[D] ABERCONWAY is an ancient fortified town, beautifully sit_Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11 Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.

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[Illustration: Frontispiece.

_Designed & Engraved for_ Dugdales England & Wales _Delineated._]

CURIOSITIES of GREAT BRITAIN.

ENGLAND & WALES

Delineated.

_Historical, Entertaining & Commercial._

Alphabetically arranged

_By Thomas Dugdale. Antiquarian._

_assisted by WILLIAM BURNETT. CIVIL ENGINEER._ --1835--

[Illustration]

Warkworth Hermitage. Northumberland.

Drawn and Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated. _London

Published by L. Tallis. S. Jewin Street. City._

[Illustration: Drawn by J. Satmon

KNARESBOROUGH CASTLE.

Engraved by E. Mansill

Drawn & Engraved for Dugdales England & Wales Delineated.]

[Illustration: Drawn by J. Marchant.

THEBERTON HOUSE THE SEAT of THOS GIBSON ESQ.

Engraved by D. Buckle.

Drawn & Engraved for Dugdales England & Wales Delineated.]

[Illustration: CITY OF DURHAM,

DURHAM.

Drawn & Engraved for Dugdales England & Wales Delineated.]

[Illustration: THE QUEEN'S PALACE, PIMLICO.

_MIDDLESEX._

The birth place of The Prince of Wales, born, Novr 9. 1911, also of

the Princess Royal, born. Novr 21, 1810.

Drawn & Engraved for Dugdales England & Wales Delineated.]

[Illustration: WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

Drawn & Engraved for Dugdales England & Wales Delineated.]

[Illustration: YORK.

_OLD BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER FOSS._]

[Illustration: PENRICE CASTLE.

_GLAMORGANSHIRE_

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: TRETWR.

_BRECKNOCKSHIRE._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: NEW POST OFFICE.

_St. Martins le-Grand_

_LONDON._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: NEW ROYAL EXCHANGE.

_LONDON._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: DUNSTABLE PRIORY CHURCH,

(WEST FRONT.)

BEDFORDSHIRE.

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: PLYMOUTH SOUND.

FROM MOUNT EDGCOMBE.]

[Illustration: MANERBEER CASTLE,

_PEMBROKESHIRE._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: _West Tower of_

GOODRICH CASTLE,

_HEREFORDSHIRE._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: Drawn & Engraved by J. Grey]

CARLISLE CASTLE,

CUMBERLAND.

[Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: BANK OF ENGLAND.

_LONDON._]

[Illustration: CITY OF BRISTOL,

_GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND SOMERSETSHIRE._

Among the numerous distinguished individuals to whom Bristol has had the

honour of giving birth, are Lilly, Chatterton, Mrs. Mary Robinson,

Mrs. Hannah More, Southey, Sebastian Cabot, the first discoverer of the

continent of America, & many others.]

[Illustration: KNARESBOROUGH CASTLE,

_YORKSHIRE._

About a mile down the river from this Castle, is St. Robert's Cave, the

scene of the murder committed by Eugene Aram, which was discovered

thirteen years afterwards.]

[Illustration: BATTERSEA BRIDGE.

_SURREY._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: BATTLE ABBEY.

_SUSSEX._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: LLANTHONEY ABBEY.

_MONMOUTHSHIRE._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: COWBRIDGE,

_GLAMORGANSHIRE._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: VALE OF TAFF.

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: LAUGHARNE CASTLE,

_CAERMARTHENSHIRE._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: RUNNEY MEAD, OR MAGNA CHARTA ISLAND.

_NEAR EGHAM, SURREY._

This place is celebrated in history as the spot where the assembled

barons in 1215, obtained from King John, the grant of Magna Charta.]

[Illustration: KIRKSTALL ABBEY, NEAR LEEDS.

_YORKSHIRE._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: GOLDSMITH'S HALL.

_FOSTER LANE, CHEAPSIDE, LONDON._

Drawn & Engraved for DUGDALES ENGLAND & WALES Delineated.]

[Illustration: MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL.

Charles Street Mary-le-bone.

This Hospital was instituted for sick & lame patients in 1745. The

present substantial building was completed in 1835.]

[Illustration: ENGLAND & WALES]

[Illustration:]

[Illustration: ENGLAND & WALES

With its Railroads & Canals.]

[Illustration:]

[Illustration: BEDFORDSHIRE.]

[Illustration:]

[Illustration: BERKSHIRE.]

[Illustration:]

[Illustration: BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.]

[Illustration: CAMBRIDGESHIRE]

[Illustration:]

[Illustration: CHESHIRE]

[Illustration: CORNWALL.]

[Illustration:]

[Illustration: CUMBERLAND.]

[Illustration:]

[Illustration: DERBYSHIRE.]

[Illustration:]

CURIOSITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN.

ENGLAND AND WALES DELINEATED:

HISTORICAL, ENTERTAINING, AND COMMERCIAL.

EXPLANATION OF THE LETTERS SUBJOINED TO THE NAMES OF PLACES.

bo borough

chap chapelry

co county

dis district

div division

ext. p. extra parochial

ham hamlet

hun hundred

la lathe

lib liberty

m. t. market town

pa parish

pre precinct

qr quarter

ra rape

ti tithing

to township

vil village

wap wapentake

ward wardship

E. East

W. West

N. North

S. South

S.E. South-East

S.W. South-West

N.E. North-East

N.W. North-West

E.R. York.--N.R. York.--or W.R. York ... East, North, or West Riding

of Yorkshire.

Map| Names of Places.| County. | Number of Miles From

+--+------------------+----------+------------+---------------+

+--+------------------+----------+------------+---------------+

|Dist.|

Map| Names of Places.| Number of Miles From |Lond.|population.

+--+------------------+---------------------------+-----+-----+

34|Abbas Combe pa|Shaftesbury 8| 105| 448|

15|Abbenhall pa|Monmouth 13| 116| 235|

33|Abberbury[A] pa|Montgomery 15| 161| 1798|

42|Abberley pa|Kidderminst 8| 125| 590|

14|Abberton pa|Maldon 13| 47| 203|

42|Abberton pa|Worcester 10| 103| 90|

29|Abberwick to|Rothbury 7| 311| 135|

58|Abber-cwm-Hir chap|Presteign 18| 186| 368|

9|Abbey-Dore pa|Ross 16| 140| 533|

17|Abbey-Holm[B] pa|Carlisle 17| 309| 3056|

+--+------------------+---------------------------+-----+-----+

[A] ABBERBURY, or Alberbury, a parish and township, partly in the

hundreds of Cawrse and Deythur, in the county of Montgomery, and partly

in that of Ford, in the county of Salop. Warine, sheriff of this county

in the reign of Henry I., founded an abbey for black monks, a cell to

Guardmont, in Limosin, which, at the suppression of alien priories was

bestowed by Henry VI. upon the college founded by Archbishop Chiechley.

Benthall, Eyton, Rowton, Amaston, and Wollaston, are all townships of

this parish. At Glyn, in this parish, is the celebrated Old Parr's

cottage, which has undergone but little alteration since his time; it is

timber-framed, rare, and picturesque, within view of Rodney's Pillar on

Bredden Hill, in Montgomeryshire. In Wollaston Chapel is a brass plate,

with his portrait thus inscribed: "The old, old, very old man, Thomas

Parr, was born at the Glyn, in the township of Wennington, within the

chapelry of Great Wollaston, and parish of Alberbury, in the county of

Salop, in 1483. He lived in the reigns of ten kings and queens of

England, viz. King Edward IV., King Edward V., King Richard III., King

Henry VII., King Henry VIII., King Edward VI., Queen Mary, Queen

Elizabeth, King James I., and Charles I.; he died in London, (sixteen

years after his presentation to King Charles,) on the 13th of November,

1635, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, on the 15th of the same

month, aged one hundred and fifty-two years and nine months. At the age

of one hundred and five, he did penance in the church of Alberbury, for

criminal connexion with Catherine Milton, by whom he had offspring."

[Sidenote: Old Parr's cottage and birth-place, who lived in the reigns

of ten kings and queens.]

[Sidenote: Did penance at the age of 105.]

[B] ABBEY-HOLM is a small town in the ward of Allerdale. The original

consequence of this little town was derived from an abbey of Cistercian

monks, founded here, about the twelfth century, by Henry I. of England,

as the crown rolls imply. Its benefactors were many in number, and by

the magnificent grants and privileges with which it was endowed, it

acquired so much importance, that during the reigns of Edward I. and II.

its abbots, though not mitred, were frequently summoned to sit in

parliament. The abbey was pillaged and burnt during the incursion of

Robert Bruce, but afterwards rebuilt with great magnificence; few

vestiges, however, of its monastic buildings now remain. From the ruins

the Parochial Chapel was formed, and there yet stands a part of the

church in its original form. During the reign of Henry VIII. the abbey

was chiefly dilapidated; the church continued in good condition till the

year 1600, when the steeple, one hundred and fourteen feet high,

suddenly fell down, and by its fall destroyed great part of the chancel.

Its total ruin was nearly accomplished by an accidental fire five years

afterwards. This fire took place on April 18, 1604, and was occasioned

by a servant carrying a live coal into the roof of the church, to search

for an iron chisel; the boisterous wind blew the coal out of his hand

into a daw's nest, by which the whole was ignited, and within less than

three hours it consumed both the body of the chancel and the whole

church, except the south side of the low church, which was saved by

means of a stone vault. Almost due-west from Abbey-Holm, in a strong

situation near the sea coast, are some remains of Wulstey Castle, a

fortress, which was erected by the abbots to secure their treasures,

books, and charters from the sudden depredations of the Scots. "In this

castle," observes Camden, "tradition reports, that the magic works of

Sir Michael Scot (or Scotus), were preserved, till they were mouldering

into dust. He professed a religious life here about the year 1290, and

became so versed in the mathematics, and other abstruse sciences, that

he obtained the character of a magician, and was believed, in that

credulous age, to have performed many miracles." The story of Michael

Scot forms a beautiful episode in Scott's "Lay of the Last Minstrel,"

the notes to which furnish some curious information respecting that

extraordinary personage. Sir Michael Scot, of Balwearie, we are told,

flourished during the thirteenth century, and was one of the ambassadors

sent to bring the Maid of Norway to Scotland, upon the death of

Alexander III. His memory survives in many a legend; and in the south of

Scotland, any work of great labour and antiquity is ascribed either to

the agency of auld Michael, of Sir William Wallace, or the devil. The

following are amongst the current traditions concerning Michael

Scot:--He was chosen, it is said, to go upon an embassy, to obtain from

the King of France satisfaction for certain piracies committed by his

subjects upon those of Scotland. Instead of preparing a new equipage and

splendid retinue, he evoked a fiend in the shape of a huge black horse,

mounted upon his back, and forced him to fly through the air towards

France. When he arrived at Paris, he tied his horse to the gate of the

palace, and boldly delivered his message. An ambassador with so little

of the pomp and circumstance of diplomacy was not received with much

respect, and the king was about to return a contemptuous refusal to his

demand, when Michael besought him to suspend his resolution till he had

seen his horse stamp three times: the first stamp shook every steeple in

Paris, and caused all the bells to ring; the second threw down three of

the towers of the palace; and the infernal steed had lifted up his hoof

to give the third stamp, when the king rather chose to dismiss Michael,

with the most ample concessions, than to stand to the probable

consequences. Another time, it is said that, while residing at the tower

of Oakwood, upon the Ettrick, about three miles above Selkirk, having

heard of the fame of a sorceress, called the Witch of Falsehope, who

lived on the opposite side of the river, Michael went one morning to put

her skill to the test, but was disappointed by her positively denying

any knowledge of the necromantic art. In his discourse with her, he laid

his wand inadvertently on the table which the hag observing, suddenly

snatched it up and struck him with it. Feeling the force of the charm,

he rushed out of the house; but as it had conferred on him the external

appearance of a hare, his servant, who waited without, hallooed upon the

discomfited wizard his own greyhounds, and pursued him so close, that,

in order to obtain a moment's breathing to reverse the charm, Michael,

after a very fatiguing course, was fain to take refuge in his own common

sewer.

_Fair_, October 29, for horses and horned cattle.

[Sidenote: The Abbey destroyed by the accidental firing of a daw's

nest.]

[Sidenote: Michael Scot, the magician.]

[Sidenote: Scottish legends.]

[Sidenote: The fiend horse.]

[Sidenote: French King's concession.]

[Sidenote: The witch of Falsehope.]

Map| Names of Places. | County.| Number of Miles From |

+--+--------------------+--------+-------------+-------------+

+--+--------------------+--------+-------------+-------------+

|Dist.|

Map| Names of Places. |Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.

+--+--------------------+--------+-------------+-----+-------+

16|Abbots Ann pa|Stockbridge 6| 66| 562|

11|Abbots Bickington pa|Hartland 13| 220| 77|

35|Abbots Bromley[A] pa|tafford 11| 1129| 1621|

12|Abbotsbury[B] pa|Weymouth 10| 127| 874|

+--+--------------------+----------------------+-------------+

[A] ABBOTS BROMLEY. The hobby-horse dance, an ancient custom, was

observed here till the civil war.--Ten or twelve of the dancers carried,

on their shoulders, deers' heads, painted with the arms of Paget, Bagot,

and Welles, to whom the chief property of the town belonged. The horns

yet hang up in the church, but the custom is now discontinued. The

parish includes Bromley, Bagot's liberty, and Bromley Hurst township.

Bagot's park is the deer-park of Lord Bagot, whose seat is at

Blithefield.

_Market, Tuesday._--_Fairs_, Tuesday before Mid-lent Sunday, May 22,

September 4, for horses and horned cattle.

[Sidenote: Hobby-horse dance]

[B] ABBOTSBURY consists of a single parish, divided into three streets,

nearly in the form of the letter Y, lying in a valley surrounded and

protected by bold hills near the sea. There is a tradition that this

place was called Abodesbyry by St. Peter himself, in the infancy of

Christianity, but it is more probably supposed to have derived its name

from the magnificent abbey, originally founded here, in the early part

of the eleventh century. The ruins of the abbey (which was once large

and splendid, but is now nearly demolished), consist of a large barn, a

stable, supposed to have been the dormitory, a porch which belonged to

the conventual church, the principal entrance, a portion of the walls,

and two buildings conjectured to have been used for domestic purposes.

The barn, which, when entire, was the largest in the county, is now so

dilapidated, that only a part of it can be used. The church, in which

Orcus and his wife, the founders, were buried, is, with the exception of

the porch and a pile of ruins under some neighbouring elms, totally

destroyed; but the numerous chantries and chapels which belonged to it

sufficiently prove its ancient magnificence. On an eminence, at a short

distance from the town, stands a small building called St. Catherine's

Chapel, which is supposed to have been erected about the time of Edward

IV., and which from its height and lofty situation, serves both for a

sea and land mark. Abbotsbury Church appears to have been built a short

time before the reformation; the pulpit is pierced by musket balls, said

to have been fired by Cromwell's soldiers, at the officiating minister,

whom, however, they missed. But it is more likely to have occurred at

the time of Sir Anthony Astley Cooper's attack on the royalists, at the

siege of Sir John Strangeway's house, in 1651. About a mile to the

south-west of Abbotsbury, is the "decoy," where great quantities of wild

fowl are annually taken. But the object which most engages the attention

of strangers, in the neighbourhood of this town, is the celebrated

"swannery," which, not long since, was the property of the Earl of

Ilchester. In the open or broad space of the fleet are kept six or seven

hundred swans, formerly one thousand five hundred, including hoppers--a

small species of swans, who feed and range, and return home again.

_Fair_, July 10, for sheep and toys.

[Sidenote: Tradition of St. Peter]

[Sidenote: A ruined abbey.]

[Sidenote: St. Catherine's chapel, a sea mark.]

[Sidenote: Wild fowl decoy, and swannery.]

Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From

+--+---------------------+----------+--------------+---------------+

+--+---------------------+----------+--------------+---------------+

|Dist.|

Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.

+--+---------------------+-------------------------+-----+---------+

11|Abbotsham m.t.& pa|Barnstaple 10| 204| 386|

44|Abbotside, H.&Low pa|Richmond 12| 208| 762|

34|Abbotts Isle pa|Taunton 10| 133| 380|

11|Abbotts Kerswell pa|Torquay 6| 189| 442|

18|Abbotts Langley[A] pa|Hemel Hemp 6| 17| 1980|

34|Abbots Leigh pa|Keynsham 9| 116| 360|

15|Abbotsley pa|Potton 4| 58| 369|

42|Abbots Morton pa|Pershore 6| 99| 236|

12|Abbots Stoke pa| Bridport 6| 143| 587|

16|Abbotston pa|Winchester 9| 57| 248|

33|Abdon pa|Ch. Stretton 9| 153| 170|

53|Abenbury Fecham to|Mold 7| 187| 111|

52|Abenbury Vawr to|Mold 8| 187| 214|

50|Aber[B] pa|Caernarvon 15| 240| 552|

51|Aberaeron to|Cardigan 23| 208| ...|

51|Aberarth vil & pa|Tregaron 13| 222| 976|

56|Aber Bechan to|Welsh Pool 11| 178| ...|

52|Abercwhiler to|Caerwys 4| 208| 487|

54|Aberavon [C] bo. & pa|Swansea 11| 192| 572|

48|Aberbaidon am|Brecon 14| 148| 1781|

50|Aberconway [D] m.t.| Caernarvon 24| 236| 1245|

+--+---------------------+------------------------+------+---------+

[A] ABBOTTS LANGLEY. Before the Conquest, and till the dissolution of

the monasteries, this place was in the possession of the abbots of St.

Albans. About the time of Henry I., Nicholas Breakspear, a native of

this place, was advanced to the rank of cardinal, and at length became

pope, by the title of Adrian IV.; being the only Englishman that ever

attained that dignity. He died, not without suspicion of poison, in

1158.

[Sidenote: Englishman made Pope.]

[B] ABER (which signifies the mouth of a river, port, or harbour) is

situated on the river Gwyngregyr, which here discharges itself into the

Irish Sea. The native Welsh princes had a palace at this place, some

remains of which are shewn as the residence of Llewelyn ap Griffith. It

is one of the ferries to Anglesea, and a convenient place from which to

visit the formidable Penmaen Mawr mountain. The passage from hence

across the Laven Sands to Beaumaris is by no means safe, as the sands

frequently shift; but the large bell of this village is constantly rung

in foggy weather, in the hope that its sound may serve to direct those

whom imperious necessity obliges to cross under all disadvantages. Two

miles from this pleasing village, following the banks of the stream,

which flows through highly picturesque scenery, there is a most romantic

glen, and a very fine waterfall; the upper part of this cataract is

sometimes broken into three or four divisions, by the rugged force of

the impending cliff, but the lower one forms a broad sheet, and descends

about sixty feet, in a very grand style.

_Mail_ arrives 3.15 A.M., departs 9.32 P.M.--_Inn_, Bull.

[Sidenote: Ferry to Anglesea.]

[Sidenote: Laven sands dangerous. The bell constantly tolled in foggy

weather.]

[Sidenote: Romantic glen, and waterfall.]

[C] ABERAVON is situated at the mouth of the river Avon, on Swansea Bay,

and has a harbour for small vessels. Although no charter exists for a

market, one has been held here, more than a century past. There is a

ridiculous belief, amongst the people of this place, that every

Christmas Day, and that day alone, a large salmon presents himself in

the river, and allows himself to be caught and handled by any one who

chooses; but it would be considered an act of impiety to detain him.

_Fair_, April 30.

[Sidenote: Singular account of a Salmon.]

[D] ABERCONWAY is an ancient fortified town, beautifully situated upon

the estuary of the river Conway. The town is nearly of a triangular

shape, and is thought by some to have been the Conovium of the Romans.

The annals of this place commence no earlier than with the history of

its castle, which was erected in 1284, by command of Edward I., as a

security against the insurrections of the Welsh. Soon after its

erection, the royal founder was besieged in it, and the garrison almost

reduced by famine to surrender, when they were extricated by the arrival

of a fleet with provision. At the commencement of the civil wars, it

was garrisoned on behalf of the king, by Dr. John Williams, Archbishop

of York. In 1645 he gave the government of the castle to his nephew,

William Hookes. Two years after, Prince Rupert superseded the Archbishop

in the command of North Wales. He endeavoured to obtain redress from the

king, but failed. Enraged at this injury, he joined Mytton, and assisted

in the reduction of the place. The town was taken by storm, August 15,

1646, but the castle did not surrender till November 10. This fortress

remained in tranquillity till a grant was made of it, by King Charles,

to the Earl of Conway and Kilulta; when he had scarcely obtained

possession, before he ordered an agent to remove the timber, iron, lead,

and other materials. It was held on lease, by Owen Holland, Esq. from

the crown, at an annual rent of six shillings and eightpence, and a dish

of fish to Lord Holland, as often as he passed through the town. Thus,

unprotected, it has suffered material injuries from wind and weather,

and is reduced to a state of rapid decay. The ruins are remarkably

picturesque, and very extensive. The town was surrounded by high massive

walls, twelve feet thick, strengthened at intervals by twenty-four

circular and semi-circular towers; these, with the four principal

gateways, remain in tolerable preservation. There are scarcely any

remains of the Cistercian Abbey, founded by Llewelyn ap Jorwerth, in

1185. The church contains a few modern monuments, belonging to the

family of the Wynnes, formerly of this place. The font appears ancient;

it is composed of black marble, curiously carved, and supported by a

cluster of pilasters, standing upon a pedestal. In Castle Street is a

very old house, called the college, which has a singular window,

decorated with several coats of arms of the Stanley family. A day school

is also kept in an ancient mansion, called Plas Mawr, situated near the

market place, which was erected in 1585, by Robert Wynne, Esq. of

Gwyder. The river Conway rises out of Llyn Conway, at the south

extremity of the county, in the mountains of Penmachno. The ferry is of

importance, as it lies upon one of the great roads from London to

Ireland, but is justly considered a dangerous passage, and many are the

accidents which have occurred. On Christmas Day, 1806, the boat

conveying the Irish mail coach, was lost, and all the passengers,

including the coachman and guard, were drowned, except two. At the

Ferry-house a noble bay is formed where the tide enters the river. In

this view, indeed, there are all the ingredients of a sublime and

beautiful landscape. Few rivers, in England or Wales, in so short a

course as twenty-nine miles, present so great a variety of beautiful

scenery. Below Luna Hall, the falls of the Conway exhibit a noble

cataract, about fifty feet; the stream of water, shooting directly from

one aperture in the solid rock to a considerable distance, descends into

a rocky basin, surrounded by hanging woods. One mile below this town, at

Trefriw, the river becomes navigable, and contributes to the supply of

the surrounding county. In Conway town there still exists a pearl

fishery, and a chain suspension bridge has been recently erected in lieu

of a dangerous ferry. The vale of Conway teems with interesting objects.

Upon the west side is the abrupt termination of the Snowdon chain, down

the declivities of which, through innumerable chasms, fissures, and

channels, rush the superfluous waters of the lakes above, to mingle with

the parent ocean. The principal employment of the poor, in this

neighbourhood, is gathering the different species of fuci, commonly

called sea-wreck, thrown up by the tide, or growing upon the breakers.

This wreck they put into a kind of square fireplace, made upon the sand,

and heat it till it becomes a liquid and forms a cake; when further

baked or burnt it resembles cinders, and is called barilla or impure

fossil alkali; in this state it is sold to manufacturers of soap and

glass.

_Market_, Friday.--_Fairs_, March 26, April 30, June 20, August 19,

September 16, October 20, and November 15.--Inns, Harp, Bull's Head,

and White Lien.--_Mail_ arrives 2 A.M., departs 10-3/4 P.M.

[Sidenote: The Conovium of the Romans.]

[Sidenote: Town taken by storm, in 1646.]

[Sidenote: Curious tenure--6s. 8d. and a dish of fish.]

[Sidenote: Cistercian Abbey, founded by Llewelyn ap Jorwerth in 1185.]

[Sidenote: The ferry considered dangerous; loss of the Irish mail and 14

passengers, in 1806.]

[Sidenote: Falls of the Conway present a noble cataract, shooting from a

solid rock.]

[Sidenote: Pearl fishery and suspension bridge.]

[Sidenote: Manufactory of barilla.]

Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From

+--+------------------------+----------+-------------+-------------+

+--+------------------------+----------+-------------+-------------+

|Dist.|

Map| Names of Places. |Number of Miles From |Lond.|population.

+--+------------------------+------------------------+-----+--------+

54|Aberdare[A] pa|Brecon 20| 182| 3961|

50|Aberdaron pa|Bardsey Isle 5| 258| 1389|

54|Aberddaw, East ham|Llandaff 12| 179| ...|

55|Aberdyfi to|Machynlleth 9| 217| ...|

58|Aberedwy[B] pa|Radnor 13| 169| 344|

56|Abererch pa|Nevin 8| 234| 1365|

45|Aberford[C] m.t. & pa|Ferry Bridge 9| 186| 925|

47|Aberffraw pa|Holyhead 12| 258| 1367|

26|Abergavenny[D] m.t. & pa|Usk 9| 145| 4230|

+--+------------------------+------------------------+-----+---------+

[A] ABERDARE. _Fairs_, for cattle, April 19, Whit-Monday, November 14.

[B] ABEREDWY. This delightful village derived its name from its

situation, near the junction of the River Wye and Edwy. Nothing in

nature can exceed the beauty of the neighbouring scenery. The Edwy

descends through lofty walls of rock; in some places, broken into crags,

which frightfully overhang the abyss. Near the place are the ruins of a

castle, the retreat of the last native Welsh Prince, Llewelyn ap

Gruffydd. The object of Llewelyn's journey to Aberedwy was to consult

the chief persons of the district, upon the best means of successfully

opposing the King of England, then invading Wales. On his arrival he

found himself disappointed. Instead of meeting with friends, he was

surrounded by the enemy. Edmund Mortimer and John Gyfford, acquainted

with his route, marched from Herefordshire, with their troops to meet

him. The enemy were numerous--resistance was in vain--Llewelyn withdrew

to Builth. The mountains being covered with snow, he caused the shoes of

his horse to be reversed, in order to baffle pursuit, but the

treacherous _smith_ betrayed him. Llewelyn broke down the bridge of

Builth, but was closely followed by the English forces, who fruitlessly

attempted to gain it. Sir Elias Walwyn crossed the river, with a

detachment, about eight miles below, at a place called Little Tom's

Ferry Boat, and coming unexpectedly on the Welsh army, routed them.

Llewelyn himself was attacked and slain, unarmed, in a narrow valley,

not two hundred yards from the scene of action. Adam Francton, the

murderer of Llewelyn, took no notice of his victim, but joined in the

pursuit of the Welsh. Returning with the view of plundering the slain,

he discovered the wounded person was no other than the Prince of Wales;

for on stripping him, he found a letter in cipher and his privy seal.

The brutal Francton, overjoyed that the Welsh prince had fallen into his

hands, cut off his head, and sent it to the King of England, and thus

perished the last native Prince of Wales.

[Sidenote: Ruined castle--the retreat of Llewelyn, the last native

Prince of Wales.]

[Sidenote: His horses shoes reversed.]

[Sidenote: Betrayed by his smith.]

[Sidenote: His army routed, and himself slain.]

[Sidenote: His head sent to the King of England.]

[C] ABERFORD is situated upon the River Cock, on the great northern

road, on the banks of which river was fought the famous battle of

Towton, in 1461, so called from a village in the vicinity. The town

consists of a long straggling street, in the north of which are the

remains of a Norman fortification, called Castle Carey; and the whole is

in the line of the ancient Roman road. This town is curiously situated,

as respects township: the west side is in Aberford-cum-Parlington; the

east of the same end is Lotherton-cum-Aberford, and the north of the

river is Aberford alone.

_Mail_ arrives 4.11 P.M., departs 8.46 A.M.--_Inn_,

Swan.

[Sidenote: Here the famous battle of Towton was fought.]

[D] ABERGAVENNY, (the ancient Gobanium of the Romans,) and its environs,

have strong claims to the traveller's attention. Its castle and

delightful terrace overlook the rich vale of Usk; its church, abounding

in costly sculptured tombs, its beautifully variegated mountains, all

conspire to render this place particularly attractive. This town was

once fortified, and many portions of the work remain, particularly

Tudor's Gate. The western entrance is furnished with two portcullises,

and remarkable for the beautifully composed landscape seen through it.

The style of building which forms the remains of this fortress marks its

origin to have been subsequent to the Norman epoch. Excursions are

frequently made to Blaenavon Iron Works, about six miles distant, which

employ upwards of four thousand men. The mountainous territory

containing these mineral treasures of iron, was demised by the crown to

the Earl of Abergavenny, and is held under a lease by Hill and Co. A

principal excursion from Abergavenny is that which leads northwards to

Llanthony Abbey, a majestic ruin, seated in a deep recess of the black

mountains, at the very extremity of Monmouthshire. Abergavenny is a

place of much resort, being the thoroughfare from the west of Wales to

Bath, Bristol, and Gloucestershire. Its principal manufacture is

flannel, and its annual fairs for cattle are well attended.

_Mail_ arrives 2 P.M., departs 11 A.M.--INNS, Angel, and

Greyhound.--_Bankers_, Hill and Co., draw upon Esdaile and

Co.,--Jones and Co., draw upon Williams and Co.--_Fairs_, May 14,

lean cattle and sheep; 1st Monday after Trinity, linen and woollen

cloths; September 25, horses, hogs, and flannel.--_Market_ Tuesday.

[Sidenote: Gobanium of the Romans.]

[Sidenote: Tudor's Gate.]

[Sidenote: Blaenavon Iron Works. 4000 men employed.]

[Sidenote: Llanthony Abbey, a majestic ruin in the black mountains.]

Map| Names of Places. | County | Number of Miles From

+--+------------------------+----------+--------------+---------------+

26|Abergavenny hun|Monmouth | ... | ... |

+--+------------------------+----------+--------------+---------------+

|Dist.|

Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.

+--+------------------------+-------------------------+---------------+

26|Abergavenny hun|Monmouth | ... | ... | 30818|

52|Abergele m.t. & pa|Denbigh |Aberconway 12| 224| 2506|

49|Abergorlech chap|Caermar |Caermar 14| 209| ...|

49|Abergwilley to & pa|Caermar |Newcastle 16| 214| 2675|

56|Aberhafesp pa|Montgomery|Llanfair 10| 180| 535|

56|Aberhaly to|Montgomery|Montgomery 10| 180| ...|

49|Abermarles to|Caermar |Lampeter 14| 198| ...|

48|Aberlyfni ham|Brecknock |Builth 12| 160| 100|

49|Abernant pa|Caermar |Newcastle 11| 222| 654|

54|Aberpergwm chap|Glamorg |Merthyr Tyd 13| 188| ...|

56|Aber-Rhiw pa|Montgomery|Newtown 9| 172| 2429|

51|Aber-Porth pa|Cardigan |Lampeter 24| 235| 485|

48|Aberyskir pa|Brecknock |Builth 14| 173| 110|

51|Aberystwith[A] m.t. & pa|Cardigan |Aberllelwyn 5| 208| 4128|

26|Aberystwith pa & chap|Monmouth |Pontypool 8| 153| 5992|

4|Abingdon[B] m.t.|Berks |Wantage 10| 56| 5259|

+--+-----------------------+-----------+--------------+-----+---------+

[A] ABERYSTWITH, a market town and seaport in the hundred of Glenaur

Glynn, and also a township in the parish of Llanbadarn Vawr. It is

situated at the confluence of the rivers Ystwith and Rhyddol, at which

the former falls into the sea in the bay of Cardigan. The building of a

castle, of which some vestiges remain, is attributed to Edward I. It

stands on a craggy eminence projecting into the sea at the west of the

town, and affords a magnificent view of the whole line of Welsh coast

within the bay of Cardigan. The streets are steep and uneven.--The

houses, which are principally formed of dark slate, present a very

singular appearance. For some years past its celebrity, as a summer

retreat and bathing-place, has been annually increasing, which is

greatly contributed to by the beauty of the neighbourhood, and the

commanding prospects around. The roads to it have been made excellent,

and the customary amusements of plays and assemblies during the season

add to the attractions for summer visitants. There was formerly a

herring fishery, and the practice of fishing is still carried on with

considerable advantage by the natives. About seven miles north of

Aberystwith, on the sea coast, a considerable extent of land, has, by

drainage, been recovered; twelve miles of embankment have been formed;

and two navigable cuts, with a road of three miles and a stone bridge

completed.

_Mail_ arrives 7 A.M. departs 5 P.M.--_Fairs_, 1st Monday in May and

November, chiefly for hiring servants.--_Bankers_, W. Davis and Co.,

draw on Esdaile and Co.--_Inns_, Gogerddon Arms, Old Lion, and

Talbot.--_Markets_, Monday and Saturday.

[Sidenote: Fine bathing place.]

[Sidenote: Twelve miles of embankment.]

[B] ABINGDON, at the very edge of the county of Berkshire, was called

Shovesham, by the Anglo-Saxons, until the foundation of the abbey, from

which period it began to assume the name of Abbandeen, or the Town of

the Abbey. This monastery, the monks of which were Benedictines, was

founded by Cissa, an Anglo-Saxon monarch, in 675. During the reign of

Alfred it was demolished by the Danes, and remained in ruins till King

Edgar partly restored it, in 954. Ethelwold, the abbot at that time,

erected and embellished the church, and his successors contributed to

its increase. After the Conquest, the wealth and grandeur of the abbey

were equal to any similar foundation in England. William the Conqueror

kept Easter in the abbey, A.D. 1084; and here was educated his youngest

son, Henry, surnamed Beauclerc, afterwards King Henry I., in whose

reign, one of the most eminent characters who received sepulture within

the abbey, was the celebrated Jeffery of Monmouth, author of the British

History,--a work, from which some of our best poets have derived

materials for their sublime compositions. Shakspeare's Lear, and

Milton's Comus, were both supplied from Jeffery's history. He flourished

in the reign of Henry I. Among the natives of Abingdon, whose talents

have rendered their possessors eminent, was Sir John Mason, a statesman

of the sixteenth century. His memory is the more worthy to be revered,

because, from a very obscure origin, his genius and perseverance

advanced him to the rank of privy-counsellor, ambassador to France, and

chancellor of the University of Oxford. His father was a cow-herd and

his mother, sister to one of the abbey monks, who attended to his early

tuition, and sent him to Oxford, where he became a fellow of All Souls'

college. While in this situation, the liveliness of his temper

occasioned him to be chosen to compliment Henry VIII. on his visit to

the University, in the year 1523, which being executed in a most

graceful manner, engaged the favour of the monarch, who promoted him to

the honourable offices above-mentioned. He died in 1566, and was buried

in St. Paul's cathedral.

_Mail_ arrives 2.49 A.M., departs 12.10 A.M.--_Fairs_, 1st Monday in

Lent, May 6, June 20, August 6, September 19, cattle; Monday before

Old Michaelmas, statute, and December 11, horses and

cattle.--_Bankers_, Knapp and Co., draw on Williams and Co.--_Inns_,

Crown and Thistle, and Queen's Arms.--_Markets_, Monday and Friday.

[Sidenote: Monastery of Benedictine monks.]

[Sidenote: William the Conqueror kept Easter, and his son was educated

here. Jeffery of Monmouth buried in the abbey.]

[Sidenote: Sir J. Mason, born here--his father a cow-herd.]

Map| Names of Places. | County | Number of Miles From |

+--+-----------------------+----------+--------------+-----------------+

46|Acaster Selby to|W.R. York | ... 5| ... 7|

22|Accrington, Old chap|Lancaster | ... 6| ... 4|

45|Ackworth[A] pa|W.R. York | ... 3| ... 7|

+--+-----------------------+----------+--------------+-----------------+

|Dist.|

Map| Names of Places. | number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.

+--+-----------------------+-------------------------+-----+-----------+

37|Abinger pa|Ockley 5| 2| 767|

15|Abinghall pa|Monmouth 12| 118| 235|

28|Abington pa|Moulton 3| 67| 155|

6|Abington, Gt. & Lit. pa|Newmarket 12| 50| 594|

6|Abington in the Clay pa|Cambridge 15| 42| 259|

23|Ab Kettleby pa|Loughboro 13| 108| 331|

15|Ablington ti|Northleach 7| 85| 103|

10|Abney ham|Chapel-Frith 8| 164| 112|

49|Above Sawdde ham|Llandilo Var 8| 195| 803|

22|Above Town div|KirkbyLons 15| 240| 591|

22|Abram to|Chorley 11| 197| 511|

15|Abson with Wick chap|Marshfield 4| 107| 824|

21|Abthorp chap|Banbury 15| 63| 477|

54|Aburthin pa|Cowbridge 1| 173| ...|

24|Aby pa|Horncastle 12| 142| 204|

46|Acaster Malbis pa|Tadcaster 8| 190| 707|

46|Acaster Selby to| ... 8| 190| 201|

22|Accrington, New to|Burnley 8| 208| 4960|

22|Accrington, Old chap| ... 6| 208| 1323|

30|Achurch pa|Kettering 12| 73| 239|

43|Acklam pa|York 14| 210| 827|

44|Acklam chap|Guisboro 9| 244| 371|

28|Acklington to|Rothbury 13| 300| 285|

45|Ackton to|Leeds 9| 174| 51|

45|Ackworth[A] pa| ... 11| 174| 1660|

+--+-----------------------+-------------------------+-----+-----------+

[A] ACKWORTH is a parish and township, in the upper division of Osgold

Cross Wapentake, nominally divided into higher and lower Ackworth. It is

celebrated for its Quakers' School, which was purchased in 1777, with

eighty-five acres of land, from the trustees of the Foundling Hospital,

and rendered a seminary for the children of the more humble class of

Friends. The number of pupils, is one hundred and eighty boys, and one

hundred and twenty girls.

[Sidenote: Quakers' school.]

Map| Names of Places. | County | Number of Miles From

+--+------------------------+----------+-------------+---------------+

29|Acomb West to|Northumb | ... 5| 18|

+--+------------------------+----------+-------------+---------------+

|Dist. |

Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond. |Population

+--+------------------------+------------------------+------+------+

27|Acle[A] m. t. & pa|Loddon 8| 121| 820|

45|Acomb pa|New Malton 20| 201| 882|

29|Acomb East to|Hexham 11| 275| 36|

29|Acomb West to| ... 3| 275| 523|

17|Aconbury[B] chap|Ledbury 14| 130| 163|

21|Acrise pa|Canterbury 11| 67| 194|

7 |Acton to & pa|Middlewich 11| 166| 3928|

7 |Acton to|Chester 15| 177| 309|

52|Acton to| ... 9| 190| 215|

25|Acton pa|Uxbridge 10| 5| 2453|

29|Acton to|Morpeth 10| 300| 91|

36|Acton pa|Bildeston 8| 57| 565|

42|Acton Beauchamp pa|Ledbury 10| 122| 239|

33|ACTON Burnell[C] to & pa|Ch. Stretton 7| 155| 381|

+--+------------------------+------------------------+------+------+

[A] ACLE. _Market_, Thursday.--_Fair_, Wednesday before Michaelmas day.

[B] ACONBURY. At this place a nunnery of the order of St. Augustine was

founded by Margery, wife of Walter de Lacey, in the reign of King John.

The Cliffords were large benefactors to this house, which, at the

dissolution, possessed _L75. 7s. 6d._ per annum. There are some remains

yet standing, occupied as a farm house. On the summit of Aconbury Hill,

a bold and extensive eminence, well wooded, and commanding a charming

view over the adjacent county, are traces of a large encampment.

[Sidenote: Nunnery.]

Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11 Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set. · 第 1 / 31 段