bullrushes, 
 Ruins at Rome 
 Bellisarius, 
 Artist reading, 
 Hannah and Samuel 
 
 a copy of Rembrandt, at Cleveland- House. 
 A Calm, . B. Hoppner. 
 
 Home, ^ G. Jones. 
 
 Jackson. 
 
 Paolo Panini. 
 
 OpiL 
 
 Bone. 
 
 Reinagle. 
 
 The Circumcision, . Guido. 
 
 Aurora. . , Howard. 
 Descent from the Cross. 
 
 Satyr and Nymph, . N. Poussin. 
 
 Chevy Chace, . . Bird. 
 
 St. Catherine, . Domenichino. 
 
 Cottage girl, .. . Shee. 
 
 View near Scarborough, . Hqffland. 
 
 Female Artist, . Watson. 
 
 Flowers . , Hewlett. 
 
 Sea piece, . , Morland. 
 
 A Sorceress, . . Tenters. 
 Portrait of Edward Wortley Montague, Esq. 
 
 Peters. 
 
 Two Children, 
 
 View at Lewisham, 
 
 Fruitseller 
 
 Vulture and Serpent, 
 
 Landscape, 
 
 Cobblers, 
 
 St. Stephen, 
 
 T. Barker. 
 
 Nasmyth. 
 
 Lecount. 
 
 Northcote. 
 
 B. Barker. 
 
 D. Guest. 
 
 Annibal Carracci. 
 
 Portrait of George Grenville, Earl Gower, 
 
 Phillips. 
 Girl's Head, . . Mrs. Hakewill. 
 
 Portrait of John Grenville, Earl of Bath, 
 
 Witting. 
 Portrait of His Majesty, George IV. when 
 Prince Regent, 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 Portrait of Thomas, Earl of Arundel, 
 
 Miss M. Mure. 
 a copy from the Picture by Vandyck\at Cleve- 
 land-House, from the OrlearCs Collection. 
 Landscape . . Miss Palmer. 
 
 Portrait of Lady Jane Leveson Gower, 
 Portrait of Jane, Countess of Bath, 
 
 William Wissing. 
 Py ramus and Thisbe, Wright of Derby. 
 
 Cast of Lord Chancellor Thurlow, 
 
 MissAndras. 
 A Mosaic of Florentine marbles. 
 Portrait of Caroline, Countess of Carlisle, 
 
 Romney. 
 Moonlight, . . Hoffiand. 
 
 Portrait of Cromwell, Earl of Essex, Holbein. 
 Ditto the Elector Palestine. 
 Ditto Lord Chancellor Ellesmere. 
 Ditto Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, 
 
 Girolama da Trevisa. 
 A Consistory, . . Tintoret. 
 
 Portrait of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Straf- 
 ford. 
 Portrait of Christiern, Duke of Brunswick. 
 Ditto Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, the 
 
 parliament general. 
 Portrait of Elizabeth, the marchioness of Staf- 
 ford, . Sir Thomas Lawrence. 
 Landscape, . Caspar Poussin. 
 Virgin, Christ, and St. John, Pietro Perrugino. 
 Portrait of George Granville, Marquis of Staf- 
 ford, . . Phillips. 
 Landscape, . Caspar Poussin. 
 Landscape, . Claude Lorraine. 
 Holy family, Rottenhamer and D. Sagers. 
 Marriage of St. Catherine, Venetian School. 
 Christ crowned with thorns, L. Carracci. 
 Two. — Murillo, and a Spanish painter, un- 
 known, in one frame. 
 Portrait of Charles James Fox, Jackson. 
 Frederick, Earl of Carlisle, Jackson. 
 
 Village Politicians, . Bird. 
 
 Portrait of George Granville, Marquis of Staf- 
 ford, . . Romney. 
 
 A frame of Miniatures, containing portraits of 
 the Earl of Bredalbane, Countess of 
 Moray, &c. » 
 
 Cast of William Pitt, . Miss Andras. 
 
 A Picture in Florentine inlaid marbles, 
 
 A Portrait of King Henry VIII, Holbein. 
 
 A Frame of Miniatures, consisting of portraits 
 of Gertrude, Duchess of Bedford ; Le- 
 titia Countess Gower ; King Charles 
 II. ; Mr. William Leveson Gower ; 
 Miss Fazakerley, first wife of Granville, 
 Marquis of Stafford, and Mrs. William 
 Leveson Gower, 
 
 Head of Titian . Tintoret. 
 
 Portrait of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, 
 
 Zucchero. 
 
 Education of Cupid, . Titian. 
 
 Portraits, . , Paul Veronese. 
 
 St. Margaret, . School of Carracci. 
 
 Portrait of Don Garcia, Sarmiento a" Acuna. 
 
 Rape of Proserpine, Nicolo de V Abate. 
 
 Portrait of Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex. 
 
 Head of Aretino, . Tintoret. 
 
 Old Somerset House. 
 
 Six Subjects after the antique, Pechux. 
 
 Queen Charlotte, after Sir Joshua Reynolds. 
 
 Granville, Marquis of Stafford, Romney. 
 
 Portrait of Caroline, Countess of Carlisle, 
 
 Angelica Kaufman. 
 
 Portrait of Lady Anne Vernon ; Lady Geor- 
 giana Eliot ; the Duchess of Beaufort ; 
 the Countess of Harrowby ; and Vis- 
 count Granville, . Romney. 
 
 Lady Louisa Macdonald, Angelica Kaufftnan. 
 
 Remorse, . . F. Rehburg. 
 
 George Granville, Marquis of Stafford, Owen. 
 
 The Standard, . . Cowper. 
 
 Landscape, . . De Mame. 
 
PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 View on the Firth of Forth, 
 
 Elizabeth Marchioness of Stafford. 
 The Entombment of Christ, Hilton. 
 
 Scale of Mountains, . Riddell. 
 
 Landscape, . . Gainsborough. 
 
 Portrait of Lord Chancellor Thurlow, 
 
 Romney. 
 Portrait of King George III. 
 
 after Sir Joshua Reynolds. 
 Vice Admiral Sir Richard Leveson, 
 
 H. C. Vroom. 
 A Sketch, . . Velasquez. 
 
 Virgin and Child. 
 
 A Burgomaster, . . Meerveldt. 
 
 Portrait of a Venetian Senator, Titian. 
 
 Landscape, . . G. Poussin. 
 
 Portrait of Cardinal Barberini. 
 Landscape, . . Coninck. 
 
 Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus, 
 
 Spagnoletto. 
 A copy of the portrait of Mrs. Siddons by Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, on Worcester China. 
 Landscape, . . Wynants. 
 
 View of Nimeguen, Von Goyer. 
 
 Portrait of Elizabeth, Marchioness of Stafford, 
 
 Hoppner. 
 Horse and Serpent, Ward. 
 
 Venus and Cupids, . Coy pel. 
 
 Landscape, . . Clennel. 
 
 Angelica, . . Imperiala. 
 
 View of Scheveling, Von Goyer. 
 
 A Painting in imitation of Salvator Rosa, 
 
 LinglebacJc. 
 Caerphilly Castle, . Ibbotson. 
 
 Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Belgrave, Gummow. 
 I mitation of Salvator Rosa, LinglebacJc. 
 
 Game, , . Reinagle. 
 
 Sea Piece, . . Brooking. 
 
 Portrait of Sir Beville Granville, Walker. 
 
 Portrait of Frances, Countess of Mar, 
 
 C. K. Sharp. 
 
 William Cantrill. 
 
 W. Williams. 
 
 Rising. 
 
 Miss Geddes. 
 
 Miss M. Spilsbury. 
 
 Spagnoletto. 
 
 Millichap. 
 
 A Subject after Titian, 
 
 Dunrobin Castle, 
 
 Children, 
 
 Head, 
 
 The Holiday Feast, 
 
 Heraclitus, 
 
 Peasant Boy, 
 
 Saint and Angel. 
 
 Sheep-folding, . . Starke. 
 
 A School, . . Barney. 
 
 Dance, . . after Titian. 
 
 Portrait of Sir Archibald M'Donald, Craig. 
 
 Landscape, . . Barrett. 
 
 Landscape, . . Vincent. 
 
 Landscape, . . Barrett. 
 
 Landscape, . Cranmer. 
 
 A Portrait 
 
 Portrait of Devereux, Earl of Essex. 
 
 Landscape, Sir George Beaumont. 
 
 A Gate, Edinburgh, Runciman. 
 
 Portrait of John Leveson, Marc Garrard. 
 
 Portraits of King Charles II., King James II., 
 
 and Princess Henrietta, Maria, 
 
 Old Stone, after Vandyck. 
 Portrait of Gertrude, Duchess of Bedford, 
 
 Knapton. 
 Evelyn, Duke of Kingston. 
 Evelyn, Lady Gower. 
 Portrait of Queen Anne. 
 A Portrait. 
 Portrait of Lady Margaret Beckford Serena, 
 
 Romney. 
 Portrait of Catherine Duchess of Rutland. 
 Portraits of Mr. William Leveson Gower and 
 
 sister, Mrs. Proby. 
 A Young Man, . . Geunaro. 
 
 View of Rhodes . . Meyer. 
 
 Interior of a Kitchen . Pugin. 
 
 Boys and Game, . . Heaphy. 
 
 Landscape, . . Ducroz. 
 
 Small Landscape, . Craig. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 9 
 
 Weatherby Bridge, . Girton. 
 
 Cauldron Linn, . Glover, 
 
 Terni, . . Ducroz. 
 
 Tivoli, . . Ducroz. 
 
 Landscape . . Dewint. 
 
 Catharine Lady Wyndham. 
 
 John, Lord Gower, . Dahl. 
 
 Jane, Countess of Rochester and Clarendon, 
 
 Dahl. 
 
 Mr. Bernard Granville. 
 
 Mr. William Leveson Gower. 
 
 John, Earl Gower, Knapton. 
 
 John, Duke of Rutland, . Dahl. 
 
 Catharine, Lady Gower, . Dahl. 
 
 Portrait of Judge Dyer. 
 
 Portrait of Lady Katharine Leveson, 
 
 Cornelius Jansen. 
 
 Queen Mary, . . Sir Peter Lehj. 
 
 Sir John Leveson, Marc Gerrard. 
 
 Lady Leigh of Stoneleigh, Cornelius Jansen. 
 
 Old Man's Head, A Disciple of Rembrandt. 
 
 Queen Henrietta Maria, Stone after Vandyke. 
 
 Catherine, daughter of Mr. W. Leveson Gower. 
 
 Cupid, . . Goupie. 
 
 A Boy Piping, Gertrude Duchess of Bedford. 
 
 Portrait of Elizabeth, Countess of Waldegrave, 
 Lady Diana Beauclerk. 
 
 Charlotte, Countess of Surrey, Lady Elizabeth 
 and Lord Francis Leveson Gower, 
 
 Edridge. 
 
 Portrait of Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, 
 
 after Cornelius Jansen. 
 
 Portraits of Granville, Marquess of Stafford, 
 George Granville, Marquess of Stafford, 
 Susan, Marchioness of Stafford, 
 Lady Louisa M'Donald, 
 Caroline, Countess of Carlisle, 
 Lady Ann Vernon, 
 Lady Georgina Eliot, and Charlotte 
 Sophia, Duchess of Beaufort, 
 
 Angelica Kauffman. 
 
 Sir Peter Lely. 
 
 Marc Gerrard. 
 
 Porbus. 
 
 Cornelius Jansen, 
 
 Paul Veronese. 
 
 John Varley. 
 
 Ostade. 
 
 Huett Villiers. 
 
 Mary Queen of Scots. 
 
 A Portrait, 
 
 Queen Mary, 
 
 The Due d'Alencon, 
 
 A Portrait, 
 
 Two Apostles, 
 
 View in Watford, 
 
 Village Politicians, 
 
 Cows and Asses Heads, 
 
 Louisa, Countess Gower. 
 
 The Earl of Moray, Cornelius Jansen. 
 
 Elizabeth, Countess Waldegrave, 
 
 Gawin Hamilton. 
 Jane, Countess of Rochester and Clarendon. 
 Guido's Mother, . . Guido. 
 
 A Portrait. 
 
 Portrait of Lionello Spada. 
 Anne, Countess of Jersey. 
 View of Canterbury, . La Porte. 
 
 Moonlight, . G. Arnold. 
 
 View of Peterborough, La Porte. 
 
 Ditto do. . . G. Wilson. 
 
 Three Views of Trentham. 
 Portrait of Sir Edward Wyndham. 
 John, Lord Gower. 
 Portrait of Queen Mary. 
 Katherine, Lady Wyndham. 
 The Countess of Gainsborough. 
 Portrait of Dr. Johnson, Sir Joshua Reynolds. 
 The Earl of Sandwich, Knapton. 
 
 Holy Family, . Venetian School. 
 
 View from the Trinita del Monte, Freerson. 
 Portrait of Mr. Porter, . Hogarth. 
 
 Portrait of Elizabeth, Marchioness of Stafford. 
 
 Phillips. 
 Head of St. Francis. 
 
 Portrait of Viscount Granville, Downman. 
 A Landscape and Figures, Elizabeth, Mar- 
 chioness of Stafford, the figures by 
 
 U. Bunbury. 
 Athens, . . Casas 
 
10 
 
 Ephesus, 
 
 View of Trentham, 
 
 Sheep-folding, 
 
 Ithuriel, 
 
 Holy Family, 
 
 Landscape, 
 
 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Casas. 
 Wootton. 
 
 Starke. 
 
 Alstone. 
 
 Rubens. 
 
 Bochart. 
 
 Hunting in Leicestershire, with Portraits of 
 
 the Earl of Cardigan, and John, Earl 
 
 Gower, . . Wootton. 
 
 View of Heidelberg. 
 
 Carnival at Venice . Tiepolo. 
 
 N. B. There are several others by Watteau, 
 others, besides some portraits not described. 
 
 Carnival at Venice, . Tiepolo, 
 
 The Holy Family, Venetian School 
 
 John, Earl Gower. 
 
 Portrait of Mrs. William Leveson Gower. 
 
 Portrait of the Earl of Gainsborough. 
 
 Mr. William Leveson Gower. 
 
 Portrait of Katharine, Duchess of Rutland. 
 
 Mary, Duchess of Rutland. 
 
 John, Duke of Kingston. 
 
 Portrait of Evelyn, Lady Gower 
 
 Patel, Vandermulin, Wyoutz, Loudonio, and 
 
 TITLES. 
 
 George Granville Leveson Gower, Marquess of Stafford, Earl Gower, Viscount Trenth. 
 ham, of Trentham, in the County of Stafford ; Baron Gower of Sittenham, in the County of 
 York ; and a Baronet ; born January 9th, 1758 ; married September 4th, 1785, Elizabeth, 
 Countess of Sutherland, and Baroness of Strathnaver, in her own right. 
 
 Motto. " Frangas not Fleetes." 
 
 Town Residence Cleveland Row. 
 
 Seats Trentham, Staffordshire ; Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland; West-hill, Surrey. 
 
 STAFFORD. 
 
 Stafford, the county town of Staffordshire, is situate in Pirchill hundred, on the north bank 
 of the Scro, at the distance of three miles from its junction with the Trent. It is about 12 
 miles north-west from Lichfield, 16 from Newcastle, 9 from Rugely, 7 from Stone, and 135 from 
 London : it is a borough containing two parishes united. In 1821 it contained 991 and 5786 
 inhabitants, 2915 were males, and 2821 females; 712 families were employed in trade. The 
 town is of considerable extent, containing several good streets and lanes, some of which are well 
 paved. The houses in general are well built and covered with slate. The public buildings are well 
 worthy of notice : the church (formerly collegiate) is of a cruciform character, and has an octagonal 
 tower ; its interior consists of a nave, two side aisles, a transept, and a chancel of three aisles ; it 
 also contains some very curious carvings and mouldings (both on its exterior and in its interior) 
 a very antique fount, and several ancient and modern monuments. 
 
 The other church, St. Chad's, is an old and decayed building, its architectural feature is of 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 11 
 
 the most ancient Saxon plan, assigning one half of the whole dimensions to the nave, one quarter 
 to the tower, and the remainder to the chancel. 
 
 The County Hall, in which the assizes are held twice a year, is nearly in the centre of the 
 town ; it is a neat, spacious, and modern structure, containing numerous apartments well ar- 
 ranged and laid out, for the purposes for which they were intended. There is also a quarter 
 sessions, and the county court, which is held monthly : at the rear of the county hall, is a con- 
 venient market place. The town has also a good hospital, a free grammar-school, two schools 
 upon the national system, and several almshouses. It appears that, formerly, " in the suburbs, 
 and upon the green, there were several free chapels, and hospitals. 11 It was an exempt juris- 
 diction under a dean and thirteen prebendaries ; but the deanery house is converted into a school; 
 
 Near the town is a new infirmary ; almost facing it is the county gaol : a lunatic asylum has 
 recently been erected. The principal trade carried on here is in the manufacture of boots, 
 shoes, and cutlery — and in the tanning of leather. The inns are on a good scale, and well con- 
 ducted. The market is on Saturday. Fairs, February 14th, May 10th, June 27th, Septem- 
 ber 16th, and October 2nd. 
 
 The earliest mention of Stafford which can be relied on, is in 913, when it appears, accord- 
 ing to the Saxon chronicles, that Ethelfleda, Countess of Mercia, built a castle here, but no 
 traces of it remain ; another is said to have been built by William the Conqueror, which was 
 shortly after demolished ; a third was erected — and continued to flourish until destroyed in the 
 conflicts between the house of Stuart, and the parliament. 
 
 A portion of the castle, termed the keep, still remains upon the summit of a hill, remarkable 
 for its extreme regularity of form, and smoothness of ascent on every side. The keep consists 
 of three apartments with fire-places, and a communication, by steps, to several loop holes. 
 
 Formerly the town was surrounded by a wall, and had four gates. It is said to have derived 
 its name from the river, being, in early times, forded with a staff; hence Stafford, which appears 
 feasible — it being placed in a low situation. — Still, the air here is very salubrious, the town a 
 very pleasant one, and the scenery that surrounds it very beautiful. 
 
 Stafford at a very early period was a place of considerable importance, for, in Doomsday-book 
 it is designated a city, containing eighteen burgesses, belonging to the king ; and it had twenty 
 mansions of the Earl of Mercia. 
 
 The charter of King John furnishes a record of its early privileges and immunities as a cor- 
 poration. It is however, by a charter of Edward VI., governed by a mayor, recorder, ten al- 
 dermen, twenty common councilmen — a town clerk, and two Serjeants at mace : it returns two 
 members to parliament, and the number of its voters are about six hundred. 
 
 The noble seats and mansions, within a few miles of Stafford, are not only numerous, but 
 of peculiar interest, and of the first order ; they will be duly appreciated, noticed, and depicted 
 in this work 
 
12 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 SHUGBOROUGH PARK, STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 THOMAS WILLIAM ANSON, VISCOUNT ANSON. 
 
 The manor of Shugborough was purchased in the reign of James I. by William Anson, Esq., 
 and its noble mansion is, at the present period, the principal residence of that highly distin- 
 guished family. 
 
 George, Lord Anson, the celebrated admiral and circumnavigator was born here, and, after 
 spending a long and useful life in the service of his country, retired to his seat at Moor Park, Herts ; 
 where he expired suddenly in 1762. — At his demise his immense property devolved to his eld- 
 est brother, Thomas Anson, Esq. of Shugborough ; he, immediately upon this vast accession of 
 fortune, not only beautified and enlarged the family mansion, but spiritedly and tastefully en- 
 tered into the grand project of improving the grounds, and embellishing the scenery of the sur- 
 rounding country, of which more hereafter, for in reference to Lord Anson, while on this sub- 
 ject, it may not be uninteresting to lay before our readers, the following biographical sketch of 
 his lordship, as drawn by Mr. Stephen Jones. 
 
 " George, Lord Anson, was the son of William Anson, Esq. of Shugborough, a very ancient 
 and worthy family in Staffordshire, and was born in 1700. On the breaking out of the Spanish 
 war, he was appointed to command a fleet of five ships destined to annoy the enemy in that dan- 
 gerous and unfrequented sea which lies beyond America, and in that unexpected quarter to at- 
 tack them with vigour. His departure being delayed some months beyond the proper season, 
 he sailed about the middle of September, 1740 ; and, about the vernal equinox, in the most tem- 
 pestuous weather, arrived in the latitude of cape Horn : he doubled that dangerous cape in 
 1741, after a bad passage of forty days, in which he lost two ships, and by the scurvy, four or 
 five men in a day. He arrived off Juan Fernandez, in June, with only two ships, besides two 
 attendants on the squadron, and three hundred and fifty men ; he left it in September, took 
 some prizes, burnt Paita, and staid about the coast of America, till May, 1742. He then 
 crossed the southern ocean, proceeding with the Centurion only, the other ships having been 
 destroyed in August. Having refreshed his crew at Tinian, he sailed, in October, for China ; 
 stayed there till the beginning of 1743 ; waited for the galleon at the Philippine islands, met 
 her on the twentieth of June, and took her. Having sold the prize in China, he set sail for Eng- 
 land in December, 1743, and, on the fifteenth of June, 1744, arrived at Spithead, having sailed, in 
 a fog, through the midst of a French fleet, then cruizing in the channel. — In 1747, being then 
 on board the Prince George of ninety guns, in company with Admiral Warren, and twelve ship« 
 more, he intercepted, off cape Finisterre, a powerful fleet bound from France, to the east and 
 west Indies, and, by his valour and conduct, again enriched himself and his officers, and 
 

OP STAFFORDSHIRE. 13 
 
 strengthened the British navy, by taking six Men-of-War and four East Indiamen, not one ot 
 them escaping. The French admiral, M. Jonquiere, on presenting his sword to the conqueror, 
 said, " Monsieur, vous avez vaincu Tlnvincible et la Gloire vous suit," pointing to the two 
 ships so named. King George II. for his signal services, rewarded him with a peerage, by the 
 title of lord Anson, baron of Soberton in Hants; he died suddenly at his seat at Moor Park, in 
 Hertfordshire, June 6th 1762. His natural disposition was calm, cool, and steady: but it is 
 reported, that our honest, undesigning seaman was frequently a dupe at play ; and it was wittily 
 observed of him, that he had been round the world,* but never in it. 
 
 George, Lord Anson in his voyage round the world in the Centurion, in the years 1740, 1, 2, 
 3, 4, not only created an extraordinary interest at the time, but his heroism was an event that 
 will ever form a strong feature in the annals of our country. We therefore venture on the fol- 
 lowing digression : Mr. Nicholls, in the annals of Mr. Bowyer's press, in alluding to that interest- 
 ing M voyage, compiled from Lord Anson's own papers and materials by Richard Walter, M. A." 
 makes the following remarks. — " This volume though commonly ascribed to Mr. Walter, 
 whose name appeared in the title page, and who had taken in subscriptions, was the production 
 of Benjamin Robins Esq. The public had, for some time, been in expectation of seeing an ac- 
 count of the voyage, composed under his lordship's own inspection, for which purpose Mr. Wal- 
 ter was employed as having been chaplain to the Centurion during the greatest part of the ex- 
 pedition. Walter had accordingly almost finished his task, having brought it down to his own 
 departure from Macoa for England ; when he proposed to print his work by subscription. It 
 was thought proper, however, that an able judge should first revise and correct it, and Robins 
 was appointed, when, upon examination, it was resolved that the whole should be written en- 
 tirely by Robins; and what Walter had done, being taken almost verbatim from the journals, 
 should serve as materials only. Hence the introduction entire, and many dissertations in the 
 body of the book, were composed by Robins, without receiving the least hint from Walter's ma- 
 nuscript ; and what he had thence transcribed, regarded chiefly the wind and the weather, the 
 currents, courses, bearings, distances, offings, soundings, moorings, the qualities of theground they 
 anchored on, and such particulars as generally fill up a sailor's account. No production of this kind 
 ever met with a more favourable reception, four large impressions being sold off within a twelve- 
 month ; it has been translated into most of the European languages, and it still supports its re- 
 putation, having been repeatedly reprinted in various sizes. The French affect to call this chef 
 d'osuvre in its way a romance ; and we must certainly give the writer credit for some of the things 
 to the honour of his hero, which he would have us believe ; as he would almost persuade us, that 
 the abilities of the commander were such, that we might fancy he planned the taking of the 
 Acapulco ship before he left England: however, the account, from its grand divisions &c., is a 
 masterpiece of composition, and certainly has not been equalled (except by Dr. Robertson's his- 
 tories), in these enchanting particulars." 
 
 The editor conceived that he knew the last survivor, who accompanied lord Anson in the Centurion, in the 
 person of Mr. Keating, many years an apothecary upon Ludgate Hill, London, and brother to the eccentric 
 bookseller and banker of that name, at Stratford upon Avon, but it appears in giving an account of the For- 
 tescue family in a late history of Warwickshire, that " John Fortesque Esq. captain in the royal navy, (the 
 oldest officer on the superannuated list) who died in the 87th year of his age in 1808, was supposed to be the 
 last survivor who accompanied lord Anson in his celebrated voyage. 
 
14 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Lord Anson in addition to the eminent services which he rendered to the country, had the 
 honour of closing them, by safely conveying the late queen Charlotte to England, after a very 
 perilous, rough and tedious passage, in September 1761, not one year before his death, he hav- 
 ing died in June, 1762. 
 
 In returning to the subject of this noble and splendid mansion ; it received the addition of a 
 handsome portico a few years since, this admirable addition consists of eight fluted columns of 
 the Ionic order ; and without destroying the chasteness of this fine structure, two noble apartments 
 are added ; the first a drawing room of 46 feet in length by 28 in width, the second a saloon 
 of 54 feet in length and 22 in width. Each side is supported by six fine columns of Scagliola : in 
 fact, no expence has been spared to render this mansion one of the first order. Thomas Anson Esq. 
 with a view to make it as chaste and classical as possible in its appearance invited James Stuart 
 the architect, generally known by the appellation of Athenian Stuart, and author of the history 
 of Athens, to Shugborough, where he erected a monument to the memory of Lord Anson. 
 It is designated the " Triumphal Arch," and is executed after the model of Adrian's arch at 
 Athens. This fine monument displays various emblems of naval victories, and the arch is sur- 
 mounted by a colonnade, the centre of which is graced by a military trophy, and the sides, which 
 are of white marble with busts of Lord and Lady Anson. 
 
 The grounds are ornamented with several buildings of considerable taste, and a variety of 
 statues ; among the latter is a beautiful and much admired group by Sheemaker, of two lovers 
 gazing on a shepherd who is pointing to a tomb with the inscription " et in abcadia ego," 
 conveying an idea to the youthful lovers, that no earthly state, however delightful the prospect 
 may be, can avert the shafts of death. 
 
 We may exclaim with the late Dr, De la Cour, who in his prospect of poetry, say 6 : 
 
 In sculpture — here proportion learns to please, 
 When ev'ry beauty swells by nice degrees ; 
 Where in the chisel's seen the poet's pen, 
 That Ales and polishes the works of men, 
 Soften the rugged surface of the song, 
 Yet turns the features regular and strong ; 
 Commands the limbs in attitude to rise, 
 And live and walk in the beholder's eyes. 
 
 It has been truly remarked that the neighbouring scenery over the enchanting vale of Shu<r- 
 borough varied by all the beauties that nature and art united are capable of forming, and watered 
 as it is by the rivers Trent and Sow, conspire to render this spot a complete terrestrial paradise ; 
 for here are seen the various specimens of Athenian, Grecian, Chinese, and Gothic architecture, 
 dispersed with greatjudgmentand exhibit such distinct specimens of taste, as to remind us of the 
 lines of the poet we have just quoted, although so little known, but to whom Thompson, the author 
 of the " Seasons" bestowed in his finest strain, the most unqualified praises. Dr. De la Cour, 
 in his prospect of poetry, in alluding to the subject of architecture, thus proceeds. 
 
 Now let the muse to architecture change, 
 Plunge in the bath, or through the palace range, 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 15 
 
 Heave the huge mole, or bid the column rise, 
 Or point the obelisk to pierce the skies : 
 Palladio here must think in every line, 
 And deep Vitruvius scan the whole design ; 
 The works of Solomon, and him of Tyre,* 
 Direct the plan, and all your taste inspire : 
 In due proportion ev'ry pillar rear, 
 Nor let the orders be confounded there; 
 Where the Corinthian stands in fluted rows, 
 Let not the martial Doric interpose ! 
 Nor where the Tuscan lifts the imperial urn,t 
 Suffer the next Ionic shaft to turn ;% 
 But chief that chaos call'd Composite shun, 
 Which begs from all and yet belongs to none." 
 
 We must now give the reader some idea of the extent to which the late Lord Anson carried the 
 improvements of this charming place ; he not only entirely removed the old village of Shugbo- 
 rough, but also cut a new channel for the river Sow, (upon the banks of which the old mansion 
 formerly stood), took down the old stone bridge of three arches, and erected another half a mile 
 higher up the stream ; and erected the beautiful lodges which are so much admired on approach- 
 ing the principal entrances to this magnificent structure. 
 
 The interior is ornamented with a choice collection of antique statues and an admirable Bac- 
 chus, of modern execution by Nollekins. The paintings are some of the finest description by 
 the old masters, among which are productions by Claude, Dominechino, Guido, the two Pous- 
 sins, Teniers, Vaudevelde, and others of the Flemish and Italian schools. There are also several 
 productions by the dowager Viscountess Anson, and in the dining room is a portrait of Lord, 
 George Anson, upon which we cannot look without feeling 
 
 ** That hints of glory fire the warlike soul, 
 And bid like motions in our bosoms roll/' 
 
 The present proprietor of this superb mansion, " Thomas William, Viscount Anson, of Shug- 
 borough and Orgrave, in the county of Stafford ; Baron Soberton, of Soberton, Hants ; was born 
 the 20th of October, 1795, and succeeded to the family honours on the demise of his father, July 
 31st, 1818; married 11th of February, 1819, Louisa Catherine, youngest daughter of Na- 
 thaniel Phillips Esq. of Sleebech Hall, Pembrokeshire, and has issue one son, Thomas George, 
 born 8th August, 1825, and two daughters Louisa, and Ann." In giving the lineage of this 
 family, Mr. Burke states that M the family of the Ansons have been seated in the county of Stafford 
 for several generations, first at Dunston, but since the time of James I. at Shugborough ; which 
 manor was purchased in that reign, by William Anson Esq., the maternal ancestor of the 
 
 * Hiram. 
 
 t Trajan's pillar at Rome was the first of this order. 
 
 X The famous Temple of Diana, at Ephesus, wnich took two hundred years in building, was of this order. 
 Vide Palladio. 
 
!6 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 present Viscount." The family was first ennobled in the person of the celebrated naval com- 
 mander and circum-navigator, whom we have before noticed. 
 
 Their arms bear the motto, — " Nil desperandum," 
 
 WOLVEKHAMPTOK 
 
 Wolverhampton, the most considerable market town in the county of Stafford, is situate 
 upon a rising ground, and is extremely healthy, notwithstanding its extensive manufacto- 
 ries, and its contiguity to the coal-pits. It is a parish, principally in the north division of Seis- 
 don hundred ; it also forms part of the north and south divisions of the hundred of Offlow, and 
 another part of it extends into east Cuttleston hundred. It is fourteen miles north west from 
 Birmingham, sixteen from Stafford and Lichfield, five from Wednesbury, sixty-eight from Man- 
 chester, and one hundred and twenty-three north-west from London. In 1821, it contained 
 three thousand three hundred and thirty-eight houses, and eighteen thousand three hundred 
 and eighty inhabitants, of whom four thousand and forty-seven families, were employed in trade, 
 and manufactures,— chiefly in that of hardware, for which it has long been celebrated, particu- 
 larly for locks and keys, and indeed for ever}' description of iron and brass goods, used by 
 builders, and cabinet makers, and for almost every article in which the anvil, the forge, and 
 the foundry can be employed to advantage. Nor is it less celebrated in the manufacture of 
 sheet-tin— japanned and papier machee" articles ; which find a ready sale all over Europe. It 
 has been remarked that " most of the farmers in the neighbourhood, have their forges, where 
 they work, when not employed in the field, and take their work to market as regularly as other 
 farmers do their corn, where it is readily bought up ; many of the women are assistants in these 
 manufactures, and work at the file." It possesses peculiar local advantages, from having some 
 of the best iron mines in England, with abundance of coal and lime close to it ; as well as from 
 its canal communications. — It has a canal branching from the Dudley and Birmingham canal ; 
 communicating also with the Stafford, Worcester, and Grand- trunk, and another branch to the 
 Wyerly and Essington canal, at Walsal. 
 
 The market here is held on Wednesday and Saturday, — and the fair, July 10th. The ex- 
 tent of the parish is considered of as great extent as any in south Britain, being nearly thirty 
 miles in circumference, containing nearly twenty very considerable villages and townships, and 
 upwards of thirty thousand inhabitants. 
 
 Of the ancient history of the town, and the derivation of its name, it was, according to Cam- 
 den and other historians, written Hampton, until a monastery was erected here, the site of which 
 
i 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 17 
 
 is unknown, unless situated near the collegiate church. It is related that the Lady Wulfruna, 
 the survivor of her husband, Anthelm, duke or' Northumberland, in the time of King Ethelred, 
 founded a monastery to the honour of the Virgin, at which period the town was called Wul- 
 frunshampton ; subsequent transitions, however, have designated it Wolverhampton. 
 The first part of the name was a corruption of the name of the lady, the latter signifying free. 
 
 " A thriving town, for arts Vulcanian fam'd, 
 And from its foundress, good Wulfruna nam'd. 
 
 According to Cooke, " the above mentioned lady founded the monastery in 996, which, at 
 the conquest, was in possession of secular canons. William Rufus gave this church to Samp- 
 son, bishop of Worcester, who settled it on the prior and convent of his own cathedral, and they 
 held it till the time of King Stephen, when it was taken from them by Roger, bishop of Salis- 
 bury ; shortly after, it was given to the king by the bishop of Chester, and the church of Lich- 
 field ; and it was again in the hands of secular canons till the famous Petrus Blesensio, who was 
 dean, resigned it into the hands of Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, that he might build an 
 abbey for monks of the Cistercian order ; which, however, seems never to have been done, for 
 the secular canons were in possession not long after, and continued so. This church was ac- 
 counted one of the king's free chapels, and, with the coltation of prebendaries, was annexed to 
 the deanery of Windsor. In the reign of Edward VI. the college and prebends were granted 
 to the Duke of Northumberland ; but these coming again to the crown, by the dukes attainder, 
 the deanery and prebends were refounded by Mary, and farther confirmed by James I., who 
 made the celebrated Marcus Antonius de Dominis, archbishop of Spalatro, and dean of Wind- 
 sor, prebendary and dean of Wolverhampton ; and presented seven other clergymen, among 
 whom were Josephall Hall, Gabriel Goodman, and Dr. Thomas Good, to the other seven pre- 
 bends, Hatherton, Wilnall, Fetherston, Halton, Monmore, Stonewall or Kinewaston, and 
 Wobestan. 
 
 Respecting the churches, it has been observed, that in a place of such extent, it was rather 
 remarkable that there were only two Protestant churches ; there is however, a new one erecting 
 upon a very handsome scale, and there are three chapels for divine worship according to the es- 
 tablished religion of the country, exclusive of the dissenting chapels of others now building. 
 
 St. Peter's, a collegiate church, with a lofty tower, embellished with battlements, was founded 
 about the close of the tenth century. This ancient edifice possesses a great degree of chaste- 
 ness, and elegance of design and construction ; it contains eight bells, with chimes, an organ, 
 and a brass statue of Sir Richard Leveson, who engaged the Spaniards, under Sir Francis 
 Drake. There is also a curious font and a stone pulpit in this church, that are worthy of exa- 
 mination ; but the most remarkable object connected with this edifice, is an ancient stone cross 
 or pillar lately repaired : it stands in the church-yard, and exhibits a vast profusion of rude 
 sculpture, respecting the origin of which, little is known. 
 
 A n act of parliament being obtained for the erection of a new church, or chapel of ease here, 
 in 17^5, it was finished in 1758 ; but, it appears that, from the want of funds, the steeple was 
 not erected till 1776: this church is dedicated to St. John; it has an excellent organ, and a 
 
 D 
 
18 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 handsome altar-piece. There are two chapels belonging to the Methodists, one to the Roman 
 Catholics, and one to the Quakers. Here is also an ancient free grammar school, endowed by Sir 
 Stephen Jennings, a native of this town, and lord mayor of London : there are two other cha- 
 rity schools, one for fifty boys, the other for forty girls, and almshouses for six poor women. 
 There is also a public dispensary here, supported by voluntary contributions, and an excellent 
 establishment called the union mill (similar to that of Birmingham, &c.) for the grinding of 
 com, and supplying the public with flour and bread on elegible terms; the building cost 
 £1 4,000. which was raised by subscribers to certain shares. The town is lighted with gas ; it 
 has three banking houses ; and, although some of the streets are rather narrow, the town is ra- 
 pidly improving. 
 
 In the vicinity of the town there are a number of trees, planted at regular distances, and 
 serve to mark the limits between the township and the parish. In the environs are also a num- 
 ber of beautiful gardens, sloping up to the town, and commanding fine prospects, which exhibit 
 the most pleasing scenes of agricultural prosperity. 
 
 The race ground, at a short distance from the town, is not only an excellent one, but, for 
 flatness of surface, and fineness of the sod, it perhaps stands unrivalled. The stand house is 
 admirably constructed, and of the first order, and has all the appearance of the conservatories of 
 our nobility, upon a grand scale ; the refreshment and assembly rooms, and the orchestra, are all 
 in similar good taste — and the views, the scenery, and finely wooded country, thickly studded 
 with noblemen's and gentlemen's seats, can be seen from it, are perhaps unrivalled in the county. 
 
 ABBOTS-BROMLEY. 
 
 There are some curious circumstances attached to Abbots-Bromley, which derived its name 
 from an abbey that formerly existed in the neighbourhood, and was subsequently called Paget's- 
 Bromley, from the family of that name. The church is spacious, and has a tower, from which 
 rises a lofty steeple. Mogg observes that " the custom called the hobby-horse dance, formerly 
 prevailed here ; it was generally celebrated at Christmas, on new year's day, and twelfth day, 
 when a person carrying between his legs, the resemblance of a horse, made of thin boards, danced 
 through the principal street, having a bow and arrow in his hands, the latter of which passed 
 through a hole in the bow, and stopping it on a shoulder, made a snapping noise, when drawn 
 to and fro, by which means he kept time with the music ; five or six other persons also dancing, 
 accompanied this individual, each carrying six rein deers* heads on his shoulder, painted with 
 the arms of the different families who had been proprietors of the manor; all those friendly to 
 this sport and coming to see it, subscribed a trifle, by which means refreshments were purchased, 
 the poor supported, and the church kept in repair,*' which charges are not, most likely, now so 
 cheerfully borne. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 19 
 
 BLYTHEFIELD PARK, STAFFORDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE SEAT OP 
 WILLIAM BAGOT, LORD BAGOT. 
 
 The ancient mansion attached to this park, has been the seat of the Bagot family for upwards 
 of four hundred years, having come into their possession in the reign of Edward III. in 1367, 
 through the marriage of Sir Ralph Bagot, with the heiress of Blythefield. This ancient edifice 
 contains a most superb collection of paintings, many of which are by the most eminent artists, 
 and in the collection are several portraits of the Bagot family, who were steady adherents to the 
 cause of the unfortunate Charles I. The park presents some beautiful and interesting scenery, 
 and is situate at some distance from the house: the majestic oaks which adorn this delightful spot, 
 are perhaps unrivalled in England, tn their — girth — height, and straitness of body. The man- 
 sion has of late years undergone many improvements, without injuring (as is usually the case) 
 the ancient and original simplicity of this structure. There is an excellent sculpture of King 
 John, signing Magna Charta, placed in the hall, which with the library and extensive drawing 
 room, form the best apartments, and have been added recently. In addition to the pictures, most 
 of which we have endeavoured to give an alphabetical list, the collection of Coins deposited 
 here at the bequest of Thomas Anson Esq., are said to be not only curious and instructive, but 
 the most valuable in England. 
 
 CATALOGUE OF PICTURES. 
 
 A Boy's Head, 
 
 Storm, • 
 
 Singer, 
 
 Portrait, 
 
 Magdalen, 
 
 Concert, 
 
 Supper with Singers, 
 
 Head of St. John, 
 
 Head of Moliere, 
 
 Head, an Oval, 
 
 Pass of the Alps, 
 
 Landscape, 
 
 Sketch, 
 
 F. Bartolemeo. 
 
 G. Poussin. 
 
 Murillo. 
 
 Vandyke. 
 
 Guido. 
 
 Palamedes. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 . Gucrcino. 
 
 Spanish School. 
 
 . Tintoret. 
 
 . Calomba. 
 
 . Paul Brill. 
 
 C. Cignari. 
 
 Le Nain. 
 
 G. Orchiata. 
 
 Paul Brill. 
 
 Burganone. 
 
 F.Hals. 
 
 Poor Family, 
 
 View of St. Peter's at Rome, 
 Landscape with Goats, &c. 
 Battle piece, 
 Piper, 
 
 A Flemish Officer and Woman on Horseback, 
 
 Bleckers. 
 Landscape after Booth, . D. Heush. 
 
 Friar in the character of Diogenes, Lanfranc. 
 Man driving Cattle, . Castiglione. 
 
 Old Man reading, 
 
 Viscountess Dowager, Lady Anson, 
 Landscape, . . Van Goyer. 
 
20 
 
 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Fish Market, . . Bat. Bassan. 
 
 Portrait, date 1622, painter unknown. 
 An Improvisario with a Guitar, supposed to 
 represent Ariosto, . Jjanfranc, 
 
 Altar piece with Virgin and Child, 
 
 Bence Garofala. 
 Birds, , * Hondekceter. 
 
 Burning the Vatican, , Raphael. 
 
 Boors at Cards, . . Tenters. 
 
 Boors drawing Wine from a Vat, Ditto. 
 
 Boors Drinking, . . Ditto. 
 
 Cupids at Play, . . Rothenamer. 
 
 Christ bearing the Cross, . Van Eyck. 
 
 Jacob's Journey, . . Castiglione. 
 
 Fruit and dead Game, . Fyt. 
 
 Head, a Study, . . C. Maratti. 
 
 Landscape, Cattle and Figures, . Patel. 
 Landscape, , . G. Poussin. 
 
 Landscape with a Mill Pool, Van Goyer. 
 
 Lot and his Daughters, . Guerd.no. 
 
 Landscape and Figures, . Holbein. 
 
 Landscape, „ . Van Goyer. 
 
 Nativity of St. John, . P. Veronese. 
 
 Players at Minciati, . Albert Durer. 
 
 Petrarch's triumph of time, in which is a Portrait 
 of Petrarch and some of his Friends, 
 
 Old Franks. 
 Portrait of a Young Lady, . Rosabella. 
 Walter Chetwynd of Ingestrie, 
 
 Sir Peter Lely. 
 Earl of Essex, in rich armour, and in- 
 scribed, " Virtutis comes Invidiam 
 Sir Walter Aston of Tixall. 
 Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. 
 Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, with the 
 
 date set. 52. 
 Lewis Bagot. 
 
 The Lord Treasurer Burleigh 
 
 Mrs. Salusbury, of Bachymbed, Den- 
 bighshire. 
 
 Sir Edward Bagot. 
 
 Elizabeth Bagot, afterwards Countess 
 of Uxbridge. 
 
 Charles Salusbury. 
 
 Mary, Countess of Aylesford, Hudson, 
 
 Mary Bagot, Countess of Dorset, a 
 beauty of the Court of Charles II. 
 
 William Legge, first Earl of Dart- 
 mouth and his Lady. 
 
 Henry, Earl of Bolingbroke, when 
 young, in his Robes. 
 
 Hugo Grotius, School of Rembrandt. 
 Rachael at the Well, . C. Loti. 
 
 Ruins of Roman Buildings, . P. Panini. 
 St. John Baptizing Christ, . Zuccarellu 
 Stoning of St. Stephen, . Felippo Laura. 
 St. Paul shaking off the Viper, Guercino. 
 
 The Rape of Europa, . Albano. 
 
 The Flight into Egypt, . ZuccareUL 
 
 The Annunciation, . • Rothenamer. 
 
 Three Mary's with the Body of Christ, 
 
 a copy from A. Caracci. 
 The Duke of Buckingham, . Giorgion*. 
 The Angel appearing to the Shepherds, 
 
 Andrew Sacchi. 
 The Trinity, . . Albert Durer. 
 
 The Continence of Scipio, . Seb. ConcJta. 
 The Judgment of Solomon, S. Veuet. 
 
 The Feast of Levi, . . P. Veronese. 
 
 Two Neopolitan Officers, . Valentino . 
 
 The Virgin Mary, . . C. Maratti. 
 
 The Nativity, . Van Eyck. 
 
 The Scourging of Christ, . Ditto. 
 
 Women preparing pot herbs, . Ostade. 
 
 There are a few others which have escaped notice, but this choice collection contains about 
 one hundred fine pictures. 
 

 
 
 
 4 
 o 
 
 b 
 
 • 
 
 £ 
 
 
 n 
 
 M 
 
 
 V) 
 
 
 K 
 
 33 
 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 to 
 
 ■A 
 
 < 
 
 
 o 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 l y 
 
 
 
 n 
 
OP STAFFORDSHIRE. 81 
 
 It appears that William Bagot, F. A. S. and F. L. S., of Bagot's Bromley, in the county of 
 Stafford, was born the eleventh of September, 1773, and succeeded to the title of baronet, on 
 the demise of his father, the twenty-second of October, 1798 ; married, the twenty-eighth of May, 
 1799, Emily, daughter of Charles, first Lord Southampton, by whom he had one daughter, who 
 died in infancy. Her ladyship also dying, in the year 1800, Lord Bagot married again in 1807, 
 Louisa, eldest daughter of George, third earl of Dartmouth, by whom he had issue, three sons 
 and three daughters : his lordship is the second baron, and seventh baronet. Of their lineage, 
 Mr. Burke in his peerage says, " the ancestors of this noble family, are recorded in Doomsday 
 book, as possessors of Bagot's Bromley, which they held of Robert de Stradford, ancestor to the 
 ancient Barons Stafford, whose male line terminating about the time of Richard I., in Robert 
 de Stafford — his lordship's sister and heir, Millicent, conveyed that barony by marriage to Har- 
 vey de Bagot, a younger branch of the family, who, thereupon assuming the surname as well 
 as title of Stafford, became progenitor to the succeeding Barons and Earls of Stafford, and 
 Dukes of Buckingham. 
 
 The pedigree of the family, in the possession of the present peer, attested by Sir William 
 Dugdale, and Gregory King, deduces the lineal descent from Bagot, Lord of Bromley, who 
 held the lands from Robert de Stradford, as mentioned in Doomsday book, for the particulars 
 of which vide Burke's Peerage. 
 
 Motto. Antiquam obtinans. 
 
 WOLSELEY HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 THE MANSION OF 
 
 SIR CHARLES WOLSELEY, BART. 
 
 This neat and unassuming old mansion, having but four windows in its most elevated front, 
 and four on each side, or wings of the house, is delightfully situated in a charming and almost 
 unrivalled valley. The manor is a member of Haywood, two miles from Rugeley, and seven 
 from Stafford. This mansion is crowned with an embattled parapet to the extreme length of 
 the building, and the whole has recently been very much improved, and considerable additions 
 have been made by the present proprietor,— and the beautifully varied and handsomely laid out 
 pleasure grounds and gardens evince his great taste. Nature too has been very bountiful in her 
 
n PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 gifts to this enchanting valley, furnished with surrounding scenery, greatly enriched and adorn- 
 ed by the meandering course of the Trent, which proudly sweeps through Wolseley bridge, and 
 under the hanging woods in the park 
 
 The interior of this curious old hall is highly interesting, as it presents, perhaps, some of the 
 finest specimens of carving upon oak, in the highest state of preservation. The grand staircase 
 and drawing room are richly ornamented in this way, and the whole is the workmanship of an 
 artist of the first eminence in the time of Charles II., about the period that the first Sir Charles 
 Wolseley, represented the county of Stafford in Parliament, and took an active part in public 
 affairs. 
 
 The family of the Wolseleys have retained the same name and resided upon this estate for 
 upwards of seven hundred years, and we find that Richard de Wolseley, (descended from Ed- 
 ric, who resided at Wolseley in the time of William Rufus) about the twenty -fifth of Edward 
 I., married Sybilla, daughter of Roger de Aston, with her he had possessions in the adjoining 
 lordship of Bishton, which to this day remain in the family of the Wolseleys. " Sir Charles 
 Wolseley, bart., of Wolseley, in the county of Stafford, was born in 1 769, married first, in 
 1792, Mary, daughter of the honorable Thomas Clifford, of Tixall, in the county of Stafford, 
 by whom he has a surviving son, Spencer William, and who was born in October 1793. Sir 
 Charles's second marriage took place in 1812, to Anne, youngest daughter of Anthony Wright, 
 Esq. of the county of Essex, by whom he has three sons, Charles, Henry, and Edward. 1 * 
 
 Mr. Burke also remarks that this family ranks amongst the most ancient of Staffordshire, one 
 of its ancestors being Lord of Wolseley, in the thirteenth century, and another, one of the ba- 
 rons of the exchequer, in the reign of King Edward IV. 
 
 ARMITAGE PARK, STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 THOMAS LISTER, ESQ., LL. D. 
 
 The fine romantic park of Armitage, the mansion attached to it, and the beautiful and exten- 
 sive view of the adjacent country, renders this residence a truly delightful one. 
 
 It is in the true English style, a fine substantial building, forms a complete square, the 
 whole summit of which is embattled, and the four turrets, there being one at each corner, are 
 crowned by cupolas. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 23 
 
 This edifice is of a stone colour ; three Gothic arches support a noble portico, under which, 
 at the principal front, is the entrance to the mansion. It has many spacious rooms, and contains 
 an extensive and fine collection of books and paintings. — The library is nearly sixty feet in 
 length ; and, among the paintings, by ancient and modern masters, there are several family and 
 other portraits ; in the former are those of Sir William Lister and his lady, and of Sir Martin 
 Lister and his lady. There is also a portrait of Caius Gabriel Cibber, the sculptor, (father of 
 Colley Cibber) who executed the two figures, one of raving, the other of melancholy madness, 
 that surmounted the pillars of the principal entrance to old Bethelem. He also executed the 
 fine bust of Oliver Cromwell, which was sold in the sale of the collection of the celebrated Dr. 
 Mead. There is also in the mansion of Armitage, a fine portrait of Dr. Butt, Physician to 
 Henry VIII. ; one of Francis, first earl of Westmoreland ; one of the Countess of Chesterfield, 
 daughter of Butler, Duke of Ormond, and several others of persons of celebrity. 
 
 Thomas Lister, Esq. the proprietor of this place, is of the ancient family of that name, of 
 Gisburne park, Yorkshire. His father, Nathaniel Lister, Esq. who represented the borough 
 of Clithero in parliament, was uncle to Lord Ribblesdale, (the title originated from the river 
 Ribble) the head of the family. Mr. Burke in his peerage says that " this noble family is of 
 great antiquity, having been seated at Gisburne, for more than five centuries, which estate ori- 
 ginally came to the Listers by the marriage of 
 
 " John Lister, son of Sir Thomas Lister, with Isabella, daughter and heiress of John de 
 Bolton, from which marriage the fifteenth lineal descent was 
 
 Thomas Lister, Esq. of Gisburne park, born October the eighth, 1688 ; member of par- 
 liament from 1710 until his demise, in 1745. Mr. Lister married Catherine, daughter and co- 
 heiress of Sir Ralph Asheton, of Whaliey, and was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 
 Thomas Lister, Esq., born the nineteenth of January, 1723, married Beatrix, daughter of 
 Jessop Hulton, Esq. of Hulton park, in the county of Lancaster ; and, dying on the twenty- 
 eighth of November, 1761, was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 
 Thomas Lister, Esq. D. C. L., born the twenty-second of March, 1752, who was elevated 
 to the peerage on the twenty-sixth of October, 1797, by the title of Baron Ribblesdale, of Gis- 
 burne park, in the county of York. His lordship married in 1789, Rebecca, daughter of Joseph 
 Fielding. Esq. by whom he had issue, 
 
 Thomas, present peer, 
 
 Catherine, who was married in 1810, to James Skurray, Day, Esq., and, secondly, in 1817, 
 to the Rev. John Fleming Parker ; and 
 
 Rebecca, Adelaide. 
 
 He died on the twenty-second of September, 1826. 
 
 Creation, — Twenty-sixth of October, 1797. Motto. — Retinens vestigia famo?. 
 
 Seat. — Gisburn park, Yorkshire. 
 
 According to Sir William Dugdale, this family (by the marriage of John Lister, son of Sir 
 Thomas, with the heiress of the house of Bolton) derive a descent from the Saxon earls, through 
 the families of Clare, Gaunt, and Romara. 
 
ft* PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 In Lichfield cathedral is an elegant monument to the memory of Harriet, daughter of John 
 Seale Esq., of Mount Boone, Devon ; she was the first wife of Thomas Lister Esq. the present 
 proprietor of Armitage Park — the second is " Mary, eldest daughter of the late William Grose 
 Esq. LL.D. of Warwickshire, by Lucy, daughter of Edward Sneyd, Esq. of Staffordshire." 
 
 The Grand Trunk canal passes through an interesting subterraneous cavern, near the pleasure 
 grounds of this park, from which may be seen a most extensive view over the surrounding coun- 
 try, and the church erected upon an elevated rock, between which and the river Trent, a very 
 picturesque effect is produced. Armitage, (in the hundred of Offlow, south) is said to have 
 derived its name from a hermit that sojourned on this spot. 
 
 HAGLEY HALL, STAFFOKDSHIEE. 
 
 THE MANSION OP 
 THE HONOURABLE ROBERT CURZON, M. P. 
 
 Hacley Hall, from having been built at an early period, and having been enlarged from time 
 to time, causes it to have not only an irregular appearance, but also that of a series of different 
 dwellings, however it is extremely picturesque, and perhaps no part of it could be dismantled 
 without spoiling the ancient and venerable effect of the whole, and the arrangement and comfort 
 of the interior, amply compensate for any want of peculiar grandeur in its exterior. The late 
 Viscount Curzon, it appears, made very considerable improvements to this mansion which is 
 about a mile and a half from Rugeley, north east of Cannock Chase, on the borders of Cuttle- 
 stove hundred 
 
 Hagley after passing through various branches of the Weston family, of Weston Lizard in 
 this county, and whose paternal estate it was in the time of Edward III., became the property 
 of the late Viscount Curzon. It appears that Sir Richard Weston, Knt. was a baron of the ex- 
 chequer, and died in 1658 ; his son was slain in the army, (in which he was a colonel) of 
 Charles I., that monarch created Richard Weston, who was a member of the same family, Earl 
 of Portland. 
 
 Of the ancient and noble family of Curzon, it appears that Nathaniel Curzon, of Scarsdale 
 in the county of Derby, was created a Baronet by the title of Baron Scarsdale, on the 27th of 
 September 1751, and married on the 18th of August, 1777, to the Honorable Sophia Sampson 
 Noel, third daughter of Edward, first Viscount Wentworth, and coheiress of her brother 
 Thomas, second Viscount Wentworth ; at whose death in 1815 *W neerac'e expired. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 25 
 
 Lord Scarsdale inherited the honour of his family, as second Baron, at the demise of his 
 father, on the 5th of December 1804. To give the lineage entire, of this ancient and noble 
 family and of their connections and properties, would exceed the limits of this work. Giraline 
 de Curzon, who is the first we find upon record, came over with William the Conqueror- From 
 the second son of Geraline de Curzon, Richard Curzon of Kedleston in the county of Derby, 
 was lineally descended John Curzon of Kedleston, (commonly called John with the white 
 head), who was high sheriff for the counties of Nottingham and Derby in the fifteenth year of 
 the reign of Henry VI. ; he married Joan, daughter of Sir John Bagot, of Blythefield in this 
 county ; his son Richard Curzon succeeded him and married Alice, daughter of Sir Robert 
 Willoughby, of Wollaton, Notts, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John Curzon Esq. high 
 sheriff for the county of Derby, in the thirteenth of Edward IV., second of Richard III., and se- 
 cond of Henry VII. ; his grandson John Curzon of Kedleston, married the daughter of Sir Ralph 
 Sacheverel, Knt. of Staunton in the county of Derby, he was succeeded by his son, who it ap- 
 pears was created a baronet on the eleventh of August, 1641, and represented the county of 
 Derby in Parliament ; his son Sir Nathaniel, who died on the fourth of March 1719, was succeeded 
 by Sir George, and he dying unmarried, the title devolved upon Sir Nathaniel, they were all mem- 
 bers of parliament for Derby, and the latter Sir Nathaniel, married Mary, the daughter and co- 
 heiress of Sir Ralph Asheton, Bart, of Middleton. in the county of Lancaster, by whom he had 
 issue, Nathaniel, who succeeded him, and was created Baron Curzon in 1794, and Viscount 
 Curzon in 1802. These honours now merge in the earldom of Howe, borne by his lordship's 
 great grandson. Sir Nathaniel, who died in 1758 was succeeded by his eldest son of the same 
 name, and, who was elevated to the peerage on the the ninth of June, 1761, by the title of Baron 
 Scarsdale, of Scarsdale in the county of Derby, he marrried October 27th 1751, Caroline, daugh- 
 ter of Charles, second earl of Portmore, by whom he had issue Nathaniel. The late Viscount 
 Curzon, the younger son of Sir Nathaniel, who married the daughter of Sir Ralph Asheton, be- 
 came the proprietor of Hagley, from whom it descended to the present owner. His lord- 
 ship married Esther, daughter of William Hanmer of Betterfield, Shropshire ; the Honorable 
 Penn Asheton Curzon, was the issue of this marriage, and he was united to Sophia, eldest 
 daughter of Richard, earl Howe, K. G. ; and the barony being limited to his eldest daugh- 
 ter, and her male issue, she, upon the death of Earl Howe, became a Baroness in her own right 
 The late Viscount Curzon, dying at the advanced age of 92, in March 1820, his grandson, 
 Richard William, married in the same year, Lady Harriet Georgina, daughter of the Earl of 
 Cardigan, and in the year following his lordship, from his majesty's consideration of his descent 
 from the brave admiral, was advanced to the earldom. 
 
26 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 WOOTTON HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE MANSION OP 
 COLONEL WILSON. 
 
 This mansion is perhaps one of the most handsome and perfect specimens of the very best struc- 
 tures erected in the time of queen Elizabeth. It is a grand edifice, constructed with all the 
 elaborate details of the architecture of that day, and is built entirely of stone, and is ascended 
 by a noble flight of stone steps. 
 
 This seat, situate in the hundred of South Totmonslow, on the skirts of the county, is about 
 four miles and a half from Ashbourn, in Derbyshire, and is rendered remarkable for having 
 sheltered the celebrated Jean Jaques Rousseau, between the years 1760 and 1770 ; It was then 
 in possession of the Davenport family, and it was here that Rousseau commenced his attack upon 
 his friend and benefactor David Hume, from which and other circumstances, a discreet mind, 
 has pleaded as the only apology in his favour. Of this extraordinary man, celebrated philosopher, 
 and eccentric genius, Mr. Stephen Jones says, that in his " confessions," all the disguises which 
 pride, hypocrisy, self-love, and shame, had wound round the human heart, are removed ; all its 
 secret recesses are laid open to the eye ; and he appears a strange mixture of good and evil, of 
 sublimity and littleness, of penetration and simplicity ! Mr. Nichols, in his anecdotes states, that 
 " the Rev. Dr. Ralph Heathcote published a letter in 1767 to Horace Walpole, relative to the 
 quarrel between Rousseau and Hume, which letter some of the reviewers of that day attributed 
 to Mr. Walpole himself." Richardson has often been compared to Rousseau ; and Rousseau was 
 one of his professed admirers. In his letter to D'Alembert, speaking of English romances, he 
 says, " these like the people are either sublime or contemptible ; there never has been in any 
 language a romance equal, or approaching to Clarissa. 1 ' But the esteem was not reciprocal : 
 Mr. Richardson was so much disgusted at some of the scenes, and the whole tendency of the 
 " New Eloisa," that he secretly criticised the work (as he read it) in marginal notes; and 
 thought with many others, that this writer " taught the passions to move at the command of vice. " 
 
 It appears that Mr. Rousseau left Wootton in the summer of 1766, from a curious circum- 
 stance, which in substance is thus traditionally related in the neighbourhood of Wootton Hall. 
 Mademoiselle le Vasseur, his governante had, without being noticed by the cook, detected her in 
 the act of putting some ingredients in his broth, which she feared was for the purpose of taking 
 his life by poison ; it was however, attributed to the dislike of Madame for a country life, and 
 she adopted this stratagem knowing his suspicions and irritable disposition. It had the effect 
 she wished, for it appears that Rousseau condemned the inhospitable roof, from which he imme- 
 diately retired and remained in the open air, for several hours, until a chaise (for which she had 
 been dispatched on the instant to the next town) arrived to convey him from a spot, where, as 
 he conceived, such a diabolical act was meditated, or so flagitious an act of inhospitality practised. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 27 
 
 LOXLEY HALL AND PARK, STAFFORDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 THOMAS SNEYD KYNNERSLEY, Esq. 
 
 This handsome mansion situate upon an eminence in Loxley park, skirting Derbyshire, is about 
 two miles from Uttoxeter, below which the river Blythe, after passing through Loxley, falls into 
 the bosom of the river Dove. The name of part of the county in which Loxley is placed, is 
 peculiarly descriptive of the scenery which embosoms it, for the Woodlarids as it is called, is, well 
 furnished with fine trees, and richly watered by the Blythe, and other tributary streams. 
 
 The mansion is of considerable extent, and its stone cased front, presents some handsome 
 columns and a finely adorned Doric portico. On entering the spacious and lofty hall, the mind 
 is pervaded with a reverential impression on viewing the antique and fine wainscoating, curiously 
 adorned with- paintings of the Virgin and Infant — the Saviour — the Flight into Egypt — the 
 Apostles and Evangelists, and the Last Supper. Above these paintings, appears upon the Frieze, 
 in good preservation the arms of the Stuarts, and of the nobility, gentry, and potentates of 
 Christendom in the early part of the seventeenth century. 
 
 This estate was in the possession of the Kynnersley family at so early a period as the time of 
 Edward III. when it passed to John de Kynnersley and continued in the family for several ge- 
 nerations, until the year 1815, when Clement Kynnersley Esq., the last male possessor, dying, 
 left it to his nephew Thomas Sneyd, (son of John Sneyd of Bishton, and subsequently of Bel- 
 mont in Staffordshire), who added the name of Kynnersley to that of his own, upon his accession 
 to this estate, which embraces all the advantages that can be desired in point of richness of soil, 
 site, scenery, &c. 
 
 BISHTON HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 JOHN SPARROW Esq. 
 
 Bishton Hall is an admirable modern built mansion, in the hundred of Pirchill, two miles 
 north of Rugeley, and near Wolseley bridge, where it has a beautiful view from the river Trent, 
 
28 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 and Grand Trunk canal, and, at the rear of Wolseley park, rising in rich luxuriance, from the 
 beautiful valley and banks of the river on the opposite side. 
 
 This seat presents a handsome and uniform appearance, having four chaste Doric columns, 
 supporting a handsome portico at the front entrance. Two very neat wings add much to the 
 beauty and length of the house, on the right of which, nearly embosomed in trees in the gar- 
 den, is an hexagonal embattled tower constructed with considerable taste, and forming a very 
 interesting object. The country around is particularly luxuriant, and the river Trent, richly 
 fertilizes the valley, that adds so much grace to the noble mansions of Trentham, Ingestrie, 
 Sandon and Tixall; in fact the junction of the Birmingham, Staffordshire and Worcester canals 
 at Autherly, passing from the river Severn at Stourpoint to the Grand Trunk or Trent and Mer- 
 sey canal, at Great Haywood, bestow great advantages to the above mansions, and to that of 
 Shugborough. 
 
 John Sparrow, Esq. the proprietor of Bishton, was, for upwards of thirty years, chairman of 
 the quarter sessions, and, in the year 1789, he served the office of high sheriff, for the county 
 of Stafford. He was united to Elizabeth, daughter of Ralph Moreton, Esq., a lineal descend- 
 ant of the Ducies, who descended from a Norman family of distinction : Matthew Ducie More- 
 ton was created Lord Ducie, Baron of Moreton, in the county of Stafford, June the ninth, 1720. 
 
 ALTON ABBEY, STAFFORDSHIRE; 
 
 THE SEAT OP 
 CHARLES TALBOT, EARL OF SHREWSBURY. 
 
 Alton Abbey is delightfully situate, and the favourite seat of the earl of Shrewsbury, to whom 
 it is indebted for much of its splendour, and the classic taste evinced in its erection. 
 
 In passing from the lodge, and ascending a considerable hill, of upwards of one mile, to the 
 mansion, through beautiful woods, the observatory erected by his lordship in the form of a 
 square embattled tov»r, is, in the serpentine course of the road seen to great advantage. The 
 approach to this demesne, from the town of Alton, is over a bridge that crosses the river Churnet. 
 
 The front and sides of this noble seat, are irregular in their general appearance, but the nu- 
 merous embattled towers, and the principal entrance under the centre, which has a gable, and a 
 large pointed window, has a very picturesque effect. Various classic figures adorn niches in the 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 29* 
 
 hall — in which is a grand stair case, that leads to various splendid apartments, and a fine conser- 
 vatory, of excellent workmanship, and of considerable beauty in appearance. 
 
 The pleasure grounds and gardens are laid out with great taste in this enchanting spot, which 
 is ornamented with a colossal bust of Mr. Pitt, a conservatory, a light iron bridge which crosses 
 a canal, and other objects, together with the pleasing variety of the rides, and the picturesque 
 scenery of the surrounding country, — render this mansion as desirable as any in the county, 
 and is situate about four miles and a half from Cheadle. It appears that, subsequent to the con- 
 quest, a castle was erected here, the walls of which were of an immense thickness, as some of 
 their ruins still demonstrate : it was destroyed in the civil wars during the commonwealth. 
 
 The manor, which contained several villages, originally belonged to the family of Verdon, 
 from whom, in the time of Edward II., it passed to Thomas, Lord Furnival, by marriage. It 
 afterwards devolved to Neville, Lord Furnival, whose daughter married Sir John Talbot, after- 
 wards created Earl of Shrewsbury : he was previously summoned to parliament in his wife's 
 right, as Lord Furnival, and this brave and gallant nobleman, after winning forty battles, glo- 
 riously fell from a cannon ball, at Chastillon sur Derdon, in 1453 : the present Earl of Shrews- 
 bury, possessing ffhis estate and the baronies of Verdon and Furnival. 
 
 It appears, according tc Burke's peerage, that " John, Earl of Talbot, in the peerage of 
 England ; Earl of Waterford and Wexford, in the peerage of Ireland ; was born on the eigh- 
 teenth of March, 1791, married on the twenty seventh of June, 1814, Maria, eldest daughter 
 of William Talbot, Esq. of castle Talbot, in the county of Wexford, by whom he has issue, 
 two daughters :" his lordship succeeded to the honors of his family, as seventeenth earl, at the 
 decease of his uncle, on the fifth of April, 1827, 
 
 For a full account of the lineage of this noble family, which traces its descent to a period an 
 tecedent to the conquest, we must refer our readers to Burke's peerage, which is highly inte- 
 resting on this subject ; for, after stating that Richard de Talbot, the first upon record, 
 who is mentioned in Doomsday-book, as holding nine hides of land from Walter Gifford, Earl 
 of Buckingham, and was married to Gerard de Gournay, it proceeds to give an account of 
 their issue, and of their numerous successors, down to the present period. 
 
 Motto.— Pret d'accomplir. 
 
50 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 SANDON HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE MANSION OP 
 
 DUDLEY RYDER, EARL OF HARROWBY. 
 
 ft 
 
 This mansion is erected on the site of an ancient structure that was formerly surrounded and 
 defended by a deep moat, and massive walls. Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, had this place gi- 
 ven to him by William the Conqueror ; it afterwards passed through the families of Verdon 
 and Stafford, to that of Erdeswicke ; Thomas Erdeswicke became its possessor in the twelfth of 
 Edward III. ; and it subsequently devolved to Hugh Erdeswicke and his son Thomas Erdes- 
 wicke, the antiquarian, and celebrated historian of his native county, was born in an old half tim- 
 bered edifice of this place, where he died, and was interred in Sandon church, in April, 1603. 
 The pedigree of his family is included in his epitaph, placed in the church, which he, a short 
 time before his death, caused to be repaired. 
 
 George Digby, Esq. groom of the stole to James I., purchased the old mansion and estate, 
 which afterwards passed to Charles, Lord Gerard, of Bromley, by Jane, daughter of George 
 Digby, Esq. whose grand-daughter, on her marriage, conveyed it to the Duke of Hamilton, and 
 Lord Archibald Hamilton erected the present very elegant mansion, upon the declivity of an 
 eminence, from whence there is a most luxuriant prospect of fine plantations, and, over the river 
 Trent, a vast and extensive range of country. The moat that surrounded the former residence 
 is still to be seen, and the sloping hill behind it, is richly clothed. 
 
 The Earl of Harrowby has greatly enlarged and improved this noble mansion, which is in 
 Pirchill hundred, at the distance of about four miles and a half from Stone, and standing on 
 an eminence over the Chester road. The church, also stands upon a hill, and is now in the gift 
 of the Earl of Harrowby. 
 
 A conspicuous object appears upon a wooded hill, opposite the south front of the house ; 
 it is a fine Doric column, the pedestal of which is surmounted by a vase, and the whole is highly 
 ornamental amidst the surrounding scenery. The following inscription appears on the southern 
 side of the pedestal : 
 
 GULIELMO PITT. 
 
 DUDLEIUS BARO HARROWBY 
 
 PATRI PATRIA CIVIS 
 
 AMICO AMICUS 
 
 MCERENS POSUIT. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE 31 
 
 On the north side 
 
 SACRED 
 TO THE MEMORY 
 
 OP 
 
 WILLIAM PITT. 
 M.DCCC.VI. 
 
 The Earl of Harrowby, (Dudley Ryder, D. C. L., and F. S. A.) Viscount Sandon, of Sandon, 
 in the county of Stafford, and Baron Harrowby of Harrowby, in the county of Lincoln ; lord 
 president of the council, high steward of Tiverton, and an official trustee of the British Mu- 
 seum, was born the twenty-second of December, 1762; married, in 1795, Susan Leveson, 
 daughter of Granville, first Marquis of Stafford, by whom he has issue ; Dudley Viscount San- 
 don, M. P. born the twenty-third of May, 1798, for whose issue, and the lineage of the family, 
 vide Burke's peerage. 
 
 Motto. — Servata fides cineri. 
 
 SWINNERTON HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE; 
 
 THE MANSION OF 
 THOMAS FITZHERBERT, ESQ. 
 
 Swinnerton-Hall in Pirchill hundred, about three miles north west from the town of Stone, 
 is a noble pile of building, arid appears in the original character and style of architecture of the 
 time of Queen Anne, in whose reign it was erected ; it stands on a considerable eminence, and 
 the front being divided into three compartments, and the centre ornamented with four pilasters 
 and two wings, all graced and surmounted by vases, produces a grand effect : the prospects 
 around the fine part of the county in which it stands, with the distant views of Shropshire, and 
 parts of Cheshire and Worcestershire are highly picturesque. 
 
 The principal entrance to the great hall, the spacious apartments, and the elegance with 
 which the whole interior is fitted up and furnished, and the valuable pictures the mansion 
 contains, bespeak the refined taste of the successive members of the family ; the " ancient 
 
32 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 and noble descent of which, having for their founder, Heribert, Earl of Vennandois, about 
 the year 900." Of this family was Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, a very learned judge of the Com- 
 mon Pleas in the reign of Henry VII : he was born at Norbury in Derbyshire, and died in 
 1538, he left behind him many valuable works, of which the chief are " The grand abridgement 
 collected by that most reverend judge, Mr. Anthony Fitzherbert, lately conferred with his 
 own manuscript corrected by himself, together with the references of the cases to the books by 
 which they may easily be found ; an improvement never before made ;" " the office and au- 
 thority of justices of peace ;" " the office of sheriffs, bailiffs, of liberties, escheators, constables, 
 coroners, &c." and " the new Natura Brevium," always held in very high esteem. 
 
 Mr. Neele observes that he also left a u book of husbandry," said to have been often reprinted 
 in the times of Mary and Elizabeth ; it is now extremely scarce, but a copy is preserved in the 
 Family Library. Although in some degree obsolete, it is remarkable that a work of which 
 Harte in his essays on husbandry says that " for the space of one hundred years we had not such 
 a systematical body of husbandry as Fitzherbert's," should not since have been reprinted. Of his 
 works altogether, Fuller remarks ; " these his writings, are monuments which will longer continue 
 his memory, than the flat blue marble stone under which he lies interred in Norbury church." 
 
 The old study of Sir Anthony at the ancient mansion of Norbury, (which is now a farm house) 
 is wainscoated with oak, on the panels are inscribed, sentences from Scripture, in old English 
 characters ; the whole is judiciously preserved. 
 
 Thomas Fitzherbert Esq. who built this mansion, died without issue, at Nice in 1781 ; his 
 estates of Swinnerton, devolving to his brother Basil, came to his son Thomas Fitzherbert the 
 present proprietor of this seat, which is the principal one of this branch of the family. 
 
 INGESTKIE, STAFFOKDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 CHARLES CHET^YND TALBOT, CHETWYND, EARL TALBOT. 
 
 Tins venerable mansion is said to have belonged to the same family since the period of Edward 
 111.; it originally formed part of the barony of Stafford, and was anciently called Ingestrent, 
 and was granted by William the Conqueror, to Robert de Toeni, it was subsequently held, (in 
 the time of Henry II.) by Eudo de Milton, and passed to the present noble family through the 
 marriage of Isabella de Milton to Sir William Chetwynd. 
 
 This venerable structure, situate on the acclivity of an eminence, is within three miles of 
 Stafford, and although it has undergone various alterations, it still retains a fine Elizabethan cha- 
 racter. The centre, which is of brick, contains several large windows, to each end of which a stone 
 
OP STAFFORDSHIRE. 33 
 
 projection is attached, and, four windows are laid into pairs, by a flat square column. The south 
 front presents its pristine appearance ; the north front having been pulled down, and another 
 erected by the present Earl Talbot, in the same style of architecture, to correspond with the 
 south front, thus forming an uniform grand exterior. 
 
 There is also a very handsome stone tower, projecting from the building, in the centre of which 
 is the entrance to the mansion : the tower is surmounted by a handsome and richly carved bal- 
 lustrade, and a similar one below, passes along the whole front : within the upper ballustrade rises 
 a sort of lantern cupola tower, supported by columns, answering the purpose of an observatory, 
 and for which it was perhaps formerly used. 
 
 In the great hall is a fine portrait of Walter Chetwynd Esq. who, at his own expence, erected 
 the church at Ingestrie, in 1676. 
 
 Within these few years a handsome approach has been made to this noble seat from the south ; 
 and, where an ancient triumphal arch formerly stood, a neat and appropriate lodge entrance has 
 been erected. 
 
 The deer park, and what is termed the Wilderness, form the most exquisite variegated plea- 
 sure grounds in grove and forest scenery. The surrounding pleasure grounds are extensively 
 and abundantly wooded, a number of oaks of immense size, some nearly five yards in the girth, 
 at the distance of nearly two yards from the ground, add beauty to the variety of noble walks 
 several of which extend to the skirts of the wood. 
 
 The lineal descent of this ancient and illustrious family is from John Talbot Esq. of Salwarp, 
 grandson of Sir Gilbert Talbot of Grafton, knight-bannaret, knight of the Garter, one of the 
 most renowned warriors and statesmen of his time, third son of John, second earl of Shrewsbury, 
 by his wife, lady Elizabeth Butler, daughter of James earl of Ormond ; the great grandson of 
 the aforesaid John Talbot. To proceed with the full lineage of this, and other noble families 
 would exceed the limits of this work, but for which we refer our readers to Burke's Peerage, 
 wherein the title is thus defined : " Charles Chetwynd, Chetwynd Talbot, Earl Talbot, Viscount 
 Ingestrie, in the county of Stafford, and Baron Talbot of Hensol in the county of Glamorgan; 
 a knight of the most illustrious order of St. Patrick, F. R. S ; F. A. S. ; born April twenty-fifth 
 1777, inherited the family honors, as second Earl on the demise of his father, nineteenth of May, 
 1793, married twenty-eighth of August 1800, Frances Thomasine, eldest daughter of Charles 
 Lambert Esq. of Bean Park, in the County of Meath, (who died in 1819) by whom he had 
 issue, eight sons and two daughters," of whom Mr. Burke inserts that " his lordship's eldest 
 daughter, lady Frances Charlotte, married in 1821, William fourth earl of Dartmouth, and died 
 in 1823." 
 
 Lord Talbot was nominated viceroy of Ireland, upon the retirement of the late duke of Rich- 
 mond, and executed the duties of that important government, till the appointment of the Mar- 
 quis of Wellesley, in 1821. His lordship is lord lieutenant of the county of Stafford. 
 
 Motto. — Humani Nihil alienum. 
 
PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 TIXALL HOUSE, STAFFOKDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE MANSION OF 
 SIR THOS. ASTON CLIFFORD CONSTABLE, BART. 
 
 Tixall is another of the manors bestowed by William the Conqueror on Robert de Toeni, or 
 de Stadford. It subsequently passed to the family of Wastenays, and was purchased from them 
 by the celebrated judge Littleton, whose grand-daughter, by marriage, brought it to Sir John 
 Aston of Haywood, knight bannaret. The honorable Barbara Aston — daughter of James (fifth 
 Lord Aston) married the honorable Thomas Clifford, from whom it devolved to the present pro- 
 prietor. 
 
 This mansion stands in the centre of a fine park, and nearly in the centre of the parish. The 
 south front is the only portion that can be fully seen, and this, it appears, was added by the ho- 
 norable Thomas Clifford, to the quadrangle built by James, Lord Aston, about eighty years 
 since: Mr. Mogg observes, that the present mansion " was erected about forty years since, but 
 contains little worthy of notice ; there is, however, a magnificent gateway in front, embellished 
 with three series of columns, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, immediately between which formerly 
 stood the ancient mansion, a building erected in the early part of the reign of Henry VIII., and 
 remarkable as having contained a great number of windows, without any two of them being 
 alike. On the heath adjoining the park, there are two tumuli, called the King and Queen's sow, 
 of which nothing is known, either respecting their origin or history ; but, early in the last cen- 
 tury, two urns were found near them, supposed to be of Roman workmanship. In the time of 
 Henry VII. Sir William Chetwynd was barbarously murdered on this heath, by a number of 
 armed villains, hired for the purpose by Sir Humphrey Stanley, who, was incited to the commis- 
 sion of the diabolical deed, by jealousy, that the former met with greater preferment near the so- 
 vereign than himself." 
 
 This edifice is built of the stone of the place, and is termed Tixall stone. The shafts of the 
 Doric columns of the portico are formed of single blocks, each fifteen feet in length. The ex- 
 tended front, by a screen on each side, is ornamented by columns of the same order, and the 
 screens surmounted by pedestals, and lions couchant. 
 
 Of the interior, &c. Mr. Neele says the particulars given by him, are chiefly from an " Histo- 
 rical description of Tixall ; drawn up by the present proprietor, and his brother Arthur Clifford, 
 Esq., printed at Paris in 1817." The limits of this publication will not admit the following 
 either, beyond a mere outline. 
 
 The hall and library do not appear of great extent, neither exceeding twenty six feet square, 
 by about sixteen feet high, the latter contains about four thousand volumes, and a fine painting, 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 
 
 
 
 * 
 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 35 
 
 by « Edward Bird, R. A., of the landing of Louis XVIII., at Calais in 1814." This truly 
 interesting painting, from being taken on the spot, and containing portraits not only of Louis. 
 XVIIL, but correct ones of the French and English nobility that attended on the occa- 
 sion, is considered very valuable. It has been compared with one previously painted by Mr. 
 Bird, of the " Embarkation at Dover, in the same year, for his majesty, then prince regent, and 
 which is now in the royal collection.' 1 
 
 The dining and other rooms contain a fine collection of paintings, of which the following are 
 the principal. 
 
 A large painting by Richard Van Bleek, containing seven portraits, as large as life ; viz. Lord 
 Aston, of Forfar, and Lady Mary Howard, his wife, and their attendants. 
 
 A full length portrait of Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, in his robes, 
 
 A portrait of Catherine Gage, second wife of the fourth Lord Aston. 
 
 Fine heads, .... Vandyke and Corn. Janson. 
 
 Cataline's conspiracy, , Salvator Rosa. 
 
 Two large historical pictures, ... . Casali. 
 
 A fine portrait of Cromwell, Earl of Essex, . . Holbein. 
 
 Sportsmen, .... Murilh. 
 
 Virgin and Child, .... Solmenu 
 
 Christ in the garden, . . . . Carlo Maratti 
 
 The gate-house of three stories, ornamented with Corinthian, Doric, and Ionic columns, flank- 
 ed by four octagon towers, is said to be the most chaste antique edifice of this description in 
 England : behind it are the ruins of the ancient family seat, completed in 1555. The remains 
 are curious — as they still display a Gothic bay window — with rich Gothic ornaments ; and an 
 Oriel, the ceiling of which still exhibit the arms of the ancestors of Aston, in the families of 
 Montfort, Freville, Byron, and Walsh. 
 
 Sir Thomas Aston Constable, Baronet, of Tixhall, in the county of Stafford, succeeded to the 
 title, upon the demise of his father the twenty-fifth of February, 1823, and is the second baro- 
 net, and is a branch of the ancient and noble house of Clifford, for the full lineage of which, we 
 refer to Burke's peerage, where it is also stated that " Sir Thomas assumed, by royal permission 
 in 1821, the surname and arms of " Constable, 1 * only : his great aunts the Cliffords having both 
 married into the Constable family. 
 
 Motto. Semper paratus. 
 
96 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 STONE. 
 
 Stone, in the parish of the same name, is a well built market town, situate on the northern 
 bank of the river Trent, in the southern division of Pirchill hundred, seven miles north of Staf- 
 ford, — one hundred and forty-one north-west from London, forty-five from Manchester, twenty- 
 two from Lichfield, and nine from Newcastle-under-line. This ancient town originated, as is 
 generally stated, from the excessive barbarism and cruelty of Wulfere, one of the kings of Mer- 
 cia, who slew his two sons, for deserting his pagan principles, and adopting those of Christianity, 
 and the temples that he had raised for idolatrous purposes, he afterwards converted to Christian 
 churches. The name of Stone arose from the mass of that article collected by the Saxons (an 
 usual custom with them to serve as monuments of Christianity) and placed upon the spot where 
 the sons of Wulfere had been slain. Their mother, Queen Erminilda, caused a church to be 
 erected at this place over their tomb, and the town of Stone gradually rose, and was so named 
 as commemorative of the event. 
 
 Mr, Mogg states that the town has considerably increased in size since the formation of the 
 canal between the Trent and the Mersey, and that it has some good charitable institutions, and 
 a handsome church, originally dedicated to St. Weelford ; on the north side of the cemetery 
 there is a large stone vault, with two wings, belonging to the Jervoise family. 
 
 Its religious institutions formerly consisted of a monastery, and a nunnery, the former was 
 founded by Wulfere, king of Mercia, who, though brought up in the pagan worship, became 
 a convert to Christianity after his father's death, but, subsequently embraced paganism, and 
 educated his children in that worship ; his sons, however, exchanged their religion for that of 
 St. Chad, which so incensed the monarch, that he one day followed them to their devotions, and 
 immediately put them to death ; yet the king at a subsequent period, became a sincere penitent, 
 he once more returned to the true faith, and abolished idolatry from his dominions. 
 
 The nunnery was established by Erminilda, queen of the above sovereign ; but the female 
 votaries were afterwards removed, and the house converted into a priory, by filling it with ca- 
 nons from Kenil worth abbey, to which it was made a cell. 
 
 Cooke, in his topography, thus states the period, &c. " At the distance of one mile from 
 Darlaston, we arrive at Stone, where Walford and Rupinus were murdered by their father, for 
 embracing Christianity ; but, Wulfere, being afterwards converted to the faith, founded a col- 
 lege of secular canons, after the year 670, in honour of the sons whom he had slain." These ca- 
 nons being driven away by the Danes, about the time of the conquest, some nuns had got pos- 
 session of the house ; but, by the means of Robert de Stafford, they were changed for regular 
 canons from Kenilworth (as before noticed), in the reign of Henry I. to which house this priory 
 was a cell, in 1260, when another Robert de Stafford, got it made independent, save only the 
 rights of patronage, and a yearly pension • at the suppression, the site was granted to George 
 Harper. 
 


 A 
 
 >- 
 
 £0 
 
 a 
 
 W 
 
 
 5 
 
 > 
 
 o 
 
 
 w 
 
 M 
 
 
 Q 
 
 E 
 
 
 Q 
 
 tn 
 
 k 
 
 < 
 
 2 
 
 o 
 
 
 K 
 
 as 
 
 ¥ 
 
 a* 
 
 | 
 
 Bji 
 
 < 
 
 CTi 
 
 
 Vd, 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 
 < 
 
 
 
 S, 
 
 
 O 
 5 
 
 £ 
 
 
 
 (0 
 
 
 
 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 87 
 
 Mr. Pitt remarks that " this manor is not mentioned in Doomsday book, but the conqueror 
 gave it to Erasmus, who held it till the reign of King Henry I., and then it being forfeited to 
 the king by Enysan de Walton, who had killed two nuns and a priest, who had settled in a small 
 oratory in this town, in honour of St. Wulfade, before murdered there, was given to Robert de 
 Stafford, who, out of great devotion to that saint, founded a priory for canons regular of St. 
 Augustine, and, after him their family made it their burial place." Mr. Pitt further observes 
 that, " about half a mile from the town, a good stone bridge leads to the pleasant village of 
 Walton, whence Enysan de Walton, before mentioned, took his name. This Enysan (says Pen- 
 nant) was the true re-founder of the priory at Stone ; but the Staffords, who were his superiors 
 assumed the honour of this new foundation. The church of the priory contained many magni- 
 ficent tombs of this great family at the period of the dissolution, at which time they were re- 
 moved for safety to the Augustines of Stafford, but were afterwards destroyed with that place." 
 
 The town of Stone in 1821, contained five hundred and thirty-two houses, and two thousand 
 eight hundred and fifty-five inhabitants, many of whom, like those of Stafford, are employed in 
 the manufacture of shoes : at a short distance from the town is a picturesque object in a wind- 
 mill formerly used for the manufacture of wire, &c. The market-day is on Tuesday. 
 
 The church is a noble Gothic structure, with a square, but low tower, containing eight bells ; 
 is a modern building and hasten windows on each side; it is dedicated to St. Michael, and is a 
 curacy, in the patronage of the king. There is also a free grammar school, and other charitable 
 institutions in the town. 
 
 In the neighbourhood there are a number of noble and splendid mansions, among which are 
 those of Trentham hall, the Marquis of Stafford's ; Meaford hall, Viscount St. Vincent's; Swin- 
 nerton park, Thomas Fitzherbert's, Esq. &c. &c. 
 
 Stone has four annual fairs ; the Tuesday after Midlent ; Shrove Tuesday ; Whit-Tuesday ; 
 and August the fifth for sheep and cattle. 
 
 BAKLASTON HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 RALPH ADDERLEY, ESQ. 
 
 This beautiful mansion is situate on a fine eminence, commanding a most extensive view of 
 the surrounding country, and looking over the most delightfully picturesque portion of the vale 
 
38 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 of Trent. The grand junction canal, (which forms a communication with the rivers Mersey 
 Dee, Ribble, Ouse, Derwent, &c.) passes through the grounds of this handsome pile of building 
 which, although backed, and embosomed in trees, not only commands the view of a vast tract 
 of country, but can also, from its great elevation, be seen for many miles. 
 
 MEAFORD HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE; 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 LORD ST. VINCENT 
 
 At Darlaston, within one mile of Stone, is Meaford-Hall, the family residence of Lord St. 
 Vincent. This excellent family mansion is situate in a fertile valley. It has no pecular archi- 
 ttctural pretensions ; but those of its noble owners, are of a higher order, and which Burke, in 
 his peerage, thus describes : — " Edward Jervis, Jervis, Viscount St. Vincent, of Meaford, in the 
 county of Stafford, married first, the twenty-ninth of January, 3790, Mary Cassander, second 
 daughter of Thomas, tenth Lord Say and Seale ; by whom he has issue, 
 
 William Jervis, born the eleventh of October, 1794, married the twenty-eighth of July, 1815, 
 Sophia, daughter of George Narbonne Vincent, Esq. and has issue 
 
 Maria. 
 
 And, secondly, (his lordship's marriage having been dissolved, by act of parliament, in 1798) 
 Mary-Anne, second daughter of Thomas Parker, Esq., of Park hall, in the county of Stafford, 
 by whom he has 
 
 John, 
 
 Edwaed, and 
 
 Mary-Anne. 
 
 His lordship succeeded to the peerage, as second Viscount, at the decease of his uncle, the 
 late Earl St. Vincent, on the fifteenth of March, 1823, and assumed, by royal permission, on the 
 seventh of May, in the same year, the surname and arms of Jervis only, instead of those of his 
 own personal family, Ricketts. 
 
 " Lineage.— John Jervis, Esq., second son of Swynfen Jervis, Esq., a lawyer of eminence 
 (descended from James Jervis, of Chatky 11, in the county of Stafford, living temp. Hen. VIII. 
 by Elizabeth, daughter of George Parker, Esq., of Park hall,) was born at Meaford, on the 
 nineteenth of January, 1734, and having entered the royal navy at a very early period of life, 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 (in Iiis tenth year), attained the highest honours in that gallant profession, and was elevated to 
 the peerage, on the twenty-seventh day of May, 1797, by the title of Baron Jervis, of Meaford, 
 in the county of Stafford ; and Earl St. Vincent, in consequence of the splendid victory he had 
 achieved in that year, over the Spanish fleet, off cape St. Vincent. His lordship was nominated 
 first lord of the admiralty, in 1801 ; and created, on the twenty-seventh of April, in the same 
 year, Viscount St. Vincent, with remainder in default of male issue, to his nephews, William 
 Henry Ricketts, and Edward Jervis Ricketts, successively, and afterwards, to those gentlemen's 
 sister, Mary, Countess of Northesk, and her male descendants. The earl married in 1783, Mar- 
 tha, daughter of Lord Chief Baron Parker, who died without issue, in 1816. His lordship died 
 in March, 1823, when the earldom and barony expired, but the viscountcy devolved upon the 
 younger nephew (the eldest, Captain William Rickets, of the royal navy, having been unfortu- 
 nately drowned in 1805, and leaving only daughters), Edward Jervis, the present viscount, 
 who is second son of William Henry Ricketts, Esq. of Canaan, in the island of Jamaica, by the 
 deceased earFs sister Mary. 
 
 Creation, — The twenty-seventh of April, 1801. 
 Motto. — Thus. 
 
 Exploits. — The intrepid and distinguished conduct of Vice Admiral Sir John Jervis — are thus 
 admirably described by Mr. Pitt, in his topographical history of this county. 
 
 " In the latter end of 1793, his majesty having determined to send a formidable armament to 
 the West Indies, to reduce the French islands in that quarter, and to secure his own from any 
 attack of the enemy, under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Charles Grey, K. B. ; Vice 
 Admiral Sir John Jervis, K. B. was nominated commander-in-chief of the naval force, on the 
 same expedition. 
 
 On Monday, January the sixth, 1794, they arrived off Barbadoes, and immediately prepared 
 for the expedition against Martinique ; for which the total military force embarked was six thou- 
 sand effectives, besides two hundred and twenty-four sick. The fleet sailed from Barbadoes, on 
 February the third, and appeared before Martinique, on Wednesday, February the fifth ; on 
 the following day the general effected a landing. After some intermediate operations, the town 
 of St. Pierre was attacked by sea and land, and carried ; the enemy's strength was then con- 
 centrated in one point at fort Louis and Bourbon ; these the admiral now attacked, and, on the 
 twentieth of February, these strong holds were completely invested : on March the twenty-fifth 
 fort Bourbon was surrendered ; fort Louis was also taken by storm. The island of Martinique 
 being thus conquered, the fleet and army then proceeded on March the thirtieth for St. Lucia, 
 which also surrendered on the fourth of April. On Tuesday, April the eighth, the commanders 
 proceeded against Guadaloupe ; fort Fleur d'Epee was taken on the twelfth, and with this fell 
 Hog Island, and fort Louis, an old fortification, commanding the entrance into the harbour of 
 Point a Petre, which town was also taken possession of at the same time by Sir Charles Grey. 
 On the thirteenth the army was re-imbarked, and landed on Bas Terre at Petit Bourg, in ano- 
 ther part of the island; the admiral landed at Auce-de-Bailiff : the Palmiste was taken by 
 assault, and the island of Guadaloupe was surrendered to the commander-in-chief on the twenty- 
 third of April. In June, an armament arrived from France, made good their landing on Grand 
 
40 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Terre, and retook fort Fleur d'Epee by storm. The admiral was at this time with the genera 
 at St. Christophers., on his return to England. The commanders instantly determined to returr 
 to Guadaloupe, and pushed for Basterre, where they arrived on the seventh ; Sir Charles Grey 
 took the heights of Mascott, and several actions took place; but the general found it now in 
 vain to attempt any thing against Fleur d'Epee, at this season, with an army so greatly reduced 
 by the yellow fever, as well as service. Having therefore made the best arrangements to enable 
 him to renew his attacks after the hurricane months, he embarked on board the Boyne, which 
 proceeded to. fort Royal Bay, where she was laid up during those months' in a strong harbour 
 called Trois Islet Bay, and the sick and wounded were landed for the benefit of fresh air; the 
 general then sailed with the admiral to Martinique, and established his head quarters at St. 
 Pierre. On the thirtieth of September, the enemy having been too successful against the little 
 remnants of the army in Guadaloupe, the admiral embarked, and sailed from Martinique, and 
 anchored off' Grozier, in the bay of Point-a-Petre. But our troops there, under General Gra- 
 ham, reduced by fatigue and sickness, and no longer able to undergo duty, were forced to capi- 
 tulate. Sir John Jervis, who had made every attempt to succour General Graham's camp at 
 Berville, and had been an unwilling spectator from the fleet, of the surrender of that camp to 
 the enemy, now made sail for Bas Terre, to render every assistance in his power to general 
 Prescott; and, on October the ninth, anchored within half a cable's length of the town. How- 
 ever, after various attempts to assist general Prescott, the admiral, worn down by long and se- 
 vere exertions, the fatigues of which were augmented by anxiety for the welfare of the service, 
 that not all his exertions could promote without the arrival of a strong reinforcement, together 
 with the unhealthiness of the climate, found himself no longer able to continue on this station, 
 and, therefore, to the great grief of General Prescott, was obliged to give up his command to 
 admiral Caldwell, and embarking his seamen, under Lieutenant James, from fort Matilda, sailed 
 for St. Pierre ; when every thing was arranged between the several commanders, Sir Charles 
 Grey and his suite embarked once more with Sir John Jervis, on board the Boyne. On No- 
 vember the twenty-seventh they sailed for England, and, after a tedious voyage (being for near 
 a month tossed about the channel by contrary winds) arrived at Spithead, January, the twenty- 
 first 1795." 
 
 In February 1797, he fought the famous battle off Cape St. Vincent, for which he was re- 
 warded with a peerage. The New Annual Register gives the following account of this glorious 
 victory. 
 
 " The British fleet, or to speak more correctly, the British squadron under the command of ad- 
 miral Sir John Jervis, amounted to no more than fifteen sail of the line, four frigates, a sloop of 
 war, and a cutter ; of these, six were three-deckers, eight were of seventy-four guns, and one of 
 sixty-four. The Spanish fleet consisted of twenty-seven sail of the line, one of which was a four 
 decker, and carried one hundred and thirty-six guns, six were of one hundred and twelve guns, 
 each, two of eighty-four guns, and eighteen of seventy-four. The Spanish admiral Don Josef 
 de Cordova, had sailed from Carthagena, on the fourth of February, and passed Gibraltar on 
 the following day, having left in that bay, three line-of- battle ships, supposed to be laden with 
 military stores for the Spanish troops before that garrison. On the night of the eleventh, this 
 fleet had been discovered by the Minerva frigate, which carried the broad pennant of Commo- 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE 41 
 
 dore Nelson, then on his way from the Mediterranean to join admiral Jervis. Captain Foote 
 of the Nigre, also kept company with them for some days previous to the thirteenth, and that 
 night they appeared so near the British fleet, that their signal guns were distinctly heard. The 
 signals were, therefore, made for the British fleet to prepare for battle, and at day-break on 
 the fourteenth they were in complete order. The morning was dark and hazy, but about half 
 past six the Culloden made the signal for five sail in the south-west quarter ; at eight o'clock 
 the squadron was ordered to form in close order, and, in a few minutes after, the signal was re- 
 peated to prepare for battle. At a little after ten, the Minerva made the signal for twenty sail 
 in the south-west quarter, and, in about half an hour after, the enemy's fleet was visible to all 
 the British squadron. The ships first discovered by the Culloden, were, at this period, sepa- 
 rated from their main body, which was bearing down in some confusion, to join the separated 
 ships. It appeared to have been the British admiral's intention at the first, to cut off those ves- 
 sels from the enemy's fleet, before the main body could arrive to their assistance, and, with this 
 view, the fast sailing ships were ordered to chase, but, observing the positions of their main body, 
 he afterwards formed his fleet into a line of battle, a-head and a-stern, as most convenient. At 
 about twenty-six minutes past eleven, the admiral communicated his intention to pass through 
 the enemy's line, and, immediately after, the signal was made to engage. At about half past 
 eleven, the action commenced by the van ship, the Culloden, commanded by captain Trow- 
 bridge, firing against the enemy's headmost ships to the windward. As the squadron advanced, 
 however, the action became more general ; and it was soon apparent that the British admiral had 
 accomplished his design of passing through the enemy's line. In the meantime the regular and 
 animated fire of the British fleet, was but feebly returned by the enemy's ships to windward, 
 which were also completely prevented from joining their companions to leeward, and obliged to 
 haul their wind on the larboard tack ; thus a part of the Spanish fleet was effectually cut off 
 from the main body, and they were reduced to the necessity of also forming on their larboard 
 tack, apparently with the intention of passing through or to the leeward of the British line ; but 
 such was the reception they experienced from the centre of the British, that they were obliged 
 to put about, and did not appear in the action till the close of the day. The British admiral 
 having fortunately thus obtained his first object, now directed his whole attention to the enemy's 
 main body to windward, which was reduced at this time, by the separation of the ships to lee- 
 ward, to eighteen sail of the line. At a little after twelve o'clock, the signal was made for the 
 British fleet to attack in succession, and soon after, the signal for again passing the enemy's line ; 
 while the Spanish admiral's design appeared to be, to join his ships to leeward by wearing round 
 the rear of the British line. The intention of the enemy was, however, soon perceived by com- 
 modore Nelson, whose station in the rear, afforded him an opportunity of observing the manoeu- 
 vre. In order to frustrate the design, therefore, his ship the Captain, had no sooner passed the 
 Spanish rear, than he ordered her to wear, and stand on the other tack towards the enemy. In 
 executing this bold manoeuvre, the commodore found himself alongside the Spanish admiral, 
 the Santissima Trinidada of one hundred and thirty-six guns, which is said to be at present the 
 largest ship in existence. Notwithstanding this immense disparity (the Captain being only a se- 
 venty-four), this brave officer did not shrink from the contest ; though the Spaniard was warm- 
 ly supported by her two seconds a-head and a-stern, which were each of them three-deckers. 
 
 G 
 
42 PICTUHESQUE VIEWS 
 
 While he sustained, however, this unequal conflict, his friends were eagerly pressing to his as- 
 sistance ; the enemy's attention was, therefore, directed to the Culloden, captain Trowbridge, 
 and the Blenheim, captain Frederick ; and the able support afforded by these vessels to com- 
 modore Nelson, and the approach of the rear-admiral Parker, with four others of the British 
 line, determined the Spanish commander to relinquish his design of re-joining his ships to lee- 
 ward, and to make the signal for his main body to haul their wind, and make sail on the larboard 
 tack. The advantage was now evidently on the side of the British, and while the advanced 
 division warmly pressed the centre and rear of the enemy, the admiral meditated with his divi- 
 sion a co-operation which might effectually compel some of them to surrender. In the confusion 
 of their retreat, several of the Spanish ships had doubled on each other. It was, therefore ad- 
 miral Jervis's plan to reach the weathermost of those ships, then to bear up and take them all in 
 succession, with the seven ships composing his division. The casual position of the rear-ships 
 in his own division, however, prevented the executing this design ; he therefore ordered the 
 leading ship, the Excellent, captain Collingwood, to bear up, while, with his own ship the Vic- 
 tory, he passed to Leeward of the rearmost ships of the enemy. Captain Collingwood, in obe- 
 dience to the admiral's orders, passed between the two rearmost ships of the enemy, and gave 
 one of them, the San Isidoro, so effectual a broadside, that, having been much injured before, 
 she was obliged to submit. The Excellent then passed on to the relief of the Captain, which 
 was engaged with a three-decker, carrying a flag; but, before she could arrive, the vessel became 
 entangled with a second, a two-decker; in this state they were both boarded by the Captain, and 
 the smaller of them, the San Nicholas, was in a short time in the possession of her opponents. 
 The three-decker, the San Joseph, followed the fate of her second, and became immediately a 
 prize to commodore Nelson, who headed the party which boarded her from the San Nicholas. 
 In the mean time admiral Jervis ordered the Victory to be placed on the lee quarter of the rear- 
 most ship of the enemy, the Salvator del Mundo; and threw in so effectual a discharge that her 
 commander, seeing the Barfleur, carrying vice-admiral Waldegrave's flag, bearing down to se- 
 cond the Victory, thought proper to strike. Thus four of the enemy's ships were in possession 
 of the British, while the van ships continued to press hard on the Santissima Trinidada, the Spa- 
 nish admiral's ship, and the others which composed the rear of the flying fleet. The career of 
 victory was, however, stopped by circumstances not in the power of the British commander to 
 control. The ships which, in the morning, had been separated from the main body of the Spa- 
 nish fleet, were not able to make their approach ; two fresh ships which had not appeared in the 
 action, bore down from windward, and two of the flying ships tacked about to support their 
 chiefs. These circumstances, therefore, with the lateness of the hour, and the necessity of se- 
 curing the prizes, determined the conquering admiral to bring-to. —A little after four in the af- 
 ternoon, the signal was made to this effect ; and a strong line was formed for the protection of 
 the prizes and disabled vessels, The enemy's fresh ships, on approaching, opened a fire on the 
 covering ships ; but, though superior in number, and fresh for action, they contented themselves 
 with a few irregular broadsides, and left the British admiral to sail off triumphantly with his 
 prizes, which the reader will remember amounted to four ; viz. the Salvator del Mundo, and 
 the San Joseph of one hundred and twelve guns; the San Nicholas of eighty-four; and the 
 San Isidoro, of seventy-four. The Spanish admiral, which was greatly the object of attention 
 

OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 43 
 
 to the British ships, was rendered a perfect wreck ; her firing had ceased before the close of the 
 action, and some even affirm that she had struck her colours. The loss of the British in this en- 
 gagement, in killed and wounded^ was exactly three hundred men. The loss of the Spaniards 
 which were captured, amounted to six hundred and ninety-three ; and the ships which escaped 
 must also have suffered considerably. So important a victory, with such a disparity of force, 
 is, perhaps, unparalleled in our naval annals. The ability displayed by the commander, was 
 only to be equalled by the valour and adroitness of the seamen ; indeed, we have been informed 
 by an eye-witness that the fire of the British was superior to that of their opponents, in the pro- 
 portion of five or six to one, during the whole of the action ; and the expenditure of ammuni- 
 tion, was, consequently, beyond example. The Culloden, it is said, expended one hundred and 
 seventy barrels of powder ; the Captain, one hundred and forty-six ; and the Blenheim, one 
 hundred and eighty. The Spaniards fought bravely, but with little skill ; and it is but fair to 
 remark, that their fleet was ill equipped, and very indifferently manned, and in no respect fit for 
 action ; their flag ship had not more than sixty or eighty seamen on board ; the rest consisted of 
 impressed landsmen, or soldiers, of their new levies. As the port of Cadiz had been their ori- 
 ginal destination, and as many of their ships were disabled, the Spaniards manifested no inclina- 
 tion to renew the action, but took shelter in Cadiz.'" 
 
 Sir John Jervis for this signal victory, was rewarded with an earldom, created Baron Jervis, 
 of Meaford, in the county of Stafford, and Earl St. Vincent, to him and his heirs in form and 
 manner, as before stated. 
 
 DAKLASTON HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE ; 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 SWINFEN JERVIS, ESQ. 
 
 This ancient family mansion, situate on a delightful bank, — embosomed with trees, and 
 the river Trent flowing under it— is near Darlaston bridge, which crosses the river ; the fer- 
 tile and luxuriant meadows, together with the ancient plantations of fir and other trees, which 
 skirt the road, give a peculiarly rich and interesting feature to this part of thef county, and in 
 which the highly esteemed families of the Jervis' s have so long been held in estimation. 
 
 X 
 
44 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 
 SPRING VALE, NEAR STONE. 
 
 This delightful vale has been much noticed by travellers, on the great road between London 
 and Liverpool, and there is not perhaps, one that more particularly arrests attention. Although 
 the building erected on the rising grounds, is devoted to persons afflicted with nervous or men- 
 tal maladies — yet the propriety of selecting so cheerful, healthy, and salubrious a spot, is not only 
 highly praiseworthy, but, under the able and humane conduct of Mr. Thomas Bakewell, its 
 highly respected proprietor, lias been productive of incalculable good ; and, as a contemporary 
 observes, " the proprietor has laid out the grounds with such taste and diversity that the whole 
 has more the appearance of a beautiful retired seat, the residence of some opulent individual, 
 than a receptacle for those labouring under distressing mental aberration, for which it is esta- 
 blished ; art and nature have here acted in unison, and the boldness of the one has been softened 
 down by the hand of the other ; hill and dale, groves, water, and fountains are judiciously in- 
 termingled ; and, perhaps, no spot could be found more proper for an asylum of the kind to 
 which it is appropriated, than "Spring Vale ; having the advantage of overlooking a great tho- 
 roughfare road, yet too distant for any noise to assail its quietness, from the numerous travellers 
 and carriages which are continually upon it, while the salubrity of the air and the purity of its 
 waters, have been long proverbial." In truth, the whole of this part of Staffordshire may not 
 only be termed a perfect garden, but, from the circumstance of the fine wild-wood scenery, the 
 highly cultivated taste evinced in the noble mansions that are erected in almost every direction, 
 and the extensive parks and groves that surround them, have very naturally given rise to poeti- 
 cal strains, from which we present our readers with the following from a poem entitled, " The 
 Vale of Trent," and, as it refers to several mansions that we have already, and shall hereafter 
 describe, they may not perhaps be considered inappropriate. 
 
 THE VALE OF TRENT. 
 
 " Illustrious vale ! from whose gay meads arose, 
 The pride of Britain, terror of her foes ! 
 O ! dear to patriots, sacred spot of earth, 
 Which to his country gave St. Vincent, birth. 
 In Meaford's* bow'rs he fann'd the infant flame, 
 Whose lustre led him through the rank of fame, 
 'Till vanquished empire trembles at his name ; 
 So the young eagles leap from branch to branch, 
 Then through the air a measured distance launch ; 
 Their flight still length'ning ever fir'd to rise, 
 Till their proud crests are lost among the skies." 
 
 * The place of Earl St. Vincent's nativity. 
 

 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 4£ 
 
 In reference to Trentham, which we have already described ; the author proceeds 
 
 " Alcoves ascend, from whence the gladden 'd eye, 
 Rolls oe'r the splendour of a western sky ; 
 While roses scattered in delightful brakes, 
 Load the fresh breezes from surrounding lakes, 
 Their new-blown sweets retiring violets shed, 
 In velvet cloth'd, impurpling all the shade ; 
 A sweet seclusion from meridian hours 
 Laburnum's Offer, in their ample bow'rs ; 
 Their pendant tresses, rich in nature's mould, 
 An artificial heaven of shining gold. 
 Where shall my eye for each bright object rove, 
 O Trentham* ! thine the full description prove ; 
 O'er the long hills, I catch thy stately woods. 
 And through the solemn gloom, thy dashing floods ; 
 The shining surface of thy wat'ry plane, 
 And the far mansion — closing the grand scene ; 
 Yet, when no more, you emulate the day, 
 In time's fierce tide, swept every charm away ; 
 E'en the destroyer shall himself consume ; 
 Still unimpair'd shall Stafford'st virtues bloom." 
 
 As descriptive of other scenery, and of other mansions of our nobility, the author thus de- 
 scribes them. 
 
 " But see, enliven'd by the evening's gleam, 
 The scatter'd hamlets, and the glittering stream ; 
 The lab' ring peasant, freed from day's long toil, 
 Bask in her glories, and enjoy her smile. 
 See air SanbonJ elegantly neat, 
 And Ingestrie§, far 'mongst her woods' retreat ; 
 Tixall|| majestic, though antique her style, 
 Gay Bishton,1T on thy lucid waters smile : 
 Greenwood** enfolded in her oaks broad arms, 
 And Shugboroughtt, spreading her ten thousand charms." 
 
 In another portion of the poem, the author thus continues. 
 
 " Far mid the stream, stands Wolseley's shatter'd pride^X 
 In ruin'd grandeur braving still the tide : , . 
 
 • 
 * The seat of the Marquis of Stafford. t Lady Stafford. 
 
 X The seat of Lord Harrowby. § The seat of Earl Talbot. 
 
 || The seat of the Hon. Thomas Clifford. IT The seat of J. Sparrow, Esq. 
 
 ** The seat of Mrs. Ford. ft The seat of Thomas Anson, Esq. 
 
 X Referring to the bridge some years ago swept away, and to which we have already alluded. 
 
46 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 While slowly sail around its ancient site, 
 Trent's stately swans arrayed in virgin white. 
 Nor yet forlorn ! sweet Wolseley, blest with these 
 Blest with thy lovely hills, thou still shalt please : 
 Thy far-stretch'd prospects, and thy flow'ry plain ; 
 Soft swelling lawns, and mansion* still remain. 
 With half her charms envelop'd in its maze, 
 The waving foliage round Beaudesertt plays ; 
 While Blythfield's + oaks in summer's pomp appear, 
 Or spring returns — O Wolseley I don't despair." 
 
 # 
 
 SOHO, STAFFORDSHIRE; 
 
 (NEAR BIRMINGHAM.) 
 
 The author and compiler of this work, having in his history of Warwickshire, given an account 
 of Soho, from its contiguity to, and original assimilation of articles manufactured at this far- 
 famed spot, Birmingham, feels an additional satisfaction, in presenting to his readers some fur- 
 observations respecting this interesting place. 
 
 Soho has, at various periods since its commencement, not only improved in its machinery, but 
 has also extended its mechanical and scientific operations from the manufacturing of the smaller 
 articles of trinkets, to that of the improvement and manufacture of the most active of agents — 
 the most ponderous and powerful steam engines. 
 
 More extraordinary effects have been produced by the steam engine at this place, than at any 
 other part of the known world. In Mr. Pitts' topographical history of Staffordshire, published 
 in 1817, he observes, in speaking of Soho and its vast concerns, &c, that, "the waste-lands 
 called Handsworth-heath, which, about sixty years ago, was a barren waste, and rabbit-warren, 
 is now a populous village or town. A beautiful garden, with pleasure grounds, and a piece of 
 water, now covers one side of the heath ; several spacious square buildings, erected on the other 
 side, contain workshops for six hundred people. The extensive pool gives motion to a large wa- 
 
 * The mansion of the Wolseley family. t The seat of the Marquis of Anglesea. 
 
 % The seat of Lord Bagot. 
 

 h, 
 

OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 47 
 
 ter-wheel, and, by its means, to a great number of different tools ; and the mechanical inven- 
 tions here employed, are superior in number, variety, and utility, to those of any other manufac- 
 tory in Europe. 
 
 When the projector first commenced business here, his productions were such as are usually 
 made by the artists of Birmingham ; namely, buttons, buckles, watch-chains and trinkets; but, 
 with increasing prosperity, his plans of utility were extended, and the manufacture of plated 
 wares on a large scale was, likewise, introduced ; and, when these substantial and useful branches 
 had been fully established, the proprietors began to bring forward works of elegance in stone, 
 bronze, and or-molu. This new manufacture immediately received the sanction of His Majesty 
 and the principal nobility, while the invention and activity of . the manufacturer, kept pace with 
 such distinguished patronage. Messrs. Boulton and Watt afterwards turned their attention to 
 the manufacture of wrought plate, and, after a struggle, obtained the establishment of an office 
 of Assay in Birmingham, for regulating the purity of the metal. Wrought plate is now a pro- 
 minent article among the many rich productions of this great establishment, to the extension of 
 which, the invention of the steam engine has contributed in a very considerable degree. The 
 celebrated Mr. Pratt, in giving an account of Soho, appropriately observes that ff this far famed 
 place owes its celebrity to a single individual whose whole life has been spent, in one unremitting 
 effort to advance the national character, and augment the national wealth, by extending manu- 
 factures and commerce, facilitating labour, and enlarging the sphere of human ingenuity. -This 
 scene of wonder was once a barren heath, on the bleak summit of which stood a naked hut, the 
 habitation of a warrener. In 1762 when Mr. Boulton purchased a lease of the premises, there 
 was only a small house and a feeble mill erected. In 1764, he laid the foundation of the pre- 
 sent superb edifice, which was finished the next year, at the expense of of^OOO. From the era 
 of building this grand fabric, Mr. Boulton began to devote his attention to the different branches 
 of manufacture; and, in conjunction with Mr. Fothergill, his then partaer, established a mer- 
 cantile correspondence throughout Europe. About the year 1779, that ingenious art of copy- 
 ing pictures in oil colours, by a mechanical process was invented at Soho, and brought to such 
 perfection as to be taken for originals by the most experienced connoisseurs. This was chiefly 
 conducted by the ingenious Mr. Egginton, which led him to that of painting upon glass* in a 
 neighbouring manufactory. 
 
 Mr. Boulton, finding the stream of water insufficient, applied horses in conjunction with his 
 water-mill ; but, this proving troublesome, irregular, and expensive, in 1767, he made a steam 
 engine on Savary's plan, with the intention of returning and raising the water twenty-five feet 
 
 * The author of this work in his History of Birmingham, has not only given a list, but a description of the 
 great productions of that ingenious artist, Mr. Egginton, whose death was considered a national loss ; other 
 talented artists have, however, arisen in Birmingham in similar pursuits, and the productions of Mr. Pember- 
 ton, have been duly noticed and appreciated. — We have also recently seen some of a very beautiful and supe- 
 rior character, executed by Mr. Freeth of Birmingham, whose etchings and execution of landscapes in neutral 
 tint, upon glass ; possess an extraordinary degree of merit. Among his paintings upon glass, many will remain 
 monuments of his taste in this, and the adjoining counties. 
 
48 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 high. This being unsatisfactory, he soon after formed an acquaintance with M*. James Watt, 
 of Glasgow, who in 1765 had invented several valuable improvements in the steam engine. In 
 1775. Mr. Watt entered into partnership with Mr. Boulton, and they established a very exten- 
 sive manufactory of steam engines at Soho, from whence most of the great mines and manufac- 
 tories in England are supplied. Among the various applications of the steam engine, that of 
 coining is very important, as by its powers all the operations are concentrated in one spot." 
 
 Another account of Soho, written subsequently to Mr. Pratt's states that, " the manufacture 
 of metallic toys, by the late Mr. Boulton, in conjunction with his partner Mr. Fothergill, was 
 the commencement of these extensive works. Plated ware, or Sheffield plate, including various 
 useful and ornamental articles was next introduced. These were succeeded by a happy imita- 
 tion of the French Or-molu ornaments, composed of vases, tripods, and other works, and by ele- 
 gant and massive services of silver plate. The establishment of a manufactory of steam engines, 
 when Mr. Watt, whose valuable improvement of that machine forms a remarkable era in its his- 
 tory, became a partner in the concern, extended the celebrity as well as the profits of the works 
 at Soho. In all the productions of this manufactory, whether in the form of large and powerful 
 apparatus, or in that of trinkets and ornaments of novelty, taste and ingenuity have been always 
 conspicuous. The coining apparatus invented and constructed at Soho, is a singular example of 
 ingenuity. The first coining mill was erected at this manufactory in 1783, and, after various 
 improvements, eight machines going at the same time, are driven by one steam engine. Each 
 machine strikes from seventy to eighty pieces, of the size of a guinea, in a minute, so that be- 
 tween thirty and forty thousand are worked off by the whole machines in one hour, all the pro- 
 cesses are conducted by machinery as in copper coin, rolling the masses of copper into sheets, 
 rolling them through cylindrical steel rollers, clipping the pieces of copper for the dies, shaking 
 the coin in bags, striking both sides of the coin and then milling it. But one of the most inge- 
 nious contrivances of this machinery is, that a precise account of every piece coined is regularly 
 kept, so that even the possibility of fraud is precluded." 
 

 
 
 I* 
 
 #. 
 
 iH 
 
*- ' 
 
 
 
 : -; 
 
 
 < 
 
 
 
 ■A 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 uj 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 *3 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 •-. 
 
 s 
 
 fi 
 
 
 a 
 
 m 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 s = 
 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE 49 
 
 GREAT BAER HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE; 
 
 THE SEAT OF 
 SIR EDWARD SCOTT. 
 
 This ancient mansion, so long in the family of the Scotts', is said to be one of the finest and 
 most delightful residences in this part of the country. It stands in the lap of a charming 
 vale, embosomed within a beautiful lawn, surrounded by an abundant variety of trees, as well as 
 being favoured with a fine sheet of water in front, and being backed by richly wooded hills, ren- 
 ders the effect remarkably fine. The rich foliage above casts an umbrageous shade on the inter- 
 sected walks below, which Mr. Nightingale thus happily describes. "At different points as you 
 ascend the hill, are placed rustic seats, each commanding enchanting but dissimilar views of the 
 scenery below. One of them exhibits a truly Shenstonian prospect, the eye being directed down 
 through the wild copse, upon the lake in the vale, whose extremity is concealed behind the rich- 
 est scenes of aged oaks and verdant hills. Descending from these in a different direction towards 
 the house, you pass the kitchen-garden, and shortly after enter the flower-garden, which is laid 
 out with the most refined taste." At a little distance from the latter garden stands a beautiful 
 urn, to the memory of Miss Mary Doleman, cousin to the celebrated Shenstone. The following 
 elegant epitaph from the pen of the poet, is engraved on the pedestal : 
 
 " Ah Maria," puellarum elegantissima, 
 
 Ah Flore, venustate abrepta : vale 
 " Hue quanto minus est 
 
 Cum reliquis versari quam tui meminisse." 
 
 This urn is composed of statuary marble, and fluted, with a medallion of Miss Dolman in the 
 centre, and bears above the Shenstonian epitaph, the following words ; 
 
 " Consobrinae suae Maria Dolman" 
 
 " Hanc Urnam " 
 
 " Posuerunt," 
 
 « I. and M. " 
 
 «S." 
 
 Leaving the urn, a gradually rising walk now presents itself, and leads to more elevated ground 
 commanding an extensive prospect of the surrounding country. Approaching the house we be- 
 
 H 
 
50 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 hold a very noble cascade, pouring its noisy waters into the large and beautiful lake which 
 adorns the valley. Crossing the head of this lake, and proceeding along the range of hills which 
 stretch themselves from hence, we reach High-wood and Barrbeacon. The latter of these sum- 
 mits claims particular attention. In the time of the Druids, we have already mentioned it to 
 have been the points from which these priests gave notice to the people of their quarterly sacri- 
 fices. It afterwards, in the time of the Saxons, became a beacon to alarm the country during 
 the invasion of the Danes, who likewise probably used it for similar purposes themselves.* 
 
 Of the agreeable village of Great Barr, fixed on the declivity of the lofty Barrbeacon which 
 stretches itself out to a great extent, and seems like a great barrier to the country beyond it. 
 The derivation of the name of this place is somewhat uncertain, being regarded by a few as 
 eoming from the word Bara, signifying a wild uncultivated field, and by others, from the term 
 Barak, to eat, sacrifice, or purify. -f* « 
 
 The chapel of Great Barr is adorned by a lofty spire, and is altogether an elegant edifice — it 
 contains six musical bells, and the gallery is adorned with a handsome organ, and indeed the 
 whole of the interior is fitted up with infinite taste. An exquisite painting on the glass of the 
 east window executed by Mr. Egginton, is, as Mr. Nightingale truly remarks, not inferior in 
 style and execution to many of the most approved productions of this art in more remote times, 
 the late Mr. Egginton, who not only happily borrowed it from the Rev. William Peters' spirit of a 
 child, but actually succeeded in improving the original design, chiefly by his having introduced 
 some highly finished clouds, which finely relieve the splendid effect of the supernatural light. 
 The graceful and highly flowing hair, together with the delicately beautiful and interesting faces 
 of the two figures, are exquisitely delineated and softened by a gradation of tints, and simpli- 
 city of colouring, of which the ancient painters were wholly ignorant. 
 
 WALSALL 
 
 Is an ancient market town and borough, pleasantly situated on an eminence, contiguous to, and 
 south of Rusball, and gradually rises from the eastern bank of the brook. It is governed 
 by a mayor, recorder, twenty-four aldermen, a town clerk, two Serjeants at mace, and a beadle : 
 the commission of the peace is also vested in the senior alderman and late mayor, who award 
 judgment in petty offences. 
 
 Walsall is distant about nine miles from Lichfield, and is considered a place of great antiquity, 
 it does not, however, send any member to parliament. Mr. Nightingale remarks that, previous 
 to the commencement of the late war, Walsall was a very thriving and flourishing town, consist- 
 
 * Shaw's History of Stafford vol. i. p. 105. t Ibid, vol. ii. p. 102. Stukeley's Itin. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 51 
 
 mg principally of twelve large and regular streets. Of late years, its industry, in common with 
 that of the different towns engaged in the same species of trade, has suffered considerable de- 
 pression. The general manufacture of the place, are articles connected with the saddlery and 
 harness department. 
 
 In 1811, Walsall contained two thousand six hundred and eighty-six males, and two thousand 
 eight hundred and fifty-five females. The market is held on Tuesday. 
 
 The parish of Walsall, is extensive, from including Bloxwieh, Harden, Birch-hill, Wal- 
 sall Wood, Windmill, Caldmore, and Limepit-tank. According to Dr. Plott, a curious prac- 
 tice prevails here. On the eve of Epiphany, a dole of one penny is regularly distributed to 
 every person residing either in the borough, or in the villages belonging to it, without regard to 
 whether they are fixed residents or not. This gift was bestowed, as is generally believed, by an 
 inhabitant of the name of Moseley, who happened to hear a child cry for bread on this day, was 
 so affected, that he vowed such an occurrence should never take place again ; and, as the means 
 of preventing it, immediately made over his manor of Bascot to the corporation, with the view 
 of maintaining the dole. 
 
 Some affirm, however, that it originated in an endowment, which he bestowed on this church 
 and the abbey of Hales Owen, in order to have prayers said for his own soul and that of his 
 wife ; and after the dissolution of religious houses, this endowment, or at least part of it, was 
 converted to the maintenance of this yearly benevolence. 
 
 The church, which is dedicated to St. Matthew, stands on a bold eminence, from which the 
 streets gradually descend on every side. The church, which formerly belonged to the abbey of 
 Hales Owen, from a grant by William Rufus, and, as Mr. Pitt remarks, it is built in the form of 
 a cross, but does not exhibit any traces of Saxon architecture. The interior is spacious, the roof 
 lofty, and each side of the church has seven stalls, the seats of which are ornamented with a va- 
 riety of grotesque figures carved in basso relievo, and under this part of the church, a Gothic 
 archway forms a passage through the eastern division of the church -yard. 
 
 The neat paintings on glass, which formerly ornamented the window of this church, are now 
 nearly obliterated, except the window of St. Catharine's chapel, containing mutilated figures of 
 that saint ; and St. Catharine's chapel has several vacant niches in its walls, which were doubt- 
 less intended for statues. 
 
 Exclusive of the church, there are several places of public worship for dissenters of various 
 denominations, and the town has an excellent free grammar- school. Mr. Pitt remarks that 
 limestone of excellent quality, is found in the hills near the town, to which a canal has been 
 made, communicating with the lower level of the Birmingham canal, and iron mines opened on 
 its banks. The Wyerly and Essington canal also approaches within a short distance of Walsall. 
 
 Walsall, according to Capper, contained in 1821, two thousand three hundred and eighty-one 
 houses, and eleven thousand nine hundred and fourteen inhabitants ; viz. five thousand one hun- 
 dred and thirty-six females ; of whom one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine families are 
 employed in trade and manufactures, chiefly in those of buckles, bridle-bits, and various articles 
 of hardware. The quarter-sessions are held at stated periods ; market on Tuesday ; fairs, Fe- 
 bruary twenty-first, Whit-Tuesday, and the Tuesday before Michaelmas-day, chiefly for cattle. 
 It is a vicarage value <£10. 19s. Id. 
 
♦ 
 
 52 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 DUDLEY CASTLE. 
 
 This noble rock-based castle is of great antiquity, and is a conspicuous object from the elevated 
 situation upon which it is erected on a limestone hill, at about three miles south of Wednesbury, 
 and is said to have been built by Dodo, or Duodo, a great and distinguished Saxon chief, about 
 the year 760 and from whom it derived its name. It appears that formerly the sides of this .lime- 
 stone hill was so completely covered with trees, as to give it the appellation of the *■ Castle in 
 the woods." The prospect from the castle is not only a beautiful, but most extensive one, com- 
 manding considerable portions of the counties of Worcester, Stafford, Derby, Warwick, Leices- 
 ter, Salop, and part of Wales. The hills of Malvern, Rowley, Clent, Abberley. the Cleys and 
 the Wrekin, are, as Mr. Pitt justly remarks, noble features to the scene. 
 
 " Mountains on whose barren breast, 
 The labouring clouds do rest." 
 
 Seven English and two Welch counties, may be distinctly seen on a fine day, varied by nu- 
 merous ridges of mountains, rich fertile vales and populous towns, with the spires of the diffe- 
 rent churches and various elegant habitations. 
 
 The buildings of the old castle encompassed an area of about an acre, surrounded by a strong 
 wall flanked by towers. Mr. Nightingale states that, after the Norman conquest, it appears to 
 have been bestowed upon William Fitz-Ansculph, who possessed no less than twenty-five manors 
 in this county. During the contentions for the crown by King Stephen and the Empress Maud, 
 this castle was fortified and maintained on the part of the latter, by Gervase Pagnel, whose son 
 having joined in rebellion against Henry II., it was dismantled by the orders of that monarch. 
 This second Pagnel, dying without male issue, this honour passed, by marriage to John de So- 
 mery. In the seventeenth year of Henry III. it was seized for the king's use, on account of 
 Roger de Somery neglecting or refusing to appear in order to have the honour of knighthood 
 conferred upon him. It was, however, soon after, returned, and we find that, about thirty years 
 subsequent to this, the same Somery obtained a licence to fortify again. Male issue also failing 
 in his family, it became the property of John Sutton, who married Margaret, one of the heirs 
 general in the reign of Edward II. The Suttons were a respectable family in Nottinghamshire, 
 and, in consequence of their owning this castle, one of them was called to the peerage by the 
 title of Lord Dudley. In the reign of Henry VIII. it was purchased by John. Dudley, Duke 
 of Northumberland, who lost it by rebellion in the time of Queen Mary : this nobleman is said 
 to have made great repairs and additions to the buildings. Alter his death, the queen bestowed 
 it on Sir Edward Sutton, son and heir of the Lord Dudley who had sold it to the duke. Anne, 
 great grand-daughter of this gentleman, carried it, by marriage, to Humble Ward, who was 
 created Earon Ward of Birmingham, in Warwickshire, on the third of March, 1643 During 
 the civil wars which now began to distract England, this castle was twice besieged ; first m 1044, 
 

 
JH 
 
 
 
 # 
 
 
i 
 
 
 *J 
 
 
 
 9 
 
til 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 53 
 
 when, after holding out for three weeks, it was relieved by a corps of the king's forces, from Wor- 
 cester ; and again in 1646, at which time it was surrendered to Sir William Brereton, comman- 
 der of the parliamentary troops by colonel Leveson, governor for the king. Some affirm that 
 this noble family continued to reside here for a considerable period after the restoration ; but at 
 length they deemed it expedient to abandon it, probably on account of the ruinous condition to 
 which it had been reduced by the siege. Tradition says that it has since served as a retreat to 
 a set of coiners, who having set fire to the buildings, were thereby discovered, and compelled to 
 seek some other refuge, in which to carry on their iniquitous profession. 
 
 Mr. Pitt observes that in the valley are still the traces of an entrenchment thrown up against 
 it in Cromwell's time, and several cannon-balls, some of them thirty-two pounders, have been 
 found among the ruins. It was for several years after this inhabited by the lordVkeeper, the 
 plantation kept in order, and the park within the walls well stocked with deer. It was in 1750 
 that the before mentioned coiners took refuge here, and who wilfully or accidentally destroyed 
 the place by fire. It is now quite neglected, and forms a very picturesque ruin, and is still sur- 
 rounded by shrubs and trees. A number of decayed buildings surrounding the court of this 
 mansion are encompassed by a wall flanked with towers. The keep forms the most ancient por- 
 tion of these buildings, the chapel, containing two noble Gothic windows, it appears ranks next 
 in point of age, and about which period it is imagined the great and strong gateway with the 
 apartment over it was erected ; a vault called the prison is under the chapel ; on the eastern di- 
 vision of the castle is the kitchen in which are two chimney pieces of enormous size ; and, in the 
 great hall formerly stood an oak table, one yard in breadth, and twenty-five in length : the prin- 
 cipal portions of the castle is a ruin. 
 
 There are some extraordinary circumstances connected with the Dudley family, which we have 
 stated in our (West's) history of Warwickshire, in reference to the Earls of Birmingham of 
 whom, Edward the most unfortunate, Dugdale thus speaks * 
 
 " This Edward happened to be the last of the family that had to do here ; for being contem- 
 porary with that ambitious man John Dudley, afterwards Viscount L'Lsle (more commonly known 
 by those greater titles which he some time had, viz. Earl of Warwick, and Duke of Northumber- 
 land) he was strangely wrested out of this lordship ; for the said John having possessed himself 
 of Dudley Castle, (as in Warwick I have shewed) and observing Bermingham a fit ornament for 
 so noble a seat, but being the principal residence of such a family as had for some hundred of 
 years enjoy'd it, not likely to be purchased from the then rightful owner, conspired by a wicked 
 stratagem to work him out of it, which he soon put in practice : The story whereof is in sub- 
 stance thus, as by tradition from divers discreet persons I have heard, viz. that Dudley did set 
 on some of his agents to lodge in Bermingham, and to learn when master Bermingham was to 
 ride out from home ; which being accordingly done, they so contrived their business, that one 
 of their plot should ride leisurely before, so that they might soon, keeping but an ordinary pace, 
 overtake him ; whereupon they watcht an opportunity to strike into master Bermingham'' s com- 
 pany, as travellers, with whom they soberly rode for awhile, but being come up to their confede- 
 rate, forthwith set upon him for his purse, so that the villain, thus seemingly rob'd makes pur- 
 suit after them, and likewise after master Bermingham, as one of the pack ; who, being there- 
 upon apprehended and prosecuted, apparently saw his danger. The business therefore now 
 
54 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 working according to Dudley's first design, there were others employed to master Bermingham 
 with overture how he might save his life, viz. to make the Viscount Vide his friend in giving 
 up this lordship of Bermingham to him, which that it might bear the better colour, and be the 
 more valid, was performed by yielding it to the king, and ratified by a speciall act of parliament, 
 the tenor whereof was as followeth. 11 
 
 " Where Edward Byrmingham late of Byrmingham, in the countie Warwick Esquire, other- 
 wise Edward Byrmingham Esquire, ys and standyth lawfully indebted to our sovereign lord 
 kynge in diverse great summes of money ; and also standyeth at the mercy of his highness for 
 that the same Edward, ys at this present convicted of Jeloney ; our said sovereign lord the Kying 
 ys contentid and pleased, that for and in recommence and satisfaction to his grace of the seyde 
 summes of money, to accept and take of the seyde Edwarde, the mannour and lordship of Byr- 
 mingham, otherzaise called Byrmincham, with the appurtenances, lying and being in the countie 
 of Warwick, and all and singular other lands and tenements, reversions, rents, services, and he- 
 reditaments of the same Edward Byrmingham, set lying and being in the countie of Warwick 
 aforesaeyde. Be yt therefore ordeyned and enacted by the authority of this present parliament, 
 that our said sovereine lorde the kynge, shall have hold and enjoy to him his heirs and assignes 
 for ever, the seide mannour and lordship of Byrmingham, (&c.) in which act there is a reserva- 
 tion of e£40. per An. to the said Edward and Elizabeth his wife, during their lives. 11 
 
 " Howbeit, after this it was no less than nine years ere the grant of it from tho crown to the 
 said Viscount VIsle was made; for it bears not date till December 21. 37 H. 8. (perhaps on pur- 
 pose so deferred, that the world might the less censure him for his hard dealing. 11 
 
 At the conclusion of our chronological account of the Earls of Bermingham, we have stated that 
 in the year 1500, Edward Bermingham, succeeded his grandfather at the age of three, being 
 born in 1497, and in his minority, Edward Lord Dudley was granted the wardship, by Henry 
 VII. in 1502, the family estate then consisted of the manor of Bermingham, five others in the 
 county of Oxford, one in Bucks, and one in Worcester, but after peaceable possession of this 
 valuable property for nearly forty years, this ancient and illustrious family was visited and over- 
 whelmed by the ambitious and base John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, by whom this fa- 
 mily were, as we have before stated, cruelly expelled. Forty pounds per annum only, were al- 
 lowed by the act, which deprived the Bermingham family of their estate, and that only during 
 the life of the last-mentioned Edward and his wife. 
 
 Mr. Hutton states, that " except that branch of the family which proceeded from this origi- 
 nal stem, about 600 years ago, of which the Earl of Lowth is head, I know of no male descen- 
 dant from this-honourable stock ; which, if we allow the founder to come over with Cridda the 
 Saxon, in 582, must have commanded this sovereignty 955 years ago. 11 
 
 In 1537, John, Duke of Northumberland, undeservedly became Lord of the manor of Ber- 
 mingham, but it did not prosper under his government, the people were clamorous; and although 
 he exercised the ownership, he did not accept the grant until 1546, when those clamours had 
 somewhat subsided. He kept possession six or seven years only, when through his ambition and 
 artifices, he fell unlamented, and the manor of Bermingham again reverted to the crown. 
 
 After the extinction of the Bermingham family, the subsequent lords did not reside on the 
 manor. This place gives title to the present Lord Viscount Dudley and Ward, who, by the fe- 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 55 
 
 male line, is descended from the Norman Barons, the Fitz-Auscults, the Paganalls, the Somerys, 
 the Suttons, and the Dudleys." 
 
 According to Burke's peerage, John William Ward, F. R. S. Lord Viscount Dudley and 
 Ward, in the county of Worcester ; and Baron Ward of Birmingham, in the county of War- 
 wick ; recorder of Kidderminster; was born on the ninth of August, 1781 ; succeeded to the 
 family honors, as fourth Viscount upon the demise of his father, twenty-fifth of April, 1823. 
 
 This family was advanced to the peerage, in consequence of the marriage of one of its mem- 
 bers with the heiress of the Lords Dudley, temp. Charles I. The family of Ward is of great 
 antiquity, and has been seated for many centuries, in the county of Norfolk. In the lineage of 
 the family, Mr. Burke states that William Ward, sixth son of Edward Ward, Esq. of Bixley, 
 in the county of Norfolk, was a wealthy goldsmith in London, and jeweller to the Queen of 
 King Charles I. Having a very ample fortune, he resided at Heal in Staffordshire, and in his 
 life time, Edward Sutton, Lord Dudley, bestowed Frances, his grand-daughter and heiress upon 
 Humble Ward, Esq. the said William Ward's son and heir ; which Frances upon the demise of 
 her grand-father, Lord Dudley, in 1643, succeeded to that barony (created by writ of summons, 
 twenty-fifth of February, 1342, sixteenth of Edward III.), and became Frances, Baroness 
 Dudley, when her husband, Humble Ward, above-mentioned, was first knighted, and subse- 
 quently twenty-third of March, 1644, elevated to the peerage, as Humble Baron Ward, of 
 Birmingham. His lordship died the fourth of October 1670, and was succeeded by his eldest 
 son, — Edward, second Baron Ward, who, at the demise of his mother, in 1701, succeeded also 
 to the barony of Dudley, as eleventh baron, and became Lord Dudley and Ward. His lord- 
 ship died in a few months afterwards." He married Frances, daughter of Sir William Brereton, 
 Bart., of Handford, in the county of Chester, and eventually sole heiress of her brother, Sir 
 Thomas Brereton, by whom he had three sons and three daughters. The eldest and youngest 
 sons died unmarried ; the second son, William, married Frances, daughter of Thomas Dilke, 
 Esq. of Maxtoke castle, in the county of Warwick, by whom, at his decease, in J 692, he left 
 two sons and a daughter, the eldest of which sons — Edward, succeeded his grand-father, as 
 twelfth Baron Dudley, and third Baron Ward. This nobleman married Diana, daughter of 
 Thomas Howard, Esq. Ashted, Surrey ; and dying in his minority, in 1704, was succeeded by 
 his posthumous son, — Edward, thirteenth, and fourth baron, who died unmarried in 1731, when 
 the family-honours reverted to his uncle ; — William, fourteenth, and fifth baron ; at whose de- 
 cease, unmarried in 1740, the baronies separated. 
 
 The barony of Dudley revolved upon Fernando-Dudley Lea, son of William Lea, Esq. of 
 Hales Owen Grange, in Shropshire, by Frances, only sister of the deceased lord. It fell, how- 
 ever, into abeyance, (as it continues) upon the demise of this nobleman, unmarried twenty-first 
 of October, 1757, between his five sisters. 
 
 And the barony of Ward, descended to John Ward, Esa. of Sedgley park, Staffordshire, great 
 grandson of the first Lord Ward, through his third son, William Ward, Esq. of Willingworth, 
 and eldest son of William Ward, Esq., M. P., for the county of Stafford, by Mary, daugh- 
 ter of the Honourable John Grey, of Enfield Hall, as sixth baron. His lordship was advanced 
 to a Viscounty, by letters patent, dated the twenty-third of April, 1763, as Viscount Dudley 
 and Ward, of Dudley. He married twice, first Anna-Maria, daughter of Charles Bourchier. 
 
56 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Esq. of the city of Dublin, by whom he had one son, — John, his successor ; and secondly, Ma- 
 ry, daughter and heiress of John Carver, Esq., by whom he had two sons, the youngest of 
 whom, William, only survived his lordship, who died in 1774, and was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 — John y second Viscount, LL.D. who died without issue, in 1788, when the family honours de- 
 volved upon his half-brother, — William, third Viscount, born the twenty-first of January, 
 1750, married, the twenty-first of August, 1780, Julia, second daughter of Godfrey Bosville, 
 Esq. of Gunthwaite, Yorkshire, by whom he had an only son, — John William, the present 
 peer. His lordship was distinguished by the purest and most munificent benevolence of charac- 
 ter. He died the twenty-fifth of April, 1823. 
 
 Motto. Comme je Jus. 
 
 THE POTTERIES. 
 
 In giving a description of Staffordshire, whether picturesque or otherwise, the Potteries form 
 so important and interesting a feature, as to claim the most marked attention— in fact, they are 
 so picturesque within themselves, that the most favourite objects, that have been delineated bv 
 us in an adjoining county (Warwickshire) have been copied by the ingenious artizans, of the 
 one we are about to describe ; — but we trust that it will be borne in remembrance, that a vast 
 sum is expended by the proprietor of this work, in paying an artist for travelling, and making 
 original drawings of noblemen's and gentlemen's seats, and of the most picturesque objects of 
 which this charming county can boast ; that these original drawings, and engravings from them 
 are protected by the laws of the realm — it is hoped that no. improper use of them will be resorted 
 to — no, we have too kind a feeling towards our liberal patrons to imagine that this will occur, and 
 if it should, our appearance at the breakfast, dinner, and tea table of the first personages in the 
 empire could not be considered as an ill, or an ungracious compliment bestowed upon us ; but, 
 as we have much to say upon this important and interesting district, from various authorities, 
 which we intend to continue down to the most modern discoveries and improvements — we shall 
 commence with Mr. Pitts' luminous illustrations of this opulent and interesting district of the 
 county, lying to the north-east of Newcastle, and extending' about nine or ten miles in length. 
 The Potteries so called, are situated in the hundred of Pirchill, north, and include the towns and 
 villages of Golden-hill, New-field, Smith-field, Tunstall, Langport, Burslem, Cobridge, Lower 
 Lane, Lane Delf, and Lane-end. " Golden-hill is within the liberty of Oldcott, parish of 
 Wolstanton, and is chiefly remarkable for its valuable mines of coal, and the fine and extreme 
 prospects which it commands ; these include nearly the whole county of Chester, and the Welch 
 

 
 
 
 ■ ' * 
 
p 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 57 
 
 mountains in the back-ground, and the best general view of the Potteries, with tne surrounding 
 country," Newfield was partly formed out of the very extensive town-fields within the liberties 
 of Tunstall, about the year 1613, though William Badyley, became seized of a messuage, and 
 certain quantities of land there, in the'tenth of Edward VI. It is well situated for manufactu- 
 ring purposes, having abundance of coal. 
 
 In passing over Smifh-field, Tunstall, and Langport, we arrive at Burslem, of which, Mr. 
 Pitt says " This extensive and populous town, which claims the honour of being the Mother of 
 the Staffordshire Potteries, stands on a rising ground, about three miles and a half, north 
 north-east of Newcastle. It is a parish in Pirchill north, and includes the townships of Hulton- 
 abbey, and Sneyd. The manor of Burslem was in the possession of Robert de Stafford, at the 
 time of the general survey. Henry de Audley was possessed of it in the time of Henry III., 
 and it continued in the possession of his family to the end of the sixteenth century.* Burslem 
 is undoubtedly the ancient seat of the Pottery, where earthenwares have been made many cen- 
 turies, for Dr. Plott, who wrote in 1686, mentions the potteries of this place, as the greatest of 
 the kind, and gives a very minute description of the process of making earthenware at that 
 time.-f* We have devoted a separate article to the description of the various improvements made 
 in this useful and elegant manufacture, since Dr. Plott's time. The vast increase of population, 
 opulence and knowledge, in this district of the county, affords a sufficient demonstration of its 
 general utility, and the numerous manufactories, the extensive warehouses, kilns, and beautiful 
 mansions of the master potters, with the comfortable habitations of the thousands of industrious 
 individuals, employed in this lucrative branch of trade, present a scene of animation truly inte- 
 resting to the patriotic observer. We perfectly agree with Mr. Pitt, in this and every other 
 respect, as well as with Mr. Nightingale, who described the town as being finely situated on a 
 gentle eminence, to the north of Newcastle ; and at the distance of one hundred and fifty-eight 
 miles from London. 
 
 This town is the largest, and most populous of any in the district, containing, according to the 
 parliamentary returns of 1801, a population of six thousand five hundred and seventy-eight 
 persons; viz. three thousand two hundred and one males, and three thousand three hundred and 
 seventy-seven females, of whom five thousand eight hundred and eighty-six, were returned as 
 being engaged in different branches of trade and manufacture, and only two hundred and forty- 
 three in agriculture. In 1821, Burslem contained one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine 
 houses, and nine thousand six hundred and ninety-nine inhabitants, of whom one thousand five 
 hundred and fifty-two families are returned as being employed in trade and manufactures, the 
 greater part in the extensive potteries. The town of Burslem is conveniently situated near the 
 Trent and Mersey canal, which about a mile from hence, passes by a tunnel under ground, the 
 length of one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight yards. The church, dedicated to St. John, 
 was formerly a chapel of ease to Stoke, and is one of the rectories formed out of that of Stoke 
 by an act of parliament passed in 1816. It is a large modern structure with an ancient square 
 tower. There are also several other places of worship for dissenters of various denominations, 
 with an extensive Sunday school and a library of religious publications attached to it. The 
 
 * Magna Britannia, No. 62, p. 78. t Hist, of Stafford, chap. iii. p. 122. 
 
58 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 market house is a very neat one ; the market days are on Monday and Saturday. Fairs the twen- 
 ty-second of March, the twenty-eighth of June, and the seventeenth of October. Mr. Pitt ob- 
 serves that " Burslem, is remarkable as being the place where the first clod of that great national 
 undertaking, the Trent and Mersey canal, was cut by the late Josiah Wedgwood, Esq., and on 
 the twenty-sixth of July, 1816, the fiftieth anniversary of this memorable event was celebrated 
 by a public dinner, at which all the principal manufacturers of Burslem were present. Enoch 
 Wood, Esq. presided upon the occasion, and, after a well merited eulogium upon the late vene- 
 rable father of the Potteries (a native of Burslem), and the inventive genius of Brindley, he 
 exhibited various ancient specimens of earthenware, descriptive of the progressive state of the ma- 
 nufacture during the last one hundred and fifty years, which he divided into epochs of fifty years, 
 from the butter-pot mentioned by Plott, down to the time at which the excellent specimens of 
 queen's or cream-coloured ware, jasper, &c. left by Mr. Wedgewood were produced. 11 Since 
 Mr. Wedgewood's day a vast variety of new and beautiful articles have been produced, and 
 the new durable and excellent article of Stone China, which has been manufactured by the 
 Spodes, Masons, &c. are not only a proof of the great perfection to which this manufacture is 
 brought, but the embossing, paintings, &c. which ornamented them, may be said to vie with 
 those manufactured in China ; and this manufactory is, perhaps superior to any similar one in 
 Europe. Mr. Pitt goes on to state that ¥ It has been often asked why the potters fixed them- 
 selves here, or the potteries of this county continued to flourish more than those of any other 
 part of the kingdom, or perhaps of the whole world ! — the answer (says Mr. Pitt) to this ques- 
 tion appears tolerably obvious— the abundant and almost inexhaustible supply of clay and coal 
 upon the spot, the inland situation of this district, which contributed to render labour cheap, and 
 other circumstances combined to fix and establish this important branch of commerce, where it 
 had been so successfully commenced." 
 
 Of the material, Dr. Aikin in his history of Manchester, remarks that " the measures of strata, 
 by which the beds of coal are divided, consists, most commonly of clays of different kinds, some 
 of which make most excellent fire bricks, for building the potter's kilns, and saggars (a corrup- 
 tion of the German schragers,) which signifies cases or supporters in which the ware is burnt." 
 Finer clays, of various colours and textures, are likewise plentiful in many places, most of them 
 near the surface of the earth ; and of these the bodies of the wares themselves were formerly 
 manufactured. 
 
 The coals being then also got near the surface, were plentiful and cheap. In the time of 
 Plott they were as low as two pence the horse-load, which, at eight horse-loads to a ton (the 
 usual estimation), amounts to only sixteen pence the ton. In 1795, the price of coals was from 
 four to five shillings per ton at the works. Since that time a regular advance has taken place. — 
 " When (continues Mr. Pitt) they first began to get the coals here, it was done by removing the 
 soil and clay which* covered them ; they were afterwards got in open pits, which however soon 
 filled with water. Recourse was then had to draining, by laying soughs or gutters from the lowest 
 part of the land near them, by which means the coals were procured for many years in this 
 neighbourhood, until the upper parts or heads of the mine were generally exhausted, and the 
 coals became scarce. In the year 1719> Lord Macclesfield, who owned an estate of about one 
 hundred and fifty acres, full of coals, adjoining the town of Burslem, entered into an agreement 
 

 
# 
 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 59 
 
 with the owners of the low meadow lands near the church, for permission to cut a sough or 
 gutter from thence up to his lands, for the purpose of draining his mines. The completion of 
 this gutter furnished an abundant supply for upwards of sixty years, but the coal that lay above 
 this gutter or drain, at length became exhausted and rendered the article scarce and dear. The 
 proprietors of the coal lands then introduced horse-gins, and steam engines followed shortly af- 
 terwards. The deepest engine pit in 1815, was one hundred and eleven yards ; the coals 
 here range from north to south the whole length of the potteries, (say about nine or ten miles on 
 the east of Burslem,) and generally dip from east to west about one foot perpendicular in every 
 four feet in length down the dip. Towards Mole Cop, which is four or five miles north of 
 Burslem, the coals suddenly return along Harecastle Hill, having a greater dip, and range 
 nearly from north to south for the length of four or five miles, to the neighbourhood of Red 
 Street, and dip south-east, from whence they again range north and south in the direction of 
 Silver Dale, a distance of four or five miles, dipping towards the east, and heading out to the 
 surface of the earth towards the west. It has been clearly ascertained that there are thirty-two 
 different mines of coals, between Burslem and the Ridge of Hills a little to the east of Norten 
 Church, of various thicknesses, generally from about three to ten feet each, lying in the order 
 of stratum, super-stratum, &c. a list of which Mr. Pitt enumerates, and concludes his account of 
 Burslem by stating that in 1653, the number of houses and population was so small, that in the 
 register of an adjoining parish, it was then termed parochiella, ft. the little parish." 
 
 There is another place that was formerly of trifling import, but now forms a considerable 
 village or rather regularly built street, we mean Etruria ; it is chiefly inhabited by potters, and 
 is situated on the side of the canal about a mile north-east of Newcastle. This place has for 
 many years been celebrated as the source from which the productions of the talented Josiali 
 Wedgewood have been issued from one vast manufactory, contiguous to which, upon an emi- 
 nence, amidst handsome plantations stands the family residence. The late Mr. Wedgewood had 
 these extensive concerns erected and named after Etruria in Italy, anciently celebrated for the 
 exquisite quality and classical models in earthenware and which so eminently served to improve 
 the taste of the English manufacturer. The late Josiah Wedgewood has been much noticed for 
 the accuracy and beauty with which he executed many of the medals, busts, and statues of an- 
 tiquity ; he was actively concerned in opposing the twenty commercial propositions with Ireland 
 in 1785, and in supporting the commercial treaty with France of the following year ; he also 
 published a pamphlet, entitled, " Address to the Workmen in the Pottery, 1 ' and was many years 
 concerned in two or three prolix newspaper controversies. 
 
 The following account is given of him in the Gentleman's Magazine for February, 1795. 
 
 " Died, at Etruria, in Staffordshire, aged 64, Josiah Wedgewood Esq. F. R. and A.S.S. to 
 whose indefatigable labours is owing the establishment of a manufacture that has opened a new 
 scene of extensive commerce, unknown before to this or any other country. It is unnecessary 
 to say that this alludes to the pottery of Staffordshire, which by the united efforts of Mr. 
 Wedgewood, and his late partner Mr. Bentley, has been carried to a degree of perfection, both 
 in the line of utility and ornament, that leaves all work, ancient or modern, far behind. 
 
 " Mr. Wedgewood was the younger son of a potter, but derived little or no property from 
 his father, whose possessions consisted chiefly of a small entailed estate, which descended to the 
 
60 PICTURESQUEVIEWS 
 
 eldest son. He was the master of his own fortune, and his country has been benefited in a pro- 
 portion not to be calculated ; his many discoveries of new species of earthenwares and porcelains, 
 his studied forms of chaste style of decoration, and the correctness and judgment with which all 
 his works are executed under his own eye, and by artists, for the most part of his own forming, 
 having turned the current in this branch of commerce ; for, before his time, England imported 
 the finer earthenwares, but for more than twenty years past, he has exported them to a great 
 annual amount, the whole of which is drawn from the earth, and from the industry of the inha- 
 bitants, while the national taste has been improved, and its reputation raised in foreign countries. 
 His inventions have prodigiously increased the number of persons employed in the potteries, and 
 in the traffic and transport of its materials from distant parts of the kingdom ; and this class 
 of manufacturers is also indebted to him for much mechanical contrivance and arrangement in 
 their operations, his private manufactory having had for thirty years and upwards, all the effi- 
 cacy of a public work of experiment. Neither was he unknown in the walks of philosophy ; his 
 communications to the Royal Society shew a mind enlightened by science, and contributed to 
 procure him the esteem of scientific men at home, and throughout Europe. His invention of a 
 Thermometer for measuring the higher degrees of heat employed in their various arts, is of the 
 highest importance to their promotion, and will add celebrity to his name. At an early period 
 of his life, seeing the impossibility of extending considerably the manufactory he was engaged in 
 on the spot which gave him birth, without the advantages of inland navigation, he was the pro- 
 poser of the <Jrand Trunk Canal, and the chief agent in obtaining the act of parliament for 
 making it, against the prejudices of the landed interests, which at that time stood very high, 
 and but just before had been with great difficulty overcome in another quarter by all the power- 
 ful influence of a noble duke, whose canal at that time was but lately finished. Having acquired 
 a large fortune, his purse was always open to the calls of charity, and to the support of every 
 institution for the public good. To his relations, friends, and neighbours, he was endeared by 
 many private virtues ; and his loss will be deeply and long deplored by all who had the pleasure 
 of knowing him intimately, and by the numerous objects to whom his benevolence was extend- 
 ed ; and he will be regretted by his country, as the able and zealous supporter of her commerce, 
 and by the steady patron of every valuable interest of society."- 
 
 We shall probably have to resume the subject of some of the chaste and inimitable produc- 
 tions of the great and enterprizing character above alluded to. 
 
 In continuation of our description of this truly interesting place, and of its manufactures, it 
 is not our intention to retrace our steps to their origin, or their earlier improvements, than to 
 those which have been indebted to the genius, taste, and talent of the late Mr. Josiah Wedge- 
 wood, for, as Mr. Nightingale truly observes, " the introduction of a foreign manufacture, so 
 much superior to our own, must have had very bad effects on the potteries of this kingdom, if a 
 new one, still more to the public taste, had not happily superceded the necessity of importing an 
 article from France, which poured into the English market about the middle of the last century; 
 but, (observes Mr. N.) in the year 1763, Mr. Josiah Wedgewood, who had already introduced 
 several improvements in this art, as well with respect to the forms and colours of the wares, as 
 the composition of which they were made, invented a species of earthenware, for the table, of a 
 firm and durable body, and covered with a rich and brilliant glaze, and bearing sudden vicissi- 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 61 
 
 tudes of heat and cold without injury. It was accompanied also with the advantages of being 
 manufactured with ease and expedition, was sold cheap, and as it possessed, with the novelty of 
 its appearance, every requisite quality for the purposes intended, it came quickly into general 
 estimation and use. To this manufacture Queen Charlotte was pleased to give her name and 
 patronage, commanding it to be called Queen's Ware, and honouring the inventor by appoint- 
 ing him her majesty's potter. It was composed of the whitest clays from Derbyshire, Dorset- 
 shire, and other places, mixed with a due proportion of ground flint. The pieces are fired 
 twice, and the glaze applied after the first firing, in the same manner as porcelain. The glaze 
 is a vitreous composition of flint and other white earthy bodies, with additions of white lead for 
 the flux, analogous to common flint glass. This compound being mixed with water to a proper 
 consistence, the pieces, after the first firing, are separately dipped in it : being somewhat bibu- 
 lous, they drink in a quantity of the mere water, and the glaze, which was united to that por- 
 tion of the water, remains adherent uniformly all over their surface, so as to become, by the 
 second firing, a coat of perfect glass. To Mr. Wedgewood's continued experiments, we are in- 
 debted for several other pieces of earthenware and porcelain, adapted to various purposes of or- 
 nament and use. The principal are the following, 
 
 1. A Terka Cotta, resembling porphyry, granite, Egyptian pebble, and other beautiful 
 stones of the siliceous or chrystalline order. 
 
 2. Basaltes or black ware ; a black porcelain biscuit of nearly the same properties with the 
 natural stone ; striking fire with steel, receiving a high polish, serving as a touchstone for me- 
 tals ; resisting all acids, and bearing, without injury, a strong fire, stronger indeed than the 
 basaltes itself. 
 
 3. White Porcelain Biscuit, of a smooth wax-like surface, of the same properties with 
 the preceding, except in what depends upon colour. 
 
 4. Jasper ; a white porcelain biscuit of exquisite beauty and delicacy, possessing the general 
 qualities of the basaltes, together with the singular one of receiving through its whole substance 
 from the mixture of metallic calces with the other materials, the same colours which those calces 
 communicate to glass or enamels in fusion, a property which no other porcelain or earthenware 
 body, of ancient or modern composition has been found to possess. This renders it peculiarly 
 fit for making cameos, portraits, and all subjects in basso-relievo, as the ground may be of any 
 particular colour, while the raised figures are of pure white. 
 
 5. Bamboo, or cane coloured biscuit porcelain. This possesses the same properties as the 
 white porcelain biscuit, mentioned above. 
 
 6. A Porcelain Biscuit, remarkable for great hardness, little inferior to that of agate. This 
 property, together with its resistance to the strongest acids and corrosives, and its impenetrabi- 
 lity by every known liquid, adapts it for mortars, and many different kinds of chemical vessels. 
 
 These six distinct species, with the queerts ware, already mentioned, expanded by the indus- 
 try and ingenuity of the different manufacturers, into an infinity of forms, variously painted 
 and embellished, constituted but a few years since, the whole of the fine English earthenwares 
 and porcelain, which have now become the source of a very extensive trade, and which, consi- 
 dered as an object of national art, industry, and commerce, may be ranked among the most im- 
 
62 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 portant manufactures of the united kingdom.* Subsequently to Mr. Wedgewood's day, the 
 durable and newly improved stone china, manufactured by Messrs. Spode and Co., and by Mes- 
 srs. Minton, Ridgeway, and others, has been admired, and greatly in request. 
 
 The following description of the process used in manufacturing the earthenware, was com- 
 municated to Dr. Aiken of Manchester by a person on the spot. The practice has varied but 
 in a trifling manner since that time. A piece of prepared mixture of clay and ground flint, 
 dried and prepared to a proper consistence, is taken to be formed into any required shape and 
 fashion, by a man who sits over a machine called a wheel, on the going round of which he con- 
 tinues forming the ware. This branch is called throwing ; and as the water is required to pre- 
 vent the clay sticking to the hand, it is necessary for a short time to place it in a warm situation. 
 It then undergoes the operation of being turned, and is made much smoother than it was before, 
 by a person called a turner ; when it is ready for the handle and spout to be joined to it, by the 
 branch called handling. Dishes, plates, tureens, and many other articles, are made from moulds 
 of ground plaister ; and, when finished, the whole are placed carefully (being then in a much 
 more brittle state than when fired) in saggars, which, in shape and form, pretty much resemble 
 a lady's band-box, without its cover, but much thicker, and are made from marie or clay of this 
 neighbourhood. The larger ovens or kilns, are placed full of saggars, so filled with ware ; and 
 after a fire, which consumes from twelve to fifteen tons of coal, when the oven is become cool 
 again, the saggars are taken out, and their contents removed, often exceeding thirty thousand 
 various pieces ; but this depends upon the general sizes of the ware. In this state the ware is 
 called biscuit, and the body of it has much the appearance of a new tobacco pipe, not having 
 the least gloss upon it. It is then immersed or dipped into a fluid generally consisting of sixty 
 pounds of white lead, ten pounds of ground flint, and twenty pounds of stone from Cornwall, 
 burned and ground, all mixed together, and as much water put to it as reduces it to the thick- 
 ness of cream, which it resembles. Each piece of ware being separately immersed or dipped 
 into this fluid, so much adheres all over the piece, that, when put into other saggars, and ex- 
 posed to another operation of fire, performed in the glossing kiln or oven, the ware becomes fi- 
 nished by its glossy covering, which is given it by the vitrification of the above ingredients. 
 Enamelled ware undergoes a third fire after its being painted, in order to bind the colour on. 
 
 A single piece of ware, such as a common enamelled tea-pot, mug, jug, &c, passes through 
 at least fourteen different hands, before it is finished : viz. the slipmaker, who makes the clay ; 
 the temperer or beater of the clay ; the thrower who forms the ware ; the ball-maker and cur- 
 rier ; the attender upon the drying of it ; the turner, who does away its roughness ; the spout 
 maker; the handler, who puts on the handle and the spout; the first, or biscuit fireman ; the 
 person who immerses or dips it into the lead fluid ; the second, or glass fireman ; the dresser, or 
 sorter in the warehouse ; the enameller, or painter ; the muffle, or enamel fireman. Several 
 more are required to the completion of such pieces of ware, but are in inferior capacities, such 
 as turners of the wheel, turners of the lathe, &c. &c/f* Mr. Nightingale says that " the evi- 
 dence given by Mr. Wedgewood to the committee of privy council, and at the bar of the two 
 
 * Nightingale's Hist, of Stafford. t Aiken's Manchester, p. 534, 535. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 63 
 
 houses of parliament, when a commercial arrangement with Ireland was in agitation in 1785, 
 will give some idea of the then extent of this manufacture, and its value to our maritime and 
 landed, as well as commercial interests. And the evidence of the present Mr. Wedgewood to 
 the committee of the house of commons, at that period on the celebrated orders of council, will 
 shew the state of this branch of manufacture as a branch of commerce. The late Mr. Wedge- 
 wood, in the evidence just alluded to, was of opinion, that through the manufacturing part alone 
 in the potteries and their vicinity, they gave bread to fifteen or twenty thousand people, inclu- 
 ding the wives and children of those who were employed in it, yet that this was a small object 
 when compared to the many others which depend upon it : viz. 1. The immense quantity of in- 
 land carriage it creates throughout the kingdom, both for its raw materials and finished goods. 
 2. The great number of people employed in the extensive collieries for its use. 3. The still greater 
 number employed in raising and preparing its raw materials, in several distant parts of England, 
 from near the Lands-end in Cornwall one way, along different parts of the coast, to Falmouth, 
 Teignmouth, Exeter, Pool, Gravesend and the Norfolk coast, the other way to Biddeford, 
 Wales, and the Irish coast. 4. The coasting vessels, which, after being employed at the proper 
 season, in the Newfoundland fishery, carry these materials coast-wise to Liverpool and Hull, 
 to the amount of twenty thousand tons yearly, at times when they would otherwise be laid 
 up idle in harbour. 5. The further conveyance of them from these ports, by river, and 
 canal navigation, to the potteries, situated at one of the most inland parts of this kingdom ; and, 
 6. The re-conveyance of the finished goods to the different parts of this island, whence they are 
 shipped for every foreign market that is open to the earthenwares of England. Mr. Wedge- 
 wood further observed that this manufacture is attended with some advantageous circumstances, 
 almost peculiar to itself; viz. that the value of the manufactured goods consist almost wholly in 
 labour, that one ton of raw material furnishes several tons of finished goods for shipping, the 
 freight being then charged, not by the weight but by the bulk ; that scarcely a vessel leaves any 
 of our ports, without more or less of these cheap, bulky, and, therefore, valuable articles to this 
 maritime country ; and, above all, that not less than five parts in six of the whole produce of 
 the potteries, are exported to foreign markets. Notwithstanding all these advantages, Mr. 
 Wedgewood in his evidence to the house of commons, declared himself strongly impressed 
 with the idea that this manufacture was then but in its infancy, compared with what it might 
 arrive at, if not interrupted in its growth. He died at his beautiful village of Etruria, aged 
 sixty-four. The business of the pottery, was subsequently conducted by his son, Josiah 
 Wedgewood, Esq. 
 
 The improvements in earthenware to this day, rest in the family of the Wedgewoods, al- 
 though the modern improvements are so great, that it would be impossible to enumerate them. 
 Such a man, and such a family, are an honour to a country ; _under the very first and highest 
 of circles, no similar benefits, can be produced. 
 
64 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 WEST BKOMWICH. 
 
 ■ 
 
 i 
 
 
 Perhaps no spot in Staffordshire, can create a greater degree of surprise, than the rapid advance 
 and improvement, that has taken place here, and v/hich by Mr. Pitt and others is properly 
 termed a village, situated to the south-east of Wednesbury, on a gravelly hill ; another topogra- 
 pher remarks that it lies to the west of Handsworth, and is chiefly remarkable as containing 
 Sandwell Park, the seat of the earl of Dartmouth ; of which we shall have to speak hereafter, 
 but Mr. Pitt observes that the road to Birmingham passes through the village, and the population 
 of West Bromwich has rapidly increased in consequence of the various manufactures in iron, 
 particularly locks, gun-locks, and nails. In 1811, the number of inhabitants was seven thousand 
 four hundred and eighty-five ; viz. three thousand seven hundred and seventy-three males, and 
 three thousand seven hundred and twelve females. A large street in this parish called Hill-top, 
 contains several good houses ; and here is a villa belonging to Mr. Elwal, and a good inn on the 
 Dudley road, called the Swan inn ! Only taking this period and of Mr. Nightingale's history of 
 Staffordshire in 1813, wherein he correctly states, that " the church, an ancient building sur- 
 mounted by a tower, has of late years been repaired, and much enlarged interiorly, the side 
 ailes being thrown into the body, so as to present one entire space. Neither its architectural 
 features nor its monuments claim the slightest attention. What an extraordinary change has 
 taken place since not. only that period, but also of Mr. Pitt's work in 1817. West Bromwich 
 may now (1830) vie with the outlet of almost any large town in England, its new, beautiful, airy, 
 lantern like church is a credit to the architect who constructed the edifice, and to the place. The 
 number of new and handsome vfllas, and the general buildings of West Bromwich really sur- 
 prised us, and having given a statement of its population, $zc. in 1811, let us now turn over to 
 1821, when it will be found as nearly double, for in Capper it will be found described as " a parish 
 in Offlow hundred, two miles S.S.E. of Wednesbury, and one hundred and twenty-two from 
 London, containing one thousand seven hundred and ninety houses, and nine thousand five 
 hundred and three inhabitants, of whom one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three are em- 
 ployed in trade. It is a curacy, patron the earl of Dartmouth. 
 
 Mr. Pitt states that " Dr. Plott mentions an excellent sand for the manufacture of glass found 
 near West Bromwich. The learned doctor, whose propensity to the marvellous is remarkable, 
 gives an account of Walter Parsons, who was born at West Bromwich, and was a man of gi- 
 gantic stature and extraordinary strength. Jn his youth he was bound an apprentice to a smith, 
 and was so tall that they were obliged to dig a hole in the ground, for him to stand in up to his 
 knees when he struck the anvil," he was afterwards employed as porter to James I. and was 
 courageous in proportion to his strength, but so good natured that he scorned to take any ad- 
 vantage of it ; on being offended by a man of ordinary stature as he walked London streets, he 
 only took him up and hung him by the waistband of his breeches, upon a hook for the amuse- 
 
\*t 
 
 V? 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 66 
 
 ment of the passengers. He would sometimes by way of merriment, take up two of the tallest 
 yeomen of the guard, and carry them about the guard chamber in spite of their resistance.'' 
 Such is the tale of Dr. Plott : this, however, serves to remind us of the great strength of Milan 
 the original and celebrated military bookseller of Whitehall, London, who, upon being insulted 
 by a scavenger in the metropolis, with great ease took him up and threw him into his own 
 dust-cart. 
 
 SANDWELL PARK. 
 
 Situate in a delightful and romantic valley to the west of Handsworth near Birmingham, con- 
 tains the beautiful and noble mansion of the earl of Dartmouth, and is said to have taken its 
 name from Sancta Fans, or the Holy Well, although from the nature of the place and of the 
 soil, as already described, it would imply its full- definition. 
 
 Be this as it may, it is described as being " built on the site of a priory of Benedictine monks, 
 dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen ; some vestiges of the original foundation being still visible to 
 the observant eye, in the rear of the house, and among the offices, a stone coffin was dug 
 up a few years ago. At the time of the dissolution of monasteries, in the reign of Henry VIII. 
 it was given to Cardinal Wolsey. The estate afterwards came into the possession of the present 
 family of Legge ; of whom Mr. Burke gives the following account, William Legge, Earl and 
 Baron of Dartmouth, Viscount Lewsham, was born November twenty-ninth, 1784, succeeded 
 to the family honors of his father, November the second, 1810, married in 1821, Charlotte 
 Frances, daughter of Charles Chetwynd, second Earl Talbot, (who died in October, 1823) by 
 whom he has issue, William Walter, Viscount Lewsham, born on the twelfth of August, 1823: 
 His lordship is the fourth earl. The founder of this noble family was Alderman Thomas Legge, 
 of the city of London, who served the office of sheriff in 1343, and was lord mayor in the 
 years 1346 and 1353. In 1338 he lent Edward III. ,£300. towards carrying on the war with 
 France, which was a very considerable sum in those days, and more than any other citizen ad- 
 vanced, except the lord mayor, and Simon de Francis, who lent each c£800. in the ensuing year. 
 From this opulent citizen lineally descended Colonel William Legge, celebrated for his perse- 
 vering and faithful attachment to Charles I., and his never ceasing endeavours for the restoration 
 of the monarchy. At the battle of Worcester he was wounded and taken prisoner, and had 
 certainly been executed, if his wife had not contrived his escape from Coventry gaol in her 
 own clothes. He was high in favour after the restoration, and enjoyed several lucrative and 
 honourable offices. He died in 1672, and was succeeded by his eldest son, George Legge, who 
 was created Baron of Dartmouth, on the second of December, 1682. His lordship died in J 691, 
 
 K 
 
66 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 and was succeeded by his only son, William, second baron, who was secretary of state, in 1710, 
 and, on the fifth of September, 1711, was advanced to a viscounty and earldom, as Viscount 
 Lewsham, and Earl of Dartmouth. His lordship married in 1700, Anne, daughter of He- 
 neage, Earl of Aylesford, by whom he had six sons and two daughters. 
 
 The eldest of them, George, Viscount Lewsham, married Elizabeth, only daughter and heir- 
 ess of Sir Arthur Kaye, Bart, of Woodsome, in the county of York, by whom he left a son and 
 two daughters. His lordship died in 1732, in the life time of his father. The earl died on the 
 fifteenth of December, 1750, and was succeeded by his grandson — William, second earl, who 
 married in 1755, Frances Catherine, only daughter and heiress of Sir Charles Gunter Nicboil, 
 K. B. His lordship died in 1801, and was succeeded by his eldest son — George, third earl, 
 who was called up by writ to the house of lords, as Baron Dartmouth, during the life time of 
 his father. His lordship married, on the twenty-fourth of September, 1782, Frances, ninth 
 daughter of Heneage, third earl of Aylesford, by whom he had issue, 
 
 William, present earl. 
 
 Heneage, born the twenty-ninth of February, 1788. 
 
 Arthur Charles, born the twenty-fifth of July, 1800, M. P. for Banbury. 
 
 Louisa, married in 1807, to William, Lord Bagot; and died in 1826. 
 
 Charlotte, married in 1816, to the Hon. and Rev. George Neville Granville, master of Mag- 
 dalen College, Cambridge. 
 
 Harriet, married in 1812, to Lieutenant general Sir Edward Paget. 
 
 Barbara Maria, married, in 1820, to F. Newdigate, Esq. 
 
 Georgiana Caroline. 
 
 Mary. 
 
 Anne. 
 
 The earl died in 1820. 
 
 Creations. — Baron, the second of December, 1682, and earl the fifth of September, 1711. 
 
 Motto.— Gaudet tentamine virtus. 
 
 Sandwell mansion has already been described as being formed of " brick, stuccoed white, and 
 forming a square; and in the extensive lawn in front, is the holy-well, enclosed by iron rails;" 
 and it is further stated that *« Sandwell, though situated in a populous neighbourhood, only four 
 miles from Birmingham, and close to the turnpike road from that town to Wolverhampton, is 
 enclosed, by a high park-wall, and a thick plantation of trees, so effectually, as to be totally se- 
 cluded from the busy world." The elegant mansion, besides every accommodation for conve- 
 nience, contains a handsome library, and a neat chapel ; the principal rooms are adorned with 
 landscapes and portraits by the best masters, particularly Kneller, Houseman, Gaspar, Vivian, 
 Highmore, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Jansen, Richardson, and Vandyke. A variety of picturesque 
 prospects are to be seen from different points of view in the park, which is well stocked with 
 deer, and situated in a vale of several thousand acres, finely wooded with noble oaks, and other 
 trees; and also backed with fine woods and extensive lakes, which may be seen peeping through 
 the trees ; and over the woods to the south, a fine view of West Bromwich church, presents it- 
 self. Beautiful and enchanting as this seat is, it has been intimated that its noble owner intends 
 to erect a new mansion on a more elevated site. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 6T 
 
 BEAUD'ESE'iiT. 
 
 This magnificent mansion, embosomed in beautiful rising grounds, and almost enveloped with 
 luxuriant trees, is situate about one mile from Langdon, and five miles north of Lichfieid. It 
 has for centuries been the mansion of the Paget family, and was partly rebuilt and enlarged by 
 Thomas, Lord Paget, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but many portions of it are of a much 
 earlier period, and the principal di awing room (of nearly fifty feet in length) now contains one 
 of Holbein's most masterly productions in the portrait of the first Lord Paget, who was ennobled 
 by Edward VI. Fuller in his worthies, in the language of a foreign potentate, says of this 
 Lord Paget, that, " he was not only fit to represent kings, but to be a king himself." 
 
 This superb stone building exhibits a handsome light portico'd front, under which is a grand 
 entrance into a spacious hall, the lofty arched ceiling and painted window at the east end, pro- 
 duces a charming effect. 
 
 This delightful residence, erected on the acclivity of an eminence, sheltering it from severe 
 winds, displays the place of a former encampment termed Castle Hill, from whence it is stated 
 that a delightful prospect may be seen of nine different counties. Mr. Pitt describes Beaudesert 
 as formerly the palace of the bishop of Chester, situated on the side of a lofty eminence in an 
 advanced part of the forest of Cannock, about a mile south-west from Langdon church : the 
 mansion is a magnificent edifice of stone, built in the form of a half H ; it is sheltered in the 
 rear by fine rising grounds, adorned with a variety of trees, and enveloped in groves of the most 
 luxuriant growth. The greatest part of it was built by Thomas, Lord Paget, in the reign of 
 Queen Elizabeth, and various additions have been since made by his successors. The principal 
 entrance is under a light gothic portico, which leads into a large and handsome hall eighty feet 
 by twenty-one with a lofty arched ceiling, a large music gallery at the east end, and a beautiful 
 gothic window at the west end, and adorned with the arms of the first Sir William Paget, and 
 Preston, whose daughter he married. On a pillar in a corner of the hall, is fixed a piece of 
 copper ore of a conical shape, from the Anglesea mine, upwards of twelve hundred pounds 
 weight. The library contains a valuable collection of books and MSS. and among others the 
 register of Burton Abbey. Among the modern improvements belonging to this mansion, the 
 stables and coach houses are most worthy of observation ; they are built of beautiful white stone 
 in the form of a crescent, and situated at a convenient distance from the mansion in a romantic 
 valley ; beyond these buildings, the extensive gardens display all the beauties of Horticulture ; 
 both the soil and situation are well adapted to the production of the most valuable herbs, roots, 
 fruits and flowers, and the walks and pleasure grounds around the house present that charming 
 variety of scenes to the rambler's eye, which are so grateful to the imagination : the park, where 
 herds of deer ramble at will, contains an extensive succession of hills and vallies, abounding 
 with excellent springs, and reminds the observer of the magnificent and picturesque scenery of 
 Reedwood Forest 
 
fi8 PICTURE SO IT EVTFWS 
 
 Of the rank, titles, and lineage of this noble family, Mr. Burke gives the following perspicu- 
 ous account : Henry William Paget, Marquess of Anglesey, Earl of Uxbridge, in the county of 
 Middlesex, and Baron Paget, of Beaudesert, in the county of Stafford ; a Baronet of Ireland, 
 Master General of the Ordnance, Constable o r th^ Towr: Lord Lieutenant, and custos rotolorum 
 of the county of Anglesey, constable of the castle and mayor of the borough of Caernarvon, ran- 
 ger of Snowden forest, vice admiral of North Wales, and county of Caermarthen, K. G. and 
 G. C. B. grand cross of the royal Guelphic order, general in the army, and colonel of the se- 
 venth hussars ; born the 17th of May 1768, succeeded to the earldom and inferior titles upon 
 the demise of his father, Henry, Earl of Uxbridge, on the 13th of March 1812, and was created 
 Marquess of Anglesey, 23rd of June, 1815, married first, 25th of July, 1795, Caroline Eliza- 
 beth, daughter of George, fourth Earl of Jersey. Her ladyship having obtained a dissolution 
 of her marriage according to the laws of Scotland, and espoused the duke of Argyle, the Mar- 
 quess of Anglesey married secondly, the lady Charlotte Cadogan, daughter of Charles, Earl of 
 Cadogan. His lordship had issue by both marriages. 
 
 Henry, Earl of Uxbridge, born July 6th 1797» married in 1819, Elizabeth, second daugh- 
 ter of the late John Campbell, Esq. of Shawfield, and niece of the present duke of Argyle. 
 
 William. 
 
 Clarence, } 
 
 Alfred, V By first marriage. 
 
 George. \ 
 
 Caroline, married to Charles, present Duke of Richmond. 
 
 Jane, married to Francis, Earl of Mount Charles. 
 
 Georgiana. 
 
 Augusta married to Arthur Chichester, Esq. 
 
 Agnes. 
 
 Emily, ^ 
 
 Mary, v By second marriage. 
 
 Adelaide. \ 
 
 The Marquess of Anglesey is the second earl and first marquess. 
 
 Lineage. 
 
 In the fourth year of the reign of Edward VI. 19th of January, 1550, Sir William Paget, 
 K. G. an eminent statesman in that and the preceding reign, son of William Paget, one of the 
 serjeants at mace, of the city of London, was elevated to the peerage by summons, under the style 
 and title of Baron Paget, of Beaudesert, in the county of Stafford. His lordship died in 1653, 
 and was suceeded by his eldest son, 
 
 Henry, second baron, K. B. on whose decease, witlwut issue, in 1568, the title devolved 
 upon his brother, 
 
 Thomas, third baron. This nobleman was summoned to parliament in the thirteenth vear of 
 Elizabeth, and took his place on the 4th of April, but in the 27th of Elizabeth, being zealously 
 affected to the Romish religion, and letters having been intercepted which betrayed his being a 
 
QjF STAFFORDSHIRE. 69 
 
 •well wisher to the queen of Scots, his lordship on the apprehension of Sir Francis Throgmorton, 
 withdrew privately with Charles Arundel, i?to Frerce : he married Nazaret, daughter of Sir 
 John Newton, of Barrs Court, in the county of Somerset, and was succeeded at his decease, in 
 1589, by his son, 
 
 William, fourth baron, by whom the title was transmitted, in 1629, to his son, 
 
 William, fifth baron, born the tnirteenth of September, 1609, married lady Frances Rich, 
 by whom he had thirteen children. His iord.ship died the nineteenth of October 1678, and was 
 succeeded by his second son, (the elder son died in infancy.) 
 
 William, sixth baron, born the tenth of February, 1637, died the twenty-sixth of Febru- 
 ary, 1712, leaving only one child. 
 
 Henry, seventh Lord Paget ; created Baron Burton, in the cotmty of Stafford, in 1712, du- 
 ring his father's life time ; succeeded to the barony of Paget, and was advanced to the earldom 
 of Uxbridge, the nineteenth of October, 1714. The earl married twice, and was succeeded, in 
 1743, by his grandson, (the son of his second son) 
 
 Henry, eighth baron and second earl. This nobleman dying unmarried, the seventeenth of 
 November, 1769, the earldom of Uxbridge, and barony of Burton became extinct; but the title 
 of Paget, being a barony in fee, devolved upon the eldest surviving son of Sir Nicholas Bayley, 
 Bart, and his wife, Caroline, daughter of Brigadier general Thomas Paget, grandson of Wil- 
 liam, fifth Lord Paget. 
 
 Henry Bailey, who assumed thereupon, the name and arms of Paget alone, and was sum- 
 moned to parliament by writ, the thirteenth of January, 1770, as ninth Baron Paget. On the 
 nineteenth of May, 1784, he was advanced to the dignity of the Earl of Uxbridge. His lord- 
 ship married, the eleventh of April, 1767, Jane Champaigne, eldest daughter of Arthur, Dean 
 of Clonmaenoise, in Ireland, by whom he had issue, 
 
 Henry William, present Marquess of Anglesey. 
 
 Sir Arthur, G. C. B., married to Augusta, second daughter of John, Earl of Westmoreland. 
 
 Sir Edward, G. C. B., a general officer in the army, married first in 1805, Frances, daughter 
 of William, first Lord Bagot, and secondly, in 1815, Harriet, daughter of George, third Earl of 
 Dartmouth ; 
 
 Sir Charles, K. C. B. rear-admiral of the white, married Miss Monck. 
 
 Berkeley, married Miss Grimstone. 
 1 Brownlow. 
 
 Caroline, widow of the Honorable Thomas John Capel. 
 
 Jane, present Countess of Galloway. 
 
 Louisa, lady of Lieutenant general Sir James Erskine, Bart. 
 
 Mary, married in 1803, to Thomas, Lord Graves. The earl died the thirteenth of March, 
 1812 
 
 Motto.— Per il sua contrario. 
 
70 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 'ELFORD. 
 
 Having in our former pages inserted a description of Tamworth, and some interesting features 
 attached to that town and its neighbourhood, we proceed to notice the pleasant village of Elford, 
 in the deanery of the foregoing place ; the latter, with its church and the mansion of its pos- 
 sessor, have been much noticed for their picturesque appearance, forming a pleasant group of 
 objects, ornamenting the banks of the beautiful river Tame. Mr. Nightingale, we believe, cor- 
 rectly states its present appellation to have been derived from the number of eels with which 
 the river formerly abounded in this neighbourhood, and that, previous to the conquest, this 
 manor belonged to Earl Algar ; but, upon that event, it was seized and retained, as his own 
 property by the Norman monarch. During the reign of Henry III., it was in the possession 
 of William de Arderne, whose descendants continued to enjoy it till the marriage of Maud, sole 
 heiress of Sir John Arderne, with Thomas, second son of Sir John Stanley of Latham, carried 
 it into that family. 
 
 By a succession of females, it passed in like manner to the Stantons ; from the Stantons to the 
 Smiths ; from the Smiths to the Huddlestones ; and from the Huddlestones to the Bowes, in 
 which last family it remained for several generations, when it devolved on the honorable Craven 
 Howard, by marriage with Mary, daughter of George Bowes, Esq. ancestor to the late Earl of 
 Suffolk, upon whose death it fell to his sister, the honorable Frances Howard. Mr. Nightingale 
 further states, that at Elford Park farm, which is situated about two miles from the village, is a 
 barrow, called Elford-low, and, opposite to it, at the distance of a mile, another of smaller ex- 
 tent, both of them are evidently sepulchral, and were probably the burying places of the slain, 
 in some battle, on or near the spot, during the Saxon heptarchy. These Lows are denominated 
 by the common people, Robin Hood's shooting butts, from a belief prevalent among them, that 
 he sometimes practised here, and was able to throw an arrow from the one to the other. Seve- 
 ral human skeletons, a piece of a bayonet, a wooden noggin or bowl, and some warlike utensils 
 were discovered in a field here, about the middle of the last century. Concerning the bones, it 
 is impossible to offer even a plausible conjecture, but the remaining articles, in all probability, 
 belonged to some soldiers at the time of the great rebellion in 1645.* 
 
 Mr. Pitt gives the distinguishing feature of Elford-low, as being situated on the top of a hill, 
 a little beyond the paper-mill, in the corner of a field, close to the Tamworth road, and is dis- - 
 tinguished by an oak tree on its summit. Dr. Plott, from examination, found it sepulchral, Mr. 
 Pennant, from its elevation, conjectures that it might have had on it a specula or watch-tower, 
 and Mr. Bourne, an intelligent farmer, informed Mr. Shaw, that he saw the bones of three hu- 
 man skeletons dug out of a gravel pit a few years since, near this Low, which seems a conclusive 
 proof that it is the site of some ancient cemetery. 
 
 * Shaw's Stafford, vol. i. p. 381. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 71 
 
 On the first payment of a subsidy, in the thirty-second of Elizabeth (1590), Elford paid 
 xlix s. At the general election for the county, in 1747, fourteen freeholders in Elford voted. 
 
 The following account of Elford was written by Mr. Bourne — " the greater part of the village 
 of Elford was common-field, meadow, &c. till the year 1765, when an act was obtained for an 
 enclosure ; previous to that time the land was let at very low rents, and the tenants were mostly 
 in very low circumstances ; by the enclosure the rents have been trebled, and the tenants better 
 able to discharge them. 
 
 " The whole parish contains about nineteen hundred acres, one thousand and fifty-three of 
 which belong to tne lady V iscountuss Anuover, two Hundred and forty to the rectory, five hun- 
 dred and seventy-eight to different freeholders, and the remainder is laid out in roads. Of 
 this land about five hundred acres are annually in tillage, and which, we suppose, bring as much 
 grain to market as the whole parish did in its open state ; the quantity of cheese made now, in 
 proportion to that made prior to the enclosure, is more than three to one ; the proportion of 
 beef and mutton produced on the land, is still greater, as much as ten to one, for though there 
 were sometimes many sheep kept in the common-fields, they were so subject to the rot, that little 
 or no profit arose to the farmer or produce to the community. Respecting population, there 
 were, prior to the enclosure, in the parish, fifty-seven houses or tenements; in 1794, after the 
 enclosure, there were seventy-six houses, and three hundred and sixty inhabitants. This in- 
 crease has not arisen from any manufactory, but merely from the increase of labour necessary 
 for the improved cultivation. That inclosures sometimes injure the small farms, must be ad- 
 mitted ; but that they are advantageous to the community must appear from the above state- 
 ment of the produce of this place.' 1 
 
 Mr. Pitt in noticing the handsome stone bridge across the Tame at Elford, and the paper and 
 corn mills, a little above it, introduces the following interesting sketches of Mr. Bage, formerly 
 the proprietor of these mills. 
 
 " The late Mr. Bage was the celebrated author of Hermsprong, or Man as he is not, and 
 other popular novels : Mr Bage resided for many years at Elford, and afterwards removed to 
 Tarn worth, where he lived respected, and died regretted, in the year 1801. He was a native 
 of Derby, and the late Mr. Hutton, in his history of that town, gives the following quaint ac- 
 count of the author and his publications : — * wherein is an excellent picture of life, a full dis- 
 play of character and sentiment. These have travelled to the continent, passed through the 
 Frankfort press, and have appeared in a German habit.' Although fortune never made him 
 conspicuous in the great world, she gave him what is preferable, affluence and content ; in di- 
 recting a paper mill, may be- found, that head which is able to direct empires, that judgment 
 which can decide in difficult cases, a penetration that can fathom the human heart and compre- 
 hend various systems of knowledge, a genius which constitutes the companion for Newton in 
 philosophy, for Handel in music-, for Eucnu in matnematics, a master of the living and dead 
 languages, and all, like the wealth of a merchant who rises from nothing, acquired by himself." 
 
 That rectitude which is here obscured from the public eye, but is a pearl of great price, and 
 
 a credit to our species. Though a diminutive figure, yet one of the most amiable of men; 
 
 and though barely a christian, yet one of the best. As Mr. Pitt justly remarks; " this high 
 
 ulogium on the genius and character of one of our best modern novelists, will probably excite 
 
El 
 
 n PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 curiosity in the reader to team some further particular? respecting him. The following Biogra- 
 phical sketch proves sufficient on the subject.* 
 
 " Robert Bage was born at Derby, in the year 1728, his father was a paper manufacturer, and 
 the son being intended for the same business, received a common school education ; in his youth* 
 however, he was remarkable for the vigour of his intellectual powers and his love of knowledge 
 He married and settled at Elford, where he conducted a paper mill till nearly the end of his life. 
 
 His desire of knowledge encreased with his years, and at intervals of leisure from his business, 
 he studied and became a proficient in the modern languages, he afterwards turned his attention 
 to the more abstruse branches of the mathematics, and engaged a teacher at Birmingham, with 
 whom he spent an evening every week till he obtained the requisite instruction ; from his retired 
 situation he was but little accustomed to the manners of elegant society, hence his productions 
 are rather those of a man of reflection, than a close observer of men and manners ; he wrote five 
 novels, viz. Mount Kenneth, Barham Downs, the Fair Syrian, James Wallace, Hermsprong, or 
 Man as he is not, and Man as he is. (The latter work has had an immense circulation.) 
 
 Mr. Bage was happy in his matrimonial connection, and left two sons ; one promising youth 
 died before him ; he died in the year 1801, aged seventy-three years, his character for integrity 
 and benevolence was high, and his friends, who were much attached to him, describe his temper 
 as open, mild, and social, he was kind to his domestics, and his humanity even extended to the 
 domestic animals around him, particularly his horses when past wo k." 
 
 Elford church dedicated to St. Peter, is a fine old gothic structure, and contains several fine 
 paintings on glass, and some ancient monuments of the Ardernes, Stanleys, Smiths, and other 
 families of distinction. 
 
s 
 
 # 
 
o 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 73 
 
 PERRY. 
 
 Formerly called Perrie, is described by Mr. Pitt, as an ancient manor on the north-west, ad- 
 joining Sutton Coldfield, the river Tame passing along the side of it from Hampstead. Perry 
 Hall and park, of which we have given a view ; was with other estates, and a moity of the 
 manor purchased by sir Henry Gough, Knt. in the year 1669 } and it has continued in that 
 family down to the present owner. This mansion and the demense attached to it, have always 
 been admired for their picturesque and beautiful appearance. 
 
 BURTON UPON TRENT. 
 
 A town of great antiquity, has many interesting circumstances attached to it, and was of consi- 
 derable importance at an early period of the Saxon Heptarchy. It is situated on the north bank 
 of the river Trent, in the hundred of Offlow, nineteen miles west from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and 
 one hundred and twenty-five north-north-west, from London : it is a borough and a market town, 
 and in 1821 contained eight hundred and thirty-three houses, and four thousand one hundred 
 and fourteen inhabitants. A fine free stone bridge is thrown over the river Trent, and this 
 river divides the counties of Stafford and Derby, and, as Capper states, is navigable hither from 
 Gainsborough for vessels of considerable burden. At the south end of the town, on the banks 
 of the river, are the ruins of an abbey, founded in 1004, which continued with vast power and 
 property till the dissolution. Near the abbey stood the ancient parish church of St. Modwena, 
 which was connected with the abbey by a cloister, but it was taken down, and the present 
 church erected in 1722 on a much smaller scale-; it is neat and convenient, with spacious 
 galleries; it has also an organ, built in 1771 by subscription. The tower has eight bells 
 with a clock and chimes. 
 
 The church is a perpetual curacy, exempt from episcopal jurisdiction, in the patronage of the 
 Marquess of Anglesea, who is also proprietor of the tythes to a considerable amount. The mar- 
 quess is also lord of the manor of Burton and its hamlets, and the remains of the abbey are now 
 his manor house : he holds annually two court-leets, under the management of the perpetua* 
 bailiff and coroner, and also two probate courts, for proving wills, &c. Here is also a court of 
 requests for the recovery of small debts ; and the inhabitants are exempt from serving on county 
 
 L 
 
74 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 juries. This place is famous for the excellence of its ale and malt, which is sent down the rivers 
 to Hull, and forwarded thence through the whole kingdom and to the different ports of the con- 
 tinent. It has manufactures of hats, cottons, tammies, and some articles of iron, particularly one 
 for the purpose of converting bloom and scrap iron into bars. The town consists of one principal 
 street, which is crossed by another at right angles ; in the market place is a neat town hall, 
 erected at the sole expence of the Marquess of Anglesea : in this the public business of the town 
 is transacted, and it also serves as an assembly and concert room. Here is a free school, several 
 Sunday schools, and two almshouses for poor women. The borough lying low, it is reckoned 
 rather unhealthy. The market on Thursday is well supplied with all kinds of meat, corn, poul- 
 try, &c. Fairs, February 2nd, April 5th, May 30th, July 6th, August 31st, October 29th. 
 
 In speaking of Burton, Mr. Pitt says, that in the Saxon annals it is written Byretun, synoni- 
 mous to Buryton, a word used by that people to denote places of British or Roman origin. It 
 is therefore probable that Bury or manor house, was the residence of some eminent personage 
 here before the Saxons conquered England. The site of Burton is indeed extremely pleasant ; 
 between an extensive space of level and fertile fields on the west, and a beautiful range of hills on 
 the east, runs the river Trent ; these and other hills about two miles north-west of the town, 
 were formerly covered with wood, thus combining all the attractions of a commanding station, 
 fine prospect, and fruitful soil, the principal requisites for the establishment of a permanent 
 habitation. 
 
 According to Hollingshed, the earliest records of Burton commence with those of St. Mod- 
 wena, who flourished in the ninth century, and of whom he relates the following account. " In 
 this season, one Modwena, a virgin in Ireland, was greatly renowned in the world, unto whom 
 king Ethelwolfe sent his son Alfred to be cured of a disease that was thought to be incurable ; 
 but by her means he recovered health, and therefore when her monasterie was destroyed in Ire- 
 land, Modwena came over to England, unto whom king Ethelwolfe gave land to build two ab- 
 bies, and also delivered unto her his sister Edith to be professed a nun : Modwena hereupon 
 built two monasteries, one at Polesworth joining to the bounds of Arderne, wherein she placed 
 the aforesaid Edith with Osith and Athea ; the other, whether it was a monasterie or a cell, she 
 founded in Strenshall, or Trentsall, where she herselfe remained solitarie a certain time in praier 
 and other virtuous exercises. And as it is reported she went thrice to Rome, and finallie died, 
 being one hundred and thirty years of age ; hir bodie was first buried in an island, compassed 
 about with the river of Trent, called Andresey, taking the name of a church or chappelle of St. 
 Andrew which she had built in the same island, and dwelled therein for the space of seven 
 years. Manie monasteries she builded both in England, and also in Scotland, as at Striveling, 
 Edinbrough, and in Ireland, at Celestline, and elsewhere." Mr. Pitt in continuation states 
 " In the year 1002, and the twenty-third year of the reign of Ethelred, the abbey of Bur- 
 ton was founded by Wulfric, Ulfric, 6r Alfric, earl of Mercia." The book of Abingdon assert, 
 that Wulfric gave his whole estate, then valued at <£700. to endow this abbey. In the year 
 1004 this donation was ratified by King Ethelred, and in 1010 Wulfric was slain in an engage- 
 ment with the Danes. 
 
 When Burton abbey was in its most flourishing state, it possessed very extensive domains, 
 consisting of manors, townships, and lands in this county, and in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 75 
 
 and Warwickshire. In the year 1260, the abbey was inhabited by thirty monks. There were 
 thirty-five abbots in succession from the year 1004, to the fourth of November, 1540, when 
 King Henry VIII. after the dissolution of monastic institutions, made the abbey of Burton a 
 collegiate church, dedicated to Christ and St. Mary ; to consist of a dean and four prebends, 
 and endowed it with the manor of Burton and other possessions. It continued to enjoy this 
 distinction only four years. The seal of the college is beautiful ; it is a representation of our 
 Saviour and his disciples at the last supper ; the arms of Wulfric, the founder of the abbey, are 
 engraved at the bottom ; and the words on the margin, in Latin, signify, " the common seal of 
 the dean and chapter of the collegiate church of Christ, at Burton-upon-Trent." This abbey 
 was very extensive ; the church was two hundred and twenty-eight feet in length, and fifty-two 
 and a half in breadth, adorned with a handsome tower at both ends. The cloisters, situate on 
 the north side of the church, were one hundred feet square. The frayton adjoining, was nine- 
 ty-six feet in length, and thirty in breadth, and the principal dormitory on the east, one hundred 
 feet by ten. The vestiges of the cloisters are still visible in the old wall between the church- 
 yard and the bowling-green. In this wall are several remains of Saxon architecture, particularly 
 some curious arches ; and, beyond these, on the margin of the Trent, are some vestiges of the 
 monastery ; the most remarkable is the outline of the east window of a chapel, now filled up 
 with brick and mortar. The old manor-house is the property of the Marquess of Anglesea : 
 what was once the porter's lodge, on the side next the town, is now converted into a black- 
 smith's shop. 
 
 The church dedicated to St. Modwena, was standing in the early part of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury ; it was taken down, and the present neat edifice, with a fine tower, was erected on its site, 
 in the year 1720. In the west gallery is an elegant and well toned organ, erected in 1771, and 
 the tower contains eight musical bells, with a set of excellent chimes. This church contains 
 many monumental inscriptions : in the belfry lies a defaced monument, supposed to be the tomb 
 of the original founder of the abbey ; and, within these few years, several stone coffins have 
 been found in the church-yard. 
 
 But the most remarkable antiquity in Burton is its bridge, which consists of thirty-six arches, 
 extending five hundred and fifteen feet, and was first built in the time of Bernard, abbot of 
 Burton, in the reign of King Henry II. about the year 1175.* 
 
 Burton retains the name of a borough, merely with reference to the translation of burgvs, a 
 town, though some of the abbots were formerly summoned by writ, and sat in parliament. -f- 
 The lord of the manor has a court of record in it weekly, on Friday, called the Jenters' court, 
 where pleas can be maintained to any amount, and his bailiff is also coroner. A court of re- 
 quests, for the recovery of small debts, is likewise held under the bailiff. Among other privile- 
 ges, the inhabitants are exempted from being empannelled on county juries. 
 
 The town of Burton, as we have before remarked, consists of one principal street, called 
 High Street, and, as Mr. Pitt describes it, " extends in a parallel line with the river, from north 
 to south ; this street is intersected at right angles, by another, called Horninglow Street. The 
 town-hall, which is a neat edifice, is erected on the site of the old market-house. In this hall 
 
 * Erdiswick's Survey of Staffordshire. t Shaw's Antiquities of Staffordshire, vol. i. p. 11. 
 
76 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 are held the courts leet, and all other public meetings for business and amusement. A remark- 
 able old house situated near the centre of the town, adorned with wooden pillars, and carved 
 Gothic ornaments, has long been admired as an object worthy of notice. Among other public 
 institutions, a free grammar school, founded and endowed by the abbot, William Beane, in the 
 year 1520, is worthy of notice: It is situated in the north-west angle of the church-yard. 
 There are two alms-houses in the town, endowed by Lady Paulett, and Mrs. Ellen Parker, for 
 the maintenance of eleven poor women.'" 
 
 H In the year 1787, several Sunday schools for the instruction of poor children, were esta- 
 blished in the parish of Burton : an annual subscription of thirty guineas, from the earl and 
 countess of Uxbridge, the benefactions of the inhabitants of the town, and an annual charity 
 sermon preached for the benefit of this institution, contributed essentially to its success ; and 
 four hundred and fifty children received instruction from eleven schools." 
 
 There are six hamlets belonging to Burton, namely, Burton Extra, Brannston, Horninglow, 
 and Stretton, and two in Derbyshire. The commons belonging to these hamlets were enclosed 
 in 1771 and 1772 ; the arable lands are light and gravelly, and the pastures and meadows level 
 and luxuriant. 
 
 The number of freeholders in Burton, who voted at the great contested election in 1749*, was 
 fifty. According to an accurate survey in October, 1789, 
 
 Burton contained 626 houses. 2926 inhabitants. 
 
 Burton Extra 102 553 
 
 
 
 Total 728 3479 
 
 In the year 1801, according to the population returns, Burton contained seven hundred 
 and thirty-eight houses, and three thousand six hundred and seventy-nine inhabitants ; in 1811 
 the population had increased to three thousand nine hundred and seventy-nine, and, in 1 82 1 , as 
 we have before remarked, it contained eight hundred and thirty-three houses, and four thou- 
 sand one hundred and fourteen inhabitants. 
 
 The market of Burton, first granted by King John, and confirmed by King Henry III., is 
 held on Thursday ; and, in consequence of the trade and manufactures of the town, and the 
 opulence of the neighbourhood, it is well attended and supplied with grain, butcher's meat, 
 butter, poultry, &c. Among its chronological and remarkable events, Mr. Pitt enumerates the 
 following : — " In the year 1255, the greatest part of Burton was consumed by an accidental fire. M 
 
 In the fourteenth year of the reign of Edward II., Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, was at the 
 head of a formidable insurrection against that prince ; and, in the following year, the king 
 raised a powerful army, and several of the earl's confederates deserted from him, and went over 
 to the royal standard. The earl's faithful adherents marched with him first to Gloucester, and 
 then to Burton-upon-Trent, and so on to his castle at Tutbury, about four miles distant from 
 the town. While on his march, the earl sent a confidential officer into Lancashire to bring up 
 five hundred men to his aid, but he conducted the levies to the king's army, and apprized Ed- 
 ward of the earl's intentions. The king immediately pursued his enemy, first marching to Co- 
 
 * At this election, William Leveson Gower, Esq., and Sir Walter Bagot, were returned . 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 77 
 
 ventry and thence to Lichfield, where the two Spencers joined him with all their forces. On the 
 approach of the royal army to Burton, the earl placed infantry on each side of the bridge, to 
 prevent the king's passage over the Trent. The king then forded the river at Walton, about 
 three miles above the town, which being made known to the earl, he sallied forth with his troops 
 from Tutbury castle, in expectation of being joined by his Lancashire auxiliaries. On hearing 
 of their defection, he fled northwards, and was pursued to Pontefract, where he was taken and 
 beheaded.* The abbey of Burton suffered so much by the depredations of the rebels, that the 
 king, in memory of his victory, gave to it the advowsons of the churches of Tatenhill and Han- 
 bury, in this county, which were forfeited to the crown by the rebellious Earl of Lancaster .-f* 
 
 The appearance of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, is mentioned among the memora- 
 ble events recorded in the annals of Burton. " Mem. On Monday and Tuesday, in the morn- 
 ynges, being the xvth and xvith dayes of November, in the yeare of our Lorde God, one thou- 
 sand fyve hundreth threescore and fouretene, there were seen in the element, certayne strange 
 lights, whereof some appeared verie fyerie, and terrible to beholde, and stretched downe, as yt 
 seemed, almost to the earthe, and were in the northe, the easte, and the weste, and at those tymes 
 yt was as light as if it had been daye. These lights continued from tenne of the clocke in the 
 nighte, untylle breake of the day, and seemed most fearfull in the mornynges, after foure of the 
 clocke ; and hapned the dayes ymmediately after the chaunge of the moone, and the eclipse of 
 the sunne.j" 
 
 In the year l6ll, Edward Wightman, of Burton, was burnt at Lichfield, for holding dan- 
 gerous and blasphemous opinions. 
 
 During the civil wars between King Charles I. and the parliament, Burton suffered greatly, 
 being several times taken and retaken by the conflicting parties in the year 1643. 
 
 In December, 1793, a night-watch was first established in Burton. 
 
 Burton has been occasionally injured by the inundations of the Trent, particularly one in 
 1771, which overflowed the greatest part of the town ; another 1792 ; a third in 1795 ; and a 
 fourth in 1798. 
 
 In 1815, a deputation from Burton presented a loyal address to the prince regent on his 
 arrival at Beaudesert, the seat of the Marquess of Anglesea upon which occasion the bailiff 
 (John Dickenson Fowler) received the order of knighthood. 
 
 MANUFACTURES. 
 
 Leland, in his Itinerary, says that Burton was then famous for ornamental works in alabaster ; 
 and this fact is confirmed by Camden. This business has, however, been discontinued for more 
 than a century, though alabaster is still be found in the neighbourhood of Need wood forest. 
 
 In the seventeenth century many of the inhabitants of Burton were clothiers, and their kersies 
 were held in great estimation ; and some tammies and woollen cloths are now manufactured in 
 this town. 
 
 * Dugdale's Baronetage, vol. i. p. 781. t Shaw's Antiquities of Staffordshire, vol. i. p. 17. 
 
 J At the end of Lord Uxbridge's curious rental. 
 
78 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 But the chief article of commerce produced in Burton, is its ale, for which it has long been 
 celebrated. The original cottons, screws, and other articles have also been manufactured in this 
 town to a considerable extent 
 
 CHEADLE 
 
 Is a market-town to Uttoxeter, in the hundred of Totmanslow south ; and, as described by 
 Mr. Nightingale, is pleasantly situated in a vale, but surrounded on all sides by bleak and al- 
 most barren hills, composed of sterile gravel, distributed in various large heaps. The top of the 
 hill on the west, affords a bold and commanding view of the highest part of the town, even, as 
 Mr. Pitt observes, of the chimney-tops. Owing to the public spirited exertions, and judicious 
 management of John Holliday, Esq. lord of the manor of Cheadle, many hilly districts in this 
 neighbourhood have been greatly improved. Cheadle Park, forming the hill just mentioned, is 
 three miles in circumference, and consists of thirty-three inclosures, which let, on an average, at 
 fifteen shillings per acre. They abound in coal mines of considerable value. That part, howe- 
 ver, nearest the town, is still sandy and unimproved. This park, from which Lichfield minster, 
 though distant twenty-seven miles, may be distinctly seen, is much resorted to as a pleasant walk. 
 The hills, north and west of the town, are generally composed of the same materials as the 
 one just mentioned, upon an understratum of sand or sandy rock ; and the herbage consists 
 for the most part, of broom, heath, whortleberries, mountain cinquefoil, matt grass, and 
 hemp seeds. These barren wastes, observes Mr. Pitt, are pretty extensive, and not worth, he 
 believes, more than one shilling per acre, as pasturage for sheep, or any other animal. Though 
 this gentleman is of opinion, that they are generally too poor and beggarly, to be reclaimable by 
 cultivation, for the purposes of corn or pasturage, he has suggested some valuable hints, for ren- 
 dering these moorland districts valuable, when converted into coppices and plantations for timber 
 and underwood ; and suggests that probably the Scotch and other firs, and sycamore, would suc- 
 ceed here. And, indeed, what Mr. Holliday has accomplished in the neighbourhood of Dillhorn 
 is sufficient proof that few, if any, of these uncultivated wastes, are really incapable of being 
 rendered highly valuable nurseries of timber. In the year 1792 the gold medal was adjudged 
 tQ this gentleman, for having planted on twenty-eight acres, three roods, and twenty-eight 
 perches of land, one hundred and thirteen thousand five hundred mixed timber trees.* Since 
 that time, other attempts have been made, and with considerable success, to improve these appa- 
 rently barren wastes. The hints of Mr. Pitt, to which I have just alluded, are deserving of a 
 
 • Rev. Stebbing Shaw's note in Pitt's Agricultural Surrey, p. 26«. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 79 
 
 place ia this work. " Perhaps, says he, many other of our native timber trees might succeed, in- 
 termixed with these, (viz. the fir and the sycamore) as one would shelter and screen another. To 
 give any such plantations a fair chance of success, I should propose to begin, not on the summits, 
 but on the declivities of the hills ; and, as such first plantations increased in growth, to proceed 
 with such fresh ones nearer the summit, till the whole should be covered ; by which management 
 the plants of strength and growth would be made to protect and shelter those of tender age. The 
 putrefaction and rotting of leaves, from such plantations, would increase and enrich the surface 
 soil ; and, as they came to maturity, the woodlands, upon plain and practicable ground, might 
 be cleared and converted into arable and pasture land. If such scheme be practicable, which I 
 think it certainly is by judicious management and perseverance, these dreary barren hills, which 
 now convey an idea of nothing but poverty, want, and misery, would not only beautify and or- 
 nament the country, but, by furnishing it with timber and wood, answer the purpose of more 
 valuable land, and enable an equal breadth of plain woodland to be converted to pasture and 
 arable, without rendering the supply of these necessary articles uncertain or precarious." This 
 sensible and judicious plan, founded on the true economy of nature, and the perfect analogy of 
 animal life, to which vegetation bears so near and so pleasing a resemblance, would apply with 
 equal force to many other districts ; and, if perseveringly and extensively put into execution, 
 would be of signal advantage to the agricultural interests of Great Britain. 
 
 Whilst we are on this subject of the wastes of the moorlands, and as it has not been sufficient- 
 ly adverted to before, it may be well to enlarge this apparent digression by a more extended 
 and detailed view of the soil and natural products of this wild and romantic portion of the coun- 
 try. The moorlands, as they are called, comprehend a large part of the north east district, and 
 are usually described, as comprehending all that part, north of a line, supposed to be drawn in 
 an oblique direction from Uttoxeter to Newcastle-under-line. This delineation cannot be better 
 described than in the words of Mr. Pitt, who, in the appendix to his interesting survey, has gi- 
 ven a somewhat brief, but, upon the whole, very accurate description. Of this we can vouch 
 with the greater freedom, from having, ourselves, traversed most of the districts which he 
 mentions. 
 
 The commons, or waste lands, between Cheadle and Oakmoor (a place so named from being 
 nearly covered with dwarf oaks,*) called High Shutt Ranges and Alveton-common, consist of an 
 immense number of rude heaps of gravel, upon an understratum of soft sandy rock, thrown to- 
 gether without order or form, or rather, into every form that can be conceived, into sudden swells 
 and deep glens, with scarcely a levej perch : the mind, in endeavouring to account for their for- 
 mation, must conceive it owing either to some violent convulsion of nature, or some strange con- 
 fusion of matter. This tract, impracticable to the plough, now rough, barren and bare, might 
 be improved into woodland and plantations, and some open spots of the most favourable aspects 
 might be reserved for gardens to cottage tenements, and cultivated with the spade and hoe. 
 Above Oakmoor, to the north, the plan of planting precipices has been executed. A plantation 
 has been made there, on a declivity as barren, rocky, and bare of soil, as any before-mentioned : 
 this plantation, which is little more than twenty years old, is in a very thriving state, and contains 
 
 * Notes in Pitt, p. 264. 
 
80 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Scotch firs, spruce, oak, lime, birch, fallow, and mountain ash. A little north of Oak Moor, 
 the lime stone country begins, and extends over a great breadth of country to the north, east, 
 and west, in many places rising out of the main surface in huge cliffs. The Weaver Hills, 
 already mentioned, are covered with a rich, calcareous, loamy earth, capable of being improved 
 into very good arable or pasture land. These hills are composed of immense heaps of lime stone, 
 and are enclosed in large tracts by stone walls. 
 
 On one of the summits grows, indigenous, the upland burnet, (poterium sanguisorba.) This 
 plant has not been deemed a native of Staffordshire. The herbage of these hills contain many 
 good plants, both grasses and trifoliums, but the hills are much overgrown with uneven lumps 
 covered with moss or lichen. 
 
 Stoutmoor, to the east, is a considerable waste on a limestone : large quantities of lime are 
 burnt upon Cauldon Low, and elsewhere in this neighbourhood, and there are marks of lime- 
 kilns, formerly on Weaver Hills. Lime is much used here as manure, being sometimes laid on 
 ploughed ground, at other times on turf, with very good effect in fining such turf. It has been 
 remarked, that after liming a coarse of turf, white clover has been produced in abundance, where 
 that plant had not been observed before. The limestone here is intermixed with a portion of 
 gypsum or alabaster. 
 
 The fences are for the most part composed of stone walls, often so constructed as to admit the 
 winds, which are sometimes very high in these districts, to pass through them. When we were 
 there, we noticed, that the most compact walls had received the greatest damage from the wea- 
 ther. Mr. Pitt, expresses himself with some warmth, against this " barbarous practice," of 
 using stone walls instead of quickset fences, which he says are much cheaper, more durable, 
 vastly more beautiful and ornamental, and make the country and climate more temperate. This 
 opinion, particularly with regard to the point of cheapness, one of Mr. Pitt's annotators, Mr. 
 Sneyd, of Belmont, near Leek, does not confirm ; he remarks that stone walls were originally 
 raised from the prevailing idea of convenience and cheapness, in finding the material on the sur- 
 face ; and he adds, no wonder they should be continued, and in many places, (particularly low 
 situations) they are superior to hedges. So confident, however, is Mr. Pitt, that quickset fences 
 are infinitely superior, in every respect to stone walls, that he is persuaded, if the owners and 
 occupiers of land would have so much regard for their own interest, and the symmetry and beauty 
 of their country, as by degrees to do away this invention of barbarous ages, and a violence to 
 nature, by planting quicksets, to which the stone walls would be a fence and shelter on one side ; 
 and if they would, moreover, attend to the other certainly very plausible and valuable improve- 
 ments, which he suggests, " posterity will wonder why the country was call Moorlands." 
 
 We will not here farther pursue Mr. Pitt's very ingenious and pleasing account of the Moor- 
 lands, but will notice the parts in succession as we pass along. 
 
 Cheadle itself has nothing remarkable, either in its history, or for remains of antiquity. The 
 church, which is dedicated to St. Giles, is an ancient structure. The trade consists for the most 
 part, of copper, brass, and tin works. The market is on Friday, and is amply supplied with 
 provisions of all kinds. The population, according to the census of 1801, consisted of two thou- 
 sand seven hundred and fifty inhabitants, viz. one thousand three hundred and seventy-one 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 ai 
 
 males, and one thousand three hundred and seventy-nine females, of which number, six hundrec 
 and seventy-five, were returned as being employed in various trades and manufactures, and 
 four hundred and sixty-eight in agriculture. This return was, however, certainly very errone- 
 ous, and much below the truth. There were then five hundred and seventy-seven houses; they 
 have increased very considerably since that period, and both this and other market towns of the 
 Moorlands, are gradually enlarging in proportion with the progress made in inclosures and 
 cultivation.. 
 
 Here are also a free school, with a small endowment, and meeting houses for methodists and 
 dissenters of various denominations. 
 
 Cheadle was the ancient seat of the great baronial family of Basset, of Drayton, Blore, &c* 
 
 Cheadle has not encreased in its population in proportion to Mr. Nightingale's opinion, for 
 although Mr. Pitt in his work, 1817, states, " that the parish of Cheadle contained six hun- 
 dred and twenty-six houses, six hundred and forty families, one thousand five hundred and 
 thirty-five males, and one thousand six hundred and fifty-six females, total, three thousand, one 
 hundred and ninety-one." Capper in 1825 describes it as follows : " Cheadle a market town in 
 the hundred of Totmanslow, Stafford, nine and a half miles north-west from Uttoxeter, and one 
 hundred and forty-six north-north-west from London, contained in 1821, seven hundred and 
 forty-six houses, and three thousand eight hundred and sixty-two inhabitants." The town plea- 
 santly situated on the side of a hill is surrounded by coal pits ; and several manufactories of 
 brass, copper, tin, &c. have been established. At the back of the town rises a very high ground, 
 called the Park, which being a pleasant walk, with an extensive prospect, is much frequented by 
 the inhabitants, and commands, as we have before remarked, a view of Lichfield Cathedral, 
 though at the distance of twenty-seven miles. About four miles from the town are the ruins of 
 Croxden Abbey, founded by Bertram de Verdon, in 1 176 for Cistercian monks ; several of the 
 old walls and gateways are still standing, and the walls of the chancel form part of the out-houses 
 of a farm yard. It was originally a very extensive building, but was destroyed in the civil wars 
 by Cromwell. The market on Friday is well supplied with all kinds of provisions. Fairs, 
 January the fourth, March the twenty-fifth, May the twentieth, July the second, August the 
 twenty-first, and October the eighteenth. 
 
 Although we have stated that Cheadle presents " nothing remarkable either in its history, or 
 for remains of antiquity." Mr. Pitt describes the Church as an ancient Gothic structure of stone 
 roofed with oak, the square stone tower containing a clock and six bells, is adorned with four 
 pinnacles and vanes ; the interior of the church is neat ; the nave is supported by six Gothic 
 arches, and it contains two galleries. When viewed from the chancel, the effect is simple and 
 sublime; the windows "casting a dim religious light," and the large organ at the west end, 
 in a very elevated situation, rising almost to the high roof, gives an air of magnificence to the 
 whole. 
 
 The following epitaph in the church yard is considered unique. 
 
 * See Dugdale's Baronetage, the Topographer, yoL ii. p. 318, and Collins's Peerage by Sir E. Brydges vol. 
 viii. p. 502. 
 
 M 
 
82 
 
 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 " In sixteen hundred and ninety- three, 
 George Wood, of Cheadle, set this tree ; 
 Which was alive, but now he's dead, 
 Up to this stone here lies his head. 
 Be sure you have account to give, 
 When you are dead, how you did live." 
 
 He was buried at the root of a yew-tree of his own planting, which is now rooted up. 
 
 
 NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LINE. 
 
 Dr. Plott, Mr. Stebbing Shaw, Mr. Pitt, Mr. Nightingale, and others, give a full account of 
 this town, the latter thus describes it. 
 
 This borough and market-town is situated on a branch of the river Trent, and derived its 
 name and origin from the new fortress, built by Earl Lancaster, in the centre of an extensive 
 pool. Of this castle scarcely any vestiges can now be discovered ; it having fallen to decay at 
 least three centuries ago. Leland says, that in his time the whole edifice was destroyed, with 
 the exception of one tower.* 
 
 The first charter of corporation, granted in favour of this town, is dated in the reign of 
 Henry. This deed was afterwards confirmed by Queen Elizabeth and Charles II. with some 
 additional "privileges. In virtue of these charters the government of the town is now vested in 
 the mayor, two justices, two bailiffs, and twenty-four common council men, who possess the 
 right of holding a court, for the recovery of debts under forty pounds. 
 
 Newcastle sends two members to parliament, and has done so ever since the twenty-seventh 
 year of the reign of Edward III. The right of election has several times been the subject of 
 parliamentary investigation, during the two last centuries. The first time the question was agi- 
 tated was in 1624, when the decision favoured ancient custom, which declared that the free men 
 residents did not forfeit their title to vote, till a year and a day after they had left the town. 
 In the subsequent contests, in 1705 and 1792, the discussion was confined to the question of re- 
 sidence for a year and a day, that they had actually ceased to reside in the town, and was decided 
 against their claim. In the trial of the last petition by Thomas Fletcher, Esq. and Clement Kin- 
 nersley, Esq. against Sir Archibald Mac Donald and the honourable Leveson Gower, the sitting 
 members, it appeared in evidence that a great part of this borough was the property of the 
 Marquis of Stafford, whose influence directed the choice of the electors ; that it was found cuu- 
 
 * Leland's ltin. Vol. vii. p. 36. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 tomary for the burgesses to live ten, fifteen, and even twenty years in the houses, without pay- 
 ment of rent ; and that the then members were brother and son-in-law of that nobleman. Upon 
 the trial of this petition, the counsel for the petitioners stated the right of election to be vested in 
 the mayor, bailiffs, and burgesses, or freemen, whose place of residence at the time of giving 
 their votes was in the said borough ; or who at such time have no place of residence elsewhere, 
 and who have never been absent from the borough a year and a day, without interruption, since 
 they were admitted to the freedom thereof, or whose families (if they were masters of families) 
 have not been absent for the space of time aforesaid, without interruption, after the time of the 
 admission of such burgesses or freemen having families to the freedom of the said borough. The 
 counsel for the sitting members maintained the" right of election to be in the freemen residing in 
 the borough of Newcastle, and not receiving alms or church bread ; and that persons living a 
 and a day out of the borough lose their freedom. 
 
 The committee having considered these statements, and examined evidence, both written and 
 oral, relative to the question at issue, determined that neither the view of the petitioners, nor of 
 their opponents in the petition, coincided with fact ; but declared their opinion, that the right of 
 election was vested " in the freemen residing in the borough of Newcastle-under-line." 
 
 The situation of Newcastle is extremely pleasant, and the houses display considerable neat- 
 ness of architecture, and uniformity of arrangement. The principal street in particular is spaci- 
 ous and well paved. This town formerly possessed four churches, of which only one now re- 
 mains having a square embattled tower, containing a chime of eight bells. The others suffered 
 demolition during the barons' wars, after which period they were never rebuilt. Besides the 
 established church, which is only a chapelry to Stoke, there are several meeting houses for Dis- 
 senters of different denominations. 
 
 The Alms-houses, twenty in number, were built and endowed by the marquis of Stafford and 
 Lord Grenville for the assistance of twenty poor women inhabitants of the town. A monastery 
 for black friars is said to have stood in its southern division ; but no vestige of this edifice can 
 now be discovered.* 
 
 The clothing trade and a manufactory of hats, constitute the chief employment of the inha- 
 bitants, and are consequently the principal sources of their wealth, independent of the potteries, 
 which have been described in a previous part of our work. 
 
 Here is an excellent market place situated in the centre of the principal street. The market 
 day is on Monday, when all sorts of provisions are abundant. Every alternate week a great 
 cattle market is held. 
 
 An excellent device for the cure of shrews or scolding women has been frequently put in prac- 
 tice within the limits of this ancient borough ; a bridle being fixed in the scold's mouth, which 
 deprives her of the power of speech, she is led through the town, and exposed to public shame 
 till she promises amendment. 
 
 The immediate neighbourhood of Newcastle is distinguished in the sporting world, as con- 
 taining a race course, which is not a little dangerous, on account of the numerous unfilled coal 
 pits by which it is surrounded. Plott informs us, in his Natural History of the county, that he 
 
 • Leland's Itin. vol. vii. p. 38. 
 
84 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 „aw a solid block of stone raised from a quarry here, which exhibited the petrified skulJ of a 
 human being entire, most probably that of some malefactor who had been executed there ; the 
 spot where it was found being still called gallows tree, in memory of its ancient appropriation. 
 
 According to the parliamentary returns of 1801, the population of this town in that year, 
 amounted to four thousand four hundred and ninety-five persons; viz. two thousand two 
 hundred and thirty-five males, and two thousand two hundred and sixty females, of which 
 number six hundred and thirty -five were returned as employed in different branches of trade 
 and manufacture, and three only, in agriculture. In 1821 it contained one thousand three 
 hundred and ninety-nine houses, seven thousand and thirty-one inhabitants, of whom, one 
 thousand one hundred and eighty-four families were employed in manufactures. 
 
 The neighbouring country boasts of many ancient and highly respectable gentlemen's seats. 
 
 Mr. Pitt in his county history, has given a very accurate, full, and satisfactory account of this 
 town, of which he says Newcastle-under-Lyme (sometimes spelt Lime or Line; but all the 
 charters of the borough give the addition of under Lyme.) This borough and market-town is 
 situate within the hundred of Pirchill, and, although entirely surrounded by parishes which 
 are within the northern division of that hundred, is considered, for the public purposes of the 
 county, to be in the southern district. Newcastle is distant from Lichfield thirty-one miles, from 
 Stafford sixteen miles, and from Leek twelve miles ; Monday is the regular market-day, and 
 another market on Saturday has been established within these few years, to meet the demand of 
 the en creased population. 
 
 There are well-attended fairs for horses, cattle, woollen-cloths and many other articles ; Fe- 
 bruary the twenty-second, April the twelfth, May the thirty-first, July the twelfth, September 
 the thirteenth, and November the first. 
 
 Although Mr. Nightingale has given an accurate description of Newcastle, we cannot pass 
 over the historical documents of Mr. Pitt, who states that " this borough, and also a manor of 
 considerable extent adjacent to it, known by the name of the manor of Newcastle-under-Lyme, 
 derive the former part of their appellation from a castle, which stood in the midst of a large 
 pool, now nearly surrounded by the town. The manor appears, from ancient documents, to 
 have extended over the liberties of Penkhull, Wolstanton, Shelton, Hanley, Clayton, Seabridge, 
 Knutton, Dimsdale, Holditch, Hanchurch, Hanford, Whitmore, Keel, Fenton, Longton, Meer- 
 lane, Normacott, Tunstall, Chatterley, Bradwell, and Thursfield." 
 
 Antiquaries have generally supposed, upon the authority of Camden, that the castle had 
 its name on account of an older castle which stood not far from it, at Chesterton-under-Lyme ; 
 but, supposing this to be correct, the addition of under-Lyme still wants explanation, and if it 
 ever formed part of the name of Chesterton it has long ceased to do so. Camden's account 
 of Newcastle is as follows :* 
 
 " The Trent first runs southward, with many windings, not far from Newcastle-under-Lime, 
 so called upon the account of an older castle, which first belonged to Ranulph, Earl of Chester, 
 by the gift of King John, and after, by the bounty of Henry III., to the house of Lancaster." 
 
 " Later authors have been led into error, by the ungrammatical construction of the above 
 quotation, for it is certain that Camden must have meant, that the ruinous walls which he had 
 
 * Camden's Britannia, edit. 1695. p. 530. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. ^*>. 85 
 
 seen of an old castle formerly belonging to the Earl of Chester, and afterwards to the house 
 Lancaster, were the walls of Newcastle t and not, as the sentence at first reading seems to imply, 
 the walls of the castle of Chesterton.'" 
 
 Dr. Plott fell into the above named error, and he proceeds to state,* that the castle of Ches- 
 terton went to decay " as long ago as the reign of King Henry III., when the Earl of Lancas- 
 ter built another near by, in the midst of a great pool, which he called the New Castle, that gave 
 origin (no doubt) to the town of that name, close by it." Bishop Gibson, the editor of Cam- 
 den, follows Dr. Plott in his mistake, and he also asserts-f- that Newcastle was " built in Henry 
 Ill's time, by the Earl of Lancaster." 
 
 The authorities which we shall cite, fully justify our interpretation of Camden, that they 
 prove in contradiction to Plott and Gibson, that the town, as well as the castle, of Newcastle- 
 under-Lyme, existed not only before the creation of the earldom of Lancaster, but even before 
 the reign of Henry III. 
 
 In the fifth of King John (1203) the town of Newcastle was amerced, for having changed its 
 market-day from Sunday to Saturday 4 
 
 In the seventeenth of King John (1215) a grant was made from the crown to Ranulph-de- 
 Blondeville, Earl of Chester, of Newcastle-under-Line, and its liberties,§ including, in all pro- 
 bability, the manor as well as the castle of that name. The crown, however, appears shortly 
 to have regained possession of Newcastle and all its appendages. Amongst the inquisitions re- 
 maining in the exchequer, || there is one of early, though indeterminate date, in the reign of 
 Henry III. stating that our Lord the King held as forfeited, the New Castle, with the town and 
 manor, including by that name, most of the townships which are now considered parcel of the 
 manor. The manor appears to have been granted in fee-farme by Henry III. to Gilbert Lord 
 Segrave, in 1232,*[[ but the castle and town remained in the possession of the crown. During 
 this period the castle was held for the king under the government of a constable,** which ap- 
 pears to have been an office of considerable importance. In the thirty-fifth of Henry HI., the 
 constableship was held by one of the Audley family ,ff and afterwards by William de Fenton, 
 who appears to have been constable in the thirty-seventh and forty-second years of the same 
 reign .++ 
 
 Many of the freehold tenants of this manor were bound by their tenures, to perform the 
 castle guard at different periods of the year. The Testa de Nevitt, which is an ancient record 
 preserved in the exchequer, and compiled by John Nevill, a justice in Eyre, between the years 
 1234 and 1238. 
 
 i 
 
 * Plott's Natural Hist, of Staffordshire, p. 434. t Camden's Britannia, edit. 1695, p. 538. 
 
 X From the record of Assises et placita Corona, taken at Lichfield on St. Matthew's day, 5th King John.— 
 See Abbreviatio Placitorum. § Calendarium Rotulorum in the Exchequer, published 1803. p. 30. 
 
 || Calendarium inquisit. post mort. vol. i. p. 202. U Magna Britannia et Hibernia, vol. v. p. 64. 
 
 ** Ibid, p. 64. tt Ibid, p. 64. %t From old Grants. 
 
gg PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 CKOXDEN, AND CKOXDEN ABBEY. 
 
 Ckoxden is a parish in Totmanslow hundred, Staffordshire, about five miles north from Uttox- 
 eter, and one hundred and forty from London. 
 
 It has varied very little in its population for the last twenty years. In 1801, the parish, iiv 
 eluding the township of Great Yate, contained forty-three houses, and forty-three families; 
 one hundred and thirty-seven males, and one hundred and twenty-six females ; total inha- 
 bitants, 263. In 1821 it only contained forty-four houses, and two hundred and fifty-three in- 
 habitants. The most remarkable object in the parish is the venerable ruins of 
 
 ■ 
 
 CROXDEN ABBEY, 
 
 ■ . . 
 
 About half a mile distant from the village, and is thus described by Mr. Pitt : " This abbey was 
 founded and endowed with lands and revenues, by Bertram de Verdon, in the twenty-second 
 year of the reign of Henry II. A. D. 1176, for monks of the Cistercian order. It is situate 
 in a fertile valley, near a small rivulet called the Peake, and was for many ages, the burying- 
 place of the Verdons. 
 
 Croxden abbey is a very picturesque and extensive ruin. The principal entrance at the west 
 end is yet entire, and consists of a most magnificent Gothic arch of excellent workmanship, as 
 the ornamental stone cornices are yet undecayed, although exposed to the weather for nearly 
 six centuries and a half. Above this noble arch, part of the abbey-wall rises to the height of 
 forty feet, overgrown with ivy : this is a beautiful picturesque object, worthy of the highest ef- 
 forts of the painter and engraver. About ninety feet from this ruin, another part of the abbey 
 wall stands bare and grey, distinctly marking the length of the edifice. A small arch, ready to 
 crumble into ruins, stands on the north side, between these two high walls. At the west end, 
 besides the large and perfect arch before-mentioned, there are four small arches of exquisite 
 workmanship, and perfectly entire. The interior has the remains of a large fire-place, and an 
 arched door-way leads to the cemetery or court, where there is a stone coffin preserved on a level 
 with the surface of the ground. Several other stone coffins have been discovered in these ruins, 
 and one of lead, all of which were covered up again by Mr. Carrington, whose large and com- 
 modious farm-house is situated near the western end of the abbey, and the ruin itself is part of 
 his farm-yard. In a recess in Mr. Carrington's garden, a stone crucifix is preserved ; it is about 
 two feet and a half high ; the left arm is broken off, but preserved in the recess, and, on the 
 back of this curious relic, there is a rude representation of the Virgin and Child ensculptured, 
 but now almost worn out by time. 
 
 Croxden Church is a small stone fabric, with a belfry of wood, containing one bell. The win- 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 87 
 
 dow on the north side is built up, and the church is lighted up by three small windows on 
 south side, and one at the east end. It is dedicated to St. Giles, and is a donative. 
 
 In addition to the account already given of Croxden Abbey, Mr. Nightingale observes, " that 
 Bertram de Verdon, in 1176, gave the Cistercian monks of Aulney in Normandy, a piece of 
 ground, Chotes or Chotene, to build an abbey of their order." In three years this was removed 
 to Croxden ;* where all the family of the Verdons were afterwards buried, as was also the heart 
 of king John.-}* The remains of this abbey are in a narrow valley, watered by a small rivulet, 
 which supplied a mill formerly in the precincts. The west end of the church, the south wall 
 transept, part of the cloister, the outer walls of the chapter house, and some parts of the offices, 
 may still be traced ; the whole in a style of architecture corresponding with the date of its 
 foundation ;J the windows being lancet shaped, and the capitals of the columns foliated. In the 
 garden of one of the farm houses is still preserved a stone cross, about three feet in length, end- 
 ing in foliage at the points, and having a crucifix rudely sculptured on one side, and a virgin, 
 which is now scarcely distinguishable, on the other. It was found near the east end of the 
 church, and though the sculpture, in most places, is almost obliterated, yet traces of gilding 
 were observable, in one or two plaGes, when it was first discovered. The permanency of this 
 kind of stone gilding is truly astonishing. On a stone chimney-piece, in Crosby Hall, Crosby 
 Square, Bishopgate Street, London, now occupied by the extensive warehouses of Messrs Holmes 
 and Hall,§ there are still visible considerable portions of gilding. The ignorant curiosity of the 
 workmen demolished many parts of it, till their depredations were discovered, and prevented by 
 the son of their employer. Crosby Hall or Crosby House, was built by Sir John Crosbie, who was 
 sheriff in 1470. It is, therefore not so old as Croxden abbey, by nearly three hundred years. 
 
 The parish church, or chapel, of Croxden, is a small building, whose style of architecture in- 
 dicates its age to be coeval with the foundation of the abbey ; It is valued at £12 in the king's 
 books ; and its patron is the Earl of Macclesfield, to whom the estate belongs. The abbey, at 
 the rapacious dissolution, was valued at £Q0. 5s. lld.|| per annum. It is said, that Cromwell 
 the hypocrite, destroyed this abbey. Several coffins having no inscriptions have been dug 
 up here. 
 
 Near this place are two hamlets named Upper and Lower Tean, both in the parish of Checkley. 
 Between these two hamlets is a spring of a somewhat singular character ; it is denominated the 
 
 * Bishop Turner's Not. 498. Mag. Brit. 149, in Gough's Camden, vol. ii. p. 515. 
 
 + This singularly unfortunate, and it must be confessed, in many respects, much misrepresented king, died 
 at Swinshead Abbey, in Lincolnshire ; his body was interred at Worcester ; his bowels in Croxden Abbey church, 
 in Leicestershire, the abbot being his physician ; and his heart here at Croxden. (See Nichol's History of 
 Leicestershire, vol. ii. p. 149, and Gough's Camden, vol. ii. 515.) This was certainly making the most of the 
 poor fallen monarch ! Perhaps the most precious portion of his relics would be the hand that signed Magna 
 Charta. Croxden may be welcome to the heart, which reluctantly, perhaps never cheerfully, consented to the 
 glorious deed. 
 
 % Dr. Richard Rawlinson had the foundation charter of this abbey in his possession ; Dr. Rawlinson 
 died in 1755. 
 
 § The name of this latter gentleman it becomes the writer of this never te repeat, or to write, but witn a 
 feeling of the most sincere and ardent respect and esteem. 
 
 j| According to Dugdale. Speed says, £103. 6s. 5d. 
 
83 
 
 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 well in the wall, as it rises under a rock. It is said, but with what truth, may fairly be disputed, 
 that this " unaccountable spring throws out, all tne year round, except in July and August, 
 small bones, of different sorts, like those of sparrows, or small chickens."* Tean has an exten- 
 sive rope manufactory. 
 
 — — 
 
 ■ • ■ 
 
 SHELTON. 
 
 This place is not of great extent, and although included with the township of Hanley, in its 
 population &c. being contiguous, and appearing as a continuation is a distinct village and township. 
 Mr. Pitt observes that " it contains some of the oldest and most respectable manufacturers. Very 
 excellent porcelain, little inferior to that of the east, has long been ! manufactured here, and it 
 possesses the advantages of a public wharf upon the Trent and Mersey navigation, which passes 
 this place;" and as Mr. Nightingale remarks, the village of Shelton, lying at a considerable dis- 
 tance to the north of Newcastle-under-Lyme, gave birth to Elijah Fenton, a celebrated poet of* 
 the last century. " He was descended from an ancient family, whose estate was very considera- 
 ble ; and was the youngest of eleven children. It was the intention of his friends, that he should 
 take orders ; but having, while at Cambridge, embraced principles inimical to government, he 
 became disqualified for the church, by refusing the necessary oaths. Having, therefore, been 
 driven out a commoner of nature, excluded from the regular modes of profit and prosperity, and 
 reduced to pick up an uncertain livelihood, he engaged himself as usher to Mr. Bonwicke, a ce- 
 lebrated schoolmaster at Headley in Surrey, in which situation, however, he only remained for 
 a short time, having been appointed secretary to the Earl of Orrery, who likewise placed his only 
 son Lord Boyle under his tuition. This young nobleman entertained a degree of friendship for 
 the young poet, almost amounting to veneration, insomuch, that after his decease he could scarcely 
 speak of him without tears. After this he for some time kept a school for himself at Sevenoaks 
 in Kent, which he brought into reputation, but was persuaded by Mr. St. John, with promises 
 of a more honourable employment to relinquish it. By the recommendation of Mr. Pope, he 
 for some time was placed in a situation, which held out to him the most flattering prospects. 
 This was to assist Mr. Craggs, the secretary of state, in the studies which he found necessary to 
 supply the deficiencies of his education. The death of that statesman, however, very shortly 
 subsequent to his introduction, blasted the hopes which he might otherwise have entertained. 
 Pope again proved serviceable to his friend, by recommending him to conduct the education of 
 the eldest son of Lady Trumbal, at whose seat, in the neighbourhood of East Hamstead, Berk- 
 shire, he died on the thirteenth of July, 1730. 
 
 • England's Gazetteer, second Edition, 1778, vol. ii, art. Tean. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 The death of Fenton was a subject of deep regret among all men of taste ; even his brother 
 bards greatly lamented him, being one of the few devoted to the muses, who have been fortu- 
 nate enough to escape the malignant look of envy, unhappily too often the foible of poets. Pope, 
 in particular, was severely affected by the event, and honoured him with the following epitaph • 
 
 " This modest stone, what few vain mortals boast, 
 May truly say, here lies an honest man, 
 A poet, blest beyond a poet's fate, 
 Whom heaven kept sacred from the proud and great. 
 Foe to loud praise, and friend to learned ease, 
 Content with science in the vale of peace ; 
 Calmly he look'd on either life, and here 
 Saw nothing to regret, or there to fear ; 
 From Nature's temperate feast rose satisfied, 
 Thank'd heaven that he had lived, that he had died." 
 
 The first publication by Mr. Fenton, which made its appearance in the year 1709, was a 
 volume of poems entitled " Oxford and Cambridge Verses.'' In 1717 a volume of his own 
 was produced, and in 1723 his tragedy of Mariamne,* having received the approbation of the 
 managers, was performed with great applause at one of the London theatres. This piece is 
 founded on the story related of that lady in the third volume of the Spectator, which the inge- 
 nious writer had collected from Josephus. He wrote, besides, a life of Milton, of which Dr. 
 Johnson speaks in terms of high commendation, and also edited a fine edition of the works of 
 Waller, accompanied with very valuable notes by himself. Such of Fenton's poems as were 
 not published in the last edition of his works, are preserved in '• NichoPs Select Collection, 1 * 
 given to the public in 1780. 
 
 The personal appearance and moral character of Fenton, as well as his merits as a poet, are 
 thus given by Dr. Johnson, with that force and discrimination for which his name is so justly 
 celebrated : 
 
 " Fenton was tall and bulky, inclined to corpulence, which he did not lessen by much 
 exercise, for he was very sluggish and sedentary, rose late, and when he had risen, sat down 
 to his books or papers. A woman, that once waited on him in a lodging, told him, as she said, 
 that he would * lie a-bed and be fed with a spoon.' This, however, was not the worst that 
 might have been prognosticated ; for Pope says, in his letters, that he died of indolence, but 
 his immediate distemper was the gout. Of his morals and conversation, the account is uniform ; 
 he was never named but with praise and fondness, as a man in the highest degree amiable and 
 excellent. Such was the character given him by the Earl of Orrery, his pupil ; such is the 
 testimony of Pope ; and such were the suffrages of all who could boast of his acquaintance. 
 
 By a former writer of his life, a story is told which ought not to be forgotten. 
 
 * Dr. Johnson tells us, that when shewn to Cibber, it was rejected by him with the additional insolence of 
 advising Fenton to engage himself in some employment of honest labour, which he never could hope for from 
 his poetry. When the play was acted at the other house, however, (Jibber's opinion was confuted by the ap- 
 probation of the public. 
 
 N 
 
«*) PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 " He used, in the latter part of his time, to pay his relations in the country a yearly visit. 
 At an entertainment made for the family by an elder brother, he observed that one of his 
 sisters, who had married unfortunately, was absent; and found, upon enquiry, that distress had 
 made her thought unworthy of invitation. As she was at no great distance, he refused to sit 
 at table till she was called ; and when she had taken her place, was careful to shew her particular 
 attention." 
 
 His collection of poems is now to be considered. The ode to the Sun is written upon a 
 common plan, without uncommon sentiments; but its greatest fault is its length. No poem 
 should be long of which the purpose is only to strike the fancy, without enlightening the under- 
 standing by precept, ratiocination, or narrative. A blaze first pleases, and then tires the sight. 
 
 Of Florelio it is sufficient to say, that it is an occasional pastoral, which implies something 
 neither natural nor artificial, neither comic nor serious. 
 
 The next ode is irregular, and therefore defective. As the sentiments are pious, they cannot 
 easily be new ; for what can be added to topics on which successive ages have been employed ? 
 
 Of the Paraphrase on Isaiah, nothing very favourable can be said. Sublime and solemn 
 praise gains little by a change to blank verse; and the paraphrast has deserted his original, by 
 admitting images not Asiatic, at least not Judaical : 
 
 Returning peace, 
 
 Dove-eyed, and rob'd in white. 
 
 Of his petty poems some are very trifling, without any thing to be praised, either in the 
 thought or expression ; he is unlucky in his competitions ; he tells the same idle tale with 
 Congreve, and does not tell it so well. He translates from Ovid the same epistle as Pope ; but 
 I am afraid not with equal happiness. 
 
 Thomas Allen, a celebrated mathematician of the sixteenth century, according to Mr. Esdes- 
 wicke, was born at Bucknall^ an adjoining village, in 1542.* The same author informs us he 
 was descended from Alanus de Buckenhall, who lived in the time of Edward II. ; but few 
 particulars are known concerning his more immediate progenitors. Where he received the 
 rudiments of his education is uncertain; but in 1561, we find him admitted a scholar of Trinity 
 College, Oxford. In 1567, he took his degrees of Master of Arts, and three years subsequent 
 quitted the University, and retired to Glosterhall, where he continued his studies with great 
 assiduity, and became celebrated for his knowledge as an antiquary and philosopher, particularly 
 in the science of geometry. Upon the invitation of Henry, Earl of Northumberland, the 
 Maecenas of the mathematicians of his age, he resided for some time at that nobleman's house, 
 a circumstance which was the means of introducing him to several of the first mathematical 
 characters at that time in England. Robert, Earl of Leicester, evinced a particular attachment 
 to our author, and even offered him a bishopric ; but his love of ease and retirement predomi- 
 nated over his ambition. His great knowledge of mathematics, as not unfrequently happened at 
 that period, drew upon him the suspicions of the ignorant and vulgar, that he was a magician or 
 
 * In this opinion, Dr. Plot would seem to agree ; but Puller, Wood, and Camden, say he was a native of 
 Uttoxeter. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 91 
 
 conjuror. Accordingly the author of a work, entitled " Leicester Commonwealth," openly 
 accused him of using the art of figuring to further his patron's schemes, to bring about a match 
 between himself and Queen Elizabeth. The absurdity of the accusation is manifest ; but, 
 waving this, it is certain that the Earl placed so much confidence in his talents and secrecy, 
 that no political transactions of moment occurred in which he did not solicit his advice. Having 
 lived to a great age in philosophic retirement, he died at Glosterhall, in 1632. 
 
 That the character of Allen stood very high, is clear from the sentiments expressed concern- 
 ing him, by several contemporary and succeeding writers. 
 
 Mr. Selden says, " he was a man of the most extensive learning and consummate judgment, 
 the brightest ornament of the University of Oxford." Camden calls him, " skilled in most of 
 the best arts and sciences;" and Mr. Burton, who wrote his funeral sermon, stjles him " not 
 only the Coryphoeus, but the very soul and sun of all the mathematicians of his time." He 
 was curious and indefatigable in collecting scattered manuscripts, in different departments of 
 science, which are frequently quoted by other authors, and mentioned as having been deposited 
 in the Bibliotheca Alleniana.* 
 
 TAMWORTH. 
 
 Tam worth is very pleasantly situated, the south side of the town being bordered with mea- 
 dows, and the north, by a fertile, well-enclosed, country. Leland particularly notices it 
 which he thus describes : — " The towne of Tamworth, having a celebrate market, is of ancient 
 memory, and after the Danes had razed and defaced it, Ethelthleda, lady of the Merches, and 
 sister of King Edward, sen. repayred it. The towne, in respect of the bottom, where Tame 
 and Ancre runne, is sett on the declive of a small hill, and the principall street and buildings 
 of it lie by west and east. 
 
 " The north part and side of the principal street is in Staffordshire, and on this side is the 
 paroch-church of Tamworth. The south side, and part of this street, lying towards the right 
 ripe of Anker, is in Warwickshire, and the castle also, which standeth at the very point of the 
 confluence of Anker and Tame. I saw but three notable things, the paroch-church, the castle, 
 and the bridge. 
 
 *' The Castle of Tamworth standeth on a meetly high ground, on the southe part of the 
 towne, hard upon the ripe of Anker at the mouth of it. The Marmions, Freviles, and 
 Ferrers, have been lords of it since the Conquest.*'!* 
 
 * Plot's Hist. Staff, p. 276. Gent. Biog. Diet, 
 t Itinerary, Vol. IV. p. 189. 
 
92 PICTUItESQUEVIEWS 
 
 In addition to what we have already noticed it is remarked, that " The architecture of the 
 castle now remaining seems to have been of various periods. The hall is large, but exceed- 
 ingly rude and comfortless. This, and some other parts, appear of a very ancient date. The 
 rooms and stair-cases are most of them irregular and uncouth ; yet, by Leland's account, it 
 seems the greater part was built since his time. ' The base-court,' says he, ' and the great ward 
 of the castle, is clean decayed, and the wall fallen downe, and therein be now but houses of 
 office of noe notable building. The Dungeon-hill yet standeth, and a great round tower of 
 stone, wherein Mr. Ferrers dwelleth, and now repaireth it/* Such was its state in Henry 
 VII I/s time. 
 
 " There are two noble rooms, comparatively modern, fitted up with oak wainscot, and round 
 the cornice of the largest, the arms of the family, impaling every match to the earliest periods. 
 From the windows of this room, are pleasing and rich views over the river (which runs at the 
 foot of the Castle-mount,) to the meadows and woodlands, where formerly the park was. Lord 
 Leicester, it is said, once had thoughts of making this castle his residence ; and, for that pur- 
 pose, had Wyatt down to survey it ; but finding, from the antiquity of the greater part of 
 the building, and the neglect of inhabitation here for nearly a century, the scheme not very 
 practicable, he gave it up : it is still, however, kept in external repair. 
 
 M From the Castle leads is a noble, circular, view of a rich woodland country in Staffordshire, 
 Warwickshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire. Canwell, the elegant new mansion of Sir 
 Robert Lawley, Bart, appears to great advantage from hence.-f-" 
 
 Mr. Pitt truly remarks, that " The beauty of the situation of Tamworth is seen from the 
 Castle to great advantage, varied with rich meadows, two bridges over the Tame and the 
 Anker, and rivers wandering picturesquely along the country. Michael Drayton, born on the 
 banks of the Anker, thus celebrates that river and his mistress : — 
 
 " Clear Anker, on whose silver-sanded shore, 
 
 My soul-shrin'd saint, my fair idea lies : 
 A blessed brook, whose milk-white swans adore 
 
 Tuy chrystal stream, refined by her eyes; 
 Where sweet myrrh-breathing zephyr in the spring, 
 
 Gently distils his nectar-dropping showers ; 
 Where nightingales in Arden sit and sing, 
 
 Amongst the dainty dew-impearled flowers. 
 
 » # * * 
 
 Fair Arden ! thou my Tempe art alone ; 
 And thou, sweet Anker ! art my Helicon." 
 
 Having recently given an account of this town, in our History and Typography of War- 
 wickshire, of which county, with that of Staffordshire, it forms an almost equal portion. We 
 subjoin the following description, as given in that work: 
 
 Tamworth is almost equally divided by the rivers Taint; and Anker ; the western half of 
 
 * Leland's Itinerary Vol. IV. p. 181. 
 
 t Shaw's Hist, and Antiq. of Staff. Vol. I. p. 419—80. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 93 
 
 the town and the church standing in Staffordshire, and the eastern part in Warwickshire. Each 
 part sends a member to Parliament. This borough and market town is pleasantly situated on 
 a rising ground, at the conflux of these rivers, and near the great navigable canal. It is 8 
 miles S. E. of Lichfield, and 114 from London. In 1811, the eastern or Warwickshire portion 
 contained three hundred and eighteen houses inhabited, six uninhabited, and the total popula- 
 tion was one thousand six hundred and sixty four. In 1821, it contained three hundred and 
 ninety three houses and one thousand nine hundred and thirty eight inhabitants. The western 
 or Staffordshire portion of the town, in 1821, contained three hundred and twenty six houses 
 and one thousand six hundred and thirty six inhabitants. In 1826, the Warwickshire portion 
 of the borough was valued at „£1762, and its proportion to the county rate was £1. 6s. lOd. 
 The annual value of the Castle, &c. was estimated at «£446, and its proportion to the county 
 rate was £1. 17s. 2d. 
 
 Tarn worth is considered one of the oldest towns in each of the counties of which it forms so 
 interesting a portion, and considerable celebrity and interest is attached to the earliest period of 
 its history, not only from its being the residence of the powerful and warlike Offa, from whence 
 he granted charters of lands free of taxation, in perpetuity to the churches of St. Peter and 
 St. Mary, at Worcester, but it continued in the hands of others of the Mercian Kings, until 
 invaded by the Danes. Burhed, the last of the Mercian Kings, being intimidated, fled to 
 Rome about the year 874. Alfred succeeded to the throne, but it was at an unfavourable 
 period, for his kingdom was overrun by the Northmen, and although Tam worth had been 
 strongly fortified, its palaces was destroyed, and continued in ruins until restored by Ethelfleda, 
 the daughter of Alfred, in 914. She died in 918 or 919, but not without having maintained and 
 made a noble resistance against the Danes, and driving them from the territories they had 
 usurped in this quarter. They, however, continued to make incursions in the midland counties 
 until subdued by Athelstan, who was succeeded in 941 by his brother Edmund, then only 
 eighteen years of age. He was shortly after overpowered by Anlaf, who headed the Northerns, 
 and obtained victories over Edmund, at Tam worth and Leicester, and after surrendered to him 
 that portion of England, north of Watling-street, on condition that the survivor should become 
 sole possessor of the whole. Anlaf dying the year following, Edmund again became possessor 
 of Northumbria. 
 
 A royal mint, it appears, was established at Tamworth, after its seat of regal power had 
 been discontinued, and some specimens of its coins are still to be met with. There was also a 
 convent here founded by St. Editha. 
 
 Some interesting lithographic views of Tamworth and its principal buildings have recently 
 been drawn by Mr. Hamel, and published, with descriptions. The north view is taken from the 
 improved Gun-gate approach to the town, where the celebrated Abbey of St. Modwena was 
 erected. It was, at one period, the manor and residence of the Zouches, but now converted 
 into attractive sources of health, in valuable baths for the invalid. The remains of Spitlall 
 Chapel, formerly a chapel of ease to Tamworth, now transposed into a cottage and barn, stand 
 near this entrance of the town ; on the left is the inconsiderable village of Perry-croft ; the 
 road here was crossed by the king's dyke or fosse, which formed the boundary of the castle. 
 The moat-house on the north bank of the Tame, Mr. Hamel states, " was built about the time 
 
94 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 of Elizabeth, by the Comberfords, now the residence of Wm. Tongue, Esq. The Moat-house 
 has since been in the possession of the families of Fox, Boothby, Littleton, Wolferstan, and 
 Abney. In 1767, it was purchased by the Marquess Townshend, and inhabited by John Willing- 
 ton, Esq , subsequently by the late marquess. At his death, it passed into the hands of Robert 
 Woody, M. U. and was fitted up for the reception of insane patients. Under the auspices of 
 Mrs. Woody, it still affords to the unfortunate victim of insanity, a retired and most eligible 
 place of refuge. 
 
 The castle, built upon an artificial mount, forms the most interesting feature of antiquity of 
 the place, and is said to have been originally connected with the Dungeon of the Lady Ethelfleda. 
 The Marmions possessed it till the twentieth of Edward I., from them it passed to William 
 Mortein, on his marriage to the daughter and co-heir of the Marmions, It afterwards came 
 into the Frevile family,* and subsequently to that of the Ferrers, in the reign of Henry VI. The 
 Comptons afterwards succeeded to it. The present proprietor is George Marquess Townsend, 
 in right of Lady C. Compton, Baroness de Ferrers, daughter of the Earl of Northampton. 
 Its present respectable inhabitant is Thomas Brammall, Esq. 
 
 The church, which is large and handsome, is rich in the architectural taste of different and 
 distant periods. It was made collegiate on the arrival of the Marmions, and remained under 
 that designation until the reign of Edward VI. It contains several handsome monuments, and 
 has a massive tower, to which it lias the peculiarity of having a double stair-case, the roof of 
 the one being the floor of the other, and each having a separate entrance and exit. 
 
 Of the church, Mr. Hamel states, that "in the year 1809, this noble building underwent a 
 complete repair, at the expence of more that .£4000 ; part of which was liquidated by the 
 receipts of an oratorio, instituted for that purpose. Among other improvements, a fine-toned 
 choir instrument was added to the former organ. In removing the old pews, the tesselated 
 pavement was found, which now forms the floor between the railing and the altar. Although 
 this church is capable of containing three thousand persons, its revenue is lamentably small, 
 and utterly inadequate as a remuneration for the heavy duties ordinarily imposed upon its mi- 
 nister. One sermon on the Sunday is alone required of him. Three services, however, are 
 regularly performed by the present vicar, the Rev. Francis Blick, whose zeal for the welfare of 
 the church is only equalled by his exemplary conduct as a pastor, and by the glowing excel- 
 lencies and benificence of his private character." 
 
 Tamworth is large and well built, with two bridges over the river. In the town are places 
 of worship for dissenters, and an hospital founded by Guy the bookseller, who also founded the 
 hospital, bearing his own name, in London. It also contains a Free Grammar School,— the 
 present one in Gun-gate was erected in 1667 ; the original school was endowed by Queen 
 Elizabeth in 1558 ; she granted an annual stipend to the master; various annuities have sub- 
 
 • Baldwin de Frevile, one of Alexander's descendants, in the first of Richard II. on account of the tenure 
 of this Castle, claimed the office of Royal Champion, and to do the service appertaining, viz. on the day of the 
 Coronation to ride completely armed upon a barhed horse, into Westminster Hall, and there to challenge the 
 combat against any who would gainsay the king's title. But this office was adjudged to Sir James Dymoke, to 
 whom the Manor of Scrivelby, which had also been held by Robert de Marmion, had descended by another of 
 the co-heiresses of Philip de Marmion, and in that family the office still continues. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 95 
 
 sequently been added to it, Mr Hamel remarks, that " the grammar school of Tamworth 
 was once an institution of celebrity. Many of the neighbouring gentlemen were educated 
 there. It had, however, fallen to decay, until the Rev. T. P. Lammin, its present master, 
 was elected in 1827, by the corporation, who are the trustees. Under his auspices, the school 
 bids fair to recover its ancient reputation and utility. His zealous exertions have already been 
 signally rewarded by the public confidence. The school is free only to boys resident in the bo- 
 rough. The exterior of the building has acquired from age a sombre aspect ; but within it is 
 light and spacious. The master's desk is surmounted by a tablet inscribed with the names of 
 those who contributed to the expence of its erection. The subscription amounted to £]58. 16s. 
 6d. Mr. Lammin has put up a corresponding memorial of the contributions raised by his exer- 
 tions for its repair in 1827- The amount of this was o£169. 7s. Sd. 1 ' A National School has 
 also been founded by Sir Robert Peel. Tamworth is governed by two bailiffs (one for each 
 county) twenty four burgesses, a town clerk (one of the burgesses), &c. with a high steward, 
 recorder, and under steward. The town-clerk, with the two bailiffs, have the power to call 
 courts, being appointed Serjeants at mace, can be justices of the peace in the borough, keep a 
 three weeks court of record, and a court leet twice a year, with the superior and inferior officers, 
 &c. It was first incorporated by Queen Elizabeth. The number of voters for the two members 
 of Parliament for the borough are limited to the number of two hundred and sixty three, com- 
 posed of inhabitants, being housekeepers, paying scot and lot, and not receiving alms. The 
 returning officers are the bailiffs. This town has a considerable manufacture of narrow cloths, 
 also of flax and spinning yarn. Tanning and calico printing are the principal trades carried 
 on. Sir Robert Peel, who purchased the Marquis of Bath's share in this borough (being the 
 joint property of George Marquess Townshend, and the Marquis of Bath), established some 
 extensive manufactories in this district. Here are two banking-houses. The market is held 
 on Tuesdays. There are occasional races in the Calford meadow. Fairs, May 4, July 26, 
 and October 24. 
 
 In the King's Dyke, a large trench so called, but now partly filled up, the bones of men and 
 horses, and implements of war, have been dug up ; and several charters are dated from the 
 royal seat at Tamworth, where Ethelfleda (the excellent lady of the Mercians), the daughter of 
 King Alfred, died in 918. Very little is known of this town immediately after the conquest. 
 Dugdale remarks, that the Warwickshire part of the town " answered two marks in aid in the 
 fifteenth of Henry II. and in the twenty-first of Henry III. four pounds sixteen shillings for the 
 ferm thereof." The town was an ancient demesne of the crown, and continued in the hands of 
 the king till the close of the reign of Henry III. at which period it was let to Philip Marmion, 
 during his life, and afterwards reverted to the crown. The Warwickshire portion was granted 
 to the inhabitants of the borough, by Edward II. 
 
 At about four miles distance from the town, is Pooley-hall, the seat of Colonel Finch. It 
 appears that this estate formed part of those belonging to the Marmions of Tamworth Castle, 
 and after passing through several intermediate hands, came into the family of Cockain, in the 
 latter part of the fourteenth century. Mr. Brewer, in his history of this county, states, that it 
 is ascertained that Sir John Cockain resided at Pooley in the reign of Henry IV. and his descen- 
 dants for many generations, made this their principal seat. The present mansion was erected 
 
96 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 by Sir Thomas Cockain, in the time of Henry VIII. and is a fine irregular building, varying 
 in character between the embattled style of the previous troubled and suspicious age>, and the 
 open amplitude of construction then first growing into practice. 
 
 UTTOXETER. 
 
 Uttoxetee, a market town and parish in Totmanslow hundred, is delightfully and healthily 
 situated on a gentle eminence, skirting the western bank of the river Dove, at the distance of 
 six miles from Abbot's Bromley, fourteen from Stafford, and one hundred and thirty five north 
 west of London. In 1821, it contained nine hundred and twenty six houses, and four thousand 
 six hundred and fifty eight inhabitants ; six hundred and seventy-seven families, the greater 
 part of whom were then employed in manufactories, and in various branches of trade. A con- 
 siderable portion of the former is in the different branches of ironmongery, from the town being 
 almost encompassed with extensive forges ; the trade having greatly encreased for several years 
 past, owing to the facility of canal navigation, and the communication it embraces with the 
 Trent, the Avon, the port of London, and the eastern and western oceans. Fairs, February 9> 
 April 15, May 6, June 3, July 5 and 31, September 1 and 20, November 11 and 27- The 
 town is remarkable for instances of the longevity of its inhabitants, and is in itself a place 
 of great antiquity, as it is said to have been a British settlement, even before the Roman 
 invasion. 
 
 The counties of Stafford and Derby are connected here by a noble stone bridge, thrown over 
 the river Dove. The tower has been much enlarged and improved, and, indeed, almost re- 
 built, from having formerly sustained considerable injury from fire. It is now commodious, 
 large, and well built ; its population has nearly doubled within the last twenty years. The 
 market is on Wednesday, and is noted for its abundant supply of cheese, butter, hogs, corn, 
 and all kinds of provisions. The market-house is nearly in the centre of the town, and has 
 several good streets branching from it. The supply of agricultural produce to this town is very 
 great, arising from the fertile and luxuriant meadows and pasture lands, which are said to equal 
 any part of England. Mr. Pitt remarks, that " the inhabitants of Uttoxeter and its vicinity, 
 derive much of their opulence from the fertile pastures and meadows on the banks of the Dove. 
 They include many hundred acres of land, impregnated with a fertilizing sediment of mud 
 and calcareous earth, deposited from time to time by the inundations of the river. The her- 
 bage is very fine, without any intermixture of rushes or other aquatic plants, and principally 
 consists of grasses of the common sort. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 97 
 
 The plain on the Staffordshire bank of the Dove, opposite Uttoxeter, is nearly a mile in 
 breadth, and comprises several thousand acres of luxuriant pasturage for black cattle, sheep, 
 and a few horses. A very small proportion of this extensive space is fenced in for hay, in con- 
 sequence of the uncertainty and suddenness of the inundations of the Dove ; for a great fall 
 of rain, or the sudden thaw of snow in the Moorlands, causes a rapid and resistless flood, which 
 soon overflows the banks of the river, and covers the level fields to a great extent ; insomuch, 
 that it requires much vigilance in the proprietors of flocks and herds to preserve them from 
 drowning. The graziers, on an average, pay two pounds an acre for this excellent pasturage. 
 
 The parish church is an ancient edifice, but not remarkable for any peculiar interior em- 
 bellishments, or for its general structure. There are several meeting-houses for Dissenters, and 
 the Quakers and Methodists are very numerous and respectable here. There is also a free 
 school, founded and endowed by the celebrated Thomas Allen, a great mathematician, who, 
 according to Fuller and Camden, was born here. The late highly distinguished Admiral, Lord 
 Gardner, was also born in this place, on the 12th April, 1742. Mr. Nightingale gives the 
 following account of him : — 
 
 " He was the eighth son of Lieutenant-colonel Gardner, of the eleventh regiment of dragoons. 
 Having, at an early period, shewn a strong bias towards the naval service, he was rated, when 
 fourteen years old, as a midshipman, on board the Medway, of sixty guns, then under the im- 
 mediate orders of Captain Sir Peter Denis, an officer of distinguished merit. In this vessel, 
 Mr. Gardner remained for two years, during which time he was present in an action, in which 
 the Due d'Aquitaine French ship of the line was taken. From the Medway, our young mid- 
 shipman afterwards accompanied his captain, first on board the Namur, and afterwards into the 
 Dorsetshire. In the former, he served under Admiral Hawke, during the expedition against 
 Rochfort ; and, while on board the latter, was present at the capture of the Raisonable, on 
 which occasion, Captain Denis put in practice the plan now adopted by the new school, of not 
 firing a single ball till within a few yards of the enemy's ship. He likewise bore a share in the 
 general engagement, which took place off Belleisle, in 1769> between the British and French 
 fleets, commanded by Sir Edward Hawke, and the Marshal de Conflans. Mr. Gardner, havings 
 now being five years in constant service, was appointed Lieutenant on board of the Bellona, 
 after the customary examinations. In this station, he distinguished himself at the capture of 
 Le Courageux, whereupon he was raised to the rank of master and commander, and appointed 
 to the Raven of sixteen guns. After the lapse of four years, he was made Post in the Preston of 
 fifty guns, which had been fitted out as the flag ship of Rear-admiral Parry, whom he accom- 
 panied to Port Royal, in Jamaica. During the whole time of his being stationed here, Great 
 Britain was at peace with all the nations of Europe ; so that the only circumstance which oc- 
 curred, requiring notice in this sketch, was his marriage with Susannah Hyde, only daughter of 
 Francis Oale, Esq. a planter in Liquania. This lady having soon brought him a numerous 
 family, and being ambitious himself of rising in the service, he made every effort to obtain an 
 appointment as soon as the American contest began. Accordingly, he was nominated to the 
 command of the Maidstone frigate, in which he sailed for the West Indies early in 1778 ; and 
 in the course of that year, was so fortunate as to make a rich capture on the coast of America. 
 On the fourth of November, he fell in with the Lion, a French man-of-war, having on board 
 
 Q 
 
98 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 fifteen hundred hogsheads of tobacco, and after a severe action, compelled her to surrender. 
 With this prize, he sailed for Antigua ; and was, soon after his arrival, promoted by Admiral 
 Byron to the command of the Sultan of seventy-four guns. In the drawn battle, which was 
 fought some time subsequent with the French fleet, under Count de Estaing, off the island of 
 Grenada, Captain Gardner led the van, and greatly distinguished himself. His ship, however, 
 suffered so much, that he was ordered to Jamaica, from whence he shortly after sailed for 
 England, when the Sultan was discharged. He did not, however, remain long out of commis- 
 sion, having been appointed to the Duke in the course of a few months, with which ship he 
 sailed to join the fleet in the West Indies, then under the orders of Sir George Rodney, and 
 was fortunate enough to arrive in time to participate in the glorious victory of the twelfth of 
 April, 1782. On that memorable day, his ship was the first to break through the enemy's 
 line of battle, according to the new plan of attack, suggested by Mr. Clerke, of Eldon, and 
 then, for the first time, put in practice. At one period of this action, the Duke, in conjunc- 
 tion with the Formidable and Namur, had to sustain the fire of eleven of the enemy's ships. 
 Soon after this triumph, the American war terminated, and peace continued for several years to 
 shed her benignant influence over the several nations of Europe. During this period, Captain 
 Gardner was employed in different capacities. For some time, he acted as Commodore on the 
 Jamaica station, and in 1790? was appointed a lord of the Admiralty, when he likewise obtained 
 a seat in Parliament. 
 
 In the year 1793, having been raised to the rank of Rear-admiral of the Blue, he hoisted 
 his flag on board the Queen, of ninety-eight guns, in which he sailed as commander-in-chief to 
 the Leeward islands. Soon after this event, finding the disputes between the republicans and 
 royalists in the colony of Martinico to run very high, and being earnestly pressed by the latter 
 to effect a descent on the island, accordingly Major General Bruce landed with three thousand 
 men ; but that officer judged it expedient to re-embark again, almost immediately, being satis- 
 fied that the republican party was too strong to afford just hopes of success, in the royal cause. 
 Admiral Gardner now returned to England, and the following year bore a part in the action of 
 the first of June, under the gallant Earl Howe. On this occasion, his conduct was conspicuous 
 in the extreme, his ship having suffered more than any other in the fleet, with the exception of 
 the Brunswick. In consequence, he not only was particularly thanked by the commander-in- 
 chief, but was appointed major-general of marines, and created a baronet of Great Britain. 1 On 
 the 22nd June, 1795, Sir Alan was present at the action off Port l'Orient, when the French 
 fleet only saved itself from total destruction by a timely flight. Two years after this event, 
 when a dangerous mutiny had broken out at Portsmouth, he manifested a degree of firmness 
 and resolution, during that trying period, worthy of his high character as a British naval officer. 
 From this time, he continued to serve in the channel fleet till the close of the year, 1799, when 
 be was sent, with sixteen sail of the line, to re-inforce the fleet off Cadiz, and in the Mediter- 
 ranean. Perceiving, however, that little danger was to be apprehended in these quarters he 
 returned, with nine sail of the line, accompanied by the convoy from Lisbon. In 1800, we 
 once more find him serving in the channel fleet ; but he was soon after appointed to succeed 
 Admiral Kingsmill, the naval commander in Ireland, being previously raised to the dignity of 
 an Irish peer. This command he continued to hold till the year 1807, when he hoisted his flag 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 99 
 
 as Admiral of the channel fleet ; which ill health, however, soon compelled him to relinquish. 
 He died in 1810, and was buried in the abbey church of Bath, with the grandeur and solem- 
 nity due to his rank and merit. 
 
 Lord Gaidner's political career was not distinguished by any circumstance of great moment. 
 He sat in three successive parliaments. His first election took place in 1790, when he was re- 
 turned one of the representatives for the town of Plymouth. In 1796, he was colleague to 
 Mr. Fox, in the representation of Westminster. On this occasion, he was opposed by Mr. 
 John Home Tooke, whose wit, satire, and eloquence, were more alarming to the Admiral, than 
 a shower of cannon balls from an enemy's fleet. Notwithstanding this circumstance, however, 
 he once more offered himself as a candidate for the same city, and was again successful. At 
 this time, Mr. Fox, in addressing the electors, said, " A noble Admiral has been proposed to 
 you. I certainly cannot boast of agreeing with him in political opinions ; but whom could the 
 electors pitch upon more worthy of their choice than the noble lord, in his private character 
 universally respected, and a man who has served his country with a zeal, a gallantry, a spirit, 
 and a splendour, that will reflect upon him immortal honour ?"* This place also gave birth to 
 Sir Simon Degge, an antiquary principally known for his M. S. notes on Plott's Natural History 
 of Staffordshire. He died at the advanced age of ninety-two.-f* 
 
 LEEK. 
 
 This principal market town and parish, in Totmanslow hundred, is situated thirteen miles 
 south-east from Macclesfield, and one hundred and fifty-five from London, by Lichfield, standing 
 on a pleasant eminence near the river Churnet. In 1817, in contained thirteen streets and 
 lanes ; the former, well paved and clean, are graced by many handsome and extensive shops, 
 and the residences of the silk manufacturers and professional gentleman are extremely elegant. 
 The population in 1811, appears to have been as follows: —Four thousand one hundred and 
 eighty-six inhabitants, {viz.) one thousand nine hundred and twelve males, and two thousand 
 two hundred and seventy-four females, of which number two thousand six hundred and eleven 
 were returned as being employed in trade and manufactures, of the latter, particularly in 
 ribbons, silk, twist, and buttons. The number of houses were stated at eight hundred and 
 sixty-seven, but Mr. Nightingale believes them to far exceed that number. Mr. Pitt, in 1817, 
 states, that " this town, including Leek-Frith township, contained nine hundred and fifty-four 
 
 • Imperial and County Annual Register, for 1810. + Gough's Camden, II. p. 516. 
 
100 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 houses ; nine hundred and seventy-two families ; two thousand and twenty-three males ; two 
 thousand three hundred and ninety females ; total inhabitants, four thousand four hundred 
 and thirteen." He also says, that " about two-thirds of the men, women, and children in 
 Leek, are employed in various branches of the silk manufacture, which consist, principally, of 
 shawls, handkerchiefs, ribbons, ferrets, twist, and sewing silks. In 1821, Capper gives the 
 population of Leek, alone, as follows, viz.— eight hundred and thirty-five houses, and three 
 thousand seven hundred and three inhabitants, of whom six hundred families were chiefly em- 
 ployed in trade, and in the manufacture of the above-named articles. (Leek-Frith contained 
 one hundred and forty-nine houses, and eight hundred and six inhabitants.) The town, since 
 that period, has continued to increase considerably, notwithstanding the vast fluctuations which 
 have subsequently taken place in the silk trade. The church, an ancient structure upon an 
 elevated site, has a handsome square tower, with six bells ; and at the south-east corner of the 
 chancel, stand the remains of an ancient cross, about ten feet high. The tower of the church 
 has four pinnacles, surmounted by gilt globes and vanes ; its exterior is a pleasing object from 
 various points of the surrounding country; the interior is peculiarly clean and neat. In the 
 church are some monuments of the familes of the Ansons, and the Wolselys — the burial place 
 of the former resembles an Egyptian catacomb. The monument of Sir William Wolsely has 
 an inscription describing his accidental death, which occurred on the 8th July, 1728, by the 
 bursting of a mill-dam, in the neighbourhood of Langdon, from which circumstance he was 
 drowned in his chariot : his four horses were also drowned, but the coachman providentially 
 escaped, from being carried, by the impetuosity of the torrent, into an orchard, from whence 
 he was taken after the flood had subsided. This melancholy accident arose from an amazing 
 heavy rain, and violent thunder storm." 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Leek, at Blue-hills, are coal mines, whence a salt stream issues, 
 which gives the earth a rusty colour, and mixed with an infusion of galls, produces a liquid as 
 black as ink. 
 
 In continuation, Mr. Nightingale notices, that " This town is remarkable also for the follow- 
 ing singular circumstance : — By the intervention of craggy mountains, at a considerable distance 
 westward of the town, the sun sets twice in the same evening, at a certain time of the year ; for 
 after it sets behind the top of the mountain, it breaks out again on the northern side of it, which 
 is steep, before it reaches the horizon in its fall : so that, within a very few miles, the inha- 
 bitants have the rising sun when he has, in fact, past his meridian." 
 
 " The manor was the estate of one Algarus Ca, before the Conquest ; and in the Con- 
 queror's hands, Reg. 20 ; but it was, sixth Stephen, the estate of Ranulph de Gernoiis, the 
 fourth Earl of Chester, a great man in King Stephen's time, in whose reign, Anno Dom. 1153, 
 he died, being poisoned, at it was suspected, by William Peverell and others. His wife Maud, 
 daughter of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, base son of King Henry I. was the foundress of 
 Repton Priory, in Derbyshire, and, surviving her husband, in the thirty-second of Henry II. 
 held the lordship, Wadington, in dowry.* Ranulph was a person of singular piety in his days; 
 and, among many other benefactions, to divers monasteries in several counties, as to the nuns of 
 
 * See the Topographer, Vol. II. p. 256. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 101 
 
 Chester, monks of Geroudon, in Leicestershire, &c. he gave tythes of his mill in this place to 
 the monks of St. Werberge, at Chester. His heir and successor in his earldom was Hugh, sur- 
 named Kiviliock, a town in Powis, in Merionethshire, where he was born. He died at his seat 
 in this town, in the year 1181, twenty-seventh of Henry II. and was succeeded by Ranulph, 
 his son and heir, who gave this manor to the monks of the abbey Dieu le Creyse, adjoining."* 
 
 That the Romans made frequent incursions into these parts is evident, from various concur- 
 ring circumstances ; and that the neighbourhood of Leek, in particular, has been the scene of 
 some signal action, fought between the Britons and their invaders, is clear, from the circum- 
 stance of several pieces of Roman and British arms having been, from time to time, discovered 
 in its immediate vicinity. Dr. Plott,-f- speaking of the manner in which the Britons used to 
 head their arrows, writes thus : " Nor did the Britons only head their arrows with flint, but 
 also their matarae, or British darts, which were thrown by those that fought in Essedis,]: whereof, 
 I guess, this is one I had given me, found near Leek, by my worthy friend, Mr. Thomas, 
 Gent, curiously jagged at the edges, with such like teeth as a sickle,^j and otherwise wrought 
 upon the flat, by which we may conclude, not only that these arrow and spear heads are all 
 artificial, whatever is pretended, but also that they had anciently some way of working flints, 
 by the tool, which may be seen by the marks, as well as they had of the Egyptian porphyry." 
 Whatever truth there may be in this conjecture, it is enough for our present purpose to shew, 
 as we have just remarked, that these warlike instruments, found in this part, prove the extent 
 of the Roman invasion, into these remote districts of the kingdom ; and the reluctance with 
 which the ab-original inhabitants of these islands yielded to the power of their invaders. 
 
 This town gave birth to the founder of the earldom of Macclesfield. The family was 
 founded by Thomas Parker, the person of whom we now proceed to give some account. He 
 was the son of Thomas Parker, an attorney of this place. The name was originally written 
 Le Parker, as it is evident from our records. " William le Parker, in 1271,|| had a grant of 
 free warren in all his lands in Eccles, Lesingham, Hapesburg, Brumsted, and Shaleham, in the 
 county of Norfolk. Thomas Parker § was seated at Bulwel, and was a person of such ample 
 possessions, that in the reign of Richard II. he married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Adam 
 de Gotham, son of Thomas de Gotham, of Lees, son of Roger de Gotham of Lees, near Nor- 
 ton, in the county of Derby, of which lordship he was also owner, and now retains the name of 
 Norton Lees. He had, by the same Elizabeth, three sons : Robert, who continued the line ; 
 Thomas, of Norton Lees, who had an only daughter, married to Thomas Moore, of Green Hill ; 
 and William, seated at Shirland, in Derbyshire." 
 
 Robert Parker, his eldest son, was seated at Norton Lees, and, with his younger brother 
 William, was certified, in twelfth of Henry VI., among the gentlemen of the county of 
 Derby ;** who then, pursuant to an act of Parliament, made oath for the observance of the 
 laws, for themselves and retainers. 
 
 * Magna Brit. Vol. V. p. 99. t P. 396, 397. J C. Jul. Caesaris Commentarior de bello 
 
 Gallico, lib. 4. U Dr. Plott has given a drawing of this, Tab. xxxiii. Fig. 2. || ("art. 56. 
 
 Hen. III. p. 1. § Ex Stemmate, and visit of Derbyshire, 1611. ** Fuller's Worthies, in 
 
 Derbyshire; 
 
im PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Robert, having married Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of John Birley, of Barnes, had 
 issue several children, of whom the eldest son, John Parker, of Norton Lees, was of full age 
 in the twelfth of Henry VI. ; for lie, also, being written of Norton* made oath, with his father, 
 for the observation of the laws. This John, married Ellen, daughter of Roger North, of 
 Walksingham, in Nottinghamshire, ancestor to the present Earl of Guilford, by whom he had 
 issue five sons, and four daughters : John Parker, of Norton Lees, the eldest, married Elizabeth, 
 daughter to Ralph Eyre, of Alfreton, and had issue three sons ; John, Henry, and Anthony ; 
 and a daughter, Margaret. 
 
 Henry, the fourth son of John Parker, by Hellen North, was groom of the chamber to 
 Henry VIII., but left no issue. William the fifth was sewer to that king, and seated at Luton, 
 in Bedfordshire ; and married Margaret, daughter to John Wroth, of Durane Enfield, Mid- 
 dlesex, Esq. by whom he bad an only daughter, Barbara, his heir, married to John Wick- 
 ham, of Henfield. Thomas Parker, second brother to the said Henry and William, married 
 
 , daughter and heir of Parker, of his own family, by whom he had issue William 
 
 Parker, of Ashborne, in Derbyshire, who had three sons; George Parker, of Nether- Lees ; 
 
 Rowland, and Edward. George married Barbara, daughter of Buxley, of Berkshire, 
 
 and had issue William Parker, of Parwich, in Derbyshire, who died in 1631, aged seventy- 
 eight, having wedded Elizabeth, daugher to Humphry Wilson, and had issue Thomas Parker, 
 the father of the Chancellor, of whom we now proceed to give such an account as the scanty 
 materials, that have been recorded of him, will afford. 
 
 " Under the direction of his father, he first applied himself to the study of the law, and 
 grew so eminent in his profession, that he was appointed one of the council to Queen Anne ; 
 and, being called to the degree of serjeant-at-law, June 8th, 1 705, the motto of the rings de- 
 livered, on that occasion, to Queen Anne, and Prince George of Denmark, was Moribus, Armis, 
 Legibus. He was the same day appointed the queen's Serjeant, and had the honour of knight- 
 hood conferred on him. He was member of Parliament for Derby, from 1705 to 1708. On 
 March 5th, 1709—10, he was constituted Lord-chief-justice of the court of King's Bench ; 
 and, on the demise of the queen, was one of the lords justices till the arrival of her successor 
 from Hanover ; who, on March 10th, 1715 — 16, created him a baron of this kingdom, by the 
 style and title of Lord Parker, Baron of Macclesfield, in the county of Chester." 
 
 Bishop Burnet -f* says, that he had just been one of the managers of Sacheverel's trial, and 
 distinguished himself in a very particular manner in it. On the death of Holt, the Lord-chief- 
 Justice, which took place during this celebrated trial, Parker was constituted in his place ; 
 " which great promotion," says Burnet, " seemed an evident demonstration of the Queen's ap- 
 proving the prosecution ; for none of the managers had treated Sacheverel so severely as he 
 had done ; yet secret whispers were pretty confidently set about, that though the Queen's affairs 
 put her on acting the part of one that was pleased with the scene, yet she disliked it all, and 
 would take the first occasion to shew it.* 
 
 To return to the time of Parker's elevation to the title of baron ; nearly two years after, his 
 
 • Fuller's Worthies in Derbyshire. t Own Time, Vol. 2. p. M0— S43. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 105 
 
 majesty was pleased to deliver the Great Seal to his lordship, and to declare him Chancellor of 
 Great Britain ; and, on the 14th of May, 1718, two days afterwards, he was sworn at Ken- 
 sington, the king present in council, and took his place at the board accordingly : he was con- 
 gratulated upon his promotion, by the university of Cambridge. He was one of the lords 
 justices whilst George I. was at Hanover ; being so appointed, May 9th, 1719. On June 
 4th of that year, he was appointed Custos Rotulorum of the county of Worcester. On the 
 5th of November, 1721,* he was advanced to the dignities of Viscount Parker, of Ewelme, in 
 Oxfordshire, and Earl of Macclesfield, in the county of Chester, in tail-male, to hold the 
 dignities of lady Parker, baroness of Macclesfield, viscountess Parker of Ewelme, and countess 
 of Macclesfield, to Elizabeth his daughter, wife of William Heathcote, Esq., and to the heirs 
 male of her body. 
 
 This tide of honour was suddenly interrupted ; for in June, 1725, his lordship was im- 
 peached on charges of corruption ; was tried at the bar of the house, and unanimously pro- 
 nounced guilty; in consequence of which, he was removed from his high office, and fined 
 ot'SOjOOO.-f This was certainly a heavy and severe sentence ; which, had this unfortunate 
 chancellor lived and erred in later times, would, doubtless, have passed away as one of those 
 many things which, however, our forefathers might have shuddered at them, are now as common 
 and as obvious as the sun at noon-day. 
 
 Of this distinguished, but unfortunate Earl, Mr. Noble X writes as follows : " This every 
 way distinguished character was the son of Thomas Parker, an attorney at Leek, in Stafford- 
 shire ; in the chancel of which church 1 have read the inscription on his grave stone. He left 
 his son about .£100 per annum. He received the Great Seal May llth,^[ 1708, which he held 
 till January 4th, 1724—5. It was an extraordinary event, that Lord Macclesfield, one of the 
 great ornaments of the peerage, who had so long presided at the administration of justice, 
 should himself be arranged as a criminal ; be convicted of mal-practices ; and sentenced to pay 
 a fine of <£30,000 as a punishment for his offence : that a second Lord Chancellor of England 
 should be impeached by the grand inquest of the nation, for corruption of office ; and be, like 
 his great predecessor, Lord St. Albans, found guilty of the charge. The prosecution was 
 carried on with great virulence ; and though rigid justice, indeed, demanded a severe sentence ; 
 yet party zeal and personal animosity were supposed to have had their weight in that which 
 were passed upon him. The whole fine was exacted, and actually paid by his lordship and his 
 son, notwithstanding the favourable disposition that was shewn, in a certain quarter, to relieve 
 him in part by a considerable donation. It is certain, there had been gross mismanagement in 
 the offices of the masters in Chancery, by which the suitors had been great sufferers ; and it 
 appeared that those places had been sometimes conferred upon persons who had evidently paid 
 for them a valuable consideration. The public cry against corruption, in high stations, was loud 
 and long ; and it was not thought prudent to stay the proceedings against the supreme judge in 
 the kingdom. The statute, on which the chancellor was impeached, had, indeed, grown into 
 disuse ; but it was still a law : a breach of it was proved, and the consequence was inevitable 
 
 * Bill signat, 8 Geo. I. t Coote's Hist, of Eng. Vol. VIII. 265, et seq. £ Continuation; 
 
 of Granger's Biog. Hist, of Eng., III. p. 90. II It was delivered May l^tlu 
 
104 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Lord Macclesfield was a man of learning, and a patron of it. Bishop Pierce, of Rochester, 
 among others, owed his first introduction to preferment to his lordship's encouragement. He 
 was also very eminent for his skill in his profession ; but rather great than amiable in his general 
 character. He was austere, and not deemed sufficiently attentive to the gentlemen of his court, 
 to whom his manners are represented to have been harsh and ungracious, unlike the mild and 
 complacent behaviour of his predecessor, Lord Cowper. His lordship passed the remainder of 
 his life in a learned retirement, much devoted to the studies of religion, of which he had always 
 been a strict and uniform observer." Such is the character of this great man, (for, after all, he 
 was a great man,) given by a learned and able pen : but how wilful corruption — criminal mal- 
 practices — an abuse of the most exalted trusts and privileges— harsh, ungracious, and domineer- 
 ing dispositions, can be reconciled with a strict and uniform observance of religious duties, does 
 not, to us, appear quite obvious. His lordship married Janet, daughter and co-heir of Charles 
 Carrier, of Wirkworth, in Derbyshire; and by her had issue George the second, Earl of Mac- 
 clesfield ; and the lady Elizabeth before mentioned. He died * at his son's house, in Soho 
 Square, in the sixty-sixth year of his age, on April 28th, 1732, and was buried at Shirburn, 
 in Oxfordshire ; esteemed for the social virtues of a husband, parent, and master, by every 
 one to whom he stood in those relations. 
 
 His lordship's son George, the second Earl of Macclesfield, was distinguished as a scholar, 
 and the steady promoter of literature and science. He was president of the Royal Society, and 
 member of many foreign academies ; and rendered himself otherwise remarkable, for being 
 zealous in procuring the alteration of the style ;*j* but, as his lordship was not born at Leek, his 
 biography does not properly belong to this place. 
 
 The market day of Leek is on Wednesday. Fairs, February 10, April 14, May 18, June 2, 
 July 3 and 28, October 13, November 13. 
 
 ECCLESHALL. 
 
 Eccleshall is a market town, and a very extensive parish, in Pirchill hundred. It is very 
 pleasantly situate on the river Sow, seven and a half miles north west from Stafford, five from 
 the town of Stone, and one hundred and forty-eight north west from London. In 1801, the 
 parish contained five hundred and ninety-four houses, and three .thousand four hundred and 
 
 • Park's Royal and Noble Authors, Vol. IV. p. 145. 
 t Sir E. Brydges, Collins's Peerage, VoL IV. p. 194. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 105 
 
 eighty-seven inhabitants ; of whom, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven were males, 
 and one thousand seven hundred and fifty females ; of which number, according to the par- 
 liamentary returns, two thousand six hundred and fifty-seven were returned as being em- 
 ployed in agriculture, and eight hundred and thirty in trade, there being no manufactories 
 beyond the common handicraft trades. In 1811, the whole parish of Eccleshall contained six 
 hundred and ninety-three houses, seven hundred and eleven families ; one thousand eight hun- 
 dren and five males, one thousand eight hundred and thirteen females : total, three thousand 
 six hundred and eighteen inhabitants. At the same period, the town of Eccleshall alone, con- 
 tained two hundred and seventeen houses, two hundred and twenty-five families ; four hundred 
 and sixty-six males, five hundred and fifty females : total, one thousand and sixteen persons. 
 In 1821, the town contained two hundred and eighty-five houses, and one thousand two hun- 
 dred and fifty-four inhabitants ; viz. six hundred and fifteen males, and six hundred and thirty- 
 nine females ; of whom sixty-three families were returned as being employed in trade, and one 
 hundred and seventy in agriculture. The houses in this town are neatly and well built. It is 
 supposed to be named from the Latin word ecclesia, the Bishop of Lichfield having formerly 
 had a palace here. In the civil war, it was garrisoned for the king ; but being afterwards taken 
 by the parliamentary forces, it was nearly destroyed, but was afterwards re-built by Bishop 
 Lloyd, of which more hereafter. The market day at Eccleshall is on Friday, and it has four 
 fairs ; viz. March 18, May 20, August 16, November 5. The church of Eccleshall is a 
 vicarage, valued at £1. 14?. M. in the king's books. Patron, the Bishop of Lichfield. 
 
 This town is of great antiquity, and is supposed to have been founded by the Romans in the 
 first century:— an intelligent correspondent communicated the following interesting account of it 
 to Mr. Pitt : 
 
 f* When Nero was emperor of the Roman empire, Auvigarus was king of Britain. Vespasian, 
 then general of the Roman army in Britain, built a town in a large marsh on the banks of the 
 river Sow, adjacent to the forest of Bloor, and ordered one of the Roman standards to be kept 
 there. The standard represented an eagle, and the town was called Eagles'- hall. It was built 
 about the year 60. On the southern side, at the foot of the hill, a temple was erected to Jupiter, 
 and a flameary, or place for sacrifices. About the year of our Lord, 209, Lucius, king of 
 Britain, gave the town the name of Eccleshall, and the temple of Jove, Hasmere. This edifice 
 was consecrated as a Christian Church, and continued until the year 509, when Creda, a Saxon, 
 the eleventh from Weber, the first king of Mercia, conquered the Britons, and destroyed all the 
 Christian churches within the counties of Stafford, Gloucester, Hereford, Chester, Worcester, 
 Oxford, Warwick, Derby, Leicester, Buckingham, Northampton, Nottingham, Lincoln, Bed- 
 ford, Huntingdon, and part of Hertford. The Christians were obliged to seek an asylum in 
 Worlsor, supposed to be Wales, till about the year 660, when Lawrence, Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury, consecrated Devine, Bishop of Lichfield, and afterwards Eccleshall, and the forest of 
 Bloor was given to him by Penda, king of Mercia. 
 
 " Eccleshall Church was re-built in the year, 661, but was destroyed nine years afterwards 
 by Wulfere, king of Mercia, who, in 670, while at his castle at Ulferoster, or Uttoxeter, was 
 informed that his two sons Ulfred and Rufin, under pretence of hunting, were gone to Eccles-. 
 hall to Bishop Chadd, to be baptized and instructed in the Christian religion. The king, being 
 
 P 
 
106 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 instigated by his concubine Wercbode, hastened to Eccleshall, and finding his sons in the church, 
 in divine contemplation, he slew them both with his own hand, and then destroyed the edifice. 
 Queen Erminilda, the mother of the two royal martyrs, took their bodies, and buried them in 
 a certain place, not far from Eccleshall, and built a monastery over them ; and, from the great 
 quantity of stones collected for this building, the place was called Stones, now Stone, a market 
 town in this county (which we have already described). King Wulfere afterwards repented, 
 re-built Eccleshall Church and all others which he had destroyed, and was very favourable to 
 the Christians, but died without ah heir. His brother Ethelred succeeded him in his kingdom ; 
 then Eccleshall began to flourish, and became so famous and populous, that it had five parish 
 churches and two chapels in it. This prosperity continued nearly three centuries and a half ; 
 but a sudden reverse took place in the year 1010, when the Danes laid Eccleshall town and 
 castle, and all its churches, in ashes by fire. It lay in ruins till 1090, when Elias de Jantonice, 
 prebend of Eccleshall, re-built the old church, and dedicated it to the Holy Trinity. In the 
 year 1299, Walter Langton, Bishop of Lichfield, re-built Eccleshall Castle." H 
 
 The extensive manor here was the property of the Bishops of Lichfield ; but, observes Mr. 
 Nightingale, " How long it continued in their possession, or what changes it underwent* are not 
 known ; but in the year 1650, Camden tells us, it was sold for the sum of £ 14,224." 
 
 Eccleshall is distinguished principally for its castle, which was founded at a very early period, 
 but by whom, history does not inform us. About the year 1200, however, we find Bishop 
 Muschamp empowered by a licence from King John, " to make a park here, and embattle the 
 castle," so that some edifice answering the description of a castellated mansion must have existed 
 here at least some years prior to this period.* 
 
 In 1310, this castle was completely re-built by Walter de Langton, Bishop of Lichfield, and 
 Lord high Treasurer of England, who established it as the principal palace of the Bishops of 
 Lichfield. His successors, however, having other palaces in this county at Heywood, Brewood, 
 Beaudesert, &c. besides Lichfield House in the Strand, London, do not appear to have occupied 
 it much till the year 1695, when the whole south front of it having been renewed by Bishop 
 Lloyd, it afterwards became their constant residence, and continues to be such at the present 
 day. 
 
 At the time of the civil wars, between the house of Stewart and the Parliament, this castle 
 was originally garrisoned for the king, and stood a severe siege against the republican forces, 
 but was ultimately compelled to surrender. So great was the damage it sustained during this 
 attack, that it became wholly uninhabitable, till re-edified, as already mentioned, by Bishop 
 Lloyd. Bishop Hough afterwards planted the grove, which surrounds it, now converted into 
 an elegant shrubbery. The late bishop, Dr. James Cornwallis, likewise contributed greatly, 
 both to the healthful situation and ornament of this residence, by draining all the grounds in its 
 immediate neighbourhood^ 
 
 * Gough's Camden, Vol. II. p. 509. 
 
 t Leland, speaking of this castle, says " Eccleshall Castle belonging to the Bishop of Chester." Thi«, 
 however, we should presume to be a mistake, as we do not find it mentioned in any other record, as having 
 ever been in the possession of that see. Leland's Itin. Vol. VI. p. 36 — 7. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 107 
 
 The church is not remarkable except as having been the place in which Bishop Halse con- 
 cealed Queen Margaret, when she fled hither from Muccleston. North east from the palace, at 
 a few miles distant, is Byana, an ancient building, which was some years ago converted into a 
 farm house. This edifice was long the residence of the family of the Bosviles, who possesed 
 the estate around it, as it is evidenced by the inscriptions and achievements on their monu- 
 ments in the church of Eccleshall. Charles Bosvile, Esq. the last male heir of this branch of 
 the family, was sheriff of this county, and afterwards of Leicestershire, about the middle of 
 the last century. 
 
 ' 
 
 TUTBUKY, or STUTESBUKY. 
 
 As it is intended to give a description of all the market towns in the county, in this work, it 
 becomes necessary to insert some account of Tutbury, Mr. Nightingale (in 1813) observes, 
 " that the market, which is held on Tuesday, is of small note." Mr. Pitt, in 181 7, remarks, 
 " that there was a weekly market here prior to the Norman invasion, but it is now discontinued ." 
 
 But Tutbury is a place of great celebrity, and of much interest, in other respects. It is a 
 parish in Offlow hundred, near the river Dove, over which is a neat stone bridge of nine arches, 
 six miles north by west of Burton, and one hundred and thirty-four from London. In 1811, 
 it contained about one thousand persons ; and in 1821, it contained two hundred and sixty-six, 
 houses, and one thousand four hundred and forty-four inhabitants. Its ancient castle, belonging 
 to the Earls of Derby, was formerly one of the most noted in England. The church is a large, 
 massive building. In the town are several chapels for dissenters, and an excellent free-school. 
 The chief business of the place is in the wool and cotton trade. Fairs, February 15, August 
 10, and December 1. It is a vicarage, value £1. Patron, the Duke of Devonshire. 
 
 Tutbury Castle has always been a place of the highest interest, and so long ago as the Hep- 
 tarchy, its elevated site was said to be occupied by a strong fortress, and was the residence of 
 the kings of Mercia, who remained in security from any sudden attack of an enemy. 
 
 The earliest information, however, upon record is, immediately subsequent to the Norman 
 Conquest, in 1066 ; when, as Mr. Pitt states, •* Hugh de Albrincis was in possession of Tut- 
 bury Castle, but was deprived of it by the Conqueror, who gave it to one of his greatest fa- 
 vourites and friends, Henry de Ferrers." In the year 1250, it passed to the Earl of Lancaster, 
 in consequence of Robert de Ferrers having joined Simon Mountford in rebellion against Henry 
 III. In 1322, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, fortified it against Edward II., but could not 
 
108 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 hold out, and was obliged to surrender. Tutbury Castle, consequently* reverted to the crown. 
 1 t was afterwards neglected, and fell into decay, till it} came into the possession of John of 
 Gaunt, who re-built it of hewn free-stone, upon the ancient site, in 1350.* This castle was 
 now the principal seat of the Dukes of Lancaster, and was for ages distinguished as the scene 
 of festivity and courtly splendour. The number of minstrels which crowded to it was so great, 
 that, as an expedient for preserving order among them, the celebrated John of Gaunt appointed 
 a chief minstrel, with the title of King, with inferior officers under him, to assist in the execu- 
 tion of the laws. A charter, to that effect, was granted to the chief minstrel in 1381, by the 
 Duke of Lancaster .-J* 
 
 On the demise of John of Gaunt, the Duchy of Lancaster and its dependencies devolved on 
 Henry Plantagenet, his only surviving son ; and when that prince afterwards ascended the 
 throne by the title of Henry IV., the honour and castle of Tutbury being thus united with the 
 Duchy of Lancaster to the crown, they have continued so to the present time. In 1568, 
 Mary, Queen of Scots, was confined in Tutbury Castle, which was then a solitary spot, neg- 
 lected and decayed. Here she continued many years a state prisoner. The following account 
 of the state of the castle, at the time this unfortunate Queen was confined there, is extracted 
 from the papers of Sir Ralph Sadler, the keeper : 
 
 " The whole area, containing about three acres, was encompassed, on all sides but one, with 
 a strong and lofty embattled wall, and deep foss, as the present ruins plainly shew. The prin- 
 cipal entrance was by a bridge under the great gateway to the north, part of which is. still re- 
 maining. At a small distance to the left of this gateway, or lodge, stood Mr. Donel's office 
 and bed-chamber, and four other rooms. Along the north east wall, about one hundred and 
 sixty feet from the entrance, was a lofty tower, embattled, containing four rooms, viz. store- 
 house at the bottom ; above that, Curie's apartment ; over which was the doctor's ; and at the 
 top, the chief cook's. This tower is then said to be very much shaken and cleft, and now very 
 little of it is remaining. At a little distance from this, began the principal suite of the Queen's 
 apartments, extending along the east side ; viz. the Queen's dining-chamber, her closet, and 
 bed-chamber, cabinet, place for wood and coal, and then her women's room. These were all 
 
 * Erdeswick, p. 205. 
 
 t Among other sports and pastimes introduced at Tutbury Castle by th.is eccentric, but good-natured, 
 Trince, was the annual custom, called " Tutbury Bull-running.'* On the festival of the Assumption of the 
 Virgin Mary, the minstrels assembled to mattins at the priory. In the afternoon, they met at the gate, where 
 a bull was given by the prior. The animal had previously been prepared for this inhuman sport, having his 
 horns, ears, and tail cut off, his body besmeared with soap, and his nostrils blown full of pepper. In thig 
 state, he was let loose ; and if the surrounding minstrels could catch and hold him so long as to deprive him 
 of the smallest portion of his hair, he was declared their property, provided this could be done in Stafford- 
 shire, and before sun-set. This custom is supposed, by some antiquaries, to have originated in an imitation of 
 the bull- fights in Spain ; which is not improbable, as John of Gaunt was King of the Spanish provinces of 
 Castile and Leon. In the lapse of ages, the pursuit of the bull, which had been confined to the minstrels, 
 became general, and the multitude promiscuously joined in the barbarous sport, which sometimes terminated 
 in a battle royal and bloodshed. The custom was abolished, about forty-two years ago, by the Duke of 
 Devonshire, who gave the minstrels four marks in lieu of their former prize. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE; 109 
 
 above stairs." From this castle, Mary was removed, in 1585, to Chartley, and thence, in 
 1586, to Fotheringay Castle, where she was beheaded. 
 
 King James I., in one of his tours through England, visited Tutbury Castle, the former 
 place of his mother's confinement ; and such are the strange vicissitudes of life, that those walls 
 which had so long re-echoed the sighs and groans of an unfortunate Queen, were now shaken 
 with the acclamations of a multitude assembled to greet her son, their Sovereign. 
 
 During the civil wars in the time of Charles I. Tutbury Castle was fortified and garrisoned by 
 the royalists. The king spent a fortnight at this castle in 1643. 
 
 This Castle, after a long siege, being much battered, was surrendered by the garrison to 
 Colonel Brereton, in 1648; it was then greatly demolished by the parliament forces; and when 
 the event of the war was determined, the fortifications were destroyed by an order from the 
 usurpers of power. This demolition, and the dilapidations of time, have finally reduced this 
 once- beautiful and lofty edifice to a picturesque ruin. A considerable part of the gateway re- 
 mains ; and, from the few vestiges of the castle, it appears to have been built of hewn free- 
 stone, with admixtures of gypsum. A round tower, intended to appear as a ruin, has been 
 erected, on a high mound, by Lord Vernon, the present possessor, who holds the castle, and 
 circumjacent grounds, by lease from the crown. A building has been erected among the ruins, 
 which is the residence of the steward, who entertains the tenants, occasionally, at wakes, &c. A 
 large room in this house is used for assemblies; and the Minstrel's Court is annually held in it. 
 The green park, around the castle-hill, is now a pasture for sheep and cattle ; the prospect from 
 the summit of the hill is very extensive, and commands a picturesque view of Needwood 
 Forest. 
 
 The Dove fertilizes the rich meadows on its banks, and affords a supply of trout and other 
 fish to the inhabitants, and the turnpike-road, from Burton-upon-Trent to Uttoxeter, passes 
 through the town. The soil of this parish is generally rich, abounding with alabaster and 
 marl; and the meadows are occasionally improved by the inundations of the Dove, 
 
 Tutbury Church is a vicarage, dedicated to the Virgin Mary ; it constitutes a portion of the 
 ancient priory church, and is a large edifice, with an embattled tower, surmounted by four pin- 
 nacles. The principal entrance is an archway, of exquisitely rich and beautiful Saxon architec- 
 ture ; and is, perhaps, the most perfect specimen of the kind in the Island. This entrance is a 
 low semi-eircular arch, with a similar arched window above it ; it is partly composed of alabaster, 
 richly ensculptured with a variety of grotesque figures ; but no description can give an adequate 
 idea of the beauty of the whole. Part of the arch of the window is beginning to moulder, but 
 the entrance is in a state of perfect preservation. 
 
 The Priory was founded by Henry de Ferrers in 1080, and amply endowed by him with 
 lands and revenues. The religious order, who resided here, wliere Benedictine monks, and 
 several additional donations were conferred on the establishment, by William Rufus and his 
 Queen Maud. Robert, Earl Ferrers, grandson to the founder, confirmed to the monks all their 
 possessions, and added the tithes of Newborough to his gift. His descendants also contributed 
 to the wealth and magnificence of this celebrated Priory, scarcely a vestige of which now 
 remains. Little is known of the original extent of this monastery ; but, among the few facts 
 recorded of it, we are informed that it contained a splendid monument to the memory of the 
 
110 plCTWliEtoQUE VIEWS 
 
 founder, with a Latin inscription upon it. A general account of the annual revenue tiuui uie 
 possessions belonging to this Priory, is preserved in the First Fruits Office, by which it ap- 
 pears, that in 1538 they amounted to the annual sum of £24s4i. 16s. 8d a very considerable 
 income according to the value of money in the middle of the sixteenth century. On the dis- 
 solution of the monastic orders, by Henry VI1L, Arthur Neverel, alias Throwley, with eight 
 monks, surrendered this Priory to the king's commissioners, on the 14th day of September, 
 1538, as appears by the original deed of surrender in the Augmentation Office. This prior 
 afterwards received a pension of fifty pounds a year. 
 
 The site of Tutbury Priory was granted, in the sixth year of the reign of Edward VI., to 
 Sir William Cavendish, who pulled down the Priory, and part of the church, to build a large 
 mansion, which was the residence of his eldest son Henry. He dying without legitimate issue, 
 it devolved to his next brother ; and it has descended from successive possessors to the present 
 owner, the Duke of Devonshire, 
 
 A pretended instance of total abstinence, in the case of a woman named Ann Moore, an in- 
 habitant of Tutbury, for a long time engrossed, a very considerable share of public attention. 
 The imposture was carried on for several years with such extraordinary art and success, that it 
 obtained, in regard to the supposed validity of the woman's assertion, the sanction of a large 
 number of medical, philosophical, and other visitors, of every description, from all parts of the 
 kingdom. The laudable exertions of a committee of gentleman, formed for the avowed purpose 
 of investigating this extraordinary case, at length discovered .the cheat ; and the wretched wo- 
 man completed their labours, by a formal and unequivocal confession of her guilt, before Thomas 
 Lister, Esq one of the magistrates for this county.* 
 
 no. . 
 
 * The following account of this imposture, derived from unqestionable authority, is copied from the Staf- 
 fordshire Gazette, of May 11th, 1813 : 
 
 This unparalleled delusion, which has made so much noise, has been pursued, but too successfully, for 
 nearly six years. The persevering subtility with which this woman has carried' on her imposture, is without 
 example, and baffled all attempts to detect her ; and, but for the unconquerable scepticism of some of the faculty, 
 (particularly Dr. Henderson,) her case would have been handed down to posterity, as an indubitable instance 
 of a human being living without receiving the least sustenance. The watch, which had been publicly adver- 
 tised, commenced on Wednesday 21st ult., and was strictly carried on until Friday the 30th, a period of nine 
 days, during all which time, these gentlemen verify, that she had not received any nourishment. She, how- 
 ever, gradually grew feebler, her pulse was almost imperceptible, and she, at length, became so ill, as on the 
 latter named day to induce the gentlemen to suspend the watch. At this time, she begged to have her mouth 
 moistened with a wetted cloth, and her desire was complied with, by applying to her lips a cloth dipped in 
 vinegar and water ; this was done several times, and the gentleman who administered it, declared he perceived 
 her to swallow ; although she, even then, strenuously denied it. The physician attending upon her, at the 
 same time, gave it as his opinion that she could not survive an hour ; and yet, at this period, with the im- 
 mediate prospect of eternity before her, she, by her own desire, took an oath, drawn up in the strongest and 
 clearest terms, that, for more than four years past, she had not taken sustenance of any description ! Her 
 daughter was now admitted to see her, and she, in a short time, very much revived. 
 
 From the weighing machine, upon which she was placed during the watch, it appeared that she had lost 
 daily nearly fourteen ounces in weight. Nothing now remained, to convince every one of her imposition, but 
 her own confession of her guilt, and this last proof she voluntarily made before a magistrate. After this con- 
 fession, she took milk, in the presence of several of the gentlemen, and now seems fast recovering. See the 
 Rev. Leigh Richmond's " Statement of Facts. &c." 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. Ill 
 
 It appears, that Tutbury was erected into a free borough at an: early period, by some of the 
 royal personages, who occupied its once magnificent castle. The burgesses and inhabitants then 
 possessed a variety of valuable privileges. Among these, were " divers liberties of common, 
 of pasture, of purvenage, and estovers, in the forest of Need wood $ together with freedom 
 from " all toll, tonnage, package, poundage, and other exactions within all their possessions.' 
 What is rather remarkable, this town never had the right of sending members to Parliament, 
 though still retaining the name of a borough. 
 
 — — — — — — - — — — — — 
 
 BKEWOOD. 
 
 
 Brewood, a large parish, and formerly a market town, sometimes spelt Breewood, is in the 
 hundred of Cuttlestone, four miles south from Penkridge, seven north from Wolverhamp- 
 ton, and one hundred and twenty-nine north west from London, on the river Penk ; on one of 
 the branches of which the town is delightfully situated, and very neatly built. Accord- 
 ing to the parliamentary population returns of 1801, the parish contained one thousand four 
 hundred and five males, and one thousand four hundred and sixty-two females ; total inha- 
 bitants, two thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven. In 1811, the town alone contained two 
 hundred and ten inhabited houses, and two hundred and twelve families ; of whom sixty-nine 
 were employed in agriculture, eighty-seven in trade, manufactures, or handicraft, and fifty-six 
 not engaged in business; the number of persons were four hundred and seventy-five males, five 
 hjndred and sixteen females ; total, nine hundred and ninety-one. In 1821, the parish con- 
 tained five hundred and thirty-eight houses, and two thousand seven hundred and seventy-three 
 inhabitants. It is a vicarage value £6. 17s. 8d. Patron, the Dean of Lichfield. 
 
 There was a convent of Benedictine, or Cistercian nuns, in the reign of Richard I. founded here 
 by Hubert Walter. At the dissolution of the religious houses, its revenue was only £l 1. Is. 6d. 
 per annum. The Free Grammar School of this town is an excellent and well-conducted insti- 
 tution : it was founded by Dr. Matthew Knightly, and endowed with lands to the amount of 
 £60. per annum. The masters are permitted to receive a limited number of pupils and boarders. 
 Several eminent men have been educated at this school ; among others, the late celebrated 
 Bishop Hurd. 
 
 Mr. Nightingale notices, that " Processioning was prevalent here as well as at Wolverhamp- 
 
112 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 ton, during the last century ; on which occasion, it was customary for the inhabitants to adorn 
 their wells with boughs and flowers."* 
 
 Several severe shocks of an earthquake were felt at this place in 1678, which were preceded 
 by a loud, rumbling noise, resembling distant thunder. The bishop of the diocese is said to 
 have had a seat here before the Conquest. 
 
 Mr. Pitt, in his survey of Staffordshire, notices Chillington as the largest estate in the parish 
 
 of Brewood, and includes the south and west part. It is the property of Giffard, 
 
 Esq. The mansion and offices are extensive ; and the gardens, pleasure-grounds, and planta- 
 tions, are laid out with great taste, and much improved by the present owner. This estate con- 
 tains several villages and farm-houses, besides Chillington ; particularly Gunston, Long Birch, 
 the Hattons, White and Black Ladies, and the Hyde. ^The Giffard family has large estates in 
 other parts of this county ; but their religious tenets have kept them from public employments. 
 Mr. Giffard, of Chillington, is, however, a gentleman of liberal principles ; and the passing of 
 the emancipation Bill places him in as high a political situation as his neighbours. He is mar- 
 ried to a Protestant lady, by whom he has a large family. His tenantry are mostly Roman 
 Catholics, who are accommodated with chapels on his estate at Long Birch and Black Ladies. 
 
 Somerford is another large estate in the parish of Brewood, including the manor of Coven, 
 Brewood Hall, Engleton Hall, Four Ashes, and Somerford Hall. The Hon. Edward 
 Monckton, third son to Viscount Gal way, in Ireland, much improved this estate ; and Somer- 
 ford Hall is now an elegant mansion^ in a pleasant situation on the eastern bank of the Penk. 
 The estate was nearly stripped of all its timber by the former owners ; but Mr. Monckton im- 
 proved its general appearance bv extensive plantations. The population of the liberty of 
 Somerford, in 1811, was five hundred and seventy-eight persons, of whom two hundred and 
 eighty-three were males, and two hundred and ninety-five females. 
 
 The parish contains other villages and hamlets, particularly Kiddimore Green, a township 
 situated to the west of Brewood ; the villages of Broomhall and Horsebrook, near the Watling 
 Street ; the hamlets of Crateford and Standeford ; Aspley Farm, and the Laches, hamlets on 
 the eastern side of the parish ; and the small village or hamlet called Paradise. 
 
 * This custom of adorning wells is a relict of popish times. When that religion prevailed, this ceremony 
 was instituted to distinguish such wells as were celebrated for the cure of particular diseases, and generally 
 took place on the saint's days, when the people diverted themselves with music and dancing, and had caked 
 and ale. 
 
 
OP ST AFtfORDSfUftE. 113 
 
 KUDGELEY. 
 
 orb t6\ I; 
 
 . 
 "Rudgeley, or Rugeley, a market town and parish in Cuttlestone hundred, Staffordshire, is 
 situate near the south bank of the Trent, seven miles north-west from Lichfield, nine and a 
 half from Stafford, and one hundred and thirty-one from London. Although the town is built 
 in a low situation, it is in a delightful and healthy country, around which are a number of 
 elegant and splendid seats and mansions. The town is not only neatly and well built, but also 
 contains many elegant houses. The Grand Trunk Canal, uniting with the Trent and Mersey, 
 and running past the north side of the town, affords the greatest facilities of, and has vastly 
 contributed to, the trade of the place, the chief of which is in the manufacture of hats and 
 felts; but several other branches of manufacture are carried on here. In 1801, it contained 
 four hundred and twenty-eight houses, and two thousand and thirty inhabitants ; nine hundred 
 and seventy-eight of whom were males, one thousand and fifty-two females. In 1811, the town 
 and parish contained four hundred and fifty-three houses, and fourteen buildings. The number 
 of families was four hundred and seventy-eight; in which there were one thousand and eighty- 
 nine males, and one thousand one hundred and twenty-four females. In 1821, it contained 
 four hundred and ninety-four houses, and two thousand six hundred and sixty-seven inha- 
 bitants ; of whom three hundred and seventeen were employed in the various trades and manu- 
 factures, particularly in those of hats and felts. The town is under the government of two 
 constables, who are chosen annually by the inhabitants. The market day is on Tuesday and 
 Thursday. Fairs, April 19, June 3, 4, 5, 7 ; October 21, and December 14, for cattle and 
 horses. The church, which is a vicarage, valued at £b. Qs. f is dedicated to St. Augustine, and 
 is in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield. The ancient church of Stone, con- 
 sists of two low aisles of equal dimensions ; a handsome tower ornaments the west end ; and 
 on the south side, in the interior of the body, is a circular ornamented arch. The church 
 contains several monuments of the families of Weston, Chetwynd, Lander, Sneyd, &c. 
 
 Mr. Nightingale asserts, that " The manor was anciently the property of a family who 
 either gave their name to the town, or derived it from hence." The latter is the more probable 
 circumstance, or more would have been known or said of their family circle. Mr. N., however, 
 remarks, that " In the reign of Edward III. we find some of this family sheriffs of the county ; 
 and one a knight of the Shire about the same time." How long they continued to possess it, 
 is somewhat uncertain ; but, in the beginning of the sixteenth century, Erdiswick mentions it 
 as a property of the Bishop of Lichfield, from whom it was alienated to the king by Bishop 
 Sampson, in 1547.* Mr. Pitt says, that Dr. Wilkes traces the etymology (and we think cor- 
 
 . 
 • Pennant's Journey, p. 139. 
 
fit PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 rectly) of Rugeley, from Ridgeley, a ridge of hills above the town. Cannock-heath ap- 
 proaches within a mile of Rugeley on the south ; and Stile Cop, one of its eminences, covered 
 with trees, is seen at the distance of many miles. From the summit there is a prospect of 
 great part of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire, and a part of Shopshire. 
 
 The Free Grammar School of Ruge'cy was established by Queen Elizabeth, who endowed 
 the institution with lands in and about the town, which had formerly been appropriated for the 
 instruction of boys in a chantry, dissolved by Henry VIII. 
 
 John Bamford Cowper also founded a charity school, and left four hundred pounds in trust, 
 the interest of which was to be paid to a school-master, for instructing sixteen boys of the 
 poorest families in Rugeley, in reading, writing, and arithmetic, to qualify them to go appren- 
 tices to trades. They were also instructed in the church catechism, and the principles of the 
 Christian religion. 
 
 Among the memorable events recorded in the parish register of Rugeley, there is an account 
 of a fire on Trinity Sunday, May 20, 1646, which destroyed twenty-nine dwelling-houses. 
 The sufferers afterwards received £335. 7s. \0d. On Saturday, February 19, 1708, a fire 
 broke out in the west end of Rugeley, at nine o'clock in the morning, and comsumed ten habi- 
 tations, nine barns and offices, and goods to the value of £808. 3s. 2d. which was paid to the 
 sufferers severally, by Benjamin Adie. The new church is a very handsome structure. 
 
 . 
 
 U . 
 
 ! ' 
 
 WEDNESBURY, 
 
 Is a considerable market town and parish in Offlow hundred, adjoining Bromwich on the north- 
 west, at a short distance from the source of the river Tame : it is five miles from Wolverhamp- 
 ton, three from Walsall, seven north-west from Birmingham, and one hundred and twenty-four 
 from London. In 1801 the population was four thousand one hundred and sixty, of whom two 
 thousand and seventy-one were males, and two thousand and eighty-nine, females ; one thousand 
 three hundred and ninety-three persons were employed in different branches of trade, and two 
 hundred and forty-three in agriculture. In 1811, Wednesbury contained five thousand three 
 hundred and seventy-two persons, of whom two thousand eight hundred and six were males, and 
 two thousand five hundred and sixty-six females ; making an unusual falling off in the latter, 
 when compared with the number of males and females, in 1801, and taking into consideration 
 that the females exceed the number of males in nearly all the population returns. In 1821 this 
 town contained eleven hundred and ninety-four houses, and six thousand four hundred and se- 
 venty-one inhabitants, of whom one thousand two hundred and eight families were employed in 
 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 115 
 
 manufactures. The attention of the inhabitants is particularly directed to the manufacture or 
 iron axle-trees, coach-springs, bridle-bits, stirrups, saws, edge-tools, nails, gun-barrels, locks, wood- 
 sc/ews, &c, as well as cast iron goods of every description ; and the manufactories and col- 
 lieries that surround them, as well as the people themselves, wear a peculiar character. The 
 inhabitants have many advantages from the excellence of the coal in this neighbourhood, and 
 they avail themselves of it in their persevering industry. In fact the place is reckoned famous 
 for its coal, which is much valued, on account of its heat, for smith's work : the supply is inex- 
 haustible, and it extends in separate veins, from three to twelve yards in thickness, and yields to 
 its various proprietors, an almost princely fortune. 
 
 Mr. Pitt, in his survey of this place, says that " a peculiar species of iron ore is found here 
 called blond metal, which is chiefly used in the manufacture of nails, horse-shoes, hammers* axes, 
 and other heavy tools. Reddish earth called kip, is also found in the neighbourhood of Wed- 
 nesbury, which is used in glazing vessels of different kinds." Dr. Wilkes speaks of the wildfire 
 which is discoverable in the old coal pits of Wednesbury field. " It breaks out spontaneously in 
 the vast heaps of slack left in the coal-works, which contain a vast quantity of sulphur, and 
 frequently smokes through the surface, and acts upon the several strata, some of which are re- 
 duced to cinders: it hardens clay into what is called pork-stone, which is good for repairing the 
 roads, or laying the foundation of buildings. Another kind of fire in these mines goes off with 
 a tremendous explosion, driving every thing before it ; but, when the proper means are used, 
 this is prevented." 
 
 Mr. Savary, the original inventor of the steam-engine, set one of these engines down in 
 Wednesbury, near a place called the broad waters, but the water was too powerful for the ma- 
 chinery, and he was forced to give up the undertaking; thus he had discovered a power sufficient 
 to produce any effect, but was unable to form machinery for using it. This was reserved for 
 after ages ; but the world is highly indebted to him for the principle, since so highly improved, 
 and so generally applied. 
 
 The Birmingham canal is brought to this town, and, continues Mr. Pitt, " the most power- 
 ful machinery in the world for raising water, has been erected in this neighbourhood, at Oaken- 
 hill, by the Birmingham canal company, upon Boulton and Watt's application of Savary's 
 principle."" 
 
 The art of manufacturing iron with pit- coal being perfected, furnaces are uncommonly nu- 
 merous in the vicinity of Wednesbury ; they are plentifully supplied with materials on the spot, 
 and the utmost facility for the conveyance of the manufactured goods afforded by branches from 
 the canal in all directions. 
 
 This town is of great antiquity : the church is a fine old gothic structure, supposed to have 
 been built by Dudo, Lord of Dudley, in the eighth century, at the same time he built Dudley 
 castle. Here are also meeting-houses for Presbyterians, Quakers, and Methodists. Of the latter 
 sect, Mr. Pitt states that, "in the year 1742, when Lady Huntingdon sent John and Charles 
 Wesley to Wednesbury to preach the doctrine of Methodism, the miners, and iron manufactu- 
 rers, who were then in rather an uncivilized state, rose in a mob, and broke the windows of the 
 house where some people had assembled to hear the preachers. Some of the rioters being 
 brought, by a warrant, before Justice Pershouse, he reprimanded the Methodists. The minister 
 
116 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 of Wednesbury then joined with the magistrates (according to Mr. Wesley) and the mob was 
 encouraged to persecute and insult the Methodists, and all who joined them. % 
 
 " These riotous proceedings being noticed by government, one of the Middlesex justices, in 
 an interview with Mr. John Wesley, informed him that he had orders from the king to do him 
 justice, his majesty being determined that no man in his dominions should be persecuted for 
 conscience sake. Thus, by the beneficent influence of the sovereign, the rioters were intimi- 
 dated, and the spirit of persecution subsided." It was not an uncommon thing at a much later 
 period, that the Methodist preachers were insulted in various parts of the kingdom — but a better 
 feeling and a better taste has prevailed for the last thirty years. 
 
 Mr. Nightingale thus describes the ancient church already alluded to. *' The church is an 
 elegant building in the pointed style of architecture, and adorns the summit of the hill, on which 
 the castle was situated. At one end rises a handsome tower, supporting a lofty spire of unusual 
 beauty. The interior is divided into a chancel, nave, and north and south aisles. These last 
 are separated from the nave, by a range of very neat arches, which rest upon octagonal pillars; 
 one arch being intersected by another pillar, produces a singular and awkward effect. In the 
 chancel are several prebendal stalls, ornamented with most exquisite carved work. Here are a 
 variety of monuments in honour of the ancestors of the families of Lords Dudley and Harcourt ; 
 against the north wall appears a very ancient tomb, on which are placed two female figures stand- 
 ing under Gothic niches, each having her right hand resting on a plain shield. On the floor are 
 cut out the figures of a knight and his lady, the one habited in full armour, and the other in the 
 dress of the times. Several more are visible on the stones, but are so much obliterated as to be 
 incapable of description. Within the rails is an alabaster monument to the memory of Mr. 
 Parkes, whose effigy, and that of his wife lie recumbent on the top. A monument adjoining the 
 south wall, represents a man and woman kneeling, having beneath them the figures of six chil- 
 dren. Around the church-yard is a large graff, in which the vestiges of the ancient fort may 
 be distinctly traced. The prospect from hence is among the most extensive in the county ." 
 
 The market at Wednesbury, is on Wednesday— Fairs, May the sixth, and August the fourth. 
 
 In the time of the Mercians, this place was distinguished by a noble castle, fortified by A del 
 fleda, who was for some time governess of this extensive kingdom. No part of this work <>f 
 antiquity now remains, except a few traces of its foundation. After the conquest it became a 
 portion of the royal demesnes. Henry II. however, bestowed it on the family of the Heron- 
 viles in exchange for the town of Cobsfield, in Yorkshire, so that it is now a parcel of the ho- 
 nour of Woodstock. From them it passed, after various successions, into the family of ilm 
 Beaumonts. 
 
 ■ 
 
 • 
 
8 OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 117 
 
 PENKRIDGE. 
 
 Penkridge is a large market town, and parish, in Cuttlestone hundred, situate on the river 
 Penk, and lies several miles north-west of Cannock, it is four miles north-east of Brewood, six 
 miles to the south of Stafford, ten miles north of Wolverhampton, and one hundred and twenty- 
 nine north-west from London. In 1821 it contained four hundred and sixteen houses, and two 
 thousand two hundred and ninety-nine inhabitants. 
 
 According to Camden* this town is built on the site of the Roman Pennocrucium, and he says, 
 " the military way continues from Wall, very fair and plain, almost without any breach, till it is 
 crossed and interrupted by the river Penk, and hath a stone bridge built over it at Pennocru- 
 cium, so called from the river, and standing at the* same distance which Antoninus has fixed ; 
 which town has not quite lost the' name at this day, being for Pennocrucium called Penkridge.** 
 At present Penkridge is only a small village, famous for a horse-fair, which Hugh Blount or 
 Flavus, the lord of it, obtained of King Edward II. 
 
 Mr. Nightingale says that li it derives its name, as is generally supposed, from the river 
 Penk, which flows past it, as does likewise the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Grand Trunk 
 canal." ... 
 
 Penkridge is undoubtedly a place of very great antiquity. According to some, as before 
 noticed, it is the Pennocrucium of the Romans, mentioned in the Itinerary of Antoninus. On 
 this point, however, there is considerable diversity of opinion amongst antiquaries. Camden 
 regarded it as having been that Roman station ; but Plott,* Stukeley, and Horsley, transfer the 
 latter to Stretton, a village situated in the neighbourhood, a little below the bridge under which 
 the river Penk crosses the Watling-street. But though differing with respect to the actual site 
 of Pennocrucium these authors all agree in considering Penkridge as having risen on its ruins. 
 A brass head, the bolt of a catapulta, was found here about the middle of the last century. 
 
 The church of Penkridge was formerly collegiate. In the reign of King Stephen, it was he- 
 Stowed on the bishop and churches of Lichfield and Coventry. Afterwards, however, the ad- 
 vowson was given by Hugh Huose, to the archbishop of Dublin, in Ireland, who was generally, 
 in subsequent times, dean here, and had the collation of all the prebendaries, who were thirteen 
 in number. At the dissolution, this church became the property of W. Riggs and William 
 Buckbird. It is an old building with a square tower, but possesses no architectural features 
 worthy of particular detail. 
 
 * Plott's Nat. Hist, of Stafford, p. 401. Horsley, 19. Salmon will not have Pennocrucium, to be in this 
 neighbourhood at all, maintaining it to have been situated at Oldbury, in Warwickshire. Survey of England, 
 vol. ii. 
 
118 
 
 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 The following particulars, respecting Penkridge, are extracted from the manuscripts of Sir 
 Edward Littleton, bart. and communicated by the Rev. Richard Slaney, vicar of the church. 
 
 " Sir Edward Littleton, bart. to the Rev. R. Slaney, Penkridge. 
 
 Teddesley, Nov. 3, 1807. 
 
 *• Sir, — By the first of Edward VI. 1547, colleges and chantrys are, by act of parliament, 
 
 vested in the crown, which puts an end to the claim of the archbishop of Dublin's jurisdiction 
 
 over Penkridge; and it remained in the hands of the crown till granted out to others. 
 
 The grant of King John to the archbishop of Dublin, bears date thirteenth September, 1206, 
 
 and is done away by the above first Edward VI. 1547, by an act of parliament. 
 
 - 
 Edward Littleton." 
 
 *' King Edward II., in the eleventh year of his reign, declared that the chapel at Pencriz, 
 and others, were his free chapels, and as such, exempt from all ordinary jurisdiction, impositions, 
 exactions and contributions, and accordingly ordained, that none should presume to encroach 
 upon their immunities."* 
 
 The church is a fine Gothic building of stone, with a square tower, and five bells. It is de- 
 dicated to St. Michael, being now only a curacy. " It is a royal peculiar, having four chapels 
 within its jurisdiction, namely, Dunstan, dedicated to St. Leonard ; Coppenhall, to St. Law- 
 rence ; Shareshill, to the assumption of the Virgin Mary ; and Stretton, to St. John. The 
 official of the peculiar holds visitations, probate courts, and licenses the incumbents to the cha- 
 pels. In the chancel of the church of Penkridge, there are several monuments of the Littleton 
 family, who are patrons of the church. 
 
 There is a charity-school in Penkridge for twelve boys and eight girls. 
 
 The principal manufacture of Penkridge, is iron, which is, however, inconsiderable. From 
 the situation of the town on the low and flat northern bank of the river Penk, it is subject 
 to inundations when that river is swelled by floods. The market is held on Tuesday, three 
 annual fairs are held in this town ; the thirtieth of April, September the second, and the ele- 
 venth of October. These fairs are allowed to be among the first in England for saddle and 
 draught horses. 
 
 A very considerable part of the extensive parish of Penkridge is the property of the Little- 
 ton family. 
 
 At a short distance to the south of Penkridge, is the village of Lapley, where there formerly 
 stood an alien priory of black nuns, belonging to the religious body of St. Remigius at Rheims, 
 on whom it is said to have been bestowed in the time of Edward the Confessor, by Aylmer, 
 Earl of Chester and Mercia. Henry I. afterwards granted it to the college of Tong. 
 
 Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum, p. 370. 
 
 _ 
 
 I • 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 119 
 
 ■ 
 
 ■ 
 
 LONGNOE. 
 
 Longnor is a township and chapelry in the parish of Alstonfield, in the hundred of Tot- 
 mans-low — six miles north-east from Leek, and one hundred and fifty-two from London — In 1811 
 it contained about one hundred houses, and four hundred inhabitants; in 1821 it contained only 
 one hundred and one houses, and four hundred and sixty inhabitants. The market house stand- 
 ing upon an eminence, is neat and convenient, and the market which is held on Tuesday, is re- 
 markable for the limited time allotted to the sale of its various commodities. 
 
 The small church or rather chapel, to the vicarage of Alstonfield, is a neat and modern struc- 
 ture of stone, with a high square tower adorned with eight pinnacles ; the interior is plain and 
 the pews of fir, painted to resemble oak. There are a small number of Dissenters and Me- 
 thodists. In the church-yard are several monuments, and, among others, is the following cu- 
 rious one, giving a biographical record of an old military veteran. 
 
 " In memory of William Billinge, who was born in a corn field at Fairfield's heath, in 
 this parish, in the year 1679. At the age of twenty-three years, he enlisted into His Majesty's 
 service, under Sir George Rooke, and was at the taking of the fortress of Gibraltar in 1704. 
 He afterwards served under the late Duke of Marlborough at the ever memorable battle of Ra- 
 millies, fought on the twenty-third of May, 1706, where he was wounded by a musket shot in 
 the thigh ; afterwards returned to his native country, and with manly courage defended his so- 
 vereign's rights, at the rebellions of 1715, and 1745. He died within the space of one hundred 
 and fifty yards of the place where he was born, and was interred here the thirtieth of January, 
 1791— aged one hundred and twelve years. 
 
 Billetted by death, 1 quarter'd here remain, 
 
 When the last trumpet sounds. I'll rise and march again." 
 
 Other instances of longevity are inscribed on the tomb-stones here ; one to the memory of Sarah 
 Wain, who died January the twenty -eighth, 1809, aged ninety -one years ; another aged ninety, 
 and several between eighty and ninety. 
 
 Mr. Nightingale states, that at or near this place, was born Andrew Bromzvich, a priest, who 
 suffered much persecution for being a Roman Catholic He was educated at the English col- 
 lege of Lisboe, where he was ordained, and sent back to his native country, upon the mission. 
 
 He followed the sacred functions near Wolverhampton, till the plot breaking out in 1 678, he 
 was apprehended, and committed to Stafford gaol. He was tried at the county assizes, August 
 thirteenth, 1679, together with William Atkins, a Jesuit; Sir William Scroggs sitting upon the 
 bench. The evidence produced against him by one Anne Robinson, who swore, that she fre- 
 
• 3 HHff*8i^J Views 
 
 quently heard him say mass, and had herself received the sacrament at his hands. This dread 
 ful charge of worshipping God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and the forms of 
 his ancestors, was further confirmed by one Geoffrey Robinson, who deposed that he heard Mr. 
 Bromwich repeat something in a language which the deponent did not understand, and use cer- 
 tain ceremonies in a surplice, &c. This man's wife, Jane, being called, would not swear that 
 she knew any thing injurious to the prisoner's character. Notwithstanding this, poor Bromwich 
 was condemned to die ; but his abominable vile persecutors afterwards thought better of the 
 matter, and he was reprieved and pardoned. It is painful and humiliating to a Protestant wri- 
 ter, to have occasion to mention instances of bigotry like this ; and many, to our shame be it 
 spoken, there are. 
 
 This village was supposed to have lain waste at the conquest, being in so wild a part of the 
 country, and is said not to have been inhabited, for a considerable time afterwards. It is not 
 mentioned in Doomsday-book, nor in the record called Nomina Villarum, taken in the time of 
 Edward III. 
 
 Payneseley near this place is mentioned as a seat formerly belonging to the Draycots, who 
 kept, according to the custom of those times, a fool or jester, whose name was Richard Morse. 
 This man had a very singular sagacity in distinguishing times and particular seasons. He could 
 not only tell the changes of the moon, the times of the eclipses, and at what time Easter and 
 Whitsuntide would fall, or any other moveable feast whatever; but could also tell, at what time 
 they had fallen, for several years previously — and when they would fall at any distance of years 
 to come. The author of the Magna Britannia* conjectures that all this wonderful knowledge 
 resulted not from any acquired knowledge, or "any thing that depends on custom or instruction," 
 but " must be referred to some remote and unknown impression, intimately seated in his soul." 
 
 HANLEY. 
 
 Hanley is a very extensive modern market-town, forming a most important portion of the pot- 
 teries, and is next in size to Burslem, which we have already described with the potteries ge- 
 nerally, but as no part of them can exceed Hanley in the respectability of its manufactories, it 
 deserves separate notice ; for, as Mr. Pitt justly remarks, however irregular the streets may 
 appear to an observer in the town, Hanley, from its elevated situation, appears to great advan- 
 tage when viewed from Cobridge, or from the turnpike-road between Newcastle and Leek, 
 
 i Vol v 107# 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 121 
 
 which passes near it. The Grand Trunk canal is close to the town, and affords the utmost faci- 
 lity of inland navigation, for the conveyance of the earthenware to Liverpool, Hull, and London. 
 
 Hanley is situate about two miles northward from Newcastle and is much noticed from the 
 elegance of its church, which was rebuilt of brick in the year 1788. This handsome and well 
 built structure is surrounded by an extensive well enclosed cemetery — the tower of the church 
 is one hundred feet high, and this edifice which cost upwards of ^5000. is a chapel of ease to 
 Stoke upon Trent. The patronage is vested in certain trustees. 
 
 Hanley has Methodist, and several dissenting, meeting houses. 
 
 The market of this place is plentifully supplied with provisions of every description and is 
 well attended. 
 
 It appears from a statement of Mr. Pitt that "in 1812, owing to the encreasing population 
 of the town, it was deemed necessary to apply to the legislature to empower certain trustees to 
 enlarge the market-place, and an act for ' establishing and regulating the market, and for 
 enlarging and improving the market-place,' at Hanley was obtained, and Wednesday and Sa- 
 turday are mentioned as the market days, but the latter is the principal." 
 
 In 1811, Hanley contained nine hundred and eleven houses, nine hundred and thirty families; 
 two thousand one hundred and sixty-five males, two thousand three hundred and sixteen fe- 
 males ; total, four thousand four hundred and eighty-one inhabitants. 
 
 LANE END. 
 
 Lake end is also a very populous and modern market-town. The church like that of Hanley, 
 of which it is supposed to be built in imitation of, is of brick, but not so pleasantly situate, the 
 site not being so elevated ; it appears that it was rebuilt about the year 1795. The original 
 chapel was principally built and endowed at the charge of the late John Bourne, Esq. and was 
 consecrated in 1764. Mr. Pitt pays the following tribute to Mr. Bourne: — 
 
 " Mr. Bourne was an inhabitant of Newcastle-under-line, and as our article for that place 
 was too copious to copy the monumental inscriptions of public characters in the church there, 
 we hope to stand excused by our readers in taking this opportunity of recording a just tribute 
 of respect to a pious, benevolent, man, and a benefactor to the people of Lane End. Mr. 
 Bourne was buried at Newcastle, and in the church there, on a mural monument, is the follow- 
 ing inscription. 
 
 " In memory of John Bouene, Esq. late a worthy inhabitant of this town (Newcastle-under- 
 line) and one of His Majesty's justices of peace for the county of Stafford. A man very re- 
 
 R 
 
122 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 markable for his extensive liberality. His zeal for religion appeared from several new chapels 
 erected and endowed in this neighbourhood, chiefly at his expence. His benevolence towards 
 man was shewn by a constant readiness to assist the needy with whatever their wants required ; 
 and by strenuously supporting every measure which promised happiness to mankind. As a ma- 
 gistrate he was active and impartial, distributing justice with temper and judgment. He was 
 kind to his relations, sincere to his friends, and forgiving to his enemies. He died a bachelor, 
 September the thirteenth, 1764, aged seventy-three years. 
 
 " He was maternal uncle to the Rev. John Fernyhough, B. D. who was forty-three years the 
 respected and beloved minister of Newcastle, and not only succeeded to a fair portion of his 
 uncle's fortune, but possessed his virtues also. He died March the eighth, 1803, at the same 
 age (seventy-three) was buried March the fifteenth at the same place, and was likewise a bene- 
 factor to Lane End chapel, inasmuch as he gave <£100. on the condition that another hundred 
 pounds was raised, which was accordingly done by subscription, and this was procured one of 
 the augmentations from Queen Ann's bounty to Lane End chapel. 1 ' 
 
 Lane End church is a chapel of ease to Stoke. The township of Lane End, including Lang- 
 ton, in 1811, contained one thousand and thirty-two houses, and four thousand nine hundred 
 and thirty inhabitants, of whom two thousand two hundred and seventy-seven were males, and 
 two thousand six hundred and fifty-three females. 
 
 Mr, Pitt gives the following extraordinary instances of longevity, extracted from the parish 
 register ; " Lydia Barber died October the twenty-seventh, 1769, aged, one hundred and seven 
 years; Rosomond Cook, died September the twenty-third, 1774, aged one hundred and twenty- 
 four years; Elizabeth Mills, died February the fourteenth, 1776, aged one hundred years; 
 Sampson Smith, died August the eleventh, 1780, aged ninety -nine years, and Sarah Hollins, 
 died November the tenth, 1780, aged one hundred years." 
 
 A charity schpol for instruction in the English language was built and endowed in 1760: the 
 benevolent Mr. Bourne is said to have been the original founder of this charity. 
 
 TATENHILL. 
 
 Having in the preceding pages given an account of the market-towns of this county, we 
 shall proceed to describe some of its principal villages, and other objects, from the latest autho- 
 rities, and conclude the work with a delineation of those seats, of which we have already pre- 
 sented engravings. 
 
 The above extensive parish, and small village, of Tatenhill, is in Scisdon hundred, in the 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 12S 
 
 deanery of Tamworth, situate about two miles west by north from Wolverhampton, about the 
 same distance west from Burton, and one hundred and thirty-two from London. It is planted in a 
 deep narrow valley between two lofty hills skirting the eastern border of Needwood forest. The 
 church is an ancient large stone edifice, placed on an eminence east of the village, as is also the 
 Free school, a venerable fabric, erected in 1593, and lately much improved through the exer- 
 tions of Mr. Kirk. Mr. Nightingale states that " the superior lords of the chief manor, origi- 
 nally, were the Ferrers, earls of Derby,* fiom whom it descended to the house of Lancaster. 
 In the reign of Edward III. John of Gaunt made a grant of it to Sir Philip de Somerville, for 
 certain curious services^ which our limits will not permit us to narrate. From this family it 
 passed by marriage to that of Griffyth, who likewise possessed the adjoining manor of Bridde- 
 shus or Briddesdale. 
 
 The parish church is a large old building, consisting of a lofty nave and chancel, and sur- 
 mounted by a massive tower. On the floor in the body of it, are several ancient flat stones with 
 figures cut out upon them, but in so mutilated a state as to render it impossible to ascertain any 
 thing concerning them. The tower is remarkable as the Centrum Phonocampticum or object of 
 an echo, which returns no less than five syllables distinctly, though the distance of the Centrum 
 Phonicum, or speaker's place, does not exceed seventy yards.J Another uncommon echo is 
 mentioned by Dr. Plott, as having been formerly heard near the parsonage house, which so much 
 depended on the state of the weather, that it never answered except in frost. 
 
 There are several hamlets in this parish ; but that of Burton under Needwood alone deserves 
 to be noticed. This place was anciently called simply Berton, and seems to have been of some 
 consequence at the time of the Norman conquest. The church, a chapel of ease to Tatenhill, 
 is a neat building of stone founded about the commencement of the sixteenth century, by Dr. 
 John Taylor, a native of this village, and the eldest of three at a birth. The windows of the 
 chancel still display the remains of rich and elegantly finished paintings of the twelve apostles. 
 In the centre one, is the figure of the Saviour upon the cross. 
 
 Some years ago a variety of Roman coins were discovered in the vicinity of the small hamlet 
 of Callingwood. A curious and beautiful model of shittim-wood, the holy sepulchre, with the 
 church over it, was formerly deposited in a house possessed by Mr. Jolland. The history of it, 
 as well as the name of the artist, are unknown. It is remarkable that salt is so profusely mixed 
 with the soil of some parts of this parish, that even black cattle change their colour to a whitish 
 dun, after grazing upon it only for a few months. To the west of the principal village lies Sinai 
 park, once possessed by the abbots of Burton ; and now the property of the Earl of Uxbridge. 
 It is a rough hilly piece of ground, and derived its name from some supposed resemblance be- 
 tween it and the wilderness of Sinai. 
 
 • Baron, vol. i. p. 262. t See Shaw's Staffordshire, p. 106. Blount's Tenure's, 217. 
 
 Dugdale's Baronetage. % Mott's Natural History of Staffordshire, p. 28. 
 
\U PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 NEEDWOOD FOKEST. 
 
 This highly picturesque and beautiful forest which has so long been admired, had, until within 
 these few years, remained unenclosed in its fine natural state. It has not only been described 
 by the historian Camden as " a spacious forest and full of parks, in which the neighbouring 
 nobility eagerly pursue the cheerful sport of hunting," but has by a modern poet been beauti- 
 fully described in song. 
 
 About a century ago it consisted of nearly ten thousand acres in an open state of nature. It 
 is situated in the northern extremity of the hundred of Offlow, in the four parishes of Tutbury, 
 Hanbury, Tatenhill, and Yoxall. Jackson in his account of Tutbury says that there were for- 
 merly eight parks, impaled within the ring of the forest, called the parks of Agardesley, Stock- 
 ley, Barton, Heylins, Sherrold, Castle-hay, Hanbury, and Rolleston. That of Castle-hay, si- 
 tuate about a mile from the castle, was three and a half miles in compass, and that of Hanbury, 
 two miles and a half. 
 
 In the survey of Tutbury, (of which this ancient forest or chace is the most beautiful part) 
 at the commencement of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the following account is given : " The 
 forest or chace of Needwood, is in compass by estimation, twenty-three miles and a half, and 
 the nearest part thereof is distant from the castle of Tutbury but one mile. In it are seven 
 thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine yards and a halfe, and very forest like ground, thinly 
 set with old oakes and timber-trees, well replenished with coverts of underwood and thornes, 
 which might be coppiced in divers parts thereof, for increase of wood and timber, lately sore de- 
 cayed and spoyled. It is divided into four wards, viz. Tutbury ward, Marchington ward, Yoxall 
 ward, and Barton ward, each containing five miles or more in compasse." This forest anciently 
 formed a portion of the Duchy of Lancaster, and after the accession of Henry IV. it belonged 
 to the crown for centuries. The officers are composed of a lieutenant and chief ranger, assisted 
 by a deputy and four lieutenants, four keepers, and an axe bearer, an annual court is held by 
 the king's steward in honour of Tutbury, and a jury of twenty-four persons, residing within the 
 jurisdiction present and amerce all persons guilty of " encroaching on the forest or committing 
 offences in vert of venison." 
 
 The eye is delighted with a great variety of picturesque beauty, particularly in the more fer- 
 tile portions in the southern and middle divisions, which are diversified by hill and dale while 
 the northern portion is divided into deep ravines and lofty summits, clothed with a variety of 
 trees growing in the most luxuriant perfection, Mr. Pitt observes that " the uneven parts of the 
 forest, comprising upwards of one thousand two hundred acres, consisting of abrupt hills and 
 dells, will probably be appropriated to the growth of timber, and the remaining eight thousand 
 acres added to the cultivated land of the country. One-eighth of this quantity consists of light 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 125 
 
 sound loam, adapted to the culture of turnips ; and the rest, which is generally a red, or whitish 
 grey marly loam, will produce excellent pasturage, or be productive of good beans. 
 
 In the northern extremity of the forest is a singularly romantic valley, called Bertram's din- 
 gle, which, if private property, might be made uncommonly beautiful. Besides the natural 
 beauties of Needwood forest, it is adorned with four handsome lodges, which have for ages been 
 held under the crowrt on a lease of three lives, and transferred from time to time to different 
 owners. 
 
 All descriptions combine in bestowing an interesting picture of this pleasing tract of country, 
 among others, Mr. Nightingale remarks that " the natural disposition of this forest presents a 
 great and beautiful variety of aspect. Gradual eminences and easy vales, watered by murmuring 
 rills, with here and there a bolder and more abrupt swell, form its general feature. In the north- 
 ern parts, particularly within Marchington woodlands, the eminences are far more numerous and 
 lofty than in the middle or southern divisions. The forest here exhibits to the eye, a series of 
 deep glens, inclosed by steep and rugged precipices, incapable of agricultural improvement, but 
 happily covered with a vast variety of trees, among which the native oak, vigorous and luxuriant, 
 shoots up in great abundance. Mr. Shaw says, that the whole forest does not contain less than 
 one thousand acres of oak timber, a greater quantity than perhaps any district in England can 
 boast of possessing. The venerable Swilcar, a tree of immense size* and majestic appearance, is 
 situated in an open lawn, surrounded by extensive woods, and is supposed to have stood upwards 
 of six hundred years. It is thus addressed, in truly poetical strains, in the poem of "Needwood 
 Forest." 
 
 " Hail, stately oak, whose wrinkled trunk hath stood 
 Age after age the sovereign of the wood : 
 You, who have seen a thousand springs unfold 
 Their ravel'd buds and dip their flowers in gold ; 
 Ten thousand times yon moon relight her horn, 
 And that bright eye of evening gild the morn. 
 
 • • * • • 
 
 Yes, stately oak, thy leaf- wrapped head sublime 
 Ere long must perish in the wrecks of time ; 
 Should o'er thy brow the thunders harmless break, 
 And thy firm roots in vain the whirlwinds shake 
 Yet must you fall. — Thy withering glories sunk, 
 Arm after arm shall leave thy mould'ring trunk." 
 
 A white or red marly loam, more or less tenacious, but seldom approaching to the harshness 
 of clay, forms the soil in almost every part of Needwood. About a thousand acres are suffi- 
 ciently light for turnips, and seven thousand more are equal to the production of the finest 
 
 , * This noble oak measures twenty-one feet round the trunk, at the height of five feet ;' the lower stem ia 
 ten feet high clear, the whole height sixty-five, and the extent of the arms forty-five feet : it contains ana 
 thousand feet of solid timber. Pitt's Survey. Shaw's Staffordshire. 
 
126 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 crops of any species of grain, or to the feeding of cattle of the first rate kind. When brought 
 to a proper state of cultivation and improvement, which can easily be effected, and we trust will 
 shortly take place, this tract of country will be one of the most delightful and fertile districts in 
 Great Britain 
 
 On the north-west side of the forest is Ealand Lodge, the property of Lord Bagot, formerly 
 the residence of the author of Needwood Forest, a poem (Francis Noel Clarke Mundy), who 
 thus desciibes his beautiful retirement : — 
 
 "" On this green unambitious brow, 
 Fair mistress of the vale below, 
 With sloping hills enclos'd around, 
 Their heads with oaks and hollies crown'd. 
 With lucky choice, by happy hands, 
 Flac'd in good hour my dwelling stands ; 
 And draws the distant traveller's eye, 
 Enamour'd of its scenery ; 
 Where all things give what all express, 
 Content and rural happiness. 
 Where far retired from life's dull form, 
 Comes no intruder but the storm ; 
 The storm, that with contrasted low'r 
 Endears the fair, the silent hour. 
 Thus their wise days our fathers led, 
 Fleet ran their hounds, their arrows sped, 
 And jocund health with rosy smile 
 Look'd on, companion of their toil ; 
 Till tyrant law usurped the land, 
 Stretch'd o'er the woods his iron hand, 
 Forbade the echoing horn to blow, 
 Maim'd the staunch hound, and snapped the bow.*" 
 
 • This alludes to the order for lamng, or cutting off a claw of all dogs kept within the purlieus of th» 
 royal forests, to prevent their destroying the deer. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. t I«7 
 
 HANBURY. 
 
 Hanbury is an ancient village and parish in Offlow hundred five miles from Burton upon Trent, 
 and one hundred and thirty-one from London— in 1821 it contained twenty-eight houses, and 
 one hundred and forty-seven inhabitants. It is a vicarage, patron, the Bishop of Lichfield. 
 
 It is situated north of Needwood forest, upon an eminence that commands a very extensive 
 prospect of the fine meadows that ornament the banks of the Dove, and also the moorlands 
 and Peak hills. 
 
 The village is as delightful in summer as it is cold and bleak in winter. Its antiquity is of 
 great standing ; Mr. Pitt states that " in the year 680, the Saxon princess St. Werburgh re- 
 markable for her piety, became abbess of a nunnery, founded here by her brother Ethelred, 
 king of Mercia: she was buried in this nunnery; and in the year eight hundred and seventy- 
 five, her bones were removed to Chester, where an elegant shrine was erected to her memory. 
 No vestige of the nunnery is now visible ; but it doubtless stood to the east of the present 
 church, human bones having been frequently dug up in the ground now occupied by Mr. Hunt's 
 garden, and in an adjacent gravel-pit. 
 
 A family, who took their name from the place, were lords of this manor at a very early pe- 
 riod. At present, it belongs to the Villiers family, who appoint a game-keeper, and claim com- 
 mon rights on Needwood forest : the manor-house commands a most extensive prospect. Han- 
 bury church is an ancient stone edifice, with a square tower ; it stands on the edge of a steep 
 declivity, and was formerly a rectory, but is now a vicarage in the deanery of Tamworth. It is 
 dedicated to St. Werburgh, and was founded long before the conquest : the presentation is 
 vested in the bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. In the year 1793, the Rev. Hugh Bailye pulled 
 down the old vicarage-house, and built a new one on the opposite side of the church which com- 
 mands a charming and extensive prospect. 
 
 Extract from the Parish Register.—" On Sunday the fourteenth of September, 1777, about 
 eleven o'clock in the forenoon, a smart shock of an earthquake was felt in several places of this 
 neighbourhood (but not in the village) in some places indeed, particularly Cheshire and Lanca- 
 shire, it was so violent, that the people fled out of the churches in great terror. 1 * 
 
 There are several other interesting villages and hamlets in the parish of Hanbury ; the ham- 
 let of Faulde is delightfully situated on a fine natural terrace, rising over the meadows of the 
 Dove. 
 
 Coton-under-Needwood, and Draycot-under-Needwood are also manors in the parish of Han- 
 bury ; the former, belonging to Charles Adderley, Esq. was greatly improved a few years since: 
 according to the statement of Mr. Pitt, the ancient hall was pulled down, and the present com- 
 modious mansion built on its site in 1790, with suitable offices, and extensive and picturesque 
 
128 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 gardens and pleasure-grounds. English hospitality prevailed here some years ago, when the 
 social friends, Messrs. Adderley and Scott made it their residence. In the summer months they 
 pitched a tent upon a circular hill above Coton, where a flag was hoisted, when they were at 
 home, as a signal to their friends : 
 
 ** O mark upon yon round ascent 
 The social flag and open tent, 
 Where life's smooth paths with flowers are strewn, 
 And mirth makes every hour its own." 
 
 The flag-staff was struck in the year 1796. 
 
 Draycot-under-Needwood was another of the manors comprised in the gift of William the 
 Conqueror to Henry-de-Ferrers. It is recorded in Doomsday-book, in the following terms : 
 " The said Henry holds Draicote, which contains half a hide. The arable land is one caru- 
 cate in demesne, and four villans, and four bordars have two carucates. There are twelve acres 
 of meadow, a wood half a mile in length, and the same in breadth. The whole being valued 
 at fifteen shillings.'* 
 
 This manor has for ages been in the possession of the ancient family of Vernon, who came 
 originally from a town of that name in Normandy. In the meadow beyond Draycot mills are 
 the ruins of an old mansion, encompassed by a moat with a small drawbridge on the eastern 
 side. This was doubtless the manor-house, or residence of the ancient proprietors. There are 
 several extensive and extremely fertile meadows in the vicinitv of Draycot : the turnpike-road 
 from Lichfield to Sudbury passes through this manor. 
 
 The lowlands and meadows on the banks of the Dove amply compensate for the exposed and 
 bleak hills that surround it. The daisy, which Montgomery thus beautifully describes, may be 
 found here at almost any period of the year. 
 
 ** There is a flower, a little flower, 
 With silver crest and golden eye, 
 That welcomes every changing hour, 
 And weather's every sky. 
 
 The fonder beauties of the field 
 
 In gay but quick succession shine, 
 Race after race their honours yield, 
 
 They flourish and decline. 
 
 But this small flower to nature dear, 
 
 While moon and stars their courses run, 
 Wreaths the whole circle of the year, 
 
 Companion of the sun. 
 
 It smiles upon the lap of May, 
 
 To sultry August spreads its charms, 
 Lights pale October on his way, 
 
 And twines December's arms. 
 

 . 
 
h « 
 
 @ 
 
 C") 
 
 H 
 
 # 
 
 
 (0 
 
 © 
 
 u 
 
 u 
 
 I 
 
 
 i 
 
 R 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 o 
 
 n 
 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 129 
 
 The purple heath, and golden broom, 
 
 On moory mountains catch the gale. 
 O'er lawns the lily sheds perfume, 
 
 The violet in the vale. 
 
 But this bold floweret climbs the hills, 
 
 Hides in the forest, haunts the glen, 
 Plays on the margin of the rills, 
 
 Peeps round the fox's den. 
 
 Within the garden's cultur'd sound, 
 
 It shares the sweet carnations bed ; 
 And blooms on consecrated ground, 
 
 In honour of the dead. 
 
 The lambkin crops its crimson gem, 
 
 The wild bee murmurs on its breast, 
 The blue-fiy bends its pensile stem, 
 
 That decks the skylark's nest. 
 
 'Tis Flora's page : — in every place 
 
 In every season fresh and fair, 
 It opens with perennial grace, 
 
 And blossoms every-where. * 
 
 On waste and woodland, rock and plain, 
 
 Its humble buds unheeded rise ; 
 The Rose has but a summer's reign 
 
 The Daisy never dies." 
 
 SMETHWICK. 
 
 
 Smethwick has become a place of considerable importance, from its contiguity to Birmingham 3 
 and from the advantage of the Birmingham canal passing through it. It is a township in Har- 
 borne parish, four miles west by north from Birmingham, and one hundred and sixteen from 
 London. In 1811 it contained six hundred and thirty-one males, and six hundred and ninety- 
 seven females, total one thousand three hundred and twenty-eight. In 1821 it contained three 
 hundred and thirty-four houses, and one thousand nine hundred and fifty inhabitants. Mr, 
 
 S 
 
180 PICTURESQUE'. VIEWS 
 
 Pitt says that this manor was formerly the joint property of Mr. John Reynolds, and Mr. John 
 Baddeley ; the latter gentleman was a native of Shropshire, a most ingenious self-taught mecha- 
 nic, and mathematical instrument maker. In 1819 a neat chapel was erected here from a liberal 
 donation of Mrs. Dorothy Parkes and other voluntary contributions. There are several consi- 
 derable manufactories in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Smithfield Grove., the residence of — — Bacchus, Esq. is a neat and handsome structure t 
 the scenery around it is very beautiful, and the grounds are laid out with great taste. 
 
 MARCHINGTON. 
 
 Marchington is a small village or township and chapelry, in the parish of Hanbury, in Offlow 
 hundred, three miles south-east from Uttoxeter, and one hundred and five from London. In 
 1821 it contained one hundred and thirty-seven houses, and seven hundred and eighty -one inha- 
 bitants, including Marchington-Woodlands, forming a second township which consists of several 
 detached taverns and houses, rising a mile westward of Marchington chapel. Marchington vil- 
 lage also gradually rises on the southern side of the woody theatre of Needwood forest, and is 
 bounded on the north, by the beautiful river Dove. The manor belongs to the Talbot family. — 
 Pitt says that the earliest record of this manor is in the will of Wulfric Spot, the founder of 
 Burton abbey, dated A. D. 1004, in which he grants it to Wulfug. It was afterwards part of 
 the demesne lands appertaining to the honour of Tutbury, given by the Conqueror to Henry 
 de Ferrers, and is thus mentioned in the survey recorded in Doomsday-book : " Henry holds 
 Merchametone, in which are two hides, and in Edgarsley, one virgat of land. Ulric formerly 
 held it, and was a freeman. The arable land is seven carucates ; in demesne there are two, 
 with one servant, eighteen villains, and nine bordars, who have three carucates ; there are forty 
 acres of meadow, a wood affording pasture for cattle or d*»er, three miles in length and one mile 
 and a half in breadth :* the whole was then valued at one hundred shilline;s. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 181 
 
 WHICHNOR. 
 
 Whichnor is situated on an eminence on the northern bank of the Trent, midway between 
 Burton and Lichfield ; several curious customs are attached to this village and manor. It was 
 held in the tenth year of the reign of Edward III. by Philip de Somerville, under John of 
 Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, lord of the honour of Tutbury ; Sir Philip held this and other ad- 
 joining manors, under the tenure of keeping a flitch of bacon hanging in his hall at Whichnor, 
 at all seasons except during Lent, as a reward to any male or female, who could swear that he or 
 she had been united in Wedlock, a year and a day without repenting ; and that if they were 
 single, and to be married again, the demandant would take the same party again, in preference 
 to any other. The following is an extract translated from the ancient charter, originally written 
 in French. 
 
 " Nevertheless the said Sir Philip shall fynde meyntienge and susteiyne, one bacon flyke 
 hanging in his halle, at Wichenore, ready arrayed all tymes of the yere, bott in Lent, to be given 
 to everyche mane or womane married, after the day and yere of their marriage be passed ; and 
 to be given to everyche mane or womane married, after the day and yere of their marriage be 
 passed ; and to be given to everyche man of religion, archbishop, pnor, or other religious ; and 
 to everyche preest, after the year and day of their profession finished or of their dignity, reseyved 
 fn forme following. Whensoever that any such before named wylle come for to enquire for the 
 baconne in their on person, or by any other for them, they shall come to the bayliff or porter 
 of the lordfhip of Whichenour, and shall say to them in the manere as ensewethe : 
 
 " Bayliff or porter, I doo you to know that I am come for myself (or, if he come for any 
 other shewing for whome) one bacon flyke, hanging in the halle of the lord of Whichenour, after 
 the forme thereto longinge. 
 
 " After which relation, the bailiffe or porter shal assigne a daye to him, upon promise of his 
 feythe to return, and with him to bring tweyne of his neighbours, and in the meyn time the said 
 bailif shall take with him tweyne of the freeholders of the lordship of Whichenoure, and they 
 three shal goe to the mannour of Rudlowe, belonging to Robert Knyghtley, and there shall 
 somon the foresaid Knightley, or his bayliffe, commanding him to be ready at Whichenour, the 
 day appointed at pryme of day with his carriage ; that is to say, a horse and sadyle, a sakke, 
 and a pryke, for to convey and carry the said bacon and corn a journey out of the county of 
 Stafford at his costages ; and then the sayd bailiffe shall with the said freeholders, somon all the 
 tenants of the said manoir to be ready at the day appointed at Whichenour, for to doe and 
 performe the services to the baconne. And at the day assigned all such as owe services to the 
 baconne shall be ready at the gate of the manoir, from the sonne risinge to none, attendyng and 
 awayting for the comyng of him and his felowys chapaletts, and to all those whiche shal be 
 
m 
 
 182 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 there to doe their services deue to the haconne : and they shall lead the said demandant, wythe 
 tromps and tabours, and other manner of mynstralseye to the halle close where he shal fynde 
 the lord of Whichenour, ready to deliver the baconne in this manere. 
 
 " He shall enquire of him which demandeth the baconne, if he hath brought tweyne of his 
 neighbours ; who must answere, They be here redy ; and then the stweward shall cause these 
 two neighbours to swere yf the said demandant be a weddyt man, or have be a man weddyt, 
 and yf syth his marriage one yere and a day be passed, and yf he be a freeman or villeyn : 
 and yf his seid neighbours make othe that he hath for hym all these three points rehersed, then 
 shal the bacon be take downe and brought to the halle dore, and shall there be layed upon one 
 half a quarter of wheatte, and upon one other of rye ; and he that demandeth the baconne 
 shall kneel upon his knee, and shall hold his right hand upon a booke, which shall be laid above 
 the baconne and the corne, and shall make oath in this manere. 
 
 " Here ye Sir Philip de Somervyle, lord of Whichenour, mayntayner and giver of this ba- 
 conne, that I A. syth I wedded B. my wife, and syth I had her in my kepyng and at wylle by 
 a yere and a daye after our marryage, I would not have changed for none other, farer ne 
 fowler, richer ne powrer, ne for none other descended of gretter lynage, slepyng ne waking, at 
 noo tyme, and if the seid B. were sole and I sole, I wolde take her to be my wife before all the 
 wymen of the world, and of what conditions soevere they be, good or evyle, as help me God, 
 and his seyntys, and this flesh and all fleshes. 
 
 " And his neighbours shal make oath that they trust verily he hath said truely. And yf it be 
 founde by his neighbours aforenamed, that he be a freeman, there shall be delyvered to him 
 halfe a quarter of wheatte, and a cheese ; and yf he be a villein, he shall have half a quarter 
 of rye, withoutte cheese and then shal Knyghtley the lord of Rudlowe, be called for to carry all 
 their things to fore rehersed, and the said corn shall be leyd upon one horse, an the baconne 
 apperteyneth, shal ascend upon his horse, and shall take the chese before hym, if he have a 
 horse, and yf he have none, the lord of Whichenour, shall cause him to have one horse, and 
 sadyl, to such tyme as he passed his lordshippe, and so shal they departe the manoyr of 
 Whichenour, with the corn and the baconne to fore him, him that hath wonne ytt, with trompets, 
 tabourets, and other manoir of minstralsce, and all the free tenants of Whichenour; shall con- 
 duct him to be passed the lordship of Whichenour { and then shall they retorne, except hym to 
 whom apperteyneth to make the carriage and journey withoutte the countye of Stafford at t*he 
 costys of his lord of Wfiichenour, and yf the seid Robert Knyghtley, do not cause the baconne 
 and corne to be conveyed as is rehersed, the lord of Whichenour shal do it to be carryed, and 
 shal distreigne the said Robert Knightiey, for his default for one hundred shillings, in his ma- 
 noir of Rudlowe, and shall kepe the distresse so takyn irreplevisable." 
 
 
OP STAFFORDSHIRE. 13S 
 
 CARES WELL. 
 
 Careswell; or, as it is frequently spelled Caverswell, or Caverswall, is celebrated for its castie, 
 built by Sir William de Caverswall, in the reign of Edward II.; it is a very noble and durable 
 structure of stone, with four lower towers ornamenting this stately edifice — which consists of a 
 lofty keep, with an inner court : the whole is surrounded by a deep moat, well supplied with 
 water, rendering it inaccessible. The north-west front leading to the village is concealed by an 
 high wall, extending along the side of the street to the church-yard : strangers are entirely ex- 
 cluded. Pitt describes it as consecrated ground, and states that u in the year 1811, a number 
 of nuns, who had emigrated from France, and settled at Preston in Lancashire, removed to 
 Caverswall Castle, as a more secluded place. This castle, which was sold by the Hon. Booth 
 Grey, to Mr. Brett, a banker, of Stone, in this county, was taken on lease, by Walter Hill 
 Coyney, Esq. of Weston Coyney, for the nuns ; and the sisterhood, amounting to sixteen in 
 number, with their confessor, came hither. This priest, who is a man of very agreeable man- 
 ners, has taken much pains to convert several of the peasantry of the parish to the principles of 
 Catholicism, His success, however, has not been commensurate to his zeal ; when he has any 
 thing to bestow upon them, they are mean and willing enough to receive it; but he has disco- 
 vered that the majority of his converts come to the chapel in Caverswall Castle more for the 
 hope of gain than the hope of salvation. In the mean time, the nuns are sufficiently active in 
 the good work of instructing young ladies in the principles of their faith, and they have at pre- 
 sent, about thirty pupils in progress. Their discipline is sufficiently strict ; the pupils wear an 
 uniform of buff-coloured cotton ; they are not suffered to ramble beyond the bounds of the gra- 
 vel-walk which surrounds the moat, and two or three small fields ; they walk two and two, like 
 other boarding-school girls, and in their half-hour's exercise along the walk in the garden, are 
 required, as a religious duty, to utter their ave-marias and pater-nosters in a low voice. The 
 nuns themselves may be termed the Black Ladies. Their dress is entirely sable, with long thick 
 black veils thrown over the right shoulder. Their demeanour is grave, and they generally walk 
 with a book in their hands. Their countenances are pleasing and pensive ; and if a man ap- 
 proach them, they turn away as if they feared the imputation of vanity, or were in danger of 
 weakening their principles by gratifying the eye of curiosity ." 
 
 Caverswall is a parish in Totmanslow hundred, three miles west of Cheadle, and one hundred 
 and forty-six from London. In 1801, it contained about one hundred and fifty houses, and 
 eight hundred inhabitants. In 181 1, the parish, including the township of Weston Coyney and 
 Hulmes, contained one hundred and seventy houses, and nine hundred inhabitants. In 1821, 
 Caverswall parish alone was returned as containing ninety-two houses, and five hundred and 
 fifty-five inhabitants. It is a vicarage valued, in the King's Books, at £l. 5*. at?. 
 
334 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Of its ancient history, Mr. Nightingale gives the following account : — " Towards the latter 
 end of the reign of Edward II. Sir William de Careswell built a large, and uncommonly strong, 
 stone Castle, at this place, and surrounded it by extensive ponds, and a deep mote, with a draw- 
 bridge. The heads of the ponds had square turrets, for farther defence of the place. It was, 
 for a long time, the chief seat of the ancient and noble family of the Vanes, now extinct." The 
 old Magna Britannia gives the following account of this castle : — * Careswell, or Caverswell, 
 was, 20 Conq. held of Robert de Stafford, by Ernulph de Helding, but hath long been the 
 lordship of a family of that name, antient and gentile, descended, probably, from him ; for, 
 in the reign of Richard the First, one Thomas de Careswell, knight, whose grandson William 
 de Careswell, erected a goodly castle in this place ; the pools, dams, and houses of office, being 
 all masonry. His posterity enjoyed it till 19th of Edward the Third, when, by the heir-general, 
 it passed from the Careswells to the Montgomeries ; and from them, by the GifFords and Ports, 
 to the family of Hastings, Earls of Huntingdon, who were owners of it in the last century, [the 
 seventeenth] and, as we suppose, are still. The castle, in the beginning of that century, was in 
 reasonable good repair ; but was suffered to run into decay (if not ruinated on purpose) by one 
 Brown, the farmer of the lands about it, lest his lord should be at any time in the mind to live 
 there, and take the domain from him. It hath been since sold to Matthew Cradock, Esq. in 
 whose posterity it was in 1655, but is since come to Captain Packer."* This Matthew Cradock 
 was the son of George Cradock of Stafford, a wool merchant, who was clerk of the assize of this 
 circuit ;-f- he built a good house on the part of the site of the castle : of this house, Plot,:}: and 
 Mr. Grose have both given engraved views. It was after this place had passed out of the hands 
 of the Cradocks, that it became the property of William, Viscount Vane, of Ireland, who pos- 
 sessed it in right of his mother, the daughter and coheir of Sir William Jolliffe, Knt. who mar- 
 ried Mary, daughter of Ferdinando, the sixth earl of Huntingdon.§ It is now the property of 
 the Hon. Booth Grey, brother of the earl of Stamford. Lelandll calls it " the castel or prati 
 pile of Cauerwell." 
 
 Jn Careswell Church is a monument erected to the memory of William de Careswell, the 
 builder of the castle. It bears the following inscription : 
 
 " Willielmus de Careswellis." 
 
 This is at the head. Surrounding it is this distich : 
 
 " Castri structor eram, domibus, fossisq ; eemento 
 Vivis dans operam, nunc claudor in hoc monumento." 
 
 A nglice : 
 
 " 1 built this castle, with its rampiers round, 
 For the use of the living, who am under ground. 
 
 * Magna Brit, in loco. t Holland's Camden. Degge, MS. N. on Plot, p. 448. 
 
 Erdeswicke, p. 86, spud (lough's Camden, 11. 507. J Nat. Hist. Staff, plate xxxvii. 
 
 Sir £. Brydges' Collins' Peerage, vol. vi. p. 660. || It. vii. 36. 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 186 
 
 According to Erdeswicke, the following lines were subsequently written on this monument : 
 
 " William of Careswell here lye I, 
 That built this castle, and pooles hereby : 
 William of Careswell here thou mayest lye ; 
 But thy castle is down, and thy pooles are dry.''* 
 
 It has been thought, that this latter portion of the stanza was written to excite the attention 
 of the owner of the castle to its ruinous state, and to induce him to notice the rapacious conduct 
 of his tenant Brown. The former portion, it will be observed, Is an imperfect translation of the 
 original Latin epitaph. 
 
 HAMSTALL RIDWARE, PIPE RIDWARE, 
 
 AND 
 
 MAVESYN RIDWARE, 
 
 Are all manors to which considerable historical interest is attached, particularly the latter, 
 which is bounded on the south by the southern bank of the Trent ; on the east by Hamstall 
 Ridware ; on the north by the river Blythe, and on the west by the parish of Colton. After 
 the conquest, this manor was given by William I. to Roger de Montmorency, and it was subse- 
 quently held under him by Azeline, another adventurous follower of the conqueror. It is sup- 
 posed to have passed in right of blood from Azeline, to the family of the Mavysns, and accord- 
 ing to Pitt's account, " the manor continued in the possession of the Mavesyn family for ten 
 generations." In the year 1403, Sir Robert Mavesyn, Knt. was slain at the battle of Shrews- 
 bury. It appears that a feud had previously existed between this gentleman and Sir William 
 Handsacre ; and their animosity was influenced by the civil war. An authentic account of the 
 termination of the quarrel between these knights is preserved in Latin in the British Museum, 
 to the following purport. The river Trent flows with a clear stream by Mavesyn Ridware, so 
 called because on its southern bank is situated the ancient inheritance of the Mavesyns. The 
 inhabitants say that a jealousy subsisting between the families of Mavesyn and Handsacre, it %B 
 
 * Magna Brit. v. p. 99. 
 
136 PICTURESQUE VIEWS x 
 
 happened when Henry IV. had obtained the crown of England from Richard I., and it was ru 
 moured that Percy, of Northumberland, was in arms against the king, Mauvesin had ridden 
 forth with six or seven of his vassals on the part of King Henry : it chanced also that Hands- 
 Acre, who espoused the opposite cause, had left home the same day, with an equal number of 
 attendants, to join Percy. These rivals met, and, inflamed with rage, rushed furiously to battle ; 
 Handsacre was slain ; and the victorious Mauvesin, proud of his conquest, marching to Shrews- 
 bury, there lost his life, fighting valiantly for the king. Mauvesin and Handsacre fought on an 
 open flat meadow, just above High-bridge, in Mavesyn Ridware, lying on the side of the Trent 
 between their respective mansions, which are in sight of each other. Sir Robert left behind him 
 two daughters : Margaret, the younger daughter, became the wife of Sir William Handsacre, 
 Knt., and thus terminated a feud which had been so fatal. Sir John Carvarden, Knt. married 
 Elizabeth the eidest daughter, and co-heiress of Sir Robert Mavesyn ; and the manor devolved 
 on their descendants for seven generations. In the eighth year of James I., A. D. I6ll, this 
 mansion and its dependencies were possessed by Gerard Stanley, Gent, of Harlaston, in this 
 county, and John Chadwick, Esq., of Wadelane House, in Mavesyn Ridware. Mr. Chadwick 
 in right of his wife, became possessed of the ancient manor house, with five parts in eight of the 
 manor, and the whole of the fishery. In 1600 he became sole lord of Pipe Ridware, with 
 lands, and the fishery of the Trent down to King's Bromley, by purchase. In 1600 he gave 
 the manor of Pipe Riaware to Henry Agarde, Esq. of King's Bromley, m exchange for lands 
 in Mavesyn Ridware, and a fishery in the Trent, within Armitage, and Handsacre, above High- 
 bridge, so that he extended his right to both sides of the river. 
 
 * Mavesyn Ridware has continued in the family of the Chadwickes for upwards of two cen 
 tunes" 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 137 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 ■ 
 
 It was originally intended to describe in this work, only a few of the principal towns, and 
 the seats of the nobility and gentry, ancient castles, &c, without entering into a general dry 
 topographical detail. It will be found, however, that not only all the market towns, but the 
 principal villages, and the most picturesque objects have been noticed. 
 
 Similar descriptions of gentlemen's seats, with regard to situation, scenery, ha. has been al- 
 most unavoidable, nor could the whole be described, without entering into a work of treble the 
 extent of the present one ; we therefore hope to be pardoned for any places that may be omitted, 
 particularly where no historical record, or object of antiquity, is connected with them. 
 
 We cannot, however, conclude more appropriately, than by giving the origin, and general fea- 
 ture of the county, in a compressed form, as so many elaborate, and expensive works upon the 
 subject, are already before the public. 
 
 This county successively belonged to the ancient Cornavii of the Britons, the division of 
 Flavia Casarensis of the Romans, and the kingdom of Mercia, during the Saxon Heptarchy. 
 We shall not enter into the different etymologies and various opinions as to oarticular names of 
 places. 
 
 The original great features of the county, the two Roman military ways, Watling and Ick- 
 nield-street, pass through it ; the former entering it near Tamworth, Warwickshire, proceeding 
 westward into Shropshire : Icknield-street, passes out of Warwickshire into Staffordshire, at 
 Handsworth near Birmingham, proceeds beyond Shenstone, where it crosses Watling-street and 
 continues in a direction north-east by north, over the river Dove, at Monk's bridge* in Derby- 
 shire. A difference of opinion, however, and even a variation in the maps, respecting the de- 
 scriptions and derivations of this road, and the exact positions of the Roman stations, occur in 
 various writers. 
 
 Staffordshire is a long narrow tract of country, entirely inland, extending about sixty miles, 
 at its greatest length, north north-east, to south south-west; its greatest breadth, thirty-eight 
 miles, from Newton Salney, to Terbey Heath, near Market Drayton ; to Drayton in Shrop- 
 shire.-}- The number of acres in pasture, arable, and in woods, waters, and wastes, with the 
 number of houses, inhabitants, the poor and parochial rates, &c. in 1801, are thus given by Mr. 
 
 • PJott s Staff, p. 400. t Pitt's Agricultural Surrey of Staff, p. 2. 
 
138 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Nightingale. " It then contained about seven hundred and eighty thousand eight hundred acres 
 of land, of which one hundred thousand were pasture, five hundred thousand arable, and the re- 
 maining one hundred and eighty thousand eight hundred, woods, wastes, waters, &c. By the census 
 of the foregoing year, it appears that there were forty-five thousand, one hundred and ninety-eight 
 houses, two hundred and thirty-nine thousand, one hundred and fifty-three inhabitants ; of 
 which one hundred and eighteen thousand, six hundred and ninety-eight were males, and one 
 hundred and twenty thousand four hundred and fiftyvfive females; out of the foregoing, seven- 
 ty-two thousand four hundred and sixty-five were employed in trade and manufactures, and 
 forty-three thousand nine hundred and thirty in agricultural pursuits. The poors' rates in 1808 
 amounted to £] 10,624, at 4*. Z\d. in the pound, and the property assessment in 1806 was 
 £ 1,840,961. The parochial rates since that period have arisen to a still more alarming extent. 
 In little more than twelve months before the year 1795, they advanced in one parish (Tattenhall) 
 fifty per cent. The conclusion, (continues Mr. N.) therefore, if we had not actual observation 
 to confirm our statement, is rational, that the amount of the poors* rates, since that period, has 
 advanced in ail equal proportion." 
 
 This, we conceive, will be found erroneous; 1795 was a period of the war, at which the poors' 
 rates suddenly rose to an alarming extent; if they had continued to advance until 1806, and 
 from that period to the present time, in a similar proportion, they would have been insup- 
 portable. 
 
 In addition to Mr. Pitt's and Nightingale's statement, of the contents of the county in acres, 
 population, &c, it has been deemed necessary to give the last statement according to the parlia- 
 mentary returns of 1821, and by which a comparative estimate of twenty years preceding, may 
 be formed. Mr. Capper, of the secretary of state's office, thus describes the county. " Staf- 
 fordshire, a county of England, bounded on the north-east by Derbyshire, on the east by Lei- 
 cestershire, on the south-east by Warwickshire, on the south by Worcestershire, on the west by 
 Salop, and on the north-west by Cheshire. Its length from north to south is about sixty miles, 
 and its greatest breadth thirty-eight : it contains seven hundred and eighty thousand eight hun- 
 dred acres of land, having about five hundred thousand arable, and one hundred thousand in 
 pasturage. It is divided into five hundreds ; viz. Cuttlestone, Offlow, Pirchill, Seisdon, and 
 Totmanslow, in which are one city, Lichfield ; three boroughs, Stafford, Newcastle, and Tam- 
 worth ; sixteen market-towns ; viz. Abbot's Bromley, Brewood, Burton, Burslem, Cheadle, 
 Eccleshall, Leek, Longnor, Penkridge, Rudgeley, Stone, Tutbury, Uttoxeter, Walsall, Wed- 
 nesbury, and Wolverhampton ; and one hundred and eighty-one parishes ; the whole containing 
 sixty-three thousand three hundred and nineteen houses, and three hundred and forty-one thou- 
 sand and forty inhabitants ; viz. one hundred and seventy-one thousand six hundred and sixty- 
 eight males, and one hundred and sixty-nine thousand three hundred and seventy-two females, 
 <ff whom forty -two thousand four hundred and thirty -five families are employed in trade and 
 manufactures, and eighteen thousand two hundred and eighty-five only, in agriculture. The 
 amount of the assessment under the act granting the property tax, in 1815, was «£l,840,96l., 
 and the amount of money collected for the maintenance of the poor in 1815, was £\ 10,624. ; 
 being at the rate of 4*. 2irf. in the pound ; this county pays seven parts of the land tax, and 
 sends ten members to oarliament ; viz. two for the county, two for Lichfield, and two for each 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 139 
 
 of the boroughs. The average scale of mortality, for ten years, appears to have been as one to 
 fifty-six, of the population. 
 
 Its principal river is the Trent, which rises in the moorlands near Leek, running southerly 
 till it meets the Thame, about eight miles from Rudgcley on the border of Derbyshire ; thence 
 it turns north to Burton, where it becomes navigable, and passing through the counties of Der- 
 by, Nottingham, and Lincoln, falls into ithe Umber near Burton : there are several inferior 
 atreams all running into the Trent. The Severn enters the county at the south-west corner, 
 and passes into Shropshire. 
 
 The face of the county is various ; in the northern part is a range of hills that run on as far 
 as Scotland, the loftiest of them being about one thousand five hundred feet above the level of 
 the Trent. The climate of this county is various, but on the whole, inclines to wet. The valley 
 along the Trent, is for the most part very fertile, and beautifully adorned with seats and plan- 
 tations. The great forest of Cannoc, in the centre, once covered with oaks, has long been a wide, 
 naked tract. The agricultural produce is wheat, rye, barley, oats, hemp, flax, and all kinds of 
 kitchen vegetables. Coal is abundant in various parts, and supplies the numerous iron works, 
 and manufactories established at Wolverhampton, Wednesbury, Newcastle, &c. Iron, limestone, 
 copper, and lead ores, and also marble and freestone, are found in different parts of the county. 
 The manufactures of Stafford, are various and extensive, and principally arise from the various 
 branches of the iron trade and the potteries. This county has long been noted for its potteries, 
 and the perfection to which it has been brought of late years, by the ingenious inventions of Mr. 
 Wedgewood, renders it a very important object of commerce, both foreign and domestic. By 
 canal navigation, it communicates with Birmingham, Stourbridge, Bristol, Liverpool, and Hull. 
 The public roads are, for the most part, kept in good repair. 
 
 Staffordshire is included in the Oxford circuit, the province of Canterbury, and the diocese of 
 Lichfield and Coventry. There are some ancient camps, and the Romans had four military sta- 
 tions in this county ; viz. Mediolanum, now Knightly ; Uriconium, now Wrottesley ; Uracona, 
 now Lichfield ; and Etocetum, now Barbeacon, a village near Lichfield. 
 
 Of the original inhabitants of Staffordshire, there is a great diversity of opinion, between 
 Camden, Gough, Dr. Plott, Shaw, and others ; we can only therefore, refer to those writers, each 
 of whom endeavours to fix certain boundaries to the setdement of the Ice?ti t the Ordivices, the 
 Comabii, &c. Salmon confines the original inhabitants of this county to the two maritime coun- 
 ties of Norfolk and Suffolk ; to enter into the particulars, and the wars that waged here in early 
 days, would exceed our boundary. 
 
 Of the ecclesiastical history of Staffordshire, Mr. Nightingale coincides with Mr. Shaw, and 
 states that *'Mr. Shaw was of opinion that in the days of Druidism, the chief seat of the arch- 
 druid of Britain, was situated in the vicinity of Sutton Coldfield, which anciently formed a por- 
 tion of the forest of Cauk, or Caanoc, This conclusion is drawn from a -combination of evi- 
 dence which wc confess to us appears to possess considerable weight. The forest of Cannoc 
 lying nearly in the centre of England, corresponds with the position of the well authenticated 
 residence of that supreme priest of the continental countries. An extensive common here still 
 bears the name of Drood or Druid-heath. On this spot it is supposed the people were annually 
 accustomed to assemble to have their disputes, civil and religious, finally decided by the arch.. 
 
140 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 druid. The words Cannoc, and Coldfield, though unquestionably of Saxon origin, Mr. Shaw- 
 says, bear an evident relation in meaning, to druidical religious rites. Besides these circum- 
 stances in support of this notion, there are two large areas, immediately adjoining, which cannot 
 be well accounted for, except upon the supposition of their being the summer and winter habi- 
 tations of this sovereign Druid. A third area of smaller dimensions, which is placed at the east 
 end of the heath, may probably have been appropriated for the reception of some of his more 
 illustrious attendants. Add to all this, the position of the areas, particularly that now called 
 Knaves' Castle, than which perhaps there is not a spot in England, better adapted for making 
 observations in astronomy, the favorite pursuit of the Druids. The summit of Barbeacon hill 
 adjoining, commands an open and extensive view of Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire* 
 and Worcestershire, besides several counties in Wales. If, therefore, as we are informed, high 
 hills were the points from which, by means of fire, these priests gave notice to the country of 
 their quarterly sacrifices, what places could be found more suitable to their purpose than this ?" 
 
 Paganism continued to reign among the inhabitants of Staffordshire, forming part of Mercia. 
 till the reign of Penda, subsequent to its abolition in other states; and, according to Mr. Night- 
 ingale's account " Oswy, in conjunction with Penda, remained in possession of Mercia for the 
 space of three years, during which time Christianity was declared the established religion, and 
 the cathedral of Lichfield founded. At the end of this period, however, the inhabitants, weary 
 of subjection to a foreign master, revolted, and having proved successful in gaining their inde- 
 pendence, conferred the crown on Wulfhere, one of the sons of Penda, who still emlmiced the 
 Pagan idolatry." Wulf here's prejudices continued so inflexible against Christianity, that he 
 caused two of his sons to be put to death, for professing it, — an account of which appears in ano- 
 ther portion of this work. 
 
 Between Tamworth and Lichfield, in the surrounding Hopwas, are several beautiful seats, 
 among which, are Packington Hall, the residence of the Rev. Thomas Levett ; Comberford 
 Hall, William Tongue, Esq. ; Hints Hall, W. H. C. Comber, Esq. ; Swinfen Hall, J. Swin- 
 fen, Esq. 
 
 In the beautiful and interesting part of the county, surrounding Lichfield, are the delightful 
 residences of the following personages who occupy them : — Freeford Hall, Mrs. Dyott ; Berry- 
 hill Cottage, John Standly, Esq.; Beacon-place, Mrs. Hand; Mapel Hayes, J. Atkinson, Esq.; 
 Pipe Grange, Rev. Canon Bailye ; Stow House, Richard Gresley, Esq. ; Stow-hill, the Misses 
 Mills and Furnivall ; The Palace, Lady Oakley ; Elmhurst Hall, John Smith, Esq. ; Liswiss 
 hall, Mrs. Tyson ; and near the latter, Haunch Hall, John Breynton, Esq. 
 
 At Longdon, we have already noticed Beaudesert, the seat of the Marquis of Anglesea ; and 
 at Brereton, Armitage Park, the seat of T. Lister, Esq. has also been described. At Breton 
 is the seat of Miss Sneyd; and near it Lea Hall, J. Webb, Esq.; and Ravenhill, the Hon. 
 Orlando Bridgeman. 
 
 At Rudgeley is Hagley park, the Hon. H. Curzon (already described), and Stowe House, 
 Mrs. Hopkins. 
 
 At Wolseley Bridge is Haywood House, Colonel Master ; Wolseley Hall has already been 
 noticed. 
 
 Near Milford is a fine triumphal arch, and near it an obelisk ■ also Brocton Hall. William 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 141 
 
 Chet'wynd Esq. ; Brocton Lodge, Sir George Ghetwynd ; Milford Hall, Rev. R. Leggett ; 
 Ingestrie Hall (already described), Earl Talbot ; Milford Cottage, — Hanbury, Esq.; and Tixall 
 Hall, Sir Thomas Aston Clifford, Constable, Bart., which has already been described ; Tixall 
 Abbey is a fine specimen of ancient English architecture, and the place altogether, has consider- 
 able historical interest attached to it. 
 
 In taking a cursory view of the great number of seats of the nobility and gentry in this 
 county, and in meeting the wishes of many of the patrons to the work, that it should not be 
 rendered expensive, or be carried to too great an extent, it would not admit of inserting views 
 and descriptions of the whole of them within the proposed limits and intentions of the proprietor. 
 We shall, therefore, in a short retrospect, enumerate such places as have not already been no- 
 ticed, and in recapitulating others, refer to the immediate neighbourhoods in which they are 
 situate. 
 
 At about a mile distant from Tamworth, is Drayton Manor-house and Park, the seat of 
 Sir Robert Peel, and near it is Bonehill, the seat of Edmund Peel, Esq. Tamworth Castle 
 is inhabited by — Bramall, Esq. ; we have already given an account of Tamworth and its 
 castle ; another account describes this ancient and interesting pile, which stands on an artificial 
 mount, as having rather a sombre appearance, but, from its elevated situation, diffuses an air of 
 considerable grandeur around, and commands some highly picturesque prospects. The apart- 
 ments, though numerous, are not of fine proportion, if we except the dining and drawing rooms, 
 the former of which display a number of the coats of arms of the Ferrers' 1 family, and the other 
 a very richly sculptured chimney piece. 
 
 It was at the old mansion of Tixall, the seat of Lord Aston, that Lord Stafford was said to 
 have resided, and afterwards made prisoner in 1680, when he was charged with treason against 
 the state. In speaking of him, and the strong party opposed to him, Smollett says " they re- 
 solved to wreak their vengeance upon Lord Stafford, one of the prisoners in the tower, uncle to 
 the Duke of Norfolk, a nobleman of narrow understanding, and already overwhelmed with age 
 and infirmities. On the thirtieth day of November, he was brought to trial by his peers, the 
 chancellor, now created Earl of Nottingham, being appointed Lord High-steward for the occa- 
 sion. The evidences against him were Dugdale, Oates, and Tuberville ; the first deposed that 
 Lord Stafford, at Tixhall, the house of Lord Aston, had tempted him with the offer of five 
 hundred pounds, to murder the king. Oates swore, that he saw Lord Stafford, receive from 
 Fenwick, a commission for being paymaster-general to the army. Tuberville declared, that he 
 had conversed with Lord Stafford at Paris, where he promised to make his fortune, if he would 
 assassinate the king, who was a heretic, and a rebel against God Almighty. The prisoner made 
 such a defence as equally surprised his friends and enemies ; he proved Dugdale to be a knave, 
 who had cheated Lord Aston, defrauded his servants, and contracted debts, for which he had 
 been committed to prison, from whence he had no other way of extricating himself but by turn- 
 ing informer. He likewise made it appear that he was not at Tixall on the day mentioned by 
 the evidence ; he invalidated the testimony of Oates, by enumerating the omissions, additions, 
 and palpable contradictions in his former depositions ; by reminding the court of his perfidious 
 dissimulation in point of religion ; his solemn abjurations and execrations to support that false- 
 
142 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 hood by which he owned his credit was established among the Jesuits ; and the improbability 
 that a man concerned in a conspiracy of such importance, should have been abandoned to that 
 misery with which he was oppressed when he turned informer. He proved that Tuberville had 
 eloped from a convent, and turned trooper in the French service, from whence he had deserted ; 
 that he lived in the utmost indigence in London, and had been heard to say, " By God ! there 
 is no better business than that of an informer :"" and his servants swore they had never seen Tu- 
 berville with their lord, either in Prance or in England. The prisoner observed, that through 
 a course of forty years he had preserved his loyalty, in the midst of danger, difficulty, and civil 
 confusion ; and that it was not credible he should now, in his old age, when broken with infir- 
 mities, renounce the ease and affluence he enjoyed, to belye his former conduct, and engage in 
 such a villanous conspiracy against his sovereign, who had been always to him remarkably ge- 
 nerous and indulgent." 
 
 Notwithstanding the strength of his defence, the simplicity of his deportment, and his pa- 
 thetic protestations of innocence, he was convicted of high treason by a majority of four and 
 twenty voices. Hearing the verdict, he exclaimed, " God's holy name be praised !" When 
 the high-steward gave him to understand that the peers would intercede with his majesty, that 
 his sentence might be mitigated into decapitation, he shed a flood of tears, telling them he was 
 not moved to this weakness by the fear of death, but by a deep sense of their goodness. Though 
 he was not afraid to die, he discovered a desire of life ; and sent a message to the lords, intima- 
 ting that he would discover all he knew of any designs against the government. Being brought 
 to the house, he disclosed some schemes in which he had been concerned, for obtaining a tolera- 
 tion in favour of the Catholics ; and mentioned the earl of Shaftesbury as one who had under- 
 taken to procure this indulgence. The lords would not suffer him to proceed ; but remanded 
 him to the Tower, where he began to prepare for death with equal courage and resignation. On 
 the twenty-ninth day of December he was brought to the scaffold, where, in the most earnest 
 manner, he declared himself innocent of the crimes laid to his charge. He spoke of the wit- 
 nesses with charity and compassion, disavowed all the murdering and immoral principles imputed 
 to the Roman Catholics, and expressed his hope that the public would soon be undeceived, and 
 do justice to his injured reputation. The populace were melted at the meekness, piety, and re- 
 signation of this ancient nobleman, whose character had been always untainted, till the date of 
 this accusation. When he repeated his protestations with regard to his innocence, they cried 
 aloud, " We believe you, my lord — God bless you, my lord," Even the executioner was 
 softened ; he could not perform his office without hesitation, and marks of sympathy ; and when 
 he held up the head, according to custom, exclaiming, " this is the head of a traitor," no ex- 
 pression of assent was heard : all was still, silent, and sorrowful. 
 
 This was the last blood shed on account of that pretended conspiracy, which was invented 
 by a few needy miscreants, for the purpose of raising themselves from indigence and contempt ; 
 and afterwards fostered by a dangerous faction, to blow up the flames of discord through the 
 kingdom. To answer this perfidious aim, they scrupled not to abuse a whole people ; to exas- 
 perate them into a savage disregard of truth and common justice; and to exercise such acts of 
 barbarity as will remain upon record, an indelible stain upon the character of the nation. The 
 

 
 

 "•' 
 
 
 1 < 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 143 
 
 commons demanded other victims than Lord Stafford, who had disappointed them greatly, in the 
 hope they had conceived that he would make some discovery that would serve to keep up the 
 general ferment, which now began to subside. 
 
 Of the ancient manor and parish of Tixall, which is situate in Pirchill hundred, about four 
 miles from Stafford, it was, in the twentieth year of the reign of William the Conqueror, held of 
 bim by Roger de Montmorency. In the reign of Henry II. it was held by Peganus de Gaste- 
 nois, and in whose family it continued for many generations, the latter branch of which took the 
 name of Wartney. Roger Wartney leaving only a daughter, and she (who was married to Sir 
 John Mavestone) leaving no issue, the Littletons succeeded to the estate, it passed from them to 
 the Astons. One of whom (Sir Edward) erected Tixall Hall ; to which a noble gate-house of 
 stone; was added by Sir Walter Aston, in the sixteenth century. The old mansion fell into 
 a state of decay, and was dismantled, and the present neat structure erected in its stead in 1780. 
 
 The manor of Tixall, is the property of Sir Thomas Aston Clifford Constable, whose family 
 we have already given an account of. 
 
 The situation of the parish of Tixall is a most pleasing one, for as Pitt remarks — " the Staf- 
 fordshire and Worcestershire canals pass through it to the south, and forms a beautiful lake, im- 
 proving the view of the landscape from Tixall-hall. 11 The upland is a rich loam, and the mea- 
 dows on the banks of the Trent and the Sow, are luxuriantly fertile. A large quarry of excel- 
 lent free-stone on this estate, supplies great quantities of durable stone for building locks and 
 bridges, for which it is peculiarly well adapted, having the property of resisting the action of 
 water. 
 
 Eccleshall Castle. — In our account of Eccleshall, we gave same account of this, its principal 
 feature. The castle is occupied by the bishop of Lichfield and Coventry — and Mogg observes 
 respecting it " this building was founded at so early a period, that by whom, history does not 
 make mention." Bishop Muschamp, was, however, empowered by license from King John, 
 about the year 1200, to embattle the castle, and make a park here; so that a castellated edifice 
 must have existed for some years prior to that period. In 1310 it was entirely rebuilt and 
 established as the principal residence of the Bishop of Lichfield, by Walter de Langton, but his 
 successors do not appear to have occupied it much till near the end of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury, at which time, being perfectly untenable from having stood a severe siege in the king's 
 cause during the civil wars, it was thoroughly repaired, and the whole of the south front entire- 
 ly renewed in IGQ5, and it has ever since been the constant residence of the bishops of that 
 diocese. 
 
 Near to Eccleshall Castle is Brockton Hall ; and at Sugnall near Croxton, is the residence of 
 the Misses Swinnerton. 
 
 At Broughton is Charness Hall the seat of W. Yonge, Esq.; and Broughton Hall, Rev. H. 
 Delves, Broughton. At Stapenhill, the seats of William Davenhill, Esq., and Mrs. Clay. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Burton upon Trent are several handsome seats, among others, is 
 Dove Cliff, Thomas Thornville, Esq. ; Rolleston Hall, Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart. 
 
 Near Tutbury is Needwood house, Robert Stone Esq. ; and at Wichnor* Catton HaJl, Ro- 
 bert John William Horton, Esq. 
 
 * At Wichnor is also Wichnor Lodge, Thtophilus Leggett, Esq.; and Orgreave Hall, Viscount Anson. 
 
144 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 Near Elford Mill, Elford Hall, the seat of the Honorable Greville Howard. 
 
 Near Branston is Dunstall, the seat of Charles Arkwright, Esq. ; and Rangemoor, John 
 Rigby, Esq. 
 
 Lichfield— Elmhurst Hall, J. Smith, Esq. 
 
 Wolseley Bridge— Park House, Bellamour House, J. Oldham, Esq. 
 
 The beautiful mansion of Bellamour House, the seat of J. Oldham, Esq., of which we 
 have given a view, lies embosomed amid a variety of fine trees, backed by a fine hilly country 
 richly furnished with scenery ; the front view from it is also a delightful one, indeed the scenery 
 ornamenting the seats surrounding Wolseley Bridge, stand unrivalled. 
 
 Great Haywood — Shugborough, Viscount Anson ; Haywood House, Colonel Master. 
 
 Shirleywich— Ingestrie Hall, Earl Talbot ; Wichdon Lodge, William Moore, Esq. 
 
 Stone — Broom's Cottage, W. B. Meeke, Esq. 
 
 Darlaston — Darlaston Hall, Swinfen Jervis, Esq. ; Meaford Hall, Lord Viscount St. Vin- 
 cent; Parkfields, Miss Wedgewood. 
 
 Swinnerton — Swinnerton Park, T. Fitzherbert, Esq. 
 
 Trentham Inn— Longton Hall, R. E. Heathcote, Esq. ; Trentham Park, Marquis of Staf- 
 ford ; Maer Hall ; Josiah Wedgewood, Esq. 
 
 Swinfen — Swinfen Hall, I. Swinfen, Esq. 
 
 Rugeley — Colton Hall, Mrs. Salt; Bishton Hall, Mrs. Sparrow. 
 
 Weston — Chartley Park, Earl Ferrers. 
 
 Sandon — Sandon Hall, Earl Harrowby. 
 
 Flask— Butterton Hall, Thomas Swinnerton, Hugh Smith, Esq. ; Stoke Lodge, Thomas 
 Fenton, Esq. ; Fenton Hall, William Bishop, Esq. 
 
 Newcastle under Lyme — Newport House, John Davenport, Esq.; the Cloughs, I.B.Bassett, 
 Esq. Keel Hall, Walter Sneyd, Esq. ; the Mount, Josiah Spode, Esq. ; ClifF-ville, John Tom- 
 linson, Esq. ; Stonyfield, John Anderton, Esq. ; Adderley Hall, Sir Andrew Corbett, Bart. ; 
 Dimsdale, I. Richard Bennett, Esq.; Watland, Spencer Rogers, Esq.; Broadwall Hall, Wil- 
 liam Sneyd, Esq. 
 
 Newcastle upon Tyne — Etruria, Josiah Wedgewood, Esq. ; beyond Clough Hall, Thomas 
 Kinnersley, Esq. ; Basford Hall, Dr. Richard Bent. 
 
 Leek— Westwood House, John Davenport, Esq. ; Ball Hay, F. G. Spilsbury, Esq. ; West- 
 wood Hall, Rev. H. Rice ; Westwood House, Captain Powis ; Wall Grange, Marquis of Staf- 
 ford ,• Hare Gate, — Toftchorley, Esq. 
 
 Cheadle— Huntley Hall, Captain Sneyd ; Hales Hall ; Baddsley Child, Esq. 
 
 Woodhead, Thomas Thompson, Esq. 
 
 Alton — Alton Abbey, the Earl of Shrewsbury. 
 
 Handsacre— Bromley Hall, John Newton, Lane, Esq. 
 
 Tittensor Mill, Barlaston Hall, Ralph Adderley, Esq. 
 
 Cannoc— Hilton Hall, Henry Edward Charles Vernon Graham, E>q. 
 
 Walsall— Benton Hall, Hon. Edward Anson ; Great Barr Hall, Sir Edward Scott ; Char- 
 leroont Hall, Thomas Price, Esq. 
 
 Wolverhampton — Woodhouse, Ely Shaw, Esq. ; Himley Hall, Lord Viscount Dudley and 
 Ward. 
 

 • 
 
1m 
 

 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 ■■• 
 

OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 145 
 
 Stourton Manor and Castle. — We have omitted to notice this place, which is of some in- 
 terest, and have given a view of Stourton Castle, which, although stated to be in ruins, is 
 now inhabited by Madam Graisbrook. It is beautifully situated, and the surrounding 
 country is peculiarly fine. This Castle was garrisoned during the civil wars, and in 1644 it 
 surrendered to the King. — It was anciently the property of the Hamptons, one of whose 
 Lords was in possession of it in the fifteenth century. This Castle is also particularly wor 
 thy of notice, from the circumstance of the celebrated Cardinal Pole being born in it, in the 
 year 1500. His biographer states that his descent was illustrious, being a younger son of 
 Richard Pole, (Lord Montague) and cousin-german to Henry VII. His mother was Mar- 
 garet, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, brother to Edward the Fourth. This Prelate's 
 early education was conducted by a private tutor, from whose charge he was removed, at a 
 proper age, to Magdalen College, Oxford. Having finished his studies, he went into orders, 
 and soon after went abroad to attend the Foreign Universities, during which time he v was 
 allowed a very handsome pension by Henry VIII., who likewise conferred upon him se- 
 veral Benefices, in commendam. In 1525, he returned to England, and was received by the 
 King with distinguished marks of favour. His Court influence, however, was but of short 
 duration; for having vigorously opposed the divorce of Catharine of Arragon, he became so 
 obnoxious to Henry, that he was compelled to seek shelter in Italy, where he wrote his ce- 
 lebrated piece, intituled, " De Unitate Ecclesiastical This work exasperated the Monarch 
 so highly, that he not only deprived him of all his preferments, but even caused an Act of 
 Attainder to be passed against him. He did not, however, sustain very material loss by this 
 harsh conduct of his kinsman, for the Court of Rome immediately preferred him to several 
 Benefices in Italy, and raised him to the dignity of a Cardinal. Upon the death of Pope 
 Paul the Third he was twice elected to the vacant Throne, but declined the honour, because 
 one election was too hasty and the other made in the night time. This truly commendable 
 delicacy so much disobliged his friends, that they no longer afforded him their support, and 
 in consequence the Bishop of Paletrina obtained the Papal See. Immediately after Queen 
 Mary ascended the Throne of England the attainder against the Cardinal was repealed, 
 and he returned with distinguished honour to his native country. His first act, upon his 
 arrival, was to absolve the kingdom from the Papal Interdict, under which it laboured on 
 account of the apostacy of Henry VIII. He was advanced to the Archbishopric of 
 Canterbury, but enjoyed this situation only a few months, having died on the 17th of 
 November, 1558, the same day on which the Queen herself expired. * 
 
 Stourton has been remarked, as well as the Hyde (about a mile above Kinver) as having 
 an iron rod mill, for rolling or slitting iron. Dr. Wilkes states that the iron rolling mill at 
 the Hyde, was the first that was erected in England, and observes, that one Brindley, whose 
 posterity long enjoyed it, went into Germany, and there acted the part of a fool, and by that 
 
 * Geu. Biog. Diet. 
 
 u 
 
146 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 means obtained this excellent machine, which has been so serviceable, and brought so much 
 money into this country. 
 
 In reference to eminent men (in addition to those already noticed in the preceding pages) 
 born in this county, we notice the following : — 
 
 Ellas Ashmole, was of humble birth, and, like Dr. Johnson, received his education at the 
 Grammar School of Lichfield, where he was born on the 23d of May, 1617. He afterwards 
 rendered himself conspicuous, both in a civil and military capacity, and in the world of 
 Letters. Mr. Pitt enters into an interesting and lengthened biographical account of him ; 
 our limits will only admit of the following compressed account, as given by Mr. Stephen 
 Jones : — " Elias Ashmole, or Asmole, was a celebrated English Philosopher and Antiquary, 
 and founder of the Ashmolean Museum, at Oxford. Besides filling several offices, civil and 
 military, Mr. Ashmole was a diligent and curious collector of manuscripts. In 1650, he 
 published a Treatise, written by Mr. Arthur Dee, on the Philosopher's Stone ; together 
 with another Tract, on the same subject, by an unknown author. About the same time he 
 was busied in preparing for the press a complete collection of the works of such English 
 Chemists as had, till then, remained in manuscript. This undertaking cost him great 
 labour and expense ; and at length the work appeared towards the close of the year, 1652. — 
 The title of this work was ' Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, fyc. #c.' He then applied 
 himself to the study of antiquity and records. In 1658, he began to collect materials for 
 his ' History of the Order of the Garter,' which he lived to finish, and did no less honour 
 to the Order than to himself. In September following he made a journey to Oxford, where 
 he set about a full and particular description of the coins given to the Public Library by 
 Archbishop Laud. Upon the Restoration of King Charles II., Mr. Ashmole was introduced 
 to his Majesty, who received him very graciously, and, on the 18th June, 1660, bestowed on 
 him the place of Windsor Herald ; a few days after, he appointed him to give a description 
 of his medals, which accordingly were delivered into his possession, and King Henry the 
 Eighth's closet was assigned for his use. On the 8th of May, 1672, he presented his 'In- 
 stitution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter ,' to the King, who 
 received it very graciously, and as a mark of his approbation, granted him a privy seal for 
 £400., out of the custom of paper. On the 26th of January, 1679, a fire broke out in the 
 Middle Temple, in the next chamber to Mr. Ashmole' s, by which he lost a noble library, 
 with a collection of 9000 coins, ancient and modern, and a vast repository of seals, charters, 
 and other antiquities and curiosities ; but his manuscripts, and his most valuable gold 
 medals were, luckily, at his house at South Lambeth. In 1683, the University of Oxford, 
 having finished a magnificent Repository, near the Theatre, Mr. Ashmole sent thither his 
 curious collection of rarities; and this benefaction was considerably augmented by the ad- 
 dition of his manuscripts and library at his death, which happened at South Lambeth, May 
 18, 1692. He was interred at the church of Great Lambeth, in Surrey, on the 26th of 
 May, 1692." . 
 
 Ashmole, speaking of the robes worn by ladies at the Festivals of the Order, says : — " There 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 147 
 
 seems to he some intimation of wearing a Garter also on the left arm, as is to be observed 
 fi'om the Countess of Tankerville's monument, in St. Katherine's Church, near the Tower :" 
 " To which may be added," says Anstis, " the lady of Sir Robert de Harcourt, who is re- 
 presented on her monument (in the fifteenth century) with the Garter and the Motto, ' Hony 
 soit quy mal y pense] just above the elbow of the left arm." * 
 
 Dr. Samuel Johnson. — In our account of Lichfield, only a few lines were devoted to that 
 great and talented man : indeed, after so much has been written, and so ably, on the sub- 
 ject, little remains of a novel character, beyond the Life and Anecdotes given of him by Sir 
 John Hawkins, and his friends, Mrs. Thrale, and James Boswell. We shall not attempt 
 even to abridge their statement, but merely insert the heads of his literary career and extra- 
 ordinary labours, as compressed and described by Mr. Jones. 
 
 " Dr. Samuel Johnson, was born at Lichfield, in 1709, where his father was a respectable 
 bookseller. He was entered of Pembroke College, Oxford, October 31, 1728, but left the 
 University without taking any degree. In March, 1737, he came to London, where he 
 appears to have met with disappointments which disgusted him with the town ; for, in 
 August, we find him desirous of returning again into his native country, to take upon him- 
 self the office of Master of a Charity School, in Shropshire, then vacant, the salary of which 
 was £60. a-year. But the Statute of the School requiring the person who should be 
 elected to be Master of Arts, this attempt seems to have been frustrated. In 1740, he began 
 to write the ' Debates in the Senate of Lilliput] printed in the Gentleman's Magazine ; 
 and after producing some poems, translations, and biographical works, which met with a 
 good reception, particularly ' London] the * Vanity of Human Wishes] and ' The Life of 
 Savage] he brought forth ' Irene] a tragedy, in 1749. This not meeting with the success 
 he expected, he set about his ' Dictionary.'' The execution of this plan cost him the 
 labour of many years, but he was amply repaid by the fame he acquired. During the re- 
 cesses of this stupendous labour, he published his * Rambler? The reputation of these 
 Avorks gained him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in the University of Dublin, 
 which was soon after followed by the same degree from Oxford. To this succeeded his ' Idlers? 
 His next publication was i Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia] a beautiful little novel, in the Eastern 
 style, abounding with the most useful and moral maxims, suited to the several conditions of life. 
 Of his political works, which followed at distant intervals, the public are more divided about 
 the merits ; it is, however, but fair to presume, that they were his candid opinions upon the 
 subjects, and, as such, deserving of no censure from the judgment of impartiality. His last 
 undertaking, ' The Lives of the British Poets] would alone have been sufficient to immor- 
 talize his name among his countrymen, as it by far exceeds anything executed upon a 
 similar plan by foreigners ; and though the critical remarks in a few instances incorporate a 
 little too much with political opinions, their general excellence must always give them a 
 deserved celebrity. .It is said that he was executing a second part of * The Prince of Abys- 
 
 * Nichols's Anecdotes, vol. 6, p. 327. 
 U 2 
 
148 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 sinia? and was in hopes to have finished it before his death, which event happened -Dec. 13, 
 1784." The editor of the " Biographia Dramatical after bestowing many just encomiums 
 on the genius of Dr. J., says, " it would be the highest injustice, were I not to observe that 
 nothing but that genius can possibly exceed the extent of his erudition ; and it would be 
 adding a greater injury to his still more valuable qualities, were we to stop here ; since, to- 
 gether with the ablest head, he seems possessed of the very best heart at present existing. 
 Every line, every sentiment, that issues from his pen, tends to the great centre of all his 
 views, the promotion of virtue, religion, and humanity ; nor are his actions less pointed 
 towards the same great end. Benevolence, charity, and piety, are the most striking fea- 
 tures of his character ; and while his writings point out to us what a good man ought to 
 be, his own conduct sets us an example of what he is." A statue to Dr. Johnson's memory 
 has been erected in St. Paul's cathedral. In an East India newspaper, we met with the 
 following picture of this celebrated character : 
 
 " Herculean strength, and a stentorian voice, 
 Of wit a fund, of words a countless choice j 
 In learning rather various than profound, 
 In truth intrepid, in religion sound ; 
 A trembling frame, and a distorted sight, 
 But firm in judgment and in genius bright : 
 In controversy rarely known to spare, 
 But humble as the publican in prayer ; 
 To more than merited his kindness, kind, 
 And, tho' in manners harsh, of friendly mind ; 
 Deep-tinged with melancholy's blackest shade, 
 
 And, tho' prepared to die, of death afraid 
 
 Such Johnson was, — of him with justice vain, 
 When will this nation see his like again ?" 
 
 Elijah Fenton. — In the account of the Village ofShelton, (the birth-place of Fenton,) will 
 be found a biographical sketch of that amiable poet, with an allusion to some of his produc- 
 tions ; and, as his biographer remarks : — After the masterly critique of Dr. Samuel John- 
 son, that greatest of critics and biographers, it would be ridiculous to enter into an analysis of 
 Fenton' s original poems. " To examine his performances one by one would be tedious." — 
 His translation of Homer into blank verse, will find few readers while another can be had 
 in rhyme. The piece addressed to Lambarde, is no disagreeable specimen of epistolary 
 poetry, and his ode to Lord Gower was pronounced by Pope the next ode in the English 
 language to Dry den's " Cecilia." Fenton may be justly styled an excellent versifier, and a 
 good poet. 
 
 Isaac Hawkins Browne, — A writer of considerable talent in the early part of the 18th 
 century, was born at Burton -upon-Trent, January 21, 1706. His father, the Rev. Wm. 
 Browne, was minister of that parish ; and from his possessing a small inheritance, which 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 149 
 
 was increased by his union with Anne, daughter and heiress of Isaac Hawkins, Esq. the 
 son, as Mr. Pitt truly remarks, was from his earliest infancy blest with all the aid which 
 opulence could give to facilitate his studies. His productions would have been much more 
 noticed and admired, but from the circumstances of many of them being written in Latin. 
 
 In 1724, he was selected as a scholar upon a Foundation established by George I. at the 
 Universities, — " for the Study of Foreign Languages and History, to qualify the Students for 
 employments at Court, and on Foreign Embassies." 
 
 During the period of his residence at Lincoln's Inn, he amused himself in writing several 
 poetical pieces. 
 
 On the 10th of Feb. 1734, he married Jane, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Trimnell, Arch- 
 deacon of Leicester. This marriage took place when he was in the 29th year of his age, 
 and was productive of great domestic felicity. 
 
 He was twice elected a representative in Parliament for Wenlock. 
 
 His greatest literary production was entitled " De Animi lmmortalitate" which was 
 published in 1754 ; subsequent to which several translations in poetry, and in blank verse, 
 have been published. He died after a lingering illness at his house in Great Russell Street, 
 Bloomsburyj on the 14th Feb. 1760, in the 55th year of his age. 
 
 Bishop Hurd. — Dr. Richard Hurd, Bishop of Worcester, was born in this county, at Con- 
 greve, in the parish of Penkridge, on the 13th Jannuary, 1719-20, and received the rudiments 
 of his education at Breewood (already noticed,) under the Rev. Wm. Budworth, head-master 
 of the Grammar-school at that place. After completing his education at Emanuel college, 
 Cambridge, he wrote his " Dialogues on Chivalry and Romance :" "Sermons preached at Lin- 
 colns-inn Chapel" and " The Life of Bishop JVarburton." Dr. Hurd, who had been tutor to 
 the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, was highly esteemed by George III., who, on 
 the death of Archbishop Cornwallis, offered him the Primacy, but he requested permission 
 of the King to decline it. He died June 6th, 1808, in the 89th year of his age. 
 
 A complete edition of Bishop Hurd's Works, in 8 volumes 8vo, was published in 1811, as 
 were also editions of Addison and his friend Warburton, all prepared for the press by the 
 Bishop.* 
 
 Charles Cotton, — Who lived in the reigns of Charles and James II, was born atBerresford 
 in this county, on the 28th April, 1630, and was educated at the University of Cambridge. 
 This eccentric genius was famous for burlesque poetry. He also translated Corneille's 
 tragedy of "Horace" in 1671, and published poems on several occasions: — " The iwnders 
 of the Peak in Derbyshire ;" " Scaronides, or Virgil Travestie;" and " Lucian Burlesqued, 
 or the Scoffer scoffed.'''' — S. Jones remarks, that an edition of the three-last mentioned was 
 printed in 1715, and has frequently been re-printed, but the chief of all his productions, 
 and for which perhaps J he deserves the best praise of his countrymen, is his translation of 
 " Montaigne 's Essays." 
 
 Cotton wrote at a period of levity and dissipation, and appears to have experienced many 
 
 * Nichols's Literary Anecdotes, vol. 6, p. 468. 
 
150 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 adversities with his associate Wits of the day, and which the following extract from one 
 of his poetical epistles to a friend will testify : 
 
 " He always wants money, which makes him want ease, 
 He's always besieged, though himself of the peace, 
 By an army of duns, who batter with sandals, 
 And are foemen more fierce than the Goths and the Vandals." 
 
 Tliomas Astle. — Was born at Yoxall, in this county, on the 22d Dec. 1735. This eminent 
 English antiquary, originally bred to the Law, excelled all who had gone before him, as 
 well as his contemporaries, in deciphering ancient records. 
 
 In 1763, he obtained the patronage of Mr. Grenville, who, as First Lord of the Treasury, 
 caused him to be employed as an assistant to Sir Jos. Ayloffe, and Dr. Ducarel, in the regu- 
 lation of the public records of Westminster. He was afterwards engaged as a literary assistant 
 at the British Museum. He was patronised by Lord John Townshend, and became 
 acquainted with Mr. Morant (author of the " History of Essex") and whose daughter he 
 married with an ample fortune after her father's demise. 
 
 In 1765-1766, he was appointed Receiver- General of 6d. in the pound, on the Civil List, and 
 was employed in preparing the Harleian Catalogues of MSS. in the British Museum. 
 
 In 1775, he published the will of King Henry VII. in 4to, also a catalogue of the MSS. 
 and Charters in the Cotton Library. 
 
 In 1784, he published his great treatise on " Tlie Origin and Progress of Writing, as well 
 Hieroglyphical as Elementary" &c. In 1788, his copy of the Will of King Alfred, was 
 printed at Oxford. 
 
 A short time previous to this, he was appointed Keeper of the Rolls and Records in the 
 Tower of London ; and in 1787 elected a Trustee of the British Museum. 
 
 A new edition of his treatise on Writing was published just before his death, which oc- 
 curredDec. 1, 1803, atBattersea in Surrey. 
 
 Dr. John Lightfoot, — A learned and eminent divine^ was born in this county, at Stoke- 
 upon-Trent, on the 29th of March, 1602. Mr. Pitt, who gives a fuller biographical 
 account of him than our limits will admit, states, that he was in holy orders fifty-six years, 
 thirty-six of which he was vicar of Uttoxeter. He appears to have been universally admired 
 as a man of great piety and learning. Mr. Pitt, in concluding his account of him, says, 
 " In rabbinical learning, Dr. Lightfoot was equalled by few of his contemporaries, and 
 excellea oy none ; and foreigners who came to England to prosecute those studies, visited 
 him for the purpose of instruction ." 
 
 Tliomas Blake, — Of whom Mr. Pitt gives a short biographical memoir, was, as he staffs 
 ''bom in Staffordshire, in the year 1597, and in the 19th year of his age he was entered <>t 
 Christ Church, Oxford, where he passed through different gradations of academic distinction 
 and afterwards went into the Church. In 1648, he promoted the cause of the republicans 
 and became an eminent puritanical divine. After he subscribed to the Covenant, he was 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 151 
 
 appointed pastor of St. Alemonds, in Shrewsbury, and was afterwards minister of Tamworth, 
 (in his native county,) where he died, and was buried, in June, 1657, in the 60th year of his 
 age, and was buried in the church of that town. Mr. Anthony Birch, an eloquent preacher, 
 of Sutton -Coldfield, preached his funeral Sermon." 
 
 Richard Meadowcourt, — Who was bom in this county, in 1697, was an English critic of 
 considerable celebrity. He was educated at Merton College, Oxford, and is described by 
 Chalmers, and others, as a great critic and his critical remarks on the English poets did 
 not escape the notice and praise of the late Bishop Newton, in publishing his edition of 
 Milton. In addition to a number of sermons and tracts, he wrote a critical dissertation, 
 with notes, upon " Milton's Paradise Regained" 
 
 The Rev. Stebbing Shaw. — This gentleman is particularly deserving of notice in this 
 place, as the author of " The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire, compiled from the 
 manuscripts of Huntbach, Loxdale, Bishop Lyttleton, and other collections of Dr. Wilkes, 
 the Rev. T. Fielde, &c. &c, including ' Erdiswicke's Survey of the County,'' and the 
 approved parts of ' Dr. Plot's Natural History.'' The whole brought down to the present 
 time, interspersed with pedigrees and anecdotes of families ; observations on agriculture 
 commerce, mines, and manufactories ; and illustrated with a very full and correct new map 
 of the county, Agri Staffordiensis Icon, and numerous other plates, by the Rev. Stebbing 
 Shaw, B.D. F.R.S., and Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge." 
 
 According to the account of his biographer, he was born at Stone, in this county, in the 
 year 1762. He was the son of the Rev. Stebbing Shaw, rector of Hartshorn, near Ashby- 
 de-la-Zouch, where his mother inherited a small estate, which descended to him. He was 
 educated by that ingenious poet and scholar, the Rev. William Bagshaw Stephens, at the 
 Grammar School, at Repton, near Hartshorn. At an early period he evinced a love of liter- 
 ature. To give a full biographical memoir of him would exceed the limits of this work. 
 We shall confine ourselves to the bridf outline given of him in " TJie Literary Anecdotes of 
 the \Sth Century." 
 
 " The Rev. Stebbing Shaw, of Queen's College, Cambridge, B.A. 1734, M.A. 1787, 
 B.D. 1796, F.S.A. 17 — ; Rector of Hartshorn, county of Derby, in which he suc- 
 ceeded his father. He was author of ' A Tour to the West of England, 1788, 8vo. ;' and 
 joint editor, with Sir Egerton Brydges, of ' Tlie Topographer,' 4 vols. 8vo. 1789 — 1791 ; 
 but better known by his last valuable publication, ' TJie History of the County of Stafford.' 
 He unfortunately left this work incomplete, but Mr. Shaw's MSS. having been purchased by 
 a gentleman of ample talents and strong inclination to complete them, the work will al- 
 ways be considered a valuable one. 
 
 " Together with the great skill in topography, Mr. Shaw possessed the advantage of aieady 
 and accurate pencil. To those accomplishments he added a very great proficiency in. music ; 
 
152 PICTURESQUE VIEWS 
 
 and they were heightened by the perfect goodness of his heart, which render his loss a severe 
 affliction to all who had the happiness of his acquaintance. His warmth of friendship was, 
 indeed, demonstrable in whatever he wrote ; of which the preface to his Staffordshire, and 
 many of his letters to Mr. Urban, reporting progress in that laborious undertaking, are 
 striking examples. He had a very ready pencil, and his views are in general accurate ; his 
 bodily frame was delicate, and overcome by the toils of a studious life, he fell into a mental 
 imbecility, from which he was released by death at an early age, October 28, 1802. 
 
 Archbishop Sheldon. — Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born at Stanton, in 
 this county, on the 19th July, 1598. His biographer says, that at the time of his birth, 
 his father was a menial servant to the Earl of Shrewsbury, who stood sponsor for him at 
 his baptism, and gave him the name of Gilbert. Under the patronage of this nobleman, 
 young Sheldon received a classical education, and took the degree of Batchelor of Arts, in 
 Trinity College, Oxford, November 27, 1617, in the twentieth year of his age, and that of 
 Master of Arts, May 20, 1620. He was elected Fellow of All-Soul's College, Oxford, in 
 the year 1622, entered into holy orders, and having attracted the notice of Lord Keeper 
 Coventry, he was appointed domestic Chaplain by that Statesman, and, in consequence of 
 his abilities, employed in various affairs, relating both to church and state. Lord Clarendon 
 observes, that Sheldon soon became distinguished for his uncommon abilities and attainments, 
 and was considered by competent judges to be fully qualified to shine in any ecclesiastical 
 preferment. To follow Archbishop Sheldon through his highly-gifted and talented career up 
 to the summit of his dignity would fill a volume. He lived to the advanced age of eighty, 
 and after so lenthened and active, and well spent a life, this great and venerable prelate died at 
 Lambeth, Nov. 9, 1677. He was interred in the church, at Croydon, in Surrey, where an 
 uncommonly fine monument was erected to his memory, by his nephew and heir, Sir 
 Joseph Sheldon, the son of his eldest brother, Ralph Sheldon, of Stanton, in Staffordshire. 
 This monument is not, perhaps, exceeded in the beauty of design, or in execution, 
 by any in the kingdom. It is wholly composed of the finest and purest specimen that we 
 have seen of white polished marble — the fine features, figure, drapery, the crozier, mitre — 
 and even the pillow upon which the head and arm recline — are of the most elaborate 
 workmanship. 
 
 Dr. James. — This celebrated character was born at Kinverston, in this county, at the 
 commencement of the eighteenth century. He was a very copious medical writer, and his 
 great work, his " Medical Dictionary" has always been highly estimated, and new editions 
 have continued to be published, with all the modern improvements in the science of medi- 
 cine, by the most able hands. He also wrote a number of detached medical works, but the 
 moat popular was a dissertation upon fevers, being a vindication of his " Fever Powders, 1 J 
 which have maintained their celebrity for upwards of a century. It has proved a noble 
 
OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 153 
 
 fortune to Dr. James's family. Dr. James was the son of a major in the army ; his 
 mother was a sister of Sir Robert Clarke. — He received his education at Oxford, at 
 which place he took up his degree of A. B., and commenced author about 1743, and 
 died in the year 1776. 
 
 Isaac Walton. — This talented and interesting writer was born in the town of Stafford 
 in this County, on the 9th day of August, 1593, and his life may be said to be as 
 amiable and entertaining as those of whom he wrote, viz. Wotton, Donne, Hooker, and 
 Herbert. A new and improved edition of these latter has been published by Mr. Zouch 
 Isaac Walton was also author of that celebrated work, " The Complete Angler, or 
 Contemplative Marl's Recreation" and of "Lives of several Eminent Englishmen" both 
 works of superlative merit. He was born in 1593, and died in 1685. 
 
 Edmund Dudley. — This celebrated, but unfortunate and unprincipled lawyer and 
 statesman was born in Staffordshire, in 1442, and as the historical documents and 
 evidence against him are on record, and exceed our limits, we shall merely refer to 
 them, as well as to those of his son, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, who was 
 also born in this county, near Okeover, in 1502. 
 
 Of the Peerage of Staffordshire, references have already been made to some of the 
 principal pesonages, in describing their mansions, 
 
 Uttoxeter. — Near this town is Beamhurst, the seat of Henry Mountford, Esq. 
 Great historical interest attaches to this ancient and noble family. Henry Mountford, 
 Esq. is heir-at-law of the late Simon Mountford, Earl of Leicester, and has in his 
 possession the arms of that family, as well as those of another branch of it equaly ancient ; 
 both titles were forfeited at the same period. Beamhurst Hall is pleasantly situate in 
 a delightful part of this County. 
 
 finis. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abbots-Bromley, 18 
 Adderley, Ralph, Esq. 37 
 Alton Abbey, 28—29 
 Anglesea, Marquis of, 67 — 69 
 Anson, Viscount, 12 — 16 
 Armitage Park, 22—24 
 Ashmole Elias, 146 
 Astle, Thomas, 150 
 Bagot, Lord William, 19—21 
 Bakewell, Thomas, 44 * 
 Barlaston Hall, 37 
 Beamhurst Hall, 153 
 Beaudesert, 67 — 69 
 Bishton Hall, 27 
 Blake, Thomas, 150 
 Blythefield Park, 19—21 
 Breewood, 111—112 
 Browne, Isaac Hawkins, 148 
 Burton-upon-Trent, 73 — 78 
 Cares well or Caverswell, 133 
 Caverswell Castle, 133—135 
 Cheadle, 78—82 
 Chillington, 112 
 Constable, Sir T. A. C. 34—35 
 Cotton, Charles, 149 
 Croxden and Croxden Abbey, 
 
 86—87 
 Curzon, the Hon. R. M.P. 24—26 
 Darlaston Hall, 43 
 Dartmouth, Earl of, 65—66 
 Dudley Castle, 52—56 
 Dudley Family, 52—56 
 Eccleshall, 104—107 
 Elford, 70—72 
 Fenton, Elijah, 88—91—148 
 Fitzherbert, Thomas, Esq. 31— 32 
 Gifford Family, 112 
 
 Gough Family, 73 
 
 Great Barr Hall, 49—50 
 
 Hagley Hall, 24—25 
 
 Hamstall Ridware, 135—136 
 
 Hanbury, 127—129 
 
 Hanley, 120—121 
 
 Harrowby, Earl of, 30—31 
 
 Hurd, Bishop, 149 
 
 Jervis, Swinfen, 43 
 
 James, Dr. 152 
 
 Ingestrie, 32—33 
 
 Johnson, Dr. Samuel, 3 — 4 — 147 
 
 148 
 Kynnersley, T. S. Esq. 27 
 Lane-End, 121—122 
 Leek, 99—104 
 Lichfield, 1—4 
 Lightfoot, Dr. John, 150 
 Lister, Thos. Esq. L.L.D. 22— 
 
 23—24 
 Longnor, 119 
 Marchington, 130 
 Mavesyn, Ridware, 135 — 136 
 Meadowcourt, Richard, 151 
 Meaford Hall, 38—43 
 Montfort, H. Esq. 153 
 Needwood Forest, 124—126 
 Newcastle-under-Line, 82 — 85 
 Peel Family, 141 
 Penkridge, 117—118 
 Perry Hall and Park, 73 
 Pipe-Ridware, 135—136 
 Potteries, 56—63 
 Rudgeley, 113—114 
 SandonHal), 30—31' 
 Sandwell Park, 65—66 
 Scott, Sir Edward, 49 
 
 Seats and Mansions, list of, 140 
 
 —149 
 Shaw, Rev. Stebbing, 151 
 Sheldon, Archbishop, 152 
 Shelton, 88—91 
 Shrewsbury, Earl of, 28 — 29 
 Shugborough, 12 — 16 
 Smethwick, 129—130 
 Soho, 46—48 
 Sparrow, John, Esq, 27 
 Spring- Vale, 44—46 
 Stafford, County, general account 
 
 137—145 
 Stafford, Marquis of, 5 
 Stafford, town of, described, 10 
 
 —11 
 Stone, 36—37 
 
 Stourton Manor and Castle, 145 
 Swinnerton Hall, 31—32 
 Talbot, Earl, 32—33 
 Tam worth and Castle, 91 — 96 
 Tatenhill, 122—123 
 Tixall, 34—35—141—142—143 
 Trentham Hall, 5—10 
 Tutbury, 107—111 
 Uttoxeter, 96—99 
 Vincent, Lord St. 38—43 
 Walsall, 51 
 Wedgewood, 58 — 63 
 Wednesbury, 114 — 116 
 West Bromwich, 64 
 Whichnor, 131—132 
 Wilson, Col. 26 
 Wolsely Hall, 21—22 
 Wolseley, Sir Charles, 21—22 
 Wolverhampton, 16 — 18 
 Wootton Hall, 26—27 
 
 LIST OF PLATES, AND DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. 
 
 To face Page 
 
 Lichfield Cathedral (vignette) 
 
 Lichfield Cathedral, (frontitpiece) 1 
 
 Trentham Hall 5 
 
 Wolverhampton , 16 
 
 Sandwell Hall 65 
 
 Beaudesert , 67 
 
 Barr Hall 49 
 
 Smethwick Grove 128 
 
 Soho 46 
 
 Wolseley Hall 21 
 
 Bishton Hall 27 
 
 Perry Hall 73 
 
 Stafford Castle ] I 
 
 Stafford 10 
 
 Tixall Hall 34 
 
 Bellamour House , 144 
 
 Dudley Castle 52 
 
 •Ditto ditto 52 
 
 Meaford Hall ..........•••• 38 
 
 Earl of Shrewsbury 28 
 
 TofaeePaq* 
 
 Darlaston Hall 43 
 
 Spring Yale 44 
 
 Tixall Abbey 141 
 
 Armitage Park 22 
 
 Shugborough 12 
 
 ' Potteries ... 56 
 
 Croxden Abbey 86 
 
 Stone 36 
 
 Barlaston Hall 37 
 
 Asylum, Stafford **••• II 
 
 Chillington Hall 112 
 
 Tutbury Castle 107 
 
 Westwood House 144 
 
 Etruria 59 
 
 Caverswell Castle 133 
 
 Dove Cliff 143 
 
 Rolleston Hall 143 
 
 Stourton Castle 145 
 
 Beamhurst Hall .... 153 
 
I 
 
 
 
 
 


1