Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/handbooktofenlanOOmill THE HAND-BOOK TO THE FENLAND. THE HAND-BOOK TO THE FENLAND: BEING A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF ALL THE TOWNS, VILLAGES- AND PARISHES IN THE FEN DISTRICT J EMBRACING PORTIONS OF THE COUNTIES OF CAMBRIDGE, HUNTINGDON, NORTHAMPTON, LINCOLN, NORFOLK and SUFFOLK. BY SAMUEL H. MILLER. Fellow of Boy. Astron. and lief. Societies; Joint Author of the Fenland Past and Present, etc. SECOND EDITION. WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTBATIONS. LONDON : SLMPKIX. MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO., Ltd. WISBECH : LEACH & SON. First Edition, 1889. New Edition, 1890. LEACH AND SON, PRINTERS, WISBECH. t,7D PREFACE. The writer of a book is generally expected to give some reason to the public for asking them to read what he has written., or to unbosom the designs, purposes and aspirations which influenced him when his work was begun. The explanation often descends to the level of an apology ; but such I do not feel under any compulsion to make, nor do I apprehend my readers will desire it : yet this book must not go forth without a few words from me by way of preface. The reader will see that the plan of this volume required an Introduction, such as has been at- tempted, the names of places described being ar- ranged alphabetically, to facilitate reference. I deem it proper to state that the merit of the enterprise belongs to Mr. John Leach of Wisbech, who, knowing that there did not exist any Hand- book (for either residents or tourists) which would afford a concise account of the towns and villages in the Fens, requested me to undertake the task, for he was aware that my acqanintance with the district extended over a period of more than 30 years, and that for several years past I have made periodic 1329460 PREFACE. visits to many places within the area of " the great level." Besides, some of the materials I had col- lected during 15 years while The Ferdand, Past and Present, was being prepared, could not be appro- priated, as that was not simply a topographical work ; they have therefore been available for this book. It is not too much to say that the public were not in possession of ready means of determining what places and parishes are actually within the Fen boundary, — indeed, it was not till very recent years that the whole boundary was clearly defined. Volu- minous as the writings have been, they were, after all, fragmentary — different portions of the district being treated of separately. A complete outline, however, was given in the Memoir of the Geological Survey, issued in 1877, and in The Fenland, published the year after. There were many points of general interest which could net be touched upon in those volumes, and a sort of tabulation of the towns, villages and parishes seemed necessary to fill up the void. In carrying out this plan I have been greatly assisted by references to Kelly s Directories to which I am indebted for several details, as well as for the means of determining whether a parish was really within the Fens or on the border thereof. Many works of reference will be found mentioned throughout this book, and I have to thank Prof. C. C. Babington, of Cambridge, for his ready re- sponse to my request to use his list of plants found PREFACE. in the Fens, and to Prof. T. McKenny Hughes, of Cambridge, for some notes on the Geology of the Fens. In conclusion, I would ask my readers to point out any omissions they may detect, or to give any friendly suggestions which may occur to them for perfecting this work, for notwithstanding the care that has been taken I cannot suppose that all error has been avoided. [Any communication should be addressed to Leach & Son, Wisbech.] Although I send forth a little book, I am bound to say that the effort to produce it has not been small. S. H. M. Sept., 1889. PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. In preparing this Edition care has been taken to correct the few inaccuracies which were detected in the first issue of the book. I have to thank those persons who kindly suggested some emendations, and I shall gladly receive any further communi- cations indicating what may be thought necessary for the perfecting of future] editions. A personal visit — recently made — to several places in the district has enabled me to make some slight additions and corrections. S. H. M. Oct., 1890. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE. Introduction i Limits of the Fenland iii Rivers iv Dykes . . . . . * . v Islands vii Lakes or Meres vii What is a Fen ? ix Geological Table xi A Real Old Fen . xviii Scenery of the Fenland .... xxiv The People of the Fenland .... xxvii Routes xxxi I. By Railway xxxii II. By Road xxxii III. By River xxxiv Abbreviations and Definitions xxxv List of Towns, with Distances by Railway . xxxvi Towns and Villages of the Fenland, arranged in Alphabetical Order 1 to 173 Appendix . . . . 174 Archaeology of Cambridge : The Fens . . 171 List of Geological Works .... 175 List of Plants found in Wicken Fen . . 175 Powte's Complaint : a Fen Song . , . 177 LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS. PAGE. View of Wicken Fen .... Frontispiece. General Map of the Fenland .... i Map showing Route through Wicken Fen . . xxiv Guthlac s Cross 35 Plan of Crowland Triangular Bridge ... 35 Plan of Saxon Church at Peterborough . . 109 INTRODUCTION. I am attempting to write a Handbook or Guide to the Fen-country — not an outline of the Ancient History, Archaeology, Geology, or Biology of the district, for the plan and purpose of this book pre- clude me from doing full justice to such subjects, even if a short chapter were devoted to each. To discourse about the earliest inhabitants might not be of much interest to the tourist or occasional visitor ; and any one who desires to be a specialist would certainly seek larger sources of information than this book can afford. I do not intend, however, to exclude entirely any one of the subjects above-named, but shall embody my facts and records, as far as I am able, incidentally, in the text ; and shall name such authorities as may help or guide or assist those who seek ampler information ; and, therefore, I hope the book will in some measure prove a guide to those who desire to be specialists, as well as to those who may make an occasional visit either from a distance or from one part of the Fenland to another. Be- sides, it appears to me probable that travellers would prefer learning something about the present people rather than about the ancient people whose descen- dants may have blended with other tribes or races so that the expert anthropologist has some difficulty to discover the affinity. (This, I apprehend, is true B ii INTRODUCTION. regarding the most Keltic speaking people in our country, among whom there is scarcely a trace of the truly Keltic race, except perhaps in Snowdonia). Having this impression, I intend, presently, to say something about the modern fen dwellers, that is, if I can trust myself to express an unbiassed opinion upon so delicate a subject. It may be stated, in brief, that the Kelts (Ancient Britons), the Romans, Saxons, Danes, and Normans all played an important part in the Fenland. All have left evidences of their occupation of the district. In the Keltic remains we have a measure of the civilization of that people ; there have been finds of coins, swords, spears, shields, — and some roads and the tumuli are attributed to the same people. Then we have Keltic names in Cam (for cam in Welsh means crooked), and Rhe (from Welsh rhedey, run- ning — perhaps from the swiftness of this tributary of the Cam ; in Quse, better seen in the prefix of Wis-bech (wysg in Welsh signifies a stream.) 1 Then again Keltic in the name Manea (the word Man in Welsh means a place or spot) — the ed is Saxon for island ; therefore the name thus formed signifies an island spot. If it be true that the old Britons held their own to a late period in the Fens, this island may have been, presumably, one of their places of habitation. 2 Lynn (from Welsh Llyn, a lake or wide spreading water,) is another instance. Of the Roman occupation the proofs are abundant and wide- spread in the district. There are roads, 1 1 shall discuss the word Ely, as to whether it is Keltic or Saxon ; and becli, in Wisbech, hereafter. 2 Mr. Freeman seems to think that a British settlement may have lingered on to the days of William I. See Norm. Conq., vol. iv., pp. 468, 469. INTRODUCTION. iii encampments, embankments, and causeways, and finds of coins, bronzes, urns, many specimens of Samian ware (but all broken), ornaments, &c. These, however, are such as may be found in the once Roman provinces elsewhere, and are not essen- tially Romano-British antiquities. Of Saxon and Danish remains little need be said here, as they will be noticed under the separate names of places given further on in this book ; but it may be remarked that the Wash was one of the principal landing places of the Danes, who seem to have occupied more of the northern part of the Fens than the southern, for in Lincolnshire there are 292 places which derive their name from a Danish source in fact the Danes have left nowhere else such permanent marks of their occupancy as we find in Lincolnshire, The Norman Conquest of the Isle of Ely forms a very important part of Fen history ; to conquer this isle vras indeed the toughest piece of business King William had to encounter, — it was the last of all the Saxon strongholds, one where treachery accom- plished what prowess had failed to do. Before proceeding further, it is essential to define The Limits of the Fenland. Roughly speaking, the Fens extended from Cam- bridge, or from Quy, a little north-east of that town, to Lincoln (a distance of 73 miles), as the greatest length, — from Peterborough to Brandon in Suffolk (about 36 miles), and from a little east of Stamford, to King's Lynn (about 34 miles), as the greatest 1 212 end in by ; 63 in thorpe ; 1 in with ; 4 in toft : 8 in beck ; 3 in dale ; i in ness. B 2 iv INTRODUCTION. breadths. The reader will see the exact boundary by a reference to the accompanying map. The tract which we denominate "The Fenland" occupies considerable portions of six counties, viz., Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Nor- thampton, and Lincoln. 1 The area is equal to 1306 square miles. The Eivers. The principal rivers which run through this dis- trict are the Witham, the Welland, the Nene, and the Great Ouse, which, with their tributaries, drain an area of 5850 square miles of country, and all of them discharge their waters into the Wash. The Witham rises near Grantham, flows north- ward to Lincoln, and then swings round and flows southwards to Boston and the Wash. The Wetland rises in Northamptonshire, near Sib- bertoft. runs past Stamford — enters the Fens at Tallington — thence by Market Deeping and Crow- land to Spalding, and lower down receives the Glen, and enters the Wash at Fosdyke Wash. The Nene rises near Daventry, Northamptonshire, enters the Fens at Peterborough — thence runs to Wisbech, and by Sutton Bridge to the Wash. The Great Ouse rises in Northamptonshire, near Towcester, runs through Buckinghamshire, by Bed- ford, St. Neots, and Huntingdon, and enters the Fens at St. Ives — thence it runs to Earith, where the Hundred feet or New Bedford Paver, which is an artificial channel made about 1650, carries most of the upland waters onward by Lynn to the Wash. The old course was by the Old West Paver, now an 1 The original one-inch Ordnance maps, 51 64, 65, 69, 70, 83, 84, include the area. INTRODUCTION. v inconsiderable stream, which enters the Cam south of Ely. This united stream flows past Ely, and further on receives the Lark, at Littleport ; then the Little Ouse, from Brandon ; and just above Denver Sluice, the Stoke. The sluice at Denver was con- structed to prevent the tidal waters from flowing up the stream formed by these combined tributaries and the drains, and to cause the tides to flow up the Hundred Feet Biver. The Nar, a Norfolk river, enters the Ouse near Lynn. The Steeping drains the Wolds of Lincolnshire and discharges itself at Wainfleet by the Wash. 1 Most of the rivers are embanked to prevent the water from overflowing the adjacent land. In some places an inner and outer bank may be observed, and if the water overflows the bank by the river course it is arrested by the outer bank which is the higher, and the land lying between these banks is called a wash-land. Many of the old banks were made highways between towns and villages. There are many old banks in the neighbourhood of the Wash. These were constructed to keep out the sea water. Some, now considerably inland, are attributed to the Roraans : others of modern date between the outfalls of the Nene and Ouse, in " Wingland," are fine specimens of embanking, and well worth a visit : they have been called " sea walls ' ; or " sea dykes." The Dykes. The reader's attention should here be called to 1 Details respecting the river system may be found in " The Fenland, Past and Present," and in the Geological Memoir by S. B; J. Skertchly, 1877. vi INTRODUCTION. some remarkable banks in the south part of the Fens. They are supposed to be of very ancient date. I shall call all of them Dykes. 1 1. The Devil's Dyke extends from Reche across Newmarket Heath " to the woodlands at Camois Hall, near Wood Ditton (Ditch town.) The bank is 18 feet above the level of the country, 30 feet above the bottom of the ditch, and 12 feet in width at the top ; the width of the ditch is 20 feet ; the length of the slope of the bank on its eastern side is 30 feet, and that of the bank and ditch together 46 feet. 2 The traveller on the G. E. Kailway from Cambridge to Newmarket may see that the railway has been cut through the Dyke. 2. The Fleam or Balsham, Dyke runs 7 miles west, and almost parallel with Devil's Dyke, though curved in some parts of its course. It begins at Fen Ditton, and runs towards Quy, Avhere there is a break ; it re-appears south of Wilbraham Fen, and continues south-east towards Balsham. 3. Brent Dyke, as at present traced, is only a short embankment : it begins at Brent-ditch End. " At Brent-ditch End a marshy district commences, which is connected with and continued along the course of the river Rhe, or Cam, until it joins the great level of the Fens." 4. Cnut's Dyke runs from Bodsey, near Ramsey, and forms a roadway, which is continued on to Peterborough. Though called Cnut's Dyke, it must 1 In this book we shall call a bank oi' earth thrown up a dyke, and a small channel for the conveyance of water a ditch. 2 For details about these Dykes (Ancient roads) see " Ancient Cambridgeshire," 2nd Ed., by Professor C. C. Babington, M.A., F.R.S., &c, 1883. INTRODUCTION. vii be older than the time of that king, and Mr. Babing- ton thinks it was probably of Boinan origin. The Islands. The higher grounds of the Fens still bear the name of island. The most considerable one is the Isle of Ely, and I shall here introduce a passage from Dugdale. 1 " From Crouland I come to Ely, an island situate in the main body of this fen ; con- cerning which I have met with sundry memorable passages, that do notably set forth the vastness and depth of the waters which inviron it many years since." This passage indicates that; it was no longer surrounded by deep water in Dugdale's time, but yet called an island. The Isle of Ely proper is 7 miles long and 4 miles broad, but the old parliamentary boundary of the Isle of Ely was much larger ; it was divided into 4 hundreds, with an area of 242,630 acres. The other islands are Kamsey, Whittlesea, Thor- ney, Manea, Stonea, Eastrea, Coveney, Stuntney, Quaney, &c. These are all in the southern part of the Fens ; and Sibsey and Stickney are in Lincoln- shire. The termination ea or ey signifies island. 2 The Lakes or Meres no longer exist, and therefore require only a passing notice. Whittlesea Mere was the largest lake in the southern part of England, its area was 1570 acres ; but it has been drained since 1853, and the space once occupied by the shining mere is now devoted to the care of the husbandman. 1 " The History of Iinbanking and Draining of Divers Fens and Marshes," by Sir Wm. Dugdale. London, 1772. 3 1 have discussed this word ending in " The Fenland," pp. 12, 13. viii INTRODUCTION. In East Feu, Lincolnshire, there were " Deepes," some 60 in number, but only one bore the name "Mere," i.e. "Leake Meere," about 3 miles east of Sibsey. For drainage of these see below. So much of a few hard dry facts about the Fen- land ; but it will be noticed that sometimes I speak of Fenland and at other times of Fens. This may be a little puzzling to the stranger, and he may naturally ask " What is the Fenland in distinc- tion from the Fins/" Well, the Fenland is a re- deemed country ; the battle of the elements has ceased ; the intrusive waters have been kept within bounds by the ingenuity of man ; science and tillage have been triumphant in restoring the region, already defined, to a state of high fertility 7 . One might be tempted to dilate upon the history of drainage, but that is too large a subject to be correctly dealt with here — though we may get a few glimpses of it as we proceed. There are, however, some small patches of old primaeval fen left, the most important of which will presently be described. The recent-past gene- rations were kind to leave this piece of the old wilderness, which aids our conceptions in realizing the past, and in forming some estimate of the toil, endurance, and skill of the venerable tenners 1 who effected the reclamation of the great plain. It is a 1 In the ages through which the reclamation was effected there were many contentions, many mistakes, and not a few obstructions ; so the above allusion has reference to those enterprising men — "undertakers'' or "adventurers," &c, — who, somehow or other, did drain the level in spite of all difficulty and the resistance of the " ruder sort of men'' that gained a living by fishing or fowling ; the spirit these men showed may be gathered from " Poictes Complaint,'" a kind of ballad (Dugdale says they "made libellous songs to disparage the work.'') See the ballad at end of this book. INTRODUCTION. ix relic of nature, and no less a monument to the old fen folk — down there in Cambridgeshire — like a piece of unchiselled stone at the base of the sculpture, on which we may place the inscription. May it be long before the old fen is pumped dry ! But I anticipate that some may ask What is a Fex '? In reply it is necessary to define the word, which is derived from the Sax. verb fynegean, to become musty or filthy ; fen or fan is the XDast participle of that verb, and means literally, corrupted or decayed. We might infer that the district which bears the name was not always in a decayed condition, but that it became so by inundation. Referring to William Gilpin, who wrote on "Forest Scenery'' in the last century, we find this definition : f< The fen is aplashy inundation formed on a flat — without depth — with- out lineal boundary — of ambiguous texture — half water and half land — a sort of vegetable fluid.'' But Home Tooke says the word was formerly applied to any corrupted substance, and then quotes from Gavin Douglas — a fifteenth century poet — to prove his assertion. The people of the fen-district are wont at this day to call those parts fens which have a black peaty surface ; perhaps such lands did remain in a fenny condition to a late period. I am inclined to main- tain that the word fen is not properly a geological term, because it is descriptive of the condition and not the structure of the surface. However, geologists include in " True Fen Beds,'" silt, peat, and floor gravel ; these overlying the clays. Professor T. McKenny Hughes, writing on Cam- bridge Archeology, includes an article on " The X INTRODUCTION. Fens," in which he deals with the question touching the age of the fens. 1 He speaks of the reclamation of the fens, " that is, of their destruction." He believes that the Konians began the work, that they raised an embankment from Reach to Upware, which had the effect of checking the flood- water. " So the Roman occupation may be said to mark the end of the wild unrestrained growth of the Fens." By the author's kind permission, I quote from his paper, inserting, in this place, such as seems appropriate, and giving in the appendix some other portions, kindly indicated by himself as suitable for this book ; and I shall add a list of Geological works which treat of the district, and that will be all that I can devote to Geology. " The Fens are entirely newer than the Palaeo- lithic age, though there may be here and there patches of deposits representing some of the earlier cutting back of the low level plain which may carry us far back towards palaeolithic times. " Those portions of the Fenland have remained locked up since Roman times. " That the uncontrolled growth of the Fens there- fore pretty nearly coincides with the Neolithic age, including in that the pre-Roman times when bronze and iron were first coming into use. That is to say, the Fens belong to a distinct age in our geological history, which coincides with a very marked phase in its archaeology. " The table at foot of next page may help to make this clear. I shall now refer to some of the older writers on the Fens, and give such passages as will tend to 1 The Cambridge Review, June 9th, 1886. INTRODUCTION. show what the great level once was and how it was reclaimed. Dugdale maintains that the Romans brought to bear their skill in engineering to drain the Fens, and he supports his argument by quoting from Tacitus ("In vita Agricolse " i who states " that the Britons complained, that the Romans wore out and consumed their bodies and lands 'in sylvis & paludibus emuniendis, i.e. in clearing the woods, and banking the fens,' if I mistake not : for the word envwniendi must have a sense, as well as befitting pulu- dihus as sylvis ; and therefore cannot (I presume ) be otherwise construed." And to this Elstobb (Hist. Acct. of the Gt. Level of the Fens, Lynn 1793, p. 11) adds " Many arms and Roman coins have been found in that country, and the long causey made of gravel about 3 feet thick, mentioned by Dugdale, as being in breadth 60 feet, and extending in length 21 miles across the fen, from Denver in Norfolk, near Salter's lode, to Charke ; thence to March, Plant-water, and Eldernell, and so to Peterborough, is a lasting monu- ment of their labours." Then Dugdale (p. 174) Geological Divisions. Nature of most characteristic deposit and included remains. ArcliEeological Divisions. Recent. o / Alluvial. Made Ground. Fell with Brown Bear and Beaver, Ked and BoeDeer, &c. Roman to Present Day. Neolithic to Roman. Gravel Terraces, Palaeolithic. with Mammoth, Khi- noceros, Lion and Hyaena, Corbicula flui- minalis and Unio lit- toralis, &c. Glacial. Boulder Clay, &c, &c. No trace of man yet found. xii INTRODUCTION. states that Severus made causeys over the fens, that his soldiers might stand on dry ground ; for the harbarous people (of the fens) were expert swim- mers, and were thus able to elude the pursuit of the Komans. " All these things plainly show that the Eomans were for a long time engaged in reducing and clearing the fenny parts of the country." (El- stobb). The great works of the Eomans were not con- tinued by the Saxons. " The sea walls," river banks, and outfalls, here and there fell into decay, and different parts of the level were subject to flood, and for a long period only spasmodic efforts were made to remedy the evils arising from the neglected condition of the banks of rivers and drains which were sometimes ruined by storms. I shall now quote from Camden (Camden and Cough's " Britannia," London, 1607 and 1789; in latter, vol. ii., p. 126) : — " The upper and north part of this country (Fens and Isle of Ely) is divided into river islands, and intersected by innumerable ditches, canals, and drains, as by so many lines. It affords an agreeable verdure to the eye in summer, but in winter is covered with water farther than the eye can reach, and looks like a sea. " The inhabitants of this and the other fens reaching from the borders of Suffolk to Wainfleet in Lincolnshire, for 68 miles, and comprehending many thousands of acres . . . were called in Saxon times Grirvii (Gyrwas), 1 i.e. as some interpret it, Fenmen, a set of people rough and uncultivated as the soil itself, envious of others, whom they called upland 1 Gyrwa land (Sax.) fenny landt INTRODUCTION. xiii men, devoted to feeding of cattle, fishing and fowling, and usually marching about on a sort of stilts, like giants. " The country in winter, and sometimes for the greatest part of the year, is covered with the waters of the Ouse, Grant (Cam), Nene, Welland, Glen, and Witham, for want of sufficient outlets." The last clause of the sentence cannot be too greatly emphasized, for the want of attention to the river outfalls has been the cause of serious disasters aforetime, in the fen country. Even the great engineer, Cornelius Yermuyden, was lacking in this matter. "But," as Wells has said (in His. of the Drainage of the Bedford Level, 1830, p. 426, vol. i.), " retrospects are painful. The natural rivers were unimbanked ; the artificial ones began early to grow up ; their banks were perfectly inefficient. In short, the fallacy of the Vermuyden system was discovered when it was too late to retrace the steps of those who had been deceived by the Dutch adventurer." Vermuyden' s scheme was (to speak briefly) to cut long straight drains through the Level, instead of first improving the natural rivers and outfalls. Camden did not apprehend the real facts of the case when he penned the following observations (p. 142 of " Britannia," 1789.) "The Great Level of the Fens or Bedford Level was till within two centuries ago almost entirely covered with water, except here and there a few islands. What accident occasioned this alteration from the face which this tract is represented as wearing by the monkish his- torians, is not known. The reign of Elizabeth may be properly fixed on as the period when the great level began to become immediately a public care." xiv INTRODUCTION. The General Drainage Act of 43rd year of Eliza- beth comprehended a plan for " draining the whole Great Level," as well as all drowned lands in Eng- land, and this Act is supposed to have been initiated by the great Cecil, who built " Burghley House near Stamford town,"' and from which he could look down on the flooded fens. Camden's reference to the monkish historians re- quires a passing notice, as they (the monks) clearly depicted a different state of things in the fen country from that which obtained in the 14th and loth cen- turies. And in allusion to this fact, Ivingsley (in " Prose Idylls : The Fens ") says : — " Beautiful, after their kind, were these fen isles, in the eyes of the monks, who were the first settlers in the wilderness." William of Malmesbury and Henry of Huntingdon have often been cited on this ground, and allusion to them will be made hereafter. "Lord Chancellor Bathurst, in giving judgment in a tithe suit (1772), states, but without quoting any authority, ' that about three centuries after the Conquest, the Isle of Ely was one of the most fertile countries in England until the floods broke in ; but when this occurred, antiquaries differ.' From what cause arose so fatal a reverse, whether from some convulsion of an earthquake, or from the ordinary course and progress of nature, can by no means be determined." (Wells, p. 67.) An earl}- attempt to effect some drainage is attri- buted to John of Gaunt, who resided at Bolingbroke Castle (4 miles W. by S. of Spilsby ), in Lincolnshire. I am tempted to make one more quotation from Dugdale (p. 360), for writing about Thorney, he INTRODUCTION. xv tells a tale which could not be so well expressed by any amount of cutting and paraphrasing : — "What these Fens were for depth and breadth during the space of divers ages, before the late general draining, it is no hard matter to guess : the moor, totally contracted by a long stagnation of the fresh waters, sufficiently demonstrating the same, which is found, for the most part, ten feet deep throughout all this side of the country, but more antiently it was otherwise, as William of Malmes- bury, an authentic historian (living about 500 years since), affirmeth. 1 From which testimony no less can be inferred, that then this skirt of the Level was not all drowned, and, therefore, that the outfalls to the sea were at that time clear and open : which argueth a greater care in the j>eople inhabiting this flat country in those days, than hath been for several ages since. Nor were the parts towards Peter- borough then less free from that annoyance, as may seem from what I have received from credible testi- mony, viz. that, upon the cutting of certain moats by Francis Underwood, Esquire, at Whittlesey, where he hath made a pleasant and commodious plantation, within less than xx. years last j>ast, there was found at seven feet deep (through absolute moor) firm ground, and swathes of mowed grass, lying perfect and not consumed : which clearly manifesteth, that, through some excess of rain, falling in the summer time, there happened such a flood of the fresh waters, as then meeting with an 1 He then quotes from " Gesta Pontificinn Anglorum,' - — " Paradisi simulacrum, quod amenitate jam caelos ipsos imagi- netur," &c. Malmesbury's book was issued in 1120. See edition published under direction of the Master of the Rolls. Longman & Co., 1870. xvi INTRODUCTION. obstruction, in regard of the silt there contracted by a long season of dry weather, it did so hinder their usual current to the sea, that being forced back, they not only overflowed the whole Level, but have ever since, till the late undertaking, kept it for the most part under water. " But I dare not venture to say, that this was the only cause thereof; there being something else> which (no doubt) might be concomitant, viz. the usual flowing of the tides, much higher upon the coasts towards Lenne, than formerly ; for that they long since did so, is easily demonstrable, there having been of late years found, at the setting down of a sluice, a little beneath Magdalen fall (which is half-a-mile from Magdalen bridge) on Marshland side, about xvi. feet deep in the earth, a large flat stone of about eight feet in length, and a cart wheel near unto it, which were taken up by certain work- men employed by one Mr. Emerson in that business. And at Wigenhall S. Maries (which is not far thence) at a place called Wathden, there is still to be seen some remainders of a church, as also bones that appear at a low ebb upon the river side, about eight feet below the present superficies of the earth. The like is also observable at Wiggenhall S. Germans ; the floor of the church there being at least seven feet lower than the high water mark of the Ouse, which river, running by the churchyard side, is kept off by a strong and large bank from the drowning the country." I must not leave this part of my subject without noticing what Dr. Stukeley said about Holland in Lincolnshire in " Itinerarinm Curiosum," London 1724, p. 15):— INTRODUCTION. xvii " Most writers, and particularly Mr. Camden, and most strangers have an injurious opinion of this country, and apply to the whole what is true only of part of it, for in the main the land is admirably good, hard and dry, produces excellent corn and grass, feeds innumerable sheep and oxen of a very large size and good flesh and wool, bears wood ex- tremely well, has several large woods in it, some entirely of oak of considerable size, is full of hedge- rows and quicksets, and in summer looks like the garden of Eden. *Tis level and most delightful to travellers whether on horseback or in a coach : the air indeed is moist, as being near the sea and border- ing upon the Fens of the Isle of Ely, as to the first 'tis the same upon every sea coast, as to the latter they are chiefly on the S. side, whence the sun for the most part draws off the vapours from this country." ( This is a piece of Meteorological curiosity by Dr. Stukeley. ) He adds, " But all things neces- sary for the comfort of life are here in great plenty, and visitants ever go away with a better opinion of it than they bring." Camden however wrote prior to Stukeley, and matters may have improved somewhat, or perhaps the part judged of to the detriment of the whole may have been East and "West Fen, for instance, for even in (rough's Camden (1789) it is stated that in West Fen ruffs and reeves resorted in great numbers, and such other water fowl as did not require the shelter of reeds and rushes ; and further, of East Fen, he says "Is quite in a state of nature, and exhibits a specimen of what the country was before the introduction of draining. It is a vast tract of morass, intermixed with numbers of lakes, from c xviii IN TROD UC TION> half-a-mile to two or three miles in circuit, com- municating with each other by narrow reedy straits. They are very shallow, none above four or five feet deep, but abound with pike, perch, and so forth. (See Dugdale's map, dated 1661.) These fens and " deepes " remained in the state described till the beginning of the nineteenth century, when they were drained. Now it may seem rather paradoxical to say that many of the present inhabitants of the Fenland have never seen a fen, but such I believe to be a fact, and I don't apprehend they will regard my assertion with any degree of displeasure, at least I have no in- tention of provoking their indignation. My thoughts are rather set on the "upland" people, who may visit the great Level, and I should like to offer them a little guidance ; that is, where to see and how to see A Eeal Old Fen. I am inviting them to take a walk into the wilder- ness ; at the outset however I can assure them that they will not have to encounter any wild beast, nor yet " a rude, and almost barbarous sort of lazy and beggarly people." 1 My own experience is quite the contrary. There are different routes to this old fen, and I shall presently name them, but I will more fully describe the longer one which appears to me to give a more extended view than the other routes. Bat the tourist must be prepared for a few hours' walk on Lode banks and Droves 2 of a primitive sort. He 1 See this expression and its context in Dugdale, 2nd Edition, 1772. 2 A lode is a channel to lead off the water (Sax. hedan, to lead or drive) ; a drove is an open unmade road. INTRODUCTION. xix will not require to carry any heavy armour — a walk- ing stick in his hand and some "light provision" in his pocket are all that he will need ; but he can- not approach the confines of the fen except on foot, in this direction at least. V\"e start from Cambridge, by an early train on the Great Eastern Railway, for Burwell (a distance of 10 miles). Having arrived at this station, we proceed to the village 1 — a rather remarkable place in its way, — it consists mainly of one street about two miles long. After passing the church (S. Mary's ) we proceed northward, and walk- ing half-a-mile we reach an old causeway planted with two rows of trees, forming a pleasing avenue and a fine shady walk in summer : half-a-mile further on we turn to the left (a stranger will find no diffi- culty in ascertaining the right road, for the people thereabouts are very civil), and the Burwell Lode is soon reached. \\e take the road called Lode-side Drove — a wide unmade roadway, half of which, one would think, might have been appropriated long since : it is partly grassy, and after heavy rain the deep ruts made by wagon wheels render it rough for walking. We now begin to see and feel some- thing of " the loneliness " of the fens : the stillness is almost profound : the prospect stretches away as if it had no bounds ; it's like a sea without a ripple, verdant in various hues in place of cerulean green, and one might imagine he had reached a spot where the pulses of Nature had ceased to beat. There is no rustling of trees in the summer breeze, for trees do not grow where peat prevails, but only 1 Or the Bicyclist may reach Burwell from Cambridge or Newmarket, but can travel no further on his machine by the route described. c 2 XX INTRODUCTION. where the silt or clayey soil crops up ; on either hand is Burwell feu, drained, yet partly subject to flooding at times. On the right the country bears the local names Little Fen, Burwell Poor's Fen, Adventurer's Fen ; and beyond them is the village of Wicken and S. Lawrence's church (which has an ordnance bench mark showing an elevation of 34 feet above mean sea level), and just to the west of this runs the slightly rising ground which formed the shore of once flooded fens, and which is fairly wooded ; for there, some quarter of a mile west of the church lie " Great Wood" and "Little Wood," and in passing we note that stone implements, celts, and an arrow-head were found there in 1885. On the left stretches away for a mile and half " Burwell Fen " — now well drained and under good cultivation — as far as Beach and Beach Lode, and beyond this Swaff ham Prior and Swaffham Bulbeck Fen stretch- ing away to the Cam. But we proceed along Lode- side Drove and presently the stillness of the scene is disturbed by the thudding steam engine ; we are approaching some chemical manure works, and one wonders how they came to be planted there, in such a lonesome spot, but then one sees that there is water communication by the Lode, to near Upware, into the Cam. Now the roadway is improved by a well-made towing path, along which we walk, and at just one mile and a half from Burwell village we come to the "High Bridge" over the Lode. Passing over this we find a change in the scene — we now see some of the fen products, for here and there are great stacks of turf, cut out of the drained fen ; instead of going up Priory Drove we stop short of "Priory Farm," and pass to the left into " Harri- INTRODUCTION. sod's Drove," a roadway of black peaty soil; the whole aspect becomes more fenny, and here we may see low stacks of "fen litter," — coarse grass and rushes (Sehomus nigricans), — cut in "Adventurers' " fen, and brought to the roadways. This drove is nearly one mile long, at the termination of which we come to Wicken Lode bank, and then stretching before us is "Wicken Sedge Fen" — the real old fen, which covers about 200 acres, Wicken Lode runs nearly east and west — the natives call it " Wicken runnel," and they say that on this side the fen the soakage is regulated by the height of the water in the "runnel." It is quite evident that the surface of the ground on the Burwell side is lower than that of the Sedge Fen. The peat has become compressed by drainage in Adventurers' Fen (on Burwell side). Turf could not be cut from Wicken Fen unless it were drained. Two kinds of crops are gathered here, — the Sedge (Clacliiim mariscus), and " Sedge litter." The former is used for thatching, and when more abundant was used for lighting fires, and cart loads were carried to Cambridge and other places for that purpose ; the litter is a mixture of sedge and grass, carried for the bedding of cattle. The Common Beed is not very abundant. In former times the laws were very stringent touching the cutting and carrying away of sedge (then termed lesch), or cutting it out of season. 1 It is interesting to watch the process of the in- gathering of the sedge crop — (the same plot is not cut every year) ; after the reaping, the sedge is tied 1 See Camb. Antiq. Soc. publications, vol. iv., "Ancient Court Rolls of Manor of Littleport," by W. Marshall. xxii INTRODUCTION. in bundles ; but there are no roads — perhaps a horse never trod on the fen — therefore the whole work is done by hand labour. Two long poles are placed on the ground, the bundles of sedge or litter are laid across these poles, till there is sufficient for two men to carry. One man goes to the front between the poles, another to the rear, and the load is carried just as Sedan chairs used to be. In the distance, these loads look like small stacks floating among the sedge. Arrived at the Lode side, the first man walks up to the spot where the sedge barges 1 are moored in the Lode (the rear man has to follow the lead as if blind-folded); the load is dropped, and the poles drawn from under the bundles, and are then ready to be filled by another load. After leaving Harrison's Drove, we may turn to the left and go towards Upware ; but we prefer taking the opposite direction, by " Wicken Poor's Fen," and on to a small hamlet, itself named "Wicken Lode;" then we may pass on by the north-east side of the Sedge Fen, by the Brick works, in the direction of Spinney Drove. (Any further guidance that may be needed by the traveller can be obtained on the spot.) This old fen is a fertile field of exploration to the Botanist and the Entomologist, 2 and while namiug this fact one can- 1 See one of these barges figured in the frontispiece. 2 In the appendix of this book will be found a list of the plants in "Wicken Fen, from Professor C. C. Babington's Flora of Cambridgeshire ; the list is corrected to date by the author himself. The Entomologist is referred to The Fenland, Fast and Fresent for a chapter on Lepidoptera and a very comprehen- sive list. See pages 401 and 591 et seq. Lists of Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes of the whole district are found in Fenland, Fast and Fresent. INTRODUCTION. xsiii not refrain from expressing a hope that the fen will not become "flooded"" with such a host of specimen hunters as would shortly exterminate the species. And now. supposing that we have accomplished all that we purposed to do on this primaeval spot, we must anticipate our return journey, which may be effected by various routes and naming them as optional for the return journey, they may be re- garded as equally available as approaching routes. It is certainly advisable to visit the village of Wicken and also the church. 1 Any one wishing to return to Burwell may, in- stead of retracing his steps, find his way across the fields over Monk's Lode by a foot bridge, along the bank of the New River, down Firs Drove into the Burwell and Fordham road. The alternative routes are by the road to Soham, and going to Ely or to Newmarket by G.E. Railway, or by walking to Fordham, where the Cambridge and Mildenhall Branch Railway passes.' 2 1 The reader may find a little historical interest in the note under WICKEN, in the text. 2 The following pictorial works are commended to the reader's notice : — The Fen Lands of Cambridgeshire, drawn and etched by Eobert Farren. Macmillan and Co. 1883. Bridge over the Lark, Li/tleport. A .Jump. Bank of the Cam. River Ouse at Liitleport Drove-way, Somersham. Farren, Pi. — The Granta and the Cam, from Byron's Pool to Ely, drawn and etched by the Artist. 1881. Farren, E. — Cambridge and its Neighbourhood. Forty Etchings. 1881. Farren, E. — Cathedral Cities : Ely and Norwich. Forty Etchings. 1885. Mill at Somersham. Cam at Clayhithe. Borders of Wicken Fen. "Wicken Fen. Bunvell Lode, Upware. A Flood in the Fens. Sedge-cutter going to -work. Hand-Ploughing. Bottisham Lode. Mill at Waterbeach. Peat Digging. Burwell Peat Fen. XXIV There is another approach to the Wicken Fen, by boat down the Cam, through the Reach Lode Lock near Upware, and thence into Wicken Lode. As up to the present the aspect of fens alone has been described, it seems fitting now to say a little on the general Scenery of the Fenland. It is essentially a flat country — flattest where the peat prevails, largely in the south and west ; this peaty area is deficient in trees and hedgerows, and scarcely a village exists upon it. But in this peat tract there are several elevations — the islands al- ready named — and these are composed of palaeolithic gravels, capping the clay, and in some instances Boulder clay, on which are built towns and villages. Perhaps the greatest elevation in the Fenland is at Ely, on a hill behind "Hill House," once the residence of the historian Bentham, to whose memory there is an obelisk, and the Bench Mark shows 112*1 feet above mean sea level — the actual soil is 109 feet. 1 At Ely Union Workhouse the B.M. indicates the actual natural ground to be 93'8 feet. The lowest levels I have been able to trace are on the 6 men Ordnance Map, sheet xiv. S.E. (showing the area near Whittlesea Mere); here they are somewhat below datum, and a B.M. by Cold Harbour Drove is only 1*2 feet above datum. North-east of a line roughly drawn from Bourn, Lincolnshire, to Littleport, Cambridgeshire, the sur- face is composed of a silty and clayey soil, and is more varied in character than the peat land. Parts of this district are well wooded, and hedgerows line the roads and divide the fields, whereas on the peat area ditches divide the lands. { l See Note, p. 60.) One remarkable characteristic of the Fenland is the great drainage system ; and those who look on the drains stretching away in a straight line for miles, and often further than the eye can reach, cannot fail to admire these works of skill, and to accord some meed of praise to the toilers through several centuries past — to those who strove to make the old world new by means of banks, artificial rivers, sluices, horse-pumps, wind- mills, steam- engines, and such like, and in spite of many engi- neering blunders, heartburnings, and difficulties, were not baffled in their purpose. Again, a few words about " the loneliness of the Fens," upon which considerable stress has been laid, so as to be derogatory to the country: but then loneliness is not always synonymous with dreari- ness. We read of the "lonely shore," but Byron says — •■ There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes.'' The same sentiment is applied to mountain scenery — "the lonely mountain-side," — and a pas- sage from Wordsworth's "Excursion" {The Solitary) — the three last lines of which are not inappropriate to the Fenland — well illustrates my argument : — " Ah ! what a sweet recess," thought I, "is here ! " Instantly throwing down my limbs at ease Upon a bed of heath — " full many a spot Of hidden beauty have I chanced t'espy Among the mountains ; never one like this ; So lonesome, and so perfectly secure : Xot melancholy — no, for it is green, And bright, and fertile, furnish'd in itself With the few needful things that life requires." Not only at the present time may such a view xxvi INTRODUCTION. apply — now, when the great level is brighter, more cultivated and more cheery than of yore, but in the past, some 150 years ago, Stukeley, who professed to be of a rather "melancholic disposition," could speak of the <; sweet recesses of contemplation, that real life, that tranquillity of mind only to be met with in proper solitude," and he was discoursing on his native country, Holland in Lincolnshire. The summer and autumn in the Fenland are often very delightful. In some parts good orchards abound, — corn in all its variety is abundant, — seed crops are plentiful, a large acreage is generally devoted to mustard, wlrieh in bloom gives a rich- ness to the scene, — in fact all that ordinarily sus- tains man and beast is here produced in great plenty ; and though the land is not diversified by hill and dale, there is a compensation in the bril- liancy of the sky, the visibility of the air, and the gorgeous hues of the cloudscape, phenomena which are not surpassed in these realms. 1 1 Ignis Fatuus, or Will-o'-the-Wisp, was a phenomenon often witnessed in the Fens in former times, but it is of rare occurence now. Having asked recently, through the Wisbech Advertiser, for information from any who may have seen it, we had only one reply, and that was from Mr. S. Egar, of Thorney, who says: — "About 15 years ago (i.e. in 1875) I was coming from Guyhirneto Wryde, crossing Wisbech High Fen. In the neighbourhood of Thorney Toll, east and west of the New Wryde Drain, for about a mile, I noticed brilliant examples of this phenomenon on the south side of the main road. There were so many lights flitting about that the attention of the most casual observer must have been attracted." [This meteor is generally supposed to arise from an ignited gas — such as phosphuretted hydrogen — emitted by the putre- faction of animal matter, or from carburetted hydrogen formed by the decomposition of vegetable matter in stagnant water. But the general drainage of the fens has tended to eradicate all such impurities, and therefore the phenomenon is as rare as old fen ague.] INTRODUCTION. xxvii After all, what any place appears to be depends upon a person's own natural disposition, purposes, and tastes, and not a little on his general physical state and habitude ; and any who have a tendency to a hypochondriac mood may be most lonesome in the liveliest city. I do not intend to describe any places, spoken of in the text, according to my own notions of pleasantness or dullness, let every one judge for himself, but he will be most likely to judge fairly if he start on a fair morning for a day's ramble, well fortified by the morning's meal, free from anxieties, and if he meet with some agreeable incidents by the way ; while the converse will surely be disappointing. But the people among whom he will mix, or whom he may meet on the way, will certainly add to or detract from the day's enjoyments. Then what may the tourist anticipate on this score ? One has to depend very much upon his own personal experiences in answering such a question, and the experiences extending over a whole generation ought to enable him to say something about The People of the Fenlaxd, and yet one feels a delicacy in doing so, and a difficulty in showing the courage of his convictions. Then there are so many phases of the subject that to compress them all into a short space is embarras- sing. The physical and the social aspects of the matter seem to offer the only prospect of saying anything, and, to open the way for my own remarks, I shall quote what Kingsley says (in "Hereward the Wake'') about the ladies — merely emphasizing two words, and reserving, of course, my own per- sonal views, especially as to his comparison of the lisfmOWCTION* physique of the men of the past with that of the present ; however, he says — f* In these islands, for instance, at the time of the Norman Conquest, the average of man was doubt- less superior, both in body and mind, to the average of man now, simply because the weaklings could not have lived at all ; and the rich and delicate beauty, in which the women of the Eastern Counties still surpass all other races in these isles, was doubt- less far more common in proportion to the number of the population." To this I may add, with perfect confidence, that their household appointments will compare most favourably with those in any other part of this kingdom. The cottiers are no less commendable for cleanliness and attention to domestic comfort — there are no more tidy housewives than in the Fens. There are sturdy men too, and how could it be otherwise ; The doughty old fenners must have left some impress of their hardihood and valour on succeeding generations, for the refinements of these modern times have not obliterated all the charac- teristics of the ancient days. Heredity is not wiped out in a generation. As Kingsley affirms — " The lowlander has his own strength, his own 'virtues,' or manfulnesses, in the good old sense of the word." But he has kindly and social qualities about which I could give many illustrations, were it not that I might be charged with forcing this point too much ; so one example shall suffice, and that from personal observation, — it might be cited by the advocates of the " Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals." Not long ago — in the heart of the Fen country— at harvest time, a man was driving a INTRODUCTION. xxix reaping machine : the clay was waning, one corner of the field was reached, and the man, unconscious that any human being was looking on, stopped his horses for a little breathing time, and gave them to eat a handful of the bounteous corn, which he had plucked ; and as he paused he spoke caressingly to the animals, and slapping the warm neck of the near horse, he said, ''Now, my beauty, one more round and then you shall go home and have your supper." The tone, too, gave emphasis to the ex- pression. One such sentence is as good as a volume. Let those who look on the little picture learn a lesson. To the stranger these lowland people are courteous and civil, and seldom pass without offering some sort of salutation, especially if they see by a look or gesture that they will receive a response. Nothing perhaps is more pleasing to these people than to be asked about their own country, and they will reply in no uncouth tongue, but often in good sound English ; and. if time and opportunity permit, will relate some local tradition, or tell some weird tale, or how the old folk skated for miles over the frozen drains in the cold winters of the past, or how some years since yon bank broke and let in the tidal water, to the detriment of the crops or the discomfit of the cattle, and how they mustered all the men of the neighbourhood and set to work to mend the breach ; and then they will point out some distant ruin of an old monastery or similar object, and the visitor has to look and look again before he discerns the object, and he will wonder how these people see so far, and he will be impressed with the fact that the fenners are long-sighted people — which they are XXX INTRODUCTION. (perhaps in more senses than one), for the unob- structed view enables them, by their constant habit, to distinguish not only familiar distant objects, but also individual people on the highway considerably beyond ordinary vision. A few pleasant incidents will tend to make a tour in the Fenian d very interesting ; indeed it is to be hoped that the traveller will verify what has been said above, that "visitants ever go away with a better opinion of it than they bring." In conclusion, I wish to make only one remark, that is, if any should think I have employed too high a colouring let them come and see. ROUTES. The tourist may find ample means of approach to the Fen district by Railways, and convenient centres from which he may make daily excursions by rail or road. The main roads are generally very good and easy for the cyclist, who, while travelling, may see the country on either side — often to a considerable dis- tance, — and may keep on his machine as long as he lists. At Cambridge there are plenty of machines to be had on hire. Day trips from that town may be made to several places of interest. Wisbech, Lynn, Peterborough, and Lincoln, offer similar facilities for visiting some interesting villages, or for seeing some of the great drainage works. A company of horsemen might make a tour in the Fenland very pleasurable, and could see more, perhaps, in two or three weeks than by any other mode of travelling. They would find good accom- modation at any of the towns mentioned in the road routes, and might gratify their tastes — in botanizing, fishing, or viewing the various archaeo- logical remains, — and, as a variation to their riding, they would find occasional pedestrianism not at all difficult. The water communication offers another means of visiting the district, and we shall presently describe the water route — say from York or Notting- ham, and intermediate places to Cambridge. xxxii ROUTES BY RAILWAYS. I. — Routes by Railways. GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY. London to Cambridge. Cambridge to Ely, March, "Wisbech, and Lynn. ,, to Ely, Downham, Lynn, and Hunstanton. ,, to St. Ives, Chatteris, March, and Peterborough. ,, to Newmarket (and on to Bury St. Edmund's). ,, to Ely and Brandon, by main line to Norwich. ,, to Burwell, Fordham, and Mildenhall. GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY AND GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY (JOINT). Cambridge to Ely, March, Spalding, Sleaford, to Lincoln, Doncaster, and the North. Visitors irom Manchester, Shef- field, (fee, reach Lincoln by Retford, and thence go southward. GREAT NORTHERN. London by Hitchin to Cambridge. Peterborough to Ramsey by Holme junction on main line. ,, to Spalding and Boston. Stamford, Essendine, Bourn, and Spalding. Spalding, Holbech, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge, to Lynn. Lincoln by Bardney, ' through the Fens to Boston, with branch to Horncastle. Boston to Firsby, and to Spilsby or Skegness. MIDLAND RAILWAY. By Kettering, Thrapston, Huntingdon, to Cambridge. Peterborough (from Midland Counties) to Thorney, Wisbech, Sutton Bridge, and Lynn. LONDON AND NORTH WESTERN. From Birmingham district — through communication by Rugby, Market Harboro', Seaton, Wansford to Peterborough, March, Ely, and Norwich. Northampton, Bedford to Cambridge. Northampton, Wellingborough, Thrapston, Oundle, Wan - ford to Peterborough. II. — Routes by Road.* (1.) — From Cambridge to Newmarket (13 miles), by Barnwell, * It is not to be assumed that the last named place in any route is recom- mended in all cases as suitable for the tourist to stay at. For instance. Gedney Drove End or Hungry Hill are merely indicated as the termini of such routes ; and the tourist would return to some intermediate place, according to hits own choice, or to the place from which he started. ROUTES BY ROAD. xxxiii Fen Ditton, and Bottisham (but these are south of the Fens). Or, trom Bottisham (3 miles N.E.), to Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior, Burwell, Fordham, Soham, Stuntney, to Ely. (Bottisham to Ely, 20 m.) From Cambridge to Ely, by Chesterton (1J mile), to Milton (3^ miles) [west to Impington (1J rnile)^ , Waterbech, Stretham. (Cambridge to Stretham. 12 m.) Boad to west leads to Wilburton, Haddenham, Earith, Bluntisham, and St. Ives. (Stretham to St. Ives, 15 m.) Or, take road from Stretham to Elv. (Cambridge to Ely, 16 m.) From Ely (westward) to Witchford (or to Witcham), WenTworth, Sutton in the Isle, Mepal, and across the ^Washes to Chatteris. (Ely to Chatteris, 12 m.) Thence to Doddington (4 m.), Wimblington, and March, or to Wisbech. (Chatteris to Wisbech, 19 m.) From Ely to Littleport, across the Ouse to Southery, Hilgay, Denver, to Downham Market. (Boute, 17 m.) From Wisbech to Elm, Friday Bridge, and March. (11 m.) Or, to Emneth, Outwell, Xordelph, to Downham Market. fWisbech to Downham Market, 12 m.) Or, to Outwell, TJpwell, Welney, by the Old Bedford Biver over the Suspension Bridge to Littleport. (18 m.) Wisbech to Lynn, by Walsoken, Walton Highway, Wal- pole Highway, Tilney St. Lawrence, Tilney, and Tilney - cum-Islington. fWisbech to Lynn (14Jr m.) Or, Wisbech by West Walton, Walpole St. Andrew (7 m.), Walpole St. Peter, Terrington St. John's, or to Terrington St. Clement (from Wisbech, 10 m.j, and Hungry Hill (where the new sea walls and newly reclaimed lands may be seen.) Wisbech to Leverington, Newton, Tydd St. Giles, and Sutton St. James (9 m.) ; back by Tydd St. Mary to Wisbech. (Boute, 18 m.) Wisbech to Tydd Gote, Long Sutton (9 m.), Gedney (2i m.), to Gedney Marsh and Drove End (5 m.) (where reclaimed land may be seen.) (Boute, 16J m.) Wisbech to Peterborough, by Wisbech St. Mary, Thorney [14 m.j, and Eye. (Boute, 21 m.) -Peterborough to Whittlesea, Eastrea, and March. (17^ m.) —Peterborough to Eye, Thomey (7 m.), thence north to Crowland (5 m.), and by Cowbit to Spalding. (BouTe. 22 m. xxxiv ROUTES BY ROAD. (12.) — Peterborough to Glinton, Peakirk, Deeping St. James, Market Deeping, Langtoft, Baston, and Bourn. ( 16 m.) (13.) — Spalding to Boston, by Pinchbeck, Surfleet, Gosberton, Quadring, Donington, Bicker, Swinehead. (Route, 21 m.) Or, by Gosberton, Sutterton, and Kirton, to Boston. (Boute, 16 m.) (14.) — Boston to Sibsey and Stickney (8£ m.), or Boston to Wainfleet (18 m.) (15.) — Boston to Sutterton, Algarkirk, Fossdyke, and Holbech. (15 m.) (16.) — Lincoln to Sleaford (18 in.), Sleaford to Billinghay and Tattershall (13 m.) ; thence by Coningsby (by the north border of the Fens) to Mareham-le-Fen (6£ . m. from Tattershall), Bevesby, and Bolingbroke (5£ m.) ; then to Spilsby (4 m.), or Wainfleet (10 m.) III.— Routes by Rivers. We shall briefly describe the water communication between the Trent and the Wash. There is a canal of ancient date, called the Fossdyke Canal, which communicates with the Trent by a lock just south of Torksey. Vessels such as keels, small yachts, or steam launches, may pass by this lock through the Fossdyke to a sort of dock called Brayford, into which the Witham also runs at Lincoln. Below the city the water is held up by another lock, so that vessels keep afloat in the Brayford-water. Keels pass from Boston through this system to the Trent, and thence into the Humber, so that a regular trading is kept up between Boston or Lincoln and Hull. The Humber keels are of light draught, but the limitation is fixed principally by the connection between Brayford and the lower course of the river Witham. Lincoln High Street passes over the river, and the depth of water is generally five feet, and the headway between the water surface and the archway under the street is ten feet ; so that any vessel not drawing more than five feet — and capable of lowering the mast, or, in the case of steamers, lowering the funnel — may pass this archway and proceed down to Boston. It is assumed that in all cases the yachts and steam launches, used for the trips here suggested, are decked vessels with sleeping accommodation. Where several persons form a pleasure party, a keel might be fitted up in the same way as wherries which are employed for excursions on the Norfolk Broads or the Norfolk and Suffolk rivers. These wherries have appointments similar to those of the barges on the upper course of the Thames, but are more easily moved to different parts of the watercourses ; so it would be with keels, which are well adapted to cross the Wash, or to go up the Fen rivers and great drains, especially if attended by a steam launch. ROUTES BY RIVERS. XXXV Yachts, steam launches, or keels, reaching Boston by the Witham, may without difficulty cross the Wash in summer- time — (proper directions having been obtained from the Har- bour Master, or a pilot employed by those who are perfect strangers to the district.) In summer-time, small steamers ply between Boston and Lynn (in about two hours), going on the flood tide in an almost straight course. A pleasure party, in a well fitted up keel or other vessel adapted to the voyage, would be able to keep their vessel afloat in the Brayford while visiting Lincoln, then another pause could be made at Boston ; and a favourable opportunity taken, by towing or otherwise, to cross the Yrash. Another break in the voyage could be made at Lynn ; and after that the party could ascend the Great Ouse through Denver sluice, and proceed by Ely to Cambridge ; and of course any who might wish to reverse this order could do so, and make a trip from Cambridge to Nottingham, York, or Hull, without actually going to sea. There is a course for boating up the Hundred-feet or New Bedford river to St. Ives. Any one curious enough to do so might find many channels for boating in the great drains, especially in the Middle Level system. ABBKEVIATIONS AND DEFINITIONS. Nor. = Norman style of Architecture. [Distinguished generally by the arches being senn-circiilar and the ornaments bold and rude ; commenced, in this country, probably a few vears before the Conquest and prevailed to end of reign of Hexry H"., 1189.] E. Eng. = Early English. [Arches pointed, windows long and narrow, without mullions, the ornaments resembling sharks' teeth, called "toothed ornament;" prevailed from near end of 12th century to beginning of 14th cen- tury, or end of reign of Edward I.] Dec. = Decorated English. [Arches pointed, windows large and divided by mullions, with tracery in flowing lines forming circles, arches, &c, not rnnning perpendicularly; numerous and delicate ornaments; sometimes called " 14th century style."] Perp.= Perpendicular English. [Mullions of windows and ornamental panellings run perpendicu- lar, sometimes divided by transoms (horizontal divisions); this style obtained from 14th till about middle of 17th century, but probably no whole building later than reign of Henry VIII.] Ch. = church. Line. = Lincolnshire. Coll. — college. Bp. = bishop. Pop. = population. Cambs. = Cambridgeshire. Norf. = Norfolk. Suff. = Suffolk. N'h'pton. = Northamptonshire. Hunts. = Huntingdonshire. PRINCIPAL TOWNS IN, OR UPON THE BORDERS OF, THE FENLAND, With their Distances from London, and from each other, by Rail. Smaller plaaes included in the alphabetical list icill be generally referred to these as to distance and position. Distance from London. CAMBRIDGESHIRE. Miles. 56 Cambridge ; C. to Ely, 14J m. ; C. to St. Ives, 14| m. 71 Ely; E. to March, 15£ m.; E. to Downham Market, 15| m. 80 March ; M. to Wisbech, 7£ m. ; M. to Peterborough, 14 m. ; M. to Whittlesea, 9 m. 82 Whittlesea (by Peterborough). 94 Wisbech ; W. to Lynn, 15£ m. ; W. to Peterborough, 18J m. 69 Newmarket (by Cambridge); N. to Ely (by Soham), 13 m. HUN TINGDON S HIRE . 70 St. Ives (by Cambridge); St. I. to Chatteris, 10§ m. 68£ Ramsey ; Holme to Ramsey, 5f m. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 76£ Peterborough ; P. to Holme, 7 m. ; P. to Whittle- sea, 5J m. ; P. to Stamford, 12^ m. LINCOLNSHIRE. 89 Stamford ; S. to Bourn (by Essendine), 10 m. 93 Spalding (G.N.R.) ; Sp. to Bourn, 10 m.; Sp. to Boston, 14 m. ; Sp. to Holbech, 8 m. ; Sp. to Long Sutton, 12£ m. 107 Boston ; B. to Firsby, 15J m. ; (Firsby to Skegness, 9J m. ; F. to Spilsby, 4J m.) ; Boston to Kirkstead, 16 m. ; K. to Horncastle, 7£ m. ; B. to Sleaford (G.N.R.), 17 m. 129 Lincoln (via Grantham) ; L. to Boston, 34 m. ; L. to Sleaford, 18 m., (Sleaford is on main road from Stamford to Lincoln, and is 118 m. from London) ; L. to Grantham, 24 m. NORFOLK. 97 King's Lynn ; L. to Hunstanton, 15 \ m. ; L. to Down- ham Market, 13f m. ; L. to Terrington (M. or G.N.R.), 6| m. SUFFOLK. 86£ Brandon, and from Cambridge, 30J m. 77 Mildenhall, and from Cambridge, 21 m. HAND-BOOK TO THE FENLAND. POPULATION from the CENSUS of 1891. X.B.— An asterisk (*) denotes an ecclesiastical parish. All places not so marked are civil parishes or townships. Aldretk (See Haddenham). 469 Bardney 1378 188 Barway (See Soham j 656 Bennington 804 794 661 Billingborough . . 1128 Billinghay 1815 Bloxholme 114 Bluntishani (See Earith). Bolingbroke, Old ] 397 Bolingbroke, New 14570 Bottisliam 1501 4191 Braceborough 174 2334 Branston 1221 Bratoft 190 Brothertoft . . 235 Burgh-in-the-Marsh . . 969 1998 473 Cambridge 36983 605 Chatteris 4587 Chettisbam 147 Coates and Eastrea 1321 Clenckwarton . . 608 *Coldliam 374 1186 Conington 150 Cottenham 2517 Coveney 487 188 Croft 635 2800 Deeping, Market . . 1079 Deeping St. James . . 1501 Deeping, West . . 265 Deeping St. Nicholas 1325 Denver 803 Digbv 344 Doddington .. .. 1366 Dogdyke 192 Donington . . . . 1547 Dorrington . . . . 366 Downham Market 3006 Downham-in-the-Isle 1873 Dowsby 171 Dunsby 193 Dnnston . . . . 652 Earith 1065 Eastville .. .. 342 Edenham 528 Elm 1779 Elv .. 8008 Enmeth 922 Eriswell 402 Ewerby 384 Exning 2757 Eve 1237 Farcet 812 Feltwell 1557 FenDitton 680 Fen, West .. .. 261 Firsbv 228 Fishtoft 725 Fleet .. .... .. 1200 Fletton 2194 Fordham, Cambs. . . 1284 Fordham, Norfolk 210 i?osdyke 433 Frampton . . . . 821 Freiston 973 *Fridaybridge . . 616 Friskney 1373 ii POPULATION— CENSUS OF 1891. Frithville 648 Hf „„„1 390 . 1862 Metheringham . . . 1614 (jreclney Hill . . 374 Methwold 1362 369 *Gorefield . . (inn 079 Miiaennail Q TOO . 1825 101 Greetwell ftQ 93 Oftft . 2088 Haddenham i it ft *Murrow (Southea) 9bU Heckington . . . . loot) Newborough . 748 Helpringham 758 Newmarket 4865 . 616 . 436 Hilgay 1491 578 . 948 Nordelph (See Unwell). Hockwold-cum-Wilton 809 Northborough 227 . 4771 . 1144 * Holland Fen 959 627 Outwell.. {£Jg] ■ 1233 Horningsea 435 i Over . 1005 . 1698 Parson Drove 716 Islington 271 . 810 350 Peakirk 252 Keal, West . . 314 Peterborough . . .25171 Kirkby-upon-Bain . , . 247 Pinchbeck 2822 Kirkby, East. . 319 Potter Hanworth . 430 Kirkby Green . 103 *Prickwillow 1266 Kirkstead 127 . 852 , 2169 Quy (See Stow-cum-Qiu/ ). Kyme, South 456 . 4684 Kyme, North , 636 Reach (See Swaffham Prior). Lakenheath 1825 , 516 , 476 ! Roxham 55 Langriville . . 397 Ruskington . 1095 *Langton St. Andrew , 533 3005 721 1163 1962 Scopwick *Sempringham with 349 Leverington 1163 583 539 41491 105 *Little Ouse . 924 1101 Littleport . . 4157 Skegness 1488 686 3023 Lynn Regis . . *Lynn, West 19053 3597 578 4138 1357 , Somersham 1381 6988 1122 Mareham-le-Fen . . 803 1 Spalding 9014 777 : 8358 POPULATION— CENSUS OF 1891. iii Stauground 1 93f» Walpole St. AncirGvr. , Steeping, Great O O X \\ alpole bts reter. . 1149 Steeping, Little 9 '/J. £i --k >T7"71 2/71 Stickford ; . 413 \\ est \\ aiton 904 641 50 Stilton 560 "\\ arboys 1661 Stoke Ferry 724 Washingborough 611 StoDea (See Wimbling ton.) \\ ateroecn 1382 289 W atlington . . . . o79 Stow Bardolph 1318 w elcnes Dam 141 Stow-cum-Quy Streatham 387 lUoo : n xc - \ Welney .. {% f*] ( A . o 1 4 J 1079 294 W entwortb . . . Surfleet V4V Werrington 710 821 808 * Sutton Bridge 2184 9916 Sutton St. Mary 4513 *Wbaplode Drove 765 Sutton St. James. . (505 6345 Sutton St. Edmund" s 645 Wicken 716 Sutton-in-the-Isle. . 1133 Wiggenhall St. German 542 SwafThani Bulbeck . . 800 Wiggenhall St. Mary Swaffham Prior ,. 1006 the Yirgin 305 Swavesey 271 1069 Wiggenhall St. Peter >> lggennaii oi. ALaiy 135 Swineshead 1616 Magdalen 678 Tallin gton 253 653 Tattershall . . . . 487 452 Temngton St. Clement 2208 Wildmore . 736 Terrington St. John . . 603 Willingham 1629 Thetf ord 4247 Wimblington . . 1158 1863 Wimbotsham 573 Thornton-le-Fen . 4 312 Winch, West . . 421 Threckingham 158 180 782 Wisbech 9395 Tilney All Saints . . 515 Wisbech St. Mary . . 1887 Tilney St. Lawrence Timberland 79ft Witchford . . 428 443 401 Tottenhill . . 344 Witcham 322 Tumby 314 218 Tydd St. Mary . . 837 Wood Walton 347 Tydd St. Giles . . 835 Wootton, North 268 Upware (See Wicken). Wootton, South . . 152 TT (C. 1387] Lpwell.. uV>2107j 3494 Worlington Wormegay 248 431 413 1084 Wainfleet All Saints 1446 Wretton . . 322 Wainfleet St. Mary . . 718 659 147 Yaxley 1304 NEWSPAPERS published in, or circulating within the area of, the Fenland. BOSTON GUARDIAN, SKEGNESS ADVERTISER, & LINC. INDEPEN- DENT (Line. Newspaper Printing Co., Ltd ), Boston, Liberal, Friday, Id. BOSTON INDEPENDENT & LINCOLNSHIRE ADVERTISER (Ingamells & Beulah), Boston, Independent, Saturday, Id. BURY FREE PRESS (G. H. Simpson), Bury St. Edmund's, Liberal, Fri., Id. BURY $ NORWICH POST, & SUFFOLK STANDARD (George A. Manning), 19, Abbeygate Street, Bury St. Edmund's, Independent, Tuesday, Id. CAMBRIDGE CHRONICLE & UNIVERSITY JOURNAL (S. P. Naylor), 9. Market Hill, Cambridge, Conservative, Friday, 2d. CAMBRRIDGE DAILY NEWS (W. F. Taylor),' St. Andrew's Street, Cam- bridge, Independent, daily, id.; Weekly Edition, Friday, Id. CAMBRIDGE EXPRESS (Cambridge Express Co., Ltd.), King Street, Cam- bridge. Conservative, Saturday, Id. CAMBRIDGE INDEPENDENT PRESS (Hatfield & Co.), 6a, Market Hill, Cambridge. Liberal, Friday, 2d. People's Edition, Id. CAMBRIDGESHIRE TIMES & MARCH GAZETTE (Sharman & Co.), March, Neutral, 'Friday, Id. CHATTERIS ADVERTISER, Friday, Id. CITY OF ELY STANDARD (C. Johnson), Ely, Neutral, Friday, Id. DOWNHAM MARKET GAZETTE (R.Watson),Downham,A T e^r«Z,Friday, Id. EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES, Ipswich, Independent, daily, Id. EASTERN DAILY PRESS (Not folk News Co.). Norwich, Liberal, daily, Id. EASTERN EVENING NEWS (Norfolk News Co.), Liberal, daily, |d. EASTERN WEEKLY PRESS (A. Selford), Norwich, Liberal. Saturday, Id. GRANTHAM TIMES and SOUTH .LINCOLNSHIRE GAZETTE (Line. General Printing Co., Ltd.), 96, Grautley St., Grantham, Liberal, Friday, Id. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS (Ward and Son), Lincoln, Sporting Daily, Id. LINCOLN GAZETTE and TIMES. Lincoln, Liberal, Friday & Saturday, Id. LINCOLN, RUTLAND, and STAMFORD MERCURY (W. Barton), Stamford, Neutral, Friday, Id. LINCOLNSHIRE, BOSTON, and SPALDING FREE PRESS (H. Wat- kinson), Spalding, Independent, Tuesday, Id. LINCOLNSHIRE CHRONICLE & GENERAL ADVERTISER (Line. Chron. Co., Ltd.), Lincoln, Conservative, Tuesday, id., Friday and Saturday, Id. LINCOLNSHIRE HERALD (The Provincial" Publishing Co., Ltd.),' Wharf Road, Grantham, Conservative, Friday, Id. LYNN ADVERTISER, WISBECH CONSTITUTIONAL GAZETTE, and NORFOLK and CAMBRIDGESHIRE HERALD (Thew and Son), Lynn, Conservative, Friday, 2d. LYNN NEWS and COUNTY PRESS (Lynn News and County Press Co.), Purfleet Street, Lvnn, Liberal, Friday, Id. NORFOLK CHRONICLE (Norfolk Chronicle Co., Ltd.), Market Place, Norwich, Conservative, Saturday, £^d. NORFOLK DAILY STANDARD (P. Soman & Son), Norwich. Conservative, Daily, lid. NORFOLK NEWS (Norfolk News Co.. Ltd.), Norwich, Liberal. Sat., 2£d. NORFOLK WEEKLY STANDARD (P. Soman & Son), Norwich, Conservative, Saturday, Id. NORWICH MERCURY (Norwich Mercury Co.i, London Street, Norwich, Liberal, Tuesday Id, Friday 2d. PETERBORO' ADVERTISER (J. S. Clarke), Peterboro', Liberal. Sat., Id. PETERBORO* EXPRESS (S. T. Smith), Peterboro'. Independent, Wed. Id. PETERBOROUGH aud HUNTINGDONSHIRE STANDARD ,TT. Butter- field), Cross Street, Peterborough, Conservative, Saturday. Id. SLEAFORD GAZETTE, Sleaford, Conservative, Saturday. Id. SLEAFORD JOURNAL iW. Walsh), Sleaford, Neutral, Saturday, Id. SPALDING GUARDIAN (Winfrey), Spalding, Liberal, Saturday, Id. WHITTLESEY REPORTER (Sharman), Neutral, Friday, Id. * WISBECH ADVERTISER (Gardiner and Co.), Wisbech, Independent, Wednesday, Id. MARKET TELEGRAPH, Satiu-dav, Gratis. WISBECH STANDARD (Wisbech Standard Co.), Wisbech, Conservative, Friday, Id. TOWNS AND VILLAGES OF THE FENLAND, Arranged in Alphabetical Order, with Brief Topographical and Historical Notes thereon. Those places marked with an * are on or near the border of the Fenland. The Population is from the Census of 1881. Aldreth (Cambs.), a place just a mile south (and in the parish) of Haddenhani in Isle of Ely, by an ancient causeway leading from the Old West River and Belsar*s Hill. It was called JEdreth, from JEtheldeeda, and in the His. of Ely Alrehethe. HISTORICAL NOTE.— The place is noted as the point at which William the Conqueror entered the Isle of Ely, and where he was twice frustrated by the valour of Herewaed. There are graphic accounts of the conflicts in The Camp of Refuge and in Kingsley's Hereward the Wake. For account of " Aldreth Causeway."" see Babington's Ancient Cambridge- shire. 2nd Ed., p. 79, also a map of same in The Fenland. Algarkirk (S. Line.) is 6 miles south by west of Boston. The village is about half a mile from the station of Cf.N.E. on the line from Spalding to Boston. THE CHURCH is dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul— a fine cruciform building of the E. Eng. and Dec. styles, and plea- santly situated on a rising ground and amidst a group of trees. Some portions of the earlier Xorman ch. are preserved in the vestry. There are several features in the interior well worthy of the attention of the visitor. The register dates from 167S. The ch. was thoroughly restored in 1850. HIS. NOTE. — This place takes its name from Algab, Earl of Holland (Line), who, with Morcard, Lord of Bourn, was slain in a battle with the Danes in 870, and both were buried here. Area of parish, 2406 acres. Pop.. 520. E 2 BARDNEY — BARHOLM — BARWA Y—BASTON. Bardney (M. Line.) situate on cast bank of Witham; station of G.N.R., 10 m. from Lincoln, junction of Lincoln and Louth line. THE CHURCH, S. Lawrence, built of brick arid stone; Perp. style of early part of loth century, fragments of Nor. work, tower on west. The altar slab was once in the old abbey, which stood near the present church. There are two Wesleyan chapels here. There is a free school, for Bardney and adjoining parishes, established in 1711. HIS. NOTE. — The abbey was dedicated to SS. Peter, Paul, and Oswald. It was a mitred abbacy. The abbey was des- troyed by Danes in 870, the monks being put to death. It remained in a ruined state till rebuilt after the conquest by Remegius, Bp. of Lincoln, and Gilbert, Earl of Lincoln. HOTELS.— Railway Hotel and Nag's Head. Area, 5240 acres. Pop., 1393. *Barholm (S. Line), 5 m. north-east from Stam- ford, and just on the border of the Fens, 4 m. west from Market Deeping. CHURCH, S. Martin, ancient and small ; the south door Nor., the tower a much later date. Church restored in 1857. Area, 1230 acres. Pop., 179. Barway (Cambs.) This is a hamlet situate near the Soham Lode, and is about 3 m. south of Ely. It has a small chapel annexed to the vicarage of Soham, but presents no features of note. Baston (S. Line), 4 miles south of Bourn on the Lincoln main road. CHURCH, S. John the Bapt., built of stone, Perp., nave clerestoried, tower with 4 pinnacles. Register dates from 1558. HIS. NOTE. — Near this village ancient Saxon pottery has frequently been found. A Saxon burial ground was discovered here, and described in a paper by Trollope. Bennington (S. Line), 5 miles east of Boston, on the Wainfleet road. The parish extends to the shore of the Wash, or Bennington Sea End. CHURCH, All Saints, a stone building of mixed styles, pure and good. The chancel is of E. Eng., and contains a piscina and sedilia of Dec. style, while the clerestory is Perp. The BENWICK — BICKER — BILLINGBORO UGH. 3 font is Perp. and interesting in its details. The living is a rectory, and the gift of the Lord Chancellor. There is an endowed school here. INK. — The Nelson. Area of parish, 2306 acres. Pop., 524. Benwick (Cainbs.), on the old river Nene. It is about 4 rn. west of Doddington, of which it was a hamlet previous to 1854. CHUECH. S. Mary, is a modern building in E. Eng. style, with tower and spire. Area of parish, 3340 acres. Pop., 814. Bicker (S. Line), 9 miles south-west from Boston. The nearest railway station is Swineshead, a distance of 4 m., G-.N.B. Boston and Sleaford line. CHUECH, S. Swithin, an ancient stone building of early Nor., clerestoried nave, chancel, and a north aisle; the build- ing contains some good examples of late Nor. work. The register dates from middle of 16th century. This place is situated at the head of the ancient Bicker Haven, which was connected with the Wash in Eoman times, and where there were ancient salt pans. See Fenland, p. 13, and Skebtchly's Geological Survey. Billingborough (S. Line), situated near the ancient Car Dyke, midway between Bourn and Slea- ford, and has a station on Gr.N.B. running between those towns. CHUECH, S. Andrew, of stone, mixed styles, being of E. Eng., Dec, and Perp. It has nave with lofty clerestory and aisles, a tower and fine spire 150 feet high. The south aisle and porch date from early part of 14th century. The interior contains several details and objects of interest. THE OLD HALL was built in Tudor style. It is now divided into two residences. THE PUBLIC HALL is a modern red brick building, and will accomodate 400 persons. INNS. — Fortescue Arms and New Inn. Area, 2020 acres. Pop., 1189. Billinghay (M. Line), It stands on a small stream, the Skirt, a tributary of the Witham. The village is 10 m. north-east of Sleaford, and 3^ m. from Tattershall station of Lincoln and Boston railway. e 2 4 BILLINGHA Y — BLOXHOL ME —B L TNGBROKE . CHUECH S. Michael, a fine building, in early Perp., com- prising nave, chancel, aisles, square tower, surmounted by a beautiful slender spire. This ch. was restored in 1850. HIS. NOTE. — Billing was the progenitor of the royal race of Saxony, and Billingas was the ,l Saxon Mark." See Fenland, pp. 59, 60. This place was probably the centre of a Saxon settlement. The suffix hay means an enclosure, so "Billinghay" was the park or hunting ground as well as the residence of the Billings. The borough (Sax. burh) was the embanked or fortified place cf the same family. In all cases the ing indicates a patronymic, as in Bennington (the Bennings) above, and Bolingbroke, the settlement of the " Bollingas." It will suffice merely to insert the name of the family in notes further on. INNS. — Cross Keys and Golden Cross. Area 3443 acres. Pop., 2234. [IVALCOTT is a township 2 m. distant. A new eh. built in 1852.] *Bloxholme (Line.) It is 5 m. north of Sleaford. CHUKCH, S. Mary, in E. Eng. and Perp. stylos. The building has been restored by the Manners family, and the vaults under the chancel contain the remains of some of that family. THE HALL is a fine old mansion, much enlarged and improved in 1825. Area, 1298 acres. Pop., 97. Bluntisham. (See Earith.) Bolingbroke Old (M. Line.), 4 m. from Spilsby By. station; 14 m. north of Boston, and near the border of the Fenland. It is a market town. CHUKCH, SS. Peter and Paul, supposed to have been built by John of Gaunt, D. of Lancaster, about 1360. E. Eng. style. By the east end of south wall are finely carved piscina and sedilia. There are some beautiful windows in this church. HIS. NOTES. — A strong castle was built here by William deBomara, the first Norman earl of Lincoln; it subsequently passed to Thomas Plantagenet, E. of Lancaster. John of Gaunt married the heiress of this branch of the Plantagenets and on 3rd April, 1366, Henry, afterwards king of England, was born at Bolingbroke castle, which was reduced during the civil wars by the parliamentarians under the command of the E. of Manchester, and the castle fell into decay, and only a few vestiges now remain. HOTEL.— Duke's Head. Area, 1013 acres. Pop. 519. B OLINGBROKE— BOSTON. 5 Bolingbroke, New (M. Line.) This is a com- paratively new village and parish, formed in 1858, on the Boston and Horncastle road, about 9 miles from each town. CHURCH, S. Peter, a line Gothic structure iu brick and stone. INN.- The Globe. Pop., 549. Boston (Line.) takes its name from BotolpU's town, as S. Botolph, an Aug. Sax., built a monastery here in 650 a.d. :;: 13oston is situated on the river Witham, which flows into the Wash. An ancient seaport. 107 m. from London and 34 in. from Lincoln. Boston has now a spacious dock, commenced in June, 1882. " The channel from Boston Deeps to the dock has been im- proved and deepened, and vessels of considerable tonage can now enter the port and go into the dock with perfect safety. Directions for the navigation of Boston Deeps will be found in the Admiralty Chart of the Wash, pub. in 1872, and hi the sailing directions for the east coast of Eng., between Orfordness and the Tyne, by James Murray & Son. Since the publication of the Admiralty Chart the New Cut has been made and the Old Channel stopped up. Mean rise of the spring tides is 22ft., and of neep tides loft. 4in. above low water spring tides in Clay Hole."' {See Tide Table by IV. H. Wheeler, C.E.) Churches.— S. BOTOLPH'S. " This church is princi- pally Decorated, and the tower Perpendicular, both excellent in their kind; the chancel is partly Dec. and partly Perp., and there is a good south porch. The interior is on a very magnificent scale ; the mouldings of the piers and arches remarkably bold and good, . . . the tower is one of the finest compositions of that style A very rich and elegant octagonal lantern rises from the tower."" {Packman.) "In point of size, S. Botolph's is the largest in England without transepts, and for simplicity of design and beauty of propor- tion, above all in its splendid tower and unrivalled lantern, . . it may fairly be acknowledged pre-eminent above its fellows, even in this county — so famed for noble churches/' Oldest part of ch. is the tower, begun in 1309. Body of ch. dates from Ed. III.'s reign. Nave, with its two aisles, is good 14th century Dec. work. As the building went on the Perp. was adopted. S. aisle has 5 windows of 4 lights each, Dec. tracery * There is an amusing legend as to the origin of the name, entitled "Icanhoe," (Chap. III.) in Boston in the Olden lime, pub. by Jons Noble, Boston, 1841. 6 BOSTON. in each. E. window of aisle is Perp. and has 5 lights. Parapet of gable is composed of open quatrefoil circles. Parapet of E. gable (late Perp.) is rich and delicate, and has been compared to some of the work in Hy. VII. 's chapel, Westminster. The whole length of the ch., 305ft. ; nave nearly 100ft. wide. Seats 2000 people. There were 4200 persons present at the funeral service of the late Prince Consort. (See Fen and Marshland Churches.) " Attached to the porch on the west side, is a large chapel of the Dec. period, which was beautifully restored in 1856, through the liberality of the citizens of the American Boston, and other places in the U.S., as a memorial to Mr. Cotton, formerly vicar of Boston, and one of the original founders of the State of Massachusetts." In this south-west chapel is a memorial brass containing a Latin inscription, of which the following is a translation: — '-In perpetual remem- brance of John Cotton, who, during the reigns of James and Charles, was for many years a grave, skilful, learned, and laborious Vicar of {his church. Afterwards, on account of the miserable commotion amongst sacred affairs in his own country, he sought a new settlement in a new world, and remained even to the end of his life a pastor and teacher of the greatest reputation and of the greatest authority in the first church of Boston in New England, which receives this venerable name in honour of Cotton. CCXXV. years having passed away since his migration, his descendants and the American citizens of Boston were invited to this pious work by their English brethren, in order that the name of an illus- trious man, the love and honour of both worlds, might not any longer be banished from that noble temple in which he diligently, learnedly, and sacredly expounded the divine oracles for so many years ; and they have willingly and gratuitously caused this shrine to be restored, and this tablet to be erected, in the year of our recovered salvation, 1855." The brasses in the ch. are well worth attention. — S. JAMES' CH., in George Street. Gothic style, designed by Sir G. Scott. It is really a chapel of ease to the parish ch. Built in 1872. — Another CHAPEL OF EASE is in High St. ; erected in 1820, and endowed by the corporation. — R. Catholic ch., S. MARY, built in 1826, situated in Horncastle Ed. The interior is highly decorated.— CONGREGATION AL CH., a fine Gothic struc- ture, is in Red Lion St.— The WESLEYAN CHAPEL, in the same St., with Ionic colonade, was built in 1840, and cost £ 8000. — There are several other places of worship in the town. Public Buildings — The GUILDHALL, in South St., is a building of very ancient appearance, with a Gothic front. It is used for municipal purposes. — Near the entrance of the same St. is SHODFRIARS' HALL. It has a fine half- BOSTON — SKIB.BE CK—B 0TT1SHAM. 7 timbered front, bearing the aspect of antiquity, but it is a restored building of 1874. — In the Market Place is the ASSEMBLY BOOM, above the Butter Market, built about 1811. It is spacious and has an illuminated clock, but has no archi- tectural features of interest. — On east side of Mkt. are the CORN EXCHANGE Buildings, where there is a Library. Beading Boom, and School of Art.— The SESSIONS HOUSE, in the Italian style, is to the north of the eh.— The MASONIC HALL, in Egyptian style, is situated in Main Badge : erected in 1860. — Boston has a" COTTAGE HOSPITAL, built in 1874; a PROVIDENT DISPENSARY ; CHARITY SCHOOLS, estab- lished early in 18th century ; and a considerable number of Municipal charities ; it has also one of the modern requirements of civilization, "a People"s Park," very tastily laid out. HIS. NOTES. — The monastery of S. Botolph was near the present ch. ; it was destroyed by the Danes in 807, and from relics discovered thereabouts in the last century, Dr. Stueeley concluded that the ancient building had a Boman origin. Foundation, urn, iron key, &c, found. The port had a com- mercial importance in the time of King John, and in that of Edward IH. did a considerable trade in wool, leather, &c. The town sent deputies to the National Councils. The charter of incorporation, dated 11th May. 1546, 37 of Henry YTH. John Eox. the author of Fox's Book of JIartyrs, was bom at Boston, hi 1517. References. — Thompson's History of Boston, Oliver's Re- ligion* Houses on the Wiiham. Close to the town, and nearly surrounding it, is the parish of SKIR.BE CK, which is on the north-east and south quarter on the south-west of the Witham. The ch., S. Nicholas, con- sists of E. Eng. and Dec. ; the Nor. portions have disappeared This ch. was restored in 1874. On the Spilsby Bd., in the same parish, is Holy Trinity ch., in the Dec. style, a modern structure, built in 1848. HOTELS.— Angel and Corn Exchange, Mkt. Place; Gt. Northern By., Station St. ; Peacock, Mkt. Place; Bed Lion, Strait Bargate ; Station Hotel, White Hart, High St. Pop. : Boston, 14,941 ; Skirbeck, 2550 ; Parliamentary limits, pop. 18,873. *Bottisham (Carubs. | Situate on main road from Cambridge to Xewmarket. It is about 2 m. south of the actual Fen border and Bottisham fen, and 7 m. from Cambridge. CHURCH, Holy Trinity, is a very fine edifice of Dec. style ; the nave has five bays with finely moulded arches, and the clerestory windows are single lancets. The chancel contains 8 BOTT1SHAM LOBE— BOURN. E. Eng. piscina and sedilia, and the rood screen is Perp. The visitor will he interested in the memorial east window and the reredos, and several monuments to various celebrities. Area, 5229. Pop., 1550. BOTTISHAM LODE is a hamlet in the Fen. Here are the remains of a priory founded in the time of Henry I. The Lode, Long Meadow, and Fen, were formed into a parish in 1833. The eh. of S. James at Bottisham Lode was built in 1853. "Bourn (Line.) This market town is situate on the west border of the Fens, is 12 m. west of Spald- ing and 16 m. north of Peterboro'. [The name is derived from the Sax. burne, that is a well, stream, or river. To the south-east of the town is a spring called the " Well Head," the source of a stream named the Bourn Eau (or Ea), flowing into the river Glen. In The Fenland is an illustration, " The Site of Hereward's Castle," and the "Well Head" is there shown. It is probable that this well was the burne that determined the name of the place. The word, variously modified, appears as the prefix or termination of the names of places near streams originating in springs. In Norfolk it takes the form burn, as in Burnham. In Suffolk, bran, as in Brandeston (Bran-Debenston) and in Brandon. There is a BOURN, 9 m. west of Cambridge, on the old Erming Street. For an interesting note, see Ancient Cam- bridgeshire, p. 49.] THE CHUKCH, SS. Peter and Paul, a fine and ancient structure of mixed styles, and deserving careful examination. In it will be seen Norman, Transitional, E. Eng., and Perp., which last is seen in the clerestory, the south tower, and the font. The interior was renovated in 1851. There are chapels belonging to the Congregational, the Baptists, and Wesleyan denominations. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. — The Town Hall, built in 1821. The Public Hall and Corn Exchange, in Church St., erected in 1870. An old mansion, called the Red Hall, has been appro- priated as a Railway Station. HIS. NOTE. — The castle, of which only the mounds cover- ing the foundations can now be traced, was a notable place in Saxon and Norman times. Mobcabd, who opposed the Danish invasion in 870, was Lord of Brunne. The castle w T as occupied by Hereward the Wake, and, with some interruption, by his successors till a comparatively recent date. A monastery existed here previous to the middle of the 16th century, and some of it may yet be seen. It is notable from the fact that Robert Manning, a Gilbertine Canon, was attached to this BRA C EB OE UGH— BE A XD OX. monastery, from which he went to Cambridge, in 1300. Kobekt of Brunne was a poet, and the originator of the present standard English language. (See Qliphakt's Sources of Standard English, Macmlllax, 1873.) The visitor will hnd some interest in the neighbourhood ; there is Elsey Wood (see Gamp of Refuge) ; the Car Dyke — a hamlet called DYKE is here, and 3 m. west is EDEXHAM (which see). This neighbourhood is well wooded and pic- turesque. HOTELS. — Crown, Bull, Golden Lion. Market on Thursdays. Area of parish, 9815 acres. Pop 3760. Braceborough (Line.) On the river Glen, which forms the east boundary of the parish. This plea- sant village is 6 m. north-east of Stamford. The station — " Braceboro' Spa" — on (x.N. Ry, Bourn and Essendine branch, is H m. to north of village. CHUKCH, S. Margaret. This, built in stone, formerly con- sisting of nave, aisles, and chancel, was deteriorated by altera- tions a century ago ; but was restored in the early Dec. style in 1825, and has now a west tower and spire, nave, and apsidal chancel. There are four stained glass windows. The principal residence is Shillingthorpe Hall. The Spa affords a large supply of excellent water, from which Peterborough (14 m. distant; has been supplied in recent years. Area, 2230 acres. Pop., 184. "Brandon (Suff.) Situated on the Little Ouse or Brandon river, which separates the counties of Norf. and Suff. It is 1G in. from Ely and 88 m. from London, on G.E. Piy. The name appears to be derived from Sax. Burne or Brune, a stream, and dun, a hill (or downs) : that is, Brune -dun. See Liber Eliensis, p. 234 ; also Bosworth's Sax. Vic, a note on Boum, and below." * A special note is necessary here, because Dr. Taylor, in Words and Places, says on p. 146, " The Welsh word hryn, a brow or ridge, is found in Brandon in Suffolk, which is the Anglicized form of Dinas Bran, a common local name in Wales."' Now this is quite erroneous, for Dinas Bran is the name of an ancient remain near Llangollau. Dinas is a city. Bran was the father of Caractacus (Caradoc). Gryffyth, sou of the latter bu It the castle, according to tradition, in honour of his grandfather Bran. There is a pretty legend of a Welsh maiden in a modem poem entitled, "Myfanwy Fechan," Castell Dinas Bran. Gryffyth Ap Madoc was lord of Dinas Bran, and died there in 1720. Myfanwy lived there in 1390. The Keltic word Br : :u, as :i common noun, means a crow, and the Welsh 10 BRAND ON— BRA NS TON. CHUBCH, S. Peter, is about a J m. west of the town, aud is a very ancient edifice in E. Eng. style, built of stone and flint, the latter material being so largely found in the locality. There are nave, south aisle, and chancel, with north porch of Nor. work. The original ch., built in 11th century, had only a nave, and it acquired its present form in 15th century. The west tower is surmounted by a small steeple. It contains some interesting memorial windows, and some pre-Beforma- tion relics. The restoration was made in 1873. Chapels belonging to the Baptists and Methodists arc in the town itself. Near the ch. are three almshouses, and five others in the town. Some school buildings of a superior character have been erected here by the School Board. HIS. NOTE.— The great industry of this town and neigh- bourhood has been the gun -flint manufacture, and —prior to the introduction of guns — flint implements and the prepara- tion of the flints for building purposes. "Brandon has from palaeolithic times been esteemed for the quality of its flints, and its vicinity is perhaps richer in relics of the stone age than any other. The neolithic people mined for the flint, and the remains of their pits are still extant at Grimes Graves." (The Fenland, p. 579, and illustration, p. 492.) These so called " Graves " are a short distance north of the By. station in Norf., and are well worth a visit. In recent times the flints have been obtained from excavations in the chalk to south of the town ; these are curiously worked in a series of stages or steps, up which the stone is passed. (See Memoir on Gun Flints, by S. B. J. Skertchly, pub. by Geological Survey.) It was to the west of the town, and probably nearer the river than the ch. is, that William I. encamped in one of his attempts to invade the Isle of Ely, and where Hereward went in disguise to the camp to learn what manoeuvre the Con- queror was maturing. (Note, p. 314, Camp of Refuge.) The principal residences are : a mansion in Brandon Park, North Court Lodge, and Brandon Hall. There are some pleasant villa residences. HOTELS.— G.E. By. Hotel, White Hart, Five Bells. Market on Thursdays. Area, 6759 acres. Pop., 2309. Branston (Line), 4 in. south-east of Lincoln, on a small tributary of the Witham called the Beck. would render our " Crowland " as Tir y Fran ; the b is changed to / for euphony ; called mutation of consonants in Welsh Grammar. Thus there seems not the remotest connection between bry n and Bran. We have not space for further comment, hut refer to Dr. Watkin's Bio. Die, London, 1807; Pennant's Tour in Wales, vol. L, pp. 279,380, 1810; Nicholas' Annals and Antiquities of Wales, Longmans, 1872. BRATOFT— BROTHERTOFT— BURGH. 11 The nearest railway station is Heighington, on the joint line of G.N. and G.E. Eys. CHURCH, All Saints, built of stone in Nor. and E. Eng. styles, the chancel being a good specimen of the E. Eng. and containing triple sedilia and a piscina. The clerestory is in Perp. style. There are some interesting monuments. The interior was restored under Sir G. Scott in 1876. The Wesleyan Chapel is a stone building in the Gothic style. Branston Hall is the principal residence, and is situate in well wooded grounds. To the east of the village is Branston Fen. Area, 5457 acres. Pop., 1131. Bratoft (Line), is 5 m. east of Spilsby. The nearest railway station is Firsby Junction, 2 m. to the west. CHURCH, SS. Peter and Paul, built in stone and brick, and Dec. and Perp. ; the font is Dec. Here are some finely carved screens, enclosing portions of the aisles and dividing the nave and chancel. A curious painting, showing the dis- comhture of the Spanish Armada, will attract the visitor's attention. Area, 1811 acres. Pop., 218. Brothertoft (S. Line), 4 m. west of Boston. The nearest railway station is Langrick, 1 m. south, on Boston and Lincoln branch of G.X. CHURCH, a small building in E. Eng. style, but of no great interest. The township, to which was added a portion of Holland Fen in 1880, contains a pop of 253. Area, 1805 acres. Brothertoft Hall is the principal residence. HIS. NOTE. — Toft is Danish for a "settlement.'*' Brodor was a Viking, and the name Brothertoft would seem to indi- cate that Brodor colonized this spot. Burgh-in-the-Marsh (M. Line.) Situate 19 m. north-east of Boston. The railway station is 2 m. distant, at Gunby, on G.N. line. CHUBCH. SS. Peter and Paul, in late Perp. style. This is a hne ch., with massive west tower, from which an extensive view of fen and marsh — stretching away to the sea — may be seen. The interior presents some interesting objects. The Baptists and Wesleyans have chnpels here. 12 B URWELL—B UTTERWICK— CAMBRIDGE. The town possesses a Grammar School, a good Museum, and a Literary Institute. HIS. NOTE. — A Roman camp existed here, and Roman coins have been found where the old ch. of S. Mary once stood. The market is held on Thursdays. The stock market and annual fairs held here are on a large scale. HOTELS.— The Bell, White Hart. Area, 1233 acres. Pop., 1136. Burwell (Cambs.) A large village and parish, to which is annexed a part of the hamlet of Reach. (See p. xix. of Introduction.) It has water com- munication with the Cam, and is about 10 m. from Cambridge by G.E. Ry. CHURCH, S. Mary, is a very fine one, almost entirely Perp., and very rich. It contains a nave, aisles, chancel, north and south porches, and a west tower with pinnacles and spire. The chancel was restored in 1867 by Cambs. University, to which belongs the gift of the living. The ch. stands at the south end of the village.— S. Andrew's Mission Chapel is at the north end; a brick building, erected in 1863. — There are four other chapels of different denominations. An old castle stands near the ch. : the earthworks around the remains are almost intact. There are Endowed, National, and British Schools here. HOTELS.— White Horse, Five Bells, William IV. Area, 7232 acres. Pop., about 2000. Butterwick (S. Line.) This village is 4 m. cast of Boston, and near the sea shore. Boston is the nearest railway station. The name is probably de- rived from Buthar, a Danish hero or sea rover, and wick, a creek or bay, — i.e. Buthar's creek. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is an ancient brick structure, with stone dressings, and has a nave, aisles, chancel, and low tower. The portions recently added are entirely of stone. Area, 1018 acres. Pop., 553. -Cambridge is 56 miles from London by Gr.E.R. It is situated on the Cam, and the position of the town is supposed to be almost identical with the Roman Camboritum (the Saxon Grantabrigge), which occupied the north side of the river, but was ex- CAMBRIDGE. 13 tended to the south side after the Eoman conquest, while the Caer Graunt of the Britons is placed at Granchester. Churches. — There are several Churches in Cambridge- some of them of considerable interest, though not remarkable for grandeur of architecture. — S. BENEDICT'S in a street bearing its name, is the oldest in the town, dating about 1000 a.d., and the tower is accounted one of the finest speci- mens of Saxon architecture in the country. — The ROUND CHURCH, or eh. of the Holy Sepulchre, consecrated in 1101. A Norman structure, and the oldest of the four circular churches of England. In 15th century Perp. windows were substituted for Norm. ones. It was restored in 1841 and Dec. style introduced.— S. MARY- THE -LE S S , in Trump- ington St.. was built about 1350, on the site of an old Nor. or Sax. ch. dedicated to S. Peter, and was once the chapel of Peterhouse. It was designed by the same architect as the Lady Chapel at Ely.— S. MARY-THE-GT. (the University church j. Begun in 1478, on the site of an earlier ch. A fine specimen of late Perp. style. The length of the Ch. is 120 ft., and breadth 68 ft. It was not completed till 1519, — and the tower in 1608. Tins is a fine structure and contains 12 bells, '• one of the finest peals in the country.'' Formerly no student was permitted to be out of his rooms or college after the curfew of S. Mary's had sounded.— S. MICHAEL'S, Trinity St. Built by Hekvey de Staxtox in 1324 and used as a chapel of Michael-house. It is of the decorated style, and is peculiar for haying the chancel much larger than the nave. Restored, after a fire, by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1849. [Martin Bucer, the reformer, was buried in S. Mary's the Gt , and Fagius in S. Michael's. These chs. were interdicted in Queen Mary's reign, 1556 ; and by direction of Cardinal Pole the bodies of the reformers were disinterred and burned in the Market Place.]— S. BOTOLPH'S, near Corpus Christi College, built in Dec. style, once used as a chapel to this College. In 1460 was sold to Queen's College : was then made into a rectory, and is the only rectory in Cambridge. — S. EDWARD'S, cruci- form, and Dec. style. Nave built about 1350, elegant pointed arches. Bishop Latimer preached here. The present Bishop of Carlisle (Dr. Harvey Goodwix) was incumbent for some years. Lately restored.— HOLY TRINITY, in Sidney St., cruciform : lofty tower and spire, Dec. style, as also the porch, the rest of the ch. beiug Perp. The Rev. Chas. Simeon was vicar from 1782 to 1836. The register dates from 1505. — S. ANDREW THE GT., opposite Christ's College, is a recent structure, being built in 1843 on the site of an old eh. It contains a memorial to the great Capt Cook, whose widow 11 CAMBRIDGE. and two sons are buried here. — ALL SAINTS, opposite Jesus College erected in 1864, was designed bv Bodley. Dec. style. Fine tower and lofty spire.- The old ch. of ALL SAINTS stood in S. John's St., and a memorial cross by Champneys now marks the spot. Henry Kirke White, the poet was buried in the old ch., and his name, with others, is carved in the panels of this memorial. — We have space only to mention some other churches, such as — S. CLEMENT'S in Bridge St. ; CHRIST CH , in Barnwell, erected in 1839 ; S. ANDREW THE LESS, a small building of E. Eng. style, and once attached to Barnwell Priory. — In Trumpington St., opposite Pembroke College, is a modern stone building, with a fine tower, called EMMANUEL CONGREGATIONAL CH. ; and at the corner of Lensfield road, and abutting on Hills Road, there is a fine ROMAN CATHOLIC CH., dedicated to " Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs." The Colleges, Chapels, &C— These we arrange ac- cording to the dates of their foundation.— PETERHOUSE, or S. Peter's Coll. The name appears to have been derived from this circumstance, — A ch., dedicated to S. Peter, once stood on the site of the present ch. of S. Mary-the-Less ; in 1284 Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely, placed secular scholars in two hostels south of this ch. and left 300 marks for enlarging the establishment, which was eventually called Peterhouse. It was partly destroyed by fire in 1420. The present chapel of Italian Gothic style, built by Dr. M. W t rex (uncle of Sir Christopher Wren), was consecrated in 1663. — CLARE COLL. This is the second coll. in Cambridge in point of antiquity. It was founded in 1326 by Dr. Richard Badew, Chancellor of the University, and was called University Hall. The hostels were destroyed by fire, and Dr. Badew solicited the aid of Eliza- beth, daughter of Gilbert de Clare. By her bounty the coll. was rebuilt in 1338 (hence the name Clare), and was endowed with lands in 1317. The old building fell into decay, or was burnt in part, and the present handsome building erected with Ketton stone in 1638. — PEMBROKE, opposite Peterhouse, was founded in 1347 by Mary de St. Paul, widow of Aymeb de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, who was accidently killed on his wedding day, and thereafter his widow gave her- self up to works of piety and usefulness, and she obtained a charter from Edward III. to found this coll. Henry VI. granted considerable privileges to the same, bestowing upon it the revenues of Soham and Linton, and the chapelry of Isleham. The chapel was built after a design by Sir Christo- pher Wren, and was dedicated in 1665. It is in Corinthian style, but additions have since been made. — -GONVILLE AND CAIUS (more generally called Caius, pronounced keys) has one front near the Senate House, and looking towards King's CAMBRIDGE. 15 Parade, and another in part of Trinity St. Edmund de Gox- ville was the first founder, and erected his coll.. in 1348. near S. Botolph's ch., but an exchange of the site -was effected by his executor— the founder of Trinity Hall— to the present 3rd Court, still known as " Gonville Court." Benefactions were bestowed on the coll. for two centuries, and in 1557 a learned Fellow, Johx Curs, M.D., a native of Norwich, who was physician to Edward VI. and his sisters, purchased land and tenements adjoining the original coll., and extended the coll. buildings. The three gates should receive the attention of the visitor, namely, the " Gate of Humility,"' the 1; Gate of Virtue," and the " Gate of Honour," through which last the students passed to the schools to take their degrees. Caius has been the great medical school of Cambridge, and the coll. can boast of having had Dr. W. Harvey, the discoverer of the method of the circulation of the blood, as a member. The present first court, fronting King's Parade and Trinity St., was built about 1868. It is ornamented by the statutes of the founders, and the front in Trinity St. bears medallion busts of the coll. past celebrities. — TRINITY HALL is situate near the Cam, behind the Geological Museum, and adjoining Clare coll. Originally the site was occupied by one of the hostels ; this was acquired by a prior of Ely, in the reign of Edward HI., for the Ely monks who attended the University. Bateman, Bishop of Norwich, purchased it in 1350, and erected it into a "perpetual college of Scholars of canon and civil law in the University of Cambridge," and it has ever remained the legal college, but is the only foundation retaining the name 11 Hall." The east side was rebuilt by Saevix, after a fire in 1851. The quadrangle was completed at an early date, but the chapel was of later period, and fitted as at present in 1729. The Hall, rebuilt in 1715, is a fine room, and contains some works of art worthy of attention. The Library offers some attrac- tions both to the antiquary and the scholar ; " it has preserved its ancient aspect better than any in the University,"' and the collection of works on lavs' is very complete. The coll. has had amongst its alumni some very celebrated men. — COPiPUS CHBISTI mear the King's Parade) was founded in 1352. by the two guilds of "Corpus Christi " and the "Blessed Virgin Mary," the fellows of which obtained a license of Edward HI. to found a coll., but as for 200 years there was no chapel, the members worshipped in the old Saxon ch. of S. Benedict, which was hard by. and the coll. was during that period called Bene't coll. The second court was the original portion of the coll., built on the ground occupied by houses belonging to members of the guild. Additions were made from time to time, and especially by the purchase of houses in Trumpington St. A chapel was built in 1579, but that has disappeared ; the present one was erected in 1827, and recently much 16 CAMBRIDGE. improved by Rloomfield. The Library claims great in- terest, as it is very rich in MSS., some of which were left by Archbp. Parker. The coll. contains too, some valuable ancient plate and interesting works of art. Among the coll. worthies may be named Dr. Stukeley, whose name is greatly associated with the Fen District. — KING'S was founded in 1441 by the unfortunate King Henry VI., but at first of only modest pretension, being designed for a provost and 12 scholars ; in 1443 the coll. was extended to accommodate 70 scholars, and was put in connection with Eton School. The changes which led to the present arrangement of the Coll. buildings commenced 1724, and the grand quadrangle completed in 1828. In this space are seen the Hall, Fellows and Scholars Rooms, Librarv and Chapel. — KING'S COLL. CHAPEL,'- the greatest beauty of Cambridge," and " one of the rarest fabricks in Christendom," can receive only a brief, and, therefore, very inadequate notice in these pages, and the reader is referred to a special work on this Chapel, by J. G. P. Carter, published in 1867; but a casual visitor can scarcely fail to be attracted by the regularity of the plan, the massiveness of the projecting butresses, which include a range of nine Chapels on each side the nave, richly embattled, the four lofty turrets at the angles, and the mag- nificent Perp. west door. The interior presents a most imposing effect as it shows a continuous pannelled arrang- ment pierced only by the windows and doors, and above, the exquisite fan tracery of the stone-groined roof, extending through the whole length of about 290 feet. The 26 painted glass (Perp.) windows of five lights each, are altogether grand in their effect, " all the glass admits light without let or hindrance ; the shade being laid on with a sparring hand, so that the greatest amount of brilliancy is ensured" ; in short this Chapel claims the best attention of the students of architecture and of the admirers of Mediaeval art. The first stone was laid on the 25th .Tidy, 1446, by Henry VI. The progress of the work was much hindered during the troublous limes of the Wars of the Roses. Edward IV. and Richard III. made contributions townrds the erection, but for more than 20 years the work was almost at a standstill ; at length Henry VII. made the liberal grant of £ 5000 in 1508 and his executors a similiar sum 5 years after, so that the stone work was completed in 1515. The windows were done in 1526. The carved oak screen dates about 1534, and bears the initials of Henry VIII. and Anne Roleyn. — QUEEN'S COLL is rather hidden from the main traffic of the town. The visitor passes from Trumpington St. down Silver St., and entering Queen's lane, he finds the main entrance to the Coll. The building has some interesting features. The northern part of it occupies the site of an old Carmelite Convent. The Coll. CAMBRIDGE. 17 was founded in 1448, by Queen Margaret, consort of Henby VI.. and the foundation stone was laid where the chapel stands ; the building was thus begun 2 years after the foundation was laid for King's Chapel : the same national disasters interfered with the progress of both, but Elizabeth the Queen of Edward IV., set aside a portion of her income and carried on the good work. The Chapel was mutilated in the time of the Refor- mation. It has been modernized and decorated. The hall has been restored and the old timber roof uncovered ; this room contains some interesting portraits, one being that of Erasmus who resided at this Coll. In the President's Lodge, also, is a portrait of Eras3ius, by Holbein. The Library contains about 25,000 vols, some of them of great interest. The Coll. grounds on both sides the Cam are connected by a bridge called the " Mathematical Bridge.'— S. CATHABINE'S COLL. is situate in Trumpington St., opposite Corpus Christi. The space between the street and palisading is occupied by some tine old elm trees. This coll. was founded by Robeet Woodlark, D.D., Provost of King's, in 1475, and dedicated as the name indicates, to the Virgin Martyr. Part of the ground is said to have been occupied by the house and stables of Hobson the noted carrier. The original building being irregular and inconvenient, was partly pulled down in 1673. The north side of the quadrangle contains the Chapel, simple in its structure, but it has some good oak panelling. The Hall joins the Chapel : it is a well proportioned room, and has a portrait of the founder; and over the Hall is the Library. Dr. Addexbrooke, founder of the General Hospital, and John Eat, the great naturalist, were members of this coll. — JESUS COLL. has a very picturesque situation, and is bounded on the south by a lane named after the coll., and on the east by Midsummer Common. It occupies a site of a Benedictine Nunnery founded in 1133. and which was enlarged by Malcolm IV. of Scotland, who in Henry II.'s time was created Earl of Cambridge. The Nunnery became a degenerate institution and was dissolved in reign of Henry VH., and Alcock, Bp. of Ely obtained letters patent from the king to convert it into a coll. and to acquire the revenues of the old nunnery, in 1495. Alcock was a man of great architectural taste, to which many parts of the coll. bear evidence, especially the fine Perp. gate tower — Alcock's gateway — (as also his chapel in Ely Cathedral.) The first court is in Gothic style, built in early part of 16th century, but partly as now seen between 1643 and 1718. The entrance to the second court is by a beautiful Perp. gateway ; this court is really the old nuns' cloisters modified. On the north is the third court, erected in 1823. Recently a new wing has been added on the east side, and in this building the style of Alcock's quadrangle is main- tained. The Chapel was originally the old Conventual ch. of F is CAMBRIDGE. the Nunnery, which was dedicated to S. Ehadegund : it was a cross with a tower at the intersection. The choir, which is now the chapel, has the original E. Eng. windows. The shafts and mouldings are of the best execution. In adapting the ch. for coll. chapel, Alcock destroyed some of the fine E. Eng. features (and also the woodwork) and substituted Perp., but some reparation was made, about 1849, under the eve of Pugin, and the windows have been filled with stained glass. There is much here to interest the -\ isitor. The hall stands where the nuns' refectory was ; it is a well proportioned room — has a fine roof springing from good corbels, which bear the device, seen in several parts of the coll., that is the cock or the cock on a ball, as the rebus of the founder. At the north- east of the room is an oriel window of great beauty. Among the alumni have been several celebrated men — Cranmer, Bp. Pearson, Sterne, Dr. Clarke the traveller, and Coleridge the poet.— CHRIST* S COLL. stands on the east side of S. Andrew's St., and opposite Petty Curv. Founded by Margaret, Countess of Richmond, in 1505, and like several colls, arose out of some earlier foundation. A small hostel was estab- lished near Clare Hall, in 1439, The ground was required by Henry VI. for King's, and the hostel, " God's House," was removed in 1446 to the present position of Christ's coll. The Quadrangle was built by Margaret, who is said to have had rooms in the coll. at one time. The building was refaced in early part of 18th century, and to a large extent defaced by the process, but the rich stone carvings of the Lady Mar- garet's arms have been preserved over the entrance gateway and in the corbel of the oriel window of the Master's Lodge in the quadrangle. The Chapel, erected in 1506, has lost most of its original features, having beeu spoilt, as many other good works were, by the vandalism of the last century, and the revival of taste came to late to effect a full restoration. The Hall is a new building in the Perp. style and very good. The second court, called the Free court, was erected about 1642 ; the buildings on the east are said to have been designed by Inigo Jones, and are accounted a fine example of " Renais- sance." Most visitors are interested in seeing Milton's room on the left side of first court, where perhaps the '"Hymn of Christ's Nativity" and '-Lycidas" were written, — also the Mulberry tree planted by him. Among other celebrities of the coll. may be named John Leland, Hugh Latimer, Quables, and Paley. — S. JOHN'S COLL. was founded by the same pious lady who originated Christ's but the actual building commenced in 1509. Her grandson, Henry VIII., appro- priated a large part of the bequests, and it was by the greatest effort of Bp. Fisher, Margaret's executor, that some portion was refunded. On the site of this coll. an hospital was erected by Henry Frost, a Cambridge man, in 1135, and was CAMBRIDGE. 19 dedicated to S. John the Evangelist, and in the next century it became a collegiate institute. The entrance gateway has a very imposing appearance, Perp. style, built of brick and stone, enriched doorway, and two flanking octagonal towers. There are four courts. The first court is a fine quadrangle, built of brick, and completed about 1616. The second court is more spacious than the first, and was erected — chiefly at the cost of Mary, Countess of Shrewsbury, between 1595 and 1620. The western gateway, a fine structure, bears the statue of the Countess. The third court is smaller than the others, and the north side is occupied by the Library. This was com- pleted in 1621 : it is 110 feet long and 30 wide ; built mainly by the aid of Williams, Bp. of Lincoln. The fourth court is approached by The Bridge of Sighs'' over the Cam. From this bridge the vaulted cloister is approached, and this extends along the south of the new court (1826), and a handsome gate- way leads into the coU. grounds. The views from this part are very striking. The court has 105 sets of rooms. The chapel was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, and was built from 1863 to 1869. The style is early Bee, and cost £ 53,000. The tower is a very fine feature. The details of the whole edifice are worthy of the best attention. The Hall forms a boundary between the first and second courts, is Gothic, 108 feet long, an open timber roof with a lantern turret. The Master's Lodge was built in 1865 by Sir G. Scott. Among the celebrated men of this coll. may be named W. Cecil (Lord Burleigh), Bobert Cecil (Earl of Salisbury), Bex Joxsox, Akexside. Henry Kibke "White. Wilbeefokce, Wordsworth the poet, Lord Palmerstox, and the Selwtxs. — MAGBALEXE COLL. is situate on left bank of the Cam, and is approached by passing down Bridge St. and over the Great Bridge." The coll was founded in 1512 by Lord Audrey, who obtained a charter from Hexey YIII. A Benedictine Priory was estab- lished on this spot by an Abbot of Crowland in 1128, but by decree of Pope Bexedict all convents of that order were to send one monk out of every 20 to the Eniversity, so that the houses of Ely, Bamsey, &c, contributed a chamber, and the place was called -Plonk's Hostel." It shared the fate of the monasteries, and was refounded as stated. There are two courts. The buildings are of red brick with stone dressings, and present a picturesque appearance. The chapel was built in 1183 ; it suffered from the plastering and whitewash of the 18th century, but it was renovated in 1817 — 51 ; the oak roof was opened, and the Perp. work restored to view, and the fittings made to correspond with the rest of the building. The Hall, a handsome room, was refitted in 1711 : it contains portraits of some notables of the coU. There are two Libraries the general one, and that bequeathed by Pepys, 1698, including his famous Biary, some curious MSS.. and some love letters F 2 20 CAMBRIDGE. of Henry VIII. , and the narrative of the escape of Charles II. Archbps. Grindal and Usher were members of this coll. — TKINITY COLL. is situate between Cams and John's, and is approached by Trinity St. On the area now occupied by this coll. there once existed a number of Halls and Hostels— nine in all — and these were appropriated by Henry VIII. to found this great and stately institution. The first in date, so far as is known, was Michael house, which stood at the south-west corner of the great quadrangle. This was founded by Heryey be Stantion (of Stanton in Suffolk,) in 1324, (and S. Michael's ch. is of same date). But the House was dedicated to S. Michael and the " Holy and Undivided Trinity." This latter was adopted by the King as the dedication, and if his avowed intentions have in a fair measure been realized the coll. has developed the highest attributes of humanity. King's Hall occupied that part to the right of the main gateway, and was founded by Edward II. in 1326, though the next King provided a habitation ten years after. Physwick's Hostel, after the name of the founder, was an important foundation in Trinity Lane ; 8. Katherine's, Tyled, and four other and smaller Hostels made up the group, and King Henry "compounded thereout one fine college, the stateliest and most uniform in Christendom.'" [One of the small Institutes called hostels still exists — Bishop's Hostel, by Trinity Lane, built by Bp. Hacket of Lichfield in time of Charles II.] The " King's Gateway," by Trinity St., deserves the visitor's attention. There is the statue of Henry VIII. on the exterior, and statues of the Stuarts are on the side next the Court. This gateway was built in the time of Edward IV. Newton had an observatory on the top of it. There are five courts. The Great Court presents to the spectator an openness and airness rarely experienced in col- legiate quadrangles, and from the south-east angle the view is, perhaps, most impressive. It measures 334 ft. by 287 ft., and is above two acres in area. There are three massive gateways — the Chapel, plain but imposing— the Master's Lodge, a royal residence when the Sovereign visits the University — the grand Hall, 100 ft. long — and the beautiful fountain, a fine specimen of " Kenaissance," erected in 1602, bas a special supply of water from a spring two miles off ; the east and south sides are occupied by students' rooms; the "Queen's Gateway"' being on south side. The Second Court is approached by a passage between the Hall and the Kitchens ; it is called also "Neville's Court," which has the hall on the east side, the Library on the west, and Fellows' and Students' rooms (the other sides) built over cloisters ; the Library, too, has a fine arcade open towards the court. The Third Court is entered on the south of Neville's Court ; it is called " King's Court," as George IV. gave a £ 1000 towards its erection. From the Western Gateway in this court the beautiful avenue is ap- CAMBRIDGE. 21 proached. The Matters Court, on the side of Trinity St., opposite the King's Gateway, was built by the great Dr. W. Whewell, and W. W. may be seen on the drip stone of the doorway. The erection dates 1859-60 ; but the second court of this portion of the coll. was completed after the founder's death. Salyin was the architect, but this attempt at Gothic has not received much praise, and for openness and freedom contrasts badly with the "Great Court.'" The Chapel to the right of entrance by King's Gateway was begun in 1556 on the site of the King's Hall ch. : some of the material came from Ramsey Abbey. The style is Tudor-Gothic. On the death of Mary, the work was continued by Elizabeth. It is 210 ft. long. 34 ft. in breadth, and 50 ft. high. Here are some fine works by the great masters of modern sculpture. The Hall was erected in 1604 by Dr. Neville, after the pattern of the Middle Temple Hall. The grand oriel window will attract attention. The walls are adorned by the portraits of cele- brated members of the coll., and at the entrance of the room is a beautiful Renaissance screen. The Library is a fine classical building by Sir Christopher Ween : it is supported by a fine arcade. The erection commenced during the master- ship of Dr. Isaac Barrow, the stone being laid on 26th Feb., 1676. The room is 194 ft. long by 42 ft. broad and 38 ft. high, and is approached by a marble staircase. It is adorned with many choice works of art. On either side are busts on pedes- tals. The busts are by Roubiliac and Woolner. The statue of Byron, by Thorwaldsen, is accounted a great treasure, though it was refused admission at Westminster Abbey, and is said to have lain some time in a cellar in the Custom House, London. The Library is divided into 30 classes or compart- ments ; the cases, made of Norway oak, were richly carved by Gibbon. There are about 90.000 volumes, about 1500 being MSS. — one the original notes, in Milton's own handwriting, of "Paradise Lost;" but it is impossible here to enumerate the treasures of this grand library. Strangers are admitted free — in company with a member of the coll. — from 2 to 3 o'clock, and in May Term from 1 to 3 o'clock. Among the eminent members may be named Lord Bacon, George Her- bert. Cowley, Andrew Marvel, Dryden, Newton, Porson, Byron, Crabbe, Melbourne, Macaulay, Tennyson, and many others, -ome of whom are already named. — EMMANUEL COLL., situate in S. Andrew's St., was established by Sir Walter Mildmay, who received a charter from Queen Eliza- beth, dated June 10th, 1584; it was designed "for the propa- gation of the pure Gospel of Christ, and in praise and honour of Almighty God " The founder was a great adherent of the reformed religion, and his intentions were well carried out, for when in the first quarter of the 17th century men left this country "for conscience' sake," to seek a home in New 22 CAMBRIDGE. England, sonic from Emmanuel were among the number. John Harvard was one of them, and he became the founder of Harvard University in Massachusetts (the oldest and wealthiest in the Western World, founded in 1636.) The front is built in the Classic style—portions by Ralph Simons, and others by Essex. The site was formerly occupied by a monastery of Black Friars. The present Chapel was designed by Sir C. Ween, and is of Corinthian order. The fittings are of oak and richly carved. The Hall is ou the site of the old Friars' ch., originally by Simons, but rebuilt by Essex. It has a music gallery, two lofty oriel windows. It is adorned by portraits of the founder and other benefactors. The Library was the refectory of the monastery, and afterwards served as a chapel, though it stands north and south. There are here some 20,000 books, some valuable MSS., as Wicklistb's trans- lation of the Bible, a Hebrew MS. of the Old Testament, bought at Venice by Bp. Bedell, and some letters concerning the early Reformers. Among the worthies may be named Bp. Hall of Norwich, Archbp. Sancroft, Sir William Temple, Dr. Samuel Parr, Edmund Castell, and Cell the Antiquary. — SIDNEY SUSSEX COLL., in Sidney St., was founded in 1505 by Frances Sidney, the daughter of Sir Wm. Sidney, and relict of the third Earl of Sussex ; but as she died in 1580 the work was carried out by her executors. The site was formerly occupied by the Franciscan Friars (from 1240) ; this house was suppressed in 1538 and the site granted to Trinity by Henry VIII. , but sold to the Countess' executors under order by Elizabeth. The architect of the First Court was Ralph Simons, and the material red brick with stone dressings ; but when a Second Court was built, the whole architectural effect was destroyed, and in 1830 the building was stuccoed. The Chapel is on the east side of the south or second court, built about 1776, and recently "rendered uniform with the rest of the college." The Hall, a spacious room, has the timber roof covered with plaster. The Library has a good collection of books and some valuable MSS., also a bust of Oliver Cromwell by Bernini, from a mask taken after death. Cromwell entered this Coll. in April, 1616, in his 18th year. In the Master's Lodge is a celebrated drawing of Cromwell by Samuel Cooper. (A copy may be seen in the Free Library ). It is considered the best likeness of the Protector extant. Among the noted members were Samuel Ward, one of the translators of the Bible, Archbp. Bramhall, Roger L'Estrange, Dr. Wollaston. — DOWNING COLL. owes its origin to Sir George Downing, of Gamlingay Park. The founder died in 17-19. In default of issue of certain relations, his property was to be devoted to this coll. Litigation ensued, though those relatives died without issue ; and, after being in Chancery 36 years, the estate was devoted to the founding of this coll. The CAMBRIDGE. •23 first stone was laid in May, 1807. and the coll. opened in 1821. The building, which stands in spacious grounds on the south of the town, was designed by William Wilkxns. Though £ 80.000 have beeu spent, only the east and west portions of the intended square are yet erected. The gross revenue is £ 7000 per annum. — It will suffice here to mention CAVENDISH COLL., intended to afford facilities for those who wish to obtain degrees at a moderate cost : and SELYvYX COLL., to commemorate the name of Bp. Selwyn, which was opened in 1882. Both these colls, are associated with the University as public hostels.— AYEBST HALL, on south of Parker's Piece, was designed for Theological students who desire to keep terms at Cambridge, and was opened by the Yice-Chancellor in 1884. — RIDLEY HALL is situated at Newnham, to the south-west of the town. The building is a handsome structure in Tudor Gothic style. This is a Theological hall, intended for students who are graduates and candidates for Holy Orders in the Ch. of England. The foundation was laid in 1879. Colleges for Women— There are two colls, designed for encouraging the higher education of women. — XEWNHAM HALL, built in Queen Anne style. There are two separate buildings. The South Hall (1875) occupies, with its grounds, 2£ acres, and the North Hall, with 3 acres of ground, erected in 1880.— GIBTOX COLL. is in the parish of Girton, and about 2 miles from Cambridge. The scheme of education for women was commenced at Hitchin hi 1869, and removed to this spot in 1873, when the present handsome building was completed. There are 80 sets of rooms for students, besides lecture rooms, dining hall, library, &c. The students are admitted to the University examinations. The Senate House stands near Caius coll. It is built of Portland stone, and is of the Corinthian order, designed by James Gibbs. " The capitals of the columns and pilasters are said to be copied from the temple of Jupiter Stator at Borne." It was opened in 1730. The cost was £ 20.000. In the interior are statues of Geokge I. and II., who contributed £ 2000 and £3000 respectively to the building, and a very fine one of Pitt by Xollekens. The public business of the University is carried on. and degrees are conferred, in the room, which is 181 ft. long, 42 ft. broad, and 32 ft. high, and the galleries will accommodate 1000 persons. The University Library is close to the Senate House. The building stands on ground which belonged to the Univer- sity at a very early period. Here the " Schools " were built, perhaps in 14th century, i.e. for divinity, law, grammar, (fee, with a common library. The present front, in Iatlian style, was built in 1755, and George H. gave £3000 to the fund. 21 CAMBRIDGE. The great library is over the " schools," and it ranks as third in the kingdom : it contaius some half million of books, and some rare MSS. The library was pillaged during the revolu- tion, but after the restoration it received many bequests, and George I. purchased for £ 0000 the library of Moore, Bp. of Ely. This contained 80,000 books and 700 MSS.— a grand present to the University. Strangers are admitted if intro- duced by a member of the University. The Pitt Press is in Trumpington St., and between the entrances to Silver St. and Mill lane. The building is Modem Gothic, and has a central tower. It was intended as a memorial to William Pitt. The first stone was laid in 1831, and the cost of erection was partly defrayed by the surplus funds raised for Pitt's monument in Westminster Abbey. The University printing is done here. Strangers may be admitted on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 12 to 1 o'clock, by introduc- tion of an M.A. of the University. Museums— The F1TZWILLIAM MUSEUM is situated in Trumpington St., on a plot of ground formerly belonging to Peterhouse. The building — one of the great architectural features of Cambridge — is in the Corinthian style, built of Portland stone, and was designed by George Basevi. The first stone was laid on 2nd Nov., 1837, but the architect was killed by a fall in Ely Cathedral in Oct., 1845, and Cockerell carried on the work. The cost was £ 120,000. Kichard Viscount Fitzwilliam, a former member of Trinity Hall, died in 1816, having bequeathed to the University his paintings, drawings, and other works of art, besides books, and a large sum of money towards the erection of a Museum for the reception of the same. There are some very fine paintings by great masters, and rare sculptures, &c. In 1834 Mr. David Mesman bequeathed a collection of 248 paintings, mainly of the Flemish and Dutch schools, and Mr. Buskin has presented a cabinet of 25 water colour drawings by Turner, but it is impossible here to catalogue the contents of this splendid Museum. It is open to the public every day except Friday, admission free, 10 to 0, during the months from 1st May to 31st Aug., and 10 to 4 from 1st Sept. to 30th April. There is a supplementary building or Museum of Classical Archeology in Little S. Mary St., part of this same building being occupied by the Camb. Antiquarian Society, which has a good collection. —The GEOLOGICAL MUSEUM occupies the ground floor of the north wing of the University Library buildings, and is entered from the Senate House Passage ; but there was another entrance by the gateway of the old court of King's Coll. (This old court was sold to the University, and was cleared in 1835 for the extension of the library ; the gateway and west wall remained, but these are in course of restoration, as additions CAMBRIDGE. 25 are being made to the library.) A new building will be provided for the Museum, called the "WOODWABDIAN MUSEUM," which originated in Dr. "Woodward bequeathing his collection of fossils, and in his founding a Professorship of Geology. The late Professor Sedgwick, who held the pro- fessorship 52 years, greatly enriched the collection. A largo some of money has been collected for the new building, as a memorial to Sedgwick, but up to the present date (1838; the University authorities have not formulated any plan for carrying out this desirable project. The public are admitted from 10 to 1 o'clock.— The ANATOMICAL MUSEUM (with other kindred institutions) occupying the position of the old Botanic gardens north of Downing St., was erected in 1833. The ground floor is used for Osteologv, and the galleries for the Pathological series.— The MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY was commenced by the late Dr. E. D. Clarke. There are lecture rooms for Zoology and Anatomy, and an upper room containing a fine collection of British and Foreign Birds. Over this Museum, again, are class rooms and la- boratories for Physiology, Morphology, and Pathology. The Mineralogical collection occupies another compartment. — There is also a BOTANICAL MUSEUM, with lecture room ; a MUSEUM OF MODELS, with workshops of mechanism ; Lecture Rooms for the Professors of Astronomy and Mathe- matics ; and the Library of the Philosophical Societv. — CHEMICAL LABORATORIES and Lecture Room, and the CAVENDISH LABORATORY for experimental Physics, with the necessary rooms attached, in Pembroke St., was built and fitted up with the best appliances at the cost of the Duke of Devonshire, the present Chancellor of the University. The new BOTANIC GARDENS are to the south-east of the town. They occupy an area of 38 acres (21 acres being under cultivation), lying between Trumpington Road and Hills Road. Here is a fine collection of indigenous and exotic plants, systematically arranged to facilitate the study of Botany. The public are admitted free, except on Sunday. The area of this cultivated part is about equal to that of " Parker's Piece," to the right of Regent St. This is one of the finest recreation grounds in the kingdom, and within an easy distance from the town. The OBSERVATORY, erected on the Madingley Road in 1822-24, at a cost of £ 20,000, contains some valuable instru- ments, notably a telescope of 12 inches aperature and 20 feet focal length, presented by the Duke of Northumberland, Chancellor, in 1835. Strangers are admitted in company with a member of the University. The sight-seers to Cambridge should never neglect to obtain a view of the " Backs,"' or they ivili lose some of the most 26 C A M BRIDGE. charming scenes it is posssble to conceive. They should first visit the. Castle Hill, and view the town from that spot, to the north-west of Magdalene Coll. : then returning towards Mag- dalene St., pass down Northampton St., along a road west of the Cam toward* Newnham, and they xcill get twine glimpses of beauty suck as are rarely met with. Public Buildings and Institutions adden- BROOKE'S HOSPITAL stands nearly opposite Fitzwilliam Museum, but some distance from Trumpington Road. It was founded by Dr. Jonx Adbexbbooke, of S. Catherine's Coll. It is a "general'" Hospital. The building is handsome, the wards spacious and well ventilated, and it has about 120 beds Since it was opened in 1766 it has received bountiful bequests, and has been greatly enlarged and improved. — The GUILD- HALL, iu the Market Place, does not possess any external attractions. It is said to occupy the site of an old Jewish synagogue. The principal erection was made in 1784, but it was greatly improved in 1860-62, at a cost of £12,000. The large Assembly Room then constructed is 120 ft. long and 52 ft. broad, and a tine organ by Hills was recently placed in the room.— The FREE LIBRARY, at the back of the Guild- hall, is entered in Wheeler St. The new reading room is handsome, well lighted, and liberally supplied with news- papers, periodicals, &c. The lending library contains about 27,000 vols. There is a branch at Barnwell. Several valuable donations of books, &c, have been made to this institution.— The CORN EXCHANGE is opposite the Free Library. It is a spacious room of 163 ft. by 54 ft., and contains 1130 mer- chants' stands. Opened in 1875.— The SHIRE HALL is near the Castle hill and County Gaol, built in the Italian style. It is used for the Assizes, Sessions, and County Court. — The PERSE SCHOOL, in Free School Lane, at the back of Corpus Christi Coll., Avas founded as a Grammar School in 1615 by the will of Dr. Perse, a Fellow of Caius. — Besides a number of ALMSHOUSES, founded by benevolent persons at different periods, there is an ASYLUM for decayed tradespeople, in Brooklands : there are 20 houses. In 1868 Mr. J. Reynolds left it a legacy of £ 6000. HIS. NOTES. — Tradition claims for Cambridge a very re- mote antiquity— even to the time of one Caxtaber, a Spanish prince, a refugee in fact, in 4321 a.m. — and that Axaximander and Axaxaooras, the Grecian philosophers, were tutors here; also that Cassibelax granted privileges to the scholars, and Amphibalus the Martyr was the first Rector or Chancellor, in 289 a.d. It is conjectured that a British city existed here, and it may be taken as certain that the Romans had a station on this spot (Camboritum). " The Roman station at Cambridge was wholly situated to the north of the river Cam, and a con- CAMBRIDGE. 27 siderable part of three sides may still be easily traced/' (Babingtgn). The Via Devana, a Eonian road, ran to the south-west of the Castle hill, and was crossed by Akernan St. a little north-west of the same mound. The Saxon town of Grantabrigge is supposed to have stood on the site of Cambori- tum. Thy Saxons had some twelve different spellings of this name, Grantebrige being the most commonly known. Sige- bekt, king of the East Angles (637 a.d.) is claimed as the founder of the University. In 875-6, " The three kings, Gtuthorm and Oskyted and Amuxd went from Repton to Cambridge with a large army, and sat there one year." (Aug. Sax. Ghron.) Edward the Martyr, Ethelred II., Cxur, and Harold I. had a royal mint at Cambridge, and Gran or Grante was marked on the coins. Edward the Confessor also had the same (Ruding — Annals of the Coinage, 1817.) In 1010 the town was attacked by the Danes, under Thorkell. The East Angles under Ulfkytel fled, through the treachery of Thurxy- tel Marehead, " Thf:D Cambridgeshire stood firmly against them (the Danes).'' " And the Danes . . . held sway over the East Angles, and for three months harried and burned, ay even into the wild fens they went, and there slew men and cattle, and burned throughout the fens ; and Thetford they burned and Cambridge." (Sax Chron.) At the time of the Conquest the town consisted of about -400 houses, divided into 12 wards. On the return of William I. from his expedition in the North, in 1068. " the king erected castles at Lincoln, Huntingdon, and Cambridge, placing in each of them garrisons composed of his bravest soldiers." (Ordericus). To build this castle at Cambridge 27 houses were destroyed. (Pro castro sunt destructa) xxvii. domus. Domesday .) But the town must have already extended to the right of the Cam, for the tower of S. Benedict's is older than the Conquest. The University had not then become renowned, but the " Religions Houses" and the "Guilds" had grown, or very soon did grow, into important institutions, and in 1209 the University must have made great progress, if what Matthew Paris says is true, i.e. " that the University received a great accession of students who left Oxford in consequence of disputes with the towns- people there.'" How it afterwards developed is already written above. References. — Annals of Cambridge (695 to 1849 a.d.), 1 vols.. 1852-82, by Charles Hexry Cooper : Architectural History of the University of Cambridge, by Prof. Pi. Willis and J. W. Clarke, illustrations, maps, and plaus. 1 vols., 1886 ; Memorials of Cambridge, based on Le Keux, with plates by Le Keex and Storer, etchings by R. Farrex, 3 vols., 1856-66; Ancient Cambridgeshire, by Prof. C. C. Babixgiox, 2nd Ed., 1883; Guide to Cambridge, by Dr. Humphry, F. R. S., 1886; The Rail- 28 CARRINGTON— CHAPEL HILL-CHATTERIS. loay Traveller's Walk through Cambridge, illustrated, pub. by Metcalfe & Son ; and other works mentioned in the text. HOTELS. — Bull, Trumpington St. ; Bed Liou, Petty Cury ; University Anns and Castle, S. Andrew's St. ; Hoop, Bridge St. ; Gt. Northern, Station Rd. ; Prince of Wales, Sidney St. Market on Saturday. Area of Borough and Colleges, 3470 acres. Pop. 40,878. Students not in residence at time of census amounted in 1881 to 3090. Carrington (Line.) is 7 miles north of Boston, on the road from Boston to Horncastle. The nearest railway station is Sibsey, 5^ m. CHURCH, S. Paul, is a modern building (1816), brick, late Perp. The living is a vicarage. Including New Bolingbroke, the area is 3414 acres. Pop 703. Chapel Hill (Line.) is 3 m. south of Tattershall on the west of the Witham, and 1 m. from Dog-dyke station. CHURCH, Holy Trinity is a neAv structure (1884), Perp., with nave, aisle, and chancel, south porch, and bell-turret. The living is in gift of vicar of Swinehead. There are two chapels here. Area, 1222 acres. Pop. 117. [HARTS GROUNDS, in Holland Fen, is 2 m. from Dog- dyke station and near the Witham and Kymc rivers' con- fluence. Pop., 100.] Chatteris (Cambs.) is a market town, 83 m. from London by G.E. rail, and 251- m. north-west from Cambridge. Yermuyden's Drain runs to the north of the town, and the ' ' West Water" river (old branch of Onse) to the south-west. Into this river there was a small drain, called Chatteris Leame. Dugdale speaks of Popham's Ea as being " esteemed a perfect drain " for this town among others, in the Isle of Ely. The town stands on "an island'' capped with gravel. CHURCH, S. Peter's, has portions of Dec. and Perp. styles. It has nave, aisles, chancel, south porch, and embattled tower and low spire, but does not claim the same attention as most Fen churches. The Baptists, Independents, Methodists, and Society of Friends have chapels here. There are several Board schools. CHETTISHAM — CO A TES AND EAST BE A. 29 PUBLIC BUILDINGS.— The Corn Exchange, in High St., and the Literary Institute, in Park St. HIS XOTE. — It is difficult to speak positively as to the origin of the name, as it has been variously spelt at different periods. In Domesday it is Cetriz, Chatriz, etc. ; but Dtjgdale always writes it Chateriz, and names " Chateriz, where was a house of Nuns."' The name may be a similiar corruption to "Charterhouse." ^Elfwena, mother of Earl .Ethelwine, founded a nunnery here in 980 a.i>.* "de l'orde des Char- treux*" probably, though it is generally called a Benedictine convent. The nunnery was allied to Ely in time of Hekby I. (in the charter it is spelt Cateriht), and dissolved in 1538. Part of the site of the nunnery is occupied by " The Priory," the residence now and for many years past, of the Fbyeb family. In the garden attached there have been finds of "Apostle spoons," bones, etc.; and here may be seen the only portion of the old building that remains. In Oedericus [Bohn's Antiq. Library, vol. ii. pp. 322-31) is a wonderful story of Beicstin. a native of Chatteris. In the neighbourhood of this town there have been finds of flint implements, Roman coins, Roman vases. Some of these are in the Wisbech Museum. See Fenland, also Ancient Cambridgeshire. HOTELS. — George, Rose & Crown, White Lion, Cross Keys. Market on Fridays. Area, 12.930 acres. Pop. 4712. Chettisham (Cambs.) is a village about 2 m. north of Ely: lias a station on Ely and. Peterboro' branch of G-.E. Ry. CHURCH. S. Michael, is Dec. style. It consists of a nave, chancel, and porch, and is a small ancient building. AVOODHOUSE and KETLESWOBTH are near, also ELY MOOB FEN A The Pop. is 117. Coates and Eastrea ( Cambs.) These two places were united for ecclesiastical purposes in 1850. They are situate on an old fen island, capped with gravel, about 30 ft. above the level of the fens. Eastrea, from Sax. east-ea ( ig , = east island, being 2h m. east of Whittles-ea. This island is m. long and h m. broad. CHURCH, Holy Trinity, erected in 1840 of brick. It was thoroughly restored and re-fitted in 1 874. The rectory is at Coates. * See Fenland, p. 30. 30 CLENCHWABTON— COLDHAM— CONIGSBY. The united parish has an area of 5200 acres. Pop. 1266. For an interesting- section of gravel pits at Elderneli, see Memoir of Geological Survey, 1877. Clenchwarton (Norf.) is a village 8 m. west of Lynn hy road. It has a station on the Midland By. There is some reclaimed land in this parish, which extends to the Wash. CHURCH, S. Margaret, is an ancient stone edifice in Perp. style. It has a nave, chancel, south porch, and west tower, with a peal of 5 bells. An Ordnance bench-mark on the base of the tower is 15*4 ft. above sea level. The Methodists have two chapels here. INNS. — Black horse and Victory. Area, 3070 acres. Pop. 668. Coldham (Cambs.) is a parish formed in 1874, 7 m. south of Wisbech. Station on G.E.By. For- merly called " Pear Tree Hill." CHURCH, S. iEtheldreda, was built in 1876. A stone building in E. Eng. style. It has a nave, chancel, south porch, and small turret with 2 bells. The east window is a memorial one to Lord Overstock, who was a benefactor to the church. Coldham Hall and Stag's Holt are the principal residences. Area, 1400 acres. Pop. 335. Conigsby (Line.) is a large village 11 m. from Tattershall station of G. N. Ky., 12 m. north-west of Boston, on the River Bain, a tributary of the Witham. CHURCH, 8. Michael, is an ancient edifice, built of stone in E. Eng. style, with some Nor. remains. It has a nave of 4 bays, clerestory, aisles, chancel, and an embattled tower with clock and 6 bells. The font is E. Eng. A portion of the carved oak screen remains under the chancel arch, and at the east of the nave is a staircase turret which once led to rood- loft. The visitor will find several objects of interest in this ch. The register dates from 15(51. The Baptists, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. This village has several charities, and has the advantage of being lighted with gas. HIS. NOTE. — The name is derived from Dan. Konges-by = King's town. In Edward's III.'s time the river was in a defec- tive state, " and that it was through the default of the said town of Coningesbv, who ought to repair the same," Duodale, p. 169. C ONINGTON— 1 COTTENHAM. 31 INNS. — White Bull, White Swan, and Packet. Area, 3407 acres. Pop. 1332. In 1880 portions of the parish were detached and added to surrounding parishes. *Conington (Carnbs.) is 10 m. north-west of Cam- bridge, and 4 m. from S. Ives By. station. The name appears to be derived from Dan. Konge, a king, Sax. tun, town. Tillage is on border of Hunts. CHURCH, S. Mary, is an ancient edifice of stone, of mixed styles. The tower is Dec. and has a notable 2nd bell of 14th century. The chancel was rebuilt iu 1871. There are three memorial windows in the ch. The register dates from 1538. There is a monumental vault running the whole length of the nave on south side, and monuments to the Cotton and other families. HIS. NOTE — Dugdale, writing on the Great Level and how it may have been overflowed by the sea, records how the silt was brought " to the remotest parts, or the verge of the highlands, as is apparent from that discovery made of late years, at the skirt of Conington down in Huntingdonshire ; where, upon making a pool, by the famous Sir Pvobert Cotton. baronet, he found the skeleton of a large sea fish (near xx. feet long, as was then conjectured,) lying in perfect silt above six feet below the superficies, and as much above the present level of the fen." This Sir Piobert Cotton was born at Denton, near Conington, in 1570, and w r as the founder of the celebrated Cottonian Library. The manor of Conington passed to Philip, grandson of Sir Egbert, and thence, by female heirs, to other families whose monuments are in the eh. Conington Hall is an ancient brick building, restored at various periods. INN. — White Swan. Area, 1477 acres. Pop., 150. * Cottenham (Cambs.) is situate just on the border of the Fens, and is 6^- m. north of Cambridge. The nearest railway station is at Oakington (G.E.By. Cambridge to S. Ives) 2£ m. distant. This is a large village, and possesses a good deal of historic interest. The streets are v\-ell paved and lighted. CHURCH, All Saints, is chiefly Perp., but has some portions Dec. style ; the nave arcades are Early Dec. The piscina and sedilia are richly carved. The tower is lofty, and has 6 bells. In 1867 the ch. was partly restored. 32 CO VENE Y — CBA SWELL— CROFT. There are three chapels here, two Baptist and one Wesleyan. The village has a recreation ground and a handsome pavilion. There is a good reading room. The charities of the parish produces about £ 420 per annum. HIS. NOTE. — This village is "celebrated in history as the place where Geoffrey, abbot of Crowland, sent monks, who first established a regular course of academical education in Cambridge. Cottenham has to thank the monks of Crow- land for establishing a eh. there in 18th century.'* (Humphry). It was by Cottenham that William I. passed to the conquest of Ely. (See Fenland, p. 105. and map 100.) Several vases and a beautiful Roman bust were found in this parish, "near to the borders of Landbeche parish, in some gravel pits which were rich in broken Roman pottery, and closely adjoin the supposed line of the Car Bijhe ... A figure of this bust has been acquired bv the Fitz William Museum." (Ancient Combs., p. 82.) INNS. — There are several '-post houses" in the place, as King's Head. Three Horse Shoes, Lord Nelson, &c. Area. 7107 acres. Pop.. 2458. Coveney (Cambs.) is west-north-west of Ely, and lies midway between the two lines of railway, being 4 miles from Sutton station . CHURCH, S. Peter, is a 18th century building, thatched, but in good repair. It has nave, chancel, and south porch. The register dates from 1670. A considerable amount of peat has been dug at the Turbary near this place. INNS. — Queen's Head, Cross Kevs, Bell. Area, 2481 acres. Pop., 488. Cranwell (Line.) is on high road between Lin- coln and Sleaford, being 4 m. north-west of latter. The name would indicate that the Crane was once found here. CHURCH, S. Andrew, a small ancient structure in Nor. and E. Eng. styles. It has nave and north aisle, chancel, south porch, and west turret with one bell. Register from 1560. The Thoeold family were benefactors here, and the charities (1682) are applied to schools and apprenticing poor boys. Area, 2522 acres. Pop., 206. Croft (Line.) is 2 m. north of Wainfleet. Croft Bank station on Firsby and Skegness line of G.N.iH. is the nearest, being 1^ m. south. CE OFT— CEO JVL A ND . 33 CHUECH. All Saints, is a fine edifice of freestone, in Dec. and Perp. styles. It has a clerestoried nave of 5 bays. The eastern bay of each aisle forms a chapel, having Perp. screens, a piscina being in each, and another screen separates the nave and chancel. The tower is embattled and has 6 bells. There are several objects of interest in the Perp. font, the lectern, the brasses, and the monuments. The village and ch. both offer some attraction to the visitor. There are some charities. DsN.— Old Chequers. Area. 5473 acres. Pop.. 752. Crowland* (Line.) is situated near the river Wellahd, but between the town and the river is the "wash," designed to receive the water when floods occur, that is, when the lower part of the river has not the capacity to discharge the freshets from the uplands. The "wash."' extending from Peakirk to Spalding, varies from 200 ft. to nearly a mile in width, and is widest near Cowhit. There are two hanks : the one nearer the river is the lower. The town is within walking distance from Peakirk station on G.N. Piv. (Peterboro' and Spalding branch), 5 m. from Postland station (March and Spalding branch ), and 5 m. from Thorney | Peterboro' and Wisbech branch. Mid. By.) Crowland stands on a gravel riclge. which juts from the south-west, near Peakirk, and extends beyond the old abbey and the former monastic buildings, so that the place was nearly isolated when the fens were subject to inundation. Camden iBritannlrp, vol. ii., 1789 ) speaks of a state of things now entirely passed away, and says, ■•Allow me to stop awhile to describe the extraordinary situation and nature of this spot, so different from all others in England, and this so very famous monastery. Crowland lies among the deepest fennes and waters stagnating off muddy lands, so shut in and en- vironed as to be inaccessible on all sides except the north and east (?) and that only by narrow causeys." CHUECH, SS. Bartholomew and Guthlac, is only a part of the old abbey ch., and consists of a nave, chancel, and tower, with a low spire, with 5 bells. The ch. is but the north aisle of this once magnificent Perp. edifice, and the larger part of the * The origin of this name has only been conjectured, and here we. can merely state that it has been -written Craland, Crniland, Crogland. and Croyland. G B4 GROWLAND. remains are those of the nave only of the old abbey ch. In the west are portions of Nor., E. Eng., and Perp., between which and the Nor. choir this nave was erected ; the eastern portion has some of the Nor. still remaining. The west en- trance was one of the most beautiful specimens of rich E. Eng. in the kingdom, and the details that remain are still sharp almost as when first cut. Extensive repairs are being made (Feb., 1889,) in order to arrest the decay of this building. The under-pinning of the tower is in progress, and the neces- sary excavations have disclosed the condition of the early foundations. The structure appears to have been really built on the peaty soil, below which the first builders might have found a good gravel bottom. Notwithstanding the doubt cast upon the old story of piling being employed on which to rear the structure, oak piles have now been discovered around the west front, but there does not appear to be any proof that the stone foundation was laid on piles, only that piling (but of no great length) was employed to prevent an out-thrust of the foundations. However much we may admire the design of this once massive edifice, and the beauty and finish of its sculpture, we are forced to admit that there were two great defects in the method of construction — the Norman building might have had the gravel at its foundation, and then the 12th century and also later builders cased the Norman work and neglected the bunding, hence the walls were hollow, and the whole mass of masonry lacked solidity. The present ch. has some interesting internal features, and the entrance is by the west tower, a massive Perp. structure. It is quite impos- sible to describe fully, in these pages, the aspect of this once grand abbey ; but some lines by Johx Clare, a Fen poet, are admirably to the point : — " In sooth it seems right awful and sublime, To gaze by moonlight on the shattered pile Of this old abbey, struggling still with time, The grey owl hooting from its rents the while : The very ground In Desolation's garment doth appear — The lapse of age and mystery profound — " PUBLIC BUILDINGS. — There is a Hall, called the "Fores- ters' Hall," capable of seating 500 to 000, built in 1877 ; also there are two School Board Schools, which cost nearly £ 5000. GUTHLAC'S CROSS. — This is supposed to have been a boundary mark to the north of the old abbey lands. It stands by the right bank of the Welland, and near Brother-house and Cloot bar, about 3 m. from Crowland, and 2 m. from Cowbit station on the G.N. and G.E. joint line ; this is the most con- venient approach to it. The stone is really in a small garden. We have adapted the illustration from The Fenland, p. 70. Having now compared this woodcut with other representa- CBOWLAND. 35 tions. we are prepared to say that what we here reproduce presents a better por- traiture of the stone than other cuts which we have seen. The panel containing the inscription, however, j ought to have been narrowed more, near the top, but not tapered as some show it. We give the measurements as a correction : — The width of the panel at top of stone is 9 in. and at bottom 11 J in. ; across the face at the top 14J in., and at the bottom 16 in. ; height from ground to top of stone 34 in. ; the girth near the top is 34^- in. and near the base 37 in. No doubt it was once surmounted by a cross, long since broken off, but our illustration shows ex- actly tbe present ap- /pearance of the top as the antique aspect of the stone. The TRIANGULAR BRIDGE is a curious structure, and, as GouoH says, " The famous bridge at Croyland is the greatest curiosity in Britain, if not in Europe.*" There has been a great deal of speculative writing about the bridge. It is not likely that three streams ran under this bridge, but if there were two rivulets, at one time, it may have connected three portions of the town at the confluence, thus — jjyiJJ JO|jjsr part, as well ijj^p^ general antiqu &, c, indicate the roadways over the bridge 36 GROWL A ND— DEEPING . The simplest description of it seems to be this — " The bridge has three abutments, at equal distances from which rise three half -arches (each arch composed of three ribs) which meet in the centre at top ; so that, whichever way you view it, you see a pointed arch in front, and the ribs of the opposite arch behind it. The arches spring nearly from the bottom of the abutments, which are each 10 ft. wide, 17 ft. 6 in. distant, and the arch is 12 ft. 6 in. high." The character of the mouldings is Dec. style. Water does not appear under this bridge now, but by looking at Mr. Cooke's sketch in the Fenland the reader will see water represented at the date he made the drawing (21st Aug., 1849.) HIS. NOTE. — The foundation of Crowland is attributed to Guthlac, whose history is briefly this : — He was born in 673, the son of a Mercian noble Perwald, his mother Tetha. He became a soldier, but at an early age retired from the world by entering the monastery of liepton, Derbyshire. His aus- terity led him to seek more seclusion and to become an anchorite. One Tatwix directed him to a solitary place — uninhabited — among the fens. Several years were spent here, and eventually Hedda, Bp. of Lichfield, ordained Guthlac priest. ^Ethelbald of Mercia visited the saint and promised to found a monastery on this spot, but this was not carried out till after Gtjthlacs death. The date of the foundation is given as 716, and to Kexulph, a monk of Evesham, was given the work of carrying out the formation of this Benedictine monastery, which was dissolved in 1539, thus extending over a period of 823 years. The history of Crowland is so long, and the incidents connected with it so many, that we can do no more here than refer the reader to such works as Intjulphus, Gough, Dugdale, History published at Stamford in 1M6, The Fenland, Memorials of S. Guthlac, Chronicle of Crowland Abbey; Croyland Abbey, Bridge, and Saint Guthlac, from a paper by the late Canon Moore. HOTELS.— George, East St. ; King's Head, Angel. Area, 13048 acres. Pop., 2928. Deeping— Under this head we have to notice four dis- tinct places, viz., Market Deeping, Deeping S. James, West Deeping, and Deeping S. Nicholas. The three first being situate on the gravel bordering the peat and the last in Deeping Fen. The following extract will interest the visitor, as he may compare the present condition of this part of the district with the description given of it just 100 years ago : — " In the east part of Kesteven towards Holland, as you go north, the first town you meet with is Deeping, i.e., as Ixgulphus informs us, the Deep Meadoiv* This is very properly called Deeping * Deop (Sax.), deep. Ing (Sax.), a pasture or meadow; this occurs as an ending in the names oi some places, as in Kettering, Reading, &c. ; (it is MARKET DEEPING. 37 or the deep meadow, for the plain below it, est ending many miles, is the deepest of all this fenny country and the recep- tacle of many waters, and, which is very extraordinary, much below the bed of the river Glen, which runs by from the west, confined within its own banks." (Camden and Gouge's Britannia, fol., p. 225. vol. ii.. 1789.) Deeping, Market (Line.) is situate on the river Welland, crossed by three bridges. It is 90 m. from London, 7 in. from Stamford, 9 m. from Peterboro' and 8 m. from Tallington station on G. N . Ey. CHUKCH, S. Guthlac (See His. Note below), is an ancient edifice in E. Eng. and Perp. styles. It has nave, aisles, chancel, porch, and fine tower, with 6 bells. The Perp. pre- vails, but in the nave, doorway, and porch are E. Eng. The arches of the north arcade are semi-circular, and those of the south, pointed. Of pre-Eefomiation objects there are brackets, canopies, three sedilia 3 , and a piscina, an ambry, and two monumental slabs of 14th century. The register dates from .1709. Here are chajDels for Congregationalists, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists. There is a Town Hall, built of stone in 1839 ; also Alms- houses, erected in 1876. HOTELS, &c. — White Horse, Church St. ; King's Head and Bull, Market Place ; George, Halfleet ; Black Horse, Ch. St. Market day, Wednesday. Area, 1449 acres. Pop., 1212. HIS. NOTE. — (Placed here to connect next parish.) — Dug- dale, speaking of "Deping Fen, ; ' says it was about 10 m. in breadth, "whereof the most ancient mention that I have met is about the beginning of King Edward the Confessor's reign; Egelkic* who had been a monk of Peterborough (but at that time ~llth June, 1041" Bp. of Durham) then making a firm causey of wood and gravel over it, from Deeping to Spalding, for the advantage of passengers 1 Elrich-rode,' saith ling in some German nouns, as in Hiitung, a meadow); it -will be easily distinguished from ing, plural ingas, used as a family name, thus Spaldingas, Risingas, &c. ;: jEgeleic left his bishopric (1056) and returned to Peterborough : JEgel- wrsE, his brother, succeeding him at Durham. In 1069, " JEgelric was accused at Peterborough and sent to Westminster ; and his brother, Bishop -Egelwixe, was outlawed." (Sax. Chron.) In 1072, a reconciliation was effected. JEgelwxse, with others, surrendered to the king. Heeewabc and his men still resisted. -E geleic must have returned again to Peter- borough, for the Chronicler says that Egelkic excommunicated Herewaed and all his followers. See also Norm. Conq., vol. iv., p. 35, 36, et seq. The names are there spelt .Eihelric and JEihelwixe. 38 DEEPING S. JAMES— WEST DEEPING. Ingulphus, ' a most costly work, but of extraordinary neces- sity ; which now doth, and as long as it shall last, will bear his name.' " It is then shown how part of the province of Kesteven was a forest as well as a fen, and possessed by Leofeike, Earl of Mercia and Lord of Brune. From Leofrike it came to Hereward, his younger son, whose daughter Tur- frida also held it ; from her, Hugh de Evekmte ; by the sole daughter of Hugh unto Richard de Rulos, Chamberlain to William I. ; and by the female issue to the wife of Hugh Wake, and through his heirs to Margaret (heiress of Thomas Wake), who married the Earl of Kent, whose daughter Joax (the Fair Maid of Kent*) married the Black Prince, and the manorial rights passed eventually to the Crown, and so held till a recent date. But Richard de Rulos effected great im- provements in this part of the Fens — in drainage, tillage, &c. ' ' And having by his good husbandry brought the soil to that fertile condition, he converted the said chapel (which had been built by the monks of Crowland) of S. Guthlake into a church, the place being now called Market Deping. By the like means of banking and draining he also made a village dedicated to S. James, in the very pan of Puddlington ; and by much labour and charge reduced it into fields, meadows, and pas- tures which is now called Deping S. James." (Dugdale, 194.) Deeping S. James, or East Deeping, lias a station on G.N. Ey. 8 in. from Peterborough. The Welland is on the south-west of the village. CHURCH, S. James, is a fine stone structure in mixed styles of Nor., E. Eng., Dec, and Perp. The nave has 7 bays with a triforium. There are aisles with piscinas, south porch (E. Eng.), a fine west tower with lofty spire. The transepts have been removed. The Catholic chapel contains some interesting objects ; and close by is an old house built on the site of an old Benedictine Priory. The Wesleyans, Baptists, and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. Deeping Waterton Hall stands in a park containing some fine old trees. INNS. — Rose and Crown, Stamford Arms, &c. Area, 6470 acres. Pop., 1648. West Deeping is 2 in. south-west of Market Deeping, and 1 m. from Tallington station, and south of the Stamford road. * Her son, Thomas, Earl of Kent, selected the abbey at Bourne as his place of interment, and was buried there, 1397. DEEPING S. NICHOLAS— DENVER— DIGBY. 39 CHUECH. S. Michael, is an old building in Dec. and Perp. styles. It lias nave, aisles, chancel, south porch, and west tower and spire. The font is E. Eng. The register dates from 1657. Area, 1237 acres. Pop., 285. Deeping S. Nicholas, on high road from Market Deeping to Spalding. 8 m. from former and 5 m. from latter. Littleworth station on Gr.N. By. It is a newly formed parish (1846). CHUECH, S. Nicholas, built of stone in 1815, is in Dec. style, and with tower and spire. Ch. is about \ rn. north of Ey. station. There are Wesleyan and Methodists chapels here and at Tongue End. INNS. — Plough, Blue Bell, Oatsheaf. Area, 11550 acres. Pop., 1361. Denver (Norf.) is situate near the river Ouse, on the road from Lynn to Ely, and has a station on Downham and Stoke Ferry branch of G.E. Ky. It is 86 m. from London, and 1 m. south of Downhani Market by the main road. CHUECH, S. Mary, is of mixed styles, but the E. Eng. prevails. It has nave, chancel (having a double piscina), north aisle, south porch, west tower and spire. The chancel has a memorial window to the Eev. W. H. Stokes, who died in 1831. having been rector 32 years. The ch. was restored in 1870. There is a "Wesleyan chapel, erected in 1861. IN^XS. — Jenyn's Arms (Denver Sluice), Bell. Area, 3119 acres. Pop.', 836. Digby (Line. ) is just on the western border of the Lincolnshire Fens. Digby Fen lying between the village and BiUinghay. It has a station on the Joint Ey. of G.N. and G-.E., and is 6 m. from Sleaford. A small runlet, called " Digby Beck " passes through the village. CHUECH, S. Thomas a Becket, is a stone edifice. The south doorway is late Nor. The aisles are E. Eng. The nave has a Perp. clerestory. The chancel has two piscina? and a small recessed sedilia in E. Eng. The font is Perp. The lower part of tower is E. Eng., but the belfry is Dec. ; the tower is 40 DIGB Y—D ODDINGTON—D GD YKE . embattled, and has a lofty spire ; and, altogether, this church is very interesting. The register dates from 1560. There is an ancient Latin cross on shaft and stone base, in this village. The place has received some benefactions for widows and for educating poor children. NOTE. — There was a very line flint implement, a celt, found in Digby Fen some years ago ; see figure in Fenland. The peat is of little service for fuel ; but this fen has recently been drained. INN. — Ked Lion. Area, 2382 acres. Pop., 304. Doddington (Cambs.) is built on a higher ground, capped with gravel, which formed one of the islands when the district was subject to inundations. It must have been an early Saxon settlement, as the name indicates, — the Saxon mark being Dodingas. It is on the main road between March and Chatteris — a rather winding road, as many roads in the Fen- land are — and the nearest railway station is Wini- blington (G.E.B.) CHUECH, S. Mary, has Dec. and Perp. portions : it has nave, aisles, a fine chancel, north and south porches, west tower and spire. The west window is a memorial one, as also one in the south aisle, and the Peyton family has several tablets. The register dates from 1681. There are chapels for the Baptists and Wesleyans. The Witchford Union Workhouse is situated here. NOTE. — Doddington rectory was formerly the richest living in England, and about equal to an archbishopric ; but by the Doddington Kectory Division Act of 1847 it was divided into seven separate rectories. INNS. — The George, Three Tuns. Area, 6842 acres. Pop. (including 212 in Union), 1358. Dogdyke (Line.) is on the river Witham, 104- m. north-north-west of Boston, and it has a station on G.N. By. The station is in the Conigsby parish, on the east bank of the river ; the township itself is in Billinghay and Swineshead parishes, but the people attend ch. at Conigsby. D ONINGTON — NOR THORPE— D ORRINGTON. 41 Donington (Line.) is distant from any navigable river ; it had. however, Hammond Beck to the west, and, long ago, Bicker Haven to the east ; but the junction of roads from Grantham, Boston, and Spalding favoured the position, as this place is an ancient market town. By road, 10 in. from Boston, and 11 m. from Spalding. The name is derived from Doningas. CHURCH, S. Mary and the Holy Rood, a fine stone edifice of mixed styles. It has chancel, nave of five arches clere- storied, porch, an embattled tower and spire, 240 ft. high. The nave and south aisles are Dec. style ; the clerestory has seven lights on each side ; the east and west windows, five lights each, are Perp. ; the font is Perp. ; piscina and sedilia in the chancel, besides other objects which wiU interest the visitor. There are chapels for the Wesleyans, Baptists, and Primitive Methodists. This town possesses considerable benefactions. It has a Grammar School, founded in 1711. Park House is a fine mansion situated in beautiful and extensive grounds, and there are three separate manors in the parish. [NOR THORPE is a hamlet, one mile distant.] HIS. NOTE. — "It appeareth by Domesday Book, where it is recorded, that the abbot of Peterboro' had XYL salt pans in Donington, and in Rich. First reign the right was confirmed with the salt pans and pastures/' — Dugdale, p. 235. " Bicker Haven was reduced to the dimension of a river, and was called 'Biker Ee,' and in 1413 it was ordained 'that the towns of Biker, Donington, Quadring, and Gosberkuk ought to repair Biker Ee from the beginning of Biker to the sea, making it 24ft. broad and 6ft. deep, and that it ought to run all the year.' "—P. 238. HOTELS, &c. — Rose and Crown, Peacock, Black Bull. Market day on Thursday ; fairs on 26th May. 4th Sept.. and 17th Oct. Area, 6180 acres. Pop., 1665. Dorrington (Line.) is H mile from Kuskington station on Gr.rT. and G.E. Joint Ey. Name is derived from Saxon Dorringas. CHURCH, SS. James and John, situate on a high ground half-a-mile from the village, was built originally in E. Eng. style, but now mostly Dec, the clerestory being Perp. This 42 DO 1 VNHA M MA RKE T — D WXHA M- IN- THE -ISLE . ch. was restored in 1867. The tower is Dec. style, and at one time carried a spire. The register dates from 1686. There are two Wesleyan chapels here. INNS. —Pack Horse, Musicians' Arms. Area, 1881 acres. Pop., 398. * Do wnham Market (Norf.) stands on the eastern border of the Fenland and near the river Ouse. It is 11 m. south of Lynn, and 88 m. from London. Here is a station on the Ely and Lynn branch of G. E. Ey. CHCPiCH. S. Edmund, is an accient building containing some Nor. remains of the original ch. E. Eng. prevails in the present structure which has been subjected to various alterations at different periods. It has nave, aisles, chancel, south porch, and west tower containing 8 bells. Considerable repairs were made in 1855, and recently a stone reredos erected: there are several modern stained glass memorial windows. The register dates from 1560. The Wesleyans, Free Methodists, Primitive Methodists, and Baptists have chapels here. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. — The Town Hall is a new building erected on a site in the Market scpiare : the large hall is 74ft. long and 33ft. wide : it will seat 500 persons. The Literary Institute has a reading room well supplied with daily papers and periodicals, and the library attached originated in a gift of the present Earl of Derby, and hence has the name " Stanley Library. - ' The County Court is in the London road. The Market is held on Friday. The horse and cattle fans are held on 3rd March, 1st Friday in May, and 2nd Friday in Nov. The great horse fair on 3rd March is called "Winnold Fair,*' which is said to be the time of the Festival of S. Win- wall, an old British saint, and it is further stated that a priory dedicated to him was erected, in time of king John, at Were- ham, 5 m. east of Downham, and no doubt this market town was the more favourable spot on which to celebrate the festival. HOTELS.— The Crown, Market Place ; Castle, High St. : White Hart, Bridge St. Area, 2687 acres. Pop., 3261. Downham-in-the-Isle, or Little Downham, (Cainbs.) is 8 m. north-west of Ely. The nearest railway station is "Black Bank," 1 m. from the village on Ely and March branch of G.E.Ry. The CfXLODE — EYEMVOB — D WSB Y—D UNSB Y. 48 village is in the Isle of Ely proper, and is above the level of the fen a large portion of which constitutes the parish area. CHURCH, S. Leonard, is of mixed styles. The south porch is Nor. : but the ch. itself, iu E. Eng. and Perp., consists of chancel, nave, and aisles, and the tower is embattled and turreted. The register dates from 1558. The Baptists and TV esleyans have chapels here. Alcock, Bishop of Ely. had a palace near this village. Some remains of this once beautiful edifice may be seen in the buildings of " Park Farm." [OXLODE and PYEMOOB are two hamlets to the north of the parish ; they are near the new Bedford river.] NOTE. — In this locality the remains of buried forests have been found in the peat, and peat for fuel has been largely dug in recent years. Some flint implements have been found near Downham. INNS. — Crown. Anchor, Fox and Hounds, and Crown at Oxlode. Area, 10172 acres. Pop., 1965. *Dowsby i Line.) is 1 m. from Eippingale station on Bourne and Sleaford branch of Gr.N. By., and just west of the old Car Dyke. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is an ancient stone building in E. Eng. and Dec. styles, and stands on the site of an ancient Nor. ch., parts of which were discovered on the restoration of the present one in 1861. There are some brasses about 200 years old, a recumbent effigy of a lady, a carved oak pulpit, and a font of some interest. The principal residence is Dowsby Hall, built of stone in the Elizabethan style. There are three tuniuli in the village and Dowsby Decoy 1 m. away. Area, 1809 acres. Pop., 186. *Dunsby (Line.) is situate near the Car Dyke. It is 5 m. north of Bourne, and 1 m. south of Eippin- gale station, Of. X. By. The name is derived from the Keltic word dun. a hill fortress, and the Danish by, an abode. CHUBCH, All Saints, built of stone, in E. Eng. and Dec. styles, has a nave, chancel, north chantry, aisles, porch, and west tower. The font has an interesting inscription. Several windows have stained glass. The register dates from 1538. Area of parish, 2695. Pop., 223. D UNSTON — BA IUTH. *Dunston (Line.) is a little to the west of the actual fen boundary. To the east liesNocton wood, between which and the Withain is Dunston Fen. The village is 8 m. south-south-east of Lincoln by road, and the joint railway of G. N. and G. E. has a station here. CHUECH, S. Peter, is of stone, and has been rebuilt in E. Eng. style, but the original tower remains. It has a double nave, a south aisle and chancel. The Wesleyans have a chapel here. NOTE. — To the west, across Dunston heath, about 3 in. from the village, by the high road from Lincoln to Sleaford, stands "Dunstan Pillar,'' which was once surmounted by a lantern, used for a beacon light to guide travellers on Lincoln heath before the enclosure. It was erected by Lord de Spen- cer whose bust was long preserved at the Green Man Inn. In 1810 this lantern was blown down and a statute of George III. placed on the "Pillar' 1 in commemoration of that king's Jubilee, by Earl of Buckingham. INNS. — Red Lion, Butchers' Arms. Area, 4020 acres. Pop., 782. Earith (Hunts.), otherwise spelt Erith, is 6 m. eastward of S. Ives and on the bank of the Ouse, at the junction of the "Bedford New River,"' aud at the head of " the washes." The name seems to be derived from the Lafc. ora, ashore, and Sax. hithe, a haven. It is a large township in the parish of Bluntisham. Nearest railway station, Somersham, is 2^ m. north-west. CHUIICHES. — S. Mary is in Bluntisham. A fine Perp. building with clerestoried nave, aisles, chancel, north and south porches, west tower with spire. Register dates from 1538.— S. Helen's is at Colne (which is a village partly within the township of Earith.) Dates from 13th century. Ptegister begins 1665. The living is a chapelry annexed to the vicarage of Somersham. At Earith there are chapels for Wesleyans and Baptists ; also a Friends' Meeting House. HIS. NOTE. — There are evidences of a Roman station here, and what is known as "the Bulwark" (see Fenland, pp. 466 — 471) is a Romain remain. The famous bronze figure called "Jupiter Martialis," (full sized figure on p. 467 of Fenland) was found near Earith. Roman pottery has also EARITH — EA ST VILLE—E BE NH A M. 45 been discovered. Colne is from Lat. colonia. Here is the " Camp Ground," supposed to be the old Roman site. Ac- cording to Domesday Book, a portion of the fens was assigned to Colne, i.e. about a mile long and a half a mile broad. The village of Bluntisham suffered much from a great hurricane in 1741. INNS.— Swan and White Horse, Bluntisham; Black Bull and Angel, Earith. Area, — Bluntisham parish, 3423 acres ; Colne, 2011 acres. Pop.— Bluntisham, 529 ; Earith, 526 ; Colne, 328. Eastville (Line), in the district called East Fen, is a newly formed township, including New Leake. It is 12 m, north-east of Boston, and has a station on G. N. By. The CHURCH is a new structure built of brick, but has no architectural features worthy of note. Area, 2657 acres. Pop., 359. *Edenham (Line.) is 3 in. north-west of Bourn, at which place is the nearest, Ry. station. CHURCH, S. Michael, is a stone edifice in the E. Eng. and Perp. styles. The interior contains some monuments of great historic interest. They were erected to the memory of the Willoughby de Ekesby family: one of Earl of Lindsey, who was killed at Edgehill in 1642 ; others to the Dukes of An caster and Kesteven. There are also several stained glass windows. A Cistercian Abbey once existed here ; it was founded in 1147, and some remains of the same are in the park. The hamlets of GRLMSTHORPE. ELSTHORPE, and SCOTT LES THORPE will claim the attention of the traveller. Grimsthorpe Park occupies an area of 1992 acres, finely wooded. It is well stocked with cattle and deer — some of the original stock of red deer preserved here for a long period. The castle is the ancient seat of the WrLLouGHBYS, built on a high ground, in the 13th century. This is a grand quad- rangular pile, commanding fine views of the lake, park, and surrounding country. This splendid residence is adorned by rare works of art — paintings, statuary, coronation chairs, Gobeline tapestry, china, and other articles of virtu, which cannot be enumerated here. Elsthorpe lies just to the north, and Scottlesthorpe to the south of Edenham. INNS. — Five Bells, at Edenham ; Black Horse, at Grims- thorpe. Area of parish, 6844 acres. Pop., 563. 4fi EL M — BEGDALE — WA 1 D ERSE A— EL Y. Elm (Cambs.) is 2 m. south of Wisbech where is the nearest Ry. station. This is a large and in- teresting parish, and well wooded. CHUKCH, All Saints, is a line and spacious edifice. Entire length is 149ft. The tower, which is the oldest part, is of the E. Eng. period, and is 70ft. high to the top of the corner turret. Date, 1280. There must have been a ch. here at a very early stage of our national history. The one which the present ch. succeeded dated from 1250. The building which the visitor sees was dedicated in 1343 by Simon de Montacute, Bp. of Ely. The pillars of the nave are alternately round and octagonal, with capitals of the transition period from E. Eng. to Dec. There is a fine south door, the porch occupying the unusual position of the 3rd bay from the west. (See Fen and Marshland Churches.) NOTE. — About 1713, not far from a tumuli at Elm, an urn full of small Roman brass coins, most of them of Vic- torinus and Tetricus was taken up, and a Roman altar 26in. high and 14 broad (Cole's MS.) is said to have been found in the same place. Also coins from Gallienus down to Gratian were found in this parish* Also in 1785, in a field in Walder- sea, was found an earthen pot containing a considerable num- ber of copper coins, chiefly of Valentinian and Arcadius, which was ploughed up. — Watson's Hist, of Wisbech, p. 507-8. [BEGDALE is a hamlet about 1 m. south-west. WALDERSEA is a district of 5000 acres lying to the west of the village, and is drained into the river Nene.] Area of parish, 11105 acres. Pop., 839. Ely (Cambs.) is an ancient city, occupying a part of the most elevated ground in the Fen district,! — which ground was an island, in fact, when the Fens were subject to inundations. William of Hunting- don (in the Chronicles, 1140 a.r.) says — "Ely is a pleasant island, extensive and well peopled, with a fertile soil and rich pasturage ; it is surrounded on all sides by marshes and fens, and can be approached on one side only, where a strait and narrow road leads to the island and the castle, which from ancient times has stood above the waters at the very en- trance, in a singular manner, so that the whole * These were possessed by Beaupke Bell, who gave an account of them. — Bih. Top. iii., p. 169.J t For highest levels, see note muter Haddenham. ELY. 47 island is an impregnable fortress." This condition of things can scarcely be realized by the casual visitor, in these days, when there are such ample means of approach, especially by the Gr.E. By., and by good highways, such as are indicated in the "Routes by Road" in this book. (Distances are already given.) The river Ouse runs hard by the city and skirts the eastern slope of the Isle. The Cathedral, dedicated to SS. JEtheldreda and Peter, is the finest and most interesting ecclesiastical structure in the county, but only a mere outline of its principal features can find place here. It contains examples of fine Nor. in the older parts, various gradations of E. Eng.. Dec. work of fine execution, and Perp. of the most elaborate order in the chapels of Bishops West and Aecock. The nave, consisting of 12 arches, is Nor., and the transepts of the same style. The west front, which was once a magnificent work — but greatly muti- lated by the destruction of the north part — is Nor. in the lower part. The eastern part of the ch. is E. Eng., beautiful and correct. The Galilee or west porch and other portions in the adjacent interior are specimens of fine E. Eng. composition. At the intersection of the choir, nave, and transepts, rises the octagonal lantern, about 80ft. diameter, and is a fine specimen of Dec. work. This lantern was restored as a memorial to Dean Peacock in 1858. The Lady Chapel is a beautiful example of late Dec. work, with some indications of Perp. The triforium is Perp. style. The windows are filled with tracery of various dates. The great gate of the former monas- tery is Perp. also. Dimensions of interior of cathedral: — Length, west to east, 517ft. ; transept, 179ft. ; width of nave and aisles, 73ft. ; height of nave, 70ft. ; and from floor to centre of lantern, 110ft. ; tower 215ft. in height, and 48ft. square. The covered roof was restored in 1815 and decorated by the late Mr. L'Estraxge, who died before the work was completed. The lectern is a memorial to him. Mr. Gambler Parry completed the painting. Mr. Basevi was killed by falling from a scaffold in the west tower, in Oct., 1815. (See p. 24). There is a brass recording this disaster in the north aisle of choir. In the south aisle is Oven's Cross, which for- merly stood at Haddenham. This is perhaps the most ancient object in the cathedral. The visitor will be interested in the various monuments to bishops, &e., dating from middle of 13th century ; also in the elegant reredos, the pulpit, and the groining of the lower part of the lantern. This grand cathe- dral presents such a complete series of Eng. architecture as the student will rarely meet with. 4s ELY. Churches —HOLY TRINITY is the Lady Chapel before referred to. It is rectangular, without pillars, and of tine dimensions, being 100ft. long, 46ft. wide, and 60ft. high. The interior is surrounded by niche-work, beautiful in detail, but the visitor will regret to see that the hand of the destroyer has sadly mutilated this exquisite areading. The fine groining of the roof lias not so suffered. The building was commenced in 1321 by a monk, John de Wisbeche, after a design by Alan de Walsingham, the then sub-prior, and finished in 1349.— S. MARY'S is the other parish eh. The nave has long round piers, Nor. capitals, pointed arches, and E. Eng. mouldings. The clerestory and aisle windows are Perp. ; the chancel E. Eng., but the east window Perp. On the north is a porch and good E. Eng door. The tower and spire are Dec, which must have been later than the ch., which was begun early in 13th century. The register dates from 1670. — ■ S.'.ETHELDREDA is a small modern district ch. Of the old monastic buildings there are still some remains seen in the Deanery, which was the old refectory, the prior's lodge and guest hall. On the south side of the quadrangle which these buildings form is Prior Cruden's chapel (1324), one of the most curious Dec. remains in the kingdom : the Mosaic floor represents history in the book of Genesis. The Bishop's FdJace, an interesting mansion, built by Bp. Alcock, consists of two wings, a hall, and a gallery 100ft. long. Here are some valuable historic art works. The Baptists, Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, the Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the city. Public Buildings.— The GRAMMAR SCHOOL, founded by Henry VIII. in 1541, occupies the building where was the principal entrance to the monasters', the "Ely Porta." — The CATHEDRAL CHORISTERS' SCHOOL is on the north of the Cathedral, find was built in 1862.— The THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE (1876) is a Gothic structure in red brick with stone facings. It is designed to accommodate 20 students. — The CORN EXCHANGE was erected in the Market Place in 1847. —The city possesses a SHIRE HALL, a DISPENSARY, and ALMHOUSES, and the Parson's and the Leney's Charities produce yearly a large sum of money, devoted to the education of the poor, to the Dispensary, the distribution of coals, &c, and some of the charity land is let in allotments to poor men. HIS. NOTES— A brass coin of Trajan was found in 1853 near the Ely poor house, and was possessed by the late Mr. W. Marshall. About 30 defaced Roman coins were found near the city, amongst them were coins of Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Carausius, Ac. Mr. Marshall Fisher has collected fragments of pottery and other Roman relics about 2 m. south- EL Y — E2INE TH. 49 west of the city, and lie concludes that a Roman camp was formed there. Mr. Fisher thinks that an attempt was made to found a city at Cratendune, about 1 m. from Ely, and that a ch. was built there early in 7th century, but the place was abandoned for the present more eligible site of the city. All that i? known of this spot is a plot called " Cratendune" field." .Etheldeeda founded a convent in 673, and a conventual ch. was built at Ely. The Danes committed depredations here as elsewhere in 870, and the refounding was effected by JEthel- wold, Bp. of Winchester, in 970. The Xorrnan part of the cathedral was begun in 1081, and the relics of S. ^theldeeda were translated to a new shrine by Abbot Eichaed in 1105. Ely was erected into a bishopric in 1108, being previously attached to Lincoln ; and Haevey, then Bp. of Bangor, was translated to this new see. For account of the conquest of the Isle by William I., see The Fenland. In Oct., 1873, the 1200th anniversary of the festival of S. .Etheldbeda was celebrated with pomp, and Bp. Browne and Sir Gilbert Scott took part in those interesting jDroceedings. -Etheldeeeas birth-place, see Exxtxg. References.— Liber Eliensis, i. and ii. books, edited by Piev. Stewart; Bextha^i's His. of Ely Cathedral: Babingtox*s Ancient Cambridgeshire. HOTELS.— Lamb, Bell, White Hart, Dolphin, Peacock, Bose and Crown. Market Day : Thursday. Area, 17031 acres. Pop., 8171. Emneth (Norf.) is situated about 3 m. south-east of Wisbech. The nearest railway station 1 m. to the north, on the Wisbech and Lynn branch of G-.E. By. Wisbech and Upwell Tram passes through the village. CHUBCH, S. Edmund, is really more interesting than a first glance of the exterior would indicate. It dates from about 1250, but of the original structure only the arches on each side of the chancel and the lower part of its sides and east walls are left. The walls of north side of chancel are of the 11th century. The outline of the only Dec. window may be traced outside the east end of the north aisle. The nave, tower, aisles, and porch, are all evidently of the same date, and form a good, and interesting example of Perp. of loth century. The tower is plain, lofty, and presents a grand outline ; but the visitor will not be prepared for the fine and imposing ensemble of the interior. The register dates from 1586. The Methodist connexions have three chapels in this parish. The principal residences are Oxburgh and Inglethorpe Halls. These stand in well wooded grounds. Area, 3449 acres. Pop., 1000. H 50 EBI8 WELL — E WEBB Y — EXNING. *Eriswell (Stiff.) is situated on the border of the Fens, which dip southward, as a sort of tongue, towards Mildenhall. The village is 3 m. from the station of G. E. Ry. at Mildenhall, and near the main road running towards Brandon. CHURCH, S. Peter, is an ancient stone structure in E. Eng. and Dec. styles, and consists of a nave, aisle, chancel, lady chapel, north porch, and a west tower containing 3 bells. The register dates from 1669. Eriswell Hall lies nearly 2 m. to the north, and is now used as a farm house. [LAKE N HE A TH WARREN, an extensive rabbit warren, is on the north-east of the village.] Area of parish, 6620 acres. Pop., 441. *Ewerby (Line.) is a village 4 m. east of Sleaford. It was formerly a market town. EWERBY THORPE is 1 m. east, between which hamlet and South Kyme fen runs the Car Dyke. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a fine building of Dec. style. The nave and chancel are under one roof, and internally they are separated by a screen. There is a south porch. The tower is lofty and surmounted by a spire. Interior presents several objects of interest. The register dates from 1562. Area, 2607 acres. Pop., 451. *Exning i Suff.) is 2 m. north-west of Newmarket, part of which town is in the Exiling parish. The village is some little distance from Burwell Fen, but is interesting as the reputed birth-place of S. .Ethel- deeda, who was a daughter of Annas, king of East Anglia. CHURCH, S. Martin, is an ancient edifice, and. like many churches of Suffolk, is built of flint with stone dressings ; E. Eng. and Dec. styles. It has nave, aisles, chancel, tran- septs, south porch, and an embattled west tower. The chancel has two tombs, which formerly bore brasses. The register dates from 1492. The living is in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury. The principal residence is Exning Hall, a red brick mansion, the seat of Lord Caedkoss. INNS.— White Horse, Wheat Sheaf. Area, 4824 acres. Pop., 1791. E YE— FARCE T—FEL T WELL . 51 Eye ( N'h'pton). The station on Mid. By. is called " Eye Green " (to distinguish it from Eye, Suffolk, ) and is some 3 or -1 in. north-east of Peterboro'. The name Eye is derived from Sax. ea (ig) an island ; this isle is formed of Oxford clay, capped with gravel. The peat lies near the surface, to the north. CHURCH, S. Matthew, is new, on site of an older one. Gothic, style. Ch. finished in 1857. The tower and spire designed by Basevi, the height being 180ft, The Ordnance Bench Mark on ch. tower is 29-3 ft above sea level. The ch. register dates from 1543, and is fairly complete. NOTE. — The manor of Eye appears, according to tradition, to have been held by JElftbude the wife of Hebewaed, and to have passed to their descendants — through their daughter Tobfkida — in common with the manors of Bourne and Deep- ing, and to have come into the possession of Joax, the Fair Maid of Kent, who bestowed it upon her son Thomas, Earl of Kent. See The Camp of Refuge, also Deeping. INNS. — White Hart, Bed Lion, Greyhound (Eye Green.) Area, 2670 acres. Pop., 1305. Farcet (Hunts.), 3 m. south-east of Peterborough, lies on the Old Nene. Dugdale mentions " Farset " in connection with the early drainage of the Fens. CHUBCH, S. Mary, is a small and ancient building in the Gothic style. Clerestoried nave, aisles, south porch, west tower. Chancel has piscina and sedilia ; also a fine stained east window. The pulpit bears the date 1611. Ch. restored 1852. Early part of the ch. register kept at Stanground until 1813. The Methodists have two chapels here. INN. — Black Swan. Area, 1009 acres. Pop., 710. [FARCET FEN lies to the east and south-east, and ex- tends to the site of Whittlesea Mere.] *Feltwell (Norf.), is situate on the east side of the Fens. The village is just on the border of the Fen- land, and Feltwell fens extend to the banks of the Little Ouse. The nearest railway station to the village is Lakenheath, 3 m. south, on Ely and Brandon branch of Gr. E. By. CHUBCHES. — S. Mary is an interesting ch. in Dec. style, consisting of nave, aisles, chancel, and west tower, surmounted H 2 52 FEN DITTON — FEN WES T — FIR S B Y. by pinnacles and ornamented with sculptured figures. A carved oak screen separates the nave and chancel. There are several brasses and monumental figures. This eh. was considerably enlarged about 1864. — S. Nicholas is an older but plainer ch., standing on a rising ground, and since the parishes were united has been used as a mortuary chapel ouly. The register dates from 1552. There are some residences in this village which are worthy of note, i.e., "Feltwell Lodge," in well wooded grounds, " The Hall," and " East Hall," in Elizabethan style. Feltwell common affords fuel for the poorer inhabitants who, under certain conditions, cut the turf. An object of interest to the visitor is the " Old Oak Tree," on a grassy mound. INNS.— Chequers, Cock. Area of parish, 18120 acres. Pop., 1633. *Fen Ditton (Cambs.) is on the right of the Cam, and 2£ m. north-east of Cambridge, and about the same distance from the actual Fen boundary. It derives its name (Ditch-town) from the Fleam Dyke {Introduction), which runs towards Quy, 2 m. dis- tant. The top of the dyke to the bottom of the ditch is 20 ft. in some parts. CHUECH, S. Mary, of mixed styles, is built of Barnack stone. The tower is E. Eng. ; the chancel is a good specimen of Dec. ; the piers and arches of the nave and the clerestory and font are Perp. The tower rests on four arches, and here is a stone screen pierced by eight arched lights and doorway. There are some interesting mural monuments. The bishops of Ely had formerly a residence here. The village contams six almshouses, first erected in 1665. INNS. — King's Head, Globe, Plough. Area, 1862 acres. Pop., 668. Fen West, or West Fen, (Line.) is a new parish 9 m. north of Boston, and (3 m. from Sibsey station on G. N. Ey. It contains two Wesleyan Chapels, but no ch. The inhabi- tants can attend Carrington ; and postal arrangements are made with Stickney or New Bolingbroke. Area, 2424 acres. Pop., 822. Firsby (Line.) is situate on the river Steeping, and has a station on G. N. Ry. FISHI 'OFT— FLEE T — FLETTON. 53 CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a modern building in E. Eng. style, built on the site of an older eh., and the register dates from 1717. There is a Wesleyan chapel here. HOTEL.— Railway Hotel. Area, 1063 acres. Pop., 235. Fishtoft (Line.) is about 2 m. south-east of Boston. Hobb Hole Drain runs to the east of the village, and the river Witham is the southern boun- dary of the parish. CHURCH, S. Guthlac, is of mixed styles ; the nave has 5 bays and is clerestoried ; the chancel is Nor., and is in- teresting as containing some of the original features. There are portions of E. Eng., but the prevailing style of the rest of the ch. is Perp. There are two aumbries and a piscina in the chancel. This ch. was restored in 1853 and some addi- tions made. The register dates from 1696. Area, 1173 acres. Pop., 916. Fleet (Line.) is about 2 m. east of Holbech, and has a station on Spalding and Sutton Bridge branch of G. N. By. (The name Fleet is derived from Sax. jieotan, to float or swim.) CHURCH, S. Mary Magdalen, is a stone edifice in E. Eng., Dec, and Perp. styles; the nave has 5 bays; the tower is detached and has 5 bells, it is surmounted by a spire, and the whole height is 111 ft. The building was restored in 1860. The Baptists erected a chapel here in 1690. There are some good charities in the parish, and a Free School, endowed in 1727. The area is large and there are three manors. INNS. — Rose and Crown, Bull. Area, 6667 acres. Pop., 1331. Fletton (Hunts.) is situate on the south side of the Nene, and adjoins Peterborough. CHURCH, S. Margaret, an old structure, built of Barnack Rag, has clerestoried nave, aisles, chancel, south porch, west tower and octagonal spire. Nor. remains are seen in the south and east walls of the chancel. There are some E. Eng. win- dows and portions of Dec. style. The visitor will find some curious carved work in the walls of the ch. ; also a somewhat obscure inscription. The ch. was partly restored in 1872. Register dates from 1606. 54 FORDHAM — FOSDYKE — FBAMPTQN, There are two or three charities supplying bread and fuel for the poor. INN. — White Hart. Area, 780 acres. Pop., 1841. *Fordham (Combs.) is 8 m. east of Sohani. It lias a station on the Cambridge and Mildenhall branch of G. E. Ky. CHUECH, S. Peter, is an ancient building in stone and Hint, Perp. The west tower is embattled and has 6 bells. The register dates from 1567. There are three chapels in the village and six almshouses for widows. INNS. — Chequers, Green Dragon. Area, 4007 acres. Pop., 1191. Fordham (Norf.) is situate on the Wissey, a tributary of the Gt. Ouse ; it is 3 m. south of Down- hani market. Eyston is the station on Downham and Stoke Ferry branch of G. E. Ky. CHUECH, S. Mary, is a stone building in Dec. style, and has a nave, chancel, and belfry. The register dates from 1570. Area, 2204 acres. Pop., 180. Fosdyke (Line.) is situate near the outfall of the Welland ; the parish is bounded by that river on the south, and by The Wash on the east. This must not be confounded with the Fosdyke naviga- tion, connecting the Witham with the Trent. The word foss is Norse for water-fall. Both names have been written "Foss-dyke," and in historical refer- ences seem sometimes to have been mistaken the one for the other. The nearest railway station is Algarkirk on Spalding and Boston branch of G.N.Ry. CHUECH, All Saints, is a modern structure of red brick and stone facings, in E. Eng. style, built in 1871 on the site of a former ch. The register dates from 1630. There are some almshouses in this parish, and some valu- able charities for annual distribution. Area, 1101 acres. Pop., 477. Frampton (Line.) is 3 m. south of Boston and 1 m. from Kirton station on G. N. Ry. The parish FRA 3IPT0X — FEEISTuX. 55 extends eastward, and includes the " Salt Marshes " reclaimed from the sea and protected on the border of The "Wash by a sea wall about 3 m. long. These marshes afford excellent pasture. CHURCH. S. Mary, is a stone building, in the E. Eng. and Dec. styles. The nave has 5 bays ; the chancel is Dec, with a Perp. screen spanning the arch ; the aisle arcades are in Dec. style, with lofty piers; the tower is E. Eng. and is sur- mounted by a lofty spire. The visitor will find in this ch. several interesting objects, which we have not space to describe The register dates from 1538. — S. Michael's chapel is 1^ m. west of the ch. : it was built of Ancaster stone in E. Eng. style. There is a Wesleyan chapel in the village. Nearly 100 acres are charity lands, the rent of which is expended for schools and for coals, &c. The principal residence is Frampton Hall, of the date of Queen Anne, situated in a fine park. INN. — Moore Arms. Area, 5189 acres. Pop., 886. Freiston (Line.) is situate 3 m. east of Boston, and the parish extends to Freiston Shore and Crane End. The name appears to indicate an introduction here of a Frisian element of population, as there was on the neighbouring Yorkshire coast. We have Friesthorpe and Friskney in Line, and Firsby may have been Frisby. CHURCH, S. James, was formerly a Priory ch. It is of mixed styles. Nor., E. Eng., and portions of later styles, and is worthy of careful examination. It was originally cruciform, and the west portion of the central tower remains at the east end of the ch., which has undergone restoration at different periods, the latest being in 1871. The old oak screen is now in Fishtoft ch. The priory was founded in 1114— the order of Benedictines — and remained till the " Dissolution/' and is now the resi- dence of the Lord of the manor. The Endowed Schools, founded in 1(365 by Anthony Pinch- beck, afford the means of higher education for both Freiston and Butterwick. IFEEISTOX SHORE is 1£ m. south-east and has been frequented as a health resort. Plummer's Hotel and The Marine Hotel afford good accommodation to visitors ; these 56 FRIDAY BRIDGE — FRISKNE Y — FRITHVILLE. houses command a fine view of The Wash and the coast of Norfolk.] INNS. &c, at Freiston.— King's Head, Bull and Dog ; and Castle at Halltoft End. Area of parish, 2961 acres. Pop., 1106. Friday Bridge (Cambs.), formerly a part of the parish of Elm, was formed into a separate ecclesias- tical parish in 1860. It is Sh m. south of Wisbech, and about the same distance from Coldham station onG. E. Ky. CHURCH, S. Mark, is built of brick with stone facings, in early Dec. style, and has a tower and spire. Register dates from 1860. The Wesleyans and Free Methodists have chapels here. The principal residence is Needham Hall, in well wooded and pleasant grounds. INN. — Chequers. Area, 4530 acres. Pop., 621. Friskney (Line.) is situate between "East Fen " and " East Holland," 14 m. north-east of Boston, and 4 m. south-west of Wainfleet railway station (G.N.) It is a scattered village — a Eoman bank stretched along the shore of The Wash. CHURCH, All Saints, is an ancient building in Nor. and E. Eng. The nave is clerestoried, and has 5 bays. Some interesting mural paintings extend along the clerestories on each side the nave. The chancel is spacious and has three sculptured stalls and a piscina. Fragments of early Nor. capitals are imbedded in the wall of the north aisle. The eh. was restored in 1879, and friends have presented various objects to embellish the interior. The register dates from 1558. There are two Wesleyan chapels here, also some valuable charities. It is thought that a religious house once existed at " Abbey Hills." INNS. — Anchor, Barley Mow, New Inn. Area, 7003 acres. Pop., 1477. Frithville (Line.) is 4 m. north of Boston. It is a scattered village to the west of Sibsey island. The parish was formed in 1821 of parts of Frithville, Sibsey, and Westville. Medlam drain runs by this GEDXE Y—GEDXE Y HILL 57 village, and Mill Drain, to the east, enters the Medlam to the south of the village. The CHUECH is a modem brick building. The register dates from 1821. INNS. — Ship, White Hart, Traitor. Area, 4057 acres. Pop., 656. [WEST VILLE is a parish, about 1 in. from the ch. of Frithville, and has an area of 1949 acres. Pop., 127.— PEPPER GOWT is a separate parish about 2J m. north of Boston." Gedney (Line.) is an extensive parish lying about midway between the lower course of the Welland and Nene. The village is 3 rn. from Holbech and 2£ m. from Long Sutton, and has a station on the Spalding and Sutton Bridge branch of G. X. Ey. CHUECH, S. Mary, is a fine structure. The nave is 96 ft. long and the chancel 48 ft., the width of the ch. 65 ft., the tower 90 ft. high. The south porch is handsome Peip. The oldest part of the ch. belonge to the 13th century. The nave has been twice raised since the E. Eng. ch. was built. The clerestory is Perp.. and worthy of attention. The interior contains some ancient monuments. The register dates from 1558. The Wesley ans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here, and the Society of Friends a meeting house. INNS. — Black Lion, in Chapelgate ; CheQuers, Crown, and Woolpack, at Gedney Dyke ; Wheatsheaf , Black Bull, at Ged- ney Drove End. Area of parish, 12377 acres. Pop., 2228. EHamlets.— CHURCH EXD, BROAD GATE, CHAPEL GATE, DAWSMERE, lying near the village, and DROVE EXD 5 m. away on the shore of The Wash. At this last place the visitor may see how the land has been extended by jetties or banks thrown out from the shore, and after accretion has gone on and a rough herbage grown, banks, paralled with the shore, have been thrown up and the newly-formed land en- closed. Gedney Drove End was made an ecclesiastical parish in 1856, and a ch. in E. Eng. style built in 1870. NOTE. — In this part of the district there is no appearance of peat near the surface, but t; warp ' ? overlaying the clay for 6 or 7 feet.] Gedney Hill (Line.) is a scattered village 10 m. south of Holbech and 14 m. north-east of Peter- borough. The nearest railway station is " French 58 GL1NT0N — GORE FIE LD—GOSBEliTOK. Drove," on March and Spalding branch of G.N. and G. E. Joint Ky., H m. from the village. The (South Holland or North Level Main Drain runs to the south of the village and then takes a north-east course to Tydd Gote, where it enters the Nene. CHUECH, Holy Trinity, is an ancient building, and sonic portions of the original structure remain. It lias an embattled tower 52 ft. high, The register dates from 1693. INNS. — Duke's Head, Cross Keys. Area, 1995 acres. Pop., 328. NOTE. — The peat here is some 4 to li ft. below the warp and clay, and the soil is very fertile. Glinton (N'h'pton.) is 5£ m. north-west of Peter- borough, and 1 m. from Peakirk station of Peter- borough and Spalding branch of G. N. By., and near the road from Peterborough to Market Deeping. Here is a gravelly subsoil with warp. CHUECH, 8. Benedict, is an ancient structure in E. Eng. and Dec. and Perp. It has a clerestoried nave, chancel with north chantry, south porch, an embattled Perp. western tower, and a beautiful lofty octagonal spire, seen at a great distance in the level country. The font is Nor. There are several interesting objects in this ch. to which tradition and antiquity give a charm. The ch. register dates from 1567. There are Congregational and Primitive Methodist chapels here. INNS. — Six Bells, Blue Bell, Crown. Area, 1380 acres. Pop., 391. Gorefield (Cambs.), about 4 m. north-west of Wisbech, became an ecclesiastical parish in 1870, being formed out of the civil parishes of Leverington and Newton. CHUECH, S. Paul, built (1870) of Hint and stone, in E. Eng. style, but it does not contain any features deserving of note. The register dates from 1871. The pop., 506. Gosberton (Line), situate on the Spalding and Donnington road, 6 m. from the former and 4 m. from the latter. About 100 m. from London. It has a station on the G. N. and G. E. joint line. Gosberton Fen is to the west. GOSBERTON — GREE TWELL — G UYHIRN. 59 CHURCH, SS. Peter and Paul, is cruciform, built of stone, and in Perp. style ; it has nave and porches, and a tower rising from the centre, carrying a richly crocheted spire. Consider- able repairs, including the rebuilding and extending of the chancel were made in 1866. The register is continuous from 1656. There are three chapels in this village — Wesleyan, Baptist, and Free Methodist, — 12 almshouses and valuable charities. It has a Public HaU for lectures, &c, and the village is lighted by gas. The hamlets of WESTHORPE, REISGATE, CHEAL, and EIGBOLT are included in its area. HIS NOTE. — In the Peterborough Register this place was called Gosberchirehe, and is mentioned in connection with the intake of land by old Bicker Haven. " We may, ignoring the Saxon charters, consider it proved that between the Eoman occupation and the middle of the 14th century, a period of 13 centuries, Bicker Haven had dwindled from an arm of the sea to a mere tidal stream, called Salten Ee, and that between the 11th and 14th centuries at least 340 acres had become firm ground in the parish of Gosberton alone. ' : (Geol. Mem., p. 127.) IXNS. — Green Man, Five Bells, Duke of York (Reisgate.) Area, 8820 acres. Pop., 2104. Greetwell (Line.) is situate on the river Witham about 1 in. from Washingboro, which is ap- proached by a ferry. It is 2-s- in. from Lincoln. CHURCH, All Saints, is a small structure of white brick and stone without any notable features, and the register dates from 1723. Area. 1103 acres. Pop.. 86. Guyhirn (Cambs.) is on the river Nene, 6 m. south-west from Wisbech. It has a station on March and Spalding branch of G. N. and G. E. Joint By. Guyhirn, Eing's End, and Thorney Toll (half way between Guyhirn and Thorney) and most of Wisbech Fen, were formed into an ecclesiastical parish in 1871 . CHURCH, S. Mary, built on the site of a ch. of the loth century, was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. It has nave, transepts, chancel, south rjorch, and west tower. There is a Wesleyan Chapel at Ring's End and a fine School- ch. at Thorney Toll, where is also a Roman Catholic chapel. HIS NOTE. — The mention of Guyhirn frequently occurs in connection with the history of the Wisbech River, a name which was applied in 1437 to the river between Guyhirn and 60 HA DDK NBA 21 — HE C KIN GTON. Wisbech. In 1614 Morton's Learn was made from Stand- ground to Guyhirn. The present course of the river was made from Peterborough to Guyhirn, called Smith's Leam, in 1716. (Hime, Sax., a bend.) INNS. — Marquis of Granbv, Chequers ; Black Hart (Ring's End). Pop.. 1258. Haddenham (Cambs.), in the Isle of Ely, stands on elevated ground.* It is 7 m. from Ely, and has a station on Ely and St. Ives hranch of G. E. By. The distance from Cambridge is 15 m., and from London 78 m. CHUPiCH, Holy Trinity, is a stone building, and in recent years has been almost entirely rebuilt. This ch. was mostly E. Eng., and the fine tower in the same style was rebuilt in 1876, has an elevation of 72 ft. ; it is a memorial to fourth Earl Hardwicke. The register dates from 1570. The Baptists and Wesleyans have chapels here. An endowed school for boys was founded in 1640. A achool board was formed in 1874. HIS. NOTE.— Haddenham has an important place in the history of .Etheldreua, the foundress of the religious house of Ely. S. Ovix's Cross, now in the south aisle of Ely Cathe- dral, is a relic of Haddenham, and was removed to its present position in 1770. (See Camp of Refuge). Aldreth belongs to this parish. (See note on page 1.) Important Roman remains have been found in the neighbourhood. (See Fenland.) " Br. Grove mentions ( Camb. Univ. Reporter, 1880, p. 140) the dis- covery of a Romano-British cinerary urn, 7 in. in height, in Haddenham Fen (near the supposed line of the Saictry Way.) (Babington's Ancient Cambs., pp. 76 77.) INNS. — Rose and Crown, Black Horse, White Hart. Area of parish, 8845 acres. Pop. 1900. Heckington (Line.) The village is situated just on the Fen border, and about 2 m. west of the Car Dyke. It has a station on the Boston and Sleaford branch of the Gr. N. Ey. ; is 11 m. west of Boston and 5 m. east of Sleaford. The name 'is derived from the Sax. Htvcingas. * The bench mark on Haddenham church is 116 or 117 ft. above sea level. The road between Haddenham and Wilburton has elevations 121 and 122 ft., as marked on new maps, and Long Northery 121 ft. These are the greatest heights in the Fens. HELPBINGHA M — HELPSTONE . 61 CHUECH, S. Andrew, has a west tower and spire, nave with well proportioned clerestory, spacious transepts, a large chancel, and an attached vestry on the north side. It is of the pure Dec. style, with no admixture of earlier or later work, and is altogether a beautiful structure, with all the features of a fine ch. ; in short, one of the most perfect models in the kingdom, and in the distance is very effective. All the win- dows are fine, and much varied — the east one has seven lights, Any visitor who has a taste for architecture will trace niany details we have not space to describe, but which he will find well worthy of his examination and study, especially in the chancel stalls, which exhibit fine specimens of Dec. work and sculpture of figures and foliage hardly surpassed in the king- dom. A restoration of the roof and interior fittings was effected in 1867. The register dates from 1559. The Baptists and Wesleyans have chapels in the village, and in the Fen is a chapel of Ease built in E. Eng. style. [GAB WICK or GABBIGK is a hamlet 2 J m. east of the village : it is just east of the Car Dyke, and on the Boston road. One of the seven forts built by the Eomans on the west of the Fens, between Peterborough and Lincoln, was at this spot.] INNS.— Nag"s Head. White Horse. Area of parish, 5720 acres. Pop., 1766. Helpringham (Lino, close to the Car Dyke, 5 m. south-east of Sleaford, has a station on (x.N. and G.E. joint line. The name is derived from Sax. Helpringas. CHUECH. S. Andrew, is a fine structure. The nave — clerestoried — is of Dec. style, contains 3 bays and retains the original aisles. The tower is Dec, and opens with 3 arches into the nave and aisles, is surmounted by four embattled pinnacles and a lofty Perp. spire (crocheted). The south aisle has a trefoiled piscina and locker. The register dates from 1560. The restoration was effected in 1873. NOTE. — Though the peat extends along the western edge of the Fens from Lincoln to Crowland, it is discontinuous between Heckington and Helpringham, 3 J m., where the gravel abuts on the silt. From Helpringham to Thorn ey no peat is now dug, and over this area attains the thickness of only about 2 feet. (Geo. 2Iem.) INNS. — Nag's Head, Sun, Willoughby Arms, Area, 3227 acres. Pop., 911. Helpstone (N'h'xDton) is 8 m. north-west from Peterborough by road and 6 m. by Mid. Ey,, which 62 HELPSTONE — HTLGA Y. has a station here. It is just outside the actual Fen boundary and on a gravelly subsoil. CHUBCH, S. Botolph, an ancient stone edifice in various styles, some traces of Nor. (the lower part of tower), a portion of ch. is E. Eng., Dec, and Perp. The upper part of tower is Dec, and, with spire, was re-built in 1864. The ch. has clerestoried nave, aisles, chancel, which has a piscina and E. Eng. sedilia. The west window is a memorial. Ch. register dates from 1685. The Methodists have two chapels here. There is a stone cross in the village. HIS. NOTE.— John Clare, the peasant-poet was born here in 1795. He walked from this village to Stamford on an early morning to purchase the first book he was able to buy, viz., Tltomsoiv* Seasons. He returned by Burleigh park, and on this walk composed the poem Morning Walk. He received some poetic inspiration, as others have done, even by the brooks on the border of the Fens : — " Flow on thou gently-plashing stream O'er weed-beds wild and rank ; Delighted I've enjoyed my dream Upon thy mossy bank.'" See his lines on Crowland Abbey, p. 31. John Clare was born in a house still standing on the right of the Ailsworth and Castor road, and here it is said his literary work was done. He was buried in the ch. yard, about 200 yds. from his birth-place — the spot is easily found, to the south of the chancel. A substantial stone monument stands on the village green, by the entrance to the Deeping road — (it sadly wants fencing in to preserve it from mutilation) — and bears this inscription : — " This Memorial is erected to perpetuate the memory of John- Clare, the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet, a native of this place. Born July lHth, 1795 ; died May 30th, 1864." At the corner opposite Clare's monument is an old and interesting stone cross, around which a butter market was formerly held. TNNS. — Exeter Arms, Blue Bell. Area, 1860 acres. Pop.. 711. Hilgay (Norf.) is situated near the Wissey, a tributary of the Gt. Ouse. It is 4 m. south of Down- ham Market. The nearest railway station is 1 m. north, on the Downham and Stoke Ferry branch of G. E. Ry. The village stands on an island, as the termination ay indicates, but most of the parish lies on the west of the Ouse, and 3£ m. west of the village is "Hilgay Fen" station on Ely and Lynn branch of G. E. By. HISTON—HOCKWOLD-CUM-WILTON. 68 CHURCH. All Saints, is a large structure, built of freestone, and the west tower of brick; but the spot is rendered pic- turesque by a long avenue of tine trees leading to the church. The nave and chancel are in Dec. style, and the (south) aisle is Perp. The register dates from 1583. — There is a District Ch., erected in 1847. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. Wood Hall is an ancient residence of some interest, as it was one of the seats of the abbots of Eamsey, but at the dis- solution of the Monasteries, Hexkt Vlll. bestowed it upon a private person, and it came into the hands of the present possessor by purchase. XOTE. — This part of the Fens is interesting from the fact that the remains of buried forests have been found here. (See The Fenland and Geological Memoir, 1877.) INNS. — Swan. Bell, George and Dragon, Jolly Anglers (Ten- mile Bank. Area, 7860 acres, 6000 being fen. Pop., 1684. *Histon (Cambs.), 3 in. north-west of Cambridge, with a station on Cambridge, St. Ives, and Hunting- don branch of G. E. By., though outside of the actual Fen border, is interesting from its historical association with the district. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a cruciform building in E. Eng. ; but with some admixture of Dec. and Perp., consisting of clerestoried nave, aisles, transepts, south porch of 14th cen- tury style, and central tower. There was formerly a ch. dedicated to S. .Etheldreda, but it was demolished about 1C0O and the materials used for building Madingley hall, but on the restoration of S. Andrew's in 1874 by Sir Gt. Scott some of the traceried stones of that ch. were brought to Histon and incorporated in the present chancel. In the north wall of the transept is a fine stained glass memorial window. There are other interesting windows by Meteb of Munich. The register dates from 1655. The village has an endowed school. TXNS. — Rose and Crown, Bell. Railway View. Area. 2300 acres. Pop., 969. Hockwold-cum- Wilton (Xorf.), formed of the united parishes of Hockwold and Wilton, the former being the more westward, 3^ m. from Brandon, and about 1 m. north of the Lakenheatli station of G.E. Ey., is on the north side of the Brandon river or Little Ouse. 64 HOCKWOLD-CUM-WILTON. —HOLBECII. CHUECHES.— S. Peter's, Hockwold, is built of flint with stone dressings, in Dec. and Perp. styles ; it has nave, south aisle, chancel, south porch, and tower at south-west angle. The register dates from 1058. The restoration made in 1857. — S. James, Wilton, built principally of flint with stone dress- ings. It has an embattled west tower, surmounted by a lofty stone spire. An ancient carved oak screen separates the nave from the chancel. The register dates from 1663. An ancient stone cross, 15 ft. high, stands in the centre of the village. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. Hockwold hall, near the ch., is an ancient brick mansion. INNS. — Red Lion, New Inn, Anchor. Area, 7309 acres. Pop., 809. Holbech (Line.) is 17 m. south of Boston, about 6 m. from the shore of The Wash, and 2 m. south of the old Roman hank. It has a station on the Spald- ing and Lynn branch of GL N. Ey. Distance from Spalding by rail, 8 m. The name has been variously spelt, but never anciently with the termination beach. In Dugdale it is invariably Holbeche (as on p. 229), "In 10 E. II. (1316) Roger de Cubledik, Laurence de Holbeche, &c, were constituted commissioners for the view and repair of the bank and sewers in the marshes of G-idney, Holbeche, Sutton, and Fleet," and there are twelve other references between pages 208 and 413. It would be in- teresting to know if any court documents show when the cor- ruption beach was introduced. In a book on Lincolnshire,* it is stated the place was once called Oldbeche. The small stream running by Holbech may have been called the old beche (Sax. becc, Ger. bach, Dan. bek,) to distinguish it from some neighbouring beche, though on the old maps the stream was called Holbeche sewer, then hirne, and thence Holbeche note to the sea. "And they said that New-gote ought to be repaired by the town of Weston; so also the south dike of Quapplelodet and Holbeche by those two towns." The parish contains, beside the town, some scattered hamlets as HOLBECH DROVE, HOLBECH S. JOHN'S HOLBECHE HIRNE, HOLBECHE CLOUGH (Erse, clock a stone), PENNY HILL, HOLBECH BANK, and HOL- BECH MA RSH. CHURCH, All Saints, is a very fine building, of which a very good view may be obtained from the north-east. The • Lincolnshire, 1836, by John Saunders, Lincoln, i Whaplode, which see below. HOLBECH— HOLLAND FEN. 65 earliest mention of a ch. here is of the date 1189, w hen Thomas de Multos having, with almost all the most powerful men of the Wapentake of Eloe, conspired against the abbot of Croy- land, tumult uously assembled sometimes in a barn at Weston belonging to the prior of Spalding, and sometimes in the church of Holbeehe," but of the building here mentioned only a Nor. capital is extant and is indeed a mere relic. The nave of the present ch. has 7 bays. The clerestory consists of 11 two-light windows. Very few clerestories have so much light and shade as Holbech ch. The tracery of the chancel and aisle windows are of the early years of Edward III. ; clere- story, tower and spire most likely of Richard H.'s time. The ch. must formerly have contained several altars. Inside are to be seen some tombs of much interest. The length is 168 ft., width 68 ft. The tower is 86 ft. high, and it carries the largest spire in "Holland" and is itself 100 ft. high. (See Marsh- land Churches.) The register dates from 1560. — Three of the hamlets have their respective churches, as they have been made ecclesiastical parishes since 1867, viz., S. John's, the Hirne, and the Marsh. The town has 6 dissenting chapels. The market is said to have been granted to the above-named Thomas de Multon in 1252. There are not many public buildings — the Assembly Rooms, Masonic Hall, and the Market House are the chief . Market dav on Thursday. Fairs: 17th May, 17th Sept., and 11th Oct. HIS. NOTE. — Roman and Saxon remains have been found in this parish, viz., urns, coins, &c. It is worthy of note that Dr. Stukelt, the great antiquarian, was born at Holbech on Nov. 7th, 1687. He took his degree of M.D. at Cambridge in 1719, in 1730 was ordained, in 1731, he was presented to the living of All Saints, Stamford. References. — Authors above quoted, The Fenland, Geological Memoir : Fens of S. Holland, W. H. Wheeler, C.E., 1868. HOTELS, Ac— Station Hotel, Bell, Commercial, Red Lion, Horse and Groom, Black Bull, Rose and Crown, Chequers (Holbech Hirne,) Plough (S. John's). Area, 21133 acres. Pop. 5190, of which 2211 are in the town. Holland Fen (Line.) A parish under this name was formed in 1864. It lies to the north-west of Boston, and between the river "Witham and Holland Dyke. The North Forty-feet Drain, which was con- structed in 1720 so as to discharge itself near Boston, runs through this district. Langrick on the Lincoln and Boston branch of G. N. By. is the nearest station. i 66 HOLLAND FEN-HOLME— HORNING SE A. The HOLLAND FEN CHURCH, about 7 m. from Boston, built in 1812, stands near the 40 ft. drain. It was really a chapel of ease to Fossdyke. After the formation of the parish from those of Amberhill and Kirton, and including the fens of Fosdyke, Kirton, Sutterton and Algarkirk, a CHURCH, S. John the Baptist, was built (1807). It is red brick -built and relieved by coloured brick, and cost £ 4500. INNS.— Harrow (Algarkirk Fen), Castle (Kirton Fen), Har- vest Man (Sutterton Fen). Area of parish, 8835 acres. Pop., 1030. Holme (Hunts.) is 6^ ra. south of Peterborough by road and 7 in. by rail. G. N. R. main line and junction for Ramsey. CHURCH. S. Giles, rebuilt in the Gothic style in 1862, with some Nor. pillars and arches from the old building- replaced. Register dates from 1683. The principal residence is Holme Wood, standing in grounds of 9 acres. The nature of the soil is mostly peaty, with a subsoil of clay. HIS. NOTE.- The lord of the manor had a right to sum- mon the fishermen of Whittlesea Mere to his courts, held at Holme, when presentments were made and his bailiff proved the nets with a brazen mesh-pin : on being found under size, the lord might impose a fine or destroy the nets. (Wells.) The word Holme is Norse for an island — that is, an island in a lake or river. Horningsea (Cambs.) is situated on the right bank of the Cam, about 4 m. from Cambridge and 2 m. from the Waterbech station of G. E. Ry. A handsome bridge over the Cam unites the parishes of Waterbech and Horningsea and communicates with the railway. CHURCH, S. Peter, is an ancient stone building in the Nor. and Dec. styles. The chancel is said to date from 1220. This ch. has some beautiful tracery in the windows and other features of interest ; it was restored in 1865. The register dates from 1628. NOTE. — The parishioners have had certain rights in the fens of Bottisham and Quy. It was in this parish that copro- lites were dug to a considerable extent. Name from Sax. Horningas. Area, 1580 acres. Pop., 409. ISLEHAM— ISLINGTON. m Isleham (Cambs. ) This is a large village, situate a little to the east of Soham Fen and west of the Lark ; it is 16 m. from Cambridge, 11 m. from Ely, and 6 m. from Newmarket, and has a station on the Cambridge and Mildenhall branch of G. E. Ry. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a large stone building in Dec. style, The nave is elerestoried ; aisles, transept, chancel, south porch, and embattled west tower. This ch. has been restored, and adorned by some memorial windows. The register dates from 1566. — In the Fen. 4 m. away, there is a Mission Church School. The village contains some almshouses, founded in the early part of 16th century, and the charities realize a considerable annual sum. The National Schools were erected in 1848. NOTE. — Large quantities of turf have been cut in Isleham Fen, for fuel ; the brick shaped pieces are called " cesses." In the neighbourhood, south of the Fen border, limestone has been obtained as an article of commerce. Ancient flint imple- ments have been found among the gravels in this district. INNS. — White Horse, Griffin, and Ferry House (in Fen). Area of parish, 5211 acres. Pop., 1697. Islington (Tilney-cum-Islington) (Norf.) is situate 5 m. nearly west of Lynn ; the nearest station is Clenchwarton (2 m. to north) on G. N. By., or 3^ m. from South Lynn. The channel of the Great Ouse formerly ran close by this village, forming a great bend westward from Wiggenhall ; but the river was straightened by the formation of the Eau Brink Cut, completed in 1821 at a cost of £300,000. The old bed of the river has been converted into pasture land. The name is derived from the Sax. Islingas or JEslingas. CHURCH, S. Mary, is a cruciform stone building in E. Eng. style, with embattled tower. The register dates from 1559. NOTE. — This part was formerly subject to inundations, especially from its proximity to the Wash. In 1287 the sea banks burst by the action of the sea. In 1290 the banks at Tilney and Islington were " broken by the raging of the sea." In 1334 the banks were ' ; daily torn up by the boisterous sea tides and floods of fresh water ; insomuch as the said banks could not be preserved to defend the said town from drowning." i2 08 EAST AND WEST KEA L — KIRKB Y- UPON-BA IN. INNS. — Fox and Goose, Lord's Bridge. Area, 1651 acres. Pop., 275. *Keal, East (Line.) is a village pleasantly situated on the northern border of East Fen. The nearest railway station is at Spilsby, 2 m, distant. CHURCH, S. Helen, is built of stone in E. Eng. style ; it has nave, aisles, chancel, and tower with lofty turret, and was restored in 1854. The register dates from 1675. INN.— Saracen's Head. Area of parish, 1858 acres. Pop., 395. Keal, West, is about 3 m. south-west of Spilsby. The name was formerly written "West Kiel," Kiel being only another form of Danish Keol, a ship, and the inference is that during the Danish invasions there were some navigable streams — perhaps a branch of the Steepiug — by which ships approached these parts; and KEAL GOATES is a hamlet m. nearer East Fen, which, with West Fen, was formerly drained by the Steeping. In the time of Henry IV. " there were four sewers which passed the fresh waters from Bulling- broke and other towns adjacent in East fenne and West fenne became obstructed.'' (Dugdale, p. 162.) The catch-water drainage, initiated by Mr. Rennie, has carried the waters of these fens to the outfall of the Witham. But Mr. Wheeler* reported in 1867 that the heavy rains had caused floods, "A large tract of rich corn land in the East Fen has been com- pletely under water ; and, viewed from Keal Hill, the level is described as having the appearance of one extensive lake." This defect has been remedied by the use of powerful pumping engines. CHURCH, S. Helen, built of sandstone and brick in E- Eng. and Perp. styles. In the recent rebuilding of the chancel the early Dec. is introduced. Register dates from 1625. The principal residence is West Keal Hall. INN. — Vanguard at Keal Coates. Area of parish, 1963 acres. Pop., 415. Kirkby-upon-Bain (Line.) is situate on the Bain, a tributary of the Witham. The nearest railway station is Woodhall Spa, on Kirkstead and Horn- castle branch of Gr. N. Ry., 2^ m. distant : it is from Tattershall. * Remarks on the state of the Outfall of the Witham, Boston, 1867. EAST KIRKB Y — KIRKB Y GREEN— KIRKSIEAD. 69 The prerix Kirk or Kir is found in the names of some dozen parishes in Line. " We find the prefix Kirk, a church, in the names of no less than sixty-eight places in the Danelagh, while in the Saxon portion of England we find it scarcely once." (Dr. Isaac Taylor on Words and Places.) Kirkby or Kirby = a church village. Kirk-stead; Sax. stede, a place. CHURCH, S. Mary, was rebuilt in early part of this century, and contains nothing worthy of special note. TU3IBY is a township included in this parish, and is included in the regis- ter, which dates from 1562. In Tumby there are extensive woods of oak and larch, occupying some 1000 acres. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in this parish. INN. — Ebrington Arms. Area of parish, 5387 acres. Pop., 580. East Kirkby (Line, i is about 3 m. west of Keal, or 6 hi. from Spilsby on the Tattershall road, which skirts the Fens. 9 m. from Tattershall. A drain near the village is navigable to Boston. CHURCH, S. Nicholas, is an ancient building, constructed partly of Ancaster stone, mostly in Dec. style, but some por- tions E. Eng., and insertions of Perp. The interior has some interesting portions, antique monumental work, and a carved oak screen. The register dates from 1583. The Wesleyans have a chapel here. A free school was founded here and endowed by Gregory Croft in 1719. KIRKBY FEN-SIDE Res to the south of the village. INNS. — Lion and Coach and Horses (Fen-side.) Area of parish, 1956 acres. Pop., 354. Kirkby Green (Line.) is just on the border and to the North of -Digby Fen. The nearest station is the Scopwick and Timberland one on G.N. and G-.E. joint line, f m. north-west. CHURCH. Holy Cross, is a modern building in E. Eng. style, and built on the site of an old church. The living is united with Scopwick. The register dates from 1722, but that of Scopwick is much earlier. Area, 401 acres. Pop., 123. Kirkstead (Line.) is to the east of the river "Wit-ham; 3 m. to northward of Tattershall. There 70 KIRKS TEAD — KIRTON — SO U TH KYME. is a station on the Lincoln and Boston branch of G. N. By., and a junction with line to Horncastle, 7 m. eastward. CHURCH, S. Leonard, consists of a nave and turret only ; it is stone, and in E. Eng. style, with narrow lancet windows. Though small, it is an interesting building. The register dates from 1660. An abbey was founded here in 1139, and colonized by the Cistercians from Fountain's Abbey, Yorks., and some remains still exist. The subsoil is gravelly to depth of 3 ft. to 5 ft., below which is the bolder clay. HOTELS. — Railway, Abbey Lodge. Area, 1459 acres. Pop., 114. Kirton (Line.) is 4 m. south-west of Boston ; it has a station on Peterboro' and Boston branch of G. N. By. Kirton was written Kirketon — Kirk, a church, and tun. Sax., an enclosure, or = church- town. According to tradition, Kirton has a more remote antiquity than Boston. (Traditions of Line, Boston, 1841.) " The township of Boston " is spoken of as being " within the wapentake of Kirton." (Duodale, p. 204.) CHURCH, SS. Peter and Paul. This is a stone building in different styles. The nave is clerestoried, and has 6 bays ; the arcades are E. Eng., and the clerestory is lighted by 12 windows on each side ; the doorways are E. Eng. ; the roof of the nave of Perp. work, and the bases of the principals are adorned by figures of angels and saints upon brackets. Thi:j ch. was originally cruciform, and the chancel formerly Dec. The register dates from 1555. The parish includes the hamlets of KIRTON END, KIR- TON HOLME, SKELDYKE (near the Salt Marsh), KIRTON MERE, SEADYKE, and KIRTON FEN (see Holland Fen). There are here chapels belonging to the Congregationalists and Wesleyans ; also almshouses for poor women. HOTEL.— Gt. Northern. INNS. — Nag's Head, King's Head, Wheat Sheaf, Stag's Head, Boat and Gun (Skeldyke). Area of parish, 8962 acres. Pop., 2011. Kyme, South (Line.) is situated east of the Car Dyke, and on a small stream called " Kyme Eau, 1 ' which appears to have been navigable at an early period, as it was obstructed so that ships could not SOUTH AND NORTH KYME — LAKENHEA TH. 71 pass in 1342. (Dugdale). This stream now unites with Holland Dyke, and the waters drain into the ^Yithain at a point about 1 m. south of Dogdyke Ferry. The nearest railway station is Dogdyke (5m. to north-west) on Lincoln and Boston branch of Gr.N. The CHUECH, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is a very ancient structure, and indeed only a portion of an old conven- tual eh. The porch has an inner doorway of pure Nor. The interior contains some tombs, and inscriptions which will interest the visitor, especially that of Gylbert Taylboys, once lord of Kyme. The register dates from 1654. The most attractive object in the village is the Kyme tower, the keep of an ancient castle (see illustration in Fenland.) from the top of which a fine view of the Fens is obtained. The parish has two townships, the one to the north being North Kyme, situate on the Car Dyke, and 5 m. south-west from Tattershall station on Of. N. Ey. The CHUECH is a modem one, built in 1877 of brick, in Gothic style. The old ch. was demolished at the Eeformation. The TVesleyans have a chapel here. INNS.— South Kyme Tower ; Coach and Horses and Plough, at North Kyme. Area of South Kyme, 4787 acres. Pop., 530. ,, ,, North Kyme, 8676 acres. Pop., 696. Lakeriheath (Snff.) is situated on the eastern border of the Fens. The 4< New Lode"' communi- cates with the Little Ouse. Lakenheath station is 2| m. to the north of the village, which is 5 m. south- west of Brandon. CHUECH, S. Mary, is an ancient building of brick and flint, in Dec. and Perp. styles. The tower is embattled and sur- mounted by pinnacles. The roof of the nave is richly carved. The chancel was restored in 1861. The register dates from 1706 ; previous ones were lost. The Congregationalists, Baptists, and Wesleyans have chapels here. West of the village is UNDLEY, a hamlet in the fen. NOTE. — In the ch. are some brasses and matrices in memory of the clothworkers who used to flourish here. " At Lakenheath the gravels are finely developed, and yield numbers of flint implements of paleozoic type. The surface of the chalk further inland is worn into the curious curves so 72 L A NGBI VILLE — LA NGTOFT — LANG TON. well known to workers in chalk districts."' (Geology of the Fenland, by Skektchly ; Survey, p. 195.) See also Evans' Stone Implements, p. 596. INNS. — Green Dragon, Bull, Half Moon, Anchor. Area, 10,900 acres. Pop., 1877. Landbech. i See under WaterbecL) Langriville (Line.) is situate on the river Witham. and 5 m, north-west of Boston. The station is Langrick on G. N. By. This place (included in WILDMORE ) and its surroundings are not easily denned, according to the plan of this book. COPPING SYKE, HAVEN BANK, LANDS SOUTH OF THE WITHAM, are separate parishes with a small popula- tion ; the two first, with Langriville. are included in the Wildmore Fen United School Board. A small chapel was built at Wildmore hi 1818, and the living is a vicarage. The Wesleyans have a chapel at Haven Bank and Langrick Ferry. The pop. is little over 500. Langtoft (Line.) is 2 m. north of Market Deeping. The nearest station is Tallington, 3 m. to south-west on G. N. Ky., and on the Deeping and Bourne high road. The name = long toft (there is Langetofte in Denmark. | CHUBCH, S. Michael, is of stone, in Perp. style, with clerestoried nave, aisles, chantries — the north one containing Dec. piscinre, — chancel, and a tower and spire west of south aisle. There are memorials to some members of families formerly residing in the village. The register dates from 1668. The Independents and Wesleyans have chapels here. INNS. — Black Bull, Waggon and Horses, Royal Oak. Area, 2520 acres. Pop., 584. Langton S. Andrew's (Line.) is on the north border of the Fens, a little to the east of the Witham, and 7 m. from Horncastle. The station on Kirkstead and Horncastle branch of G.N. Ky. is called " "Wood- hall Spa.'' The ecclesiastical parish was recently formed from the civil parishes of Langton by Horn- castle, Thimbleby, Thornton, and Woodhall. LAXGTOX— LEAKE. 73 The CHURCH, S. Andrew, was erected about 1646. of stone, in Gothic style. A Primitive Methodist chapel was erected before the ch. was, and the Wesleyan and Presbyterian ones since. WOODHALL SPA is the great attraction to this neighbour- hood, the waters possessing considerable medicinal properties. The discovery of this Spa arose from an accident, for a Mr. Parkinson commenced sinking a shaft (1828) with the expec- tation of finding coal, intending to go down some 1000 ft., but when he had reached 510 ft. a spring was struck, and the present Spa is the result. Dr. E. Pbankt.and supplied a copy of the analysis of this water to the Director General of the Geological Survey in 1871, from which the water appears to contain an unusually large proportion of iodine and bromine, and of 100,000 parts of the water then. 1125 were chlorine, bromine being 0-28, iodine 0-88. (Full analysis is given in Geo. Memoir. 1877. p. 235.) Visitors find accommodation at the Victoria Hotel and Spa Baths, where all modern appoint- ments are found. The baths are heated by steam. The pop. of the parish is 515. Leake (Line.) is some 8 m. north-east of Boston. The East Lincolnshire (G.N.) Ey. crosses Hobhole Drain, which runs through this parish, at a point called " Old Leake,*' and here is the station, which is about 4 m. from the ch. The parish is a very scattered one. CHUBCH, S. Mary, is of stone, in the E. Eng., Dec, and Perp. styles. There are some Nor. pillars in the nave and a Nor. arch in the tower. In the chancel there are piscina, sedilia, and an aumbry on north side. The clerestory is Perp., six windows on each side. In the interior are several objects which will interest the visitor. The register dates from 1575. — A chapel of ease, S. Mary, about 2 m. north of the ch.. was erected in 1875. This is a substantial building of white brick with stone dressing. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in this parish. There are some valuable charities here. NEW LEAKE is a hamlet 5 m. north of the ch., and is included in the parish of Eastville. Lade Bank runs from west to east, about 1£ m. north of New Leake, and is cut by the railway. After the passing of the ' ; Witham Drainage Act " in 1867. two pairs of high pres- sure engines, working two of Appoli/s centrifugal pumps, were erected at Lade Bank, on the west of Hobhole Drain, for the purpose of draining more effectually the East, West, and Wildmore Fens. 74 LEVE1UXGT0N—LEVEHTOX. INNS. — White Hart, White Horse, Windmill, Wellington, (Leake Fen.) Area, 7739 acres. Pop., 2120. Leverington (Gambs.) This village is in the Isle of Ely, and about H m. north-west of Wisbech. The nearest station is on the Midland Ry., 1 m. distant. The name is derived from the Sax. family name of Lwferingas. CHURCH, SS. Leonard and John, is a very line and in- teresting edifice. Its general character is Perp., but the tower is fine E. Eng., the spire good Dec. ; their proportions are elegant, the stone durable, and the workmanship high class. The south porch deserves special notice, and the room over- it has a rare feature in its stone roof. Under the chancel arch is a venerable relic — an original oaken eagle. (See Fen and Marshland Churches.) "The font is very much enriched, and not often exceeded; it is Perp., with niches, buttresses, and images." (Rickman.) The chancel has the original sedilia. There are several good residences in this village which is well wooded. " Park House " was the residence of theLuMPKiNs. NOTE. — The north aisle of the ch. contains a monumental slab, with the following inscription (copy made 6th March, 1889) : — " In memory of Nicholas Lumpkin, gent., who died the 25th Nov., 1825, aged 69 years ; also of Captain Anthony Lumpkin, who died 11th Oct., 1780, aged 51 years." It is generally believed in the neighbourhood that Goldsmith formed the plot of "She Stoops to Conquer" in this village, and that he used to visit at the house of Capt. Anthony's father. Gold- smith did not often go into the region of ideality for his names and characters, and the name "'Tony Lumpkin" just suited his purpose when he portrayed a country lout. It is notable that Oliver was bom in 1728, and his friend Anthony in 1729, and when they met in this village and had their rambles together, they may have come across some rustic whose ap- pearance and manners suggested the character attributed to " 'Tony," and it was a friend of his own age with whose name he took this liberty. Prof. Masson, in his memoir of Gold- smith,* asserts that " She Stoops to Conquer"' was written at a farm house in Edgeware Eoad, but makes no allusion to the formation of the plot at Leverington, while he admits Oliver made "journeys at intervals into various parts of England." INNS. — Rising Sun, White Swan. GOREFIELD and 3IURROW were once included in this + " Globe Readings from Standard Authors," Macmillan & Co., 1883. LE VERTON— LINCOLN. 75 parish, but these and PARSOX DROVE appear in this book under separate heads. Area of parish. 4018 acres. Pop., 1214. Leverton (Line.) is about 2 m. south of Leake, 6 m. north-east of Boston, and the nearest station is Sibsey, on G. N. Ry. This parish extends to The Wash, and includes part of " East Holland." CHURCH, S. Helen, an ancient building of stone, in the Dec. and Perp. styles. The chancel has a south chapel, the nave has five bays and is clerestoried, north and south aisles, west tower is Perp. with plain parapet. The chancel has three Dec. sediliae and a hagioscope connected with the chapel. There are some remains of a fine old carved oak screen . The eh. was restored and re-fitted in 1882. The register dates from 1562. There is a "Weslevan chapel here. INNS. — Bell. Ostrich. Area, 2894 acres. Pop., 593. Lincoln is the capital of the county to which it gives its name, is a city and county in itself, and is 129 m. from London by Gr. X. Ry., through Peter- borough and Grantham. It is approached from the North through York, Doncaster, and Gainsborough ; from the West (Liverpool and Manchester) through Sheffield and Retford ; from the South-west through Birmingham, Lichfield, Derby, and Nottingham. The river Witham flows through the city from west to east under the High Bridge, and anciently two artificial water- courses— of Eoman construction — connected this river with both the Trent and the Welland, aud a large trade was carried on through these channels. The Car Dyke led into the Wel- land and Nene, but is no longer navigable ; and the Toss Dyke communicated with the Trent, and is still used for commercial purposes, or for boating. Brayford — (the Lincoln Dock, in fact, is surrounded on the north and east by wharves, ware- houses and mills i — receives the wator of the upper course of the Witham and affords an entrance to the Foss Dyke. From Brayford the water has a course under the " High Bridge " to the lower reach of the Witham, which is navigable to Boston. The name Lincoln is derived from Lindum Colonia, but Lindum is the Latinized form of Lhjn, the Keltic for a pool. Brayford. no doubt, is only a portion of the once " wide- spreading water" or mere. This was the northern extremity 76 LINCOLN. of the great Fen district. When the Romans extended their conquest to this part they found a British town or stronghold on the eminence beyond the pool : in due time, Lindum became one of the nine "Colonial' of Romanized Britain, and stately buildings were erected during the Roman occupa- tion, as interesting remains still testify, and great causeways or roads were made to connect the city with all part.-, of the country. Lincoln may not unfitly be called a dual city, the river forming the line of division. From the left bank of the river the ground rises till it reaches the site of the ancient city — the city on the Mount. The city of the Vale stretches away southward on each side the High Street — (the Foss way from Newark united with the Ermine Street up the Steep Hill) — and this had its foundation subsequent to the Norman Con- quest, when the Conqueror — in his own ruthless fashion — had demolished many houses on the hill to build the castle, " 166 houses being destroyed for the completion of the outworks. " and many people were thus left homeless. The south side of the river was then comparatively a waste, and here the house- less people took refuge. Coleswegex, of Danish descent, gained the favour of the Conqueror, and received permission to build houses, and in due time three churches were erected in the style adopted by the English before the introduction of the Norman. The towers of those early churches still remain — two are on the east side of High St., viz., S. Mary-le-Wigford near G.X. station, and S. Peter-at-Gowts near Gowts' bridge; the third was S. Benedict, on the west side — now disused. The towers all bear the same characteristics — without but- tresses, and having mid-wall shafts in the belfry windows. The visitor's attention is specially directed to these as historic remains of our English forefathers. The High Street is crossed by two railways, the G. N. and the Midland, including the M. S. & L. The citizens are to be congratulated that these railways were constructed when level crossings were allowed, notwithstanding the temporary ob- struction to the traffic in High St., for two ponderous bridges with the necessary long embankments, as approaches, would have been a grievous detriment to this fine old street and to the picturesqueness of this grand old city. The truth of this may- easily be verified by any one who will go down High St. below Gowts' bridge and see the ugly iron viaduct over that part of the street, connecting a loop of the joint line of G.N. and G. E. Ry. with the main line ; but let him retrace his steps northward, and soon will rise to view the ancient city, presenting terrace upon terrace of buildings, mellowed in the ages — not in unbroken lines, but varied by tower and spire and turret, quaint gables and castellated structures — and LINCOLN. 77 elevated above all, the Minster in solemn grandeur, with its three towers standing out in bold relief against the azure — the central one grandest of all and matchless in its kind ; and then as he approaches the old Stone Bow, grim with age, but wisely preserved from destruction in these latter days, he seems to be entering some sacred precincts, and is moved to exclaim, in the words of the Poet Wordsworth's sonnet — " Open your gates, oh ! everlasting pile, Open your gates, oh ! monument of love Divine ! thou. Lincoln, on thy sovereign hill." Having thus introduced the reader to this ancient city, and having given some idea of the impression produced by a visit — an impression which each visit seems to deepen — we are bound to say that no more than a mere outline or mention of the varied and beautiful features of Lincoln can be given in these pages. We shall observe the same order of description as is observed hi regard to other towns, and shall inform the reader where he may rind more details than can be given in this book. The Cathedral was begun in 1075 by Remigius, who died just before the dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1092. The Nor. style seen in the recesses of the west front and in the lower part of the west towers are portions of the early ch. The three west doors, the west towers, and the arcading are attributed to Alexander, the third Nor. Brj., on effecting a restoration after a fire in 1111. The general style of the cathedral is E. Eng. in its various stages of develop- ment, simple yet beautiful in the nave and transepts, and remarkably elegant in the choir. At each end of the main transept i= a circular window— the north one. good E. Eng. ; the south one is an elaborate Dec. circle, one of the finest in the kingdom. The screen under the organ is a very fine example of late E. Eng. and the workmanship of the bands and open foliage round the doors is exquisite. The east win- dow has eight lights, formed in fact by doubling the four lights and preserving the circle as the ornament. This is sometimes called geometrical, or a transition from E. Eng. to Dee , and in this case the harmony with the rest of the choir is remark- ably sustained. The same remark applies to the whole of the Lady Chapel or "Angel Choir," built between 1255 and 1280. The upper part of the central tower is Dec. The cloisters on three sides belong to the Dec. period (the fourth side is the library). The south-east door is very elegant, though the statuary has suffered mutilation, and on each side of it is a small chapel or chantry in the Perp. style. The chapter house is a decagonal building of the early part of the 13th century, having double lancet windows in each bay. There is a central pier from which the divisions of the elegant groined roof 78 LINCOLN. spring. This fine building is now (1889) being substantially restored by Thompson, of Peterboro.' A vestibule connects the chapter house with the cloisters. Having given this brief outline of the main features we must refer the reader to The Notes and Plan obtainable in the cathedral, and to A Walk through Lincoln Minster, be Rev. E. Venables, M.A., Precentor of Lincoln, Published by Akbill & Co. Churches.— S. BENEDICT, llth century, in High St., disused, E. Eng., Dec. windows, Sax. tower.— S. MARTIN'S, near the top of High St., to the left, was a very early ch. The tower only remains, the ch. being pulled down in 1876, and the materials used in building S. ANDREW'S as a chapel of ease to S. Peter's-at-Gowts. Register dates from 1548. — S. MARTIN'S (new ch.) is some distance to the west of the old one in West Parade, approached by S. Martin's lane. This building is in E. Eng. style ; consecrated in 1873. — S. MARY- LE-WIGFORD (High St.), near G. N. Ry. station. The tower is the only remaining part of the original ch. Mixed styles. (The prefix Wig is Sax. for battle or warfare, and as the river is near by, there may have been a ford. Therefore the name indicates that a battle was fought there during the Angliau conquest.) Register dates from 1563.— S. PETER-AT- GOWTS, High St. The tower already named is the only part of the original ch. (The Gowts, or water-courses, hard by.) The southern arcade and chancel windows are Nor. There are E. Eng. and Dec. styles in this ch. Register dates from 1538 and 1540.— S. BOTOLPH'S, High St. This is not the original ch., which was in ruins in 1645; rebuilt in 1723; new aisle erected in 1878. Register dates from 1561.— S. MARK'S, in High St., is a new building in E. Eng. style; it is built on the site of a former ch., which was patched up in 1786. The tower and spire are in good taste. There is a bell from old S. Benedict's, dated 1585. The register dates from 1681.— S. MARY MAG- DALENE, Exchequer Gate. The first ch. of this name was destroyed by Remigius to make room for the cathedral. A new building was erected in 1317, ruined during the wars in 1643, rebuilt in 1695, restored in 1882. The register dates from 1G65.— S. MICHAEL-ON-THE-MOUNT, erected in E. Eng- style in 1857. The early ch. was distroyed in 1643. Register dates from 1562.— S. PETER'S, Eastgate, was dis- mantled by the Parliamentarians in 1643 ; it was in E. Eng. style ; the tower resembled that of S. Mary-le-Wigford. The present building was erected in 1870. — S. PAUL'S, in a street called the "Bail," north-east of the castle. This is a modern building, erected on the site of an early ch., " a spot we should never pass without reverence. For there can be little doubt that here, amidst the columns of massive walls and mosaic pavements of the Praetorium of the Roman city, was reared LINCOLN. 70 the first Christian church of Lincolnshire." * by Blecca, Governor of Lincoln, in A.D. 628.— S. PETER'S-AT-ARCHES. in Silver St., is classic style of Sir Christopher Wren, built in 1724. There was an older ch., as the register dates from 1561.— S. ANDREW'S, Canwiek Road, in E. Eng., consecrated in 1878; parish formed in 1881.— S. SWLTHIN'S, in the former Sheep Market, built in Dec. in 1887. It has a fine tower and fine spire, the two being 199 ft. high. Here, again, was an early ch., which was destroyed by fire in 1614. and lay in ruins till 1718. The register dates from 1685.— The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL, built in 1799 in Silver St. has been pulled down; the site still remains vacant a temporary iron ch. in Park st. being now used, a new one in E. Eng. style will shortly be built. There are several chapels belonging to the dissenting bodies. — The Congregational chapel, in Newland, was built in 1876 in the Transitional style, with tower and spire. — The Wes- leyans have 1 chapels — one in Bailgate, in Dec. Gothic style ; the Hannah Memorial in High St., with a portico of Corin- thian order ; Wesley chapel, in Clasket-gate, with portico of Ionic order ; and some distance beyond S. Botolph's ch. in High St. is a new and handsome chapel on the right of Bar- gate. — The Free Methodist chapel in Silver St. — The Primitive Methodists have two chapels, one in Bethel Place, the other in RasenLane. — The General Baptist chapel is in S. Benedict's square. — Particular Baptist in Mint Lane. — The Unitarian chapel is in High St. Lincoln has been remarkable for its Gateways and Arches, some of which have disappeared.— The NEWPORT ARCH, a Roman remain, said to have been built in A.D. 45, is the northern gate of the old city, and is most interesting. — The EXCHEQUER GATE is at 'the entrance of the cathedral yard — a three-storied gate-house, with central arch for car- riages and two for foot passengers. — POTTER-GATE, one of the ancient gates of the close. — The STONE-BOW across High St., of the date of the 15th or 16th century, occupying the place of a former Roman gate. The Guildhall is above the archway. — There are many other arches or gateways which deserve the visitor's attention, such as the POSTERN-GATE at the top of the " Grecian Stairs," the GATEWAY TOWER at the entrance of the Vicar's court, the GOTHIC ARCHWAY leading to the Bishop's Palace, south of cathedral, date 1496- 1504 ; and the entrance to the GREAT HALL, and the ALNWICK GATEWAY TOWER among the ruins of the Palace (built in 1110). Some restoration has been effected here, for the residence of the Bishop and the ancient Buttery has been converted into a private chapel for Bishop King, and * Precentor Yenables. 80 LINCOLN. is well worth a visit. The gateway of the Castle has an outer pointed arch, but there are traces of the Norman easily dis- tinguished. Just within this gate the visitor may see a beau- tiful little oriel window, once belonging to John of Gaunt's palace in High St. (Nos. 122 and 128), opposite to which (we may here mention is a relic of early domestic architecture — S. Mary's Guild, commonly called John o' Gaunt's stables; the Nor. archway and the rich cornice below the windows (12th century work) will interest the visitor, as also will the Nor. house inside the court yard. The HIGH BRIDGE, over the Witham, is a Gothic struc- ture, and " the only mediaeval bridge in England preserving the houses upon it " — though only on west side ; the obelisk surmounting a conduit on east side was erected in 1768 on the site of a chapel dedicated to S. Thomas a Becket. Another conduit stands in High St., near S. Mary-le-Wigford ch. ; this is an interesting Gothic structure, erected in time of Henry VIII. from materials of the old "White Friars," which stood where the Midland station is now. In connection with High St. may be mentioned the house, No. 42 (below Gowt's bridge) which was the former " Stuff factory," where was woven the woollen stuff worn at the "Stuff-balls," held first in 1780. — Another house of note is the -'Jeic's House,'" which is situated to the north, beyond High St., and The Strait, near the Steep Hill. This house is a specimen of Nor. domestic archi- tecture of 12th century, and is of great historic interest. Public Buildings. -The GUILDHALL over the Stone- Bow.— The GRAMMAR SCHOOL (held at the Grey Friars 1567 to 1883, in S. Swithin's square, the upper part being now occupied bv The. Middle School) occupies the western part of Lindum Terrace.— S. ANNE'S BEDE HOUSES, designed by Pugin, are at the back of Lindum Terrace. These are alms- houses.— NEW COUNTY HOSPITAL in same locality. The old County Hospital, on the hill south of the castle, has be- come a Theological School, called "The Bishop's Hostel." This was founded by the late Bishop Wordsworth. — The MECHANICS' INSTITUTION, over the Butter Market, near S. Peter-at-Arches, formerly the city Assembly Rooms. — The SCHOOL OF ART, a fine building finished in 1886. in Monk's Road.— The CENTRAL NATIONAL SCHOOLS (1813) in Silver St.— The COUNTY ASSEMBLY ROOMS, in Bailgate, were opened in 1744. The principal room is 70 ft. by 30 ft , and here the " Stuff Ball " has been held annually since 1789. The wife of Sir Joseph Banks was the first patroness. — The NEW CORN EXCHANGE, near Cornhill, to the east of High St., was erected in 1879-80. It contains the largest rooms in the city, but no architectural features worthy of note ; and the same remark applies, barring the New Art Schools, to the LINCOLN. 81 modern public building of the city.— The COUNTY HALL, a modern Gothic building, is situate in the area of the castle grounds. It was erected in 1826.— A VOLUNTEERS' DRILL HALL, is just erected (1890) at the expense of Mr. Joseph Ruston, in Broadgate ; the whole length is 180 ft. — great hall 135 x 48 ft., the building contains Magazine, Arm- oury, Workshop, Gymnasium and other rooms. The ARBORETUM, or Public Recreation Ground, is in Monk's Road. It was a common, called Monks' Leys, used by the freemen of the city ; it contains about 13 acres, and was appropriated as a Park in 1872. Near by is an interesting ruin, Monks' Abbey, a small monastic relic of the cell of S. Mary's at York. Lincoln does not possess a Museum, although there have existed ample materials, of the archaeological sort at least. Under the Library, to the north of the cloisters, there are various fragments of architectural remains ; and by the Library stairs the " Roman Museum," with relics of ancient Lindum. NOTE. — We do not call this an " Historical Note," * because it is impossible to present here the barest outline of the history of Lincoln, and it is not a little remarkable that this notable city does not possess a compendious History worthy of the name ; the materials, like those which might have formed a valuable museum, are fragmentary and scattered. No literary architect has yet arisen to formulate a plan, and to collect the materials and build them up into an effective and enduring structure ; but if one competent to the task in all its require- ments should arise, he must, after all, receive his inspiration on the spot. A History of Lincoln such as we conceive it might be, would receive a national, not merely a local, recog- nition. Even the Lincoln Date Book, simply recording events down to 1866, and now out of print, has become valuable because it is scarce. The commanding position on the hill was occupied by the earliest settlers of Britain, for the Roman arch called "New-port" indicates the existence of an earlier town, and it was a spot such as the Romans ever sought to occupy in their plan of conquest. Then followed Saxons and Danes. The town was one of the Jive boroughs, and perhaps the most important of the Danish confederation (Stamford being another member — and the county itself was more largely infused by the Danish element than any other in England), and the Danish patricate of twelve Lawmen of Lincoln enjoyed great power and territorial rights. It was in 1068, when William I. was marching from York towards Cambridge, that Lincoln fell into the hands of that Conqueror. " All that we * The historic notes in the introductory remarks above are inserted as appearing essential to the topography. K 82 LINCOLN— LITTLE OUSE -LITTLEPORT. can say is that William, advancing from the north, was able to attack the town from the point where it gained little advan- tage from its site, and that the still abiding Roman gate was doubtless the scene of the Conqueror's triumphal entry." (Freeman.) To the building of the castle there are various references in Florence of Worcester and Orderieus ; and to the importance and magnitude of the town in Wm. of Malmesbury, Henry of Huntingdon, and Domesday Bool-. Lincoln rinds an important place in that superb History of the Norman Conquest by Mr. Freeman. References for further details may be made to Tlie Lincoln Pocket Guide, by Sir C. H. J. Anderson, Bt., pub. in Lincoln. 1874; 2nd ed., pub. by Stanford, Charing Cross, in 1881; Walks through the Streets of Lincoln, by Rev. E. Venarles, M.A., Precentor of Lincoln, pub. by Ariull & Co., 18X3 ; Guide through Lincoln, pub. by Williamson, High St., Lin- coln, 1887. See also Lindum Colonia, by E. A. Freeman; Macmillan , s Mag., 1875 ; and His. of Norm. Conquest, by Thierry, Bohn's series, 1856. HOTELS.— Gt, Northern, Club House Hotel (near staiion) ; Saracen's Head, Spread Eagle, Monson's Arms (High St.), White Hart (Above Hill). Market Days : Wednesday and Friday. Area, 3891 acres. Pop., 37,313. Little Ouse (Norf.) is about 4% in. north-east of Littleport Ry. station, and is a recently formed ecclesiastical parish, and includes FELTWELL ANCHOR, RED ME HE, and detached portions of S. Nicholas, Littleport, Hilgay, and Feltwell S. Mary ; therefore part of the parish is in Norf. and part in Cambs. It takes its name from the Brandon river, or " Little Ouse," to the south-west of which, and about 2 m. from the confluence with the Gt. Ouse, is situated the CHUKCH, S. John, built in E. Eng. style (in 1809). This ch. was a gift by the late Canon Sparke. The houses are scattered over a considerable area from Brandon Creek Bridge to Bedmere Fen. Area of parish, 12042 acres. Pop., 921. Littleport (Cambs.) is situate on the left bank of the Ouse, and about 5 m. north-north-east of Ely, and has a station on G. E. Ry. LITTLEPOBT — LITTLEWOBTH — LUTTOX. 83 CHUECHES. — S. George, in the old parish, is a stone edifice in Perp. style, and has a fine lofty tower, a prominent object in this level fen district. This ch. was enlarged in 1857. Kegister dates from 1751. — S. Matthew is a brick structure in E. Eng., built in 1878, when a new ecclesiastical parish was formed.— In Littleport fen is a School-Church, erected in 1889. There are four chapels belonging to the dissenting bodies. There is a Town Hall and two "Gift Houses" adjoining, built in 1879. Here, too, is a Working Men's Club, Penny Bank, Ladies' Charity, and local charities yielding a consider- able annual sum for distribution ; in fact, all the appointments of a well organized little town. There is also a Public Hall, and in course of erection (1890) a Conservative Club Ptoom. For the new parish, on the east of the river, formed in 1866, see LITTLE OUSE. XOTE. — The Eoman road, called Akeman Street, from Cirencester to Cambridge and Ely, ran past Littleport, and 1 m. north, at Cold Harbour, crossed the Ouse to Southery, thence north through Denver and Lynn to Brancaster, Xorf . " Stukeley derives the name (port) from porth, the Welsh term for a road." (Babington,) p. 17.) See paper " On Some Ancient Court Bolls of the Manor of Littleport,''' by W. Mar- shall, Gamb. Antiq. Society's Publication's, Vol. IV. IXXS. — Marquis of Granby, Crown, Black Horse, Globe. Area, 17,056 acres. Pop., 3532. Little worth— (See Deeping S. Nicholas.) Lutton (Line. ) is 2 m. north of Long Sutton, and a little to the east of the old Roman bank. The name is supposed to be derived from Lode-ton — a number of lodes or drains being in the locality. Lutton Leam runs into the Wash. This place is also called Lutton Bourn. The village is ancient but the ecclesiastical parish was formed in 1882 from that of Long Sutton. CHURCH, S. Nicholas, is built of stone and brick, is in E. Eng. and Perp. styles, has a clerestoried nave, aisles, south porch, and western embattled tower with a lofty spire. The pulpit is curious, and has a canopy. There are memorials, one dated 1100, and others of 17th century. The register dates from 1538. The Wesleyans, Primitives, and Unitarians have chapels here. NOTE.— The celebrated Dr. Busby, once Master of the Westminster School, was born here in 1606. "Some wealthy K 2 84 LYNN REGIS. London Merchants settled here in 1003, to avoid the plague." This may have given rise to the name " Little London," a locality north of Long Sutton. INNS. — Black Horse, Plough, Chequers. Area, 3728 acres. Pop., 770. Lynn Regis (Norf.) is situated on the right bank of the Great Ouse, and about 2 m. from The Wash. It is an ancient seaport. Distant from Lon- don by G. E. Ry. 97 m. The name is derived from the Keltic word Lhjn, a wide-spreading water, and hence we infer that a British settlement existed here. The Roman Road, Akeman Street, running east of the town to Brancaster, and the Roman sea banks on the shore of The Wash to the west, point to a probable Roman occupation. In Norman times, and to the middle of the 12th century, the town stood within the area bounded by the channel called Purfleet and a line a little to the south of Mill Fleet. A bank and foss defended the east side, from Purfleet to the Nar, — that is, southward to the South Gate— having ramparts on the elevated spot where the Chapel on the Mount is, and where the trees called the Seven Sisters were planted. Towards the end of 12th century the town had extended northward of the Purfleet; this was called "New Londes,'' along the east of which, from Purfleet to a spot known as Kettle Mills, a wall was built (part of which may be seen by going to the lower end of Norfolk St.) This new part was defended on the north by an earthwork (near the Long Pond) called " The Loke." * SOUTH LYNN extends southward of a line drawn from the Seven Sisters' to All Saints' ch. The Ouse runs along the west side of these divisions. Lynn ranked as " a fortified town" in 1271. Mr. Harrod could not ascertain when the walls were built, but he found the record of a grant for fortifications in the 13th Edward II. (1319 ). f " The walls' of Lynn remained entire until quite modern times. The view of the town by Buck, early in the last century, shows them at that time in a very complete state, and ending abruptly at Purfleet Drain." Churches.— S. MARGARETS in the oldest part of the town, was founded early in 12th century by Herbert, Bp. of Norwich. Some beautiful specimens of the Nor. ch. still * Mr. Beloe, in Our Borough, has shown an outer vallum and ramparts, all round, from the west of the Loke round hy the east to the river Nar. t Report on the Deeds and Records of the Borough of Kino's Lynn, by H. Harrod, F.S.A., 1874. LYNN REGIS. 85 remain. (Bp. Herbert built a priory hard by the ch.) Except the west towers the whole of the early building was demolished in the 13th century, and was followed by a new structure, of which however only the arches of the lantern and those of the chancel to the east wall remain to this day. This second ch. sustained little change till 1741. It was 238ft. long inside, was built by John de Grey, Bp. of Norwich, and was of costly workmanship. This bishop (1200-1211) lived at Gaywood ; he procured the first Lynn Charter from Ring John in 1214. At the north corner of the west front once stood the Charnel chapel, but only one buttress remains. The Corporation appointed a priest to this Charnel chapel from time to time. In 1119, when Thomas Hunte was Mayor, the belfry of S. Margaret's required repair. The Warden asked to be released from his post, as he could not undertake to pay the cost of repair. A voluntary aid was procured, and it amounted to £ 21 14 4. The churches were repaired and the church- wardens appointed by the Corporation who also paid the parish chaplains, and for such purpose a tax was levied ; but in this instance it was determined "to commune with the Prior and get the subject propounded froni the pulpit. ,; This is the earliest notice of voluntary subscriptions in lieu of a ch. rate.] For further remarks on the Charnel see note on Grammar School. This ch. was wholly cased with Perp. work in the 15th century ; but the interior arcade, stretching the whole length of the ch., except the first tower arches, belonging to the E. Eng. period, was left untouched. In 1741 the spire of the south tower was blown down, beating in the nave and much damaging the aisles. After this mishap, the ch. was restored by subscription, and completed as the visitor sees it now, in 1715. King George II. contributed £ 1000, through Sir Robert Walpole, then M.P. for the borough. Trinity chapel, adjoining the chancel, was taken down in 1823 to widen the street. Tradition says that this chapel contained the skull of S. Margaret, placed there by order of the Corpo- ration in 1181. In 1875 great alterations were effected in the nave and aisles by Sir G. Scott, and in the nave by the Eccle- siastical Commissioners. The register dates from 1559.— S. NICHOLAS. This ch. was founded by Turbus (Bp. of Nor- wich 1146 to 1171), and built on that part to the north of the old town, called " New Londe, 7 ' which was laid out for building by the said Bp., but no portion of the first chapel now remains. The present beautiful chapel was built early in 15th century, in late Perp. style. In the Bolls, the entry speaks of the most beautiful chapel " now anew built by the alms of the benevo- lent." The work was begun in 1113 and completed in 1118. It is inwardly 193ft. long, 81ft. wide, and its arcade has 13 arches. The porch of south front merits the examination of any visitor. Within the "New Londe'' area were the House 86 LYNN REGIS. of the Friars of the Soke and the Hospital of S. John. (See also Fen and Marshland Churches.) — [S. JAMES' was another chapel of ease to S. Margaret's. Judging from what remains of the original structure, it must have been once a fine build- ing in 13th century or E. Eng. style. Founded by Bp. Turbus at the same time with the chapel of S. Nicholas. Nearly demolished in 1549. [See Antiquities of King's Lynn, by W, Taylor, pub. by Thew, 1844.]— S. JOHN'S, in Blackfriars' Eoad, is the parish ch. of an ecclesiastical district formed from St. Margaret's in 1846, from which time the register dates. It is built of stone and in E. Eng. style. — ALL SAINTS, in South Lynn area, and the parish ch. of that district, is a cruciform building of the 15th century. The tower fell in 1763. The ch. was repaired and refitted in 1860. The register dates from 1558.— The KOMAN CATHOLIC CH., S. Mary, is in the London Eoad. The design, E. Eng., was by Pugin. It was built in 1844. The Wesleyans have three chapels, one in Tower St., built in 1812 ; another in London Road, in Gothic style ; and the third at North End, E. Eng. style, built in 1883. — Congrega- tional, in New Conduit St., erected in 1838. — Baptist, Stepney, in Blackfriars Road, 1841. — Union Baptist, in Market St. E. Eng. style, erected in 1859. — Methodist New Connexion, Railway Road, built in 1852. — Primitive Methodist, London Road, Italian style, built in 1857. — Unitarian, in Broad St. erected in 1375.— Society of Friends' Meeting House, in New Conduit St. Public Buildings, &C Prominent in the town, in the centre of the " Saturday Market," stands the GUILDHALL, formerly the Hall of the Trinity Guild,* which was commenced after the Feast of the Holy Trinity in 1421, and finished in 1423. "Altered and mutilated as it has been, the Hall is worthy of much more care than it has lately received. " The Hall itself is described as " originally a very handsome, well- proportioned room," but 13ft. have been cut off the north end. " The great south window is a fine specimen of the architec- ture of the period," (15th century.) Fine arras hangings once decorated the now bare interior walls, which remained as late as 1636.— GRAMMAR SCHOOL. This was established in the 4th of Edward VI. (1550), when Mr. Backster was appointed Grammar School master, to teach the children of the town " frank and free." [But previous to that time the master of the Charnel instructed boys for the choir of S. Margaret's ch. in " song," and early in the 16th century in " grammar " also.] In Mackerell's History of Lynn (1738) we find this note : — * This was not the first Guildhall, for it is stated that " The whole com- munity met in the Guildhall in 13th of Edwakd II." Our Borough, by E. M. Beloe. LYNN REGIS. 87 " On the North side of the Church Yard standeth the Free School, a very handsome Solid Fabrick, built close and con- tiguous to the west end of the North Isle, and under it an arched Vault, called the Charnel House, which I am apt to believe was a chapel, and probably the very same St. John's Church mentioned in the story of Sir William Sawtke, Priest, but when it was converted into this use I know not."t " The Ancient Statutes " are given in Haekod's Report on the Deeds and Records. These show that the school was intended to afford a classical education, frank and Tree. The "Rules" were strict and precise, and the classical curriculum compre- hensive. One " rule " is worthy of note here, viz., " Let not those who are being instructed in the first elements of gram- mar be giddily confused and like parrots without understand- ing ; but let them say their lessons in an agreeable tone, and with apt and just modulation.'' The school never received any considerable endowments, and the present school house, in S. James' St., has no architectural pretensions. In recent years the school has been controlled by 12 Governors, one of whom is appointed by H.R.H. the Peince of Wales, who gives a gold medal for vearly competition. The Mayor for the time being is also a Governor.— The CUSTOM HOUSE, near King St., is an interesting building, erected in 1683, and originally used as an Exchange. It is surmounted by a turret 90ft. high. Over the entrance is a statue of King Charles II. — The CORN EXCHANGE, situate in Tuesday Market, is a spacious build- ing, erected in 1854. — The ATHENiEUM, a large building erected in 1854, is in Baxter's Place. The front portion is now the Post Office. At the back is a room 84ft. long and 42ft. broad, used for public meetings, Ac. Some smaller rooms were till recently occupied by a Literary Society, a School of Art, Arc, and by the Stanley Library. — The MUSEUM, occupying another portion of the same building, contains a tine collection of birds, dec, : but it is not so well appreciated by the public as it deserves ; this may be partly due to the fact that the room itself presents an air of dulness to casual visitors— a lack of that attraction which would induce people to spend a leisure hour pleasantly. — The STANLEY LIBRARY, founded by the present Earl of Derby, occupies a very good building in S. James' Road. In the same building is the S. Margaret's ch. Library.— The WEST NORFOLK AND LYNN HOSPITAL stands to the east of the London Road, and near " The Walks." It is a large building with 52 beds, erected in 1834, and enlarged by two wings in 1847. — The THEATRE is in S. James' St. --ALMSHOUSES. Lynn t Mr. Beloe, however, associates Sir W. Sawtke, the first English martyr, with the chapel of S. John's Hospital, in Norfolk St. Sec Our Borough, p. 28. 88 LYNN REGIS. is well supplied by these valuable resorts for the aged poor. Framingham Hospital, in London Koad, founded in 1670 ; S. James' Hospital, S. James' Road, founded in 14th century, rebuilt in 1772 ; Valinger's Almshouses, founded in 1811 ; Smith's Almshouses, S. James' Eoad, 1822 ; Elsden's Alms- houses, South Lynn, 1842.— The WALKS of Lynn afford a great attraction to the town. They commence near S. John's ch., and not far from the railway station, and extend along the old vallum on the east of the town, and being planted with trees and shrubs, form a very pleasant and shady promenade. From the London Road is a fine avenue leading to the same old embankment. Being possessed of these fine Walks, Lynn does not require a public park. We must also mention the houses on the side of the river, in King St., Queen St., and Nelson St. Some of the entrances are very interesting, and the buildings point to a period when merchants flourished here and when a large wine trade was carried on at the port. NOTES, Historical and Antiquarian. — The old town, as briefly described above, was an adjunct of the manor of Gay- wood, and the Saxon Bishops were the lords of the Manor ; but in the early part of the 12th century, Bp. Herbert, who founded Norwich cathedral and built S. Margaret's at Lynn, made over the manorial rights of this town to the monks of Norwich. Bp. Turbus, later in the 12th century, extended the town northwards to the "New Londes," and built S. Nicholas', which was also made over to the monks, for this area was still in the Bp.'s right. The churchmen then had great territorial rights, while the king held the revenues of the port. William II. granted to D'Albini, lord of Castle Rising,* half of the tolbooth and duties of the port — the Bp. held the other half ; but if the ecclesiastics possessed power over the people, they also obtained privileges for tbem. Grey, Bp. of Norwich (1200) secured for the people of Lynn free toll through- out the realm. In 1205 he obtained from King John a charter which secured for the town the privileges and rights of a free borough. The King visited the town shortly before his death in 1216. f In the reign of Edward I. the borough sent two members to Parliament, and retained that privilege till the redistribution in 1885, since which one member is returned. The town has had many distinguished visitors. In Oct., 1428, Cardinal Beaufort came and " was supplied with wine and horse provender, and the Mayor attended him to the East gates." There is a note on the Rolls that Henry V. was * Castle Rising is Ah ni. north-east of Lynn by road, and 2 m. from North Wootton station on G. E. By. t It was not King John who dignified the name as " Lynn Regis." By the act of King Henry VIII. the estates of the Bishops were acquired, and Bishop's Lynn became King's Lynn. LYNN REGIS. 89 lodged at the Augustinian Canons. In Sept., 1470, Edward IV. paid a hasty visit. as he precipitately departed from Lin- colnshire on Warwick's advance — " he entered ships and went over the sea." He landed here on 9th March, 1471, on his return from Flanders. In Aug , 1498, Henry VII. visited Lynn with a great retinue, and received valuable presents, and two days after went hunting at Middleton and East Winch. In Aug., 1520, Cardinal Wolsey, several dignitaries of the Church, and knights and squires, came to Lynn, and great presents were bestowed upon them by the Mayor and Corpo- ration at a cost of £ 22/0/6. QUEEN ISABELLA AT CASTLE EISING. -It seems fitting, in order to correct an error in Miss Strickland's Queens of England, to point out that Mr. Harrod has very clearly shown that the Queen was not imprisioned at Eising for 27 years ; neither did she die there, although visitors are, even now a days, told so. An Inheritor of the lordship (from the D'Albinis) sold it to Isabella, who had occasional resi- dence there (as Queen Victoria has at Balmoral) and had an interest in the port dues of Lynn. These seem to be the facts. The Dowager Queen Isabella was at Pontefract in 1338 ; at Norwich in 1344, at an entertainment to the Kiug (Edward III.) and Court there ; and she was at Hertford castle in 1345 ; and from the Household Book it appears she was at Hertford from Oct., 1357, till her death in 1358, often receiving guests, and keeping up communication with tbe French coast by couriers, and receiving presents from Eising, of which entries were made : these are quoted in Mr. Harrod's Eeport. There are entries in the Lynn Eecords, showing moneys paid for messengers to and from the Eing, also for presents to him and his servants, &e. The Corporation has two objects of considerable historic interest — EING JOHN'S CUP.— This. Mr. Harrod thinks, cannot be of the time of that Eing, and therefore not the Eing's gift ; but he conjectures it was used in the yearly feasts in celebra- tion of the privileges granted by John to the borough. " The Cup must have been the work of about the middle of the 14th century." No reference is made to it in the Hall Book until 1548, when, in a list of the plate handed over to the Mayor on his entry of office, the first item is " Eing John's cup with a cover, weighing 73 ounces." THE SWOB1).— A two-edged blade, now much worn. It has inscriptions which were composed by Mr. Ivory, school master, date supposed to be 1580. In 16th Henry VIII. it was ordained that the Mayor shall have a "certain sword sheathed," borne before him, that is, a sword which already existed, for in 25th and 26th of Henry VI. there was a great 90 LYNN REGIS. stir about carrying the " Mayor's sword." Payments were made for repair of the sword and sheath in the reigns of Edward IV. and Richard III. ; but reference to the sword is traced back to the reign of Richard II. , when in 1387 William Erl received the silver zone of a " certain sword ; " yet as ten years before, when Bp. Spencer came to Lynn, there was a contention about carrying the mace before the Mayor instead of before the Bp., the sword would appear to have come into use during that decade. THE FRIARS. — Of the four orders of Friars, all of which had their habitat in Lynn, the only remaining monument of their architectural skill is seen in S. James' St., where stands the Grey Friars' Tower. It has a singular lantern with two stages of windows. It is Perp., lofty, and very light ; and, therefore, later than the foundation of the Priory in 1264. THE RED MOUNT.— On the bank which formed part of the fortifications, on the east side of the town (already de- scribed above), is a mound which was called " the hill of the Lady of the Mount," but why it was so called not even tradi- tion tells. The Records show that the spot was so designated before the building of the chapels which now stand on it, as is proved by this entry : — " On 16th June, 1483, it is recorded that it was agreed that the Mayor and Churchwardens (cherchegreaves), William Nicholasson and John Burbage, should commune with the Prior of Lynn for the ground of the hill called the Lady of the Mount for the weal of the commons."' (Harrod.) It is not even suggested that a figure of " Our Ladye" had been placed there, and the spot consecrated to the " Virgin." If the people went there to worship, it might be " for the wele of the comons" that they should have the shelter of a chapel. However, on the 25th Jan., 1484, licence was granted to Robert Gurrance "to bilde a chapell," and on 6th May, 1485, this chapel was completed. There were, indeed, erected two chapels, in that same building, " the upper one being one of the richest gems of fifteenth century work.'' Few passers by would imagine that the little octagonal building of red brick on the Mount contains such an interior. See An Historical Sketeli of Our Lady's Hill, Lynn, by E. M. Beloe, Norwich, 1884. References. — History and Antiquities of King's Lynn, by B. Mackerell, London, 1738; His. of Lynn, Civil, Ecclesias- tical, die, by W. Richards, 2 vols., London, 1812 ; His. of the Ancient and Present state of the Navigation of the Port of King's Lynn, Armstrong, 1725 ; His. of Ancient and Present State of the Navigation of the Port, &c, by Badeslade, Lon- don, 1766; His. Account of the Great Level of the Pens, &c, W. Elstobb, Lynn, 1793 ; and other works mentioned above. HOTELS. — Globe and Duke's Head, Tuesday Market; SANDRINGHAM — HUNSTANTON — WEST LYNX. r Jl Crown. Commercial, Ch. St. ; East Anglian, Couzen's Temper- ance, Black Friar's Ed. ; Fiddaman"s Hotel, Norfolk St. Markets. — Principal one for cattle, corn, &c . on Tuesday ; Saturday, for meat, poultry, &c. Area, 2898 acres. Pop., 18539. [SANDBINGHAM. — Tourists to Lynn and neighbourhood have the opportunity of visiting Sandiingham and seeing the Hall and estate belonging to H.E.H. the Pbixce of Wales. The village is about in. from Lynn, and is approached by the road running through Gaywood. South Wootton, Castle Eising, and Babingley. (Castle Rising may be visited as well as Sandringham on the same day.) The nearest station is Wolferton, on the Lynn and Hun- stanton branch of G. E. By., and the distance to Sandringham is then about 2 m. The Church. S. Mary Magdalene, within the grounds of Sandringham House, is in Perp. style, and contains several memorials of great interest. It is not our province to give details of the Hall, the gardens, the farm, the model cottages, &c, of this favoured spot. The whole estate embraces about 8000 acres.] [HUNSTANTON (Norf.) is another spot easily visited from Lynn by G. E. By., the distance being 15 m. This place has of late years become a considerable health resort. It com- mands a tine view of The Wash, and the air is dry and bracing. The beach affords safe bathing and the pier a pleasant pro- menade. There are good hotels and villa residences. — The old part of the village, about a mile to the north, is very interesting. The ch., S. Mary, is a tine structure in Dec. style, and with it and the Hall are associated the family of L'Estbasge. Here the cliffs rise 60 feet above the sea.~ West Lynn is situate on the west side of the Gt. Ouse, and opposite King's Lynn. A ferry is the direct communication. Marshland Iron Bridge affords a carriage way, the distance being about 2 m. CHURCH, S. Mary, is of brick, in late Perp. style. It has nave, transepts, and an embattled tower, and contains some interesting memorials. The register dates from 1695. INNS. — Bentinck Arms, Swan, Cherry Tree. Area. 1619. Pop., 576. Manea (Cainbs.) is 7 m. south-east of March. It Las a station on the G. E. By., about 1 m. from the 92 MANE A— MARCH. village. This spot was one of the fen islands, as the termination of the word indicates. ( See deriva- tion in Introduction.) CHURCH, S. Nicholas, was built in 1875, on the site of an older eh. The style is Early Dec. The register dates from 1708. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here NOTE. — In Babixgton's Ancient Cambridgeshire, 2nd Ed., p ; 72, we find this note : — "Mr. I. Deck possessed a necklace of 39 rough ambers and 8 blue glass beads, and also a bronze spear head and various other ' Roman ' implements. They were found in company with a skeleton in Maney Fen, and were British rather than Roman. (Camb. Chron., May 2nd, 1840.) Maney is at some distance from any of the old roads, and in the heart of the fens." This find helps to support the idea that the Britons held out here till a comparatively late period. King Chakles I. took great interest in the drainage of the Fens (Dugdale, p. Ill,) and it is recorded that he in- tended to build a town at Manea, and to make a navigable stream from hence to the Ouse. A hillock on which a castle was built is still known as " Charlemont." INNS. — Rose and Crown, Royal Oak, Three Fishes. Area, 1768 acres. Pop., 1151. March (Canibs.) is situate on the Old Kiver Nene. It is 80 m. from London by rail. Here is an important railway junction of the G. E. By., through which the traffic has been greatly increased by the formation of a joint line of G. E. and G. N. Kys.' through communication to the north of Eng- land, since 1882. The station was erected nearly a mile from the town ; but of late years buildings have gradually extended towards the station. The name March* has some historic interest, as march or mark signified " a boundary." Now the town stands on an island capped with gravel (see map), and this high land ex- tends to Doddington, aud here was dry ground when the fens around were flooded. But the interest of the matter lies in the probability that here in the 6th century was the boundary between the East Angles and the Middle Angles, for East Anglia extended to the west of the Ouse before the Mercian * " The root is found in all Inilo- Germanic languages, and is probably to be referred to the Sanskrit Marya, a boundary."' (Dr. Taylor on Words and Places.) M ARCH. 93 kingdom was formed ; and then, the word Mercia, of the same origin, was applied to the frontier province between the Angles and the Welsh. The place, however, had most likely a more remote antiquity than is here implied, for Roman remains have been found. (See Note below.) Previous to the passing of the Doddington Rectory Division Acts in 1847 and 1856, which came into force on the death of the Rector, Rev. A. Peyton, in 1868, March was included in the Doddington parish. Of the seven parishes into which the Doddington one was divided, March has four. Churches — S. WENDREDA is a stone building in Perp. style. The nave is clerestoried, and has very fine carved oak roof. The chancel was newly erected in 1875. The ch. con- tains some interesting memorials. The register dates from 1558.— S. MARY'S. The parish was formed in 1868. The ch. is at Westry, 2 m. north of the town, is in Dec. style, and consists of a nave, apsidal chancel, south porch, vestry to north, and west turret. This is a pleasing object in the land- scape as seen from the March and Peterboro.' Ry. — S. JOHN'S. Parish formed in 1872. The ch. is on the Station Rd., and a short distance from the railway. It is built of stone, in E. Eng. and Dec. styles.— S. PETER'S. Parish formed in 1881, which occupies a central position in the town (the old ch., S. Wendreda, being a mile from the bridge.) It is built of stone, and has a lofty tower and spire. The Congregationalists have a chapel in Station Rd. ; the Wesleyans one in High St. ; the Baptists one in Whittlesea Rd., and another in High St.. ; Particular Baptists, in Sumps. Public Buildings, Sec — The guildhall, in High St., with no architectural pretensions. — The GRAMMAR SCHOOL, lately erected in S. John's Road.— The BOARD SCHOOLS are very good structures.— The TEMPERANCE HALL and Railway Servants' Mission, Station Rd. The cost, £ 1000, was defrayed by Miss P, H. Peckover, of Wisbech. March is certainly an improving town, and the extension of the Wisbech Water Works (1881) (the source of supply being at Marham. Norf.) to this place must be a great boon to the inhabitants. The old wells sunk in the gravel were formerly the only source of supply, and the water was always more or less contaminated. All the Fen towns have to go to the border-land for the supply of potable water as there are no springs in the level. NOTE. — About 1 m. to the north of the town runs a road, from east to west, called " The Fex Road," and this is sup- posed to have been constructed by the Romans. Elstobb, writing on the Great Level, says (p. 11), "Many arms and Roman coins have been found in that country, and the long 94 MARCH— MARE HA M-LE-FEN. causey made of gravel about 3 ft. thick, mentioned by Dugdale as being in breadth 60ft. and extending in length 24 miles across the fen from Denver in Norf., near Salter's Lode, over the great wash to Charke, thence to March, Plant-water, and Eldernell, and so to Peterboro.' is a lasting monument of their labours." * " In 1730, when the road was making from Wisbech to March (between March common and Guyhirn), two urns were found, in one of which were bones and ashes, and in the other about 300 pieces of silver coin, of all the Roman Emperors from Vespasian to Constantine, both inclusive, no two pieces alike (Reliq. Gal. in Bibl. Topog. Brit, hi., 163 and 465, where they are described.) Also a few years since (before 1827) some coins of Hadkian were found in a field of Mr. Richard's ; and more recently, in digging a hole for a gate post, nearly half-a- peck of base silver, of about the time of Gallienus, was found at Stoney, near March. (Watson's His. of Wisbech, p. 588.) " In the course of the formation of the railway, three Roman vases were found in a bed of gravel, 3ft. below the surface, at Norwoodside, by March, which are now in the Wisbech Museum." (Ancient Camus., p. 72.) HOTELS.— Griffin, White Hart, Railway Hotel. Market on Wednesday. Area of parishes, 19141 acres. Pop., 6190. Mareham-le-Fen (Line.) is situate on the nor- thern border of the Fenland, about 6 m. from Tatter- shall station of Gr. N. By. Near the village is a Catchwater drain, constructed by Kennie, and this is navigable by New Bolingbroke to Boston. CHURCH, S. Helen, is a stone building in Dec. style. It has chancel, nave, aisles, south porch, a pinnacled tower. The register dates from 1558. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. NOTE. — " In a pit half-a-mile west of Mareham-le-Feu gravel of the ordinary fen character is exposed. It is com- posed of angular but weathered flints, pebbles of oolite lime- stone, with fragments of quartz, coal-measure sandstone, &c, in a sandy matrix." (Geol. Mem., p. 196.) INNS. — Royal Oak, Woodman's Rest. Area, 1877 acres. Pop., 736. * His. Acct. of the Gt. Level of the Fens, called Bedford Level, and other Fens and Marshes, by W. Elstobb, Lynn, 1793. MA E TIN — MEPAL— ME THE RING HA M . 95 Martin (Line.) is a township in the civil parish of Timberland. The nearest station is Methering- liani on G. N. and G. E. joint line, 3 m. distant. There is water communication with the With am. CHURCH, Holy Trinity, is a modern building (1876) in Gothic style. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village, and there is an endowed school, founded in 1753. INNS. — Eed Lion, Chaplin Arms. Area, 3617 acres. Pop., 822. Mepal (Cambs.) is situate near the New Bedford River, and is 7 m. west of Ely. The nearest station is at Sutton-in-the-Isle, on Ely and S. Ives branch of G, E. By. From Sutton to Mepal is about Hm. " The name of the village is derived from that of Meopa, a Saxon lord, being a contraction of Meopa's Hall." * CHUECH, S. Mary, is built of stone and flint, of mixed styles, though E. Eng. prevails. The register dates from 1659. The Baptists have a chapel in the village. INNS.— Eed Lion, Cross Keys, Three Fishes. Area, 1524 acres. Pop., 378. Metheringham (Line.) The village is H m. west of the Fen border, but the eastern part of the parish includes the fen bordering the Witham. There is a station on G. N. and G. E. joint line, 7 m. from Lincoln. CHUECH, S. Wilfred, is partly Nor. The nave is elere- storied, and the west tower is pinnacled. There are several mural monuments, some of the 17th century. The register dates from 1538. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. INNS. — Star and Garter, Oat Sheaf. Area, 5698 acres. Pop., 1875. Methwold (Norf.) is situate on the east border, 6 m. from Brandon, on Brandon and Lynn Ed., and 4 m. south of Stoke Ferry station on G. E. By. * Kelly's Directory. Hall is Sax. for a stone house, as in Miltlenhall ; sometimes contracted, as in Kensal. 96 ME THWOL D — MID VILLE—MILDENHALL. CHUECH, S. George, is an interesting one : it is principally Perp. ; the chancel Dec, but window Perp. The tower is built of Hint and freestone. The spire is an elegant stone structure. The register dates from 1683. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels, built respectively in 1832 and 1866. There are six almshouses in the village ; also a reading room, supplied with papers, &c. The parish is principally Crown property, in the right of the Duchy of Lancaster. The HYTHE is about 1£ m. west of the " high town/' (See map.) There is a warren of 1500 acres, but part of this has been recently cultivated. Market on Monday. INNS. — Globe, Swan, Crown. Area, 13912 acres. Pop., 1453 (300 of whom in the Fen.) Midville (Line.) is a small parochial township of East Fen, l£ m. from Eastville station on G. N. By. " The CHUECH is a plain brick building of the Georgian period, consisting of chancel, nave, and an open belfry con- taining one bell." Eegister dates from 1821. The living is annexed to Eastville. Area, 2501 acres. Pop., 204. Mildenhall (Stiff.) is situate on the river Lark, a tributary of the Ouse, the confluence being between Ely and Littleport. This place is the terminus of the Cambridge and Mildenhall branch of G. E. Ky., distance 20f m. This parish is the largest in the county, and includes MILDENHALL HIGH TOWN, and the hamlets of BECK ROW, WEST ROW, and HOLYWELL ROW. CHURCHES. — S. Andrew, High St., is a fine edifice of mixed styles, and built of chinch and stone. The chancel is of E. Eng. and Dec. styles, the nave is clerestoried, and the west embattled tower is 120ft. high. The ch. possesses some interesting features, and contains a number of memorials of considerable attraction to the visitor. The register dates from 1559. — S. Peter's, West Eow, 2| m. west, was completed in 1875. — S. John the Evangelist, at Beck Eow, 2 m. north-west, is a flint building in Gothic style, erected in 1876. — S. James', at Kenny Hill, 4 m. distant, is an iron ch., erected also in 1876. There are three Baptist and three Wesleyan chapels in the parish. MININGSB Y—MOBTOX—JIO ULTOX. 97 PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c— Public Hall, in S. Andrew's St., erected in 1886, contains a room capable of seating 350 persons. Here also is a Pleading Boom, and the Mildenhall Institute.— A Cottage Hospital was erected in Cemetery Boad in 1868. — The Market Cross is an hexagonal structure of wood, and covered with lead, erected in time of Hexry Y. Market is held here on Friday. The Manor House is a fine residence, with well wooded pleasure grounds attached. HOTELS, eve— Bell, White Hart, Tiger's Head, Crown, High St. ; Globe, North Ed. ; Queen's Arms, West St. Area, 16766 acres. Total pop., 3761 ; the pop. of the town being 1381. *Miningsby (Line.) is just north of the Fen border, 7 m. west of Spilsby. Certain allotments in the fen formerly belonged to this parish. CHUBCH, S. Andrew, is an ancient structure in E. Eng. It has an interesting carved rood screen dividing the nave from the chancel. Begister begins 1688. The Boston Water Works Company have a reservoir here ; the gathering ground is 3 m. in extent. Area. 1082 acres. Pop., 732. Morton (Line.) is on the west border, and 2^- in. north of Bourn. To the east is Morton Fen. Here is a station on Bourn and Sleaford branch of Gr. N. Ey. CHUBCH, S. John the Baptist, is a fine cruciform building. The columns of the nave are E. Eng.; the chancel is Dec, and contains sedilia and piscina ; the west porch is fine Perp. work. It has 32 windows of stained glass. Begister dates from 1549. HUNTHOBPE is a hamlet to the west of the parish, where there is a fine mansion. INNS. — Lord Nelson, King's Head. Area, 3390 acres. Pop., 950. Moulton (Line.)* is about 4^- m. to the east of Spalding, with a Railway station, situate about i m. from the centre of the village (Spalding and Sutton Bridge branch of G.N. By). Moulton Meer Drain is connected with Lord's Drain and the Welland. The * The Bev. J. B. Jacksox has kindly supplied soma revised notes. L 98 MO UL TON— M UR BOW. parish is 14 miles in length, with a varying width of from 1 m. to H m. THE CHURCH, All Saints, is a large and handsome building. The nave, with its seven compartments of ground- story and clere-story on both sides, is a valuable example of Transitional work (1145—1190 x.t>.) But the striking feature of the eh. is its well-proportioned tower and spire which rises to a height of about 160 feet. The inside dimensions are : — nave, 94ft. long. 59ft. wide (inclusive of aisles) ; chancel, 45ft. long, 20ft. wide; extreme length, 171ft. The eh. was thoroughly restored in 1867 -OS. The parochial registers date from the year a.d. 1558. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. In addition to its public elementary schools, Moulton has an excellent Grammar school founded and endowed by Jonx Habrox, an inhabitant, in 1560. MOULTOX CHAPEL, henceforward to be known as MOULTOX S. JAMES, with a chapel built in 1722, and restored and consecrated in 1886, is a large district south of Moulton proper; within its limits lies the MOULTOX EAU- GATE district, which extends to the boundaries of Crowland, with a scattered population. Moulton S. James lies 2 m. east of the Cowbit station on the Spalding and March Ry., and 3^ m. from the Moulton station. MOULTOX SEAS EXD is a considerable hamlet (with school and mission ch., built in 1868), about 2 m. north of the parish ch. NOTE. — Within the limits of Moulton are the " Elloe stone," the only Saxon remain in this locality; and "Hall Hill," which marks the site of a Roman encampment and subsequently of the residence of the Multon family. Principal INNS. — Village: Axe and Handsaw, Swan; Seas End : Golden Lion, Hare and Hounds ; Moulton S. James : Three Tuns, Man and Horse. Area of parish, 11390 acres. Pop., 2248. Murrow, or Southea-curn-Murrow, (Cambs.), is an ecclesiastical parish formed in 1870. The old South Eau hank runs near this spot. There is a station (Murrow) on the Peterhoro.' and "Wisbech branch of Mid. Ky., and another on G. N. and Gr. E. joint lines. A CHAPEL, Corpus Christi, was erected at Murrow in 1857, and was built of brick in E. Eng. style. — At Southea, a CHURCH, Emmanuel, was erected in 1873. .v/; wb ono ugh—xe wmabket. 99 Part of Murrow is in Parson Drove parish. INN. — Bed Lion (Morrow). Pop., 1044. Newborough (N'h'pton.) is a large parish about 5 m. north from Peterboro.', 2 m. east of Peakirk station on G-. E. By., and 3 m. north from Eve Green on Mid. By. It has the old Car Dyke on the south-west side. The parish was formed in 1823. CHURCH. S. Bartholomew, was built in 1830. It is a plain white brick building, consisting of a nave, chancel, and small west tower ; but there are no features that attract attention. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are the principal land- owners. Much of the land was formerly common ; but it has been much improved by drainage. INNS.— Bed Cow. Crown and Oak. Area, 4994 acres. Pop.. 699. "Newmarket is partly in Cambs. and partly in Suff., and the main street divides the two counties. On the Suff. side is the parish of S. Mary, and on the Cambs. tbe parish of All Saints. The G-.E. Ey. has a station here (Cambridge and Bury S. Ed- mund's branch). Distance from London, 69 m.; from Cambridge, 15 m. There is also a branch railway by Fordham and Soham to Ely. The Icknield Way, an old British Eoad, ran by New- market, from north-east to south-west, cutting the Devil's Dyke ( just west of Newmarket) nearly at right angles. About 1-i m. east of the town is a tumulus, called " Bury Hill." Churches. — S. MARY.* was first built between 1150 and 1200, and was a simple structure, consisting of nave and chancel. But the only part of the original building that has continued to the present century was the north and east walls of the old chancel, which was removed in 1886 to prepare for the enlargement and restoration of the ch. About 1100 — 1450 the small E. Eng. nave was taken down and replaced by the nave we have now, at the same time the south aisle and tower were built. We know that S. Mary's was in existence in 1337 and had been for a long time anterior to that, because at that date S. Mary's Is mentioned as "Ye Old Chapel of ye Blessed Account Mndlv supplied bv the present Rector, Rev. John Imrie. M.A. l2 100 NEWMARKET. Mary " in an old Latin document still in existence and pre- served in the Tower of London. The father of Cardinal Wolsey, in his will, dated 1490, gave directions that his body should be buried in the churchyard of our Lady S. Mary at Newmarket. There is a fragment of old wood carving pre- served in the ch., on which is the following, " Orate pro anima, Thomas Loydon qui has sedes fieri fecit 1^9^," the 2nd and 4th figures in the date representing half eights ; the date is, therefore, 1494. The first restoration of the ch. took place in 1856. In 1867 the north aisle was added to the ch. The third and last restoration was begun in 1886, and the ch. was re-opened in Feb., 1887. The nave has been lengthened by one bay : that and the chaucel, with north and south aisle, is entirely new. The ch. had been extended some 20ft. east- wards ; the nave, also, was heightened by putting in a clere- story and a new high-pitched roof. The nave roof previously being almost flat, and there being no clerestory, made the ch. very dark. The body of the ch. is of the Perp. style, while the chancel is E. Eng. — ALL SAINTS' is comparatively a modern ch., being built in 1876-7, but placed on the site of an old one. It is built of flint and Bath stone, and in Dec. style. The chancel was at first apsidal, but has been enlarged, and a fine stained glass window inserted (1887) to the memory of the late Vicar, Eev. T. B. Govett. Here are aisles, an embattled west tower, and a south porch. The ch. has been beautified by some generous gifts — the pulpit, lectern, oak screen, etc. The register dates from 1622. — In 1887, a new ecclesiastical parish was formed out of the parishes of Exning and S. Mary's, Newmarket. The ch., S. AGNES, is of brick, and stone dressings, in Dec. style. The Congregational Chapel, High St., is in the Gothic style, built in 1863 on the site of the old palace of Charles II. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. The COTTAGE HOSPITAL and ALMSHOUSES form an interesting group of buildings near the Eailway station, built as a memorial to Admiral Eous. NOTE. — " Two of the barrows on the edge of Newmarket Heath, belonging to the group called the Beacons, were examined in May, 1846, by a party from Cambridge. In one of them nothing was found, as it appeared to have been previously opened ; in the other, the remains of a British interment, consisting of a rude vase (now in the Cambridge Antiquarian Museum), a few bones and some ashes, were dis- covered." " In removing a barrow for the purpose of improving the exercise ground on Newmarket Heath, an urn of rude construction and materials, containing ashes and some bones, was found in its centre; also two coins, supposed to be Eoman, and a fragment of a cup of far superior manufacture to the NE WTON—NO CTON. 101 urn above mentioned, were found lying amongst the soil at the depth of 2ft." (Anc. Cambs., pp. 67, 68.) It is almost needless to say that Newmarket has long been celebrated for its race course and races, and for the training of horses, of which there are generally about 1000 in the stables. The meetings are held in Spring, July, and October. Market on Tuesday. HOTELS, d-c— Eutland Arms, White Hart, Crown, Star, Waggon and Horses, Marquis of Granby, Greyhound, Black Horse. Area of S. Mary's parish, 105 acres. Pop., 2730. AU Saints' ,, 184 „ „ 1364. Newton (Cambs.) is situate a little to the west of the Nene, about 4 rn. north of Wisbech, and 1 m. from Ferry station, on Wisbech and Sutton Bridge branch of Mid. By. The Boman bank, which skirted the Wash, ran by the position of this village ; and also, it is supposed, that a Boman road ran within that bank, for coins of Gallienus were found here in 1787, and, later, some of Yictoeinus. (Watson's History of Wisbech, p. 487.) This has deservedly been described as a 4i picturesque village." The Hall was occupied by the Colyile family as a residence for 500 years down to 1807. CHURCH, S. James, is a stone building in the Dec. and Perp. styles. The nave is clerestoried, and has 6 bays. There are aisles, west tower and low spire. The chancel and clere- story windows are of Perp. style. There are some ancient slabs, as well as an ancient font. The Free Methodists and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. FIT TEN END is between Newton and Leverington, and is partly in each parish. INNS. — White Lion, Woodman's Arms. Area, 3056 acres. Pop., 483. Nocton (Line. ) is about 7 m. south-east of Lin- coln, and has a station 1 m. from village, on G. N. and G. E. joint line. Nocton wood is on the Fen border, to the north-east of which lies Nocton Fen. ( See map. ) > CHUECH, All Saints, is a fine modern bmlding (1862) of Ancaster stone, and in Dec. style. The design was Sir Gilbert 102 NORDELPH— NOR THE ORO UGH. Scott's, and the sole cost of erection was defrayed by the Countess Dowager of Eipon. The tower and spire are 130ft. high. The interior will greatly interest the visitor. The stone carvings are very fine, as also the tomb of the late Earl of Eipon, and the memorial windows are interesting. To the east of the village is an elevated spot, called " Abbey Hill," where once stood a Priory of the Austin Friars. Nocton Hall is the seat of the Marquis of Eipon. With this place is associated the names of the D'Arcys and Talbois who were lords of the manor ; and King Henry VIII. and court, in their progress from Urimsthorpe (see Edenham) to Lincoln, sojourned at Nocton. Area, 5310 acres. Pop., 028. Nordelph (Norf. | is a liaralet in the parish of Upwell, but seems to deserve a separate notice, is about 4 m. south-west of Downliam Market. The nearest station is Denver on G. E. Ey. Here is the Well Creek, a branch of the old Nene from Out- well to Salter's Lode, over which Creek is an iron bridge. Early in 13th century the Ouse was diverted in its course, and the Wisbech Outfall was silted up ; and it is thought that the Well Creek, which formerly discharged its waters towards Upwell, eventually had a different course, and flowed east- wards. (See Outwell.) CHUECH, Holy Trinity, was erected as a chapel of ease in 1865. It is of brick and in E. Eng. style. The Wesleyans have chapels here. Northborough (N'h'pton.) is a village on the Peterboro.' and Deeping road, lh m. from the former and 2 m. from the latter. Peakirk, on Cr. N. Ey., is nearest station, H m. ; and Helpstone, on Mid. Ey., is 2| m. CHUECH, S. Andrew, an old structure with portions in various styles, but chiefly in Dec. and Perp. It has clerestoried nave, aisles, chancel, south transept and porch, a lofty bell- cot at west end with 2 bells. " The transeptal chantry, a structure of transition character from Dec. to Perp., has fine windows and some monumental arches and canopies, and contains monuments to the Cromwell and Claypole families ; one tomb, dated 1591, is supposed to contain the remains of Oliver Cromwell's widow who died here in 1665. There is also an inscribed floor stone to Martha, daughter of Joiix Claypole, Esq., 1663." NOR TH WOLD—0 UT WEL L . 103 The MANOB HOUSE is said to have been built by Geof- fkey de la Mabe, in 1340 ; aud the remains, such as the Dec. windows, the groined arches, etc., and door-ways, are very interesting. This has been pronounced as " one of the most valuable domestic remains in the kingdom." Some of its details are of remarkable beauty. Cbomwell"s widow died at this manor house which was the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Clayfole, who also died here, and was buried in Henry VJl.'s Chapel, Westminster. INN. — Pack Horse. Area, 710 acres. Pop., 212. Northwold (Norf.) on the eastern border of the Fens, and near the river Wissey, is 3 m. south-east of Stoke Ferry station on G. E. By. The main road from Thetford to Lynn runs by the village. CHUECH, S. Andrew. The flint so abundant in this neigh- bourhood is largely used in the structure of the ch., in the tower of which are various devices ; the styles are E. Eng. and Perp. ; the tower has 8 pinnacles ; the roof of the nave is of oak, embellished with the figures of angels. The register dates from 1650. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village : and there are 14 Almshouses, also a Reading Eoom and a Library. There are some 20 good private residences in this village. At Stoke End is an ancient stone cross. NOTE. — About 2 m. to the west is "White House," and here "the gravel again comes on and forms a bank on the edge of the fen. It is full of flints, some of which are very large and irregular, and in its upper portion shows no trace of bedding. The material is generally finer below and contorted, but the whole section is extremely irregular."' [Geol. Mem., p. 196.) INNS. — Eed Lion, Crown. Area, 5214 acres. Pop., 1206. Outwell (Norf.) Part of this parish is in Cambs. The village is on the old river Nene which separates the counties. How the name came to be applied is shrouded in mystery ; but Well is "a place whence water flows forth." The Out and Up (in Upweli) are merely prefixes to denote position. Here was the old Well Creek, which has a wonderful history in its way, for when the Ouse flowed past Wisbech the 104 OUT WELL. waters of this Creek were reversed in their direction — then flowing westward* ; now they pass eastward to Salter's Lode and the Gt. Ouse. The place is about 6 m. southward of Wisbech, and has a steam tramway connected with G. E. Ry. at Wisbech. CHURCH, S. Clement's, stands on the site of an E. Eng. eh. The style is Perp. The proportions of this building are excellent, the length of nave being 57 J ft., while the chancel is 38ft. long and 21ft broad. The chancel arch is particularly fine. Near the ch. was once a hermitage dedicated to S. Christopher. Tradition tells of 5 chapels as belonging to this ch., of which only 3 survive — the Lynn chapel, the Fineham chapel, and the Beaupre chapel. The Wesleyans, Free Methodists, and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. " Mullicourt priory was in this parish. It was of the order of S. Benedict and stood on the left of "Well river coming from Wisbech, a little beyond the turnpike gate called Mulli- court Bar.'* Watson, p. 531. " Established before the time of the Conqueror, was situated in Outwell. The exact position is not known, but a place is assigned to it on the Ordnance Map.'' Fenland, p. 136. " Marmound Priory was also in this parish, about 5 m. from Wisbech, founded by Richard I. There is an estate of 141 acres which bears its name, free from all tithes. It had its own embankments, and was drained by a windmill until 1850, when the Middle Level Commissioners erected a sluice, now called Marmound Priory Sluice." Fenland, p. 135. On the east of the main road from Wisbech, and to the north of the village, is what was once a fine old mansion, called Beaupre Hall. "Beaupre Hall takes its name, Beaupre, or ' de Bello Piato,' from the fine meadows which surround it. (See lloll of Battle Abbey, p. 520.) Sir Thomas de St. Omer, amongst persons of note and eminence who came over with the Conqueror, was the first lord of the manor. The daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas, who lived in the reign of Henry I., married John, son of Gilbert de Beaupre, and the manor continued in his family until the death of Beaupre Bell in 1711. Beaupre Bell senr., had many singularities, hardly allowing his son necessaries, suffering his house to be much dilapidated. He had 500 horses of his own breeding, many above 30 years old unbroke, which he allowed to come even into the very Hall, then uncovered. His son died of con- sumption, unmarried, in 1741." Watson, p. 540. NOTE. — The neighbourhood of Beaupre Hall is well wooded * Till the Wisbech outfall fell into decay. VEE— PARSON DROVE— -PAST OX. 105 and the s~>il is loamy, but a little to the east the peaty soil crops up and the trees disappear in the direction of Bardolph Fen, so that the trees themselves indicate the nature of the surface soil. Forest trees rarely grow in peat soil. INNS. — Grown, Red Lion. Area in Norfolk, 2512 acres. Pop., 869. Cambs., 552 „ „ 343. Over (Cambs.) lies to the east of the Gt. Ouse, 5 m. east of S. Ives, and is 1 m. north of Swavesey station of G. E. Ry. The name is derived from Sax. Ofer, a shore, and may indicate that it was on the shore of the fens when these were inundated. CHURCH, S. Mary, is a line stone building. The nave has 6 bays and is clerestoried : the style is Dec. The chancel is Perp., but has E. Eng. piscina. The south aisle is a good feature ; the south porch is very finely enriched. The tower is E. Eng., and the fine octagonal spire rising from it is Dec. (The height 156ft.) These were repaired in 1864, at a cost of £ 600. The north aisle has been rebuilt, the ch. refitted. The register dates from 1577. The Baptists and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. NOTE. — Roman coins and other objects of antiquity have been found near Over. (See Ancient Cambs., p. 82.) INNS.— Exhibition, Red Lion, Black Horse. Area. 3565 acres. Pop., 1073. Parson Drove (Cambs. ) is 6 m. west of Wisbech. The nearest station is Murrow. 2 m. south, on G. X. and G-. E. joint line. This ecclesiastical parish was formed out of the parish of Leverington in 1870. CHURCH, S. John, is built of stone, in E. Eng. style, and has nave, aisles, north and south porches, and an embattled west tower with 5 bells. The register dates froni 1651. One of the crops produced in this part is icoad. Area, 3853 acres. Pop. of parish. 174. Paston (X'h'pton.) is a parish which includes the hamlets of GUSTHORPE and DQGSTHORPE. It is 24 m. north of Peterboro.' and about 1 m. east of Walton station on Mid. By. CHURCH, All Saints, is a stone building. The nave is Perp., the tower is E. Eng. to Dec. There are a nave with clerestories, aisles, south porch, and a west tower with spire. 106 PEA KIRK — PE TERBORO UGH. The chancel has a piscina and sedilia. There are some in- scribed floor stones of 17th and 18th century, and a mural tablet to Edmund Mountsteven, who died in 1G35 and left £ 1000 for two scholarships in S. John's, Cambridge. The principal residence is Paston Hall, a brick mansion, standing in very nice grounds. There is a Church Mission Hall at Dogsthorpe (anciently Dodthorpe), also a Primitive and a Wesleyan Chapel. INN. — Blue Bell. Area, 909 acres. Pop. (combined), 695. Peakirk (N'h'mpton. | is situate to the south of the Wetland, is 5^ m. from Peterboro.', and has a station on Peterboro.' and Spalding branch of G. N. By. The name is derived, according to tradition, from " Pega's kirk." Pega, the sister of S. Guthlac, the anchorite, of Crowland, formed a cell or nunnery at the spot. From Peakirk the visitor may walk on an embaukment all the way to Crowland. It is stated that Vermuyden in 1650 strengthened and enlarged this bank from Peakirk to Crowland and onward to Brotherhouse, and that the object of this work was to protect the North Level from the flood waters of the Welland. CHUKCH, Holy Trinity, built of Barnack stone, is in Nor. and E. Eng. styles. The inner doorway of the porch is of rich Nor. work. The register dates from 1560. — A little to the east of the ch. is an ancient chapel, called " The Hermitage, " which is all that now remains of a cell founded in 716. The present structure, dedicated to S. Pega (Virgin), was built by John de Wysbech, abbot, as a college, about 1470. Kestored in 1880. Now used as a Sunday School. Area, 630 acres. Pop. 245. Peterborough (N'h'mpton.), 76^ m. from London by G. N. By., 42 m. from N'h'mpton. It is situate on the left bank of the Nene. The name was anciently Medeshamstede (from Sax. Meed, a meadow, ham, a dwelling, steed, a station,) the origin of which is thus stated in the Sax. Chroti., under date of 665 : — Penda was king of Mercia, Oswiu (Osweo) king of Northum- bria; they " came together and said that they would rear a monastery to the glory of Christ and the honour of S. Peter. And they did so, and gave it the name of Medeshamstede ; because there is a well there which is called Mede's well. And they then began the foundation, and thereon wrought, PETERBOROUGH. 107 and then committed it to a monk who was called Saxulf." Pexda was slain in 657. and was succeeded by his brother Wulfhere, who for love of Pexda and his pledge-brother (baptismal brother) Oswir, and also of Saxuxf the Abbot, continued the good work and endowed the monastery with riches. The gift of lands, meres and fens is set forth in the Chronicle. The abbot was energetic in his work, and " so sped that in a few years the monastery was ready," (661. 1 At the dedication Wulfhebe was present, with a great concourse, including his brother jEthelbed, his two sisters, Deusdedix, Archbp. of Canterbury, other bishops, and all the thanes of Mereia (but Oswiu does not appear in the roll, though he was then living ; he died in 670.) The monastery was dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul and Andrew, by Deusdedit. Pope Vitaliax confirmed the writ. Special privileges were granted in 675 by Pope Agatho. when the above named J3thelred succeeded Wulfhere, and the writ set forth this: — l, I will and grant that every man who had promised to go to Eome and cannot perform it, either from infirmity, &c, be he of England, or of whatsoever other island he be, let him go to the monastery at Medeshamstede and have the same forgive- ness .... that he should have if he went to Eome." Abbot Kbkulf (963) •' first made the walls about the monastery; then gave it for name ' Burch ' (Borough) that was before called Medeshamstede." 1052, called the •• Golden Borough. " And the abbot Leofeic then so enriched the monastery that it was called the golden borough ; it then waxed great in land and in gold, and in silver. (Sax. Cliron.) — In Gesta Pontifi- cum, completed about 1125, by William of Malmesbury, the name "Burch"' is used (Sax. biirh), and Bobeet de Swafham, sometime a monk of this house, used the same name, and hence arose the name Peterborough. (The names Priest-gate, East-gate, West-gate, are still retained as local names of streets.) To enable the visitor to compare the present with what is written of the past, we quote the foBowing from Bobeet de Swafham, whose book still exists among the Cathe- dral archives: — "Burch is founded in the country of the Gyrvii ; for there beginneth the Fen, on the east side thereof, which reacheth LX. miles or more, in length. Which Fen is of no small benefit to the bordering people ; for there they have wood and other fuel for the fire, and hay for fodder ; as also reed for thatching of their houses ; with many other necessaries. There are likewise divers rivers, waters, and great meres, for fishing, the country abounding in such things : in the best part whereof Burch is seated ; having on the one side of it the Fen and river : and on the other upland ground, with woods, meadows, and many pastures ; which do render it most beautiful on every part, having a meet access to it by land, except towards the east ; on which side without boats, 108 PETERBOROUGH. there is no corning to it. On the south side of it runneth the river Nene." The Cathedral was founded by John de Sais, a Norman abbott, in 1117.* The work was delayed during the next abbacy, but continued by Abbot Martin, and the re-dedication took place in 1140. He "had it provided with vestments, and brought them (the monks) into the new monastery on S. Peter's mass day (29th June) with great worship. ' ; (Sax. Chron.) " This portion is supposed to have been limited to the present choir." (Graddoek.) The general approach to the cathedral is from the Market Place. The gateway still retains its Norman features, though some later additions are evident. On tbe right side of the court is a range of buildings, which were formerly the domestic habitations of the monastery, and these have not entirely lost their original appearance. Directly we pass under the Norman arch we get a full view of the tine west front of the cathedral — the grandest front, perhaps, in England: it consists of three handsome E. Eng. arches, and the only detriment to its beauty is the porch (over which is a small chapel used as a library), which was built as a support as this front had a tendency to lean outwards, and was under- pinned some years ago. The general character of the cathe- dral is Nor., but the windows in many cases have been enlarged and tracery has been inserted. The nave deserves special mention, as the piers are composed of shafts and well pro- portioned, and the general aspect is rich without being en- cumbered by that gloomy heaviness which we see in some Nor. buildings with massive circular piers. We cannot now enter into many details or descriptions of this remakable edifice, for the simple reason that the great restoration is not yet completed. The central tower has been rebuilt from the foundation. The original builders were better architects than engineers, for by going a little lower they might have reared their structure on the solid rock ; but, perhaps when the fens were undrained, their excavations were flooded, so they filled in as best they could and built on the rubble. After the drainage of the fens, the water left this foundation and a settlement followed, and tower, transepts, and west front have all suffered in consequence. The central tower has been most substantially rebuilt by Mr. Thompson, up from the solid rock (the Cornbrash) ; the transepts have been restored ; the choir is being refitted, some of the piers of which have been greatly strengthened and restored. During this work of rebuilding and restoring, the remains of the Saxon ch. (1000 years old) were discovered 5ft. below the present level. This has been vaulted and will be preserved to the future as a crypt, which :;: His. of Petcrboro.'' Cathedral, by Thomas Craddock, 1864 : pub. by J. S. Clarke (now G. C. Caster), Peterboro.' PETERBOROUGH. 109 ■will give additional interest to all who may visit the cathedral. We visited the cathedral several times during the progress of restoration, and early in Feb., 1889, found the roofing of the crypt had just been completed. As a description and plan of this crypt appeared, at that time, in the Peterborough Adver- tiser, we have adapted the following account from that paper. " The crypt practically includes a subterranean passage around the whole, or nearly all, of the foundations brought to light. It was found undesirable to open up the whole of the Saxon chancel, and one half only has thus been cleared. The ex- cavation has been carried as far eastward as was thought to be consistent with the safety of the foundations of the present ch., but the east wall is evidently not far off, as the position of the steps to the altar has been determined and the rise isj plainly to be seen. The crypt measures 80ft. from the south! entrance up to the corner of the north angle, and the re- ' mainder to the choir entrance measures 16ft., giving a total length of 96ft. Its width varies, but in most places it averages about oft. The opening into the Saxon chancel is about 6ft. wide, and tbe height all over is about oft. Visitors therefore will have to traverse the crypt in a bending position, but seats will be provided so that relief can be had. The new walls are of rough stone, and will be white washed in order to reflect the light. Eveiy thing of interest to the visitor aud the anti- quarian has been preserved, and the whole forms an historical undertaking of the greatest importance. The following rough sketch gives some idea of the new crypt and the Saxon work it encloses. (The thin lines represent the new wall of the crypt and the thicker marks the actual Saxon foundations, still showing marks of fire on them) : — " E EAST. E r d THE CRYPT. C F G H STEPS. WEST. A — Portion of Saxon side altar found in situ : the east wall or reredos vrall remains, and the projection westwardly is the footstone on which the marble columns were placed to support the altar slab. 110 PETERBOROUGH. B — Two Saxon Tombs outside the ancient church, which by reason of the burial ground being higher than the flooring of the church and the church walls broken nearly to the ground are readily seen. C — The Saxon chancel wall at its junction with the south transept. T> D — The north wall of the Saxon chancel at its junction with the north transept. E — Half the Saxon chancel space cleared out ; the old plaster floor remains, together with the slope towards the altar, but the steps have gone. The east wall is supposed to be beneath the foundation of the present building. It is believed to be a square end and not an apsidal end. C to D shows the width of the Saxon chancel. F — A plaster seat running the entire length of the north transept wall, as perfect as when it was buried 1000 years ago. G — The foundation of the south-west pier of the present building, the ex- cavations for which led to the discovery of the buried church. It stands therefore in the north transept of the ancient church. H — Here the excavations at present cease, and a gangway will be constructed from the choir to lead down to the crypt. It will also be approached from the end of the south transept at a point shown next the Saxon altar marked A. To the south of the cathedral the visitor may see the re- mains of the cloisters, some fine E. Eng. work. The destruc- tion of the buildings is sadly to be regretted. Here was a refectory, or an infirmary chapel. The city now consists of four ecclesiastical parishes, viz., S. John the Baptist, S. Mark's, S. Mary's, Boongate, and S. Paul's ; but S. John's was the original parish from which the other three were formed. Churches— S. JOHN, Church St., is a fine stone struc- ture in Dec. style, built probably in early part of loth century. It has nave supported by lofty piers ; north and south aisles, a chapel and an embattled tower surmounted by pinnacles. It contains two fine memorial windows and a beautiful modern pulpit. In 18.88 the interior restoration was effected, and a fine oak ceiling replaced the old plaster one. The register dates from 1558. — S. MARK, on the Lincoln Road, is a modern ch. in E. Eng. style, with tower and spire, chancel, nave, and aisles. — S. MARY, on the New Boad, erected in 1860, E. Eng. style, has an apsidal chancel, nave, aisles, and a recently built tower with a peal of bells, and an illuminated clock. — The other churches are: S. BABNABAS, Mission ch. ; S. PAUL'S. New England ; and S. AUGUSTINE'S, Woodstone. The Roman Catholics, Congregationalists, Wesleyans, Bap- tists and Primitive Methodists have places of worship in this city. Public Buildings— The TOWN HALL, in the Market Place, is a quaint looking old building standing on piers, the under part having been used for market purposes. As the city was incorporated a few years since (1874) there has been some effort made to erect a more commodious Hall ; but to PINCKBECK—WEST PINCHBECK. Ill pull down this old familiar building would be to remove one of the characteristics of the old town : it is still able to bear all the weight of municipal discussions. — The COBN EXCHANGE is a large, lightsome and commodious building in Church St.— The GBAMMAB SCHOOL, formerly held by the entrance to the cathedral yard, has now a very hue building in Park Eoad.— The old TITHE BABN is an object of in- terest ; it is a large and substantial stone building standing between Lincoln Eoad and Park Eoad. References. — The Chronicles; Benedict of Peterborough (1162—92), by W. Stvbbs, M.A., London, 1867; The His."of the Church of Peterborough, set forth by Symon Patbick, D.D.. Dean of Peterboro.', 1686, by Predendary Guxtox ; Geology of Peterboro.'' and Neighbourhood, by Dr. H. Pobteb, 1861 ; His. of the Cathedral, by T. Craddock, 1864. HOTELS.— Angel, Bridge St.; Gt. Northern; Bull, West- gate ; Golden Lion, Broad Bridge St. ; Greyhound, Market Place. Market on Wednesday and Saturday. The original parish contained 6310 acres. Pop., Municipal district, 21,219 ; Parliamentary district, 22,394. Pinchbeck (Line.) is situate on the river Glen, a tributary of the Wetland. The village is 2 m. north of Spalding. Here is a station on G. N. and Gr. E. joint line. CHUECH, S. Mary, is a stone building principally in Perp. style, but the chapel on the north side is Dec. The nave has 5 bays and is clerestoried ; the tower is a fine one, embattled and pinnacled. The roof is of carved oak, and part of the rood screen exists. A restoration was effected in 1856. The register dates from 1560. The ch. contains some interesting memorials. The chapels are Baptist and Wesleyan. Area, 13401 acres. Pop., 2995. West Pinchbeck is an ecclesiastical parish formed in 1851. Here is a station, North Drove, on Spald- ing and Bourn branch of G. N. Ky. CHUECH, S. Bartholomew, is a modern building (1849) in Gothic style. It has nave, chancel, aisles, and turret. The United Free Methodists and Wesleyans have chapels here. In this parish are several scattered hamlets : — PODE HOLE, where is a chapel, S. Matthew's, used as a school ; 112 POTTER UAHWORTH—PRICKWILLOW. and a Baptist Chapel; MONEY BRIDGE, to west, has an Independent chapel ; MILL GREEN is 2 in. south-west, and GT) 'THRUM COTE 4 in. in same direction; CROSS GATE a little to to the north; CUCKOO BRIDGE, 5 m. south. PINCHBECK BARS, on the Glen (see map), is 2 m. from North Drove station. NOTE. — " Several canoes have been dug up in different parts of the Fens ; they are chiefly hollowed trees .... have been found in the fens of Lincolnshire, at Kyme, Billinghay, Langtoft, und Pinchbeck Bars. . . . The canoe at Pinchbeck Bars was a more pretentious vessel, being made of rough planks fastened together with wooden pegs. It lay about 10ft. from the surface.' 1 (Geol. Mem., p. 246.) INNS. — Bed Lion, The Ship, Old Five Bells; Cross Keys, Horse and Jockey (West Pinchbeck) ; Fisherman's Arms (Pode Hole.) Potter Hanworth (Line.) is about 6 in. south- east of Lincoln and ^ m. from the station of same name on G. N. and Gr. E. joint line. The village is on the west border of the fen. Hanworth fen is north of Nocton fen and has a connection with Bardney-ferry. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a new one, built on the site of a former ch. the tower of which alone remains ; it is of stone in Dec. style ; the previous ch. dated from 1749, but the register from 1683. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. INNS. — Chequers, Grey Horse, Ship (Bardney-ferry.) Area, 4150 acres. Pop., 435. Prickwillow (Cambs. and Suff.) is situate on the Ouse, 4 m. north-east from Ely station. The eccle- siastical parish was formed partly from S. Mary, Ely, from Littleport (Cambs.), and from Lakenheath and Mildenhall (Suff.) in 1878. CHURCH, S. Peter, is built of brick and flint, and has nave, transepts, and south porch, and a light central spire. The font has some attraction as it was designed by Sir C. Week, and bears date 1693, and came from Ely cathedral. The Wesleyans, Baptists, and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. Some pumping engines are employed here for draining the fens. Q UADRING— RAMSEY. 113 INNS. — Waggon and Horses, Hare and Hounds. Pop., 1297. Quadring (Line.) is situated on the main road from Spalding to Donington, and is 2 m. from Don- ington Eoad station on G. N. and (x. E. joint line. About 8 m. north-west of Spalding, and a little west of the old Bicker Haven. The name is derived from the Sax. Cwadringas. CHUECH, S. Margaret, is a fine building in the Dec. style, and well proportioned tower and spire, and the interior has some rather interesting memorials. The register dates from 1583. The Baptists, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. A Free School was established here early in 18th century. QUADRING EAU-DYKE is a hamlet to the south-east. INNS. — Plough, Bed Cow, New Inn (Eau-dyke). Area, 4210 acres. Pop., 900. Quy— (See Stow-cum-Quy.) Ramsey (Hunts.), 10 m. north-east of Hunting- don, and of from Holme station. 68^- m. from London. Antiquarians think the old Car Dyke, running from Lincoln along the west border of the Fens, extended as far as Ramsey and even to Cambridge. Eamsey is almost wholly surrounded by peaty soil, the remains of the old fen, except on the south-west. There have been various conjectures as to the derivation of the name, but as it was one of the fen islands, ey is taken as the general form of ea. Dr. Tayloe derives the name from ruimne, the Gaelic word for marsh. Dugdale (p. 361) speaks of this spot as one of "the fairest fenny islands," and as having been " environed with alders, reeds, green canes and bulrushes, which do beautify it exceedingly," but since the woods had disappeared, as " being full of fair gardens, fat pastures, shady groves and rich meadows which in spring time make a most beautiful show." Eamsey Mere is 2 m. north-east of the town, and to the south-east of the old Nene. Dugdale spoke of it in glowing terms — of its abounding in fish and fowl, and " excelling the adjacent waters in beauty and profit." M 114 RA MSE Y — TIE A CH—RE VE SB Y. CHURCH, S. Thomas a Becket, is a handsome structure in the Nor. and E. Eng. styles. The nave has 7 bays and a clerestory ; there are also aisles, a chancel, and a fine western tower. The Nor. piers are highly interesting. The chancel is the oldest part of the building ; it contains some remains of Nor. piers and arches in the walls ; there is also a double piscina in one arch. Here (in a vault under the chancel) lie the remains of the first Lord de Eamsey (Edward Fellowes). An ancient cross stands in the eastern part of the churchyard. There are other objects of interest. Register dates from 1559. The Roman Catholic eh. is in the Gothic style, and was built in 1863. There are sundry chapels for other noncon- formists. The chief street — a wide one— is called " the Great Whyte." There are public buildings called the Abbey Rooms, with a library and a hall for meetings. There is also the " Ramsey Institution," built in 1846, at the top of the Great Whyte. THE ABBEY.— This is the seat of Lord de Ramsey, is a modern mansion whose entrance gateway is a portion of the old monastic buildings in the Perp. style. The underground portions of the mansion contain fine examples of E, Eng. work. On the eastern side of the house appear two of the original buttresses. HIS. NOTE. — This famous monastery was established by St. Oswald and JEthelwine of East Anglia in the year 969. It was dedicated to SS. Mary and Benedict. The abbacy was a mitred one and very richly endowed. A visit was made to this abbey by Hexry II. in A.D. 1154. After Martin, abbot of Peterborough, died, William de Walteville was elected by the monks, " and the king gave him the abbacy and soon went to Peterborough .... and he was also at Ramsey.'' Queen Isabella also visited the abbey in 1309. In 1666 the town was visited by a plague ; hence, perhaps, the name of the main street, the Anglo-Saxon for plague being wite. References. — Wise's History of Ramsey ; Tlie Fenland, Past and Present. HOTELS.— Rose and Crown, Angel, George. Market day : Wednesday. Area, 16,562 acres. Pop., 4,617. Reach.— (See ft waff ham Prior.) Revesby (Line.) is situate on the north border of the Fens and near the Catch water Drain. Medlam Drain, the principal outlet for the West Fen waters, commences at Revesby, and affords navigation to BE VESB Y—R0XHA1I—B USKINGTON. 115 Boston. The name is of Danish origin, and there- fore the village was probably founded by the Danes. There is no railway station nearer than Horneastle or Tattershall, about 7 m. distant ; but there is a good road through Coningsby. CHURCH, S. Lavrrence, is a good stone structure in E. Eng. style. Register dates from 1595. The cottages stand in a semicircle, with a village green in front. There are almshouses here. The principal residence is Revesby Abbey, in the Elizabethan style, standing in a park of 300 acres (shown in our map). The name Abbey is derived from the fact that a Cistercian abbey was founded here in 1142. On the fen side is a hamlet caUed 310 ORHO USES, 3 m. distant, between New Bolingbroke and Tumby Woodside. Here is a chapel of ease, built of brick (1875) in the Gothic style. INN. — Red Lion. Area, 4570 acres. Pop., 565. Roxham (Norf.) is a small parish near the river Wissey, to the north of which is Boxhani drain. It is 2+ m. south-east of Downham Market and is in- cluded in the parish of Fordham (Norf.) Ruskington (Line), situate by the north-west border of the Fenland. It is 4 m. from Sleaford, and has a station on Cr. X. and G. E. joint line. The name is derived from the Saxon-mark name, Uucingas. CHURCH, All Saints, is a fine building in Nor. and E. Eng. styles. Some of the Nor. work has been mutilated. The chancel and arcades are E. Eng. A restoration was effected in 1861 and in 1871. The font is Perp. Tbe register dates from 1558. The Wesleyans and Free Methodists have chapels here. There is a Library and Reading Room in the village. NOTE. — " In Ruskington Fen buried oak trees are numerous and the bark well preserved. All the trees are broken off, 2 to 3 feet from the ground, which is about the thickness of the peat in the fen." (Geol. Mem., p. 159.) INNS. — Black Bull, Red Lion. Area, 4750 acres. Pop.. 1191. m2 116 ST. IVES. ; 'St. Ives (Hunts.) is situate on the river Ouse, 5 in. east of Huntingdon, 59 m. from London, with a station on G. E. By. — Cambridge to Huntingdon — and branches to March and to Haddenham and Ely. This is an ancient market and corporate town. The charter for the market was granted in reign of Edward I., abont 1290. The cattle market was formerly held in the main streets, but recently a very good market place has been formed, with con- venient offices, near the railway station. Church, ALL SAINTS, is principally Perp. style. It has a west tower surmounted by a fine spire, rebuilt in 1879, and north and south porches. There are some good memorial windows here. The register dates from 1561. In a parochial book of accounts the signature of Oliver Cromwell appears, 1634 ; he was at that time residing in the parish, probably just to the north of the town, where is a large barn formerly bear- ing the initials 0. C. It is near the junction of Eamsey and Huntingdon roads, and is still called " Oliver Cromwell's barn." In the Market is a handsome Congregational chapel, in Gothic style, with tower and spire and illuminated clock. There are also Baptist, Wesley an, and Primitive Methodist chapels. The old stone bridge over the Ouse has 6 arches. NOTE. — The place — anciently named Slepe, and so called in Domesday —has its present name from S. Ivo, who came here as a hermit, having set out with three companions in disguise from Persia. William of Malmsrury in his Chronicle, under Ramesei,* says, " Ivo Persa episcopus." Ivo died here. The place of burial was not known till it was revealed by a vision. The bodies of all the hermits were found, and the body of Ivo was translated to Eamsey and buried close to the altar, and a fountain sprang up from the tomb. "A Cell to this rich Monastery (Eamsey) was S. Ivoes Priory, built in that place of Slep, by Earl Adelmus in the reign of the last Edmund (1015), where the incorrupted body of S. Ivo, there once a Hermit, in a vision revealed, was by Ednothm taken up in his Eobes Episcopal, and dedicated in the presence of Siward, Earl of this County, and that lady of renowned piety EthelfJed, to the sacred memory of this Persian Bishop." f A fire, in 1207, destroyed the ch. and portions of the priory, but * See Gesta Poritificitm Anqlorum, pub. under direction of Master of the Rolls in 1870. + See The Theatre of the Empire of Gt. Britain, by John Speed, pub. 1676. See also the marginal references to history on p. 57 of that book. SA WTRY—SCOPWICK—SEUPRIXGHAM. 117 being rebuilt, the religious house continued till the dissolu- tion. A Gothic house now occupies part of the site of the priory ; the north and west walls of the front garden are re- mains of the old Priory Barn. The house is called " The Priory." The town suffered severely from fire in 1689. HOTELS.— Golden Lion, Unicorn. A large cattle market is held on Mondays, and fairs on Whit Monday and 11th October. Area, 2111 acres. Pop., 3002. *Sawtry (Hunts.) is 8 m. north-west from Hun- tingdon and 4 m. south-west of Holme station. The old Ermine Street passes through the parish. CHURCH, All Saints, is a new building, erected in 1880 with the materials of two former churches, in the Dec. style. Chancel, nave, and west bell turret. There is a brass in this ch. bearing 3 effigies and dated 1401. Three parishes are combined into one — All Saints, S. Andrew, and S. Judith. HIS. NOTE. — Here was an abbey of the Cistercians, dedi- cated to S. Mary. It was famed for its hospitality : — " Sa^rtrey, by the way, That old abbay Gave more alms in one dav Than all they/' The last word of this old verse refers to neighbouring religious houses. Many Eoman coins have been found about here. INNS. — Cross Keys, Chequers. Area, 6168 acres. Pop., 1262. *Scopwiek (Line.) is a small village to the north- west of the Fens, and 2 m. from Scop wick and Timberland station on G.N. and Or. E. joint line, and 9 m. north of Sleaford. CHUECH, Holy Cross, is of stone in E. Eng. style, restored in 1882. It contains several ancient monuments. The register dates from 1605. INN. — Eoyal Oak. Area, 3403 acres. Pop., 399. Sempringham (Line.) is a large parish, the most inhabited parts of which are Birthorpe and Pointon. The latter is l£ m. from Billingborough station on Bourn and Sleaford branch of G. N. R-y. The chief interest of the place lies in the fact that here was founded the religious order of Gilber tines , who followed the 118 SEMPEINGHA M — SETCH — SIB SE Y. Benedictine rule, and that a priory was erected by Sir Gilbert de Sbmpringham, and sustained till the dissolution, when the priory was granted to Lord Clinton. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is an interesting Nor. structure, with some Perp. introduced. The nave formed part of the ancient priory ch. Sad havoc has been made of the old structure, part of which was pulled down to build a mansion, which in its turn was pulled down early in 17th century. One of the original chancel arches is to be found in a dovecote at Threckingham. The ch. was built on a rising ground over- looking the Fens, and the habitations which once surrouuded it have disappeared. About half the parish is crown property, and about 20 years ago the chancel was rebuilt in E. Eng. style by the Crown. The register dates from 1558. BIRTHORPE is to the north of Sempringham ch. and 1 m. from Billingborough station. POINTON is to the south-east. There is no ch. but a Wesley an chapel here. The fen extends to the eastward of this hamlet. INNS. — New Ship, and Old Ship (at Pointon). Area of parish, 3180 acres. Pop., 580. Setch (Norf), also called Setcliy Magna, is a small parish and village about 4 m. south of Lynn on the Lynn and Downhani road. A small stream called Ketlam Brook runs through the parish and connects with the Nar. The Lynn Corporation has land here. INNS. — Bull, Lynn Arms. Area, 714 acres. Pop., 118. Sibsey (Line.) is situate about 5 m. north of Boston, on one of the " fen islands," but of " boul- der clay," not gravel, as is found in other parts of the level. It has a station on the East Lincolnshire branch of G. N. By. CHURCH, S. Margaret, is a tine edifice with a Nor. nave, clerestory of 5 lights Perp. The tower is lofty, the lower part is E. Eng., there is a fine peal of 8 bells. The chancel has original piscina and sedilia. The font is E. Eng. This ch. was restored in 1856. The east window, of 5 lights, is a memorial. The register dates from 1565. There is a Wesleyan chapel in the village ; also a Free Endowed School, founded in 1869. - . . SKEGNESS— SLEAFORD . 119 The north part of the "island" is called NORLANDS, where there are houses and a Primitive Methodist chapel ; also a school endowed hi 1846. At FRITHBANK is a school, endowed in 1726, and rebuilt by the landholder in 1863. SIBSEY FEN-SIDE is on the south-west of the village. INNS. — Ship, Star, Pied Bull. Area, 6079 acres. Pop., 1204. Skegness (Line.) is situate on the sea coast about A m. north of Gibraltar point, at the entrance to The Wash. The approach by railway is on G.N. system by Boston to Firsby, where there is a junction of the Firsby and Skegness branch, by Wainfleet. Boston to Skegness about 23 m. Distance from London 180 m. There is easy through communication from all parts, especially from the Midlands. This place of late years has become a favourite health resort, and the accommodation for visitors is good and abundant, and the bathing ground safe. The Pier, the Pavilion and Pleasure Gardens, and the Swim- ming Baths afford attraction to visitors. The Pier is 1843 ft. long and has a pavilion to seat 500 people. The name Skegness appears to be of Danish origin, and derived from that of a sea rover, Skogul, and ness or naze, a promontory. Skcigul-ness, Anglicised into Skegness. The river Steeping, flowing by Firsby and Wainfleet, may be taken as the actual north-east boundary of the Fenland, or the dividing line between it and the " Salt Marsh" stretching along the Lincolnshire coast ; but Skegness is sufficiently near the Fen district to warrant its insertion here. CHURCHES. — S. Clement is an ancient edifice in Perp. style. It contains some monuments, and was restored in 1884. — S. Matthew's is a modern ch. in E. Eng. style and built of Ancaster stone. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. HOTELS, &c— Pier Hotel, Sea View, Lumley, Vine, Ensor's dining rooms, &c. Area, 1644 acres. Pop., 1838. *Sleaford (Line.) is situate to the west of the Fen border, 18 m. south of Lincoln and 118 m. from 120 SLEAFOBD. London. It is the centre of a system of railways belonging to G. N. connecting Grantham, Boston, Bourn, and Lincoln and Spalding by G.N. and G.E. joint line. It appears to derive its name from the small river Slea which is connected with the river Witham by a canal and Billinghay Skirth. Leland, speaking of a castle built here by Alexander, the 3rd Norman bishop of Lincoln (1123 — 47), remarks, " With- oute the town standeth west south-west the proper castel. It is compassed by a renning streme by a cut out of a litel fen." CHUKCH, S. Dennis, is one of those churches which afford great interest to the archaeologist, but it has been subject to a good deal of defacement in some parts during post-Beforma- tion times, while the details of the different styles are very good. The tower, surmounted by a spire, is at the west end of the nave ; the lower part is Nor., the upper part and spire are E. Eng. The aisles are carried westward to the front of the tower. The nave, aisles, and transepts are good Dec. ; but most of the piers and arches of the nave, the clerestory and the chancel are Perp. ; an inserted west window in the tower is also Perp. On the external walls of the chancel are in- scriptions — one to Richard Dokke and his wife Joan, bene- factors about 1400 ; and another to W. Hakebeter and his wife ; and on the interior are monuments to the Carr family, one as early as 1520. The restoration was effected in 1873. The register dates from 157o. The Baptists, Independents, and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the town, and a Catholic school-chapel was built in 1882. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. — The Grammar School, Northgate, was founded in 1604 by Bobt. Carr, and endowed with a free- hold estate at Gedney. — The Carr Hospital, a set of alms- houses for old men, Avas founded by the grandson of the above Bobt. Carr. This charity has had some extension in recent years. — Alvey's Endowed ScnooLs, in both Eastgate and Westgate, were founded by Wm. Alvey in 1726. This charity has received some recent help from the Marquis of Bristol. — The Town Hall, in Market Place, was built, in the Tudor style, in 1829. — The Corn Exchange, also in the Market Place was erected in 1857. The design is in Perp. style. HIS. NOTE. — Some Boman remains have been found near the south entrance to the town, when excavations were made for the Grantham branch of the By. ; there were skeletons, a knife, spear, shield, and a coin of Valentinianus. The name in Domesday is Eslaford, and some old writers had it L afford, which name is still preserved in " Lafford Terrace." Of the SLEAFOBD— SOHAM. 121 castle, built by Alexander, Bp. of Lincoln, only the fragment of wall of great thickness exists, but the moat and foundations are traceable. Bp. Fleming of Lincoln, who was a bitter opponent of the WicklifTe doctrines, died at the castle in 1431. Lord Hussey, beheaded for participating in the insurrection raised by Mackebell in time of Hexby VIII., had a house at Sleaford, called " Old Place," (a modern house on the old site still bears that name.) Hexry, in a journey to York, stayed here. There is a portrait of Httssey at Doddington Hall (6 m. west of Lincoln.) The Caees soon came on the scene. The castle and manor were granted to Lord Clixtox by Queen Maey, and were sold by him to Sir Piobt. Care, who probably dismantled the castle. In 1683, the last male heir, Sir Edzjxxd Cabr, died, and Isabella, his sister, became sole heiress ; she was married to Johx Hekvey. who became Earl of Bristol, hence the possessions came to the Marquis of Bristol, the present principal landowner. Reference. — Leland's Itinerary, Oxford. 1715 ; History of New and Old Sleaford, by Ceeasey, Sleaford, 1825. OLD SLEAFORD is to the south of the town and is eccle- siastically annexed to Quarrington. The principal streets bear the names of North, South, East, and West-gates. Gates, in this sense, from Dan. Gatce, roads. HOTEL. — Nag's Head. There are several Inns in the main streets, as the Marquis of Granby in Northgate, &c. Market and sale of stock on Monday, and six fairs during the rear. Area, 3160 acres. Pop., 4075. Soham (Carabs.), a town and large parish, is situate at the south-east of the Fenland. It has a station on the Ely and Newmarket branch of Or. E. By., 6 m. from the former and 8 m. from the latter. The town has water communication with the Ouse by " The Lode," which enters that river about 2 m. south of Ely, and by which merchandise is conveyed to and from Lynn or Cambridge, &e. Soham Mere, now drained and under cultivation, lay to the south-west of the town, and Soham Fen to the north-east, as shown on our map. CHUBCH, S. John the Baptist, is a fine cruciform edifice of 12th century, and appears to have had formerly a tower at the intersection. The nave, piers, and arches are of the early transition from Nor. to E. Eng., and the transepts are E. Eng. with inserted windows. The chancel windows are Dec, the insertions being made about middle of 14th century. In the 122 SOHAM — SOMERSHAM. aisles the windows are partly Dec, partly Perp. : the tower and north porch, built in flint and stone, are good Perp. The tower is 100 ft. high. The chancel has some good old panelled oak in ceiling and on walls, and 20 stalls, most of the same structure. In the interior there are several objects worthy of attention. The restoration was made in 1879. The register dates from 1558. (The ch. was dedicated to S. Andrew. It appears that there was no re-dedication, but the ch. has been popularly called S. John the Baptist.) The Baptists formed a congregation here as early as 1775, and had Andrew Fuller, a native of this place, as first pastor. The Independent chapel was built in 1837, and the Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists established themselves at a later period. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. — Court House, Conservative Hall, People's Hall and Beading Boom. The Grammar School was founded in the reign of Jajies II., and here Andrew Fuller was educated. There are alms- houses and some valuable charities in this parish. NOTE.-— " Large oaks lying in all directions are found in the peat in Soham Mere. One was said to be 2 ft. 6in. in diameter, and another was described as being 90 ft. long and nearly 4 ft. in diameter." (Geol. Mem., p. 159.) For Soham (Ancient) Causeway, see note in Ancient Cambs., p. 75. This part of the Fenland has been noted for its orchards and gardens, and large quantities of fruit have been sent to the markets of London and the large towns. A cattle fair is held in May. INNS. — Crown, White Hart, Bed Lion, Fountain, King's Head, Ship. Area, 12706 acres. Pop., 3980. *Somersham (Hunts.) is 5 m. north-east of St. Ives station on G. E. By. The village consists chiefly of one street. CHUBCH, S. John the Baptist, is of the E. Eng. and some later styles ; has clerestoried nave, with aisles, north and south porches, embattled west tower. The east window is a triple lancet. There are slabs in the floor, which contained pre- Beformation monuments, but only one brass remains. The edifice was restored in 1883. Begister dates from 1558. There are Baptist and Wesleyan chapels. The bishops of Ely formerly had their palace here. A feast is still held here on S. John's Day, June 24th. INNS. — Bull, Bose and Crown, Crown and Punch Bowl, Wheatsheaf. Area, 4119 acres. Pop., 1409. SO UTHER Y— SPALDING . 123 Southery (Norf. ) is a village about 5 m. north- east of Littleport and opulous city before the Conquest ; hence called Ruin Reach. " At Reche coins of Constats and of the type bearing Ukbs Roma have been found." (Babington.) Swaton (Line.) — sometimes called Sway ton — is on west border of the Fens, near the Carr Dyke, between which and the South Forty Foot Drain lies Swaton Fen. The nearest station is 2\ m. to south, viz., Billingboroug-h, on Sleaford and Bourn branch of G-. N. Ey. CHURCH. S. Michael, is a very fine cruciform edifice of mixed style — Transitional to Dec. and Perp. The nave and chancel are under the same roof. The nave and aisles are Perp., the upper part of the central tower Perp. This ch. contains some fine windows ; the west one is especially in- teresting. The interior of ch. has several objects of interest to the visitor : see the stalls and early carved oak seats. The register dates from 1680. INN. — White Hart. Area, 3670 acres. Pop., 238. *Swavesey (Cambs.) is situate just to the south of Over Fen. It has a station on Cambridge and S. Ives branch of G. E. Ey., some 9 m. north-west of Cambridge. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is an ancient stone building in E. Eng. and Perp. styles. The nave has 6 bays and is clerestoried, and the chancel has aisles as well as the nave. This ch. con- tains several objects of great interest. The register dates from 1576. In the village are two Baptist chapels and one Primitive Methodist. A priory was founded here in 11th century. INKS.— Red Lion, Black BuU, Black Horse. Area, 3890 acres. Pop.. 1171. Swineshead (Line.) is situate a little north of the old Bicker Haven. It is a large village. The South Forty Foot Drain runs through the northern part of the parish in an easterly direction to Boston. The station on Sleaford and Boston branch of G. N. Ey. is 2 m. north of the village. Boston is 7 m. east. 138 TALLINGTON — TATTERSHALL. CHUKCH, S. Mary, is a fine spacious stone edifice in Dec. and Perp. styles. The nave has 6 bays and is clerestoried. The chancel was rebuilt in 1847. The tower is 160 ft. high, surmounted by a low spire. There are in the interior some 16th century monuments that are interesting, also a recent memorial east window. The register dates from 1639. The Wesleyans, Baptists, and Free Methodists have chapels in the village. NOTE. — An abbey was founded here early in the 12th cen- tury for Cistercian monks, and the spot is shown on our map ; but there are no remains of the building, except perhaps some of the materials used to build the present farm house. In time of Edward III. the Bicker Haven had become to a large extent a marsh by accretion from the Wash, and the abbot of Swineshead laid claim to the portion adjoining his lands. " The abbot of Swineshead and Sir Nicholas de Ky, knight, did implead (1342) the abbot of Peterborough for 340 acres of marsh," &c. (See Dugdalc.) Tradition says that King John, after his disaster in the Wash, was drugged by a monk of this abbey. There is an ancient cross in the Market Place. INNS. — Elephant and Castle, Golden Cross, King's Head, Green Dragon. Area, 6747 acres. Pop., 1626. Tallington (Line.) is situate on the Welland where that river enters the Fens, 4 m. below Stamford ; it has a station on G. N. main line between Peterboro.' and Essendine. The high road from Stamford to Market Deeping runs through the village. Here we have another Saxon family name, Tcclingas. CHUBCH, S. Lawrence, is a 12th century cruciform build- ing with central tower once surmounted by a spire, and built of Barnack stone. The register dates from 1690. There is one chapel, Independent. INN. — Cavendish Arms. Area, 690 acres. Pop., 245. Tattershall (Line.) is a township some 12 m. north-west of Boston, with a station — £ m. from the town — on Boston and Lincoln branch of G. N. Ey. It is connected with the Witham and the Bain by a cut made in reign of George III. (1811). CHUKCH, Holy Trinity, is a very fine cruciform edifice in Perp. style— once a collegiate ch. — founded by a Baron Crom- well, of an ancient family in Notts. The clerestoried nave TA TTEESHALL — TERRIXGTOX S. CLEMENT. 139 lias 6 bays, the transepts are lofty, and the western tower massive. Here are monumental remains of great interest, but most of the fine ancient stained glass bearing the shields and arms of the Cromwells referred to was removed (1754) to S. Martin's, Stamford. There are some brasses of ecclesiastics, one being to Wakde, first provost of the college. Eegister dates from 1569. The castle— or rather the keep of the castle — is a grand brick building, a fine specimen of a later castellated tower, Perp. Some of the chimney-pieces remain and bear the emblems of Lord Cromwell, treasurer to Henry YII. From the top the visitor will obtain a grand view of the Lincolnshire fens. (See illustration in The Fenland.) TATTER SHA L L THORPE lies to the north-east and is approached by a road through Coningsby. There is a Wesleyan chapel here. INNS. — Black Horse, Fortescue Arms. Area of parish, 4578 acres. Pop., 782, about 300 being in Tattershali Thorpe. Terrington S. Clement (Norf.) is situate near the old Roman Bank, about 6 m. west of Lynn. The station is \ m. from village on Sutton Bridge and Lynn branch of G. N. Piy. The name is Sax., Teorringas. CHUBCH, S. Clemeuts, is a charming edifice in the Perp. style, such a village ch as is rarely seen, except in the Fen- land. The traveller from Lynn to Sutton cannot fail to be struck with the massive group formed by its pinnacles, roof, and campanile, as seen from the south-east. It is cruciform. The fine embattled tower is detached from the church. It is said to have been built by Edmund de Gonville, who was Eector in 1312, and who founded Gonville Hall. Camb. (See pp. 14, 15.) Parkin, editor of Blomfield/s Norfolk, speaks of it as being a " very beautiful, large, and noble building of free- stone, in the form of a cathedral ch." (See also Fen and Marsh- land Churches.) It was new roofed and repaired in 1829. The vestry was rebuilt and the chancel restored by Dr. Lightfoot, late Bp. of Durham, in 1879. Eestoration is still going on, as funds permit, in north aisle, transepts, tower, &c. See a beautiful marble tablet to the memory of Mr. John Edwards (1733) and his wife Dorothy, daughter of Thop.ogood Upwoqd, Esq., (1724). The register dates from 1598. There are 3 chapels in the village — Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist, and Free Methodist. NOTE. — The parish, in common with other parts of " Marsh- land," was formerly subject to inundations from the sea, when 140 TERUINGTON S. JOHN— THORNEY. boisterous storms broke the " sea walls." (See His. Note under Walsoken.) In 1335 great ravages were made and about 1000 acres in this parish flooded. In Nov., 1613, the bank was broken, 13 houses were destroyed and 1000 or more damaged, and this flood reached as far as Wisbech. (See Dugdale, p. 276.) Hamond Lodge, within a park and plantation, is the princi- pal residence. INNS. — Coach and Horses, King William, Jolly Farmers. Area, 9410 acres. Pop., 2028. Terrington S. John (Norf.) is 2 m. south of Ter- rington S. Clement's station on G. N. Ey., 2| m. from S. Clement's ch., and about midway, by road, between Lynn and Wisbech. CHUBCH, S. John, is supposed to date from 1423, for a licence was granted in that year to John Billing, Vicar, to build a chapel in the lordship of the Bp. of Ely at the Cross, called " Peyke's Cross," to the honour of God and the Holy Cross. The style of the building goes to show that the ch. was erected during Edward I.'s reign. The edifice is large and of the Dec. style. The tower is Perp., as also the windows of the east and west ends. Between the tower and the south aisle is a peculiar building known as the " Priest's House." Booms of a like kind are to be seen at Tilney All Saints and West Walton. The font is ancient and worthy of attention. Begister dates from 1536. The Free Methodists have a chapel here. INNS. — Bose and Crown, Woolpack. Area, 2506 acres. Pop., 673. Thetford— (See Stretham.) Thorney (Cambs.) is situate at the north- west of the county, and about 7 m. east of Peterboro.' It has a station on the Peterboro' and Wisbech branch of the Mid. Ey., or Mid. and G. N. joint line. The manor of Thorney was acquired by Francis, Duke of Bedford, by an act of incorporation granted by King Charles L, by which act a weekly market was established and two annual fairs. The market ceased in 1830. The " Thorney Lordship " consists of 17,588 acres, and is bounded on the south-east by Thorney Dyke, on the south-west by the Cats- water and a ridge of high ground, and on the north-east by Gold-dyke. {Wells.) THORNEY. 141 The place is one of great historic interest, and the modern village — a model one in fact — is quite unique in its way, well wooded and picturesque. CHUECH, SS. Mary and Botolph, at least that was the original dedication of the abbey after its restoration by Bp. Ethelwold in 972. The present ch. was formed in 1638 from the nave of the Nor. conventual ch., rebuilt by abbot Gunter in 1089. " The ruined arches were filled in with the stones still remaining.'' The restored and refitted building being named S. Mary only. The upper tiers of the arches are filled with Perp. tracery forming the clerestory. The west front is a fine piece of Perp. grafted upon the old Nor. — that is, flanked by Nor. square turrets crowned by Perp. tops richly pannelled.* Above the west window are 9 niches, containing figures of Sax. saints carved in stone, one being Tatwine (the friend of Gttthlac) with a boat in his hands, signifying he made his approach to Crowland by water. See also the west doorway with its fine deep mouldings and niches. The earliest known register appears to be that of the baptisms of the French colony settled here in middle of 17th century. This register, dating from 1654 to 1727, is given entire in The His. of Thorney Abbey by Rev. E. H. Warner, M.A. ; Leach & Son, Wisbech, 1879. This abbey ch. has recently been restored by the Duke of Bedford. In the village is a Beading Boom, attached to which is a library of some 500 vols. HIS. NOTE. — A hermitage was founded here by Saxulf in 664, following quickly on the foundation of Medeshampstede, for at the hallowing of this monastery the abbot made an appeal to Wflfhere, king of Mercia, in this wise — "I have here God-fearing monks who would pass their lives in an anchoretage, if they knew where. But here is an island which is called Ancarigf (Thorney) and I will crave this, that we may build a monastery to the glory of S. Mary, that they may there dwell who may desire to lead their lives in peace and in rest." The king granted the same. (See Sax. Chron.) In 870, Thorney shared the same fate as Peterboro' and Crow- land, in the Danish invasion. In the reign of Eadgar a new charter was obtained and the monastery restored by ^Ethel- wold, Bp. of Winchester (972) and the Benedictine rule estab- lished. The abbey buildings were of great extent. The Bp.'s chaplain, Gode:.ian, was appointed the first abbot of the new monastery. During the next 110 years five abbots ruled the monastery, and in 1082 Gontier, an able man, was appointed * Mr. Maurice Johnson, of Spalding, had a drawing showing spires in the place of these octagonal tops. + This appears to be derived from Sax. Ancer, a hermit, and iff, an island. Ancr is Welsh for a hermit, and unig means lonely. 142 THOENEY. to the abbacy. He rebuilt the conventual ch. which was con- secrated on 13th Nov., 1089. The present ch. formed the nave of that edifice, and the west front, with towers and spires already named above, was completed about 10 years after. This then indicates the age of the Xor. part of the present building. The superiors of Thorney were mitred abbots and had the privilege of sitting in Parliament. The monastery remained intact down to the dissolution in 1539, when the abbey site and all the buildings thereon were granted by Henry VIII. to Lord Bussell, afterwards Earl of Bedford. One hundred years passed away and a new interest sprang up in Thorney by the settlement of the Walloons,* a French- speaking people, refugees from the continent, who had pre- viously settled in Yorkshire. These people assisted in draining the low lands around the isle ; they raised corn and sowed colza, a kind of cabbage (Brass ica oleracea), from the seeds of which they extracted oil. Charles II. granted many privi- leges to these people. "Every Sunday there were services in English and French. For the latter language there was a minister named Michael David, of Geneva, a person of learn- ing and great zeal." The Thorney Red Book is an ancient manuscript, written in red ink, and is in the possession of the Earl of Westmoreland at Apthorpe. (Warner, p. 43.) Many urns and coins have been dug up near the ch. — some coins of Trajan. WRYDE station is 2h m. east of Thorney. At WBYDE CROFT a district ch. was erected in 18G5. THORNEY TOLL is 3£ m. east, on Wisbech road; here also a small ch. was erected in 1872 ; this is at the extremity of the parish. FRENCH DROVE is to the north of Wryde. ENGLISH DROVE is between Thorney and French Drove. Stone Bridge, crossing Thorney Dyke, is 2£ m. south, on Whittlesea road. Willow Hall lies 3 m. to south-west. HOTEL. — Bose and Crown. Fairs are held on 1st July and 21st Sept. Area, 17588 acres. Pop., 2055. Thornton-le-Fen (Line.) is a small village and parish, 6 m. north of Boston by road, and 3f ni. north of Langrick station on Boston and Lincoln branch of G. N. By. There is no ch., the inhabitants go to Froghill ch. in Wild- more parish. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. Area, 541 acres. Pop., 346. * See the names of these people in Mis. of Thorney, by Warner. Chap, xi. will be read with interest. THEE CKINGHAM — TMUBLB Y—TILXE Y. 143 *Threckingham (Line.) is situate near the western border of the Fenland, about 7 m. south of Sleaford, It is 3 m. from Aswarby station on Sleaford and Bourn branch of G. N. Ey. According to KejIble, this name is from the Sax. pat- ronymic Threcyingas, and is not the equivalent of Three- kings-ham ; and therefore might signify a family of three tribes (cyn, a race,) the syllables being Threck-ing-ham. CHUECH, S. Peter's, is an ancient one of mixed styles and curious. It has a lofty tower and spire. Much of the work is of E. Eng. and Dec. The windows are good Dec. The chancel is a mixture of Nor. and E. Eng., the outside having a Nor. appearance and the inside E. Eng. The visitor will notice the curious font, the stall in the chancel, the screen work and benches, and the ancient monuments. The register dates from 1572. There are two Baptist chapels here. Area, 2270 acres. Pop., 143. Thurlby (Line.) is situate a little to the south of Bourn, and the Glen runs by the south-eastern boundary of the parish. The Carr Dyke runs near the ch. There is a station on the G. N. Ey. The first syllable of the name appears to be derived from Thor (the Scandinavian god of thunder), by is the common Dan. word for village. (In this county 212 names of places end with by.) The prefix is the same as in Thurs-day. CHUECH, S. Firmin, is cruciform, in Xor. and E. Eng. styles; the nave mostly Nor. The transepts were formerly used as chapels. There is a Nor. doorway in the south porch. The register dates from 1560. The Wesleyans and Free Methodists have chapels here. There is also a Working Men's Institute and Pleading Eoom. Elsea Wood is to the north of the village, and there are some fine oak trees in the neighbourhood. (See Camp of Refuge.) XOETHOEFE is a hamlet on the north-west. INN.— Five BeUs. Area, 5070 acres. Pop., 814. Tilney All Saints (Norf.) is some 4 or 5 ra. west of Lynn, and 1 m. from Clenchwarton station on Sutton Bridge and Lynn branch of G. N. Ey. The termmation ey in this name does not signify an island, but is from Sax. ed, a river (from proximity to the old course 141 TILNEY S. LAWRENCE— TIMBERL AND. of the Ouse). We find the same termination in Welney (Cambs.), near the Old Bedford river. These and Gedney are perhaps the only exceptions in the names of places with the terminal syllable ey, which, derived from ig, signifies an island, as in Thorney. CHURCH, All Saints, is built of Barnack Rag. This grand old ch. affords one of the best examples of Nor. work. The chancel is highly interesting ; the east end has lost its Nor. windows, Perp. ones being inserted. The chancel aisles were formerly chapels ; that on the north side being the Lady chapel, still contains a bowl of loth century. The nave has a fine arcade of G arches; 5 are Nor., the Oth E. Eng. As at the other Marshland churches, the visitor will find here very many objects to strike his attention. The register dates from 1538. There is a Wesleyan chapel in the village. HIS. NOTE.— See Walsokex. INNS.— Ship, Shore Boat. Area, 2750 acres. Pop., 565. Tilney S. Lawrence (Norf.) is 6h m. south-west of Lynn, and 2^ m. from Terrington station on Lynn and Sutton Bridge branch of G. N. Ey. It is nearly midway on the road between Wisbech and Lynn. CHURCH S. Lawrence, is a modern building (1846) of stone and brick, in E. Eng. style. It has nave, chancel, tran- septs, south porch, and west tower with spire. The old ch. was of mixed styles. The register dates from 1618. The living is annexed to Tilney All Saints. There is a Primitive Methodist chapel here. The principal residential place is Aylmer Hail, the birth- place of the Rev. John Aylmer, D.D., who was tutor to Lady Jane Grey. INNS. — Coach and Horses, Tilney Buck. Area, 3376 acres. Pop., 722. Timberland (Line.) is on the north-west of the Fenland, and Timberland Fen extends to the banks of the Witham, with which river the village has water communication. It is H m. from Scopwick station on G. N. and G. E. joint line. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a stone structure in E. Eng., style. The chancel was rebuilt in 1838. The register dates from 1563. TOTTENHILL — T UMBY — TYDD S. MARY. 145 The Wesleyaus and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. THORPE TILNEY is a hamlet to the south with a popu- lation of about 200. MARTIN is a township in this parish (see p. 95.) INN. — Houghton Arms. Area of parish, 8109 acres. Pop., 1438. Tottenhill (Xorf.) is midway between Lynn and Downham, and 2 m. from Magdalen Road station on G. E. By. CHURCH, S. Botolph, is of stone in E. Eng. style, and consists of nave, chancel, and west tower. Some restoration has been effected in recent years. The register dates from 1679. Area, 1590 acres. Pop.. 367. Tumby (Line.) is a township in the parish of Kirkby- super-Bain and 2 m. north-east of Coningsby. There are about 1000 acres of land occupied by oak and larch trees, and most of the inhabitants reside at that part called "Wood side,"' where there is a "Wesleyan chapel. The ch. is at Moor Houses. Area, 3709 acres. Pop., 391. Tydd. S. Mary (Line.) is a village and parish touching Cambs. on the south and Norf. on the east ; it is near the river Nene ; the South Holland drain runs on the north boundary. The village is 6 m. north of Wisbech on the Sutton road, and 3 m. south of Sutton. The Mid. By. station is 2 m. from the ch. The old Roman bank runs northward by this parish. CHURCH, S. Mary, is an ancient building of mixed styles, Dec. and Perp. The nave has 5 bays and is clerestoried. The tower, surmounted by a spire, is of brick with stone dressings. Note the monument of a knight, temp. Richard II., also the modern east window. The register dates from 1540. At CHAPELGATE is a Mission ch., erected in 1859. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in this parish. 146 TYDD GOTE — TYDD S. GILES. TYDD GOTE is a hamlet partly in Tydd S. Giles (Carnbs.)* Here the visitor will see the North Level Main Drain and the fine sluice, constructed under the North Level Act, 1857. Tydd comes from Sax. Tid, tide, time, &c. Gote or Gowt is constructed into as restored in 1885. Some of the Cromwell family are said to have been buried here, but there are no memorials. The register dates from 1558. Upwood House is reputed as the site of an ancient seat even of Eadgar, king of Mercia, then of Duke Ailwix, of the monks of Ramsey, and afterwards of the Cromwells. About a mile south of Upwood is GT. RAVELEY whose ch. was destroyed before the Reformation. The register is included in that of Upwood. Area of Upwood, 1871 acres. Pop., 339. Gt. Raveley, 2010 acres. Pop., 203. Wainfleet All Saints (Line.) is situate to the north-east of the Fenland, on the river Steeping, which enters the Wash at Gibraltar Point. It has a station on the Firsby and Skegness branch of G. N. By., about 4 m. from Firsby, and some 18 m. from Boston. The Romans had a station here, from which the Roman bank round the border of the Wash commenced. The name was Vainona : and the first syllable of the present name appears to be a corruption of that, with fleet from Sax. fieot, the mouth of a river, tacked on. The town consists principally of one street, with a market place dividing it. CHURCH, All Saints, is built in Perp. style on the site of an old ch. demolished in 1820. The register dates from 1720. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. There is an Assembly Room in which lectures, concerts, and public meetings are held. There is also a Literary Institute. The Grammar School was founded in 1459 by a native of the place, William of Waynflete, who also founded Magdalen Coll., Oxford, and who became Bp. of Winchester and Lord High Chancellor of England. WAINFLEET S. MARY — WALPOLE. 149 NOBTHOLJilE is a suburb of 200 inhabitants. Here is a tumulus supposed to be in Danish. HOTELS.— Angel, Eed Lion. Area, 1670 acres. Pop.. 1349. Wainfleet S. Mary (Line.) is about 1 in. west of All Saints" station. The village is small but the X^arish large. CHURCH, S. Mary, is a Terp. building in stone and brick ; it has elerestoried nave, with aisles and west tower ; the south aisle has piscina. The register dates from 1611. Area, 5871 acres. Pop., 705. Walcott (Line.) (See Bjxlinghay, p. 4.) Walcott Fen lies between the Car Dyke and the Withain, and south of Timberland Fen. Walpole S. Andrew (Norf. i is situate in the north- west of the count)" and just within the old Roman bank. There is a station on G. X. and Mid. joint line about "U m. north-east of the village. The approach from "Wisbech by road is through West Walton and along the Roman bank. Distance about 7 m. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a large edifice in Perp. style, built of brick and stone. There are some objects of interest to the visitor. The register dates from 1653. (J ROSS KEYS, a hamlet to the north of the railway, has a Mission ch. dedicated to S. Helen. NOTE. — For the story of S. Goderie see Fenland Past and Present, p. -±86, also The Hermits by Canon Ktngsley. Dug- dale speaks of Walpole as "'a place of no small note, by reason it gave birth to S. Godep.ic the hermit, of whom M. Pakis maketh ample mention." p. 214. INNS. — The Plough ; and Cross Keys in the hamlet. Area, 236r acres. Pop., 686. Walpole S. Peter (Norf.) lies to the south of S. Andrew's, and 2 m. from the Ry. station. Two miles north of "West Walton is Pease Lane leading to S. Peters. CHUPiCH, S. Peter, is the great attraction of this village and is accounted 1; the gem of the Marshland churches. 1 ' It is in the Perp. style, but is the successor of a building in the 150 WALPOLE S. PETER— WALSOKEN. Dec. period, of which the tower, the north porch doorway, and some good woodwork httings are the only remnants. Nave 120 ft. long. The visitor must not overlook the very beautiful clerestory. " The exterior of the ch. requires no guide to point out its beauties : they are manifest to every one, for, from whatever point we behold it, it is at once grand and graceful," and although the tower is too low when compared with the body of the ch., it is in itself beautiful. Other very notable features are the sancte bell-cot (still containing the bell) and a curious figure which has had a place of security provided for it at the base of the north turret. The register dates from 155 ( J. There is an arched roadway with groined roof under the east end of the ch. At WALPOLE HIGHWAY, about 2 m. south by east, is S. Edmund's ch. in Nor. style. The four chancel windows are stained glass. The Wesley ans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in this parish. CHURCH END lies to the south-east of S. Peter's, on the road to the Highway. INNS. — Rose and Crown ; Black Horse (Ch. end) ; Old Bell (Highway). Area, 6982 acres. Pop., 1137. Walsoken (Norf.) is separated from Wisbech by the Wisbech Canal. The nearest station is (x. E. at Wisbech. The older part of the parish is about 1^ in. to the east of Wisbech ; the part adjacent to the town is called NEW WALSOKEN which is really a suburb of Wisbech. Analyzing the name we find that Wal (wdl, Sax.) refers to the proximity of the place to the old Roman bank or "sea- wall," (and the same prefix also in the Walpoles and Walton), and soken is from Sax. sdcn, a liberty or privilege ; the whole word thus indicating that the old people had the liberty of holding a court at this place near the " sea-wall." CHURCH, All Saints, is a fine and ancient structure. Anti- quarians will rind in this ch. illustrations of the various styles of the 12th to Kith centuries. The west tower, the entrance the nave and the chancel are pure Nor. of the later period, built in the early part of the 12th century. The lofty clere- story is of the later Perp. style. The old Nor. aisles were replaced about 1320 by the present Dec. Important changes were made in 15th century. The trefoiled eyelet hole above a piscina in the Lady chapel is interesting to the archaeologist. The font is a fine example of highly Dec, and a notable WALSOKEN. 151 feature of the exterior is a neat bell-cot for the sanctus bell. The manor of Walsoken was given, in 1069, by Ailwyn, Duke of the East Angles, to Ramsey Abbey. The register dates from 1558. In New Walsoken there is a chapel of ease on Norwich Ed. This part of the parish has greatly extended in recent years, and fruit growing has employed a considerable number of people in this and the adjoining parishes, the produce being sent to the large markets in different parts of the country. HIS. NOTE. — 1335 (temp. Edward III.) "In the winter season of this year so great were the tempests that the towns of Walsoken, Westwalton, and Emenuthe, received extra- ordinary loss by inundations from the sea, insomuch as they became petitioners to the king for some alleviation of the tax, of a fifteenth, then granted to him in parliament by the com- mons of this realm : Whereunto the said king did graciously condescend ; and thereupon directed his precept to the trea- surer and barons of his exechequer, as also to the assessors and collectors of the same to abate unto them eight pounds thereof, the whole sum being lxI (£60)." (Dug dale, p. 254.) In the winter of the next year, "the sea was so outrageous that it brake the banks in sundry places, drowned many cattle, and spoiled a great quantity of corn ; so that the in- habitants of Tilney, Walpole, Walsoken, Westwalton, and Emenuthe, petitioning the king for a remedy therein, he assigned Constantine de Mortimer, John de Hindersete, and John de la Kokell, to make enquiry thereof, and con- sider some speedy way of redress." These commissioners met at Tilney where a jury was impanelled and sworn. The report stated among other matters, "that the town of Wal- soken had a certain bank for its defence towards the sea, extending from Warfanglestowe (?) to Emeneth menys, and containing in length three miles ; whereof the repair for one mile amounted to xxvil (£ 26) per annum." The commissioners made an elaborate report, and added that South Lynn also deserved some consideration for similar disasters. In 1338, the king — "much compassionating the great losses, &c." — appointed commissioners, among whom was one Adam de Walsoken, with a view "to make new agistments." Again in 1343, another commission was constituted "for the view of the repair of the banks, ditches, and sewers, throughout all this country of Marshland." Among the commissioners were Edmund de Gunevyle, parson of the ch. of Tyringtone, and Adam de Walsokne. (Dugdale, p. 257.) The Marshland people displayed much energy in seeking redresses, for they had sent a petition to the king on his holding a parliament at Nottingham, 1339, and they kept him well informed as to the action of the assessors who seem to have required just « little 152 WEST WALTON— WAN GFORD. looking after, and perhaps were much less considerate than the king himself. INNS. — Koyal Exchange, Three Tuns, Bell, Black Bear, Locomotive. Area, 4656 acres. Pop., 2696. West Walton \ Norf.) The village is situate about 3 m. to north-north-west of Wisbech ; the parish extends to and beyond the banks of the Nene. The nearest Ky. station is in the parish across this river, "the Ferry station," on Mid. Ky., Wisbech and Sutton Bridge branch. The road from Wisbech, through part of Walsoken, alfords a pleasant drive. CHURCH, S. Mary, is one of the finest examples of a 13th century E. Eng. ch. to be found in England. The nave is rich and beautiful, having a pier at the junction of the nave and chancel. This originally grand building has undergone a series of alterations which have lessened the symmetry of its design. The nave has 6 arches and is 84 ft. long — the sanc- tuary beyond is 44 ft — thus making the length 128 ft. Ecclc- siologist says — about the one 13th century window which now remains — " It seems to have been a labour of love to its builders ; no pains were spared upon it. Within, it is a perfect miracle of exquisite carving in its capitals and mouldings." The same remark applies to the whole of the original building. It must have been a work of love from first to last. The tower is detached from the ch. a distance of 70 ft. ; it is an object for the deep admiration of every beholder. But the old love must have departed, the ch. is sadly out of repair, and looks as if it would collapse altogether. Who will come to the rescue ? The tithe rent-charge is said to be more than £ 1300 per annum, and the living is the gift of the Lord Chancellor. Is the remedy in his Lordship's power ? May he act promptly. The register dates from 1576. WALTON HIGHWAY, on Wisbech and Lynn road, is 1| m. east of the village. At WALTON FEN END, If m. to south-east, and \ m. from Walton Highway, is a school-ch., dedicated to S. Paul. This ch. has nave, chancel, and vestry. The Baptists have a chapel here. HIS. NOTE.— (See under Walsoken.) INNS. — Queen of Trumps, Robin Hood. Area, 5223 acres. Pop., 860. Wangford (Suff. ) is situate to the south-west of WA RB YS— WA TERSE A CM. 153 Brandon, 3 m. from Gr. E. station. It is a small village and parish. CHURCH, S. Dennis, is an old flint building in E. Eng. style. The register dates from 1660. The Hall is an ancient residence of some note, and the warren lying to the south-east of the ch. is the habitat of a vast quantity of rabbits, supplying many thousand weekly in the season for the London markets. Area, 3252 acres. Pop., 56. *Warboys (Hunts. ) on the London road, 7 m. north- east from Huntingdon, and 4 m. south-east from Ramsey. CHURCH, S. Mary Magdalen, is large, in E. Eng. style; chancel, nave, and tower with spire, 5 bells. The chancel, which was restored about 1832, is separated from the nave by a Nor. arch. There are several monuments. The register dates from 1551. There is a Baptist chapel. Area, 8107 acres. Pop., 1676. Washingborough (Line.) is situate on the north- west border of the Fens, about 3 m. from Lincoln, on the Witham. To the south of the river is WASHING BO RO* FEN. Here is a station on Lincoln and Boston branch of G. N. Ry. The Car Dyke ran by Washingboro', and a Roman fort was erected here ; it was one of the 7 forts defending the Car Dyke between Lincoln and Peterboro". Kemble derives the name from Sax. Wccsingas. CHURCH, S. John the Evangelist, is a fine large building, parts of which are Nor. It was restored in 1859, and some memorial windows since inserted. The font is Nor. The register dates from 1565. The Free Methodists have a chapel here. INNS. — Hunter's Leap, Ferry Boat. Area, 1791 acres. Pop., 729. Waterbech (Camhs.) is situate on the left hank of the Cam and 5^- m. north-east of Cambridge. It has a station on the G.E. Ry. main line. In the map of Babixgtox's Ancient Cambridgeshire the name is spelt Waterbeche, and in connection with the finds of Roman coins near Akeman street, the spelling Landbeche (the adjoining village) is adopted as being no doubt the spelling of 154 WA TLINGTON — WELCHES DA M. the name long before the word beach was introduced into the English language, for this word, used as t Lie name of the shingle lying between the sea and the main land, came to be employed about the year 1600 A.D., whereas both these villages existed long before that date, for the ch. at Waterbech is a loth century building. CHUKCH, S. John the Evangelist, is mainly in E. Eng. style, but the windows of the clerestory and aisles are inserted Perp. ones. A very -complete restoration of this ch. was effected in 1878. "The altar is covered with an ancient slab of Purbeck marble, which was discovered in three fragments by the Vicar during the restoration of the sanctuary, and doubtless formed the high altar slab in pre-Keformation times." In the chancel is a handsome reredos of alabaster and mosaic work. The register dates from 1653. In the north part of the parish a mission ch. in E. Eng. style was erected near Up ware in 1883 and named S. Andrew. In the village is a Baptist chapel in which the father of the celebrated Mr. Spurgeon was once pastor. There are also Wesley an and Primitive Methodist chapels. The Church Institute, with reading room, &c, is a pretty Gothic building. The remains of Denny Abbey are 2^ m. north north-west of the village; founded about 1160. It is worth a visit to see the Nor. and Dec. work of this relic. INNS. — Travellers Eest, Green Man, Kailway Tavern. Area, 5556 acres. Pop., 1508. Watlington (Norf.) is a small village and parish on the eastern margin of the Fens, midway between Lynn and Downham. The station on G. E. By. is called " Magdalen Road." The name is derived from Sax. Watlingas. CHUKCH, SS. Peter and Paul, is built of brick, stone and rubble, in Perp. style. It has a nave, aisles, chancel and west tower surmounted by a small spire. The register dates from 1570. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. Watlington Hall stands in well wooded grounds east of the church. INNS.— Angel, Queen's Head. Area, 1709 acres. Pop., 619. Welches Dam (Cainbs. ) is situate at the junction WELCHES DAM—WELNE Y. of Vermuden's Drain witli the Old Bedford River, 5 m. east of Chatteris and 2% rn. south of Manea. In May, 1G49, an Act was passed "for draining the Great Level of the Fens. 7 ' This was called "The Pretended Act/' During the execution of the works, the Earl of Bedford, the "participants," and the "adventurers'' were called "The Company." Welch, a surveyor of the Company, was employed to make a dam across the Old Bedford river to turn the waters of the Forty-feet drain into the Old Bedford or to the outfall near Salter's Lode. Hence the origin of " Welches Dam." There is no ch. but a Wesleyan chapel. Area, 2980 acres. Pop., 150. Welney (Cambs. and Norf.) is situate near the Old Bedford River, running on the north-west of the great "wash land" which is here 5 furlongs across to the New Bedford or 100-foot river, over which is a fine suspension bridge, erected in 1826 ; thus road communication was opened between Welney and Littleport. The old Welney river divides Cambs. from Norf. The nearest station is Manea on G. E. Ry., 5 m. distant. CHUBCH, S. Mary, built of stone, in E. Eng. style, has a nave, vestry and east turret. The register dates from 1642, an older ch. having been demolished when the present one was built. The Baptists and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. TIP'S END, on the road from Upwell, is about 2 m. north of Welney. The wash, sometimes called "Welney wash," is flooded after heavy autumnal rains, and then in cold winters becomes covered by a vast sheet of ice (the water being shallow and free from currents) which affords excellent practice for the Fen skaters, so that Welney has long been noted for a race of fast skaters — men like the Smarts and the Sees, the fastest runners in the world, doing sometimes, it is said, one mile in less than 3 minutes. They are not " ornamental skaters," but remarkable for their speed, holding their laurels during these recent winters in their contests with the men of the con- tinential lowlands.* NOTE.— For "finds" of Roman coins and for the descrip- tion of an old road supposed to have branched from the * See Handbook of Fen-Skating, by Neville and Albert Goodman, pub. S. Low & Co., or Hankin, S. Ives. 156 WENTWORTH— WERRINGTON— WESTON. Akeman Street at Littleport, across by Welney, Outwell and onward to Line, see Babington, p. 73. INN. — Lamb and Flag. Area, 5444 acres. Pop., 500 in Cambs., and 526 in Norf. Wentworth (Cambs.) is in the Isle of Ely proper, and about 4 m. west-south-west of Ely. It is H m. north of Wilburton station on G. E. Ry. — Ely to 8. Ives. CHUECH, S. Peter, is built of stone in Nor. and E. Eng. styles. The chancel contains a piscina. The register dates from 1670. Area, 1437 acres. Pop., 143. Werrington (N'h'pton) is 3 m. north of Peter- boro,' and near the Walton station on G. N. Ry. The parish comprises the hamlet of W ALTON . CHUKCH, SS. Mary and John the Baptist, is a very old building, has a nave of 3 bays, aisles, chancel, south porch, and a bell-cote containing 2 bells. The styles are mixed, the south porch being Nor., chancel Perp., other parts E. Eng., chancel arch and inner door of porch Nor., the porch itself being Dec. The restoration of the edifice is recent. The early register was included with Paston until 1877, when the parishes were severed. NOTE. — The Varini, who are placed by Tacitus in juxta- position with the Angli are found at Werrington in Northamp- tonshire. {Words and Places, Dr. Isaac Taylor, pub. by Macmillan, 1885.) INNS. — Blue Bell, Wheatsheaf ; Eoyal Oak (at Walton.) Area, 1403 acres. Pop., 777. Weston (Line.) is about 3 m. north-east of Spald- ing by road, and lh m. north of the station on Spalding and Holbech branch of G. N. Ry. The river Welland runs by the north-west of the parish. There was formerly a Mere south-west of the village. CHUKCH, S. Mary, is an interesting cruciform edifice. The nave of 5 bays and the clerestory and the south porch are E. Eng. or Transition of the best type (about 1160). The chancel has 3 bays, lancets, arcaded (date 1280). The tran- septs are Dec. (date 1350). The aisles and tower are Perp. (about 1400). The south porch is like a little E. Eng. chapel, having stone benches on each side. " Entering the ch. by this doorway, the effect is that of a cathedral in miniature. WE ST ON— WHA PL ODE . 157 The nave arches are E. Eng., massive and pointed." The ch. was restored in part (1858), the chancel new roofed from a design by Sir G. Scott in 1863. The register dates from 1678. The Free Methodists and the Primitives have chapels in this parish. For various references to Weston in the history of drainage, see DugdaJe. IXN. — Chequers. Area, 5389 acres. Pop., 846. Whaplode (Line.) is situate in South Holland, 2 m. west of Holbeck and 6 m. east of Spalding. It has a station on the Spalding and Sutton Bridge branch of Gr. JSL By. There is a small stream to the east of the village called Whaplode Kiver, which runs by Holbech Clough and into the Holbech Out- fall. In Dugdale the name is more frequently spelt Quaplode, and even Qnappelode. A commission was appointed in 17th year of Edward II. to view the banks and sewers within the "Wapentake of Ellowe, and the presentment stated that " Newgote ought to be re- paired by the town of Weston : so also the south dike of Qnappelode and Holbeche by those two towns,'' (pp. 230-232.) CHURCH, S. Mary, is an ancient building of mixed styles. The 5 easternmost bays and the chancel arch are Nor. (date 1080.) The tower, which forms the south bay of the south transept, and the doorway are E. Eng. (1190.) North transept and south aisle are Perp. " Here is the most glorious E. Eng. tower, standing upon an exceedingly well conceived base adjoining tbe southernmost bay of south aisle. In every par. ticular of symmetry, construction, detail and material, this is by far the most perfect specimen of architecture in the Deanery of Holland. " This ch. is inwardly massive and bold in both structure and decoration. The visitor will not fail to look at the monument to the Ibby family and at the two stone coffins. The nave is 110 ft. long and 19 ft. wide. The ch. is so large that only a small portion contains pews. The register dates from 1559. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels in the village. There are several charities for yearly distribution. Irby Hall, once a knightly residence, is now a farm house. INNS. — Old Saracen's Head, Lamb and Flag, Bell. Area, 10,164 acres. Pop., 1592. 158 WHA PLODE DRO VE — WHITTLE SEA . Whaplode Drove is a hamlet and ecclesiastical parish about 6^- m. to the south of the village, and 5 m. east from Crowland, and 2^ m. from Postland station on G. N. and G. E. joint line. CHURCH, S. John the Baptist, is a small brick structure. The register dates from 1713. INNS. — White Horse, Black Horse. Area, 1950 acres, Pop., 783. Whittlesea (Cambs.) is situate on an "island" 5 m. east of Peterboro', and has a station on Peter - boro' and Ely branch of G.E. Ry. 5h m. (by road G m.) The river Nene runs on the north, and wash lands lie between Morton's Learn and the Nene channel. The name was spelt Witesie in Domesday book, and both Witlesey and Wittlesey in Dugdale. It is really Whittles-ea (not Whittle-sea, ea being Sax. for island) : the first syllable appears to have been derived from the Sax. patronymic Witlingas. This is an ancient market town. The old parish, S. Mary's, was very extensive. There are two parishes, S. Mary's and S. Andrew's. POND'S BRIDGE: is a small ecclesiastical parish, 3 m. south, by the boundary between (Jambs, and Hunts. ANGLE BRIDGE, an ecclesiastical district, about 'lh m. south-east, by the junction of Whittlesea Dyke with Bevill's River and the Twenty-foot Biver. Churches— S. MARY'S is a handsome ch. erected on the site of a Nor. edilice built between 1106 and 1131, but burnt down in 1244, when the conflagration destroyed most of the town and the two churches, and 14 men lost their lives. The present building is of the E. Eng. period, but two Nor. pillars are in the north aisle. The oldest portion of the north chantry dates from beginning of 14th century. The chief features of this ch. are the beautiful tower and spire which are seen at great distances over tbe Fens. The visitor will find several objects of interest in the interior. The register dates from 1683. At Eastrea and Eldernell, both in this parish, were chapels— the former dedicated to the Holy Trinity in 1403, the latter to S. Mary and consecrated in 1525. [In 1646, after the invitation of Sir War. Bussell to various persons of Holland to come over and drain his " drowned lands," there was here, for a while, a congregation of French exiles who had theretofore been expelled from France.] — S. ANDBEW'S is a stone edifice in the Dec. and Perp. styles. WHIT TLESEA— WICKEN. 159 It has a fine tower embattled and pinnacled. The register dates from 1G35. Chapels.— There are two of the Baptist denomination, one each of Independents, Wesleyans, Methodist Xew Connexion, and Primitive Methodists. Public Buildings.— TOWN HALL is a brick building' in Almshouse St. (date 1857.) — PUBLIC HALL, in brick and stone, in Delph St. (1880.)— MARKET HOUSE, in the Market Place, is an old and rather interesting building. CO ATE S and EASTREA, hamlets.— See p. 29. NOTE. — Whittlesea Mere, now drained and cultivated, was 4 m. south-west of the town, that is as the crow flies ; by road the distance was nearly 6 rm It was wholly in Hunts., Farcet Fen being to the north of the lake. Its surface covered 1570 acres, and was 8f m. in circumference. It abounded in a great variety of water fowl and in the following species of fish : pike, perch, carp, tench, eels, bream, chub, roach, dace, gudgeons, minnows, &c. It was fed by a surplus of waters of a vast tract of upland country on their passage to the sea. In 664 A.D. Wolphebe, king of Mercia, granted it to his newly founded monastery of Medeshamstead. But the abbots of Bamsey and Thorney also thereafter obtained a right of fishery. There was a Swannery here, and in 1662 Chaeles II. granted to the Earl of -Sandwich the office of Master of Swans of the whole kingdom, and he was then bailiff of this Mere. (See Wells.) Whittlesea bricks and gravel have long been articles of extensive commerce. Befer also to Geol. Mem. by Seeetciily, also The Fenland Pant and Present. HOTELS, &c— Falcon, London St.; George, Marketplace; Bailway Hotel ; Green Man Inn. Pond's Bridge. Market on Friday. Horse fair, 13th June. Area of parishes, 24.700 acres. Pop. in township, 3681. Wicken (Cambs.) is about 3 m. south-west of Soham where there is a station ou Ely and New- market branch of G.E. By. There is another station at Fordham on Cambridge and Miklenhall branch. The village stands on the border of the fen — on the shore of the great level when it was subject to " drowning.'* The bench mark on the ch. is 31ft. above mean sea level. For account of Wicken Fen see Introduction. Flora of Wicken Fen, see Appendix. CHUBCH. S. Lawrence, is an old stone building of Gothic but not easily defined style. It has a clerestoried nave, and the west tower is embattled and piunacled. The greatest 160 WICK EN— WIG G EN HALL. interest attaching to it will be gathered from the following copy from the register (which dates from 1582) kindly supplied by the Vicar on a visit made in 1887 : — " 1685, Buried, Oliver Cromwell, Esqr., aged 19." " 1674, Buried, Henry Crom- well, Esq., March 25." " 1687, Buried, The Good Lady Cromwell, Elizabeth Cromwell, April 11." The following inscriptions are copied from the tomb stones on the floor on north side of chancel : — " Henricus Cromwell, de Spinney, obyt xxiii. die Marty., Anno Christi mdclxxiii., annoq. ^Etatis xlvii." " Elizabetha Uxor Henrice Cromwell, Obyi ye die Aprilis An 1687, Annoq. .Etatis Suae 52." " Henricus Filius Hen~ Crom~ Jan°~ obyt 4° Jun A° 1692, A .Etatis Suae 12 Septim." Above are all on same stone. On a worn out stone next the north wall is the following : — " er Cromwell, obyt m Apr A 163 — , — noq. iEtatis Suae 1." Only above letters legible. There is a Ch. Mission Hall in the village, erected in 1887 as a Jubilee gift to the parish by the Yicar and others, in consequence of the distance of the ch. from the centre of population. There are also Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. NOTE. — Spinney Abbey is to the north-west of the village, and is reached by Spinney Drove. In 13th century a small monastery (a cell of Ely) was founded here and dedicated to S. Mary and the Holy Cross. A farm house now stands on the spot. T'PWARE is about 2| m. west of the village in a straight line, and ^ m. from the Wicken Sedge Fen. (See also p. 147.) \Yicken Hall is a residence west of the church. INNS. — Black Horse, Bed Lion, Maid's Head ; Lord Nelson (Upware.) Area, 3812 acres. Pop., 844. Wiggenhall (Norf.) By the banks of the lower course of the Ouse there are 4 parishes bearing this name, the derivation of which is not easy to deter- mine. One Sax. word wig means " warfare," another signifies "holy," and wiggebed is "an altar;" but taken in connection with the ending, Jtall, the second definition seems the more probably correct one. The Sax. heal or Jiealh (Ger. Halle) means a covered place, not an ordinary dwelling. Horne Tooke" regarded "hall," among other words, as derived from past participle of Sax. helan, to cover. There- * See Diversions ofPurley, ed. 1857, pp. 587—9 WIGGENHALL. 161 fore Wiggenhall may mean a holy place, an idol temple perhaps, when the Saxons were still heathen. Wiggenhall S. Germans is situate on the river Ouse, about 4 m. south of Lynn and 3 m. north of the Magdalen Eoad station on G.E. Ry. The Ouse is here crossed by a bridge. CHURCH. S. Germans, is on the east of the river ; it is in Perp. style. The ch. is built partly of rubble, the embattled west tower of stone. The register dates from 1660. There are 3 chapels here, belonging to the Wesleyans, Free Methodists and Primitives. NOTE.— Dugdale remarked (p. 361), "At Wigenhall S. Germans, the floor of the ch. there being at least 7ft. lower than the Ouse, which river, running by the churchyard side, is kept off by a strong and large bank from drowning the country."" TXXS. — Chequers. Three Tuns. Black Horse. Area, 1219 acres. Pop., 530. Wiggenhall S. Mary the Virgin is on the west of the Ouse and near the Middle Level Drain ; about 1 m. west of S. Germans. CHUPiCH, S. Mary, is an ancient stone and brick edifice in Perp. style. This ch. is interesting from possessing some old memorials and some well carved oak benches. The register dates from 1655. SADDLEBOW is a hamlet about U m. to the north-east of the ch. and on the opposite side of the river. Here there is a Wesleyan chapel. S. Maiy's Hall, about 4 m. from Lynn, is the principal residence in the neighbourhood. Area, 2807 acres. Pop., 320. Wiggenhall S. Peter's is about 1 m. south of S. Germans and 2 m. from Magdalen road station. CHURCH, S. Peter, is built of brick and stone iu Perp. style. A simple building with nave, chancel and west tower. Area, 944 aores. Pop., 144. Wiggenhall S. Mary Magdalen is on the west of the Ouse, and less than 1 m. from Magdalen Eoad station on G.E. Ry., and about 7 m. from Lynn. A bridge crosses the Ouse, connecting the village -with Watlington. p 162 WIGTOFT—WILB URTON. CHURCH, S. Mary Magdalen, is an ancient edifice in Perp. style. It has good embattled west tower. The register dates from 1562. A small convent was founded here in 1181 and dedicated to the same saint as the ch. is, and remained to the dissolution. Crabb's abbey, a private residence, marks the spot. INNS. — Dolphin, Vine and Ivy, Lode's Head. Area, 4248 acres. Pop., 696. Wigtoft (Line.) is situate just to the east of the Old Bicker Haven, the boundary here being traced by a Koman bank. The great marsh which lay between this and the Witham was called Eight Hundred Fen (also more anciently Haut Huntre Fen). The village is about 7 m. south-west of Boston, and 2-Y m. north- west of Algarkirk station on Spalding and Boston branch of G. N. By. CHURCH, SS. Peter and Paul, is an ancient edifice of mixed styles. The porch (south) has traces of Nor. ; the window in the west of the tower is rather elaborate Nor. ; the lower part of the tower is E. Eng., the upper part and turret Perp. ; the nave and aisles Dec. ; the clerestory, the cbancel and the rood screen Perp. ; the south aisle has a piscina. The old ch. records have been lost. The register dates from 1618. There is a Wesleyan chapel here. HOFTLET and HO FT LET STOW are hamlets on the road to Swineshead. BURTOFT lies to the south. INNS. — Swan, Golden Ball. Area, 3300 acres. Pop., 672. Wilburton (Cambs.) is a small parish and village on the south of the Isle of Ely proper, about 5 m. south-west of Ely and 1 m. from the station on the Ely and S. Ives branch of fi. E. By. The road from Ely is through Btretham. CHURCH, S. Peter, is built of stone, of the date of 15th century, but there are no traces of Sax. and Nor. In 1868 a north transept was built as a memorial to Sir Albert and Lady Pell. The register dates from 1730. The Manor House is a fine mansion built in brick and stone after a design by Pugin. GRUNTY FEN, to the north of Wilburton parish, is en- compassed by high ground, and is in area about 1700 acres. INNS. — Bell, Chequers. Area, 2367 acres. Pop., 527. WILLI X < , HA M — WIMBLINGTON. 163 Wildmore (Line.) is a parish formed (1880) of various allotments of fen south of Tattershall and Coningsby, east of the Witham and north of Thorn- ton-le-Fen. There is a small village called NEW YORK, 2A- m. east of Dogdyke station on Boston and Lincoln branch of Gr. N. By. There is a Wesleyan chapel here, and perhaps the nearest eh. is at Frog Hall about 2 m. south and near Thorton-le- Fen. INN. — (At New York) Oat Sheaf. Area, 4060 acres. Pop., 689 in civil parish, and 1587 in ecclesiastical parish. Willingham (Canibs.') is situate on the south border of the Fens, about 6 m. east of S. Ives and 1^ m. from Long Stanton station on G. E. Ey. This is a large village. The name is derived from Sax. W.illingas and ham a home ; that is, the home of the Willings. CHURCH, S. Mary and All Saints, is an ancient- stone building possessing a good deal of interest. The style is mostly Dec, but the clerestory Perp. The nave has 6 bays The chancel contains fine sedilia and piscina. The visitor ■will find several objects worthy of attention in the interior where are two canopied tombs. There is a small Dec. chapel on the north of the chancel. The register dates from 1559. The Baptists have two chapels and the Wesleyans one in this village. About U m. to the east is BALSAR'S HILL where a causeway crosses the fen to Aldreth. From this point William the Conqueror crossed in his attack on the Isle of Ely. (See map and note in The Fenland, p. 107.) '• Willingham Fens, on the south of the Ouse, on the west of Aldrey causey, besides Hempsall on the east thereof/' con- tained 2790 acres. Survey made in 1605." (Dugdale, p. 382.) This river is now called the Old West Paver. (See Map.) INNS.— King William IV., Black Lion, Black Horse. Area, 4485 acres. Pop., 1577. Wimblington (Canibs.) is 3 m. south of March and 2 m. from March old ch., S. Wendreda. The village is situate on the south of the " March Island," and has a station on March and S. Ives branch of p 2 164 WIMBOT SHAM— WEST WINCH. G. E. Ry. It was a hamlet of Doddington previous to the ''Division Act," which came into force in 1868. CHUKCH, S. Peter, is a modern Gothic stone building (1854). The register dates only from 1874. The Wesleyans have a chapel in the village. There are some outlying portions of this parish, as HOCK, 1 m. east, where is a Primitive Methodist chapel ; STONE A GRANGE and STONE A, about 2± m. east. Here is a Wes- leyan chapel. Stonea station on G. E. Ry. is just south of these spots. Wimblington common and fen stretch to the south-east of the village, towards Manea, and are divided by the Sixteen Foot river. A Roman station is supposed to have existed at Stonea. (See note under March, p. 94.) NOTE. — A large quantity of Roman pottery has been dis- covered here, also a vase (1848) containing 2000 copper coins. " The whole of this locality has produced Roman and British antiquities. (See Babington, 2nd ed., p. 88.) INNS. -Bell, Chequers, Golden Lion. Area, 7589 acres. Pop., 1089. Wimbotsham (Norf.) is a village on the east border of the Fens, H m. north of Downham Market and 1 m. east of the Ouse. CHURCH, S. Mary, originally Nor. ; the apsidal chancel rebuilt in 1854. The north and south doors deserve attention. The register dates from 1502. The living is annexed to Stow Bardolph. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. Wimbotsham Fen lies to the west of the Ouse, up to Barra- way Drove, and is intersected by Tong's Drain. INN. — Chequers. Area, 1510 acres. Pop., 553. Winch, West (Norf.) is a small parish on the east border of the Fens, having the river Nar on the west. The village is 3 m. from Lynn on the Down- ham road. CHURCH, S. Mary, is an ancient and rather interesting village oh. in E. Eng. and Perp. styles, built of flint and WING LAND — WISE E CH. 165 rubble. There is a sacristy on north of chancel, and south aisle and a curious porch. The embattled tower has 4 storeys and on it are the Cholmoxdeley family arms. The east window is a memorial. The register dates from 1559. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. There are several good residences and a Labourers' Friendly Society here. INNS. — Chequers, Sportsman. Area, 970 acres. Pop., 408. Wingland (Norf. and Line.) is the name given to the recently reclaimed land outside the old Eoman bank or sea wall. The greater part is in Line. (See Sutton Bridge. ) Wisbech (Cambs.) is the central town in the Fen district. It stands on the river Nene which divides the town, the larger portion being on the right bank. An iron bridge, originally intended to be a swing bridge, connects the two portions of the town. On the river banks, to the west, are some good residences and the roadways are called North and South Brinks. Below the town are the quays and wharves. Vessels of large tonnage can now approach the town quays, and an extensive trade is done in imported timber. [Wisbech is a very ancient town, and the origin of the name has given rise to much discussion. Undoubtedly the old Britons located themselves here and formed a settlement at the confluence of two streams ; the larger one came to be called the Ouse (derived from Keltic wysg, a stream — the ic has the power of the initial of well — and the word, in time, was modified into Ouse*) ; the smaller stream or tributary, whatever appellation it may have had originally, came to be called, in common with many other rivulets, beccf by the Saxons. The c was always like our k ; but, after the Con- quest, cild became child, cese cheese, so also becc was written bech or beche. " To shew that the river of Ouse had its out- fall at Wisbeche, ;; the reader is referred to Bug dale, p. 395.] * In the Saxon Chronicle it is written " Wisbec." (See His. Note below.) + Not bee, the plural of hoc, a book. In time of Edward in., and even subsequently, the name of the town was spelt Wysebeche. 166 WISBECH. For distance of Wisbech from London, and neighbouring towns, see table on page xxxvi. The Churches, Sec— ss. peter & paul is a very large and ancient edifice. The architecture belongs to three periods : 1st, the series of late Nor. arches separating the nave from the north aisle ; 2nd, the most important change dates from the early Dec. period ; 3rd. the late Perp. period. The first building, consisting of a nave and short chancel, seems to date from latter part of 12th century. The peculiar design of this fine old ch. has given rise to much doubt as to the intentions of its first architects. Sir Gilbert Scott thought there were formerly two gables and that the ch. was arranged as the visitor now sees it, in the Perp. period. The tower stands on the north side of the north aisle, where is an en- trance to the ch. There is also a south porch. In the chancel is a brass effigy to de Branstone, constable of Wisbech castle, ob. 1401. There are several memorial windows. The register dates from 1558.— The CHAPEL OF EASE is on the north side of a large area called the Old Market, on the north side of the river. It is octagonal and built of white brick with stone facings.— S. AUGUSTINE'S is built of brick with stone facings in E. Eng. style. This was opened in 1869, a new ecclesiastical parish being then formed. The Roman Catholic chapel, Queen's Road, was built of white brick in Dec. style in 1854. — The Congregational chapel in Castle Square, was built in 1818. — The Weslevan chapel is in the Crescent.— The United Free Methodist (1869) in Little Ch. St. — The Friends' Meeting House, a neat white brick building, is on North Brink (1854.) — Baptist chapel.* Upper Hill St., is built wholly of stone in E. Eng. style, Ketton stone being used for the doorways, windows, columns, or wherever a greater finish was required. It has nave, aisles and transepts which stop in a line with the aisle walls. The wheel windows in the gables and the lancet windows are filled with amber cathedral * In these pages we have rarely been able to do more than note the exis- tence of the various denominational chapels, because there has been nothing to record except " mere buildings " without any pretension to architectural features. Some few display an attempt at classic front, with all the rest of the building nondescript ; but a front does not constitute an "architectural design," properly so called. It is not a little remarkable that the Classic should have b^en rudely imitated, while the Gothic has been presistently eschewed; for the Classic was associated with heathendom, and these humble buildings might appear as if designed for the abodes of some pretended deities; whereas the Gothic, so called, has always in this country been asso- ciated with Christian worship. Indeed, because the designation Gothic could not be accounted for, unless as au opprobrious name (for the Goths did not introduce it), long ago "Christian architecture" was actually proposed as a more suitable term. However, prejudices on this score are passing away. If the sentiments of people lead them to erect a plain simple meeting house, well — that is preferable to a spurious imitation which, in many cases is as costly as a building constructed on the lines of a correct style. WISBECH. 167 glass. The length is 60 ft., breadth 46 ft. The position may be convenient, but the site is not good enough for such a building. — The General Baptist chapel, Ely Place, is a some- what ornate structure, with a brick tower surmounted by a stone spire (1873). The Primitive Methodist chapel is in Church Terrace. Public Buildings, &C — The GBAMMAE SCHOOL, in Upper Hill St., has no architectural features to attract attention. The "foundation," however, dates back to 1379, and in 1638 four exhibitions of £ 70 yearly were founded by Wm. Holmes. The father of Thomas Claekson was master of this school.— In the same street is the PUBLIC HALL, containing a suite of rooms, a lecture room in front over the entrance and a spacious hall behind for public meetings, &c. — The MUSEUM buildings are situated near the old ch. Here is a handsome coUection of natural history objects, works of art, antiquarian relics, &c. ; in fact, a coUection of very great interest. The visitor may see specimens of most of the Fen birds. This Museum was founded in 1835. In the same building is a fine library once belonging to the Literary Insti- tution originated in 1781. (See details in Fenland Past and Present.) In a room under the west wing is an old library of 1000 vols, belonging to the Corporation. This coUection of books and manuscripts was originaUy hi a room over the ch. porch, from there it was removed to the Town HaU, and recently has been placed under the care of the Museum authorities. — The CORN EXCHANGE is near the bridge, on the North Brink. The front part of the building, over the entrance to the Exchange room, is the Town HaU.— The SESSIONS HOUSE is on the South Brink.— The WORKING MEN'S CLUB AND INSTITUTE, in Lower Hill St., contains a good lecture and assembly room, various class rooms, reading and conversation rooms, gymnasium, and library of nearly 5000 vols., &c. There are above 1000 members. — On the east of the town is a PARK, or Recreation Ground, of about 18 acres, well stocked with trees and shrubs and ornamented with flower beds, and adjoining it is the NORTH CAMBS. COTTAGE HOSPITAL (1873), a well-appointed Institution. —The MEMORIAL TO THOMAS CLARKSON, the great anti-slavery advocate, is near the bridge. The statue is under a canopy surmounted by a spire. The design was mainly by Sir Gilbert Scon, but the details of the base were not com- pleted when the architect died. — Wisbech has several ALMS- HOUSES, and has been favoured with numerous charitable bequests. HIS. NOTE. — Wisbech was in the district of the Iceni. There are evidences that a Roman station existed here. The Roman bank is still to bu aeen. A Roman road passed from 168 WISBECH— WISBECH S. MARY. near Ramsey, by March, Waldersey, Wisbech, Tydd, and on to Spalding. Waldersey is a district to south-west of Wisbech (it is approached by the South Brink). Here, in 1715, "an earthen pot containing a considerable quantity of small copper coin, chiefly of Valentinianus and Arcadius, was dug up," and in 1845 a large Roman vase was found in Waldersey fen and presented to the Wisbech Museum. "At and near Wis- bech many Roman coins have occurred. An aureus of Valen- tinianus, found in 1845, is in the Cambridge Antiquarian Museum. In the Wisbech Museum there are Roman coins found on the North Brink, and a Roman vase found in a field on the South Brink, and coins from other parts of the neigh- bourhood." (Babinyton, pp. 88, 89.) The first historic men- tion of this place was in the charter of grants made to Medes- hamstede by Wulfhere in 657, thus " The straight river that goes to iElm and to Wisbec." William the Conqueror, in the last year of his reign, erected a castle here. At that time the waters of the Ouse, passing by Well, emptied themselves into the North Sea beyond Wisbech, running a very short distance from the castle walls. The exact spot was where a modern house now stands in the Crescent. Thurlow, Cromwell's Secretary, resided at this castle which was demolished in 1816. For further information we must refer to Watson's History of Wisbech, 1827, and Walker and Craddoclc's History, 1849. HOTELS. — Rose and Crown, White Hart, Ship, Temper- ance Hotel. Markets : — On Thursday, stock ; Saturday, corn and general market. Area, 6432 acres. Pop., 9249. Wisbech S. Mary (Cambs.) is a village 2^ m. west of Wisbech, and has a station on Mid. Ry. The civil parish is an extensive one and includes the dis- tricts of Murrow aud Guyhirn, also the hamlets of Tholomas Drove, Thorney Toll, and part of Wisbech High Fen. CHURCH, S. Mary, is built of brick and stone in Perp. style. It has a clerestoried nave, and aisles, and an embattled tower. The register dates from 1557. There is a Primitive Methodist chapel in the village. THOLOMAS DROVE is 2 m. south-west of the village. Here is a ch. mission chapel, formerly a school room, also a Primitive Methodist chapel. The road runs south of Guyhirn to the bank of the Nene, thence, westwards, by Wisbech Fen Drove, 3 J m. to THORNEY TOLL, from which is Bpurden House Drove leading to Thorney. From Thorney Toll is a road running south (1£ m.) to the Cross Guns by the Nene. WITCHFOBD — WI8TQN — WlTCHAffl. 169 INN.— The Wheel. Area, 9720 acres. Pop., 2124. Witchford (Cambs. ) is situate in the Isle of Ely proper, 3 m. west by the road leading to Sutton. CHURCH, S. Andrew, is of stone in Dec. style. It was founded in 11th century. It has an embattled tower. The font is Nor., and the chancel has a piscina and double aumbry. The east window has stained glass. The register dates from 1778. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. Prof. Babixgtox thinks that the Suffolk and Sawtry way passed through this place. (Anc. Cambs., p. 76.) INN. — Three Horseshoes. ' . Area, 2376 acres. Pop., 412. Wiston (Hunts. ) is 3 miles south from Eamsey, 7 m. north-east from Huntingdon, and 66i m. from London. CHURCH, S. John Baptist, in Perp. style, consists of chan- cel, clerestoried nave, and tower. The font is octagonal. In the chancel there are ancient sedilia and a piscina. The register dates from 1629. There is a small Congregational chapel. Area, 2371 acres. Pop., 392. Witeham (Cambs. ) is about 5 m. west of Ely, and 2 m. from Sutton station on Ely and S. Ives branch of G.E. By. The name was spelt _ Wycheham (Dug dale) ; it is derived from Sax. Wicce, a witch; icicce-crceft became witchcraft. Here we see the same modification in the consonant, as in becc into beche (in Wis-beche.) CHURCH, S. Martin, is an old brick structure in E. Eng. style, erected, it is said, in 13th century. It has nave, chancel, south porch and west tower embattled and pinnacled. The font is Nor. curiously carved, the pulpit of stone. The register dates from 1663. INNS. — Plough, Anchor. Area, 2671 acres. Pop., 385. How the names Witchford and Witeham arose is seen in a tradition related in the History of Ely (Historia Eliensis, Liber Secundus). William I. was encamped at Brandon, con- templating the reduction of the Isle of Ely. Hebewakd had command of the Camp of Refuge to the north of the present city. The Conqueror found many difficulties staring him in l?o WOLFERTON— WOOD WALTON, the face ; the foe was a valiant hero. Ivo Taillebois, his nephew and lieutenant, suggested that iucantation might be the easier mode of conquest, saying " I have long known an old woman who could deprive the garrison of the Isle of all their valour and their watchfulness, and if the king will assent to this, our success is assured." The bystanders applauded this, and recommended that gifts should be made to any one who could by craft or other means bring about the overthrow of the king's foemen. The king at first was unwilling and knew not what to do ; but, yielding at last to persuasion, he gave orders that the witch should be fetched stealthily. Here- waud, however, got scent of this scheme, took measures to frustrate it, and went to Brandon in disguise as a potter ; but. being detected, he fled and found refuge at Somersham, and afterwards reached the Camp at Ely. William's army gained access to the Isle, the witch going with it ; she was placed upon a tower the better to perform her incantations, but fell from her elevated position as if caught by a whirlwind and thereby broke her neck, and thus — as the ancient record has it — the first to perish was she who had been procured for the purpose of compassing the destruction of others. William retreated to Cambridge, "frendens etcomminans locum perpetuo intligere dampno," (p. 237.) The story of the Norman witch is told in Gamp of Uefurje, chap. xix. Wolferton (Norf. ) is a small village on the shore of the Wash, about 7 m. north of Lynn. Here is a station on the Lynn and Hunstanton branch of G.E.By., with special rooms for the use of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, this being the nearest station to Sandringham. CHURCH, S. Peter, is a large and interesting stone edifice in Dec. style, but the clerestory of the nave is Perp. The roof is a very fine oak one. The chancel has 3 scdilia and a piscina and some ancient stalls. The aisles have chapels at the east end, enclosed by beautiful screens. The stone pulpit was the gift of the Prince of Wales when the ch. was restored in 1886. The register dates from 1560. Wolferton Creek. — The marshes at the mouth of this creek were enclosed from the Wash in the 18th century. Wolferton wood is 1 m. south of the village. Area, 2741 acres. Pop., 185. Wood Walton (Hunts.) is midway between Hun- tingdon and Holme — 9 m. from each — on G. N. Ry. The fens lie to the north of the parish. WOOTTON— W0RL1NGT0N—W0UMEGA, Y. 171 CHURCH, S. Andrew, is a small and ancient building on a high ground some distance from the village. It is in the E. Eng. style, lias a clerestoried nave, aisles, chancel, south porch, and west tower with 1 bells. Register dates from 1754. INNS. — Elephant and Castle, Rose and Crown. Area, 37(38 acres. Pop., 284. Wootton, North (Norf. | is by the shore of the Wash, about 3^- m. from Lynn, with a station on G. E. Ry. Land has been, in recent years, re- claimed from the Wash, and accretion is still going on here. CHURCH, All Saints, is built of Bath stone and rubble in E. Eng. style. It has nave, chancel, south porch, and west tower embattled. There are 4 stained glass memorial windows The register dates from 1654. Area, 2411 acres. Pop., 324. Wootton, South (Norf. | is 1 m. south of North Wootton station, and about 2 \ m. north of Lynn. The Lynn and Castle Rising road runs by the east of the village, and the parish extends to the shore of the Wash. CHURCH. S. Mary, is cruciform and built of brick, E. Eng. and Dec. styles. On the south side of the chancel are three sedilia, a piscina and an altar tomb (1601), and on the north side a mausoleum of the Havtoxd family. The font is Nor. The register dates from 1556. There is a Primitive Methodist chapel here. INN —The Swan. Area, 1258 acres. Pop., 107. Worlington | Suff.) is a small village situate about 2 m. west of Mildenhall, on the left bank of the Lark, near the point at which that river enters the Fens. The name is derived from Sax. Wyrlingas. CHUECH. All Saints, built of stone and flint in E. Eng. style. Here are some monuments of recent date. The register dates from 1719. INNS. — Chequers, Bell. Area, 1955 acres. Pop., 293. Wormegay (Norf.) is 6 m. south-east of Lynn by road, o m. east of Magdalen road station on G. E. 172 WRA NGLE — WRE TTON— WYE ER TON. By. It is on the south portion of the Fens which projects into the valley of the Nar. The suffix of the name Dr. Isaac Taylor derives from the Teutonic gaii, a district or settlement. But the name has been variously spelt, as Wirmegey, which was named in the report of a commission in 1334, (Dugdale, p. 291,)* and later Wirmgay ; therefore eg might mean water. These various spellings tend to throw doubt on the real origin of the word. Also the suffix of Hilgay (spelt also, Helgay) might be supposed to come from gau, though it is generally taken as the equiva- lent of ig, an island. CHURCH, S. Michael, (about £ m. east of the village), is a small building of flint in E. Eng. The register dates from 1561. On the village green is a cross. There is a Primitive Methodist chapel in the village. NOTE.— Here was once the seat of a barony ; a castle and a priory also existed here. INNS. — Eed Lion, Crown. Area, 2785 acres. Pop., 472. Wrangle (Line.) is near the sea shore, 9 m. north- north-east of Boston. CHURCH, 8. Mary and S. Nicholas, is in late Nor. and later styles. The windows of the north aisle contain con- siderable remains of ancient glass. On south side of chancel are recumbent effigies (1626), pulpit Jacobean with canopied sounding board. Register dates from 1653. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. Area, 6800 acres of land and 2890 of water. Pop., 165. Wretton (Norf.) is a small village situate on the Fen border, to the north of the river Wissey, and 1 m. west of Stoke Ferry station of G. E. By. Wretton Fen extends southwards from the village and ahuts upon the bank of the Wissey. CHURCH, All Saints, is a small flint building in Perp. style. The register dates from 1693. The Primitive Methodists have a chapel here. INN. — Red Lion. Area. 1154 acres. Pop., 320. Wyberton (Line.) is 2^ in. south from Boston. * Wyrm is Sax. for worm; but icyrma, a shell fish. YAXLF.Y. 173 CHURCH, of late Perp. and earlier styles, dedicated to S. Leodegar. In the floor is a slab inscribed f o Adam de Framptox, A.D. 1300. The Perp. font has panelled sides inclosing blank shields. The register dates from 1538. Area, 3498 acres. Pop., 646. Yaxley (Hunts. I is 4£ in. south of Peterboro." and 15£ m. north-east from Huntingdon. It is in the Norman Gross Hundred. (NORMAN CROSS is a hamlet 1 m. to west, by the Ermine Street.) There was once a small mere on this spot, called " Yaxley mere." Also there was anciently a water communication for merchandise from Yaxley, Holme. &c, to King's Lynn.* The peat hereabouts is above 10 feet thick; there is no sand or gravel, but in spots the Oxford clay crops up. CHURCH, S. Peter, a large cruciform edifice in Dec. style, with some late Perp. Both the nave and chancel have clere- stories. There are aisles, southern porch, and western em- battled tower, pinnacles, and octagonal crocketed spire. The south chantiy has two piscina?, some lockers and brackets. In the north chantiy are sedilia and piscina. The visitor will find various other objects of interest. The register dates from 1653. The Wesleyans, Congregationalism. Baptists, and Methodists have chapels here. Between 1779 and 1816 no less than 7000 Frenchmen were imprisoned in the former barracks at Norman Cross. The parish has good endowed schools. INNS.— Chequers, Three Horse Shoes, Bell. Area. 4290 acres. Pop.. 1355. See Dugdale. pp. 304-5 and 380. APPENDIX. CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY. — THE FENS. (By Professor T. McKenny Hughes, F.R.S. ; see also Introduction, pp. ix., x., and xi.) We find that the Fen deposits near Cambridge are clearly marked off from and abut against, the old river gravels, and near March creep over a sea- shingle full of marine shells. Palaeolithic man had passed away. Most of the great beasts he hunted had been killed off, and the geographical conditions had been so far changed that even some of the river shells had become extinct in Britain. We must bear in mind when we are examining the Fens that there are two kinds of peat: one which caps and hangs over the brow of our highest mountain ranges, and covers the surface of many a moor. This bill or moor peat is the result of years of growth of sphagnum and various other plants that love a cool moist air, but do not grow under water. This cannot ever have commenced in a tarn. The other peat is that which begins in a lake or swamp : such ay we find along the Shannon, and many other similar rivers; such as grows behind the sand dunes and shingle banks of the Somme. Rank water plants die down ; no silt is carried in ; the vegetable deposit fills the hollow, and mosses and land plants grow on the spongy surface. In its last stage the tarn peat passes into the hill peat. So the Fen peat grew in tarns and swamps which got filled up, and on the surface grew vaxioirs moor plants and trees. But as we see in similar cases to-day, the waters now left, now encroached, upon the embayed corners and various partly isolated spots, and when a storm of unusual severity swept over the district it sometime* found a whole forest of oak or fir trees partly rotted at the roots, and swept them down, so they lie all in one direction. Many examples of this may be seen ; in West Fen, near Ely, for instance. There are two breeds of ox in the Fens, Bos 2»'imogenius, which goes back to the Palaeolithic age, but has not, as far as I have been able to learn, been found yet with Roman remains. There is also a small ox, Bos longifrons, found in the Fens, which, with its domesticated variety, was the common form in Roman times. There are bones of cetaceans and of the walrus in our museums said to have been procured from the peat of the Feus, and there is no reason why such a beast, especially if wounded, may not have come up with the tide to die. We have also in the Woodwardian Museum a bone determined to be that of a young pelican, too young to have been blown over in a storm. But the circumstances of these finds are not so clearly recorded as to be quite satisfactory. Perhaps the most interesting animal whose remains are found in the Fens is the beaver. Why do not we find here and there a beaver dam '? Is it that we have not been on the look out for it ? One might suppose that the peat which often contains whole forests of trees and even canoes, would have preserved the timber of the beaver dam. It is an annual, too, which might have contributed largely towards producing swamps, and so have helped the formation of the Fens. Perhaps it did not make dams down in the Fens, and the skeletons we find are those of stray individuals or of dead animals which have floated down from dams near Trumpington or Chesterford, very suitable places for them. We want more evidence about the Fen beaver. No trace of Palaeolithic man, nor of the extinct animals associated with him, are found in the peat of the Fens. APPENDIX. 175 So also no trace of Neolithic man is found in the old river terraces that ran at various levels round the margin of the Fenland. But all that we refer to Neolithic age we do find in the Fens, and, of course, everything of later date, down to the drowned animals of last winter's storm. We cannot in the Fens distinguish between the age of polished stone and that of bronze and iron; it is not anywhere very clear. Studee has shown how in the Lake dwellings of Switzerland the Brachy cephalic men of the stone age were succeeded by the Dolichocephalic men of the bronze age, but we have not as yet got any evidence of that kind in the Fens. We may bo sine that the use of stone continued till metal became much more common than we have reason to believe it ever was in the bronze age. GEOLOGICAL BEFEBENCES. 1. Memoir of the Geological Survey, by S. B. J. Skertchly, F.G.S., 1877. 2. Fenland Past and Present, chap, xv., 1878. 3. The Potton and Wicken Phosphatic Deposits. Sedgwick Prize Essay, by Teall, Cambridge, 1873. 4. Cambridge Geology, by Professor Bonney, 1875. '}. The Post Tertiary Deposits of Cambridqeshire, by Jukes-Brown. Essay, 1876. 6. On the Relations of the Cambridge Gault and Greensand, by Jl'kf.s- Brown, in Journal of Geological Society, 1875. 7. The Gault, a lecture by F. G. H. Price, 1879. 8. The Fossils and Paheontological Affinities of the Xeocomian Deposits of Upware and Briekhill, by Keeping ; Essay, 1879. 9. List of Works on the Geology of Cambridgeshire, bv Whitakf.p. : Essay, 1873." 10. The P t ed and White Chalk of Hunstanton, bv Prof. Hughes. F.B.S., Journal of Geological Society, May, 1884. ON THE VEGETATION OF THE FENS.* (From Babington's Flora of Cambridgeshire, pp. 312 — 314.) As the kind of vegetation which formerly occupied the Great Level of the Fens is very little known to botan/sts, to most of whom the Fens are nearly a "terra incognita," it seems desirable to give a complete list of the plants which have been recently found growing in Wicken Fen. A * is appended to the names of those which most abound there. The plant which forms the great mass of the herbage is Cladium Marisews, which is still there regarded as a crop, although an uncultivated one. Thalietram flavum. Hypericum quadrangulum. Ranunculus heterophyllus. Linum catharticum. B. Flammula. Bhamnus eatharticus. B. Lingua. Vicia Cracca. B. acris. Lathyras palustris. B. sceleratus. Spira&a Ulmaria. Caltha palustris. Potentilla anserina. "Xymphaa alba. Comarum palustre. Nuphar lutea. Rubus Balfoiuianus. Erysimum cheiranthoides. Lythrum Salicaria. Armoracia amphibia. Epilobium hhsutum. ■ Viola stagnina. Myriophyllum verticillatum. Lychnis Flos-cuculi. 31. spicatum. Sagina nodosa. Hippuris vulgaris. Stellaria glauca. ' Hydrocotyle vulgaris. Alalaehhim aqnaticum. Apium grayeolens. * See note 2 in the Introduction. 176 APPENDIX. Sium latifolium. S. angustifolium.