Part 4

Having given you then all the authentic or conjectural memoirs that have in general occurred to my reflection upon the most ancient state of this country, I shall proceed to other particularities, nearer our own times, through every parish; only first take notice in short of a wonderful appearance in nature all over this country, and which is common to all such like upon the globe, as far as my informations reach: that is, the infinite quantities of subterraneous trees, lying three or four foot deep, of vast bulk and different species, chiefly fir and oak, exceeding hard, heavy and black: many times the branches reach so near day as to break their ploughs, for so I have heard them complain about Crowland: about Kyme and Billingay they have dug up some boats or canoos made of hollowed trunks of trees.[19] Many people will think that this is nothing but the effect of particular floods, and that this country was once a forest, and not long since disafforested. This country was once taken into the forest of Kesteven by the Norman kings, (as you have told me) only with a political view of extending their power, and disafforested soon after at the instance of the prior of Spalding: yet it is true of Nassaburg hundred only, in Northamptonshire. But in my apprehension, as to the matter before us, such confine their notions to very scanty bounds: an universal phænomenon requires a more dilated solution, and no less than that of the Noachian deluge. But upon this I hope for an occasion to be more copious another time: at present I remember a passage in Pausanias’s _Attics_ toward the end; speaking of an ebeny statue of Archigetes, “I have heard, (says he) from a man of Cyprus very skilful in medicinal herbs, that ebeny bears no leaves, no fruit, nor has it any stock exposed to the sun, only roots in the earth, which the Ethiopians dig up. Some of them are particularly skilful in finding them out.” I doubt not but our author speaks of subterranean trees, and that our people might use this timber to better use than burning it.

Most writers, and particularly Mr. Camden, and most strangers, have an injurious opinion of this country, and apply that to the whole which is true but of part of it: for in the main the land is admirably good, hard, and dry; produces excellent corn and grass; feeds innumerable sheep and oxen of a very large size, and good flesh and wool; bears wood extremely well, has several large woods in it, some intirely of oak of considerable size; is full of hedge-rows and quicksets, and in summer time looks like the garden of Eden: it is level, and most delightful to travellers, whether on horseback, or in a coach. The air indeed is moist, as being near the sea, and bordering upon the fens of the isle of Ely: as to the first, it is the same upon every sea coast; as to the latter, they are chiefly on the south side, whence the sun for the most part draws off the vapours from this country. Indeed this inconvenience accrues from such vicinity, the production of gnats; to which Angelus Politianus has done so much honour in that beautiful Greek epigram you showed me; and is well guarded against by the gentry in the use of netted canopies hung round their beds, which was an invention of the Ægyptians living in a like country. Vide Brown’s Garden of Cyrus, p. 30. But all things necessary for the comfort of life are here in great plenty; and visitants ever go away with a better opinion of it than they bring. That great soul king Charles I. himself undertaking the glorious talk, and others under him, had projected and made such stately works of _sewers_, as would have rendered this country before now, for trade and beauty, the rival of its name-sake beyond sea; but the licentious times that succeeded, gave the unthinking mob (incited by his avowed adversary in all things, Cromwell) an opportunity to destroy them. I have often considered and admired the length, breadth, and depth of their canals, the vastness of their gotes and sluices: indeed I think they made many more than were useful, and might have laid out the whole in a better manner. I would not, like the Trojan Prophetess, prognosticate ill to my own country; but it is not difficult to foresee, that unless some project be taken in hand, like that which my friend Mr. Kinderley published some time ago, this vast and rich tract must be abandoned to eels and wild ducks. A thing of this nature is not to be done but by the senate of the kingdom taking the matter intirely into their own hands; and if I have any judgement, whatever new works are made, ought always to be carried eastward only, for reasons I inculcated before: therefore, instead of deriving the Welland into the Witham, as was his notion, I would have it brought to the Nen, and both into the Ouse at Lynn, as it was in its original and natural state.

Since the time of the Romans, beyond their first bank have been many intakes, by successive banks, of the best ground in the world left by the sea, which contracts its own limits by throwing up banks of sand out of the estuary: so that, from time to time, the land-owners upon these frontiers gain several thousands of acres. It is observed, the land so imbanked is ever higher in level than that left behind it; and I doubt not but some time the whole bay between Lincolnshire and Norfolk (being one of our great sovereign’s noblest chambers in his British dominions over the sea, vide Seld. _Mar. claus._) will become dry land. By this means the parishes hereabouts increase to a huge bulk. Holbech from Dovesdale bar, where it joins to Cambridgeshire, to the limits of the salt marshes, is near twenty miles long. The cattle bred on this ground are very large; the sheep never have horns. Smithfield market, as now much supported, was chiefly set up by the inhabitants here, as I have been told, particularly by Mr. William Hobson, brother to the famous Cambridge carrier, and Mr. Cust; the London butchers, before then, commonly going into the country to buy cattle.

In every parish formerly were many chapels, it being impracticable for people to come so far to one church, though now most of them are demolished, at what time I cannot imagine. No part of England boasts of so many beautiful churches, having generally lofty spires of fine squared stone, fetched from Barneck pits, which are a coarse rag full of petrified shells of all kinds of small fish, and not, as some think, from Norway. And in no very distant times, not a parish without great numbers of gentry, lords, knights, and great families, who made a figure in the world: now scarce any remains of them, but the site of their houses moted round, their tombs in the churches, their arms in the painted windows, where they have by chance escaped the fury of fanatic zeal. Many religious houses formerly there; and nearly the whole country was got into their hands, as appears by the old terriers, or town-books. The only houses of note are at present Dunton hall, in Tyd St. Mary’s parish, lately rebuilt magnificently by Sigismund Trafford, esq. who has likewise inclosed a considerable park with a brick wall; and Cressy hall in Surflet parish, the seat of Henry Heron, esq. in which the lady Margaret, mother to Hen. VII. was once entertained. The house was handsomely rebuilt by the present possessor’s father, Sir Henry Heron, knight of the Bath; but the chapel is old, built, or licensed at least, anno 1309, as an inscription over the door tells us. In it is an old brass eagle with an inscription round it.[20]

Formerly, there is reason to suppose, the gentry had many parks near their seats. Records in your possession show that the prior of Spalding, about 1265, compelled Thomas lord Moulton to compound with him for the venison in his park at Moulton; and in Holbech, about a mile south of the church, are lands in my tenure, called the Park. That fish and fowl is here plentiful, no one will wonder; but particularly the pigeons are noted for large and fine.

[Sidenote: _Decoys._]

[Sidenote: TAB. II.]

In the out-skirts of it are great numbers of decoys, places so called where they take an incredible quantity of wild ducks,[21] mostly sent up to London: they are large pits dug in the fens, with five canals shooting from them, each ending in a point after one angle made, well planted with willows, fallows, osiers, and such underwood. I have given a drawing of one. The method of catching fowl in short is this: the decoy-man coming down to the angle of the pipe, or canal, which is covered with nets and over-shadowed with trees, peeps through the holes in the reedy sheds, disposed like the scenes at the play-house, and joined by the others with holes at the bottom, about as high as a man’s breast: when he sees a sufficient quantity of wild ducks in the mouth of the great pond, by whistling softly, the tame ducks wing-stocked, and brought up for that purpose, swim into the pipe covered with the nets, to feed upon the corn he throws over the sheds into the water: this tempts the wild ducks in to partake of the bait: in the mean time a dog they teach runs round the half-sheds, in and out at the holes in the bottom, which amuses the fowl so that they apprehend no danger: when he has brought them far enough into the pipe, stooping he goes along the scenes, till he is got beyond the ducks, and rising up shows himself at the half-scenes, which frightens the wild ducks only, the opposite way into the narrow end of the pipe, which terminates in a fatal net: and all this is done without any noise or knowledge of the rest of the wild ducks in the great pond; so that the decoy-man having dispatched one pipe, goes round to execute the same game at all the rest, whereby infinite quantities are catched in a year’s time at one of these places only.

[Sidenote: _The_ +Washes+.]

In running over what few remarkables I have observed in this country, I shall exclude Marsh-land, because in Norfolk, observing only that their churches are very beautiful, numerous, large, and stately; that here are, too, many such of the _tumuli_. You will indulge me the liberty of giving the etymology of places all along: Cicero likes that method; _Acad. Quæst._ 1. 8. _verborum explicatio probatur_, i. e. _qua de causa quæque essent ita nominata quam etymologiam appellabant_: and though there be often more of pleasant subtlety than reality in such matters, yet it serves to find out and preserve some old words in a language that otherwise are in danger of oblivion. I shall begin with the Washes so much talked of, and so terrible to strangers, though without much reason; if they take a guide, which is highly adviseable. The meaning is this: they are the mouths of the river Welland, called Fossdike Wash, and the river Ouse, called Cross-Keys Wash, running into the sea, and inclosing this country almost round. _Wase Sax. lutum, oose._ Twice in a day, six hours each time during the recess of the tide, they are fordable and easy to be passed over: the intermediate six hours they are covered with the flux of the ocean. Mr. Merret, of Boston, son to Dr. Merret, has given a table in the Philos. Trans. which I improved for the benefit of travellers, and is graven on a handsome copperplate by my friend, Mr. John Redman: but I would have passengers not to trust too far to the minutes in the table, because at some times of the year the tides will anticipate a few minutes, at others will be retarded, and at all times (not to say any thing of the difference of clocks and watches) south-east winds make the tides flow earlier than ordinary, north-west protract them; so that a wise traveller, in this and all other cases, will take time and tide by the forelock. Formerly people travelled what they call the Long Wash, between Lynn and Boston, intirely upon the sands or skirts of the ocean, but now quite disused and impracticable: there it was, that king John lost all his carriages among the creeks and quicksands. The memory of it is retained to this day, by the corner of a bank between Cross-Keys Wash and Lynn, called now King’s Corner.

[Sidenote: +Lutton.+]

[Sidenote: +Sutton.+]

[Sidenote: TAB. XI.]

In Lutton was born the famous Dr. Busby, master of Westminster school, who has beautified the church, and founded a school there: he owes his education to the Welbys, an ancient family in this country. I suppose the town has its name from the general drainage of the country, which was here in one channel united: they call such Lades, or Lodes, to this day: this probably is as ancient as any town in Holland. South from it (and therefore) Sutton church is of an ancient make, especially the stone work of the steeple: the upper part of the church has been built of brick in the memory of man. John of Gaunt owned Sutton, and other vast manors and townships in this country. At Tyd St. Giles, Nicholas Breakspear was curate, who afterwards became pope Adrian IV. St. James’s chapel is built of a large sort of brick, such as I have seen no where else; not Roman. Near it is Ivy-Cross, of stone, in a _quadrivium_; a curious piece, upon Ravensbank.

[Sidenote: +Gedney.+]

Gedney church is very beautiful, built, I believe, chiefly by the abbots of Croyland, who had a house, no doubt, very stately, on the north side of the church, and large possessions in the parish: the upper part of the tower is of the same date with the church, built upon older work; probably both the work of the abbots, together with contributions of the rich families that formerly lived here. In the chancel window a religious in his habit. There is an old monument of the Welbys, and upon the south door is this inscription:

*PAX XPISIT HUIC DOMUI ET OMNIBUS HABITANTIBUS IN EA HIC REQUIES NOSTRA.*

The town seems to be derived from _Gaden-ea, aqua ad viam_: _Ea_ is a watering place properly for cattle, and roads we still call gates in this country.

[Sidenote: +Fleet.+]

The next parish, Fleet, from the Anglo-Saxonic _Fleot_, _æstuarium_, _fluxus_, still called Fleet-Haven, is remarkable for the steeple standing at a distance from the church: from this place the family of the Fletes come, who have made a considerable figure in the country ever since we have any written memorials.

[Sidenote: +Holbech.+]

[Sidenote: TAB. XXI.]

[Sidenote: TAB. I. 2d Vol.]

Holbech (the Salt-Beech) church is very large, and well built, a strong tower and lofty steeple, dedicate to all saints: formerly there were organs and fine painted glass, with many coats of arms, but none left except the Holbeches: Vert, six escallops argent, three, two, one. There is a fine monument of the Littleburys, an ancient and flourishing family in these parts: upon his shield is his coat, Argent, two lions passant gardant gules: there is a brass inscription of a lady of the Welby family, wife to Sir Richard Leake, knight. *Orate pro anima Johanne Welby quondam filiae Richardi Leake militis nuper uxoris Littlebury que obiit xviii die mensis decembris anno domini mccclxxxviii. cujus anime propitietur deus Amen.* Here was born Henry Rands, alias de Holbech, bishop of Lincoln, who was one of the compilers of the Liturgy: here formerly flourished the ancient families of Fleet, Dacres, Harrington, Barrington, Welby, Multon.

In the year 1696, in digging at Mr. Adlard Stukeley’s gardens, they found an old brass seal, which I gave to Sir Hans Sloan; a man in long robes, with two escutcheons, on one three cocks, on the other a portcullis; the legend, + +SOVRABLA DEUS OLER+. In the year 1698, an iron spur with a very long shank was found: in my possession. A remarkable rarity in nature I met withal, an admirable ossification in the _omentum_ of a sheep, white and solid as ivory. Mr. Cheselden has printed a cut of it in the second edition of his Anatomy. I gave it to Dr. Mead.

From the ancient churchwardens’ accounts, before the time of the Reformation, from anno 1453, many curious remarks may be made, in relation to prices of things, wages, superstitious customs, old families, and the like: a specimen whereof I have here annexed.

_ss._ _A Boake of the Stuffe in the Cheyrche of_ Holbeche _sowld by Chyrchewardyns of the same according to the injunctyons of the Kynges Magyste._

_s._ _d._ An. dni. M. ccccc. xlviiᵒ. First to Antony Heydon the trynite with the tabernacle ii. iiii.

It. to Wm. Calow thelder the tabernacle of Nicholas and Jamys vi. viii.

_s._ _d._ It. to Wm. Davy on tabernacle of our lady of pytye iiii. It. to Wm. Calow the younger on other tabernacle of our lady iii. vi. It. to Antony Heydon the ymage of the Antony xx. It. to Humphry Hornesey on sygne vi. It. to Antony Heydon on other synge and a lytyl tabernacle xx. It. to Wm. Calow the younger the tabernacle of Thomas Bekete iiii. viii. It. to Wm. Davy the sygne whereon the plowghe did stond xvi. It. to John Thorpe a chyst in St. Jamys chapell ii. It. to Lincone howld woode iiii. It. to Nicholas Foster the banke that the George stoode on iiii. It. to Antony Heydon ij alters ii. viii. It. to Wm. Stowe ij lytyll tabernacles viii. It. to Henry Elman on lytyll tabernacle ii. It. to John Thorpe for Harod’s coate xviii. It. to Wm. Calow the younger all thapostyls coats and other raggs viii. iiii. It. to Henry Elman for vii baner clothes ix. iiii. It. to Antony Heydon on blewe clothe ix. It. to Smithes on pece of howlde saye iii. It. to Richerd Richerson the crosse and other gydys ii. iii. It. to Mr. Byllysby ij tablys iiii. iiii. It. to Antony Heydon for the coats of the iij kyngs of Coloyne v. iiii. It. to Humphry Hornesey the canypye that was born over the sacrament xx. It. to Wm. Calow thelder and John Thorpe iiij owlde pantyd clothes vi. viii. It. to Antony Heydon on wood candlestyke iiii. It. to Wm. Calow the younger on lytyll bell vi. It. to Antony Heydon on other lytyll bell vi. It. to Wm. Davy for the tabernacles that stode at the end of the hy alter viii. _l._ _s._ _d._ _Sm._ iiii. ii. iiii.

_A. D._ m. ccccc xlvii.

It. to Wm. Calow the younger on rod of iyron iiii. It. to Robt. Gyffon for ij barrs of iyron v. It. to Antony Heydon xx score and x hund. of latyn at ii_s._ and xi _d._ the score lxix. xi. ob. It. to Richerd Richerson ij lytyll tabernacles viii. It. of John Suger for the chyrche lond ii. viii. It. of the burial of Mr. Byllysby iii. iiii. It. of John Mays wyffe for the Dracon iii. It. of Alys Boyds debt to xps corpys gilde ii. It. for on bell _l._ xviii. ii. It. for seyten vestments and trashe in the chest in trinete quere sold to Davy xxxiii. iiii. It. of Wm. Burnit for pilows xvi. It. of Wm. Calow the younger for eyrne xx.

_l._ _s._ _d._ _Sm. totalis_ xxviii. iiii. iiii. ob.

More superstitious ornaments of the church were sold in queen Elizabeth’s time, 1560.

From this book I extracted the following catalogue of the Ministers of the parish.

John Clerk chaplain. Anno 1450. John Risceby vicar. 1460. Thomas George chaplain then. Robert Jelow. 1469. William Greyborn vicarius perpetuus. 1474. Sir John Welby priest. Sir John Lyard perpetual vicar. obiit 1496. Baxter. 1508. Ds. Neel capellanus. Richard Wytte. 1520. Sir John Scapull. ob. 1524. Sir Robert Manning. 1550. Sir Thomas West. 1561. Thomas Gybson precher. Othoneel Bradbury. 1600. Matthew Clarke vicar of Holbech. 1610. Henry Williamson. 1630. John Grante. 1633. John Bellenden. 1640. John Pymlowe. 1647. John Pymlowe. 1687. George Arnett. 1720.[22]

[Sidenote: TAB II. 2d Vol.]

In 1529, a new organ cost 3l. 6s. 8d. The organ in the church was taken down 1568. Anno 1453, Wm. Enot, of Lynn, epi. and Henry Nele of Holbech, gave the saints bell. Another guild of St. Thomas; another of our Lady. The vestry on the south side of the choir was taken down 1567. There was formerly a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Holbech hurn, near the ancient seat of the Littleburys; standing 1515: another chapel thereabouts, dedicated to St. Nicholas: another in Wignal’s gate, near Holbech hall, by the river side, dedicated to St. Peter. About 1719, I saw many corpses dug up in the yard at making a ditch there. Another in the fen ends. An ancient guild of Corpus Christi stood near Barney pit, where is now a house once belonging to Moses Stukeley, who owned the estate thereof. An hospital founded by John de Kirkton, in his own messuage, by licence of king Ed. III dat. Nov. 16, for a warden, chaplain, and fifteen poor people: he endowed it with several lands in Holbech, which he held of the abbot of Croyland, who by licence permitted the same to be annexed to this hospital of All Saints in Holbech, for which he paid 20l. This stood, as I imagine, where now is the Chequer inn, over against the church. I remember the old stone-work arched doors and windows with mullions, pulled down when rebuilt by my father, and many of the carved stones were laid in the foundation of the houses he built by the river side at the bridge. See Dugdale’s _Monasticon_. A free-school was founded here, about 1669, by George Farmer, esq. who endowed it with lands, which with others since given are now worth about 50l. per annum; which I am bound in gratitude not to forget. A. D. 1699, there were belonging to the fifty-four bounds of this parish, paying rates, acres 6234; in the marsh, acres 6532; and since added for the last intake, acres 170. The old cross in the market-place was pulled down 1683. 1253, Thomas de Multon, lord Egremont, obtained a market and fair to Holbech, 31 Oct. 37 Hen. III. at Windsor, and probably built that cross.