Chapter 8

Mailarrives at Galgate Bridge, one mile distant, 9.20 P.M.; departs 2.20 morn.

[B] ASHTON, or LONG ASHTON, is situated in a rich woody vale, protected on the north by a range of picturesque though bleak hills, and on the north lies the lofty ridge of Dundry. In this parish the inhabitants raise fruit and vegetables for the Bristol market. There is much garden-ground in Long Ashton, in which many Roman coins have been discovered. The houses are in general well-built, much company resorting thither during the summer season. The circumjacent scenery is delightful, and in the vicinity are the remains of two Roman encampments, Stokeleigh and Burwalls. The church is an old but very handsome building, founded by the family of Lyons; the nave and aisles are divided from the chancel by a beautiful gothic screen of fret and flower work, painted and gilt, and executed in the most admirable style. One of the 6 bells contained in the tower is inscribed "Sancte Johannes Baptiste ora pro nobis;" on the tower are the arms of Lyons, in stone. Amongst several painted figures and coats of arms on the glass of the windows, are the portraits of Edward IV. and his Queen, Elizabeth Widville. Here are several handsome monuments, but that of Sir Richard Choke and his lady is eminently magnificent and beautiful. Ashton Court, the manor house, originally founded by the Lyons family, but materially altered by Inigo Jones, occupies the S.E. slope of Ashton Down, and the remains of another old manor house, called the Lower Court, still stands in a valley to the S.W. of the village.

[A] ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE is a large town situated at the south-eastern extremity of the county. It consists of several narrow streets, built on a high bank, which rises from the river Tame. It appears from an ancient manuscript, that Ashton was formerly a borough, yet for some centuries it sent no members to Parliament; but, by the Reform Bill of 1832, it now returns one member, and the mayor of the town is the returning officer. The borough comprises the whole district, over which the lighting and paving act of the 7th and 8th of Geo. IV. extends. ACourt of Requests for the recovery of £5. Defendants may be followed.court is held here for the recovery of debts, not exceeding five pounds, by 48th Geo. III. c. 18; any person may sue, under the general regulations, and defendants sued elsewhere are to have their costs. Defendants removing out of the jurisdiction, may be followed in person and goods, by removing the record to the superior courts, but wagers, &c. are not recoverable. The principal part of the landed property of this parish belongs to the Earl of Stamford, in whose family it was conveyed, by the marriage of Sir William Booth to the daughter of Sir Thomas Asheton, whose family possessedThe lord of the manor possessed a power of life and death.some peculiar privileges in this manor: among which was, the power of life and death over their tenantry. In commemoration of this privilege, and its having been sometimes exercised, a field near the old hall is still called Gallows Meadow. There is also an ancient customCustom of riding the black lad.here, called "riding the black lad," celebrated every Easter Monday, to perpetuate some act of great tyranny exercised by Sir Ralph Asheton, in 1483, when vice-constable of England. The ceremony consists in exhibiting the effigies of a man on horseback through the streets, which is afterwards suspended on the cross in the market place, and there shot. The figure was formerly cased in armour, and the expenses of it were defrayed by the court. Another account of the origin of this custom states, that Thomas Asheton, in the reign of Henry III., particularly distinguished himself at the battle of Neville's Cross, and bore away the standard from the Scotch King's tent. For this heroic deed the King conferred on Ashton the honour of Knighthood, who, on his arrival at his manor instituted the custom described. At the village of Fairfield, inMoravian settlement.this parish, there is a Moravian settlement, who have erected a chapel for their followers. The males are principally employed in spinning and weaving: they form a very industrious and orderly community. On the western side of the town is Ashton Moss, which supplies the poor with peat turf. Oak and fir trees are frequently found by those who dig for the peat.

Market, Wednesday.—Fairs, March 23, April 29, July 25, and November 21, for horned cattle, horses, and toys.—Bankers, Buckley, Roberts, and Co.; draw in London on Jones, Lloyd, and Co.—Inn, Commercial Hotel.

[B] ASHTON. This village is generally called Ashton in Makerfield, or Ashton in the Willows; it enjoys a very pleasant situation on the road between Newton and Wigan. The hardware and cotton manufactories give employment to the inhabitants. The church is a large old building, part of which appears to have been erected by the lords of the manor. On the pews are some ancient carvings; and in the windows are exhibited some painted figures. Several of the Ashtons lie interred here, and their names are inscribed on the windows. Near the church is a curious mansion, called the Old Hall, the oldest parts of which are said to have been built in 1483; adjoining this stands a pile, which was formerly used as a prison.

[A] ASHTON, or STEEPLE ASHTON is remarkable for its lofty and elegant church, which was built about the year 1480, though the chapels and a part of the chancel appear of a still earlier date. The tower which is high and handsome, was formerly surmounted by a spire or steeple, whence the village had its distinctive appellation. An inscription informs us that, in the year 1670, the spire being in height 93 feet above the tower, was rent by a violent thunder storm, and that in the same year, beingThe church steeple twice thrown down by storms.almost re-erected, it was by a second storm again destroyed. The roof of the nave is formed by intersecting arches, which rest on canopied niches, adorned with whole length figures or flowers; and that of the aisles is profusely decorated with sculpture and tracery work, while the windows display some splendid remains of painted glass, the whole corresponding with the exterior in style and effect. Plot informs us that there was dug up at Steeple Ashton, a pavement, which he considered to be Roman, though different in materials and design from those commonly regarded as such. The Madrepore stone is found among the fossil productions of Ashton. Rowd Ashton, the seat of Richard Godolphin Long, Esq., is situated in a large and well wooded park. The Kennet and Avon canal from London to Bristol passes near this village.

[B] ASHWELL. This village, situate on the river Rhee, on the borders of Cambridgeshire, derives its present name from Escewelle, and is supposed by Camden to be of Roman origin, from the frequent discovery of Roman coins, and sepulchral urns, in an adjacent earthwork, or fortification, called Arbury banks. It is in a low situation on the northern edge of the county. Here a considerable spring breaks out fromPowerful spring oozing from a rock.a rocky bank overhung with lofty ash-trees, from which a continued quantity of water flows, and being quickly collected into one channel, turns a mill, and soon after becomes a river. From this spring and these ash-trees, it is supposed the Saxons gave it the name of Ashwell. The village was anciently a demesne of the Saxon kings; but before the time of Edward the Confessor, it was granted to the Abbots of St. Peter's, at Westminster, to whom it continued to belong till the dissolution, when the Abbey was erected into a deanery, and after that into a bishopric; it, however, followed the fate of similar foundations; and when the bishopric was dissolved, in the reign of Edward VI., it was granted, with other manors, to the see of London, in which it is still invested. The church consists of a nave, aisle, and chancel, with a tower at the west-end, surmounted by a spire. In the chancel are several slabs, formerly inlaid with brasses. Among the inscriptions, Weever notices one with the words, "Orate pro—Walter Sommoner." "I reade," says Weever, "that one Walter Sumner held the manor of Ashwell of the King, by pettie sergeantie; viz. to find the king spits to rost his meate upon the day of his coronation: and John Sumner, his sonne, held the same manor by service, to turne a spit in the king's kitchen upon the day of his coronation."

[A] ASKERNE. This village is one of the numerous places in the West Riding, which enjoys the distinction of a mineral spring. The water resembles that of Harrowgate Spa; but taken internally, differs materially in its operation, acting chiefly as a diuretic without any of that cathartic or purgative power, for which the Harrowgate waters are so remarkable. The village is situated at the foot of a hill; the spring rises at the distance of a few yards only from a piece of water called Askerne Pool, seven acres in extent, and is much frequented by rheumatic or scorbutic patients, who seldom fail to obtain the relief which they seek. Near this place it isThe Saxon leader Hengist put to death.said the British Prince Ambrosius defeated and put to death the fierce Saxon leader Hengist.

[B] ASKERTON. At this village there is a castle which was built by the Barons Dacre. This well known name is derived from the exploits of one of their ancestors at the siege of Acre, or Ptolemais, under Richard Cœ]ur de Lion. There were two powerful branches of that name. The first family, called Lord Dacres of the South, held the castle of the same name, and are ancestors to the present Lord Dacre. The other family, descendedSeat of Lord Dacre.from the same stock, were called Lord Dacres of the North, and were Barons of Gillesland and Graystock. A chieftain of the latter branch was warden of the West Marshes, during the reign of Edward VI. He was a man of a hot and obstinate character, as appears from some particulars of Lord Surrey's letter to Henry VIII., giving an account of his behaviour at the siege and storm of Jedburgh. The castle was formerly garrisoned by the Serjeant of Gillesland, who sometimes commanded and led the inhabitants against the Scots.

[C] ASKHAM. This place consists of two manors. The hall, built in 1574, on the river Lowther, has an embattled roof, and a sombre aspect well suited to the gloom of the surrounding scenery. Several remarkableDruid's Cross.heaps of stones, among which, one is called the Druid's Cross, are in this neighbourhood; and also a large cairn, called the White-raise.

Mailarrives at Lowther 1½ miles distant 2.30 morning; departs 8 evening.

[D] ASKRIGG. This ancient market town is situated near the river Ure and Swaledale Forest: it resembles a large village, and the occupations of the inhabitants are principally the knitting of stockings and making butter or cheese. It is remarkable, chiefly, for some considerable cataracts in its neighbourhood: as Millgill Force, a fall of from twenty to thirty yards; Whitfields Force, a grand specimen of the picturesque; and HardrowCataract 100 feet in height.Force, where the water falls in one grand sheet from a perpendicular height of one hundred feet. This town is one of the polling places appointed under the Reform Bill of 1832, for the North Riding.

Market, Thursday.—Fairs, May 10, horned cattle; May 12, and first Thursday in June, woollen cloth, pewter, brass, and milliners' goods; October 28, horned cattle; October 29, woollens, &c.

[A] ASLACKBY. In this village, which is on the direct road from London to Lincoln, there was a commandery, or associated body of Knights Templars, founded in the time of Richard I., by John le Mareshall. It afterwards served for the hospitallers, and at the suppression of this society, the property was transferred to Edward, Lord Clinton. A farm-house, which now occupies the site of the old circular church, is called the temple. Of that ancient structure there yet remains a square embattledAncient village.tower of two stories. The lower story is vaulted, and formed of eight groins, in the centre of which is displayed eight shields, and various coats of arms. The parish church is a handsome building, with an embattled tower at the west end. A castle formerly stood here, but no vestiges of the walls can now be seen: remnants, however, of the foss and earthworks point out the spot where it was situated.

Mailarrives 7.40 morn.; departs 6.45 evening.

[B] ASPATRIA, or ASPATRIC, is a long straggling village on the side of a hill, about five miles distant from the Irish sea. It now forms part of the estate of the Earl of Egremont, but is supposed to have derived its name from Gospatrick, Earl of Dunbar. On removing the earth of a barrow, which stood at Beacon-hill, an eminence about 200 yards to the north of the village, in the year 1790, a human skeleton was found in aProdigious skeleton, 7ft. from the head to the ancle-bone.kind of chest, or kistvaen, formed by two large cobblestones at each end, and the same on each side. The feet were decayed and rotted off, but from the head to the ancle-bone, the skeleton measured seven feet. On exposure to the atmospheric air the other bones soon mouldered away. Near the shoulder, on the left side, was a broad sword five feet long, the guard of which was elegantly inlaid with silver flowers: a dirk, or dagger, lay on the right side; it was one foot and a half long, and the handle seemed to have been studded with silver. There were likewise found part of a golden fibula, or buckle, a broken battle-axe, an ornament for the end of a belt, a part of which yet remained, part of a spur, and a bit resemblingAncient relics found.modern snaffle. Various figures, rudely sculptured, remained on the stones which enclosed the left side of the chest; they chiefly represented circles, each having within a cross in relief. Hayman Rooke, Esq., the learned antiquary, from whose account the above particulars are taken, supposed that the personage whose remains were found was buried soon after the first dawning of Christianity; and also, inferred from the rich ornaments found in the tomb, that he was a chieftain of high rank.

[C] ASSENDON. At this township is a land spring, reputed the most eminent of its kind in England. The water only appears after a continuance of wet weather, but then issues forth in such abundance, that mills might be turned by the current, and the adjacent lowlands are inundated. This spring has been supposed by some to act on the principleWonderful spring.of a natural syphon, and to be supplied from subterranean sources; but this is evidently erroneous, as the seasons of its flowing are uniformly after heavy rains.

[A] ASTBURY, or AUSTBURY, is an extensive village and contains several gentlemen's seats. The church is a handsome gothic structure, with a lofty steeple. In the church yard are two ancient monuments, ornamented with the insignia of knighthood, but the names of the families whose memories they were intended to record are now lost. The parish of Astbury contains no less than twelve townships, of which the marketContains 12 townships.town of Congleton is one. Each of these townships has its overseer and other officers, but the whole parish is under the government of one church-warden, the office of which is served in rotation by eight persons, vulgarly denominated the "Posts of the Parish;" though they should properly be called Provosts.

[B] ASTHALL. At this village is an old manorial mansion, now used as a farm-house, which was formerly the residence of Sir Richard Jones, one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in the reign of Charles the First. In the north aisle of the church stands a large stone coffin,Alice Corbett.said to contain the remains of Alice Corbett, concubine to Henry I.

Mailarrives 5 morning; departs 9.35 evening.

[C] ASTLEY. This manor was held, in the reign of Henry II., by Philip de Estley, of the Earl of Warwick, by the service of holding the Earl'sSingular tenure.stirrup when he mounted or alighted from his horse. From this person are descended two families, seated at Hill Morton, in this county, and at Patshull, in Staffordshire. In the reign of Henry V. the estate passed by marriage to the Greys of Ruthin, from whom it descended to Henry Grey, Marquis of Dorset, and Duke of Suffolk, beheaded in the reign of Queen Mary, for an attempt to make Lady Jane Grey queen. The manor belongs at present to F.P. Newdigate, Esq. Astley Castle is surrounded by a moat, along the inner edge of which lie the remains of massive walls. The habitable part of the mansion is probably not older than the time of Mary; but it is clad in a garb of ivy, and other evergreens, which renders it singularly picturesque. In one room is preserved a portrait of the factious Suffolk, respecting whose capture the following particulars are related:—"Finding that he was forsaken, he put himself under the trustLord Suffolk betrayed by his keeper.of one Underwood, as it is said, a keeper of his park here at Astley, who hid him for some few days in a large hollow tree, standing about two bow-shots from the church; but, being promised a reward, he betrayed him." The church of Astley having been made collegiate, by Lord Thomas de Astley, was by him rebuilt, and adorned with a spire, so lofty that it served as a land-mark in the deep wood-lands of the district, and was popularly termed "The lanthorn of Arden."—The interior is curious and interesting, although many monuments and decorations have been removed or destroyed at various times. On an altar-tomb at the west-end are the effigies, in alabaster, of a warrior and a lady; and on another, is the mutilated figure of a female in a recumbent posture: both are without inscription.

[D] ASTLEY. This village is situated on the Severn, it was noted before the dissolution, for its priory of Benedictines, and is now remarkable chiefly for a hermitage formed in the living rock, and recently converted into anHermitage.ale-house. The church, built in the Saxon style of architecture, contains some monuments and a few fragments of stained glass. Here is the ancient seat called Glasshampton.

[A] ASTON. The village and manor of Aston was an ancient demesne of the Saxon kings. Henry VIII. granted the manor to Sir John Boteler, of Walton Wood Hall; but the house now standing at Aston Place, indicates earlier antiquity than the time of that sovereign. Westward of the village,The six hills.on the eastern side of the great North road, are six large barrows, thought to be of Danish origin; from their immediate proximity to the road-side they excite the curiosity and attention of most persons travelling northward: two of them have been opened, but were not found to contain any thing of sufficient interest to be here recorded.

[B] ASTON is in the Birmingham division of the Hundred of Hemlingford. It may be deemed a part of Birmingham, being inhabited chiefly byPart of Birmingham.artisans in the various branches of manufacture for which that town is distinguished. Aston Hall, the seat of Heneage Legge, Esq., was first erected by Sir Thomas Holt, Bart. in the reign of James I. It was several times plundered during the troubles of his successor, who was entertained here for two nights a short time before the battle of Edgehill, which occurred on October 23, 1642, between the Royalists and the Parliamentary forces. Sir T. Holt endowed an alms-house for five poor men and women in this parish.

[C] ASTON, is a parish and township with Aughton, in the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill. In the church, which is dedicated to All Saints, is an ancient monument, under which lie buried Lord D'Arcy and his three wives. There is also a marble slab to the memory of the poetThe poet Mason's monument.Mason, who was rector of this parish. This distinguished poet was the son of a clergyman in Yorkshire, in which county he was born in the year 1725. He became a student of St. John's College, Cambridge, and subsequently a fellow of Pembroke Hall, in the same university. His debut in the literary world was made by the publication of "Isis," a poem, in which he satirized the Jacobitish and High Church principles of the University of Oxford. A reply was written by Thomas Warton, entitled "The Triumph of Isis." In 1752 he published a tragedy with choral odes on the ancient Greek model, called "Elfrida." Having taken orders in the church, he was presented with the living of Aston, and appointed one of the royal chaplains. In 1759 appeared his "Caractacus," a drama on a kindred plan with the former. Both of these pieces were afterwards introduced on the stage, they however met with very little success. In 1762, Mr. Mason was made precentor of York, to which preferment a canonry was annexed. One of his principal works, entitled "The English Garden," a poem, in four books, appeared in the years 1772, 1777, 1779, and 1781. 4to.; this was translated into French and German. In 1775 he published the exquisite poems of his friend Gray, with a Memoir of his Life. At the beginning of the American War, Mr. Mason becameAn advocate for freedom dismissed from his chaplainship.so active an advocate for freedom, as to give offence at court, and he was in consequence dismissed from his chaplainship. It is said he felt alarmed at the frightful consequences of the French Revolution, and his zeal cooled towards the latter end of his life. He died April 7, 1797.

[A] ASTON CLINTON is in the first division of Aylesbury hundred. The manor was the property of the late Lord Lake, who died in 1808, during the trial of General Whitelock, who was cashiered for his misconduct at Buenos Ayres at the commencement of that year. At St. Leonard's, a hamlet of this parish, about four miles from Aston church, is an ancient chapel, said to have been a chantry chapel to the Abbey of Missenden. ItMonument of one of Queen Anne's officers.contains, among other monuments, that of General Cornelius Wood, an officer who distinguished himself in the reign of Queen Anne, and who died in 1712. It is ornamented with a bust of the general in white marble, surrounded with military trophies. This chapel is endowed with an estate, vested in ten trustees, who have the appointment of the minister.

[B] STEEPLE ASTON. At this village, Dr. Samuel Radcliffe, principal of Brazennose College, Oxford, and rector of this church, founded a freeDr. Samuel Radcliffe.school in 1640, and endowed it with ten pounds per annum; he died in the year 1648, and is buried in the church. He also endowed an alms-house for poor women in this parish. A tessalated pavement was ploughed up here in the 17th century.

[C] ASTROPE. This hamlet is in the parish of King's Sutton. The village is worthy of remark, from the church having a tower crowned with a handsome and lofty spire, decorated with crocketed pinnacles. Here is a remarkably fine mineral spring, called St. Rumbald's Well, whichA mineral spring famous for curing consumption, jaundice, &c.was formerly in considerable repute. When drank at the fountain head, the water is considered a specific in cases of female obstructions, and in the first and second stages of consumptions. In the jaundice it seldom fails; and in dropsical cases is frequently administered with success. Persons whose constitutions have been weakened by free living, find themselves renovated by its virtues. The water has a brisk pleasant taste, and is very clear and spirituous. Astrope Hall was formerly the residence of the Lord Chief Justice Willes.

[D] ASTWELL. In this hamlet is an ancient mansion, formerly the seat of the Earl of Ferrers. Several of the rooms exhibit in the wainscotSeat of Earl Ferrersand chimney pieces, armorial bearings and other carved decorations. A dilapidated room at the east end was formerly a chapel.

[A] ST. ATHAN. In this village is a castle, called East Orchard, built in the year 1691, by Roger Berkrols; it stands on the edge of an extensive flat: a luxuriant wild fig tree grows out of the cement of the chapel walls. Perhaps the Turkey fig tree might be propagated with more success, grafted upon this wildling, which probably originated in the cultivated fig planted in the gardens of the Norman lords. In St. Athan's church thereThe largest inhabited castle in Wales.are two uncommonly fine gothic monuments of the Berkrol's family: there are likewise in this parish the remains of two castles—West Orchard and Castleton; but these are not of such great antiquity. From this spot there is a good view of Fonmore, or Fronmon Castle, which is the most extensive and august of the Welch inhabited castles. The kitchen is said to be the largest in the kingdom. In Fronmon castle is an excellent portrait of Oliver Cromwell. The flat and steep-holms are seen from this neighbourhood: the former has its light-house. It is situated nearly ten miles from the sea lock of the canal, and three miles from the adjacent steep-holms, which is a smaller island than the former, though more conspicuous from its great height above the water; it is quite barren and uninhabited. The flat holms at low tide is an extensive sheet of mud, excepting one deepAccount of the dangerous beach.channel. The landing place is near the castle rock, a dangerous, but romantic beach, so called from its similarity to a castle, it is very large, and is said to resemble Abergavenny castle. In the centre is a bold arch, which at high water is covered. The hollow sound of the sea roaring through the arch, and the waves occasionally retreating, and then forcing their way back with redoubled fury, has an uncommonly fine effect. At low tide the shore all around the base is dry. The island is four or five miles in circumference; the soil is good, and would, if well cultivated, be very productive. From the light-house, which is 80 feet in height, is a delightful prospect of the Bristol Channel and the shores of Somerset and Glamorgan. It is the resort of many visitors in the summer season.

[B] ATHERSTONE. This market town is supposed to have derived its name from "a stone" under which an "adder" of enormous size was found; it is situated on the Watling Street, and divided from Leicestershire by the river Anker, and was a place of some importance at the Conquest: at which time the town was given to the monks of Bee in Normandy, who obtained for it a market day and an annual fair, whichSome foreign monks obtained this market.brought it into consequence. A monastery of friars, (Hermits of Saint Augustine,) was founded at Atherstone in the year 1375. The church belonging to the friary was completed in the reign of Richard II. A free grammar school was founded here by Sir William Devereux and two other benevolent persons in the year 1573. The chancel of the friary church was appropriated to the use of this seminary, and is still dedicated to the same purpose. The mansion, or hall house was sometime after separated from the chapel, and rebuilt at a short distance upon a pleasant bank, commanding an extensive view over the adjacent counties of Leicester, Derby, and Stafford. Two nights before the battle of Bosworth Field (which is but nine miles distant), the Duke of Richmond lay at Atherstone, where he had his interview with the two Stanley's, in which such measures of co-operation were concerted as occasioned the overthrow of King Richard III., and it is said, that many persons from the subsequent battle were buried below this old mansion, from which the spot has retained the name of the bloody bank. It appears, however, to have been so called from being the place where contests of less serious results were usually decided by the young champions of the ancient foundation school, which is still supported by a respectable endowment. Atherstone Hall hasAtherstone Hall.recently been much improved by extended buildings and ornamental plantations. It is situated near Merevale Hall, the seat of D.S. Dugdale, Esq., and Grendon Hall, that of Sir G. Chetwynd, Bart. Here are manufactories of hats, ribbons, and shalloons, and considerable business is done at the four annual fairs; that in September being the most considerable in England for the sale of cheese. The passage of the Coventry canal, uniting with that of the Trent and Mersey, within a hundred yards of the town, adds very considerably to its facilities of trading. The poet Drayton, author of the "Polyolbion," was a native of Atherstone.

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