designs as their despair dictated unto them, scattering of scandals, breaking of houses, stealing of horses, &c. But such the care of this Sir Richard to keep the peace of this county, that he hunted the hunters out of this into the next shire of Worcester. 16. FRANCIS LEIGH, Mil.-He was created Baron of Dunsmore, and afterwards earl of Chichester, by king Charles the First. His eldest daughter and heir was married to Thomas earl of Southampton, his younger to George Villiers viscount Grandison. KING CHARLES. 2. SIMON ARCHER, Mil.-This worthy knight is a lover of antiquity, and of the lovers thereof. I should be much disheartened at his great age,* which promiseth to us no hope of his long continuance here, were I not comforted with the consideration of his worthy son, the heir as well of his studious ness as estate. 12. THOMAS LEIGH, Mil.-King Charles the First, at Oxford, created him, for his fidelity in dangerous times, Baron of Stoneleigh in this county; and he is happy in his son Sir Thomas Leigh, who undoubtedly will dignify the honour which descendeth unto him. THE BATTLE ON OCTOBER 3, 1642. As for the fatal fight at Edgehill (called Keinton field, from the next market town thereunto), the actings therein are variously related; and I confess myself not to have received any particular intelligence thereof. I will therefore crave leave to transcribe what followeth out of a short but worthy work of my honoured friend, confident of the authentical truth thereof :† "The fight was very terrible for the time, no fewer than five thousand men slain upon the place; the prologue to a greater slaughter, if the dark night had not put an end unto that dispute. "Each part pretended to the victory; but it went clearly on the king's side, who, though he lost his general, yet he kept the field, and possessed himself of the dead bodies; and not so only, but he made his way open into London, and in his way forced Banbury castle, in the very sight, as it were, of the earl of Essex, who, with his flying army, made all the haste he could towards the City, (that he might be there before the king), to secure the parliament. More certain signs there could not be of an absolute victory. "In the battle of Taro, between the confederates of Italy and Charles the Eighth of France, it happened so that the confederates He was born in 1581; and created a baronet in 1624.—ED. + Dr. Heylin, in the History and Reign of King Charles. kept the field, possessed themselves of the camp, baggage, and artillery, which the French, in their breaking through, had left behind them. Hereupon a dispute was raised, to whom the honour of that day did of right belong; which all knowing and impartial men 'gave unto the French: for though they lost the field, their camp, artillery, and baggage, yet they obtained what they fought for, which was the opening of their way to France, and which their confederates did intend to deprive them of. Which resolution in that case may be a ruling case to this; the king having not only kept the field, possessed himself of the dead bodies, pillaged the carriages of the enemy, but forcibly opened his way towards London, which the enemy endeavoured to hinder, and finally entered triumphantly into Oxford, with no fewer than an hundred and twenty colours taken in the fight." Thus far my friend. Let me add, that what Sallust observeth of the conspirators with Catiline, "that where they stood in the fight whilst living, they covered the same place with their corpse when dead," was as true of the loyal gentry of Lincolnshire, with the earl of Linsey their countryman. Know also only that the oversoon and over-far pursuit of a flying party, with pillaging of the carriages (by some who prefer the snatching of wealth before the securing of victory), hath often been the cause why the conquest hath slipped out of their fingers, who had it in their hands; and had not some such miscarriage happened here, the royalists had totally (in all probability) routed their enemies. THE FAREWELL. I cannot but congratulate the happiness of this county, in having master William Dugdale [now Norroy], my worthy friend, a native thereof; whose illustrations are so great a work, no young man could be so bold to begin, or old man hope to finish it, whilst one of middle age fitted the performance:—a wellchosen county for such a subject, because lying in the centre of the land, whose lustre diffuseth the light, and darteth beams to the circumference of the kingdom. It were a wild wish, that all the shires in England were described to an equal degree of perfection, as which will be accomplished when each star is as big and bright as the sun. However, one may desire them done quoad speciem, though not quoad gradum, in imitation of Warwickshire. Yet is this hopeless to come to pass, till men's pains may meet with proportionable encouragement; and then the poet's prediction will be true: Sint Mæcenates, non desint, Flacce, Marones; "Let not Maecenases be scant, And Maroes we shall never want; For, Flaccus, then thy Country-field Shall unto thee a Virgil yield." WORTHIES SINCE THE TIME OF FULLER. 299 And then would our little [divided] world be better described, than the great world by all the geographers who have written thereof. WORTHIES OF WARWICKSHIRE WHO HAVE FLOURISHED SINCE THE TIME OF FULLER. Matthew BOULTON, engineer, improver of steam engines, &c.; born at Birmingham 1728; died 1809. Samuel CARTE, divine and antiquary; born at Coventry 1652, or 1653; died 1740. Thomas CARTE, son of Samuel, divine, eminent historian; born at Clifton or Dunsmore 1686. Edward CAVE, printer, projector of the Gentleman's Magazine; born at Newton 1691; died 1754. Samuel CLARKE, writer and compiler, one of the 2,000 ejected ministers; born at Woolstan 1599; died 1682. Henry COMPTON, bishop of London, friend of Protestantism, suspended by James II.; born at Compton Wynyate 1632; died 1713. William CROFT, eminent musician; born at Nether-Eatington 1657; died 1727. Sir William DUGDALE, herald, historian, and antiquary; born at Shustoke 1605; died 1686. Valentine GREEN, mezzotinto engraver, topographer, and antiquary; born 1739; died 1813. Dr. Thomas HoLYOAKE, divine, and author of a Latin dictionary; born at Southam 1616; died 1675. Richard JAGO, divine and poet, vicar of Snitterfield; born at Beaudesert 1715; died 1781. Richard SMALLBROKE, learned and zealous bishop of Lichfield and Coventry; born at Birmingham 1672; died 1749. William SOMERVILE, author of "The Chace," a poem; born at Edston 1692; died 1742. Thomas SOUTHERN, dramatic writer; born at Stratford-uponAvon about 1660; died 1746. John TIPPER, author of the "Lady's Diary," an almanac ; born at Coventry; died 1713. Thomas WAGSTAFFE, bishop among the Nonjurors, author of 'Vindication of Charles I. and his right to the Eikon Basilike" born 1645; died 1712. Humphrey WANLEY, antiquary; born at Coventry 1671-2; died 1726. Peter WHALLEY, divine, critic, and historian of Northamptonshire; born at Rugby 1722; died 1791. Francis WILLUGHBY, naturalist, and intimate friend of Ray; born 1635; died 1672. This county can boast of one of the earliest topographical works of the seventeenth century. It was published in 1656 by Sir Wm. Dugdale, who was contemporary with Dr. Fuller. In 1730 a new and enlarged edition of this work was brought out by the Rev. Dr. Thomas, in 2 vols. fol. Since that period, two epitomized county histories have made their appearance--the one by Wm. Smith, in 1830, and the other by Tho. Sharp, in 1835. Histories of the towns of Warwick, and of Coventry, have also been published anonymously,-the one in 1815, and the latter in 1810; and also the History of Manceter, by B. Bartlett (1791); of Stratford-on-Avon, by R. B. Wheler (1806); and of Birmingham, by W. Hutton (1809).-Ed. WESTMORELAND. WESTMORELAND hath Cumberland on the west and north, Lancashire on the south, Bishopric and Yorkshire on the east thereof. From north to south it extendeth thirty miles in length, but is contented in the breadth with twenty-four. As for the soil thereof, to prevent exceptions, take its description from the pen of a credible author:* "It is not commended either for plenty of corn or cattle, being neither stored with arable grounds to bring forth the one, nor pasturage to breed up the other; the principal profit that the people of this province raise unto themselves, is by clothing." Here is cold comfort from nature, but somewhat of warmth from industry. That the land is barren, is God's pleasure; the people painful, their praise. That thereby they grow wealthy, shews God's goodness, and calls for their gratefulness. However, though this county be sterile by general rule, it is fruitful by some few exceptions, having some pleasant vales, though such ware be too fine to have much measure thereof; insomuch that some back friends to this county will say, that though Westmoreland hath much of Eden (running clean through it), yet hath little of delight therein. I behold the barrenness of this county as the cause why so few friaries and convents therein; Master Speed (so curious in his catalogue in this kind) mentioning but one religious house therein. Such lazy-folk did hate labour, as a house of correction; and knew there was nothing to be had here but what art with industry wrested from nature. The reader, perchance, will smile at my curiosity, in observing, that this small county, having but four market towns, three of them are, Kirkby-Stephens, Kirkby-Lonsdale, Kirkby-Kendale; so that so much of Kirk or Church argueth not a little devotion of the ancestors in these parts, judiciously expressing itself, not in building convents for the ease of monks, but churches for the worship of God. * J. Speed, in the Description of this County. |