VV\ 1, ^/ s"cr^. W* ^i^m^' A^ / Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Research Library, The Getty Research Institute http://www.archive.org/details/queviewsontherivOOirel • q y =ss-g:^i^s-g= PICTURESQUE VIEWS ON THE RIVER MEDWAY, ^c. Cfc. &c. y.jy.r//.„,v /.,,..' C. J^ttoo/ . Sculp. '. PICTURESQUE VIEWS, ON THE RIVER MEDWAY, FROM THE NORE TO THE VICINITY OF ITS SOURCE IN SUSSEX: WITH OBSERVATIONS O N THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS and other WORKS OF ART IN ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. B Y SAMUEL IRELAND, Author of " A Picturesque Tour through Holland, Brabant, and Part of France," And of " Picturesque Views on the River Thames." -D-(L^h^D-ar LONDON: PUBLISHED BY T. AND J. EGERTON, WHITEHALL. M;DCC,XCIII, " It fortun'd then, a folemn Feafl: was there *' To all the Sea-Gods and their fruitfull eede, *' In honour of the Spoufalls which then were *' Betwixt the Medway and the Thames agreed. " Long had the Thames (as we in records reed) *' Before that day her wooed to his bed ; *' But the proud Nymph would for no wordly meed, *' Nor no entreatie to his Love be led ; *' 'Till now at lafl; relenting She to him was wed." Fairie Qi Cant. ii. Book 4, TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE Countefs Dowager of Aylesford. .S==- 147 Twyford 151 Brandtbridge, Aylesford lathe 153 Tunbridge 155 Penfliurft : 165 Hever Caftle 185 Tunbridge Wells 192 Bayham Abbey 199 ERRATUM. J*age 67, for Jofeph Brooke, Efq. read John Longley, Efq, the prefent Zeed,pCafiU^ ^«^sku^. C owfe. oft/teMlFE R MEWJf^JT.fivfrv t/ie JV^ORF. , lo fL VlciTtih; cfBAYHUJSLJiBBMy: 1 .1 ^ ^ ■^ ^ ^ Pidurefque Views ON THE RIVER MEDWAY, ^c. =s-ep.-g.-^^;!^-as.-g== . .-s . SECTION I. ** Kent, in the Commentaries Cxfar writ, " Is term'd the civil'ft place of all this ifle; " Sweet is the country, beauteous, full of riches, *' The people liberal, valiant, adlive, worthy." Shakspear, \_) F the feveral rivers which lend their aid in fertilizing this celebrated county, the prefent fubje£l of enquiry, The Med way, is defervedly in the firft rank. This river, though in extent and confequence inferior to the Thames, has yet its peculiar beauties ; A and, ( 2 ) and, in fome refpe6ts, in point of romantic fceneiy, jullly claims a preeminence. Its reaches are fhort and fudden ; and the beauti- ful meandering of its courfe affords that per- petual diverfity of objects which cannot fail tp attract and yield gratification to the ad- mirers of rural fcenery. The following lines of Sir Richard Black- more, though no very popular writer, not un- poetically, but certainly with the truth of nature, defcribe the irregular courfe of this river : , " Whofe wanton tide in wreathing volumes flows, *' Still forming reedy iflands as it goes ; *' And, in meanders, to the neighbouring plain, *' The liquid ferpent draws its filver train." The Medway, originally denominated Vaga by the ancient Britons, from the Saxons received the additional fy liable of Med, fig- nifying Mid, or Middle, to denote its courfe through ( 3 ) through the centre of the kingdom of Kent: and hence its compound appellation Med-vaga, or Medwage, which is now mo- dernized into Medway. The entrance to this river from the Thames is at the weftern- moft point of the ifle of Shepey, by a narrow branch of the fea, called the Swale. I CALL this a branch of the fea, becaufe at the eaftern point of this illand, the Swale, in an extenfive frith, communicates itfelf with the ocean. And as through each of thefe channels our river Medway pours its waters into the great flood, I have thought it my duty, as a part of the fubjed, to notice fuch ftriking pifturefque obje6ls, as the eye com- mands from the banks, waflied by the waters of this river. The Swale was formerly accounted part of the river Thames, and was the ufual paf- A 2 fage ( 4 ) fage for fhipping between London and the noith Foreland. Ancien T hiftorians frequently flyle Sand- wich, in the Saxon tongue Lundenwic ; which fignifies the Thames mouth, and Leland fays the town of Milton ftands " on an aim of " the Tamifei" and that " Queenborough " is entering into the mayne Tamys." The entrance to our river, however it may properly be denominated, is well defended by the extenfive battery and fort at Sheernefs, ere5led on a peninfula of the north-wefl point of the ifle of Shepey. The fite on which this fort was built, in the reign of Charles I. was only a fwamp, or morafs; but this entrance being an avenue both to the river Thames and our great naval arfenal at Chatham, it was thought of fuch import- ance to the maritime intereils of this country. ( 5 ) countr}^, as to be afterwards drained and made capable of receiving a fmall fort of twelve guris, which, at the period of the ref- toration, was erefted and thought fufficient for its defence. But in the war which broke out foon after with the Dutch, a power that contefted with us the empire of the fea and whofe ports lay very near our coafls, this fort was, in the public opinion, deemed infufficient for fecurity : early therefore in the year 1669, Charles II. made a journey hither, in the depth of winter, accompanied by Sir Martin Beckman, his chief engineer, and other officers j and at this time a more extenfive plan of defence was determined upon ', but the tardinefs of execution, which too often rendered the plans of this motley monarch abortive, had a fatal efFeci: in the prefent inftance^ for the Dutch, on the icth of July, in the fame year, having made their memorable attempt on this beggarly fort, and on the royal navy, which at that time was in no ( 6 ) no better ftate of defence, they razed all the works to the ground, and then landed their troops, Scc; after which, with little refiftance, they failed up the river j and, having confide- rably damaged our fliipping, returned un- molefted to Sheernefs, where they took on board the men they had left, and failed away in triumph for the coaits of Eflex and Suffolk. In fo wretched a flate was the defence of this country at that period j its capital expof- ed, and the very exiftence of its marine en- dangered in a war provoked by its abandoned monarch, for the purpofe of gratifying the ambition, or rather religion of France, and fupplying his own licentious and expenfive pleafures. And, though we muft lament the baneful influence of prerogative and monarchi- cal power over a people neither lefs wife or lefs brave than their defcendants, it would be hardly juft to fay of them that this took place altoge- ther ( 7 ) ther becaufe they were either too much relaxed in principle, or too much feduced by royal example ; but, having experienced the infm- cerity and fraud of fanatical pretenfions, and in fome refpe6ls the more alluring mifchiefs of pfeudo patriotifm, they did not make either {o refolute a ftand againft the flood of licentioufnefs that poured in upon them, or watched the a6ls of authority with fo neceflary a jealoufy as had at any other hour become them to do, and which fo much diftinguiflied and entitled them to our eternal gratitude in the fucceeding reign. Soon after thefe depredations the alarm of the nation became fo great as to render it neceflary that even a monarchy fo highly upheld fhould give immediate fecurity to this place; a regular plan of fortification was therefore begun, to which many addi- tions have been made. Since the above period, a royal dock has likewife been con^ fl:ru6led ( 8 ) ftru6led here for the building of fmall fhips of war, yachts, &c. but intended chiefly for the repair of fuch as had met with any fud- den accident. The yard is under the infpec- tion of the commiffioner of the navy refiding at Chatham ; from which place the principal fupply of water for the ufe of this garrifon, was formerly received j but that expence has within a few years been much reduced by the conflruftion of a deep well, within half a mile of the town. This well is worked by horizontal wheels that will raife, with a fmart breeze of wind, two tons of water within the hour ; a fupply thought fufficient for the wants of the place, and fuch as has made only one vefTel necefTary for bringing water to Sheernefs, and even that is now confidered rather as a job than matter of neceflity. The old fhips of war ftationed here are termed Water Breakers, from their breaking the ( 9 ) the violence of the tides. The hulks are occupied by fixty or feventy families, and chimnies of brick are raifed from the lower gun-deck, which give them the whimfical appearance of a floating-town. B SECTION ^ <3 II SECTION IL XhE ifle of Shepey, with which the courfe of our river and fubje6l have thus con- ne6led us, was called by the Saxons Sceapige, or Ovinia, that is, the Ifland of Sheep, from the number of Iheep continually feeding on it : it is about thirteen miles in length, and near fix at its greateft breadth. The cliffs are about fix miles in length, the higheft of which is above the village of Minder, where they are not lefs than thirty yards in perpen- dicular height } they confift of clay, and, being conftantly walhed at their bafes by the tides, are continually falling upon the fliore 5 and a whole acre is faid at once to have fallen upon the beach below, leaving the corn en- tire on the furface, which, in that fituation, has grown to maturity, and been reaped with fmall lofs to the owner. B 2 Thb ( 12 ) The moil fertile, as well as the pleafanteft part of this illand, is in the neighbourhood of Minfter, which is elevated in its fituation, rich in verdure, and fruitful in corn. The many noble and extenfive views from this fpot, particularly towards the channel to the north-eaft, and of the Nore to the weftward, with the agreeable rides in its vicinity, would render it no unpleafant retreat for the fura- mer months. The parifli of Minfter takes its name from Minftre, which, in the Saxon language, fig- nifies a monaftery, or religious houfe. The annexed view is taken from the fmall remains of a building of that kind, reported to have its origin as early as 673, from Sexburga, its foundrefs, one of the daughters of Annas, King of Eaft Anglia, widow of Ercombert, King of Kent, and mother of King Egbert. From her fon and fovereign, fhe obtained lands, in this parifli, to endow a monaftery foi ( 13 ) for feventy-feven nuns, of which ihe became herfelf the firfl abbefs. This monaftery fuf- fered confiderably from the Daniili invafions, and was at length nearly deftroyed by them, in which ftate it remained till the year 1 130, when it was re-edified and fupplied with be- nedi6line nuns, by William Corboil, Arch- bifhop of Canterbury, and dedicated to St. Mary and St. Sexburga. At the difiblution, the annual revenue of this monaftery, with all its pofleflions, amounted to no more than one hundred and twenty-nine pounds feven {hillings and ten-pence ; it contained only ten nuns, befides their priorefs, AHcia Crane, to whom the King granted a penfion of four- teen pounds, during her life. The manor of Minfter, with the fite of the monaftery, was foon after granted to Sir Thomas Cheiney, from whom it defcended to his fon Henry, afterwards created Lord Cheiney, of Tud- dington, in the county of Bedford. In con- fequence of his profufe manner of living, it was ( 14 ) was at length alienated, and, falling into the hands of Queen Elizabeth, flie granted it to Sir Thomas Hoby, of Bifham, in the county of Berks. All that remains of this extenfive monaftery, is fuppofed, by Wever, to have been only its gateway. This remain of the abbey is conne6led with the church by a long wall, which, however neceflary for the fecurity of this fpot, as a repofitory of the dead, fhuts out from the living vifitor fuch an extenfive view of the ocean, as would otherwife give a fplendid idea of the naval and commercial chara6ler of our nation. I have, in the annexed view, given a portrait of the place, in which the wall is omitted. The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary and St. Sexburga, is a fmall, but venerable ftruiSlure, in wliich are feveral monuments deferving attention, particularly that of Sir Thomas Cheiney, who obtained the original grant of this manor. Here was alfo, and that not long fince, to be found in this church. ( 15 ) church, a curious memorial of a fculpture of veiy ancient times ; it was, itfelf, of un- known date, but was inlaid in the manner of our early funeral infcriptions, and ran as follows : ** Hie jacent Rogerus Norwood et Bona, uxor ejus, " Sepulti ante conqueftum.'* The plate, whether of brafs, or of any more precious metal, is not now to be found ; it is faid that it has recently been removed for better fecurity, and it is alfo faid by a clergyman. One would hope, for the credit of thefe public repofitories of the dead, and for the honour of the church, in whofe hands they are lodged as a facred truft, and for the ufe of hiftoric evidence, which the antiquarian might expe<5l in fuch places at leafl to find unviolated, that this rapine muft have been committed at fome earUer and more licen- tious period. The church generally holds fail what it gets, and yet, with all its tena- city. ( i6 ) city, inflances have been known in which it has committed depredations upon itfelf. The monument of Sir Robert De Shur- land, who, with many other gentlemen of Kent, was created a Knight Banneret by Edward I. for his gallant behaviour at the fiege of Carlaverock, in Scotland, is worthy notice. The monument is in a decayed Hate, and the figures much defaced ; I have here preferved a flight Iketch of its outline. vmim^^mfm^m ^^ The ( 17 ) The Knight is reprefented beneath a gothic arch crofs-legged, with a {hield on his left arm, in an attitude much like that of a Knight Templar, an armed page at his feet, and on his right fide the head of a horfe emerging out of the fea. Of this Knight and the horfe's head many ridiculous tales have been propagated, to which the vane on the tower of the church in the figure of a horfe*s head (whence the appellation of Horfe Church) has added not a little embarraffment. This ftory, very current among the common people, however con- temptible in itfelf, I fhall yet repeat, as a fpecimen of the credulity of the paft, as well as the prefent, day: it will be found in Harris's Hiflory of Kent, p. io8, in the following words. " Sir Robert Shurland " having, upon fome difgufl at a priefl, buried " him alive, fwam on his horfe two miles " through the fea to the King, who was then C "on ( i8 ) " on fhipboard near this ifland, and, hav- " ing obtained his pardon, fwam back again " to the fliore, where, being told his horfe " had performed this by magic art, he cut off " his head. About a twelvemonth after " which, riding a hunting near the famCv " place, the horfe he was then upon flum- " bled and threw him upon the fcull of his " former horfe, by which he was fo much " bruifed, that it caufed his death -, in me- " mory of v/hich, the figure of a horfe's '' head was placed by him on his tomb." The horfe's head may have been pro- bably placed there to exprefs his afFe6lion for a favourite horfe which had been the means of faving his life, by fwimming with him acrofs the Swale ; or, as Phillipot ob- ferves, it may pofTibly allude to a grant of wreck of the fea bellowed on him by Edward I. in the tenth year of his reign; which ( 19 ) which privilege is always efleemed to reach as far into the water as, upon the loweft ebb, a man can, upon a horfe, ride in and touch any thing with the point of his lance. This curious relation is thrown into a kind of doggerel metre, by the late Mr. For- reft, of York Buildings, in his account of a tour made to this place by Hogarth, him- felf, and others. About four miles eaft of Minfter, and within the manor of Shurland, ftands tlie manfion many years fince occupied by the Cheineys, but anciently by the Shurlands beforementioned : the hcufe was built by Sir Thomas Cheiney, in the reign of Elizabeth, with the materials which he brought from Chilham Caftle, formerly the refidence of that family. Shurland houfe is fpacious, and has an air of folemn grandeur ; but in the late repair it underwent, having lofl its C 2 embattlements. ( 20 ) embattlements, gothic windows, and other ancient decorations, it is rendered no longer worthy attention as a fpecimen of antiquity. It was in the hands of the crown till the fecond year of James I. by whom it was granted to Philip Herbert, younger bro- ther to William, Earl of Pembroke, in whofe family it flill remains. The whole of this manor claims an exemption from the payment of tythes at this time. From hence, by a pleafant and good road, we come to Queenborough, at the fouth - weft point of the ifle of Shepey. This town and caftle are reported to have been built from a model or defign of William of Wyckham, furveyor of the works to Edwai'd III. The caftle was ere6led, fays Camden, to quote the King's own words, *' as being pleafant in fituation, •' the terror of his enemies, and the com- " fort of his fubje61s." The borough, with the ( 21 ) the right of reprefentatlon in parliament, was added by him in honour of PhiHppa of Hainault, his queen, thence called Queen- borough. Of this caftle, as no traces are remaining, I have fubjoined a iketch of it from a fcarce print by Hollar, faid to be the only genuine view extant, that has been engraved. The parliament, after the death of Charles I. in 1650, ordered a furvey of it to be made, when its value was ellimated at ( 22 ) at one thoufand feven hundred and ninety- two pounds twelve fhillings. It was foon after fold to a Mr. John Wilkinfon, by whom the whole of it was taken down, and the ma- terials removed. The moat that furrounded it is ftill vifible. In its center is a well forty fathom deep, which remained a long time choaked up ; but in 1723 it was open- ed by order of the commiffioners of the navy, and has proved of great utility to this place, as well as to the inhabitants of Sheernefs. The town, notwithftanding the celebrity of its archite6l has, from the tranlitory con- dition of all fublunary things, no traces of its original form -, the caflle we have likewife remarked is no more; but in this once famed place, fo royally recommended, that comfortable refrertiment Ihould be wanting, may well afford matter of furprize to the traveller. So { 23 ) So near the fea we neither found oyflers though in leafbn, nor even mutton, from the abundance of which this ifland is faid to have received its denomination of Shepey. Having no luxuries of the table to detain us, we rambled, as travellers are apt to do, into the church-yard, and were enabled at leail to feed the imagination with a whimfical allufion to the different ftages of our " flrange eventful hiftory," which we never remember to have met with in any other author, grave or ludicrous : *' Our life is nothing but a winter's day, ** Some only break their faft, and fo away; ** Others ftay dinner, and depart full fed, « The deepeft age but fups, and goes to bed. ** He's moft in debt that lingers out the day, *' Who dies by times, has lefs and lefs to pay.'* Quitting Queenborough, and croffing the Swale, we now enter the Medway, a river ( 24 ) river, which, by the depth of its channel and foftnefs of its bed, is rendered not only the beft, but, perhaps, the only perfe6lly fecure harbour for large fliips in the kingdom. The firft obje6l worthy of notice, in go- ing up this river is Stangate creek, which is on the fouth fide of it, and about three miles from its entrance. Here hofpitals or laza- rettos are built on the hulks of two forty- four gun fhips, which, from their being roofed and tiled, have a lingular and am- phibious kind of appearance. On board thefe veflels a regular quarantine is eflablifli- ed for all fhips, coming from the Levant and other fufpe6led places, to prevent the infection of the plague, or other contagious diforders which may be brought into the kingdom. A LITTLE above Stangate, at Colemouth, is ( 25 ) is a creek on the oppofite fide of the river, which feparates the iile of Grain from the hundred of Hoo : this water is denominated the Stray, and empties itfelf into the Thames at what is called North Yenlet. I am in- formed it has been thought expedient to dam up this water of Yenlet, in order to avoid the increafe of fmuggling. Whatever advantages may have been gained on tliat fcore, the navigation has certainly been much impeded by the neceflity of going round the iiland. On the border of this creek, in the ifle of Grain, a confiderable fait work has been ere6led. Passing up the Medway, the Kentifh hills afford a pleafmg view ; yet the diftant obje6ls, though highly enriched with ver- dure and village fcenery, are too much ex- panded and unconnecled for the pencil. The marfliy lands on either fide the river D yield ( 26 ) yield but little foreground for a landfcape, which, to be perfe6l, requires fome promi- nent feature to attract and compofe the eye. Turning a point of land, towards the village of Hoo, the landfcape greatly im- proves, and the fcenery is more happily di- verfified by the hills of Brompton, the church of Gillingham, Chatham, and the range of buildings in the dock-yard that furround it. I c A N N o T pafs the hundred of Hoo without adverting to its chara6leriftical circumflances and foil, as recorded by Hollingflied, who was a man of Kent, and who obfei*ves, that in his time it was nearly an illand, and that " He that rideth in the hundred of Hoo, " Befides pilfering feamen, fhall find dirt enow.'* It is ilill notorious for its aguiOi airj which is faid to have removed many a yeo- man's ( 27 ) man*s wife, who was not a native of the fpot, and to have enabled him again to feek another by the operation of the fame caufes, foon again to meet the fame fate. The hundred of Hoo lies in a bend, between the Medway and Thames, in form refembling a ham, which, in the Saxon, is hoh or ho ; and thence probably the origin of the name of this place. D2 SECTION V ^ ^ ^ 1- ( 29 ) SECTION III. \Ve are here induced to digrefs from the bank of the Medway to contemplate the ftately remains of CowHng caftle, which is about three miles diflant. This noble ruin flands about the cen- tre of the hundred of Hoo, and, from its fituation, was intended as a defence both for the river Thames and Medway, being placed nearly at equal diftances from each. It was a ftrong fortrefs built by John, Lord Cobham, who obtained a licenfe for its ere£lion in the twenty-fourth year of Richard II. The ftrength of this caftle, by tradition, was fuch, as to have given fome umbrage to the court, to obviate which, the following lines, engraved on a brafs plate, with the arms appendant^ were af- fixed ( 30 ) fixed to the eaflern tower of the grand en- trance. " I¬oct^ tfiat tttl antr (^jall be " ^ijat 3 am mate m Ijelp of tt)e tontrc ; " 31ii knotoing of taljiclje tljmg: " ^W i^ tljactre, anO toitnefCng;*" The letters, in a chara6ler fimilar to the above, are ftill perfectly legible ^ their fitu- ation is marked in the annexed view. I DO not remember to have any where feen a more noble or perfe6l entrance to an ancient caftle than Cowling here exhibits : the round towers with which it is flanked, and their machicolations, are almoft unim- paired ^ the other parts, though much de- cayed, are yet rendered by the ivy, with which they are overgrown, and the variegat- ed fhrubberies that appear in tufts around them, beautifully pi6lurefque in their ruin- ated ftate, but rather too complicated to afford ( 31 ) afford a fubje6l for landfcape on fo contracted a fcale as the prefent undertaking. Great part of the moat which furrounded this ve- nerable building originally was fupplied from the Thames, but is now nearly choaked up. This caflle was once the chief rcndence of the intrepid Sir John Oldcaftle, whofe courage was equalled but by his piety and goodnefs of heart -, qualities that were fully evinced by his warm efpoufal of the do6lrine of Wickliff, againft the bigotry and tyranny of the church of Rome. Sir Thomas Wyat, in the year 1553, in his infurrecSlion againft Queen Mary, made an unfuccefsful attempt on this caftle, which he intended as a place of refuge againft the forces in purfuit of him. Kilburn fays, " the gate was broke open " with his ordinance i" but the undaunted refolution of Lord Cobham, in its defence, obliged him to raife the fiege. A VERY ( 32 ) A VERY comfortable farm houfe Is now flanding within thefe defolated walls, where induftry and ufeful labour are promoted, and more beneficial effe6ls derived to the ftate, than ever arofe from the fplendor and warlike pride of any feudal barony. Returning towards the Medway, the viliage of Gillingham, about three miles below Chatham, claims, from its elevated iituation, particular attention. On the fcore of antiquity it likewife merits notice. Here fix hundred Norman gentlemen, who came over in the retinue of the Princes Alfred and Edward, fons of King Ethelred, are reported to have been murdered by Earl Goodwin. These young Princes were invited, after the death of King Canutus, by the Englifh nobility to join with them, in order to ob- tain their father's throne, againft the afpiring and ( 33 ) and infidious defigns of the formidable Earl of Kent. The manor foimerly belonged to the Archbifhops of Canterbury, who had here a ftately palace j part of it is flill remaining, and ferves as an excellent barn. At the weft end of the church, over the porch, once ftood, or fat, the idoHzed image of the miraculous lady of Gillingham, The niche ftill remains ; but the good lady, with her train of idolaters, and her trade of miracles, thank heaven, no longer flourifli on this coaft ! Within the church are Teveral ancient monuments of warriors and ftatefmen of the Beaufitz family; the records of whofe military prowefs and politics are now, from time and negledl, fcarcely under- ftood. E From ( 34- ) From the church yard the view is beau- tiful and extenfive, comprifmg a rich and fertile country, with the winding Med way beneath, and in the diflance a noble ex- panfive view of the ocean, bearing its ftately burthens " This way failing, " With all their brav'ry on, and tackle trim} " Sails fill'd, and ftreamers waving, ** Courted by all the winds that hold them play.'* Descending from the village, we pafs the remains of Gillingham fort, a place never capable of much defence, but now totally in ruin. And here I cannot refrain from dwelling with pride and pleafure upon the glorious fcene before me, which renders fuch defence nearly ufelefs. The fcene to which I allude comprizes about forty men of war now lying in ordinary in this river, a fight that muft animate the breafl of every Engliiliman, to retain that domi- nion ^ { 35 ) nion which their fathers left them in pof- feflion of, and to convince them, while they hold it, of the abfurdity of fortifying by land, when thefe wooden walls, as they are emphatically termed, can be fo readily called forth on any fudden attack of the enemy. " Jupiter e ligno dat maenia fafta Minervae, *' Quae tibi fola tuis'que ferant inviiSla falutem/* From hence Upnor caftle, confidered as a pleafing obje6l of the pi6lurefque kind, on the banks of the river, claims our warmeft commendation ; but, as a place of national defence, I fear has never anfwered any purpofe whatever ; yet it muft be allow- ed to have its merits as a place of fnug fecurity for a governor, ftorekeeper, clerk of the cheque, Sec. &c. The governor has the command of all the forts on the river except Sheernefs. This caftle was erefled by queen Eliza- beth, in the third year of her reign. It is E 3 built ( 36 ) built principally of ftone, and is in the form of a parallelogram : the longeft fide is to- wards the river, which, by the remains of fome ftone walls, feems to have formed a falient angle, like a modern ravelin, which is now covered by high pallifadoes, and a crane for fliipping powder, of which, with- in this caftle, there is a confiderable magazine for the ufe of the navy. Such was the fliamefully negle6led ftate of this caftle that there were only four guns fit for ufe, mounted within it, at the time the Dutch made their bold attempt up this river in the reign of Charles II. At prefent it has no platform, nor yet one gun mounted, which, for the author of this work, was probably a fortunate circumftance, as he had fixed his ftation very near it while mak-* ing the annexed iketch of the caftle. Other mifchiefs, however, feemed to await him, for, while he was peaceably fituat- ed ( 37 ) cd beneath the ftern of a man of war, to keep under the wind, he was vifited by a perfon from on board, who claimed the privilege of taking him before the Com- miffioner in Chatham yard, to anfwer for his rafh attempt on this noble place of defence. Ha V I n g fatisfied Commiflioner Proby that he had no infidious defign againfl the navy, or the welfare of his country, he was fuf- fered to depart in peace 3 and that he might not again be taken into cuftody for fimilar offences, the Commiflioner politely fur- nifhed him with a pafTport, of which the following is a copy : To the officers of Ms Majejifs Jhips tn ordinary, " Samuel Ireland, Efq. of Norfolk " Street, London, may be allowed to " amufe himfelf by taking views. Auguft 25th, 1791. C. P R o B y ." ( 38 ) A LITTLE below Upnor caftle, beneath Cockham wood, is affixed a flone denoting the boundary of the city's jurifdi6lion upon the river. Its ancient date is 1204, and on it is infcribed, " God preferve the city of London." The prefent flone was ere6led in 1771, in the mayoralty of Brafs Croiby, Efq. From hence, on a retrofpedlive view down the Medway, the eafy bend of the river, with the luxuriant fcenery of its woody banks, and receding dillant hills* make a beautiful combination of obje6ls in pi6lurefque landfcape. SECTION { 39 ) SECTION IV. W E now approach Chatham, whofe royal dock yard, fortifications, and repofitory for naval flores and ordnance, at once fill the mind with the moft pleafing fenfations of the happy fecurity, and prudent defence of our country. If early in the 17th century Camden could fay of this place that the Medway here " affords a dock to the befl appointed fleet ** that ever the fun faw, ready for a6lion " upon all occafions," what would he have faid of the prefent increafe of buildings, and fuperior mode of condu6ling our invincible navy, at once a proof of our excellent policy and national fkill. The ftore houfe and wharf, ufually called the ( 40 ) the Old Dock, which is fituated on a flip of land below the chalk clifF, between the church and the river, was the original dock- yard till King James, in 1622, finding it too fmall for the growing fervice of the naVy removed it to the prefent fpot. Charles I. greatly improved his father's plan, enlarged the fite of the yard, and made new docks for floating fhips in with the tide. Charles II. likewife often talked of making far- ther improvements, and vifited this place with that intention ; but having viewed the Royal Sovereign, and pafTed a few joyous hours in the neighbourhood, thought no more of the navy or dock, till Admiral De Ruyter, about feven years after, reminded him of his neg- lected duty, and their defencelefs flate. He difpatched his Vice-admiral, Van Ghent, with feventeen fail of his lighteft fhips, and eight fire fhips up the Medway^ and, a flrong callerly wind and fpring tide having carried them ( 41 ) them v/ith refiftlefs force, the chain laid acrofs the river was prefently broken, and the large Dutch prizes we had taken in that war were burnt, together with one of our own firft rates, the Royal Oak. This ca- lamity was likewife attended with the de- ftruaion of the Royal London, the Great James, and the capture of the hull of the Royal Charles. After which Van Ghent returned triumphant, and rejoined Admiral De Ruyter in the Nore, with only the lofs of two (hips, which ran on fhore, and were burnt, by his own people. The prefent naval dock ranges along the caftern bank of the river for near a mile in leno-thj the improvements and additional buildings it has received within a few years are aftoniihing. The fail loft, in which the fails are made, is 209 feet in length, and the largeil flore houfe 660. The fpacious apart- ments and work rooms convey a grand idea of their contents ; and the regular mode in F which ( +2 ) which every branch of bufinefs is here coH- du6led, for the pubUc fervice, muft be highly gratifing to every well-wifher of his coun- try. In fuch precife order is each article here arranged as, on any emergency, to be drawn forth with fo little confufion, that a firfl rate man of war has often been equipped for fea in a few weeks. I am informed that in time of war the perfons employed in and about this yard exceed three thoufand. The royal wharf, in which the guns be- longing to the (hipping in the river are de- pofited, the huge pyramids of cannon balls, and vaft range of ftorehoufes, in which are depofited every fpecies of hoftile weapons, one would fuppofe need only to be fliewn to the enemy, to intimidate them from an attack. Th e noble fund eftabliflied under the ap- pellation of The Chefl at Chatham, was in- ftituted in 1588, under the dire6lion of Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins ; when every ( 43 ) every man voluntarily afiigned a portion of his pay to the fuccour of his wounded fel- low. The inftitution was fandioned by Queen Elizabeth and has continued ever fince. The name of this place is thought to be derived from the Saxon words cyte, a cot- tage, and ham, a village j i. e. the village of cottages. In the time of Edward the ConfefTor, it was in the pofTeffion of Goodwin, Earl of Kent, from whom it defcended to his elder fon Harold, afterwards King of England; and upon his defeat at the battle of Haftings to William the Conqueror, who gave it to his half brother Odo, Bifhop of Baieux, created Earl of Kent. On his difgrace, it came to the family of De Crevequer, and was the Caput Baroniae, or principal manor of their barony : and, according to Philipot, F 2 they ( 44 ) they were frequently flyled Domini Dc Cetham. In our time it has given the title of Earl to a late able and defervedly popular Minifter. This place has ever been confidered as a Roman ftationj and in its vicinity many veftiges have, within a few years, been dif- covered to prove the afTertion ; fuch as graves, broken urns, lachrymatories, beads> Roman coins, &c. On breaking up the ground about ten years fmce near Upberry farm, which is on a line with Chatham church, a ftrong foun- dation of a building was difcovered very near the furface of the earth, which con- tained feveral apartments floored with fand. The inner fide of the walls were painted in frefco, with red, blue, and green fpots. The Roman road has evidently pafTed from { 45 ) from Chatham hill, in a ftraight dire6lion to- wards St. Margaret's church, Rochefter. The tumuU and other fepulchral remains prove this vicinity to have been a common burial place in the time of the Romans. At Horfted, near the tovirn, Horfa, brother to Hengift, is reported to have been {lain by Cartigern, and buried on this fpot, but no traces of a monument are to be found of that celebrated Saxon vi^arrior. The village of Brompton is happily fi- tuated for the purpofes to v^hich it is ap- plied j its wholefome air, and eafy afcent from Chatham, rendering every accommo- dation for the ufe of the mariners and foldiery that occupy the barracks fo judici- oufly ere6led there. The view from hence is rich and extenfive 5 it comprizes the river Thames in the diitance, a fertile and varied combination ( 46 ) combination of objedls compofed of hills and dales, oatlands and hop-grounds, to- gether with the meandring of the Medway beneath. Defcending from this eminence, by a fudden bend of the river, we pafs the chalky cliffs of Frindfbury, which, with the village church on its fummit, form no un- pleafmg landfcape. In digging within this cliff there has been recently difcovered at a diftance of fifteen or fixteen feet from the furface, a leaden coffin in the ancient circu- lar form, with a crofs on one fide, and a number of figures indented thereon in the form of large cockle fhells. The coffin was broken to pieces in digging it out ; but with- in it was found a fmall velTel about Ctven inches high, evidently formed of Roman earth, and containing about a pint ; it is now in my pofl^effion. How this coffin came thus enclofed in the centre of a mafs of chalk cliff, and at fuch a great diilance from ( 47 ) from the furface, is matter of aftonifhment, and more than I can any way explain. The village of Frindfbury is fituated on an eminence which commands an extenfive and noble profped of the Medway, Ro- chefter bridge, caftle, and town, with the hills of Kent, giving a rich and beautiful diftance. Frindsbury is of great antiquity. Its manor, and appendages, with other pof- feflions, were furrendered into the King's hands at the diflblution of the priory of Rochefter, in the thirty-fecond year of Heniy VIII. who next year fettled it on the new founded Dean and Chapter of Rochefter, with whom this inheritance now continues. A SINGULAR cuftom ufcd to be annually obferved on May-day by the boys of Frindf- bury, ( 48 ) bury, and the neighbouring town of Stroud ; they met on Rochefter bridge, where a Ikirmifh enfued between them. This com- bat probably derived its origin from a drub- bing received by the Monks of Rochefter, in the reign of Edward I. Thefe Monks, on occafion of a long drought, fet out on a proceflion to Frindft)ury to pray for rain 5 but the day proving windy they apprehended their lights would be blown out, their ban- ners tofTed about, and their order much dif- compofed; they therefore requefted of the mafter of Stroud hofpital leave to pafs through the orchard of his houfe, which he granted without the permillion of his bre- thren, who, when they heard what the mafter had done, inftantly hired a company of ribalds, armed with clubs and bats, who waylaid the poor Monks in the orchard, and gave them a fevere beating. The Monks defifted from proceeding that way, but foon after ( 49 ) after found out a pious mode of revenge, by obliging the men of Frindibuiy, with due humility, to come yearly on Whit- Monday, with their clubs, in proceflion, to Rochefter, as a penance for their crimes. Hence probably came the by-word of Frindf- bury clubs, and the cuftom before allud- ed to. Within the church is a curious infcrip- tion, which we hope is not to be confidered either as a proof of the piety of its inhabi- tants, or of their love to the poor : It runs thus, " A lift of fundry pious perfons, who, " loving this place, have left the following " benefa6lions to the poor." There is not a fnigle name of a benefactor upon the ftone j but at the bottom is written, to certify this lack of charity, " Witnefs our hands, " WiLL^ GiBBOxNs, Vicar." G Within ( 50 ) Within this parifli, to the fouth of the London road, is an once famous pond, an- ciently called St. Thomas's watering place : It was ufed by the pilgrims, who, travelling to Canterbury to make their offering at Eecket's Shrine, poflibly might honour this place of refrefhment witli the Saint's name. Another place, bearing the fame appel- lation is ftill to be found at the end of Kent ftreet road, near London. It is at prefent ufed for watering horfes, but not pilgrims. It is probably to this fpot that Chaucer alludes in his prologue to one of his Canterbury Tales. " A morrow when the day gan to fpring *' Up rofe our hoft, and was our alder cocke, *' And gadird us togedirs on a flocke j *' And forth we ridden, a little more than paas, " Unto the watering of Saint Thomas j " And then our hoft began his horfe arreft.'* In ( SI ) In the town of Stroud little occurs worth recording. It formerly bore the appellation of Stroud Temple, from the manor having been granted by Henry II. to the Knights Templars, whofe manfion flood in the fouthern part of this parilh, near the banks of the Medway, and of which I fhall fpeak farther in the next feclion. Stroud is principally fupported by the oyfler fifhery, which is condu61:ed by a com- pany called Free Dredgers. Seven years apprenticefhip entitles to the freedom of this company j and all perfons catching oyfters, who are not members, are fubjeft to a pe- nalty, and are termed cable hangers. The company frequently buy brood or fpat from other parts, which they lay in this river, where they foon arrive at maturity. Holland, Weflphalia, and other countries are from hence fupplied with great quan- tities of oyfters. Gz SECTION I ( 53 ) SECTION V. W E now approach the venerable city of Rochefler, which, in point of antiquity, is inferior to few in the kingdom, having been founded as early as the year 43, when Plautus came into Britain. Juflas, one of the miflionaries who came over with Auguftine to convert the Saxons, was his firll bithop. On the declenfion of the Roman empire it obtained the name of Ruibis, to which the Saxons added Chefter, which fig- nifies a city or caftle, fmce which it appears from a foundation charter of the cathedral, that, in modern latinity, it has received the appellation of Roffa. It was formerly con- fidered rather as a caftle than a city, and is emphatically called by the venerable Bede the Kentifhmen's caftle The ( 54 ) The ancient gothic bridge of Rochefter is the firll obje5l that prefeats Itfeif in that line of critical obfervation which we have propofed in this work. It is built of irone, and conilfts of eleven pointed arches, fap- ported by fubftantial piers, which are, on each fide, well fecured by angular fterhngs. In length it is 566 feet, but in breadth only 14, a fpace fo contined and narrow as to render the pafTage, more than incommodi- ous, from the great traffic carrying on here. In the conllru6tion of this bridge, un- queflionably our anceflors a61ed wifely in making ftrength their hnl object, as the body of water that falls through the arches flows with a torrent and rapidity equal to any thing that I remember to have noticed. From the bell authority, this bridge ap- pears to have been compleated about the fifteenth year of Richard II. and principally by the aid of Sir Robert Knollis, who, from an ( 55 ) an obfcure origin, had, by his military ex- ploits in the reign of Edward III. raifed himfelf to fuch eminence and diftindlion, as enabled him to return laden with the fpoils of France. This gallant Knight having, at the gates of Paris, difplayed the banner of his vic- torious fbvereign, upon his return home, with the concurrence of Sir John De Cobham De Kent, petitioned that certain lands which had formerly been contributory to the re- pair of this flrufture, might be appro- priated to thefe ufes, and that two wardens fhould be appointed to fuperintend the ap- plication and receive the profits, and that they might be permitted to purchafe further to the yearly value of five hundred marks. In this petition was fet down very ac- curately in feet, inches, and quarters of inches, the proportion of the repairs be- longing to each divifion, according to the ancient regulation of the lands contri- butory; ( S6 ) butoiy J for which proportion they are ftill liable to be called upon, if the rents of the fee-fimple eflates belonging to the body cor- porate of the bridge fhould prove infufficient. It underwent confiderable repairs in the fucceeding reigns ; but in that of Henry VII. received the moft eflcntial, for, in his fifth year, during the primary of John Morton, Arch- bifliop of Canterbury, this delight of heaven did not hefitate to publifh a remiffion of fnis for forty days to all fuch perfons who would contribute any thing towards the repair of this very ufeful, if not pious work. It would have been creditable to the Roman Catholic faith if the pecuniary advantages arifmg from abfolution had never been worfe applied ! To thefe repentant fniners it is that the bridge owes part of its coping and iron railing. It was completed by the bounty of one John Warner, a Monk of Rochefler, in the fuc- ceeding reign. The ( 57 ) The former bridge was of wood, the firfl mention of which is in the reign of Henry III. though it is highly probable that fome flru(5lure of this kind exifled at a much earlier period ^ for Ernulfus, Bifhop of Ro- chefter, in that reign, who colle6led the records contained in the Textus RofFenfis, inferts there feveral ancient regulations for the repairs of Rochefler bridge ; which old bridge was fituated lower down on the river, and on a line with the principal flreets of Stroud and Rochefler. It is now fuppofed to be feven hundred years fmce the building of Rochefler caflle, which Lambard conje6lures was the work of William the Conqueror. Other writers fay it was only repaired by him after the damage it had fuflained by the Danes, and that he garrifoned it with five hun- dred foldiers. It is certainly well fituat- ed to guard the important pafs over the H Medway; ( S8 ) Medway ; and from the defence it has fre- quently made during the confli6ls between the Barons and the Kings of England, may juftly be confidered as having been a place of confiderable ftrength. The caftle is nearly quadrangular, including a fpace of about three hundred feet. Its walls appear to have been feven feet thick, and twenty feet higher than the prefent level of the ground. This caftle was, in the time of William the Conqueror, in the cuftody of his baftard brother Odo, Bifhop of Baieux, a turbulent prelate, who, after the death of his fove- reign, raifed an infurredtion in the county of Kenti where he deftroyed and pillaged many places ; and removed his plunder from thence to Pevenfey caftle, in Sufle^ ; where, from famine, he was obliged to furrender himfelf, after a fix weeks fiege, to William Rufus. Among other conditions he bound himfelf to deliver up Rochefter caftle to the Kingi I ( 59 ) King J but, ufing his accuftomed fraud and diflimulation, in many articles of this treaty, the King found it neceffary to inveft the caftle of Rochefter, which, by a vigorous attack, he foon compelled to furrender; and the treacherous Bifhop was committed prifoner to Tunbridge caftle. In this fiege the caftle of Rochefter received confiderable damage, and the means by which this da- mage was foon afterwards repaired were af- forded by a fmgular circumftance, which is thus recorded in ftory. The King, irri- tated by the condu6l of Gundulph, the Bifhop, whom he had good reafon to fup- pofe falfe to his intereft at the late difpute, refufed to ratify a grant of the manor of Hedenham, in the county of Bucks, to the church of Rochefter, unlefs he had one hun- dred pounds for fo doing ; this being oppofed both by Gundulph and the Metropolitan, Henry, Earl of Warwick, and Robert Fitzhaman interfered, and propofed, as Hz mediators. ( 6o ) mediators, that, inftead of paying that fumi the Bifhop fhould build for the King a " tower of flone" at his own expence, within the callle of Rochefter. This was at firft flrenuoufly refifted, left the repair and main- tenance of this building Ihould likewife fall on them. At length, being freed from this apprehenfion, Gundulph agreed to expend fixty pounds in creeling the fquare tower, now known by the name of Gundulph's Tower. From the fmallnefs of the fum, and the fhort time the prelate lived, there is great reafon to believe that the building was not completed by him. This quadrangular tower ftands at the fouth-eaft corner of the caftle, and con- ftitutes the principal part now remaining ; with its embattlements it is one hundred and twelve feet in height, having at each angle another fmall tower twelve feet fquare. In the third floor of this building, in which were ( 6i ) were the apartments of ftate, we find a fuperior difplay of ikill in the architect. The four grand arches which feparate the rooms, ftill retain fome curious frag- ments of gothic ornaments ; and through- out the whole building there is evidently an appearance of convenience and flrength, that cannot fail to excite admiration, and fix the attention of every judicious ob- ferver. This tower is fo confpicuous an obje6l as to be dilcemible at a difVance of twenty miles ; and from its fummit we command a grand and extenfive profpe6l of the river Medway, comprizing views both above and below the bridge, even to its conflux with the Thames. Divers lands in this and other counties are held of this caftle, the tenures of which are perfe6l caftle guard; for every tenant who does not duly difcharge his proper rent ( 62 ) rent, fuit, and fervices, is liable to have it doubled on the return of every tide of the Medway, during the time it remains un- paid, according to the ancient cu'lom of this manor. On St. Andrew's day, old flyle, the ceremony of hanging out a banner at the houfe of the receiver of the rents is ilill preferved. The remains of this venerable pile afford an ample fubje6l for the contemplative mind, viewing its prefent ruinated ftate, and confidering it as having been, within feven hundred years, the pride of fo many contending powers ; and to have witneffed fo many generations, under whofe controul it has been fupported, all of whom are now fwept away ; and of whofe greatnefs and achievements tradition affords fuch llender and indefinite record that we are left to feek the hero's fame — — " In the dropping ruins of his amphitheatre,** The ( 63 ) The venerable gothic cathedral of Ro- chefter was rebuilt in 1077, by the fame Gundulph, who was the thirtieth Bifliop of this fee. The grand weftern entrance to this building is truly a curious fragment of gothic fculpture. It's devices of figures, ani- mals, and flowers, though unconne6led as a hiftory, are yet ftriking inftances of the minute application and induflry of our anceftors : It has no doubt loft much of its original magnificence 5 yet on the pillars are flill remaining two carved ftatues reprefent- ing the patrons of the architefl, Henry I. and his Queen Matilda, who, according to the following epitaph of Matthew Prior, on that Emprefs, was buried in this cathedral. " Ortu magna, vlro major, fed maxima partu> " Hie jacet Henrici filia, fponfa, parens." There appears on the entrance to the choir a heavinefs in the pillars, and too great a pre- valence ( 64 ) valence of the Saxon ftyle of arch'itefture : The different periods in which this building was ere6led are eafily traced by the diftinc- tions of the Saxon and Gothic ftyle, in which the beautiful fymmetry of the latter is highly confpicuous. The arch of the chapter houfe is richly ornamented with devices, and is a beautiful fpecimen of antiquity -, it has not fuffered fo much by time as many other llmilar works of more modern date. The ornamental parts of this cathedral are well preferved in a feries of engravings recently made; and the judicious repairs and improvements now carrying on in this church, for the purpofe of removing the thick coats of plafter, which covered the pillars, &c. will happily reftore them to their native beauty. They are formed of Petworth marble. Mu c H praife is due to the Dean and Chap- ter { 65 ) ter of this cathedral, who have, with fuch laudable refped and tafte, evinced their zeal for the prefervation of the gothic beauties of this venerable ftrudure. The good fenfe of the prefent day i^ likewife lliewn in the new regulations which have taken place in the collegiate body : they have enabled the Chapter to make a valuable addition to their library, by calling upon every member, dean, and prebendary, at the time of his admiffion, to apply a fum of money in the purchafe of books, inilead of walling it in a coflly entertainment. In this library is the well-known and curious manufcript, called the Textus Rof- fenfis, a work chiefly compiled in the twelfth century.. This valuable work was loft for a confiderable time, during the troubles in the laft century, and was very near being I irrecoverably ( 66 ) irrecoverably fo in the prefent, having been borrowed by Doftor Harris, for the ufe of his intended hiftory of this county. It vi^as forwarded to London in a vefTei which was overfet in its paiTage, and the book lay for feveral hours under water, by which accident it received confiderable damage. The fee of Rocheiter has had ninety Pre- lates, of whom the remains of twenty-three are depofited in this cathedral. Four of their monuments flill cxilt -, one of them is that of Gundulph, who was interred here in 1 1 07. His tomb adjoins the communion-table. At a fmall didance, fouth of the caftle, is Bully, or Boley, hill, an eminence, in all probability raifed by the Danes about the ninth century, when they laid fiege to this city. There are feveral handfome houfes built on this fpot, particularly that of Mrs. Gordon, ( 67 ) Gordon, on the fummit of the hill, which commands a delightful view of the Medway, Rochefler bridge, Chatham dock, &c. A LITTLE to the weft of this hill, nearer to the river, is the refidence of Jofeph Brooke, Efq. recorder of this city, a houfe ere6led on the fite of an ancient feat formerly belonging to Mr. Watts, who reprefented this city in parliament in the fifth year of Eliza- beth, and had the honour of entertaining her Majeftyon her return from an excurfioa round the counties of SufTex and Kent, in 1573. At her departure, her hoft making an apo- logy for his houfe, as being too liiiall and humble for the reception of a royal guefl, the Queen, looking round, exprefTed her full approbation of the place and manner in which file had been received, by the Latin word SATIS, fmce which time the houfe has' borne that appellation. I 2 It ( 68 ) It Is to this worthy reprefentative that the city owes many of its benefa6lions, par- ticularly one, which is no lefs fingular than confpicuous. In the principal ftreet of the town, a ftone infcription proclaims in broad charafters, " that any fix poor travellers, not •* rogues or pro6lors, may here receive gratis, *' for one night, lodging, entertainment, and ** four-pence each." How proclors and rogues became coupled in this good man's interdi6lion, we are not fatisfadlorily informed ; but it has been whifpered that Mr. Watts being in a bad flate of health, and having employed one of that civil profefiion to make his will, he therein placed himfelf in too advantageous a point of view, and being of opinion that " charity begins at home," perverted his employer's benevolent intention, and gave to himfelf that which was dedicated to God and to pious ufes. UpoiI ( 69 ) Upon the dete6llon of this fraud, the teftator appears to have been earneft to tranfmit to pofterity, in the ftyle and de- fcription of his charity, the chara6ler and profeflion of the mifcreant, who had in this manner attempted to abufe his truffc. The fum bequeathed for the annual fup- port of this charity in 1579, amounted to thirty- fix pounds, which eflate now pro- duces a nett yearly income of five hundred. SECTION ^ ^ ^ ^ ( 71 ) SECTION VI. Jr R O M Temple Farm, on the weftern bank of the Medway, the majeftic ruins of Rpchefter caftle, its venerable bridge, and cathedral, appear combined in a very advan- tageous point of view. The white and moul- dering cliff on which the caftle ftands is beautifully broken by the verdant clumps 9f trees that here and there diverfify ,the chalky margin of a ftream which, here loling its impetuofity, may be truly deno- minated a * Gentle river/ The houfe, which appears in the an- nexed view, bears the appellation of Temple Farm, ( 72 ) I^arm, and is within the parifli of Stroud. The manor on which this farm-houfe ftands derives its name of Temple Manor from having been pofTefTed by the monks and brethren of the militia of the temple of Solomon, called the Knights Templars, who had a noble manfion on this fpot in the reign of Henry II. This gift was con- firmed to them by King John, and likewife by Henry III. but in the reign of Edward II. thefe unfortunate Knights Templars, under the pretence of their leading a vicious courfe of life, were feized and imprifoned, and their land and goods confifcated j but as it is well known that they had amafTed much wealth and furniture not ufually to be met with in the coffers of the diflipated and profligate, there is too much reafon to fuppofc, that if it was for any fm, it muft have been for that of avarice that they were thus vifited by the hand of rapine. Be this as ( 73 ) as it may, in the fixth year of that reign, anno 1312, the order was diffolved. Pope Clement V. granted the whole of their lands and goods to another religious order, called the Knights Hofpitallers. Thofe lands, al- though confirmed to them by the King, were yet, at leaft the greater portion of them, dealt out to his friends and favour- ites amongft the laity. This abufe induced the fucceeding Pope John to thunder out his bulls, curfes, and excommunications, in no gentle degree againft Earls, Barons, Knights, and fuch other Laymen as became poiiefTed of them ; and in the next year the Sovereign relenting, they were devoted to their former pious ufes, and became again the fole pro- perty of the Knights Hofpitallers of Jerit- falem. From thefe Knights the King (Ed- ward the Second) by fome. means or other obtained a grant of the fee-fimple of their lands, in the eighteenth year of his reign -, and in confec^uence directed the Sheriff of K Kent ( 74 ) Kent to take the fame into his hands, and account for them in the Exchequer. Edward III. gave this manor to Mary, Countefs of Pembroke, who bellowed it on- the Abbefs and Sifters Minories of St. Clare, of Deni Abbey, in Cambridgeftiire, in whofe pofTelTion it remained till the difTolution j^ fmce which, having pafTed through many hands, it is now the property of Mr. Whit- aker. Only a fmall part of the manfion re- mains, which is converted intaa farm houfe, where one large room, up ftairs, which over- looks the river, appears to be of the time of EUzabeth, and has fmce that period under- gone little alteration. Beneath this building is a fpacious vault of ftone and chalk, in which the Knights Templars occafionally alTembled j and, though of very ancient date, is yet in a perfe6t ftate of prefer vation. Its walls are of a great thicknefs, and the groin- ed arches, as exprelTed in the annexed out- ♦ line. (■ 75 ) line, have fufFered little from the depreda- tions of time. On the oppofite bank of the Medway the church of St. Margaret, which is in the parifla of Rochefter, its ivy-mantled tower,, and piflurefque fituation, equally claim the notice of the antiquary and the admirer of beautiful landfcape. One of our Saxon Kings is reported to have been buried in this church ; ^rA ( 7(5 ) againft the eaft wall, in the fouth chart- eel, is a curious ancient bufl of a man in robes, with a coronet on his head. In the reign of Charles 11. according to Harris's Hiflory of Kent, a coronet, kt round with precious ftones, was dug up in this church- yard. At Cocl-rcone, on the v/eftern bank of the river, recently flood an ancient family feat, belonging to Lord Romney, of which little except the garden walls is now remain- ing. No wonder it has been deferted ; itj fituation is fo near the river, and the very limited fpace between the building and the rifmg ground behind it, feems to have point- ed it out as not having originally been a very eligible fpot for the purpofes of a com- fortable dwelling : on its fite^ is ere6ted a confiderable lime-kiln. North of Cockflone we approach the noble park of Cobham, amidll v/hofe fiiady and venerable oaks Appears, from the bank of ^ ^ ^ ( 77 ) of the river, the newly-ere6led maufoleum of Lord Darnley. This expenfive ftone edi- fice is from a defign of the ingenious Mr. Wyatt, and is in the Doric order ; its parts and ornaments are judicioufly placed, and cannot fail to attra6l the attention as well as command the admiration of every obferver of tafte. But from this applaufe wq muft except the pyramidical finifh at top, which is both ponderous and unmeaning; and, with all deference to the fkill of its archite61:, would have had a more pleafing, and cer- tainly a more claflical efFe61:, had it been finifhed with a circular dome : I am informed that this angular top is to be removed. The upper part of this building is intended as a family chapel 3 its decorations are fimple, and well fuited to the folemn purpofes of prayer : beneath it is the burial vault, in which are recefles intended to receive the laft remains of human greatnefs ; for which awful ceremony every part is judicioufly adapted. { 78 ) adapted, and its fequeftered fituation ren^ ders it a fcene where (if fuch a wifh had ever exifted, but in the flight of poetry) ** Kings for fuch a tomb woultl wifh to die." This celebrated maufoleum is reported to have cofl ten thoufand pounds. The noble family manfion, within this park, derived its name of Cobham Hall from its former pofleffbrs, the eminent family of Cobham, who, from hiftorical ac- counts as early as King John, have in every department filled the highefl polls of truft and honour with fuperior luflre to themfelves, and credit to their country. In the firft year of James I. Henry Lord Cob- ham, with his brother George, Sir Walter Raleigh and others, having been accufed of confpiring to kill the King, were brought to trial at Winchefter j they were attaint- ed, and judgment of death was pafTed on them^ ( 79 ) them } George was beheaded ; and though the fentence was not executed on Lord Cobham, his eftate was forfeited to the Crown. He furvived his difgrace many- years, and died without ilTue, January 1 6 1 9, in a ilate of poverty bordering upon wretch- ednefs. The manor, with Cobham Hall, came thus by attainder to the Crown, from whence it was granted to Lodowick Stuart, Duke of Lenox, kinfman to James L from whofe fa- mily, by intermarriages, it devolved to its prefent noble polTeflbr, the Earl of Darnley. The center of this ftately building is the work of Inigo Jones ; the ftaircafe is fpacious, and the mufic-gallery is richly adorned with ornaments well conceived for grandeur of efFe6l, and is, on the whole, worthy the tafte of its architect. The wings are of more an- cient date, but have been new cafed with brick. ( 8o ) brick, aad rendered uniform with the other part of the building. In a large room the arms of Elizabeth flill remain, and near them an infcriptlon, which relates to her having been entertained in this manfion. Cobham Hall, with the outhoufes, is reported to have coft fixty thou- fand pounds. The park is large, i^ut not fo extenfive as formerly; it is famed for its ftately timber trees, particularly its oaks, fome of which are upwards of twenty feet in cir- cumference > and by their venerable appear- ance juflify the poet's opinion. ** The monarch oak, ** Three centuries he grows, and three he ftays " Supreme in ftate, and in three more decays." In the grove in this park is a remarkable chefnut-tree, called the Four Siflers, from its dividing itfelf into four large arms -, it is thirty- two feet in circumference. The ve- nifon ( 8i ) nifon of this park is, from the quality of the herbage on which it is fed, elleemed to be fuperior in flavour to that of almoll any other in the country. In Cobham church are feveral well fculp- tured monuments of the Cobham family, fome of them in a fuperior ilyle of execution. SECTION ( 83 ) SECTION VII. Passing the ancient village of Wold- ham, which lies on the eaftern bank of the Medvvay, little variation of fcenery occurs, till we approach the extenfive ruins of Halling-houfe, formerly one of the four fplendid refidences of the Eifliops of Ro- chefter. In the reign of Edward II. Hamo de Heth, the then Bifhop, and who was confecrated at Avignon, in 13 19, expended confiderable fums in repairs and additions^ on this once fpacious building, by erecting a hall and chapel, the remains of which are only to be traced by fragments of ruinated walls. This (imple edifice and thefe humble roofs, dedicated only to God and Religion, yet L 2 remain. { 84 ) remain. The loftier domes and marble towers, in which hierarchy, the invention of man, lifted its mitred front, have mouldered away. A STONE figure, v^^e are told, about two feet high, of Hamo, the Biihop, in his epifcopal robes, once flood in a recefs over the principal entrance to the houfe. This ftatue was blown down about the year 1720, but was preferred by Dr. Thorpe, of Rocheiter, and prefented by him to Dr. Atterbuiy, then Bifliop of that See. The manor of Hailing was given to the See of Rochefter, by Egbert, King of Kent; the deed is faid to have been witneffed by one Hetbert, who is alfo flylcd, King of Kent; hence it appears, that this pait of the realm gave a royal title to more than one perfonage, an opinion that is fortified by another authority, a gift made by OfFa, King of the Mercians, to Erdulph, Bifhop of ( H ) of Rochefler, in which the fame Hetbert h mentioned with Sigaered, who is fly led "Rex Dimidias partis Provinciae Cantuariorum." A CIRCUMSTANCE occurs in the hifbory of Halling-houfe, that confirms the idea of the early introdu6^ion and culture of the vine in this kingdom ; for, when King Edward II. was at Bokinfold, in this county, in the nineteenth year of his reign, in his way towards France, it appears that the fame Hamo, our fumptuous Bifhop, who was al fo confefTor to the King, fent him thither a prefent of his drinks, and withal both wine and grapes of his own growth from his vineyard, at HalUng. This likewife counte- nances the opinion, that the word Vince, mentioned in Doomfday Book (contrary to the fentiment of fome writers) meant fome- thing more than the mere plantation of apples and peai s ; and it may reafonably be fuppofed that, from its contiguity to France", the ( 86 ) the attempt to naturalize this feducing and delicious ftranger, would firft be made in this countv ; and as far as refoecls the J A. delicacy of its conflitution, a kindlier afpecl, and a more favourable difpofition of the ground, better flieltered from the eaft and north, could hardly be imagined for the purpofe of making the experiment. HallIng derived its name from its healthy fituation, and fignifies, in the Saxon tongue, a wholefome low place, or meadow, according to the ingenious perambulator, Lambard, who lived a confiderable time in this houfe, and who emphatically fays, " At this place of the Bifhop in Halhng, I " am drawing on the laft fcene of my life, " where God hath given me liberorum qua- " drigam, all the fruite that ever I had," From this extenfive remain of antiquity vaiious windings of the river afford a con- tinual ( 87 ) tinual diverfity of fceneiy, which though not grand, yet, in a pecuhar degree, partakes of the fimple and beautiful; rich meadows, with gently rifing hills and village fpires, happily interfperfed, forming the general charader of the landfcape. Passing Snodeland, the lowly fituation of Burham church, which is nearly on the oppofite Bank of the Med way, produces a beautiful efFe6l ; the high chalk and gravelly bank, which form the margin of the river, give a good foreground to the landfcape ; while, in the diftance, a fine fcreen of hills running nearly parallel with the river terminates the fcene, The vicinity of Burham is famed for its abundant pits of potters' clay. At New Hythe the river fcenery conveys to the mind more the idea of a ftream running through a garden, than that of a navigable river. ( «8 ) river, by which fo confiderable an extent of country is fo highly benefited ^ the borders are beautifully fhaded with young oaks and other trees ; whilft its meandering courfe and contracted fpace add much to the fim- plicity and ferenity of the fcene. I fhall hence take leave to digrefs a little and con- du6l my reader to the remains of Mailing abbey, which, from its contiguity to a rivulet that falls into the Medway, may properly be confidered as relative to the prefent pur- suit. The venerable remains of this abbey, in the annexed Iketch, are taken in fo differ-ent a point of view from all others that have come to my knovv^ledge, that I flatter myfeif it will, in its place, he as acceptable as any yet prefcnted to the puyic. The fimilarity in the ftyle of architefture between this front and that of Rocheller cathedral, ( 89 ) cathedral, evidently points out the time of its ere6tion, and ftrongly confirms the truth of the hiflorical account of its foundation. From every circumdance it is more than pro- bable that Gundulph, Biihop of Rochefter, by v^hom it v^^as founded, was likevvife its architect : the interfecting arches, zig-zag ornaments, and other decorations fimilar to thofe of Rochefler, give additional force to the opinion. The Abbey was founded in 1090, in the fourth year of the reign of William Rufus, as a benedi61:ine nunnery, and dedicated to the honour of the Virgin Mary. Gundulph, the founder, unwilling to truil a female to pre- fide over this abbey during his life, conti- nued himfelf its governor, and, when nearly at the point of death, empowered one Alicia to take upon herfdf the chara6ler of Abbefs after his deceafe ; but even to her he refufed delivering either the pafloral ftaff, gloves, M or ( 90 ) or ring, till file had promifed canonical oBe-* dience to the See of Rochefler, and had taken an oath not to admit either Abbefs or Nun into the houfe without the confent and privity of his fucceflbr. There is fomething fingular in the mode in which the original charter of the lands cf this manor was granted in 945, by Edmund, King of Mercia, and the Angles, and Burkie, Bifliop of Rochefter. This charter, after having been figned by the King, the Archbiiliops, and Bifhops, is then figned by iElfgifu, the King's concubine, who there defcribes herfelf " Ego iElfgifu concubina Regis aftui :" after this follow the names of the Dukes, &:c. &c. The folemn manner in which this lady's name is inferted as a witnefs with the firl^ perfonages in the kingdom, and that to a religious grant, proves that concubinage at that ( 91 ) that time was not held in dlfgrace, ho\ve\'er inferior to marriage : this cuftom moft Hkelv originated from the laws of the Romans, which not fufFering a man to marry a wo» man greatly liis inferior in birth and condi^ tion, yet permitted him to keep her as a concubine; not that this relation flands jnerely upon heathen authority j for, in later times, Popes have allowed concubines : and the Council of Toledo have humanely given a man permiihon to keep one woman with- out excommunication, in cafe flie fliould ferve him as a wife. This relaxation of the auf- terity in religious nianners, inclines one to think, that, in announcing their indulgen- cieSj thefe holy fathers and fynods were, not unmindful of themfelves, and affords an additional pi'oof of the truth of that adage which tell us, " A fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind." At the diiiblution, this abbey was fur- rendered { 92 ) rendered mto the king's hands by Margaret Vernon, its abbefs, and the convent in 1538, at which time it was vakied, according to Diigdale, at two hundred and eighteen pounds four ilnUings and two pence halfpenny clear income : at that period it came to Cranmer, Archbifliop of Canterbury, then to Sir Henry Brooke, &c. ; and, about the time of the Re- floration, to the family of the Honeywoods, whofe defcendant, Mr. Frazer Honeywood, banker of London, has, within a few years, almoft rebuilt the abbey-houfe as a family refidence, in the gothic ftyle, leaving how- ever many of the ancient buildings and offices llanding : part of the houfe appears in the annexed view. By fome veftiges ftill remaining, we find that the abbey confifted of two quadrangles, with cloif^ers, and a fpacious hall. Here are to be found exteniive gardens, a beautiful rivulet of excellent clear water -, and in the neighbouring ( 93 ) neighbouring meadows, rich in foil, the re- mains of their fifh-ponds, with every clrcum- ftanceto render religious retirement palatable ; *' For what Jefuit prieft e'er took in hand " To plant a church in barren land." The remain of Ley borne Caflle, in this vicinage, though now merely a farm-houfe, and greatly in decay, is yet an ohjeft worthy of the pencil j and, even from its prefent appearance, pahifuUy recalls to the mind its wafted honours and loft- importance. All that exifts of this caftle, is the ftone work of the chief entrance, with a great part of the circular towers on each fide, and a few fragments of arches and walls : the traces of the ditch which furrounded it, are alfo ftill vifible. Over the gate appears to have been a machicolation, or contrivance, from whence ftones, boiling water, or melted lead, might be poured down on the heads of the be- fiegers, ( 94 ) fiegers. The caftle feems, by the fragments of its walls ftill remaining, to have been a place of confiderable extent. Ley BORNE is called in ancient records Lil- leborne, or Lytlan-borne, probably from the little brook or bourn which runs through this parifli : Lytlan fignifies^ in old EngUfli, LITTLE. On the difgrace of Odo, Bifliop of Baieux, half-brother to William the Conqueror, Leyborne came into the hands of the Crown ; after which, in the reign of Richard I., it was in the polleilion of Sir Roger de Leyborne, who, about that time, erefted this caftellated manfion. His fon, William de Leyborne, had here the honor of entertaining Edward I. At length, in the time of Edward IIL this caftle, after having pafTed through the hands of fcveral noble owners, was, with its appur- tenances, granted by charter for the endow- ment ( 95 ) ment of a newly-rfounded Ciflercian abbey, called St. Mary Graces, near the Tower of London ; in which tenure it remained till the diflblutionj from whence it has, after many changes, come into the polieffion of its pre- fent owner, Henry Flavvley, Efq. of the Grange, in this parifh. Hence, returning to the river, we pafs Mill-hall, a pleafant and retired village, whofe inhabitants feem to derive their principal happinefs, from undiflurbed repofe and thofe fources of induflry, which are conftantly fup- piied, upon the banks of this beautiful and navigable current. Near this rural fcene, on the margin of the river, the eye is gratified with a view of the richeft produce of this fruitful country, the flowery hop, *' Which in the malt's " Fermenting tuns infafed, to mellow age " Prefcrves the potent draught." The beautiful and pi6lurcfque appear- ance ( 96 ) ance of this fceneiy, at the prefent period, renders it matter of aftonifliment that it has received fo little attention from the pencil of the artift. The leafing of the hop is pecu- liarly elegant in its form j and the curled ten- drils wreathing round its lofty fupporters, add greatly to the beauty of this luxuriant plant} the growth of which is not unhappily de- fcribed by Phillips in his popular poem on Cyder 5 " Lo ! on auxiliary poles, the hops " Afcending Tpiral, rang'd in meet array ! " Tranfporting profpect ! Thefe, as modern ufe " Ordains, infus'd, an auburn drink compofe, '* Wholefome, of deathlefs fame." This epithet of wholesome, applied by our poet to a plant which has io long and fo univerfally been infufed in that which is the natural, and was once the favourite beverage of our countrymen, does not of itfelf feem to carry enough of compliment, unlefs we fuppofe it introduced by him for the purpofe of adding the weight of his authority in op- pofition ^ ^ ( 97 ) pofitlon to an opinion, which, in one period of our hiftory, feems to have obtained con- fiderable footing — that it was of a pernicious or poifonous quality j and that this was fa, we find among other authorities, that, in 1428, the Parhament petitioneda gainft hops, as a wicked weed : it was introduced into Eng- land, in 1524, from the Netherlands ; and two years preceding, encouragement by aft of Parr liament was given to the cultivation of it, by exempting lands employed for thefe purpofes from penalties. The produce to the revenue, in modern times, from the increafed trade in this article amounted, in th« year 1 791, to ninety thoufand and fifty-nine pounds one jQiilling and ten pence. The fketch annexed, though not avow- edly a portrait of the place, will give fome idea of the happy fcenery which prefents itfelf at the hour of noon. The cheerful coun- tenance of the hop-gatherer, jufl quitting N his ( 98 ) his labour, the younger dancing round the loaded poles j and the more aged fpreading his humble repaft on the fcattered leaves, while each in his turn " Crowns high the goblet, and with cheerful draught '^ Enjoys the prefent hour, adjourns the future thought.'* The tythe on this plant, which has fo long been matter of difcontent among the planters, it is reported, is like to be adjufted by a compofition of twelve (hillings an acre, inilead of being paid in kind, which com- pofition will probably yield more than the fum arifmg from the prefent mode of colle6l'r ing. SECTION I ( 99 ) SECTION VIII. O N our approach to Aylesford, at an eafy bend of the river, the eye is fuddenly at- traa:ed with the beautiful feat of the Coun- tefs of Aylesford, called The Friars. The fituation of this venerable manfion, which is clofe to the banks of the Medway, comprizes, in one point of view, the moft perfea landfcape I have yet met with on this river. In this view is included the an- cient church of Aylesford, at a diftance of about half a mile, part of the village is happily revealed from behind a verdant inter- vening Hope, and the gothic bridge beneath is, in part, fo happily concealed by the hand of nature, as to appear the defign of art. N 2 The ( 100 ) The Priory, or Friars, was founded in- the 25th year of Henry III. in 1240, by Radulphus Frifburne, under the patronage of Richard, Lord Grey, of Codnor, for Friars Carmelites, a religious order not be- fore known in this country. This Lord, having been in the wars in Paleftine, vifitcd Mount Carmel, and noticing the auftere itiode of living among the hermits there, he determined on eftablifhing, at his return, an order on the fame rigid plan in Aylesford wood. In 1245, ^^^s monafteries of this order having confiderably increafed, a general chapter was held here, in which one John Stock, who is reputed to have lived in a hollow tree, was chofen fupcrior general of the focieties. At the difTolution, the Priory of the White Friars, at Aylesford, was given to Sir Thomas - Wyatt. ^ V -'^ \- ( loi ) Wyatt, and from him devolved to his fon, who forfeited it to the Crown, by his rebeU lion agalnft Queen Mary. Her fuccefTor, Elizabeth, gave it to Mr. Sidley, to whofe brother, Sir William Sidley, this town is in- debted for its bridge; which he built in 1607, together with an hofpital. After various alienations this Priory came, at length, into the family of its prefent noble poflellbr, whofe open hand has, in the feelings of the induftrious poor, as much exceeded the dole indifcriminately diftributed at the gates of the Priory, as her gentle virtues are in the eye of heaven more acceptable than the pious auflerities of its former inhabitants. Some parts of the Priory flill remain, and thefe are moil: confpicuous in the kitchen and out- offices. In the church were interred many of the family of Lord Grey, of Codnor, the Cole- peppers, ( J02 ) peppers, &c. : the monuments of* the latter are well preferved. About a mile to the north, eaftward of Aylesford, on an eminence, ftands the rude and inexplicable monument of antiquity, called Kit's Coity-House : it is, with other buildings of the fame clafs, in this country, generally allowed to be a fepulchral monument j and that this pile was erefted as a teflimony of refpe61: to the memory of Catigern, brother to the King of Britain : he was (lain in fmgle combat with Horfa, the Saxon, in 455, who likewife fell in this fliarp confli6l : Horfa was buried at a place about four miles diftant, denominated Hor- ileadi (probably from the name of the hero,) where a number of large ftones mark the place of that memorable rencounter. Kit's CoiTY-HousE confifls of four large ftones of the pebble kind j the biggeft of which is eight feet high, and is conje6lur- ed ( 103 ) ed to weigh about eight tons and a half. Neither of them appears to have any mark of the chifel. .^^mm^-^-^:^^ About fixty or feventy yards from thefe flones, I am informed, there formerly lay another of nearly the fame lize, which may poiTibly have originally enclofed the eaflei;n part of the fabric that is now open. This flone was buried in the earth a few years fmce, for the convenience of agriculture, by Mr. ( 104 ) Mr. Bentham, the prefent pofleiTor of this land. My late ingenious friend, Grofe, in his " Antiquities," conje6lures that the name of Kit, or Cat, may be an abridgment of Catigern ; and that in Cornwall, where there are many of thofe monuments, the flones are called Coits ; therefore Kit's Coity-Houfe may exprefs Catigern's houfe, built with Colts. Fr o m Aylesford, the fcenery on the Med- way affords little variety, till we approach AUington Callle, which ( 105 ) which is about two miles diftant from Maid- ftone. This venerable ruin, though within a few yards of the river, is by the range of trees oh its bank, nearly exduded from the view. As a piclurefque obje6l upon our ftream this is a circumilance much to be regretted ; and, indeed, its general fituation is h circum- fcribed, as to render it difficult to fele6l a favourable point : I flatter myfelf however the {ketch will be thought to give the moft com- prehenfive idea of this once famous place of defence. This Caftle is reported to have been built foon after the Conqueft by Earl Warren on the fite of one formerly erected by the Saxons. In the time of Henry VJI. it became the property of Sir Henry Wyatt, his favourite, and Privy Counfellor, w^ho having been long a prifoner in the Tower, during the reign of Richard III., is faid to have been wonderfully preferved, and fed there by a cat ; for which reafon he is report- ed to have been painted with that animal O in ( 106 ) in Ills arms j of this portrait I know nothing: His fon Thomas was born in this caftle, of whofe rare talents every admirer of poHte literature in this country, it may be prefumed, is acquainted. He is called by Anthony Wood '' The Delight of the Mufes, and of *' Mankind;" and Leland, in his poem on his death, entitles him " Incomparabilis." An invidious, but happy farcafm of this great man dropt in the willing ear of the fucceed- ing Monarch, Henry VIIL, is thought to have been inflrumental in promoting the Reformation. He obferved " It was a hard- " thing a man could not repent witliout the ** Pope's leave." After the unfortunate death of this ac- complifhed gentleman, the caflle and manor became forfeited to the Crown ; after which,: having pafled through many hands, it was, in the year 1720, difpofed of by Sir Jacob Aftley;, its- then owner, to Sir Robert Marfliam, Barpnet, ( 107 ) Baronet, whofe fon, Lord Romney, is its pre- fent pofTefTor. The remains of this ancient caftle are now ufed as a farm-houfe j they are of con- fiderable extent, and many of its external parts are in a tolerable good flate of prefer- yation. The moat, or ditch, that furround- ed it ftill exifts. O 2 SECTION / ( 109 ) SECTION IX. On the approach to Maldftone the river fcenery is pleafingly diverfified, by a long range of fpreading trees on the bank of the Medway; which, with its venerable ftone bridge, and the country contiguous, produce rather an interefting landfcape. I have yet given a preference to the view above the bridge, from whence the annexed drawing was taken, as comprizing a more extenfive feledionof obje6ls, and confequently better " adapted to chara6lerize the general view of this ancient town. The church is fituated upon an agree- able eminence, on the eaftern bank of the Medway, and is a good fpecimen of gothic Archite6lure. Its embattlements, and time- worn ( "o ) worn tower, leave little room to regret the lofs of the fteeple, which is reported to have originally ftood here, and which is faid to have been deftroyed by lightning. The church was built anno 1396, in the reign of Richard II., by Archbifliop William de Courtney, who granted a licence for the purpofe of making it collegiate : within the church is a monument, and fome lines on the founder; though it does not appear in Cam- den, Godwin, &c. that he was interred here. Weever however feems to think that he was buried under his monument in the chancel. Be this as it may, the mode of erc6ling ceno- taphs has been continued down, and is of frequent ufe in the prefent day* . Nearly adjoining to the church are the remains of the palace, formerly the occa- sional refidence of the Archbifliops of Can- terbury. It is now the vicarage houfe, and, i^ ( "I ) ill point of fituation and profpedt, fuperiof to any other part of the town. The view commands the river, with its lock and waterfall > and the rich verdure of the adjoining country contributes to render it a complete landfcape. Near the lock^ and in the neighbourhood, the ftream abounds with carp, tench, and gudgeons. A HANDSOME gothic ftonc gateway, and other fragments of antiquity, are ftill re^ maining, being part of St. Mary, and All Saints college, which was likewife founded by Archbifliop Courtney. The parifli church formerly belonged to this college, and, in confequence, all the tythes, both great and fmall, were appro- priate i and the vicar's income depended on occafional mafles, oblations, mortuaries, Scc.y which, in all probability, afforded, in the ze- nith ( -112 ) nith of prieflcraft, a tolerable good harvefi:* The Metropolitans had anciently a caftellated manfion in the centre of the town, which was began by Archbifhop UfFord, and finiflied by Simon Iflip, his fucceflbr : no traces of it are now remaining. The fame Prelate likewife ere6led the bridge in this town, which has fnice, in the reign of James I., undergone a thorough repair : the expence of which was de-^ frayed by an aflefTment on the inhabitants . Not far from the bridge a chapel, or refeftory, with part of the cloyfters of a religious fraternity, called Corpus Chrifli, are ilill remaining. The centrical fituation of this town ren- ders it highly eligible for the purpofes of provincial meetings, and public bufmefs. It is an ancient borough by prefcription. Here the courts of juflice are held, and the Knights of the fhire are ele6led. It is fituated in a delightful vale, happily fcreened by fur- rpunding hills 5 and is juftly famed for the drynefs ( 113 ) diynefs of its foil and its excellent water* The river Len, as it is called, runs through this town, and empties itfelf here into the Medway ; of which, in fad, the Len is one of its branches : it rifcs at Evv^ell, adjoining to Bigon Heath, in the weflern part of the parifli of Lenham, which doubtlefs derived its name fi'om the river. In the church of Lenham is an iiifcriptioni which, though foreign to the prefent in- quiry, may yet be thought, from the fmgular circumftance it records, not unworthy a place in this v%'ork. The lines are on the tomb of Robert Thompfon, Efq. who was grand child to Mary Honey wood, wife of Robert Honeywood, of Charing, who had, at her deceafe, no lefs than three hundred and fixty- fgven children lawfully defcended from her, fjxteen of her own body ; one hundred and fourteen grand children j two hundred and twenty eight in the third generation ; and nine p in ( "4 ) in the fourth. We are told that the body cf this pious and prohfic lady lieth in this church ; but that her cenotaph may be feen at Mark's Hall, in EfTex^ where fhe died > and- that her renown Uveth with her pofterity. The ftream before-mentioned from Len- ham, with feveral others, amply fupply the- town of Maidilone with water, by means of feveral conduits ; the principal of which is a lofty flone building, in an octagonal form, in the centre of the High Street, and which has, at the top of it, what is called the Fifii Bell, from its being rung when any fifli is brought to market, an article with which this place is amply fupplied. Trout, perch,, carp, and lampreys, are the fpecies for which it is moil celebrated. The principal ftreet in Maidilone is fpacious, and, from its eafy afcent, is kept continually clean and dry 3 at the upper part of ( "5 ) of It, a liandfome building of flonc and brick has been ere6led within a few years, for the purpofes of a court-hall: the market-crofs, as a remain of antiquity, is worthy notice j it was fome years fince removed on rollers, without being taken to pieces, from the upper part of the High Street to the fituation in which it now flands. A MANUFACTURE of llncn -thread is car- ried on here, which owes its origin to the perfecutions of the Duke D'Alva j when the Walloons, in the reign of Elizabeth, took refuge in this country. The operation of fpinning flax for the thread ftill retains the name of Dutch work^ but this is now of no very great extent or importance. The principal trade here is derived from the navigation of our river -, by which chan- nel the various produ61:ions of this county, P 2 its f ii6 ) its timber from the Wealds and other parts, paper from the neighbouring mills, grain and :flour, hops and fruit, are, through this place, circulated to the capital as well as foreign' markets. The abundant fertility of the country around in corn fields, hop and filbert grounds, orchards of apple, cherry, and other fruit trees, not only fo far enrich the fcenery as to delight the eye of the Englifli tra- veller, but have induced fome foreign wri- ters to denominate it " The Hungaria of Great Britain/* In the country about Maidftone, now almofl: covered with hops, this plant is faid to have been firfl cultivated, and that to a very great extent, about the period of the Reformation J when its flourilhing ftate is faid to have given birth, though not in ftria conformity ( "7 ) conformity to chronological hiftory, to the following old Englifli rhymes, " Hops, reformation, baize, and beer " Came into England all in a year." Scenes, fuch as we have defcribed hold out invitations not to be refilled by the wealthy and the great. The hills and vallies around, covered with villas and manfion houfes, con- firm the truth of the reprefentation given. Lord Romney's ancient feat, called the Mote, about a mile to the eaft of the town, though not in its external appearance a (lately manfion, has yet within it many elegant and ftately apartments ; in park fcenery, the hand of nature, with little affiflance from art, has been evidently lavilh. The houfe and grounds of Mr. Whatman,* called Vinters, are boldly fituated on fuch an eminence, as to command a fine and diflant proipeft. ( "8 ) profpecl, and are yet fo happily fheltered by the contiguous woody fcenery as to want no protection in the feverefl feafon : to this gen- tleman the countiy is much indebted for his great improvements in the art of paper- making, which he has unqueftionably carried to a higher degree of perfe6lion and excel- lence than was before known in this or any other kingdom, and may truly be faid to have given additional fmootlinefs to verfe, and a new face to the literature of this country. In the neighbourhood of Vinters is the celebrated Pinnenden Heath, which has been a place of confiderable note ever fmce the Conquefl. In Doomfday book mention is made that " when the inhabitants of Kent were fum- " moned to meet ad scir am, that is, in pub- " lie alTembly, at the Shyre-gemot, or Sheriffs '* tourn, for the trial of certain cufloms therein *' mentionedj ( 119 ) " mentioned, they fliould go for that purpofe ** as far as Pinnedenna, but no farther." In 1076, the eleventh of William the Conqueror, a famous aflembly was held at this place, at which were prefent many Earls, Barons, Bilhops, dec. who were af- fembled from every county, as well French as Englilh : among them was Agelric, Bifhop of Chefter, efteemed fo well verfed in the laws of the- realm, that, notwithftanding his age and infirmities, his prefence was fo necelTary as to induce the King to give an order for his being brought hither in a waggon, " in " una quadriga." The caufe of this meeting was to decide on the condu6l of Odo, the avaricious Bifhop of Baieux, and Earl of Kent, the Conqueror's half-brother, who was charged with having defrauded the See of Canterbury of manors, lands, and liber- ties. The trial lafled three days 3 and the chai'ge was fo clearly proved, as to enable the ( I20 ) the Archblfliop to recover from his falfe; brother, and father of the church, feveral of his ancient pofTeffions, and to afcertain other matters that were in diipute between the church and king. On the north fide of this heath is a county-houfe, where the Sheriff continues to hold his county-court monthly, and where he takes the poll for Knights of the fhire, till it is adjourned to Maidftone. SECTION ^ j ( 121 ) SECTION X. Bjoxley Abbey is fituated a little to the eaftward of Pinnenden Heath, and was for- merly part of the vaft polfelTions of the pious Bifhop of Baleux. The remains cf this once famous abbey, as given in the an- nexed Iketch, is a faithful view of its prefent ftatQ. The great range of wall ftill remain- ing demonftrates the wealth and extent of the endowments of this place ; and the gra- nary of the monks, which is nearly co-ex- tenfive, affords no lefs equivocal evidence- that, though they might not be quite {o laborious as the ant, they were at leaft equally provident. It was founded as early as 1 146, by William De Ipre, Earl of Kent, who af- terwards became a monk at Laon> in Flan- Q^ ders. ( 122 ) ders. This religious houfe was an eftablilli* ment for white monks, of the Ciftertian order, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Edward 1. granted to the Abbot of Box- ley many privileges and immunities, fuch as free warren in Kent, Surry, &c. He was likewife in that reign twice fummoned to parliament. Our fenate, at a fucceeding pe- riod, we find either to have been greatly overftocked with thefe dignitaries, there being no lefs within its walls at that time than fixty-four abbots, and thirty-fix priors, or, if their property gave them place there, our common wealth was moft grievoufly over- run by a race of lazy and impoverifliing caterpillars. In this latter fentiment I am confirmed by a modern author, whom no one will fufpeft of being adverfe to any fpe- gies or order of mitred dignity. In his life of ^ir Thomas Pope, he ftates the attempt of Queen Mary '' to reftore the monafteries to " be ( 123 ) *^'be a meafure which tended only to bring " back national poverty, with national fu- *' perdition ; for it is certain, that Henry's " diftribution of the monaflic revenues into " private hands, although dictated by feliiih *^ and fordid motives, founded the prefent " greatnefs of England." Yet, in his po- litical rhapfodies, a modern Quixote and Ignatius, of chivalry and monkery, upon this fubje61: fays, " When ancient opi- *' nions and rules of life are taken away, the " lofs cannot polTibly be eflimated." Expe- rience feems already to have pronounced and decided upon the two oppofite views of this queflion, not only, on the one hand, by the flourifliing flate of this iiland, fmce the diflri- bution of the monaftic revenues, but, on the other, by the national poverty and diflrefs of a neighbouring country, fo aggravated by retaining their ancient inftitutions and " pre- ** judices," as to have, in part, been the Qccafion of impelling them to {o defperate a Q^ remedy, ( 124 ) remedy, as the convuhion and overthrow of their empire, Edward II. refided feme time in Boxley Abbey, during which refidence he granted a royal charter to the citizens of London, by which they were firft empowered to ele(5l a mayor from their own body, and at their own pleafure. The abbey was formerly much famed for a wooden figure, called the Pvood of Grace, the work of a needy carpenter, with which the priefts for a long time de- luded their credulous and filly followers, till the knavery being detected, the idol was de- faced : " and even the abbey and town," fays Lambard, " acording to the juft judgment of " God, haftened to utter decay and beggary." The clear yearly revenue of this abbey, at the diflblution, amounted, according to Speed, to two hundred and eighteen pounds nine failHngs. From S N ( i^S ) From hence I fhall condud the reader to that noble and extenfive edifice, Leeds Caftle, which is fituated about three miles fouth-eaft of Maidflone. A Httle river, commonly called the-Len, which rifes at Ewell, and diredls its courfe by Runham, Farborne, and Harrieft- fliam to this caftle, unites its ftream in the neighbourhood with our Medway. Leeds Castle was anciently part of thofe poiTeffions lavifhly beftowed by Wil- liam the Conqueror on his brother, Gdo, Bifliop of Baieux, (fo frequently mentioned in this work) on whofe difgrace it was granted by tiie King to the eminent family of Creve- quer, called, in ancient charters, DeCrevequer and De Crepito Corde : from the family of Crevequer it was given by Edward IL to Bartholomew, Baron of Badilftner, who tr^ea- cheroufly fortified it againft his Soviereign and benefactor j and, in the latter end of the year 1321, thought fit to give a peremptory refufal { i2r6 ) refufal to Ifabel, the Queen, who folicited a night's lodging in this caflle. It feems, according to Leland, that this requeft of the Queen was of a poHtical nature, and that fhe was fent there by the King merely to afford a pretext under which he might effe6t the ruin of its owner. Be the motive as it might, the Baron's refufal fo enraged this Monarch, that he gave orders to befiege the caftle, and compelled it, though not till after much refiflance and bloodfhed, to furren- der, and to fubje6l himfelf to this dilemma — • That if he refufed her admittance he fhould be punifhed for difrefpe6l and inhofpitaUty > and that if he admitted her, he fliould be overpowered, and his caflle be taken pof- feflion of by her numerous retinue. After the furrender he is faid, by one author, to have ordered this bold and treacherous Baron to be hung up at the gates. Leland fays, he was taken prifoner the year following at Burrowbridge^ ( 127 1 Burrowbridge, and beheaded at Canterbury j but it is agreed, by all writers, that his wife, fon, and daughters were fent prifoners to the Tower of London. The immenfe ftrength of this place in- duced our Monarchs, at all times, to look upon it with an eye of jealoufy j and though it was frequently granted to feveral great fa- milies in this county, it has as often, by at- tainder or efcheat, come again into the hands of the Crown, In the reign of Edward III. this fortrefs being greatly in decay, that able Monarch appointed " William of Wyckham chief " warden and furveyor of his caftle of Ledes/* The acknowledged Ikill and experience of that great prelate in architeftural affairs, are abundant proof of the great confideration in which this place was then held by its Royal Ciafler. This { 128 ), This caftle, which during the reign of Richard' II. frequently received him and his Royal ftate, as appears from the date of feveral public inftruments, was afterwards converted into the prifon of this unfortunate Monarch. He was fent here by order of Heniy IV., under whom it again became a Royal refi- dence, he having retired here oa account of a dreadful plague, which then raged ia London, amd carried off upwards of thirty thouiand perfons. After his death, Joan, of Navarre, his fecond Queen, having been accufed of confpiring againft the life of his fon, Henry V., was committed a prifoner to this place, where ihe remained till removed to the caftle of Pevenfey in SufTex. Archbishop Chichley, in the i8th of Henry VI., prefided in this caftle at the trial of Eleanor, Dutchefs of Gloucefter, on a charge of forcery and witchcraft. This unfortunate woman was afterwards indidled for ( 129 ) for high treafon, and confeffing part of the matter alleged^ was fentenced to a psnance for three feveral days in London, and was afterwards committed to perpetual imprifon- ment in the Ifle of Man. In this caftle Sir Thomas Bourchier, Knight, with others of the principal gentry in Kent, fat to receive the oaths of allegiance to Richard III. from the inhabitants of this county. In the reign of Henry VIII. it received a confiderable re- pair from Henry Guildford, who was an- pointed by that Monarch its Conftable. The fee-fimple of the caftle and manor remained with the Crown till Edward VI., who granted them, with their appurtenances, to Sir An- thony St. Leger. From his family, after fe- veral alienations, it came to that of the Cole- peppers, a defcendant of whom, Sir John, was created a Peer by Charles I. in 1 644, for his ftrong attachment to the caufe of that Mo- narch. From the marriage of his defcendant, Catherine, with Thomas Lord Fairfax of R Cameron, ( 130 ) Cameron, in Scotlan and, in the reign of Edward III. he was fo highly favoured as to receive from that Prince the honour of Knighthood. In the fame reign he was four times elc6led to the high office of Lord Mayor of the city of London. From this family it came by marriage to Sir John Devsreux, who, in the fucceeding reign of Richard II. had alfo a licenfe to embattle and fortify this manfion. After pafling through feveral hands it was at length forfeited to the Crown, in the fourth year of Edward VI. by the at- tainder of Sir Ralph Vane. The eftate was then given by that young Prince, in 1553, ^^ Sir William Sydney, who enjoyed it but a few months : from him it devolved to his infant fon, Sir Henry, who, from his child- ,hood, was bred at Court, and was the play- mate and bed-fellow of Prince Edward. ' The ( i68 ) The young Monarch afterwards made him Gentleman of the Privy Chamber; and is faid to have taken fo much delight in his company, as to have rarely permitted his abfence. The young Prince expired in his arms at Greenwich foon after; at which period Sir Henry retired to Penfhurft, there to indulge his grief; and by thus withdraw- ing himfelf efcaped the fury of the times, and mofl probably the fatal confequences that attended his father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland, in the fucceeding reign of the bigotted Mary. This fa6l is adverted to in the infcription over the gate-way at the grand entrance. This ancient manfion has been formerly a place of confiderable flrength, as appears from its immenfe walls and high embattled towers. The principal entrance to the great quadrangle, which is of hewn ftone, is nearly in its original Gothic Hate of defign, and ( i69 ) and imprefles the mind very forcibly with the gloomy and referved pomp of our brave anceftors. The hall is fpacious and lofty, and the fragments of ancient armour, herq exhibited ftrongly, recall to memory *' The ancient errant Knights, " Who won their ladies hearts in fights, ** And cut whole Giants into fritters, " To put them into amorous twitters." We fee here the Knights of Chivalry in ancient times making imprcfllon upon their ladies' hearts in battle, and hacking and hewing their way into their affedions : and if fuch flrange things as thefe could avail in love, can we wonder that the modern cham- pion of this fublime profeffion fliould en- deavour to mix arms with eloquence i and, for the purpofe of impreffing his audience, fhould be found flourifliing his dagger in aid of the flights of his oratory. Y The ( lyo ) The apartments of this famous manfion ^a^e been much modernized within a few years by the late owner, WiUiam Perry, Efq. who became poiTefTed of this eftate by mar- liage with the Honourable Elizabeth Sydney, niece to the late Earl of Leicefter. Among other pictures in this manfion two particularly merit attention ; the one of Sir Philip, the other of his fifler, the Coun- iefs of Pembroke — A family refemblance may eafily be difcovered. The countenance of the latter highly juflifies the poet's warmefl euloj^ium. And in the features of the former may be traced the elegant and placid mind of the accomplifhed gentleman. In contemplating this venerable and ex- tenfive pile, the mind naturally reverts to that period in which it received its greatell ornament, by giving birth to Sir Philip Sydney in 1554. Ben Johnfon poetically obferves, that ( I?! ) that on this occafion " All the Mufes met:" and other writers aiTert, that in him was born the " darling of his time, and of his " country." We may likevvife add, on the authority of Sir Fulke Grevil, if the teilimony of a father may be relied on, that in this child, at a very tender age, he had noticed fuch ftrong marks of genius and chara6ler, that Ue pronounced him to be " lumen fa- *' mili^e," the light of his family. No apology feems neceffary for this par- tiality of the parent towards the child, fince all Europe with one confent feem to have pronounced him the compleateft gen- tleman of his time: every accomplifhment fat eafy upon him j he was wife and learned in the fchools ; gallant in the field ; and, as a courtier, as free from the pedantry of the one, as from the boiflerous manners of the other. He obtained various pofls of honour from his Sovereign : he was deemed worthy Y 2 IQ. ( 172 ) to be put in nomination for the Crown of Poland; an honour, which probably might have been conferred, had not the Queen refufed to further his promotion, left, as fhc exprefTed herfelf, fhe fhould ** lofe the jewel " of her time." These extraordinary diftin6lions at home and abroad, the corre6tnefs of his morals, and the heroifm and humanity which he difplayed in the clofing aft of his life, place him as a fcholar, a ftatefman, a foldier, and a man, in as elevated a point of view as human nature has ever been known to attain. High as this extraordinary chara6ler feems to have ranked in the eyes of all Europe, and univerfally as his works were at that time read ; and though it was in the opi- nion of Lord Brook, a diftinguifhed poet of Jiis day, thought an honor to have it infcribed nppn ( 173 ) upon his tomb, " The friend of Sir Philip " Sydney," yet a modern noble author not only eftimates the extraordinary qualifica- tions of this great man, by a ftandard very different from that which was ufed by the bell judging of his own age; but has alfo by an impotent attack endeavoured to tra- duce his heroifm : he afferts, that " no man " feems to him fo aftonifhing an obje6l of " temporary admiration j" and proceeds to afk, " when we enquire what prodigious " merits excited fuch admiration, what do « we find ?" " Great valour." But it was " an age of heroes.'* To a plain man it fliould feem to be more cafy to acquire a reputation for valour in the age of effeminacy, than in that of heroifm j and, he who was feared by the foldiers of Alva, can never be robbed of his laurels in any age, or by any reafoning. It would Jiardly be better founded to fay, that no royal or ( 174 ) or noble author of the prefent day can be pofTefled of diflinguifhed merit, becaufe the prefs does not at this period teem with the hterary labours of Princes and of Peers. Of the qualities of his mind, and his literary produ6lions, he obferves, " in full " of all other talents we have a tedious, " lamentable, pedantic, pafloral romance, " which the patience of a young virgin m " love cannot now wade through." Notwithstanding there may be fome truth in this remark, yet with due refpeft to the difcernment of his contemporaries, both wits and fcholars j and adverting to the degree of refinement which our language had at that time attained, even the "Ar- cadia," did not merit fo indifcriminate a cenfure. Whatever may be the cafe now, we find ( 175 ) find from an author of the times, quoted by the late Mr. Warton, in the lall vohime of his " Hiftory of Poetry," that the graveft monitions were thought necelTary to reftrain the young women of that age from reading it more than enough. — The advice given is, *' Let the ladles learne plaine workes of all *' kinde, fo they take heed of too open " feaming : and inflead of reading Sir Philip " Sydney's Arcadia, let them reade the *' Groundes of good Husw^ifery." And, I fliall add, merely from the fingu- laiity of the circumftance, for it would be otherwife idle to accumulate proofs of the notorious popularity of this work — that the celebrated but unfortunate Lord EfTex, upon his return from Portugal, in 1596, was addreffed in a poem, called **W^n Egloge *• Gratulatorie, entituled to the Right Ho- *' nourable and renowned Shepherd of " Alb IONS Arc ad IE, Robert Earl of EfTex:" and ( 176 ) and even fo late as the middle of the next century, Dr. Heylin, an author, who is called the learned ornament of our nation, writes thus of Sir Philip Sydney : " I cannot " make too honourable a mention of him, and " of his Arcadia, a book which, befides its " excellent language, rare contrivance, and *' delegable ftories, hath in it all the flrains ** of poefie; comprehendeth the whole art of " fpeakingj and to thofe who can difcern, and ** will obferve, afFordeth notable rules of de- " meanour, both private and public." We find him alfo thus defcribed by a wit, in an elegant couplet, though marked with the chara6teriftical quaintnefs of the times : « 'T would make one think (fo fweet of love he fings) " His pens were quills pluckM off from Cupid's wings." We fliall clofe our teftimonies on the merits of this high and unblemiQied cha- rafter, by oppofmg to the noble author we have quoted, the authority of a copy of royal verfes> ( -^n ) verfes in the language of that noble author himfelf, " under the refpeaable name of " James I." " When Venus faw the noble Sydney dying, « She thought it her beloved Mars had been ; " And with the thought thereat fhe fell a crying, ** And cafl away her rings and caricnets clean. " He that in death a Goddefs mockt and grieved^, " What had he done (trow you) if he had lived !" It is impoffible to reflea on the condua of our Englifh Virgil, Sydney, to the poor and negleaed Spencer, without allowing that he had a foul for the mufe, and a " Hand Open as day for melting charity/* The peculiar circumHiances attending the patronage of our bard, may, perhaps, though well known, yet not be thought unworthy recital. To Sydney then Spencer introduced him- Z felf { lys ) fdf* with no other recommendation than the merit of a fragment of his own work, the " Pi6lure of Defpair" in his " Legend of Hohnefs ;" and fo true and determined was that great man's judgment, that, without wait- ing for the opinion of the world, with whofe teftimony he has fmce been abundantly fanc- tioned, declared himfelf at once his admirer j and, in a tranfport of pleafare, as it is faid, ordered him fifty pounds a piece, for feveral ftanzas, with this excefTive compliment: *' Make hafte ! left I fliould be obliged to give *' you my whole eftate." The following ftanzas of Fletcher, in his Purple Idand, are fo elegantly turned, fo feelingly delineate the negle6ted ta- lents, as well as fate, of the Bard, and, by fo happy a contraft, exalt the charac- ter of his noble patron, that I have in- ti'oduced them in this place without pre- face or apology. «« Witneflc ( "79 ) « WltnelTe our Colin*; whom though all the graces, " And all the mufes nurfl ; whofe well-taught fong " Parnassus felf, and Glorian f embraces, *' And all the learn'd, and all the fliepherds throng j ** Yet all his hopes were croft, all fuits deni'd ; " Difcourag'd, fcorn'd, his writings vilifi'd ; " Poorly (poor man) he liv'd ; poorly (poor man) he di'd. " And had not that great Hart J, (whofe honour'd head " Ah lies full low) piti'd thy wofull plight} *' There hadft thou lien unwept, unburied, " Unbleft, nor grac't with any common rite : ** Yet (halt thou live, when thy great foe § fhall fink ** Beneath his mountain tombe, whofe fame ihall ftink i *' And time his blacker name fhall blurre with blackeft ink, " O let th' lambick Mufe revenge that wrong, " Which cannot flumber in thy (heets of lead ; " Let thy abufed honour crie as long " As there be quills to write, or eyes to reade : " On his rank name let thine own votes be turn'd i " Oh may that man that hath the Mufes fcorri'dy " Jlive-f nor dead^ be ever of a Mufe adorn' d ! At the birth of Sir Philip an oak was planted in the park, on the fpot now called ♦ Spencer. + a Elizabeth. + Sir Philip Sydney. ^ Lord Burleigh. Z z Bears ( i8o ) Bears Oak. This oak is celebrated by Wal- ler in the following lines ; ** Go, boy, and carve this pafiion on the bark *' Of yonder tree, which flands the facred mark " Of iioble Sydney's birth ; when fuch benign, *' Such more than mortal-making ftars did fhine ; ♦* That there they cannot bat for ever prove <' The monumeat, and pledge of humble love.'* Whether the tree now fhewn (of which the annexed fketch is a portrait) be the iden- tical one here alluded to or no, I cannot afcertain. ( i8i ) afcertain, but, from its venerable appearance, it may be poflible. It meafures twenty-two feet in circumference ; and within the hollow of its fpacious trunk is affixed a feat capable of receiving feveral perfons. This noble tree Hands near a fine piece of water called Lane up Well. This park and neighbourhood is celebrated for the large growth of its trees, one of which v/as cut down about eight years fmce, and produced eight hundred and forty feet of timber, weighing twenty-one tons. Near Well Place, in the park, there is a fine fpring called Kidder's Well, which has been found, on analizing it, to be a ftronger chalybeate than thofe of Tunbridge. The fpring rifes into a done bafon, which was creeled by an Earl of Leicefter many years ago. In the neighbourhood of Penlhurfl there are ( l82 ) are many other fprings, which are likewiie found to partake more or lefs of the chaly- beate quahty j it is worthy of remark, that the vicinity is famed for its veins of iron. In a deep hole in the river Medway, called Tapner's Hole, near the lower end of this park, a ftrong ebullition appears on the fur- face of the water, from a fpring which rifes beneath. The park confilts of four hundred and twenty acres, but has not, in my judg- ment, fuch advantages of profpe6l or fitua- tion as are to be found in other parts of this fertile county. Under this impreflion, and from the decayed and negle6led ilate of the building, it is with regret I contemplate the probability of a total decay of this manfion of Heroes. Should that event take place, and no ilone remain to indicate its former great- nefs, yet fliall imagination fondly trace the fpot where Sydney firil drew breath, that Sydney, ( i83 ) Sydney, whofe name can never be forgotten while elegance of manners and true great- nefs of mind fhall be thought to dignify human nature. I CANNOT quit Penfhurfl without men- tioning an additional honour it has received in giving birth to the renowned Algernoon Sydney, whofe zeal and integrity in the eaufe of patriotifm, and deep fkill in the fcience of government, mufl ever render him dear to the lover of his country. In an aca- demical prize poem ample juftice has been done to his merits by the elegant pen of a dignitary of the church, and one of its pre- fent ornaments : " Unconquer'd Patriot I form'd by ancient lore, ** The love of ancient freedom to reftore ; " Who nobly a6led what he boldly thought, " And feal'd by death the leflbn that he taught! The ftream of the Med way paffing the extremity of the gardens at Penfliurft winds its ( i84 ) its narrow courfe towards Hever, about a mile weftward of Chidingflone, through which place the river Eden pafTes, and near which it joins the Medway. SECTION ( iS5 ) SECTION XIV. X HE remain of the ancient caflle of Hever, here prefented, is nearly perfe6l in its exterior form. It was conftrufted in thq reign of Edward III. by WilHam De Hever, who had Hcenfe to embattle it, as was cu/lomary, at that period : from that family it came by marriage to the Cobhams of this county, from wliom it derived. the compound name of Hever Cobham. It wa? by one of that family fold to Sir Geoffry BuUeyne, Knight, grandfather to Lady Ann. Bulleyne, the ill-fated Queen of Henry VIIL Her father, Sir Thomas, was advanced by this Monarch to the title of Vifeount Roch- ford, and afterwards, in the 2ifr year of his reign, to that of Earl of Wilt (l:i ire and Orr- mond. This nobleman completely repaired^ A a and ( i86 ) and made many additions to, the caflle. His daughter, Ann Bulleyne, refided here at the time Henry paid his court to her, and the apartment in which (he flept, ftill retains her name. Several letters of the amorous tyrant are now exiiling, which are addrelled to her at this place. After the death of her father, the King feized on this caftle, with its de- mefnes, in right of his late wife, the Earl's daughter. They rem.alned in his hands till the thirty-fecond year of his reign, when he granted them, in 1541, to another of his wives, the Lady Ann of Cleves ; whofe fate, though fhort of death, was little lefs unfortunate. After her repudiation, this caflle became her refidence ; and fhe held it on the hard terms of not being fuffered to quit the realm without the King's confent, or that of his fucceffors. Here flie remained, during ( i87 ) during her life, for a lingering period of about twelve yeai's : fhe died in the fourth year of the reign of Philip and Mary, at which time this caftle reverted to the Crown. It was afterwards given by Queen Mary to Sir Edward Waldegrave ; whofe family, in the year 171 5, conveyed it to Sir William Humphreys, Baronet, then Lord Mayor of London j and, in the year 1745, it was purchafed by Timothy Waldo, Efq. in whofe family it now remains. The neighbouring village of Hever has little to recommend it to notice. It was an- ciently part of the extenfive patrimony of Sir Stephen De Penchefter, or Penfliurfl. In the church is an altar tomb of black marble, ere6led to the memory of the Earl of Wiltlhire, father to Ann BuUeyne, on which is his effigy in brafs, drelTcd in the robes of the Garter. This neighbourhood is famed for its fertile production of oak A a 2 trees. ( i88 ) trees, which grow to an uncommon large fize. The river Eden, deemed one of the prin- cipal ftreams that fall into the Medway, pafTea Hever in its courfe from Eden Bridge. It de- rives its fource from feveral fprings in the vici- nity of Crowhurll, in the County of Surry. Returning to Penfliiirfl, another ilream falls into the Medway, flowing from Cow- don, an obfcure village in this county, near which it -divides itfelf into feveral fmall channels towards Starborough cadle, in Surry, from whence it is fupplied by various copious fprings. As this part of the river affords no ob- je6l particularly attractive, I fliall purfiie its eaftern direflion tov/ards Tunbridge Wells, in which courfe it branches forth from the vicinity of Chafford, where formerly flood a feat ( i89 ) feat of Sir George Rivers, Baronet, now the property of Sir Peter Rivers Gay. The Medway then pafTes the village of Afhurft, or the Wood of Afhes, once famed for the fuperflition of its inhabitants, whofe credulity was fo great, as to believe in the growth of the nails and hair, and even of the body, of a wooden crucifix, which was occa- fionally fiiewn to them by their wily prieil, who, whatever might be thought of the in- creafe of the figure, himfelf probably grew fleek and fat, upon this addition to his bene- fice. Between this village and Groombridge the Medway again takes feveral dire6l:ions towards Afhdown and VVaterdown Forefl:s, in Sufiex, where it is fuppl* 1 by various fprings. Groombridge is about three miles from Tunbridge Wells, and is within the paridi of ( 190 ) of Speldhurft ; it has formerly been a place of much note, and was anciently called Gromenebregge, a name probably derived front that of a noble Saxon, who is reputed to have been its original proprietor, and from whom It came to the family of the Cobhams and the Clintons : they fold it to the renowned Knight, Sir Richard Waller, who accompanied Henry V. into France, and there highly diilinguiflied himfelf in the field of Agincourt. In that famous battle he is faid to have found the Duke of Orleans amidft the flain, with fmall figns of life re- maining, when, by the King's order, he was committed to the care and cuftody of this Knight, who conducted him prifoner to Groom bridge. At this manfion he was kept in honourable confinement twenty-five years. On paying four hundred thoufand crowns for his ranfom he obtained his releafe ; and fo highly was he fatisfied with the liberal tieatment of his generous hofl, that he re- built ( 191 ) built his manfion, and repaired the parilh church, over the porch of which his arms are iWii to be feen. As a further mark of his approbation, and perpetual memorial of his merits, he affigned to Sir Richard, and his heirs for ever, the efcutcheon of France, fufpendtd on a walnut-tree, with this motto, ♦' Hi fruftus virtutis." Between Groombridge Place and the Wells, the immenfe craggy rocks and deep vallies, with the lofty cliffs and narrow gloomy chafms that lead through them, yield a more noble fpecies of fcenery than has yet pre- fented itfelf in this purfuit. Some of thefe ] eminences are more than feventy feet in height, and llrike the beholder from the val- lies beneath, with a peculiar degree of plea- fure and aftonifhment. This romantic and retired fcenery is within two miles of the 'Wells, and is a retreat much frequented by the company who refort thither; the an- nexed ( 192 ) nexed fketcli, from a fcene in the high road, will faintly convey an idea of a place on which various conjectures and opinions have been formed. From the wonderful and fm- gular appearance of nature, and the varied and irregular difpofition of thefe rocky pro- minencies, little doubt remains of their being the effed of fome violent convulfion of the earth. The general face of the neighbouring country corroborates the idea ^ but at what period this may have happened, philofophy is not able to trace, nor hiftory to reveal. In the foreft of this neighbourhood is a limpid fpring of very delicious water, known by the appellation of Adam's Well ; the virtues of which feem to be of ftill more ancient date than the adjacent wells at Tunbridge. It is only within a few years that this place has been acceflible by cai'riages, and it has ever been with difficulty reached even by perfons on ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "5< ( 193 ) on foot, who were obliged to fcramble over hedge, bramble, and brier to attain it. The well was purchafed by the late Mr. Pinchbeck within the lafl thirty years» through the perfuafion of a Yorkfhire attor- ney and others, whofe horfes had been ma- terially benefited by the ufe of the waters. If the poem, from which the following lines are extradled, be true, this Well may fairly rival the waters of Lethe, for here all chronic and other complaints, not to except the pangs arifing from the tender pa (lion, may be removed, and every human ill ** Yields to its balmy power ; *' Difabled limbs, inflamed eyes, " And bofoms full of plaintive fighs^ " Are foften'd ev'ry hour." The river Medway, in its courfe toward Speldhurll, works* feveral mills, and at the village it acquires fufficient ftrength to fup- B b ply ( »9+ ) ply a confiderable iron foundery, called Bar- den Furnace, where cannon of the largeft dimenfions have formerly been made j and in the neighbourhood a great quantity of iron ore has been dug up. The efficacy of the medicinal waters at Tunbridge Wells are fo well known as to render a minute hiftory of them unnecefTaiy. The virtues of thefe waters are reported to have been accidentally difcovered in the begin- ning of the reign of James I. by Dudley Lord North, while he refided in this neighbourhood. The fprings then opened were feven in num- ber, which were foon afterwards reforted to by multitudes of the middling and lower clafs of people, who received great benefit from them : thefe fprings, being on the borders of Lord Abergavenny's eftates, it became his intereft to give them every advantage in his power; he therefore cleared them of all incumbrances, ordered wells to be funk, a pavement ( 195 ) pavement to be laid round them, and the whole to be inclofed with wooden rails. In the year 1630 Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I. was advifed to vifit this place for the recovery of her health j and tents were ere6led for her reception upon Bifhop's Down Common, as at that time, no houfe ftood on this defart part of the county. She is faid to have one day walked from the well into the borders of SufTex, where, growing weary, Ihe fat down on a bank for repofe, after which fhe ordered a flone to be placed there in remembrance of her excurfion ; and fome adulatory lines were add^d thereto by one of her attendants. Of the ftone, or infcription, no trace is to be found j but the fpot has ferved as a relling place to many a weary traveller fince her time, as an ale-houfe has been ereded thereon, in the road to Frant, and is known by the fign of the Black Dog. B b 2 TUMBRIDGE ( 196 ) TuNBRiDGE Wells, in the reign of Charles II., was much patronized by his Queen and the Royal Family, and under fuch diflipated influence it became as much the feat of gaiety and fafhion, as the refort of difeafe and infirmity. About this period every improvement and accommodation took place; and it has fmce continued, particularly with perfons of the firfl: fafliion, to hold the highefl rank amongft our places of public refort. The air of this vicinity is deemed pecu- liarly falubrious ; and its rides, in point of profpe6l, are delightful -, but the depth of fand in the high roads renders them, at the feafon when the wells are mofl frequented, extremely unpleafant. The various mounts, Ephraim, Sion, &c. have each their claim to notice -, the appella- tion of the latter has been given within the laft ( 197 ) laft century by an honeft publican, of the name of Jordan, who built the firft houfe on this ipot. The produce of the furrounding country- is fertile in the growth of the holly, fyca- more, yew and other trees, from which an ingenious manufa6lory of ufeful and elegant inlaid works, has been ellablifhed. Among other luxuries for which Tunbridge Wells is famed, the delicious wheat-ear, or Englifh ortolan, fhould not be forgotten. Thefe birds, during the fummer feafon, are found in great abundance on the South Downs, where, to catch them, the fhepherds make little holes about a foot long and fix inches broad, in which they place fnares of horfe- hair j the birds, being fearful of rain, run into thefe holes for fhelter, on the approach of every cloud, and are caught in great num- bers. SECTION ( 199 ) SECTION XV. From Tunbrldge Wells our river Med- way, in a very narrow ilream, winds it fpiral courle tovv'ards the elegant remains of Bay- ham Abbey 3 I call them elegant ^ a phrafe that may by fome be deemed an improper epithet ; but if ever the word could be ap- plied to ruinated fcenery, it certainly is here admiffible. The cluflered Gothic pillars, the broken pointed arches and richly fculp- tured ornaments, all m.ouldering into decay and tufted here and there with the fliaggy mofs and creeping ivy, render it an afiem- blage of obje(5ls equally beautiful in the eye of the painter, and the contemplation of the jnoraliil. Lo ! " PalEon fleeps while mouldering ruins fpeak j *' Methinks I hear fome furrovy'd Monk relate, ^* What frenzy urg'd to Bavham's ftill retreat; « With ( 200 ) " With vain regret, in penfive mood declare *' I fought at Agincourt, my trade was war } " But quitting honor, and ambition's road, ** Sought an alylum in this houfe of God.** This venerable and extenfive ruin was formerly an Abbey of Premonftratenfian or White Canons, an order founded about the year 1120, at Premonflre, in France, from whence it derives its appellation. Their habit w»as a white cafTock, with a rochet over it, and a long white cloak. This religious order was introduced into England as early as the reign of King Stephen. The priory was originally eftabliflied in the neighbour- hood of Maidilone ; but the Monks pre- tending not to like the air of that place, or thinking that they might have addrefs to procure a better, fhewed a diflatisfaftion in the enjoyment of this fpot. The influence of a Monk's rhetoric over the fofter fex, has become almoft proverbial : in ( 201 ) in this cafe they applied that talent fo dex- teroufly, as to prevail on the daughter of their founder, Ralph De Dene, who bore the appellation of Ela De Sackville, to remove them to Bayham, or, as it was then called, (in the reign of Richard I.) Begeham Abbey. By this lady, and other pious patrons, this Abbey was largely endowed, and, probably, from thefe liberal benefa6lions, became one of the firft that Cardinal Wolfey laid his clutches on, to enable him to profecute the plan of founding his Colleges of Ipfvvich and Oxford. Amidft thefe charming ruins, Mr. Pratt, their owner, has built a good houfe, and fomewhat in the Gothic ftyle, that it may afTimilate with the tafle of the adjoining ruins. This gentleman is ne- phew to Earl Camden, a name diftinguiflied in the annals of this country, and deeply imprefTed in the breaft of every Englifliman who admires the fabric of our excellent con- ilitution. C c Having- ( 202 ) Having followed the courfe of our river Medway through its various meandrings to this much admired fpot, its ftream from hence may be deemed fo inflgnificant as to render any further purfuit of it unneceflary. I CANNOT, however, take leave of the banks of this River, fertile and beautiful as I have found it in every part, without paying an equal tribute of refpe6t and admiration to that high chara6ler by which the men of Kent have been fo renowned above thofe of every other part of our much- envied ifland. The united teftimonies of the great, the brave and the learned, may be truly adduced in fupport of this poli- tion. Time has done away the fufpicion of flattery on their part, and truth, by the confent of ages, has flamped an indelible authority on their names. Casfar highly commended their humanity. Lambardc bimfelf, a venerable authority, in his peram- bulationsa ( 203 ) bulatlons, bears honorable record of their fame, and adds the weight of a name of much higher antiquity, tliat of Gervafms, to prove '' Cbat t6e foretoarD in all tjattells *' belongctf) to tijcm (bp a certain pre* ** eminence) in rig&t of tfjeir manbooue* '' 3It i0 agreeu b^ all men, tbat tbere '* toere netjer an? bontjsmen (or tjillaines, '' a0 tbe lato calletb tbem) in i^ent;' Thefe perfonal immunities were doubtlcfs the rewards of perfonal courage ^ and there feems as httle doubt that the men of Kent had an unqueftionable title to thefc diflinc- tions; as our poet Drayton, in his Poly Olbion, which includes the hiftory of every other county in the realm, has emphatically recited them. *' Of all the Eyigl'ijh fhires be thofe furnam'd the Free^ ** And foremoji ever plac'd when they (hall reckoii'd be." The aflertion of Lambarde is confirmed by Camden. He quotes from the polycra- C c 2 tion ( 204 ) tlon of John of Salifbury the following fentence : — " As a reward of that fignal * courage which our Ke nt, with great might ' and fleadinefs, fhewed againft the Danes, ' they do to this day lay claim to the honour ' of the firfl ranks, and the firft charge in ' ail engagements." And he farther quotes Mahp.cfDUiy, who fays in their praifc, ' The country people and the citizens in '' KENT, retain the fpirit of that ancient no- ' billty, above the reft of the Englifii j being ' more ready to aflbrd refpe6l and kind en- tertainment to others, and lefs inclinable ' to revenge injuries. The fame idea of the military prowefs of tlic men of Kent, and their foremofl claims to the pofc of honor, and danger, which has been fupportcd by fuch numerous, and refpedable teftimonies, amongft the earhed authors of our national hidory, feems to have : been adopted by an elegant writer of the prefcnt century; ( 205 ) century; and extended as far as rhetorical figures, and the licence of poetical language, can carry it. He firft flates the popular, and moft probably fabulous, tradition, that this ifland once formed a part of the Continent, and was, by fome convulfion of the earth or irruption of the ocean, diflevered or di- vided from the coaft of France ; and then, in thofe ftruggles between two rations, whom nature herfelf, by the pofition of their ref- pe6live territories, has for ever conflituted rivals for the commerce of the world and dominion of the feas, does not hefitate, in the name of the genius of his country, to foretell, that by the arm of the inhabitants of Kent, the power of France fhall be broken : — thus, in the vigour of its exertions, making this fingle county reprefent the whole ifland : and in the fame fpirit he concludes, that the produce almofl of this county alone, fliall have a decided fnperiority over the boafled ( 206 ) boaftcd produce of the whole nation of France, Now on fair Dover's topmoft cliff I'll fland. And look with fcorn and triumph on proud France. Of yore an ifthmus, jutting from this coaft, Join'd the Britannic to the Gallic iliore j But Neptune on a day, with fury fir'd, RearM his tremendous trident, fmote the earth. And broke th' unnatural union at a blow. " 'Twixt you atul you, my fervants and my fons, •' Be there (he cried) eternal difcord. — France *' Shall bow the neck to Cantium's peerlefs offspring, •* And as the oak reigns lordly o'er the (hrub, ** So (hall the hop have homage from the vine." FINIS. In the Prefs, and fpeedily will he puhlj/hed, THE PICTURESQUE BEAUTIES OF THE WARWICKSHIRE AVON, IN One Volume Royal O£iavo : AND In the Courfe of the prefent Tear, THE PICTURESQUE BEAUTIES OF THE RIVER SEVERN, I N Two Volumes of the fame Size. THESE WORKS WILL BE ILLUSTRATED B Y VIEWS ENGRAVED IN AQUA TINTA, FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS, B Y SAMUEL IRELAND, i s e 'V