the High Peak are holden, is situated on the western bank of the river
Wye. Of late years, the market has dwindled into insignificance, but the
parish is the most extensive in Derbyshire; its length is more than 20
miles, and its breadth upwards of eight. The pasturage in this
neighbourhood is remarkably good. The town was anciently called
Bath-quelle; it appears to have derived its name from its Bath-well, the
immediate site of which has been for many years occupied by a collector
of minerals and fossils for private cabinets. From the circumstance of a
Roman altar, and other antiquities having been discovered here, there
can be but little doubt that Bakewell was a place of some note in the
time of the Romans. At the Conquest, Bakewell had two priests and a
church. The manor then belonged to William Peverell, ancestor of the
Peveril celebrated in the admirable romance by Sir Walter Scott, styled
"Peveril of the Peak." Bakewell church is an ancient structure, with a
lofty spire. Near the entrance of the town, from Ashford, is a mill, for
the carding, roving, doubling, spinning, and twisting of cotton, in
which some hundreds of persons of both sexes are employed; the mill was
erected by the late Sir Richard Arkwright, the founder of the cotton
trade in this neighbourhood. This distinguished character, whose
perseverance and admirable inventions raised him from one of the most
humble occupations in society--that of a barber--to affluence and
honour, was the youngest of thirteen children, and was born in the year
1732, at Preston, in Lancashire. A considerable manufacture of linen
goods, and of linen and cotton mixed, was then carried on in that
neighbourhood, and Mr. Arkwright had an opportunity of becoming
intimately acquainted with the various operations; and being a man of
superior powers, he directed his thoughts to the improvement of the mode
of spinning, which had probably been conducted for ages without thought
of change. The first hint respecting the means of effecting this
improvement, he said, he accidentally received from seeing a red hot
iron bar elongated, by being passed between iron cylinders. The
difficulties which he experienced before he could bring his machine into
use, even after its construction was sufficiently complete to
demonstrate its value, would, perhaps, have for ever retarded its
completion, had his genius and application been less ardent. His
pecuniary means were not such as to enable him to commence business on
his own account, and few were willing to incur the necessary risk. At
length, however, he secured the co-operation of some persons who saw the
merits of the invention, and were willing to assist his endeavours, and
he obtained his first patent for spinning by means of rollers in the
year 1769. To avoid the inconvenience of establishing a manufacture of
this kind at the great seat of the cotton manufacture, as it then
existed, he removed to Nottingham, when, in conjunction with his
partners, he erected his first mill, which was worked by horses. This
mode being found too expensive, another mill on a larger scale was
erected at Cromford, the machinery of which was put in motion by water.
Mr. Arkwright soon effected many improvements in the mode of preparing
the cotton for spinning, and invented a variety of ingenious machines
for that purpose, in the most correct and expeditious manner, for all
which he obtained a patent in the year 1775, and thus completed a series
of machinery so various and complicated, yet so admirably combined as to
excite universal approbation. That all this should have been
accomplished by a single man, without education, without mechanical
knowledge, or even mechanic's experience, is truly extraordinary; and
is, perhaps, equal to any known example of the wonderful powers of the
human mind, when steadily directed to one object. However, at the same
time that he was inventing or improving the machinery, he was engaged in
various undertakings which might have been thought incompatible with
other pursuits. He was taking measures to secure himself a fair
proportion of the fruits of his industry and ingenuity--he was greatly
extending the business--he was introducing into every department of the
manufactory, a novel system of industry, economy, order, and
cleanliness; the whole of which he so effectually accomplished, that his
example may be regarded as the origin of almost all similar
improvements. During this entire period, he was afflicted with a violent
asthma, which sometimes threatened the immediate termination of his
existence; and for some time previously to his death, he was rendered
incapable of continuing his usual pursuits, by a complication of
diseases, which, at length, deprived him of life at the Rock House,
Cromford, on the 23d of August, 1792. The honour of Knighthood was
bestowed on him by George III., in December, 1786, when he presented an
address to that monarch. Dr. Thomas Denman, an eminent physician, was
born at this place in 1733; after the death of Dr. William Hunter, he
was considered as the most eminent man of his profession. Towards the
decline of his life he gradually relinquished the more laborious parts
of his profession to his son-in-law, Sir Richard Croft, and became a
consulting physician. His death, which was very sudden, took place on
the 26th of November, 1815. He left two daughters and a son, the latter
of whom, adopting the legal profession, is now Lord Chief Justice of the
Court of King's Bench.
_Market_, Friday.--_Fairs_, Easter Monday; Whit Monday; August 26;
Monday after October 10; Monday after November 22, for cattle and
horses,--_Inn_, Rutland Arms, allowed to be one of the best Inns in
the kingdom, and is much frequented by anglers during the summer
season.--_Mail_ arrives 12.10 afternoon; departs 6.0 morning.
[Sidenote: Seat of the Peverils of the Peak.]
[Sidenote: Sir Richard Arkwright.]
[Sidenote: Cotton mills.]
[Sidenote: Dr. Thomas Denman.]
Map|Names of Places.| County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+----------------+----------+-------------+------------+
55|Bala[A] to| Merioneth|Shrewsbury 41|Dolgelly 18|
+--+----------------+----------+-------------+------------+
|Dist.|
Map|Names of Places.| Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+----------------+------------------------+-----+------+
55|Bala[A] to| Corven 12| 195| 1163|
+--+----------------+----------+-------------+------------+
[A] BALA is situated at the outlet of the lake of the same name. It is a
clean and populous market town, consisting of one wide principal street,
and others crossing it at right angles. The houses are in general built
very low. The young women commonly go barefooted; they are however well
formed, and have little of the strong Welsh physiognomy. At this place
is carried on a great trade in woollen gloves and stockings. Just before
the entrance of the town is an artificial mount called "Tommen y Bala,"
(the tumulus of Bala) which is supposed to be of Roman origin, and
placed here with a small castle on its summit to secure the pass towards
the sea, which is about twenty-five miles distant. Bala Lake, or Llyn
Tegid, is a quarter of a mile south of the town; it is the largest lake
in Wales, being about four miles long, and in some places near a mile in
breadth. At Bryn Goleu, its depth is several fathoms. The scenery around
is mountainous, and it forms the principal attraction of the vicinity,
yet it possesses none of the grand discriminating traits of the lakes of
Scotland or Ireland. The overflowings of this lake are sometimes
dreadful; but this only happens when the winds rush from the mountains
at the upper end. In stormy weather, when swelled by torrents, the water
is driven to the height of eight or nine feet, covering great part of
the vale of Edeirnion, and almost threatening the town with destruction.
In calm settled weather, it has been so smooth as to be frozen over. The
river Dee rises from under Arran ben Llyn, the high mountain at the head
of the lake; and according to Giraldus Cambriensis, Drayton, and others,
passes through this immense body of water without deigning to intermix
its waters, as the Rhone is said to pass through the lake of Geneva, and
the classic Alpheus through the waters of the Adriatic. Hence it has
been asserted, that salmon are never found in the lake, or gwiniad in
the river; it however abounds with a variety of excellent fish, among
which we may mention pike, trout, perch, and eels. The fishery in the
13th century belonged to the Abbey of Basingwerk; the whole property is
vested at present in Sir Watkyn Williams Wynne, Bart., who allows the
fishermen to be occasionally employed in attending fishing parties with
a boat and nets, without such privilege no person is allowed the use of
nets; but angling is freely permitted, and gentlemen as distant as from
London visit this place entirely for the sake of indulging in this
amusement. Of the inns at Bala, Mr. Hutton says, "although I have often
only reposed one night at an inn, yet from agreeable treatment and
conversation, I found some regret the next morning at parting; and
though I saw the people but once, my mind revolted at the idea of seeing
them no more." The town of Bala is governed by two bailiffs, and a
common council, and the assizes are held here and at Dolgelly
alternately; it is likewise one of the polling places for the county.
_Market_ Saturday--_Fairs_, May 14; July 10; Sep. 11 and 22; Oct. 24;
and Nov. 8.--_Mail_ arrives 8.0 morning; departs 5.0 afternoon.
[Sidenote: The largest lake in Wales.]
[Sidenote: The lake fisheries.]
Map|Names of Places. | County.| Number of Miles From |
+--+-----------------+---------+-------------+-----------+
45|Balby[A] to|W.R. York|Doncaster 2|Tickhill 6|
38|Balcombe pa|Sussex |Cuckfield 4|Horsham 10|
+--+-----------------+---------+-------------+-----------+
|Dist.|
Map|Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+-----------------+-----------------------+-----+-----+
45|Balby[A] to|Rotherham 11| 163 | 420|
38|Balcombe pa|E. Grinstead 9| 33 | 641|
+--+-----------------+-----------------------+-----+-----+
[A] BALBY. In this village George Fox, the founder of the Society of
Friends, or Quakers, held his first meetings. His father, who was a
weaver, gave him a very religious education; he was apprenticed to a
grazier, and much employed as a shepherd. From his earliest infancy he
displayed a tendency to enthusiasm, and no doubt his solitary employment
tended to confirm it. At the early age of nineteen he persuaded himself
that he was called to exercise his faculties, solely in the affairs of
religion. Forsaking his relations, he determined to devote himself to
that alone. Equipped in a leathern doublet, he wandered from place to
place, subsisting by the charity of those who received his doctrines. At
length he reached the metropolis, where, being discovered by his
friends, he was earnestly invited to return. This, however, he refused
to do, and after remaining with them a short time, he again betook
himself to his itinerant habits. He now walked abroad in retired places,
fasting and studying the Bible by day and night, and sometimes a hollow
tree was his habitation, book in hand, for a day together. In 1648, he
publicly propagated his opinions, commencing as public preacher at
Manchester, which place he frequently left to perambulate the adjacent
towns, preaching in the market-houses. About this time he began to adopt
the manners and habits which are peculiar to the society following his
religious opinions; nor was he free from the persecution which
constantly follows novelty, in any thing regarded as an innovation of a
religious nature. At Derby, the disciples of Fox were first denominated
Quakers, from the trembling delivery of their sentences, and their calls
on the magistrates to tremble before the Lord. In 1655, Fox was sent a
prisoner to Cromwell, who immediately liberated him upon ascertaining
the peaceful nature of his doctrines. He was, however, treated by the
country magistracy with great severity, from his frequently interrupting
ministers, even during divine service, and more than once the Protector,
Oliver Cromwell, exerted himself to obtain his freedom. A fast having
been appointed on account of the persecution of Protestants in foreign
countries, he addressed a letter to the heads and governors of the
nation, descrying, in most forcible terms, the impropriety of having
recourse to severity of a similar nature at home. Charles II. liberated
him from prison in the year 1666, and from that time they formally
united as a "Society of Friends." Three years afterwards he married the
widow of Judge Fell, in the simple unostentatious manner practised by
the sect to the present day. His health, however, was impaired by
imprisonment and suffering, and he lived in a more retired manner to the
day of his death, which took place in the year 1690, in the 67th year of
his age.
[Sidenote: George Fox the Quaker.]
[Sidenote: His wanderings and imprisonment.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+------------------+----------+-----------+-------------+
43|Baldersley[A] to|N.R. York |Ripon 6|Thirsk 6|
22|Balderston chap|Lancaster |Preston 7|Blackburn 5|
30|Balderton pa|Nottingham|Newark 2|Bingham 12|
18|Baldock[B] m.t.&pa|Hertford |Hertford 19|Biggleswade 8|
31|Baldon Marsh pa|Oxford |Oxford 7|Abingdon 7|
31|Baldon-Toot pa|Oxford |... 6|... 7|
+--+-----------------+-----------+-----------+-------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+------------------+----------------------+-------------+
43|Baldersley[A] to|Borobridge 8| 214| 267|
22|Balderston chap|Clitheroe 12| 217| 658|
30|Balderton pa|Grantham 12| 122| 830|
18|Baldock[B] m.t.&pa|Stevenage 6| 37| 1704|
31|Baldon Marsh pa|Wheatley 7| 52| 318|
31|Baldon-Toot pa|... 7| 53| 272|
+--+------------------+----------------------+-----+-------+
[A] BALDERSLEY. Near this village is an extensive common, called Hutton
Conyers Moor, on which there is a rabbit-warren; the inhabitants have a
right of estray for their sheep on this moor, in conjunction with some
other townships, and each township has a shepherd. The lord's shepherd
has a pre-eminence of tending his sheep on every part of the common; and
wherever he herds the lord's sheep, the several other shepherds are to
give place to him, and give up what is termed their hofiong place, so
long as they are depastured thereon. The lord's court is held on the
first of January; the shepherds attend the court, and each do fealty by
bringing a large apple-pye and a two-penny sweet-cake; each pye is
divided into two parts, and distributed by the bailiff between the
steward, the tenant of the rabbit-warren, and the shepherds of the
townships, reserving a portion however for himself. Each pye contains
about a peck of flour, and the bailiff measures them with a rule to see
that they are of the proper dimensions; should they not be so he
threatens to fine the town; he, however, has to provide furmenty (a food
made by boiling wheat in milk) and mustard. The furmenty is put into an
earthen pot, and the top of the dish placed level with the ground, all
persons present are invited to partake; those who do not accept the
invitation are deemed disloyal to their lord. Every shepherd is
compelled to bring a spoon with him, and in cases of neglect, or wilful
pleasantry, they are obliged to sup the hot furmenty from the pot, and
the bystanders not unfrequently plunge the offenders head into the
mixture, as a matter of diversion.
[Sidenote: Right of Common.]
[Sidenote: Singular custom.]
[B] BALDOCK is situated between two hills, at the intersection of the
great north road, and the Roman Ikeneld street. It was formerly the
property of the Knights Templars, to whom Gilbert, Earl of Pembroke,
gave the site; it was then called Baudoc: but some antiquarians, with
little reason, derive its name from Balbec, a city in Syria, from which
this order of knights was expelled by the Saracens. It principally
consists of one long ancient street. The church, dedicated to St. Mary,
is a spacious structure, and was built by the Knights Templars, and
again partly rebuilt in the early part of the fifteenth century. All the
early portion of this structure is of pure Roman architecture, and the
latter of the florid gothic. The steeple, which is octagonal, was
rebuilt a few years ago. In the church is a richly carved oaken screen,
part of the ancient rood-loft, and a very curious font. In cutting
through Baldock-hill, to form a new road, a number of fossils,
consisting of cornua ammonis, sharks' teeth, &c., were discovered. There
is a curious custom in this manor. When the Steward holds his Court
Leet, the bell tolls, to summons the copyhold tenants together, to do
their suit and service at dinner, to which every baker sends a loaf of
bread, and every victualler a flagon of ale or beer. The object of this
custom is intended for the Court Leet to examine the measures, as well
as to judge of the quality of the articles of food.
_Market_, Thursday.--_Fairs_, March 7; last Thursday in May; August
5; October 2; December 11, for cheese, cattle, and household
goods.--_Mail_ arrives 12.31 morning, departs 2.16
morning.--_Bankers_, Williamson and Co., draw on Hoare and
Co.--_Inn_, White Hart.
[Sidenote: Sharks' teeth found in cutting through a hill.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+--------------------+---------+--------------+--------------+
27|Bale pa|Norfolk |Holt 5|Cley 6|
37|Balham vil|Surrey |Clapham 1|Tooting 2|
43|Balke to|N.R. York|Thirsk 4|Helmsley 10|
46|Balke-Holme to|E.R. York|Howden 2|South Cave 10|
10|Ballidon to|Derby |Ashborne 6|Wirksworth 6|
14|Ballingdon pa chap|Essex |Sudbury 1|Halstead 8|
17|Ballingham pa|Hereford |Hereford 7|Ross 6|
45|Balne to|W.R. York|Snaith 4|Pontefract 10|
39|Balsall chap|Warwick |Warwick 10|Coventry 10|
31|Balscott ham|Oxford |Banbury 5|Chip Norton 14|
6|Balsham pa|Cambridge|Linton 4|Cambridge 8|
35|Balterley to|Stafford |Newcastle 7|Congleton 9|
34|Baltonsborough pa|Somerset |Glastonbury 4|Somerton 4|
29|Bambrough to & pa|Northumb |Belford 5|Holy Island 6|
29|Bambrough[A] to|Northumb |... 5|... 6|
10|Bamford ham|Derby |S. Middleton 6|Sheffield 11|
22|Bamford to|Lancaster|Rochdale 3|Manchester 7|
11|Bampton[B] m.t. & pa|Devon |Exeter 23|Tiverton 7|
31|Bampton[C] m.t. & pa|Oxford |Oxford 16|Witney 5|
+--+--------------------+---------+--------------+--------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+--------------------+------------------------+-----+--------+
27|Bale pa|Walsingham 6| 117| 275|
37|Balham vil|Epsom 9| 5| ...|
43|Balke to|Easingwold 9| 222| 72|
46|Balke-Holme to|Weighton 12| 182| 107|
10|Ballidon to|Winster 6| 142| 108|
14|Ballingdon pa chap|Bury 17| 54| 283|
17|Ballingham pa|Ledbury 12| 126| 147|
45|Balne to|Thorne 8| 173| 343|
39|Balsall chap|Solihul 5| 100| 1038|
31|Balscott ham|Deddington 9| 74| 213|
6|Balsham pa|Newmarket 9| 52| 1074|
35|Balterley to|Nantwich 12| 153| ...|
34|Baltonsborough pa|Cas. Caray 8| 121| 675|
29|Bambrough to & pa|Alnwick 15| 324| 3949|
29|Bambrough[A] to|... 15| 61| 324|
10|Bamford ham|Castleton 4| 165| 238|
22|Bamford to|Bury 6| 189| 1207|
11|Bampton[B] m.t. & pa|Morebath 2| 162| 1961|
31|Bampton[C] m.t. & pa|Farringdon 7| 71| 2514|
+--+--------------------+------------------------+-----+--------+
[A] BAMBROUGH CASTLE is situated on the romantic coast of
Northumberland, near an obscure town of the same name; it stands upon a
triangular rock, high, rugged, and abrupt on the land side. But we leave
its description, which would be too lengthy, and turn rather to the
account of the benevolent institution founded in 1720, by Lord Crewe,
Bishop of Durham, of which it is the seat. The keep of the castle is
fitted up for suffering seamen, and property which may have been rescued
from the fury of the ocean. Regulations were also adopted to prevent
accidents on the coast, and to alleviate misfortunes when they had
occurred. A nine-pounder placed at the bottom of the great tower, gives
signals to ships in distress; and in case of a wreck announces it to the
Custom-house officers, who hasten to prevent its being plundered. In
addition to this, during a storm, horsemen patrol the coast, and rewards
are paid for the earliest intelligence of vessels in distress. A flag is
always hoisted when any ship is seen in distress on the Fern Islands or
Staples; or a rocket thrown up at night, which gives notice to the
fishermen of Holy Island, who put off to the spot when no boat from the
main can get over the breakers. There has also been life-boats added to
the establishment. Within the walls of the castle are supported two
free-schools, an infirmary, thirty beds for shipwrecked sailors, and a
granary, whence poor persons are supplied with provision at the first
price. There is also a library, the books of which are circulated
gratuitously for twenty miles round. This philanthropic endowment has
not been suffered to decay with the romance of olden time, but the
charitable intentions of the testator are fulfilled so as to exhibit a
lasting record of his active benevolence.
[Sidenote: Seat of the Bishop of Durham.]
[Sidenote: Noble charity.]
[B] BAMPTON. A market town, situated near the little river Batherme,
which flows into the Exe at about one mile distance. Mr. Polwhele
considers that this was a Roman station, and here, probably, the Romans
had artificial hot-baths. A chalybeate spring in this neighbourhood is
much celebrated for its medicinal qualities. John de Bampton, a
Carmelite, who was the first who publicly read Aristotle in Cambridge,
was born here: he died in 1391. The manufactures of the place are serges
and pottery.
_Market_, Saturday.--_Fairs_, Whit Tuesday, and last Thursday in
October, for cattle.
[Sidenote: John de Bampton.]
[C] BAMPTON. Here are some slight remains of an ancient castle, supposed
to have been erected in the reign of King John. The celebrated poet,
John Philips, the son of Dr. Stephen Philips, archdeacon of Salop, was
born in this town, on the 30th of December, 1676, and after the
preliminary process of juvenile education, was sent to Winchester, where
he was distinguished by the superiority of his exercises, and at school
endeared himself to all his companions and superiors: it is related of
him, that he seldom mingled in the play of other boys, but retired to
his chamber, and indulged in the study of the poets and of the ancient
and modern classics, particularly Milton. In 1694, he was removed to
Christchurch, Oxford, where he finished all his University acquirements;
but Milton--the immortal Milton--continued to be his uninterrupted day
dream: and he might have exclaimed in the language of that poet, I will
study the magnificence of thy etherial phantasy,
"From morn till noon, from noon to dewey eve,
When Urania visits my nightly
Slumbers, or when morn purples the east."
It is said that there was not an allusion in "Paradise Lost," drawn from
any hint either in "Homer," or "Virgil," to which he could not
immediately refer. While at Oxford he was honoured with the friendship
of Mr. Edmund Smith, author of the Tragedy of "Phaedra and Hippolitus;"
and also with that of the most polite and favoured of the gentlemen in
the University. His first poem was published in 1703, entitled, "The
Splendid Shilling," which has the merit of an original design. His next
poem, entitled "Blenheim," which he wrote as a rival to Addison's poem
on the same subject, was published in 1705, and procured him the
patronage of Mr. Henry Saint John, afterwards Lord Bolingbroke.
Independent of poetry, Philips was an excellent botanist; in 1706 he
produced his third poem on "Cyder," founded on the model of Virgil's
Georgics, a book not only of entertainment but of science; and soon
afterwards, a latin Ode, "to Henry Saint John, Esq.," said to have been
the poet's masterpiece. "It is gay and elegant," says Dr. Johnson, "and
exhibits several artful accommodations of classic expressions to new
purposes." At the time of his illness, Philips was meditating a poem to
be called "The Last Day;" death put an end to so solemn and majestic a
finale of genius. He died at Hereford, of a lingering consumption,
February 15, 1708, in the thirty-third year of his age, and was buried
in the cathedral of that city. Sir Simon Harcourt, afterwards Lord
Chancellor, erected a monument to his memory in Westminster Abbey, the
epitaph upon which was written by Doctor Atterbury. Philips was a
gentleman of a modest and amiable disposition, "and always praised
without contradiction," (says Dr. Johnson) "as a man, modest, blameless,
and pious, who bore a narrow fortune without discontent--and tedious and
painful maladies without impatience; beloved by those who knew him, but
not ambitious to be known."
_Market_, Wednesday.--_Fairs_, March 26, and August 26, for cattle
and toys.
[Sidenote: John Philips the poet.]
[Sidenote: Philips's poetical works.]
[Sidenote: Character and death.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+--------------------+----------+------------+-----------+
40|Bampton[A] to & pa|Westmorlnd|Orton 10|Penrith 9|
40|Bampton-Grange ham|Westmorlnd| 10| 9|
9|Bampton, Little to|Cumberland|Wigton 5|Carlisle 7|
+--+--------------------+----------+------------+-----------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. |Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+--------------------+-----------------------+-----+-----+
40|Bampton[A] to & pa|Shap 4 | 282| 636|
40|Bampton-Grange ham| ... 4| 282| |
9|Bampton, Little to|Longtown 10| 311| 213|
+--+--------------------+-----------------------+-----+-----+
[A] BAMPTON. The river Lowther runs through this parish. Here is a
beautiful lake, called Haweswater, three miles long, and half a mile
broad; it is environed by lofty mountains, conveying to the mind a grand
and imposing appearance: its eastern side is sheltered by rocky
eminences, plentifully clothed with verdure, while the western side
displays the open fields, with all the sweet varieties of culture. A
lead mine has lately been discovered in the neighbourhood. The free
grammar-school was founded by Thomas Sutton, D.D., who vested in
trustees the sum of L500., collected from estates out of the parish of
St. Saviour, Southwark, and other places. Here, also, three parochial
libraries were established respectively, in the years 1710, 1750, 1752,
comprising about 800 volumes. Thomas Gibson, M.D., who married the
daughter of Richard Cromwell, Protector, was Physician-General of the
army, and a native of this parish. He was the author of a system of
anatomy. The learned doctor, having laid the foundation of his classical
learning at a school in this county, he entered as scholar at Queen's
College, Oxford, in 1686. The study of the northern languages about this
period was particularly cultivated at the University, and Mr. Gibson
rigidly applied himself to that branch of literature, in which he was
assisted by Dr. Hicks. In a short time he translated into Latin the
"Chronicon Saxonicum," and published it together with the Saxon
original. Dr. Gibson had an early and strong inclination to search the
antiquities of his own country, and being well versed in the knowledge
of its original languages, he applied himself with great diligence, and
in a few years produced his edition of "Camden's Britannica," and
concluded this branch of learning with "Reliquae Spelmannianae," or the
posthumous works of Sir Henry Spelman, relating to the laws and
antiquities of England, which, with a life of the author, he published
at Oxford, in 1698, and dedicated his work to Archbishop Tenison. About
this time he was taken as Domestic Chaplain to the Archbishop's family,
and soon afterwards was made Rector of Lambeth, and Archdeacon of
Surrey. Upon the death of the Archbishop, in 1715, Dr. Wake, Bishop of
Lincoln, succeeded him, and Dr. Gibson was appointed to that See; and
Dr. Robinson also dying, in 1720, Gibson was appointed Bishop of London.
The ministry were so sensible of his great abilities, that a sort of
ecclesiastical ministry was committed to his charge for several years.
He died on the 6th of September, 1748, with true Christian fortitude,
and in perfect tranquillity of mind.