THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES SS3L* £A*± ^r *^ >>^L / J^^^f^^^- C^~$ , ^ "** *~*- T^ J„^ * ^^^"/ " "I'll D1VJA3 Al X 1 If, jlutbin- nf tin- THistoni of 'Jitmlu'tb. ihisUim of iiiimW.Srr. §TJU?£'%V XX A, ; ' : i ■. , > ; HO IEMGEAVEB Oil STEEL FKOM ©KKIMAL DMAT. THE i 'i,i.i KAIl.E, ItWDOU, PTTBLISHED BY IT HINT< >N. wauwh'K SQdAKE, DEC 1 , L828 iJ ^ TO HIS GRACE EDWARD, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK, PRIMATE OF ENGLAND, LORD HIGH ALMONER TO THE KING, &c. THIS SHstory of ¥orft0fnte IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 5411(10 LISRARf "1-f80 VI PREFACE. period, the splendid works of Whitakeb and of Hunter, and the interesting local brochures of Young, Oliver, and Frost, have supplied most interesting details of particular localities. It is hardly necessary to state that I have availed myself, more or less, of the valuable assistance of the above eminent writers : their works, more especially Hunter's and Whitaker's, are an ornament, not only to the county of York, but to the British empire. The history of a county so extensive, and presenting such a succes- sion of interesting objects, might indeed have been of a much more voluminous character. The transition of property, the history of the endowments of the early religious houses, and of the present churches, and minute details of the rise and progress of the manufactures almost indigenous to Yorkshire, would necessarily occupy many folio volumes. This work, however, does not interfere with any design for a history of this great province, taking the interesting but laborious study of the descent of property as its basis. Such a task, I am afraid, could be executed but by few individuals ; how very few are found who possess the animus and the natural instinct, as Mr. Hunter terms it, necessary to undertake such a work, and proceed without disorder to its termina- tion. A period of thirty or forty years must be devoted to such a task, with ample leisure for the needful researches, and for reflection upon the result of those researches. Let me hope that until such a work has been produced, this History and Survey may be considered as occupying an important place, if not the first, among the annals of the county. The arrangement of this Work, as far as relates to the townships and their localities, has been made on the basis of the official returns PREFACE. Vll of the population taken in 1821. I cannot, on this subject, help expressing my regret, that such a work as the Census, which ought to be taken as the standard for the orthography and the locale of every place in England, is, as regards this county, and some others that I am acquainted with, grossly inaccurate : many townships are termed parishes, and considerable confusion exists in the apportioning the different minute portions into which Yorkshire has been divided from the earliest period. The difficulty of depending on local information is frequently very unpleasant to the historian. I have received in some parts of England not less than half a dozen different versions of one matter of fact, as to who was the possessor of a mansion or estate only ten years before the inquiry was made. It is a matter of considerable gratification to myself, and it cannot be less so to my readers, to feel assured that such an occurrence never took place in any part of Yorkshire. The information I sought was granted with promptitude, with kindness, and generally with correctness. I can hardly call to mind ever having been led astray, and 1 am confident never wilfully so. The information respecting the Benefices of this county has been derived from the Valor Ecclesiasticus, Bacon's Liber Regis, and Gilbert's Clerical Guide : the latter is a modern work, displaying much accuracy and research. Respecting Scholastic Foundations and Endowments, and other charitable institutions, the Reports of the parliamentary commissioners have afforded great facilities towards the perfection of this important part of the work. vol. i. b Vlll PREFACE. The distances of the several places have been taken from Lang- dale's Gazetteer of Yorkshire, an excellent and comprehensive work. In a work of such extent, compiled from so many different sources of information, and containing subjects so varied and diversified, some errors must necessarily have occurred ; but I trust diligent exertion on my part, aided by that of able coadjutors, has rendered the work as complete as the nature of it will admit. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the deep sense of obligation I entertain for favours received from several of the Nobility, the Clergy, the officers of Corporations, and from many private friends in various parts of the county. THOMAS ALLEN. London, Jan. 1, 1832. CONTENTS OF VOL. I. BOOK I. — General History. CHAP. I. Page Situation, Extent, Etymology, and General History, from the Earliest Period to the Commencement of the Saxon Heptarchy 1 CHAP. II. General History continued, from the Commencement of the Saxon Heptarchy to [the Accession of William 1 16 CHAP. III. General History continued, from the Commencement of the Reign of William the Con- queror to the Union of the Houses of York and Lancaster 33 CHAP. IV. History of the County, from the Union of the Houses of York and Lancaster to the Accession of Charles the First 63 CHAP. V. General History continued, from the Accession of Charles the First to the Restoration. . 79 CHAP. VI. General History continued, from the Restoration of Charles the Second to the Coronation of George the Fourth 109 BOOK II. — Statistical History. CHAP. I. Situation, Extent, Boundaries and Soil of the Ridings of the County 131 CHAP. II. Agriculture 136 CHAP. III. Climate and General Appearance 151 CHAP. IV. Mineralogy, Geology, Rivers, &c 160 CHAP. V. Manufactures and Commerce 171 CHAP. VI. Ecclesiastical and Civil Government, Honorial History, Population. Ancient and Present Division of the County 204 X CONTENTS. BOOK III. — Topographical Survey of the City and Ainstey of York. CHAP. I. Page Situation, Etymology, History of York from the Earliest Period, and Civil Government 225 CHAP. II. Roman Antiquities discovered in York 235 CHAP. III. Walls, Gates and Posterns of York 245 CHAP. IV. Historical Notices of the Foundation and Successive Alterations of the Cathedral 254 CHAP. V. Biographical Notices of the Archbishops of York 269 CHAP. VI. Survey of the Cathedral 275 CHAP. VII. Monuments and Tombs in the Cathedral 298 CHAP. VIII. Survey of the Close of the Cathedral and its Appendages 313 CHAP. IX. Survey of Micklegate Ward 324 CHAP. X. Survey of Walmgate Ward 341 CHAP. XI. Survey of Monk Ward 376 CHAP. XII. Survey of Bootham Ward 398 CHAP. XIII. Liberties of York 419 CHAP. XIV. St. Mary's Abbey and the King's Manor, York 446 CHAP. XV. The Ainstey of York 466 ILLUSTRATIONS. York Cathedral (west front; (frontispiece.) Page General View of York 225 Micklegate Bar, York 248 Bouiham Bar, York 249 Monk Bar, York 250 Walmgate Bar, York f 6. York Cathedral (south-east view) 254 Page Crypt in York Cathedral ... 289 New Bridge, York 339 Clifford's Tower, and the New Entrance to York Castle 351 The Guildhall and St. Mar- tin's Church, York 406 Page The New Museum, with part of the Ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, York 461 Manor Palace 464 Entrance to the Archiepisco- pal Palace at Bishopthorpe 176 Vignette Title. — View of York from the Old Baile. HISTORY THE COUNTY OF YORK. BOOK I. GENERAL HISTORY. CHAPTER I. SITUATION, EXTENT, ETYMOLOGY, AND GENERAL HISTORY FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE SAXON HEPTARCHY. This county, in extent, the number and wealth of its inhabitants, and its natural chap, i and artificial productions, is, undoubtedly, the most considerable and important situation. shire in the kingdom. Its situation is nearly in the centre of Great Britain; its extreme points lie between the parallels of 53° 18', and 54° 40' north latitude, and between 2° 40' of west, and 0° 10' of east longitude from Greenwich. On the north, the east, and part of the south sides, its boundary is distinctly defined by rivers and the German Ocean. On the north side it is separated, in its whole extent, from the county palatine of Durham by the river Tees ; from the mouth of the same river to the entrance of the Humber, the whole east side is bounded by the German Ocean : on. the south side it is divided from Lincolnshire by the rivers Humber and Trent. The boundaries between Yorkshire and the counties of Nottingham, Derby, Cheshire, Lancashire^ and Westmoreland, are merely con- ventional, being indicated by no natural feature of the country. The general form of this county is that of an irregular quadrangle ; the longest 2 HISTORY OF book I. diagonal extends from north-west to south-east about 130 miles, and the shortest Extent. from south-west to north-east about 90 miles. The area of this county comprehends 5,961 square miles, or above 3,814,000 statute acres. Local divi- At an early period of the Saxon dominion, the great county of York was divided into three districts called ridings ; these are termed north, east, and west, in reference to their relative positions with respect to each other, and to the capital city of the county. The north riding is subdivided into eleven wapentakes, the east into seven, and the west into eleven. There is also a small district called the ainstey of York, separate from any of the ridings. The county contains six hundred and thirteen parishes, one archiepiscopal city, fifty-nine market towns, of which thirteen send members to parliament ; the county sends four members. Popula- According to the returns made to parliament in 1821, the number of houses and tion. . 7 . inhabitants in this county was as follows : — In the east riding, including the ainstey of York, the number of inhabited houses was 34,390, of inhabitants 190,449 : in the north riding, houses 35,705, inhabitants 183,381 ; in the west riding, houses 154,314, inhabitants 799,357. From this statement it appears that the total number of inhabited houses was 224,469, of houses building 1613, and uninhabited 9342; the number of persons in the county was 1,173,187, or upwards of one-tenth of the entire population of England. Etymolo- The name of the county being derived from its chief town, we shall not, in this place, enter fully on the origin of it ; but it will be more particularly noticed in the survey of die ancient City of York. The Saxon name of the county was Guej-pic, G^y.\\oc, or Gbopa-j'cype ; which was derived from Eboracum, the Roman name of York; and has been, by subsequent and gradual alterations, remodelled into its present form. The Ab- The original inhabitants of this noble English province were the Brigantes, ongines. . . A.C. 50. the most numerous* and powerful of all the British tribes that possessed the island before the Roman conquest. Traces of their history are antecedent to the Christian era; and when Julius Cajsar'invaded this island, fifty-five years before the birth of Christ, he describes them as occupying its northern districts. As to the internal government, and public character of this people, the Roman writers afford us but a superficial account : all they relate is, that they were the most numerous and powerful of the native tribes of Britain, inured to great hardships, and of a brave and warlike character; they resisted the Roman arms for a con- siderable period, and were only overpowered by the invincible conquerors of the then civilized world. Isitrium Brirjantium, which is now only an inconsiderable * Tacitus relates, that the state of the Brigantes was the most populous of the whole province. Brigantes civitas numerossissima totius provinci 1 | 0.7- * J J d -• 1327,* under the title of Edward III. This reign, which shines with so much lustre in the English annals, constitutes a splendid period in the history of York. anTDou^- In tlle Very first year of his Te ^ tne Scots enterecl England with two powerful las invade armies, under the conduct of two distinguished generals, Thomas Randolph and James Douglas. These with 20,000 light horse, penetrated as far as Stanhope Park in Weardale. W'hen the young king was apprized of this, he ordered a general rendezvous of the whole army at York in order to put a stop to the further encroachments of the invaders. The Scots had then so degraded an opinion of the English valour, occasioned by their many victories in the last reign, that they * The expenses of his coronation, which took place at Westminster on the 2nd of February, amounted to 2S35J. 18s. 2|rf. under the following heads : . £. s. ent t s f take of the nobility and gentry of the county to join his standard.* The duke of York ' and Norfolk, at the head of a small army of 5000 men, was now sent against the rebels, and the king issued a proclamation, in which he told them, that they ought no more to pretend to give a judgment, with regard to government, than a blind man with regard to colours : — " And we," he added, " with our whole council, think it right strange that ye, who are but brutes and inexpert folks, do take upon you to appoint us who be meet or not for our council." The duke of Norfolk encamped near Doncaster, where he entered into a negociation with the rebels, who had The duke taken their stand on Scawsby Leas. This negociation was merely entered into for enienTinto the purpose of amusing the insurgents till the duke's army was ready to act. On a . ne g° cia - the 20th of October, 153G, a herald, with a proclamation, was sent to the insur- 'hem- gents ; Aske, sitting in state, with the archbishop of York + on the one hand, and Lord D'Arcy on the other, gave the herald an audience ; but on hearing the contents of the proclamation, he sent him away without suffering him to publish it to the army. Henry was now greatly alarmed, as his whole army bore no proportion Thenego- to that of the insurgents ; he therefore issued a proclamation, commanding all broken off. the nobility to meet him at Northampton. Meanwhile, Aske, at the head of 30,000, or as some say of 40,000 men, advanced towards the detachment com- manded by the duke of Norfolk, which was stationed to defend the bridge, which formed the pass between the two armies. % But as the Don was fordable in several places, they would certainly have been exceedingly embarrassed, if a heavy rain had not at that juncture rendered the river impassable. This was a fortunate circumstance for the king; for if the insurgents could have effected a passage over the river, the royal army would, in all probability, have been defeated ; and it is impossible to say what might have been the consequence. The duke of Norfolk was averse to the alterations made in religion ; and it could not, therefore, be agreeable to him to command the royal army, against men who had taken arms in a cause which he secretly approved. Fortunately the weakness of his force relieved him from his embarrassment, by affording him a fair pretext to negociate with the rebels. This negociation proved very advantageous to the king, as it gave him time to strengthen his army, which so alarmed many of the rebels, that they, suspecting that they were betrayed by their leaders, withdrew themselves from the cause. * Rapin, vol. i. p. 815, et seq. t Edward Lee. J Rapin, vol. i.p. 815. Burnet, vol. i. p. 229. Hall, p. 239. Stowe, p. 674. 6S HISTORY OF book I. The main body of the insurgents, however, remained in their camp on Scawsby Leas ; but at length, wearied by the delays in the negociation, they resolved to renew hostilities, and to attack the royal army at Doncaster ; which was, however, prevented by another violent rain, that caused so great an inundation as to render the river impassable. The king now sent a general pardon for the insurgents who should lay down their arms, excepting only ten persons, six of whom were named, and four not named. But this offer was unanimously rejected ; because the six that were named were the chief leaders, and every one was in fear of being amongst the four whom the king had reserved. After many delays, and tedious negociations, the king proposed that the rebels should send deputies Conference to treat for a peace. The proposal was accepted ; and a conference being held al the rebel Doncaster, on the Gth of December, 1536, the deputies, according to their instruc- Donc" ter tlons > made the following demands : — A. D. 1536. 1st, That a general pardon should be granted, without any exception. 2nd. That a parliament should be held at York. 3rd. That a court of justice should be erected there, so that the inhabitants of the northern counties should not be brought to London on any law suit. 4th. That some acts of the late parliament, which were too grievous to the people, should be repealed. 5th. That the princess Mary should be declared legitimate. 6th. That the papal authority should be re-established on its former footing. 7th. That the suppressed monasteries should be restored to their former state. 8th. That the Lutherans, and all innovators in religion, should ^be severely punished. 9th. That Thomas Lord Cromwell, Audley, the lord Chancellor, and Rich, the attorney-general, should be removed from the council, and excluded from the next parliament. 10th. That Lee and Leighton, visitors of the monasteries, should be imprisoned, and brought to account for their briberies and extortions.* As the deputies were not authorized to depart from their instructions, and the king's commissioners had not power to grant their demands, the conference broke off without producing any effect. Henry The duke of Norfolk now represented to the king the necessity of complying with with some at l eas t some of their demands. In consequence, Henry empowered him to terms of °^* er tuem a general pardon, with a promise, in his name, that the next par- the rebels, liament should be held in the north, and their grievances patiently discussed. and thev . , disperse. Aske, and the other rebel leaders, accepted the king's offer ; and the treaty being * Rapin. vol. i. p. SI6. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 69 concluded, the insurgents immediately dispersed. But the king, freed from his chap. iv. apprehensions, neglected to redeem his promise, and within two months the "pil- grims " were again under arms. Now, however, the duke, who lay with a more numerous force in the heart of the country, was able to intercept their communi- cations, and to defeat all their measures. They failed in two successive attempts to surprise Hull and Carlisle ; the Lord D'Arcy, Robert Aske, and most of the leaders, were taken, sent to London, and tried.* Some of them, with the abbots of Fountains, Jervaux, and Rivaulx, and the prior of Bridlington, were executed at Tyburn. Sir Robert Constable was hanged in chains, over Beverly gate, at Hull ; Lord D'Arcy was beheaded at Tower Hill ; and Aske, the leader of the rebellion, was suspended from a tower, probably Clifford's, at York. The spirit of insurrection having much subsided in 1541, Henry paid a visit Henry to the northern parts of his dominions, to receive their submission in person. As , he n0 7th- S he passed through Lincolnshire, the obligation conferred by his pardon was " n coun " acknowledged by several towns, accompanied by a present of money from each. A. D. 15+1. The town of Stamford presented him with 20/., the city of Lincoln with 40/., and the Consider- town of Boston with 50/. That part of the country called Lindsey gave 300/. and of mJneT Kestem, with the church at Lincoln, 50/. more. On his entrance into Yorkshire naidtonim - he was received by two hundred gentlemen, attended by four thousand yeomen and servants ; who, by the medium of Sir Robert Bowes, made humble submission, and presented his majesty with 900/. On Barnsdale, the archbishop of York, with upwards of three hundred of his clergy, met the king, and, making a similar submission, presented him with G00/. From thence he proceeded to the city of York, where he was received with the greatest magnificence by the lord mayor, who presented him with 100/. The mayors of Newcastle and Hull, who went there to meet his majesty, each pre- sented him with a like sum. One object of Henry's visit to this city appears to have been, to have an interview with the king of Scotland, in order to settle a lasting peace ; but the Scotch nobi- lity and clergy, doubting his sincerity, opposed the measure, and thus disappointed the English sovereign. He staid in York twelve days, during which time he esta- The king blished a president and council in the city, under the great seal of oyer and a president terminer ; which continued till the reign of Charles I.f In the same year Sir John f" York. '' Neville knight, and ten other persons, were taken in rebellion, and executed at York. * Lingard, vol. iv. p. 252. t The first president was Thomas duke of Norfolk. The power of this court was to hear and deter- mine all causes on the north side of the Trent. 70 HISTORY OF book I. j n 154(3 Henrv VIII. died and was succeeded by his son Edward VI. a youth only nine years of age. In the second year of this king's reign an insurrection An insur- broke out at Seamer, near Scarborough, promoted by Thomas Dale, the parish breakout clerk, John Steyenson, and William Ombler, of East Haslerton; their absurd near Scar- c \ A [ ms we re, the restoration of the old religion, the abolition of monarchy, and borough. ' m . J the extinction of all the different ranks of society. These infuriated bigots took an opportunity to set fire to the beacon at Staxton, by which means they assembled a rude mob, to the number of three thousand. A party of this rabble then went to the house of Mr. White, near that place, and seizing him, and all who were in the house, carried them to the wolds near Seamer, where they stripped and murdered them. A sudden stop was howeyer soon put to their proceedings, by the Suppress- arrival of a proclamation from the king, offering pardon to the penitent, but de- ed, and the nouncing punishment upon the contumacious : on which the greater number were leaders are 3 r ' taken and wise enough to accept the proffered clemency, and to lay down their arms : but A. D. 154S. the leaders were apprehended, and executed at 1 ork . The sweat- l n 1551, the city of York suffered considerably by the sweating sickness, which mg sick- extraordinary disease was then prevalent in England. Its first attack was a sudden ravages J ' York. _ chilliness, immediately succeeded by violent perspiration, which if checked by the admission of the least cold, was sure to prove fatal in a few hours.* So great was the fear generally excited by this alarming disorder, that great numbers left the kingdom, hoping to escape the contagion ; but this proved futile, for the evil fol- lowed them ; and however strange it may appear, the most veritable authorities inform us, that the English people, in various parts of the continent, though breath- ing a purer air amongst men of different nations, daily fell victims to the disease ; whilst the foreigners who surrounded them escaped the dreadful scourge. How- many died in York of this singular distemper is not known; but it appears in Mr. Hildyard's collections, that the mortality was very great, f A. D. 1553. Two years after Edward died, bequeathing Ins crown to the amiable, but unfortunate Lady Jane Grev, who was accordingly in due form proclaimed his successor. She reluctantly accepted the regal honours, and possessed them only a few days ; being executed with her husband, Lord Dudley, by the orders of the cruel and bigotted Mary, who succeeded her. During the reign of this queen nothing of particular interest occurred relative to this county, with the exception >>f the following singular stratagem practised for the taking of Scarborough castle. The bigotry and cruelty of Queen Mary and her treaty of marriage with Philip, * Stowe instances the awful fatality of this disease, by seven persons, who all supped cheerfully together over night, but before eight the next morning six of them were dead : t Drake's Ebor. p. 128. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 71 prince of Spain, having disgusted and alarmed the nation, Sir Thomas Wyat, CHAPtv Sir Peter Carew, the duke of Suffolk, and others, engaged in a conspiracy against t'onspi- her. Mr. Thomas Stafford, a gallant young gentleman, the second son of Lord against Stafford, being at that time in France, and favourable to the cause of the conspi- rators, collected some fugitives, and returning with them to England adroitly obtained possession of Scarborough castle, which was but slightly garrisoned. Having previously arranged his plan of taking the castle by surprise, he disguised Extraordi- his little troop in the habits of peasants and countrymen, and went to Scarborough ture of . . tt • i Scarbo- on a market day, under the most unsuspicious appearances, rle gained an easy roU gh cas- admittance into the castle, and strolled about with a careless air, apparently to ' e " gratify his curiosity. About thirty of his men also entered without the least suspicion, and embracing a favourable opportunity, instantly secured the different centinels, took possession of the gate, and admitted their remaining companions, who under the exterior garb of countrymen had concealed arms. But the triumph of Mr. Stafford was of transient duration, and the success of his enterprize was eventually the cause of his death ; for he had retained possession only three days, when the earl of Westmoreland, with a considerable force, recovered it without The earl of iVfiSfnior© - loss. Mr. Stafford, Captain Saunders, and three other of the leaders were taken land reco- prisoners, conducted to London, and confined in the Tower. They were afterwards vers ll * arraigned, and being convicted of high treason, Mr. Stafford, on account of his quality, was beheaded, and three of his associates, Strelley, Bradford, and Proctor, ers ; n this were hanged and quartered : hence the origin of " Scarborough Warning ; a word, J^ ex™ CX and a blow, and the blow comes first." cuted. Mary died in 1558, and was succeeded by Elizabeth, in whose long and triumphant reign we find few events of sufficient consequence connected with this county to attract the attention of the historian. The only remarkable occurrence was a rebellion Rebellion J lntnenoith which broke out in the north, headed by Thomas Percy, earl of Northumberland, headed by and Charles Neville, earl of Westmoreland, the object of which was to restore Northum- the Roman Catholic religion, and advance Mary, Queen of Scots, to the throne oi J^ west- England. To accomplish this design, they marched with 1600 horse and 4000 moreland. „ i • tt A.U.I o09 . foot to besiege York ;* but hearing that the earl of Sussex was there with 5000 effective men, they retired and laid siege to Barnard castle. That fortress was The rebels take Bar- Under the command of Sir George Bowes, and his brother, who after a gallant nard cas- defence of eleven days capitulated on condition that the garrison should be allowed to march, with their arms and ammunition, to York ; which they accordingly did. In the interim, the earl of Sussex, the lord lieutenant, the earl of Rutland, Lord * As the insurgents advanced they burnt the bible and book of common prayer, in the cathedral of Durham, and re-established the mass at Ripon. tie. 72 HISTORY OF book i. Hunsdon, William Lord Evers, and Sir Ralph Sadler, marched from York with The royal their forces, against the rebels. On their approach the leaders, through fear, march from deserted their forces, and fled into Scotland. Being thus forsaken, the insurgents aV^nstthe dispersed 5 but most of them were killed or captured in their flight. Among rebels. the prisoners were Simon Digby of Aiskew, and John Fulthorpe, of Iselbeck, Esqrs. ; also Robert Pennyman, of Stockesley, and Thomas Bishop, junior, of Pocklington, gentlemen, all of whom were imprisoned in the castle of York. On the Good Friday following, they were drawn from York to the place of execution Great num- called Knaresmire, and there hanged, beheaded, and quartered ; and, according to rtbehJxe- tne barbarous practice of those times, their heads were set up on the four principal York Dear gat6S ° f the Cit - V * The two leaders of the insurrection having fled into Scotland, the earl of West- moreland found means to escape to Flanders ; but the earl of Northumberland The earl of was betrayed and given up, by the earl of Moreton, viceroy of Scotland, and Lord beriandbe- Hunsdon, governor of Berwick. He was speedily conducted a prisoner to York, irayed and anc j beheaded on a scaffold erected for that purpose, in the pavement of that executed. . Aug. 22, city ; his head was set upon a high pole, over Micklegate bar, where it remained about two years, f His body was interred, by two faithful domestics in the church of St. Crux, without any memorial. He died, avowing the pope's supremacy, denying subjection to the queen, affirming the land to be in a schism, and her obedient subjects no better than heretics. J This was the last open attempt made to restore the Roman Catholic religion in this kingdom. The year 1585 was remarkable for a union of many of the churches of the city of York. In 1600 York was again visited with a very serious earthquake, which greatly alarmed the inhabitants. Immediately upon the queen's demise, which happened on the 22nd of March, 1602, James VI. king of Scotland, son to the late Queen Mary, of that kingdom, was proclaimed king of England, in London. On his coming from his own domi- • Stowe. Drake's Ebor. p. 130. Hume says great severity was exercised against such as had taken part in these rash enterprises. Sixty-six petty constables were hanged, and not less than eight hundred persons are said, in the whole, to have suffered by the hands of the executioner. Between Newcastle and Wetherley, a district of sixty miles in length by forty in breadth, there was not a town or village, in which some of the inhabitants did not expire on the gibbet. + The head of the earl appears not however to have been taken down by official authority ; for in a curious old MS. written about that period, we find the following memorandum: " In the year 1574. the head of the earl of Northumberland was stolen in the night, from Micklegate bar, by persons unknown." In the same manuscript it is stated, that during this year a very considerable earthquake was experienced in York. It also further adds, lhat about the same time a ( rison was erected on Ouse Bridge in the same city. % Speed. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 73 pions in the following year, to take possession of the crown of England, he visited chap. iv. York, and was received with all the ceremony and splendour customary on such occasions. Mr. Edward Howes, the continuator of Stowe's Annals, gives the fol- lowing account of this monarch's reception into York : — "On the fifteenth of April, 1603, his majestie set for wards from Durham towards James I. Yorke, his train still increasing by the numbers of gentlemen from the south parts, York in that came to offer him fealty; whose love, although he greatly tendered, yet did their ^nVeo;} multitudes so oppress the country, and made provisions so dear, that he was fain to publish an inhibition against the inordinate and daily access of the people coming, that many were stopped in their way. " The high sheriffe of Yorkshire, very well accompanied, attended his majestie to master Inglebyes, beside Topcliffe, being about sixteen miles from Walworth, where the king had lain the night before, who with all joy and humility received his majestie, and he rested there that night. " The lord mayor and aldermen of Yorke, upon certayne knowledge of the king's journey into England, with all diligence consulted what was fittest to be done, for the receiving and entertayning so mighty and gracious a soveraygne, as well within the city, as at the outmost bounds thereof; as also what further service, or duteous respect they ought to show his majestie uppon so good and memorable an occasion as now was offered unto them ; and thereupon they sent Robert Askwith, alderman, unto Newcastle, and there in the behalfe of the lord mayor and citizens of Yorke to make tender of their zealous love and dutie, for the which his majestie gave them heartie thankes. "And uppon Saturday, the 16th of April, John Robinson and George Bucke, sheriffes of Yorke, with their white roddes, being accompanied with an hundred citizens, and threescore other esquires, gentlemen, and others, the most substantial persons, being all well mounted, they received the king at the east end of Skip bridge, which was the utmost boundes of the libertyes of the cittie of Yorke ; and there kneeling, the sheriffes delivered their white roddes unto the king, with ac- knowledgment of their love and allegiance unto his majestie, for the which the king, with cheerfull countenance, thanked them, and gave them their roddes agayne ; the which they carried all the way upright in their handes, ryding all the way next before the sergeant at armes. " And before the king came to the cittie, his majestie had sent Syr Thomas Challenor to the lord mayor and aldermen, to knowe who formerlye had borne the sworde before the kinges of England at their coming to Yorke ; and to whom of right that office for that tyme appertayned, because it had been anciently per- formed by the earls of Cumberland, as hereditary to that house, but was now chal- lenged by the lord president of the north, for the tyme being, as proper to his u 74 HISTORY OF book I. place. But upon due search and examination, it was agreed, that the honour to bear the sworde before the king in Yorke, belonged unto George earle of Cumber- land, who all the while the king was in Yorke bare the sworde, for so the king willed, and for that purpose sent Syr Thomas Challenor agayne to the lord mayor, and the lord mayor bare the great mace of the cittie, going always on the left hand of the earle. " And when the king came to the cittie, which was well prepared to give his highness and his royal traine entertaynment, then the lord mayor, with the twelve aldermen in their scarlet robes ; and the foure-and-twenty in crimson gownes, accompanied with many others of the gravest menne, met the king at Micklegate bar, his majestie going betweene the duke of Lennox and Lord Hume; and when the king came near to the scaffold where the lord mayor, with the recorder, the twelve aldermen, and the foure-and-twentye, were all kneeling, the lord mayor said, ' Most high and mightie prince, I and my brethren do most heartilie well- come your majestie to your highness' cittie, and, in token of our duties, I deliver unto your majestie all my authoritie of this your highness' cittie,' and then rose uppe and kissed the sworde and delivered it into the king's hand, and the king gave it to the duke of Lennox, who, according to the king's appointment, delivered it unto the earle of Cumberland to bear before his majestie. " The lord mayor also delivered up the keyes of the cittie, which the lord Hume received and carried them to the manor. And when the recorder had ended his grave oration on behalfe of the cittie, then the lord mayor, as the king com- manded, took horse, and bare the cittie mace, ryding on the left hande of the earl of Cumberland, who bore the sword of the cittie, and so attended his majestie to St. Peter's church, and was there royally received by the deans, prebends, and the whole quyer of singing menne of that cathedral church in their richest copes. At the entrance into the church, the dean made a learned oration in Latin, which ended, the king ascended the quyer. The canapa was supported by six lordes, and was placed in a throne prepared for his majestie, and during divine service there came three sergeants at amies with their maces, pressing to stand by the throne, but the earle of Cumberland put them down, saying, that place, for that tyme, belonged to hym and the lord mayor, and not to them. " Divine service being ended, the king returned in the same royal manner he came ; the canapa being carryed over him unto the manor of St. Maryes, where the Lord Burleigh and council gave their attendance, and received his majestie, where Doctor Bennet having ended his eloquent oration the king went into his chamber, the sworde and mace being there borne by the earle and lord mayor, who left the sworde and mace there that night ; and when the lord mayor was to depart, the lord Hume delivered him agayne the keyes of the cittie. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 75 " The next day, being Sundai the 17th of April, the lord mayor, with the chap, iv. recorder, the aldermen and sheriffes, and the twenty-foure, with all their chief officers, and the preacher of the cittie, and town clerk, in very comely order went unto the manor, of whome, as soone as the king had knowledge of their comming, willed that so many of them as the roome would permit should come into the privy chamber, where the lord mayor presented his majestie with a fayre cuppe with a cover of silver and gilt, weighing seventie and three ounces, and in the same two hundred anjels of gold : and the lord mayor sayde, ' Most high and miglitie prince, I and my brethren, and all the whole commonaltie of this your Highnesse cittie, present unto your most excellent majestie this cuppe and golde, in token of the dutifull affection wee bear your Highnesse in our hearts, most humbly beseeching your Highnesse favourable acceptance thereof, and your most gracious favour to this your Highnesse cittie of Yorke;' the which his majestie graciously accepted, and sayde unto them, ' God will bless you the better for your good will towards your king.' The lord mayor humbly besought the king to dine with him the next Tuesdai ; the king answered, he should ride thence before that time, but he would break his fast with him in the next morning. " This Sundai the king went to the minster and heard a sermon, made by the dean,* who was bishop of Limerick in Ireland. The lord mayor, aldermen, and sheriffes, and foure and twentye attended upon the king, the earle still bearing the sworde, the lord mayor the mace, and the sheriffes bearing up their roddes, as well within the church as in the streets, marching before the king unto the manor. The next day being Mondai, at nine o'clock, the lord mayor came to the manor, being accompanied and attended by the recorder, aldermen, and foure and twentye, and others, and attended there ; and at ten of the clock, the king with his royal traine went to the lord mayor's house and there dined ; after dinner the king walked to the dean's house, and was there entertayned with a banquette, at the deanerie ; the king took horse, and passed through the cittie forth at Micklegate towards Grim- stone, the house of Sir Edward Stanhope, the earl of Cumberland and the lord mayor bearing the sworde and mace before the king until they came to the house of St. Kathren, at which place the earle said ; ' Is it your majestie's pleasure that I deliver the sword agayne unto my lord mayor, for he is now at the utmost partes of the liberties of this cittie.' Then the king willed the earle to deliver the mayor his sword againe. Then the mayor alighted from his horse, and kneeling, took his leave of the king, and the king pulling off his glove, took the mayor by the hande and gave him thankes, and so rode towards Grimstone, being attended by the sheriffes to the middle of Tadcaster bridge, being the utmost bounds of their • Dr. Thornhorough. 70 HISTORY OF BUOk I Prince liberties. The next day the lord mayor, according as he was commanded by a nobleman, came the next morning unto the court at Grimstone, accompanied by the recorder and foure of his brethren, viz. William Robinson, James Birkbie, William Greenburie, and Robert Askwith, and certain chief officers of the cittie ; and when liis majestie understood of their coming, he willed that the mayor, and .Master Robinson, and Master Birkbie should be brought up into his bed chamber ; and the king saide, ' My lord mayor, our meaning was to hare bestowed upon you a kniahthood in your own house, but the companie being so great we rather thought it food to have you here ;' and then his majestie knighted the lord mayor,* for which honour the lord mayor gave his majestie most humble andheartie thankes, and returned." The king seemed so much pleased with the loyalty and affection paid him by the lord mayor and citizens, that at dinner with them he expressed himself much in favour of the city, appeared concerned at the bad condition of their river, and said it should be made more navigable, and that he himself would come and be a burgess among them.+ In the June following his queen and their two eldest children, Henry and Henry and g^^gt^ visited York on their road from Edinburgh to London, and were received Elizabe:h ^th eTer y mark of honourable distinction. The same annalist we have before visit York. J . quoted, writes thus ol their reception : " The queen being in all respects prepared, accompanied and attended as was meet for soe great a piincesse, being likewise accompanied with her two eldest children : that is to say, prince Harry and the Lady Elizabeth, they made a happy journey from Scotland to England, and were in all places whersoever they arrived most joyfully received and entertayned in as loving, duteous, and honourable a manner as all citties, towns, and particularly knights and gentlemen had formerlye done to the kinges most excellent majestie, which for brevity sake I here omit ; and will only speak briefly of their coming to the cittie of York, where the lord mavor, aldermen, and citizens, attending their coming at the outmost boundes of their liberties, with all magnificence brought the queen, the prince, and the Lady Elizabeth, unto the cittie of York, where they reposed themselves certain days, in which space the cittie spared not for any coste to give them royal entertaynment, and presented them with several gifts as true signes of their zealous love and duty ; the queen came thither on Whitsun Eve, and upon Wednesday following the queen, with the prince and Lady Elizabeth, rode from York to Grimstone," &c.| * Sir Robert Water. t Hildyard's Antiq. of York. + The presents that were bestowed on this occasion were, a large silver cup, with a cover double gilt, weighing forty-eight ounces, to the queen, with eighty gold angels in it ; to the prince a silver cup, with a cover double gilt, weighing twenty ounces, and twenty pounds in gold ; and to the princess a purse of twenty angels of gold. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 77 In the same year James visited Pontefract, when he granted that honour and chap, IV. castle to the queen, as part of her jointure. Power was given in this grant to a.d. 1603. make leases of her majesty's lands for twenty-one years, reserving the old rents.* Shortly after the king's departure a dreadful pestilence broke out, of which great numbers died. The plague, which the preceding year had carried off 30,578 persons in London, York \i- raged to such an alarming extent at York, in 1604, that the markets within the city p^gue^ ' were prohibited, to prevent the contagion from spreading into the country ; and stone crosses were erected in various parts of the vicinity, where the country people met the citizens, and sold them their commodities. Several of these crosses are yet remaining. The lord president's courts adjourned to Ripon and Durham ; and many of the citizens left their houses ; the infected were sent to Hob-moor, and Horse-fair, where booths were erected for them of boards, and the minster and minster-yard were close shut up. No less than 3512 inhabitants of York fell vic- tims to this pestilential disease ; though, by the precautions used, it was not of long duration. In the year 1607 began an extreme hard frost; the river Ouse was completely Severe frozen over, and the ice was so strong that various sports were practised on it. Drake says that a horse race was run on it, from the tower at Marygate-end, under the great arch of the bridge, to the crane, at Skeldergate postern. The month of January, 1614, is celebrated in the annals of York, by a heavy fall of snow, followed by a frost which lasted eleven weeks. When it was dissolved by a thaw, the Ouse overflowed its banks, and inundated North-street and Skel- dergate with so much violence, as to oblige all the inhabitants of those streets to leave their houses. It being the assize week, four boats were employed at the end of Ouse bridge, to carry passengers across the river; and the same number were engaged in Walmgate, to ferry over the Foss. This inundation lasted ten days, in which time it destroyed many bridges. A drought followed, which con- tinued till August following, and caused a scarcity in hay, beans, and barley, which raised the price of each to an unprecedented average.-f- On the 10th of August, 1617, King James visited York and other places in the King country on his progress to Scotland, accompanied by the principal gentry of sits York. England and Scotland. " The sheriffs of the city, clad in their scarlet gowns, A ' D- l(i17 ' attended by one hundred young citizens, on horseback, met the king on Tadcaster bridge, and carried their rods before him, till they came to Micklegate bar. Here * Lodge's Illustrations. t Hay was at that period sold at York for thirty shillings and forty shillings a waggon load, and at Leeds at four pounds. X 78 HISTORY OF boor I. the lord mayor, aldermen, and commonalty, with many citizens, standing on the north side within the rails, welcomed his majesty to his city of York ; the lord mayor on his knees presented the sword, with all the keys of the gates and posterns, and also presented a standing cup and cover of silver double gilt, value 30/. 5s. Id. and an elegant purse of the value of 3/. containing one hundred double sovereigns. Afterwards the recorder delivered a long oration ; which ended, the king delivered the city's sword to the earl of Cumberland, who carried it before his majesty. On Ouse bridge another speech was made to the king, by one Sands Percvine, a London poet, respecting the cutting of the river and making it navigable. From thence his majesty rode to the minster, where he heard divine service, and thence retired to the manor, where he kept his court." * The next day he dined with the lord Sheffield, lord president, at Sir George Young's house in the minster yard : after dinner and banquet he created eight knights, walked to the cathedral, viewed the chapter house and church, which he much admired for the elegance of its design. The day after his majesty rode through the city with all his train to Bishopsthorpe, where he dined with Tobias Matthew, archbishop of York. On the 13th, which was Sunday, his majesty went to the cathedral, where the archbishop preached a sermon ; which ended, he touched about seventy persons tor the king's evil. This day he and his whole court dined with the lord mayor ; after dinner he knighted the mayor ,+ and Sergeant Hutton, the recorder. On Monday the king rode to Sheriff Hutton Park, and there knighted several gen- tlemen. On Tuesday, the 15th, Dr. Hodgeson, chancellor of the church and chaplain to his majesty, preached before him at the manor : after sermon the king took coach in the manor yard; where the lord mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs, took their leave of Ins majesty, who went that night to Ripon. % At Ripon he was 'presented with a gilt bowl, and a pair of Ripon spurs, which cost 51.' On the 16th of April he slept at Aske hall, the seat of T. Bowes, Esq. whom he sub- sequently knighted at Durham. In the year 1625 king James died, and was succeeded by Charles, his second son; the eldest, Henry, dying before the father. * Nichols's Progresses of James I. vol. iii. p. 271. + Sir Robert Askwith. J At this period York was charged with 117/. in fees to the king's officers. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 79 CHAPTER V. GENERAL HISTORY CONTINUED FROM THE ACCESSION OF CHARLES THE FIRST TO THE RESTORATION. CHAP . V . The county of York holds a conspicuous rank in the history of the eventful reign of the first Charles. Its geographical extent, and its varied interests, naturally A -D. 1631. gave rise to diversity of political opinion ; and afforded opportunity for the exhibition even of the extremes of devoted loyalty and of stern patriotic independence. It is not the province of the historian to become a political partisan ; and it will be the aim of the writer to do justice to the virtues and to deal candidly with the failings of both the great parties, which, during this unfortunate reign, divided the empire. Some events, however, of minor but yet of local importance, require to be recorded previously to entering on the important portion of the history of this period to which we have referred. Early in this reign the citizens of York renewed their charter respecting the teroftht county of the city: to which they procured the addition of St. Mary, Clifton, Yorkre- Rawcliffe, Heworth, Osbaldwick, Tong-hall, Heslington, Gate-Fulford, Water- "ewed. Fulford, and St. Lawrence's church yard, out of Walmgate bar, with all the lands to them belonging; as also a yearly fair for cattle, to be held on the Thursday an< Friday next before Candlemas day. This extension was, however, soon afterwards revoked ; and the charter now remains in its original form. Charles, in a progress to Scotland, visited York, May 24th, 1633. He was visits met on Tadcaster bridge by the sheriffs, with one hundred and twenty attendants, a,.°d.i6SS who conducted his majesty into the city. The lord mayor, recorder, and alder- men, standing on a scaffold erected for that purpose, just within Micklegate bar> saluted the king at his entrance ; the lord mayor, at the same time, on liis knees delivered up the keys of the city in a blue string, together with the sword and mace. These however being immediately returned, the chief magistrate, mounted on horseback, carried the mace before his majesty, four footmen in black velvet attending him ; the aldermen, richly dressed and admirably mounted, made up the cavalcade, riding before the king to the manor. The next day the king dined with the lord mayor at his house in the pavement, 80 HISTORY OF book i. and knighted him* and the recorder. + The day after he dined with the archbishop, A D l633 and knighted his son; and the following day left the manor house for Scotland. Dines with p rev i ous to his departure presents were made to him, consisting of a large silver the corpo- r ration. cup and cover, and a purse of gold, containing upwards of one hundred pounds..j Visits Pon- During his tour, Charles visited the town of Pontefract ; when he created Sir John Saville, knight, high steward of the honour of Pontefract, and by letters patent, dated 21st July, 4th Charles I. advanced him to the dignity of a baron of the realm, by the title of Baron Saville, of Pontefract. His son inherited the title, and was created earl of Sussex, but the family became extinct in his grandson James. § Roman j n 1638, a singular Roman relic was discovered in digging the foundation of altar dis- . . . . . covered at a house on Bishop-hill-the-elder. On the king's next visit to York, it was presented A. r>. 163S. to him by Sir Ferdinando Fairfax, and w r as ordered by him to be conveyed to the manor. It was kept there some time ; but Sir Thomas Widdrington, who resided at Lendall, afterwards had it in possession. This singular relic was however lastly seen at the house of Lord Thomas Fairfax in that city, where it remained till the desertion of the house by his son-in-law, the duke of Buckingham ; since which time no traces of it can be discovered. Dr. Lister, the antiquary, saw this relic of Roman times at the duke's house, and admired it so much, that he sent the following description to the royal Society : "It is a small but elegant altar, with figures in basso relievo, of sacrificing in- struments, &c. on the sides of it." He also said, that the altar had suffered some damage by the brutal ignorance of some masons, to whom Lord Fairfax had given orders to place it on a pedestal, in the court of his house at York. The same gentleman expresses his surprise at observing the stone was not of the grit kind, generally used by the Romans for those purposes, but such as is found in the quarries near Malton. It is much to be regretted that the form of this altar has not been preserved. The following is however a copy of the inscription upon it, which was carefully transcribed by Bryan Fairfax, Esq. an immediate descendant of its first English possessor, i. o. m. dis deabvs qve hospitalibvs. pexatibvsq. ob conservatam SALVTEM. SVAM SUORVMQ. P. AEL. MARCIANVS PR.EF. COH. ARM SAC. FXC. D. The * Sir William Allcnson. + Sir William Belt. t Drake observes, on the authority of Echard, that about this time feasting to excess was intro- duced into England, and has ever since continued, in a degree highly detrimental to estates as well as to morals ; but he has surely forgotten that the luxurious and pompous festivity displayed in York, on various occasions, in the reigns of Henry III. and Edward III. and several other monarchs of the Plan- tagenet race, far exceeded any thing of the kind which that city has witnessed in more modern times. $ Boothroyd's Hist. Pontefract, p. 147. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 81 whole may be thus translated : " To the great and mighty Jupiter, and to all gods chap. v. and goddesses, household and peculiar gods, Publius Aelius Marcianus, prefect of a. d. 1689. a cohort, for the preservation of his own health and that of his family, dedicated this altar to the great Preserver." Drake observes, after describing this vestige of antiquity, " The inscription has the fewest abbreviations in it that I ever met with ; and except the last line, is obvious to any one that understands the Latin tongue. This bears several readings. Mr. Horsley gives it, • Aram sacra faciendo noncupavit dedicavit' Mr. Ward, in his Annotations, published in the Britannia Romana, supposes it to mean, ' Aram sacram factam nomine communi dedicavit.' For my part, I prefer Ursatus's notes, who, for certain, had seen the like on other altars abroad, and he reads it, " Numini conservatori dedicatam vel dari jussit." In the year 1639, the king levied an army to impose upon the Scotch the diaries episcopal form of church government, to which they had invincible objections, and army'to* to resist which they entered into their celebrated league and covenant. The pre- scotch 6 parations for war naturally led to the accumulation of vast quantities of arms and military stores in all parts of this county ; and induced Charles to spend a large portion of his time in the north. On his approaching York, his majesty was met at Tadcaster bridge by the Charles sheriffs, who conducted him to Micklegate bar, where the train bands of the city York, and ainstey, clothed in buff coats, scarlet breeches laced with silver, russet boots, black caps and feathers, and amounting to about six hundred in number, were drawn up, and fired a volley at his entrance into the city. He was also received by the lord mayor, &c. with the usual solemnity, and the recorder, T. Widdrington, esq. on his knees, addressed his majesty, in a speech fraught with the most fulsome flattery, and exhibiting a finished specimen of the bombastic style of that age.* The oration being ended, the king was conducted by the lord mayor and the other principal officers, with great pomp, through the city to the palace at the manor. As the king went to the cathedral on the following day, Sunday, the train bands formed a lane rank and file for him to pass through. Their behaviour was altogether so gratifying to his majesty, that he not only distributed a sum of money amongst them, but also returned them his thanks in person. t That afternoon Charles held a council at the manor, relative to the affairs of Scotland ; and during his stay spent much time in reviewing his troops, York and its vicinity being the principal rendezvous for the royal army. * See this strange oration in Drake's Ebor. cap. v. p. 137. t Drake's Ebor. lib. v. p. 137. Y 82 HISTORY OF BOOK I. A. D. 1639. Keeps his maunday at the cathe- dral. Charles touches for the king's evil. VisitsHulL During this visit, upon the Thursday before Easter, the king kept his maunday in the cathedral, where the bishop of Ely washed the feet of thirty-nine poor aged men in warm water, and dried them with a linen cloth. Afterwards the bishop of Winchester washed them over again in white wine, wiped, and kissed them. This ceremony was performed in the south aisle of the minster. His majesty conferred a more substantial kindness upon the poor men, by giving to each of them a gown of very good cloth, a holland shirt, new stockings and shoes ; also in a leathern purse each one had twenty pence in money given him, and in another thirty-nine single pennies, being the number of his own years. Lastly, each man had a wooden scale full of claret wine, a jole of salt fish, and a jole of salmon, with a sixpenny loaf of bread. On Good Friday he touched for the king's evil no fewer than two hundred persons ! * and on Easter Sunday he received the sacrament at the cathedral. On the following day he ordered 70/. to be given to each of the four wards of the city, to be distributed amongst poor widows. On Tuesday and Wednesday he touched each day one hundred persons for the evil. Before he left York, the king and Ins whole court dined with the lord mayor, on whom, together with Thomas Widdrington, esq. the recorder, his majesty was pleased to confer the honour of knighthood. During his stay at York he paid a visit to Hull, where he was received with great pomp and ceremony, and assured by Mr. Recorder Thorpe, as the organ of the corporation, in one of those hyperbolical and adulatory addresses which bodies corporate are so prone to address to majesty-, that it was more difficult to address hirn than to address the King of kings, and that they would " adhere to him against all his enemies with the utmost of their lives and fortunes." How this unmeaning pledge was redeemed the sequel will show. The next morning being the 29th of March, his majesty viewed the town, and carefully inspected the fortifications, after which he proceeded to Beverley, and the day following returned to York. Proceeds against the Scotch. The Scotch enter Eng- land, and levy con- tributions. After passing nearly a month in York, Charles, with his forces, proceeded against the Scots ; who, on his approach laid down their arms, and swore obedience to him. The following year, finding the king had disbanded his army, they entered England, under command of the earl of Leven and the marquis of Montrose ; and proceeding to the borders of Yorkshire, levied a contribution of 850/. per day upon Northumberland and Durham, and threatened soon to occupy the city of York. * " During the tyme the king touched those that had the disease called the evill, were read these words: 'They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recoTer.' During the tyme the king put about every one of their necks an angel of gold, with a white ribbon, w ere read these words : ' That light was the true light which lighteth every man which cometh into the world.' " Drake's Ebor. p. 137. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 83 To oppose this bold invasion, the king came in three days from London to York, chap. \ where he was received with the usual gifts, speeches, and ceremonies. On the 31st A -lx kuu of August, 1640, the king rode round the city, accompanied by the marquis of c ] la . rles Hamilton, several general officers, and some of the aldermen, and with pickaxes, marches spades, &c. marked out places for entrenchments and fortifications : and on the don to op- 7th of September his majesty issued out writs, to summon all the peers of the l ,osetheni - realm to a general assembly, at York, as Edward I. had done, when about to engage in a war against Scotland. The same day that the writs went out, the royal army, commanded by Sir Jacob Astley and consisting of about twelve thousand Arm >' foot and three thousand horse, arrived at York. These forces were divided into York. two bodies, one of which was encamped in Clifton Fields, and the other in Bishop Fields, on each side of the Ouse, and the communication between them was kept up by a bridge over that river. Above fifty pieces of cannon, with one hundred and thirty-two waggons loaded with powder and ball, &c. together with several other carriages filled with pickaxes, spades, shovels, &c. were brought at the same time from the magazines at Hull. Many of the cannon were placed before the camps ; and as the king apprehended that the Scots had formed the design of surprising him in York, a corps de guard was fixed at every bar and postern of the city. On the 10th of September, Charles assembled the gentlemen of Yorkshire, and proposed their paying the trained bands for two months ; to which they assented. After entreating his majesty to exert himself for the restoration of peace with the Scots, they begged that he would immediately summon a parliament, as the only means of restoring and ensuring a continuance of tranquillity. On the 24th of the same month the great council of peers assembled at the Council of Peers held deanery in York,* according to the summons, and sat till the eighteenth of the in York. following month. In the mean while a negociation was entered into with the Scots, and Ripon was appointed for the place of conference. The treaty however came to nothing ; the commissioners employed by the king were of the same principles, in regard to religion and politics, as the rebels with whom they treated, and rather wished to embarrass his affairs than to extricate him from his difficulties. They therefore persuaded the unfortunate monarch to remove the negociations to London, where a parliament was called to settle the affairs of the kingdom. Thus the king and the lords removed from York to London, without concluding any thing with the Scotch army except a suspension of hostilities. At this juncture Charles, finding all his resources exhausted, was obliged to assemble that memorable parliament t which was speedily to contend with him for * "The hall was richly hung with tapestry for the purpose, and the king's chair of state was placed upon the half pace of the stairs at the upper end of the hall." Drake, p. 140. t The long pailiament, assembled Nov. 3, 1640. 84 HISTORY OF book i. the sovereign authority. The situation of affairs in the north, the loyalty of the x D 164 , inhabitants of York, and the conduct of the parliament, were now strong inducements for the king to notice, by frequent visits, the second city in his kingdom. After a short stay in the metropolis, he returned to York on the 20th of November, 1641. He was then on his way to Scotland, where he had summoned a parliament, in order to ascertain their dispositions toward him. The king was accompanied by the prince of Wales, afterwards Charles II., the Palsgrave of the Rhine, the duke of Lennox, the marquis of Hamilton, and several other noblemen. The day following their arrival he dined with the lord mayor,* and knighted both him and the recorder, f Conceiving that his person was in danger, the king demanded a guard from the freeholders of Yorkshire, for his protection ; which was readily granted. A. D. 1612. The differences between the king and the parliament daily increasing, an open befween CeS rupture began to appear unavoidable. The king, with his son Prince Charles, the the king prince elector, and several noblemen, not without considerable personal risk, and parlia- r ment. departed from London, and on the 18th of March, 1642, again arrived at York, where most of the nobility and gentry of the north of England, and many from London and the southern parts of the kingdom, came to testify their loyalty, and offer him their services. One of the first measures of the parliament had been to abolish the courts of presidency of York ; but the city, notwithstanding this loss, derived some lustre from the great resort of nobility and gentry, and no small degree of glory, from being the asylum of its legitimate sovereign, j After long and fruitless altercations both parties prepared to decide the contest by arms. In this situation of affairs the possession of Hull, a place rendered strong both by nature and art, became an object of the first importance, and the immense magazine of arms and ammunition collected in the garrison served greatly to enhance its value. The king, in order to secure the town, sent the earl of North- Tlie king umberland forward, to take possession in his majesty's name, but the mayor, obtain pos- aldermen, and burgesses, unmindful of their recent declaration, "that they would j'j'ii" adhere to liis majesty against all his enemies with the utmost of their lives and fortunes," declined to receive the king's general, and after some hesitation and delay admitted Sir John Hotham as governor, by order of parliament. The king had now fixed his residence at York, and it was not difficult to foresee that he would continue his endeavours to obtain possession of the vast magazines at Hull, which at that time far exceeded the collection of warlike stores in the tower of London. The policy of the parliament was to have these stores removed * Sir Christopher Croft. t Robert Berwick, esq. I During this stay Charles ordered his state printing presses to be placed in the house of Sir H Jenkins, formerly St. William's College, in the yard belonging to the minster. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 85 to London, and the two houses sent petitions to the king for that purpose; but his CHAP. v. majesty refused his assent, and the stores remained at Hull undisturbed. a. d. i&t-2 On the 23rd of April, 1 642, a memorable period in the history of the kingdom, his Proceeds majesty, attended by his son, and by a train of from two to three hundred of his ser- to Hull to vants, with many gentlemen of the county, set out early in the morning from York ,nj r s c ^ a n " for Hull, and when he was within about four miles of that place he sent forward an officer to inform the governor that he intended that day to dine with him.* This unexpected honour Sir John Hotham was not disposed to accept, and he despatched a message to the king, humbly beseeching him " to decline his intended visit, seeing that he, as governor, could not, without betraying the trust committed to him, open the gates to so great a train as his majesty was attended with." The king however continued to advance, and Sir John ordered the bridges to be drawn up, the gates to be closed, and the soldiers to stand to their arms round the walls. The king having arrived at Beverley gate demanded entrance, at least for himself and twenty of his attendants ; but the governor continued to plead the trust reposed in him is refused, by parliament, protesting at the same time, upon his knees, that he wished God might bring confusion upon him and his, if he was not a faithful and loyal subject to his majesty. The threats and the entreaties of the king were, however, alike unavailing, and in the evening he retired to Beverley, where he lodged that night- The next morning he sent a herald to Sir John, summoning him once more to open the gates on pain of being proclaimed a traitor, in case of refusal, and with a promise of forgiveness for the past if he consented. The herald, like his royal master, proved unsuccessful, and the king, grievously disappointed, returned to York. This was the first act of hostility between the king and the parliamentarian party, and proved the commencement of that civil war, which for the space of four years desolated England, and brought her monarch to the block. On his arrival in York, the king sent a message to the two houses of parliament, demanding Demands justice against the governor of Hull, for his treasonable refusal to obey the royal J. ustIC, j commands ; but instead of punishing Sir John Hotham, parliament bestowed upon parliament him and his supporters a vote of thanks. The king having mustered about 3800 governor troops, of which about three thousand were foot and eight hundred horse, and procured a supply of arms from Holland, by the sale of the crown jewels, and by the zeal of his royal consort, resolved to commence the war by an attack upon Resolves Hull, the fortress of which he hoped to carry, rather by the defection of the Hnll. ' governor, than by the force of his own arms. On the king's arrival at Beverley, Sir * It is remarkable that the duke of York, afterwards James II., was in Hull at this time, and actually dining at the Trinity House, when Sir John Hotham was parleying wi'th his father at the gate. z SG HISTORY OF BOOK I. \. I). 16 12. The envi- rons of the town inun- dated. The siege of Hull com- menced. John Hotham called a council of war, by which it was determined, that the sur- rounding country should be laid under water, in order to render all access to the town impracticable to the king's army. This resolution was immediately carried into effect; the sluices were pulled up, and the banks of the Humber were cut, so that the next morning, by the aid of the spring tides, the meadows and pastures, to the extent of two miles on every side of Hull, were inundated with water. The next care of the governor was to put the town in the best possible state of defence ; for this purpose, the Charter-house hospital, and several houses in Myton Lane, were demolished ; the walls and the fort at the south end were fortified with cannon ; batteries were erected at the Myton, Beverley and the North gates ; draw-bridges were thrown over the town ditch, which was then both broad and deep ; and the country being under water, the royalists could make no near approaches, either to plant their batteries, or to practise any other species of annoyance. While the garrison of Hull was thus making every preparation for defence, the king was not inactive at Beverley : two hundred men were employed in cutting trenches, to divert the current of fresh water which supplied the town of Hull ; posts were placed at the Humber side, in Lincolnshire, to prevent succours being introduced from that quarter, and two forts were erected, one at Paul, a village about five miles below Hull, and the other at Hessle Cliffe, about the same distance above it, to prevent supplies from being conveyed by the river. The parliament, being informed of the state of affairs, gave orders that some ships of war should scour the Humber, that five hundred men should immediately be sent by sea to Hull, and be followed by 1500 more, as soon as they could be got ready- These recruits, together with a considerable sum of money, and great store of provisions, arrived about the middle of July, 1642, in the Humber, and passing the fort at Paul without any material damage, landed safely at Hull. The siege of Hull having now commenced, Sir John Meldrum, a Scotch officer, was sent down by parliament to assist the governor, and greatly distinguished himself in the defence of the town. Notwithstanding the inundation, the king had brought his cannon to play on the town with some effect, and he was answered with equal spirit by guns planted on the walls, though no material result was produced on either side. Reports were raised in the town, that the king contemplated measures of the greatest cruelty against the inhabitants, and that should he succeed in carrying the place, as he intended, by storm, every person without respect to age, sex, or condition, was to be put indiscriminately to the sword. By these arts the troops in the garrison were violently inflamed against the royal cause ; and about the end of July five hundred of them, under the command of Sir John Meldrum, made a desperate sally from the fortress, and attacked the king's forces with so much spirit, that they were obliged to return to Beverley with considerable loss. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 87 During the siege the garrison made several other sallies, in one of which the chap. v. royalists were driven out of the village of Anlaby ; and a barn, used as a storehouse a.D. 1642. for a portion of the 'king's ammunition, was destroyed. After repeated similar J^^akea disasters, the king called a council of war, and by their advice he resolved to raise successful sortit?. the siege, and draw off his forces. Thus frustrated in the attempt on Hull, the king's army retired to Beverley, where the train bands, a species of militia, were abandons dismissed, and his majesty, with his court, and the rest of his army, returned to * ^ r' e t f r e e ' s York. 'o York. It was matter of great surprise to all who were not in the secret, that the king, with such inadequate means, should have attempted the siege of Hull, which was one of the strongest fortresses in the whole kingdom ; but his majesty's reason for undertaking this enterprise was founded on other, and surer grounds, than the precarious success of arms. This attack was in pursuance of a plan formed Plan form- between Sir John Hotham, the governor, and Lord Digby, the son of the earl of render the Bristol. This young nobleman, in whom the king placed unbounded confidence, ££! "-over- had, it appears, been taken prisoner by one of the parliament ships, and carried into nor - Hull. Under the disguise of a Frenchman he remained for some time unknown, but at length he introduced himself to the governor, and had the romantic hardihood to propose to him the surrender of the town to the king. The manner in which Sir John received the overture encouraged him to press the negociation ; and it was at length agreed between them, that the king should advance from York, at the head of his small army, and that Sir John should deliver up the place at the firing of the first shot. This was the true cause which prevailed upon his majesty to besiege that town ; but either through the pusillanimity, or the incon- stancy of the governor, the whole project proved abortive,* and its failure served only to damp the spirits of the adherents of this ill-advised and ill-fated monarch. The town of Hull and the adjacent country, notwithstanding the success of the garrison, were in a deplorable state. In the town the spirit of party ran high, and those who were suspected of favouring the royal cause were imprisoned, and their property confiscated. In the villages the inhabitants had sustained great loss by the inundation of their land; and the detachments sent out of the garrison almost daily, to distress the royalists, committed terrible devastations, both in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, so that a vast number of families were plunged into utter ruin. In the meanwhile the parliament, having appointed Lord Fairfax general of LordFair- their army in the north, Sir John Hotham, who thought that his own services as pointed ge- well as abilities entitled him to that command, was more than ever confirmed in nort i, er em army. Rapin says, that it was impossible for Hotham to fulfil his engagements. HISTORY OF BOOK I. A.D. 1612. The plot for surren- dering the town dis- covered. Captain Hothaiu ar- rested. A.D. 1643. Sir John Hotham ar- rested by the mayor. his resolution to deliver up Hull to the king; and his son, Captain Hotham, who had hitherto opposed the design, thinking both himself and his father neglected, now entered into the conspiracy. The whole affair of the Hothams was a series of plots and counterplots. The parliament having received from their emissaries some information of a correspondence carrying on by Sir John Hotham and his son with the roy al party, employed a clergyman, named Saltmarsh, a near relative of the Hothams, to discover if possible the intention of the governor. By pretending an extraordinary zeal for the church and king, he gained the confidence of Sir John, who, notwithstanding lus great circumspection, fell into the snare laid for him by his insidious kinsman. This emissary of the parliament having obtained some hints of the design, promised the governor upon his salvation, that if he were fully let into the secret he would not only religiously conceal it, but further the attempt to the utmost in his power. Believing that a man of such seeming sanctity, and so near a relative, would not betray him, the too credulous governor discovered to him the whole plot, which the treacherous priest immediately communicated to Captain Moyer, who commanded the Hercules' ship of war lying in the Humber. His next care was to transmit the intelligence to parliament, who voted him a reward of 1000/. for this meritorious piece of service, and at the same time sent orders to Captain Moyer and Sir Matthew Boynton to keep a watchful eye on the Hothams.* The governor, ignorant of the treachery of his kinsman, sent his son a few days after at the head of his troops to Nottingham, to join Colonel Cromwell and Lord Gray, where on the night of his arrival he was arrested by Cromwell, on a charge of intending to deliver Hull to the king. Captain Hotham, however, eluding the vigilance of his keepers, escaped to Lincoln, and from thence proceeded to Hull. But even there he could not avoid his destiny ; for Mr. Thomas Raikes, the mayor, having learnt by Captain Moyer, that the plot for delivering up the town would, if not prevented, be shortly put into execution, held a consultation with the parliamentary party, and it was resolved to defeat the project by seizing the governor and his son ; which was effected in the following manner. On the 29th of June, 1643, Captain Moyer, having landed a hundred men from his ship, seized the castle and block houses, almost without resistance. About the same time 1500 of the soldiers and inhabitants, who had been waiting in the town for word of com- mand from the mayor, seized the main guard, near the magazine, and next took possession of all the artillery on the walls. These measures having so far suc- ceeded, Captain Hotham was secured, and a guard placed at the door of the * Sir Matthew Bovnton was Sir John Hotham's brother-in-law. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 89 governor's house; all this was effected in the space of about an hour, and without chap. v. the shedding of a drop of blood. A. D. 1643. Sir John Hotham having, in the meantime, obtained information of what was E-capes, transacting, found means to escape,* but being secured by Captain Boynton, in taken in" Beverley, the governor was conveyed under a strong guard to Hull, where he was Beverley. put on board the Hercules, together with his son, Captain Hotham, and conveyed to London. The catastrophe is universally known ; after a long and strict confine- ment, Sir John Hotham was brought before a court-marshal, at the Guildhall in Tried at London, on the 30th of November, charged with " traitorously betraying the trust imposed upon him by parliament," which charge being clearly substantiated, the court, on the 7th of December, pronounced sentence that he should suffer death, by having his head severed from his body. Two days after the conviction of his father, Captain Hotham was arraigned before the court-marshal, charged with " having betrayed the trust reposed in him by the parliament, and with perfidiously adhering to the enemy." This charge was supported by satisfactory evidence, and the son was condemned to die in the same way as his father. On the 1st of January, Both the Captain Hotham was brought to the scaffold, on Tower hill, and underwent the executed sentence of the law; and on the following day, Sir John suffered decapitation upon hi 1 !].*"™ the scaffold at the same place, the victim of his own inconstancy and want of resolution. After the arrest of Sir John Hotham, the custody of the town was intrusted to the care of a committee of eleven, approved by the parliament, and at the head of which was the mayor : soon afterwards Lord Fairfax arrived in Hull, and on the 22nd of July, 1G43, was constituted the governor of that place ; and within the space of two months the town was a second time besieged by the royalists. The marquis Hl,n a S ain . besieged of Newcastle, having made himself master of Gainsborough and Lincoln, and bytheroy- driven Sir Thomas Fairfax out of Beverley with great slaughter, appeared with his whole force before Hull on the 2nd of September, and immediately began his operations against the town, from which he cut off its supplies of fresh water, and of provisions, as far as depended on the adjoining parts of Yorkshire. The siege and defence were conducted with all the military skill of that age, and with all the determination of deep rooted hostility, which generally distinguishes intestine warfare. The besiegers erected several batteries which opened on the town and were answered by an incessant fire from the walls ; and the cannon from the block houses, and the forts on the banks of the Hull, near the ruins of the Charter-house, carried devastation and slaughter into the camps of the besiegers. After extreme * Rushwortli, vol. v. p. 276. 2 A alists. 90 HISTORY OF BOOK I. A. D. 1643 The banks of the Huraber cut. A combin- ed attack made by the royal- ists. But defeat- ed with great loss. labour and loss of many lives, the royalists, though exposed to a heavy and constant fire from the walls, at length succeeded in erecting a fort, about half a mile from the town, which was called the king's fort. On this were placed several pieces of heavy ordnance, and a furnace was constructed for the heating of balls. The firing of red hot balls into the town threw the inhabitants into great consternation ; but the prudent precautions of the governor prevented them from doing any material injury ; and by adding two large culverins to the Charter-house battery, and the erection of another fort, which flanked the royalists, he demolished the king's fort, and deprived the marquis of Newcastle of the means of firing hot balls into the town. On the 14th of September, Lord Fairfax ordered the banks of the Humber to be cut ; and the country being thus laid under water, the royalists were obliged to abandon all their works, except those erected on the banks of the river. On the 20th of the same month the royalists made their approaches to the town on the west, and erected batteries, on which they placed heavy artillery ; and on the 27th they repaired the fort of Paul, and erected another at Whitgift near the confluence of the Ouse and the Trent, in order to prevent Hull from receiving supplies by water. But the ships of war, which the parliament had stationed in the Humber, soon demolished these forts; so that the attempts to cut off* supplies proved ineffectual.* The siege was still prosecuted with the greatest vigour, and almost every day was marked by some active operation. On the 9th of October, at day break, a combined attack was made by a strong party of royalists under Captain Strickland, on the fort at the foot of the west jetty, and the half moon near it, while another body of their forces attacked the charter house battery on the other side of the town. Strickland and his men were not discovered till they began to scale the fort, when they received a galling fire from the half moon batter}-. Finding themselves annoyed, they wheeled about, and immediately attacked the half moon ; but at the instant of reaching the top, Captain Strickland was killed by a musket ball. This accident was fatal to the assailants ; they were not only repulsed, but driven from the fort, with so great a slaughter, that of the whole detachment very few had the good fortune to escape. On the other side of the town the royalists were equally unsuccessful ; for, after having carried the Charter-house battery by assault, and killed the commanding officer, they were unable to keep possession, and forced to abandon it with considerable loss. * About this time the marquis of Newcastle's magazine at Cottingham was blown up, either by acci- dent or treachery. Considerable damage was done to the town, and several people were killed by the explosion. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 91 The last important operation which took place during this siege, was a vigorous chap. v. sortie made from the town, on the 11th of October. At seven o'clock in the morning a.d. i&i3. the whole garrison was under arms ; and at nine o'clock 1500 men, consisting of ^ s ^ r {}, e e inhabitants, soldiers, and seamen, with four troops of horse, sallied out of the west town - side of the town, with the determination to compel the royalists to raise the siege. The foot were formed in three divisions, one of which, being only a small party, charged the besiegers in the front of their last erected work ; the second, com- manded by Sir John Meldrum, fell upon their left flank ; and the third, from the west jetty, attacked their works on the banks of the Humber. These attacks were so vigorously made, that the besiegers were driven from their works after an obsti- nate contest. The timely arrival of a strong reinforcement, however, enabled the royalists to recover their camion, which had fallen into the hands of their assailants, who .were obliged to retreat under the cover of their batteries. But the besiegers did not long maintain the posts which they had thus recovered. Lord Fairfax and Sir John Meldrum now used every endeavour to inspire their men with fresh courage, and the attack was renewed with such desperate impetuosity, that the marquis of Newcastle was at length obliged to abandon both his forts and bat- teries, after experiencing a dreadful loss from his own cannon, which were turned against him. The siege, which had continued nearly six weeks,* was now drawing to a close, and the marquis of Newcastle, perceiving that all his efforts to carry the town must be unavailing, called a council of war, on the 11th of October, the deliberations of which resulted in a determination immediately to raise the siege. This was The sie ? e carried into execution the same night ; the marquis drew off his forces ; and taking raised. care to prevent a pursuit by opening the canals, destroying the bridges, and breaking up the roads, he retired with the greatest part of his army to York, and detached the remainder into Lincolnshire. On the following morning, when it was PuWic thanks- perceived that the enemy was gone, Lord Fairfax commanded that the day should giving by be observed as a day of public thanksgiving, and the anniversary was celebrated Ucans. at Hull in the same manner till the restoration. The inhabitants of Hull now expected to be reimbursed the exorbitant sums which Lord Fairfax had exacted from them for the public service, during the siege ; but no compensation was ever made, nor could they even obtain a temporary relief from taxation. The mayor and burgesses having presented a petition to the parliament, representing the impoverished state of the town from the ruin of its trade, the damages sustained by the siege, and the money advanced for the public ; and praying that they might for a time be exempted from assessments till they * From September 2 lo October 11, inclusive. 92 HISTORY OF book i. had in some measure repaired their losses, received for answer, that in a time of x D 16H public calamity no attention could be paid to particular sufferings.* TheScoich In the earlv part of the year 1644, the Scotch army, commanded by the earl of vadesEn"- Leven, entered England, and crossing the river Tweed at Berwick, which was land - o- a rrisoned for the parliament, attempted to surprise Newcastle, before it could be put in a posture to resist. But in this the Scots were disappointed. The earl of Newcastle arrived at this fortress the day before it was summoned by Leven ; and the Scots, leaving six regiments before the place, crossed the Tyne, and entered Sunderland on the 4th of March. The royal army, to the number of fourteen thousand, hovered upon their march.+ Under these circumstances, the parliament ordered the ever-active Sir Thomas Fairfax, with Lord Fairfax, Ills father, to fall upon Colonel Bellasis, whom Newcastle had left with three or four thousand men for the protection of Yorkshire. In this service they were eminently successful. The two parties encountered each other at Selby, on the 11th of April. Bellasis was entirely defeated in the action, himself and his ordnance were taken, and Ids entire forces made prisoners or dispersed. The consequences of this victory were important. Newcastle immediately upon the receipt of this intelligence, evacuated Durham, and fell back upon York, closelv pursued by Leven and his army, who a few days later were joined by the Fairfaxes, where they formed in concert the siege of the city.'i The city of On the 19th of April, the commanders, with their united forces, commenced sieved by the blockade of York ; but their army not being sufficiently numerous to invest the the parlia- c j^ tne nor t nern s jd e remained open ; and the marquis of Newcastle, having forces. between four and five thousand cavalry in the place, could by means of a bridge over the Ouse transport them to either side of the river, and attack any corps that he might see divided from the rest. The earl of Manchester, however, arriving with his troops and twelve field pieces, took a position near Bootham bar towards Clifton, and thus the city was completely invested by forty thousand men. Several batteries were now opened against the place, and particularly one on a hill near Walmgate bar, where four pieces of cannon played almost incessantly on the tower, castle, and town, while the garrison and armed inhabitants, from their different platforms, kept up a heavy fire on the works of the besiegers. The besieged also drew within their walls all the inhabitants of the suburbs, and set fire to their houses, which occasioned many smart skirmishes, through the * In another petition, presented in 1546, the inhabitants of Hull represented that they had advanced, at different times, to Sir John Hotham, Sir John Jleldrum. and Lord Fairfax, ,£90,000. ; that they had suffered £30,000. by losses in trade, and paid £11,000. for repairing and strengthening the forti- fications ; but for all this they received no recompense. Bigland's Yorkshire, p. 603. + Rushworth. vol. v. p. 606. t Godwin's Commonwealth, vol. i. p. 317. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 93 exertions of the besiegers to preserve the buildings for their own convenience, chap. \. The Scots took, near Micklegate bar, a convoy of cattle, which was about to enter A.D. 1GH. the city. The earl of Manchester made an attack near Walmgate bar, and took possession of St. Nicholas church, but was soon after obliged to retire. The only hopes of the besieged were now centered in the speedy arrival of Prince Rupert, who after compelling the parliamentarians to raise the siege of Newark, was hastening to their relief. The exact period of his arrival being very uncertain, A pretend- the marquis of Newcastle endeavoured, by a pretended treaty with the besiegers, commenc- to divert their attention from an immediate attack. Several letters passed — a com- besicers plete cessation was agreed upon — commissioners met, and terms were proposed, *? = am which after a week's deliberation were fully rejected, and on the 15th hostilities recommenced. The three generals, Fairfax, Manchester, and Leven, now renewed their assaults Thepropo- cole n rp rP- on the city with redoubled vigour. Manchester's forces undermined St. Mary's ; ec ted, and tower, at the north-east corner of the manor : and Colonel Crayford, a Scotchman, hosllUlies ' > J > > are recom- who commanded that quarter, sprung the mine, which demolished the tower and menced. buried a great many persons in the ruins. He then attempted to storm the city, having, with his cannon, made another breach in the wall lower down in Marygate ; which having entered, they scaled two or three walls, and took possession of the manor. This occurred on Trinity Sunday, while most of the officers were at the cathedral ; but the alarm given by the explosion of the mine caused them to run from the church to their posts. In the mean time a party of the garrison, issuing out by a private sally-port, entered the manor, and cut off the retreat of the enemy. A smart conflict now ensued ; about fifty of the parliamentarians were killed, and two hundred and fifty made prisoners. On the side of the garrison were slain, Sir Philip Byron and Colonel Huddlestone, with Mr. Samuel Brearey, captain of a company of volunteer citizens, and son of one of the aldermen.* From this time to the 24th of June, an almost incessant fire was continued day and night, both by the besiegers and the besieged, when a party of the garrison, consist- ing of about six hundred men, sallied out from Monk bar, and furiously assaulted the earl of Manchester's quarters, but they were soon driven back with considerable loss.-|- Several bold attacks were made by the besiegers, which were always bravely repelled by the besieged. So loyal were the inhabitants of York to their sovereign, that even the women assumed a masculine courage, and, despising fatigue and danger, contributed, by every exertion in their power, to the defence of the city.J The siege however continued with all possible vigour, and a line of circumvallation * Drake's Ebor. + Ex. MS. $ Drake's Ebor. vol. v. p. 166. 2 13 94 HISTORY OF book i. drawn round the city, effectually cut off the supply of fresh provisions, so that A. D. 1644. mutton sold at sixteen shillings per quarter, beef at four shillings per stone, pork at seven shillings, bacon at four shillings, eggs at threepence each, fresh butter at two shillings and eightpence per pound, and oatmeal at two shillings and eightpence per peck. But the magazine was well stored with salt provisions and grain, and liquors of all sorts were plentiful. Prince Ru- On the 30th of June, towards evening, the parliamentarian generals received varices to intelligence that Prince Rupert, with an army of twenty thousand men,* was the relief of a( j v ancing, and would quarter that night at Knaresborough and Boroughbridge. Having called a council of war upon the occasion, they, being conscious of their Theparlia- inability to contend with him in that situation, resolved to raise the siege. Accord- raise the ingly en the 1st of July, they drew off from their intrenchments before the city, and Sle ° e " marched to Marston moor, where they arrayed their army in order of battle, expecting that the prince would take that road to York ; but Ins royal highness, aware of this movement, caused only a body of horse to face the enemy, at Skip- bridge, and interposing the Ouse between him and the adverse army, safely joined his forces to those of the marquis of Newcastle. His arrival in York produced the most unfeigned demonstrations of joy : and a council of war was immediately held, at which the marquis of Newcastle endeavoured to persuade the prince not to attempt a battle ; urging in support of his opinion, that considerable dissensions prevailed among the parliamentarian generals,f and also that in two days he expected Colonel Clavering with a rein- forcement of five hundred men.J The marquis proved correct in his remarks : but the prince stated that he had received positive orders from the king to fight, adding, he was determined to attack the enemy immediately. Rupert lost no time ; and, on the 2nd of July, marched out of York with his whole army. His van came up with the enemy just as they had broken up with an intention of proceeding to Tadcaster. Drake observes, that part of his forces being on the north side of the Ouse, had to cross Poppleton ferry, which then happened to be fordable ; but Sir H. Slingsby says, the Scots had made a bridge of boats over the river, by which Prince Rupert's forces were enabled to pass. Both parties now began to draw up in order of battle, and the parliamentarians, finding that the prince had possessed himself of the principal part of the moor, were obliged to Marston range their forces in a field of rye, at the end of the village of Marston, fronting July's. the moor from Marston to Tockwith. This being a rising ground, the prince * Rushwoi'h, vol. v. p. 631. + Drake's Ebor. p. 1G7, on the authority of Sir Thomas Fairfax's Memoirs. J Life of the Marquis of Newcastle, by the Duchess. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 95 sent a detachment to dislodge them ; but the royalists were repulsed, and the corn- CHAP - v - field was possessed by the parliamentarians. A. D. 1644. The earl of Manchester, and his lieutenant-general, Cromwell, led the right of the combined forces, and Sir Thomas Fairfax the left, while Lord Fairfax and General Leslie commanded in the centre. The whole making about seventy troops, and extending in length nearly a mile and a half. Their field word was " God with us," and previous to the attack they were heard singing psalms. It was near three in the afternoon before the two armies were formed. The prince's forces amounted to fourteen thousand foot, nine thousand horse, and twenty-five pieces of ordnance : himself led the right wing,* consisting of five thousand horse; the left was led by the earl of Newcastle; and Lord Goring, as general of the foot, assisted by major-general Porter and Sir Charles Lucas, commanded the main body. The field word given by the prince was — " God and the king." The mark of distinction, in the king's army, was to be without either band or scarf; that of the parliamentarians, to place a white paper or handkerchief in their hats.f The two armies being now ready to engage, the cannonading began on both sides, and continued for about two hours, with but little effect, though a cannon shot, from a parliamentarian, killed a son of Sir Gilbert Haughton.J The army moving down the hill, in brigades of eight, ten, or twelve hundred men, descended into the plain ; and advancing towards the royalists, they were within musket-shot of each other at five o'clock, and an awful silence for some time pervaded both parties ; for there being a ditch and a bank between them, each hesitated about beginning the attack. About seven o'clock in the evening, § however, the par- liamentarian generals gave the signal for battle, and the earl of Manchester's foot, with the Scots, advancing by a running march, soon crossed the ditch, and made a furious attack on the royalists. The first division of the royalists advanced against them with great fury, and charged Cromwell's division of three hundred horse, but was unsuccessful, as Cromwell's forces broke through; and, assisted by the rest of his horse of that wing, and Major-general Leslie's regiments, they also completely broke all the right wing of the prince; whilst the earl of Manchester's foot, on their right, dispersed and cut down Rupert's foot. The marquis of Newcastle's own regiment, consisting of one thousand stout Northumbrians, being at that time deserted by the horse, * Rapin says, the prince commanded the left wing, but this is evidently a mistake. See Rushworth, vol. v. p. 663. t Vicar's Parliamentary Chronicle. t Sir Henry Slingsby's Memoirs. § Whitlock says seven next morning, 96 HISTORY OF book I. were literally cut in pieces, all bravely falling in rank and file as they had stood. x.d.1644. The rest of that wing fled in confusion towards York. The prince, with the left wing, had better success ; for, though Sir Thomas Fairfax and Colonel Lambert, with five or six troops, charged through them, the rest of the parliament's forces were defeated, and their main body left the field, and fled several miles towards Tadcaster and Cawood, under the impression that all was lost. This idea the three generals, Manchester, Fairfax, and Leslie, also entertained; and they were all, consequently, quitting the field, when Cromwell, having observed the royalists too eagerly pursuing their flying enemies, rallied, by the assistance of Sir Thomas Fairfax, some of their horse and Manchester's foot, and charged the prince's whole force.* The situation of the two armies was now completely reversed, and the royalists, with considerable resolution, marched down the corn field. Thus, after each side had supposed themselves victorious, was the battle renewed with desperate efforts. At the expiration of three hours of hard fighting on both sides, victory crowned the exertions of the parliament's forces ; who, by ten o'clock, cleared the field, recovered their own ordnance, took the prince's train of artillery, and pursued the royalists within a mile of York. Eight thousand men, according to some accounts, were slain in this dreadful contest ; but the villagers, who were commanded to bury the dead, asserted that they interred 4150, two-thirds of whom appear to have been men of rank. Their graves are yet to be seen near Wilstrop wood. Immediately after the battle, the earl of Manchester rode through the ranks, thanking his troops for their gallant behaviour, and exhorting them to ascribe their success to the Lord of hosts. He also added, that though it was then too late to administer to their several necessities, at day-break they should receive every attention. The re- Evening had far advanced when the royalists arrived at Micklegate bar, and there the" "oval a scene °f confusion and misery ensued beyond description. None but the garrison army re- being suffered to enter, the admittance was extremely tedious ; and many of Vmk. the wounded, fainting under fatigue and anxiety, filled the air with sounds of distress.-f- The disasters of this day were attributed to the want of sufficient coolness in Prince Rupert : he has, however, been also accused by some of wanting courage, a * Hollis. in his memoirs, taxes Cromwell with cowardice, and says he withdrew very soon from the fight, for a slight wound in the neck; he is, however, by most writers, considered the main instrument in gaining this important victory. t Hargrove's Hist. York, vol. i. pp. 169, I7S. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 97 charge which by others is believed to be completely unfounded. Among the chap. v. royalists who fell were Sir William Wentworth, Sir Francis Dacres, Sir William a. D. 164-1. Lambton, Sir Charles Slingsby, knight, who was interred in the cathedral ; Colonel ^inct'on John Fenwick, whose remains could not be identified anions: the heaps of dead : slain in the battle Sir Marmaduke Luddon ; Sir Thomas Metham, captain of the Yorkshire gentle- man volunteers ; Sir Thomas Gledhill, Sir Richard Graham, and more than four thousand others. General Sir Charles Lucas, General Porter, General Tilliard, Lord Goring's son, with many more field-officers, &c. amounting to upwards of two thousand, were taken prisoners. The prince likewise lost twenty-five pieces of artillery, one hundred and thirty barrels of powder, several thousand stand of arms, and about one hundred colours. Sir Charles Lucas was desired to point out to the victors, such bodies among the slain as he wished to be honoured with a private interment. He was however unable to discriminate the person of more than one gentleman, who had a brace- let of hair about his wrist; which Sir Charles requested might be taken off", as he knew an honourable lady who would thankfully receive it. The principal persons slain among the adherents of parliament, were Major Fairfax ; Charles, brother of Sir Thomas Fairfax, who was interred at Marston, Captain Micklethwaite, and Captain Pugh. They themselves would not acknow- ledge the loss of more than three hundred subalterns and privates ;* but, from the circumstances of the battle being at one time so much against them, they must undoubtedly have lost a number nearly equal to the vanquished. The following is an extract from a MS. diaiy, written by an officer in the Norwich troop : "After the battle we continued two nights on the field ; in which things were very scarce, and much raised in their value ; a cup of foul water being worth drinking, and taking pains for."f The marquis of Newcastle, and about ninety of his friends, being disgusted by Prince Ru- the arrogant conduct of prince Rupert, informed him they intended to leave the Arches city and country. They immediately went to Scarborough, and thence embarked I 1 * 3 forces for Hamburgh. The prince, at the same time, assembled his forces and marched eashire. * Rushworth, vol. v. p. 632. et seq. t In the life of Sir George Radcliffe, it is stated, that Charles Townley, of Townley, ib Lanca- shire, Esq. having fallen at the battle of Marston-moor, his lady, Mary, the daughter of Francis Trappes, Esq. who was then with her father, at Knaresbornugh, hastened the next morning to the field of battle to search for his body, whilst the attendants of the camp were stripping and burying the dead. There she was accosted by a general officer, to whom she told her melancholy story. He heard her with great tenderness, but earnestly desired her to leave the place, where, besides the distress of wit- nessing such a scene, she might probably be insulted. She complied, and a trooper was immediately called, to take her behind him to Knaresborough. On inquiry, the officer who had shown so much humanity, and to whom she was so greatly indebted, proved to be Lieutenant-general Cromwell. 2 c 98 HISTORY OF BOOK I. A.D. 16U. Negotia- tions for the surreiv der of York. into Lancashire. Thus were the king's affairs irretrievably ruined by the imperious and injudicious conduct of Prince Rupert; who not only acted in opposition to the advice of the marquis of Newcastle, but treated that illustrious nobleman with marked contempt. This strange desertion of York and the northern parts, was the most injudicious measure that could have been taken. Had the prince left a sufficient garrison in the city, it might have held out against the parliamentarians, as great dissensions prevailed among the generals. They knew that vast quantities of provisions had been thrown into the place ; and they had little inclination for renewing the siege, till certain intelligence of the departure of the two royal commanders inspired them with well-grounded hopes of success, as the brave governor, Sir Thomas Glemham, was left with only a very small garrison, and in a great measure destitute of the means of defence, in consequence of the loss of artillery on Marston-moor. Encouraged by these considerations, the parliamentarian generals immediately resumed their former positions before the city, and carried on the siege with unremitting vigour. They summoned the governor to surrender unconditionally ; to which a negative answer was returned ; but, in a few days afterwards, finding that the besiegers had made their approaches to the very walls, and were preparing scaling ladders, the garrison, from the reduction in their numbers and means of de- fence, were fearful of the result, and judged it advisable to apply for a treaty. In compliance with their request, Sir William Constable and Colonel Lambert were deputed to enter the city, and conclude upon conditions of surrender. The terms were extremely favourable to the besieged, a circumstance which has been attributed to the existence of considerable dissensions amongst the forces of parliament. The following is a copy of the conditions of surrender : — * 1. That Sir Thomas Glemham, as governor of the city of York, shall surrender and deliver up the same, with the forts, tower, cannon, ammunition, and furniture of war belonging thereto, on the 16th of July, 1644, at eleven o'clock in the fore- noon, to the three generals, or to whom they shall appoint, for the use of the king and parliament, in the manner, and upon the conditions following : — 2. That all the officers shall march out of the city, with their arms, drums beat- ing, colours flying, match lighted, bullet in mouth, bag and baggage. 3. That they shall have a convoy, that no injury be done them in their march to Skipton. 4r That sick and maimed soldiers shall not be hindered from going after their recoveries. 5. That soldiers' wives and children may have liberty to go to their husbands Ex. MS. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 99 and fathers, to their own homes and estates, and to enjoy them peaceably, under chap. v. contribution. A D ]6M# 6. That no soldier be enticed away. 7. That the citizens and inhabitants may enjoy all their privileges, which formerly they did at the beginning of these troubles, and may have freedom of trade, both by sea and land, paying such duties and customs as all other cities under obedience of parliament. 8. That if any garrison be placed in the city, two parts in three shall be Yorkshire- men ; no free quarter shall be put upon any without his own consent, and the armies shall not enter the city before the governor and lord mayor be acquainted. 9. That in all charges the citizens, residents, and inhabitants, shall bear only such part with the county at large, as was formerly in all other assessments. 10. That all citizens, gentlemen, residents, sojourners, and every other person within the city, shall if they please have free liberty to remove themselves, family, and goods, and to dispose thereof, and their estatesj at their pleasure, according to the law of the land, either to live at their own homes or elsewhere ; and to enjoy their goods and estates without molestation, and to have protection and safeguard for that purpose, so that they may rest quietly at their abodes, and travel safely and freely about their occasions ; and for their better removal, may have letters of safe conduct, and be furnished with horses and carriages at reasonable rates. 11. That all gentlemen, and others, that have goods within the city, and are absent themselves, may have free liberty to take, carry away, and dispose of them, as in the foregoing articles. 12. That neither churches nor other buildings shall be defaced, nor any plunder- ings, nor taking of any man's person, nor any part of his estate, suffered ; and that justice shall be administered within the city by the magistrates according to law, who shall be assisted therein, if need require, by the garrison. 13. That all persons, whose dwellings are in the city, though now absent, may enjoy the benefit of these articles, as if they were present. Signed, FERDINAND FAIRFAX, ^ MANCHESTER, / ADAM HEPBORNE, (. ™° MAS GLEMHAM ' LORD HUMBEE, I governor. WILLIAM CONSTABLE. J Such were the favourable conditions on which York surrendered to the forces of the parliament, on the 16th of July, 1644, after a siege of eighteen weeks; in which the garrison had repulsed twenty-two attempts to carry the city by storm, and four countermines ; and in which time four or five thousand of the enemy had fallen 100 HISTORY OF BOOK I. A.D. l&M before its walls. The king's troops, amounting to more than one thousand beside sick and wounded, accordingly left the city on the following day. The conduct of the victorious army on this memorable occasion, deserves atten- tion. The parliamentary forces having been previously drawn up on each side of the road, out of Micklegate bar, and formed into a line of about a mile in extent, Royal the retiring forces, with arms in their hands, drums beating, colours flying, &c. cu^tes eVa " marched through their ranks towards Skipton. One or two instances occurred in York ' which the soldier)', in defiance of the terms granted to the king's forces, plun- dered some of the latter as they departed. This base conduct was, however, properly resented by the earl of Manchester. On their departure, the three successful generals, the earl of Leven, the earl of Thepariia- Manchester, and Lord Fairfax, immediately entered the city, and after receiving ™n e ter a the nS possession of its forts, towers, thirty-five pieces of ordnance, three thousand stand city ' of arms, five barrels of powder, and other ammunition, proceeded to the cathedral, where they returned thanks to the Almighty for their success. On this occasion Mr. Robert Douglas, chaplain to the earl of Leven, officiated ; and the following Thursday was appointed as a day of general thanksgiving for the whole army* Lord Fair- York bein°- thus subjected to the parliament, Lord Ferdinando Fairfax was made g^en^r. its governor ; and he and his son received commissions to reduce all the garrisons that still held out for the king in this county. In one of their excursions, to reduce the castle of Helmsley, Sir Thomas Fairfax received a severe wound in his shoulder; he, however, soon recovered, and was voted commander-in-chief of all the forces of parliament. The city walls, which had been exceedingly shattered in the siege, were about this period ordered to be put in a. state of repair; and we must take this oppor- tunity to record, that on new year's day, 1646, a great convoy, commanded by major-general Skippon, arrived at York; bringing with them the sum of two hundred thousand pounds ; which was paid in the Guildhall, to the Scots for their services. siege of Immediately after the surrender of York, detachments of troops were sent to besiege the castles occupied by the king's friends, and among the rest, that of Pontefract. The command of the detachment sent to that place was given to Colonel Sands, who in the month of August, 1644, fell in with a party of the enemy sent out to protect some cattle, routed them, took all the cattle, and made several prisoners. Colonel Sands for some time watched the motions of the enemy, and endeavoured to cut off their foraging parties, rather than form a regular siege ; and indeed, the strength of the place, and the courage and prudence of the royalists, rendered * Hargrove's Hist York. vol. i. p. 187. Pontefract. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 101 necessary a much greater force than he possessed. The success, however, of the chap. V. parliamentary generals had now set many of the troops at liberty, and they soon a # d # 1644. marched to the assistance of Colonel Sands. Sir Thomas Fairfax, as the superior officer, took the command ; and in the beginning of December he drove in the garrison, possessed himself of the town, and on Christmas day closely besieged the castle.* Some of the royalists, protected by the fire of their friends from the castle, kept, for a few days, possession of the low-church. The enemy, sensible of the im- portance of this position, prepared to dislodge them ; and on the 29th of December commenced their attack. The royalists defended the church for some time with bravery and resolution ; all their efforts were however unavailing, for their opponents obliged them to retreat, and obtained possession of the church. In this action the royalists lost Captain Waterhouse, of Netherton, three privates, and eleven wounded. The loss of the enemy, though victorious, was much greater. They are said to have had sixty killed and forty wounded. + On the 19th of January, 1G45, after an incessant cannonade against the walls A. D. 1645. of the castle, the Pix tower gave way, and, by its fall, carried part of the walls ma de^n°the along with it, by which a breach was made : but whilst the castle was thus assailed, castle - its defenders were not inactive. A shot from the castle struck a match belonging to the enemy, and some sparks falling into the powder, it instantly exploded, and killed twenty-seven men. By a well-directed fire of musketry, the besieged obliged their enemy to keep their distance, and frequently did considerable exe- cution. % The breach above alluded to having been effected, the besiegers hoped that the castle would be surrendered. On the 21st of January, Colonel Forbes sent a drum to the gate of the castle, which beat a parley. The governor, Colonel Lowther, and his brave garrison, rejected the proposals of the enemy for a surrender, and resolved to defend the place to the last extremity. The parliamentary general not deeming it practicable to enter by the breach, ordered mines to be sprung to blow up the walls and the towers ; but on the discovery of this attempt, the besieged began to countermine, and sunk within the castle, or close to its walls, one hundred and ten or one hundred and twelve pits, from whence they com- menced their mines. The operations of the siege, however, went regularly on, till the garrison was reduced to great distress for want of provisions. At this period, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, one of the royalist generals, making a rapid march from Oxford at the head of two thousand horse, arrived at Pontefract, and attacked the besiegers, who were then commanded by Colonels Lambert and Forbes. The * Whitlock, p. 102. t Drake's MS. t Boothroyd's Hist. Pontefract, p. 175. 2d 102 HISTORY OF BOOK I. A. D.164o. The parlia- mentarians defeated, and the siege raised. Pontefract again be- sieged. The castle surren- dered. The castle surprised, and retaken by the roy- alists. A.D.164S. The third siege of Pontefract castle. garrison, at the same time, made a vigorous sortie, and the parliamentarians, being defeated after an obstinate engagement, retired in disorder, and with considerable loss to Ferry-bridge, and from thence towards Sherborn and Tadcaster, being closely pursued by the royalists. After obtaining this signal victory, and obliging the enemy to raise the siege, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, having refreshed his men for a few days, retired to Doncaster, and from thence to Newark.* On General Langdale's departure, the parliamentarian troops again collected, and the royalists in Pontefract castle had to sustain a second siege. On the 21st of March, 1645, the enemy took possession of the town, and after four months of incessant cannonades, attacks, and sorties, the garrison, being reduced to a state of famine, surrendered the castle by an honourable capitulation, on the 20th of July. Sir Thomas Fairfax was appointed governor ; but as he was sufficiently employed in the field, he placed Colonel Cotterel in the castle as his substitute. As the royal party seemed now subdued, and the war drawing near to a conclusion, only one hundred men were left with Cotterel in garrison. The king's friends, therefore, formed a scheme for regaining that fortress, of which they well knew the importance. On the 6th of June, 1648, the governor having given orders for bringing some beds and provisions out of the country, Colonel Morrice being commissioned by General Langdale, and accompanied by nine officers, disguised like peasants, having pistols, daggers, &c. concealed beneath their garments, appeared at the castle gate, with carts laden with beds, provisions, &c. On their arrival the draw- bridge was let down, and the beds, &c. being delivered to the main guard, money was given to some of the soldiers to fetch ale. Scarcely had these departed, when Morrice and his party attacked and mastered the main guard, and made way for their confederates to enter. Captain William Paulden, and some others, then went to the apartment of the deputy governor, whom they made prisoner, after a determined resistance. Having now made themselves masters of the castle, they were soon joined by thirty horse, and five hundred foot, part of the king's scattered troops, and Sir John Digby was made governor. In the month of October, 1648, the third siege of Pontefract castle commenced. General Rainsborough was appointed to the command of the army; but sub- sequently Oliver Cromwell undertook, in person, to conduct the siege. Having remained a month before that fortress, without being able to make any impression on its massy walls, Cromwell found it necessary to join the grand army, under Fairfax, and general Lambert being appointed commander-in-chief of the forces before the castle, arrived in Pontefract on the 4th of December. * In this short march, Sir Marmaduke had twelve skirmishes with the enemy, in which, with his two thousand cavalry, he vanquished nine thousand men. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 103 This able general formed new works, made regular approaches, and pushed chap. v. the siege with the greatest vigour. The besieged, however, were not discouraged A .D.iew. by his efforts. On the 30th of January, 1G49, the king was beheaded ; and the news of this melancholy event 110 sooner reached Pontefract, than the garrison proclaimed his son Charles II. and made a vigorous and destructive sally against their enemies. But, notwithstanding the sorties of the garrison, and the losses which the besiegers sustained, the prudence, perseverance, and activity of Lambert deprived the royalists of all hopes of deliverance. On the 25th of March, 1649, the garrison being reduced from between five and six hundred men, to one hundred, and some of these unfit for duty, surrendered by capitulation. The following six The castle persons were excepted from mercy, viz. Colonel Morrice, Major Ashley, Ensign dered"" Smith, and Serjeant Floyd, who were confederates with Morrice in seizing the castle, and Lieutenant Austwick, and Cornet Blackburn, two of the persons con- cerned in the murder of Rainsborough, at Doncaster. But six days before the capitulation was signed, Colonel Morrice and Cornet Blackburn effected their escape, during a sally made by the garrison. About a fortnight after the surrender of the castle they were taken in Lancashire, while inquiring for a ship to carry them abroad, and were tried, and executed at the following assizes, at York. Ensign Smith was killed in a sortie ; Ashley, Austwick, and Floyd, concealing themselves among the ruins of the castle, escaped after the surrender ; and the two last lived to see the restoration.* The tremendous effect of artillery had shattered the massy walls of the castle, Pontefract Ccistlc dc» and its demolition was completed by order of parliament. Within two months after moiished its reduction, the buildings were unroofed, and all the valuable materials sold, parii'a'ment! Thus was this princely fortress, which had long been considered as the glory and pride of Pontefract, reduced to a heap of ruins. We are once more obliged to retrograde a few years, in order to trace more distinctly the share this county had in the events of the civil war. The queen, having sold the crown jewels in Holland, to purchase a cargo of The queen arms and ammunition, landed at Bridlington quay, February 22, 1643, with thirty- g,"^;*' eight pieces of cannon and ten thousand stand of small arms. The lord-general, to . n . witn as the earl of Newcastle was called, on receiving intelligence of her arrival, set stores. out from York, and conveyed her majesty, with the military stores, to that city, ' * where she remained three months. Leeds and In the following year, 1644, Leeds and Ripon having previously fallen into the taken" by 6 hands of the parliamentarians, Sir Thomas Fairfax gained a considerable victory menfaVians. * For want of sufficient space we have only given a slight sketch of the three destructive sieges of this castle. For a more circumstantial account we must refer our readers to Boothroyd's Hist. Pontefract. 104 HISTORY OF BOOK I. A.D. looo Siege of Scarbo- rough. The castle surrender- ed on ho- nourable terms. Siege of Sheffield castle. over the royal forces near Selby, where he was joined by the Scottish general, the earl of Leven. At this period the importance of Scarborough castle induced the parliament to send Sir John Mcldrum to succeed Sir William Constable, who had been appointed by Lord Fairfax in the command of the siege. On the 18th of February the town with the church of St. Mary was taken by assault, and Sir Hugh Cholmley, the governor, retired into the castle. The parliamentarians took in the town and church thirty-two pieces of cannon, with a great quantity of arms and ammunition, and one hundred and twenty ships in the harbour. After this success, Sir John Meldrum regularly invested the castle, and having made a lodgment in the church, opened a battery from the east window. The garrison, at the same time, kept an incessant and well directed fire, by which the choir was demolished ; and the ruins at the eastern part of the church-yard are monuments of this destruction. On the 17th of May, 1645, the parliamentarians made a general assault on the castle, but were repulsed with great loss ; several of their best officers were killed, and their commander, Sir John Meldrum, received a mortal wound of which he died on the 3d of June. Sir Matthew Boynton was appointed by parliament to succeed Sir John Meldrum, and brought a strong reinforcement to the siege, which was continued with unremitted vigour till July 22, 1645, when the fortifications being ruined by inces- sant battering, the stores nearly exhausted, the garrison worn out by excessive fatigue and sickness, and entirely dispirited, the brave governor, Sir Hugh Cholmley, seeing no prospect of relief, after having defended the castle more than twelve months, surrendered it on honourable terms. The garrison was greatly reduced in number by the scurvy, which had caused a dreadful mortality. Many of the soldiers that remained were in so weak a condition, that some were carried out in sheets, others were supported by two, and the rest were unfit to march. During this memorable siege square-shaped silver coins, of the value of five shillings and two shillings and sixpence each, were issued, having on one side a representation of the castle, inscribed " Obsidium Scarborough, 1645 ," and on the reverse the nominal value of the piece.* After the battle of Marston moor, which has already been recorded, the earl of Manchester resolved to reduce Sheffield castle, and for that purpose sent Major- general Crawford. To prevent the effusion of blood, a summons was sent to Major Beaumont, requiring him to surrender the castle. This demand was answered by a volley of shot, and a reply that the garrison " would hold no parley." The besiegers now erected two batteries, and kept their cannon playing upon the fortress for four and twenty hours without any visible effects. Finding that the siege would Hinderwell's Hist. Scarborough, p. Sfl. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 105 be protracted, Crawford sent to Lord Fairfax for the Queen's pocket pistol, and chap. v. a whole culverin, which being brought to the spot, played with such fatal effect that a. D. 1645. the garrison was obliged to capitulate, and the castle was surrendered, on the The castle surrender- 11th of August, to the parliamentary general. On the 30th of April, 1646, a ed. resolution passed the House of Commons, directing that the castle of Sheffield should be rendered untenable; and on the 13th of July, in the following year, another resolution passed the same assembly, for the " sleighting and demolishing " that ancient structure. On the 23rd of April, 1648, the work of demolition had Anddemo- ... lished by begun : and a few vaults are all which now remain to bear witness that such an order of edifice once stood on what is yet called the Castle-hill. In 1645, the liturgy of the church of England being abolished, the soldiers quartered in the different towns entered the churches, took out the Common Prayer books, and, with drums beating, and trumpets sounding, carried them to the market places, where they consigned them to fires provided for that purpose, amidst the acclamation of the spectators. In the latter part of the same year, Skipton castle surrendered to the forces Skipton of the parliament, after sustaining a siege of three years ; the garrison were per- ren ders to mitted to retain their arms, and retire either to Newark, Oxford, or Hereford. o f e P a r r ija- Parliament shortly after issued an order, directing that Skipton castle should be ment - dismantled and demolished. This order was partially carried into effect in 1649, And partly but the countess of Pembroke, the great restorer of ruined edifices, repaired and e d. again rendered it habitable, though not perhaps tenable as a fortress, for which it was never, owing to its exposed situation from the neighbouring heights, very well adapted. In the year 1647, the whole country being under the subjection of parliament, York was deprived of its garrison, with the exception of Clifford's Tower, of which the lord mayor was appointed governor. In the month of January, the payment of the first two hundred thousand pounds, for the arrears of the Scottish army, was made in York. The money, in bags of one thousand pounds each, began to be counted into the hands of the Scottish receiver on Tuesday, the 5th of January, and the counting was completed on Saturday, the 16th. On the 21st a receipt was signed, for the first half of the amount at North Allerton ; and, on the 3d of February, a similar receipt for the remainder.* This year a petition was presented from the inhabitants of the city and county of Petition to York, and from others in the more northern parts of the kingdom, praying for the for a establishment of a university in York ; but in the unsettled state of the nation, it ""YoVk 1 . 5 ' is by no means surprising that success did not attend the application. * Journal of Lords, Jan. 18. 26. Feb. 9. 2e 106 HISTORY OF book i. At the Lent assizes, in 1648, held in the city of York, Judge Thorpe presided, A.D. \. improved, especially by crosses from the Leicestershire. The sheep walks are generally on the more elevated parts of the wolds ; and Mr. Leatham says, perhaps with some degree of exaggeration, that " although the fertile plain may boast of its mild air, meandering streams, and luxuriant produce, yet it is not of greater importance than this district, and must even yield to it, on account of the numerous flocks these pastures support."* Mr. Marshall, in his "Rural Economy," observes, that " should the day arrive when the higher swells shall be crowned with wood, and the intervening vales be covered with living fences, forming enclosures of eight or ten acres, the climate of the wolds will be rendered some degrees of latitude more congenial than it is at present, and the produce be increased in a duplicate ratio." It is difficult to admit the truth of this assertion in its full extent; but it is certain that very great improvements have been made of late years, both by enclosures and plantations. Enclosures have indeed become almost general ; and probably ere long very few fields in this district will remain unen- closed. On the wold soil quick-set fences grow remarkably well, if taken care of the first two or three years. The extensive level, extending from the foot of the wolds to the western limits Drainage. of the riding, has also received great improvements by drainage, enclosure, and the newest modes of agriculture. Within the last half century the vast commons of Wallinfen and Bishopsoil, containing upwards of nine thousand acres, have been enclosed and cultivated, besides several others of inferior extent ; and a vast and dreary waste, full of swamps and broken grounds, which, in foggy or stormy weather, could not be crossed without danger, is now covered with well-built farm houses, * Agricultural Report. 144 HISTORY OF BOOK II. Roads. Pasture. and intersected in various directions with roads, of which some are in a very good state. Indeed, throughout the whole of this plain, great attention has been paid to the principal roads ; but many of the bye-lanes and cross-roads are yet in very bad condition, from the scarcity of materials, and the difficulty with which they are procured in places at a distance from the Ouse and Derwent ; yet, in these unfavourable situations, considerable efforts have been made ; and, in some town- ships, recourse has been had to the expedient of burning brick, to serve instead of stone for the foundation of highways. In the rich and strong lands about Howden, large quantities of flax, and also of beans, are produced. The whole of this level, as well as the rest of the east riding, is a considerable corn country. Although there are no extensive woods between the wolds and' the Ouse, there are abundance of plantations and trees in the hedge rows of old enclosures. There seems, indeed, to be too much wood to have any good effect on so level a country, as it tends to make the air damp, and to prevent the roads from drying. Agricul- ture of the west rid- ing. Extent of farms. In the west riding almost all the arable land is enclosed with hedges or stone walls ; the former prevail in the eastern, the latter in the western parts. Within a few miles to the westward of Leeds, stone fences become general, and, except in some of the fertile valleys, hedges almost entirely disappear. But there are very few open fields, except where the land is common or waste. A great proportion of this riding is possessed by small proprietors ; and there are few parts of the kingdom where this respectable class is more numerous. The dukes of Norfolk and Devonshire, Earl Fitzwilliam, the earl of Thanet, &c. are the greatest proprietors ; but there are some other noblemen and gentlemen who possess extensive estates. Here are also considerable portions of land belonging to the archbishop of York and other dignitaries of the church. The majority of farms are comparatively small, and few are of that size which, in many other parts of the kingdom, would be considered as large.* On the arable lands, there are scarcely any that exceed four hundred acres ; and for one of that extent we meet with a dozen of less than fifty acres. In the grazing division, in the westernmost parts of this riding, the land is let in yet smaller allotments ; and, in many places, the occupier of a hundred acres is called a large farmer. A great part of this riding is exclusively kept in grass, and, where this is the case, cultivation is only a secondary object. Mr. Browne, in his Agricultural Survey, gives the following general sketch of the state of farming in the district under consideration : — " 1. From Ripley to the western extremity of the riding, nearly the whole of the * In the small size of these farms this part of the country affords a striking contrast to Holdemess and the wolds in the east riding. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 145 good land is kept under the grazing system, and seldom or never ploughed ; while chap. II. corn is raised upon the inferior or moorish soils. During the time we were in that part of the country, we hardly ever saw a plough ; and a stack of corn was a great rarity. Upon the higher grounds there are immense tracts of waste, which are generally common amongst the contiguous possessors, and pastured by them with cattle and sheep. Some of them are stinted pastures, but the greater part are under no limitations ; the consequences of which are, the grounds are oppressed, the stock upon them starved, and little benefit derived from them by the proprietors. " 2. The land in the vicinity of manufacturing towns. The greatest part of the ground is there occupied by persons who do not consider farming as a business, but regard it only as a matter of convenience. The manufacturer has his enclosure, wherein he keeps milch cows for the use of his family, and horses for carrying his goods to market, and bringing back raw materials. This will apply to most part of the land adjoining to manufacturing towns ; and although much ground is not, in this case, kept under the plough, yet more corn is raised than in the division above described. " 3. The corn district, or those parts of the riding where tillage is principally attended to, and grass only considered as the means of bringing the corn husbandry to perfection. "If we run an imaginary line from Ripley, southward by Leeds, Wakefield, and Barnsley, to Rotherham, we may affirm that the greatest part eastward of it, till we come to the banks of the Ouse, which separates the west from the east riding, is principally employed in raising corn. About Boroughbridge, Wetherby, Selby, &c. there is about one-half of the fields under the plough. Further south, about Pontefract, Barnsley, and Rotherham, there are two-thirds ; and to the eastward of Doncaster, to Thome and Snaithe, three-fourths of the land are managed in a similar way. There is not much waste in this division, but what is in that situation is capable of great improvement. " 4. The common fields. These are scattered over the whole of the last division, but are most numerous in that part of the country, to the eastward of the great north road from Doncaster to Boroughbridge. It is impossible even to guess at the quantity of land under this management. In general it may be said to be extensive ; and from the natural good quality of the soil, and the present imper- fect state of culture, great room is afforded for solid and substantial improvement being effected upon all land, coming under the description of common fields. " 5. The moors. These, besides the large tracts in the first division, lie in the western part of the riding, and, perhaps, contain one-eighth part of the district. Upon them sheep are chiefly bred, and afterwards sold to the graziers in the lower part of the country. A great part of these lands is common, which lay the pro- 2 p 146 HISTORY OF book. II. prietors under the same inconveniences as are already pointed out ; and which might easily be remedied, by dividing and ascertaining the proportion which belongs to the respective proprietors." * To these observations it is necessary to add, that the number of open fields is considerably diminished since the time of the survey, and is continually grow- ing less, as bills of enclosure are passing in every session of parliament. The bad husbandry, of which Mr. Browne speaks, in the tract to the eastward of Doncaster, is greatly improved. That gentleman also remarks, that " betwixt Hat- field and Thome, there are great quantities of waste land, and much under water. Upon the whole the land we have seen this day stands in the greatest need of improvement, which cannot be done without a previous division." + The observation is just, and the evil has been in a great measure remedied. After much pains had been taken to remove various obstacles, and reconcile jarring interests, an act of parliament was, in the year 1811, obtained for enclosing the extensive commons of Hatfield, Stainforth, Thorne, &c. which has been of incalculable benefit to the neighbourhood. By that enclosure above twelve thousand acres of land, a great part of which was of excellent quality, has been brought into cultivation: this part of the county now assumes a new aspect ; the wide extent of waste has been converted into waving fields of corn, and the means of subsistence, by the increase of provisions and employment, has been greatly augmented. Crops. In the arable lands of the west riding, a greater quantity of wheat is raised than of any other grain. It is mostly of the red sort, and is sown after fallow, or tumips, or clover; and sometimes, though seldom, after peas or beans. Rye is not cultivated to any great extent, and is the most frequently seen in the neighbourhood of Doneaster. Barley is also produced in far less quantities than wheat. Oats are cultivated to a very considerable extent, but little attention seems to be bestowed on procuring the best kinds of seed, though in the western part of the riding oatmeal is the principal food of the lower classes of inhabitants.^ The quantity of land sown with peas is not considerable, and very few beans are produced except on the strong soils in the eastern parts, near the Don and Ouse. They are chiefly sown m the broad cast way; but drilling has of late years come more into practice. Tares and vetches, for horse food, are sown in several places, and particularly in the neighbourhood of Sheffield and Rotherham. The turnip husbandry prevails over a great part of the riding, but the cultivation of that root is not in general attended • Browne's Agricultural Survey, p. 77, &c. + Agricultural Survey, Appendix, p. 37. X In our previous notice of the north riding it has been observed, that great quantities of oats are sent from Malton to the west riding ; and these make the best oatmeal. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 147 to so carefully as good farming requires. In the eastern part of the riding, toward chap. ir. Selby, and especially in the tract which lies along the banks of the Ouse, below its junction with the Aire, and is distinguished by the name of Marshland, the raising of potatoes is no inconsiderable object of attention. They are mostly of the kidney kind, and great quantities of them are sent by water carriage to the London market. The average crop in Marshland may be estimated at about seventy sacks, of twelve pecks, per acre, but instances of crops producing one hundred sacks per acre have been met with in the best soils, and under a good mode of management. Flax is also cultivated in these parts to a considerable extent. It is generally sown in the beginning of April ; and if the season be favourable, it is fit for weeding about the middle of May, and for pulling in the latter end of July. The produce is generally from forty or fifty stones, of fourteen pounds, to the acre ; but flax is a very precarious crop ; for, on the best soils, and under the best management, it depends almost wholly upon the season. A bounty of fourpence per stone is allowed by government for growing of flax, to encourage its cultivation. Rape is not very extensively grown in this part of the county, and it is only in the eastern parts that any is seen. Woad for dyers is very commonly raised in the neighbourhood of Selby, and in some parts near Doncaster. It is generally sown among red clover, and is pulled up by women and children a few days before the clover is mowed. It grows upon all lands that are fit for turnips, and is sometimes sown alone for a crop. Clover is sometimes sown in this riding, but much less than in any other district. The quantity of oak and ashwood in the west riding is very considerable, and Timber, both meet with a ready market at the shipping and manufacturing towns. A large portion is also used at the mines and collieries. The waste land in this riding, at the period Mr. Tuke made his survey, was 2G5,000 acres capable of cultivation, and 140,000 acres incapable of improvement in any other way than by planting ; the aggregate making somewhat more than one-fourth of the whole district. The waste lands, which are fit only for planting, appear to have very slowly improved, although many places which would not repay the expense of cultivation, or even of enclosing, would serve for the raising of birch, Scotch firs, and larches ; and plantations of this kind would contribute both to the benefit of the proprietor and the public convenience. Draining is assiduously attended to in the west riding. Hollow draining is con- Drainage, ducted in various modes ; but that which seems to be considered as the best and cheapest, is to fill up the drain with pebbles, taking care that no mould is intro- duced amongst them, and to cover them with straw before the earth is drawn over them. Paring and burning the sward, at the first breaking up of old pasture lands, is in some places practised ; but in others prohibited, unless with the consent of the 148 HISTORY OF book II. proprietors. The advantages of this process seem to depend wholly on the nature of the soil. All sorts of manures are employed for fertilizing the land ; bones, broken in a mill, are now very generally used for that purpose, especially in the southern parts of the riding, towards Sheffield and Doncaster. Bones, of all kinds, are gathered with great industry, and vast quantities are brought both by land and water carriage from distant places. Warping. One of the greatest improvements that land can receive is by warping, where the situation is such as to admit of the process. This is done by letting in the tide upon lands adjoining to rivers, and lying below the levels of high water.* By this means, a soil of the richest quality may be produced, and of any depth that may be thought necessary ; and the very worst of soils may be rendered equal in fertility to the best in the kingdom. This method is much practised, and is supposed to have originated in the eastern part of the district, near the banks of the Aire and Ouse. Mr. Robert Jennings, of Airmin, a village near the confluence of these two rivers, was the first person who made the experiment, about the middle of the last century. It was next attempted by a gentleman of Rawcliffe, about four miles to the westward, as also by a Mr. Mould, in the same neighbourhood; and it has been tried by a number of others, since that time, with invariable success. The warping is performed by making a clough, or inlet, in the bank of the river, walled on each side with a strong wall, and a flood gate fixed in the middle, for the purpose of letting the water in and out of the ground. The warp consists of the mud and salts deposited by the ebbing tide. Near the banks of the Ouse, one tide will leave an inch of mud. One piece of land, that was scarcely worth any thing, was raised fourteen inches in the space of three years, and converted into excellent soil. By warping, the lands are so enriched that they will bring abundant crops for several successive years without any manure. They require to be kept in tillage for six or seven years before they are laid down ; for the salts in the mud are highly inimical to all kinds of grass seeds. Warped land is extremely well adapted to wheat, beans, and oats ; but it is too rich for barley, which it causes to grow coarse ; it is also the best kind of soil for both flax and potatoes. A very con- siderable extent of moor-land adjoining to the new channel of the Don, commonly called the Dutch river, originally not worth five pounds per acre, has been so greatly improved by warping, that its value is increased in more than a ten-fold proportion. Cattle. In regard to cattle, less attention has been paid to the breeds in this district, than in either of the other two ridings. The horses, in the middle and eastern districts, are of a good size, and sufficiently strong for all the labours of husbandry ; those * Any land may be warped that lies below the level of the spring tides. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 149 employed in the western parts are small, but hardy, and capable of enduring chap. u. great fatigue. In those parts there are scarcely any horses bred for sale. The farmers and manufacturers breed a few for their own use, and endeavour to get such as they think the most suitable to their business.* The horned cattle may be classed under three distinct heads; first, the short Cattle, horned or Holderness breed, which prevails in the eastern parts of the riding; second, the long horned, or Craven breed, which are both bred and fed in the western parts ; and third, a cross breed, between the two above mentioned. Cows of the short horned breed afford the greatest return of milk. But the long horned breed give milk of a greater quality of butter. This also is a hardy sort of cattle, peculiarly adapted to the vicissitudes of a wet and precarious climate, like that of Craven. The mixed breed is the most common in Niddersdale, and the adjacent country. Cattle of this breed are both handsome and useful. They are somewhat inferior to the Holderness cows in regard to the quantity of milk ; but they are much hardier, and more cheaply maintained, and sooner made ready for the butcher. Besides these breeds, which properly belong to the county, there are immense numbers of Scotch cattle, which, being fed in this district, are sold to the butchers. The sheep in this riding are of many different breeds, which, in most parts, have Sheep, been so often crossed, as to confound all distinction. But of late years considerable attention has been paid to the improvement of this important part of the farmer's stock, by introducing a mixture of the Leicestershire breed. The sheep bred upon the western moors, which seem to be a native breed, are horned, light in the fore-quarter, hardy, and good thrivers ; and when brought down at a proper age, into the pastures of the low country, they are soon fed, and make excellent mutton. The Craven sheep seem to be of the same kind, but much larger, as most of the mountains in that rugged district are covered with a sweet grass. They are all horned, and have generally black faces, with long legs, and are well made for exploring a district where hill rising upon hill seems to forbid all access to animals not endowed with a very great proportion of agility. Upon the waste commons, scattered here and there in many parts of this riding, the sheep are often the most miserable looking animals that can any where be seen, except on the eastern moors, to the westward of Whitby. This is often the case, even where the land is of the best quality ; for as a great part of the sheep belong * Although Yorkshire is famed for its excellent horses, this distinction belongs only to the north and east ridings, especially the latter. In the east riding are bred the best road.and coach horses in England. Agricultural Survey, p. 191. 2q 150 HISTORY OF book II. to poor people, and are in small lots, they cannot be improved ; and in unstinted commons they serve only to starve whole flocks. Roads. A considerable degree of attention is given to the management of the roads, many of which, in the manufacturing parts of the country, have foot paths on the sides. These are in most places paved, in others raised with broken granite, fine gravel, or sand. The numerous waggons, however, that pass on several of these roads, cut them up very much in winter, and render it difficult to keep them in repair, especially where they are at any great distance from good materials. This district is well supplied with inland navigation. Most of the large manu- facturing towns have either a navigable river or a canal ; and the whole riding is thus connected between Liverpool, Leeds, and Hull. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 151 CHAPTER III. CLIMATE AND GENERAL APPEARANCE. The climate of the north riding admits of a considerable variety, the natural conse- CHAP m quence of the different elevation of various parts of the county, and other topo- i • i • t i i i> ir i i • • .i , Climate of graphical circumstances. In the vale ot York the air is mild and temperate, except the north near the moors, where the influence of the winds from those mountainous regions is " '" g ' sometimes severely felt. The climate of the Howardian hills, from their greater elevation, and their vicinity to the eastern moors, is cold, and the corn rather later in ripening. Ryedale and the marishes on the skirt of the Derwent enjoy a mild air; but the dampness of these flats, and die want of a better drainage, render them less healthful than most other parts of this riding. The great altitude of the eastern moorlands renders their climate extremely cold, and presents an insuperable obstacle to their improvement. The highest parts of these moors are 1444 feet above the level of the sea, an altitude, which, between the latitudes of 54° and 55°, is greatly above that at which corn will ripen. At an elevation of about six hundred feet the crop becomes extremely uncertain ; that, indeed, may be reckoned the greatest height at which wheat will grow, with any chance of repaying the husbandman for his labour ; and there the grain will prove very light, and about a month later in ripening than at the foot of the hills. Between six and seven hundred feet may be reckoned the maximum of elevation for any other grain. Little com, dierefore, except oats and ling, are sown in the higher parts of the dales that penetrate these moorlands, and it frequently happens that the crops are still in the field when the ground is covered with snow. About the end of August the clouds begin to descend, and in the form of dense fogs impinge in the morning against the moorland hills, at an elevation of about seven or eight hundred feet ; and as they become rarefied by the warmth of the day either ascend above their summits, or remain upon them at an elevation in proportion to their rarefaction. As the autumn advances, they hang in the morning lower on the hills, and leave their summits sometimes clear, although but for a short time ; the country is after- wards, during several months, enveloped in fogs, chilled with rain, or locked up in 152 HISTORY OF book II. snow, from an elevation of about six hundred feet, with little interruption. A region so little favoured by nature is ill calculated for cultivation, and capable only of supplying pasture to dwarfish cattle and sheep ; indeed, there seems no other hope of improvement, but by planting. The shade of trees would encourage the growth of various weeds, wluch, rotting annually on the ground, would, together with the fallen leaves of the trees, produce a vegetable soil, that in half a century would accumulate to a considerable thickness, . and render these sterile rocks capable of being converted into tolerable pastures.* The vale of Cleveland having these moorlands on the east and south-east, the sea to the north and north-east, and lying open on the west to the winds, from an exten- sive and mountainous country, has a climate somewhat severe ; but the dryness of the soil, and the frequent use of lime, concur to accelerate the harvest, which is nearly as early here as in the warmer parts of this riding ; the same remark may be made on the narrow tract which lies along the coast from Whitby to Scarborough. The climate of the western moorlands is colder than that of the eastern moor- lands ; although the former soil is more favourable to vegetation in consequence of their calcareous composition. The western moorlands being much more elevated than the eastern, and not like them exposed to the sea air, remain longer covered with snow, and are far more subject to rain. In Yorkshire, as well as in all the counties bordering on the German ocean, the east winds usually predominate in the spring, and during a great part of the summer, as do the west winds in the western parts of the island. The conflict of these two winds generally takes place in the western moorlands, and to this cause must be attributed the almost constant rains that fall in this mountainous district. The clouds from the Atlantic pushed forward by the westerly winds, are there stopped in their course by the powerful resistance of the easterly winds, as well as by the mountains that arrest their progress, and fall upon the moorlands in almost incessant rains ; a circumstance which, by preventing the ripening of corn, inevitably obstructs the progress of cultivation. Some variation of climate exists in the east riding, it being colder on the eastern than on the western side of the wolds, which break the force of the cold and raw winds from the German ocean. Near the coast the country is exposed to fogs from the sea and the Humber ; on the wolds the air is much sharper, and the snow lies longer by reason of their elevation. The levels in the western part of the riding enjov a milder climate, by being sheltered from the easterly winds. Climate of- _,, „,.... . . the west 1 lie climate or the west riding is as various as its surface ; a circumstance riding. Climate of the east riding. • Every one who has attentively viewed the eastern moorlands will he readily convinced, that no other mode of improvement would repay the labour and the expense. Ten acres is now the quantity required to support one small ill-looking sheep. Tuke, p. 19S. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 1.53 naturally arising from the diversity of situations. In the eastern parts, towards chap. in. the banks of the Ouse, the climate, as well as the face of the country, resembles that of the east riding on the opposite side of the river ; and damps and fogs are somewhat prevalent. In the middle district the air is sharper, clearer, and con- sidered as more healthful. And in the western parts the climate is cold, tempes- tuous, and rainy. At Sheffield the average guage of rain is thirty-three inches; being about a medium between the quantities that fall in Lancashire and on the eastern coasts of the kingdom. Blackstone edge, and the mountains of Craven, are the most foggy, rainy, and stormy districts in England ; although from the frequent high winds which purify the atmosphere, and keep it in a state of agitation, the climate is reckoned salubrious to sound constitutions, and the inhabitants have a robust and healthful appearance. The face of the country along the coast from Scarborough to Cleveland is hilly General and bold, the cliff being generally from sixty or seventy to a hundred and fifty feet f the high. Stoupe Brow, vulgarly called Stow Brow, which is on the coast, at the °°J n distance of fourteen miles from Scarborough and about seven from Whitby, rises to the stupendous height of eight hundred and ninety-three feet. From the cliff, the country rises in most places very rapidly to the height of three or four hundred feet ; and a little farther inland successive hills, rising one above another, form the elevated tract of the moorlands. The soil along the coast is almost every where a strong clay; and the sloping, position from the moors towards the sea renders the climate stormy and cold. Beyond the narrow strip of land on the coast, is that wild and mountainous Moorlands tract called the eastern moorlands ; these occupy a space of about thirty miles in length, from east to west, by fifteen in breadth, from north to south, and are penetrated by a number of beautiful and fertile dales. " The surface of some of the higher hills is entirely covered with large free-stones ; on others beds of peat, which in many places are very deep (frequently not to be passed, and never without danger), extend themselves to a great distance, the produce of which is always ling, but in some places mixed with bent and rushes. Near to the old enclosures some considerable tracts of loam and sandy soil producing furze, fern, here called brackens, thistles, and coarse grass, with but little ling, are to be met with. But wherever ling is the chief produce, the top soil is invariably black moor or peat, of a finer texture than in the boggy parts. In the sub-soil is considerable variety ; in some places a yellowish, in others a reddish clay occurs ; a loose red freestone, upon either a rock or clay, is very common ; in some places a kind of rotten earth, inclining to peat, and also a hard cemented reddish sand, and a grey sand are found. The basis of all this district is invariably a freestone. " The western end of these moorlands, which is called Hamilton, is very different 2 R 154 HISTORY OF book II. from those above described; it is generally a fine loamy soil, upon a limestone rock, producing large quantities of coarse grass and bent; in some parts, particularly towards the south-east points, mixed with some ling. Dales. " The uncultivated dales, situated amongst these moors, are pretty extensive, some of them containing from five to ten thousand acres, and Eskdale and Bilsdale much more ; the level land, at the bottom of the vales, is seldom more than two or three hundred yards in breadth ; but the land is generally cultivated from half a mile, to a mile and a half up the hills, though the surface is in many places very irregular. Most of the dales partake more or less of the following soils ; a black moory earth, upon a clay ; a sandy soil, in some places intermixed with large grit-stones, upon a shale ; and a light loam, upon a grit-rock. In the neigh- bourhood of Hackness, on the eastern parts of the moors, we find in some instances, on the sides of the hills, a somewhat stiff' loam upon limestone, and a deep sandy loam upon a whinstone ; in the bottoms a light loam upon gravel or freestone."* The interior parts of these moorlands present a bleak and dreary aspect. The whole country is destitute of wood, except in the dales,- where a few dwarfish trees may be seen among the scattered habitations. In the roads leading from Whitby to Guisborough, Stokesley, and Pickering, the traveller, after proceeding a few miles, meets with no living object, except a few small and miserable looking sheep, wandering, half starved, through extensive wastes, where the view is bounded only by the horizon, and sees himself surrounded with a vast solitude, so lonely as to excite the idea of seclusion from human society. Some of the hills, however, near the edges of this rugged and mountainous region, command pic- turesque and extensive prospects. In descending the El.ie bank, on the Pickering road, about five miles before we reach Whitby, we have a most delightful view of a finely variegated and well cultivated district, covered with rich enclosures and embellished with neat farm houses and elegant villas, scattered in every direction. The beautiful vale of Eskdale bursts upon the view, and for the space of four miles, displays to the eye all its various windings, while the venerable ruins of Whitby abbey form a conspicuous and striking object in the picture, which has for its back ground an extensive prospect of the German ocean. The hills on the southern edge of the moors afford a view of Ryedale, the Howardian hills, and the wolds in the east riding. Various points of the Hamilton hills command extensive views over the vale of York, as far as the western moors. Toward the north-west, the hills and declivities, especially near Upleatham, Whorlton, and Amclifte, afford delightful prospects into the level parts of Cleveland. But the most remarkable object in this rugged district is the peaked mountain, * Tuke's Agricultural Survey, pp. 15. 16. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 155 called Roseberry Topping. By its detached position and superior elevation, it CHAP. ill. commands in all directions a prospect at once extensive and interesting, and serves Roseben-y as a land mark to navigators. Its pinnacled summit indicates to the surrounding To PP in e- country the approaching change in the weather ; for when its top begins to be darkened with clouds, rain generally follows. Hence arises the common proverb : — " When Roseberry Topping wears a cap, Let Cleveland then beware of a clap." The summit of this pyramidical hill, which rises near the village of Newton, and about a mile to the east of the road from Guisborough to Stokesley, is found by accurate admeasurements, to be elevated 1488 feet above the level of the sea. The base of this mountain is composed of immense masses of alum rock, which extends to a depth unexplored, and when decomposed, by exposure to the air, excludes almost all vegetation by the ferruginous particles which it contains. Iron ore is also contained in this and other Cleveland mountains ; sometimes in detached pieces, but more frequently in a regular stratum, from six to fourteen inches thick, extending from east to west in a line parallel to the horizon ; but the strata here are found to dip to the south, which is a proof that they are not in the same position in which they were originally formed, but have been thrown up by one of those great convulsions of nature which caused the uneven surface of the earth. About half way up the side of the hill, above the village of Newton, there is a large laminated rock, which consists of a friable and indurated ferruginous or ochre clay, of a gritty texture, and contains an innumerable quantity of petrified shells, and other marine substances, such as are common in the northern seas. These petrifactions are bivalves, chiefly of the cockle and oyster kinds ; the former are in a good state of preservation, with respect to shape, but, on breaking them, instead of fish they are found to contain a substance similar to the rock in which they are imbedded. The shell appears different from its contents, and, being very brittle, breaks into thin shining flakes. The seams and traces which distinguish the growth and texture of real shells, are in many specimens very perfect, and nicely preserved. Petrified scallop shells, and the ammonite, or snake stones, are also found in the substrata of the rock; but these are more rare, and seldom perfect. Besides these, jet, and pieces of petrified wood, are sometimes discovered ; and also trachitse, or thunderbolts, as they are vulgularly called, in great numbers ; which are conical stones of various sizes, from two to five or six inches long, and from half an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, at the base ; and are found sticking in pieces of the rock, in a confused manner, and in different directions.* * Graves's Hist, of Cleveland, pp. 217, 218. 1.5(3 HISTORY OF BOOK ii. Roseberry Topping has been visited, and the magnificent view from its summit described, by many travellers. To the Rev. J. Graves, the ingenious author of the History of Cleveland, we are indebted for the following description, written by a gentleman who made a tour through this part of the country. "After a tedious labour of near an hour up a steep ascent, we reached the rocky summit, from whence the most enchanting prospect opened to our view. Before us lay extended the beautiful vale of Cleveland, with the county of Dur- ham, woods, meadows, and corn-fields, interspersed with views of rural villages, farms, and gentlemen's seats, some of which by their whiteness gave an animating gaiety to the scene. The river Tees is seen winding through the valley, with stately vessels gliding on its bosom, which give additional beauty and variety to the prospect. To the east,* we had the first view of the sea, covered with ships, whose glittering sails, now fully bosomed to the winds, now eddying to the breeze, formed various shades, contrasted by the sun's beams, as they stood in different directions, and presenting a pleasing variety to the enraptured sight. To the south the prospect is bounded by a chain of hills, rising behind each other in towering height, which seemed to vie in lofty majesty with that on which we stood ; the whole com- posing such a scene of beauty and sublime grandeur, as can seldom be found united in one view." f Roseberry Topping is indeed one of the most remarkable objects of nature in this island ; and an excursion to its summit will amply reward the labour of the tourist. Vale of The vale of Cleveland is lightly interspersed with hills, and the soil is generally a clay ; in some places a clayey loam prevails, and in others a fine red sandy soil. From the tenacity of its clays, Baxter supposes Cleveland to have derived its name, although Camden deduces it from the cliffs towards its eastern and southern extremities. J The popular distich " Cleveland in the clay Bring two soles, and cany one away," evidently alludes to the soil. General The extensive vale of York is not confined within any determinate boundaries, ? the^asf but rather marked out by the face of the country. Mr. Tuke considers it to begin at the Tees, and to extend to the southern borders of the county. This vale from the river Tees has a general slope, though interrupted by some irregularities of surface, and some bold swells, as far as York, where it sinks into a perfect flat. The northern part of this tract has the moorlands on each side, except where it * This is inaccurate ; the sea view is to the north. + Graves's Hist, of Cleveland, pp. 914, 215. t Baxter's Gloss. Antiq. p. 61. riding. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 157 opens into Cleveland, or is separated from Ryedale by the Howardian hills, till it CHAP. III. approaches within ten miles of York ; it then acquires a greater breadth, by extending itself into the east riding, where it is bounded by the wolds on the east, and extends southward as far as the Humber. The vale of York, therefore, must be considered as comprising no small part of the east and west as well as the north riding, and extending from north to south, quite through the middle of the county. This division of Yorkshire, although it displays a great variety of aspect, is far less conspicuously marked with the bold features of nature than the other parts of the county. But if it contains no scenery that can be truly called romantic, some parts of the riding are beautifully picturesque, and aflbrd very extensive and even maf every fabric a series of failures which have gradually led the way to excellence ; and we shall notice, in the art of making even the most insignificant, processes calculated to excite our admiration by their simplicity, or to rivet our attention by their unlooked-for results. The accumulation of skill and science, which has been directed to diminish the difficulty of the production of manufactured goods, has not been beneficial to that country only in which it is concentrated ; distant kingdoms have participated in its advantages. The luxurious natives of the east are even indebted to our looms ; the Bandana handkerchiefs manufactured at Glasgow and Macclesfield have long super- seded those which are genuine, and are now consumed in large quantities both by the natives and Chinese.* The produce of our factories seems also to have pre- ceded even our most enterprising travellers ; for Captain Clapperton, when on a visit to the court of sultan Bello, had his provisions sent from the sultan's table on " pewter dishes with the London stamp," and some meat was served up " on a white wash-hand basin of English manufacture." -f The cotton of India is conveyed by British ships round half our planet, to be woven by British skill in the factories of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is again set in motion by British capital, and, transported to the very plains whereon it grew, it is re-purchased by the lords of the soil which gave it birth, at a cheaper rate than their coarser machinery will enable them to manufacture it themselves.^ The establishment of manufactures in the west riding has been the principal cause lggtabHsh- of its present wealth. It is difficult to ascertain the period when they were first mentofma- , . . . . « , n e nufactures introduced, but there is reason to suppose it was about the beginning ot the fifteenth in the west riding. • Crawford's Indian Archipelago, -vol. iii. p. 605. t Clapperton's Journey, p. S8. t Ency. Metrop. art. Manufactures, p. 2. 2y 174 HISTORY OF BOOK II. century. Camden, in bis Britannica, fixes the introduction of manufactures to have been during the reigns of Henry the Eighth and Edward the Sixth. This era may, however, be suspected; for there is a copy of a court roll still extant, dated at , the court of the prior of Lewes, held at Halifax on the Thursday after the feast of St. Thomas, 2 Henry the Fifth, 1414, wherein Richard de Sunderland, and Joan his wife, surrendered into the hands of the lord of the manor an enclosure at Hali- fax, called the Tenter Croft ; which is a strong presumption that manufactures were carried on there before that period. The country is admirably adapted for carrying on manufactures. The raw materials are abundant on every hand ; and coals, which are indispensably neces- sary, are plentiful and cheap. The ground in the vicinity of the manufacturing towns has in general been originally barren, and in many parts little better than waste ; but from the great increase of population, and the additional quantity of manure occasioned by the manufactures, the soil is now equal in value to that of places originally more fertile. Manufac- The manufactures of the north and east ridings are very slight ; in the former the north and principal are knitted stockings, &c. for which the dales of the western moorlands fnes." have been long celebrated; and in the east riding the manufacture of linen is carried on to a slight extent. The staple commodities of the county are wool and cotton ; the former is particularly deserving notice from the extent, and wealth consumed in it. Origin and The rise and progress of the woollen manufactures in England is very obscure. the wool- The Romans had undoubtedly a cloth manufactory at Winchester. The first account, factures. however, of any distinct body of manufacturers occurs in the reign of Henry I. The people of this country were wholly clothed in skins or leather in the intervening space, or, what is more probable, coarse cloths were manufactured in a rude manner in most of the towns and villages in England. A great part, however, of the dress of the labouring classes in the country was made of leather, particularly the breeches and waistcoats, even till the last reign. George Fox, the founder of the quakers, in the reign of Charles I. travelled on his missions through the country, buttoned up in a leathern doublet, or waistcoat with sleeves, which supplied the place of a coat. This was not, as his adversaries afterwards affirmed, from any superstitious prejudice respecting that costume ; it was the common dress of the labouring mechanics at that time, to which class he belonged. The first account of any foreign weavers settled in England is recorded by William of Malmsbury and Giraldus Cambrensis, who relate that a number of Flemings were driven out of their own country by an extraordinary encroachment of the sea in the time of William the Conqueror. They were well received, and first placed in the neighbourhood of Carlisle, and on the northern frontier; but not THE COUNTY OF YORK. 175 agreeing with the inhabitants, they were transplanted by Henry I. into Pembroke- chap. v. shire. They are said to have been skilful in the woollen manufacture, and are sup- posed to have first introduced it into England as a separate trade. Cloth-weavers are mentioned in the exchequer accounts as existing in various parts of England in the reign of Henry I. particularly at London and Oxford. The weavers of Lin- coln and Huntingdon are represented as paying fines for their guild in the 5th of Stephen; and in the reign of Henry II. (1189), there were weavers in Oxford, York, Nottingham, Huntingdon, Lincoln, and Winchester, who all paid fines to the king for the privilege of carrying on their trade.* There were also cloth dealers in various parts of Yorkshire, Norwich, Huntingdon, Gloucester, Northampton, Nottingham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; also several towns in Lincolnshire, and at St. Alban's, Baldock, Berkhampstead, and Chesterfield, who paid fines to the king, that they might freely buy and sell dyed cloths. These are supposed to have been cloths imported from the Flemings. The red, scarlet, and green cloths, enumerated among the articles in the wardrobe of Henry II. were most probably foreign, a* the English had attained little skill at that time in the art of dyeing.+ In the 31st of Henry II. the weavers of London received a confirmation of their guild, with all the privileges they enjoyed in the reign of Henry I. ; and in the patent he directed, that if any weaver mixed Spanish wool with English in making cloth, the chief magistrate should seize and burn it.J In the reign of Henry III. an act was passed limiting the breadth of broad-cloths, russets, &c. to two yards within the lists. In the year 1284, foreign merchants were first permitted to rent houses in London, and buy and sell their own com- modities, without any interruption from the citizens. Previous to this date they hired lodgings, and their landlords were the brokers, who sold all their goods, and received a commission upon them. It was soon after pretended that the foreign merchants used false weights, and a clamour being raised against them, twenty of them were arrested and sent to the Tower. Amidst the numerous absurd restrictions to which commerce and manufactures were subjected, we need not be surprised at the little progress which they made. The materials which history affords respecting the woollen manufacture before the reign of Edward III. are but slight ; it appears that the office of aulnager, or cloth-inspector, was very ancient. In the reign of Edward I. we are informed by Madox, that Peroult le Tayleur, who held the office of aulnager of cloth in the several fairs of the realm, having forfeited it, the king, by writ of privy seal, com- manded the treasurer to let Pieres de Edmonton have it, if he were fit for it, and a writ was made out accordingly, and he took the oaths of that office before the * Chronieon Preciosum, p. 61. + Madox's History of the Exchequer. X Stowe's-Survey of London. 176 HISTORY OF book ii. treasurer and barons. The facts above stated prove the existence of the cloth manufacture in England before the time of Edward III. who is generally supposed to have first introduced the art into the kingdom. There is no doubt that a new- impulse was given to it during this reign by the liberal protection granted to foreign manufactures here : in all probability, they first introduced the manufacture of stuffs from combed wool or worsteds ; an art requiring more skill, and more com- plicated processes, than are employed in the making of cloth. In the year 1331 John Kemp, a master manufacturer from Flanders, received a protection to establish himself here with a number of dyers and fullers to carry on his trade, and in the following year several manufacturers came over from Brabant and Zealand. It is said, that the king's marriage with the daughter of the earl of Hainault enabled him to send over emissaries, without suspicion, to invite the manufacturers to this kingdom. These manufacturers were distributed over the country, at the following places : — The manufacturers of fustians (woollens) were established at Norwich, of baize at Sudbury in Suffolk, of saves and serges at Colchester in Essex, of broad-cloths in Kent, of kersies in Devonslure, of cloth in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, of Welch friezes in Wales, of cloth at Kendal in Westmoreland, of coarse cloths, afterwards called Halifax cloths, in Yorkshire, of cloth in Hampshire, Berkshire, and Sussex, and of serges at Taunton in Devon- shire.* Fresh supplies of foreigners contributed to advance the woollen trade of these districts. In the year 1336 two woollen manufacturers from Brabant settled at York, under the king's protection : they are styled in the letters of protection, " Willielmus de Brabant, and Hanckcinus de Brabant, textores." These persons probably laid the foundation of the woollen and worsted manufactures, which have since so exten- sively flourished in the western part of that county. It is not very improbable, that the manufacturer Hanks, called Hanckcinus, gave the name to the skein of worsted, which is to this day called a hank. The following account of the exports and imports in the 28th of Edward III. said to be found in a record of the exchequer, was published by Edward Misseldon, merchant, in the year 1623.+ * Rymer's Fcedera, vol. i. p. 192. T In order to form a more distinct idea of the relative value of wool, cloth, and other articles, after and before the reign of Edward III. it is necessary to refer to the state of the silver coinage. Troy grains. The 28th Edward I. a groat* contained 8S ISth Edward III — 25th , . 72 * Railing's Annals of the Coinage of Great Britain, vol. i. p. 33. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 177 CHAP. V. EXPORTS. £. s. cl. Thirty-one thousand six hundred and fifty-one sacks and a half of wool, at six pounds value each sack, amount to 189,909 Three thousand thirty-six hundred and sixty-five felts at 40s. value, each hundred at six score, amount to 6,073 1 8 Whereof the custom amounts to 81,624 1 1 Fourteen last, seventeen dicker, and five hides of leather, after six pounds value the last, amount to 89 5 Whereof the custom amounts to 6 17 6 Four thousand seven hundred and seventy-four cloth and a half, after 40s. value, the cloth 9,549 Eight thousand and sixty-one pieces and a half of worsted, after 16s. 8d. value, the piece 6,717 18 4 Whereof the custom amounts to 215 13 7 Summary of the out-carried commodities in value and custom 294,184 17 2 IMPORTS. One thousand eight hundred and thirty-two cloths, after six pounds value the cloth 10,922 Whereof the custom amounts to 91 12 Three hundred and ninety-seven quintals and three quarters of wax, after the value of 40s. the hundred or quintal 795 10 Whereof the custom is 19 17 One thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine tons and a half of wine, after 40s. per ton 3,659 Whereof the custom is 1 82 Troy grains. 13th Henry IV 60 4th Edward IV 4S 18th Henry VII — 18th Henry VIII 42 34th 40 1st Edward VI — 6th Edward VI — 1st Mary 32 2d Elizabeth — 43d 31 17th Charles I — 56th George III — 2z BOOK II. 178 HISTORY OF =£. v. d. Linen cloth, mercury, and grocery-wares, and all other manner of merchandize 23,014 16 Whereof the custom is 285 18 3 Summary of the in-brought commodities, in value and custom 3S.970 13 3 Summary of the impulsage of the out-carried above the in-brought com- modities, amounteth to 255,214 3 11 Of the correctness of this statement we have no reason to doubt, but we must observe, that the cloth imported was of a higher value per yard than the cloth exported. Hence it may be inferred, that for several years after the arrival of the Flemish weavers, we were partly dependant on foreigners for our fine cloths ; the coarser kinds then, as at the present day, forming the larger quantity of our exports. It is obvious also, that worsted goods had become an article of manufacture, nearly equal in importance with the woollen ; and hence it is not improbable, that the greater part of the Flemish manufacturers were makers of stuffs and worsted goods, which was probably an entirely new trade in England. In the third year of Edward IV. the woollen trade had increased so much, that the importation of woollen cloth, caps, &c, was prohibited. Woollen caps or bonnets were then universally worn ; they were either knitted or made of cloth, and a large quantity of wool must have been consumed in their fabrication. About the year 1482, hats made from felts were introduced ; but the manufacturers of caps, called the cappers, continued a powerful body a century afterwards. In the same reign, the wardens of worsteds at Norwich were doubled, or increased to eight. The manufacture of fine broad-cloth must have been considerably improved about this time; for in the fourth of Henry VII. it was thought prudent to fix a maximum on the price of fine cloth, by which every retailer of cloth who should sell a yard of the finest scarlet grained cloth above sixteen shillings, or a yard of any other coloured cloth above eleven shillings, was to forfeit forty shillings per yard for the same. In the year 1493, in consequence of a quarrel between Henry VII. and the arch- duke Philip, all intercourse between the English and Flemish ceased, and the mart for English goods was transferred from Antwerp to Calais. This interruption to the regular course of trade was severely felt by the woollen manufacturers. Lord Bacon, mentioning the renewal of the trade with Flanders, which took place in 1496, says, " By this time the interruption of trade between the English and Flemish began to pinch the merchants of both nations very sore. The king, who loved wealth, though very sensible of this^ kept his dignity so far as first to be sought unto. Wherein the merchant adventurers likewise did hold out bravely ; taking off THE COUNTY OF YORK. 179 the commodities of the kingdom, though they lay dead upon their hands for want chap. v. of vent." The merchant adventurers he describes as " being a strong company and underset with rich men." It is not, however, very probable, that this company would continue to purchase goods without a prospect of gain. These merchant adventurers were divided into two bodies ; those of London, which were the most powerful ; and the merchant adventurers of England, who paid a fine to the former on all goods sold at the foreign marts. In the reign of Henry VIII. the woollen trade, particularly all kinds of worsted manufactures, appear to have been in a flourishing state, though trade suffered several severe checks from the wars in which this country was engaged. In the year 1527, Henry, having entered into a league with France against the emperor Charles V., all trade with Spain and the low countries ceased. The goods sent to Blackwell- hall found no purchasers, the merchants having their warehouses filled with cloths. The poor manufacturers being thus deprived of employment, an insurrection took place in the county of Suffolk, where four thousand of them assembled, but were appeased by the duke of Norfolk. The merchants were summoned to appear before Cardinal Wolsey, who in the name of the king reprimanded them in an angry tone for not purchasing the goods brought to market, and threatened them that his majesty would open a new mart at Whitehall, and buy of the clothiers to sell again to foreign merchants ; to which menace one of them pertinently replied, " My lord, the king may buy them as well at Blackwell-hall if it pleases him, and the strangers will gladlier receive them there than at Westminster." — " You shall not order that matter," said the cardinal ; " and I shall send into London to know what cloths you have on your hands, and by that done, the king and his council shall appoint who shall buy the cloths, I warrant you." With this answer the Londoners departed.* The interference of the cardinal raised the spirits of the manufacturers for a time, but originating in ignorance of the nature of trade, it could only have a temporary effect, and goods fell again till a truce between England and Flanders was made for the benefit of commerce. This fact shews the dependance of England, even at that time, on the export of manufactured woollens. In this reign we find Lancashire and Cheshire first named as seats of the manufacture of coarse woollens ; they are mentioned, together with Cornwall and Wales, as districts where friezes were made. It appears from various references, that Norfolk and Suffolk were then flourishing seats of the worsted manufacture, and of all goods made with a worsted warp. Wardens were allowed to the towns of Yarmouth and Lynn, but with a selfish restriction, that the pieces were to be dyed, spun or calendered * Grafton's Chron. vol. ii. p. 1 167. 180 HISTORY OF book ir. in the city of Norwich. In the last year of this reign, an act was passed to prevent any persons besides woollen manufacturers, who bought wool for their own use, and merchants of the staple, who bought for exportation, to purchase wool with the intent to sell again. This act extended to twenty-eight counties, and secured a monopoly of the wool to the merchants of the staple, and to the rich clothiers. In the first year of the following reign (Edward VI.) it was repealed, so far as to allow every person dwelling in Norwich and Norfolk to buy wool, the growth of that county, by themselves or agents, and retail it out in open market. The reason assigned is this : that almost the whole number of poor inhabitants of the county of Norfolk and city of Norwich had been used to get their living by spinning of Norfolk wool, which they used to purchase by eight-pennyworth or twelve-penny- worth at a time, selling the same again in yarn ; and because the grower chose not to parcel it in such small quantities, therefore, for the benefit of the poor, the wool of Norfolk was allowed to be purchased by wool dealers. By this act, the 33d of Henry VIII. for prohibiting the exportation of yarn, was made perpetual. York, then the second city in the kingdom, and from its connection with the port of Hull well situated for the export trade, was probably an early seat of the woollen manufacture. We have already mentioned the settlement of two clothiers from Brabant in the time of Edward III. We do not learn precisely from our early- historians, when the manufactures first extended into the western parts of the county ; but, from an act in the 34th of Henry VIII. we are informed, that the chief manufacture of that city was the making of coverlets. The act recites, " that the poor of that city were daily employed in spinning, carding, dying, weaving, &c, for the making of coverlets, and that the same have not been made elsewhere in the said county till of late ; that this manufacture had spread itself into other parts of the county, and was thereby debased and discredited, and therefore it is enacted, that none shall make coverlets in Yorkshire but the people of York." Thus we see, under the flimsy pretext of public benefit, the manufacturers were willing to disguise that spirit of monopoly, which is but too apparent in every page of our commercial history. The municipal regulations of the city of York, which were hostile to a free trade, probably obliged many manufacturers, who were not sharers in the monopolies of the guild, to establish themselves in the western villages of the county, where provisions were cheaper, and where they could carry on their trade without restriction. In the reign of Philip and Mary, soon after this period, we have the following interesting account of Halifax, in consequence of an act passed in the 37th of Henry VIII. to prevent any other persons than merchants of the staple and woollen manufacturers from buying wool in the county of Kent and twenty-seven shires. The poorer manufacturers, who were unable to lay in their stock of wool at one time, being hereby deprived of their trade, made application for redress, THE COUNTY OF YORK. 181 which was granted. The act recites as follows : " Whereas the town of Halifax chap. v. being planted in the great waste and moors, where the fertility of the ground is not apt to bring forth any corn nor good grass, but in rare places, and by exceeding and great industry of the inhabitants ; and the same inhabitants altogether do live by cloth making, and the greater part of them neither getteth corn, nor is able to keep a horse to carry wools, nor yet to buy much wool at once, but hath ever used to repair to the town of Halifax, and there to buy some two or three stone, according to their ability, and to carry the same to their houses, three, four, or five miles off, upon their heads and backs, and so to make and convert the same either into yarn or cloth, and to sell the same, and so to buy more wool of the wool-driver ; by means of which industry, the barren grounds in those parts be now much inhabited, and above five hundred households there newly increased within these forty years past, which now are like to be undone and driven to beggary by reason of the late statute ( 37th of Henry VIII.) that taketh away the wool-driver, so that they cannot now have their wool by such small portions as they were wont to have, and that also they are not able to keep any horses whereupon to ride or fetch their wools further from them in other places, unless some remedy may be provided : It was therefore enacted, that it should be lawful, to any person or persons inhabiting within the parish of Halifax, to buy any wool or wools at such time as the clothiers may buy the same, otherwise than by engrossing and forestalling, so that the persons buying the same do carry the said wools to the town of Halifax, and there to sell the same to such poor folks of that and other parishes adjoining, as shall work the same in cloth or yarn, to their knowledge, and not to the rich and wealthy clothier, or any other to sell again. Offending against this act to forfeit double the value of the wool so sold." From this we learn that many woollen manufacturers had been either driven from the city of York at an early period, by the oppression of the municipal regulations, or had retired where provisions were cheaper, and where they had better streams for the erection of fulling-mills, and for the other processes of the manufacture. The woollen manufactures also gradually retired from the vicinity of the metropolis, owing to the increased price of provisions and labour, and probably also to the difficulty of obtaining commodious streams for the scouring and fulling of cloth, when the country round London became more populous. In the latter part of the reign of Henry VIII. we are informed, that the king demised to William Webbe the subsidy and aulnage of all cloth made in the county of Monmouth, and in the twelve shires of Wales. A former act of this reign, speaking of the manufacturers of North Wales, says, they had been used to sell their cloths so craftily and hard rolled together, that the buyer could not perceive the untrue making thereof. These acts prove the extension of the woollen manufactures westward. 3 A 182 HISTORY OF book ii. In the same reign, an act mentions the woollen manufactures as being established in Worcestershire, but prohibits any one from making cloth in the county, except within the city of Worcester, and in the towns of Evesham, Droitwich, Kidder- minster, and Bromsgrove ; and forbids the owners of houses in those places from letting them at advanced prices to the cloth manufacturers. The woollen manu- facture has continued to the present day at the two last of these towns. In the reign of Edward VI. Coventry and Manchester are mentioned as manufacturing places. The manufacturers in the old established seats of the woollen trade appear to have been greatly alarmed at the extension of the cloth manufacture, and to have exerted all their influence to restrain it. In consequence of the increase of our manufactures, the export of wool had nearly ceased before the reign of Elizabeth ; and a considerable advance appears to have taken place in the price of food, clothing, and rents. The declension of our manufactures in the succeeding reigns of the Stuarts, as we have reason to believe, extended much more to woollen cloths than to worsted pieces. Long wool, or combing wool, was more the peculiar produce of England than clothing-wools. The latter were grown in abundance, and of a superior quality, in Spain, Portugal, and France ; but the combing-wools of England, on account of the superior soundness of the staple or fibre, and the quantity supplied, gave a decided advantage to our manufacturers of stuffs or worsted pieces. The persecution of the protestants by the duke of Alva in the Netherlands drove multitudes of the manufacturers into England, where they were graciously received by Elizabeth, who gave them liberty to settle at Norwich, Colchester, Sandwich, Maidstone, and Southampton. These refugees contributed to extend our manu- factures of worsted goods and light woollens, called bays and says; they also introduced the manufacture of linens and silks, and it is supposed that they first taught the art of weaving on the stocking-frame. A great part of our woollen exports hitherto consisted of white undressed cloth ; but in the following reign (James I.) it was represented as bad policy to permit the exportation of cloth in this state, and thereby lose the profit on the dying and finishing. A letter exists addressed to king James on this subject, ascribed to Sir Walter Raleigh, but without sufficient evidence, as " the most ancient manu- scripts of this letter in the libraries of the nobility ascribe it to John Keymer."* In this letter it is stated, " that there have been eighty thousand undressed and undyed cloths exported yearly, by which the kingdom has been deprived of four hundred thousand pounds for the last fifty-five years, which is nearly twenty millions that would have been gained by the labour of the workmen in that time, with the * Oldy's Life of Sir YV. Raleigh. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 183 merchant's gains for bringing in dying- wares, and return of cloths dressed and dyed, chap, v with other benefits to the realm." The writer proceeds, in another part, to state that there had also been exported in that time annually, of baizes and northern and Devonshire kersies, in the white, fifty thousand cloths, counting three kersies to a cloth, whereby had been lost about five millions to the nation in labour, profit, &c. The author informs us, that the baizes so exported were dressed and dyed at Amsterdam, and shipped to Spain, Portugal, and other kingdoms under the name of Flemish baize, setting their own seal upon them ; " so that we lose the very name of our home-bred commodities, and other countries get the reputation and profit thereof." The author concludes with asserting, that the nation loses a million a year by the export of white cloths, which might be dressed and dyed as well at home. This letter has been often quoted as containing unanswerable reasons for confining the whole process of the cloth manufacture to our own country ; but, like other monopolists, the writer seems to forget that there are two parties in all mercantile transactions, and that manufactured goods must be sent in that state in which the purchaser is willing to receive them, unless it be proved that he cannot procure them elsewhere. Let us mark the result. Alderman Cockayne, and other London merchants, had sufficient influence with the government to obtain the prohibition of the export of white cloths, and to secure a patent for dressing and dying of cloths. In consequence of which the Dutch and Germans immediately prohibited the importation of dyed cloths from England, which gave so great a check to our export trade, that in the year 1G16 the whole amount of cloths exported of every kind amounted only to sixty thousand, so that the export trade in woollens had fallen to less than one-third of its former amount ; and in the year 1622, £. s. ,1. All our exports of every kind amounted only to 2,320,436 12 10 Whilst our imports were 2,619,315 Leaving a balance against us of 298,878 7 2 During the reigns of the Stuarts, the infamous policy they adopted struck not only at the liberty, but at the commercial prosperity of the country. Archbishop Laud commenced his attacks on the descendants of the French protestants, established as manufacturers of woollens in Norfolk and Suffolk, from which counties his persecuting fury drove some thousand families. Many of them settled in New England; but others went into Holland, where they were encouraged by the Dutch, who allowed them an exemption from taxes and rents for seven years. In the year 1622, king James issued a proclamation to prohibit the exportation of 184 HISTORY OF BOOKU. wool, fullers' earth, &c. In 1G40 wool was again admitted to be exported on the payment of certain duties ; and we are told, that in the same year Sir John Brown- lowe, of Belton in Lincolnshire, sold three years' wool at twenty-four shillings per tod to a baize-maker of Colchester. As it is reasonable to suppose that this was the long combing-wool of that country, it shews the high relative price of the article at that time. In 1G47, owing to the high price of wool, its exportation was again prohibited. In the early part of the commonwealth, the manufactures and export trade of England declined, and the Dutch availed themselves of this to extend their own manufacture and export of woollens, particularly to Spain, from whence they brought fine Spanish wool. About this period the English as a nation had little intercourse with other parts of the world, except through a few large trading companies ; hence they were extremely ignorant respecting the state of foreign countries, and supposed that the cloth trade had been confined to their own country for three hundred years ; and they considered the establishment of other manufacturers as a novelty and infringe- ment of their just rights. With these views it was proposed to obtain a complete monopoly of all the clothing wools in Spain, in order to prevent the Dutch and other nations from rivalling our manufactures. This is the more extraordinary, as the English had not then learned, like the Dutch, to manufacture Spanish wool, without mixing it with that of their own country. It is needless to say, that the negociation of Sir William Godolphin for this selfish monopoly of wool was not successful. During the whole reign of Elizabeth, when our woollen manu- factures were in the highest state of prosperity, wool and woolfels were permitted to be exported. In the reigns of James I. and Charles I., when the trade was declining, proclamations were issued to prevent the exportation of wool, and also that of fullers' earth. During the commonwealth, an ordinance of parliament was issued to prohibit the exportation of wool, and fullers' earth, on pain of forfeiture of the wool, and a penalty of 3s. per pound on every pound of fuller's earth. The first act of parliament which absolutely prohibited the exportation of wool by making it felony, and which could not be set aside by a royal license, is the 12th of Charles II., which was passed soon after the Restoration. It is deserving of notice that in the latter period of the commonwealth our trade is said to have greatly revived, but to have suffered a miserable depression almost immediately after the restoration of Charles II. In a letter of M. Downing, of the Hague, to the president of the council in London, 1660,* it is stated, that great quantities of wool were brought from England to Holland ; and he adds, that • Thurloe's State Papers, vol. vii. p. S4S. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 185 the Dutch had at that time got in a great measure the manufacture of tine cloth, CHAP. V. and would probably, with Silesia, engross also the manufacture of coarse cloth, and leave England nothing but ils native wool to export. In the year 16G2 great complaints were made against the merchant adventurers for their neglect of the cloth trade ; in reply to which they said, that the demand for English cloths failed in the foreign markets, the white clothing trade having abated from one hundred thousand cloths annually to eleven thousand. In the year 1663 our whole exports were only about two millions, and our imports four, leaving a balance of two millions against this country. A letter on the state of trade, published in 1667, says, clothing-wools were so much fallen at that time, that the best Spanish was sold at two shillings and twopence per pound, and English at eightpence per pound. The writer ascribes the fall in the price of English wool to our wearing so much Spanish cloth, a great part not manufactured by our- selves, as Dutch blacks; but it is obvious, from the price of Spanish wool, that the low price of clothing-wools at that time depended on a more general cause, affecting all manufacturing countries. To relieve the cloth trade from the great depression under which it laboured between the years 1660 and 1678, various schemes were devised. Among others, the mayor and common council of London passed an act " for the regulation of Blackwell-hall, Leaden-hall, and Welsh-hall (the three public markets for cloth in London), and for preventing foreigners buying and selling." By foreigners are understood all persons not free of the city of London. This act, a most singular monument of the ignorance or selfishness of its authors, prohibits the sale of all woollen cloths sent to London, except at the above halls, where certain duties were to be paid upon them, and from whence they could not be removed for three weeks, unless they were sold in the meantime to some draper, or other freeman of the city. The hall-keepers were to attend strictly at the halls, and turn out all foreigners and aliens coming to purchase cloth ; and every freeman of the city who should introduce a purchaser into the halls not free of the city, should forfeit, for the first offence, five pounds, for the second ten, and for the third fifteen pounds. Thus, in those days, turning pur- chasers out of the public markets, and securing tlie sale to a certain class of buyers, was considered an act for the benefit of the public ! After the accession of William, our manufacturers, who were warmly attached to the cause of religious liberty, being the greater part protestant dissenters, were animated to uncommon exertions in the restoration of their trade. This is evident from the state of our exports in the year following the revolution of 1688, when they amounted to near seven millions, of which the woollens were nearly three millions. About the year 1722, the plague at Marseilles, by preventing the exportation 3b 186 HISTORY OF book.ii. of French woollens, increased the demand for English manufactures considerably. In the year 1737 the woollen exports amounted to 4,158,643/.; and it is remark- able, that at that period the price of wool was uncommonly low. From this time to the period of the American war in 1775, the woollen manu- factures, and particularly the worsted, still continued to increase, with occasional checks. The quantity of long combing-wools grown in England, had given to the manufacturers of worsted goods a decided advantage over those of France, though the ingenuity of the latter in the manufacture of les petites draperies, as the worsted goods are called, was greatly superior to what our own workmen had ever shown. The demand for worsted goods at home, for tammies and stuffs, which were the general dress of females before the year 1775, was very great; besides which, we supplied with worsted goods many of the southern parts of Europe, and particu- larly Spain and Portugal, for the use of their South American colonies and for the dresses of the clergy, monks, and nuns, which form no inconsiderable part of the population in those countries. About the year 1775, the introduction of Arkwright's inventions for spinning, carding, &c. into the cotton trade, produced a great change in the article of female dress in England, stuffs and tammies being supplanted by cotton goods, which were become extremely cheap. The failure of the foreign trade also greatly affected our manufactures, both woollens and worsteds. The price of English wool at the latter end of the American war, was lower than it had been in any period of our history, when money was of much higher relative value. A tod of twenty-eight pounds of the best Lincolnshire wool for combing was not worth more than nine shillings, and the inferior kinds six shillings, or about threepence and fourpence per pound. From the time of Elizabeth to the middle of the last century, scarcely any alterations or improvements had taken place in the processes of manufacture, either in woollen or worsted, beyond the variation of colours or patterns, to suit the fashion of the day. The ingenious mechanical inventions of Arkwright, applied to the spinning and carding of cotton, were soon after modified, and applied to the woollen and worsted trade, and produced an entire revolution in some of the seats of their manufacture. Before that period, however, the manufacture of heavy woollens and coarse worsted goods had been gradually concentrating into Yorkshire and Lancashire, where the cheapness of living, the active industry of the inhabitants, and, above all, the cheapness and abundance of coal, gave the manufacturers a decided advantage over those in the midland and western counties. In the west riding of Yorkshire, there are a great many large mills, called scribbling and carding mills, which are filled with machinery for performing that process towards the making of cloth, which the wool undergoes between the time of its coming out of the wool stapler's hand and its being delivered to the weaver. The THE COUNTY OF YORK. 187 work done at these mills is called teasing, scribbling, carding, and stubbing : chap. v. teasing, or as it is sometimes called, woolleying, is done upon a large cylindrical machine, which has a number of iron hooks on the outside ; and being kept in a quick rotatory motion, catches the wool, which is brought to a proper distance, and drags it to pieces. Scribbling is next, which is done by a machine containing a number of rollers covered with cards, that run nearly in contact with each other, and the wool passing between them gets a second dressing. Carding is similar to scribbling ; the wool gets further dressed, and comes out of the machine in long rolls, which are pieced together by children, and afterwards go to be stubbed, which is nothing more than spinning them smaller in a billy, an instrument which contains a number of spindles turned by the hand ; it is then ready for the weaver. In this process, a great number of hands are employed in the mills ; as many, if not more than were employed under the old system; but a vast deal more work is done in the same time. Formerly the whole work which is now performed at the mills was done at the weaver's house; the scribbling was done by the hand upon a scribbling box covered with a coarse card ; the carding was performed on a similar instrument, but less, and with finer cards ; and the wool was afterwards spun upon a single spindle turned by the hand. About the year 1814 a considerable alteration took place in the British wool trade. The manufacturers finding that the foreign markets could not be supplied with cloths sufficiently fine, made from English wool, had recourse to Germany and Spain. The quality of English wool has deteriorated materially within the few last years, particularly the south downs ; the farmers being unable to sell their stock from the above cause. The manufacturers of Leeds and Huddersfield now use foreign wool in their broad and narrow cloths, almost to the total exclusion of the British produce. The following table exhibits at one view the value of the manu- factured wool exported within the three years ending 1828. IS* HISTORY OF BOOK II. a ■5 si s R. (entered at value) Woollen ami worsted Yarn of wool or wors Blanket* and bla Carpets and carp Woollens mixed \ Hosiery, viz. stoc Sundries, consist scribed, rugs, Cloths of all sorts Napped coatings. Kerseymeres .. Baizes of all sort: Stuffs, woollen or t3 a u on CT A C O n 3 E s. a S- : 5 c ^ S -. K a — = re 1 ; 2 a X ting .. ig i cotton, gs, wool of bos erlids, 1 • OR • . c 1 CB s Ea. re a. — S "" 9? * s* S 5 «3 B n ". * » - o : . a ? r wors not o and 5. o 9 c re 2 pa -, ~ § B = ?=-:: r re 5] . . dit . . dit ozen p ise de wares & *^ cL : ^ c-3. ~* — !J 5; IV r - OB •— ~ ^ i.' Oo » >— -v ' =,■ ° ° 3 Q. C E* O CT CB _^ o O — tC to • pa -* on ;C — CC X to © Cs CC © 00 ..:_-.— ■ •c -» -* CC X tC — r -t r -1 — to a £>. 7i © — C4 » en in s "*. ■u •U N- © © re *■ X © w © © 10 c ■^ ~* OD *- — x ■<» QC C X X *± > »- m» w- **- © to m O Ot o o CC to X to -4 3 C- CO o :/: O CO a - sT* iFh '•/. CI Cx © — w to © wt © DB JO M c. *» e tc tc ■u "© © X = X © o © - W ri -1 © •^i © X X y. tc o *- © cs tc M to JL © >*- © !-*- ' a \ es en y QC X -J tc — © -4 to. X X ~© a O wi GC be "© vi "— © *QD ee i- ■— cs © m CC © — © Ot "cn .— X © X -k © to 3: X © © Ot KH *a>- to 1 a to bO IO — kU — CC © — CC O it c CS r* © CO — X #h tc tc ot 1; -■ r e ^ tc © *

so 1° J° © 66 cs Ot CO tc © to i.-. ii oc "o 'oc c "i» ^ "o ^— rfi. "*— . to c © © "i*. "0 ** 1— £ o c. w cs — tc -J — © CD — © 00 X x © © -4 CS Of Cfl *■* »u ■u © ■u CC to — *- ■•* ^-" t-4 •_! ^j < > c © o tc CC M Ot Hi CC CC O 10 © © — w ? © © c. M *» O © © © £» *» © C71 © tc P" wl ta- JO w „ _ t_l OD _ 10 — "© -» Be **■ © X © Ct 7: -4 *4 -4 M — © CO _ _ _ X © •tk. CC CC •u go CI CO -- 1: 1; 1: — M 1u be CO tc it rt a © ** to 13 -4 Ct — O O © © Ot • X i-* © — — ^ © © faS — » Ot © to M to X mi .-* M H-i M _^ H- •x _ N- »-J 5 r a tc -< e» to cc 5 ed i Agricul- ture. 1425 1598 4048 3132 970 1147 1025 1200 288 295 340 15480 By hr>w III. i II v Families oc copied. 2080 3372 8790 5563 1649 1503 2045 1734 4412 1718 7573 Families in |.'\. .1 in Trade or M. la.; 40499 360 1093 3407 1480 433 212 690 371 3333 753 4475 11186 16461 42001 27428 7805 7909 9204 8740 20787 7503 31425 16637 ' 190449 NORTH RIDING. Allertonsliire Birdforth Bulmer Gilliug East Gilling West Halikeld Hang East Hang West Langbargh, Liberty of . Pickering Lylbe .... Ryedale Richmond Borough . . . Scarborough Borough . . Whitby Strand, Liberty of Total North Riding . . . 1783 2310 2790 1453 3203 1218 2063 2858 6309 2906 3033 738 1830 2671 35765 4370 5916 7790 3536 9170 2945 4918 7271 14410 7090 9737 l.-,?:, 3877 0930 90153 4389 5781 7722 3044 8606 3013 5196 7430 15412 7.5-12 9787 1971 4656 7980 116.5 1549 1953 779 1407 947 900 1304 2584 1790 1710 24 87 400 1811 2130 3059 1558 34! 9 1307 21! 2 3127 6547 3060 3892 700 2022 3407 503 72li 023 341 1215 245 678 714 2213 65:1 1170 615 734 1074 9322H 16737 38731 11570 8759 11700 15512 7180 17812 5958 101 II 11707 29858 15232 19.521 3546 8533 14916 183381 WEST RIDING. Agbrigg Barkston Ash Clan, Morley Osgoldcross ....... Skyrack Staincliffaud Ewecross . Staincross Straflbrth and Tickhill . Rioon Liberty Doncaster Borough . . Doncaster Soke Leeds Town and Liberty Total, West Riding . East Riding . . North Riding . Total of the County . . 28600 77.579 70712 3341 30492 230L7 4101 10218 10554 2561 4314 1205 7603 20153 19713 3612 8055 2104 35509 92231 93537 2237* 36706 31834 5931 15016 15262 3202 6383 1702 7100 18629 18467 2104 7396 4487 12248 32007 32744 3915 120 3 7235 0012 16900 159.52 19.53 0340 3614 25357 03709 64200 6786 20721 16151 2122 0008 6123 825 2517 980 1789 3857 4fi87 307 1798 1181 223 583 000 160 229 55 17419 40532 43264 610 17S30 14890 IOSS1I 154314 397542 40181.5 31613 161466 31390 92701 97688 15480 40499 16637 35765 90153 93228 16737 38731 11570 224409 580150 592731 63830 240696 137048 1173187 At the period immediately succeeding the Norman conquest, the county of York appears to have been divided among some of the most powerful and leading men 3l 222 HISTORY OF D00K "■ of William's government. In Domesday Book their names are entered in the following order : — " I. Land of the king in Yorkshire. II. The archbishop of York,* and of the canons, and of his men. III. The bishop of Durham + and his men. IV. The abbot of York. V. Earl Hugh," Robert de Eue, earl of Eue, in Normandy. "VI. Robert earl of Morton," half brother to the Conqueror, by whom he was created earl of Cornwall, 1068. " VII. Earl Alan," son of Flathald, obtained the castle of Oswaldestre from the Conqueror. " VIII. Robert de Todeni," lord of Belvoir, county Lincoln, ob. 1088. " IX. Berenger de Todeni. X. Ilbert de Laci," lord of Pontefract. " XI. Roger de Busli," held the manor of Hallam (Sheffield) under the countess Judith, anno 1080, ob. 1099. " XII. Robert Malet," great chamberlain of England, but subsequently disinherited and banished. " XIII. William de Warren," earl Warren, in Normandy, created earl of Surrey by William II. died 1089. " XIIII. William de Percy," surnamed Algernon, obtained divers lands from William I. ob. circa 109G. " XV. Drago de Hol- dernesse," also called Drue Debeverer, came into England with the Conqueror, and retired into Flanders some years afterwards. "XVI. Ralph de Mortimer," came into England with the Conqueror, and obtained the castle of Wigmore. " XVII. Ralph Paganel," held divers lordships at the general survey, living 1089. " XVIII. Walter de Aincourt. XIX. Gilbert de Gant," son of Baldwin, earl of Flanders, obtained divers lordships from the Conqueror. " XX. Gilbert Tison. XXI. Hugh, son of Baldric. XXII. Erneis de Burum," held thirty-two lordships in the county ; he was the ancestor of the present family of Byron. " XXIII. Osbert de Arcis. XXIIII. Odo Balistarius. XXV. Richard, son of Erfast. XXVI. Goisfrid Alselin. XXVII. Alberic de Coci. XXVIII. Gospatric. XXIX. The king's thanes." In the Domesday survey we find Yorkshire as at present divided into three ridings, called the north, east, and west, and subdivided in wapentakes, a division peculiar to this county. Riding is a corruption of the Saxon trithing, which was a portion of a county that contained three or four hundreds. These trithings had their trithingerefas, their governors, or reves ; and what could not be determined in the hundred or wapentake was ended here; and what could not be completed here was determined in the shire. The name of wapentake is svnonymous with hundred ; it is derived from the Saxon word weapon, i. e. arms, and fac, i. e. touch ; as one would say. touching or shaking their arms. For it appears from King Edward's laws, when * Thomas, canon of Baion. in N. rmandy, succeeded in 1070. t Watcher, consecrated circa 1078. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 223 any one came to take upon him the government of a wapentake, upon a day chap. vi. appointed, all that owed suit and service to that hundred came to meet their new governor at the usual place of rendezvous. " He, upon his arrival, alighting from his horse, set up the lance on end (a custom used amongst the Romans by the praetor at the meetings of the centumviri), and, according to custom, took fealty of them ; the ceremony of which was, that all who were present touched the governor's lance with their lances, in token of confirmation, whereupon the whole meeting was called a wapentake, inasmuch as by mutual touch of each other's arms they had entered into a confederacy or agreement to stand by one another." * The following exhibits at one view the ancient and present name of the different divisions in the county : EAST RIDING. Hundreds in the East Riding at the time of making the survey. Hase Hundret Welton Hundret Cave Hundret Hoveden Hundret Sneculfcros Hundret Wicstun Hundret Drifel Hundret Warte Hundret Poclinton Hundret Hunton Hundret Turbar Hundret Burton Hundret Scare! Hundret Hacle Hundret Toreshou Hundret Uth Hundret -j Mith Hundret Nort Hundret Heldernesse Holderness Present Names of Wapentakes. Wilton, Beacon. Horthill Howdenshire Hunton, Beacon, Horthill i South Division \ Middle Division ' North Division Ouse and Derwent Holme Beacon, Horthill Buckrose Dickering Town and County of Hull. * Bawdwen's Domesday. Gloss p. 22. 224 HISTORY OF BOOK II WEST RIDING. Names at the time of taking the dnmesdny surrey. Siraches Gereberg Barchestone Osgotcros Hagebrige Moreleia Ainsti Borchescire Cravescire Strafordes Present Nanus. Skyrack Barkstone Ash Osgoldcross Agbrigg Morley Ainstey of York Strafforth and Tickhill Staincross Staincliff and Ewcross Claro NORTH RIDING. Halichelde Langeberge Die Maneshou Bolesforde Gerle?txe Alvretone Halikeld Langbargh, also called Cleveland Birdforth Allertonshire Whitby Strand Rydale Pickering Lythe Buhner Gilling-east Gilling-west Hang-west Hang-east THE COUNTY OF YORK. 225 BOOK III. TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEY OF THE CITY AND AINSTEY OF YORK. CHAPTER I. SITUATION, ETYMOLOGY, EXTENT OP YORK FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD, AND CIVIL GOVERNMENT. York, or Eboracum, is situated at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss, near chap. i. the centre of Great Britain, and in one of the most rich and extensive plains or situatio vallies in England. It is nearly midway distant between London and Edinburgh, being one hundred and ninety-eight miles from the former, and two hundred and one from the latter. The origin of York and the etymology of its name are equally involved in Etymo- obscurity. Our early historians assert that it was built by Ebraucus, the son of Mempricius, a British king, the third from Brute, and called from its founder Caer Ebrauc,* or the city of Ebraucus. Sir Thomas Widdrington and some others have conjectured, that a colony of Celta;, from the town of Evora in Portugal, or from Ebura in Spain, flying from the swords of the Carthaginians or Romans, or a colony of Eburones, a people who in the time of Cwsar inhabited the town of Liege, might have found their way into this country, and given to the place where they had fixed their habitation the name of Eborac, which, with a Latin termination, was changed into Eboracum. Leland and Camden consider the name as derived from its situation on the river Ure or Eure, which now takes the appellation of Ouse, a river below Boroughbridge. In regard to its modern name of York, a similar variety of conjecture prevails. The most probable and obvious etymology seems to rest on Eure, the name of the river, and wic, the Saxon word for a place of refuge or retreat.-f- If it could be proved that the river had formerly retained the name of Eure as low as the city, this derivation would appear unquestionable. Eurewic would imply a place of retreat or strength on the Eure ; and the " Caer Ebrauc, or Eboracum, is the first in the list of cities given by Nennius, ap. Gale XV. Script. Caer, or Kaer, is a British word signifying city, ■f Ea-ure-wiCy i. e. castrum ad vel secus aquam Ure. Somner's Sax. Diet. 3 M 226 HISTORY OF book III. same might, in popular pronunciation, be readily corrupted to that of York. In Domesday Book it is called Civitas Eborum, and Euruic. Humphrey Lluyd, the learned Welsh antiquary, in mentioning the Brigantine towns that are in Ptolemy's Geography, says, " Eboracum is well known to be the very same city that the Britons called Caer-Effroc, and is now contracted into York." Drake, in lus Eboracum, has collected the various opinions winch have been offered upon this subject, and which only serve to show how futile is the attempt to solve a difficulty buried in the obscurity of upwards of twelve centuries. Alcuin, a native of this city, who wrote in the latter part of the seventh century, says, "that York was built by the Romans;" and he has left his testimony on this subject in the following lines : — " Hanc Romana manus muris, et turribus, altain. Fundavit primo Ut fieret ducibus secura potentia regni ; Et decus imperii, terrorque hostilibus armis." " This city first by Roman hand was formed, "With lofty towers and high-built walls adorned, To give their leaders a secure repose ; Honour to the empire, terror to their foes." The resemblance which York bears to the form of ancient Rome gives some countenance to this opinion ; the plan of Rome, left by Fabius, represents it in the form of a bow, of which the Tiber was the string, as the Ouse may be said not unaptly to be the bow-string of York. Both these rivers run directly through the cities which they water, and have contributed to their ancient splendour and ultimate consequence. From the concurrent testimony of historians Eboracum was not a municipium, but a colony. Between these two forms of Roman government there was an essential difference. A colony was always formed of Roman citizens; a muni- cipium consisted of the natives of a conquered country made free, and enjoyed the same privileges as the city of Rome. Under the political economy of the Romans there were two sorts of colonies; the civil, drawn out from among the togati or gowned citizens, as well as the mixed people ; and the military, composed of legionary soldiers, who were unfit for service, and were settled in cities and towns, with extensive districts annexed as a reward for their services to the republic. Eboracum, however, although entirely a military colony, seems, like Rome, to have been governed both by military and municipal laws; for here was the prcetorium, where the emperors sometimes sat in person, and from this chief tribunal gave laws to the whole empire. We may therefore regard Eboracum, or York, as the picture Govern- ment and state of York in the Roman era. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 227 of Rome in miniature, and as possessing a just claim to the titles of " Britannici chap. i. Oibis, Roma altera, Palatium Curia?, and Prastorium Csesaris," titles with which it is dignified by Alcuin.* From the circumstance of the Ebor, now called the Ouse, running directly through the city, York was more capable of augmenting its commercial concerns than Isurium, which was situated near the river Ure ; and also of furnishing the Romans, who were peculiarly partial to their hot and cold baths, with an ample supply of water. Here then, doubtless, was the cause of preference ; and hence it might receive a name indicative of its situation ; for although Urica and York are not exactly the same, if we recollect the Romans were succeeded by the Saxons, the difference may be purely dialectic. Drake supposes the Prastorian palace occupied the whole space of ground extending from Christ's church through all the houses and gardens on the east side of Goodramgate and St. Andrew's gate, through the Bedern to Aldwark. The royal baths would, in all probability, occupy a considerable part of this extent. It was during the residence of Severus, that York shone in its full splendour. Earlj his- The prodigious concourse of tributary kings, foreign ambassadors, and other persons of distinction, who crowded the court of the sovereigns of the world at this period, when die Roman empire was at the zenith of its power : in addition to the emperor's own magnificence, his numerous retinue, the noblemen of Rome, or the officers of the army, all which would necessarily attend him, must have exalted Eboracum nearly to the summit of sublunary grandeur. In this emperor's reign, a temple dedicated to Bellona, the goddess of war, was standing at York; and Camden remarks that Severus, on entering the city, being desirous to sacrifice to the gods, was met by an ignorant augur, who led him by mistake to this temple; which in those days was considered as ominous of the emperor's death. Drake believes this temple to have stood without Bootham bar ; but in what exact situation none can tell. Before the temple stood a small column, called the martial pillar ; whence a spear was thrown, when war was declared against an enemy. History is nearly silent respecting York, from the Roman period till the year 1137, in the reign of King Stephen ; when a fire, occasioned by accident, spread so extensively as to burn down the cathedral, St Mary's abbey, St Leonard's hospital, thirty-nine parish churches in the city, and Trinity church, in the suburbs. This ancient and venerable city had now been gradually reduced from the metropolis of an empire, to the capital of an earldom. The limits of die district included under this term were, for a long time, co-extensive with the boun- * Alcuin Ap. Leland, Coll. (i. 22S HISTORY OF Extent of York from Domesdav Book. book in daries of Northumbria as a kingdom. At what precise period its various sub- divisions were made cannot be easily ascertained. Alfred the Great is allowed to have portioned out the kingdom of England into shires ; but if the northern part of the nation was subdivided into the present counties in his reign, the earldom of Northumbria appears, long after that time, to have embraced most of its original extent. The most authentic notice of York at the period succeeding the Norman conquest is to be found in Domesday Book.* From this valuable record it evidently appears that the city was of considerable consequence and size, and worthy the rank of being the principal city of the north. " In Eboraco civitate (city of York) in the time of King Edward (the confessor), besides the ward of the archbishop, there were six wards : one of these was destroyed when the castles were built. In five wards there were one thousand four hundred and eighteen inhabited mansions. The archbishop has yet a third part of one of these wards. In these no one, but as a burgess, was entitled to any customary payments, except Merlesuain, in one house which is below the castle ; and except the canons wherever they reside, and except four magistrates, to whom the king granted this privilege by his writ, and that for their lives ; but the archbishop was entitled to all customary payments, in his ward. Of all the above mentioned mansions, there are now in the king's possession three hundred and ninety-one inhabited, great and small, paying custom ; and four hundred unin- habited^ which do not yield customary services, but some only one penny rent, and others less ; and five hundred and forty mansions so uninhabitable that they pav nothing at all ; and foreigners.! hold one hundred and forty-five houses. " St. Cuthbert has one mansion, which he always had, as many say, quit of all custom; but the burgesses say that it had not been quit in the time of King Edward, unless as one of the burgesses, or for this reason, he had his own toll § and that of the canons. Besides this the bishop of Durham has, of the king's gift, the church of All Saints, and what belonged to it ; and all the land of Uctred, and the land of Ernuin, which Hugo the sheriff quit- claimed to Walcherus, bishop of Durham, by the king's writ ; and the burgesses who rent it say, that they hold it under the king. " The earl of Morton has there fourteen mansions, and two stalls in the * Translation of the Record called Domesday, as far as relates to the county of York, &c. by the Rev. W. Bawdwen. 4to. 1S09. p. 1. + These were such as had no constant inhabitant tied to residence, but such as went and came as they pleased. t Francigenae, or perhaps, non redentes consuetudinem. § For things bought and sold in the market. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 229 butchery, and the church of St. Crux : Osbern, the son of Boso, had these and CHAP. I. whatever belonged to them granted to him : they had been the mansions of Sonulfus the priest (one), Morulfus (one), Sterrus (one), Esnarrus (one), Gamel with four drenches (one), Archil (five), Levingus the priest (two), Turfin (one), Ligilfus (one). "Nigel de Monnevile has one house of a certain Monier. Nigel Fossart has two houses of Modera, and holds them under the king.* " Waldin usurped two houses of Ketel the priest for one house of Sterre. Hamelin has one house in the city ditch ; and Waldin one house of Einulfus, and another of Alwin. "Richard de Surdeval two houses of Turchil and Ravechil. " Nigil Fossart usurped two houses ; but it is said he restored them to the bishop of Constance, f " William de Percy has fourteen mansions of Bernulfus, Gamelbar, Sort, Egbert, Selecolf, Algrim, Norman, Dunstan, Adolfus, Weleret, Ulchel, Godolent, Soneva, Osbert, and the church of St. Mary. Of Earl Hugo the same William has two mansions of two bailiffs of Earl Harold ; but the burgesses say one of them had not been the earl's, but the other had been forfeited to him. The church of St. Cuthbert the same William also claims of Earl Hugo, and seven small houses containing fifty feet in width, besides one house of a certain person named Uctred. The burgesses declare that William de Percy included one house within the castle, after he had returned from Scotland. But William himself denies that he had had the land of this Uctred ; but he affirms that the house was laid to the castle by Hugo, the sheriff, the first year after its destruction. % " Hugo, son of Baldric, has four houses of Adulphus, Hedned, Turchil, and Gospatric, and twenty-nine small mansions § at a rent, and the church of St. Andrew's, which he bought. "Robert Malet has nine houses of these men; (viz.) Tume, Grim, Grimchetel, Ernuin, Elsi, and another Ernuin, Glunier, Halden, Ravenchel. " Erneis de Burun has four houses of Grim, Alwin, Gospatric, and the church of St. Martin ; two of these mansions pay fourteen shillings. " Gilbert Maminot has three houses of Meurdock. Berenger de Todeni has two houses of Gamelcarle and Alwin, and eight houses at rent. A moiety of these is in the city ditch. " Osberne de Archis has two houses of Brun the priest and his mother, and twelve houses at a rent, and two houses of the bishop of Constance. * Probably in capite, and therefore quit. t Chief justiciary of England. He was possessed of two hundred and eighty manors. t Anno 1070. § Therefore mansiones might be large inns or dwelling places, perhaps, messuagia. 3n 230 HISTORY OF book in. " Odo Balistarius has three houses of Forne and Orme, and one of Elaf at a rent, and one church. " Richard, son of Erfast, three houses of Alchemont, and Gospatric and Bernulf, and the church of Holy Trinity. Hubert de Montcanisi, one house of Bundus. Landric, the carpenter, has ten houses and a half which the sheriff made over to him. " In the time of King Edward, the value * of the city to the king was fifty-three pounds : now one hundred pounds by weight.+ " In the time of King Edward, there were in the archbishop's ward \ one hundred and eighty-nine inhabited houses at a rent. At present there are one hundred inhabited, great and small, besides the archbishop's palace and the canons' houses. The archbishop hath as much in his ward as the king in his wards. " Within the geld of the city there are fourscore and four carucates of land, and every one of them taxed as one house in the city, and they with the citizens did the three works for the king.§ Of these the archbishop has six carucates, which three ploughs may till. These compose the farm belonging to his palace. This was not improved and let at a rent in the time of King Edward, but here and there cultivated by the burgesses ; it is the same now. Of the land described, the King's pool destroyed two new mills of the value of twenty shillings, and overflowed one carucate of arable, meadow, and garden ground. Value in King Edward's time sixteen shillings, now three. " In Osboldeuuic (Osboldwick) there are six carucates of land belonging to the canons, where there may be three ploughs. The canons have now there two ploughs and a half, and six villanes and three bordars having two ploughs and a half. Likewise in Mortun (Morton) the canons have four carucates of land, where there may be two ploughs ; but it is waste. These two villages are one mile in breadth and one in length. " In Stocthun (Stockton) there are six carucates, where there may be three ploughs. They are waste : of these, three belong to the canons, and three to Earl Alan. These are half a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth. " In Sabura (Sauburn) there are three carucates, where there may be one plough and a half. Waste. Ralph Paganel holds it. The canons say that they themselves had it in the time of King Edward. " In Heuuarde (Heworth) Orme had one manor of six carucates of land, where * This is to be understood of the annual value. + The ancient way of pa\ ing money by weight, opposed to the payment of the same de numero, importing twenty shillings. % If the ward, shire, or district, meant only the close of the cathedral, it is plain there were more houses in it before the conquest than there are now, or indeed well could stand in the compass. § Burgbote, Brigbote. and Espeditio, called trinoda necessitas. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 231 there may be three ploughs. Hugo, son of Baldric, has now one vassal and one CHAP. I. plough : value in King Edward's time ten shillings, now five shillings. In the same village Waltef had one manor of three carucates of land ; Richard now has it of the earl of Morton : value in King Edward's time ten shillings, now ten shillings and eightpence. This village is one mile long and half a mile broad. " In Fuleford (Fulford) Morcar had one manor of ten carucates of land. Earl Alan now has it : there may be five ploughs. There are now in the demesne two ploughs, and six villanes have two ploughs there. It is in length one mile, and in breadth half a mile. Value in King Edward's time twenty shillings, now sixteen. In the circuit of the city Torfin had one carucate of land, and Torchil two carucates ; these two ploughs may till. "In Cliftune (Clifton) there are eighteen carucates of land subject to the tax geld or gelt ; these nine ploughs may till : it is now waste. Value in King Edward's time twenty shillings. Of these Morcar had nine carucates of land and one half to be taxed, which five ploughs may till. " Earl Alan has now there two ploughs, and two villanes and four bordars with one plough. In it are fifty acres of meadow : of these twenty-nine belong to St. Peter, and the other to the earl. Besides these the archbishop has eight acres of meadow. This manor is one mile long, and one broad. Value in King Edward's time twenty shillings ; the same now. The canons have eight caru- cates and a half: they are waste. " In Roudcliffe (Rawcliflf) there are three carucates of land to be taxed, which two ploughs may till : of these Saxford, the deacon, had two carucates, with a hall (now St. Peter), and the value ten shillings. And Turber had (now the king) one carucate with a hall; and the value five shillings : now both are waste. There are three acres of meadow there. In the whole, half a mile long and as much broad. " In Ouerton (Overton) there are to be taxed five carucates of land, which two ploughs and a half may till ; Morcar had a hall there. Earl Alan has now there one plough and five villanes and three bordars with three ploughs, and thirty acres of meadow, and wood pasture one mile long, and two quarentens broad. In the whole, one mile in length and half a mile in breadth : value in King Edward's time, and now, twenty shillings. " In Sceltun (Skelton) there are nine carucates of land to be taxed, which four ploughs may till : of these St. Peter had, and has, three carucates in King Edward's time ; and the value six shillings : it is now waste. Torbcr held two carucates of this land, with a hall, and six oxgangs. Now one farmer (imus censorius) has it under the king ; and there are two ploughs and six villanes : value in King Edward's time six shillings, now eight. " Two carucates and six oxgangs of the same land belonging to Overton. Earl 232 HISTORY OF BOOK ill. Alan has there one vassal with one plough. In the whole, half a mile in length, and half in breadth. " In Mortun (Morton) there are to be taxed three carucates of land, which one plough may till. Archil held this land, and the value was ten shillings : it is now waste. " In Wichistun (Wigginton) there is to be taxed one carucate of land, which one plough may till. Saxford the deacon held it. Now St. Peter has it. It was and is waste. There is coppice wood there. The whole length, half a mile, and the breadth half. " These had Soke, Sac, Toll, Thaim, and all customs, in the time of King Edward ; Earl Harrolcl, Merelesuen, Ulffenisc, Turgod Lageman, Tochi, (son of Otra) Edwin and Morcar, upon the land of Ingold only. " Gamel, son of Osbert, upon (Nottingham only, Copsi upon Coxwold only, and Cnut. Of those which he forfeited he made satisfaction to no one but to the king and the earl. "The earl has no right whatever in the church manors; neither the king in the manors of the earl, excepting what relates to spiritualities which belong to the archbishop, in all the land of St. Peter at York, and St. John, and St. Wilfrid, and St. Cuthbert, and the Holy Trinity. The king likewise hath not had any custom there, neither the earl, nor any other. " The king has three ways by land and a fourth by water. In these all forfeitures belong to the king and the earl whichsoever way they go, either through the land of the king, or of the archbishop, or of the earl. "The king's peace given under his hand or seal, if it shall have been broken, satisfaction is to be made to the king only by twelve hundreds ; every hundred eight pounds. " Peace given by an earl by whomsoever broken, satisfaction is to be made by six hundreds; every hundred eight pounds. " If any one shall have been exiled according to law, no one but the king shall pardon him. But if an earl or sheriff shall have exiled any one from the country, they themselves may recal him, and pardon him if they will. " Those thanes who shall have had more than six manors pay relief of lands to the king only. The relief is eight pounds. " But if he shall have had only six manors or fewer, three marks of silver shall be paid to the sheriff for the relief. " But the burgesses, citizens of York, do not pay relief." From the period of making the survey to the present time little can be gleaned as to the increase or decrease of the extent of York ; it has been considerably increased within the last few years, especially without Micklegate and Walmgate bars ; and the interior of the city has been much improved. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 233 The city of York is governed by a lord mayor, a recorder, two city counsel, chap. i. twelve aldermen, two sheriffs, seventy-two common-council men, and six chamber- civil „ _ lains. Besides these are a number of citizens, who having passed the office of vernmem - sheriff become part of the privy council, and with the lord mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs compose the upper house. They are called the ' twenty-four,' though they may be more or less than that number. The lord mayor is chosen annually from amongst the aldermen who have not been twice mayor, or borne that office within six years, and are thought to be every way qualified to undertake the duty. The election takes place on the 15th of January, and the lord mayor elect takes the necessary oaths and enters upon his office on the 3rd of the following month ; a formal procession of the corporate body, with their subordinate officers, parade through the principal streets of the city. The mayor of York assumes the title of lord in all writings or speaking to him, the same as the mayor of London ; this honour was bestowed on him by Richard II. Persons, of what quality soever, living or residing within his jurisdiction, must obey his mandate or summons on any complaint exhibited against them. The judge of assize sits on his right hand in the courts of justice, himself keeping the chair; neither does he drop the ensign of his authority to any but the king or the pre- sumptive heir to the throne. In council he has a casting voice : and in full senate no law nor act can be made without his concurrence.* The next in dignity to the lord mayor are the two sheriffs of the city, who are annually chosen on the 21st of September, in lieu of the three bailiffs formerly appointed, and in the same manner as the lord mayor. The sheriffs have a double function, ministerial and judicial. By the first they execute all processes and precepts of the courts of law, and make returns of the same ; and by the next the} have authority to hold several courts of a distinct nature. They collect all public profits, customs and taxes of the city and county of the same, and have the charge of all prisoners for debt and misdemeanors, and are answerable to the king's exchequer for all issues and profits arising from the office. The usual fine for exemption from this office is one hundred guineas. The recorder is, by virtue of his office, a justice of the peace and of the quorum- He sits at the lord mayor's right hand as an assistant to him and the bench, and is chosen by the whole corporation ; but he must be approved of by his majesty before he can enter on his office. * The annual salary attached to this high office was, in 1681, fifty pounds, in 1776, five hundred pounds ; and some years ago it was raised to eight hundred and forty pounds ; but owing to the temporary embarrassment of the pecuniary concerns of the corporation, most of the aldermen have lately served the office without receiving the salary, and consequently have reduced the expences, according to their own pleasure and convenience. 3 o 234 HISTORY OF book in. The town clerk is elected in the same manner as the recorder, and also the prothonotary, whose office is to attend the sheriffs' courts and enrol their proceed- ings. This office, like that of the town clerk, is of considerable trust. The common-council men are chosen out of the four .yards which take their names from the four gates of the city, Bootham, Monk, Micklegate and Walragate. In the city of York were formerly held several courts, although the most ancient were the sheriffs' courts. They were three in number. The sheriffs' court, for inquiry into all criminal offences against the common law ; the county court, to hear and determine all civil causes under forty shillings ; and the court of common pleas, to determine any case whatever, cognizable in a court of common law. The three courts have now become consolidated, and are held weekly in the Guildhall. The court of Guildhall and the court of Hustings, held before the lord mayor, are of great antiquity. In the latter, deeds, wills, &c. are enrolled. The last court worthy of notice is that for the conservation of the rivers Ouse, Humber, Wharfe, Derwent, Aire, and Dun, both in the city and county of York, and in the adjoining county of Lincoln. Arras. The arms of the citv of York are of great antiquity. Prior to the reign of William I. they were simply argent, a cross gules. The five lions or, with which the cross is now charged, it is said, were added by the conqueror, in memory of five heroic magistrates ; viz. Sir Robert Clifford, Howngate, Talbot, Lascells and Erringham, who had bravely defended the city against him, till famine obliged them to submit. City seal. The seal of the corporation is very handsome.; it is of a circular form. The obverse has St. Peter, with his keys, between two angels holding candles. Legend, s'. B - 1 . petri. principis. apostolor. The reverse represents a fortified town, with a legend, sigillvm. civivm. eboraci. — THE COUNTY OF YORK. 235 CHAPTER II. ROMAN ANTIQUITIES DISCOVERED IN YORK. Few places in the kingdom have been so prolific in remains of Roman grandeur CHAP, n. as this city, a certain proof of its dignity and extent in ancient times. Some of these remains are extant in the collections of the curious, but by far the greater portion has been wantonly destroyed. It is satisfactory however, to consider, that the latter event will not occur again. The establishment of a museum in York must be hailed with pleasure by every friend to the arts and sciences of the country, as providing a secure repository for the antiquities of the city and its environs. In an early part of the work, the earliest recorded discovery of a Roman altar has been noticed. It was discovered in digging the foundation of a house on Bishop-hill-the-elder in 1638.* Another discovery was made in 1688, of a sepulchral monument of a standard bearer of the ninth legion. f About the year 1716, a curious antique relic, five inches high, by four broad, representing the head of a female, was found, in digging a cellar near the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey. It was given to Roger Gale, Esq. the antiquary, who preserved it with great care. That gentleman, finding it bore the marks of Roman origin, and knowing that the Romans had not any goddess in their system of theology, supposed it had been designed to represent the head of Lucretia. The next : ylic that deserves our attention is of Roman superstition — a stone, with an inscription upon it, as represented beneath : rough grit GENIO LOCI FELICITER. * Page SO. 1 Page 11. 236 HISTORY OF book m. Mr. Thoresby, the Leeds antiquary, was living when this stone was found, and he sent the following account of it to the Royal Society : " The Roman monument lately discovered at York, was found not far from the Roman wall and multangular tower, which Dr. Liston has given so curious a description of. This monument, dedicated to the genius, or tutelar deity of the place, is not of the coarse rag that the generality of the Roman altars are, but of a finer grit, like to that at my Lord Fairfax's house at York. It is twenty-one inches long, and eleven broad ; and is inscribed Genio loci feliciter. There was a larger stone found with it, but without any inscription ; nor is there upon either of them the representation of a serpent, or a young visage ; by both which the ancients sometimes described their dii topici. If the name had been added, it would have gratified the curiosity of some of our necleric antiquaries. But they must yet acquiesce, for aught I know, in their old Dei, who is said to be the tutelar deity of the city of the Brigantes. " The author of this votive monument seems to have had the same superstitious veneration for the genius of York, as those at Rome had for theirs, whose name they were prohibited to mention or inquire after. Hence it is, that upon their coins the name of this deity is never expressed, but in a mere popular manner by Genius P. R., or Pop. Rom." Drake also mentions this stone, and says it was discovered in digging a cellar in Convng-street in the line of the Roman wall. He adds that it was immediately " put up in a back yard wall of Mrs. Crumpton's houses, below the Black Swan Inn, in that street." About 1734 an elegant figure of Ckronos Tempus or Saturn, of mixed metal, was discovered in Walmgate. It appears to have been a penale or household god. An anonymous writer to the Royal Society says, " There was lately found at the brick kilns without Bootham bar an old earthen vessel, which is preserved in the Ashmolean museum, Oxford. It is by some supposed to be an urJ?, by others a flower pot ; the clay is of the colour of Halifax clay when burnt. The potter's part is well performed, the face being bossed from within with a finger, when upon the wheel, and some strokes of red paint about the cuples of the head and eye-brows, and two red threads about the neck."* About the year 1740, two very curious Roman urns were dug up near the mount, without Micklegate bar. One of them was made of glass ; and being by accident broken in pieces, the inside of it was found to be coated, similar to a looking glass, with a substance of a blueish silver colour, termed by philosophers, the elect rum of the ancients. The other urn was of lead, and was sold by the workmen to an * Abridg. Philos. Trans. toI t. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 237 ignorant plumber, who immediately beat it together, and melted it down. A CHAP. II. pedestal of grit was also found the same year, at no great distance from Micklegate bar. It had a short Roman inscription upon it, rather defaced by time; and measured two feet high by ten inches in breadth. The inscription was BRITANNLE SANCT-E P NIKOMEDES AUGG. N. N. LIBERTOS. We have next to notice the coins which at various times have been found at York and its vicinity. They may be classed under the several heads of Roman, Saxon, Danish, and English ; but to give a list of them might, to the generality of our readers, be uninteresting, and would certainly tend to enlarge this work beyond the limits proposed. We shall therefore only notice them in general terms, com- mencing with the most ancient. Dr. Langwith sent Drake a catalogue of Roman coins, from Augustus down to Gratianus, one hundred and twenty-four different sorts, all found in York. They are chiefly of the Lower Evipire ; and Geta's are the most common of any amongst them. A gold Crispus was found here ; its inscription, fl. ivl. crispvs nob c. — the reverse principi ivventvtis aq. A gold coin of Constantius, jun., was also found in 1739, on the west side of York, near Ouse bridge, in digging a cellar, deep in the earth. The head was armed with an helmet, and the figure held a spear in one hand, round which was inscribed fl ivl constantivs perp. avg. — reverse, a priest and priestess seated, holding a votive tablet S "I'ix glorle REiPVBLiCiE, exergue konsav™. The coin of Severus, mentioned by Camden as having col. eboracvm legio vi. victrix on it, rests on the very uncertain authority of Goltzius. In the year 1747, as several workmen were digging the foundation of a house in Micklegate, opposite the church of St. Martin, they found a curious piece of sculpture about ten feet below the surface of the earth. This ancient relic is of limestone, two feet three inches in length, one foot ten inches and three quarters broad, and seven inches thick ; completely smooth on the back and edges, and without any inscription. Drake, the antiquary, was residing in York when it was found, about eleven years after the publication of his Eboracum. On hearing of the circumstance, that gen- tleman made a drawing of it, which he sent to the learned Dr. Stukeley. The doctor returned the following explanation, which was afterwards forwarded by Mr. Drake to the Royal Society : 3 p 238 HISTORY OF book in. " This drawing is a great curiosity. The stone which it delineates is a sculpture of Mithras, as usual, sacrificing a bull. He has on the Persian mantle, called candys, and the Phrygian bonnet called tyara. He represents the Archimagus, performing the great annual sacrifice, at the spring equinox, according to the patriarchal usage. " These ceremonies to Mithras were generally celebrated in a cave of a rock, therefore this sculpture was found so deep in the earth. " There is commonly a figure on each side of him, habited in the same manner, standing cross legged. The one holds a torch up, the other down. Here is only the latter in your sculpture, the other is imperfect. " Underneath is the figure of a horse, intimating the sun's course ; for, in the time when the old patriarchal customs became profane and desecrated into idolatry, they made Mithras to be the Apollo or sun ; whence these sculptures had a number of symbols relating to the solar circuit of the year, through the twelve zodiacal constellations. " The two figures attending on the Archimagus are inferior officers to him. There is a mystery in their standing cross legged, like our effigies of crusaders in churches, and it means the same thing ; for the cross was one part of the Mithriac ceremonies. These two, by the different attitudes of their torches, represent day and night, as Mithras represents the sun. The figure imperfectly drawn at the tail of the horse is, I believe, a genius twisted round with a snake, which means the vitality imparted to all things by the solar power. " The other figures are too imperfect to trouble you with conjectures about them ; but they all regard the same design. They are officiating priests, and are dressed in a symbolic manner, to intimate the sun's influence and annual motion. " The Romans became extremely fond of the Mithriac sacreds, whence here you find this sculpture in the imperial city. I saw an image of Mithras, at Chester, and no doubt there are many more in Britain. " St. Jerom, in his epistle to Laeta, writes, ' A few years ago, your cousin Gracchus, a name of patrician quality, when he was praefect of the city, destroyed, broke, and burnt the cave of Mithras.' This was at Rome, and about the year 378. Not long after, we may well imagine your Roman prefect of York followed his example, and demolished the subterranean temple in Micklegate, where this sculpture of liim was found." This curious antique was formerly in the possession of Mrs. Sandercock, of Lendal, in this city, by whom it was presented to Mr. Bellwood ; on his decease it descended to his sister, who presented it to Dr. Cappe. On the decease of that gentleman it became the property of the present Mrs. Cappe. Some of the figures are defaced ; but when we consider that in all probability nearly two thousand THE COUNTY OF YORK. 239 years have elapsed since the hand which formed them mouldered into dust, our chap, n. surprise will be excited that time has left so perfect a representation. In 1768, as some labourers were preparing a piece of ground for a garden, near the city walls, west of Micklegate bar, they discovered a Roman sepulchre, of a very singular form. Mr. William White, M. D. of York, sent the following description of it to the Antiquarian Society, of which he was a member: "The sepulchre was formed of tiles, being three in length, each twenty inches long, and fifteen inches and a half broad, with prominent edges. These, with the same number on the other side, were built up in the form of the roof of a house, making a triangle with the ground below. This was covered at the top with semicircular tiles, of a small diameter, so close as to prevent the least particle of earth from falling within the cavity. "Each end of the dormitory was closed with a tile of the same form and size as those of the sides. On each of these is this inscription — leg. rx. his. "Within the cavity of this sepulchre were found the remains of a human body, which seems to have been burnt ; among them were a part of a thigh bone, and the lower jaw broken, but containing all its teeth. " There was likewise an urn, of a blueish grey colour, containing ashes, covered with a piece of slate. I got it very well preserved, with one of the same sort, of a smaller size, and broken. Near to this was found another earthen vessel of red clay, with a handle to it ; the bottom of it was broken off s by the workmen, in hopes of finding a treasure ; but I believe it contained nothing but common earth. " They brought me a silver ring, for the finger, weighing seven pennyweights, which they said was found in the last mentioned vessel; but I apprehend this to be a mistake, as it seems not to be Roman. " I was obliged to take the latter part of this account from the labourers, as I knew not of the discovery till they brought me the urns, ring, and a few coins, all except one much defaced. I went immediately and examined the sepulchre in situ, measured the tiles, and secured the two end ones with the inscriptions. The medal is a Domitian, well preserved. Reverse Fidei Publica. " The ninth legion came over into Britain under the emperor Claudius, and was surnamed Hispanica; under which title it is mentioned by Tacitus. There have been many monuments found in Britain, wherein mention is made of this legion ; but instead of the adjunct Hispanica, all of them have that of Victrix. This puzzled Mr. Horsley, who in order to account for it, supposed this legion to have been incorpo- rated with the sixth, whose proper title was Victrix, by which the latter became general. " By this inscription (the only one yet discovered in Britain, in which the ninth legion appears with its proper title, Hispanica) we know that it retained that name long after its arrival in this island, and when stationed at Eboracum. If Mr. Horsley's opinion be true, which is very probable, this monument must be prior 240 HISTORY OF book Hi. to that period, and consequently to all the monuments yet discovered, in which mention is made of this legion. " This is doubtless the sepulchre of a soldier belonging to the Legio nona His- panica" Such is the interesting description given of this curious relic, the antiquity of which is so fully proved, that further comment is unnecessary. In the month of October, 1769, as several workmen were employed in preparing the foundation of a garden wall, between Gillygate and the walls of the city, they found a serrated Roman silver coin, which from its extraordinary antiquity, and peculiar variety, merits a particular description. On one side was a head in profile and this inscription : " capit, cxnt." On the reverse were represented two oxen, with the yoke on their necks, but no plough. Above them was inscribed " cxiii." and under their feet " c. mari." Capito was the surname of the Marian family ; but what is meant by cxm. on each side the coin, is difficult to ascertain. It certainly cannot have any relation to the number of times he was consul ; as we are informed that he was slain in his seventh consulship, eighty-four years prior to the birth of Christ. This piece must therefore have been struck more than nineteen hundred years ago. An antiquary who was living when it was found, ventured the following con- jecture respecting it : — " As the oxen are sometimes the symbol of peace, it is not improbable, that this coin might have been struck upon Caius Marius's conquest over Jugurtha, one hundred and five years before the birth of Christ ; and the year before Pompey and Cicero were born. Or, on his conquest over the Cimbri, when two hundred thousand men were slain, and ninety thousand were taken pri- soners ; in his fourth consulship, which was five years after C. Marius had defeated Jugurtha." In the month of August, 1770, part of the foundation of a temple, of Roman brick work, was found in Friar's garden near Toft green, about two feet below the surface of the earth. It was so firmly cemented as to resist the stroke of a pick-axe, and its form was a semicircle, the other half being under an adjoining house. Beneath this fragment was a flat grit stone, three feet long, two feet one inch broad, and seven inches thick, on which was the following inscription, and some curious carved work in very fine preservation. DEO. SANCTO SERAPI TEMPLVM. ASO. LO. FECIT CL. HERONY. MIANVS. LEG. LEG. VI. VICT. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 241 The inscription may be thus translated: — This temple, sacred to the god Serapis, chap. ii. was erected, a solo, from the ground, by Claudius Heronymianus, legate, or lieutenant of the sixth conquering legion. Serapis was a great Egyptian deity, known by the three names of Osiris, Apis, and Serapis. Osiris, in the heathen mythology, is represented as the son of Jupiter and Niobe, but is said to have been killed by his brother Typhon. The superstition of the Egyptians, who believed the doctrine of metempsychosis, induced them to imagine that the soul of Osiris had, after leaving the human form, entered that of an ox; this animal, of such essential service in the cultivation of the ground, having been introduced by Osiris into Egyptian agriculture. Apis is the Egyptian name for an ox ; and this name was afterwards altered to Serapis. Memphis, Alexandria, Canopus, and the great city of Athens, had each a magnificent temple dedicated to this idol, and his worship was introduced also at Rome, by the emperor Antoninus Pius, A. D. 146: thence, no doubt, it had been brought to this country by the Romans, and thus had occasioned the erection of a temple sacred to Osiris in the ancient, and then splendid, city of Eboracum. Having explained the inscription, it will now be proper to notice the carving on each side of it. These are emblematic of circumstances connected with this object of idolatrous veneration. Dr. Adams, in his Treatise on Roman Antiquities, says : " Animals were joined to a carriage, by what was called a jugum (a yoke) usually made of wood ; but sometimes also of metal, placed upon the neck ; one yoke commonly upon two, of a crooked form, with a bend for the necks of each." Such are the crooked figures here represented, at each end of which the hoof of an ox is evidently portrayed. The two small wheels which are placed near them seem also to denote the agricultural pursuits in which the ox was chiefly employed, and for which it was deified by the Egyptians. The wheels might also have another signification ; being by their rotundity emblematic of eternity, and hence of the supposed endless duration of the god Serapis. Gough, in his edition of Camden's Britannia mentions this inscription, though in a very brief manner, without attempting any explanation, or even noticing the jugum or the wheels. He, however, remarks that Mr. Pegge refers it to the time of Hadrian or earlier; and adds, that several coins of Nerva, Trajan, and Hadrian, were found along with it. This curious memorial of Roman idolatry was immediately removed from the place where it had so long been deposited; and in 1785 it was in the possession of the late Francis Smith, Esq. F. S- A. then residing at New-buildings, near Thirsk, in this county. As some workmen were digging a drain from the north-east of Davygate to the corner of Lendal, in the year 1770, they discovered the foundation of three walls 3q 242 HISTORY OF book in. or buttresses, about seven feet below the surface of the ground. They were from nine feet and a half to eleven feet and a half broad, about three feet distant from each other ; and were composed of pebbles strongly cemented, the open space between the walls being securely filled with clay. Gough says, they were supposed to have been built by the Romans, to prevent the Ouse from overflowing the city. The same year, several antique remains were found by Mr. Thomas Beckwith, in a piece of ground on the banks of the river Ouse, which had been opened as a gravel pit, situate about a mile and a half east of the city. They consisted of several fragments of Roman earthenware, and part of the bottom of a patera inscribed ca|Tiasf. Another was also found, on which ophilas, with several other names, appeared very legibly. Within the compass of fifty or sixty yards were likewise many more pieces of patera? and urns, some very large vessels, part of a patera much superior to the rest, being adorned with representations of vine leaves, part of an urn of chrystal, an iron flesh fork, and a piece of brass. But amongst all these fragments only one perfect urn, with its cover, was found. The most remarkable circumstance, however, connected with this discovery was, that a stratum of oyster shells appeared to have been laid about two feet, in some parts three, and in others nearly five, below the surface, and above them was a sort of rich black earth, like soot mixed with oil ; among which were found pieces of burnt wood. Upon this singular substance were scattered great numbers of bones of cattle, chiefly heads and ribs. In one part were many heads of beasts laid together; and, in several others, bones mixed with earth and fragments of earthen vessels. Not far from these the earth, about three feet below the present surface, was discoloured and greasy, as though it had been soaked with blood, to the depth of two feet. The preceding account is mentioned by Gough, who says, that in the following year, 1771, a similar discovery was made in another gravel pit not far from the former. The particulars of the latter he gives in the following words: — "A frag- ment of a patera, secespita, a flesh fork with the prongs bent down, brass needle, large iron bolt, two square studs of brass, a whole patera with ears, two others broken, one of them adorned with men and beasts, another with vine leaves and branches ; a small urn of coarse red clay, with a cover of blueish clay, a small broken patera, a fragment of a light coloured coarse cover, with two ears ; and various fragments of urns. Within this pit, between layers of earth and gravel, was another of black earth intermixed with burnt wood, and under it a layer of oyster shells. In the middle of the pit was a hillock of the same strata, mixed with fragments of urns, some inscribed, ofroni, caivs, &c. ; some of larger ones, and of patera adorned with vine and ivy branches, lions, tygers, fauns piping on double flutes, &c." THE COUNTY OF YORK. 243 On the 12th of December, 179G, died at her house in Micklegate, Mrs. Mildred chap, u. Bourchier, relict of John Bourchier, Esq. of Beningbrough, whose death is rendered remarkable by the circumstance of a small Roman altar of stone being found amongst her furniture. It was about ten inches in height, six inches in breadth at the base, near four and a half in the middle, and about five inches and a half at the summit. This altar was presented, by Anthony Thorpe, Esq. of this city, to the dean of York, who immediately deposited it in the minster library, where it now remains an interesting object to the curious. It seems to have been a votive altar dedicated by a soldier in the sixth legion, to the mother of the emperor Antoninus Pius ; but the inscription is one of those respecting which there are various opinions. Mr. Thorpe, who was a gentleman of considerable antiquarian research, having written to the Rev. George Young, a well known antiquary at Whitby, on this subject, received the following in answer, with leave for its publication : — " I read the inscription thus : MATRI ANTONINI PII AUGUSTI NOSTRI MARCUS MINUTIUS UNUS DE MILITIBUS LEGIONIS SEXTOS VICTRIC1S SUPER LEGIONE SEXTA VOTUM SOLVIT LIBENTISSIM^E MERITO-* Gough informs us it was found in Micklegate, by workmen when digging a drain in the middle of the street. He says that in 1785 he could not hear any thing of the altar ; but that a drawing of it had been communicated to the society of antiquaries, and that Mr. Drake read the inscription as follows : MATRIBUS AILTA GENIO MARCUS MINUTIUS AUDE JULES LEGIONIS VI. VICTRICIS GUBERNATOR LEGIONIS VI. VOTUM SOLVIT LUBEXS MEKITO. In August, 1807, as some workmen were digging for the foundation of a house near the mount, without Micklegate bar, they broke into a Roman vault about four feet from the surface. It was built of stone and arched over with Roman bricks, with a small door of entrance at the north end ; the length of the vault was eight feet, the height six feet, and breadth five feet. In it was discovered a coffin of coarse rag-stone grit, about seven feet long, three feet two inches wide, four inches * Qu. Merits ? 244 HISTORY OF BOOK in. thick, and one foot nine inches deep, covered over with a flag of bine stone, and containing a human skeleton entire, with the teeth complete, supposed to be the remains of a Roman female of high rank, and to have been deposited there from one thousand four hundred to one thousand seven hundred years. Near the skull lay a small phial or lachrymatory, with fragments of another phial, the inside of which appeared to have been silvered. At a short distance from the vault was found an urn of a red colour, in which were placed the ashes and bones, partly burnt, of a human body. These curious relics are in the possession of Mr. Jakell, the owner of the house on the mount where they were first discovered. In March, 1813, two Roman stone coffins were dug up in a field, without Bootham bar, near the site where David Russel, Esq. has erected a commodious residence. They each contained a skeleton entire with the teeth completely perfect ; and the coffins, which were unusually large, measuring seven feet four inches in length, two feet three inches in breadth, and one foot ten inches in depth, were of thick, light coloured grit. One side of each coffin had been carved and panelled, but the other appears quite plain ; the carved sides were placed against one another when found. Each coffin was covered with a lid, curiously made in the form of the roof of a modern dwelling house, sloping both ways, with small uniform projections on the north side, but hewn flat on the south. The field wherein they were discovered is nearly opposite to Burton Stone, at Clifton, in which neighbourhood the principal burial place of the Romans who formerly inhabited this city was situated. In Drake's antiquities, Bootham bar is mentioned as being the gate which led to some grand depository of their dead near Clifton village. A Roman tesselated pavement, the first of the kind ever found at York, was likewise discovered, in April, 1814, adjoining the rampart within Micklegate bar ; supposed to have been the ground-work of a general's tent. Unfortunately only a part of the pavement could be preserved, and this has been enclosed by the owner of the premises, Mr. J. Thackray. The portion discovered measures about twenty- four feet by fifteen, and was formerly very handsome; but the damps and age have entirely spoiled it. In the centre were two stags, and around it several beautiful borders. The pavement is on a declivity sloping from north to south. At the time this discovery was made a considerable number of coins of the lower empire and a quantity of pottery were brought to light; the whole is preserved by the proprietor for the inspection of the curious. History relates that it was customary with the Romans, when on a march, to be accompanied with a man who was styled tes- serarius. or chequerman, from carrying a sack with tessera, or chequered dies of coloured stones, with which he paved or inlaid the platform where the commander- in-chief thought proper to pitch his tent. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 245 CHAPTER III. ■WALLS, GATES, AND POSTERNS OF YORK. It is very difficult to ascertain the precise period when the walls of the city were chap.iii. built, though there is a strong series of historical evidence to shew that York was 7T~. ', — Date or fortified both during the Saxon and Danish governments, as well as under the Roman erection, power ; and we have recorded the vigorous resistance which it made against the arms of the Norman conqueror. But it is probable that the walls were rebuilt in the reign of Edward I. about the time when the Scottish wars began, as it was then absolutely necessary to put the city into a good state of defence ; and in the time of his son and successor Edward II. the Scots made such inroads into the country, as to penetrate even to the very gates of York, but without daring to undertake the siege. In the reign of Edward III. we find, in the Fcedera, a mandate for repairing Repaired the fortifications of this city, with the method of defraying the expense: — Edward" °' "The king to his well-beloved the mayor and bailiffs of his city of York, lu - greeting. — " Since the Scotch, our enemies and rebels, have thought fit to enter our kingdom in an hostile manner near Carlisle, with all their power, as we are certainly in- formed ; and kill, burn, destroy and act other mischiefs as far as they are able, we have drawn down our army in order, by God's assistance, to restrain their malice, and to that end turn our steps towards that country and those enemies. *' We, considering our aforesaid city of York, especially whilst Isabel, queen of England, our most dear mother, our brother and sisters,* abide in the same, to be more safely kept and guarded ; lest any sudden danger from our enemies' approach should happen to the said city ; or fear affright our mother, brother, and sisters, which God avert, for want of sufficient ammunition and guard ; we strictly command and charge you, upon your faiths and allegiance, and on the forfeiture of every thing you can forfeit to us, immediately at sight of these presents, without excuse or delay, * Prince. John of Eltham, and the princesses Joan and Elinor. 3 R 246 HISTORY OF book III. to inspect and overlook all your walls, ditches and towers, and ammunition, proper for the defence of the said city ; taking with you such of our faithful servants as will be chosen for this purpose ; and to take such order for its defence that no danger can happen to the city by neglect of such safeguards. "And we, by these presents, give you full power and authority to distrain and compel all and singular owners of houses or rents in the said city, or merchants, or strangers, inhabiting the same, by the seizure of their bodies or goods, to be aiding towards the security of the walls, bulwarks or towers, as you in your own discretion shall think fit to ordain for the making other useful and necessary works about it ; punishing all those that are found to contradict or rebel against this order, by imprisonment, or what other methods you think fit. " Study therefore to use such diligence in the execution of the premises, that we may find it in the effect of your works ; and that we may have no occasion from your negligence, should clanger happen, to take severe notice of you. Dated at Durham, July 1.5. A. 1327. "by the king." State in the Leland gives the following curious information respecting the walls and their Hen?/ towers, as they stood in the reign of Henry VIII. " The towne of Yorke standeth VIIL by west and est of Ouse river running through it, but that part that lyeth by est is twice as grete in building as the other. " Thus goeth the waul from the ripe * of Ouse of the est part of the cite of York. " Fyrst, a grete towre with a chaine of yron to cast over the Ouse, than another towre and soe to Bovvdamgate ; from Bowdamgate or bar to Goodramgate or bar x towres ; thens four towres to Laythorpe a postern gate, and soe by a space of two flite shottes, the blind and deep water of Fosse coming out of the forest of Galtres, defendeth this part of the cite without waules ; then to Waumgate three towres and thens to Fishergate, stoppid up sins the communes burnid it yn the tyme of King Henry the seventh. " Thens to the ripe of Fosse have three towres, and in the three a postern ; and thens over Fosse by a bridge to the castclle. " The west part of the cite is thus ynclosed ; first a turrit and soe the waul runneth over the side of the dungeon of the castelle on the west side of Ouse, right agayne the castelle on the est ripe. The plotte of this castelle is now called Ould Baile, and the area and ditches of it doe manifestly appeare. Betwixt the begin- ninge of the first part of this west waulle and Micklegate, be ix towres ; and betwixt it and the ripe agayne of Ouse be xi towres; and at this xi towres * Hank. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 247 be a postern gate, and the towre of it is right agayne the est towre, to draw over chap. hi. the chain on Ouse betwixt them."* Such is Leland's description of the walls of York in those days ; and Camden in his Britannia mentions them as being of considerable strength. Drake however thus comments on Camden's remarks : — " As to the great strength which this author gives to our fortifications, though our walls were then reported strong, and Ion" after this time stood a vigorous siege, against a very formidable army, yet the art of war has of late years been so much improved, that they are now of small use : and would be of little service against a modern attack." After the siege of York, in 1644, the walls stood in great need of repairs, and the three following years were employed in that work. The corroding hand of Present time has ever since been at work, and they are now falling rapidly into decay ,-f- though they are calculated to form a most delightfnl promenade for the citizens, at once commanding the advantages of the purest air and most extensive and pleasing prospect, embracing the ruins of St. Mary's abbey, Severus's hills, and other interesting objects, diversified with the meanderings of the Fosse, and the bolder windings of the Ouse through fruitful plains and luxuriant fields. The circumference of the walls is nearly two miles and three quarters, viz: — Extent. Perches From the Red Tower to Walmgate bar 60 Thence to Fishergate postern 99 Castlegate postern 58 — — Skeldergate postern 34 Micklegate bar 136 North street postern 140 Bootham bar 86 Monk bar 116 Laythorpe postern 66 Red tower above mentioned 80 875 or two miles three furlongs and ninety-six yards, an extent little inferior to that of • Lei. Itin. vol. i. tThe walls round this city, and those of Chester, are the only specimens of this kind of ancient fortifi- cation now existing in the kingdom. It is painful to draw a comparison between them ; but we cannot help observing that the walls of the latter city are kept in excellent repair, and afford a most delightful promenade to the inhabitants. This is principally effected by what are styled murage duties, i.e. a duty of twopence on every hundred yards of Irish linen brought into the port of Chester. — Todd's York- Guide, p. 65. 248 HISTORY OF book III. the old walls of London ; the measurement of the latter amounting only to three miles. As the fortified walls of York constitute not only a peculiar, but a highly interesting historical feature to the city, it is truly lamentable to witness the wanton and vulvar dilapidation to which they are daily subjected. Instead of being cautiously protected and preserved by the corporation, whose duty it is to guard and uphold them, and who are invested with an annual income for that purpose, they are suffered gradually to moulder away. Indeed they are often battered down for the materials to be appropriated to the erection of a hog-sty, or for some equally disgraceful purpose. Gates. There are four principal gates or bars,* viz : — Micklegate bar on the south-west, Bootham bar on the north-west, Monk bar on the north-east, and Walmgate bar on Posterns, the south-east. The posterns were five in number, and were thus distinguished ; Northstreet postern, Skeldergate postern, Castlegate postern, Fishergate postern, Micklegate and Laythorpe postern. Of the four gates Micklegate bar is the most magnificent, Bar - and previous to the destruction of the barbican, or outwork, must have made a very imposing and venerable appearance. It is a square tower with a circular arch and embattled turrets at the angles. Each of these turrets are adorned with a stone figure in a menacing attitude. The lower parts are built of a grey stone of very coarse grit, whilst the upper walls and turrets are constructed of a fine white limestone ; and the difference of style, as well as of materials, shows that the work is of two different periods. Drake, the historian of York, regarded the grit stone as a certain indication of Roman architecture, and eagerly contended that the semicircular arches of Micklegate bar were genuine remains of Roman work; in which opinion he was supported by the earl of Burlington. This was contradicted by James Essex, the architect, and more fully refuted by Sir H. C. Englefield ; indeed no person who has attentively studied the peculiarities of ancient architec- ture can fail to recognise the Norman style in these arches. Above the gate is a shield of arms suspended from a garter, and beneath is inscribed " Renovata A. D. MDCCXXVII." Higher on the building are the arms of old France and England, quarterly, between those of the city of York, all emblazoned in colours. Over each shield is a small Gothic canopy. Above the royal arms is a helmet, crested with a lion passant gardant, the whole gilt. These arms and crest were painted and gilt anew in 1827. On the city side are the arms of France and England, quarterly. + * In York jthe term gate is used to describe a street or lane, as Micklegate, Castlegate, &c. ; whilst the greater gates are denominated bars, Micklegate bar, Bootham bar, &c. ; and the lesser ones posterns, as Castlegate postern, Laythorpe postern. &c. + Archtrlogia, vol. vi. p. 104. ME©]!' TIE BAt,f©EK. ■ ■ THE COUNTY OF Y'ORK. 249 Drake, in his Eboracum, speaking of Micklegate bar, says, " It appears by a CHAP. III. record in the pipe-office that one Benedict Fitz-Engelram gave half a mark for license lo build a certain house upon this bar, and sixpence annual rent for having it hereditary, the eighth of Richard I. But this does not ascertain the age of the _ present structure. Yet I observe the jleurs tie lis in the royal arms are not confined to the number of three ; which puts it out of doubt that they were placed there before Henry V.'s time ; who was the first that gave that particular number in his bearing." The same writer says : " The bar is strengthened by an outer gate, which had a massy iron chain that went across; then a port-cullis, and lastly a mighty strong double wooden gate, which is closed in every night at the usual hours. It has the character altogether, as to ancient fortification, to be as noble and august a port as most in Europe. The inside was renewed and beautified anno 1716, when Mr. Townes was lord mayor, as appears by an inscription upon it." Since the period when Mr. Drake wrote the above account, various alterations and mutilations have occurred in this venerable pile. Part of the walls connecting the principal with the outer gate, and on which was a terrace, has fallen down for want of repair. A small portion of the massy chain is remaining, and the gateway is perfect, but the port-cullis, which was a large wooden grate, with iron spikes at the bottom, fell and was destroyed about eight years ago.* In the city the ascent to the tower and walls of Micklegate bar, is by a double flight of stone steps on the left side ; and on the right is a similar flight. The passage on the left hand of the great gate for foot passengers was opened in 1754; that on the right in 1827. The top of this gate is covered with lead, and commands a most interesting prospect of the surrounding country. Bootham bar stands on the north-west side of the city, on the road to Durham, B < ir >tlmm b&r. Newcastle, Edinburgh, &c. This bar is chiefly built of the grit stone generally used by the Romans, and has a circular arch similar to Micklegate bar. The architecture is Gothic, and is at present tolerably perfect, with port-cullis, barbican, &c. ; but it has a more modern appearance than any of the other bars. On the outer front of the bar are placed two shields, with the arms of the city, over which is a shield within a garter greatly defaced. On the turrets, which are circular without battlements, are placed figures similar to those mentioned at Micklegate. The barbican is the most perfect in York, and has embattled turrets at the angles. In the year 1719, the inside of the gate was rebuilt with freestone. On the * Hargrave's Hist, of York, ii. p. li. published 1818. 3s ■y i THE COUNTY OF YORK. 251 Attached to the city front is an extraneous erection of wood and plaster of two chap.iii. stories ; the lower is supported by two Tuscan columns ; the front of the first story is also adorned with two columns of the same order ; the second has Ionic pillars with an architrave and cornice. The old gate is perfect, with a wicket, and above is the port-cullis. On the east side is a modern way for foot passengers. The barbican is evidently of later date than the gate, having a pointed arch, probably of the time of Edward III. On the front are the royal arms of Henry V. The whole has a venerable appearance. Between Walmgate bar and the castle is an ancient gateway, now walled up, Fishergate called Fishergate bar, of which Leland speaks in the following terms : " It was burnt in Henry the Seventh's tyme, by the commons of Yorkshire, who took the cittye and would have beheaded Sir Richard Yorke, lord mayor — it has ever since been blocked up." This gate was re-opened in June, 1827. Over this gateway on each side are sculptures and inscriptions. On the exterior of the bar is one representing Sir William Todd, merchant, who was a great benefactor to the reparation of the walls, on which is the following inscription: "A. Dm. CCCC°. LXXXVII. S r . Willm. Tod, knyght & mair jou— ates some tyme was schyrifFe did this cost himself." Over this inscription was formerly a piece of rude sculpture, representing a senator in his robes, and a female kneeling by him. The other inscription is on the city side, and placed under the arms of the city. It is as follows : " A". DOMINE M. CCCC. LXXXVII. Sir William Tod knight L mayre this wal was mayde in his dayes IX yerdys." A few hundred yards from hence is Fishergate postern, a building singular for its Fishergate beauty and exactness of symmetry. Though built of square stones, it appears like one solid mass. This postern is the most perfect of any of them, having been repaired and evidently new roofed. It has a pointed arched footway with an oak door, the staple of the lock to which remains. Adjoining to this gate are some remains of Roman masonry, principally arches of grit-stone. Castlegate postern possessed no peculiar feature, or any degree of superiority. Castlegate It was very near the ruins of Clifford tower, and in the direct road to the village of Fulford ; it was taken down in May, 182G, on commencing the new works at the gaol. Skeldersgate postern formerly stood on the opposite side of the river, but the Skelders- gate pos- building was totally removed in the year 1808. There is a ferry boat kept near the tern, site of this postern, which opens a communication across the water with the New- walk, for one halfpenny each passenger. It is rented from the corporation, by a person whose duty it is to be in constant attendance during the day. North-street postern is another ferry also rented from the corporation.; which North- . . . , street pos- communicates with the opposite bank, either to Lendal or the manor shore. Its tern. 252 HISTORY OF Laythorpe postern. Multangu lar tower. BOOK III. form is circular; and the building yet seems to be in very good repair : it was used for the double purposes of a postern and a watch tower for the river. Laythorpe postern is the last we have to notice. Its situation seems to have rendered it a very strong position, having been built at the end of Laythorpe bridge, with the river Foss running in front. Time has made great alterations in this once strong and handsome edifice ; and at present it is only a ruin with a pointed archway. Besides these bars and posterns, there were at different distances in the walls several small rooms or cells, and numerous towers, a few of which yet remain. The most conspicuous of these is called the multangular tower : it is near the manor shore, at a short distance from Bootham bar; and, with the wall adjoining, is evidently of Roman architecture. It has been thus described to the Royal Society by Dr. Lister : — " Carefully viewing the antiquities of York, the dwelling of at least two of the Roman emperors, Severus and Constantius, I found part of a wall yet standing, which is undoubtedly of that time. It is the south wall of the mint yard, and consists of a multangular tower, which did lead to Bootham bar, and part of a wall, which ran the length of Coning-street, as he who shall attentively view it on both sides may discern. " The outside to the river is faced with a very small saxum quadratum of about four inches thick, and laid in levels like our modern brickwork. The length of the stones is not observed, but they are as they fell out, in hewing. From the foundation twenty courses of these small squared stones are laid, and over them five courses of Roman bricks. These bricks are placed some lengthways some endways in the wall, and were called lateres diatoni ; after these five courses of brick, other twenty-two courses of small square stones, as before described, are laid, which raise the wall some feet higher, and then five more courses of the same Roman bricks ; beyond which the wall is imperfect, and capped with modern building. In all this height there is not any casement or loop-hole, but one entire and uniform wall ; from which we may infer that this wall was built some courses higher, after the same order. The bricks were to be as thoroughs, or as it were so many new foundations, to that which was to be superstructed, and to bind the two sides firmly together; for the wall itself is only faced with small square stone, and the middle thereof filled with mortar and pebble. " These bricks are about seventeen inches long of our measure, about eleven inches broad, and two and a half thick. This, having caused several to be carefully measured, I give in round numbers, and do find them to agree very well with the Roman foot, which the learned antiquary Graves has left us, viz. of its being about half an inch less than ours. They seem to have shrunk in the baking, more THE COUNTY OF YORK. 253 in the breadth than in the length, which is but reasonable, because of their easier chap.iii. yielding that way ; and so, for the same reason, more in thickness ; for we suppose them to have been designed in the mould of three Roman inches. This demon- strates Pliny's measures to be true, where he says, genera laterum tria didoron, quo utimur longum sesquipede latum pede ; and not those of Vitruvius where they "are extant; the copy of Vitruvius, where it describes the didoron and its measures, being vitious. And indeed all I have yet seen with us in England, are of Pliny's measure, as at Leicester, in the Roman ruin there, called the Jews wall, and at St. Albans, as I remember, as well as with us at York. " I shall only add this remark, that proportion and uniformity even in the minutest parts of building, are to be plainly perceived, as this ruin of Roman workmanship shews. In our Gothic buildings, there is a total neglect of measure and proportion of the courses, as though that was not much material to the beauty of the whole ; whereas indeed, in Nature's works, it is from the symmetry of the very grain whence arises much of the beauty." Dr. Langwith observes that this method of building with brick and stone, was originally African, and as Severus was an African by birth, it is highly probable that it was introduced here by that emperor. The red tower is so called, from having been built of bricks. It is situate not The red far from Walmgate bar, at the end of the walls, with which it is evidently con- nected ; the foundations are of the same stone as the walls ; and the building adjoins the river Foss. It commanded what is now called the Foss island; but which was formerly one continued sheet of water, to Laythorpe postern, as there are no walls on that side of the city. There is a tradition that this tower, in more modern times, was used as a manufactory of brimstone : and among the lower orders, it is to this day called the brimstone house. Close by the river Ouse, on the opposite side to North street postern, is Lendal i.endai tower. When the fortifications of the city were complete, a chain passed across the river from each of these towers ; but, when they became neglected, this building was converted into a warehouse ; and, in 1GS2, the tower was repaired, and an engine was placed in it, for the purpose of supplying the inhabitants with water. Under the promenade of the walls are several small rooms or cells, formerly used as storehouses for ammunition. One of them in particular was even occupied a few years ago by the York local militia for that purpose; but generally speaking, they, like the rest of the bulwarks, are fast hastening to decay. 3 T 254 HISTORY OF CHAPTER IV. HISTORICAL NOTICES OP THE FOUNDATION AND SUCCESSIVE ALTERATIONS OP THE CATHEDRAL. rook in. The honour of having converted the northern parts of the island of Great Britain, about the beginning of the seventh century, is due to Paulinus. Edwin, king of Northumbria, convinced, as the monks would have us believe, by a miraculous interposition of the Deity, but more probably swayed by some reasons of a poli- tical nature, resolved to be publicly baptized. The ceremony was performed on Easter day, April 12, 627, by Paulinus, in a small oratory or chapel of wood, hastily erected for this purpose, on the very spot where the cathedral of York now stands. The baptizer was immediately appointed to the mctropolitical see of York, and employed all his influence with the royal convert, to persuade him to extend the limits of the christian profession, and to render that profession honourable in the eyes of the multitude. By the persuasion of Paulinus, Edwin was soon afterwards induced to com- mence a regular and appropriate church of stone,* which was intended to inclose and protect the former christian penetrale, as it might perhaps not inaptly be called. But the Northumbrian monarch was not permitted to see the completion of the edifice which he had thus piously begun ; for scarcely were the walls raised when he was slain in battle at Hatfield near Doncaster, in G33. Eanfrid, the son of Edwin's predecessor, Edelfrid, then returned from exile, and on succeeding to the throne of Bernicia, was necessarily involved in the war against Cadwallon. But his fate was more unfortunate than that of Edwin, for he was basely slain by the British king, to whom he went with only twelve followers to sue for peace. Oswald, the brother of Eanfrid, having slain Cadwallon and established his own authority, among many other pious acts, prosecuted, and, it is supposed, completed the church which had been begun by Edwin.-f- • Bedse Hist. Eccl. lib. ii. ch. xiv. t Drake stales that Oswald undertook to finish the building about 632 ; but this date is evidently too early, as Edwin was killed in 633, and Oswald did not commence his actual reign till a year afterwards. Torre, indeed, assigns the year 63+, as the date of Edwin's death. Dritton, p. 26. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 255 Its dilapidated condition and its restorations by that prelate are minutely (HAP. IV. described by Eddius, who wrote about the year, 720. He remarks that the timbers of the roof were rotten, the walls decayed, the windows destitute of glass, or other material, whereby the interior was exposed to the injuries of the weather; and the birds were the undisturbed inhabitants of the ruined edifice. In this ruinous condition Wilfrid with zealous activity commenced an effectual repair. He strength- ened the walls, renewed the wood-work of the roof, and covered it with lead, glazed the windows, and white-washed the walls. Nor did this eminent prelate and architect confine his exertions merely to restoring the ancient temples of religion. The churches of Ripon and Hexham were founded and built by him ; and from their magnitude and decoration naturally excited the admiration and praises of contemporary writers. Thus the cathedral continued, with little alteration, for many years; in the course of which, the noble library of Archbishop Egbert, who had appointed the learned Alcuin * his librarian, was bestowed upon it, and no doubt was then its most valuable treasure. The venerable Bede f informs us that this edifice of stone, was a square struc- ture, and was dedicated to St. Peter ; the feast of which dedication was long held here annually, with great solemnity, on the first day of October, and the seven following days ; but says Torre, "the order for making this a double festival was not issued till the year 1462." After the departure of Paulinus, the church remained a considerable time without a pastor. Wilfred was then appointed archbishop. Little mention is made of the cathedral from the time when Egbert's librarj was bestowed upon it, to 741 , in which year we find it suffered much by fire. Archbishops Egbert, and Albert, (the latter a learned native, who was promoted to the see in 767,) took it entirely down, in consequence of the damage occasioned by the fire. The latter prelate, assisted by Eanbald, who succeeded him, and the learned Alcuin, also rebuilt it in the most magnificent Saxon style. That those men were well skilled in architecture, will not appear surprising, * This great luminary of his age requires our notice. He was a native of York, and under the patronage of Egbert and Albert, conducted the famous school at that time established there. In return- ing from Rome, which he had visited to procure the pallium for Eanbald, he was introduced to Charle- magne. That potentate, desirous of adding literary honours to the fame he had acquired in arms. solicited and obtained the assistance of Alcuin in reviving learning throughout his dominions, became his first pupil, and his example was followed by the chief nobility of France. After contributing in an eminent degree to the restoration of science, beloved and honoured by his royal patron, anil by all the noble and enlightened persons of his time, Alcuin died at the abbey of St. Martin, lamented as the pride of his age, and the benefactor of the empire. Urilton, p. 28. + Beda: Hist. Eccl. lib.ii. c/14. 256 HISTORY OF book. llf. when we reflect that it was customary for the religious in those days, to build their own abbeys and cathedrals. Such, however, is the uncertainty of human events, that Albert was not permitted to enjoy the building he had erected; for, on the eighth of November, 781, being but ten days after its consecration, he departed this life. This structure is described by Alcuin, as of considerable height, supported by columns and arches, covered by a vaulted roof, and provided with large windows. It had also porticoes and galleries, and thirty altars, the latter of which were adorned with various ornaments.* The noble library which Egbert had founded was greatly augmented by Albert : with the addition of a valuable collection of books, which he had procured in his travels abroad, in his younger days. From this period, history is silent respecting the cathedral, till the year 1069, when the Northumbrians, aided by the Danes, attempted to overthrow the power of the Norman conqueror, and besieged York. The garrison set fire to several houses in the suburbs, and a brisk wind blowing towards the city, extended the flames even to the cathedral, which, with its valuable library, was burnt to the ground.+ The church being in this situation, the conqueror seized its revenues, and expelled the canons from their stalls. He, however, soon afterwards made Thomas, a canon of Baveux, in Normandy, who was his chaplain and treasurer, archbishop of this province ; and to him restored the revenues, &c. in the year 1070. By the exertions of this prelate the ruined cathedral soon rose again more capa- cious and elegant than before ; but its prosperity was of short duration ; for in 1 137, it was again destroyed by an accidental fire, which consumed at the same time St. Mary's abbey, and thirty-nine parish churches. It appears that Thurstan, the archbishop, intended to rebuild the church : since we find that soon after the fire an indulgence was granted by Joceline, bishop of Sarum, reciting, " that the metropolitical church of York was consumed by a new fire, and almost subverted, destroyed, and miserably spoiled of its ornaments ;" and therefore releasing to such as bountifully contributed towards the re-edification of it, forty days of penance enjoined. X The sacred edifice laid in ruins till the year 1171, when Archbishop Roger began to rebuild the choir with its vaults, and happily lived to complete it. Walter Gray, succeeded Roger, and in the year 1227, in the reign of Henry III., he added the south part of the cross aisle, or transept; and an indulgence was that * Britton's York Cath. p. 28. + Simon Dunelin. Hist. Angl. Scriplores X. col. 178. J Ex. MSS. Torre, p. 2. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 25- year granted by the archbishop, of forty days' relaxation to those benefactors who CHAP.iv. should contribute liberally towards this erection. It is certainly a beautiful speci- men of architecture in those days, when the heavy pillar gave place to a cluster of light and elegant columns, adorned with luxuriant foliage, and the windows were made high, narrow, and pointed. In 1260, John de Romayn, father of the archbishop of that name, and then treasurer of the church, erected the north part of the transept, and raised a tower in the place which the great lantern tower now occupies. His son, the archbishop, on April 7th, 1291, personally laid the foundation of the nave, from the west end, eastward, in the presence of the dean, precentor, and canons, arrayed in their richest copes, &c. The materials for building the nave were contributed by Robert de Vavasour, who granted the use of his quarry near Tadcaster, both for building and repairing the minster ; and the wood for the roofing, was also given by Robert de Percy, lord of Bolton, from his wood there. The memory of each is preserved by statues, erected at the eastern and western ends of the building. In 1320, William de Melton carried forward the building commenced by his predecessor, and in 1330, completed the west end, together with its two steeples, as they appear at the present day ; and rebuilt the middle one. In this work he is said to have expended seven hundred pounds of his own money ; and we may be certain he also received large contributions from the nobility and other religious devotees, for he followed the example of Archbishop Walter Gray, as we find by the following document now on record. " Kal. Feb. Anno 1320. "William de Melton, archbishop, granted an indulgence of forty days' relaxation to all such well disposed people, as pleased to extend their charitable contributions towards the building of the late prostrate fabric; whereby he might be the better enabled to finish so noble a structure then newly begun." On the first of March, 1352, more than thirty years after the preceding record, a brief also was issued, by the authority of John Thoresby, who that year succeeded to the see of York. It was directed " to all abbots, barons, colleges, archdeacons, officials, rural deans, parsons, vicars, &c. within the city, diocese, and province of York ; requiring and exhorting them, in the name of the Lord, to ask and demand the alms and charitable benevolence of the people, and to cause the same to be duly collected for the use and consummation of so noble a piece of stone-work, and so sumptuous a structure." Letters mandatory, says Torre, were likewise issued from the chapter of York, directed to all rectors, vicars, and parochial chaplains, within the respective pre- bends, dignities, and the community of the church, enjoining them by virtue of their canonical obedience, and under pain of the greater excommunication, to suffer 3d 258 HISTORY OF book in. their collectors, in their chapelries, and parishes, to ask and gather the charitable alms of the people, for the use of the fabric of this church. These letters were dated, Festo S. Mich. Anno. 1355. A very considerable sum of money was raised by this means, and Archbishop Thoresby was thereby enabled to take down and rebuild the choir erected by Roger, which appeared unsuitable to the elegance and magnificence of the nave. This prelate accordingly laid the first stone of the present choir, on the nineteenth of July, 1361, the thirty-seventh year of Edward III. The old hall and chambers of the archbishop's mansion of Shireburn being ruinous and not worthy preservation, they were taken down, and the stone and other materials employed on this occasion. The archbishop is also said to have expended sixteen hundred and seventy pounds of his own money, in this important undertaking. The great liberality of Thoresby, did not, however, surpass the generosity of the public ; the donations continued to increase, till the archbishop found himself enabled, not only to rebuild the choir, but also to take down the lantern steeple erected by John de Romayn, which was now likewise thought inferior to the rest of the edifice, and to substitute in its place the present elegant lantern tower. About this time, Walter Skirlaw, prebendary of Fenton, archdeacon of the east riding, and afterwards bishop of Lichfield and Durham, gave a very handsome donation for the purpose. The old steeple was accordingly taken down, in 1370, and the erection of the present tower was begun ; but seven or eight years elapsed before it was finally completed. The rest of the structure (except the towers at the west end) was finished between 1405, (when Archbishop Bowett, whose arms appear in the sculpture and on the windows was appointed to the see,) and 1426, when the dean and chapter granted, out of their revenues, a full tenth to the use of the fabric then newly built.* The present towers at the west end appear to have been raised by John de Birmingham, or Bermingham, about the year 1402. f His name, with a figure of a bear, is cut in bold relief on the west face of the southern tower. The date of the erection of the magnificent chapter house cannot be accurately ascertained from any records now remaining. It is generally ascribed to Arch- bishop Walter Gray, as a figure in the window over the entrance corresponds with the representation of that prelate on his tomb, and the arms of several of his contemporaries are painted in some of the other windows : but this part of die church, with its vestibule, are evidently posterior to the decease of Gray, and is more probably of the reign of Edward III. • Torre, MSS. p. 7. t Drake's Ebor. p. 4S6. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 259 The building used as a vestry, was anciently a chapel, founded by Archbishop chap. iv. Zouch, about 1350,* who intended it for the place of his interment, but died before it was finished. The original building was demolished at the time of the new erection of the choir, and the present one raised in its stead by the executors of Zouch, and endowed as a chantry for prayers for the soul of that prelate. " At the period of the Reformation," says Mr. Britton, " the furious zeal which demolished so many beautiful monuments of antiquity, did not spare York cathe- dral ; nor did the fanatics of Cromwell's time omit here their pious practices of destroying the figures and epitaphs on the tombs, and stealing the brasses. The numerous grave-stones stripped of their ornaments, and otherwise injured, disfigured the church; the old pavement was therefore taken up, and the present one laid down in 1736, according to a plan drawn by Mr. Kent, under the direction of Lord Burlington. The stone for this purpose was the donation of Sir Edward Gascoigne, of Partington, from his quarry at Huddlestone, in Yorkshire ; and even some of the old marble grave-stones were cut up, and appropriated to this work. The expenses, amounting to two thousand five hundred pounds, were defrayed by a subscription among the noblemen and gentlemen of Yorkshire. It is however to be regretted that the noble amateur architect did not adapt the design of his pavement to the style and character of the edifice, instead of disposing it in a sort of Roman pattern." + Many of the windows in the church are still adorned with stained glass ; and we have reason to infer that the whole were originally thus embellished. Most of them were very likely glazed at the eras of building the respective porticoes. The time, 1405, and conditions of executing the large east and west windows, are recorded in documents still preserved among the cathedral archives, as follows : — By an indenture, dated A. D. 1338, Robert, a glazier, contracted with Thomas Boneston, custos of the fabric of the church, to glaze and paint the great western window ; the glazier to find the glass, and to be paid at the rate of sixpence per foot, for plain, and twelvepence for coloured glass. These particulars are given in Torre's MSS. ; but the original document, although referred to, cannot now be found. By another indenture, dated the 10th day of August, 1405, the substance of which is preserved in Torre's MSS. John Thornton, of Coventry, glazier, contracted with the dean and chapter for glazing and painting the great eastern window ; the painting to be executed with his own hands ; and the work to be finished in three years : for which he was to receive four shillings per week, and one hundred shillings at the end of each of the three years : and if he performed the work to * Stubb's Chron. Pontif. Ebor. in vita Gul. Zouch. t York Cath. p. 33. 2G0 HISTORY OF book HI. the satisfaction of his employers, he was to receive the further sum of ten pounds in silver. Since the period of the Commonwealth to the last year there is nothing par- ticularly worthy attention ; the cathedral has been for years under the masons' and sculptors' hands, and what has been injured by weather and by man, has been carefully restored. The worthy dean, with his praiseworthy colleagues, very pro- perly and honourably look to the fabric, as well as to the ritual and revenues of the church. They keep men constantly employed on the building, and it is the laudable practice of the master mason, Mr. Short, to restore all decayed parts, with strict attention to original forms and details. A plan of preservation adopted in this cathedral is worthy of imitation and praise. After scraping the exterior surface of the walls, and repairing decayed parts, the whole is well saturated with oil, which not only hardens the surface, but, by repelling wet, is likely to preserve the works from future decay. Musical Several musical festivals have been held in this cathedral, for the benefit of the festivuls. York county hospital, and the infirmaries of Leeds, Hull, and Sheffield. The first was held on September 23, 1823, and the three following days. The whole of the spacious nave, and the side aisles, were appropriated for this purpose ; the floor was boarded over, and an immense gallery constructed at the west end, projecting eighty-three feet eastward to the third pillar of the nave ; the front seat was elevated four feet and a half above the pavement, and the back seat was on a level with the base of the window, at the height of twenty-eight feet ; the whole accessible by two widely-extended staircases. The orchestra was erected underneath the lantern tower. The performances consisted of selections of sacred music from Handel, Haydn, Mozart, &c. and the aggregate number of the vocal band was two hundred and eighty-five, of the instrumental one hundred and eighty ; total four hundred and sixty-five. The amount of the receipts (including the evening performances in the assembly rooms) was 16,174/. 16s. Sd. ; out of which sum, after payment of all expenses, 720G7. profit remained, which was equally shared among the charities above mentioned. The second festival was held in September, 1825, with a band of six hundred performers. The last musical festival was held on September 23, 1828, and three following days, and was attended by all the rank and fashion in the northern part of the kingdom. Additional galleries were erected in the side aisles, and the whole of the performances were conducted upon a scale hardly ever before attempted in this country. The orchestra consisted of two hundred instrumental and three hundred and fifty vocal performers, exclusive of Destruc- thirteen principal singers. du"ir b th,! Tll ° last dut y of t,le h' storian °f tms chapter is a melancholy one, no less than to fire - record the destruction of the magnificent choir, by the hands of a lunatic, on the THE COUNTY OF YORK. 261 2d of February, 1829. Deeply, however, as the antiquary and the artist may CHAP. iv. deplore the destruction of such curious and interesting work, exhibiting the taste and wealth of our forefathers, still it is a matter of congratulation that there is spirit and wealth to support, and talent and energy to execute, a considerable portion of what has been destroyed in an equally elegant and chaste manner; and we have no doubt, from the feeling excited on the subject, that a few years may see the noble choir again reinstated in its wonted majesty. On Sunday afternoon, February 1, 1829, service was performed in the minster as usual, at four o'clock ; and in the evening (Candlemas-Eve) the ringers were there till about half-past six ; when they left the church, there was neither the smell nor appearance of fire. About four o'clock, on Monday morning, a man passing through the minster-yard saw a light in the building, but supposing that it might arise from workmen in the minster, it excited no suspicion in his mind, and led to no inquiry. It was not until nearly seven o'clock in the morning that any alarm was given. The discovery was made in a rather singular manner. A young chorister, of the name of Swinbank, in passing through the minster-yard, slipped upon the ice and fell upon his back. Whilst he was in this position he saw a quantity of smoke issue from the roof of the minster. The boy ran immediately and communicated what he had seen to the key-keeper, who instantly returned with him to ascertain the cause. On opening the door they found the whole building filled with a dense smoke, and discovered that the wood-work of the choir was extensively on fire. An alarm was immediately given — the workmen belonging to the minster assembled — all the engines in the city were procured with as much despatch as possible, and the disasterous intelligence quickly spread in all direc- tions. It is evident from the progress which the flames had made when the discovery took place, that the fire must have existed a very considerable time in a state of great activity. On the arrival of the workmen, which was about seven o'clock, they found the small vestries, where the clergy and choristers unrobe, entirely consumed. Several individuals succeeded in carrying out cushions and books from the north- side of the choir, and the curious old chair which stood within the rails of the altar. The next effort was to remove the brass eagle, which was effected with great difficulty, owing to its weight, as there were but few persons who had the courage to brave the suffocating effects of the smoke. They were driven back three times, before they succeeded in carrying off" the upper part of the eagle, which was taken into the vestry; the other portion was afterwards carried out at a door on the Chapter-house side. All this was the work of a few minutes, and at this time (perhaps about a quarter after seven) the organ-screen, the north side of the choir, and the roof, were, to all appearance, untouched by the fire. The 3 x 262 HISTORY OF book in. communion table was removed in time to save it. The plate, which, for greater safety, was kept in a secret place in the choir, and near where the fire is supposed first to have commenced, was found to have been melted into shapeless masses. Shortly after, however, the flames spread round the south-west corner of the choir, and reached the organ : and when this noble instrument caught fire, an appalling noise, occasioned by the action of the air in the pipes, &c. upon the flames, reverberated through the building ; and struck with awe all who heard it. A little after eight, this fine instrument, unequalled we believe for tone and power by any instrument in the world, was totally consumed, together with the valuable collection of music which was deposited in the organ loft, and much of which being in manuscript cannot be replaced. The progress of the fire to the other parts of the minster was equally traceable. A short trial sufficed to shew that the city engines were quite inadequate to the task of subduing this mighty conflagration, and expresses were sent to Leeds, Tadcaster, and the barracks for others. It was at first hoped that the flames would not communicate with the roof, but this hope proved illusive, the roof of the choir was soon ignited, and joined with the other wood-work in one general flame. At this awful period the whole of this stupendous fabric seemed doomed to inevitable destruction ; the flames were rapidly gaining ground, and there was every reason to dread their extension to the western part of the pile, as it was evident that the means employed to subdue them were quite inadequate. About half-past eight o'clock the fire penetrated through the roof of the choir, and the flames appeared above the battlements. About nine o'clock the roof began to give way, and fell in detached masses with horrid and deafening crashes, the melted lead poured down in torrents, and about half-past eleven o'clock, the whole roof of the choir had fallen in. The fall of the roof was under the existing circum- stances one of the most favourable things that could have happened ; it immediately checked the flames, by the immense weight of materials in a great measure smothering the fire — and that which remained was placed in a situation to be powerfully acted upon by the engines. The heat, a short period before, had been so intense in the side aisles, that it was impossible to remain in them many minutes. It now began sensibly to abate, owing, partly to the quantity of water poured upon the burning timbers, which covered the floor of the choir, chancel, and Lady chapel, as it is termed, behind the altar screen ; and partly to the removal of the burning rubbish from the bases of the pillars, which latter being of limestone were very much injured by the action of the fire. The rafters of the roof, and other immense pieces of timber, were literally charcoal, and were removed to the nave, and into the minster-yard. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 263 About noon the fears of the fire spreading any further were removed; but the chap iv. engines continued to play for hours after upon the mass of fire and flame on the floor of the choir. Great efforts were also made to save the beautiful screen which divides the nave from the choir, the tracery work of which is so much admired : and we are happy to say this was effected ; for that elegant ornament of the minster is only very slightly injured. During the whole of the afternoon, the workmen and others were busily employed in removing the fallen rafters from the choir and chancel. — Many were carried out into the minster-yard, which presented a melancholy spectacle, being thickly strewed, from the south door to the vestry, with the fragments of the roof blackened in the fire, and reduced to the consistency of charcoal. Within, a detachment of the dragoon guards was drawn up in the nave, to prevent all improper intrusion in that quarter, and a guard of the staff* of the second West York was mounted for the same purpose, as well as to secure the ornamental portions of that part of the structure from damage. The floor of the nave was strewed with fragments of the roof, which had been brought from the choir; and against one of the pillars laid the remains of the organ, consisting of some fragments of the gilt pipes, and a portion of the iron work. A dense mass of smoke still rose from the embers, on which several of the engines continued to play during the night. The fire was not totally extinguished when the shades of evening drew on ; for occasionally a flash of lambent flame was seen struggling with the gloom, which, however, was quickly extinguished by the water from the engines, they being directed to the spot from whence these indications of smothered fire were seen to arise. On Tuesday the minster was kept closed, except to persons admitted by order from the archdeacon ; and many distinguished parties availed themselves of his permission to inspect the ruins. Workmen were employed to clear away the rubbish; and steps were taken to repair those monuments which were injured on the preceding day. During the week, workmen were thus employed; and the public were only admitted into the nave, the iron gates leading from that part of the minster to the east end being kept closed. Mr. Chantrell's summary of the actual extent of the injury sustained from the fire, was as follows : — "The side aisles are not materially injured, in consequence of having stone Extent of groins, nor have any of the monuments or statues in them seriously suffered. Jained SttS ~ The clustered columns in the choir are twelve in number, each column consisting of a quadrangular pier in the centre, surrounded by small cylindrical columns. The piers are scarcely injured, but the shafts of the clustering cylinders are burnt, flawed, or otherwise destroyed to a considerable extent. The capitals of 264 HISTORY OF book in. the columns are nearly safe, except two (those near to the lantern tower) which are destroyed. The lantern tower remains perfect, and the great piers supporting it are only superficially injured. The arches between the columns are not materially injured. The clustered columns in the Lady chapel, six in number, are but slightly injured, and that only to the height of .ten or twelve feet, and superficially. This is owing to the fire being here confined to the centre of the aisle, and con- sisting merely of the fallen roof. The celebrated screen, between the choir and Lady chapel, is so much injured, that it must be taken down and rebuilt. The entrance screen to the choir remains nearly perfect. The great east window is scarcely touched. The clerestory windows (that is, those windows above the clustered columns, on either side, between the tower and great east window) have sustained very trifling damage. The wall is very thick in that part, and they consequently stand in recesses, and were equally free from the effect of the fire on the roof over them, as of the flames below. The tabernacle-work, of carved oak, on either side of the choir, forming the stairs and roodloft for the organ, with the organ itself, are totally destroyed. The roof is likewise destroyed ; only the north side of the roof was covered with lead, the south side being slated for the last thirty or forty years. The whole of the parts where the fire prevailed are deeply blackened with smoke. " Considerable damage has been done to the monuments; but more particularly those in the Lady chapel, and under the great east window, from the immense pieces of timber which fell from the roof, and the excessive heat to which they were exposed. Those under the north and south aisles were sheltered by the roofs, which being groined with stone did not take fire, and they are comparatively but little injured. " North aisle. — The monument of the Rev. Richard Thompson, of Kirk Deighton, a beautiful one of white marble, slightly injured. Dr. Swinburne's monument, partly gothic and partly modern, partially injured. Admiral [Medley's monument, of white veined marble, is very seriously damaged. A monument to the memory of the Hon. Dorothy Langley, of very recent erection, has escaped in a great measure, being very slightly injured. A monument to the memory of Lionel Ingram : the pediment destroyed, and the other parts slightly injured. Sir George Saville's monument of beautiful white marble, but slightly injured. Two large monuments on the right of the iron gates are almost wholly destroyed. "East end. — Archbishop Sterne's monument is considerably injured. A table tomb, to the memory of Frances Cecil, countess of Cumberland, is laid prostrate and totally destroyed. Archbishop Scroope's gothic monument is very consider- ably damaged by the fire, and the marble cracked. Archbishop Frewin's monument which stands twenty feet high, is partially injured- and the pediment destroyed. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 265 Archbishop Rotherham's solid gothic table tomb totally destroyed, and the table chap. iv. part, six inches thick, much broken. An ancient monument of Archbishop Matthews is but little injured. Archbishop Sharp's monument has suffered principally from the heat. Archbishop Bowett's admirable sepulchral shrine, which was repaired some years ago, is in a state of complete ruin. Dean Finch's white marble monu- ment completely discoloured, and otherwise much injured. Archbishop SewalFs monument totally destroyed. " South transept. — The earl of Strafford's elegant white marble monument is saved, having received but trifling damage. Archbishop Dolbeine's and Archbishop Hutton's monuments are nearly complete. Dr. Burgh's, archbishop Lamplugh's, and the other monuments not named above, have sustained no injury." Many reports were in circulation on Monday relative to the origin of the fire : by some persons it was ascribed to the gas ; others said that candles had been left either in the organ loft, or in the clergymen's robing-room, or in the one belonging to the singing-boys : whilst some ascribed it to be the work of an incendiary. Few- persons could bring themselves to believe; that an individual would be found base enough to attempt the destruction of so noble a structure. Early in the mornin» a knotted rope was found attached to the far window of the north transept, which seemed to give credence to the report, that some villain had made his escape in that direction. In the evening, a committee of inquiry was formed, when it was ascertained, that the rope was cut from the bell which is rung for prayers ; it had the appearance of having been cut with a stone, the end being very much chafed. It was also ascertained, that the window was opened from the interior; and a bunch of matches, burnt at both ends, was found among the rubbish, and afterwards a pair of shoemaker's pincers. The matches were found under the rubbish of the burnt organ ; the pincers on the stool of the window, out of which the knotted rope was suspended. A shoemaker, at whose house a person of the name of Martin had lodged, owned the pincers which were found in the minster as his; and this testimony, connected with other circumstances, formed a chain of evidence of such a conclusive nature, as left no doubt that a man named Jonathan Martin was the incendiary. He had lodged for a month with a shoemaker at Aldwark, whose house he left on Tuesday, the 27th of January, stating he was going to reside at Leeds, and his luggage was sent off accordingly to that place. On the following Saturday evening, about eight o'clock, he returned to his old lodgings. The landlord, surprised at his unexpected return, asked him the reason of it ; he said, that having twenty of his books to sell at Tadcaster, he thought he would come as far as York. Convenience was made for him to sleep there that night : the next morning, Sunday, he went 3y 266 HISTORY OF book m. out about half-past ten, and returned no more. The room he slept in was the shoemaker's workshop, from whence he took the pincers. Arrest of Police officers were dispatched to different parts of the county, and on Monday, incendiarv. l ' le 8th of February, the fanatic was taken near Hexham, Northumberland. On his examination, before a bench of magistrates, he made the following statement : — " The reason why I set fire to the cathedral was because of two remarkable dreams. I dreamt that one stood by me with a bow and a sheaf of arrows, and he shot one through the minster door ; I said I wanted to try to shoot, and he presented me the bow. I took an arrow from the sheaf, and shot, but the arrow hit the flags, and I lost it. I also dreamed that a large thick cloud came down over the minster, and extended to my lodgings. From these things, I thought I was to set fire to the minster. I took them things away with me for fear somebody else should be blamed. I cut off the frinse and tassels from the pulpit and bishop's throne, or what you call it, for I do not know their names, as a witness against me, to show that I had done it by myself." On Monday, March 31, he was put upon his trial, in the castle, and found not guilty. The judge ordered him to be detained until his majesty's pleasure should be known. In his defence, in which he displayed a great deal of subtlety and cunning, he gave a minute detail of his proceedings, and the different expedients resorted to in order to set fire to the building, which he described as having been a work of great labour and difficulty. He said, at the evening service, he was " very much vexed at hearing them sing the prayers and amens ; he thought the praver of the heart came from the heart ; and that they had no call for prayer books." He observed, " the organ then made such a buzzing noise, I thought, Thou shalt buz no more — I'll have thee down to night. Well," he continued, " they were all going out, and I lay me down aside of the bishop, round by the pillar. [The prisoner concealed himself behind a tomb.] I lay here till all went out. I thought I heard the people coming down from ringing the bells ; they all went out, and then it was so dark I could not see my hand. Well, I left the bishop, and came out and fell upon my knees, and asked the Lord what I was to do first, and he said, Get thy way up into the belfry and cut a rope ; and I never had been there, and I went round and round ; I had a sort of a guess of the place from hearing the men, as I thought, come down. Then the Spirit said, Strike a light. And I then struck a light with a flint and razor that I had got, and some tinder that I had brought from my landlord's. I saw there were plenty of ropes — then I cut one, and then another, but I had no idea they were so long, and I kept draw, draw, and the rope came up, till I dare say I had near a hundred feet. I have been a sailor, and thought to myself, this will make a man rope, a sort of scaling rope, and I tied knots in it. Aye, this is it, I know it well enough [pointing to the rope THE COUNTY OF YORK. 267 which laid upon the table]. So I went down to the body of the cathedral, and CHAP. iv. bethought me how I should go inside. I thought if I did so, by throwing the rope over the organ, I might set it ganging, and that would spoil the job. So I made an end of the rope fast, and went hand over hand over the gates, and got down on the other side, and fell on my knees and prayed to the Lord, and he told me, that do what I would, they would takej me. Then I asked the Lord what I was to do with the velvet, and he told me. The fringe I thought would do for my hairy jacket, that I have at Lincoln : I have a very good seal skin one there, I wish I had it with me, that I might show you. Then I got all ready. Glory to God, I never felt so happy ; but I had a hard night's work of it, particularly with a hungered belly. Well, I got a bit of wax candle, and I set fire to one heap, and with the matches I set fire to the other. I then tied up the things that the Lord had given me for my hire, in this very handkerchief that I have in my hand." He then observed, that notwithstanding he had " hard work," while engaged in making preparations for the work of destruction, he said, " I had a glorious time of it ; and many a time I called ' Glory be to God,' in a way which I wonder they did not hear on the outside." He left the pincers, he said, because the old man with whom he lodged could not afford to lose them ; and he knew he would get them again. He thought it a work of merit to burn prayer books and music books, but not to burn the word of God, and he appeared to regret that he could not save the large bible, by getting it over the gates, and putting it outside. A public meeting was held on the 5th of March, in the concert room, York ; the Right Hon. the Earl of Harewood in the chair. The meeting was numerous, and attended by many of the first families in the neighbourhood. The report and estimate of Mr. Smirke, the eminent architect, was read, which stated, he had examined the building, and found the injury was chiefly in the choir. He described parts of the side-aisles which were so shattered as to require being taken down, the pillars of which were totally destroyed. The upper walls of the choir were much injured. The windows had received but little damage. He recommended that similar materials should be employed for its renovation, as had been originally used. The ornamental work should be finished in the same manner, and in strict con- formity, as before. The roof to be of oak and to be covered with lead. The carved ribs in the roof, the prebendal stalls, and other parts appertaining, to be of oak. From the exertions made, many parts have been preserved, which would tend materially to its restoration. As regarded the expense of all the necessary works and materials, the sum of not less than sixty thousand pounds would be required to complete it in the above manner. This sum did not include what 268 HISTORY OF book in. might be wanted for an organ, music books, ornaments, &c. ; no estimate having yet been attempted to be made. With respect to the time requisite for the under- taking, it was the opinion of Mr. Smirke that a new roof might be put on, the parapets replaced, and the other parts of the wall repaired, in the course of the present year. Every necessary work might be carried into execution, and the whole completed before the end of the year 1831. The revenue and disbursements of the minster were entered into, and it appeared that no surplus could be spared which was considered adequate to its restoration. In consequence, a public subscription throughout the county was recommended, and a committee formed for carrying the same into effect. Upwards of two thousand pounds was subscribed in the room, which, with former subscriptions amounts, at present, to nearly fifty thousand pounds. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 269 CHAPTER V. HliiiJUAl IIICAL NOTICES OB THE ARCHBISHOPS 01 YORK, Paulinus, 625; the apostle of the Northumbrians; died and was buried at CHAP. v. Rochester, October 10, 644. Ceadda, 665 ; previously abbot of Lestingham ; translated to Lichfield, and died there, March 2, 672. Wilfrid, 669 ; of an obscure family, but possessing great genius : he retired in 678. Bosa, 678 ; retired 685. Wilfrid, restored 686, but expelled in 698, and died in 709 ; he founded the monastery of Ripon, and was buried there. Bosa restored ; died in 705, and was the first archbishop buried in the cathedral. St. John of Beverley, 705; retired to Beverley 718; died May 7, 721, and was buried there. Wilfrid II. 718 ; died or translated 731. Egbert, 731 ; brother to Eadbert, king of Northumberland, and the friend of Alcuin ; died November 13, 766. Albert, or Adelbert, 767 ; died or translated 781 ; buried at Chester. Eanbald, 780 ; died 796 ; buried at York. Eanbald II. 797. Wulsius, 812 ; died 832. Wimundus, 832 ; died 854. Wilferus, 854. The Danish invasion occurring during the time of Wilferus, he fled into Mercia, but was recalled the following year, and died, or was translated, 892. Ethelbald, 895. Redwardus, 921. Wulstan, 941. This prelate espoused the cause of Anlaflf, the Danish king of Northumbria, against Edred, the king of England ; he was committed to prison by 3z 270 HISTORY OF book in. the latter, but was soon released, and restored to office ; died December 26, 955, and was buried at Oundle. Oskitell, 955 ; died or translated 97 1 . Athelwold, 971. Resigned his prelacy the same year, and lived and died in retirement. Oswald, 971. He had previously been a monk in the monastery of Floriae, in France, and held the see of Worcester, in commendam ; died 993 ; buried at Worcester. Aldulfe, 992. A pious and worthy prelate ; he also held the see of Worcester, in commendam; died May G, 1002; buried at Worcester. Wulstan II. 1002. Also held the see of Worcester; died May 28, 1023, and was buried at Ely. Alfric Puttoc, 1023; died 1050; buried at Peterborough. . Kinsius, 1050. A man of great austerity, mostly walking barefoot in his visitations; died December 22, 1060 ; buried at Peterborough. Aldred, 1060; translated from Worcester. He is said to have made hi* way by bribes, and was the last archbishop of the Saxon race; died September 11, 1069, and was buried at York. Thomas, 1070. This prelate was a Norman; he died at Ripon, November 18, 1 100, but was buried in this cathedral. Gerard, 1100; translated from Hereford. He, as well as his predecessor, refused obedience to Canterbury, but at length submitted by command of the pope ; died May 21, 1108, and was buried at York. Thomas II. 1109; translated from London; died February 19, 1114; and was buried at York. Thurstan, 1119. He never submitted to Canterbury, and in his old age retired to a monastery at Pontefract, where he died, February 5, 1139, and was buried there. William, 1144; deprived 1147. Henry Murdac, 1148. This prelate was interred in the cathedral, though, during his life, he never was permitted to enter the city, having quarrelled with King Stephen, whose part the canons and citizens warmly espoused ; he lived at Beverley, and died there October 14, 1153. William, restored 1153. A man of great piety; canonized one hundred and twenty years after his death, which happened on June 4, 1154, and his bones were then removed to the nave of the cathedral. Roger, October 10, 1154. Supposed to have been concerned in the murder of Thomas a Becket, but he, by oath, denied the imputation ; died November 22, 1181, and was buried at York. Geoffry Plantagf.net, translated from Lincoln 1190; natural son of Henry II. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 271 by Fair Rosamond. He died in exile at Grosmont, in Normandy, December chap, v. 18, 1212. Walter Gray, translated from Worcester, November 11, 1215. He paid the pope ten thousand pounds for his pall, and also purchased the manor of Thorpe, now called Bishopsthorp, for the archbishop of York; died May 1, 125.5; buried at York. Sewal de Bovil, 1256. He was excommunicated for opposition respecting the preferment to the ecclesiastical dignities, but received absolution wben on his death bed, which happened May 10, 1258. Godfrey de Kinton, September 23, 1258. He appropriated Mexborough to his church, and it has been since that period annexed to the deanery of York ; died January 12, 1264 ; buried in the cathedral. Walter Giffard, translated from Bath and Wells, 1265; died April 25, 1279; buried at York. William Wickwane, September 19, 1279; died August 26, 1285; buried at Pontiniac. John le Romayne, February 10, 1286; died March 11, 1295; buried in the cathedral. Henry de Newark, June 24, 1298 ; died August 15, 1299 ; buried in York. Thomas Corbridge, February 28, 1299; died September 22, 1303; buried at Southwell. William de Grenfield, January 30, 1305; died December 16, 1315; buried at York. This prelate was obliged to travel to Rome, for the papal approbation, and to wait two years before he could obtain it. William de Melton, September 25, 1317. A pious and active prelate ; died April 5, 1340 ; buried at York. William de la Zouch, July 6, 1342. Famous for his courage at the battle of Neville's cross, near Durham ; died July 19, 1352 ; buried at York. John Thoresby, translated from Worcester, September 8, 1354. Of an ancient family of Thoresby, near Middleham. In his time the archbishop of York was made, by the pope, primate of England, and the archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England, to prevent the disputes which had previously existed between the two ; died November 6, 1373; buried at York. Alexander Neville, December 18, 1374. A favourite of Richard II. and was translated to St Andrew's, 1388 ; but he was obliged to flee from his country, and died, May 1392, an exile at Louvain, in extreme poverty. Thomas Arundell, translated from Ely, March 25, 1389. He was translated to Canterbury, and died lord high chancellor of England, 1396. Robert Waldby, translated from Chichester, January 13, 1397. A native of ■212 HISTORY OF BOOK in. York, and a friar in the monastery of Augustine in that city ; he was a great pro- ficient in all kinds of literature ; died May 29, 1398, and was buried at Westminster. Richard Scrope, translated from Lichfield, July 6, 1398. Betrayed and beheaded for rebellion, June 8, 1405, and was buried in York. Henry Bowett, translated from Bath and Wells, December 9, 140S. A very liberal and hospitable man, but not otherwise remarkable ; died October 20, 1423 ; buried in the cathedral. John Kempe, translated from London, April, 1426. A man of humble parentage, in Kent ; he was translated to Canterbury, became lord high chancellor of England, and a cardinal of the see of Rome; died 1451 ; buried at Canterbury. William Boothe, translated from Lichfield, September 4, 1453 ; died September 20, 1464 ; buried at Southwell. George Neville, translated from Exeter, 1465. This prelate was brother to the famous earl of Warwick; he was prosperous in his younger days, but, on the death of the earl, at the battle of Barnet, he was accused of treason, imprisoned four years, and died of a broken heart, soon after his liberation, June 8, 1467 ; his remains were interred at York. Lawrence Boothe, translated from Durham, September 8, 1476. He purchased the manor of Battersea, in Surrey, and settled it on the church of York ; died May 19, 1480 ; buried at Southwell. Thomas Scot de Rotherham ; translated from Lincoln, September 3, 1480. A native of Rotherham; made lord high chancellor, but was afterwards committed to prison. He died May 29, 1500, at an advanced age, at Cawood, of the plague, and was interred in the cathedral. Thomas Savage, translated from London, April 12, 1501. More of a courtier and a sportsman, than of an ecclesiastic ; died September 2, 1507 ; and buried at York. Christopher Baynbridge, translated from Durham, September 12, 1508. He was sent ambassador to the court of Rome, where he was made a cardinal; but having struck Iris steward, an Italian priest, the man, through revenge, poisoned his master on July 14, 1514; and he was buried at Rome. Thomas Wolsey, translated from Lincoln, August 5, 1514. A celebrated car- dinal, well known in English history. He was a most remarkable instance of the uncertainty of human power, and is believed to have closed his own life, bv poison, in the hour of adversity ; died November 29, 1530, at Leicester. Edward Lee, December 10, 1531. Was seized by the insurgents concerned in the pilgrimage of grace, and obliged to take an oath of fidelity to them ; but he was afterwards pardoned for this offence. The reformation made great progress in his time. He died September 13, 1544 ; and was buried at York. Robert Holgate, translated from LlandafF, January 16, 1544. A monk friendly THE COUNTY OF YORK. 273 to the reformation, and consequently patronized by Henry ; but in the reign of Mary, chap. v. his property was seized, and himself committed to the tower. He died in obscurity at Hemsworth, near Pontefract, 1553. Nicholas Heath, translated from Worcester, February 19, 1555. A learned Roman catholic priest, to whose exertions the see of York is indebted for the recovery of a great part of its present revenues. He was patronized by Mary, but was deprived of his dignities by Elizabeth in 1558; who however respected his merit, and allowed him to retire to his estate at Cobham; where he died, and was buried, in 1759. Thomas Young, translated from St. David's, February 25, 1561. A disgraceful character, who took down the great hall in the palace at York, for the sake of the lead which covered it; died June 26, 1568; buried at York. Edmund Grindall, translated from London, June 9, 1570. Advanced to Can- terbury, 1575 ; died July 6, 1583 ; buried at Croydon. Edwin Sandys, translated from London, January 25, 1576 ; died August 8, 1588 ; and buried at Southwell. John Piers, translated from Salisbury, February 27, 1558. A learned and vir- tuous prelate ; died September 28, 1594 ; buried at York. Mathew Hutton, translated from Durham, March 24, 1594. He was a man of humble origin, but of great merit ; died January 15, 1605 ; and was buried at York. Tobias Mathew, translated from Durham, September 11, 1606. An extempore and eloquent preacher ; died March 29, 1628 ; buried at York. George Montaigue, translated from Durham, October 24, 1628. The son of a poor farmer, who resided at Cavvood, where he was interred, on his decease, November 6, 1628. Samuel Harsnett, translated from Norwich, April 23, 1629 ; died May 18, 1631 ; buried at Chigwell. Richard Neill, translated from Winchester, April 16, 1632. This prelate was of humble origin, but of great merit. He died October 31, 1640; and was buried at York. John Williams ; translated from Lincoln, June 27, 1642. After warmly sup- porting the king, he turned round, and commanding at the siege of Abergavenny, reduced it to the obedience of parliament. He died March 25, 1650 ; and was buried at Llandegay. Accepted Frewen, translated from Lichfield, October 11, 1660. After the see had remained vacant ten years, this person was appointed. He lived in a state of celibacy, and would not even have a female servant; died March 28, 1664; buried at York. Richard Sterne, translated from the see of Carlisle, June 10, 1664. He wrote 4 A 274 HISTORY OF book in. a treatise of Logic ; and was particularly worthy of his high station ; died June 18, 1683 ; buried at York. John Dolben, translated from Rochester, August 23, 1683. He was a soldier in his early days, and served as an ensign at the battle of Marston-moor, where he was dangerously wounded by a musket ball; died April 11, 1686; was buried at York. Thomas Lamplugh, translated from Exeter, December 19, 1688. A staunch supporter of the doctrines of the church of England ; and a liberal benefactor to the cathedral ; died May 5, 1691 ; buried at York. John Sharp, 1691. A man of learning, eloquence, and of the most virtuous principles ; died February 2, 1713 ; buried at York. Sir William Dawes, translated from Chester, March 24, 1713. A man of exemplary conduct; died April 30, 1724 ; buried at Cambridge. Lancelot Blackburn, translated from Exeter, December 10, 1724; died 1743; buried in St. Margaret's church, Westminster. Thomas Herring, translated from Bangor, April 28, 1743; to Canterbury, 1747; and died March 13, 1757 ; buried at Croydon. Matthew Hutton, translated from Bangor, December 29, 1747 ; to Canterbury, 1757; died March 19, 1758; buried at Lambeth. John Gilbert, translated from Salisbury, May 28, 1757 ; died 1761. Robert Hay Drummond, translated from Salisbury, November 11, 1761; died December 10, 1776; buried at Bishopsthorp. William Markham. This prelate was educated at Westminster school, and afterwards removed to Christ Church, Oxford. About 1750, he was appointed head master of Westminster school; 1759, prebendary of Durham; 1765, dean of Rochester; 1767, dean of Christ church; 1771, bishop of Chester; and was also chosen preceptor to his royal highness the prince of Wales ; and in 1777, translated to the see of York. He died November 3, 1807, aged eighty-nine, and was interred in Westminster abbey. Honourable Edward Venables Vernon, L.L. D. is the present archbishop of York. His grace was born in 1757, educated at Westminster school, and after- wards removed to Christ church, Oxford. He was a fellow of All Soul's college, chaplain to the king, and prebendary of Gloucester. In 1785, he was appointed canon of Christ church; in 1791, bishop of Carlisle, and was translated to the see of York in 1808. We trust that in speaking deservedly of this distinguished prelate, we shall not be charged with flattery ; in him we see endearing affability without unbecoming condescension ; as a teacher his precepts are clear and forcible, and they are supported by a practice highly consistent. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 275 CHAPTER VI. SURVEY OF THE CATHEDRAL. The ground plan of this magnificent structure is a Latin cross, in which a peculiar CHAP VI symmetry is observable, owing to the uniform regularity of its construction; a feature which few cathedrals possess, on account of the many subordinate chapels plan. which interfere with the general arrangement of most of our large churches. It consists of a nave with side aisles ; a transept situate at about the middle of its length, also consisting of a nave and aisles ; a choir and aisles, and a chapel in continuation, eastward of the altar screen. A smaller transept is situated about midway between the great transept and the extreme eastern wall. Three small chapels are attached to the south side of the choir, east of the south transept, and these are all the extraneous chapels which ever belonged to this sumptuous church. An irregular building abuts against the west side of the south transept, with which its walls are not even at right angles, and it is altogether an excrescence : not so the beautiful chapter house, which is approached by a covered walk or aisle, adjoining to the north end of the eastern aisle of the great transept ; the plan a regular octagon with buttresses attached to every angle. The nave comprises eight divisions, extending from the western entrance to the piers which support the great tower. The transept is clear of the choir, which commences at the eastern piers of the great tower, and comprises nine divisions, six of which extend to the altar screen ; the chapel behind the screen comprehends the remaining three divisions. We shall commence our survey of the cathedral with the description of the The west sumptuous west front,* which may be said to be divided in breadth into three * The stone of which the lower part of the west front is constructed was brought from Bramham moor, near Tadcaster, about ten miles from York ; but that of the two towers was probably obtained from the quarries of Stapleton, near Pontefract : for among the archives of the duchy of Lancaster (Somerset place) is a grant, dated 17th July, 1400, IstHenry IV. to the dean and chapter to be exempt from the payment of tolls and other customs in the river Air for stone to be carried to York cathedral for the 276 HISTORY OF BOOK III grand portions; viz. a centre, flanked by lateral divisions, ending above the elevation in lofty towers. The buttresses which form the divisions are richly enchased with niches and canopies in relief from their base to the very summit, where they terminate in angular heads under the cornice of the towers, and are broken in height into four stories, gradually and harmoniously diminishing in breadth and projection as they rise. The elevation of the central portion commences with a doorway of elegant work- manship and curious design. It is divided by a pillar composed of three clustered columns, with foliated capitals, into two doorways crowned with arches, the soffits of which are carved into a cinquefoil form ; the points of these arches bear a circular window, the tracery of which is formed of six trefoils in triangles ; the whole is enclosed within a splendid recessed arch, the headway composed of various mould- ings, relieved by hollows ; the mouldings being occupied by the most delicate sculptures of flowers, niche work, the story of Adam and Eve, their expulsion from paradise, &c. : the archivolts spring from columns attached to the jambs with foliated capitals ; an acutely pointed pediment covers this arch, crocketted on its raking lines, and crowned with a finial. In the tympanum are five niches, the central one still occupied with the statue of an archbishop, having a church on his left hand, wluch statue is understood to represent Archbishop William de Melton, the principal founder of this front. On each side of the doorway are two series of niches with elegant angular canopies : in the upper tier are two statues of knights, one of which represents Robert Vavasour, and the other William de Percy, as their shields of arms near them evidently indicate, viz. a lion rampant gardant on one shield, and a fess dancette on the other.* Above this doorway is an elaborate window, of equally elegant design, its sill commencing immediately over the ornamental portions just described ; it is divided by mullions into eight lights, and the head of the arch is filled with a beautiful arrangement of trefoils and other ornaments, so tastefully disposed, and in such a variety of ramifications, as to defy description : like the doorway, this window is covered with a pediment, and accompanied with niches ; a cornice and pierced battlement then succeed, over which the elevation finishes in a low pediment, the new wurks. The stone of the lower part is of a greyish colour when exposed to the weather ; the grit is fine, but has sadly failed in preserving its substance where delicately cut, as almost all the sculpture is much mouldered ; and even the ashler work, or plain walling, owing to the slow but continual decomposition of its surface, has never acquired the fine russet that clothes the exterior of Lincoln and Peterborough cathedrals, or the neighbouring fabric of Beverley-minster. * The whole of this splendid porch was restored about 1S08, in a style honourable to all parties concerned. The statues, as well of the archbishop as the two knights, were then restored by Mr. Taylor, sculptor of York ; the masonry by Mr. Short. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 277 tympanum richly ornamented with tracery in relief, similar to the window. The chap, vi- raking cornice of the pediment is ornamented with a graduated battlement also pierced, and on the apex is a pinnacle.* The towers are made in height into four stories, and the elevation of each is uniform; they contain entrances on the ground floor, of a subordinate character to the centre, and the succeeding stories have windows, the general style of decoration assimilating with the central portion. The finish of the elevation is a pierced parapet, embattled; above which rise eight crocketted pinnacles, four at the angles, and one situated in the centre of each side. The upper stories of these towers are more modern than the rest of the front ; they were not finished until early in the fifteenth century, as the name of John Birmingham, treasurer in 1432, appears on the southern tower. The north side of the nave is divided by buttresses into seven symmetrical N °r tllsi - lancet windows, and the chasteness of its ornaments, contrasts with the sumptuous grandeur of the nave. The walls both of the aisle and doorway are finished with a block cornice, with enriched mouldings, and plain parapet. The windows are narrow and acutely pointed, and buttresses are attached to the piers having angular pedimental caps. The north front commences with a low blank arcade, which, with its supporting plinth, occupies the space below the sill of a lancet window of five lights of an equal height, in the centre of the design, and above it another * Restored in the last repair in 1808. It was wanting when Malton's elevation was taken, but is shewn in Baker's view, engraved by Vivares in 1750. t Vide the table of dates at the end of this chapter. 4 B 278 HISTORY OF boor III. of the like number of lights, but of unequal height, in the pediment which crowns the elevation. The west aisle has a double lancet window, and it is finished with a raking cornice. The heads of the arches and the pediment are enriched with a neat flower moulding, common in works of the period ; the angles are guarded with buttresses, the north-west having a turret staircase, but the pinnacles which made the original finish are destroyed. The end of the eastern aisle is built against bv the vestibule of the chapter house, to be noticed hereafter. The east side of the transept is in its general features similar to the western ; below the first window from the north is a small doorway. The choir. The choir is built in the same style as the nave, though of a later period,* which is indicated by the curvature of the exterior lines of the canopies of the windows. The three divisions which succeed to the transept have windows filled with tracery of an elegant but more regular design than the nave, both in the aisle and clerestory ; the buttresses are crowned with pinnacles, and the finish to the walls is similar to the nave. To this portion succeeds the eastern or smaller transept, which projects no further than the wall of the aisle. On its northern face it has a lofty window of five lights divided by transoms into four stories, exclusive of the tracery in the head of the arch. At the angles are double buttresses, ending in pinnacles, and in the flank walls above the aisles are windows to correspond with the others. The four divisions succeeding the transept are uniform with those before described, except that the clerestory windows are fronted with singular screens, appearing like unglazed windows, a feature peculiar to this cathedral. Easi front- The east front is not behind any other part of the church in point of decoration ; it commences with a plain plinth, reaching to the window sills above which all the ornament is disposed; it is divided by buttresses, into three portions answering to the nave and aisles; the second buttress from the south has been recently repaired in an elegant and correct style, ornamented with niches and ending in lofty- pinnacles. The north and south buttresses are octagonal and contain staircases. In the centre is a window of the most magnificent proportions and unrivalled work- manship ; it is divided in breadth by munnions into nine divisions, which are made by transoms into three tiers of lights, and the head is occupied by three sub-arches, and an infinity of minute compartments ; a sweeping canopy, ending in a square pedestal, covers the arch ; from the sweeping cornice of the latter rises a series o\~ upright divisions, crowned with angular canopies, a portion of which, being pierced, gives a singular and elegant finish to the elevation. The aisles have windows of three lights of a corresponding character, and the finish is similar to the centre, excepting that a singular contempt of uniformity is displayed, on one side there * Vide the table of dales at the end of this chap'.er. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 279 being only four niches, and on the other seven, the dimensions being also CHAP. vi. varied. The statue of Archbishop Thoresby, the builder of this portion of the cathedral, is placed immediately over the point of the window, and in niches in the extreme angular buttresses are statues of a Percy, and a Vavasour, commemorating other individuals of those honourable families who contributed to the building. From this elegant portion of the structure, we will return by the south side of South side. the church, and complete our survey where we began, at the west front. This view of the church is similar to that which has been already described; the attached chapels however appear as excrescencies, being, when compared with the cathedral, in a very humble style of architecture. The east side of the principal transept differs but little from the northern branch before described: the southern front is more ornamental. It is made into three divisions by buttresses, which are ornamented by pointed arches, of the lancet form, and surmounted by octagonal turrets, in a later style of architecture. In the central division is a large doorway which is approached by two flights of steps, an unusual appendage to an ancient building.* The arch of entrance is pointed, and commu- nicates with a porch ; above it are three plain niches, the central one being larger than the others, and containing the dial ; each is finished with a pediment. The whole of this porch is of modern workmanship, being constructed in the place of an older one ; and at the same time a curious clock, with two figures to strike the hour, was removed. The second story has lancet windows ; and the third, which is crowned with a pediment, has a beautiful wheel window, one of the most splendid of the kind in England. It consists of three concentric circles, the smallest occupied with six sweeps ; the second has twelve columns, surmounted by trefoil arches, disposed in the manner of the spokes of a wheel ; and the third has twenty four similar arches disposed in the same manner. In the pediment above is a triangular window, and on the point is a small spire, known by the name of the fidle/s turret, from a small effigy of a fidler which surmounts the pinnacle ; it was removed from some other part of the building, and placed here. The aisles have lancet windows, and the general style of the ornaments corresponds with the centre. The west side of this branch of the transept resembles the eastern ; but it is defaced by an excrescence of a very homely character, being a building of two stories used as a record office for the wills and muniments of the see. The nave resembles the opposite side in its general character and decorations ; the buttresses are surmounted by lofty and elegant pinnacles instead of the dwarf * In levelling the ground opposite the west front of the minster in 1S28, a flight of steps was found, and has been completely laid open. 280 HISTORY OF BOOK. III. caps of the other side : in each is a niche, which formerly contained statues, of which the following only remain, viz. Jesus Christ, Archbishop St. William, and the four Evangelists. The tower. The central, or lantern tower, only remains to be noticed, and with which we conclude our survey of the exterior. It rises from the intersection of the nave and the transept, and has four uniform aspects. The angles are strengthened with buttresses, ornamented with niches; the pinnacles, which formed the original finish, are destroyed ; in every face are two lofty windows of uniform design ; each is made by munnions into three lights divided by a transom, and the head of the arch covered by a sweeping canopy. The walls are finished with an embattled parapet, pierced in upright divisions with trefoil heads. The inte- Entering at the west door of the cathedral, the whole extent of a perspective of upwards of five hundred feet is before the spectator, the continuity of the vaulting, broken in a pleasing manner about the centre by the lantern tower. The pavement, constructed by Kent the architect, after a design by Lord Burling- ton, is a mosaic pattern, on the grandest scale; and, however beautiful in itself, is utterly at variance with the architecture of the church. The old pavement was marked with circles to point out the stations of the dignitaries and canons of the church in the ancient processions. Architec- The architecture of the nave is made in elevation into three heights or stories, as im^e. : is usual in most cathedrals ; the large piers are circular, and surrounded by twelve attached cylindrical columns, with uniform foliated capitals, and octagonal bases ; three on each side support the archivolt mouldings of the principal arches, the three fronting the aisles sustain the springings of the vaults, and the remaining three are carried up to about the middle of the third story-, and in like manner uphold the groined ceiling of the nave. The capitals are ornamented with leaves; the mouldings of the principal arches which compose the first story of the elevation, are not so numerous as are met with in earlier specimens of pointed architecture. The second or gallery story is in a manner united with the third, being formed of five compartments, having trefoil heads under acutely pointed canopies, occupying a portion of the height of the same number of munnions, which compose the third or clerestory ; the heads of the arches of these windows are occupied by circles filled with quatrefoil tracery. The whole of the windows in this story are filled with stained glass, principally shields of arms, &c. In the spandrils of the principal arches are shields carved with various coats of arms in relief. Those on the north side are the arms of the families of Vavasour, Roos, Percy, Greystock, Latimer, Vere earls of Oxford, Beauchamp earls of Warwick, Bohun earls of Hereford, Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke, Cobham, Ulphus, and Ferrers earls of Derby. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 281 On the south side Vavasour and Percy, Warren earls of Surrey, Wake, Devereux, CHAP. VI. Reresby, De Mawley lords of Doncaster, Clare earls of Gloucester, Bek of Eresby, royal arms of England, and those of a prince of Wales. Each of the centre com- partments of every division of the second story formerly contained a statue ; very few now remain. The most perfect is in the fifth division from the west, on the south side, which represents St. George; and on the opposite side is a large wooden dragon which served as a lever to lift the cover of the old font. The vaulted ceiling is constructed of wood ; its section shows a graceful T, ] e ceil - pointed arch, and the soffit is enriched with ribs springing from the columns before noticed, and diversified by minor ones, uniting the principal ribs with each other ; at every point of junction is a boss carved with some scriptural history or device in relief. The aisles are ornamented in a style equally splendid with the nave; the windows The aisles, are not remarkable for their dimensions, each is made into three lights, and a like number of quatrefoils fill the arches ; on each side the window is a perpendicular niche, covered with an angular canopy ; the most interesting species of ornament is however displayed in the stall work which embellishes the dado of the windows; below each are several upright compartments, generally six in number, divided by buttresses ending in pinnacles, and each made into two minor divisions by a munnion, with arched head, enclosing a trefoil; above another arched head, having three sweeps; a trefoil in a circle is sustained in the point of these small arches, and the whole is enclosed in one larger pointed arch which in its turn is surmounted by an acutely pointed pediment, crocketted and crowned with a finial. A triple cluster of columns uniform with those of the main pillars is attached to the piers between the windows, and these in part sustain the vaults, which are of stone, and of a more simple kind than are met with in works of the period, being groined only with arches and cross springers. In the second compartment of the north aisle, from the west, is an arched doorway ; over which are two shields, charged with the arms of Old France and England, and between these a statue of the blessed virgin, standing on a pedestal formed of a crowned head, and fixed on the point of the arch ; an angular canopy encloses the head of the arch, and this is accompanied with two other statues in alto relievo, apparently angels ; above the head of the virgin is a triple canopy of great beauty. This doorway formerly led into the chapel of St. Sepulchre, built by Archbishop Roger, and long since destroyed. In the succeeding division is an altar tomb, the dado ornamented with pierced quatrefoils, through which the coffin within it may be seen, and covered with a low pointed arch ; the cornice set with upright trefoils, and in the centre a small figure of the virgin, with a falcon on each side in glory ; this is attributed, but without foundation, to archbishop Roger. 4 c 282 HISTORY OF B00K "'• Before quitting the nave it will be necessary to turn about from the direction Ornaments j n which we have supposed the visitor to be proceeding with us, for the purpose rior of the of viewing the beautiful workmanship which ornaments the inside of the wall of the westfront. P west Iront. The principal doorway is covered with a canopy resembling its exterior frontis- piece ; and on the pier which divides the entrance is a niche, which is a restoration in the repairs before noticed. On each side of this door are two series of niches, resembling the stall work in the aisles, which, with the doorway, entirely fill up the dado of the great window ; two series of niches with pedestals for statues, and angular canopies, occupy the jambs of the window ; the spandrils, and the rest of the wall below the vault, are occupied by upright panels ; so that every portion of the wall, from the pavement to the ceiling, is covered with ornament, but so chastely and tastefully applied, that no complaint can be made of its redundancy. The side divisions which occupy the towers partake of the same kind of ornament ; the doorways have reliefs above their arches, representing on the south door a combat between a knight armed with sword and target, and a uncouth looking animal, between quatrefoil panels, in one of which is oddly told the storv of Sampson ; lie is represented tearing open the jaws of a lion, whilst the faithless Delilah, behind him, is cutting off his hair; the relief which accompanies it is unintelligible. On the north side the subject is a fox chase : two knights are engaged, one in blowing a horn, the other in beating a dog ; the reliefs in the quatrefoils are inexplicable. The jambs of the doorway and windows above are similarly ornamented with the centre, but with less profusion. The towers are cut off from view by floors of wood not concealed with groined work. The tran- The transept according to the perfect cathedral arrangement is clear of the choir : sepl " although it is entirely built of pointed architecture, the work of Archbishop Walter Gray,* it displays, in the simplicity of the ornaments, and the acutely pointed lancet arches, a contrast to the more elegantly finished architecture and munnioned windows of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in the nave and choir. In common with the rest of the church, the nave or largest aisle of the transept shews three stories in elevation ; the first consists of large pointed arches, springing from piers set about with numerous clustered columns, and the archivolts rich in mouldings : the small flower so common in works of the thirteenth century, forms a distinguished ornament in them. The second story shows a large circular arch, divided into two others, which are in like manner subdivided into smaller ones ; the dead spaces formed by the spandrils, are tastefully pierced with circles enclosing sweeps. The • Vide table of dates at the end of this chapter. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 283 third or clerestory consists of an arcade of acutely pointed arches of equal height, chap. vi. three in each division being pierced to admit light. The present vaulted and groined ceiling of wood, was constructed a considerable period after the remainder of this portion of the edifice, and is ornamented with a greater profusion of inter- sections and bosses than the nave : an indication of a vaulted roof of stone, of the same age as the main building, appears in the middle story, but it was probably abandoned as being too low, and the third story subsequently added, the roof being open to the timbers. When the new ceiling was added, the architect carefully avoided its interfering with the splendid circular window in the south end. The aisles have lancet windows without tracery, in pairs, the dados being ornamented with trefoil arches in blank ; the vaulted roof of stone resembles that in the aisles of the great nave. The extreme ends of the transept have already been described ; they differ but little from their external aspects : the dados of the windows, like the aisles, are ornamented with trefoil arches in blank. At the north end of the western aisle of the south transept stands the baptismal font, a large circular basin of dark shell marble, not remarkable for any curious workmanship. The lantern tower forms a magnificent vestibule to the choir. Four massive The lan- piers, surrounded by smaller columns, sustain an equal number of elegantly pointed arches, with shields * in the spandrils ; to these arches succeeds a gallery in design closely resembling the stall work in the aisles of the nave, and this is surmounted by- eight lofty windows, two in each wall, above which is a groined ceiling of wood, assimilating with the nave ; the centre boss containing small statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, with a church betwixt them. The effect of the whole design is very grand and imposing, but a settlement has taken place in the legs of this massive tower, which has injured the transept, and in consequence the second arches on the east and the second arches on the west, in the north transept, are walled up. The screen to the choir has been much admired at all times, for the beauty Thescreeii. of the workmanship and the numerous niches with which it is embellished. + The principal doorway, which is unfortunately not exactly in the centre, is a pointed arch, the jambs have attached columns with leaved capitals, and the archivolt mouldings are relieved by hollows in which are flowers; an ogee canopy bounds the whole, and encloses a niche formed above the point of the arch. • On the east the pallium, an ancient bearing of the see of York, being the papal insignia of archie- piscopal authority, and St. Wilfred : to the north, the arms assigned to two Saxon kings, Edwin, and Edmund the martyr ; on the south the peculiar arms of the see, and those of Walter Skirlaw ; and or the west, those of Edward the confessor, with the arms of England emblazoned in such a manner as to prove that the tower was not completed till the reign of Henry V. or Henry VI. + Dr Milner says this screen was taken from the abbey church of St. Mary, in York ; and the idea seems very probable, though it must be acknowledged it is without any evidence to support it. 2^4 HISTORY OF book III. On the north side of the doorway are seven niches, and on the south side eight: they are hexagonal in plan, and the pedestals, which are richly ornamented with carving, are of the same form, as are also the canopies, which in height are made into two stories, the upper story of each forming three small niches, containing statues of angels playing on musical instruments; the canopies all unite in forming a grand and harmonious design. Above every one is a small demi-angel, in the act of adoration, over which an entablature consisting of a moulded architrave, a frieze charged with foliage, and a cornice ornamented with trefoils set on the points of small arches, forms the finish of the design. In the grand niches are the famous series of the kings of England, from the conqueror to Henry VI. These statues, says Dr. Milner, are of the natural size, in ancient regal dresses, enriched with singular ornaments, and in high preservation. The same learned writer contends that the costume and features of these effigies have been executed from satisfactory authorities ; yet he remarks that the Normans, both before and after their invasion of this country, shaved their faces and their upper lips, and cut their hair short, whereas the statues of the four Anglo-Norman monarchs, are represented with Jong beards, mustachios, and long curled hair. The dresses of all except one are apparently robes of state. They cover the whole body and hang over the legs, excepting that of Stephen, whose tunic reaches no lower than the middle of his thigh. William I. holds a sword in his right hand and a sceptre in his left ; William Rufus holds a sword in his right hand, and Henry I. has a sceptre in the same position. The robes of the two latter statues are richly ornamented with embroidered work, &c. Each of the remaining statues has some slight variation in costume and in appendages. On the pedestals are the names of each monarch, respectively, with the period of his reign : thus, beginning on the north, " Willm Conq r . rex an. 21 ; Willm Rufus 14 ; Henri Primus 33 ; Step, rex 19 ; Henr. Sedus 37 ; Richas. Prim, rex 9 ; Johes rex 18 ; Henri Tertius rex 56 ; Edward. Primus rex 35; Edward. Sedus rex 20; Edward. Tertius rex 32; Rich. Sedus rex 22; Henr. Quart, rex 14; Henr. Quint, rex 10." The fifteenth statue, representing Henry VI. is the workmanship of Mr. Taylor, a sculptor of this city, and occupies the place of one of James I. Many of the smaller parts of the screen have been restored by Bernasconi. From the last statue of the series being that of Henry VI. it has been inferred that the screen was executed towards the end of his reign. It is also traditionally said that the original statue of " that weak, but reputedly pious monarch," was taken down "to prevent the stupid adoration of the lower ranks of the people." The organ. Above this screen, and occupying the site of the ancient rood, is the organ,* * This noble instrument is said to have been the largest and most complete organ in Great Britain. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 285 which was most untastefully placed here in the latter part of the seventeenth century, chap vi. having been previously removed to a less obtrusive situation by the order of Kino- Charles I. The architecture of that portion of the church which is eastward of the transept The choir, is more ornamental in its character than that of the nave, although the general style of the decoration is similar ; the variations in the design shew a more regular but at the same time a more tame and formal style of ornament than the earlier work of the nave. The side elevation of the great or central aisle of this portion, like the former, is made into three stories ; the first, composed of the principal arcade, differs but little from the nave, the second with the windows of the clerestory have perpendicular divisions in lieu of the circular tracery in the head of the arches, and a more elaborate display of small arched compartments mark the greater refinement which the style had undergone, which is also exemplified in the addition of two lights to the windows ; a stone rail divides the gallery story, and forms a pro- tection to the persons who might be stationed there to view a procession in the choir ; the ceiling is also of wood and groined; the intersections are more intricate and the bosses more numerous than the nave. The aisle windows have three lights, with perpendicular divisions in the heads of the arches, but the design is far less elegant than the nave. In lieu of the graceful stall work of the nave, the dados are panelled with upright compartments ; the jambs of the windows, however, have handsome niches and canopies. The same simple stone roof which covers the aisles of the nave is used in this place. The introduction of the smaller transept does not break the continuity of the great arcade, but the only part in which it enters into the design is at the clerestory, the window with its gallery being omitted and a panelled breast work placed on the cornice over the point of the arch, thus allowing of a view of the lofty window and handsome groined ceiling of this singular appendage, to be obtained from the choir. The shields of arms in this part of the church are as follows : south side, cross of St. George, Edward the confessor, Edwin and Oswald Saxon kings, Mortimer, Ulphus, Percy ; the same quartering Lucy, Scrope, Skirlaw, Roos, Neville earls of Westmoreland, city of York, Montague earls of Salisbury, Beauchamp earls o. Warwick, Lacy, royal arms of England anterior to Henry V. ; north side, Vavasour, The total number of stops was 52: pipes 3251. There were three sets of keys. viz. one for the great nave organ, one for their choir organ, and one for the swell, exclusively of pedals, with movements for enabling the performer to play two or three sets of keys at once, or to detach the great and choir organs with the pedals in addition to the pedal pipes. The ensuing description of the choir was made from an actual survey some months previous to the late calamity, and it is hoped will furnish a correct account of it as it was and as it will be again. 4 D 286 HISTORY OF book in. Neville earls of Westmoreland, Dauby or Fitzhugh, St. William, badges of the see, St. Wilfred, emblems of the passion, Greystock, Latimer, Clifford earls of Cumberland, Bohun earls of Hereford, royal arms of England, a prince of Wales, Longespee earls of Salisbury. South small transept, Dacre, Beauchamp, Percy, and Vavasour. North small transept, Clifford, Latimer, Danby, Pollington, Neville, and Scrope. The stalls. The throne. The altar screen. The fittings up of this part of the cathedral are of the most magnificent description. To the extent of three arches on each side it is occupied by twenty-seven stalls of oak, and at the west end, under the organ, are twelve. The dean occupies the first on the right, the precentor the first on the left. Each stall has a splendid hexagonal canopy of a spiral form in two stories, each of which is richly carved with arches and canopies. The upper story consists of a union of three niches, each having its independent canopy, and the whole being crowned with a lofty crocketted pinnacle, terminated with a rich finial. The seats or misereres are curiously carved. The desks below the stalls, for the singing clerks and choristers, are panelled in unison with the upper works. The organ has an oak case, but it is ornamented in a modern style, and does not in consequence harmonize with the rest of the choir. At the upper end of the southern range of stalls is the archbishop's throne, of modern workmanship and mean design ; it is neither grand enough for the building in which it is placed, or at all suitable to the dignity of the primate to whom it is appropriated. Opposite to it is the pulpit, which is also modern and resembles the throne. In the middle of the choir is a reading desk, and on the north side a brass eagle on a pedestal. The two succeeding arches to the altar screen are to about half the height of the pillars with stone work, finished with a cornice enriched with trefoils placed on the points of reversed arches. A triple flight of three steps leads to the altar, which is enclosed in an iron railing. The screen, l which forms the division from the chapel in the rear, is of stone, and is one of the most beautiful specimens of pierced stone work in England. It consists of eight uniform divisions, made by buttresses. Each division commences with a low plinth, to which succeeds an elegant design, somewhat resembling the upper stories of the choir ; it is formed in breadth into three divisions, divided horizontally into two stories. The lower series are solid, and each is crowned with a lofty canopy, ending in a finial ; the upper series are open, and are each surmounted by perpendicular and arched tracery ; the whole being included in a pointed arch of a graceful sweep, and forming a beautiful window, which, being glazed with plate glass, appears as if it was vacant; the spandrils are occupied by tracery, and a continued cornice. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 287 surmounted by a battlement, finishes the design; the faces of the battlement are chap. vi. enriched with panelling. The space behind the altar screen, and occupying the remainder of the church, The Lad y is usually styled the Lady chapel ; it is bounded by the magnificent eastern win- dow. This elaborate design is strengthened internally by a series of munnions, placed at a short distance from, and exactly agreeing with those which contain the glazing; this is peculiar to the present church. Upon the second transom runs a gallery, fronted by a parapet, pierced with upright cinquefoil divisions, and from which an excellent view of the church may be obtained. The dados of this window, as well as of those at the extremities of the aisles, are richly panelled, and the jambs ornamented with niches. Below the central window is the ancient altar screen, composed of three semi-hexagonal canopies, in breadth occupying a space rather greater than the three middlemost divisions of the window, and the canopies ranging with the sill. We have now conducted our reader throughout the church ; and having concluded our survey of the principal building, the small attached chapels, and the splendid chapter house, together with the crypt under the high altar, now claim our attention. On the south side of the choir, and in the angle formed by the junction of Chapels on its lines with the transept, are three chapels. The first is entered by a door in the side of the eastern wall of the aisle of the transept: it projects from the main building; one of its sides is made by the wall of the transept, the other by a wall at a short distance, and parallel with the last; it is lighted by two simply pointed windows in the south wall, and the ceiling is groined longitudinally, without cross springers, and has a curious appearance. This chapel is now used as the ecclesiastical court. The second chapel is approached from the last by an arch in the eastern wall ; its dimensions are nearly the same as the other ; it has two windows in the south wall, and in the eastern angle a staircase; the ceiling is groined. It is now used as the vestry, and contains several closets, in which are preserved various registers, and the following objects of curiosity, relative to the history of the church : 1st. A large horn, given to the church by Ulphus, son of Toraldus, who governed Relics. in the west parts of Deira. " He," says an ancient writer, " by reason of a difference that was likely to happen between his eldest son and his youngest, about his lord- ships, when he was dead, took this course to make them equal. Without delay he went to York, and taking the horn wherein he was wont to drink, filled it with wine, and kneeling on his knees before the altar, bestowed upon God and the blessed St. Peter, all his lands tenements, &c." Several lands which were part of this donation, situate on the east of York, are still called de Terra Ulphi. Previous to the reformation, this horn, which is made of an elephant's tooth, and is about 288 HISTORY OF book in. twenty-nine inches in length, and curiously carved, was handsomely adorned with gold, and was pendant on a chain of the same metal. These rich ornaments were, no doubt, the occasion of its being stolen from the church, at that important period ; for it is evident by Camden's remarks, that the horn was not there in his days : " I was informed," says he, " that this great curiosity was kept in the church till the last age," Thomas Lord Fairfax was instrumental in its restoration to the church ; but where it had lain and how it came into his possession, is uncertain ; for it was returned by Henry Lord Fairfax, his successor ; though stripped of its golden orna- ments. In 1675, the dean and chapter decorated it anew, but with brass instead of gold, and caused the following inscription to be engraved upon it, expressive of its origin and restoration. CORNU HOC, VLPHVS, IN OCCIDENTALI PARTE DEIRAE PRINCEPS, VNA CVM OMNIBVS TERRIS ET REDDITIBVS SVIS OLIM DONAV1T AMISSVM VEL ABREPTVM HENRICVS DOM. FAIRFAX DEMVM RESTITVIT. DEC. ET CAPIT. DE NOVO ORNAVIT A. D. MDCLXXV. Which may be thus translated : " This horn Ulphus, prince of the western parts of Deira5, originally gave to the church of St. Peter, together with all his lands and revenues. Henry Lord Fairfax at length restored it, when it had been lost, or conveyed away. The dean and chapter decorated it anew, A. D. 1675." 2nd. A canopy of state, of gold tissue, and two small coronets of silver gilt, which the city gave in honour of James I., on his first passing through York, from Scotland, in his way to London. 3rd. Three silver chalices, and several rings, found in the graves of archbishops and others, on the removal of the old pavement of the church. 4th. A wooden head, found near the graves of Archbishop Rotherham and Archbishop Scrope — the former died of the plague, and was buried in effigy ; the latter was betrayed and beheaded. 5th. A very superb pastoral staff of silver, about seven feet in length, with the figure of the Virgin Mary, and an infant in her arms, placed under the bend of it. This was given by Catharine of Portugal, queen dowager of England, to her confessor, when he was nominated to be catholic archbishop of York, by James II. in 1687. It is said that when he was marching in procession to the minster, the earl of Danby wrested it from him, and deposited it in the hands of the dean and chapter. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 289 6th. A large and elegant bowl, originally given by Archbishop Scrope, in 1398, chap. VI. to the company of cordwainers of this city. In the middle of it, the cordwainers' arms are richly embossed — it is edged with silver, double silt, and ornamented witli three silver feet ; and upon the rim is the following inscription in black letter: Kirfiartr arcfle trsrfiopc Snopr grant unto all tfio rfiat trrinftts of njis rope rati tragus to partron. Kobert ffiolwon ficsctjope .mrsm grant in same formr aforrsaitt XILti oases to paroon. Robert Strensal). On the dissolution of the company of cordwainers, in the year 1808, this cup was given by the members to Mr. Sheriff Hornby, of this city, as a mark of esteem ; and he soon afterwards generously presented it to the cathedral. An antique chair is also shewn, supposed to be as old as the church itself. In this chair several of the kings of England have been crowned ; and when the archbishop is officiating at the cathedral, it is even yet placed within the altar rails, for his use. The preceding, together with an iron helmet, some ancient spurs, and a few other trifles, constitute the whole of the curiosities at present exhibited in this vestry. The third chapel is a complete and harmonious design ; it runs parallel with the choir. At the south western angle is a well, with a depressed arch, and trefoils ; the spandrils enriched with flowers. In the south wall are three windows, and one of larger dimensions at the east end ; the groined ceiling is similar to the choir. The design is made into four divisions, each subdivided by numerous ribs, with bosses at the intersections ; the approach to it is from the last described chapel by an arch in the east wall, as well as by a door in the south aisle of the choir. This chapel is now a lumber room. Here are some painted tiles, probably from the high altar, and curious paintings of Justice and an archbishop from the roof of the chapter house. Around this room are iron presses with trefoil heads, which formerly contained the splendid vestments of the church. On the floor is one of immense size, semi-circular and adorned with curious iron scroll work, particularly worthy of notice. These are all the extraneous chapels belonging to the cathedral. Beneatli the altar are the remains of a crypt, once of considerable extent. The The crypt, portion which exists is nearly square, and is curious on account of its retaining some of the materials of the earliest structures which once occupied the site of the present cathedral ; taken as a whole it may be viewed as the workmanship of the eleventh century ; but viewed in detail, the ornaments shew evidence of having belonged to an earlier building. It is made in breadth into three, and in length into four aisles, by six short cylindrical columns, which it is evident were entirely preserved from an older building, and put together with little care, as the bases are too large for the shafts, and, in one instance, a reversed capital is applied 4 E 290 HISTORY OF book III. as a base. The capitals of the six columns are varied ; five are of singular beauty ; thev are all octagonal, and surmounted with abaci : on one several small cariatidal statues, standing on the torus which forms the collar of the cap, hold up the abacus with their hands ; another is adorned with escallops, and three others, with richly beaded scrolls, bearing a close resemblance to the mouldings of Grecian archi- tecture; these columns, it is probable, formed a portion of the church built in the eighth century, by Archbishop Wilfrid, and were thus confusedly applied in the rebuilding the cathedral after its destruction in 1069. The groined ceiling springs from the abaci of the columns ; the groins are in the form of a torus, and in one instance are enriched with zigzags ; in other respects a plainer style than that displayed in the columns is evident. The original extent of the ancient crypt cannot be ascertained, as the present is bounded by the comparatively modern work of the choir. On the west side of the south transept is a building which projects, diagonally, from the main structure ; it is in two stories, with a winding staircase leading from the lower to the upper. It is the repository for the muniments and records belonging to the prerogative court of York. The chap- ter house. Exter The chapter house, the most elegant one of the kind in England, is situated on the north side of the cathedral, and is united by a passage to the northern end of the eastern aisle of the transept. The plan of the passage is in the form of a mason's square ; that of the chapter house a regular octagon, with a projecting buttress attached to every angle. The architecture of both portions of the struc- ture is of a more recent period than the transept, but earlier in point of date than the nave : it is a very noble specimen of pointed architecture, and is remarkable for the singular beauty of the buttresses and tracer) - . The passage is made into four divisions, two of which are comprised in the part which projects from the transept, and the others in the return, which unites with the chapter house ; in each division is a window, with an acutely pointed arch, filled with munnions and circular tracery of a singular design : above the points of the arches are smaller windows of a more modern date, and the walls are finished with an enriched cornice and parapet. To the piers are attached buttresses, which are duplicated at the angles ; the buttresses are solid, without breaks to the springing of the arches of the win- dows, from whence rises a square shaft, panelled, and crowned with a crocketted pinnacle, and only united to the main wall by a small flying buttress. The chapter house has lofty pointed windows in seven of the fronts of the elevation, the other one being occupied by the entrance, and consequently concealed by the passage ; the design of all the windows is alike, the void is divided into five compartments by perpendicular munnions, and the heads occupied by sub-arches THE COUNTY OF YORK. 291 and three circular divisions, each enclosing eight sweeps ; the upright is finished CHAP. VI. with an enriched cornice and parapet. The buttresses are similar to those of the passage in design, but are ornamented with greater taste; they are built solid to the spring of the window arches : a square pedestal then succeeds, being a support to a flying buttress, which unites it with the wall of the main building ; the three unoccupied faces are enriched with angular canopies, and from the crown rises an octangular shaft, panelled, and ending in a pinnacle of the same form, richly crocketted. A second flying buttress unites the shaft with the wall, which differs from the usual form in not being arched; it is richly panelled, and sur- mounted with a pinnacle. The buttress nearest the passage is larger than the others, and contains a staircase ; it is finished with a modern conical cap in lieu of a pinnacle. The roof of the chapter house is covered with lead, and rises to a considerable height, forming a pyramid of eight sides. The lead was renewed in a tasteless style in the middle of the last century. To arrive at the interior of the chapter house we must return to the north transept ; Interior. ' the door of entrance being situated in the eastern aisle. It is of more modern workmanship than the transept, and is not unlike the great western entrance to the cathedral ; it consists of two arches, filled in with richly panelled doorways, on the points is a circle filled with tracery, and the whole is comprehended in an acute pedimental canopy ; by this door the passage before spoken of is approached, the interior of which is not behind the outside in point of decoration : the dados of the windows are panelled in the style of the entrance. The ceiling is richly groined. At the end is a second doorway, which forms the entrance to the chapter house, from this splendid vestibule : it greatly resembles the first entrance, but is of a richer character. It consists of two pointed arches, each enclosing in the head three sweeps, which portion is glazed, the lower part being occupied by oak door- ways, almost covered with the rich scroll work in iron, so common in early works ; the pier which divides these arches is octangular, and the upper part is pierced with a niche, still occupied by an elegant statue of the blessed Virgin. The canopy is a half hexagon, ending in a plain pinnacle, crowned with a finial ; upon the points of these arches is a circle, enriched with a quatrefoil, and the whole is compre- hended in one large pointed arch, richly moulded, and springing from small columns attached to the jambs. In the spandrils are plain pointed niches, without canopies. The interior is covered with a richly groined ceiling in oak ; by the choice of this material, the necessity of the central pillar, so usually found in chapter houses, was avoided, and the wonderful effect given to the design by means of the pendant boss, sculptured with the Holy Lamb, in the centre, by which the whole seems bound together ; the points of intersection of the ribs are ornamented by bosses ; the spandrils and intervals of the panels were formerly painted with saints 292 HISTORY OF BOOK m. and other subjects, all of which were tastelessly obliterated about the year 1760. The blank space above the entrance, however, still retains some fragments of the original decorations, principally blue and gold. This portion was formerly painted with representations of saints, kings, bishops, &c. the three centre figures being supposed to be those of Archbishop Walter de Gray, with Henry III. on the one side, and his queen on the other. At the base of this part, and above the entrance, images of the twelve apostles, with those of the Virgin Mary, and the child Jesus, in the midst of them, were formerly placed. These images, if we may credit tradition, were all of solid silver, double gilt, the apostles being about a foot high, judging by the places where they stood, and the Virgin nearly twice that height. It is generally believed that Henry VIII. stole them from this cathedral, or had them presented to him by Archbishop Holgate, to prevent him from committing the theft. Below the windows is a series of forty-four stalls, each of which forms a hexagon, with a projecting canopy, composed of three acute arches, crowned with canopies, and ending in finials; the supports of the exterior mouldings of these arches are small bustos and other sculptures, some of which would do honour to a Grecian chisel. Among them may be seen some ludicrous specimens of the caricatures by which the secular clergy were used to express their contempt of the monks. Above the canopies, and on the sills of the windows, is a passage, which is continued round the entire room, and through the solids of the piers. At the north west angle remains the following inscription : — Jftt rosa pfilos ptilorum. Sic est ftomus ista fcomorum.* Windows. The windows of the cathedral are richly variegated, and adorned with the repre- sentations of saints, kings, legends, shields of arms, &c. Those of the small tran- septs in the choir are remarkably high and elegant, and are divided into one hundred and eight compartments, each of which is illustrative of some passage from the holy scriptures. The east window, however, surpasses all that pen can describe, or pencil portray ; if we consider it in the whole, as to extent, ingenuity of design, or richness of execution. In extent it is nearly the full breadth and height of the choir : the admirable tracery of the upper part of it has already been fully described ; in the munnions are one hundred and seventeen compartments, displaying such a variety of sacred representations, as perhaps may safely be termed an illustration of nearly the whole of scripture history. The height is seventy-five feet, and the breadth thirty feet. * The chief of houses, as the rose of flowers. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 293 This splendid window commences with God represented creating the world, light CHAP. VI. and darkness, Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, Cain slaying Abel, Noah in his ark, and all the principal incidents in the Old Testament, which occupy the three upper partitions. The nine partitions beneath are filled with subjects from the Revelation. The tenth and last partition has the effigies of several kings and bishops; among the former are Ethelbert, Edward the Confessor, Harold, and William the Conqueror ; and among the latter Pope Gregory VII., Archbishops Zouch and St. Wilfrid, and St. John of Beverley. The great window over the west entrance is of considerable size, though inferior to the eastern light. The rich tracery in the sweeps of the arch from the interior has a very beautiful effect, especially when illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. The first part or row over the partitions consists of the religious at their devotions. The second or larger figures, are apostles, &c. as St. John, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. James, &c. Then follow the largest effigies which are the eight saints of the see, namely, Paulinus, Bosa, John of Beverley, Wilfrid I., Egbertus, Oswaldus, Gulielmus, and Servallus. The west window of the north aisle has full length effigies of St. Catharine, St. Peter and St. Paul, and Christ in judgment. The first window from the west is plain. The second has the salutation of the Virgin, the wise men's offering, the salutation of St. Elizabeth, and the arms of the Ingrams and Grevilles. The third has the crucifixion of St. Peter, and confession, penance, and absolution. The fourth, the crucifixion, Christ before Pilate, and the arms of the Strongbows per paled with the Mowbrays. The fifth, has Christ on the cross, with surrounding figures. The sixth is very curious, and is supposed to have been given to the cathedral by the bell founders. In the lower partition are representations of casting and turning a bell (perhaps for tuning), and around the entire window is a border of bells. The seventh and last in the north aisle has St. Catharine, St. Alban, and several curious legends. In the lower part of the window are the royal arms of England, and those of the queens Eleanor of Castile, Eleanor of Provence, and Isabella of France. The window at the west end of the south aisle has full length effigies of St. John and the Virgin Mary, with Christ crucified between them. The first window from the west is plain, the second contains St. Peter, St. Christopher, and St. Lawrence. The remaining windows of this aisle have been made up of various subjects, principally saints and legends ; the third has the date of 1789, and the sixth and seventh that of 1782; in the latter window is a very old representation of the crucifixion. The window of five lights in the north transept is filled with Mosaic work, of 4 F 294 HISTORY OF book in. an extremely rich and varied pattern, and has a splendid effect.* In the south transept, the upper or marygold window has a fine effect, from the brilliancy of its coloured glass resembling that flower. The first window in the second tier has full length effigies of St. William ; the second window is of two lights, in one of which appears St. Peter, in the other St. Paul, each with his proper insignia beneath him. In the next window is the figure of St. Wilfrid. The four figures of Abraham, Solomon, Moses, and Peter, with the arms and crests of the cathedral, which fill the windows of the lowermost tiers, are of modern workmanship, having been executed by the late Mr. W. Peckitt of York. The meanness of the canopies, and indeed the whole design, suffer materially by comparison with the 'glorious imagery' in the cathedral. In the east aisle of this transept is some of the oldest glass in the church representing full length figures of St. Michael, St. George, the Virgin, and St. William the archbishop. The glass in the choir is equally fine and curious with that of the nave. In the first window from the west in the north aisle, St. Paul and St. Peter, the Virgin, and Archbishop Bowet at an altar. The second has full length effigies of John of Beverley, Archbishop Scrope and St. William, with several curious legends. The third has several full length effigies of bishops with legends. The fourth is the small transept window ; it is filled with extremely curious paintings illustrative of ceremonies connected with the church. The fifth has some noble effigies of the Virgin with the Saviour in her arms, St. Anne her mother, and St. Elizabeth with St. John the baptist in her arms ; round the window are the arms of Scrope. Tin- sixth has St. Thomas, St. John, St. Edward the confessor, and St. John the baptist. The seventh window is blank, and the end window of the aisle has the crucifixion, St James, the Virgin, &c. The first window from the west in the south aisle of the choir, has two full length effigies of David and the prophets Nehemiah and Malachus, with legends. The second, filled with legends principally concerning the life of Christ. The third, several saints, within borders of pomegranate branches and leaves. The fourth, or transept window, is similar to the one opposite. The fifth is filled with legends much confused. The sixth has King Edwin, St. John and St. James, &c. The seventh in the upper portion has full length effigies of Joseph of Arimafhea, and King Ina the founder of Glastonbury monastery. Beneath the above, is some beautiful ancient painted glass, presented to the dean and chapter by the earl of Carlisle, in the year 1804. By surveying this window * This window has sometimes been called the Jewish window, probably from the resemblance it bears to embroidery or needle work, which was much used in adorning the ancient Jewish tabernacles ; and, for the same reason, it has been traditionally named the ' five sisters.' THE COUNTY OF YORK. 295 through Bowet's elegant Gothic shrine, the effect is much improved. The figures are CHAF - VI - as large as life, and represent the annunciation, or the meeting of Mary the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth the mother of John the baptist. It is supposed to have been copied from a design of Sebastian del Piombo, the great favourite of Pope Clement the eighth; and was brought from the church of St. Nicholas, in Rouen in Normandy. The armorial bearings of the family of the noble donor fill up the compartments, and render the whole truly interesting. The windows in the chapter house and the vestibule to it are equally splendid both in the design and colouring with those in the minster. The subjects are prin- cipally saints with beautiful canopies above them, shields of arms, legends, &c. Between the -second and third windows of the north aisle of the choir is the following table of founders and benefactors, drawn up by the Rev. T. Gale, S. T. P. dean of York, and affixed there at his expense. ANNO DOM. MDCXCIX. ecclesia; ebouacensis gratitudo. FUNDATORES. Anno Dom. DCXXVII Edwynus, Northumbrorum rex, primus fundator. DCXXXII . Oswaldus, Northumbrorum rex, secundus fundator. DCLXVI Wilfridus, Ebor. Archiep. tertius fundator. DCCLXII Albertus, Ebor. Archiep. quartus fundator, primus bibliothecam condidit. MLXVIII Thomas Ebor. Archiep. quintus fundator. REPARATORES. MCLXXI Rogerus, Ebor. Archiep. chorum novum oedificavit. MCCXXVII Walterus Gray, Ebor. Archiep. multum promoyit fabricam. MCCL Johannes Romanus, partem chori borealem et campanile in medio aedificavit. MCCXCI Johan. Romanus Ebor. Archiep. navem ecclesise inchoavit. MCCCXXX Will, de Melton, Ebor. Archiep. navem ecclesise consummavit. MCCCLXII Johan. Thursby, inchoavit novum opus chori. MCCCLXX Walterus Skirlaw, Prsebendarius de Fenton in hac ecclesia, postea episcopus Dunelm. campanile sedificavit. I BENEFACTORES. Decanus et capitulum, variis temporibus. Robertes Vavasor, miles. Incertis temporibus; WilL de Perci - miles - \ Will, de Aguillon. | Will. Fitz-Alice. Richardus de Dalton. 296 HISTORY OF BOOK III. A. D. MDCXXIX Francisca Matthews, uxor T. Matthews Archiep. Ebor. MDCXXXIU Carolus I. rex Anglia:. MDCXXXYIII Arthurus Ingram, baronettus. MDCLXXIII Maria, Domina Beaumont. MDCLXXXIII Ricardus Sterne, Archiep. Ebor- MDCLXXXVI Thomas Cracroft, S. T. P. MDCLXXXVI Johannes Dolben, Archiep. Ebor. MDCXCI Thomas Lamplugh, Archiep. Ebor. MDC'XCV Thomas, Comes Fauconberg. MDCXCV Williel. Comes Strafford, milk Hbras legarit. S10I1S. Dimen- The interior dimensions of the whole pile, extending 1 from east to west, in the form of a cross, are as follow : — Feet The whole length from east to west 524^ Breadth of the east end _105 Breadth of the west end 109 Length of the cross aisles from north to south 222 Height of the grand lantern tower 213 Height of the nave, or body of the church 99 Breadth of the body and side aisles 109 Height of the side arches, north and south 42 From the west door to the choir 261 Length of the choir 157-J- Breadth 46^ From the choir door to the east end 222 From the altar screen to the east end 26 Height of the east window 7.5 Breadth 32 Height of the chapter house 67 Diameter of it from glass to glass 63 Length of the library 56 Breadth 22 Height to the cornice 22 From the cornice to the centre of the coring 11 Length of the early morning prayer house 30 Breadth 20* Length of the vestry 44 Breadth 22 Length of the inner vestry 30 THE COUNTY OF YORK. 297 Feet Breadth 23 Height of the ancient statuary screen 24 Breadth 50 chap. vr. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE AGES AND STYLES OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CHURCH, &c. Archbishop* Kin^s. Temp. 1 Parts of the Edifice. Henry II 1171 Crypt under the choir Gray Henry III.... 1227 S. transept, part of it anterior to Gray Sewal ) Kiuton.. .. ( Henry III.... 1250 to 1260 N. transept, built chiefly by Jobn I.e Romayne Henry III.... Died 1255. Archbishop Gray's Monument 1291 to 1330 Chapter-house and vestibule Le Roniayne De Melton . . Edward I. . . ) Edward III. ( 1291 to 1330 The nave and aisles completed in about 40 years Thoresby . . . Edward III. | Henry IV. ( 1361 to 1405 The choir Thoresby . . . Edward III... 1370 The central tower finished by Walter SSkirlaw Scrope Henry IV 1402 Western towers, built by John De Birmyngham Henry VI Archbishop Bowet's Monument (died 1423) Henry VI Organ screen Henrv VII. .. Archbishop Savage's monument. 4 G 208 HISTORY OF CHAPTER VII. MONUMENTS AND TOMBS IN THE CATHEDRAL. BOOK III. The principal tombs and monuments in the cathedral occupy the aisles on each side of the choir, and an open space called the Lady's chapel, behind the altar screen. But there are some few tombs and inscriptions in other parts of the cathedral. The first monument that will attract the stranger's attention, on his entrance at the south transept, is situated on the right hand, in what is termed the east aisle. It is the tomb of In south transept. ARCHBISHOP WALTER DE GRAY, who founded this part of the cathedral. The design is particularly elegant, and consists of an altar tomb surrounded by ten pillars, with foliated capitals ; these support trefoil headed arches, and the spandrils are occupied with enriched foliage. This structure again supports a series of three arches with pedimental heads crocketted, each supporting a beautiful finial, representing four birds perched on flowers, and from the stem rises an elegant flowery finial. On the tomb, which is low, is the full length effigy of the prelate arrayed in pontiftcalibus, widi his crosier, &c. This tomb is surrounded by cast iron railing, placed there at the expense of the late archbishop, Dr. Markham. The ornaments about it were all taken either from the tomb itself, or from those parts of the building erected by the venerable subject of the monument. ARCHBISHOP GODFREY DE LLDHAM, alias KINTON. Nearly adjoining the above is placed a monumental table, supposed to have been erected to the memory of this prelate. It is ornamented with a cross flory, and supported by twelve short pillars, the arches trefoil headed and very plain. He died in 1264. In nave. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 299 ELIZABETH EYMES. CHAP. VII. On a pillar in the south aisle of the nave, is a brass-plate, with the half length effigy of a woman, in the costume of the period, having before her a book on which are these sentences : " I have chosen the way of thy truth ; and thy judgments have I laid before me. Thy statutes hare been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage." Underneath this is the following inscription : ." Here lyeth the body of Elizabeth Eymes, widow, late wife of Thomas Eymes, esquire, deceased ; one of the gentlewomen of Queen Elizabeth her privy chamber, and daughter of Sir Edward Nevill, knight, one of the privy chamber to King Henry the eighth, who departed this life to the mercy of God, the third day of February, anno 1583." JAMES COTREL, ESQ. On the opposite side in the same aisle, on a brass plate, is a Latin inscription to his memory with his half length effigy in a fur gown. He came from Dublin, and resided in York, and died September 8, 1595. ARCHBISHOP ROGER. In the north aisle of the nave is a tomb 0}efore noticed) supposed to inclose the remains of this prelate, who lived in the reign of Henry I. JOHN HAXBY In the western aisle of the north transept is a flat tomb of black marble, j n nortn supported by an iron trellis, about two feet and a half high, to the memory of transe P t - John Haxby, treasurer of this church ; who died the 2lst of January, 1424. Within the trellis is laid a full length effigy of a man shrouded. Payments of money, &c. were formerly made upon the tomb of this treasurer. ARCHBISHOP GRENFIELD. In the eastern aisle of the north transept is this monument presenting a fine specimen of the style which prevailed in the reign of Henry VI. It consists of an altar tomb, the dado enriched with panelling of pointed arches. From the ends rise four dwarf columns supporting a pedimental canopy, the raking cornice being ornamented with crockets, and the whole finished with a superb finial, behind which, on a small column, is a statue of the archbishop in the act of giving the bene- diction. The sweep of the arch contains a cinquefoil, and each leaf a trefoil ; and on each side are neat buttresses, which rise to the height of the apex of the canopy, and finish in crocketted pinnacles. On the tomb is the full-length effigy of the prelate engraved in brass, habited in pontificalibus. 300 HISTORY OF book in. These are all the monuments, or inscriptions, now remaining in the body of the church, though there were formerly many more ; but as they have been removed in the lapse of time, they have ceased to interest the inquirer, or to deserve particular enumeration. WILLIAM PALMER. Entering the south aisle, near the second gate on the right hand near the wall is a neat tablet to the above, who died October 25, 1605. JANE HODSON. A small compartment, with two Corinthian columns, and a plain entablature, with a pediment upon which are two weeping boys, coats of arms, and an urn ; with a long Latin inscription, to the memory of Jane Hodson, wife of Phineas Hodson, professor of theology, and chancellor of this church, who died September 2, 1636, aged thirty-eight years and eight months. SIR WILLIAM GEE. The next is a monument, of the Corinthian order, to the memory of Sir William Gee, of Bishop Burton, in this county, knight, one of the privy council, and secre- tary to James I. It was erected by Mary Gee, his widow. Upon the pedestal part are five small figures, in a supplicating posture, and above are three larger figures (a man and two women in the full costume of the time) kneeling, in three arches, decorated with bells, books, coats of arms, cherubim, &c. It is inscribed : " In humanis magnus. in divinis multus." On each side are some Latin lines. ENSIGN HENRY WITHAM. Adjoining the last, is a small oval white tablet, on a black marble ground, against the wall, ornamented with an urn, drapery, &c. ; containing a short inscrip- tion, to the memory of Ensign Henry Witham, an officer in the Craven legion, who was accidentally drowned in the river Ouse, whilst stationed on duty at York, in 1809. He was about twenty-six years of age, and his brother officers erected this tablet, as a mark of respect, to his memory. ARCHBISHOP HUTTON. Adjoining the preceding, is an antique monument, with a whole length figure extended upon the table part, and three figures kneeling below, in three arches. Above this is an arch supported by two columns of the Corinthian order, and on THE COUNTY OF YORK. 301 the top are coats of arms, &c. The inscription states that he died January 16, chap. 1605, and that his wife died on the 5th of May, 1582. — NICHOLAS WANTON. This monument is a neat piece of architecture, with a figure in the attitude of prayer, between Corinthian pilasters. The inscription represents him to have been the youngest son and heir of Thomas Wanton, Esq. of London, and to have died March 2, 1617. His brother William is also interred near the same place. Above this is a wooden tablet, but so blistered through the late fire as to be useless, as is a painting of a man with a beard at his devotion, nearly adjoining. ARCHBISHOP LAMPLUGH. This monument is a modern one, inclosed within iron palisades. On the pedestal is a mitred figure erect, between pilasters, with a cornice, and two weeping boys and arms thereon ; a semi-circular pediment, with an urn at the top, &c. Below is a Latin inscription expressive of his dignities, virtues, and connections. He died May 5, 1691, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. THOMAS LAMPLUGH, M. A. Nearly adjoining, is a pyramidal monument of white marble, to the memory of Thomas Lamplugh, M. A., rector of Bolton-Piercy, and canon residentiary of this church. He was grandson of the archbishop, and died July 21, 1747, aged sixty. ARCHBISHOP DOLBEN Against the opposite wall is a marble monument, protected with iron palisades. A handsome mitred figure is reclining upon a table monument; above which is a groupe of cherubs, a low cornice, coat of arms, and an urn, supported by pilasters and festoons of fruit and flowers. The inscription below states, that he died in 1686, in the sixty-second year of his age. LADY MARY HORE. Returning to the south wall, is a beautiful veined marble slab, on which is represented a sarcophagus, with arms above, and an inscription below, to the memory of the Right Honourable Lady Mary Hore, who died at York, on her way to Scarborough, July 25, 1798, aged twenty-two. REV. GEORGE WILLIAM ANDERSON. This monument consists of a compartment, with an oval inscription table, a serpent in a circle, being the emblem of eternity ; above which are festoons of 4 H 302 HISTORY OF book hi. drapery. The whole is placed on a ground of veined marble, with an inscription to his memory. He died April 16th, 1785, in the twenty-fifth year of his age. MR. FRANCIS CROFT. This is a large table of variegated marble, against the wall ; on which is repre- sented a sarcophagus in white marble ; and above it, the family arms, with an inscription to the memory of Mr. Francis Croft, of this city, who died in 1807, aged thirty-one. DR. BURGH. Aii appropriate and classically elegant monument of beautiful white marble, by Westmacott, is erected to the memory of this celebrated character. The monument exhibits a full length emblematical figure of Religion, with a dove on her head, sustaining with her right hand a cross, and having her left placed on a book, entitled, " On the Holy Trinity*." Adjoining is an altar, with the name of "Burgh," on the upper part; and in the centre a glory, diverging from the letters J. H. S. On the base or pedestal of the monument is inscribed : "CL'LIELMO Bl'ItUH, MOID NAT. IIIBERN. 1741, MOST. EIIOR. 1808, JET. 67." Belon- this is lite following poetic Inscription, written by J. B. S. Morritt, Esq. of Itokeby. " Lost in a jarring world's tumultuous cries, Unmark'd, around us sink the good and wise ! Here Burgh is laid— a venerable name, To virtue sacred — not unknown to fame : Let those he lov'd — let those who lov'd him, tell How dear he liv'd, and how lamented fell : Tell of the void his social spirit left ; Of comforts long enjoy'd, for ever reft — Of wit that gilded many a sprightlier hour — Of kindness, when the scene of joy was o'er. — Of truth's ethereal beam, by learning given, To guide his virtues to their native heaven : Nor shall their sorrowing voice be heard unmov'd. While gratitude is left, or goodness lov'd ; But list'ning crowds this honour'd tomb attend. And children's childien bless their father's friend !" THE EARL OF STRAFFORD. This monument is of elegant veined marble, and of the Corinthian order, with beautiful fluted columns of the order. Between which, in a double niche, are seen the whole length figures of William Wentworth, earl of Strafford, and Ms lady, with * Alluding to a Treatise written by bim on that subject. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 303 an urn between them, and the coronet laid at their feet. They are attired in the C H \ P. . VII. costume of the time, and over the niches, within a circular pediment, are the ■ — Wentworth arms ; on each column stands a handsome vase or urn, and upon the pedestal, beside each figure, a weeping cherub. Beneath is a long inscription, descriptive of his illustrious family connexions. The earl was born on the *th of June, 1626, and died the 16th of October, 1695. On a flag on the floor, near this monument, is inscribed : " The earl of Strafford's vault, appointed to be made by William, earl of Strafford, Anno Dom. 1687.'' EDWARD TIPPING. This is a neat monument, with various devices — an urn with loose drapery over it, and a dove descending ; the whole being surrounded with a wreath of flowers. This monument is stated, by the inscription, to have been erected in memory of Edward Tipping, Esq. of Bellurgran park, in the county of Lowth, in Ireland; who died August 17, 1798, aged thirtv-five years. ARCHBISHOP PIERS. A small monument, being a square compartment, with two Corinthian columns, and an entablature decorated with shields of arms, &c. upon which is a long inscrip- tion, stating that he died September 28, 1594, in the seventy-first year of his age; and that John Bennet, whom he made his heir, erected this monument. HON. THOMAS WENTWORTH. Adjoining, is a very elegant monument, to the memory of the Hon. Thomas Wat- son Wentworth, third son of Edward Lord Rockingham. It was erected by his son, Thomas Lord Malton ; and stands upon a plain pedestal of veined marble, on which is another circular pedestal, whereon stands a full length figure of the deceased, in a Roman habit, leaning with his left arm upon an urn. A fine female figure, with beautiful drapery, is represented sitting on the other side, reclining her head upon her right hand, with her elbow upon another pedestal ; the back ground of the monument forming a pyramid, surmounted by the coat of arms. This beautiful piece of sculpture is protected by iron palisades, and bears an inscription to his memory, stating that he died October 6, 1723, aged fifty-eight : also to the memory of Thomas Watson Wentworth, marquis of Rockingham, who died at Wentworth-house, December 14, 1750, and was interred in the earl of Strafford's vault : likewise to the memory of Charles Watson Wentworth, the last marquis of Rockingham, who died at Wimbleton, in Surrey, July 1, 1782, aged fifty-two, and was buried in the same vault, with unprecedented honours as already described This monument was executed by I. B. Guelfi Romanus. 304 HISTORY OF BOOK III. ARCHBISHOP BOWETT. This exquisite monument of the taste and elegance of the fifteenth century, is nearly thirty feet high, and is decorated with numerous light and lofty pinnacles, statues, &c. The altar tomb is low, and the dado is enriched with quatrefoils in panels. At each end of the tomb rise numerous buttresses ending in pinnacles. The arch is pointed and the roof beautifully groined ; from the summit of the arch, rise three delicate tabernacles ; within the centre one is a statue of Henry V. and in each of the others an archbishop; the whole executed in the most magnificent manner. This prelate died in 1423, but the monument does not contain any inscription except his name. DEAN FINCH. Adjoining the pillar near the last, is a white veined marble monument resting on a pedestal ; and comprising the busts of Dean Finch, who died at Bath, September 8, 1728, and of the Hon. and Rev. Edward Finch, who died in 1737; with an urn in the centre. Above is a small pediment, and the family arms, with an inscription to the memory of the Hon. Mary Finch, wife of Edward, who died February 2tj, 1741; Henry Finch, A.M. who died September 8, 1728, aged sixty-four; and Edward Finch, A. M. who died February 14, 1737, aged seventy-five. MRS. ANNE BENNET Against one of the pillars is this monument. It is an antique compartment, representing a canopy with a half length female figure beneath, in costume of the period, and decorated with cherubs, harpies, &c. The inscription represents her as the daughter of Christopher Wekes, Esq. of Salisbury, in Wiltshire, and wife of John Bennet. She died February 9, 1601. ARCHBISHOP SHARP. Adjoining Bowett's tomb is a handsome marble monument, in memory of this prelate, of the Corinthian order with pilasters, and iron palisades in front. Upon the pedestal, a mitred figure lies in a reclining posture, being about half raised, on the right arm, which rests on a cushion, with a book in the left. The whole is decorated with figures of winged cherubs, urns, drapery, &c. Below is a very long inscription, expressive of his virtues, &c. and stating that he died at Bath, February 2, 1713, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. ARCHBISHOP SEWAL. Near the preceding is a table monument of grey marble, supported bv eleven THE COUNTY OF YORK. 305 small columns. On the table is a cross flory. It displays neither date or name, chap. but it is supposed to be the monument of Archbishop Sewal. — ARCHBISHOP MATHEW. This monument is of Corinthian architecture. The lower part of it is supported by four columns, with three small figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity, between them. Upon the table lies a figure at full length in gown and ruff; and above that are two more columns, supporting an arched pediment, with hour-glasses, coats of arms, &c. By the inscription below, we are informed that he died March 29, 1628, in the eighty-second year of his age. FRANCES MATHEW. A monument has also been erected adjoining, to the memory of Frances Mathew, wife of the above prelate. In a niche between two columns is the figure of a female in costume, in the attitude of prayer; two other figures also are standing near the columns, in a devout posture. The whole is decorated with representations of angels, coats of arms, &c. She died May 8th, 1629, aged seventy-eight. Beneath is an inscription to Ranulph Hurlestone, Esq. who died April 13, 1587. ARCHBISHOP FREWEN's Monument is twenty feet high, and ten broad. Between two Corinthian columns with an arched pediment, is a figure at full length, in gown and cap ; the whole being decorated with small figures, books, coats of arms, &c. His epitaph is as follows : " Hie requiescit in spe, novissimam prsestolans tubam Acceptus Frewen, Johannes Frewen rectoris ecclesis Nordiamensis in coraitatu Sussexia; filius natu maximus. Sac. Theo). Professor Collegij B. Maria? Magdalene Oxonij. Annos plus minus, undeviginti praeses, academic ibidem quater Vice- Cancellarius, Decanus Gloucestris, postea factus Episcopus Covenir. and Lichf. Deinde Archiepiscopus Eborac. Qui inter ^ivos esse desiit Mar. 28, Anno Dom. 1664, Suse iEtat 76 Peneexacto.' A neighbouring inscription also mentions, that near this monument lies Judith, the wife of Thomas Frewen, Esq. who died September 29, 1666, in the twenty-seventh year of her age. ARCHBISHOP SCROPE. This monument is about three feet high and eight feet long ; the dado has quatre- foils enclosing blank shields, which seem to have had brass ones, now gone. There is no inscription. ARCHBISHOP ROTHERHAM's Is a solid table tomb ; the dado is decorated with large quatrefoils and blank shields, it has no inscription, but on it is a marble slab, removed from the tomb 4 i 306 HISTORY OF book III . Q f ( j ean William de Langueton, who died in 1275, as appears by the remains of the inscription.* COUNTESS OF CUMBERLAND A table tomb, supported by four vases, to the memory of the Right Hon. Frances Cecil, countess of Cumberland, daughter of the earl of Salisbury, and wife of the Right Hon. Henrv Lord Clifford, Bromfleet, Vetrepon and Vessey, earl of Cum- berland, and lord lieutenant of the county of York. She died at York, February 4th, 1643, aged forty-nine years and eleven months. « MRS. MARY THORNHILL. This is a beautiful tablet against the last wall, the upper portion being a pyramid of yellow and red veined marble. On the top is an urn, with other ornaments in white marble ; and on the right side of an inscription, is a branch of laurel inter- woven with Cyprus, whilst on the left, are Cyprus and palm branches. She died at Fixby, in this county, January 6, 1727, aged seventy-one. This monument also is sacred to the memory of her two daughters. ARCHBISHOP STERNE. This is a very fine marble monument in the modern style. Upon the pedestal, is a mitred figure, reclining, with his head upon his hand; and upon the two external angles of the pedestal, are two winged cherubs, weeping. Over the figure is an architrave, frieze and cornice, adorned with drapery and festoons, and surmounted by a semi-circular pediment and his coat of arms. The monument bears a Latin inscription to his memory. He died June 18, 16S3. aged eighty-seven. R. STERNE, ESQ. Nearly adjoining is a neat tablet to R. Sterne, Esq. of Elvington. Died September 30, 1791, aged fifty-one. LIONEL INGRAM. A square compartment, with small Corinthian columns, kc. contains an inscription to the memory of Lionel Ingram, infant son of Arthur Ingram, knight, aged six years and three months. p. AND .). GIBSON. A neat oval compartment, adorned with heads of cherubs, next appears, inscribed • Brilton's York Cathedral, p. 61. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 307 to the memory of Mrs. Penelope Gibson, daughter of John Gibson, Esq. of Wei- chap bourne, in the county of York, who died January 10th, 1715 ; and above, a similar slab to the memory of Mrs. Johanna Gibson, of the same town, who died in 1773. SAMUEL BREARY, D. D. On a neat monument of grey marble, surmounted by a pediment, is an inscription to the memory of Samuel Breary, D. D., prebendary of Strensall, and rector of Middleton and south Dalton. He was born at Middlethorpe, and died January 1.5th, 1735; aged sixty-five. CHARLES LAYTON, ESQ. A small marble tablet. He was the only son of Thomas Layton, of Layton, in the county of York, knight; and died on the 10th of August, 1675, aged thirty-five. mrs. pulleyn's Is a pyramidal monument, at the bottom of which are elegant festoons of oak. On each side are placed, on a ground of dove marble, festoons of lilies ; and above is an elegant urn, on the pedestal of which are placed the arms, decorated on each side with cypress. The outward ground is of a beautiful variegated marble, elegantly finished ; with an inscription, to the memory of Mary Pulleyn, widow of Thomas Pulleyn, Esq. of Burlcy, and daughter of Richard Sterne, Esq. of Elvington, who died July 31st, 1786, aged eighty-two; also of Ann Sterne, Richard Sterne, and Mary Sterne, of Elvington. SAMUEL TERRICK, M. A. A neat modern monument, against the wall, is inscribed to the memory of Samuel Terrick, M. A. rector of Wheldrake. On the upper part is a coat of arms, and below is an inscription. He died January 2nd, 1719, in the fifty-first year of his age. SIR GEORGE SAV1LE, BART. A beautiful white marble statue of this highly respected statesman was erected by a general subscription in the county of York. It is placed upon an elegant enriched marble pedestal, six feet high, with scrolls at the angles, and on the frieze of which are introduced the emblems of Wisdom, Fortitude, and Eternity. Sir George is represented leaning upon a pillar, holding in his right hand a scroll, on which is written : " The Petition of the Freeholders of the County of York." The back ground is of dove marble, and the whole height of the monument is sixteen feet. On the front of the pedestal is the following inscription : VII. 308 HISTORY OF BOOK III. "To the memory of Sir George Savile, Bart, who, in five successive parliaments, represented the county of York : the public love and esteem of his fellow citizens have decreed this monument. In private life he was benevolent and sincere — his charities were extensive and secret ; his whole heart was formed on principles of generosity, mildness, justice, and universal candour: in public, the patron of every national improvement ; in the senate, incorrupt ; in his commerce with the world, disinterested : by genius, enlightened in the means of doing good, he was unwearied in doing it. His life was an ornament and a blessing to the age in which he lived : and after death his memory will con- tinue to be beneficial to mankind, by holding forth an example of pure and unaffected virtue, most worthy of imitation to the latest posterity ! He departed this life January 9th, 1784. in the fifty-eighth year of his age, beloved and lamented." JOHN RICHARDSON, M. A. A white marble monument, against the wall. He was one of the canons residen- tiary of this church, and died October 28, 1735, in the sixtieth year of his age. DR. DEALTRV. A neat monument, the design of which was executed in statuary marble, by Messrs. Fisher, of this city ; it is a figure of Health in alto relievo, with her ancient insignia, bending over an urn, and dropping a chaplet. Underneath, are the two following inscriptions : "To the memory of John Dealtry, M. D. whose skill in his profession was only equalled by the humanity of his practice ; Elizabeth his afflicted widow, dedicates this monument. He died March 25th, 1773, aged sixty-five. Here, o'er the tomb where Dealtry's ashes sleep See Health, in emblematic anguish weep ! She drops her faded wreath : " No more," she cries, " Let languid mortals, with beseeching eyes •• Implore my feeble aid : it fail'd to save "My own and Nature's guardian from the grave !" SIR THOMAS DAVENPORT. This is a pyramidal monument, highly finished. At the bottom are introduced the arms, on a shield, with a branch of cypress on one side, and a laurel branch on the other. In the centre is the inscription ; and on each side, a pilaster, decorated with drooping festoons of oak and myrtle, above which is placed an elegant urn. The pedestal is of dove marble, on which is an ivy branch ; and the ground is of beautifully variegated marble, with an inscription, stating that Sir Thomas Davenport, knight, was one of his majesty's Serjeants at law, and member of parliament for Newton, in Lancaslurc ; that he opened the commission of assize in York, on Saturday, March 11th, 17^(3, attended the minster on the following day, was seized with a fever, and died on the 25th, aged fifty-two. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 309 HON. MRS. LANGLEY This is an exceedingly beautiful monument of pointed architecture ; it consists of a panel with an inscription, and above it a canopy composed of several arches, with pendants, and numerous pinnacles, with finials, &c. ; the whole having a light and elegant appearance. The inscription is to the memory of the Hon. Dorotln Langley, daughter of Henry Lord Middleton, and relict of R. Langley, Esq. of Wykeham abbey. She died April 13th, 1824, aged sixty-five. ADMIRAL MEDLEY. A neat monument of white veined marble, with a fine bust, arms, and curious devices of naval implements, ships, &c. ; below are two weeping cherubs, and under- neath them the inscription. He was born at Grimston Garth, became vice-admiral of the Blue, and commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, and died at Savona, August .5, 1747. WILLIAM PEARSON, L.L. D. He was chancellor of the diocese of York, &c. To his memory is erected a neat plain monument, against the wall, with his coat of arms at the top, and an inscription below. He died February 6th, 1715, in the fifty-third year of his age. MRS. RAYNES. Beneath is a small compartment, with a pediment, &c. to the memory of Mrs. Raynes, wife of Thomas Raynes, Esq. and daughter of Robert Conyers, Esq. of Boulby, in the county of York. She died of a cancer, December 20th, 1689. EARL OF CARLISLE. This is a modern marble monument, against the wall, composed of two pilasters, a circular pediment, &c. adorned with cherubs, coats of arms, a bust of the earl, and several urns. On one column is an inscription to the memory of " Charles Howard, earl of Carlisle, viscount Morpeth, baron Dacres of Gilsland, lord-lieutenant of Cumberland and Westmoreland, vice-admiral of the coasts of Northumberland, Cumberland, bishopric of Durham, town and county of Newcastle, and maritime parts adjacent ; governor of Jamaica, privy counsellor to King Charles II. and his ambassador extraordinary to the czar of Muscovy, and the kings of Sweden and Denmark, in 1663 and 1664." He died February 24, 1684, aged fifty-six. Another column of the same monument is inscribed by the Right Hon. Lady Mary Fenwicke, eldest daughter of the earl, to the memory of Sir John Fenwicke, Bart., of Fenwicke castle, in Northumberland, her deceased husband, who was interred January 28, 4 K CHAP. Ml 310 HISTORY OF hook in. 1696, in the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, aged fifty-two. In the centre of the monument is an inscription to the memory of the said Lady Mary Fenwicke, who died October 27, 1780, in the fiftieth year of her age. Near this monument is the ancient family vault, and over the entrance into it is a flag, with these words: "Here lyetli the body of Charles Howard, earl of Carlisle, who died the 24th of February, 1684. Mta.t sua; 56." ANNABELLA WICKHAM. A square compartment decorated by coats of arms, &c. contains an inscription to the memory of Annabella Wickham, wife of Henry Wickham, D. D- and arch- deacon of York. She died July 25, 1625. Above is an urn of statuary marble, with the single initials of some person, E. S. SIR WILLIAM INGRAM. This is a small antique monument, decorated with figures of himself and his wife in a costume of the period, coat of arms, &c. He was knighted by King James, was doctor of laws, a master in chancery, and sole deputy commissary of the prerogative court of York. He died July 24, 1625. The monument bears an inscription and the following curious epitaph: " Here the judge of testators lies dead in Christ, the judge and testator of the new covenant. He has given these legacies : himself lo the Lord, his joys to heaven, his deeds to the world, his gains to his friends, his body to the eaith. The hearts of his friends contain a better picture of his character ; but, would you know his whole conduct, you must follow him to heaven." DR. SWINBURNE. This monument is partly modern, decorated with coats of arms, various small figures and angels, and a large figure in a supplicating posture, under an arch. There is a short inscription, but no date. P. REEVES, ESQ. A variegated marble monument against the wall, with a white oval centre, is inscribed to him in these words : '• To the memory of P. Reeves, Esq. of Aborfield, in the county of Berks, captain in the first or royal regiment. He fell in battle at Toulon, 30th of November, 1793, in the twenty-ninth year of his age. His brother, George Dawson, inscribes this." On each side are represented, the gorget, sash, and sword ; above is a wreath of laurel, and below are the family arms. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 311 REV. RICHARD THOMPSON. Adjoining the preceding is a handsome monument of white marble, on a dove marble ground, to the memory of the Rev. Richard Thompson, prebendary of York, and rector of Kirk-Deighton. — Also to the memory of Anne, his wife ; the latter died in 1791, the former in 179.5. It is ornamented with emblematic devices, and supported by two flat pillars, one of which is crowned with an urn, the other with a representation of books piled up. The family arms are seen in the centre, and a larger urn is placed over the whole. SIR HENRY BELLASSIS. This handsome monument is of Corinthian architecture, decorated with coats of arms, and three small figures in the attitude of prayer. In the upper part, beneath arches, are figures of the knight and his lady in the costume of the period, and below is the following inscription : — " Henricus Bellassis, Miles et Baronettus 61ius Gulielmi Bellassis Milit. ex Margareta filia Primo- genita Nicholai Fairfax de Gillinc Milit. Mortalitatis memor, hunc tumulum sibi et Ursulse conjugi charissimae filiae primogenita? Thomse Fairfax de Denton Milit posuit, sub quo siinul requiescant et gloriosura Christ! redemptoris adventuru expectent." J. F. ABBOT, ESQ. A small plain tablet, against the wall, is inscribed : "The remains of John Fair Abbot, Esq. of Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, London; who died at York, 22nd September, 1794, aged thirty-eight." RICHARD WARTON, ESQ. This is a very neat white marble monument, on a black marble ground, executed by Messrs. Fisher, of York ; and thus inscribed : " Near this marble lie interred, the remains of Richard Wharton, Esq. of Carlton, in the county of York, who died 17th November, 1794, aged sixty-four years. He was a man whose virtues were best known to his friends and the poor ; for his life was private, though not solitary ; his piety was sincere, his manners amiable, and his benevolence truly christian. On the top of this inscription is an elegant sarcophagus, with the family arms in front. ARCHBISHOP SAVAGE. On the opposite side of the choir, is this monument. It is a solid altar tomb, on the dado of which are quatrefoils containing shields of arms. On the tomb is the effigy of the bishop arrayed in pontifical robes, with his mitre, crosier, &c. CHAP. \if. 312 HISTORY OF book III. Above is a pointed arch, the roof being groined in panels ; and the spandrils contain angels with incense, &c. On the cornice is inscribed Dottor * Sabagc * ftonOon • ¥orfee * Korfirster • On each side are recesses filled with tracery, the whole having a very elegant appearance. In a recess, adjoining to the tomb last described, are two stone coffins found without Bootham bar. Near them are also placed two stone effigies, removed from another part of the church : one of them is attired in chain armour, with a shield, &c. and is supposed to represent one of the family of Mauley ; the other was formerly supposed to be Roman, but has lately been considered as a Saxon layman of high rank. Drawing nearer the inner gates, two old monuments will be observed, the brass inscriptions of which were stolen away, probably at the reformation. One is sup- posed to be that of Bryan Higden, dean of York, in 1539 ; the other is unknown. PiUNCE WILLIAM DE HATFIELD. Near the outer gates of the north aisle of the choir are three canopies, placed above one another in the north wall, and in the lowermost is a full length alabaster figure of this prince, in an embroidered vest and cloak. On his head is a small coronet, and at his feet a lion couch ant. The dado is enriched with pointed panels and tracery, &c. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 313 CHAPTER VIM. SURVEY OF THE CLOSE OF THE CATHEDRAL AND ITS ArPENDAGES. The appendages to the cathedral nearly surround the edifice, and were formerly chap. detached from the city by walls, and four pair of large gates, the latter of which were placed as follows: — One at Petergate, facing Little Blake Street; another opening into Petergate, opposite Stonegate ; a third at the end of College street, opposite the Bedern ; and a fourth in Uggleforth. The remains of some of these are visible even at the present day. The circumference of this district is nearly three quarters of a mile. The archbishopric of York had formerly several palaces in different parts of the Ancient country ; but now there is only the one at Bishopsthorpe. The finest of these ^ched to palaces stood within the close of the cathedral, on the north side of the edifice. ■*■ It was built by Archbishop Thomas, the first of that surname. Five hundred years after its first erection, the great hall was destroyed by Archbishop Young, merely from an avaricious desire for the lead with which it was covered. Since that period other parts of this magnificent edifice have been leased out from the see, and at the present time only a small portion of the cloister exists; the latter consists of seven semicircular arches, the mouldings of which are plain, and spring from three columns with square capitals, enriched with foliage. A similar column, in the centre of each division, divides them into two trefoil-headed niches. From the style of architecture it is evident it is of the early part of the twelfth century. In two of the easternmost niches are seats, and from them may be obtained a beautiful view of the north side of the cathedral and chapter house. Near the site of the above mentioned palace stood a small chapel, which having Chapel. become very ruinous, was a few years since repaired by the dean, and now exhibits a pleasing specimen of the early style of pointed architecture. The west front of this chapel is divided into two stories by a string course ; the lower has a doorway, consisting of a pointed arch springing from two dwarf columns with circular capitals, simply ornamented with a flower moulding. The second story is occupied by a 4 L 314 HISTORY OF boukiii. lancet-headed window of five lights, each divided by a light column with a capital similar to those in the lower story ; the whole are bounded by a semicircular arch, which rises on each side of the window 7 . The angles of the building are guarded by buttresses with angular caps, and the roof rakes to a point with the small flower moulding, common to works of the period. The south side consists of four divisions made by buttresses ; the lower portions of the two westernmost ones containing blank windows with trefoil heads. The upper story of the first division contains a double light window of lancet form, within a pointed arch, in the second and third division; there are three windows of the same form and of equal breadth, but graduating in height ; these are bounded by a semicircular arch ; the last division is similar to the first. This side of the edifice is finished by a string course and plain parapet. The whole has a very elegant appearance, and is a great ornament to the close of the cathedral, which is kept in the most beautiful condition, being- divided into walks with shrubberies, &c. The upper apartment of this building, to which the ascent is by a handsome flight of stone steps from the lower floor, is used for a library. This room, though not spacious, is very neatly fitted up for the purpose. The west window contains on beautiful stained glass the armorial bearings of the members of the church ; in the centre of which is a shield representing the arms of the duke of Clarence, who visited the cathedral September 29th, 1S06 ; and the side windows are formed of ground glass, which prevents too great a glare of light. Chairs, tables, and a fire, for the convenience of reading, are provided ; and the room is shelved for books from the floor to the ceiling. The date of this building is about the same period as the relic of the episcopal palace above described. It has already been observed that Archbishop Egbert, in the eighth century, was the first contributor to this library, and that his collection was destroyed by tiro, in the year 1069. In the reign of William I. Archbishop Thomas founded another, which unfortunately shared the same fate, in the year 1137. The next important contribution, was in the early part of the seventeenth century, when Mrs. Mathew, relict of the archbishop of that name, presented to the church her husband's private collection of books, amounting to upwards of three thousand volumes. On the whole this library is a valuable collection ; and as additions are constantly making to it, it will no doubt ere long become very extensive. Adjoining the library on the north is a small edifice of two stories, the lower containing a doorway with three narrow windows, and the upper three windows of two lights each, made by a dwarf column in the centre, the heads being trefoil, and each window bounded by a semicircular moulding which is continued along the entire front. The whole is finished by a plain parapet. ery^house" Between the library and the chapter house a new deanery house is in course THE COUNTY OF YORK. 315 of erection; it is nearly square, and is of the style of architecture prevalent in the C fi A p. vni latter part of the fifteenth century. The west and principal front consists of four — stories, the front being made into three divisions by buttresses and octagonal turrets at the angles. In the first story, are three windows with arched heads ; in the middle division of the second story, is an oriel window, which is continued in the third story; the intermediate space between the two windows being filled with quatrefoil, panelling, roses, &c. The other divisions contain a square-headed win- dow on each story. A continued band with grotesque heads, roses, portcullis, &c. extends round the entire building, and, with a, battlement, finishes the design, with the exception of the centre division, which has a gable, and a small pointed window. The north side is similar to the one just described, with the exception of having a porch instead of the oriel window, and a double gable to the roof. The whole has a very chaste and elegant appearance, and when finished will be an additional ornament to the close of the cathedral. The residentiary, which was completed in 1826, is in a later style of architecture ; The resi- it is of a similar size and form with the deanery. The front consists of three stories : the first has in the centre an arched doorway bounded by a square-headed weather cornice, which is continued along the front, and bounds the heads of a square-headed window on each side of three lights, with tracery in their heads ; the second story is similar, except that a bow window occupies the centre division. The third story has three gables, and in each a square-headed window. The east front has in the grand floor square oriel or projecting windows, of five lights each, divided by buttresses, and two square-headed windows of two lights each, with pointed heads and a transom. The upper story consists of five windows similar to those last described, and one in the gable. The other sides are not visible from the close, but are of similar architecture. Attached to the residentiary is a handome garden, extending to the city wall and St. William's chapel ; it is only bounded from the close by a light railing of iron, and the portion of the ancient cloisters before described. The chapel of St. Sepulchre formerly stood near the archiepiscopal palace. This Chappi of chapel was built and amply endowed by Roger, archbishop of York, and had, at the c h,. e . reformation, a revenue amounting to £192. 16*. Gd. After the edifice had ceased to answer the purpose for which it was originally intended, part of it was converted into a public house, and from an opening at the end of a dungeon, with which the chapel was provided, the publican named his house " The Hole in the Wall." In the year 1816, the public house became ruinous, and was taken down, when on removing the materials, the workmen came to a subterraneous prison, some feet Subterra- below the surface of the earth, which had, no doubt, been used in the dark ages of cruelty and superstition, as a dungeon for the purpose of immuring ecclesiastical 316 HISTORY OF Peter Pri son and Hall of Pleas. book in. delinquents. The approach was by a flight of stone steps ; at the bottom of which were two massy oak doors, one against the other ; each five feet seven inches high, by two feet seven inches broad, and five inches in thickness. Through these doors, entrance was obtained to the dungeon, which was thirty-two feet five inches in length, nine feet four inches broad, and about nine feet and a half in height ; the walls being four feet ten inches thick. On the side opposite the entrance were three sloping windows strangely guarded with iron, and attached to the walls were the remains of several staples. In the following year a rude piece of Saxon sculpture, cut upon a stone, which it is conjectured formed the base of the arch over the doorway leading into this dungeon, was found. This singular relic is supposed to represent a man in the agonies of death, surrounded by demons, who are tor- menting the body, and seizing the departing spirit. It is now deposited in the minster library.* Not far from the dungeon is Peter Prison, and the " Hall of Pleas " for the liberty of St. Peter. The principal entrance to this building is in the minster-yard, by a flight of stone steps ; and the third and highest story consists of a small court room, where causes in common law, arising in this jurisdiction, are tried. The second story contains two small day rooms for prisoners, with lodging rooms adjoin- ing, and two cells for felons beneath, without any yard attached. There are also other rooms, in which the jailor and his family reside. The liberty of St. Peter comprehends all those parts of the city and county of York which belong to the church of St. Peter. The jurisdiction is separate and exclusive, and it has its own magistrates, steward, bailiff, coroner, and constables. Amongst its privileges, the inhabitants and tenants of tlus liberty are exempt from the payment of all manner of tolls throughout England, Ireland, and Wales, on the production of a certificate, which the under steward is always ready to supplv. This liberty consists of the following places, or portions of places. In the east riding — Faxfleet, north Newbald, and south Newbald, in Hansley Beacon division ; Barmby on the moor, in Wilton Beacon division ; and Dunnington, Heslington, and Langwith in Ouse and Derwent wapentake. In the north riding — Carleton and Husthwaite, in Birdforth wapentake ; Clifton Haxby, Gate, Helmsley, Helperbi, Murton, Osbaldwick, Skelton, Stillington, Strensall, and Warthill, in Bulmer wapentake; Brawby, Salton, and Nawton, with Wambleton, in Ryedale wapentake. In the west riding — Dring houses, in the ainstey of the city of York ; Brotherton and Ulleskelf in Barkston Ash wapentake, and Knaresborough, in Claro wapentake. In the city of York, the minster yard and Beddern. Besides the twenty-seven Liberty of St. Peter. It is engraved in Hargrove's Hist, of York. vol. ii. p. 199. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 317 places, and parts of places, above noticed, as being entirely within the liberty chap. of St. Peter at York, detached parcels are found in most of the wapentakes of Yorkshire to the number of ninety-seven. St. Michael-le-Belfrey's * church is the next public building in the minster-yard. St. Mi- chael-le- It is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the dean and chapter. In the king's books Belfrey. the living is valued at £2. Os. lOd. In addition to the Sunday service, there is a sermon every Wednesday evening at seven o'clock. This church is the largest and most elegant sacred edifice in the city or suburbs of York. It consists of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, and has a very uniform appearance. ' The exterior west end is made into three divisions by buttresses, the two centre ones being of uncommon size and in four gradations. In the lower story of the centre division is an arched doorway now filled up ; the sill of the window above forms a weather cornice to this door, the spandrils being filled with quatrefoils, &c. Above this rises a handsome window of five lights, each finished with a trefoil head, and the spring of the arch filled with perpendicular tracery. This window is bounded by another arch of larger dimensions, the soffit filled with plain but bold mouldings which vanish in the buttresses. Above this is a cornice, and in the centre the remains of a turret, now finished with a small and paltry bell-case for one bell. The west end of the south aisle is built against, and the other aisle exhibits a depressed pointed arch of four lights with trefoil heads, the finish of the arch being intersecting sub- arches, and quatrefoil tracery. The gable rakes up to the nave from the wall of the aisle The north side has a very handsome appearance. It consists of six divisions, made by buttresses of three gradations which do not rise to above two thirds of the height of the aisle, and are finished in tall square shafts, which terminate above the battlement in pinnacles ornamented with crocketting, and end with a finial. Attached to the first step of each buttress, is a band which is continued round the church. In each division are windows like those in the west end of the south aisle. The design is finished by a plain band and parapet, and over each buttress is a gargoyle composed of an eagle, which serves to attach the shaft to the wall of the aisle. In the first division from the west is an arched doorway, apparently of modern formation. The clerestory windows of the nave and chancel are barely observable from the street; they are twelve in number, square headed, and of three lights, each with trefoil heads. The east end is similar to the west, if we except the absence of the massy buttresses, the bounding arch to the centre window, and the turret and door. The south side is similar in form to the north, except that the dado is enriched with square panels, enclosing * So called from standing near the turris campanifera, or belfry of the cathedral, to distinguish it from St. Michael. Spurrier gate. 4 M 318 HISTORY OF book in quatrefoils, with shields of arms, principally those of the archbishopric and deanery, the keys of the former occasionally surmounted by a mitre. The gargoyles are also of monsters and human beings, as well as birds ; and at the south west angle is a turret staircase. The interior is particularly light and elegant, and is a pleasing specimen of the architecture of the sixteenth century. The nave and chancel are divided from the aisles by six depressed pointed arches, resting on clusters of four columns, united by octagonal capitals ; in the spandrils, a quatrefoil in a circle between two trefoils, and beneath, an angel holding shields charged alternately with two swords and two keys in saltire : a plain cornice runs along above the points of the arches, from which rise the windows of the clerestory, which are internally divided into two series of arched compartments, the lower of which are blank. The ceilings of the body and aisles are flat panelled without bosses. The altar screen is a rich composition executed in dark oak ; it consists of five divisions made by Corinthian columns, the two central ones insulated, the others attached ; they are crowned with a rich entablature, with an attic panel above the centre division, containing the royal arms, and finished with a pediment on acroteria, over which, and also above the exterior columns, are urns ; the inter- columniations have the usual inscriptions. The rails around the communion table are very handsome. One arch at the west end is occupied by a gallery, extending across the nave and aisles; in it is a handsome organ.* The pulpit is octagonal, with the desk grouped in the centre of the church. The monuments are rather numerous, but none particularly worthy of notice, except the following. At the east end of the north aisle a neat tablet to the Rev. W. Richardson, sub-chanter of the cathedral, who died May 17, 1821, aged seventy-six ; above is a tablet to the Rev. W. Knight, of Banbury, Oxon, sub- chanter of the cathedral : died August 25, 1739, aged fifty-five. In the south aisle a neat tablet to R. Farrer, Esq. lord mayor, 1756, and 17(39, who died July 15, 1780, aged seventy-five; also a tablet to A. Hunter, M. D. died May 7, 1*09, aged seventy-nine. At the east end of the same aisle are two costumic effigies resting their arms on urns, and over them two boys supporting a celestial crown, all within an arched recess supported by two Corinthian pilasters. On the base a long inscription to * Since the destruction of the choir of the minster, the cathedral service is performed in this church, the gallery being fitted up for the choir. Drake says "the organ, the only one belonging to any parish church in the town, came from the popish chapel in the manor ; but was first had from the church of Durham, as the arms upon it doth shew." Hist, of York, folio, p. 338. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 319 R. Squire and Priscilla his wife. He was member for Scarborough, and died chap. viii. October 8, 1709; his wife on January 30, 1711. The windows of this church are very rich in stained glass, with full-length figures of Peter, Paul, John, Christopher, William the archbishop, Michael, &c. There appears to have been only one chantry in this church ; it was founded in 1472, by Sir Ralph Bullmer, Knt. to pray, &c. at the altar of our lady in the said church ; the yearly value was forty-nine shillings. Besides this church there were formerly two other parish churches within the close of the cathedral :— " St. Mary ad Valvas," and " St. John del Pike." The former was taken down in 1365, when the rectory was united to that of the latter; and the church of St. John del Pike was also removed, and the parish, except those houses which were in the minster-yard, was united to that of the Holy Trinity, in Goodramgate, January 27, 158.5. The free grammar school within the close of the cathedral, was erected and Grammar ° school. endowed by Robert Holgate, D. D. archbishop of York in 1546, with twelve pounds a year, for a master to attend daily, " to teach grammar and godly learning, freely, without taking any stipend or wages." This is a chartered school, under the designation of " The Free School of Robert Holgate ;" the archbishop being patron. The grammar school is a handsome edifice of brick stuccoed opposite the south- east angle of the church.* The treasurer's house is a large and handsome brick building near the same end Treasur 6r*s house of the minster-yard, built in 1696. It formerly belonged to the treasurers of the church, who occupied it till that office was abrogated. It is now possessed as private property, and has been divided into several tenements The register office, or the archbishop's prerogative court, as it is sometimes Register called, is held in an old building at the east end of the cathedral, in which the registration of wills and the granting of licences for the general diocese of York take place. The registers preserved in that office are supposed to be of an older date than any others of the same kind in the kingdom ; they begin with the rolls of Walter de Grey, 1216; whereas those in the archiepiscopal palace at Lambeth do not commence before 1307. t The dean and chapter have also an office, in which secular business is transacted for the inhabitants of the liberty of St. Peter. * At the time the commissioners made their report on this charity the property of the school was valued at upwards of three hundred and sixty pounds per annum, and the number of boys on the foundation was seventeen ! The master also charges for teaching English, writing, and accounts. This charity- is obviously in a shameful state of neglect, and particularly deserves the attention of those citizens of York who are friends to the education of the poor and the promotion of knowledge. Vide Report — Charities, No. xii. p. 638. + Hargrove's York, vol. ii. p. 137. 320 HISTORY OF BOOK III The dea- nery. The next building in the minster-yard is the deanery ; it was first erected in the year 1090. At the reformation the yearly tenths of the deanery- of York were valued at £30. 17*. Ojd. and the living, which is in the gift of the king, at £307. 10*. '^d. The deanery has the rectories of Pocklington, Pickering, and Kilham,* of which the dean is patron and ordinary; he likewise presents to Thornton, Ebberston, Ellerburne, Barnby moor, Givendale, and Hayton vicarages. He appoints also the residentiaries, but must choose them out of the prebendaries; and the first prebendary he sees after a vacancy, has a right to claim the residentiary-ship. The dean and four residentiaries constitute the chapter ; and the value of the residen- tiaryship is estimated in the king's books at two hundred pounds per annum. The deanery is situated opposite the south entrance to the church, and has still an ancient appearance, though much modernized. The principal part is of stone, and consists of a centre and wings ; the latter have gables, but the principal part of the windows have lost their munnions. Attached to the east end is a large mansion of red brick, in the style prevalent at the commencement of the eighteenth century ; this has a brick portal surmounted by an urn. * Drake observes, "By an ancient custom of this church, the dean of it was obliged for ever to feed or relieve, at his deanery, ten poor people, daily. — This was for the soul of good Queen Maud ; and for which purpose, he had the churches of Kilham, Pickering, and Pocklington, annexed to his deanery.'' A LIST OF THE DEANS OF YORK, with the year of their respective creation. DSUIS. Appointed Died or removed. Hn Temp. Will. II. Temp. K. Step.' 1144 1186 11S9 1191 1214 12— 1235 1240 1244 124- 125 1256 1258 126 Godfrey de Ladham (or Key n ton ) Died . 1279 * Or as John, Prior of Hagostald sajs, 1144. t> His tomb, inlaid with brass and gill, was destroyed in the Rebellion. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 321 Robert de Scardebargh . . . . Henry de Newark William de Hameltonc . . . . Reginald de Gote Cardinalis . William de Pykering Robt. de Pykerings, P.C.L. . William de Colby William de la Zoucb Pbilip de Weston Tailerand, Bishop of Albaneu . Jobn Anglicus, Cardinalis . . Adam Easton, Cardinalis . . . Edmd. de Strafford, LL. D. . Roger Walden Ricbard Clifford, Bac. Leg. . Thomas Langley d John Prophete Thomas Polton William Grey, LL. D Robert Gilbert, S.T.P W r m. Felter, Dec. Dr Ricbard Andrews, e LL. D. . . Robert Bolhe, LL. D Christopher Urswyk, Dec. Dr. Wm. Sheffield,' Dec. Dr. . . . Geoffrey Blylbe, S.T.B. . . . Christ, Baynbrigge, LL. D. . . James Harrington Thomas Wolsey John Youngs Brian Higden, 1 " LL. D Richard Layton, LL. D. . . . Nicholas Wotton,> LL. D. . . Matthew Hutton John Thombnrgh, S.T.P. . . . George Meriton> S.T.P. . . . John Scntt.i S.T.P Richard Marsh William Sancroft Robert Hitch, S.T.P Tobias Wickham, m Thomas Gale," S.T.P Henry Finch, A.M Rich. Osbaldeston, S.T.P. . . John Fountayne George Markham . . • ... W.Cockburn.A.M 1279 1290 1298 1309 1310 1312 1332 1333 1347 135- 13lili 1381 1385 139- 1398 1401 1407 1416 1421 1426 1437 1454 1477 1488 1494 1496 1503 1507 1512 1514 1516 1539 1544 1567 1589 1617 1624 1660 1663 1664 1676 1679 1702 1728 1747 1802 1822 Died or removed Died 1290 Archbishop 1296 Died 1314 Died 1310 Died 1312 Archbishop 1340 Died . . . Deprived Deprived Archbishop of Canterbury 1398 Bishop of Worcester • 1401 Bishop of Durham 1406 Died Bishop of London Bishop of London Died Resigned Died Resigned Died Bishop of Lichfield c Bishop of Durham I Arcbbp. of York Died J Bisbop of Lincoln (Archbishop of York Died Died Died Died t Bishop of Durham i Archbishop of York \ Held the Bishoprics of Limerick and Bristol ) in commendam, removed to Worcester in Died Died Died Dean of St. Paul's, London Died Died Died Died Carlisle Died Died 1426 1437 1477 1494 1503 1507 1508 1512 1513 1514 1516 1539 1544 1567 1589 1594 1617 1624 1644 1663 1664 1676 1679 1702 1728 1747 1802 1822 (' H A P. VIII. c Jan. 16, 1305, 32d Edw. I. this William de Hamelton had the great seal delivered to him as Lord Chancellor of England. — Torre, p. 555. rt In the year 1405 he was constituted Lord High Chancellor of England. — Drake, p. 564. « Buried in the south transept of the cathedral, f Buried near the former Dean, e Buried in the Rolls Chapel, London, h Buried in the south transept of the cathedral. ■ See a particular account of him in Drake's Eboracum, B. ii. ch. iit. p. 565. k Buried in the south aisle of the choir of the cathedral. I llackett, in his "Life of Archbishop Williams," says, that he died in the Fleet Prison. II Buried near the altar in the cathedral. a Buried in the choir of the cathedral. 4 N 322 HISTORY OF book. in. In a narrow street within the close of the cathedral called College street, are St. Wil- considerable remains of an ancient building erected to the honour of St William, ',e a °' s ct>1 " archbishop of York, called " St. William's college." It appears by records that King Henrv VI. granted his letters patent for erecting a college to the honour of the archbishop of that name, in the close at York, for the parsons and chantry priests of the cathedral to reside in ; " whereas before they lived promiscuously in houses of laymen and women, contrary to the honour and decency of the said church," as the patent expresses, and their spiritual orders, &c. It does not appear that this grant was put into execution : probably the civil dissensions of the time prevented it: but King Edward IV. in the first year of his reign, granted other letters patent, of the same tenor, to George Neville, then bishop of Exeter, and to his brother Richard earl of Warwick, and their heirs, to found and sustain this college, without reciting any of the former grant, and to have the nomination of the provost of it for ever. The patent is very large and full, and contains all the rules and statutes to be observed by the members of it. It is dated at York, May 11th, in the first year of his reign. The entrance of the college consists of a pointed arch, the mouldings of which spring from three columns with leaved capitals ; on each side is a buttress terminat- ing in a pinnacle and finial ; the arch is crocketted. Over the arch, in a niche, is a statue of St. William, between his arms and those of the see. Above are carved wooden figures of the Virgin and St. Christopher; the gate to this building is very old and contains a wicket, evidently coeval with the building. On the left is a flight of stairs leading to the different rooms, in one of which, until about 1817, there was some curious tapestry.* The building forms a quadrangle, inclosing a small court yard ; round which, against the several apartments, are the remains of many curious ornamental figures in wood. The principal entrance to the interior from the court-yard, is opposite the outer entrance, and is by a large doorway ,-f- the ascent to which is by four stone steps. At this entrance there are two recesses in the walls for seats ; and opposite the door is a staircase about eight feet wide. This leads to the upper rooms, which, like the lower ones, are now let out to several poor families. It is worthy observation, that it was in this building that the roval presses were set up in 1642, previous to the commencement of the civil war. The Be- The Bedern J was a college of vicars choral belonging to the cathedral. Though in Goodramgate, it also extended to Aldwark, and St. Andrewgate, and conse- quently was not within the close, yet it is always classed with that district on account * Hargrove, vol. ii. p. 143. + This doorway is evidently of the latter part of the seventeenth century. X From Bede, formerly used very commonly for the verb to pray ; and Erne, a solitary place or detached dwelliug. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 323 of its connexion. It is on the presumed site of the imperial palace of the Roman chap. emperors, or of the baths connected with the palace, and is of great antiquity, as it appears from an inquisition taken in 1275, the fourth of the reign of Edward I., to have been given " to God, St. Peter, and the vicars serving God, in pure and perpetual alms," by one William de Lanum, canon of the church. The whole college and site of the Bedern were sold in the second year of Edward VI. to Thomas Goulding, and others, for £1924. 10*. Id. but this sale was disannulled, and it was given to the dean and chapter of the cathedral. The vicars choral were formerly thirty-six, agreeing in number with the prebendal stalls in the cathe- dral ; and, besides attending to their duty in the choir, one officiated for each canon, receiving for their services the annual sum of forty shillings each. The chantries and obits from which the vicars choral derived their support being dissolved, their number is greatly diminished ; and in the vicissitudes of human events, the Bedern, once the seat of imperial grandeur, and subsequently of ecclesiastical pride, is now the abode of poverty, and a scene of dilapidation. The Bedern chapel, which was founded in 1348, is no longer used for the general services of the sanctuary, but is confined to the christening of children, and the churching of women. A sunday school is now kept in the chapel. The exterior of this edifice is very plain ; it has three square-headed windows, the centre having three trefoil-headed lights, and the others two. At the west end is a pointed doorway, and on the roof a small turret with a bell. The interior is in a wretched filthy state ; at the end is panelling of pointed architecture in wood, with crockets, pinnacles, &c. and beneath it the usual inscriptions. At the north end of the chapel are some wooden stalls much decayed, with an octagonal font on a circular pedestal. 324 HISTORY OF CHAPTER IX. SURVEY OF MICKLEGATB WAHD. BOOK in. y ORKj as already mentioned, is divided into four wards ; to describe these separately Mickiesrate w jjj therefore be the most clear and distinct method. We shall consequently ward. ^ ' commence with Micklegate ward,, which embraces the principal entrance into the city, and all the south side of the river Ouse. Micklegate, which merely implies a large or spacious street, is, without dispute, the widest and most elegant street in York. On entering the bar, the first object that attracts attention on the right is an old gateway, which formerly was the portal to the priory of the Holy Trinity. Priory of On this site stood, from very early times, a church dedicated to the Holy the Holy . * * * Trinity. Trinity, which appears to have been endowed for canons. It is twice mentioned in the Domesday Survey ; where, in one entry, an allusion to its privileges occurs. But these are not stated at large ; nor is there any notice of the predial rents with which it was endowed. Whether it was owing to the siege of York by William the Conqueror, or to gradual decay, is not detailed, but the canons and their house were brought to ruin ; the site of the latter, and probably its possessions, becoming a part of the fee of Ralph Paganell or Paynell, one of the conqueror's followers. Ralph Paganell or Paynell, restored the service of the church, and renewed the endowment, but not for canons ; he placed in it Benedictine monks, and A. D. 1089, gave it as a cell to the abbey of St. Martin Marmonstier at Tours in France, to be perpetually possessed by that abbey, and to be at the ordering of its convent. For the support of the monks here, Ralph Paynell granted them the church of the Holy Trinity itself, with three crofts appertaining to it, the church of St. Helen in York, with the toft of one deacon adjacent; also the churches of All Saints in North street, and St. Bridget in Micklegate, and the chapel of St. James without the walls. And in Yorkshire he gave the church of St. John of Adele, the tithes of Ardington, the church of Barton in Ryedale, with two parts of the THE COUNTY OF YORK. 325 demesne tithes; a mediety of the church of Crambume ; the vill. of Drax, with chaimx. one fishery, and the tithes of certain other fisheries; the church of Hoton in Bilaham, and the tithes of the hall, with two parts of the demesne tithes ; the church of Leeds, with the tithes of the hall, and half a carucate of land ; the church of Moncton, with a carucate and a half of land ; the church of Newton with the tithes of the hall, the whole vill. or town of Stratton, and the tithes thereof, with the tithes of Stratton hall. In Lincolnshire, Ralph Paynell gave the monks several churches and demesne tithes, &c. The temporalities of the priory of the Holy Trinity in York, in 1292, were rated at no less than £60. 10s. 5d. per year. In the thirty-fourth year of the reign of Edward I. by an inquisition taken at York, it was found that the heirs of the founder claimed no right in the temporalities of this priory upon the death of any prior, but only to place a porter there to see that the goods of the priory were not stolen during the vacation ; and that when a prior should be deputed by the abbot of Marmonstier, he might take possession of the priory without any contradiction. Edward III. in the thirtieth year of his reign confirmed to this priory of the Holy Trinity all its privileges and possessions. Upon the suppression of the alien houses this was suffered to remain ; according to Cotton's abridgment, it was made denizen by consent of parliament in the fourth year of the reign of Henry VI. In consequence of the exclusive patronage of the abbot of Marmonstier, the priors of the Holy Trinity were neither admitted nor confirmed by the archbishops of the province ; we have therefore no regular catalogue of them. Stephen was admitted prior in 1231. Oliver de Gages, prior to the Holy Trinity, York, was excommunicated by the archbishop of the diocese on the 3rd of the month of February, 1307. John de Chesiaco occurs as prior in the thirtieth year of the reign of Edward III. John Burn occurs as prior in 1453, and the same or another John in 1465. Richard Speyte was the last prior. He joined his monks in the surrender of this house in the thirtieth year of the reign of Henry VIII. The gross amount of the revenues of this house in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Henry VIII. was £196. 17*. 2d. ; the clear receipts £169. 9*. lOrf. per annum. The site was granted in the thirty-fourth year of the reign of Henry VIII. with the demesne lands, to Leonard Beckwith. In Drake's time, A. D. 1736, it belonged to the family of the Goodricks of Ribston. Drake, in his Appendix, p. ci. in a plate of seals gives an imperfect copy of the seal of St. Trinity at York. It is of an oval form. In the area, the first 4 o 326 HISTORY OF book in. person of the Trinity appears, holding in front a figure of our Saviour upon the cross. The inscription, when perfect, seems to have been — sigillu. prioratvs. SANCTE. TRIXITATIS. EBOR. The same author, whose works were published in 1736, says, " This church is now of small compass ; but has been abundantly larger, as appears by the building. The steeple of it, being extremely ruinous, was blown down in 1651, and rebuilt at the charges of the parish. The circuit of ground," he adds, " be- longing to the site of this priory, was of great extent, being bounded by the street on one side, a lane called Trinity lane to the east, the city walls on the west, and its own wall on the south." The site is called Trinity gardens, and is occupied at present as a garden ground : the only portion remaining of this once splendid priory (exclusive of the nave of the church now used as the parochial church), is the gateway before mentioned. It consists of a spacious arch springing from dwarf piers, the archivolt of the arch is of plain mouldings, except the exterior hollow, which has the flower ornament so common in works of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Above the arch is a square window of three lights, and sculptured blocks support the cornice. The roof terminates in a gable without ornament. It is to be regretted that half of this beautiful arch is occupied by a modern excrescence, consisting of several rooms which totally conceal the plain bold groining of the roof, which is of stone. The church of the Holy Trinity adjoining yet remains. The parish of St Nicholas was united to this, according to the statute in 15S5, but the living is now of very small value.* The vicarage, which stands in the east corner of the church yard, was erected in 1639. This church is the nave of the conventual church, without the aisles which formerly belonged to it. At the north west angle is a square tower, strengthened with buttresses, but much concealed, and indeed built against in the lower part. About the middle of the tower, in the north front, is a small window, and in the upper story of all, except the south face, is a circular-headed window, within a circular arch, supported by two dwarf columns, with square capitals and bases. The finish of the tower is a cornice and battlement, with small pinnacles at the angles, and in the centre a weathercock, on the vane of which is 1781. The south front presents a highly curious and uncommon appearance. The lower story has a large arch, now filled up similar, and, indeed, corresponding with those of the nave. Above it are the remains of an arcade of very acutely pointed arches. The entire front of the next story is occupied by three pointed arches, springing from Trinity church.. * According to the parliamentary return of livings under one hundred and fifty pounds per annum (printed by the house of lords, 1S10), this is valued at eighty pounds per annum. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 327 circular columns; these rise nearly to the roof of the tower, and were evidently chap.IX. intended for internal ornament. It is probable that the front of this church exhibited an extensive facade ; indeed some remains exist attached to the tower, but if the ornaments just mentioned belonged to the interior of the church, the tower must have been considerably higher than at present ; the steeple noticed as having been blown down in 1651, must have been either a turret, or perhaps a portion of the tower.* The north side of the church has little worthy notice ; the windows, placed in the row of the arches, are of the style of architecture which immediately followed the reformation ; they are each of three lights with clumsy tracery in the heads. The divisions formed by these arches are four in number : in the first from the west is a porch ; the doorway has a pointed arch, and the archivolt of the arch has the flower moulding ; this porch had formerly a groined roof, the only remains of which is an angel, with a shield. In the second and third divisions are windows ; and in the fourth a modern door. At this angle of the building are the piers, upon which the arch was turned to the transept ; and ad- joining and forming the easternmost angle of the church, are five lofty pillars united, which originally supported the grand arches between the choir, nave, and transepts. This side of the church is finished with a cornice and battlement. The east end of the church presents us with a modern window of three lights and simple interlacing arches. The roof rises to a gable. At the south-eastern angle the great pillars again occur, and the south side is similar to the north. The interior is plain and devoid of ornament; the ceiling is flat. The pillars, which separated the nave from the aisle, are octagonal, with plain capitals, from which rises a bold but graceful arch. Above each capital is a triple column attached, which formerly supported the groined ceiling or trusses of the roof. On the south side is the pulpit and reading desk, and at the west end an octagonal font, on a similar base, with a carved cover. Attached to the second pillar from the east, on the north side, is a shield of arms, chequee on a chief dancette, a crescent for difference. There are several monuments, but the only one particularly worthy notice repre- Monu- sents a scroll of parchment suspended from two books, and above, a vase entwined by a serpent. The scroll is inscribed as follows : — " Sacred to the memory of John Burton, + M.D. F.A.S. and Mary, his wife. He ) ■; , ( 19 January, J .-,_, , (62. She I d,ed | 18 October, » ,771 ' a ? e '' \ 58." Suspended from it is a seal, with his arms. * The Rev. C. Wellbeloved suggested to the author that this tower was buHt out of the ruins of the church, but there is apparently too much regularity in the design to justify such an opinion. + He wasauthoroftheMonasticonEboracense, and the Ecclesiastical History of Yorkshire, folio, 1768. 328 HISTORY OF book in. "The parsonage house is a neat brick building, and stands in the east part of the church yard ; it was erected in 1639. St Mary The church of St. Mary Bishophill the Younger, is a low mean building, situate theYou'n- in Trinity lane. It is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at ten ger church. p 0unf j s . the dean and chapter of York are the patrons. The church consists of a nave and side aisles, with a chancel and north aisle, and appears to have been erected about the latter part of the twelfth century, with a heavy tower at the west end, equal to the breadth of the nave. In the upper story of each face is a double circular-headed window, filled with weather boarding. The two windows are bounded by a circular arch, and the whole structure is finished with a battlement and eight crocketted pinnacles. In the lower portions of the tower are small loop holes or windows. This portion is of the latter part of the eleventh century ; the stones and bricks are disposed in herring-bone work. The west end of the north aisle has a trefoil-headed window ; that of the south is blank. The south side of the nave is modern, with square windows apparently of the latter part of the seventeenth century. On this side is a red brick porch, and in the roof are two sky lights. The west end of the south aisle has a window of three lights, with trefoil heads and quatrefoil tracery in the upper portion. The roof of the nave rises to a gable. The most ancient part of the church, except the tower, is the chancel ; it has two small windows, one with a trefoil head, and another of two lights, within a circular arch. The east end has a pointed window of three lights, with trefoil tracery in the head of the arch. The chancel appears to be of the architecture of the fourteenth century. On the apex of the roof is a foliated cross much defaced. The north side of the nave has two windows, one of three lights the other of two ; and the aisle of the chancel has two windows, of three lights each, with trefoil heads. This portion of the church is shamefully built against. The interior has no galleries ; the nave is divided from the aisles by a cylin- drical column, from which spring, on the north side, two semi-circular arches, which rest against the piers; those on the south side are exceedingly heavy and pointed. The tower is separated from the nave by a semi-circular arch, resting on piers of strong masonry. The roof of the nave is divided into panels, but the bosses which ornamented the angles are gone. The arch between the chancel and nave is pointed, and the former is divided from the aisle by two pointed arches, resting on an octagonal column. The font is a circular basin, on an octagonal pillar. The pulpit and reading desk are neat, and are attached to the north pillar, dividing the chancel from the nave. In the north aisle of the chancel are some remains of stained glass, much mutilated, as also in the east window, and in those of the north aisle of the nave. On the wall south of the chancel is a marble THE COUNTY OF YORK. 329 tablet to R. Stockdale, A.M. pastor of this parish, who died in January, 1780, chah.ix. aged fifty-two. On the floor of the south aisle are the remains of some figures, the brasses gone. Near the church is the Free School, built by the late Mr. John Dodsworth, for- Dodsworth merly an ironmonger in this city, who endowed it with ten pounds per annum for freescho ° 1- ever. It was opened in 1804. On the left of the lane leading to the church of Bishophill the Elder is a small croft at present used as a wood yard ; and generally known by the name of the " Duke's Hall," in consequence of its having been the site of a large mansion, Duke's occupied by the unfortunate George Villiers, duke of Buckingham. At the head of this lane is the church of St. Mary Bishophill the Elder. This edifice is not large, St. Mary but being ancient, and having a double row of trees in the church yard, it possesses the EKier a very rural and pleasing appearance. A quantity of millstone grit is observable church - in its walls ; but the steeple, which is square, is of brick, and was built by the parishioners in the year 1650. In 1585, the parish church of St. Clements, without Skeldergate postern, was united to this church. It is a discharged rectory, and is valued in the liber regis at £5. 0s. IQd. ; the dean and chapter of York are the patrons. The plan of this church embraces a nave and north aisle, a chancel, and the same and a brick tower at the west end erected in 1659. The latter appendage is principally of brick, with stone quoins, dressings, and battlements ; in the western front, which ranges with the nave (being at the north-west angle), is a window of two lights filled with weather boarding. The nave and chancel have roofs rising to gables, and of red tiles. The west end of the nave is blank. In the south side is a brick porch and several pointed windows, placed without any order. In the nave are two square-headed windows of three lights, with cinquefoil heads and per- pendicular tracery. Adjoining the last is a small window of one light, with an acutely pointed head, and above is a square window. Beneath these is a curious carved stone, apparently a portion of a sepulchral memorial, having a cross with rich scroll work, but no inscription. In the chancel portion are two windows of two lights each, with trefoil tracery ; between the last is a doorway. To the above windows succeeds a larger one also of two lights, the head of the arch having a trefoil; and next is a small pointed window : this end of the church is finished with a strong buttress. The east end has a large pointed window of five lights, with cinquefoil heads, and the finish of the arch is perpendicular tracery and interlacing arches. The north side of the nave presents three divisions (including the tower), made by buttresses of four gradations ; in each division is a pointed arched window of two lights, with trefoil heads, the sweeps containing a circle in which is a cinquefoil. The weather cornice terminates in heads much mutilated. The chancel is in two 4 p 330 HISTORY OF book in. divisions, the centre buttress having a finial; the windows have modern munnions, and in the most western is a square-headed doonvay. This portion of the church is undoubtedly in the style of the fourteenth century. Attached to the east end of the chancel aisle is a modern erection of brick, which serves as a vestry-room, &c. The interior of the church is neatly fitted up. The north aisle is divided by three semicircular arches springing from circular columns, with square capitals, and one pointed arch which rises from an octagonal pillar and capital. The chancel is divided from the aisle by three arches similar to the last described. The ceiling of the whole is flat. The font is of the same form and size as that noticed in Trinity church. On the south side of the altar is a cinquefoil locker. The pulpit is neat, and, with the reading desk, is attached to a pier on the south side of the church. Above the decalogue on the altar piece, which is neat, the arms of William III. Monu- This church, like most others in the city, has been much altered, but the interior displays the architecture of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The monuments are very numerous, but none particularly worthy of notice if we except the following In the north aisle over the door is a tablet to Alathea Fairfax, sister of Robert Fairfax, Esq. ; died September 28, 1744, aged seventy. On the north side of the altar above the arch, is a cenotaph of white marble to G.Dawson, Esq. of the minster yard; died August 23, 1812, aged seventy-nine. Beneath is one, ornamented with cherubs and drapery, to Elias Pawson, Esq. alderman and lord mayor, 1704 ; died January 5, 1715, aged forty-four. On the south side is a neat monument to Mr. Thomas Rodwell ; died January 5, 1787, aged forty-nine. A neat gothic tablet to Mrs. Sarah Atkinson ; died May 6, 1825, aged thirty-nine. In the south windows there are some remnants of stained glass, much mutilated. In the church yard is a handsome monument, surmounted by a sarcophagus, on lions' feet. On one side, within a snake in a circle, is the following inscription : — Hie jacet corpus Petri At! ii-souis, architect! Eboracensis, qui tarn de arte quani civitate optime ;pro- ineritus ; obiit 19 Junii. 1805, ajtatis 70. On the opposite side of Kirk lane, is the quaker's burying ground. New gaol. Near the site of Skeldergate postern, is the New gaol, for the sole use of the city and ainstey. It is surrounded by a high brick wall, and the building is entirely of stone, erected on an elegant and extensive scale, reflecting much honour on the city, and on Mr. Peter Atkinson, the architect and city steward. The erection, which commenced in 1802, was completed in 1807. The principal building consists of a centre and wings, the former finished with a pediment. On the roof of this huilding is an octagonal turret, with an hemispherical dome and vane. The outer wall incloses about three quarters of a square mile ; and the entrance is by a neat THE COUNTY OF YORK. 331 porter's lodge. When any felon is to suffer death, scaffolding is erected without chap ix. the wall, next to the Old Baile hill, near the front corner; and an opening is The BaiuT made in the wall to admit the culprit to pass through. hl11 ' The ground on which this prison stands, with that behind it, is supposed to have been the site of a very ancient castle ; and is generally called the Old Baile. In ancient deeds and histories it is called, Vetus Ballium, or Old Baile, signifying a place of security. The mound is ornamented with a small clump of trees, and in height and situation exactly corresponds with that on which Clifford's tower is erected, on the opposite side of the river. Descending 'the eminence called the Old Baile hill, is Skeldergate, a long street, Skeider- which runs parallel with the river Ouse as far as the bridge. When York was more gate- of a commercial city than at present, this street, being so near the river, was chiefly occupied by merchants, for the purposes of trade; and derived its name from the old Dutch word kellar, or keldar, a cellar, or warehouse. In this street, on the left hand, is Middleton's hospital, founded in 1659, by Mrs. Anne Middleton. This -Middle- hospital is for the maintenance of twenty poor widows of poor freemen of York, pitai. In the commencement of the present year, this building (which was in a bad state of repair), was taken down, and a new and more commodious one is in course of erection, considerably to the rear of the former edifice. Passing Kirk lane, already mentioned, we next arrive at Albion chapel, erected Alb,on in 1816, by the society of Wesleyan methodists, who are very numerous, and have several other chapels in this city. It is a plain, but very neat and convenient struc- ture of red brick, and capable of containing more than one thousand persons. In Micklegate, near the end of Skeldergate, is situate St. Martin's church. This St. Mar- was an ancient discharged rectory, belonging to the patronage of the barons Tres- church, butt, then to the priory of Worter, and afterwards to the noble family of Scrope of Masham; it is now in lay hands, and is valued in the liber regis, at £5. 16*. 2d. It is a neat ancient structure, and consists of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower at the west end, partly comprehended in the plan. The latter append- age is of brick, and the most modern part of the church, having been rebuilt, at the charge of the parish, in 1677. The west front has a pointed window of three lights, with cinquefoil heads, the sweep being filled with perpendicular work; the next story has a square window in this face, the third has a window of three lights ; all these windows appear to have belonged to the original tower. The finish of the tower is a balustrade, and in the centre a vane, surmounted by a dragon. The north front of this tower is built against by the north aisle, in place of the centre window : in this front is a clock dial. The south front is not built against, the aisle extending no farther than the body of the church ; it is, however, per- fectly plain, with the exception of the clerestory window. This tower is strengthened 332 HISTORY OF book hi. hy s t one quoins, and has a plain appearance. The west end of the north aisle has a window of three lights, with trefoil heads ; the sweep filled with quatrefoil tracery : the end of the south aisle is plain. The north side of the church consists of two divisions, marked by the style of architecture; the western, or nave portion, has two windows similar to the one in the west end, and a small projecting porch with an angular roof of tiles. This portion of the church appears to be of the early part of the fourteenth century. The chancel portion is divided into four divisions, by buttresses of three gradations, finished with grotesque gargoyles. In each division is a pointed window of three lights, with cinquefoil heads, the sweeps filled with perpendicular tracery, and a transom. Above the whole is a parapet, supported by sculptured blocks : this portion of the church is a pleasing specimen of the style of architecture prevalent in the early part of the fifteenth century. The east end of the church is almost built against, and the north aisle appears in the most dangerous state, being some feet out of the perpendicular. The windows are similar to those in the chancel just described, only containing six lights. On the apex of the roof is a neat foliated cross. The south side is similar to the chancel end, just described. The entire length is made into seven divisions, by buttresses of gradations, finished with gargoyles, much mutilated. The windows are similar to those in the chancel. The parapet is without the sculptured blocks. This portion is also of one continuity, without the division, as in the north aisle. The interior has a neat appearance ; the nave and chancel are separated from the aisles by three columns or piers, the two westernmost ones being circular ; from the capitals spring pointed arches of the thirteenth century. The roof of the nave is panelled with sculptured bosses at the angles of intersection, and springs from the clerestory windows. The chancel is separated from the nave by a plain arch, and the ceiling rakes up to about two-thirds, where it becomes flat. The altar piece is of wainscot, and handsome, though not in accordance with the style of architecture of the church, being of the Ionic order, with circular pediment and urns, &c- The ceiling of the north aisle is plain, and was either rebuilt or repaired in 1719, as appears from a date. The only ornament now remaining is a cornice, with bosses, along the edges of the ceiling, and the pedestals of the props or sup- porters to the roof, which remain between every window, and some corbels of heads, from whence spring the arches of the aisles. In the windows is a consider- able quantity of stained glass, generally in sad condition ; one piece, very old, of Adam and Eve, is worthy notice, and a neat piece of modern stained glass, to the memory of W. Peckitt, glass painter and stainer of tins city, who died October 14, 1795, aged 64. His remains are buried in the chancel of this church; and a figure of Religion (between St. Catherine and St. John, both ancient), by the same artist, to the memory of Anne his wife, who died April 30, 1765. In the THE COUNTY OF YORK. 333 adjoining window is St. John baptizing Christ. The south aisle is similar to the chap. ix. north, except in having the chancel portion ceiled like the nave, though the bosses are gone. In the windows are St. George, much mutilated, and some other saints. The tower is open to the nave, and beneath it is a plain octagon font on a pedestal of the same form. At the east side of the south entrance is a holy water basin, supported by a head. The pulpit is of wainscot oak, of sexagonal form, and very richly carved, with a sounding board. In the south aisle are marble monuments to T. Carter, alderman and lord mayor Monu- of York, who died November 28, 1686, aged 52; J. Strickland, of Siserge, in Westmoreland, who died September 1, 1791, aged 88. In the north aisle are marble tablets to W. Gage, who died April 3, 1819, aged 80; and R. Benson, M. A. vicar of Hackington, Lincolnshire, died January 1, 1822, aged 66. In the nave is a monument to J. Dawson, Esq. who died June 24, 1731. In the west end of the steeple of St. Martin cum Gregory's church, Micklegate, is the remnant of a fine Roman funereal monument, apparently of grit stone, and re- presenting a man and his wife, with their son, a child, in their habits ; near it is a piece of flower work, perhaps belonging to the frieze of some magnificent building.* In the wall of the church, which has been recently rebuilt, is a small effigy, apparently intended for a niche. In the front of St. Martin's church yard was formerly situated the Butter Stand. Buuer This building, which succeeded a very ruinous one, that was blown down the preceding year, was erected in 1778, for the purpose of weighing and marking butter. In case of deficiency of weight, the offending party is liable, by law, to a fine of five pounds ; but the usual custom here is to demand a forfeit of two shillings in the pound. This building, which had become very ruinous, was taken down in the latter part of December, 1828. Not far north of Micklegate bar formerly stood the Church of St. Nicholas ; and near the site is an open piece of ground called Toft Field. By an ordinance still on the records of the city, dated 1451, it was then commanded, that a weekly market for oxen, cows, hogs, and other animals, should be held on this ground every Friday, but in no other part of the city or suburbs. This has, however, been discontinued, and a public building, called the New House of Correction, now NewHouse occupies part of the ground ; the walls of this edifice form an octagon, ana the t ion. governor's house and chapel is situated in the centre, with a building for the prisoners on each side, and one in the rear, all erected of a fine yellow brick. This building was designed by Mr. Peter Atkinson, of York, and erected by order of * Stukeley's Ilin. Curios, vol. ii. p. 75. 4 Q 334 HISTORY OF Hewley's hospital. Friar's gardens. book, in. the magistrates of the city and ainstey : it was completed in 1814, under the joint direction of Messrs. Atkinson and Phillips, architects. Prior to this time, an old building, on Peaseholme Green, was used for the purpose of a house of cor- rection. Near Gregory lane is Hewley's hospital, a neat brick building, with wings at each end. Over the front entrance are the arms of the donor, beneath which is the following inscription : — " This hospital was founded and endowed by Dame Sarah, the relict of Sir John Hewley, of the city of York, knt. anno dom. 1700. " Thou, O God! has prepared for the poor." Ps. lxviii. 10. This institution is for ten aged women of the Unitarian persuasion, who must be approved by the trustees. Behind this hospital are very extensive gardens, called Friar's Gardens. They were anciently the site of a Roman temple, sacred to the heathen deity Serapis, the foundation of which was discovered in 1770.* They were also in succeeding Monastery ages the site of a monastery of Black Friars, or Les Toftes, who were established of R] ack Friars. here early in the reign of Henry III. by the bounty of Bryan Stapleton, Esq. the site of whose house was granted in the thirty-second year of Henry VIII. to William Blytheman. From this priory the gardens derived the name which they still retain- The building has long since been removed, and all that now remains of this institu- tion is a curious old draw-well. Proceeding in a north-easterly direction, we enter North street, leaving on the left the postern and the ferry. On the west side is All Saints' Church, an ancient discharged rectory, formerly belonging to the priory of St. Trinity in Micklegate, to which it was granted in the reign of William I. ; it is now in the gift of the king, and is valued in the liber regis, at £4. 17*. lid. There were formerly many chantries and obits in this church ; several original grants of which are still preserved among the records of this city. This church consists of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower (in which are three bells) and spire, included in the plan at the west end. The same end consists of three pointed arched windows, of three lights, with perpendicular tracery in their heads. Above the centre one rises a tower of three stories ; the first is square, and formerly contained a trefoil-headed window, now filled up ; the second and third are octagonal, with buttresses corresponding with the square of the building : each story contains a window of two lights, with cinquefoil heads ; the upper, however, has a transom, and is larger than the lower. These windows are repeated in the three sides unoccupied with buttresses. The All Saints' church. Vide p. 240. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 335 whole is finished with a pierced battlement and pinnacles at the angles; each buttress chap. ix. is finished with a grotesque gargoyle. From this tower rises an elegant octagonal stone spire, finished with a weathercock. The north side of the church presents four unequal divisions, made by strong buttresses of two gradations ; in the first from the west end is a pointed arched doorway ; in the second are three square-headed windows, two of which are of three lights, and the third, which is west, of two ; all the lights have cinquefoil heads, and the windows have weather cornices. The third division is similar to the last, and the fourth formerly had a pointed arch, which is now cut off near the head ; this is also of three lights, with trefoil heads. The east end exhibits windows of the latter part of the fourteenth century ; they are three in number, of three lights each, the heads of each door, and of the arch, being filled with cinquefoil and quatrefoil tracery. The gables of the nave, chancel, and aisles rake to an apex. The south side is similar to the north, except in having a porch to the door, of brick, apparently erected in the latter part of the seventeenth century. The tower of this church is evidently of an earlier date than the body, perhaps of the early part of the sixteenth century, and the nave and chancel of the same, or commencement of the succeeding one. The interior presents a nave, chancel, and side aisles ; the former is particularly Interior narrow, and is divided from the aisles by four arches, pointed and springing from small circular columns, with square capitals. The roof of the nave is slightly coved. The chancel is divided from the aisles by three arches of the same span, but lower in the head ; the columns are also like those last described. The ceiling is of wood, and particularly interesting to the antiquary, from the fine series of sculptures with which it is adorned. It is supported on sculptured blocks, represent- ing angels playing on musical instruments, and in the centre of the roof, which is panelled, are grotesque heads, all undisfigured with paint, &c. The altar piece is of oak, with pilasters of the Ionic order, and gilt capitals ; it is so erected that the middle portion is lower than the sides, and thus the window, with the fine stained glass, is preserved to view. On the north side of the altar is a circular piscinae. The aisles are, in every respect, similar to the chancel and nave. The pulpit is of oak, and neatly carved ; it is sexagonal, and has a sounding board of the same form ; and is situated in the middle of the church, with a passage under it ; on it is the date of 1675. On the floor are several crosses flory ; one has the fol- lowing inscription round it : — i£tr jacrt CI)oma8 Sc ¥clgn8toj)fee quon&am etuis 3Ebor. rt .Juliana uxor. rjusBfm, quorum animabus prop. Drus. amen. The stained glass is particularly beautiful ; in one of the windows of the north aisle is the portrait of Nicholas Blackburne, lord mayor, 1429, and his wife, at 336 HISTORY OF BOOK. in. prayers. He is in armour, with a shield of arms upon his breast, and scrolls issuing out of their mouths ; under him is the following inscription : — ©rate jro animatms Ntcfjolai Elarfetmntr, sen. auonoam majoris eibttatis iSior. et iHargarete uioris e)uB. St. John's Near Ouse bridge is the church of St. John the Evangelist, facing Micklegate, church. and the east end towards North street. It is a curacy with the discharged vicarage of St Lawrence, and is in the patronage of the dean and chapter of York. This church consists of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, and a small brick and plaster tower at the west end.* The north and principal side (the west being built against) consists of five divisions made by buttresses of three gradations. The first from the west contains an arched doorway, with a niche on the west side. The mouldings of the arch, which are plain, spring from two columns, with leaved capitals ; and on each side of the door are monumental effigies, much mutilated, one apparently a bishop. Both were taken down from the wall which surrounded the church about twelve years ago. This door formerly had a porch ; above the door is a flat-headed window of two lights. The remaining divisions contain depressed arched windows, of three lights, with cinquefoil heads, the tracery of the head of the arch being perpendicular. The finish of this facade is a string course and battlement ; some of the buttresses still retain the gargoyles and pinnacles. The west end is in a similar style of architecture, with the exception of the chancel window, which is evidently more modern ; it consists of three lights, and the window of the north aisle has four. The roofs of the aisles, and nave and chancel, rake to an apex, and are without ornament at this end. The east end of the north aisle is not parallel with the rest of the church, but is built crooked to accommodate a bend in the street. The north side of the church is similar to the south, with the exception of the want of battlements, and some part, particularly a window at the east end, is evidently modern. The whole exhibits a mutilated specimen of the architecture of the sixteenth century. Interior. The interior is neat ; the nave and chancel divided from the aisles by three large pointed arches, which spring from octagonal pillars, the capitals of which have been cut away. The ceiling is flat and panelled, with the exception of a piece which is open to the roof, and has sky lights. Both aisles have roofs, slightly rising, panelled with bosses of arms, merchants' marks, &c. The aisles evidently had formerly a groined roof, as there are remains of several corbels. The altar piece is perfectly plain, with the decalogue painted on panels, and in the centre, just • The steeple was blown down in 1551. In the present tower are seven good bells ; three were brought from St. Nicholas extra Walmgate, and hung up here in 1653. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 337 above the table, a glory. On the north side of the altar is a table monument without chap. IX. any inscription ; the dado is panelled, each containing a quatrefoil, enclosing a shield, the brass gone. The pulpit is sexagonal, and is situated in the centre of the church, with a passage beneath to the communion table. Near the pulpit, pro- jecting from the wall, is an iron, supportng a helmet, the sad remains of feudal greatness. The modern monuments are not numerous, nor worthy particular notice. The font is octagonal, on a pedestal of the same form ; it is situated at the west end of the south aisle. The vestry room is a portion of the west end of the north aisle. In it are two curious pewter flagons. One is about eighteen inches high, and five inches diameter ; the vase and cover rich, with scroll work engraved ; it is of seven sides, each adorned with a full-length figure, dressed in the costume of the middle of the seventeenth century. The floor of this church was raised eighteen inches in 1764, and the whole repaired in 1815. In this church lie interred the remains of Sir Richard Yorke, of York, knight, mayor of the staple at Calais, and lord mayor of this city, in 1469 and 1482. The next object worthy notice, and the last in this ward, is Ouse Bridge. In Ouse bridffB. giving a minute detail of this ancient structure, we will commence with its annals, nearly seven hundred years ago. Bridges of stone not being built till long after the Norman conquest, we find one here constructed of wood, in the year 1154, when William, archbishop of York, made his first entrance into this city. On this occasion such multitudes of people crowded on the bridge to meet him, that the timber gave way, and some of them were precipitated into the river. In the year 1564, there was a severe frost, and a heavy fall of snow, which being succeeded by a sudden thaw, an immense swell was occasioned in the Ouse. This flood drove down two arches of the bridge, and twelve houses which stood on them were consequently overwhelmed in the ruin ; several lives were also lost at the same period. The bridge remained in this ruinous state, for nearly two years, when the late venerable structure was erected on the site of the old one. Amongst the con- tributors to this bridge, Lady Jane Hall, relict of Robert Hall, an alderman, gave by will the sum of one hundred pounds ; to perpetuate which a brass plate was placed, by the city, on the north side of the bridge, with the following curious inscription : — aSHilliam ffliaatBon, lortr magor, On. Dont. 1566. ILa&g $mt 38?aII lo ! ficrc tfje toorfta at faitl) trotfi sjfto; 13g gibing a ijuittireti poun&s tftis tritrge for 10 rnteto. The last old bridge consisted of five arches, and was termed by Camden, a very old noble erection ; but the dimensions which he gave of the principal arch were ge incorrect. The late Mr. Halfpenny measured it, and thus expressed himself: 4s 338 HISTORY OF book in. " Taking it from the spring of the arch, it measures eighty-one feet in width, and to the key stone, twenty-six feet and three inches in height ; the soffit is sixteen feet and nine inches in breadth. Having divided the diameter into sixteen parts, and the perpendicular height of the arch of each division being taken, I find that a segment of a circle will pass through each point, except nearly half- way between the spring and the crown of the arch ; a pressure having forced the arch a little out of its curve." The width of the bridge on the top, between the walls, was six yards, including the causeways, which were very narrow. In addition to the carriage way and foot paths, just described, were several buildings, on the west side of the bridge. The principal of those was St. William's Chapel. At the reformation, this chapel contained several chantries, the original grants of which are still amongst the records of the city. After the reformation, we are informed that it was converted into an exchange, where the society of Hamburgh merchants of York assembled every morning for the transaction of business. At length, in the year 1810, this chapel, which was a fine specimen of Norman architecture, was removed. om gaol. On the opposite side of the bridge stood the old gaol for debtors; which was built in the sixteenth century ; at which time another arch was added to the bridge, in order to strengthen this new erection. In 1724, this gaol, and a small dwelling house adjoining, were purchased by the corporation, by a joint contribution of the city and ainstey. They were immediately taken down, and a more commodious place was built, by assessment, as a free prison for both ; and on the front of it was the following inscription : "This gaol was built at the equal expense of the city and ainstey, and the ground whereon it stands, was purchased by the lord mayor and commonalty of this city, to be forever applied for that purpose. A. D. 1724. Thomas Agar, Lord Mayor." New The precarious state in which the old bridge had long been considered, induced bridge pro- fa e corporation of York to take the subject into serious consideration, in the autumn jected. r of 1808 ; and it was concluded that a new bridge, or a considerable alteration and addition to the old one, had become necessary. To defray the expense, a foot toll was proposed by some, as one means of revenue ; but this being opposed, the idea was abandoned, on condition that eight thousand pounds should be raised by voluntary subscription, which was soon effected. Mr. P. Atkinson was unanimously chosen by the corporation, as architect of the new bridge, and arrangements were accordingly made. Houses in the vicinity of the bridge were purchased and taken down, and Tuesday, the 27th of November, 1810, was fixed upon for laying the foundation stone of the structure. A grand procession was intended on the occasion, and preparations were made ; but the river - © £ 8 a THE COUNTY OF YORK. 339 having risen very rapidly that morning, the design could not then be carried into chap.ix. effect. On Monday morning, the 10th of the following month, the corporation assembled Fi . rst s,one in the guildhall, and being joined by the provincial grand lodge of freemasons, proceeded to the ground, where the ceremony was to take place. Mr. Atkinson, the architect, then presented to the lord mayor a plan and drawing of the intended bridge. After the usual formalities, his lordship proceeded to lay the stone, in which he deposited the different and latest current coins of that reign, with a handsome medal, struck in commemoration of his majesty having entered the fifty- first year of his reign. These were placed together in a glass vessel, and were covered by a brass plate, inscribed : "The first stone of this bridge was laid December 10th, in the year mdcccx. and in the fifty-first year of the reign of George III., by the Rt. Hon. George Peacock, lord mayor: Peter Atkinson, architect." The lord mayor then, in a neat and brief address, congratulated his fellow citizens on the magnitude and utility of the edifice in contemplation. The purchasing of houses, commencement of the bridge, and various other expences, soon incurred a debt of nearly thirty thousand pounds. To redeem such a sum, and defray succeeding expenses, by the bridge toll alone, would have been almost impossible ; it was therefore proposed to have a toll at each entrance to the city ; but this was warmly opposed, and soon relinquished. The rates of the city, ainstey, and county, were then represented, as the most proper source for assistance; and, after much opposition, an act of parliament was ultimately procured for that purpose, by a coalition of many of the contending interests ; and commissioners were appointed to carry the measures into effect. The act specified, that thirty thousand pounds should be paid to the commis- sioners, by the justices of the peace, for the three ridings of the county, out of the county rates, by five equal yearly instalments of six thousand pounds; the first of which should be paid on the 1st of December, 1815, and the other on the first of each succeeding December: — the west riding paying £2787. 10*. — the north riding £1862. 10*. — and the east riding £1350. being the usual proportions of all their county contributions. The commissioners had likewise the power, if they chose, of demanding a sixth annual sum or instalment, of six thousand pounds, from the three ridings, in the same proportions. The act also obliged all distant districts to pay a small rate. In addition to these payments the lord mayor and commonalty of the city were obliged to contribute, for the same period, the annual sum of four hundred pounds. The bridge consists of three elliptical arches, with a battlement on each side, ®^ c " p ' 340 HISTORY OF book in. of a plain parapet wall, breast high ; the span of the centre arch is seventy- five feet, and the rise twenty-two feet six inches ; the span of each side arch sixtv-five feet, and the rise twenty feet ; soffit of the arches forty-three feet ; and the total width of the bridge, within the battlements, forty feet The flagged footways are each five feet six inches broad, leaving a carriage way of twenty-nine feet. At each end of the bridge on the south-east side, a handsome series of steps leads down to the staiths, or wharfs, for landing and unlading of goods, &c. The whole bridge was completely finished in March, 1820, and by a singular coincidence, during the second mayoralty of Mr. Alderman Peacock, who laid the first stone. The toll, which had been peculiarly obnoxious, and indeed injurious to the city, was finally abandoned on June 18, 1829. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 341 CHAPTER X. WARD OF WALMGATE. Leaving Micklegate ward, and passing over Ouse bridge, we enter Walmgate CHAP. x. ward, by a street called Bridge street, or Low Ousegate ; the latter name had its derivation probably from the steep descent to the old bridge, and from its vicinity to the river. It is open, and contains several good houses. At the east foot of the bridge commences the king's staith, a convenient strongly walled quay or wharf, for lading and unlading of goods. Being greatly out of repair in 1774, it was raised, and also new paved. A little beyond the king's staith or wharf, are the Friars' walls, which extend in front, nearly from the Far Water lane, to the New walk ; and one entrance to the latter is at the corner of these walls, by an iron palisade gate and stone gate-way, erected, as appears by an inscription over it, in the year 1732. These walls are remarkable, as bounding part of the site of the extensive and celebrated Monastery Monastery of the Friars minors, of the order of St. Francis, formerly the occasional residence minors™ of the kings of England, and consequently the scene of many important events. On the situation of this monastery, Mr. Drake, after considerable inquiry, seems to entertain a doubt ; but even the information he received, when duly considered, clearly proves the Friars' gardens to have been the site of that ancient edifice. The most important parts of his facts, are as follow : " We are informed by historians, that the monastery of the friars minors was usually the residence of our former English kings, when they came to York ; and that it was noble and spacious, we are assured by Froissart, who tells us that Edward III. and his mother both lodged in it, when the fray happened betwixt the English soldiers and strangers ; as related in this work.* We find by this historian, that the building was so convenient, that each of these royal guests, though attended with a numerous suite of quality, kept court apart in it ; which must argue it a structure of very great extent and magnificence. " By a patent of Richard II., this affair of its being made use of as a regal * Vide p. 46. 4s 342 HISTORY OF book in. palace is confirmed. That king strictly prohibited any person from carrying of filth, or laying of dunghills, &c. in the lanes or passages leading to the monastery ; where, as the patent expresses, he himself as well as his grandfather, used to inhabit. Also butchers and other persons, are by the same prohibited from casting into, or washing in the river Ouse, any entrails of beasts, or any other nastynesses, to the prejudice or nuisance of this monastery." Drake admits that the last quotation here given, plainly proves the site of this monastery was on the banks of the river ; and, that in a patent of Edward II. being a grant to the friars to purchase some houses contiguous to their monastery, for the enlargement of their courts, those houses and places are said to extend from the middle gate of the said monastery, near the chancel of their church, on the back, as far as a lane called Hertergate, and so descending towards the water of the Ouse, to the west. The same author, however, supposed this conclusion to be contradicted by other letters patent granted to the friars, as high as Henry III. by which " that prince, in his fifty-third year, gave license to the friars minors of York, to enclose a certain ditch, within the king's domain, but contiguous to their area, by the east — lying betwixt the said area, or court, and Baill bridge, for the enlargement of their said court." Monastery Leland mentions, that the Augustine friars had a monastery between the tower of Ausus- . tine friars, on " Ouse ripe, and Ouse bridge ;' and Drake concludes it to have been situated within the present friar walls. He, however, unconsciously clears this subject by the following remark : " In one of the testamentary burials of Mr. Torre, Joan Trollop, anno 1441, leaves her body to be buried in the conventual church of the friars Eremite of St. Augustine, in York. The term of Eremites to this order is what I have not before met with ; the friars minors were styled Eermitae, i. e. Eremi incola?. The Eremites, or hermits in the north, were corruptly called Cremitts; and there is an annual rent paid out of some houses in Stonegate, called Cremitt money, at this day, which undoubtedly belonged to a religious house of these orders ; for some of the poorer sort of monks, being called hermits, an hermitage and an hospital had one and the same signification." However it is quite clear there were two distinct monastic establishments on this side of the river. The house of the friars of the order of St. Augustine, is said, by Leland, to be situated on the bank of the Ouse, near Ousebridge.* It was established as early as 1278, and is said to have been founded by Lord Scrope. It was surrendered November 1539, by the prior, nine friars and four novices,f and was subsequently granted (fifth of Philip and Mary) to Thomas Rawson. < * Leland's Itin. vol. i. p. 57. t Willis' Abbies. vol. ii. p. 287. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 343 The house of the Grey or Franciscan friars was situated near the castle. It chap \ was founded in the time of Henry III. as it is said, by the king and the city of House of York. Henry Lacy, earl of Lincoln, was a great benefactor. William Vavasour, f r ; ai . S4 S. T. P. last warden, with fifteen friars, and five novices, surrendered this house in the thirtieth of Henry VIII. and in the thirty-fourth year of that king the site was granted to Leonard Beck with. In front of the walls, are the evident remains of a staith, originally belonging to the monastery, and which in some degree confirms the remark, that "all the religious houses that laid towards the river, had each a quay or landing place of their own on it." But the ground on which the monastery itself stood, is now chiefly converted into gardens. In conclusion, we shall merely observe that in the Franciscan monastery was a conventual church, dedicated to St. Mary ; and that the order of friars minors in England is said to have been divided into seven custodies, or wardships, of which this monastery was a principal one. Hence it had under its jurisdiction, the friaries of Doncaster, Scarborough and Beverley ; also Lincoln, Boston, and Grimsby, in Lincolnshire. In the Far Water lane, not far from Friars' walls, is a Free School, founded and Dods^ endowed in 1799, by Mr. John Dodsworth, who also founded the one on Bishophill. school. The building is sufficiently large for the residence of the master in the upper apartments ; and underneath them is the school room. The endowment is ten pounds per annum, for the education of twenty poor children. Near the entrance to the Far Water lane, from Castlegate, are the Friends' FrieDds' rocGtinsr Meeting Houses. It is stated in a MS. to which Mr. Drake alludes in his houses. Eboracum, that prior to the year 1673, the Society of Friends in York, held their meetings at the house of Edward Nightingale an eminent grocer of that persuasion, in High Ousegate ; but in that year, a small meeting house was erected at the entrance of Far Water lane. The society, however, having considerably increased, the old erection was enlarged nearly one third, about thirty years ago, and rendered capable of containing between three and four hundred people. In the same yard, and adjoining to the above, another building was erected in 171S, large enough to accommodate from eight hundred to one thousand people; intended chiefly for the use of the quarterly meetings, which are held in York. This erection being found inconvenient in many respects, was nearly all taken down in 1816, when an enlarged and more commodious erection was immediately commenced ; which is capable of containing full twelve hundred persons. In an apartment which opens out of the principal meeting house, is a small library, containing a general collection of all works which have been published by church. 344 HISTORY OF BOOK in. tne S oc ; e ty of Friends, or with their approbation ; also of such as have been published in opposition to their principles. Castlegate. Castlegate, a narrow street, which, including Castle hill, leads from the end of Copper gate to the county gaol, or castle of York. The first object of public interest Thomp- here, is on the left, or east side of the street, and is called Thompson's Hospital. son's bos- . , . , pitai. It is a neat small building, repaired and new fronted a few years ago, at which time the following incription was renewed over the entrance : ■' This hospital was founded by Sir Henry Thompson, of Middletborp, sometimes lord mayor of this city ; and Dame Anne, bis wife ; for the relief of six poor men. Anno Christo 1700.' St. Mary's Adjoining this hospital, is the parish church of St. Man,-, Castlegate, called in ancient writings : " Ecclesia sancte Marie ad portam Castri." This church is not a large building, but is adorned by a beautiful and very lofty spire. It was a rectory in medieties ; one belonging to the patronage of the Percy family, earls of Northumberland, and the other to the prior and convent of Kirkham : in the year 1400, they were united, and became the gift of the Percys alone; but from 1586, it appears to have been in the gift of the crown. In the liber regis it is valued at £2. Ss. 6d. The church consists of a nave, chancel and side aisles, with a tower finished by an elegant spire at the west end. The first story of this tower is built against on its north, and partly on its south side. All the angles are finished with buttresses of three gradations, and at the north-west angle is an octagonal staircase. The west front of this tower has a large pointed window of five lights, with cinquefoil heads, the springing of the arch filled with perpendicular tracery, and a transom. On each side of the arch is a sculptured block and canopy, for statues, and above the window is a niche.* This portion of the tower is finished with a battlement The front, that is not concealed by the south aisle, has a pointed window of three lights. The next story of this tower is octagonal, of elegant proportions ; in four of the faces of which are pointed windows, nearly the height of the structure ; these are divided into three lights, with trefoil heads, and in the middle is an ornamented transom. The spring of the arch is filled with quatrefoil and trefoil tracery. In the four remaining faces of this tower, which correspond with the lower portion, is a slight buttress of three gradations, finished with gargoyles of heads of animals, kc. From this tower rises a beautifully proportioned octagonal spire, finished with a weathercock. The west front of the two aisles are similar, each containing a window of three • All the work that formerly adorned this front, and indeed the whole exterior of the church, is completely destroyed by the decay of the limestone. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 345 lights, with trefoil heads, and the sweep of the arches are filled with tracery, similar CHAP. X. to that in the octagonal portion of the tower. Each is finished with a string course and battlement gradually rising to the tower. The south side of the church is divided into six divisions, by buttresses of four gradations, finished with angular caps crocketted, and beneath gargoyles. In the first division from the west, is a pointed arched window, of three lights, similar to the one in the west front of the tower; the second division is an angular porch, apparently of modern erection, within which is an acutely pointed doorway. Above this porch is a square-headed window divided by a transom, the lower portion con- taining three lights, with cinquefoil heads, and the upper six lights, with trefoil heads; all the remaining divisions have similar windows, the lower portions being larger, and occupying the place of the porch. This front of the aisle is finished with a cornice and battlement, and does not extend the entire length of the church, being open to the chancel the space of one division. The east end has a pointed arched window of three lights, with trefoil heads. The south side of the chancel thus exposed, has a square window, similar to those in the aisles- The west end of the chancel and north aisle range, and have uniform windows of three lights, the sweeps filled with perpendicular tracery, and a transom ; the division between them is marked by a buttress of three gradations. The north side of the church is in seven divisions ; the windows are almost all similar to those described in the south aisle, with the exception of the third from the east, which is square-headed, but has no transom, the upper part being filled with large quatrefoils and trefoils ; and the first from the west, which has a modern pointed arched window. The interior of the church is spacious, the tower being open to the nave and Inteiior. aisles by pointed arches ; the former is divided from the aisles by three pointed arches, the westernmost being double the span of the others. They rise from circular columns with square capitals, of the Norman form; those on the south side are considerably higher than the opposite one. The side aisles and nave are separated from the chancel by pointed arches. The roof of the nave has a slight rise, and is panelled without ornaments, as is the roof of the south aisle; that of the north is flat and plastered. The chancel has two unequal arches on the south side, and three on the north ; the centre ones on each side (which are the narrowest) are filled up. All the arches spring from piers with moulded heads. The roof of the chancel and aisle is panelled similar to those of the nave. The altar piece is very handsome, having a semicircular head, with urns, and the decalogue on square tablets. The pulpit is sexagonal, with ponderous hinges to the doors, and above it a large but handsome 4 T 346 HISTORY OF book itr. sounding board ; it is attached to the south-east pier of the nave. On the north side of the chancel is a single seat, with a miserecord, on which is a sculptured monk. The exterior of this church, in its perfect state, must have been particularly hand- some, and exhibited a neat specimen of the ecclesiastical architecture of the middle of the sixteenth century. The interior is certainly of earlier date, perhaps of the latter part of the twelfth century. Monu- Among the monuments the following are worthy notice : — On the south side of the altar, a handsome tablet to W. Mushett, M. D. ; died December 11, 1792, aged seventy-seven : on the opposite side, a tablet to the Rev. R. Coulton, rector of this church ; died July 7, 1713, aged seventy-six. At the east end of the south aisle, are two corbels of angels holding shields of arms, viz. on a bend between two cotizes, three griffins segreiant. These are the arms of William Gray, who had a chantry founded for him in this church. On a slab in the nave is the following inscription : William Fox gist icy de Mercy amen. The font is an octagonal basin, and is situated under the tower ; in the latter are three bells. Thoresby, in the appendix to his " Ducatus Leodiensis," observes that he had in his possession a copper plate, found in making a grave in this place of worship ; which he says, " had been covertly conveyed and fastened on the inside of the coffin of a priest, who was executed for the plot of 1680." Upon the plate was inscribed : " R. D. Thomas Thweng de Heworth,* collegii anglo Duaceni sacerilos, post 15, annos in Anglieana missione transactos Eboraci condemnatus, martyrio affectus est Oct. die 23, anno Dom. 1680. Uuobus falsis testibus ob crimen conspirationis tunc temporis catholicis malitiose iropositum." York cas- Previous to the alterations now in course of execution at the castle, a stone with tle - the city arms carved thereon might have been seen within twenty yards of the gates, or entrance to the courtyard of the castle. They were thus placed, to mark the boundary of the city ; and on the opening of the assizes, the sheriffs of York waited here to receive the judge, and accompany him to the guildhall. York Castle, though extra-parochial, is in some measure connected with the parish we have just mentioned ; as the prisoners of every description, who die a natural death in the prison, are usually interred in the church-yard of St. Mary in Castlegate, for which one guinea is charged on each occasion. The exterior of this prison has now a very imposing appearance; the great gate of entrance (which is pointed), is flanked by two massy circular towers, with em- battled parapets, loopholes, &c. Over the doorway, in a small panel, are the royal * A very ancient family at this village. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 34? arms of George IV. carved in imitation of those of the period of Edward IV. chap. x. Above are machiollations and battlements. From the top of this structure rises a subordinate square building, with small turrets at the angles. The whole has a very bold yet chaste appearance. The walls, which circumscribe a large area, enclosing Clifford's tower and the old gaol, are rebuilding in a style uniform with that of the gateway, having numerous buttresses at regular intervals, with an em- battled parapet. The gatehouse, which is fire proof, was erected from the designs of P. F. Robinson, Esq. F. S. A.; the first stone having been laid on March 20, 1826, by the Hon. M. Langley, high sheriff. The interior of the left hand tower is fitted up for a record room, the offices of clerk of indictments, clerk of arraigns, and clerk of assize. The right hand tower is the porter's residence. A semicircular walk leads to the present entrance to the castle ; on the left this walk abuts on the mound of Clifford's tower, which is protected by a massy wall of stone, sloping with the declivity of the mound. The entrance to the yard, until lately, was by folding doors and a porter's lod°-e, from Castlegate ; the interior walls are eleven hundred yards in circumference, inclosing a pleasant and open area of about one acre, with a large grass plat in the centre, and a gravel walk entirely round it. The whole of the buildings, the area, and Clifford's tower, and the outer walls, cover nearly eight acres ; but the present state of the pr-"son cannot be more correctly described, than by a quotation from Smollett's " Humphrey Clinker." That writer, after visiting York, about the year 1768, says, " The castle, which was heretofore a fortress, is now converted into a prison, and is the best, in all respects, I ever saw at home or abroad. It stands on a high situation, extremely well ventilated ; and has a spacious area, within the walls, for the health and convenience of all the prisoners, except those whom it is necessary to secure in close confinement. Even these last have all the comforts that the nature of their situation can admit. Here also the assizes are held in a range of buildings erected for that purpose." The buildings are three in number, occupying three sides of the yard. The County County Hall stands on the west of the entrance. This part of the castle, built at the expense of the county, in 1673, and rebuilt by the same means, in 1777, is a handsome erection of the Ionic order, one hundred and fifty feet in length, and forty- five feet in breadth. The entrance into it is by a portico of four columns, thirty feet in height, and attached antae, over which is a pediment with the royal arms, sur- mounted by a statue of Justice and other emblematical figures. Here the business of various courts is transacted throughout the year, and the assizes for the county are held in March and July, or the beginning of August. For these occasions there is a court at the south end, for the trial of criminal offenders ; and at the north end, is one for nisi prius, or civil causes. The interior height of the walls hall. 348 HISTORY OF book III. is about thirty feet, and each court is nearly thirty feet square, being crowned with a dome, ten feet high, supported by twelve Corinthian columns. Each of them also is provided with the usual accommodations for gentlemen of the law, and other official characters ; and with convenient galleries for spectators. Adjoining these courts are handsome rooms fitted up for the use of grand and petit juries, the council, &c. and in the room occupied by the grand jury, is a small library of law books, and a MS. list of all the high sheriffs of Yorkshire, with the dates of the years in which they served the office, from William the Conqueror to the present time. Near the grand jury room is the place for the execution of criminals, where a temporary scaffolding is erected for the purpose ; felons condemned to die, having formerly undergone the sentence of the law at Tyburn, out of Micklegate bar. The present place of execution is called the new drop. It was prepared in August 1802, and on the 28th of August, of that year, was first used for the sacrifice of human life to the offended laws. Behind the grand jury room the remains of a Roman wall was discovered, in 1805, or 1806, by workmen who were preparing to erect the wall which now meets the eye of the observer, and which was built upon this old foundation. A block of freestone, inscribed " Civitati," in Norman characters, was also found at the same time, whilst the men were digging a drain. It was supposed to have been a boundary stone, placed there in the reign of William the Conqueror ; and it may now be seen in the cathedral, where it was immediately deposited, amongst the monuments. Prison for The second building which claims our attention, is nearly opposite to the entrance into the yard j and is the prison for debtors and felons, comprising also the governor's apartments, and the chapel. It has two projecting wings, which, with iron palisades in front, form an airing yard for the felons. A handsome turret surmounts the centre of the edifice ; with a clock and bell. The ancient towers of the old castle, which stood on the site of this building, became a county prison after it was dis- mantled of a garrison ; but being very ruinous, they were taken down in 1701 ; and the present edifice was immediately commenced, though not completed till the year 1 705. The expense of the whole was defrayed by a tax of threepence in the pound on all lands, &c. in the county 7 of York, levied by the authority of an act of parliament. The right wing of this building is occupied by debtors, and the governor. The entrance is by a double flight of stone steps, on the top of which is a door, that leads into a long passage. On this floor, besides the gaoler's rooms, are eight others for debtors, each sixteen feet square, by twelve feet high ; and above those are twelve rooms for common side debtors, which are all free wards, airy, and whole, some, the passage being through lofty and spacious galleries. debtors and felons, THE COUNTY OF YORK. 349 Adjoining the right wing, are the felons' apartments, with the court yard in front, chap. x. already mentioned, as formed by the two wings. The dimensions of the yard are fifty-four feet by fifty-five, and into it is a descent of five steps. It is separated from the general area, by a double row of iron palisades, inclosing a sufficient space between them, to prevent all communication with strangers. This precaution is but of modern institution, and was occasioned by repeated attempts of the felons to escape. The day room for male felons, is twenty-four feet by about fifteen, and contains a fire place. There are two galleries in proceeding from this room, in which are nineteen sleeping cells, well ventilated, nearly six feet square, with lofty arched roofs, and floors of oak wood. A passage leads out of the felons' court-yard to the chapel, and contains eight airy and dry sleeping cells, nine feet long by six feet broad ; and another passage from the yard also contains five sleeping cells. There are two solitary cells, and three condemned cells ; one room, entirely devoted to condemned prisoners, is called "Pompey's Parlour;" it is eighteen feet square, and is sufficiently light to enable its miserable inhabitants to read, and possesses a convenient fire place. Every cell in this building is provided by the county with an iron bedstead, a flock bed, and rugs ; on each of which beds two felons generally sleep. At the west end of the gaol is a small semicircular court yard, with a day room, for transports. They are capable of accommodating twenty prisoners. The chapel, which is in the left wing, next deserves our attention. The ascent Chapel, to it is by a handsome double flight of stone steps, which are uniform with those of the right wing ; and the chapel, which is well calculated for the purpose of religious worship, is so constructed that each prisoner knows his own proper seat. The women sit upon forms in the area, and in front of the pulpit. The convicts, felons for trial, and prisoners for misdemeanours, nearly encircle the chapel, on seats close to the wall ; and there is a gallery, which is occupied by the keepers, by debtors, and by occasional visitors. A seat opposite to that of the keepers, is devoted to those prisoners who are under sentence of death. Besides the daily prayers, a sermon is preached every Thursday morning by a clergyman of the church of England. The only building which now remains to be noticed, is one on the left entrance. The approach to it is by a flight of five stone steps, leading to a portico of four Ionic pillars, twenty-six feet six inches in height, supporting a pediment similar in appearance to that of the court house, on the opposite side of the area, but without sculpture of any kind, if we except vases of the angles. This building was erected in the year 1780, to supply several accommodations, which were thought requisite by the county magistrates ; but considerable additions were made to it in 1803, under the direction of Mr. Atkinson, the architect. The whole now extends in 4 u 3.50 HISTORY OF book in. length one hundred and fifty feet, and the wing next the porter's lodge contains' on the ground floor, offices for the clerk of assize, for the depositing of records, &c. behind which there is a day room, twenty-four feet by fifteen, for prisoners charged with misdemeanours. In it is a fire place, with benches, &c. and the room is well lighted, and opens into a court yard, forty feet wide by twenty-four in depth. There are also four sleeping cells on the ground floor of this wing. The first and second stories of it have each a day room, with sleeping cells, and accommodations, as below- The other wing of the building is generally appropriated to female felons. The day room, on the ground floor here, is also conveniently fitted up, and opens into a spacious yard, containing a washhouse and other requisites. There are likewise six sleeping cells, the smallest of which is twelve feet long by ten broad. On the first story is a day room, with the same number of cells, and a flight of stone steps leading from the day room into a court yard, fifty feet by twenty-seven. On the second, or attic story, are two rooms with a warm and cold bath, and adjoining dressing room, used entirely for the sick ; and consequently to be con- sidered as constituting the infirmary, or hospital of the castle. The roof of tins part of the building is flat, and covered with lead, to the extent of forty-five feet by twenty-five ; and is so constructed for the purpose of admitting convalescents to • take the air, the edge being secured by iron palisades, five feet in height. In the centre, and some other parts of this building, the debtors are confined during the period when the assizes, or any public meetings, are holding within these walls ; though at all other times, they have full liberty to enjoy the air and exercise, which the open area of the castle is abundantly capable of affording. Mr. Howard, the celebrated philanthropist, visited most of the prisoners in Europe, in order to relieve their sufferings. This great man arrived in York in the August race week of 1787, on his return from the north, and during his stay here, visited the castle. The opinion of such a man is of much importance ; and though this 2aol was not then in so admirable a state as at present, he bestowed many handsome encomiums upon it; and frankly declared, after all his experience, that this was the best regulated prison he had ever seen. In 1826 the masistrates of the county decided on erecting another gaol, as near as possible to the castle ; they therefore purchased and enclosed a considerable space north-east of Clifford's tower, encircling at the same time that picturesque and antique edifice. In the space above mentioned, a new prison, forming the semi- diameter of a circle, with the governor's house in the centre, has been designed, and adopted, and will soon be commenced from the plan of Mr. Robinson. The elevation of the governor's house and the prison will be of the pointed style of architecture, and, if erected according to the architect's design, will undoubtedly be the most handsome gaol in Enaland. Visit of Howard. New gaol. - :1 THE COUNTY OF YORK. 351 The site of the castle is of very high antiquity, and the history is deserving notice, chap. x. Mr. Drake, after alluding to the Old Baile, already described, says, " I believe this Historic was built a solo, probably on a Roman foundation, by William I. and made so strong ,£, C as,| e- in order to keep the citizens and Northumbrians in awe, and to preserve his garrisons better than they were in the former. It continued to be in his successor's hands, the kings of England, and was the constant residence of the high sheriffs of the county, during their shrievalty for some ages after." It is also here worthy of remark, that whilst the castle thus remained in the hands of the sovereign, it was used as a magazine, or store-house, for his revenues in the north, and consequently there was a constable of the castle appointed, whose duty it was solely to attend to this department. When at the summit of its strength and greatness, this fortress was entirely surrounded by the Foss, the moat of which may yet be clearly traced, the building being thus rendered inaccessible, except by two drawbridges. The principal gate or entrance from the county was on the east side, near the castle mills ; and there was a smaller one from the city, on the north side. The latter gate was rebuilt many years ago, and was till lately the only entrance. A small arch under the walls in front of it, where the arms of the city were placed, showed the spot where the ancient drawbridge was erected ; whilst the bridge, gate, towers, and sally port on the eastern side, have all been entirely cleared away. The remains of the towers and sally port were removed about thirty years ago ; at which time the moat on that side of the castle, which had formerly been supplied with water from the Foss, was filled up, and a wall was built, surmounted with iron palisades in lieu of it. The sally port and towers, however, presented a very interesting and picturesque appearance. In the reign of Richard III. this fortress was found so much out of order, that it was considered requisite very materially to repair, and in part to rebuild it. Leland, however, in the time of Henry VIII. found it in a very ruinous condition, and observes, "The area of this castle is no very great quantitie — ther be five ruinous towers in it." And Sir Thomas Widrington, in his MS. says, " That part of the castle which remains of the old foundation, appears to be only the gate house to the old building, by the proportion of the gates yet showing themselves in the east side, towards Fishergate postern, where the great door is walled up, and where the main building of the castle was, as is manifest by the foundations of walls all over the said place, if it be tried with the spade or hack." The next object worthy notice within the walls of the gaol is Clifford's Tower. Clifford"* This mount and ruin, which are a great ornament to the city, exactly correspond with Baile hill, on the opposite side of the river. Drake supposes that the mound on which the ruins of the "keep of the castle" are now seen, was cast up by the Romans, and that a tower was standing on it during their residence in this city, 352 HISTORY OF book in. though it might be rebuilt by the conqueror. And Dr. King, in his " Munimenta Antiqua," supposes that this tower was one of the castles mentioned in Stowe's Annals, as built by William the conqueror, in 1068. The last author, in confirma- tion of his opinion, says, " For Norman castles were built on high artificial mounds, and nearly covered the whole area of the summit. The castles built by the Saxons, were on high mounds, or ancient barrows, and had a great plain or area surrounding them." It has already been observed, that the old fortress, the site of which is occupied by the present prison, was formerly encompassed with a moat, supplied with water from the river Foss. It is also equally certain, that Clifford's tower was surrounded in the same manner ; and it appears that though it was the keep of the castle, it was totally distinct, the moat having completely separated them. The entrance to the tower, however, was from the castle, by means of a drawbridge and a flight of steps up the side of the mount. These steps were remaining till within the last few years, when they were removed to repair the wall near the spot. The place which they occupied is yet clearly marked by a row of hazel-nut trees on each side of it.* Opposite the site of these steps are the evident remains of a doorway, in the old wall of the castle yard, now walled up. The bottom of this doorway, being about three feet above the present level of the castle yard, induced an inquiry as to the cause, when it appeared that the ground on that side, has, within the last half century, been lowered equal to such a difference. The arch of this doorway, on the inner side, next to the tower, has been tastefully converted into an arbour, adorned with mantling ivy ; and in front of it is a gravel walk, shaded by the luxu- riant foliage of hanging trees and shrubs. The architecture of Clifford's tower bears evident marks of a date much later than the reign of William I. There is no record of its being rebuilt, but the present structure cannot be older than the time of Edward I. and Mr. Britton thinks it was probably executed in the reign of his warlike successor Edward IILt This fortress derived its name from the circumstance of one of the noble family of Clifford having been appointed the first governor by the conqueror ; and Sir Thomas Widrington remarks, that the Lords Cliffords were very anciently called casteleyns, wardens, or keepers of the tower. This family have repeatedly claimed a right of carrying the city's sword before the king when he visited York, but the ground of it appears to be unaccountable, as the lord mayor certainly cannot have any superior in dignity to him within the walls of the city, except the king himself, or the presumptive heir to the British crown. The tower, drawbridge, &c- having fallen very much into decay, it was found * Hargrcn<\ vol. ii. p. 250. + Picturesque Antiquities of English Cities, p. 6. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 353 requisite for them to undergo a complete repair at the commencement of the civil CHAP, x. wars of Charles I. Of this improvement Drake speaks in the following terms : " By the direction of Henry, then earl of Cumberland, lord lieutenant of the northern parts, and governor of York, this tower was repaired ; a considerable additional square building put to it, on that side next the castle, on which, over the gate, in stone work, are placed the royal arms and those of the Cliffords, viz. chequee, a fess, ensigned with an earl's coronet, supported by two wiverns, and this motto — " Desormais." This tower was strengthened with a draw-bridge, deep moat, and palisades ; and on the top was constructed a platform, on which were mounted two demi-cnlverins, and a raker. A garrison was also appointed to defend it. Colonel Sir Francis Cobb was made governor, who, with his lieutenant-colonel, major, and captains, had their lodgings there during the seige of York, A. D. 1644. After the surrender of the city to the parliament generals, York was dismantled of all its garrisons, except this tower, of which Thomas Dickenson, then lord mayor, was made governor. In confirmation of this fortress being continued a garrison, we find the following record on the journals of the house of commons, dated February 26, 1646 : " Resolved, that Clifford's tower (York) be kept a garrison with three-score foot in it." We are also informed that, in 1660, it was guarded by eleven pieces of ordnance, one gunner, one mate, and two matrosses. On the restoration of Charles II. the government of this tower was confided to Sir John Reresby, A.D. 1683. It was, however, blown up the following year; and the circumstance is thus related, in an old MS. diary of those times : — "About ten o'clock on the night of St. George's day, April 23, 1684, happened a most dreadful fire within the tower called Clifford's tower, which consumed to ashes all the interior thereof, leaving standing only the outshell of the walls of the tower, without other harm to the city, save one man slain by the fall of a piece of timber, blown up by the force of the flames, or rather by some powder therein. It was generally thought a wilful act, the soldiers not suffering the citizens to enter till it was too late ; and what made it more suspicious was, that the gunner had got out all his goods before it was discovered." That this tower was intentionally destroyed is very probable, not only from the circumstances just enumerated, but also from this garrison being highly offensive to the citizens ; who so decidedly evinced their opinion, as commonly to give " The demolishing of the minced pie," at that time, as a toast in the city. Little worthy notice occurs in the further history of this fabric. About 1825 it was purchased, along with other property in the immediate neighbourhood, to enlarge the present gaol, and some ignorant persons proposed to level it with the surrounding ground ; this, however, was met by the majority of the magistracy of the county, 4 x 354 HISTORY OF book in. with that feeling and good taste, that the plan was abandoned, and, highly to their credit, they resolved to erect a strong wall round the mound, thereby protecting for some centuries to come this beautiful specimen of feudal grandeur.* PLAN OF CtlFFORD S TOWEK. a Outer gate. 6 Inner gate, c c Staircases, rf Well. * It was truly observed at the time, by a magistrate of the county, " that many persons are too apt to despise, or to pass over in neglect, those objects which are habitually presented to them, — and hold in veneration such only as are distant, and with which they are comparatively little acquainted. Upon this principle we must account for the fact, of so many of our countrymen, travelling to distant regions, and returning home, expressing wonder, astonishment, and delight, at the ruins, the mountains, and val- lies, which they have seen, — while they remain ignorant of the merits of their own country, insensible to its beauties, and affecting to despise its remains of antiquity. " Such persons can see a thousand charms in every broken arch, and in every ruin near theTiber, how- ever small the remnant, — while they can find nothing to admire upon the banks of the Thames, or of the Ouse,— while they load with epithets of reproach and execration, the names of Alaric, the leader of the Goths, and of Genseric, the king of the Vandals, and call their myriads of followers barbarians — because the one overran Greece, and plundered and destroyed the public buildings and works of art at Athens, and Corinth, and Sparta ; and the other, after taking Rome, laid waste the city, and reduced to ruins its temples and its bridges : — in England, with unsparing hand, would level to the ground our best remains of ancient buildings ; which have resisted the destructive efforts of time, and for ages been held up to the admiration of all persons of education and taste, to make a foundation for a gaol or a manufactorv. " That Clifford's tower is an object not unworthy of some share of respect and of care, may perhaps be made evident by a comparison between it and some of those remains of similar form, w hich, because they are in Italy, are held sacred, and are preserved from destruction. Of this kind is the castle of St. Angelo, in Rome, (anciently the Mausoleum of Adrian.) Of a similar form is the sepulchre of the Plautian family, upon the banks of the Tiverone — and the far-famed tomb of Cecilia Metella. Excepting the first, each of these is greatly inferior in size to Clifford's tower, and all inferior in elevation of site and picturesque beauty." — Reasons for not pulling donn Clifford's Tower in making the proposed enlargement of York Castle, by G. Strickland, Esq. of Hildenley. 8vo. 1S25 THE COUNTY OF YORK. 355 The plan of this tower consists of four segments of circles, joined together. The chap. x. largest diameter, from periphery to periphery, being sixty-four feet ; and the shortest, from intersection to intersection, being forty-five feet. The walls are between nine and ten feet thick.* The entrance is through the modern square tower mentioned before, over which are the arms of the Clifford family. On the left of the entrance are the remains of a winding staircase, formerly leading to a chapel, which will be noticed hereafter. Beyond this staircase was the original entrance, of which the remains of a ruined archway may still be seen. Within these ruins is yet standing a small pointed arch, and near it may be traced the grooves of a portcullis, and other requisites for offence and defence. Entering the area of the ground floor, a feeling of veneration strikes the mind Interior, on viewing the now desolate scenes of former grandeur. In the centre is a large branching walnut tree, which has a curious appearance, being entirely surrounded by the massy walls of the ruins. To the right of the entrance is a winding stone stair- case ; and there are, in different parts, the evident remains of several more which led to the upper stories. Near this staircase is a deep draw-well of excellent water, which Drake says was choked up at the time when he wrote, but which is now open, and is not less than fifty or sixty feet in depth. It has a wooden frame round the top, and a roller for drawing water, but no rope ; here is also a stone cistern that has been termed a coffin, but which evinces no appearance of being designed for that purpose. Proceeding round the interior of the ground floor, several recesses will be observed in the walls, which have been designed for various purposes at present unknown. The writer above quoted has remarked, that " here was also a dungeon so dark as not to admit a ray of light." In what part this dungeon was, or whether there really ever was any such apartment connected with this building, is at present very doubtful, there not being any visible remains either of a dungeon or an entrance to one. It is certainly probable that there might be a place of this kind, and it is true that a fruitful imagination is ever ready to picture a dungeon as the natural accompaniment of a fortified tower, whilst conjecture will as naturally place it in the hill on which the ruin stands. Quitting the ground floor, and ascending by a flight of stone steps on the left, within the original entrance, we soon arrive at a small room in the square modern tower, over which a yet more modern tiled roof still remains. This room was formerly used as a chapel, but has since been converted into a pigeon cote, by some person whose want of taste has suffered the ancient pointed arches and windows of the chapel, to be defaced or nearly hid in the erection of ponderous * Archaelogia, vol. vi. p. 259. 356 HISTORY OF book in. brick pigeon holes ! * Ascending the same staircase, a few steps higher, is a door- way, which formerly was the entrance to the first story of the most ancient part of the tower : this is evident by marks in the walls where the beams rested which once supported the floor, and more particularly by the remains of recesses in various parts of the walls on the same level. One of these nearly opposite the entrance to the tower is about six feet square, and nine feet in height ; it has two doors, one on each side, with a window or open niche towards the city. There are yet re- maining narrow shelves of oak wood, which leave no doubt of its being originally designed as a store-room, though it seems, in modern times, to have been used as a dove cote, or to have been frequented by the birds of the night. Returning to the steps which lead to the first story, and proceeding thence to the top of the tower, the wall is sufficiently broad to walk upon all round, to the opposite side of the square tower. From this eminence the eye will be gratified with most interesting scenery; whilst the city, with its public buildings, and the fields beyond it, present themselves on one side, the diversified prospects on the other embrace the rivers Ouse and Foss, winding near the new walk, whose fine row of trees gives additional interest to the scene. Immediately below, the county prison and yard appear to the best advantage, and the distant landscape is enriched by country seats and other interesting objects, within a space which the eye can con- template with ease, though bounded by the lofty wolds. Descending by a flight of winding steps, at the opposite side of the entrance to the one mentioned in the ascent, and proceeding to the exterior of the tower, we are gratified with a neat and broad grass lawn, forming a walk round the base of the building. In passing round will be seen a very curious specimen of ancient architecture, supposed to have been a stall, brought from one of the dilapidated churches in the city. It was placed here as a garden chair. Besides being fluted, and otherwise singularly carved, it has a curiously carved ornamented canopy ; the weather, however, appears to have had great effect upon this relic of ancient times. The sides of the artificial mount on which the building stands, are planted with trees and shrubs ; and the moat which formerly surrounded it is now filled up, so that the entire space forms one garden, which is tastefully laid out and kept in excellent order. The whole property is held, with other lands near the city, by grants from James I. to Babington and Duffield ; and the words of the grant are, " Totam illam peciam terra? nostram scituat. jacent, et existent, in civit. nost. Ebor. vocat. Clifford's tower." Nessgate. Returning up Castlegate we arrive at Nessgate, which derives its name from the * Now in a sad stale of dilapidation. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 357 Saxon word ness, implying a projecting or an exalted situation. It is observable chap. x. that this street, which is very short, and leads from Castlegate to High Ousegate and Low Ousegate, corresponds in name and situation, as it stands on rising ground: it was formerly so very narrow, that two carriages could not pass each other in it, but a general subscription amongst the citizens was raised in 1767, for the purpose of improving it. The sum thus collected was so great as to enable the subscribers to take down all the houses on the north-east side, and to rebuild them several feet further back, by which the street was rendered open and convenient. Opposite Nessgate is Spurriergate ; it extends to the entrance into Jubbergate, Spurrier- g3.t6. and adjoins Coney street. It owes its present name to the circumstance of having been inhabited by spurriers; it however appears by the churchwardens' books belonging to St. Michael's parish, that more than two hundred years ago it was called Little Coney street. At that period it must have been only a narrow dirty lane, for we find that in 1769 half of the houses near the entrance from Ousegate, on the north-east side, were taken town, and rebuilt so far back as to make the street twice its original width ; the expense of this improvement was likewise defrayed by a general subscription, to which the directors of the assembly rooms con- tributed three hundred and seventy pounds. At the corner of this street, and facing Bridge street, stands the old church of St. st Mj _ Michael, an ancient rectory given by William the Conqueror to St. Mary's abbey, chael's „,.,,.., . church. under the patronage ot which religious house it remained till the dissolution. It is now in the gift of the king, and is valued in the liber regis at £8. 12s. \d. This church has a very neat appearance, the whole having been recently repaired in a substantial manner. It is almost a square, with a tower at the west end compre- hended in the plan. The west end of the church is made into three divisions, by two buttresses. The centre, which is occupied by the tower, is four stories in height. In the lower or ground floor is a pointed arched doorway, bounded by a weather cornice, which finishes in two grotesque heads. Above is a pointed window of four lights, with cinquefoil tracery and intersecting arches, and perpendicular tracery in the head ; in the third story is a small window of two lights with cinquefoil heads ; and in the upper story a depressed arched window of three lights with heads like the last described. This window is filled with weather boarding, and the whole is finished with a string course and battlement. The south side of the tower is similar, with a clock dial, and the north side has only two upper windows. The west end of the south aisle has a well proportioned window of four lights, with cinquefoil heads, the sweeps of the arch filled with perpendicular tracery. The north aisle rises to an apex, and displays a modern window of four lights ; the sweeps of the arch filled up and painted to represent tracery. The south aisle of 4 Y 35S HISTORY OF Interior. book m. the church abuts on Bridge street, and has a very neat appearance ; it has three windows similar to the one at the west end of the aisle, and the finish on this side, and the east end, is a cornice and battlement. The east end of the church is similar to the south side, with a small doorway at the north-east angle. The north side is built against, with the exception of a square modern window of P.ve lights. The interior is equally neat ; it is divided into three aisles by four pointed arches and a half; they spring from columns formed of four cylinders conjoined with leaved capitals. The half-arch is at the east end, and was occasioned bv taking down a considerable portion of the church in 1822. The ceiling is flat, in large panels ; and the pulpit, which is sexagor.al, with the reading desks, are affixed to a pillar on the south side of the church. One intercolumniation at the west end is occu- pied by a small gallery, containing an organ. The altar piece is of oak, and consists of three compartments, made by four composite pilasters; the centre compartment is finished with an arch, on which is a small figure of St. Michael On the south side of the communion table is a small paltry vase, which serves as a font. At the north east angle of the church is a handsome porch surmounted by the royal arms of George IV. By an inscription over the churchwardens' pew, it appears the east and south sides of this church, and part of the west wall were rebuilt, the whole of the inside ornamented, the floor raised, and the pews formed anew in 1822. There is a considerable quantity of stained glass in this church, but much muti- lated. The monuments are not numerous ; on the floor is a brass inscribed as follows : ". rt EIntr tiioris. sur qur otuit quarto oir mmms augnsti a. Dom. iHCCCO-IX. quorum. On the south side is a neat tablet to J. Wood, Esq. lord mayor, died January 9, 1704. In the tower is a peal of six bells. There is a small passage called St. Michael lane, leading from Spurriergate, half round this church, into Low Ousegate ; and the houses which formerly stood near the corner, from the great number of bones dug up here at various times, seem to have been built on part of the ancient church yard. High Ousegate is a well built street, on the left of which, nearly opposite the church of All Saints, are two narrow lanes or alleys, one of which is called Pope's- head alley, and leads from High Ousegate, to a street generally termed Peter-lane little : it is extremely confined, and very short, ending at Jubbergate : this lane is so called from a church having formerly stood on the east side of it, dedicated to St Peter ; and for the sake of distinction called " Ecclesia Petri Parva," or St. High Ousegate THE COUNTY OF YORK. 359 Peter the little. It was an ancient rectory, under the patronage of the prior and chap. x. convent of Durham ; but having fallen a sacrifice to the destructive events which at various times have laid waste this city, the church, together with the parish and all appurtenances, was united to All Saints in the Pavement, in the year 1585. There was formerly a lane near the middle of this street, which ran into the great shambles ; but, says a late writer. " it was stopped up about the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth; and on the 29th of January, in the sixteenth year of her reign, by order of the lord mayor and commonalty, it was divided into parcels, for twelve tenements adjoining it, the occupiers whereof were to pay each a small yearly rent for ever to the corporation, and keep it clear of filth," &c. Adjoining High Ousegate, in a direct line, is the Pavement ; a well built, Pavement, pleasant, and airy street. " Whence it derived the name is doubtful," says Mr. Hargrove, " but we may with some degree of certainty, consider it a token of the ancient and original superiority of this street, over others of the city ; for to designate one street " The Pavement," must naturally imply that the others were not paved at the time this name was given ; and we do not find that it has borne any other for time immemorial."* In the open area of this street, a market is held for the sale of all sorts of grain, Market, wild fowls, sea-fish, poultry, butter, eggs, herbs, and various other articles. The corn market is well supplied, and is an excellent one for oats in particular, great quantities being brought from all the neighbouring towns and villages. It does not appear that this street was first used as a market-place by any official Cross, regulation; but we find that in 1671, Mr. Marmaduke Rawden, a merchant of London, who was born in this city, amongst other benefactions to his native place, devoted four hundred pounds to the erection of a cross, at the end of All Saints' church, for the accommodation of the public. It was a small square building, with a dome, ascended into by winding stairs, and supported by twelve pillars of the Ionic order. The following year the corporation raised the cross higher, and placed a turret and vane on the top of it. The expense of this alteration amounted to one hundred pounds, and the appearance of the building was greatly improved. Thus the cross stood till the month of January, 1813, when it was considered as unnecessary, and was accordingly taken down, and the materials sold by auction. All-Hallows church, commonly called All Saints, Pavement, stands partly in ah Saint's High-Ousegate, but the principal part in the Pavement. By an old grant to the abbey of Fountains, the rector of this church is styled " Rector ecclesia? omnium sanctorum in Usegata." This is an ancient rectory, and before the conquest * Hist, of York, vol. ii. p. 266. church. 360 HISTORY OF book trt. belonged to the prior and convent of Durham. At the reformation it was seized by the crown, and is now in the gift of the king, and valued at £5. 16s. I0d.* This church is a very ancient structure, and Drake observes, that the north side of it is almost wholly built out of the ruins of Eboracum ; indeed the body of the church, and part of the steeple, are of very antique appearance ; but this edifice is chiefly remarkable for a more modern erection on the old steeple, of exquisite pointed architecture. The same author says: "This tower is finished lantern wise; and tradition tells us, that anciently a large lamp hung in it, which was lighted in the night time, as a mark for travellers to aim at, in their passage over the immense forest of Galtres to the city — there is still the hook or pulley on which the lamp hung in the steeple." In 1782 the chancel of this church, beins; much out of repair, was wholly taken down, and the ground on which it stood was devoted to enlarge the market-place : in consequence of which the corporation contributed one hundred pounds towards rebuilding the east wall : the whole fabric underwent a thorough repair at the same time. Part of the present burying-ground of this chnrch was formerly occu- pied as a herb and fish market. This church consists of a nave and side aisles, with a tower at the west end, comprehended in the plan. The latter appendage is square, of rough masonry, and three stories in height, finished with a cornice and parapet. At the north- west angle is a buttress of four gradations, and at the south angle is the same, attached to an octagonal turret, which does not rise above half the height of the tower. In the west face of the lower story of this tower, is a large pointed arched window of five lights, with cinquefoil heads, the sweep of the arch being filled with intersecting arches, and perpendicular tracerv. The second story is blank, and the third has a depressed arched window of three lights ; the latter window is also repeated in the remaining sides, beneath which, except on the west side, is a clock dial. From this story rises an elegant octagonal tower, at each angle of which is a buttress of four gradations, terminating in a crocketted pinnacle ; each face rises to half the height of the last stage or division of the buttress, where it is finished by an open battlement and pinnacles, having an elegant and airy appear- ance. Each front has a window almost the breadth and nearly the height of the structure, divided into four lights bv a perpendicular and transom division, each light terminating in a cinquefoil and the head of the arch filled with tracery ; these windows are unglazed. At each angle are gargoyles, the whole having the most light and elegant appearance that can be imagined. The west end of the north aisle has a pointed window of three lights ; the end of '* I.iber Regis. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 361 the south aisle is modern, the roofs of both rake up to the church with a plain CHAP. X. coping; the south side is made into four divisions by small buttresses, and the aisle is finished by a plain parapet. In the westernmost division is a pointed arched doorway, and above it a small window. In the remaining divisions are pointed windows of three lights, with trefoil heads, and neat tracery in their heads. In the clerestory are four square-headed windows, of three lights, with cinquefoil heads, all in a mutilated condition. The whole of both aisles is covered with a rough plaster. The east end of the church is made into three divisions by but- tresses, the centre rising higher than the aisles ; the whole is finished with an embattled parapet, with crocketted pinnacles at the angles. In the centre is a pointed window of three lights, with trefoil heads, and in the aisle a similar window of two lights, all modern, and of very inferior masonry. The north side is in three divisions; the two easternmost have windows, and the remaining one a window and door, all like those in the south aisle. The interior is very neat ; the body of the church is divided from the aisles by five pointed arches, the four eastern resting on octagonal columns ; the other supports the tower, and is a large octagonal pier, with an open arch to the nave. In the space occupied by the tower is a semicircular gallery, which extends over the west end of both aisles. Under this is a modern font of very common workmanship, and in the gallery a handsome organ. The pulpit is octagonal, with scroll work, &c. ; on the sounding board is "Anno 1634," and round it, and on the pulpit, are numerous sentences from scripture. The altar piece is neat ; it consists of three panels, with pointed arches in them, all of polished oak; in the panels are the usual inscriptions. The monuments are not very numerous; in the north aisle is a neat tablet, inscribed as follows : " In this aisle lieth interred the body of Tate Wilkinson, Esq. original patentee and thirty-four years manager of the Theatre Royal, York, which he conducted with credit to himself and to the satisfac- tion of the public. He died the 25th of August, 1803, in the sixty-third year of his age. He was an affectionate husband, an indulgent father, and an honest man." In the south aisle is a neat sarcophagus, inscribed to J. Saunders, Esq. alderman and lord mayor, 1818. Died April 22, 1824, aged fifty-five. In the tower of this church are three good bells. At the corner of the shambles, is the parish church of St. Crux, or Holy Cross, st - Crux vulgarly called Cross church, and supposed to have been built in 1424 ; as a commission, dated September 6th, in that year, was directed to William, bishop of Dromore, commanding him to dedicate this building. It was given by Nigell Fossard, lord of Doncaster, to St. Mary's abbey, and contributed the sum of twenty 4 z 362 HISTORY OF book hi. shillings annually to that religious house. It is a rectory valued in the liber regis, at £6. 16*. 8rf. but according to the parliamentary return in 1810, at one hundred and four pounds. The present patron is the king. This church consists of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower at the south west angle, and comprehended in the plan. This tower is of brick, with stone dressings, and was erected in 1697, chiefly at the expense of the parish, except some few voluntary subscriptions, augmented by the liberality of Archbishop Sharp. The lower part is of stone, apparently a portion of the church. In the two upper stories are Venetian windows, and at the angles of the tower are square buttresses, with Tuscan capitals. At each angle of the tower are vases, and the whole is encompassed with a neat railing, within which is a hemispherical dome, finished with a cross and weather- cock. This tower has a very awkward appearance, being eighteen inches out of the perpendicular towards the west. The west end of the church does not range with the tower from a tortuosity in the street ; it is of brick, and has a large Venetian window with stone dressings. The south side of the church, towards the pave- ment, is made into six divisions by buttresses. In each (except the first from the west, which contains a pointed doorway) is a large pointed window of three lights with cinquefoil head and perpendicular tracery in the sw r eep of the arch. The clerestory of the nave and chancel, which rises above the aisles, has six depressed arched-headed windows of four lights, and a little tracery in their heads. The east end of the church is made into three divisions, by buttresses. In the centre is a large and handsome window, of six lights with a transom ; the lower tier of lights are filled up. In each of the aisles is a window of three lights, the heads filled with tracery similar to those in the south aisle. The north side of the church is similar to the south. The interior has a very spacious and elegant appearance. The nave and chancel are united, and divided from the aisles by seven arches, vanishing into square piers, the mouldings or hollows of the arches being continued to the bases, which are octagonal ; each arch has an outer moulding which rests on heads of men and women. The clerestory is perfectly plain, and the roof is flat and panelled, the intersections having bosses of leafage, &c. The roofs of the side aisles are similar. On building the tower in 1697, they appear to have encroached on half an arch, on the north side. The altar piece is of oak, with Corinthian pilasters, and on a pediment some urns, &c. The pulpit is octagonal with a sounding board of the same form. The font is also octagonal and very large. The mutilated arch at the west end is occupied by a small gallery. The monuments are numerous ; on the south side of the altar is a table monu- ment with a large recess behind, on each side a Corinthian column, supporting a plain entablature with a shield of arms in the centre, and weeping boys at the extremities. The interior of the recess is filled up with fancy work ; on one side is Interior. Monu- ments. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 363 a small statue of Prudence, on the opposite side Faith, and in the centre the chap. X. following inscription : "Here lyeth the true portraitures of Sir Robert Watter, knight alderman, and twice lord mayor of this city. A father to the poor, a friend to the comynalty of this citty, and a good benefactor to this church, who dyed May 12, 1612. And of his wief Margarett deceased March 30, 1608, and of their three children. Labor with faith in tyme, using justice well, Through mercy gette fame, in peace and rest to dwell." On the table beneath lie the full length effigies of the knight dressed in a scarlet robe, square beard and red cap and ruff, and his lady in a full gown and ruff. Behind him is a child in swaddling clothes, and on each side of it a figure kneeling. The whole monument is surrounded by an iron railing. Near this monument is a carved stand for a book, enriched with niches, &c. and chained to it is a book entitled " A replie vnto M. Hardinge's ansvveare," " Imprynted at London in Fleete streate, Henry Wykes 1566." Beneath is written 1583, perhaps the date of purchasing it. Near the same monument on the floor of the church, is the following inscription on brass. ©rate pro animabus J^eiirirt ffiUnman quontram maioris ribit. lEbor. ft agncttB uioris buf filir Jtofmnma aUrDm, qui Henrietta obiit b Sic aug. a. D. JWCCCTXE. et agues obitt. XXM. trir £cpt- a. S. fflffCCTlHiS. quorum animabuB prop. Brus. In the south aisle is a neat sarcophagus to T. Bowes, apothecary, who served the office of lord mayor 1761, and died October 21, 1777, in his second mayoralty, aged sixty ; also a neat pyramidal tablet, with a basso relievo profile, to H. Waite, Esq. who died December 25, 1780. In the north aisle is a handsome sarcophagus with a medallion bust of the deceased, to Sir Tailored Robinson, of Newby, upon Swale, who served the office of lord mayor twice, and died September 3, 1754, aged sixty-eight. Attached to the first pier in the south aisle from the east, is a brass tablet to Thomas Herbert, Esq. lord mayor of this city, who died April 14, 1614. The church of St. Crux is bounded on the north by a narrow passage, leading from the Shambles to Whipmawhopmagate ; and on the south, formerly, was part of the parish burying ground, extending to a row of houses, the whole length of the church ; and forming a very narrow and inconvenient lane, generally inhabited by hosiers, and consequently called Hosier-lane. Those dwellings, built on the church-yard, and which fronted the houses that are yet standing on the south side of the church, "were purchased by the corporation, about the year 1771, to improve the street. They were accordingly taken down, the cellars filled up, and the ground on which they stood, together with the remainder 364 HISTORY OF Fossgate. .Merchants hall. BOOK in. of the church-yard on that side, was added to the street; a broad causeway of flag stones being, at the same time, laid in the front of the church. The burying- ground on the north side was parcelled out to those who had houses adjoining, and a sum of money was raised by that means, with which the parishioners purchased a piece of ground in Hungate, far more decent and suitable, for the purpose of interment. The next object of notice in Walmgate ward, is Fossgate ; a long narrow street, extending from the Pavement to Foss bridge. In this street is situated, the Mer- chants hall, or, Gilda Mercatornm of York, which is the property of a numerous, respectable, and affluent body of men, termed " The Merchants Company," originally established in this city, at a very early period, to encourage the trade of York, which was then considerable. This company has, however, survived all the fluctuations and final decline of the foreign commerce of this city, but its funds having been extended by several considerable donations; it yet confers many privileges on the members, whose engagements are now chiefly respecting domestic regulations.* The hall is situate on the right side of the street, is of great antiquity, and is stated by tradition to have been built out of the remains of a religious house, called Trinity chapel ; which stood here in the earliest ages of Christianity. A piece of ground behind the building, and now occupied as a garden, is supposed to have been used as the place of interment, and evinces by corroborating circumstances, the correctness of the supposition ; for in digging in it at various periods, quantities of human bones have been thrown up. The outer entrance to the Merchants hall, from Fossgate, is by an old stone archway, over which are the corroded arms of the merchants of the staple. Passing through this doorway into a small yard, the entrance to the upper and principal story of the building is by a flight of stone steps, at the top of which a short passage leads to the rooms occupied by the merchants company. On each side of this passage or landing are small rooms originally intended for the immediate purposes of the company ; but at present they are let, as are also two below, one on each side of the steps, to poor families. Entering a second door, there is a small room on the right, called the court of assistants' room. The first room is sixty-five feet long, twenty feet wide, and about fourteen feet in height. It is well lighted, and furnished with fixed seats against each side of the room. * There is also a very ancient company of merchants in York, distinct from the one here mentioned. It is called, " The Company of Hans Merchants,'' and its members being free of the five Hans towns, enjoy many valuable privileges on importation of goods thence. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 365 The inner room called the court room, is of the same dimensions as the other, but chap. X. is kept in neater condition, being the room in which the merchants company assemble. Here they hold four quarterly courts in each year ; and dine together half-yearly ; on which occasions the governor presides. This officer should be chosen annually, by a majority of the members, but he is generally allowed to occupy the station three years. Over a fire place on the right of the entrance to this room, is a table of bene- factions, and disposed in different parts are several good paintings, viz. a full length portrait of George I. 1722; Sir H. Thomson, knt. and alderman; J. Saunders, Esq. lord mayor, 1818 ; R. Thomson, Esq. lord mayor, 1708, and 1721 ; and W. Hart, " sometime pastor of the English church at Embden." The ground floor consists of a chapel belonging to the company ; and of a hospital. The entrance to the chapel is by a passage, through a spacious area, leading into another room of very ancient appearance, in which are several massy oak pillars, supporting the upper part of the building. A door out of this room, formed under a stone arch, opens into the chapel. It was built in 1411, and improved in 1667 ;* and is a neat square building, well suited for devotional exercises, and furnished with the usual appendages. The seats for the members are placed in a double row on each side of the chapel, and are calculated to contain more than one hundred persons. Returning from the chapel, are the apartments called Trinity hospital. An Trinity ancient hospital was founded here in 1373, by John de Rowcliff, dedicated to Christ and the blessed virgin, and commonly termed Trinity hospital. The founder had letters patent from Richard II. dated, ut supra, to purchase lands worth ten pounds per annum, for the suslentation of a priest or master, and for the brethren and sisters of the same. The priest was to pray for the said king, the founder, and all christian souls ; also to pay weekly to thirteen poor people, and two poor scholars, constantly residing in the hospital, every of them fourpence of silver. The founder purchased only one house and twenty- six shillings rent, and no other person having added any lands, " the governors of the mystery of merchants of the city of York, incorporated July 12th, the eighth of Henry VI. and authorized by the said incorporation to purchase lands to the value of ten pounds per annum, and to find a priest out of the profits of the same, did enter into the said lands given to the said hospital, and of the profits and other lands, did give yearly to a priest to sing continually in the said hospital, over and besides all charges, six pounds." Such was the original establishment of this hospital, but it was dissolved in the • It was also repaired in 17(55, again in 1801, and lastly in 1820. 5 A 366 HISTORY OF Site of St. Clement's church. Foss- bridge BOOK HI. third of Edward VI.; and the stipend of the priest, as also the lands, granted for maintaining of obits, lights, and lamps, was by act of parliament given to the king. The merchants company have, however, with a laudable liberality, perpetuated the charity ; and by means of various donations presented to it, by several members of the company, ten poor persons, five men and five women, are at present sup- ported in the apartments under the hall. Nearly opposite merchants' hall formerly stood St. Clement's Church ; it was but a small building, and very ancient, having been destroyed prior to the union of the churches in York. No vestige now remains of it, but it will ever be an interesting object in history, from the circumstance of the eighty Lincolnshire and North- amptonshire archers, who were slain in the battle between the English and Hain- aulters, in the first of Henry the Third, having been interred under one stone in this church yard. At the termination of Fossgate, is a neat structure, called Foss bridge, built on the site of a very ancient stone bridge, of three arches, erected in the reign of Henry IV. It appears by an old charter, that Richard II. gave license to the mayor and commonalty of York, to purchase lands 'to the yearly value of one hundred pounds, for the support of the bridges of Ouse and Foss ; but the latter having been rebuilt as just mentioned, authority was granted in the fourth year of the reign of Henry IV. to the mayor and citizens of York, to collect a toll on Foss bridge, for all victuals, &c. conveyed that way during five succeeding years, to defray the expences incurred. It also appears that there was a chapel erected upon the north side of the old bridge, which was licensed on the 14th of November, 1424, for the celebration of divine service. It was dedicated to St. Anne, though sometimes termed the chapel of St. Agnes ; and prior to the dissolution, possessed three chantries of considerable value. Several of the wooden piles, which supported this chapel, were drawn up so late as the year 1734. At the period when Camden wrote, the line of the street extended completely over the bridge, which was so crowded with houses, as to render it difficult for a stranger to ascertain when he was passing it. They were however taken down soon after his time ; though we find that in 1728, several fish stalls were again erected on the south side. The present bridge, which consists of one elliptical arch, with a ballustrade, was built under the superintendence of Mr. Atkinson. The foundation stone was laid on the 4th of June, 1811, in the presence of the committee for the Ouse and Foss bridges, and a vast concourse of spectators. A brass plate was let into the stone, and upon it was the following inscription : " The first stone of this bridge was laid by the Right Hon. Lawrence Dundas, lord mayor, on the fourth THE COUNTY OF YORK. 367 of June, mdcccxi. in the fifty-first year of the reign of George IIT. and on the day on which his majesty CHAP. X. completed the seventy-third year of his age. Peter Atkinson, architect." At the east end of Foss bridge, stands a neat brick building with stone quoins, Wilson's and dressings, called Wilson's hospital and school-house. It was originally 0S P lla ' founded and endowed in the year 1717, by Mrs. Dorothy Wilson, a maiden lady, who resided here, and bequeathed her own dwelling-house to be converted into an hospital, for ten poor women, each of them to have a room to herself; and for their maintenance, she also left certain lands at Skipwith and Nun-Monkton, from which each of the said poor women was to receive £6. 10*. Od. per annum. The property, which has increased considerably,* is vested in the hands of seven trustees ; and in the settlement is a very extraordinary clause, purporting, that if any one of the trustees be made an alderman of the city, he shall cease to be a trustee. The recorder has, however, we understand, been occasionally chosen and approved. The original building, though very old, stood till 1765, when it was taken down by the trustees, and re-erected ; but when the bridge was rebuilt, it was found requisite to take the hospital down a second time ; and it was then handsomely built with brick, as it now appears. The street on the opposite side of Foss bridge is called Walmgate. It is Walmgate. broad and open except the lowest part, and extends from Foss bridge to Walmgate bar. Many opinions have been entertained respecting the derivation of this name ; some imagining it merely implied Tripe street; others, that this name was a corrup- tion of Watlingate, an ancient street so called, without the bar ; which latter was the opinion of Mr. Drake. Mr. Hargrove considers the name but a corruption of Vallum gate — vallum being the Latin name for a wall or bulwark for security, as this street not only leads to the present Walmgate bar, but also to the ancient bar of Fishergate, and to the Red Tower. The transition is easy from vallum to valm, and we know that V is, even to this day, often pronounced as W, especially in the south. The first object of interest, beyond the bridge, is on the right, and is called St. Dyonis the Church of St. Dyonis. There is a tradition that this church was originally a Jewish synagogue or tabernacle ; but there seems to be no ground for such opinion. In Wilson's Classical Antiquities of the Jews, Greeks, and Romans, it is observed, " The Jews erected synagogues not only in towns and cities, but also in the country, especially near rivers, that they might have water for their purifications and ceremonious washings ;" and this church stands not far from the river Foss. It was formerly a handsome pile of building, with a neat and lofty • Vide Hargrove's Hist, of York, vol. ii. p. 290. 368 HISTORY OF book ill. spire in the midst of it, which was perforated by a shot in the last siege of York. This church was much reduced, by taking down the west end, in 1798, in con- sequence of the foundation being injured by a large and deep drain passing too near it, which was intended to draw the water from the Foss islands. When the west end was pulled down, the spire was also removed, and a square tower erected in its place, which yet remains. The alteration, however, cannot be termed an improvement as to appearance, in any respect, for it not only gives a heaviness to the structure, which did not attend it before, but the reduction has rendered what was originally the length of the church, shorter than its breadth; and hence presents to the eye a fabric singular and novel in the extreme. It is a rectory in the gift of the university of Cambridge, valued in the liber regis, at £4. 0*. 10(1. in the parliamentary returns at eighty pounds.* This church, as before mentioned, is now reduced to a chancel and side aisles, with a tower at the west end. The latter has a strange appearance from the aisles being blocked up with a mixture of brick and stone. The piers of the nave remain, and, from two sculptured heads, we should suppose was of very early Norman architecture. The arch between the nave and chancel is filled up to near its springing with stone, the remainder being glazed. Above this the tower rises to a moderate height ; it is in two stories ; the upper has a pointed window in each face, and the whole is finished with battlements and pinnacles at the angles. The south side is made into three divisions by buttresses ; in the first from the west is a beautiful arched doorway of five enriched mouldings, resting on piers. The mouldings are principally of flowers, chevrons, birds' heads, &c. and on the whole they are in fine preservation. In the remaining divisions are pointed windows of three lights, with trefoil heads, and in the sweep of the arch three quatrefoils conjoined. The windows in the north aisle are three in number, and similar in form to those just described. The east end shews the chancel rising considerably above the aisles, but each of the roofs raking to an apex. Each is made into separate divisions by buttresses ; in the chancel is a depressed headed window of five lights, with cinquefoil heads, and perpendicular tracery ; above this is a clock dial, placed there in 1818. In the south aisle is a pointed window of four lights, and in the north aisle one of five lights, with particularly elegant tracery in the sweep of the arch ; the upper part of which has been shamefully filled up with * The ancient porch here, as it stood prior to the west end being taken down, was a very interest- ing remnant of the early ages. It was in some degree similar to the much admired one at St. Margaret's church, exhibiting a variety of curious figures, mouldings, &c. in good preservation. Though the porch was removed, the carved stone doorway was carefull" replaced at the south entrance, where it now remains. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 369 plaster, &c. Between the chancel and this aisle is a small doorway approached chap. x. by a flight of steps. The interior has an equally strange appearance with the exterior. The tower is interior, open to the church, and the aisles are separated from the chancel by one large pointed arch. The roof of the chancel is flat and panelled, the intersections marked by grotesque figures, shields, &c. The pulpit is neatly carved and attached to the south side of the church. The font is octagonal, and situated under the tower. The windows of this church were, at one period, very resplendent with stained Stained glass. In the east window at present there are several large figures of the Cru- cifixion, the Virgin, St. Dyonis, with his head in his hand, St. John, and an arch- bishop; the latter much mutilated. In the south aisle window are the heads of two female saints, very beautiful and perfect. Against the wall, on one of the altars, is an antique female figure, in the attitude Monu- of prayer, with an inscription to the memory of Mrs. Dorothy Hughes, wife of Robert Hughes, Esq. of Uxbridge, in Middlesex. She was descended from the ancient family of the Redmonds, at Harewood, in this county. There is no date, but from her costume it is evidently of the latter part of the seventeenth century. On the opposite wall is an elegant marble monument, erected to the memory of Robert Welborn Hotham, Esq. who served the office of sheriff of York, in 1801, and died September 14, 1806, aged forty-eight. Near the top of it is a dove descending towards a weeping figure, which is represented leaning upon an urn. At the west end of the south aisle is a large tablet, with a Corinthian pillar on each side, to the memory of Dorothy Wilson, spinster, who died November 3, 1717, aged seventy-two, and left a considerable number of-legacies for charitable purposes. There were formerly several ancient inscriptions in this church, including one to the memory of Vice-admiral Holmes, a native of the city, who died in 1558; and the painted glass in the windows had been preserved with great oare ; but much of the antiquity was destroyed by the alterations in the last century. In the north aisle of this church was the family vault of the earls of Northumber- land, and over or near it formerly were two effigies, upon a large slab of blue marble, accompanied with an inscription on brass ; but they are no more to be seen.* It is however affirmed, that in this vault were deposited the remains of Henry earl of Northumberland, who fell fighting for the house of Lancaster, at the memorable battle of Towton Field. Opposite to the north side of St. Dyonis church, and near to the iron foundry, Percy's formerly stood the palace of the earls of Northumberland ; at which time this, no doubt, must have been their parish church. • Hargrove's York, vol. ii. p. 296. 5b Dieu. 370 HISTORY OF book in. On the death of Henry, earl of Northumberland, who was slain at the battle of St. Albans, in the thirty -third year of Henry VI. and was father to the before- mentioned earl, an account was taken of his property, in which was included a certain house in Walmgate, in the parish of St. Dyonis, in York, called Percy's Inn, which is some confirmation of this account. Dugdale has also alluded to this house, and says that on the ground where it stood, there was found, by a labourer, several years before, one arm of a gold cup, so heavy as to be sold for the sum of fifty pounds. Percy's Inn seems to have been occupied by other families after the earls of Northumberland forsook it : the learned Marmaduke Fothergill * was born there in the year 1652. Maison In a lane near St. Dyonis church is the Maison Dieu, or House of God, formerly maintained by the company of cordwainers ; and though much uncertainty exists respecting the period of its erection, and who was its original founder, yet the credit of being so is generally ascribed to that body. The company of cordwainers were united for the protection and encouragement of their trade. They were certainly of great antiquity, for we find that archbishop Scrope presented the company of cordwainers with a large and handsome bowl, in 1398.+ How long they had existed as a body, previous to that year, is a matter of doubt. An act of parliament, on which they grounded their right to regulate the markets and the trade in general, having however been repealed, they, in 1808, dissolved the fraternity. The entire patronage of the Maison Dieu was, with its writings, &c. previously transferred by the company to Mr. Hornby, one of the principal members ; who, finding the building in a very ruinous state, took the whole down, and generously rebuilt it in the year 1811, at his own expense. This * He was the eldest son of an opulent citizen, who had honourably acquired a fortune by trade, and was educated at Cambridge. He early embraced the ecclesiastical profession: in consequence of which he possessed, prior to the revolution, the living of Skipwith, in the county of York, and had received a promise for the next presentation to the rectory of Lancaster. This political change, however, altered his views respecting the church, and being determined never more to take any oath of allegiance, he retired from it, and lived contented and happy on the income of his paternal estate. He was very remarkable both for learning and piety, and was a great friend and admirer of literary characters. Hence he often visited the university, but always travelled on foot ; and though he performed all the exercises required, and gave the usual treat for the degree of doctor of divinity, he would not even there comply with' the government oaths, and therefore could never assume the title. To ecclesiastical antiquity he paid great attention, and had made large collections of manuscripts on the subject, which he once desigued to have published, and would have done so had not extreme modesty prevented him. He read the book of common prayer daily to his own family, and taught the duties of a christian, by the purity of his example and by the dignity of his conversation. He died on the 7th of September, 1731, aged seventy-nine. + Vide p. 289. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 371 alms-house now consists of four small separate dwellings, each of which contains CHAP. x. one room on the ground floor, and one over it. They are yet occupied by aged and decayed shoemakers, who pay one penny per annum acknowledgment to the present patron. The pecuniary donations to this charity do not exceed a few shillings per annum. On the top of the building is a cupola with a bell, which, before the company was dissolved, was always tolled on the death of any of its members. Divine service was also performed in the alms-house occasionally, at which the members were obliged to attend. From this source may be traced the origin of its name. The dwellings are built with bricks, and in front is the following inscription " Maison Dieu, rebuilt Anno Dom. 1811." At the corner of Neutgate lane,* which leads from Walmgate to Fishergate bar, Haber- is the Haberdasher's hall, a very ancient timber building, erected by Sir Robert hall." Watter, knight, who served the office of lord mayor in 1591. He was a haberdasher, and built it for his brethren of the trade to assemble in; it has, however, long been disused by them, and is at present divided and let in small tenements. In Neutgate lane, on the left, stands a long row of low miserable tenements, Waiter's called Sir Robert Watter's hospital. This alms-house was founded by the above- mentioned individual. Drake, on the authority of Torre, mentions that " Sir Robert Watter, knight, by his will, proved June 15, 1612, appointed that an hospital should be erected out of his houses in Nowtgate, York ; which should be for the perpetual maintenance of ten persons ; to consist of a master, governor, or reader, who should have three pounds per annum for his stipend ; and of certain brethren and sisters, to every of which forty shillings per annum should be allowed ; and that the said rent of twenty-four pounds per annum should issue out of the lordship of Cundale." The hospital is very low, and possesses little convenience for its inmates; each dwelling containing only one room, with scarcely any yard behind, and the front opens into the lane. On the wall of the first dwelling is the following inscription : " THE : HOSPITALL : OF : SIR : ROBERT : WATTER : K.C. : TWISE : LORDE : MAIOR : OF : YORKE : REPAIRED : A. D. : 1627." A little further up Neutgate lane, in a garden wall, on the same side as the Effigy of a hospital, is a mutilated statue of a crusader. Mr. Gough says, " When I was at York, 1785, 1 saw in Neutgate lane, set up in the wall, a cross legged figure, with a rounded helmet, coat of mail, cushion under his head supported by angels, sword at his left side, on his shoulder a cross patonce under a barulet, supposed * Newt is a small lizard, often found in low marshy places ; this lane, which certainly is Tery low and wet, is evidently indebted to its situation for its name. crusader. 372 HISTORY OF Wesleyao chapel. Site of St George's church. book. in. to be a younger brother of the Latimer family, who probably accompanied his relation in the crusades of Henry III. and Edward I."* Behind Walmgate and between that street and Neutgate, is a large brick chapel for Wesleyan methodists, erected in 1S26. The interior is very neatly fitted up, half the chapel is occupied by rising seats. The pulpit is neat and the building will hold about four hundred persons. Higher up the lane, on the right, is the burying ground and ancient site of St. George's church. It was a rectory, originally under the patronage of the respectable family of Palmes, of Naburn, many of whom are interred here ; that village being not only in the neighbourhood, but also a part of the parish of St. George. It was afterwards under the patronage of the Malbyes, of Acaster ; and in the reign of Richard II. it was appropriated to the nunnery of Monkton. In 1.585, however, the church and parish of St. George were united to the church of St. Dyonis, in Walmgate, and remain so at the present day. The church yard is an elevated situation, to which is an ascent of a few steps ; and in the wall, next to Fishergate postern, is yet remaining a curious mutilated piece of sculpture, that, in all probability, is a sepulchral remnant of a lady of the early ages. No remains of the church are, however, now to be seen, though but a few years ago, says Mr. Hargrove, part of the west end of the building was standing. There was one chantry founded in this church, at the altar of St. Mary, for the soul of Nicholas, son of Hugh de Sutton. The only object which now attracts the eye is a tomb-stone, nearly one hundred years old, to the memory of T. Armstrong, Esq. of Naburn, who died Oct 29, 1721. In this church yard were interred the remains of Richard Turpin, the notorious highwayman, who was tried for horse stealing at the Yorkshire assizes, and executed on the 7th of April, 1739. The inhabitants of the neighbourhood still point out his grave ; and tradition asserts, that early on the morning after the interment, the body was stolen for the purpose of dissection ; but a mob having assembled on the occasion, it was traced by them to a garden, whence it was borne in triumph through the streets, on four men's shoulders, re-placed in the same grave, and a quantity of slacked lime deposited round the body. On the coffin was inscribed: "R. T. 28 ;" but he is said to have informed the executioner that he was thirty-three years of age. The inhabitants of Naburn still inter their dead in St. George's church yard. St. George's street was formerly one of the principal entrances to the city, and must at some time have been very populous ; for we find the sites of three churches very near together, viz. the church of St. George, in Neutgate lane, that of St. * Gents. Mag. 1791, pt. ii. p. 1076. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 373 Andrew, in Fishergate, and that of St. Peter in the Willows, at the upper end chap. x. of Long close. At the lower end of this street, and not far from Walmgate-bar, formerly stood the church of St. Peter in the Willows. It was an ancient rectory, under the patronage of the prior and convent of Kirkham; but at the union of churches in York, it was united to St. Margaret's, and the building was suffered to decay. It appears that there was a perpetual chantry founded in this church, at the altar of St. Mary ; but the founder's name, &c. are unknown. Returning through Walmgate, nearly opposite St. Margaret's church is a mean Winter- row of houses up a narrow court called Winterskelf's hospital. hospital. Perceval Winterskelf, who served the office of sheriff of York, in 1705, gave to the parish of St. Margaret certain buildings on each side of a square yard ; part of which he directed should be occupied as the residence of six poor people. He ordered the remainder to be let by the parish officers to eligible tenants, and that the amount of rents should be entirely devoted to the maintenance of the six poor inmates of the hospital. The entrance is by a narrow passage, which opens into the court yard. The buildings are of brick, and those on one side are occupied at present as a malt- kiln. The poor people have one room each on the ground floor, on the opposite side, and at the upper end of the yard ; whilst the rooms over their dwellings are let as corn chambers, &c* The amount of annual income, to each of the six inha- bitants of the hospital, is from seven to eight pounds. St. Margaret's church stands behind the houses on the north side of Walmgate; St.Marga- and presents a very humble and rural appearance, from the church being low, and church, from there being several large trees near it. This church, and that of St. Mary, which also formerly stood in this street, were conjoined into one rectory, under the patronage of the hospital of St. Peter, or St. Leonard, in this city ; having been given to it by Walter Fagenulf, in the reign of Henry I. It is a rectory valued in the king's books at £4. 9*. 9%d. but according to the parliamentary return it pro- duces sixty pounds per annum. It is in the patronage of the king. In the year 1672, the steeple of this church fell down, and seriously injured the roof of the building, which, owing to the poverty of the parish at that period, was not repaired till 1684 ; the roof is now covered with red tiles, and the square tower is chiefly built with bricks. St. Margaret's church consists of a nave and chancel with a north aisle, and a chapel on the south side. At the west end is a brick tower not comprehended • Hargrove, vol. ii. p. 314 5c 374 HISTORY OF Ancient porch. BOOK IK. in the plan ; it has stone quoins and a battlement with decayed pinnacles at the angles In the lower part of the west iront is a square window of two lights, in the upper story a double pointed window filled with weather boarding, which is repeated in all its faces. The west end of the nave has a square window. The south side of the church may be said to be in three divisions ; in the first from the west is a particularly curious doorway of very early workmanship, being undoubt- edly the most extraordinary specimen of Norman or even Saxon sculpture and architecture this country can exhibit. This porch was brought from the dissolved hospital of St. Nicholas extra muros, (without the neighbouring bar,) and placed in its present situation. It comprises four united circular arches, below and within each other. The top or outer one, exhibits twenty-five figures, consisting of the twelve signs of the Zodiac, alternately with hieroglyphic representations of the several months in the year ; below which is a curious carved flower moulding. The second arch comprises twenty-two grotesque masks. The third, eighteen hieroglyphic figures; and the fourth, fifteen figures, similar to those on the preceding one. They are each supported by a light round column, producing together an effect pleasing and singular in the extreme. Within the porch, is a recess or seat on each side ; and over the door of the church, is a curiously carved arch of stone, supported by round columns, the same as the others in the front. The roof of the porch rises to an apex, and is crowned with a small stone crucifix; and the whole admirably displays the singular taste which prevailed a short time previous to the abandonment of the Saxon style. In the next division are two square-headed windows, one of a single light and the other a double light, both with cinquefoil heads. The last division is marked by a buttress, and is principally occupied by the chapel now used as a vestry. In the portion of the chancel unoccupied, is a square-headed window of two lights, and beneath it a small doorway now closed up. The west side of the chapel has a single light, the east a square-headed window of three lights, and the south side is blank, and rises to an apex. The east end of the chancel is guarded by buttresses, and in the centre is a handsome window of three lights, with cinquefoil heads and ornamental tracery in the sweep. The east end of the aisle has a depressed arched window of three lights. This aisle on the north side is made into two divisions by buttresses, and in each is a square-headed window of two lights. The interior is very plain : the body of the church is divided from the aisle by four pointed arches, resting on octagonal columns without capitals. The roof of the church is flat with a head in glory in the centre. Part of the east window is occupied by tablets, containing the royal arms with the date of 1G98, and the usual inscriptions. The pulpit is sexagonal, with a sounding board on the south side of Interior. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 375 the nave. The tower (which contains three bells) is open to the church, by a chap. x. spacious pointed arch; beneath it is an octagonal font, on the rim of which is " The gift of John Hindle, free mason. Anno 1685." The monuments are not very numerous : on the south side of the chancel is a neat tablet to T.Wilson, Esq. an eminent bookseller in this city, who served the office of sheriff 17(57, and died October 29, 1780, aged fifty-nine. On the north side of the altar is a tablet to S. Wormold, Esq. lord mayor, 1809; died December 15, 1814, aged fifty-nine. 376 HISTORY OF CHAPTER XI. SURVEY OF MONK WARD. BOOK III. Monk Ward. Whipma whopma- gate. Monastery of Friars Carmel- ites. Monk Ward commences on the north side of the city, at a short narrow street between Colliergate and Fossgate, called Whipmawhopmagate. Whence this name is derived seems not to be known at present. The house of correction was anciently on Peaseholme-green, in its vicinity, and Mr. Hargrove considers this street may have been a boundary for the public whipping of the delinquents. The east end of St. Crux church, already described, adjoins this street ; but for- merly there was a row of houses before it, which were removed to widen the street. Not long ago, Whipmawhopmagate was the market for shoes and boots ; but it is now principally used as a basket market, of which a very considerable number are offered for sale every Saturday. In Stainbow lane was situated the monastery of the Friars Carmelites, which was of such extent as to occupy nearly all the ground from Whipmawhopmagate to the river Foss. Mr. Drake, in his Eboracum, has the following account of this once powerful monastic establishment. " Here stood formerly the house or convent belonging to the Friars Carmelites, or Fratres de Monte Carmeli, in York, who had a chapel or church dedicated to the honour of our lady St. Mary. The religious order of the Friars Carmelites was one of the four orders of mendicants, or begging friars ; taking both its name and origin from Carmel, a mountain in Syria, formerly inha- bited by the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and by the children of the prophets. From them this order profess to derive their origin in an uninterrupted suc- cession ; but the method in which they attempt to prove their antiquity is too ridiculous to be rehearsed. Some amongst them pretend they are nephews to Jesus Christ. Others go farther, and make Pythagoras a Carmelite, and the ancient Druids regular branches of their order. " The site of their monastery in York, is particularly expressed in a charter of confirmation, granted to them by King Edward I., in the twenty -eighth year of his reign, or anno 1300, dated at York. It appears here, by inspeximus, that William THE COUNTY OF YORK. 377 de Vescy gave them the first piece of ground to build on, and bestowed upon them chap.xi. all his land, messuages, and tenements, that he had in a street, or lane, called le Stainbogh ; extending in length and breadth towards the water of Foss, to the south ; and from a street or lane, called le Mersk, towards the king's street, called Fossgate, to the west. " In the reign of Richard II., Henry de Percy, lord of Spofford, had leave of the king to grant to these friars a piece of ground to the west, contiguous to their house, sixty feet long, and sixty broad, for the enlargement of their monastery. This piece of ground, but of somewhat larger extent, viz. one hundred feet long and one hundred broad, was granted to them afterwards, by John Berden and John Braythwait, to the same use as the former. Confirmed by King Richard II. at York, in the sixteenth year of his reign, or anno 1393. " Before this, viz.; anno reg. regis Ed. II. 8° . or anno 1314, that king, then at York, bestowed a messuage and yards upon the prior and brethren of this order, situate in the street of Mersks, as the record testifies, (though no such name of a street is known to us at present,) which he had of the gift of Galfrid de Saint Quintin, contiguous to their house, for the enlargement of it. The sanie king, by another grant, dated a day after the former, gives leave to these friars to build a quay, kaya, or wharf, on his vivary of the Foss, in their own land, and within their close : and so builded, to keep to them and their successors for ever. And more- over, that they should have a boat on his said vivary, to fetch stone, wood, underwood, or other necessaries, as well under Fossbridge, as from any other place on the said vivary, or fish pool, to their quay so built, for the use of the said monastery. "The same king, in the ninth and tenth years of his reign, grants to these friars, by two deeds dated at York and Lincoln, all those houses with their appurtenances in Fossgate, which he had of the gift of Thomas the son of William le Aquiler, of York, and Cicily his wife. Also all that land with appurtenances in the same city, extending in length and breadth, as the writing witnesses, which he had by gift from Abel de Richale of York : to have and to hold, &c. for ever, for the enlargement of their monastery. " That I may omit nothing relating to this friary which I have found, I shall give what Mr. Torre has collected from the church records regarding them ; there being no notice taken of this monastery, in York, in the Monastican ; or in Speed's Catalogue of the Religions Houses. "April 1, 1304, a commission was issued out to dedicate the church yard of this friary, in that place where these friars then inhabited, within the limits of the parish church of St. Saviour. "January 1, 1320, William, archbishop of York, made this ordination between 5 D 378 HISTORY OF book. III. John Pykering, rector of the church of St. Crux, and the prior and brethren of the order of St. Mary de Monte Carmeli, about certain tythes, houses, and posses- sions belonging to that church, by reason of those places which the said prior and brethren had inhabited, or did acquire in the said parish, the same containing nine- teen feet in breadth from the inner part of Fossgate, and of the latter part seventeen feet per Staynebow, viz. that the said prior and brethren, and their successors, shall be free and quit for ever from payment of those tythes, oblations, and obventions, saving the right of the said parish church, for them and others of burial amongst them. And in satisfaction of damage done to the said church in this respect, the said prior and brethren shall give and pay yearly for ever to the said rector, nomine ecclesie sue, the portion due to the vicar out of the profits of the said church. "And May 24, 1340, a decree was made betwixt the rector of St. Crux, on the one part, and the prior and brethren of the Carmelites on the other, about the celebration of divine service in a certain oratory in Fossgate, erected on the gate of the said priory 7 : that there be thenceforth no service therein celebrated, no bell tolled, bread or water hallowed, nor be administered by any clerk or lay person. And that those religious receive no more oblations there, and that our lady's image, then in that oratory set up, be absolutely removed." On November 27, in the thirtieth of Henry VIII. or anno 1539, this house of the friars Carmelites, in York, was surrendered into the king's hands by the prior, S. Clarkson, nine brothers, and three novices ; and in the thirty-fifth of the same king the site was granted to one Ambrose Beckwith. Part of the site of this ancient religious house not many years ago was occupied as a garden, and, in that state, was purchased by Mr. Rusby, who, about twenty years ago, erected several buildings there. In digging up an old foundation about that time his workmen came to an ancient arch, in which were two distinct and separate parts of a tombstone ; and in another place they found a flag gravestone, with the Ancient representation of a crosier at each corner. The former he carefully joined, and placed as a flag in front of his house.* The middle of it is curiously carved, and near the edges is the following inscription : " Orate pro domino Simone de Wyntringham,t sacerdote qvondam vicario Sancti Martini Magni London, cvivs anime propicietvr Deus." The letters are of the old Anglo-Saxon character, though the inscription is in the Roman language, and it is remarkable that there is not any date. It may thus * Hargrove's York, vol. ii. p. 326. It is at present laid down before the door of Mr. Fettes, in Hud gate. t Engraved in Gent. Mag. 1799. pt. ii. p. 931. He was a canon of Lincoln, prebendary of Ledyngton, and provost of the chantry of Catterstock, co. Northampton ; died 1120. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 379 be translated: "Pray for Sir Simon de Wintringham, a priest, formerly vicar of St. CHAP. XI Martin the Great, London, to whose soul may God be merciful." Adjoining to Whipmawhopmagate, and extending to the Haymarket, is Colliergate Collier- In this street is a small alms house, called Mason's hospital, founded bv Mar- ga,e ' r ' J Mason's garet Mason, (widow of Mr. Thomas Mason, who served the office of sheriff of York hospital. in 1701) ; for the use of six poor women, to be appointed by trustees named in her will. Those poor persons to reside in the house, and to be paid, out of the rental of certain property in Fossgate, twenty shillings each per annum for ever. In addition to the above sum, the Right Hon. the countess of Conyngham, left fifty shillings each per annum, to those poor people — making the total annual sum received by them, £3. 10*. St. Saviourgate, is so called from St. Saviour's church standing here. It appears St. Sa- that the upper part of this street was formerly known by the name of Ketmangergate, vumr S ate - " probably," says a learned antiquary, " because it may have been the market for horses' flesh, for that is called ket, and used to be eaten about the time of the conquest, particularly the flesh of young foals." At the entrance to this street, there is a stone in the wall of a house, on which is inscribed : " jbfir sstoutr tfje image of Yorttc aria rrmanH in tfie sere of our UorO (Soft n t> > j> • thorpe. part of the liberty of St. Peter s, four miles from York. Here is a chapel of ease, and a neat Methodist chapel, also a small school, endowed with four pounds per annum, for the teaching of eight poor children- Population two hundred and eighty-one. Askham Bryan, or Great, is situated about four miles from York, with a ^skham Bryan, or population of three hundred and seventy-seven persons. Great. The church, which is dedicated to St. Nicholas, is a perpetual curacy, valued in the parliamentary return at £113. 2*. 6d. The advowson is in the gift of R. J. Thompson, Esq. it consists of a nave and chancel with a small square brick tower at the west end, which is finished with a vane, on which is 1731. On the south side is a porch of modern construction, within which is a circular-headed doorway, exhibiting three series of chevron and counter chevron mouldings, which rest on ornamented columns. The east end of the church has three narrow circular- * Out of the great white reg. 1 pt. fol 31. kept in the office of the archbishop of York. 472 HISTORY OF book in. headed windows filled up, and above the centre one is the vesica pisces. It appears to have been erected in the eleventh century. The interior is neat, with a gallery at the west end, and beneath it the font, which is circular. On the north side of the chancel is a neat tablet to Thomas Fawcett, Esq.; died February 27, 1822, aged eighty-five. In the south part of the church-yard are two tomb stones, en dos dane, with foliated crosses, but no inscription. In this village is a chapel for the Wesleyan methodists, and a good house in the form of half a Roman H, the residence of Admiral Preston. Respecting the manor of Askham Bryan, little is to be gleaned. When Roger de Mowbray was going to the Holy Land, he gave all the manor and town of Askham, with the advowson of the church, to his friend William de Tykhili ; but in the eighteenth year of the reign of Richard III. we find the manor of Askham Bryan was the property of Sir John Deveden, Knt. Askham Askham Richard, or Little, is about a mile from the last mentioned place ; it is Richard, or Mule. a small straggling village with few good houses, and has a population of two hundred and forty-nine persons. The church is a vicarage, endowed in 1329, and dedicated to St. Mary ; valued in the liber regis at £4. 13s. 4d. The only notice of the patronage of this church is that "William de Arches, and Ivetta his wife, gave the church of Askham Richard to the nuns of Nun Monkton priory ; this was afterwards confirmed to them," and Pope Celestine appropriated the churches of Askham Richard, Thorpe, and Hamerton, to the nuns of Monkton, in the fourth year of Bishop Melton* Askham Richard church is a small edifice, consisting of a nave and chancel, and a small wooden turret at the west end. On a vane which surmounts this appendage is 1714. On the south side is a very large porch, almost half the size of the church, within which is a plain circular arched doorway, resting on two columns, with leaved capitals and square bases. The windows are all square and modern; at the east end is a Venetian window, and above it 177.5, perhaps the date of alteration ; the interior is perfectly devoid of ornament. At the west end is a gallery with a small organ. At the east end of the church-yard is a broken column and base, with an inscription to Eliza Berry ; died May 27, 1767. The only edifice worthy notice in this village is Askham Hall, the seat of R. Swann, Esq. It is a red brick building with projecting wings, two stories in height, and gable roofs. The grounds are laid out with some taste. — Here is a also chapel of the Wesleyan methodists, erected in 1815. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Edward I. that king granted free warren • Ilarl. MSS. 791. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 473 to the prior of Bridlington in all his demesne lands at his manors of Bridlington, chap. West^Askham, &c* Present patron, R. J. Thompson, Esq. The parish of Bilbrough is a neat village distant from York about five and a half Bilbrough. miles, with a population amounting to two hundred and sixty persons. The church is a perpetual curacy of the certified value of £46. 6*. lOd. The patronage being in T. L. Fairfax, Esq. It is a small edifice, consisting of a nave, chancel, and chapel, on the south side, with a low brick tower at the west end, comprehended in the plan. The lower part of this tower is ancient, with a narrow circular-headed window. The finish of the tower is a vane. The south side of the nave has a large porch, and a circular-headed doorway. The chapel appears to have been erected in the fifteenth centuiy. In the south side of it are two square-headed windows of two lights with trefoil heads. The east end of the chancel has a large square window of three lights with a foliated cross on the apex of the roof. The remainder of the building has several windows, but none par- ticularly worthy notice. The interior is plain, the communion table and the walls round are of wainscot, and very handsome. The chapel is separated from the chancel by two pointed arches resting on octagonal columns. In the easternmost arch is a table monument, on the dado of which are two shields with merchants' marks. The remainder of the chapel is occupied by the spacious table monument of the distinguished parliamentary general Lord Fairfax. On the sides of the monument are shields of arms, trophies, &c. and on the black marble slab are the family arms and motto " fare fac;" beneath is the following inscription : " Here lye the bodyes of the Right Honble. Thomas Lord Fairfax, of Denton, baron of Cameron, who dyed November y ei xii 1671, in the 60th yeare of his age. And of Anne his wife, daughter and Coheir of Horatio Lord Vere, Baron of Tilbury. They had issue Mary duchess of Buckingham, and Elizabeth. The memory of the just is blessed." The font at the west end of the church is a perfect cylinder. In this village is a brick building used as a school. It is endowed with fifteen pounds per annum, to teach twenty-two poor children the common rudiments of education. In the fourth year of the reign of Henry VI. the manor of Bilbrough belonged to Elizabeth, the widow of Richard Baly. The manors of Bilbrough and Steeton are the property of T. L. Fairfax, Esq. Bilton is situated about four miles and a half from Wetherby, and is partly Bilton. in the liberty of St. Peter, York. It is a small straggling town, with two hundred and twenty-three inhabitants. The church is a peculiar vicarage, dedicated to St. Helen, and valued in * Harl. MSS. 791. 6 E 474 HISTORY OF book in. the parliamentary return at one hundred and twenty-four pounds. The patron is the prebendary of Bilton, in the cathedral church of York. The advowson of this church was granted, by Gundreda, the daughter of Bertram Haget, to the nunnery of Sinningthwaithe, which her father had founded in 1160. On the 26th of March, 1293, in the twenty-first year of the reign of Edward I. the prioress and convent submitted this church, with all their right to the same, to the ordination and disposition of Thomas Romaine, archbishop of York, who, in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of the same king, founded a new prebend in the cathedral of York, to which this church was annexed.* The church is small, and has an antique appearance, from its length and want of height ; it consists of a nave and aisles, a chancel and south aisle, and a chantry chapel on the north side. The west end has a plain appearance, the roof rising to a gable, on which is a basement or plinth to two arches, which have a pedi- mental cap. In the southern arch is a bell, and in the other was one till a few years ago, when it fell down, and has not since been replaced. The south side of the nave has three square-headed windows and an ancient porch, the exterior and interior arches of which are circular, and rest on columns. The remainder of the church has several windows of various forms. The north side of the chancel has some very curious sculptured blocks, one represents a man carrying a pig, and others grotesque heads. The interior is neat; the aisles are separated from the nave by three circular arches, resting on cylindrical columns, with octagonal capitals. At the west end is a gallery, and near it the font, a circular basin on an octagonal plinth. The nave is divided from the chancel by a circular arch, the soffite enriched with chevron mouldings. The chapel is separated from the chancel by a pointed arch. At the end of the north aisle, on the ground, is the full length effigy of a lady ; her hands are conjoined on her breast, pressing a heart ; the slevees are close, and the drapery ample and graceful ; on her head is a small circlet or coronet. This effigy is perhaps of the fourteenth century, and formerly occupied a different situation. In the east window of the chapel, which is raised three steps above the rest of the church, is a shield of arms, gu. a fesse over three fleur-de-lis, ar. A school was endowed in this village in 1805, by Hall Plumer, Esq. Bilton hall is a handsome edifice, and is the residence of R. F. Wilson, Esq. M. P. In the parish of Bilton are the remains of the priory of Sinningthwaite, founded about the year 1160, by Bertram Haget, for nuns of the Cistercian order. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the grant was confirmed by Roger de Mowbray, • Burton, pp. 325, 326. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 475 the lord of the soil, and by Godfrey de Ludham, archbishop of York ; the latter chap. took the nuns under his protection, denouncing a malediction against those who — '- — '■ — should injure them, and a blessing to their benefactors. Pope Alexander III. in the fourteenth year of his pontificate, A. D. 1172, granted to Christiana, then prioress, and to the convent, a confirmation of their then possessions, with what might afterwards be given to them ; and enjoined that none of the brethren or sisters, once professed, should depart without license, exempting them, as usual, from paying tithe for what they occupied or tilled at their own costs ; which Pope Lucius III. on the 3d Kal. Dec. in the fourth year of his pontificate, A.D. 1185, confirmed to Agnes, prioress of Sinningthwaite, prohibiting any one from committing theft within their cloisters or granges. This Pope Gregory VIII. likewise con- firmed. King Henry II. confirmed the founder's donation, forbidding all persons from doing injury to the convent. They had considerable lands, rents, &c. in the county and the advowson of the church of Bilton.* At the time of the dissolution, the revenues of this priory, in the gross, were valued at £62. 6s. ; the clear income at £60. 9*. 2d. The site, in the thirtieth year of the reign of Henry VIII. was granted to Sir Thomas Tempest, Knt. The remains of the priory are moated round, and enclose about eight acres. The house is principally built of stone, and in the north front is a circular arched doorway, with chevron and flower mouldings, resting on cylindrical columns, with leaved capitals. The windows are of more modern workmanship, being square- headed, of four lights. On the north side is a small close called Chapel Garth, formerly the site of a chapel and burial ground of this priory. The estate was formerly the property of Lord Wharton, but it is now in the hands of trustees for the benefit of a bible charity. In the parish of Bilton are the townships of Tockwith and Bickerton. The Tockwith former has a population of four hundred and thirty-six, and in it was, previous to erton. the reformation, a cell of black canons, belonging to the. priory of Nostel, in the deanery of Pontefract. The chapel of All Saints, with two oxgangs of land here, were given to the above priory, by GeoflTry Fitzpain, before 1114, and was confirmed by King Henry I. The yearly revenues of this cell at the dissolution, in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Henry VIII. were eight pounds per annum ; and the site was granted, in the thirty-first year of the reign of Henry VIII. to Thomas Leigh. Bickerton has a population of one hundred and forty-nine persons, and a chapel for Wesley an Methodists, erected in 1826. * Monasticon, (new ed.) vol. v. p. 463. 476 HISTORY OF book ill. Bishopthorpe was formerly called Thorpe, but archbishop Walter de Gray having Bishop- purchased the manor of Thorpe, erected a palace there, and hence originated thorpe. ^ ie p resen t name . It is on the bank of the Ouse, and is distant from York about two miles and a half; the population three hundred and one. The church is a vicarage, dedicated to St. Andrew, and valued in the liber regis at four pounds. Patron, the archbishop of York. The church, which was erected in 1768, is built in the form of a cross, and is a specimen of the style designated " Carpenter's Gothic." The west front has two pilasters on each side of a pointed door, supporting a pediment, with a block cornice ; the lower part broken to admit a circular window in imitation of a rose. The other sides are of brick, with plain pointed windows, and the east end displays an ancient pointed window of four lights, with cinquefoil heads, and perpendicular tracery in the sweep. This was brought from Cawood, and was the gift of Arch- bishop Drummond, who also gave the timber for the edifice, and six hundred and sixty pounds. From the centre cf the church rises a small wood turret, with a vane. The interior is very neat, the ceiling throughout is waggon-headed and ribbed. The intersection of the nave, chancel, and cross aisles, is made circular by pewing ; in the centre is a small font in the form of a vase. The principal part of the south aisle is occupied by a handsome octagon pulpit of oak, with a large sounding board, the gift of Mr. Dealtry, the vicar ; and the north aisle is occupied by the pew of his grace the archbishop of York. The latter is plain, and contains a hand- some chair, above which are the archiepiscopal arms. Archbishop Drummond is buried on the north side of the communion table. On the same side is a neat marble tablet to John Dealtry, M. A. rector of Bamborough, prebendary of Stilling- ton, and nearly forty years vicar of this parish; died April 30, 1797, aged eighty- nine. In this church was established a chantry by Walter Gray, archbishop of York; it was endowed with £6. 14s. yearly rent, out of the manor of Bishopthorpe. Arch- The principal object worthy notice in this village is the archbishop's palace, palace. At various times many palaces have belonged to the see of York, one of which we have already mentioned, in describing the close of the cathedral. In addition to this, and the one we have now to notice, an old record informs us, that Shireburn- in-Elmet, Cawood, Ripon, Beverley, and Otley, in this county; also Southwell, in Nottinghamshire, with Whitehall and York place, in London ; and Battersea, in the county of Surrey, each contained a similar mansion. The estate continued in the possession of the successive archbishops till the reformation ; when both the palace and manor were sold to Walter White, Esq. for £525. Is. 6d. and the former remained his seat till the restoration. The palace has undergone various improvements ; and is now a venerable edifice, THE COUNTY OF YORK. 477 pleasantly situated on the bank of the Ouse,* three miles south-east of the chap. cathedral of York. In front of the palace is a porter's lodge or gateway, erected — : — : — by Archbishop Drummond. It exhibits the pointed style of architecture, and presents a neat appearance. Over the gateway are the arms of the see, with a crocketted turret and a clock. Within the gateway is an extensive grass-plot, neatly laid out and ornamented with trees and shrubs, interspersed by gravel walks, with one broad carriage road leading up to the palace. The front of the mansion is in the same style of architecture as the gateway, having been also built by Archbishop Drummond. The principal entrance is into a spacious vestibule, by a handsome flight of stone steps, under a canopy, supported by light airy columns. The front is finished by an open battlement of stone, and each extremity is decorated with the stone figure of an eagle ; but the palace having been enlarged at various times, does not exhibit that even range of building which might otherwise have been expected. On the left of the vestibule is the drawing room, a spacious apartment elegantly furnished : the ceiling exhibits a curious specimen of antique fret work. In this room is a large painting, by B. West, Esq. representing George III. with Lord Harcourt and a yeoman of the guard in waiting, the former holding a cap of maintenance. Here are also elegant portraits of the late and present marquis of Stafford, the father and brother of lady Vernon. A door at the end of the drawing room opens into a newly erected billiard room, furnished with every requisite for the diversion. On the right of the vestibule is the library. The room is spacious ; but the col- lection of books is not very extensive, though certainly it contains some valuable works in ancient and modern literature, and Buckler's series of excellent prints of the several cathedrals in the kingdom. Adjoining the library is the chapel, highly worthy of the stranger's attention ; being, though small, extremely neat and appropriate. The windows consist of stained glass, executed by the late Mr. Peckitt : they are long and narrow, except the window over the altar table, at the east end, which is spacious, and enriched with the arms of the archbishops, from the reformation to the revolution, impaled with those of the see. The pulpit exhibits much curious antique carving, and opposite to it is the archbishop's seat. The floor is of black and white marble, and the whole interior is extremely interesting. A door opens out of the chapel into a large and elegant dining room, calculated to accommodate seventy persons, being forty-seven feet by twenty-six, and fifteen * A custom prevails with the sailors, on board the trading brigs, to fire three'guns every time they pass ; a signal which is answered by a certain portion of ale being always distributed amongst them, by order of the archbishop. 6 F 478 HISTORY OF book in. feet in height. The windows exhibit, in stained glass, the arms of many of the archbishops, and command a view of the river with the country beyond. The room is ornamented with a beautiful chimney-piece, supported by Doric columns of richly veined marble; and the ceiling also displays antique fret work. Over the chimney piece is a likeness of George I. by Sir Joshua Reynolds; and round this room are hung fine portraits, &c. of the several archbishops ; amongst which, a full-length likeness of Archbishop Lamplugh, an excellent likeness of the present prelate, by William Owen, Esq. R. A. and anotiier of his predecessor, Dr. W. Markham, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, are particularly remarkable. These are the principal rooms shown to strangers. The others are neat and comfortable, but display no superiority worthy of particular attention. The palace has, however, been considerably enlarged by the present archbishop, and his grace is still contemplating additional improvements. The pleasure grounds are partly behind the palace, and occupy a small extent on the bank of the river Ouse. They are rather confined, but laid out with considerable taste, and are kept in excellent order; displaying great variety of trees and shrubs. One of the walks, extending between a double row of lofty and luxuriant lime trees, the branches of which by uniting above form a lengthened canopy, is highly admired by every observer. In one part of the grounds is a bathing house, completely covered with ivy and other foliage, forming a very singular and not unpleasant object. In another part is a fish pond, and not far from it, a summer house or alcove, also nearly covered with luxuriant ivy. Middle- Middlethorpe , which is principally in the parish of St. Mary Bishophill the Elder, York, has a handsome stuccoed house, now the residence of Mrs. Barlow. Bolton Bolton Percy (about three miles from Tadcaster) anciently contained in its township eight carucates of land, held by Robert de Percy of the heirs of Henry de Percy, baron of Topclift'e, who held it of the king, in capite, at the rent of four shillings per annum. There are two hundred and thirty-eight inhabitants. The church is a rectory, dedicated to All Saints, valued in the liber regis at £39. 1.5s. 2\d. but according to the parliamentary return is worth one hundred and fifty pounds per annum. Picot de Percy, in the reign of Henry I. granted the church of Bolton to the canons of St. Oswald of Nostel, which was confirmed to them by King Henry I. and II. It is now in the gift of the archbishop of York. The present edifice was erected by Thomas Parker in 1423. It is the largest and best built in the ainstey, consists of a nave and north and south aisles, a chancel and chapel on the north side, with a well proportioned tower at the west end. The latter is of considerable height, exhibiting four stories, finished with a battlement and handsome pinnacles. The windows are pointed, the lower of three lights, with THE COUNTY OF YORK. 479 cinquefoil heads and perpendicular tracery in the sweep of the arch. The south chap. and north sides of the nave are each uniform, and each is made into four divisions XV ' by handsome buttresses, and in each (except the westernmost, which is occupied by a large porch, with a pointed arched entrance) is a pointed window of three lights with cinquefoil heads. The finish of the aisles is a parapet, with grotesque masks at the extremities. Above the pointed window at the east end of the south aisle is a shield, displaying a cross flory. The chancel is higher than the nave, and evidently of late construction. It is made into three divisions by buttresses, which finish above the parapet, which is embattled in pinnacles, with crockeited caps and finials. In each division is a large pointed window of three lights with cinquefoil heads and perpendicular tracery in the sweep of the arch. The east end of the chancel has double buttresses at the angles, and a large pointed window in the centre ; it is of five lights, having cinquefoil heads with perpendicular tracery in the sweep : on the apex of the roof is a cross flory. The north side of the church is in every respect similar to the south, except that the centre division of the chancel is occupied by a small projecting chapel. It is guarded by buttresses, and has in its face a small window of three lights. The interior is very handsome and spacious. The nave is divided from the aisles by four pointed arches, which rest on octagonal columns. Half an intercolumniation at the west end is occupied by a small gallery, which does not extend over the aisles. The arch of division between the nave and the chancel is large, and rests on three attached cylinders conjoined with octagonal capitals. The pulpit is hexagonal with a large sounding board of wainscot, carved, &c. The roof of the nave and chancel is timber, exhibit- ing a depressed arch resting on plain blocks. The ascent to the altar is by a flight of three steps ; on the south side are three exquisite stalls, in a beautiful state of preservation ; each is finished with a pedimental canopy wilh crockets and finials. Adjoining is a niche with a pedimental canopy and pointed arch, and on each side are small but elegant buttresses ; the lower part is a piscina, perhaps, on the whole, the most perfect and elegant in the county. The stained glass in this church is particularly splendid ; in the east window are four full-length figures of bishops arrayed in ponlificalibus, and St. Andrew in the centre, with the royal arms of Old France and England, Percy, &c. In the upper niches of the north window are some small figures of St. Michael, a templar, and the annunciation, with several shields of arms. In the south window are similar figures, with the effigy of a saint in the centre. In the second window from the east, on the south side, are numerous shields of arms (among which are those of the Goldsmiths' Company, London), and a full-length effigy of the Virgin and Child. In the opposite window is another painting of the Virgin, and several mutilated shields. In the third window from the east, on the south side, is a full-length figure of a bishop, and a shield containing 4S0 HISTORY OF book in. sixteen quarterings of the Fairfax family. In the opposite window is a saint, and modern piece of stained glass, of Abraham offering his son Isaac. The font, which is situated at the west end, is circular, with a curious cover of wood. The monuments are very numerous ; on the north side of the chancel is a beautiful white marble monument by J. Bacon, jun. consisting of a tablet surmounted by an urn, with a female nursing two children, inscribed by Sir W. M. Milner, Bart, to his wife, who died May 28, 1805. A neat tablet on the same side to several of the family of Marsden, and to J. Marsden, D. D. rector of this parish twenty-two years : died February 25, 1796, aged sixty-five. On the south side of the chancel is a handsome tablet of white marble to Sir W. M. Milner, Bart, of Nun Appleton, born October 6, 1754, died September 9, 1811, aged fifty-six. He served the office of lord mayor of York in 1787 and 1798, and was elected representative for that city 1790. Beneath is an oval tablet to F. P. Byng fourth daughter of the Hon. J. Byng; died September 11, 1796. Within the altar rails is a slab to two children of H. Fairfax, Esq. of Oglethorpe, died 1654; adjoining is an inscription to Henry Fairfax, rector of this church; died April 6, 1665. Attached to the east end of the south aisle is a handsome monument, consisting of two Co- rinthian columns supporting an arched pediment, and on the top a shield of arms, between urns. In the centre is the following inscription to the celebrated par- liamentary general, Lord Ferdinando Fairfax. '■ _M. S. Amplissimi desideratissimiq Ferdinandi dni Fairfax baron de Cameron, qvem in Britannics virtutis & fidei iheatrv ager Eboracensis edidet maiorvni splendore clarum curatorum pacis studio sis- simum ivarum (si quas peperit vicinia) se ques trf aequi boniq tenacissimum quippe summa domi forisq auctoritate pariq apud omnes ordines gratia publics quietis amans sed bello insuperabilis dextra gladium sinistra statera tenens utrivsq lavdis tropaea retolit Religionis eultor, Lilerarum pa- tronus Humanitatis repumicator. Nobilissimee prolis numero et pietate felix qua virum Mariae Edroondi comit Mulgrav filia novies beavit quid igitur novi si (quos singularis amor tamdiv tamq multiplici pignore sociabit) mors ipsa non dirimat „„ < .Etatis suae 64 Obut anno < I Salutis humanae 1647. Attached to one of the north pillars is a tablet to W. Fairfax, Esq. of Steetou ; died July 3, 1694. The chapel on the north side of the chancel is used as a vestry, and contains nothing worthy notice. Nearly adjoining the church is the rectory, a handsome building with a good garden, well laid out. The manor of Bolton is thus noticed in the Domesday book: " In Bodeltone, Norman hath two carucates of land and a half to be taxed, where there may be two ploughs. Picot now has it of William, himself one plough there, and three villanes, and one bordar with one plough. There is the site of one mill, and ten acres of meadow. The whole manor, nine quarentens THE COUNTY OF YORK. 481 long, and two broad. Value in King Edward's time, sixty shillings, now fifteen, chap. To this manor belongs the soke of Ternusche and six oxgangs. In Stivetune "" ' (Steeton), one earucate. In this land there may be one plough. " In Bodeltone, Ligulf, Turchil, Ernui had eight carucates of land to be taxed, where there may be four ploughs. Rozelin now has it of William, himself two ploughs there, and six villanes with two ploughs, and twenty acres of meadow. There is a priest and a church. A wood * half a mile long and half broad. Value in King Edward's time forty shillings, now thirty." King Edward I. granted license to Robert de Percy, to embattle his mansion house at Bolton. The manor afterwards descended to the lords of Beaumont, who had here a manor house, the site of which is still apparent. + The manors of Bolton Percy and Appleton are the property of Sir W. M. S. Milner, Bart. At Bolton is a good school house of brick, erected in 1790. In the parish of Bolton Percy are three townships, Appleton Roebuck, C'olton, and Steeton. Appleton Roebuck is a small village, about five miles from Tadcaster ; the popu- D P!) u et ™ lation being five hundred and eighty-five persons. In it is a neat chapel for the Wesleyan Methodists, erected in 1819; likewise a good National School house, for sixty boys and fifty girls, built by subscription in 1817, patronized by the Rev. Archdeacon Markham, and supported by voluntary contributions. A nunnery was founded here by Adeliza St. Quintin, in the latter part of the reign of King Stephen. £ It was endowed with considerable lands, and was dedicated to " God, St. Mary, and St. John the Evangelist, in pure and perpetual almes." Tanner says, " herein were a prioress and thirteen or fourteen nuns ;" but eighteen, beside the prioress, were here in the thirty-first year of the reign of Henry VIII. In Pope Nicholas's taxation we find that in 1291, the prioress of Appleton held temporal possessions in the diocese of Lincoln to the amount of £13. 13s. lOd. per annum, and in the diocese of York, to the amount of £23. 15*. lOd. beside a pension of £3. 6s. 8d. from the church of Rither. Among the injunctions prescribed to the nuns of this house in the year 1489, are the following: — "That the cloister doors be shut up in winter at seven, and in summer at eight at night, and the keys delivered to the prioress. That the prioress and all the sisters lodge nightly in the dorter, unless sick or diseased. That none of the sisters use the ale-house, or * A great part of this wood was given by one of the Percys (o the building of the cathedral church of York. -t Beauties of England and Wales, p. 248. X The Harl. MSS. state this nunnery to have been founded by Adeliza and her son Robert, in the fifth year of the roign of John. 6g 482 HISTORY OF book hi. the waterside, where the course of strangers daily resort. That none of the sisters have their service of meat and drink to their chambers, but keep the frater and hall, unless sick. That no sister bring in any man, religious or secular, into their chambers or any secret place, day or night, &c. That the prioress license no sister to go a pilgrimage, or visit their friends, without great cause, and then to have a companion. That the convent grant no corodies or liveries of bread, or ale, or other victual, to any person, without special license. That they take in no perhendi- nauncers or sojourners, unless children, or old persons," &c. There is no return of the possessions of this house in the valor of the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Henry VIII. Dugdale and Speed have, however, preserved a note of the valuation at that time, which appears to have amounted to £83. 5s. 9d. in the gross, and to £73. 9s. \0d. clear income. Tanner says the site of this house was granted,' in die thirty-third year of the reign of Henry VIII. to Robert Darknall ; but among the abstracts of the rolls called Or'ujinalia, the homages of Guido and Thomas Fairfax are recorded for the house and site. Another grant is recorded of the same, in the seventh year of Edward VI. to Sir William Fayrfax, Knight, and Humphrey- Shelley.* Upon this site Thomas Lord Fairfax built a handsome house, which, with the estate, was purchased by Mr. Alderman Milner, of Leeds, who, upon the marriage of his son, Sir William Milner, Bart, created m 1716, settled it upon him and his son. It is now enjoyed by the present Sir William Mordaunt Stort Milner, Bart. Nun Appleton hall, as the mansion is styled, is a large and handsome building, with a stuccoed front towards the south ; the park is well wooded, and displays much interesting scenery. Colton. Colton has a population of one hundred and forty-eight persons, and a neat house, the residence of J.B. S. Moritt', Esq. lord of the manor. Steeton. Steeton has a few straggling houses, and the population is eighty-three persons. This place has been for ages the seat of the ancient and honourable family of Fairfax. It was, by the conqueror's survey, in the possession of Osbern de Arches. Sir John Chamont, Knt. was owner of the greatest part of the lands here, in the reign of Edward III. and had since two daughters, Joan, who was a nun, and Margaret, married to William Lord Mowbray. In this manor was anciently five carucates and a half of land ; whereof, Richard de Steeton held four and a half of Walter de Falconbridge, who held the same of the heirs of Brus, and they of the barons Mowbray ; who held them of the king in capite, at the annual rent of lid. Another carucate was of the fee of Percy, as of his barony of Spofford, whereof the abbot of St. Mary, at York, held the one half, and the prioress of * jMonaslicon, (new edition) vol. v. p. 652. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 483 Appleton the other. It became afterwards the seat of Sir Guy Fairfax, Knight, chap. one of the judges of the king's bench, in the times of Edward IV. and Henry VII. — - — - — and it has ever since continued in the younger branch of the family. All that remains of this splendid mansion is the centre of the house (which formerly had wings) and a small chapel. The house has several windows, square lights, with transoms. The chapel is of very early erection ; the entrance, which is pointed, has the flower mouldings in the Norman style. The windows in each side are of modern workmanship ; that in the east end is pointed, of five lights, with trefoil heads, and perpendicular tracery in the sweep of the arch. The interior is hand- somely fitted up with a gallery at the west end, supported by a handsome screen, with stalls on each side. This mansion, until lately, contained the sword and chair of the great Lord Fairfax, which were removed by Mr. Fairfax to his seat. Healaugh is the handsomest and most picturesque village in the ainstey. It is Healaugh. situated about three miles from Tadcaster, and the population is one hundred and ninety-one persons. The church, which is situated on a rising ground, is dedicated to St. John ; it is a perpetual curacy, valued in the parliamentary return at between eighty and one hundred pounds. The advowson of this church was, previous to the reformation, in the prior of Healaugh park, who presented as early as the sixth year of Bishop Giffbrd (1271.) The present patron is B. Brooksbank, Esq. The church is a very neat structure, apparently erected about the period of the Norman conquest. A considerable portion was taken down about forty years ago, but rebuilt with strict attention to the style of the remainder of the building. It consists of a nave, chancel, and north aisles, and a handsome tower at the west end. The latter has in the upper part a window of two lights, filled with weather board- ing, and finished with a vane. The south side of the nave has some modern windows; and an exquisite arched entrance of Saxon workmanship. It consists of four mouldings ; the inner one is plain, springing from a curious square capital, and plain jamb ; the second has a fine series of beaked heads, resting on a square carved capital and a circular column ; the third is composed of human heads, grotesque figures, and masks, resting on a similar column ; to the last, and the exterior one, is a fine chevron moulding, from a square jamb. The whole is in the highest state of preservation. The finish of this side of the nave and chancel is a sculptured block cornice, representing beasts, human beings, &c. The south side of the chancel has a small circular doorway and three windows, of modern workmanship. The east end has a pointed window of three lights, cinquefoil heads, and on the apex of the roof a foliated cross. The north side is almost blank; there is a small circular-headed door, with grotesque masks on each side, and two small windows. The interior of the nave has all the characteristics ot early Norman architecture. The body is separated from the north aisle by three 484 HISTORY OF book in . bold circular arches, resting on columns composed of a union of four large cylinders, with large leaved capitals. The nave is separated from the chancel by a circular arch ; the plinth which supports this rises to about six feet plain, and then a dwarf column, highly enriched with true-lovers' knots, net work, &c. of the most beautiful patterns. The north aisle of the chancel is separated by one large arch, within which is a handsome table monument of alabaster. On it are the recumbent effigies of a knight, in plate armour, between two ladies ; their feet rest on dogs, and the whole was formerly painted in a sumptuous manner. At each side are shields of arms and small figures, and at the end a long Latin inscription to Thomas Wharton, Baron A\ harton, who was summoned to parliament from the 30th of January, in the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Henry VIII. 1.545, to the 30th of September, in the eighth year of the reign of Elizabeth, 1566. He died August 24, 1568. The ceiling of the aisles is panelled, and at the west end is an octagon font. From the first charter of the foundation of Healaugh priory, it appears that Bertram Haget gave to Gilbert, monk of Marmonstier, and to his successors, " the land of the hermitage or desert which is in the wood of Helagh, viz. that land toward the east where the water is wont to run and passe from the bridge called Lairbridge, to the passage anciently called Sangneat." Thereupon a church was built to the honour of St. John the Evangelist, and some religious persons fixed here by JefTery Haget, son of Bertram ; and about 1218, in the second year of the reign of Henry III. a convent of regular canons, under the government of a prior, was established and endowed by Jordan de S. Maria and Alice his wife, who was grandaughter to Bertram Haget. In the fourth year of the reign of Edward II. the king granted to the prior free warren in all his demesne lands of Healaugh, Wighall, &c. The possessions of the priory principally laid in "the vicinity of the house. Its revenues } in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Henry VIII. were in the gross £86. 6s. 6(1. i clear £67. 3s. lit?. The site of the priory was granted March 20, in the thirty- first year of the reign of Henry VIII. to John Gage, Esq. who had a license in the same year to alienate it to Sir Arthur d'Arcy, and his heirs,* and it was afterwards the residence of Lord Wharton. This priory, when perfect, must have formed a spacious quadrangle, of which about three quarters of the east side remain perfect. It is of two stories, with an embattled parapet ; the windows are square headed, of three lights each. It is at present in the occupation of Mr. Avison, far- mer. A moat of considerable width surrounds the site, which is very extensive. Healaugh hall, the seat of B. Brooksbank, Esq. is a handsome building, situated ; n a fine park, well wooded. • A cliartulary of this priory exists among the Cottonian MSS. Vesp. A. iv. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 485 The parish of Long Marston is about seven miles from York. The population chap. three hundred and eighty-eight persons. ■ — The church is a rectory, dedicated to All Saints, valued in the king's books sto" g at £24. 3*. 9d. The patronage is in the gift of Sir Robert Lawley, Bart. In the year 1400 a commission was granted to the parishioners, because their old church was ruinous and far distant from their habitations, to translate the same from that place to another chapel in the parish, and there to build themselves a new church, provided that they kept enclosed the cemetery where the old church stood. The present edifice is a plain building of stone, and consists of a nave, chancel, and north aisle, with a square tower at the west end. The latter is in four stories, finished with a battlement and pinnacles at the angles, crocketted. In all the faces of this tower are pointed windows, principally of three lights, with plain heads. The entire face of the south side of the nave and chancel is stuccoed, and contains four windows, square headed, of two lights each, with trefoil heads ; between the two westernmost is an ancient porch, the west side of which is pierced with four trefoil-headed lights: Within the porch is a circular arched doorway, the mouldings plain, and resting on four columns, with large leaved capitals. The east end of the church rises to an apex, and is finished with a stone cross ; in this front is a pointed window of three lights, with trefoil heads, the sweep filled with quatrefoil tracery. The north side of the church is stuccoed, and has two windows. The interior is neat ; the north aisle is divided from the body by three bold circular arches, resting on circular columns, with square capitals. At the west end is a small gallery, and the ceiling is flat. The north aisle is divided from the chancel by a pointed arch. The existence of the Norman circular arches in this building, Shows that the parishioners retained a great portion of the former chapel, and that they only used their license to build a new church, for the purpose of enlarging the existing building, and converting it into a parish church. The font is a small octagon basin of modern workmanship. At the east end of the chancel aisle is a handsome monmuent, consisting of two recesses, with arabesque work, to J. Thwaites, Esq. who died February 17, 1602. At the north side of the altar is a handsome tablet to Sir Darcy Dawes, Bart, son of William archbishop of York, who died Aug. 16, 1732, aged twenty-eight. Opposite the church is a school for the education of ten poor children of this parish, endowed with ten pounds per annum. Near this village is the field called Marston moor, where, on the 2d of July, 1644, Prince Rupert, a third time, by his excess of valour, and defect of judgment, lost the royal army, and had a victory wrested out of his hands after he had all the advantage he could desire. At the commencement of this memorable battle the front of the parliament's army extended from the north end of the moor to the 6h 486 HISTORY OF Angram and Hut- ton. Moor Monkton book in. village of Tockwith, a distance of nearly three miles.* Many interesting remains of this desperate fight are occasionally turned up by the plough, and are eagerly purchased by numerous virtuosi in the neighbourhood. This parish contains the townships of Angram and Hatfon. The former contains sixty-six inhabitants, and the latter one hundred and twenty-five. Hutton hall is a neat edifice of brick, apparently erected in the latter part of the seventeenth century. The manors of Hutton and Angram are the property of P. B. Thompson, Esq. M. P. The parish of Moor Monkton is situated on a gently rising ground, about eight miles from York ; the number of inhabitants two hundred and sixty-nine. The church is a rectory, dedicated to All Saints, and valued in the liber regis at £16. 19*. Id. Patron, the king. It is situated at a considerable distance from the village, and consists of a nave and chancel, with a modern tower of brick at the west end, in three stories. In the west front of it is a curious piece of sculp- ture, evidently sepulchral ; it represents a lady in a niche, and before her a blank shield. The south side of the nave has a porch, with a Norman entrance, and several square-headed windows. The east end of the church has also a square-headed window of three lights, with cinquefdil heads. The north side of the church has a small Norman window. The interior is plain, with no arch of separation between the nave and the chancel. The font is circular, and the ceiling is painted in imitation of clouds. Hersay. This parish has one township, Hersay, having a population of one hundred and sixty-one persons, and a small chapel for Wesleyan Methodists, built about 1824. In this parish is the ancient seat of the honourable family of Slingsby, now- called Red House. It is situated upon the banks of the river Ouse, and formerly exhibited a centre and wings, with an attached chapel. The house, of which only the centre remains, was built by Sir Henry Slingsby, in the reign of Charles I. and the chapel was built by his father. The present remains are in a sad state of decay. About 1562 F. Slingsby, Esq. purchased Red House and Scagglethorpe, of Robert Oughtre, Esq. whose ancestors had resided in this neighbourhood from the time of Edward III. the site of whose mansion is at a small distance from the west front of the present edifice. Upon the west front of the chapel of Red House is inscribed, " Pro termino vitae, sic nos non nobis ;" and on the other front, "Paulis per et relucebis ; et ipse. M.R. 29, 1652." There are several apartments in the house retaining some of their * Vide p. 9+. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 487 ancient grandeur. The chapel is the most perfect apartment ; it is paved with chap marble, disposed in squares. At the west end is a spacious gallery, and round " the remainder of the interior are curiously carved stalls. The ascent to the gallery is by a flight of stairs, thus described by Sir Henry Slingsby himself, in his memoirs : — " The staircase is above five feet within the rails in width ; the posts eight inches square ; upon every post a crest is set of some of my especial friends * and my brothers-in-law ; and upon that post that bears up the half-pace that leads into the painted chamber, there sits a blackamoor, (cast in lead by Andrew Karne,) with a candlestick in each hand to set a candle in to give light to the staircase." In the east window is much stained glass, consisting of the armorial bearings of the family, those of Thomas Morton, bishop of Lichfield, and Canterbury and Oxford impaled, &c. From the terrace, which is a handsome raised walk, was formerly a good view of York and its cathedral, and the surrounding country. Red house is now the residence of Mr. Hops. Nether or Water Poppleton is situated about four miles from York. Popula- Nether or tion two hundred and fifty-four. The church is a vicarage, dedicated to All Saints, Poppleton. and valued, according to the parliamentary return, at seventy-four pounds. Patron, the archbishop of York. The church is small, and consists of a nave, chancel, north aisle and a tower, or turret, at the west end, comprehended in the plan. The latter is of low elevation, and is finished at the angles with small pyramidal pinnacles. In the west front is a modern doorway, with a circular-headed window above it. The north side of both the nave and chancel display several modern and ancient windows; the latter are of two lights, with trefoil heads. The east end has a square-headed window of three lights with trefoil heads. The south side is blank, witli two im- mense buttresses. The chancel has a curious appearance, having a slate roof of the ancient height, while the nave is reduced considerably, and has a lead roof. The interior is very plain, with a small gallery at the west end and on the north side of the nave. A circular arch is between the nave and chancel. The font is a square basin lined with lead. The monuments are very curious, but in the most shameful and reprehensible state of neglect On the north side of the chancel is a man kneeling between two females, the whole between black marble columns supporting a broken pediment ; dedicated to some of the Hutton family of Poppleton. On the same side, within a niche, is a full-length effigy of a knight in half armour, kneeling. One hand rests on the pommel of his sword, while the other holds a * Slingsby, Pembroke, Sir W. Bethel, Sir T. Metcalf, Sir A. Ingram, Mr. Watterton, Mr. Stapylton, Sir John Fenwick, Vavasour, Lord Fauconberg, Saville, earl of Cumberland, Lord Fairfax, and the earl of Northumberland. 488 HISTORY OF book in. book, &c. to the memory of Sir Thomas Hutton, Knt. son of Mathew Hutton, arch- bishop of York ; died 1620, aged thirty-nine. This monument is of alabaster, but wretchedly daubed with whitewash. Within a niche, above which are small figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity, is the half length effigy of Lady Anne Hutton, who died January 18, 1651, aged sixty-four. This figure is in the coloured costume of the period. A neat tablet to J. Dodsworth, Esq. who died July 18, 1813, aged seventy-three. He established in this parish, in 1797, a school house and dwelling house for ten scholars, and endowed it with ten pounds per annum. Upper or Adjoining the last parish is Upper or Land Poppleton, which is a hamlet in pleton. the parish of Bishophill the Younger, and liberty of St. Peter. The church, or rather chapel, is a curacy, of which the dean and chapter are patrons. It consists of a nave and chancel, at the west end is a modern door of entrance, and on the apex of the roof is a pointed arch, within which is a bell. The other sides of the chapel have modern windows, and on the south side is an ancient circular-arched doorway. The interior is very plain, the roof flat, and at the west end is an ancient circular font on an octagonal plinth. Here is a chapel for Wesleyan Methodists, erected about ten years ago. The lands here formerly belonged to the abbey of St. Mary, York, to which they were given by Osberne de Archis, almost at its first institution. Here the church of York had seven carucates of land, and the abbot of St. Mary's two carucates and a half. Sir Thomas Widdrington writes, that there was a mayor of York killed at Poppleton, in the reign of Richard II. as he conjectured, in some controversy betwixt the abbot and citizens.* Rwfforth. Rufforth is situated on the high road from York to Wetherby, being distant from the former place five and a half miles. Population, two hundred and ninety- five persons. The church, which is the meanest ecclesiastical edifice in the ainstey, is valued in the king's books at £4. 13s. \d. and in the parliamentary return at eighty pounds. Patron Mrs. Thompson. It consists of a nave and chancel, with a small turret at the west end; on the south side is a brick porch, erected in 1798, within which is a circular-headed doorway. The interior is meanly fitted up, and the font, which is circular, is at the west end. Thorpe The parish of Thorpe Arch is situated about three miles from Wetherby, and has a population of three hundred and forty-three persons. The church, which is situated a considerable distance from the village, is dedicated to All Saints, and is valued in the liber regis at £3. 15*. 5d. The patronage is in the gift of the earl of Huntingdon. The church consists of a nave, chancel, and • Drake's Ebor. THE COUNTY OF YORK. 489 north aisle, with an attached tower at the west end. The latter is finished with chap. X V a battlement and low crocketted pinnacles at the angles, and in the west front is — : — '- — a circular-headed doorway of two mouldings, resting on attached cylinders ; the inner one is plain, the outer consists of birds' heads, &c. The south side of both the nave and chancel is modern, and is of the spurious order, termed " Carpenter's Gothic." The east end has a modern pointed window of two lights, and the north side is perfectly plain, except a large window to the vestry. The interior is neatly fitted up. The aisle is divided from the nave by four equilateral arches resting on octagonal columns. At the west end is a gallery, and beneath it the font, a neat octagonal basin. On the north side of the chancel is a tablet to the Rev. R. Hemington, forty-five years vicar of this parish. He died September 10j 1820, aged seventy. Near it is a brass tablet with an extract from the will of the Right Honble. Lady Elizabeth Hastings, who increased the value of the living. In making a vault for the family of Hemington, in 1820, on the north side of the church, a stone coffin was discovered, and is now deposited in the church yard. The village of Thorpe Arch is extremely picturesque; there is a handsome bridge of four arches across the river Wharf, which here flows with considerable rapidity. Thorpe Arch is supposed to derive the latter part of its name from the family of D'Archis, who came in with the conqueror, and had large possessions in these parts. At Thorpe Arch is the seat of W. Gossip, Esq. the lord of the manor. Walton is situated about two miles from Wetherby, with a population of two Walton. hundred and forty-seven persons. The church is a perpetual curacy, valued, according to the return to parliament, at fifty pounds. The patronage is in the impropriators. The church, which is situated in the highest part of the village, consists of a nave and chancel, with an attached tower at the west end. The latter is in four stories, with a battlement and crocketted pinnacles at the angles. The south side of the nave is made into three divisions by buttresses ; in the westernmost is a porch and pointed doorway, and in the others square-headed windows. The south side of the chancel has a handsome pointed window of three lights, with trefoil heads and three quatrefoils conjoined in the sweep of the arch. The pointed window in the east end is still handsome, having five lights, with trefoil heads and ten quatrefoils in the sweep of the arch ; all the tracery in the heads of those windows is filled up with plaster, in the most disgraceful manner. The north side of the chancel is blank, and that of the nave is similar to the south, except that there is no porch. The interior is plain, the ceiling being flat and concealing the tracery of the east window. On the north side of the chancel is a handsome monument, consisting of a recess with a crocketted pediment, enclosing seven leaves, and on each side is a buttress ending in a finial. Much of the work of this elegant design is destroyed by a 6i 490 HISTORY OF book in. tablet to Nicholas Fairfax, Esq. nephew and heir of Charles Lord Viscount Fairfax, of Gillein castle, who died February 26, 1702, aged forty-four. Beneath this, and partly reclining on the slab of the more ancient one, is the effigy of a knight in full armour, with a hood, gorget, and tippet of chain or mail armour ; he has a jupon, and over it an enriched belt for the sword. From the style of the armour, it appears to be the effigy of a person of distinction of the reign of Edward III. The font is octagonal, at the west end of the church. The town is small, and built on the side of a hill. On the front of an ancient building, now a cottage, are the arms of the Fairfax family, quartered with five other families, and supported by a lion and a bear; higher up, over a doorway, is the date of 16S4. A Sunday school is established in this village. Here also was a noble mansion, once the residence of the Fairfax family. It was taken down about eighty years ago, and a modern house built on its site, now the residence of Mrs. Wright. Wighill. Wighill is situated about two and a half miles from Tadcaster, with a popula. of two hundred and fifty persons. The church is a vicarasre, dedicated to All Saints. It is valued in the liber ret, at £5. 3*. 6hd. ; but from the parliamentary return, it appears to be worth on>, hundred and thirty pounds. The advowson of this church was given to the prior of Healaugh park, in 1291. At present it is in the gift of H. Maisters, Esq. The church of Wighill is situated on the summit of a hill, from which is one of the most extensive and beautiful prospects in the ainstey. It consists of a nave and north aisle, a chancel and small chapel on the north side, and a low tower at the west end. The tower has several windows, disposed in three stories, those in the upper one are pointed and filled with weather boarding. The whole is finished with bat- tlements, and crocketted pinnacles at the angles. The south side of the nave has three square-headed windows and a porch, in the roof of which are two shields of arms, one charged with a lion rampant, the other with diree combs. The entrance door is curious, but in a sad state of dilapidation : it consists of four mouldings ; the first is a plain circular one resting on attached columns with square capitals, the second is more curious, having various subjects, a man killing a pig, another carrying it, fox and goose, &c. these rest on cylindrical pillars with carved capitals ; the third is composed of heads of birds resting on larger cylinders, the capitals of which display scriptural or historical subjects. The last is a bold chevron moulding. The windows in the chancel are similar to those in the nave. The east window is pointed, of three lights, with perpendicular tracery in the sweep of the arch. The interior is plain, the aisle is separated from the body by four circular arches, resting on columns formed by a union of four massy cylinders, with octagonal capitals. The tower is open to the nave by a pointed arch, and the roof throughout is waggon- THE COUNTY OF YORK. 491 head ceiling. In the north window of the chancel is a shield of arms ar. three c hap lozenges gu. and in the east window of the chapel is a shield of arms or, a maunch gu. In the chapel is a handsome table monument of alabaster, in tolerably perfect preservation. On the front are four Ionic columns of dark marble, and in the west intercolumniation are three female figures kneeling, and in the eastern- most three boys in a similar attitude, all dressed in the costume of the period. In the centre is a long Latin inscription to Robert Stapylton, Esq. lord of Wighill, who died in London, March 11, 1634, aged thirty-three. It was erected by Catharine, daughter of Viscount Fairfax, to his memory. On the table is his full length effigy in plate armour, on his left side is a sword, his hands conjoined in prayer, and beneath him is a mat rolled up at the head for a pillow.* In the same chapel, on the floor, are numerous slabs to the memory of the Stapleton family during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The family of Stapleton was for a long time in the possession of this estate. r Robert Stapleton, who was sheriff of this county in the twenty-third year of the ign of Elizabeth, met the judges with seven score men in suitable liveries. He ras descended of Sir Miles Stapleton, one of the first founders of the noble order of the garter, and sheriff for five years, from the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Edward HI. Sir John Harrington, in his book addressed to Prince Henry, gives him this great character :— " Sir Robert Stapleton, a knight of Yorkshire, whom your highness hath often seen, was a man well spoken of, had scarce an equal, and no superior in England, except Sir Philip Sidney." The manor and extensive estate of this family were sold a few years ago to Richard Fountayne Wilson, Esq. M. P. The village is small, but neat; in it is a brick chapel, erected in 1828, for the Wesleyan Methodists. Wighill park, the seat of R. Yorke, Esq. is extensive and well laid out ; the house, which is of stone, is large and elegantly fitted up. * The features much resemble those of Charles I. END of vol. I. K. Clay, Printer, 7, Bread-street-hill, London. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below, NOV 1 7 1951 I JAN 3 1 1952 . Form L9-25m-9, , 47(A5618)444 UNT University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which It was borrowed. ACNOV0 12QQ 1 5fc*» -jU* JJC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY 000 420 887 2