[B] AYLESBURY. The AEglesbury of the Saxons, is a considerab_Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11 Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.

town, situated near the centre of the county, rising gradually on all

sides in a rich and extensive tract, denominating the "Vale of

Aylesbury." Drayton in his Poly-Albion has the following lines

descriptive of this celebrated vale:--

Aylesbury's vale that walloweth in her wealth,

And (by her wholesome air continually in health)

Is lusty, firm, and fat; and holds her youthful strength.

This was originally a strong British town, which maintained its

independence till the year 571, when it was reduced by the West Saxons.

In the year 600, it became famous as the burial place of St. Osyth, who

was born at Quarrendon, two miles distance, and beheaded in Essex by the

Pagans. Her relics were interred in this church, and are said to have

performed many miracles; a religious house was founded in honour of

William the Conqueror, who parcelled it out under the singular

tenure:--that the tenants should find litter or straw for the king's

bedchamber three times a year, if he came that way so often, and provide

him with three eels in winter, and three green geese in summer. In the

reign of Henry VIII., the manor was sold by Thomas Boleyn, Earl of

Wilts, father of Queen Anne Boleyn, to Sir John Baldwin, whose daughter

took it in marriage to Robert Pakington, who was murdered in the year

1537, on account of his zeal for the reformed religion. It continued in

this family till the year 1801, when it was sold by Sir John Pakington,

Bart., to the Marquis of Buckingham. How completely the manor and the

town itself were in the possession of the Pakington family, will appear

from the following remarkable letter preserved in the Chapel of the

Rolls, among the returns of Parliament writs of the fourteenth of Queen

Elizabeth:--"To all Christian people, to whom this present writing shall

come: I, Dorothy Pakington, late wife of Sir John Pakington, lord and

owner of the town of Aylesbury, send greeting. Know ye me, the said

Dorothy Pakington, to have chosen, named, and appointed my trusty and

well-beloved Thomas Litchfield, and George Burden, Esqrs., to be my

burgesses of my said town of Aylesbury; and whatever the said Thomas and

George, burgesses, shall do in the service of the Queen's Highness in

the Parliament to be holden at Westminster on the 8th of May next

ensuing the date hereof, I the same Dorothy Pakington do ratify and

approve to be of my own act as fully and wholly as if I were witness or

present there. In witness whereof, to these presents, I have set my

seal, this 4th day of May, in the 14th year of the reign of my Sovereign

Lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God, of England, France, and Ireland,

Queen, &c." Aylesbury was made a borough town by a charter of Queen

Mary, in 1554. The Reform Bill has made no alteration in the number of

members. The electors are those of the old constituency, consisting of

freeholders of the hundred, and house-keepers not receiving alms; the

freeholders of the hundred are estimated at 838; and the ten pound

householders at 314; total 1152. The limits of the borough are

unaltered, and the returning officers are the constables of the borough.

The town is also one of the polling places for this county, which now

returns three members. The county gaol is still at Aylesbury, but the

Summer Assizes were restored to Buckingham, through the exertions of

Lord Cobham and the Grenville family in the year 1758. The only

manufacture at Aylesbury is that of lace-making: the weekly market is a

very plentiful one for provision, and much business is done here at the

annual fairs.

_Market_, Saturday--_Fairs_, Friday after Jan. 18; Saturday before

Palm Sunday; May 8; June 14; September 25; October 12, for cattle.

_Bankers_, Rickford and Son, draw on Praed's and Co--_Mail_ arrives

12.40 morning; departs 2.19 morning.--_Inns_, George, and White Hart.

[Sidenote: St. Osyth.]

[Sidenote: Singular tenure of this manor.]

[Sidenote: Remarkable Parliamentary writ.]

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

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

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

|Dist.|

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

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

24|Aylesby pa|Caistor 9| 166| 144|

21|Aylesford[A] pa|Wrotham 8| 32| 1301|

23|Aylestone to & pa|Hinckley 10| 96| 758|

27|Aylmerton pa|Aylsham 2| 125| 284|

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

[A] AYLESFORD is seated on the banks of the Medway, by which the parish

is divided. The church is so singularly situated, from being placed on a

rising ground, that persons in the churchyard can almost look down the

chimnies of the houses. The neighbourhood is famed as having been the

spot where, we are told by ancient historians, a sanguinary battle was

fought in 445, between the Britons and Saxons; the conflict having taken

place about five years after the first landing of the latter in Britain.

It appears from our chronicles that Vortimer, then monarch of this

island, having first defeated his enemies on the banks of the Darent, in

Kent, pursued their routed forces to Aylesford; at which place the

Saxons had passed to the eastern side of the Medway, where a most

obstinate and bloody battle took place between the contending armies,

when the fate of the day, having long remained undecided, at length

terminated favourably for the Britons. In that decisive affair, Horsa,

brother of Hengist, the Saxon chief, and Catigrinus, brother to King

Vortimer, are said to have contended hand to hand, when both died

bravely upon the spot. Horsa, | if tradition may be credited, was

interred about three miles north of Aylesford, at a spot still bearing

the name of Horsted; that is to say, "the place of Horsa;" where, in the

adjoining fields, large stones are still dispersed over the soil; some

in erect positions, while others, from lapse of time, have been thrown

down; being, there is little doubt, placed there as memorials of the

Saxon warriors slain in that famous encounter. Prince Cartigrinus is

supposed to have been inhumed still nearer the field of slaughter, on

the summit of an acclivity, about one mile north of Aylesford, and a

quarter of a mile west from the high road leading from Rochester to

Maidstone; at which place, Kitt's Cotty House still stands, as

represented in our engraving. This memorial consists of four large

stones, of the pebble kind, two placed in the ground, being partly

upright, forming two sides, a third standing in the middle between them,

while the fourth, being the largest, is laid transversely over them,

thus forming a covering. None of these stones bear the imprint of the

chisel, or any sign whatsoever of manual labour. Alfred and Edmund

Ironside defeated the Danes in this vicinity. Sir Charles Sedley, of

poetical and dissolute notoriety, was a native of this place; as was

also Sir Paul Rycaut, the celebrated eastern traveller.

[Sidenote: The site of a Saxon battle.]

[Sidenote: Kitt's Cotty House.]

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

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

43|Ayton West to|N.R. York| 5| 16|

43|Ayton Little to & pa|N.R. York| 4| 5|

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

|Dist.|

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

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

27|Aylsham[A] m.t. & pa|Reepham 7| 118| 2334|

17|Aylton pa|Hereford 11| 124| 126|

17|Aymestery to & pa|Ludlow 11| 146| 1006|

28|Aynho[B] pa|Buckingham 11| 63| 664|

18|Ayott, St. Lawrence pa|St. Albans 7| 28| 134|

18|Ayott, St. Peter pa| 7| 25| 271|

43|Aysgarth to & pa|Reeth 7| 241| 5796|

32|Ayston pa|Rockingham 6| 90| 101|

43|Ayton East to & pa|Whitby 20| 217| 360|

43|Ayton West to| 20| 217| 256|

43|Ayton Great to & pa|Stockton 10| 240| 1105|

43|Ayton Little to & pa| 10| 240| 68|

45|Azerley, or Cozenley to|Bedale 11| 217| 579|

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

[A] AYLSHAM is situated on the southern side of the river Brue, which is

navigable hence to Yarmouth, for barges of about 13 tons burthen.

Aylsham during the reigns of Edward II. and III., was the chief town in

this part of the kingdom for the linen manufacture; but in succeeding

reigns, that business was superseded by the woollen manufacture; and in

the time of James I., the inhabitants were principally employed in

knitting worsted stockings, breeches, and waistcoat pieces. Since the

introduction of frame knitting, that trade has also been lost; the town

is governed by a bailiff. Aylsham church is said to have been erected by

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the court of which duchy was at one

period held here. There is a spa in the neighbourhood, the water of

which has obtained considerable reputation for its medicinal properties

in chronic disorders.

_Market_, Tuesday.--_Fairs_, March 23; last Tuesday in September for

lean cattle, ordinary horses, and pedlary; and October 6, for

cattle.--_Mail_ arrives 12.30 afternoon; departs 2.0

afternoon.--_Bankers_, Copeman and Co., draw upon Hankey and Co.

[Sidenote: Trade.]

[B] AYNHO is a large and respectable village seated on a rock, below

which issues a powerful spring of water, called the Town Well, which

after running through the vale below, contributes to the supply of the

Charwell. The church contains numerous monuments, several of which

belong to the Cartwright family, who have long been in possession of the

manor, and whose descendant R.W. Cartwright, Esq., has a handsome seat,

the interior of which is adorned with a fine collection of paintings. An

hospital was founded here for poor and sick travellers. The building is

still standing, but is now occupied as a private house.

[Sidenote: Town Well.]

RIVERS.

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

Name. | Rises. | Falls.

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

Aire[A] | Yorkshire | Ouse.

Alan | Cornwall | St. George's Channel.

Ald | Suffolk | Sea near Aldborough.

Alder | Sussex | Sea at Shoreham

Allen | Dorsetshire | Stour

Allen | Flintshire |

Allow, East | Durham | Tyne.

Allow, West | Northum | Tyne.

Allow, West | Anglesea | Irish Sea

Alne[B] | Northumb | Tyne.

Alt | Lancashire | Irish Sea

Amond | Caermar | Lougher

Ancholme[C] | Lincolnshire | Humber.

Ande | Hants |

Angel | Montgom | Dovey.

Ankham | Lincolnshire | Humber.

Anker | Leicestersh | Tame.

Annisor | Pembrokesh | Irish Sea

Arrow | Herefordsh | Lug

Arrow | Worcestersh | Avon.

Arth | Cardigansh | Irish Sea.

Artro | Merionethsh | Landeber.

Arun | Sussex | Sea.

Astery | Sussex | Sea.

Atree | Cornwall | Tamer.

Aune | Devonshire | Sea.

Avon Upper[D] | Northamp | Severn.

Avon Lower[E] | Wiltshire | English Channel.

Avon | Glamorgansh | Severn.

Avon, West | Goucestersh | Severn.

Avon | Monmouthsh | Uske.

Avon | Merionethsh | Irish Sea.

Axe | Dorsetshire | British Channel.

Axe | Somersetsh | Severn.

Ayron | Cardigansh | Irish Sea.

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

[A] AIRE, (The) rises from a small lake on the moors of Yorkshire,

north-east from Settle, descending through Aire-dale and Craven in its

course to the south-east, which it pursues as far as Leeds, where,

turning eastward, and meeting the Calder, it passes under Ferrybridge,

flowing through the flattest portion of Yorkshire; and receiving the

Don, a little north of Snaith, it unites with the Ouse above Booth

Ferry, near Howden. This river is of greater extent than the Calder, and

much its superior in navigation, being also joined by numerous canals

from the west. Its origin is almost mountainous, in the midst of the

wildest moors; and Aire-dale retains much of the same characteristic

features of that line of country. The district of Craven is singularly

romantic, being a rich vale, bounded by high hills, with the town of

Skipton in its centre; below which it forms a beautiful valley to

Keighley, full of trade and population; the Aire passes the picturesque

ruin of Kirkstall Abbey, in its way to Leeds, the manufactories and

villas of which flourishing place, and its vicinity, encompass its

banks; after which it divides one of the richest plains in the kingdom

to Ferrybridge, not far from the eminence where the town of Pontefract

appears a conspicuous object, with its ruined castle and ancient church.

Afterwards the Aire can boast little of beauty, as it advances through a

level district to join the Ouse.

[Sidenote: Booth Ferry.]

[Sidenote: Kirkstall Abbey.]

[B] ALNE, (The) is a small river which rises on the border of

Roxburgshire, but within the limits of Northumberland, and a little

north of the source of the Coquet. The great and attractive objects

which grace its borders are placed in the far-extended territory of the

Duke of Northumberland, at the entrance to which the lofty building,

called Brisley Tower, thickly environed by plantations, overlooks all

the wild country of Northumberland, including the bold range of

Cheviot-hills on the north-west, close to the Scottish border. The Alne

then enters a charming valley, beneath the ivied walls of Hulne Abbey,

winding delightfully between lawns, woods, and groupes of trees and

cottages, admirably disposed. From these monastic and rustic recesses,

the river emerges into a spacious park, widened considerably by art, and

gliding through the arches of a fine Castellan bridge, is proudly

overlooked by the numerous towers, and lofty citadel of Alnwick Castle,

the superb seat of the Northumberland family.

[Sidenote: Brisley Tower.]

[Sidenote: Alnwick Castle.]

[C] ANCHOLME. This small river, rising in the wolds of Lincolnshire, not

far from Market Raisin, is navigable from Glandford Bridge to the

Humber, and in its course intersecting the extensive tract of the Wolds,

which stretches out from Lincoln northward to Barton, and forms a ridge

across some intermediate valleys, terminates in the fens near Spilsby

Louth. Brocklesby Park, in the extensive domains of Lord Yarborough,

occupies the centre of this district, on the highest point of which his

lordship has built a superb chapel and mausoleum, in a very excellent

Grecian taste, adorned with appropriate statues and marbles, from Italy.

This building, from its position, commands the whole surrounding

country, with the port of Hull, across the Humber; forming also a

sea-mark, and an interesting object, admirable for the elegance of its

design and execution. Thornton College is a curious remnant of antiquity

in this neighbourhood, founded in the reign of King Stephen; great part

of which is yet preserved, with some modern additions.

[D] AVON, (The Upper) rising in Northamptonshire, on the borders of

Leicestershire, adds great beauty to the delightful territory of Warwick

Castle, as it flows beneath the cliff on which those lofty towers

projecting before the town and church are situated. It then glides

through a charming country to Stratford-on-Avon, celebrated as the

birth-place of Shakspeare, and where the remains of the immortal bard

are deposited. From thence it traverses the great level of

Worcestershire by Evesham, having received the lesser Stour at

Stratford, and turning to the South at Pershore, meets the Severn at the

flourishing town of Tewksbury.

[Sidenote: Warwick Castle.]

[E] AVON (The Lower) rises in the hilly district of North Wiltshire,

bordering on Gloucestershire, not far from Wootton Basset; its source is

near that of the great river Thames, and both are said to have their

origin from various springs, not accurately defined. Emerging from the

hills, it makes a compass to fall into the vale leading from Christian

Malford to Chippenham, advancing through the cloathing district of

Wiltshire, bordering upon that of Somersetshire, and for a considerable

extent divides those counties. Its course is at first southward, making

a long compass by the west towards the north, and then to the west; at

last, encircling the city of Bath on two sides, from whence it pursues

nearly the same direction, with frequent meanders to Bristol. It then

inclines to the north-west, as it conveys the abundant trade of that

opulent city to the Severn, by its conflux constituting the Bristol

Channel at King's-road.

[Sidenote: Bath.]

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

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

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

|Dist.|

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

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

34|Babcary pa|Castle-Cary 7| 120| 453|

27|Babingley,[A] pa|Heacham 8| 102| 38|

34|Babington pa|Shepton Mal. 9| 109| 206|

6|Babraham[B] pa|Newmarket 12| 51| 273|

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

[A] BABINGLEY. In this parish, the first Christian church in East Anglia

is said to have been built. Several hills in the vicinity, called

Christian Hills, render the opinion highly probable. The village is

situated near that part of the Lincolnshire wash called Lynn Deeps.

[B] BABRAHAM, anciently Badburham, is situated in the hundred of

Chilford. This place, which was one of the manors of Algar, Earl of

Mercia, at the time of the Norman survey, formerly had a market on

Mondays. About the year 1576, the whole manorial property in the parish

fell into the possession of Sir Horatio Palavicini, a Genoese. According

to the tradition of the neighbourhood, this gentleman was collector of

the Pope's taxes in England, in the reign of Queen Mary, on whose death,

and the consequent change in religion under Elizabeth, he (like the

Vicar of Bray,) changed his faith, converted the Pope's money to his own

use, and settled in this country. The following whimsical epitaph

relates to this occurrence: it is printed in "Lord Orford's Anecdotes of

Painting"--

"Here lyes Horatio Palavazine,

Who robbed the Pope to lend the Queen.

He was a thief--a thief? Thou lyest:

For what! he robb'd but Antichrist,

Him death with besome swept from Bab'ram.

Into the bosom of ould Abraham:

But then came Hercules with his club,

And struck him down to Belzebub."

Sir Horatio was in great favour with Queen Elizabeth. He was

naturalised, by patent, in 1516, and commanded one of the English

men-of-war in the great battle with the Spanish Armada, in 1588; and he

was employed by the Queen, in her negotiations with the German Princes:

he died at his seat, in this parish, on the 6th of July, 1600. It

appears by the register kept in the church, that his children were

baptized and buried here: it is also recorded, that the marriage of Sir

Horatio's widow with Sir Oliver Cromwell, the Protector's uncle, took

place exactly a year and a day after her husband's decease. The poor of

this parish are partly maintained by a bequest of L97. a year, expended

under certain restrictions imposed by the donor. Here is an alms-house,

and a free school, founded by Levinus Bush, Esq., and his sister, Mrs.

Judith Bennet; and the yearly sum of L25. is appropriated to the

apprenticing of children.

[Sidenote: Singular anecdote of the Pope's Tax-gatherer.]

[Sidenote: The Queen's favorite.]

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

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

34| Bachwell pa| | | |

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

|Dist.|

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

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

30|Babworth[A] pa|Worksop 7| 146| 449|

56|Bacheldre, or |Welshpool 12| 163| ...|

10|Bachymbyd to|Mold 11| 202| ...|

49|Bach-Yrys, or |Pont ar 7| 223| ...|

7|Backford to & pa|Liverpool 16| 186| 487|

34|Backwell, or |Axbridge 12| 125| 1038|

34| Bachwell pa| | | |

29|Backworth, or |Blyth 7| 281| 243|

27|Baconsthorpe to|Aylsham 8| 121| 333|

22|Bacop chap|Burnley 6| 205| ...|

17|Bacton pa|Hay 14| 139| 178|

27|Bacton pa|Worsted 7| 128| 498|

36|Bacton pa|Ixworth 9| 76| 758|

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

Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11 Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set. · 第 13 / 31 段

[B] AYLESBURY. The AEglesbury of the Saxons, is a considerable market