[Sidenote: Dr. Thomas Gibson.]
[Sidenote: An Antiquarian.]
[Sidenote: Made Bishop of London.]
Map| Names of Places. | County.| Number of Miles From |
+--+---------------------+--------+-----------+------------+
53|Bannel to|Flint |Hawarden 3|Mold 4|
31|Banbury[A] bo. & m.t.|Oxford |Oxford 21|Woodstock 16|
+--+---------------------+--------+-----------+------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. |Number of Miles From|Lond.|Population.
+--+---------------------+--------------------+-----+------+
53|Bannel to|Wrexham 10| 196 | ...|
31|Banbury[A] bo. & m.t.|Southam 14| 76 | 5906|
+--+---------------------+--------------------+-----+------+
[A] BANBURY is pleasantly situated on the small river Charwell, and its
staple commodities seem to be cheese and cakes; the former, even in
Shakspeare's time, appear to have been celebrated, for Bardolph, when
accused by "Slender" of robbing him of his two milled sixpences,
exclaims, "You Banbury cheese." The cakes have made this town more
celebrated than even its political engagements. The castle of Banbury
was founded in the year 1153, by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, and
continued an episcopal residence till the reign of Henry VI. During the
contentions between the houses of York and Lancaster, when civil discord
was a familiar incident in this neighbourhood, Banbury suffered much;
but more particularly in the memorable engagement, called "The Battle of
Banbury," fought about three miles from the town, in 1469. It took place
on a plane called Danesmoor, near Edgecote. The Earl of Warwick was the
commander of the Lancasterian forces, and the Yorkists were led by the
Earls of Stafford and Pembroke, who had possession of the town. After
one of the most determined conflicts ever recorded, the Yorkists were
routed; the Earl of Pembroke and his brother were both taken and
beheaded, and Edward IV. himself made prisoner a few days after. In
1642, the towns-people took part with the Parliament, but after the
battle of Edgehill, this castle was taken by the royalists, under Sir
William Compton, who defended it for 13 weeks against all the efforts of
Sir John Fiennes, until the garrison was relieved by the Earl of
Northampton. It suffered a further siege of 10 weeks, under Sir William
Waller, and surrendered on honourable terms. Leland, who wrote in the
Reign of Henry VIII., says, "In this castle is a terrible prison for
convict men." A stone vault, with grated windows, and traces of the
inner ditch, is supposed to have been the terrible prison alluded to,
but very small remains exist in the present day. The free grammar-school
is now wholly abandoned, and the school-house let out on lease by the
corporation. This is much to be regretted, as it was formerly held in
such high estimation, that the statutes of this establishment were taken
as a model for St. Paul's school, London; and the statutes of the free
grammar-school of Manchester, in 1524, ordain, that the grammar taught
in that school, should be taught only "after the manner of the school at
Banbury, in Oxfordshire, which is called Stanbridge's Grammar." Mr.
Stanbridge, the celebrated grammarian alluded to, was a highly learned
man, and tutor to Sir Thomas Pope. Adjoining the Ram Inn is a sulphurous
well, and at a small distance from the town is a chalybeate spring. The
pyrites aureus, or golden fire-stone, is frequently found in this
neighbourhood. Among other interesting remains about the town is an
ancient hospital, dedicated to St. John, now converted into a
farm-house. This borough returns one member to parliament, as it did
before the passing of the Reform Bill. The electors of the old
constituency were but 18 in number, but the L10. householders are about
365. The borough comprises the parish, and the returning-officer is the
Mayor.
_Market_, Thursday.--_Fairs_, Thursday after Jan. 18, for cattle,
horses, and sheep: first Thursday in Lent; second Thursday before
Easter, cattle and sheep; Ascension Day; Thursday and Friday in
Trinity week; August 13, horses, cows, and sheep; Thursday after Old
Michaelmas, hogs and cheese; October 30; and second Thursday before
Christmas. Cheese, hops, and cattle.--_Mail_ arrives 4.15 morning;
departs 10.34 night.--_Bankers_, (Old Bank) Cobb and Co., draw on
Jones, Lloyd, and Co.; Gibbons and Co., draw on Robarts and Co.;
Gillett and Co., draw on Esdaile and Co.--_Inns_, Red Lion, and White
Lion.
[Sidenote: Cheese and cakes.]
[Sidenote: Battle of Banbury.]
[Sidenote: Once a celebrated grammar school.]
[Sidenote: Electors.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+-------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
50|Bangor[A] city & pa|Caernarvon|Caernarvon 9|Aberconway 15|
+--+-------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+-------------------+-----------------------+-----+-------+
50|Bangor[A] city & pa|Holyhead 24| 245| 4751|
+--+-------------------+-----------------------+-----+-------+
[A] BANGOR, which signifies the beautiful choir, is a Bishop's See;
compared to its former size, it is now but an inconsiderable place. It
is seated at the mouth of the Menai, near its opening to the Lavan
sands, in a narrow valley, between two low ridges of slate rock, opening
to the south, towards the majestic mountain, Snowdon, which rises 3571
feet above the level of the sea. Mr. Warner, the intelligent Welsh
tourist, and his companion, spoke in raptures of this place. The beauty,
repose, and retirement of the whole pleased them wonderfully. The latter
observed, "If he were Bishop of Bangor, the only translation he would
covet would be, thence to heaven." The former agreed with him, that
"Were fate to throw him also into such a spot, very few attractions
would have sufficient force to elicit him from it." They had "Never seen
a place which united so many beauties in so narrow a circle." From this
city the new road finds its way through a low pass in the adjacent
ridge, and descends gently along the face of the sloping bank to the
great bridge: this road is very smooth and well protected, and worthy of
the magnificent scenery by which it is surrounded. Menai suspension
bridge is distant about two miles and a half from Bangor. This noble
bridge is substituted for the inconvenient ferry; it is 100 feet above
the level of high water, even at spring tides. The cathedral is a low
plain building, dedicated to St. Deiniol, to whom it owed its origin
about the year 525, and he was elected the first bishop in 550. He was
the son of Dinothus, Abbot of Bangor-iscoed, and reared under the
auspices of a Welsh prince, patron of the bard Talliesin, and perhaps
the most liberal prince of his time. In 1402 it was burnt down, during
the rebellion of Owen Glendower; and what is rather singular, it was
suffered to remain in ruins during the space of 90 years, when the choir
was rebuilt by the Bishop in the reign of Henry VII. But that cruel
ravager of ecclesiastical property, Bishop Bulkeley, not only alienated
the lands belonging to the cathedral, but even had the audacity to sell
the bells of the church. The choir is fitted up in a style of neat and
simple elegance, and ornamented with an excellent organ, the gift of Dr.
Thomas Lloyd, in 1779. The chapter consists of a dean, three
archdeacons, two precentors, two vicars choral, six minor canons, six
lay clerks, and eight choristers, with an income of L2,000. per annum.
The windows of the cathedral were formerly very handsomely ornamented
with stained glass, but in the civil wars of Charles I. the soldiers
destroyed these, amongst other things. The most conspicuous monument in
this building is that erected to the memory of Owen Gwynedd, one of the
ancient princes of Wales. Here are several Dissenting meeting-houses,
and the town is the resort of many visitors during the summer season;
upwards of 50,000 annually are said to remain for longer or shorter
periods. Steam-packets ply between this place and Liverpool.
_Market_, Friday.--_Fairs_, April 5; June 25; September 16; and
October 28.--_Mail_ arrives at Menai Bridge 4.15 morning; departs
8.32 afternoon.
[Sidenote: The suspension bridge.]
[Sidenote: Cathedral.]
Map|Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+------------------+----------+---------------+------------+
53|Bangor[A] vil & pa|Flint |Ellesmere 11|Overton 3|
27|Banham pa|Norfolk |East Harling 5|Buckenham 2|
45|Bank-Newton to|W.R. York |Skipton 5|Settle 11|
9|Banks to|Cumberland|Carlisle 13|Brampton 3|
27|Banningham pa|Norfolk |Aylesham 3|N. Walsham 5|
37|Banstead[B] pa|Surrey |Ewell 3|Croydon 6|
34|Banwell[C] pa|Somerset |Axbridge 4|Bristol 18|
21|Bapchild pa|Kent |Sittingbourne 2|Milton 3|
40|Barbon chap|Westmorl. |Kirkby Lons. 3|Sedbergh 7|
+--+------------------+----------+---------------+------------+
|Dist.|
Map|Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+------------------+-----------+--------------+-----+------+
53|Bangor[A] vil & pa|Wrexham 5| 174| 1389|
27|Banham pa|Diss 7| 92| 1297|
45|Bank-Newton to|Burnley 15| 221| 125|
9|Banks to|Longtown 14| 314| 296|
27|Banningham pa|Cromer 9| 121| 369|
37|Banstead[B] pa|Sutton 3| 15| 991|
34|Banwell[C] pa|Fensford 16| 130| 1623|
21|Bapchild pa|Faversham 6| 41| 319|
40|Barbon chap|Kendal 11| 258| 318|
+--+------------------+--------------------------+-----+------+
[A] BANGOR ISCOED is situated on the banks of the river Dee, which here
passes under a bridge of five arches. This place, at present very
inconsiderable, is famed on account of having been the site of the most
ancient monastery in the kingdom, founded by Lucius, the son of Coel,
the first Christian King of Britain, sometime previous to the year 180.
This abbey was remarkable for its valuable library, and the number of
learned men trained within its venerable walls. Gildas Ninnius, who
lived in the 7th century, was one of its abbots. He wrote in Latin an
incorrect history of England, which is still extant. According to Speed,
this monastery, in the year 596, contained no less than 2,400 monks, 100
of which passed in their turns one hour of devotion; there are no
remains of the monastery existing.
[Sidenote: The first abbey established in Britain.]
[B] BANSTEAD is celebrated for the excellent herbage which the
neighbouring downs afford the sheep, which are highly prized for the
delicate flavour of the mutton. There are many elegant seats in the
vicinity, amongst which are Banstead House, Miss Motteux; Cold Blow
Cottage, General Sir Edward Howorth; and the Oaks, the seat of the Earl
of Derby. This celebrated villa was erected by a society of gentlemen,
called the "Hunter's Club," and the present noble proprietor can
accommodate his guests with more than 50 bed chambers; and a pack of
hounds are kept on the establishment, which has been long noted for its
hospitality. On the 26th of February, 1834, Mr. John Richardson, a
farmer, returning from Epsom to Banstead, was robbed and murdered on
these downs.
[Sidenote: Seat of the Earl of Derby.]
[C] BANWELL is an agreeable village, situated under the northern
declivity of the Mendip hills, and is supposed to derive its name from a
spring strongly impregnated with mineral properties, which expands into
a fine sheet of water, and after turning two mills, empties itself into
the channel near the ruins of Woodspring Priory. The church, which is a
fine specimen of the florid gothic of the Tudor age, contains a richly
carved screen and rood loft, a beautiful sculptured stone pulpit, and
several windows of the richest stained glass. This manor has been in the
possession of the Bishops of Bath and Wells, from the reign of Edward
the Confessor, with little exception, till the present time. They had
for many centuries a palace here, but nothing of it remains except a
private residence called Banwell Court, still interesting for its
antiquity. The park has been divided into enclosures, which afford at
every point a most pleasing variety of landscapes. The Bishop of Bath
and Wells has also a cottage ornee, for the accommodation of his family
and of the numerous visitors which are driven hither to view the two
singular caverns which have been discovered of late years in this
neighbourhood. The monastery of Banwell was founded by the early Saxon
monarchs. Asserius, or Asser, the scholar and biographer of King Alfred,
was made Abbot by that monarch. This Abbey was destroyed by the Danes;
it was afterwards restored, but never recovered its pristine importance;
for instead of arriving at the point of prosperity usual in Royal
foundations, it sunk into obscurity long prior to the dissolution of
religious houses. Banwell is remarkable for two extraordinary caverns
discovered in the year 1824, which occasioned no inconsiderable number
of the curious to resort to the village. They were first discovered by
some workmen digging a shaft in search of Calamine, which intersected a
steep narrow fissure; after they had descended about 80 feet it opened
into a spacious cavern, 150 feet long and 30 broad, and about 30 feet
high. This is called the stalactite cavern, from the beautiful specimens
of crystalized stalactite, which lay covering huge fragments of rock
about the floor. In this place were found two pieces of candle,
encrusted with lime, supposed to have been left by the miners after
working for ochre, calamine, &c. A rich vein of iron ore, with some
cobalt and manganese, was also discovered, the working of which has long
since commenced, and the produce is conveyed to the smelting works on
the southern coast of Wales. The workmen, in order to facilitate an
easier method of entrance, opened another fissure lower in the rock,
when suddenly another cavern presented itself, the floor of which was
covered with a mass of sand, limestone, teeth, bones, &c. Professor
Buckland, who surveyed this place, states, that a shaft being driven
into this mass, proved it to have been nearly 40 feet deep. The bones
consisted of various specimens of the ox tribe, including the elk.
Skeletons of the wolf, and a gigantic bear, in point of preservation,
like what are to be found in ordinary churchyards--supposed to be of
antediluvian origin, where found here. In the roof of the cave is a
large chimney-like shaft, formerly rising to the surface, but now
blocked up by fragments of limestone, mud, and sand, adhering together
by incrustation, and through which dreadful pitfall, it is presumed,
this immense number of beasts were precipitated at the great inundation.
The rubbish has been partially cleared, and the bones are used to
decorate the sides of the walls. A British earthwork crowns the summit
of the neighbouring eminence, enclosing, within its irregular rampart,
an area of about 20 acres; and, about a quarter of a mile further, is an
entrenchment nearly square, the ground in the centre of which is
elevated in the form of a cross.
_Fairs_, Jan. 18, and July 18, for cattle, sheep, and cheese.
[Sidenote: Formerly a Bishop's Palace.]
[Sidenote: Extraordinary caverns.]
[Sidenote: Antediluvian bones.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+-----------------------+---------+----------+---------------+
28|Barby pa|Northamp |Daventry 6|Welford 11|
39|Barcheston pa|Warwick |Shipston 2|Kineton 9|
38|Barcombe pa|Sussex |Lewes 3|Uckfield 6|
44|Barden pa|N.R. York|Leyburn 3|Richmond 4|
44|Barden to & chap|W.R. York|Skipton 8|Paitley Brid. 9|
14|Bardfield,(Great)[A] pa|Essex |Thaxted 5|Dunmow 7|
14|Bardfield-Saling pa|Essex | 4| 7|
24|Bardney[B] pa|Lincoln |Lincoln 12|Horncastle 9|
+--+-----------------------+---------+----------+---------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. |Number of Miles From|Lond.|Population.
+--+-----------------------+--------------------+-----+---------+
28|Barby pa|Crick 4| 78| 637|
39|Barcheston pa|L. Compton 5| 83| 198|
38|Barcombe pa|Brighton 11| 48| 931|
44|Barden pa|Bedale 8| 231| 106|
44|Barden to & chap|Otley 13| 218| 214|
14|Bardfield,(Great)[A] pa|Haverhill 10| 48| 1029|
14|Bardfield-Saling pa| 10| 48| 359|
24|Bardney[B] pa|Wragby 9| 136| 1098|
+--+-----------------------+--------------------+-----+---------+
[A] BARDFIELD, (Great.) _Market_, formerly Tuesday (now
disused.)--_Fair_, June 22, for cattle and toys.
[B] BARDNEY, anciently Beardanam, is situated in a marsh on the north
bank of the river Witham. An abbey was founded in the time of the
Saxons, prior to the year 641. Here Ethelred, divesting himself of the
splendour of royalty, retired to devote his days to religion, and became
superior of the monastery. King Oswald is said to have been buried here,
but the body was afterwards removed to the church of Gloucester. The
hand was retained by the monks as a relique, to which they ascribed the
power of working miracles, and for a long period imposed upon the
credulity of superstitious pilgrims. In the year 870 the monastery was
burned by the Danes, but was afterwards rebuilt by Gilbert De Gaunt,
Earl of Lincoln, who annexed to it several extensive estates. At the
dissolution its annual revenues were estimated at L429. 7s.
[Sidenote: King Oswald buried here.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+----------------------+----------+-----------+------------+
23|Bardon Park to|Leicester |Leicester 9|Loughboro' 5|
22|Bardsea to|Lancaster |Ulverston 3|Dalton 5|
50|Bardsey Isle[A] |Caernarvon|Aberdaron 4|Pwllheli 20|
45|Bardsey[B] to & pa|W.R. York |Wetherby 5|Leeds 9|
+--+----------------------+----------+-----------+------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+----------------------+----------------------+-----+-------+
23|Bardon Park to|Ashby 9| 107| 65|
22|Bardsea to|Cartmel 8| 276| ...|
50|Bardsey Isle[A] |Nevin 18| 256| 84|
45|Bardsey[B] to & pa|Tadcaster 8| 193| 331|
+--+----------------------+----------------------+-----+-------+
[A] BARDSEY ISLE, is near the south-east point of the promontory of
Llyn, in Caernarvonshire: it is of a moderate elevation; in length two
miles, and in breadth one. The third part of its contents of 370 acres,
occupied by a high mountain, affords sustenance to a few sheep and
rabbits. It is about a league distant from the main land, and only
accessible to the mariner on its south-east side, where there is a small
well-sheltered harbour. There is no reptile ever seen on this island,
except the common water-lizard. The soil is clayey, but produces
excellent barley and wheat. The inhabitants are employed in cultivating
the land, and in fishing. The abbot's house is a large stone building,
occupied by several families, and near it is a singular chapel, or
oratory, being a long arched edifice, with a insolated stone altar near
the east end. Dubricius, archbishop of Caerleon, almost worn out with
age, resigned his see to St. David, retired here, and died in 522. He
was interred upon the spot, but such was the veneration paid to his
memory in after ages, that about the year 1107, his remains were
removed, by the procurement of Urban, then Bishop of Llandaff, and
re-interred in the cathedral of that see, of which he had been the first
bishop. St. Dubricius was a man of singular eminence for learning and
piety. He was Archbishop of Caerleon, and Metropolitan of all Wales, in
the time of Aurelius Ambrosius; and prior to this elevation, he taught a
school on the banks of his native river, which was much resorted to from
all Christian countries.
[Sidenote: No reptiles on this island.]
[Sidenote: St. Dubricius.]
[B] BARDSEY, comprises the township of Bardsey, with Rigton and
Wathersome. Near the church is a mound called Castle Hill, supposed to
have been the site of a Roman fortress. At Bardsey Grange, in this
parish, resided occasionally, and died, Francis Thorpe, the tyrannical
Baron of the Exchequer; but the same house is rendered memorable as the
birth place of the poet Congreve, in 1670. This clever and celebrated
poet, was baptised in the church of this village in the month of
February of the same year. When an infant he was carried to Kilkenny, by
his father, who had the command of the army there. He received his
education in the school of Kilkenny, and from these circumstances it is
probable that persons had fallen into the erroneous impression that
Congreve was a native of Ireland. In 1685 he was admitted into the
university of Dublin. In 1691 he became a member of the society of the
Middle Temple, but soon relinquished the dry study of the Law. At the
age of twenty-one, he published his novel called "Incognita," or, "Love
and Duty Reconciled." Soon afterwards, he brought out the Comedy, called
"The Old Bachelor," of which Dryden says, "he never saw such a first
play in his life;" it was performed in 1793, with the most unbounded
applause. Lord Falkland wrote the prologue. The singular success and
merits of this production, recommended him to the patronage and notice
of the Earl of Halifax, who settled him in an office of six hundred a
year, and during his life patronised him in every way he could. His next
piece was "The Double Dealer." On the death of Queen Mary, in 1693, he
wrote a Pastoral on the occasion, entitled "The Mourning Muse of
Alexis," upon the appearance of which King William, her husband, granted
him an annuity of L100. per annum. In 1695, he produced his Comedy,
called "Love for Love;" and in 1697, the beautiful Tragedy of "The
Mourning Bride." Having lived a high and honorable life amongst the most
celebrated wits and classical men of the age, he died at his house in
Surrey-street, in the Strand, January 19, 1729. On the 26th his corpse
lay in state in the Jerusalem Chamber, at Westminster, and the same
evening was carried into Henry the Seventh's Chapel, and afterwards
buried in the Abbey. His pall was supported by the Duke of Bridgewater,
Earl Godolphin, Lord Cobham, Lord Wilmington, Hon. George Berkeley,
Esq., and Brigadier-General Churchill. Dr. Johnson says, "He has merit
of the highest kind; he is an original writer, who borrowed neither the
models of his plot, nor the manner of his dialogue." And Voltaire
remarks, "That he raised the glory of comedy to a greater height than
any English writer before or since his time."
[Sidenote: Birth-place of Congreve, the poet.]
[Sidenote: His works.]
[Sidenote: Died in Surrey-st., London.]