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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2018 with funding from 
 Getty Research Institute 
 
 https://archive.org/details/descriptionofpriOOstra 
 
A DESCRIPTION 
 
 OF 
 
 Zi)t prtorg 
 
 of 
 
 Cljiltou^upn^Jollicn, 
 
 AND ITS CONTENTS. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED, 
 
 A 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS APPENDIX, 
 
 CONTAINING SEVERAL 
 
 ANCIENT DOCUMENTS NOT BEFORE PUBLISHED. 
 
 BY WILLIAM STRADLING» 
 
 BRIDGWATER : 
 
 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GEO, AWBREY ; 
 
 W, EDWARDS, AND F. CREW, LONDON; W. STRONG, BRISTOL; 
 MEYLER AND SON, BATH; SIMMONDS AND SYDENHAM, DORCHESTER; 
 AND F. MAY, TAUNTON. 
 
 1839, 
 

 
TO 
 
 C. K. K. TYNTE, Esq., F.S.A., 
 
 LORD OF THE MANOR OF 
 
 Cfjtlton = m$tv * Uol&nt, 
 
 COLONEL OF 
 
 THE WEST SOMERSET YEOMANRY CAVALRY, 
 RIGHT WORSHIPFUL P. G. MASTER OF 
 FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS 
 
 FOR THE PROVINCE OF SOMERSET, 
 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 “ O)t>0 igtsl ISoofee ” 
 
 IS HUMBLY DEDICATED, 
 
 BY HIS 
 
 FAITHFUL BROTHER, MUCH OBLIGED FRIEND, 
 AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, 
 
 W. STRADLING, P. P. G. R 
 P. G. T. k P. M. 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ?lo!r§c of Herpitual 
 
 BRIDGWATER, 
 
Enije* 
 
 Reasons for the disproportion of the Priory .. .. Page 1 
 
 Description of the Exterior. 1 
 
 Description of the Interior . 3 
 
 Refectory. 3 
 
 Contents of Priory . 6 
 
 Roman Pitcher from Burtle. 23 
 
 Oratory. 26 
 
 Dormitory . 26 
 
 King Charles’s Room. 27 
 
 Victoria Room. 28 
 
 Seal of Stoke Courci. 28 
 
 Seal of Barckley, Bishop of Bath and Wells . 29 
 
 Seal of Richard de Bradenie . 30 
 
 The Crypt . 30 
 
 Antiquities from the Villa of Pitney. 31 
 
 Observatory . 32 
 
 The Village . 37 
 
 Appendix . 45 
 
 Monmouth’s Fight. 48 
 
 .. 75 
 
 His Letter to the King. .. .. .. ., 87 
 
 His Execution. 95 
 
 His Issue—Style—Arms, &c.108 
 
Index. 
 
 Extract from the Register of Westonzoyland .. .. Page 110 
 
 Extract from Whiting.. . ., .. 112 
 
 Feversham’s barbarity to an Ensign of the Duke’s Army .. 117 
 
 Swain’s Leaps . 117 
 
 The Grave . 119 
 
 A Letter from Colonel Kirke .. .. 120 
 
 The Bloody Assizes . 122 
 
 List of Sufferers . 126 
 
 Escape of Henry Bull, Esq.136 
 
 Documents relating to the Bull Family. 137 
 
 Presentation of the Living of Yarlington by Oliver Cromwell 143 
 Account of the Escape of Capt. Hunt from Ilehester Gaol 151 
 Letter from Robert Hunt, Esq. *.154 
 
 — - - - -.. .. 156 
 
 Letter from the Rev. Andrew Paschall .158 
 
 — ----—- .. . 166 
 
 Extracts from an old Book relating to the Parish of Chedzoy 169 
 
 The Legende of the Sworde .. .. 171 
 
 Burtle Chapel .. .. .173 
 
 Earthquake .. 175 
 
 Curious antique Ring.. .. 175 
 
WHEN a man builds a lowly cottage on 
 a high bill, at its completion be sits in his rustic 
 porch, and points out to bis beloved partner the 
 different objects in the delightful prospect before 
 them, as they are brought to his notice by the 
 varying lights of the setting sun, while his little 
 prattlers fondly climb about, or sit on his knees. 
 When the last ray has passed o’er the fairy pic¬ 
 ture, they take possession of their neat little 
 fireside, (the true Englishman’s greatest comfort,) 
 and after a plain but hearty meal he retires to 
 rest, quite as proud as a Prince of his palace, and 
 perhaps much more happy than the greatest 
 Monarch on his down. Yet this probably passes 
 without a single observation being made on the 
 event. But when his neighbour ventures to erect 
 an edifice which can be seen for many miles in 
 almost every direction, it completely alters the 
 case : a remark is made by every passer-by, and 
 he is called to account in every quarter for 
 having dared to obtrude anything so ugly, un¬ 
 meaning, ill proportioned, yet still so conspicuous, 
 on the omnipotent eye of the public. I, the pro- 
 
 B 
 
ii. 
 
 prietor of Chilton Priory, have committed such a 
 heinous offence, and not being disposed to quarrel 
 with John Bull on so trifling a subject, will 
 endeavour to keep him in good humour by giving 
 a short account of the Building, the materials of 
 which it is formed, and its contents. 
 
 Previous to the dissolution of religious houses, 
 the Abbots of Brewton held Lands at Chedzoy, 
 three miles from the town of Bridgwater; and 
 tradition says there was a Chapel belonging to 
 them in a large common field called Slapeland. 
 The farmers had often complained of their 
 ploughshares having been injured by striking 
 against large stones : I was induced to make a 
 search for foundations, but, to my surprise, found 
 the remains of a Homan Villa instead of a Chapel. 
 There was a quantity of broken pottery, scoria of 
 iron, ashes, See. Sec. and the remains of a large 
 Hypocaust nearly entire, and formed of large 
 Hamhill stones. This part of the building being 
 much deeper in the earth than the rest, had 
 escaped the hands of the destroyer. 
 
 I determined on a further search, and at length 
 succeeded in coming to what appeared to be a 
 church path, sunk below the surface in the same 
 
111 . 
 
 way as that which now leads through the yard 
 to the parish church. At the end of it were the 
 remains of foundations of very thick walls, and a 
 Coin with a heavy buttress was easily traced. 
 Some fragments of the tracery of Gothic Windows 
 were also discovered ; this I think accounts for 
 the many loads of carved stones which from time 
 to time have been found, walled into the farm¬ 
 houses erected about the time of Henry VIII. and 
 his immediate successors. 
 
 By the kindness of the late and present Lords 
 of theManor, Thomas and HenryPorter, Esquires, 
 I have been enabled to preserve the most interest¬ 
 ing of those relics ; which first induced me to 
 erect the Priory, as a Repository for many 
 curiosities which would have otherwise been 
 destroyed. 
 
 b 2 
 

 
Reasons* for tfjr ©^proportion of it* 
 %Lxct)iUctuve+ 
 
 In the first place, the Building is intended rather 
 as a pleasing object at a distance, being placed on 
 very high ground, than as a specimen of Archi¬ 
 tecture. Secondly, if the Tower had been built 
 in proportion to its height, the rooms would have 
 been so very small, as to be perfectly useless, and 
 as the doors, windows, etc., were taken from 
 other buildings, no regular proportion could be 
 observed; and nothing could be done but to ar¬ 
 range the whole so as to be as little irksome as, 
 possible to the eye of the connoisseur. 
 
 Beuviptim of t !)t ISxtrrior, 
 
 The Priory consists of a Nave, Oratory at the 
 east end, a south Porch, and an embattled Tower 
 at the west, under which is a Crypt. The two 
 lower Windows were taken from an old house 
 b 3 
 
2 
 
 belonging to tbe Church at Chedzoy, now des¬ 
 troyed. The three in the upper story, together 
 with the Battlements and Grotesque Heads, were 
 made from part of the stone of the Castle of 
 Enmore, now destroyed. The three Pinnacles 
 were for several centuries on Langport Tower, 
 and, though likely to last for as many more, were 
 degraded from their proud and lofty situation, in 
 order to make room for new ones. They, with 
 their companion now on my lawn, were thrown 
 about for some years in a stone-mason’s yard, but 
 are now placed in such a situation as to enable 
 them to look down with contempt on their tawdry 
 usurpers, and on the taste of the repairers and 
 beautifiers of the venerable Edifice they so long 
 decorated. The embattled and elegant Turret on 
 the staircase was taken from theChurch ofShepton 
 Mallet during its late enlargement. The shield 
 of arms under the west window—Paly of six, 
 argent and azure, on a bend gules, three cinque¬ 
 foils or, serves as a sundial for several hours of 
 the day. The three windows of the Nave were 
 formed of the fragments of those of the Chedzoy 
 Slapeland Chapel. The fineal on the gabel was 
 thrown down with the cross on it, from part of 
 the Church of Chedzoy, by Oliver Cromwell’s 
 soldiers. On the east side of the Porch will be 
 
3 
 
 seen part of the inscription of an ancient tomb 
 from Chedzoy — 44 ond deceased anno 1599.” 
 The venerable iron-clad oak door formerly be¬ 
 longed to the Church of Stoke Courci. Over it 
 is a quatre-foil with a shield in the centre, from 
 an old house at Westonzoyland, formerly belong¬ 
 ing to the Bridge family. The fineal, from an 
 old monastic building in the neighbourhood of 
 Taunton, is surmounted by a modern Maltese 
 Cross, with the motto “ In hoc signo vinces.” 
 On the house at the north side is a beautiful little 
 fineal from the old Altarpiece of the Church of 
 Glastonbury. 
 
 Bmrnptimt <sf tfie Interior* 
 
 On the right hand side of the Porch is the 
 Holy water bason, taken from the north entrance 
 of Chilton Polden Chapel when it was enlarged. 
 The inner oak door is very ancient, and belonged 
 to a monastic building. 
 
 Uefecto rg* 
 
 The large eastern window is formed from the 
 
 * There is no name on the Register of that date ending with ond. 
 
4 
 
 fragments of one from Slapeland Chapel, Chedzoy. 
 Over it is a Bishop’s Mitre supported by Angels, 
 and formerly richly painted. This was one of 
 the ornaments of Taunton Priory, and was dis- 
 covered in the ruins a few years since. The old 
 stone chimney, or rather clavy piece, was taken 
 from an ancient building belonging to the Church 
 of Chedzoy. Immediately over it is a curiously 
 carved shield, from the seat of the Bridges, at 
 Westonzoyland; next, is a small corbel, struck 
 by lightning many years since from the eastern 
 end of Huntspill Church. Above is a figure sup¬ 
 porting a shield; this is very curious, for although 
 it had formed part of the foundation of a farm 
 house for three centuries, the gilt and paint is 
 still to be seen, and the arms, Party per Chevron, 
 Sable and Gules, can be traced. Above, near the 
 roof, is a fineal to a monument or shrine. On 
 the right over the door supporting a bust, is the 
 piscina for carrying off the holy water when 
 polluted by the hands of the Priest, flies, etc. 
 On the left is the capital of a pillaster, forming the 
 bracket for a bust. These four are also from 
 Slapeland ChapeL On the roof are two gilt 
 rosettes from the Church of Glastonbury, and 
 two others beautifully carved in oak. On one of 
 the beams is an elegantly carved scrawl sur- 
 
5 
 
 mounted by some tabernacle work, painted blue 
 and red, ornamented with gold, taken from York 
 Minster after the fire caused by the incendiary, 
 Martin. The floor is chequered with black and 
 white stone, bordered with blue, similar to those 
 of Freemasons’ Lodges. 
 
 At the east end is a small Oratory descended 
 by three steps, as were the Chapels of the Monks 
 of the order of La Trappe. It is divided from the 
 other room by the ancient communion rails of 
 St. Michael's Church in the parish of North 
 Petherton. The date in inlaid figures of lead is 
 1635. The floor is composed of ancient monastic 
 tiles from the Abbeys of Glastonbury and Tintern. 
 On one from the latter, are the Arms of the 
 founder, Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, 
 surnamed Strongbow. Or, three clievronels gules. 
 There are also several tiles from the ancient 
 Chapel of St. John’s Hospital, Bridgwater. 
 
 From the Refectory, by three steps, the bed¬ 
 room is entered, and a spiral stone staircase leads 
 first to King Charles’s Room, called so from a 
 Portrait of that unfortunate Monarch, and one of 
 his Queen, which it contains. Over it is the 
 Victoria Room with a groined ceiling, and the 
 
6 
 
 Rose of England in its centre. Above are the 
 leads, from which the beautiful prospect of the 
 surrounding country can be enjoyed. 
 
 < Eontmt 0* 
 
 In a nich in the porch, is the lower part of a 
 figure clad in Priestly robes, the toes of the shoes 
 sharp pointed, and resting on a dead lion, found in 
 the ruins of St. John’sChapel,Bridgwater,and from 
 the remains of paint on it, See. is supposed to have 
 been part of the tomb of one of the family of the 
 He Brewers, who were great benefactors to that 
 Hospital, and also founders of the Parish Church. 
 This probably represents a person who in early 
 life was a soldier, and afterwards became an 
 ecclesiastic.*' Below it is the top stone but one 
 of Bridgwater Spire, which, after having braved 
 the blasts of nearly six centuries, was so much 
 injured by lightning as to be rendered dangerous, 
 and therefore partly taken down and restored. 
 In the corner at the right is a large stone ball, 
 shot into the town of Bridgwater during the siege 
 by General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, and 
 lodged in the wall of the old White Hart Inn, in 
 Eastover, lately burnt. 
 
 • Presented by Mr. Joseph Francis. 
 
7 
 
 On entering the Refectory, the attention is 
 first attracted by a fine piece of ancient Tapestry, 
 representing the Coronation of Marcus Aurelius, 
 the Emperor and Philosopher. This and many 
 other pieces were collected, at great expense, by 
 an ancestor of the Earl of Egmont, who built the 
 Castle at Enmore, which is now taken down, or 
 rather converted into a Villa. In the eastern 
 window is a great variety of ancient stained and 
 painted glass. In the upper compartment is a 
 mutilated Figure representing Eleanor, Queen of 
 Edward the first: she is kneeling, with her hands 
 in a supplicating posture, before her is an open 
 book, and over, in a scrawl, part of the Lord’s 
 prayer. On the right side is a bust of Edward 
 the third, and below it, a group taken from a 
 Chapel founded by Cardinal Wolsey, represent¬ 
 ing King Henry the eighth, a Lady Abbess, and 
 a Monk, with the following very curious inscrip¬ 
 tion underneatli in old church text, 
 
 fcfsgrttoe gtlatoelh oitmt Cor Who 
 
 this Scladelb was, no one has been able to inform 
 me. Perhaps he was a Roman Catholic Saint. 
 In the lower compartment is a beautifully painted 
 Cherub, of the reign of Edward the third : it is 
 looking up to a mutilated figure of St. Michael 
 the Archangel, with his several pairs of wings. 
 
B 
 
 On the left is a fine bust of Saint James. Under 
 it are the letters T. B. and the date 1579, sur¬ 
 rounded by a wreath of curious and rare ivy 
 leaves. On one side are the letters R. W. for 
 Richard Whiting, last Abbot of Glastonbury; and 
 on the other the letter B. for Richard Bere, also 
 Abbot. Beneath is a companion Cherub to the 
 one opposite, who is looking towards a Tau cu¬ 
 riously painted. The border round the lower 
 compartments is formed of the broken glass taken 
 from Glastonbury Abbey, at the destruction of 
 that venerable Edifice; there is a variety of 
 shades of the rare pink and ruby glass in this 
 window. On the left hand is a very massive 
 clock, with the date 1611 : it has a pendulum, 
 which makes it very curious, as that movement 
 it is said, was not invented until several years 
 after that period; it stands on a carved oak 
 bracket. By it are suspended five balls of burnt 
 clay of very rude workmanship, and much resem¬ 
 bling those used in stables for fastening the 
 halters of horses: they were found, with two 
 others which were broken by the pickaxe of the 
 labourer, near the ancient Roman road leading 
 from Puriton to Downend, and the old Roman 
 town now called in the neighbourhood the Chief 
 Chettele of the Mount. Fragments of bones, 
 
9 
 
 with a large quantity of ashes, were near them. 
 They are probably British, and might have been 
 used in some of the ceremonies of sepulture. I 
 sent one for the inspection of my late worthy and 
 universally lamented friend Sir Bichard Colt 
 Hoare, Baronet, who had never met with any 
 thing of the kind, as appears from the following 
 note. 
 
 “Dear Sir , 
 
 “ I wish I could give you any satisfactory 
 “ information respecting your Relic , hut I have 
 “ never seen any thing like it , and cannot imagine 
 “ to what use it was applied . 
 
 Your obedient Servant , 
 
 R. C. Hoare.” 
 
 “ William Stradlhig, JEsq., 
 
 Roseville , 
 
 Chilton Polden.”* 
 
 In the centre of this room is a massive carved 
 oak table; at the east end of which, is an ancient 
 
 • Eccard says, Tom. 1. 892, that the ancient Germans used perforated 
 stone balls, through which thongs were passed, and answered the purpose 
 of slings, and that many of them have been found in their sepulchres. 
 Query.—As itwas much easier to burn bricks in this shape, might not these 
 relics have been used for a similar purpose? We know that the burying of 
 arms and weapons of war, even of the most rude description, with their own¬ 
 ers, was a custom with the most barbarous as well as civilized nations, 
 
 C 
 
10 
 
 oak chair from Glamorganshire, with the rose on 
 the back, supposed to have been made in the 
 reign of Henry the seventh. On the right is an 
 oak chair much decayed, and plain, but preserved 
 on account of its having been a favourite of 
 Squire Brent , Lord of the Manor of Cossington. 
 Next to it is one which was formerly in the 
 possession of Squire Smith, of the same place, 
 and used in his smoking room. Each of those 
 worthies, in his day, well played the part of “The 
 good old English Gentleman all of the olden 
 time.” At the head of the table is a curiously 
 carved antique chair. Against the south wall is 
 a splendid antique oak chest from the Abbey of 
 Glastonbury, with five compartments in front, 
 each containing a figure : one has a church in 
 his arms, with a snake issuing from it, emblem¬ 
 atical of the professed immortality of the Romish 
 Church:—the second bears a censer, a represent¬ 
 ation of the Holy Gospel :—two others are also 
 supporting Churches. In the centre is the Holy 
 Virgin with the Child in her arms, and on each 
 end are busts of an Abbot and Lady Abbess. The 
 coffer is supported by one entire, and part of the 
 other, bed-post belonging to the unfortunate 
 Richard Whiting, last Abbot of Glastonbury. On 
 this stand is an iron hook which supported one 
 
11 
 
 of the eastern gates of the town of Bridgwater* 
 To which, tradition says, several of the rebels 
 were hung, after the Monmouth’s Fight in Weston 
 Moor on the 6th of July 1685. On the floor 
 beneath, is a Roman bason of Parian Marble* 
 found at Littleton, and presented by Samuel 
 Hasell, Esquire, also a piece of a Roman tesselated 
 pavement. Above is a fine cinerary vase of 
 Greek Marble, and elegant figure, taken from a 
 conditorium or sepulchral chamber of ancient 
 Rome, by Thomas Hare, Esquire, F.L.S. and 
 F.H.S. Near it is a fragment of the head of an 
 antique marble statue, from the villa of Maecenas 
 at Tivoli. In the centre is a beautiful little 
 marble statue of Venus on roses, mounted on a 
 very old Or molu stand. On the other side of 
 the door is an elaborately carved oak livery- 
 board ; beneath it are some ancient delph dishes; 
 above are three cases :—one, containing a large 
 piece of Arragonite from Holwell cavern near 
 Bridgwater—another, the head of a New Zealand 
 Chief, presented by the Rev. T. B. Coney, rector 
 of Chedzoy—and a third, the following antiques : 
 Nos, 1 and 3, a Nilometer, and another trinket 
 from the necklace, and No. 2, a large and rare 
 specimen of the Scarabseus Sacer, from the breast 
 of an Egyptian Mummy; 4, 5, 6, and 7, three 
 
 c 2 
 
12 
 
 Egyptian Idols of green porcelain, and one of 
 wood, from the Catacombs ; 8, a very rare one of 
 white porcelain, covered with Hieroglyphics, and 
 ornamented with black, from one of the tombs in 
 the “ great valley of the Kings,” near Thebes ; 
 9, a British spear of flint, with the top broken off; 
 
 11, one nearly perfect, both found deeply buried 
 in the peat in Edington Burtle, the latter pre¬ 
 sented by Mr. Thos. Norris; 10, a British flint 
 arrow-head, presented by Morley Chubb, Esquire; 
 
 12, an ancient brass spear such as was used by 
 the Britons of the Interior, and called Gwaew-fon 
 or Fonwayw ; 13 and 14, different kinds of brass 
 spear-heads used by the Britons in their hunting 
 excursions, and named Gwaew-Hela ; 15, a very 
 curious brass pin or brooch, for fastening the 
 robe, also British; 16, a Bwyell Arv, or British 
 battle axe commonly called a celt; 17, a fine spe¬ 
 cimen of the Bwyell-lydan , or British hatchet for 
 cutting wood; all these interesting specimens, 
 from No. 12 to 17, were found in the Turbaries 
 of Chilton Polden, Edington, &c.; 18, a large 
 and perfect Roman fibula, ploughed up in the 
 village of Moorlinch; 19, a Roman fibula or 
 buckle, from the ruins of a Roman Villa at Combe 
 in the parish of Woolavington ; 20, one found on 
 Knowle Hill near Bridgwater; 21, a romanized 
 
13 
 
 British spear in the highest state of preservation, 
 found with several fragments of human bones 
 and a quantity of ashes, at Edington, a. d. 1836, 
 presented by Miss Field, Edington House ; 22, a 
 thermal head of white marble from Msecenas’s 
 Villa, at Tivoli; 23, an elegantly engraved Roman 
 key found at Chedzoy; 24, one of the Roman 
 Penates or household gods, in bronze ; 25, one 
 ditto of Mars ; 27, one ditto; 26, a small Roman 
 steelyard in bronze; 28, an elegant little figure 
 in bronze, supposed to represent the Emperor 
 Trajan, the hands and one leg are broken off, it 
 is of exquisite workmanship, and was ploughed 
 up in a field near Bath; 29, a small Roman goat 
 in bronze ; 30, a small bronze bell, from Hercu¬ 
 laneum ; 31, is supposed to be a part of the 
 harness of a Roman chariot: it is of brass, and has 
 been inlaid ; it was found on Knowle Hill, near 
 the spot where a great many other antiques were 
 ploughed up some years since, which are in the 
 possession of Robert Anstice, Esquire, F.G.S., and 
 were published by the Antiquarian Society. 32, 
 A Roman bronze toad, one of the Penates. 33, 
 Specimens of the moulds found in the Turbary of 
 Chilton Polden, August 26, 1835. # They were 
 
 * Many of those moulds were discovered some years since in the high 
 lands of Chilton Polden, but none have ever been found before in the Peat-. 
 The situation makes them doubly interesting', as it proves the Turbary to 
 liaye been in the same state fourteen or fifteeu centuries since as at present 
 
 c 3 
 
14 
 
 about a foot beneath the surface, and within a 
 circle of ten inches diameter, and made from 
 coins of Commodus, Severus (of several types), 
 Julia Pia, Caracalla, Geta, Julia Mameea, 
 Alexander, &c. Two perfect coins, one of Severus 
 and the other of Geta were found, they are of the 
 white metal used by theRomans. Most of the coins 
 discovered in the neighbourhood of Polden Hill 
 are of this metal instead of silver, and much too 
 bad an imitation to deceive the most inexperienced 
 eye. This I think common forgers would have 
 avoided. Two small leather purses were found 
 in the Turbary last year, which soon fell to dust 
 on exposure to the air ; they were in two of the 
 mounds containing fragments of pottery, which I 
 shall presently notice : one contained silver coins 
 of the latter Emperors, and the other the smallest 
 size copper of the same era, # both so much clipped 
 that but very few of the inscriptions are left. It 
 seems probable that the clippings w ere used for 
 casting in the moulds, and as the base metal 
 appears to have been the most current coin, per¬ 
 haps the Commanders of the Detachments from 
 the three Legions stationed in the Interior w^ere 
 
 * In small copper, was one of Theodosius Aug. (the first or great) .and 
 another of Aelia Flaccilla, his first wife, both are in the highest state of 
 preservation, and the latter is very rare. 
 
15 
 
 allowed to substitute base, for silver coins, for 
 paying the soldiers, and for other purposes of 
 Government. I merely suggest this for the opin¬ 
 ions of those who are well versed in the antiquities 
 of Romanized Britain ;* 34, a small Roman bead 
 found by me some years since on the scite of a 
 Roman villa in the parish of Bawdrip, called 
 Churehie Bushes. Sir R. C. Hoare considered 
 this a great curiosity, as it is of the same manu¬ 
 facture and porcelain as the idols found with the 
 mummies of Egypt; 35, a larger Roman bead of 
 chalcedony, found in the parish of Cliedzoy ; 36, 
 one ditto of cornelian; 37, one ditto of amber; 38, 
 a brass ornament, which must have formed part 
 of the handle of a coffer or coffin, found by the 
 labourers employed on the Brue drainage, in the 
 ruins of an ancient Chapel nearllighbridge; some 
 of the blue enamel and gilt is still remaining. In 
 the centre is an antiquely shaped shield, bearing 
 a coat of arms—Azure Seme of Crosses Fitche, 
 two fishes liaurient and adorsed Or ; two griffins 
 are supporting the shield, and another is in the 
 place of a crest; 39, is an iron ring cased with 
 
 • Pliny informs us that Livius Drusus debased the silver coinage by 
 mixing it with one eighth part of brass. He also says that Anthony the 
 Triumvir mixed iron with the denarius. I know not how iron could have 
 been mixed with silver, I have met with coins of Tacitus, Probus, and 
 Maximiauus, of iron plated with that metal. 
 
16 
 
 brass, probably a fibula for the toga ; and 40, a 
 bone with the word Apriiis marked on it, and 
 which might have been fastened to the neck of a 
 slave of that name, or it might have been the 
 watch word of the day, sent by the Command¬ 
 ant to the Officers of the Legion by an unlettered 
 Romanized Briton. These antiques are considered 
 great curiosities, having been discovered by Mr. 
 Hasell, in the foundations of a Roman building, 
 below the peat in King’s Sedgmoor, near Somerton. 
 The Moor must therefore have been a bog since 
 theRoman era, and has since gradually encroached 
 on the borders of its bason. This I consider is 
 not mere theory, as several old men with whom I 
 have conversed, who, if now living, would be 
 above one hundred years of age, remembered 
 many large lakes of floating bog, which have 
 disappeared since the enclosure and partial drain¬ 
 age of this immense tract; 41, antique Roman 
 sepulchral lamp with two burners, and a battle 
 represented on the lid; 42, fragment of marble 
 mosaic, from the Baths of Titus, at Rome; 43, 
 a small floor-brick, of the opus spicatum at 
 Tusculum; those bricks were set in cement, 
 and placed an edge; 44, fragment of marble from 
 Pompeia; 45, a very antique ex voto of terra 
 cotta probably of Mars, from Prseneste; 46, small 
 
17 
 
 etruscan vase of elegant shape; 47, small Roman 
 lachrymatory ; 48, an essence pot from Paestum ; 
 49, Roman vase with cover, in the highest state of 
 preservation ; 50, a Roman sepulchral lamp with 
 a wild boar on the top, the insignia of the mother 
 of the gods, and the name Cteso on the bottom ; 
 51, fragment of verde-antique from the ruins of 
 Ostia; 52, part of a variegated marble column 
 from the ancient City of Fidena; 53, fibula of a 
 bronze statue from ancient Rome ; 54, bulla of 
 the large square bricks called Mattoni, which 
 were 22 inches square and 1 inch and a half in 
 thickness, from Tusculum ; 55, Roman terra 
 cotta lamp of peculiar shape; 56, curiously 
 shaped Roman vessel of terra cotta; a fragment 
 of white marble, from Pompeia. 
 
 On the wall, over the oak coffer, are five rare 
 specimens of ancient porcelain. In the centre is a 
 very large dish, of Persian ware, formerly from 
 the family house of theBridges, of Westonzoyland, 
 and used at the dinners given to, or rather taken 
 by, Lord Feversham, during liis stay at the 
 Mansion, previous to Monmouth’s fight. Of this 
 circumstance, I was informed by a woman who 
 was upwards of fourscore years of age, the 
 daughter of a domestic who waited on the occa- 
 
18 
 
 sion. It was used for a sort of junket, and has a 
 boss in the centre, on which is a shield charged 
 with an eagle. Over it is an extremely rare 
 blood-measure, or bleeding-dish, also of Persian 
 ware. On each side and below, are plates of 
 very old Raphael ware. One representing Hanibal, 
 another, Cupid and Venus, and a third, Vulcan. 
 In a niche near, is the bust of Lord Nelson, and 
 below it are, a part of a brass drum, taken at the 
 battleofCopenhagen,bearing the arms ofDenmark, 
 surrounded by the collar of the order of the Ele¬ 
 phant and Castle; and an ivory dirk, presented 
 byH. Snelgrove, Esq., worn by him on board the 
 Colossus , at the battle of Trafalgar, and in many 
 other engagements. Next is a trophy of swords, 
 etc. The two lowermost are Crusaders, with the 
 escallop hilt. On one of them is a mound sur¬ 
 mounted by a cross, and the motto “ Soli deo 
 Gloria.” In the centre is a most destructive and 
 perhaps unique weapon, used by the Bill men at 
 Monmouth’s fight, found some time since in 
 King’s Sedgemoor, on the scite of the battle. In 
 a niche over the door, is the bust of Napoleon, 
 and beneath it a tom-a-hawk, taken on board a 
 French Privateer in the late war. Below, is a 
 large specimen of Ammonites Heterophylius from 
 Oolite; and on each side of the arch is an antique 
 
19 
 
 marble tablet, from family sepulchral chambers 
 in ancient Rome. On the right hand one, is 
 inscribed, 
 
 IAS-L-PIA-PATRONA 
 LIVIAE-PRIMILLAE 
 BENE-MERENTI 
 POSVIT 
 V IX-A-LXXX V 
 CYRILLA-PRIMILLA-ES 
 DE LICIV- 
 
 On the other, 
 
 D - M 
 
 TI CLAV TROPHIMO 
 HOMINI OPTIMO 
 TI CLAVDIVS CALOCERVS 
 CONLIBERTO HOM 
 DVLCISSIMO 
 
 Supposed to be an abbreviation of 
 
 D I V I S MANIBUS 
 TITO CLAUDIO TROPHIMO 
 HOMINI OPTIMO 
 TITUS CLAUDIUS CALOCERUS 
 CON LIBERTO HOMINI 
 DULCISSIMO* 
 
20 
 
 Over the livery-hoard, in a niche, is the bust 
 of the Duke of Wellington, and by it, a suit of 
 ancient English foot armour, also a morion, and 
 a shot-proof cuirass, presented by Colonel Tynte. 
 On the left of the fire-place, is a marble bust of 
 Cicero; and on the right, a very antique one, of 
 statuary and red and white marble, of a Lady, 
 from ancient Home. Over the chimney piece, is 
 a long brass-barreled pistol, with lock of pecu¬ 
 liar construction. This, and the right hand 
 sword beneath, were used by Captain Durston, at 
 Monmouth’s fight. This Gentleman gave his 
 Estate to his poor relations, and their descendants 
 annually receive the proceeds, on Trinity Friday, 
 at Knowle Inn in the parish of Bawdrip. There 
 is a very fine German executioner’s sword on the 
 left, inscribed “ Jacob Bracli Solengen mefecit.” 
 Over on the right are two fine Fossil heads of the 
 Ichthiosaurus, from Street. Near them are seve¬ 
 ral pieces of ancient delph. One is a curious 
 drinking cup, with an open-work neck, used at 
 ancient festivities, and called a fuddling pitcher. 
 On the left in a glass case, is a fine and rare speci¬ 
 men of the Caryophillia ramea, or May blossom 
 coral,from Madeira, presented by R. B. Simmons, 
 Esq. The peculiarity of this coral is, that when 
 wet, it yields an odoriferous perfume very similar 
 
21 
 
 to that of the thorn blossom. Over it is a Roman 
 lachrymatory of terra cotta, with a winged female 
 figure on one side, and a honeysuckle scrawl on 
 the other. An elegant Etruscan ewer, from the 
 Grecian Territory of ancient Italy, and a Roman¬ 
 ized British pitcher, which I shall presently 
 notice. On the corbel in the centre, is the lower 
 part of the statue of the Virgin, which, with the 
 Altar of the Church of Chedzoy, was destroyed 
 by the soldiers of Oliver Cromwell. By the 
 coral case is an old fashioned brass candlestick, 
 formerly used at Christmas and other festivities, 
 for the decorated candle. It is made to fall in 
 pieces if touched by an unlucky Wight, in his 
 or her attempt to jump over it. A forfeit was 
 always demanded by the founder of the feast for 
 such an accident. Above is a sconce of yellow 
 porcelain, with sockets for three candles, with 
 the arms of Queen Elizabeth, surmounted by the 
 Rose, and the letters E. R. On the wall at the 
 left of the Tapestry are, a scarf, bow and arrows, 
 and red waist-belt, of a Chief of Feegee Island 
 in the south seas. A mandarin hat, and a pair of 
 chopsticks used by the Chinese. A curious 
 sword with a wavy blade and carved ivory hilt. 
 A North American war club, used by the great 
 Mohawk Chief, Brandt , celebrated in Campbell’s 
 
 D 
 
22 
 
 Gertrude of Wyoming, given by his son to John 
 Banister, Esq., and by him to the late John 
 Evered, Esq., who presented it. Suspended to 
 the roof above, is a cap and the Priestly dress of 
 the Son of Manilla Peppel, King of Bonny, on 
 the Western Coast of Africa, who died in 1837. 
 A more ferocious savage never existed.^ The 
 young Chief bartered this curious specimen of 
 African manufacture, for a check shirt,toEdward, 
 son of E. A. Stradling, Esq. Near it is part of 
 the paddle of an ancient British canoe, similar in 
 shape to those now used by the Welsh, for steer¬ 
 ing their coracles. It was found in the Burtle 
 Peat, in such a situation as to indicate its having 
 been broken by the rower. In the fire-place on 
 the right, near the hearth can be traced, a Cross 
 Moline, on a thick stone which was part of the 
 cover of a stone coffin. It was from Slapeland 
 Chapel. The massive iron dripping pan was 
 used as far back as the reign of Henry the 
 seventh, (who was Lord of the Manor) at the 
 feasts held in the Court-house of Chedzoy. The 
 brass firepan and tongs are ancient, as are also 
 the fine pair of steel fire dogs from Halswell 
 House, presented by Colonel Tynte. 
 
 • Sec the Literary Gazette for July 29th, 1837. 
 
23 
 
 I now come to the Roman jug or pitcher, the 
 Pet of my small collection of Antiques. And, a 
 very queer looking, coarse, black Pet you have 
 selected, will be the exclamation of my fair 
 readers, (if any deign to look into this little book 
 of ancient lore). It is not the first jug, or pitcher, 
 which has given pleasurable feeling to its poss¬ 
 essor, and we know not, but that the clay, of 
 which it was composed fourteen centuries since, 
 might have been mixed with ashes, as venerable 
 as those of “ Toby Philpot,” though it was never 
 sufficiently sound to yield the friendly draught to 
 a Roman inclined to indulge in feelings such as, 
 “ From morning sun I’d never grieve 
 “ To toil, a hedger or a ditcher, 
 
 “ If that, when I come home at eve, 
 
 “ I might enjoy my friend and pitcher.” 
 
 I will now give the reasons why I so highly 
 value it. In the first place, I consider it as to 
 preservation, to be an almost unique specimen of 
 Roman, or rather Romanized British manufac¬ 
 ture. As all theRoman villas and other buildings 
 discovered in this country, appear to have been 
 hastily destroyed by fire or otherwise, no vessels 
 of pottery have been found entire in their ruins. 
 But it gives much greater interest in consequence 
 of the situation in which it was discovered. Ia 
 d 2 
 
24 
 
 the large tract of Peat or Turbary, which stretches 
 through the lower parts of the Villages of 
 Huntspill, Cossington, Chilton Polden, Edington, 
 Catcott, and Shapwick, and which is called the 
 Burtles; are numerous Mounds, or Barrows of 
 various sizes, some covering many yards of 
 ground. They are of different shapes, but gene¬ 
 rally round or oval, and all containing innumer¬ 
 able fragments of Roman pottery. Many have 
 been the surmises of Antiquaries, as to the origin 
 or use of these earth works. Some thought they 
 marked the graves of the illustrious dead, others, 
 that they were heaps of ballast thrown from ships, 
 when the bog formed the bottom of the immense 
 lake, which tradition says surrounded the Town 
 of Glastonbury, then the Isle of Avalon, others, 
 that they were merely heaps of rubbish brought 
 from the numerous Roman buildings in the neigh¬ 
 bourhood. I was therefore determined to examine 
 not only their contents, but the mode of their 
 formation. After a patient investigation, and 
 supported by the opinion of my worthy friend 
 Mr. Hasell, I fearlessly pronounce them to have 
 been Potteries; and of such magnitude, as to 
 have formed the great magazine of this part of 
 the country, from which was sent, the black ware 
 so universally used by the Romans during their 
 
25 
 
 sway in Britain. Islands of clay and sand were 
 near, and I believe the manner of proceeding was 
 as follows. The Peat was generally removed to 
 the depth of from one to two feet, when a thick 
 floor of clay was substituted, on which were 
 placed the differently shaped vessels, as jugs, 
 pipkins, vases, and a sort of patera. Those were 
 supported on the kiln by rudely shaped bricks 
 formed by the hand, and bearing marks of straw. 
 Both peat and wood were used for fuel, as 
 appears by pieces of charcoal. Coal was some¬ 
 times used, perhaps for smelting iron, as now and 
 then the scoria of that metal is to be seen, also for 
 mixing with the clay. After the process of 
 burning, all the perfect pieces were no doubt 
 selected for package, and those with fire-flaws 
 and other injuries were thrown by, and served 
 only to form those numerous and large heaps of 
 potsherds. My venerable pitcher is perfect with 
 the exception of a small piece taken off by the 
 spade, and a crack or fire-flaw running round it, 
 which not only rendered it useless for the purpose 
 of holding liquor, but also made it much too fra¬ 
 gile to bear carriage to any distance,accompanied 
 by the refuse by which it was surrounded. No 
 situation could be more convenient to the work¬ 
 men, as, w r ith brocks of turf plastered with clay, 
 d3. 
 
26 
 
 they could form most comfortable walls for their 
 huts ; whilst the various heaths would serve for 
 an excellent covering. It is not uncommon at 
 the present day, to see walls of decent cottages 
 in the moor built in this way, with the assistance 
 of a frame-work of wood, and plastered with 
 mortar. This custom might have been handed 
 down from the time of the Romanized British 
 inhabitants. 
 
 Orator#* 
 
 In the Oratory is a very ancient oak cabinet, 
 formerly the property of Mr. William Sparke, of 
 Chedzoy, who, with the assistance of a spy glass 
 (now in my possession) saw the King’s Troops 
 marching down Sedgemoor before they encamped 
 at Penzoy Pound, in Westonzoyland, and gave 
 information thereof to the Duke of Monmouth, 
 whose Forces were stationed in Castle Field, 
 Bridgwater. Over it is a bust of Sir Walter 
 Scott, considered to be the best taken of him. 
 
 BQvmitcvv. 
 
 The Dormitory, though small, is sufficiently 
 large to contain an ancient elaborately carved oak 
 
27 
 
 bedstead, formerly belonging to the family of 
 Lyte, of Lytes Carey, near Ivelchekter, and was 
 for a long period in the state room of their curious 
 mansion, the ceiling of which corresponds with the 
 style of carving on the oak. At the head is the 
 figure of Hope, with her anchor. On her right, 
 Sampson, with the jaw-bone of the ass, and on 
 her left, the Giant, Goliath. On the tester, four 
 angels support shields of arms. The posts are of 
 the same make as those of the bedstead of Abbot 
 Whiting. A curiously carved chair is near it. 
 
 Minq Mmm. 
 
 This Room is entirely lined with carved oak. 
 The cabinet front, is the most ancient of any in 
 the building. On the north side, between the 
 portraits of King Charles and his Queen, is an 
 oak statue of the Virgin, found some years since 
 in the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. On each 
 side of the window, is a head of a Prince of 
 Wales, surmounted by the plume of feathers. 
 And over the door, a finely carved head of the 
 elder Bacchus, presented by William Baker, Esq. 
 Here is a specimen of the Elizabethan chair, with 
 a curiously carved back, formerly from Torry 
 House, in the parish of Catcott, the ancient seat 
 
28 
 
 of the Melliars. The cushion is from Enmore 
 Castle, and worked by Lady Egmont. The 
 octagon table is curious. 
 
 Utcturia Moom. 
 
 This Room is plainly furnished, but commands 
 a pleasing prospect in every quarter. Over the 
 fire-place is a carving on oak, of Prometheus 
 chained to the rock ; the second attempt of 
 Halleday, without his having seen any one work 
 at any thing of the kind. In a case, are the 
 impressions of the following seals, all in my 
 possession, except that of the Abbot. Seal of the 
 ancient Borough of Stoke Courci, of copper, 
 originally plated. On it is rudely engraved, a 
 Castle of four stories, embattled and turreted, 
 surmounted by a cross ; round it is inscribed 
 SIGILL’ COMMVNE : RVRGENSIVM : DE 
 STOKES CVRCI : The letters are similar to 
 those used on the coins of Edward the third. 
 This Borough sent Members to Parliament in that 
 King’s reign, but the inhabitants afterwards 
 petitioned to be excused from that honour, or 
 rather the expense attending it. The original 
 seal of Bishop Berkley, first Protestant Bishop of 
 Bath and Wells (also of copper.) He is repre- 
 
29 
 
 sented on his throne, robed and mitred, support¬ 
 ing the arms of the See. Below is a shield of the 
 arms of Berkley, Gules. On a chevron ermine 
 between ten crosses pattee argent. A rose for 
 difference. Round it is the following inscription 
 SIGILLYM GILBERTIBARCKLEY 
 BATHON ET WELLEN EPI AD CAYSAS. 
 
 The seal of Abbot Whiting, appendant to his 
 watch, described in Warners History of Glaston¬ 
 bury, bought at the sale of the late Rev. John 
 Bowen, by Colonel Tynte. A monastic seal of 
 very rude workmanship, found near Bath, repre¬ 
 senting the Pelican feeding her young with her 
 blood, with the inscription SIMIEFACT SVM 
 PEIJiCO. The other is the impression of one 
 which I consider unique of its kind. It is of 
 ivory, and was dug up not long since in a garden 
 near the Church of Chedzoy, within a mile of 
 Bradney, in the parish of Bawdrip. The sandy 
 soil in which it had been buried for several 
 centuries, has kept it in the highest state of 
 preservation. There has been a tradition from 
 time immemorial, that Temple Farm at Bradney, 
 (now in Chancery) formerly belonged to the 
 Knights Templars, and at the suppression of the 
 Order, it passed to the Knights Hospitallers, and 
 
30 
 
 afterwards became charity land. This seal 
 appears to corroborate the tradition, as it is 
 charged with the Holy Lamb and Flag (the in¬ 
 signia of the Templars), surrounded by the 
 following inscription, S : FRIS. RICARDI: BE 
 BRABENIE. Sigillum fratris Ricardi de 
 Braden ie. This brother Richard of Bradney, 
 probably held the farm, on condition of paying 
 an annual sum to the Knights of the Temple in 
 London or Bristol. Adjoining this estate, is that 
 of the Be Rradneys, on which is the old family 
 Mansion. A great part of it has been taken 
 down, and what remains is converted into a 
 farm house. It must have been a place of con¬ 
 sequence, as there is a Chapel in it, and a moat 
 can still be traced round it. 
 
 Sir Simon Be Bradney, Knight, founded a 
 Chantry in the Parish Church of Bawdrip, a. d. 
 1330, and lies buried in the north aisle, under a 
 tomb supporting his effigy. 
 
 efts 
 
 In the Crypt beneath the Tower, are the 
 various antiques discovered by Samuel Hasell, 
 Esq., in his excavations, in the ruins of the villas 
 
31 
 
 of Littleton, Hurcot, Pitney, and many others. 
 Among them are specimens of pottery, two par¬ 
 ticularly curious. A sort of patera. One of 
 Samian ware, made rough at the bottom with 
 spar, supposed to have been used at the tables of 
 the luxurious Romans, for the purpose of con¬ 
 verting cream into butter. There are also several 
 stone weights, fragments of painted stucco, sling 
 stones, a stone pillar which supported part of the 
 Hypocaust, a lead pipe in high preservation, 
 which conducted the water to the Bath in the 
 splendid villa of Pitney, the clay plug of which 
 was found entire. There are several sepulchral 
 stones bearing parts of inscriptions. Amongst 
 them are the words PATER - PATRI - SANC ; 
 and on the most perfect, 
 
 VIXI SINe 
 TRIGINTA 
 Q V A E CAP I 
 N 0 N O Anno. 
 
 These were found in the quadrangle, and sup¬ 
 posed to point out the place of interment. 
 
 The tiles are placed on the floor, in such a 
 manner as to show how the houses were covered, 
 fourteen or fifteen centuries since. 
 
32 
 
 On the Tower is an Observatory, from which 
 can be seen, one of the finest prospects in the 
 west of England. Eastward, are the Cathedral 
 and Church of Wells, the Tor of Glastonbury and 
 Abbots’ Kitchen, and a little to the right, are the 
 Hills of Wiltshire, and King Alfred’s Tower on 
 the domain of Sir Peter Hoare, Baronet. To the 
 west, the eye is carried over a large tract of rich 
 land to the Bristol Channel, ornamented by the 
 Flat and Steep Holms, and the numerous vessels 
 continually passing over its waters. A little to 
 the left of Woolavington Windmill, with the 
 assistance of a telescope, can be seen the two 
 Lighthouses on Nash Point in Glamorganshire, 
 and near them the stately Castle of St. Donats, 
 with its high tower, turrets, and battlements, and 
 venerable watch tower on the adjoining hill.* 
 
 * The following description of this Castle is given under a Print, by 
 Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, taken in the year 1740. “ This Castle is 
 
 “ situated on an eminence, having a fine Park to the west, and on the south, 
 “ pleasant Gardens, descending in terrasses from the Castle wall to the Severn 
 “ Sea, which forms a most glorious Canal between it and Somersetshire. 
 “ The Roman Coins dug up here, particularly of the 30 Tyrants, and some 
 “ of .ZEmilianus and Marius, are sufficient evidence of its great antiquity. 
 “ But the first mention of it in our histories, is in the 5th Will. Rufus, 
 “ A. D. 1091, when Jestin ap Gurgan, ye British Prince ofMorgannwy, by 
 “ ye treachery of Eneon ap Cadiver, Lord of Divet lost his life and terri- 
 “ tories to the Normans. Their leader, Fitzliamon, divided the country 
 “ amongst the 12 Knights, his associates in this expedition, whom he 
 
33 
 
 All the Churches on the coast from Nash to 
 Cardiff, are distinctly seen on a clear day. To 
 the north is the immense Turbary, and beyond it, 
 the hill on which stands Sand House, and many 
 other ornamental buildings. Over is seen, the 
 
 “ called his Peers. At this partition, this Castle fell to ye share of Sir 
 “ Will le Esterling, alias Stradling, and has been their Family Seat for 
 *' 648 years, during which time it never received any alteration,-&c. 
 
 Sir Thomas Stradling, (the last Baronet, lineally descended from Sir John, 
 who was the 5th created in England, by James 1st,) died at Montpelier, 
 in France, Sept. 27th, 1738, and was buried in the Family Chapel at St. 
 Donats, the 19th of March following, under an elegant tomb of grey and 
 white marble. By his decease, the eldest branch of the family became 
 extinct. Several are still extant. The senior is represented by Francis 
 Adams Stradling, Esq., of Chedzoy, now 88 years of age, who is lineally 
 descended from John Stradling, Esq., three times Mayor of the Borough of 
 Bridgwater, in the reign of James the 1st, and lies buried in the north 
 aisle of the parish Church, under a brass plate bearing the following 
 inscription. 
 
 “ Stradlingus jacet hie, Generosa stirpe creatus 
 “ Qui Burgi istius ter modo Maior erat, 
 
 “ Hesperias adiit juvenis mercator ad oras 
 “ Orcades et rigidas ut sibi quaerat opes 
 “ At nunc in portu requiescens pace perenni 
 “ Gaudet angelici fit comes ipse chori 
 “ Post tenebras, spero lucem 
 “ Johannes Stradlingus filius ejus 
 “ unigenitus et Haeres pietatis ergo 
 “ posuit- 1620. 
 
 The Barracks of the Castle are still standing, and were last filled when 
 Sir Edward Stradling raised, clothed, and armed 1,000 men at his own ex. 
 pense, and was taken prisoner at the Battle of Edgill, whilst leading them 
 as their Colonel, in defence of his unfortunate master, Charles the first. 
 From the Fort in front of them, I last year distinctly saw (with the assist 
 ance of my Telescope) the whole raDge of Polden Hill, and the Tower of 
 the Priory. 
 
 E 
 
34 
 
 Mendip with its stupendous chasm, Cheddar 
 Cliffs. Southward is the fine Tower and Church 
 of Westonzoyland, and near it, that part of 
 Sedgemoor on which was fought the battle be¬ 
 tween James, Duke of Monmouth, and the Troops 
 of James the second, on the 6th day of July, 1685. 
 
 To the right is Bridgwater, with its elegant 
 Spire; and on its left, the villa erected on the 
 scite of Enmore Castle. The finely wooded Park 
 of Halswell, with its ornamental Temple dedicated 
 to Robin Hood, is seen in the distance, and be¬ 
 yond is the Wellington Column, on theBlackdown 
 Hills below Wellington. It is useless to attempt 
 to describe such a prospect, which appears like a 
 Gigantic Panorama, including one Cathedral, 
 thirty-five Churches and Chapels, the Tor of 
 Glastonbury, King Alfred’s Tower in Wiltshire, 
 two Columns, five Light-houses, beside numerous 
 other interesting objects. 
 
 In the Gothic Cottage are to be seen, many 
 curious specimens of Carving on Oak, by Mr. 
 William Halleday, the present occupier of the 
 Priory. 
 
35 
 
 An ancient British road five feet wide, running 
 parallel with that of the turnpike, was discovered 
 in the ground on which the Building stands. 
 It was eighteen inches beneath the surface, and 
 about a foot thick, and formed of small stones: 
 it was of course in a much more sheltered situ¬ 
 ation than the present road, made by the Homans 
 on the dorsum of the hill. 
 
 Beneath it I have formed a Grotto, and named 
 it Pocock’s Cell, in memory of a most extraordi¬ 
 nary character, who for many years resided in a 
 cavern a quarter of a mile from this spot. It is 
 situated at the end of a long, deep, and narrow 
 gully, almost covered with briars: through which 
 the stream runs that supplies Ford Mill. 
 
 I was told by an old man, that when a boy, he 
 and his companions had often waded to this 
 dreary mansion, which consisted of three apart¬ 
 ments—the outer one was called the stable, the 
 next the hall, and the interior the bedroom. 
 Some oak props which supported a part of the 
 roof of the stable, in time gave way; when the 
 rock fell in and closed the entrance. 
 
 Many are the stories told of this notorious 
 
 freebooter, who was the j Robin Hood of this part 
 e 2 
 
36 
 
 of the country. It is said that he never robbed a 
 woman, or child, but often conducted the be¬ 
 nighted wanderer to a safe retreat, where a 
 plentiful repast was provided. He also gave 
 more gold broad-pieces to the poor, than all the 
 Squires in the neighbourhood. 
 
 I have heard an old ballad relating to him, and 
 some of his feats, sung by a peasant at the harvest 
 home. It began with 
 
 44 Rvnne mye boyes, rvnne, the moone shynes 
 bryte, 
 
 44 Pococke’s yn hys cave, hys pvrsse ys lyte ; 
 
 44 Bvtte, whenne thee nygte ys mvrkye ande 
 darke 
 
 44 Hee’s offe wythe hys steede, blythe as alarke.” 
 
 His favourite horse resided with him; and 
 44 legendes saye” that his shoes were made on a 
 peculiar construction, so as to turn on a pivot, as 
 occasion required, in order to deceive pursuers. 
 
 At length the Cavern was discovered, and after 
 a most determined resistance, the brave Brigand, 
 who had been so long the terror of the rich, and 
 the friend of the poor, was taken half dead, 
 and covered with blood, and ended his career on 
 the gallows. 
 
37 
 
 m)t mime. 
 
 The Parish of Chilton-super-Polden is six. 
 miles from the Town of Bridgwater, and is bound¬ 
 ed on the south by the turnpike road leading 
 from that place to Bath. 
 
 It adjoins the Parishes of Edington on the east, 
 and Cossington on the west, and contains about 
 1700 acres. The inhabitants are mostly employed 
 in agriculture, and in cutting and preparing the 
 turf, for fuel, from the Turbary. 
 
 In the domesday book, it is called Ceptone.* 
 It was part of the Manor of Shapwick, consisting 
 of five hides, Roger de Curcelle held it with 
 Catcot, Edington, and Sutton. 
 
 In the reign of Henry the eighth, Thomas 
 Mitchel held the Manor of Giles Strangways, by 
 Knights’ service, and in the seventeenth year of 
 the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Tristram Mitchel 
 held it of the Crown, on account of the minority 
 of John Strangways. 
 
 The Benefice is a Curacy in the Jurisdiction of 
 Glastonbury, The Rev. R. J. Luscombe is bothu 
 Patron and Incumbent. 
 
 • Probably by mistake, 
 E 3 
 
38 
 
 The Chapel consists of a nave, chancel, porch, 
 and an aisle on the north side, lately erected.* 
 At the west end is a turret containing two bells. 
 
 In the nave is a neat marble monument, in¬ 
 scribed to the memory of the Rev. Robert Hole, 
 and his wife.f In the chancel, are mural monu¬ 
 ments erected to the memory of the families of 
 Ruscombe, Jennings, Jones, and Carver. 
 
 The font is plain but ancient. The cemetery 
 which is spacious and neat, has been selected 
 as the dormitory of many of the most respectable 
 families : and memorials are inscribed to those 
 of King, Carver, Phillips, Barker, See. Sec. 
 
 This Chapel, with those of Catcot, Edington, 
 Greinton, Sutton, Stawel,J and their Mother 
 
 * Previous to this alteration, the Building was only 60 feet long and 
 16 wide, for the accommodation of a Population of between 450 and 500. 
 
 + This Gentleman was Lord of the Manor and Patron of the Benefice 
 of Exton. 
 
 % The Tower of the Chapel of Stawel is remarkably low, and contains 
 but one bell. The buttresses and foundation are sufficiently strong to sup¬ 
 port an edifice of three times the height. This disproportion is accounted 
 for by tradition as follows. There was a jealousy amongst the “Seven Sisters,” 
 as to which should have the honour, of being the Mother Church, and of 
 possessing a fine set of bells, which had been bequeathed to it. The Lord 
 Abbot, after having heard each of their claims, decided that in whichever 
 place the three first children were born, and as many persons died, the 
 Priority should be vested. In a short time after this decision, three were 
 
39 
 
 Church, Moorlinch, were the property of the 
 Abbots of Glastonbury; and were the only Parish¬ 
 es in the neighbourhood which the Monks person¬ 
 ally supplied. This entitled them to the ancient 
 appellation of “ The seven Sisters.” 
 
 This accounts for the want of residences for the 
 Clergy in the Chapelries. 
 
 In the year 1680, a Mr. Edward Champion of 
 this parish, bequeathed the sum of forty pounds, 
 the interest whereof was to be distributed to the 
 second poor. 
 
 Tradition had long told her story, that this 
 gentleman was a Quaker, and at his death desired 
 to be buried in his favourite flower garden. I 
 have generally found that venerable old lady to 
 be pretty correct in her reports, which was the 
 case in the present instance : for (not many years 
 since) before the good old custom was 'prevented , 
 of giving a load of fuel to the families of the 
 poor : for the purpose of warming at Christmas, 
 those humble hearths, round which the venerated 
 
 born and two died suddenly at Stawel, whilst only one was born in either 
 of the other places, and no one had died. This emboldened the inhabit- 
 ants to proceed with their Tower, which they were obliged to finish in 
 the awkward manner in which it now appears, in consequence of two births 
 and three sudden deaths, at Moorlinch, 
 
40 
 
 carol, and loyal old English song, were chaunted 
 with true devotion : an industrious woman named 
 Miriam Hart, was employed in cleaning a shed 
 adjoining her cottage, for the reception of the 
 annual boon : when her shovel struck on some¬ 
 thing hard, which she partially cleared with the 
 hope of finding a treasure beneath it. But when 
 by the light of a candle she saw the word “Body,” 
 the story of the Quaker flashed on her mind, and 
 the letters were immediately covered. 
 
 The shed soon after fell to decay, the turf-dust 
 was removed, when a stone large enough to cover 
 a coffin, was brought to light, bearing the fol¬ 
 lowing inscription. 
 
 “ Heare lyeth the Body‘i 
 “ of Edward Champion, 
 
 Who dyed the last day 
 of the tenth Month, 
 in the year of our Lord God 
 1 6 8 0 . 
 
 Mr. Collinson, in his History of Somerset, paid 
 this Village a poor compliment when he called it 
 the “Cold Town,” and supposed its name to have 
 been derived from two Saxon words of that mean¬ 
 ing. He forgot perhaps, that Chilton Trinitatis , 
 
41 
 
 (called in domesday book “ Celdetone,”) and 
 Chilton Trivet, are not in particularly exposed 
 situations; and I am convinced that our little 
 Ville is neither as to clime, nor the warmth of 
 the hearts of her inhabitants, colder than her 
 neighbours.* 
 
 • Tn proof of this assertion, in no place was the Coronation day of our 
 most Gracious Sovereign celebrated with more hilarity and true old Eng¬ 
 lish feeling. The whole of the villagers, rich and poor, old and young, 
 assembled with hearts fully determined on such an occasion to drive off 
 every care. The rich kindly attended to the comforts of the poor, for 
 whom was provided a most ample meal of Beef and Plum Pudding. The 
 merry dance was kept up with the greatest spirit. Almost every tree had 
 its banner, and cannons were fired from the rising to the setting of the 
 sun. On the following evening, the whole of the higher class assembled, 
 when, after tea, the dance was again kept up with great spirit, and the 
 cup of good fellowship took its round with the gentlemen. 
 
 I must now beg to be excused for recording a circumstance which afforded 
 me much pleasure. Previous to our Village Banquet, some veterans were 
 invited to take a repast at the Priory, in order to drink her Majesty’s 
 health in a bottle of old Port. Three of them assisted the hands of my 
 little boy and girl, in hoisting the Union Jack on the Tower. As the 
 Majestic flag ascended the lofty staff, I felt each moment truly exciting, 
 and with fervency put up a prayer which, thank God, on cool reflection, 
 cannot he repented of. That if ever his country require it, my son, my 
 fondest hope, may shed the last drop of his blood beneath the standard of 
 his Sovereign. 
 
 The three old soldiers alluded to were, Thomas Wilton, who served many 
 years as a Marine, and who was carried into the cockpit of the Victory 
 with a broken arm, just before the immortal Nelson was doomed to join his 
 wounded shipmates, and most heroically refused to be examined until those 
 who had been brought down previous to his Lordship were attended to. The 
 next, John Tagford, was never wounded, but was in all the engagements in 
 the expedition in Holland, under the command of his late Royal Highness the 
 Duke of York. The other, Uriah Day, was in many engagements, particu¬ 
 larly at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope, and served his country for 
 twenty-eight years. 
 
42 
 
 It cannot be denied that her rocks produce re¬ 
 markably cold springs : one in particular, from 
 time immemorial called Butter-well. It is sup¬ 
 posed to have obtained this appellation, from 
 having (in very hot summers) always given a 
 bountiful supply of the coldest water, to the dairy 
 maidens of the neighbourhood. 
 
 Another, equally cold, I had the good fortune 
 to discover five years since, on my lawn ; which, 
 at the depth of a foot beneath the surface of the 
 surrounding soil, runs perpetually at the rate of 
 thirty gallons in twelve hours : it is brilliantly 
 clear, and never freezes; and is enclosed by a 
 Grotto containing a Bust of the illustrious Byron, 
 to whom I have dedicated the well. Beneath, 
 on a white marble tablet, are inscribed, the fol¬ 
 lowing lines, written to his memory, by the Rev* 
 W. L. Bowles. 
 
 “ I will not ask sad pity to deplore 
 
 ‘‘ His way-ward errors, who thus early died ; 
 
 “ Still less Childe Harold, now thou art no more, 
 
 “ Will I say aught of genius misapplied} 
 
 “ Of the past shadows of thy spleen or pride : 
 
 “ But I will bid th’ Arcadian cypress wave, 
 
 “ Pluck the green laurel from Peneus’ side, 
 
 “And pray thy spirit maj such quiet have, 
 
 “ That not one thought unkind be murmur’d o’er thy grave.” 
 
43 
 
 These two springs are very different from one 
 much celebrated in the adjoining Parish of 
 Edington, the water of which is so highly charged 
 with sulphur and steel, as to resemble that which 
 has been used for washing a gun-barrel. 
 
 At Ford Mill, a quarter of a mile from the 
 Priory, there is a very curious never-failing spring 
 of quite a different character from either of the 
 others ; it petrifies every thing within its reach, 
 and is much visited on account of the beauty of 
 its waters, the cool retirement of its situation, 
 and the taste displayed in the surrounding plant¬ 
 ations. 
 
45 
 
 ^pptntsix. 
 
 As it is not probable that this “ lytyl boke” 
 will ever travel far from home, I take the liberty 
 to introduce a miscellaneous Appendix, in which 
 I shall be enabled, to give copies of a few ancient 
 documents relating to some of the objects which 
 present themselves in the view, of which I have 
 attempted to give an outline ; and which perhaps 
 will not altogether prove uninteresting to this 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 It is truly pleasing in a clear morning, when 
 the sun is cheering every thing around by its 
 brightness, to see the many vessels sailing down 
 the river, from Bridgwater to Combwitch, though 
 apparently at a snail-creeping pace, when com¬ 
 pared to the velocity of the coaches and other 
 vehicles, passing over the turnpike road that 
 gives such a lively foreground to the picture; 
 and which was long the pride of the surrounding 
 country, as a specimen of the very high perfec¬ 
 tion to which the art of road-making could be 
 
 F 
 
46 
 
 carried. Yet how different the scene two centu» 
 ries since! How happy would a Lord then have 
 thought himself, whilst floundering along the 
 mire in his coach drawn by six horses, and perhaps 
 two or more oxen, to have been enabled to keep 
 pace with the 44 gallante shippes of the toune of 
 Bridgwater,” 
 
 That this was the case I think the reader will 
 not doubt, after having perused the following 
 curious letter, written by Sir Nicholas Halswell, 
 a portrait of whom hangs in the Saloon of 
 Halswell House, and on which is the date 1593° 
 
 44 Forasmuch as we have hen informed hy divrs 
 6 4 of th inhahitance as well of the towne of 
 44 Bridgwater as of other places neare adjoyning 
 44 unto the Cawsey leading from Bridgwater to 
 44 Crane Bridge and so eastewarde , that the said 
 44 Cawsey is very much decayed and ruinated wh 
 44 may he very danegerouse to all the country there 
 44 unto adjoyning especiall unto yow of the prshes 
 44 of Pollet, Periton, Wollavington , Cuisington , 
 44 Badripe, and Chedsey , who do most usually 
 44 travell that way , these are to pray yow that 
 44 yow will he aiding wh yor plowes to bring 
 44 stonnes for the spidie repairing of the said 
 44 Cawsey, and the towne of Bridgwater shall he 
 
47 
 
 ‘ aiding and assisting unto yow for the doinge of 
 “ ye worke asuringe our selves that no resonable 
 “ body amonge yow wille bee backward in furthur- 
 “ ing so good a worke , and so hopinge of yor good 
 “ care in heven we byde yow farewell. 
 
 Yor loving frinde 
 
 Nicolas Halswell 
 John Colles. 
 
 Tanton, the 6th of May.* 1 
 
 Notwithstanding this very polite prayer made 
 by a Magistrate so highly respected, the “Cawsey” 
 was continually bad, and “ danegerouse,” and an 
 old servant who lived to the age of ninety one, 
 informed me that he was the first who drove a 
 cart through the turnpike bar at Bridgwater. 
 He worked several weeks at the formation of the 
 new road, and said it was nothing uncommon in 
 the course of a day, to disinter from the “Cawsey” 
 sufficient tire to bind a wheel, besides several 
 pounds of dowles or flat-headed nails then used 
 for fastening the strakes. 
 
 So much for the voluntary system , either with 
 regard to the keeping in repair our roads through 
 this world, or our paths to the next. 
 
 f 2 
 
48 
 
 jfttimmimtfr* 
 
 I have more than once alluded to this battle, 
 and haying nearly thirty years resided within a 
 mile of the moor on which it was fought, have 
 often been requested to write an account of it. 
 This has been done by such able hands, that I 
 am solely induced to do so, by the scarcity of 
 books published soon after those “ troublesome 
 times,” and the great expense attendant on the 
 purchase of modern histories, in which notice 
 has been taken of it. 
 
 The unfortunate James Duke of Monmouth, 
 the darling of his father, and the spoiled child of 
 the “ Land of the Westthrough which he had 
 taken a tour in August 1680, and was received 
 by the nobility, gentry, yeomanry, and peasantry, 
 more like a future Saviour, and Champion of the 
 rights and established religion of his country, 
 than as an illegitimate son of a King ; of which 
 his entry into the City of Exeter will give some 
 idea, where he “ was met by the citizens and the 
 people of all the adjacent parts, to the number of 
 about twenty thousand persons. But that which 
 was more remarkable was, the appearance of a 
 brave company of stout young men, all clothed 
 in linen waistcoats and drawers, white and harm- 
 
49 
 
 less, having not so much as a stick in their hands. 
 They were in number about nine hundred or a 
 thousand. They went three miles out of the city 
 to meet his Grace, where they were drawn up on 
 a little hill, and divided into two parts ; in which 
 order they attended the Duke’s coming, who, 
 when he came, rid up first between them, and 
 then round each company ; after which, they 
 united, and went hand in hand in order before 
 the Duke, into the city, where he was no sooner 
 arrived but an universal shout from all parts 
 echoed forth his welcome; the numerous con¬ 
 course of people, the incredible and amazing 
 acclamations, and the universal joy which then 
 filled the whole city, far exceeding the art of my 
 pen to describe.”* 
 
 Within three years after this event, we find 
 this adored young man a prisoner, in consequence 
 of his having taken a part in a conspiracy against 
 the Duke of York and others, and known by the 
 name of the Rye-house plot, and which was an¬ 
 nounced as follows, in the London Gazette. 
 
 “ Whitehall, November *25th.—His Majesty, 
 having this afternoon called an extraordinary 
 council, was pleased to acquaint them, that the 
 
 * Toulmin’s Taunton. 
 
 F 3 
 
50 
 
 Duke of Monmouth did last night surrender 
 himself to Mr. Secretary Jenkins, haying before 
 writ a very submissive letter to his Majesty, 
 entirely resigning himself to his Majesty’s plea¬ 
 sure ; that his Majesty and his Royal Highness 
 went down to Mr. Secretary’s office, where the 
 Duke of Monmouth was, who shewed himself 
 very sensible of his crime in the late conspiracy, 
 making a full declaration of it; and that having 
 shewed an extraordinary penitence for the same, 
 and made a particular submission to his Royal 
 Highness, for his misbehaviour to him, his Ma¬ 
 jesty and his Royal Highness received so much 
 satisfaction, that, upon his Royal Highness’s 
 desire and entreaty, his Majesty was pleased to 
 pardon the said Duke, and thereupon did order 
 Mr. Attorney-general to stop farther proceedings 
 against him; but ordered he should proceed, 
 notwithstanding, against all the rest of the con¬ 
 spirators.” 
 
 Notwithstanding this pardon, and professed 
 satisfaction on the part of the Duke of York, at 
 the “ extraordinary penitence,” and “particular 
 submission” of his rival, granted too, upon his 
 Royal Highness’s desire and entreaty, the offender 
 was ordered to retire to Holland. It is strange 
 that Charles should have consented to this, after 
 
51 
 
 having often shown so much determination to 
 support his opinions against those of his Privy 
 Council, on matters of higher importance. 
 
 He still furnished the Duke with money, and 
 paid great attention at Court to all who had 
 kindly received his still beloved son during his 
 exile. It is quite apparent, that as his Majesty’s 
 bodily health decreased, his mind became more 
 attached to his brother, whose party was busily 
 employed in estranging his paternal feeling. 
 
 At his almost sudden and unexpected death, 
 his successor had it in his power perhaps, by 
 offering the return of the Duke of Monmouth to 
 his country, to have prevented that desperation, 
 which afterwards forced that amiable Prince to 
 the rash determination of once more trusting to 
 his popularity in the western part of theKingdom. 
 
 But the inveterate hatred which James bore to 
 his then fallen subject, and his followers, would 
 not allow him to do so, but prompted him still 
 to persecute them. He therefore wrote to the 
 Governor of the Netherlands, requesting him to 
 secure the Duke on a charge of high treason, 
 but the Marquess de Grana, in preference, 
 thought fit to send to him at Brussells, desiring 
 him immediately to depart the Spanish Domin- 
 
52 
 
 ions. On receiving this unexpected notice, he 
 immediately returned to Holland, where, thus 
 harrassed, his mild disposition soon gave way to 
 the persuasions of those who were but ill-qualified 
 to give advice upon such a momentous affair. 
 Among them were Lord Grey, Ferguson, Wade, 
 and Lady Wentworth, who it is said was despe¬ 
 rately in love with him. 
 
 The Duke soon after pawned his jewels, hired 
 three vessels, and bought as many stand of arms 
 as his scanty means would afford. On Saturday 
 the 30th day of May, 1685, he arrived at the 
 Texel, and, with some of his friends, went on 
 board a Man of War of 32 guns. The rest of 
 his followers, making in the whole eighty-two, 
 took possession of two smaller vessels, in which 
 were the greatest part of the arms and ammu¬ 
 nition. The States of Amsterdam, at the request 
 of the British envoy, arrested the Man of War, 
 but this did not prevent the ill-fated expedition, 
 from sailing for England on the following morn¬ 
 ing, The winds were unfavorable, and the voyage 
 unusually long, and this by many was considered 
 to be an ill omen : but the same disappointment 
 attended the fortunate Prince of Orange three 
 years after, on his way to the Throne of these 
 Realms. 
 
53 
 
 On the evening of Thursday the 11th of June, 
 the Duke landed at Lyme, attended by Lord 
 Grey, Colonel Mathews, Colonel Holmes, a 
 German Count, Major Perrott, Captains Hewling 
 and Annesley, Dr. Temple, Mr. Wade, Robert 
 Ferguson, Joseph Tiley, &c. &c. 
 
 After commanding silence, he, with the whole 
 of his attendants, as well as those who ran to 
 receive him, fell on their knees, and implored 
 the blessing of God on their undertakings. He 
 then, with his sword drawn, marched into the 
 town, and was received without opposition. His 
 standard having been planted in the market-place, 
 the little army declared its determination to sup¬ 
 port the Protestant Religion. 
 
 The country people in great numbers crowded 
 to be enlisted, and several days were employed 
 in arming and equipping these raw troops. An 
 attack was made on Bridport, on the night of 
 Saturday the 13th, and Mr. Fox, in his History 
 of the reign of James the second, thus speaks of 
 it.—“ It being absolutely necessary to dislodge 
 some troops which had been thrown intoBridport, 
 a detachment of three hundred men was made 
 for that purpose, which had the most complete 
 success, notwithstanding the cowardice of Lord 
 
54 
 
 Grey, who commanded them. This nobleman, 
 who had been so instrumental in persuading his 
 friend to the invasion, upon the first appearance 
 of danger, is said to have left the troops whom 
 he commanded, and to have sought his own 
 personal safety in flight. The troops carried 
 Bridport to the shame of the commander who 
 had deserted them and returned to Lyme.” 
 
 Every circumstance appeared to be inauspicious. 
 Grey was unworthy of the command of the horse, 
 and Fletcher of Saltoun, who was to have shared 
 it with him, (and who was a brave soldier) was 
 obliged to leave in consequence of a scuffle in 
 which a person was killed, whose horse had been 
 impressed for the service. # These events, with 
 the news of the defeat of the Earl of Argyle in 
 Scotland, which soon after arrived, struck such a 
 damp upon the spirits of poor Monmouth, that 
 they never after rallied. 
 
 In order however to strengthen his almost 
 hopeless cause, (as scarcely any of the gentry had 
 joined his standard) he published what was styled 
 “ The Declaration of James Duke of Monmouth, 
 and the Noblemen, Gentlemen, and others, now 
 
 * Said by Lord Buchan to have been the Mayor of Lyme, but this 
 has been often contradicted. 
 
55 
 
 in arms, for the defence and vindication of the 
 Protestant Religion, and the laws, rights, and 
 privileges of England in which was set forth, 
 that the end of Government was the happiness 
 and security of the governed ; that the English 
 constitution was so wisely formed as to entrust 
 the Prince with all power necessary as well for 
 his own protection, as the welfare of the people, 
 and yet so to restrain him, that he could not 
 without the violation of his oath, do any hurt; 
 that the rights reserved to the people contributed 
 to the honour and greatness of the King; and his 
 prerogatives, to their protection and safety ; that 
 the English Government had been recently bro¬ 
 ken, and every attempt had been made, for con¬ 
 verting a limited Monarchy, into an absolute 
 tyranny. 
 
 It then charged the Duke of York with a con¬ 
 spiracy against the reformed religion, with the 
 burning of London, and fomenting the popish 
 plot. The murder of Sir Edmund Bury Godfry, 
 and the assassination of the Earl of Essex, were 
 also imputed to him ; and, that after he had 
 ascended the throne, he had made an open pro¬ 
 fession of popery—of bringing into the Kingdom 
 multitudes of priests and jesuits, &c. 
 
56 
 
 It then proclaimed war against him, as a mur¬ 
 derer and an assassinator of innocent men, a 
 traitor to the nation, and a tyrant over the people. 
 
 It also held forth the views and designs of 
 the Duke of Monmouth; with his most solemn 
 pledges to restore and preserve the balance of the 
 constitution ; to establish and secure the protest- 
 ant religion; and not to destroy or make war 
 even with the papists, for their religion; to main¬ 
 tain the rights of Parliament; to prosecute the 
 Duke of York, till he was brought to suffer the 
 punishment due to the murder of the late King, 
 by poison, with which he was also charged by 
 this declaration. 
 
 Many other fair promises were introduced, and 
 it gave approbation of the conduct of the nobility, 
 gentry, and commons in Scotland, who had taken 
 up arms.—It called upon all sincere protestants, 
 and true Englishmen, to give their utmost aid 
 for dethroning the tyrant, James Duke of York, 
 and concluded with “Now let us play the men 
 for our people, and for the cities of our God ; and 
 the Lord do that which seemeth good unto him.” 
 
 This declaration, by order of the Parliament, 
 was burnt by the common hangman, which of 
 
57 
 
 course made it an object of curiosity to many, 
 who perhaps otherwise would have felt no incli¬ 
 nation to read it. 
 
 Immediately after the landing of the Duke, 
 the Mayor of Lyme wrote a letter to the King, 
 who laid it before both Houses of Parliament. 
 Both Lords and Commons voted an address to 
 the King, and the lower House immediately 
 ordered a bill to be brought in, for the attainder 
 of the Duke of Monmouth. 
 
 On Monday the 15th of June the bill was read 
 three times, passed, and sent up to the Lords, 
 who, the same day, ordered it to be read three 
 times and passed, and on the following day it 
 received the Royal assent. 
 
 It is said that this was the first bill of attainder, 
 which had originated in the House of Commons, 
 where witnesses could not be examined upon 
 oath. 
 
 The bill was sent up to the Lords by Sir John 
 Fenwick ; who little dreamt at the time, that it 
 was to form a precedent for his own cruel attain¬ 
 der in the following reign. 
 
 G 
 
58 
 
 A Proclamation was issued, offering a reward 
 of five thousand pounds, to any one who should 
 secure “ James, late Duke of Monmouth, dead 
 or alive.” 
 
 The Duke’s army had increased to upwards of 
 two thousand foot and three hundred horse, and 
 on Monday the 15th of June, he marched to 
 Axminster, and on his way thither, discovered 
 the Duke of Albemarle, who had under his com¬ 
 mand four thousand militia-men, and who in¬ 
 tended to quarter in the same town. He had 
 marched his forces from Exeter, in order to be¬ 
 siege Lyme. The Duke of Monmouth sent him 
 a letter, requesting him to join the expedition, 
 and which (for the first time) he signed “ James 
 Hex.” 
 
 Albemarle declined the offer rather indignant¬ 
 ly, and declared “that he never had been a rebel, 
 nor ever would be one.” He then retreated in 
 confusion and disorder, not being disposed to 
 trust his men, who appeared to be unwilling to 
 fight against the Protestant Champion. 
 
 Had Monmouth pursued, it was generally sup¬ 
 posed that he would have gained more than half 
 of he troops, with their arms and accoutrements. 
 
59 
 
 He continued his march through Axminster, to a 
 common between that place and Chard, where 
 he encamped for the night. The next day he 
 entered that town, where he was received with 
 acclamations and prayers for his success. The 
 same kind feeling was shown in every village 
 through which he had passed. 
 
 It is said that a consultation here took place, 
 as to the propriety of immediately proclaiming 
 him King, but the majority of his friends were 
 against such a proceeding. 
 
 On Thursday the 18th of June, he made his 
 grand entry into the town of Taunton, where he 
 was enthusiastically received by persons of all 
 degrees : not only were the hats of the inhabit¬ 
 ants decorated with green sprigs, in compliment 
 to the Duke, whose men had adopted that em¬ 
 blem ; but the houses were covered with boughs 
 and ribbons, and the streets were strewed with 
 flow r ers. 
 
 On the following day, twenty-six young ladies 
 of the most respectable families in the town, 
 presented the Duke with a pair of colours, em¬ 
 broidered by them at the expense of the inhabit¬ 
 ants. This truly interesting procession was led 
 g 2 
 
60 
 
 by Miss Sarah Blake, who carried in one hand 
 a naked sword, and in the other a curious little 
 bible, which she presented to the Duke with an 
 appropriate speech. He received these emblems 
 of the warm attachment of the town, and of their 
 expectation of his future conduct, with the great¬ 
 est affability ; and taking the bible in his hand, 
 declared, that “ he came now into the field, with 
 a design to defend the truths contained therein, 
 and to seal it with his blood, if there should be 
 an occasion for it.” 
 
 The Duke was now requested by Lord Grey 
 and Ferguson, and by several others who were in 
 his councils, to take upon him the title of King, 
 but he for some time firmly withstood their earn¬ 
 est persuasions, which appear to have risen as 
 much from a feeling of personal safety, as for the 
 welfare of the Prince. It is said that Lord Grey 
 in particular, expected to save himself by this 
 step ; as the statute made m the reign of Henry 
 the seventh, in favour of those who should obey 
 a King de facto had not been repealed. 
 
 The Duke had several objections to urge, 
 against his assuming the Kingly power; especially 
 at so early a day. Before he left Amsterdam, 
 he pledged his word to the Earl of Argyle, that 
 
61 
 
 he would only act as General of the forces, and 
 upon his landing at Lyme, he made the same 
 promise to those who joined him. On the other 
 hand the blight on his hopes must have daily 
 increased, and the feelings of his truly noble 
 heart, must have been most severely wounded, 
 when he saw his proud standard wave over rustic 
 heads alone, whilst but very few of the gentry 
 honoured it by their presence. It is therefore 
 supposed, that the hope of gaining the higher 
 classes to his favour, more than the feeling of 
 ambition, at length prompted him to listen to 
 the proposal; and on the morning of the twentieth 
 of June, he was with all due ceremony pro¬ 
 claimed King. 
 
 In the afternoon of that day, three proclama¬ 
 tions were issued, one offering a large sum of 
 money for the head of King James; another 
 declaring the Parliament of England a seditious 
 assembly; and the third declared the Duke of 
 Albemarle (who was within six miles of the town) 
 a traitor, unless he immediately laid down his 
 arms. Neither the title of King nor the Procla¬ 
 mations, appear to have taken the slightest effect 
 on the dispositions of the gentry in the neigh¬ 
 bourhood, who all remained on their guard 
 
 g 3 
 
62 
 
 Colonel Basset only arrived with a considerable 
 corps under his command. But the Duke lost a 
 good officer in Fletcher, who, as soon as his com¬ 
 mander was proclaimed King, left the Army and 
 went to Spain. 
 
 An extract from a scarce book, written at this 
 time, will show that the appearance of the Duke’s 
 manly and majestic person was much affected, by 
 the dejection he felt in consequence of the luke¬ 
 warm conduct of the surrounding gentry. 
 
 “ I had intended this spring, to have proceeded 
 in marriage with my dear friend S. Hurd, having 
 proposed it to the monthly meeting she belonged 
 to, which was then held at my chamber (as 
 aforesaid) and went to my own monthly meeting 
 (on the north side of Mendip) which was then 
 held at John Dando’s at Hollow-trow, the twenty- 
 ninth of the third month, for a certificate, (which 
 I afterwards had) but the troubles breaking out, 
 prevented it one year longer ; we heard then, of 
 the Earl of Argile’s landing in Scotland. I went 
 from Hollow-trow home to Naylsey, and was at 
 my house when the Duke of Monmouth landed 
 at Lime in Dorsetshire, the eleventh of the fourth 
 month; and had the news of it from Bristol, the 
 fifth day following, (where by the way now, I 
 
63 
 
 mention Bristol, friends continued prisoners in 
 Newgate mostly, as last year, till next when the 
 general release was) I had intended to return to 
 Ilchester soon after, and accordingly, the next 
 second day, I set out thitherward, and as I rode 
 into Wrington, a market-town four miles from 
 my house, there was a watch set at the Cross ; 
 and as I came towards them, I heard one of them 
 say to the other, go forth and stop him, and ask 
 him whither he is riding ? so he came and stood 
 with a halbert in my way, and bid me stand, well 
 said I, and what then ? he asked me whither I 
 was riding? I told him southward, which, though 
 directly towards the Duke, without asking me 
 any farther question, he wished me a good jour¬ 
 ney, and so let me pass; at which I could not 
 but smile to myself, to see how easie they were 
 to let any pass that way (for indeed the hearts of 
 the people were towards him if they durst have 
 showed it) but that he might not think I was 
 going to the Duke, I told him there was a fair at 
 Somerton that day, and thither I was riding; so 
 to Somerton I went very quickly, (and met with 
 no watch or let in my way after) where I met 
 with my dear friend S. H. at her father’s, who 
 dwelt there, and heard how some of the Duke’s 
 men had been at Ilchester to free some of the 
 
64 
 
 Duke’s friends, who came down from London to 
 meet him, and were taken up on suspicion and 
 imprisoned there; and withal, freed all they 
 found prisoners there on account of conscience, 
 and among the rest, some of our friends, but 
 they took little notice (or advantage of it), but 
 went in and out as at other times. I staid at 
 Somerton till the fifth day following, and then, 
 being our quarterly meeting at Gregory-stoke, I 
 went thither, where we heard how the Duke was 
 come with his army to Taunton, but six miles olf, 
 and how the country flocked in to him. After 
 meeting I went to a friend’s house, where I met 
 with my friend S. H.’s sister Scott, who looked 
 exceeding sad and sorrowful; I asked her what 
 the matter was ? she told me that her husband 
 was gone out with his horses to the Duke (being 
 one that dealt in horses, expecting to make ad¬ 
 vantage of them, which proved a snare to him), 
 and she was afraid they should be ruined, desiring 
 me to go home with her that night, and go with 
 her next day to Taunton, to see to get him home, 
 which accordingly I did, calling by the way at 
 the Lady Jenning’s, (Esq. Spekes’s daughter) 
 who was all afloat about the Duke, thinking 
 the day was their own; and next day went to 
 Taunton with her. We put up at the Three Cups 
 Inn, and soon met with her husband, and reason- 
 
65 
 
 ed with him about it, but he had appeared to the 
 Duke, and involved himself so with his horses, 
 that we could not get him home with us. It 
 happened that the Duke and the Lord Grey were 
 then at dinner at Captain Hucker’s, over against 
 the said Inn, and she, with her sister Roman, 
 went over to speak with the Duke, to desire him 
 not to take it amiss if her husband went home, 
 for it was contrary to our Persuasion to appear 
 in arms, because we could not fight; and had a 
 pretty deal of discourse with him (for she was a 
 woman that could handle her tongue as well as 
 most.) The Duke seemed to take it well enough, 
 and told her he did not desire that any 
 should appear against their conciences, so they 
 left him and came away, I standing against the 
 Inn gate observing passages (among the rest 
 came a relation not a friend) on a great high 
 horse, and crossing the kennel, his horse slip¬ 
 ping, fell with him and wet him sadly, which I 
 thought looked a little ominous, but I did not go 
 out of my way to see the Army, which lay in a 
 field hard by the Town, or any of them ; which 
 I account a great preservation; and soon after, 
 the Duke and Lord Grey came forth and took 
 horse (their horses being held in the street all 
 the time) and rode down the street the same way 
 as we were to go home : and two great guns 
 
66 
 
 were haled down before them, to plant (as they 
 said) at the Towns end. It being reported that 
 the Duke of Albemarle (Lord Lieutenant of the 
 County of Devon) was coming against them, so 
 we took horse and rode down after, and when we 
 came to the Towns end, the street was so full of 
 people, that I thought it impossible to get through 
 the crowd; but asking one if we could ride by, 
 he said we might of one side, so I put forward 
 till I was got into the middle of them, looking 
 about me to see the Duke, I asked somebody 
 which was him, he shewed me just at my right 
 hand, so I stopt a little to take a view of 
 him, and thought he looked very thoughtful and 
 dejected in his countenance, and thinner than 
 when I saw him four years before, as he passed 
 through Ilchester, in his progress as aforesaid; 
 that I hardly knew him again, and was sorry for 
 him as I look’t at him. I spoke a few words to 
 him, which I do not mention out of vanity, but to 
 show how narrowly I escaped a snare at that 
 time, to the Lords protecting hand of Providence, 
 I ascribe it in my preservation; so we past on, 
 and had not rode above a mile or two, but we 
 met two men coming riding a gallop, as fast as 
 their horses could go (which as they passed by I 
 knew one of them) who said, turn out of the road, 
 the Duke of Albemarle is at hand (but it was a 
 
67 
 
 false alarum for he came not near) so we turned 
 off a by-way and came safe home to Ham bridge, 
 and, heard not anything of my being at Taunton, 
 or that there was any notice taken of it, (though 
 I saw several that I knew) till a pretty while after 
 the defeat and Assizes, I think : next day I went 
 to my friends at Long Sutton, where, and at 
 Somerton, I mostly staid, till after the Dukes 
 defeat at Sedgmoor—And there came down the 
 Queens Guards (as they said) under the Lord 
 Churchill, into the parish, and terror marched 
 before them (for we could hear their horses 
 grind the ground under their feet almost a mile 
 before they came) and twas reported there were 
 six houses to be burnt, of which my friend S. H.’s 
 was one (there being a papist in the parish, a base 
 wicked fellow, who owed her money, and was 
 thought to be a very ill instrument by informing, 
 so that she was in great danger, but through the 
 Lord’s mercy was preserved ; for when they came 
 to the cross near her house, they enquire for 
 Captain Tucker’s (who was out with the Duke) 
 and went and ransack’d his house, cutting and 
 tearing the Beds, hangings and furniture to 
 pieces, shaking out the feathers, and carrying 
 away the bed-sticks and what else they could, 
 letting out the beer, wine and sider, about the 
 cellar, setting fire to a barn that joyned to the 
 
68 
 
 dwelling house, to set that on fire also, but being 
 a stone tyl’d house it did not burn that; and so 
 making what spoyl and carrying away what they 
 could, they returned to Somerton, where the 
 Earl of Feversham lay with the King’s army, 
 but two miles off. And the seventh day before 
 the fight came down the Earl of Pembroke with 
 the Wiltshire troops of horse, and made dreadful 
 work in the parish, taking several prisoners, and 
 threatening to hang some, to the terror and 
 affrighting of the inhabitants : four of the troop¬ 
 ers lay at my friend’s house, and were pretty 
 eivil; but there was one of the rest, an ensign, 
 who was exceeding wicked, threatening and 
 terrifying the poor people in a dreadful manner, 
 and would have questioned me who I was, and 
 what I did there ; but I answer’d him so boldly 
 that he grew quiet, and at last, after he had 
 weary’d himself, called for a cushion to lay 
 under his head, and so went to sleep on one of 
 the shop counters all night, as if he could trust 
 himself no where so safe as there; and next 
 morning they went away towards Bridgwater, # 
 where the Duke w T ith his army were.” OnSuuday 
 the twenty-first of June the Duke marched to 
 Bridgwater, where he found the inhabitants 
 
 *Persecution exposed by John Whiting. Page 140. 
 
69 
 
 ready to receive him with kingly honours. His 
 declaration was read and the Mayor (Alexander 
 Popham, Esquire and the Corporation in their 
 robes, proceeded to the High Cross, where they 
 proclaimed him King. 
 
 The then almost new, but now venerable 
 Maces, which were made at the restoration of his 
 Father, must have been viewed with much 
 interest by the unfortunate Prince in this pro¬ 
 cession ; which was nearly the last in which he 
 appeared, until in that sad one, which led him from 
 the Tower to the place of execution—His army 
 was now six thousand strong, and could easily 
 have been augmented to ten thousand but for 
 the want of arms. The cavalry was about a 
 thousand strong, and had either of his officers 
 instead of Lord Grey commanded them, they 
 would probably have fought well. Captain 
 Hewling in particular was a most kind-hearted 
 man, a good soldier, and a great favourite with 
 j the people. The Duke quartered at the Castle, 
 I where his Father and James the second had 
 twice slept. The troops were encamped in Castle 
 field. 
 
 This Town was particularly liberal in its con- 
 
 H 
 
70 
 
 tribution towards the expedition, and Mr. 
 Roger Hoare a principal merchant, was indefati¬ 
 gable in his exertions for the cause, for which he 
 afterwards severely suffered. 
 
 He next marched to Glastonbury, where 
 nothing particular occurred, but at Wells he 
 was proclaimed King and his Proclamation and 
 Declaration were read. 
 
 From thence he marched to Shepton-Mallett, 
 and here in a Council of War he made known to 
 his officers his intention of making as early an 
 attack as possible upon the City of Bristol. It 
 was thought advisable to enter it on the Glou¬ 
 cestershire side, and therefore it was necessary to 
 pass the Avon at Keynsham, which is five miles 
 from the City. 
 
 In their march to Pensford the troops were 
 harassed ih their rear by cavalry, but lodged 
 quietly in that village for the night. The next 
 day the bridge at Keynsham, which had been 
 injured by the Gloucester horse militia, was 
 repaired, and the Duke with his whole army 
 passed over it in safety; and on the ensuing 
 night intended to make the attack, but after 
 marching some way, such a violent rain came on 
 
71 
 
 that he was induced to return to Keynsham, 
 where he was attacked and in the skirmish lost 
 upwards of twenty men besides the wounded : 
 whilst only four of the King’s Dragoons were 
 taken to compensate for the loss. 
 
 At this time the Duke’s friends, especially 
 those from Bristol, most strongly urged an im¬ 
 mediate attack on that City, but as the Duke of 
 Beaufort was there with a garrison of four 
 thousand men all their entreaties were vain. 
 
 By taking possession of this great mistress of 
 the West, he would have gained both friends and 
 money sufficient, to have .enabled him to march 
 to London and to the neglect of this measure 
 many have attributed his ultimate defeat. 
 
 He next marched to Bath, and a herald was 
 sent to demand the city—but the people as well 
 as the garrison, were firmly attached to the 
 Royal cause, and therefore refused him ad¬ 
 mittance. 
 
 On his way to Frome near Philip’s Norton he 
 was attacked by the troops under the command 
 of his half-brother the Duke of Grafton, in which 
 
 n 2 
 
72 
 
 skirmish he was so fortunate as to lose but ten 
 men, whereas Grafton lost thirty. 
 
 It appears that a sort of running or rather 
 marching fight was kept up for many hours, 
 and at length the Duke of Grafton retreated 
 with a loss of some hundreds, among them Lord 
 Newburgh; and Grafton it is said was in the 
 utmost danger at one period of the fight. 
 
 At Frome he was well received, and expected 
 to find a supply of arms there, but his enemies 
 had contrived to take them out of the town a few 
 days before. 
 
 He then returned to Shepton Mallett, and the 
 next day being the first of July marched to 
 Wells, where he took some carriages belonging 
 to the King’s army.—Next day he returned to 
 Bridgwater, where he expected to meet a large 
 force to join his standard, but the whole of them 
 did not amount to two hundred, although he had 
 been informed that ten thousand were awaiting 
 his arrival. 
 
 The Rev. Andrew Paschall in one of his letters, 
 states that it was Monmouth’s intention upon 
 entering Bridgwater, to fortify the Town, and 
 
73 
 
 that many hundreds of labourers were summoned 
 from the country to begin the works : but that 
 the principal inhabitants informed him, they 
 had not provisions to sustain a siege, and 
 therefore requested him to leave it, and thus 
 save it from ruin. No doubt many who gave 
 this advice, dreaded a recurrence of their suffer¬ 
 ings on the twenty-first and second of July, 1645, 
 when the town was stormed by the Parliament’s 
 forces, under the command of General Fairfax 
 and Oliver Cromwell. All the Duke’s schemes 
 were set at rest, by the unexpected arrival of the 
 King’s army in the neighbourhood on Sunday 
 morning the fifth of July. 
 
 It was reported at Chedzoy, that the forces 
 were on their march from Somerton, and Mr. 
 William Sparke, a respectable inhabitant of that 
 place, from the tower, with the assistance of a 
 glass, saw them marching down Sedgemoor, and 
 immediately despatched Richard Godfry, a trust¬ 
 worthy man, of the same village, to Westonzoy- 
 land, in order to ascertain their strength and the 
 arrangement of their camp. From thence, he had 
 instruction to go to Bridgwater, and give the 
 Duke every information he could obtain. 
 
 h 3 
 
74 
 
 The troops consisted of four thousand men, 
 under the command of the Earl of Feversham, 
 and Lord Churchill, (afterwards the great Duke 
 of Marlborough), were stationed as follows:—five 
 regiments of foot were encamped on a spot, call¬ 
 ed Penzoy-pound, # near Westonzoyland. Five 
 hundred horse were quartered in Weston, which 
 was made head quarters ; and the militia, about 
 fifteen hundred, were at Middlezoy and Othery, 
 the next two adjoining parishes. 
 
 Upon Godfrey’s arrival at Bridgwater, the 
 Duke, Lord Grey, and several of the principal 
 officers, 4C went up into the tower of the Church 
 to take a view of the King’s camp in the moor by 
 the help of perspective glasses ; and the Duke, 
 observing that Lord Dunbarton’s regiment of foot 
 guards, which he had once been Colonel of, and 
 by which he had been once extremely beloved, 
 were posted on that side of the camp that was 
 proposed to be attacked, he expressed some con¬ 
 cern at it, saying, I know those men will fight, 
 and if I had them I would not doubt of success.”f 
 And as the King’s troops appeared to be very 
 
 * The same spot where General Fairfax drew up his army 40 
 years before on his way from Langportto Bridgwater. 
 
 f Oldmixon’s Royal House of Stewart. Page 703, 
 
75 
 
 careless, and were quaffing deeply of the 
 Zoyland cider, one of the Officers observed, “We 
 shall have no more to do, than to lock up the 
 stable doors, and seize the troopers in their beds.” 
 
 A council of war was immediately held, at 
 which it was decided to attack the enemy’s camp 
 at the dawn of the following morning. The Offi¬ 
 cers then joined their regiments in Castle field, 
 where they offered up prayers for success. It ap¬ 
 pears it was not customary in those days for the 
 soldiers to pray in regimentals, as Oldmixon says, 
 “ the Officers went to prayers for a blessing on 
 their undertaking ; some of them praying in red 
 coats and jack boots, a sight that had not been 
 seen in England before, since the Restoration.” 
 
 ®t)e dFigt)L 
 
 At about eleven o’clock at night, the Duke, at 
 the head of his troops, marched without drums or 
 music down the eastern causeway, as far as Brad- 
 ney-lane, out of which he turned into Marsh-lane, 
 and from Marsh round Peasy-farm into North- 
 moor; here, soon after one o’clock on the morning 
 of the sixth of July, the troops fell into order of 
 battle. The horse were commanded by Lord Grey, 
 
76 
 
 and the foot by the Duke, Colonels Wade, 
 Holmes, Matthews, and a German Count. 
 
 It was ordered, that the horse should first 
 enter the enemy’s camp, followed by the artillery; 
 and the foot were to bring up the rear. A 
 deep rhine or ditch separated the two armies, 
 which in one place was fordable, but the Duke’s 
 trusty guide, Richard Godfrey, who would have 
 willingly laid down his life in the cause, and who 
 knew every inch of the moor, was so alarmed at 
 the responsibility of his situation, that he missed 
 the pass, and went between it and Weston. He 
 wa< going back to the ford, and was pointing to 
 the spot, when Captain Hucker, who commanded 
 one of the companies in the rear, fired a pistol; 
 this gave the alarm to Dunbarton’s regiment,who 
 were asleep in their tents, and gave them time to 
 put themselves into something like order. 
 
 The Monmoutheans got through the rhine with 
 much dfficulty, and many of their muskets were 
 made so wet as to be useless, and they were obli¬ 
 ged to trust entirely to the bayonet. Notwith¬ 
 standing, they rushed furiously upon the King’s 
 forces, took two pieces of cannon, and turned 
 them on their enemies, w r ho were in great dis¬ 
 order. 
 
77 
 
 The noise of the guns alarmed the Westonians, 
 whose shout disturbed the slumbers of the Earl 
 of Feversham, who it appears was not over anx¬ 
 ious either for the safety of his Sovereign or his 
 troops, as on his way to the field he went into a 
 cottage and set his cravat-string at a little paltry 
 looking glass. 
 
 The Monmoutheans began the fight with a vol¬ 
 ley of shot and loud huzzas, accompanied with 
 the cry of St. George and Old England, King 
 Monmouth and our Protestant Church. This un¬ 
 expected and early attack so astonished their 
 enemies that many of them ran into Weston, those 
 in Weston instead of hastening to the field, ran 
 on to alarm the militia at Middlezoy and Othery, 
 and at this crisis, if the traitors Lord Grey and 
 Hucker had been true to the cause, theDuke must 
 have had a most triumphant victory. But provi¬ 
 dence had ordained otherwise, although it is high¬ 
 ly probable, that the excessive cruelty of James to 
 his conquered relative and his followers hastened 
 the glorious revolution of 1688. 
 
 The right wing of Dunbarton’s regiment imme¬ 
 diately gave way, and some of the other troops 
 were put into the greatest confusion by the first 
 charge, which was made by the Duke with the 
 
78 
 
 greatest bravery. The lines being broken, the 
 men had great difficulty in ascertaining their 
 friends from foes, as scarlet coats or buff jackets 
 were worn on both sides ; the cry of Soho was 
 heard in all directions. The Duke rode back to 
 the ford, exclaiming Grey, Grey, for the Lord’s 
 sake to the charge ; but the cowardly traitor in¬ 
 stead of rushing to the fight, rode after the runa¬ 
 ways towards Weston. 
 
 It is said the regiments from Taunton and its 
 neighbourhood, commanded by Colonel Wade, 
 fought most valiantly, and were driving the 
 King’s troops through Light-gate at the east-side 
 of Weston, although they had nearly expended 
 all their ammunition ; when the traitor Captain 
 Hucker raised the cry of ammunition, ammuni¬ 
 tion, for the Lord’s sake ammunition; which gave 
 courage to the fugitives, and the King’s horse 
 commanded by SirTheophilus Oglethorpe coming 
 up at the time, the cry of ammunition went 
 through the line and a hasty retreat was made, 
 which shortly terminated in flight. 
 
 A thousand scythe-men, and as many musket¬ 
 eers were forming into line near Langmoor stone,* 
 
 * This very ancient and curious monument was of large dimen¬ 
 sions, and was better known in the neighbourhood as the devil’s 
 
79 
 
 but too late, as before they were drawn up, they 
 saw their friends flying towards them and crying 
 for quarter. The horse commanded by Sir Francis 
 Compton, now joined in the pursuit, and drove all 
 before them with great slaughter. 
 
 Oldmixon says, that when the “King’s forces 
 rallied, Mew Bishop of Winchester, very offici¬ 
 ously put his coach horses to the artillery that was 
 placed in the direct road from Weston to Bridg¬ 
 water, and causing those guns to be drawn down 
 against the Duke’s foot, the latter were galled by 
 it extremely.” 
 
 Soon after Lord Grey's magnanimous attack on 
 the fugitives, “he rode up to the Duke who was 
 charging at the head of his foot with his wonted 
 gallantry, crying all his lost, and it is time for 
 you to shift for yourself.”* The Duke accompa¬ 
 nied by Lord Grey, Doctor Oliver, a German 
 Count, his servant Williams, and some dragoons, 
 
 uping-stock. The superstitious had long believed that it never 
 could be removed, as their ploughs had often been injured, and 
 their tackle broken in the attempt. The spell was broken some 
 years since by Mr. Hutchins, of Bridgwater, who purchased it 
 and cut it up for chimney pieces, &c., one of which is very curious, 
 and is in the possession of Robert Anstice, Fsq. 
 
 * Oldmixon. 
 
80 
 
 then rode off full speed towards Brinsfield Bridge, 
 and from thence to Chedzoy, where, his horse be¬ 
 ing much tired, he was supplied with another.* 
 
 In order to avoid the moor he went over Cran- 
 don-bridge, and through the villages, on the 
 north side of Polden hill, and thus for a time es¬ 
 caped his pursuers.^ 
 
 * The horse was the property of an ancestor of mine, and tradi¬ 
 tion says, that whilst the servant was putting on the saddle and 
 bridle, the Duke stepped into the house and took offhis collar and 
 George. He had round his neck what appeared to be a lady’s 
 girdle, of blue ribbon richly embroidered, and fastened with a 
 silver buckle. This he threw over the neck of a little boy two 
 years old, whom he took in his arms and kissed, saying, “ this may 
 be of use to you some day, and 1 can have it again.” For many 
 years after, this curious relic was touched by the superstitious for 
 the king’s-evil. When the proprietor was married, he settled at 
 Barnstaple where he died. The ribbon was lost, but I still have 
 the buckle. 
 
 f In the Gentleman’s Magazine for July, 1772, there are two 
 views given of a cottage in the parish of Grenton, called Edge- 
 house, where it is said the Duke in his retreat was hospitably 
 entertained by a poor shepherd. The same story is told of two or 
 three other places, and probably some of the [officers of Grey’s 
 troops in their retreat, personified the Duke fn order to deceive 
 his pursuers. If he had gone to Edge-house from the fight he must 
 have been io sight of the enemy nearly all the way. 
 
81 
 
 After the party had rode about twenty miles 
 from the moor, li Doctor Oliver, late Physician 
 to Greenwich Hospital, rode up to the Duke, and 
 said, Sir, This is the farthest you can go, without 
 throwing yourself into the hands of your enemies 
 who are waiting for you all over the country east¬ 
 ward. No body has yet heard of our ill success 
 in those parts, let us turn off to the sea coast over 
 ^against Wales, seize one of the passage boats at 
 Uphill, and get over to the other side, where I 
 know you have friends, among whom you will be 
 safe till you can retire elsewhere. I had this from 
 the Doctor himself. The Duke inclined to hear¬ 
 ken to him; but the Lord Grey check’d Oliver, for 
 offering to give such foolish advice, as he called it, 
 and the Duke going away with him, God bless you 
 sir, said the Doctor, with tears in his eyes, I shall 
 never see you more ; so setting spurs to his horse, 
 he rode off to Bristol, about twelve miles from 
 that place.”* 
 
 After the separation of the party, the Duke, by 
 the persuasion of Grey, made his way towards 
 New-forest in Hampshire, where his Lordship had 
 many friends, and it was proposed to remain there 
 until a vessel could be procured to transport the 
 
 * Oldmixon. 
 
 I 
 
82 
 
 illustrious fugitive to the continent. But he and 
 his faithless companion were soon after taken, and 
 an account of their capture is given in a pamphlet 
 published at the time by the King’s authority. 
 
 €< Immediately after the defeat of the rebels at 
 Bridgewater, on Monday the 6th of July instant, 
 the late Duke of Monmouth, late Lord Grey, and 
 the Brandenburg fled ; and coming between Gil¬ 
 lingham and Shaftesbury, got a guide to lead them 
 the way to the New-forest, most free from towns 
 and watches. He led them by White-sheet, four 
 miles east of Shaftesbury, and thence by Cran- 
 bourne-chase; where, their horses being tired, they 
 let them loose, and hid their bridles and saddles. 
 
 5£ In the mean time, the news of the defeat com¬ 
 ing to the Lord Lumley, then posted at Ring wood, 
 in Hampshire, with three troops of horse of 
 Colonel Stapley’s regiment, commanded by Major 
 Bridger, Captain Monk, and Captain Peckham ; 
 and four companies of foot of Colonel Alford’s 
 regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel 
 Cooper, Captain Bickeley, Captain Best, and Cap¬ 
 tain Carre, all of the Sussex militia ; his Lordship 
 was pleased to send his scouts every way to take up 
 suspected persons; and Sir William Portman, 
 for the same end, had taken care for strong 
 
83 
 
 watches to be set, made up of his yellow coats 
 and others; on the roads from Poole, to the most 
 northern parts of Dorset. 
 
 “ Upon the seventh instant, about five in the 
 morning, some of the Lord Lumley’s said scouts, 
 riding in the road near Holt-lodge in Dorset, four 
 miles west of Ringwood, just at the turn of a 
 cross-way, surprised and seized two suspected 
 persons; which, when the Lord Lumley came up? 
 proved to be the late Lord Grey, and the said 
 guide. This put the Lord Lumley upon a strict 
 examining of the cottages, with which that heathy 
 country abounds,and calling in the neighbourhood 
 that were acquainted with the country, &c. 
 Notice of this being brought to Sir William Port- 
 man, by some of his watches, he hastened to the 
 place, with as many horse and foot as he could of 
 a sudden get together. 
 
 “ It happened, upon the Lord Lumley’s enqui¬ 
 ring amongst the cottages, that a poor woman, one 
 Amy Farrant, directed his Lordship to a hedge 
 where she had seen two men go over; which 
 hedge proved to be part of the out-bounds of very 
 many inclosed grounds, some over-grown by fern 
 and brakes, and others sown with rye, pease, or 
 oats, &c. 
 
 i 2 
 
84 
 
 “ Whereupon a strict guard was put very near 
 one another, round those out-bounds, whilst other 
 foot and horse did heat within. These guards 
 kept their several posts so well, that, though the 
 late Duke and the Brandenburg attempted at 
 least thirty times to make their escape out, yet 
 they always found each guard ready ; and upon 
 their last attempt to escape, two of the troopers 
 firing on them made them immediately to retire, 
 and hide themselves apart from each other in 
 some of the adjacent ditches, where they were 
 afterwards found. 
 
 “ Upon the eighth day, by five of the clock in 
 the morning, the Brandenburg was found ; who, 
 upon examination, confessed that he parted with 
 the said late Duke within the same out-bounds, 
 about one of the clock that morning; whereupon, 
 every individual person being encouraged there¬ 
 by and by the hopes of having a share in the five 
 thousand pounds, (as was before agreed on in the 
 held) did renew the pursuit of him with the 
 strictest search and diligence imaginable ; and 
 about seven of the clock of the same morning, 
 one Henry Parkin, servant to Samuel Rolles, 
 Esq., happened to discover the said late Duke 
 hid in a ditch, covered with fern and brakes; 
 
85 
 
 and, calling to two of the Sussex troopers that 
 were by him, all three seized him together. Sir 
 William Portman, happening to be near that 
 place, rid presently in, and quieted those that 
 cried “shoot him, shoot him!” He laid hands on 
 him as his prisoner, and so preserved him from 
 all violence and rudeness ; and immediately, in 
 the same instant, the Lord Lumley came in and 
 agreed that Sir William Portman should search 
 him ; which was done, and as soon as they had 
 found his George , they dispatched that with the 
 news to his Majesty, by Captain Bickley and Mr. 
 Chaldecot, Sussex and Dorset gentlemen. 
 
 “The prisoners after this, were kept two nights 
 at Ringwood. On Friday, the Lord Lumley dis¬ 
 charged the foot there ; and with the said three 
 troops of the Sussex horse, and one troop of the 
 Dorset militia commanded by Captain Fownes, 
 they were conveyed to Winchester, where joined 
 them two troops of his Majesty’s in pay, and two 
 of the Northampton militia troops; all which 
 conducted them to Farnham Castle, upon Satur¬ 
 day the 11th, and the next day to Guilford, and 
 upon Monday the 13th, toVauxhall, where a regi¬ 
 ment of the Lord Dartmouth’s received them, 
 with other troops of his Majesty’s in pay ; and 
 
 i 3 
 
86 
 
 thence, by barge, they were carried to Whitehall. 
 
 “The papers and books that were found on 
 him, are since delivered to his Majesty. 
 
 One of the books was a manuscript of spells, 
 charms, and conjurations, songs, receipts, and 
 prayers, all written with the said late Duke’s 
 own hand. 
 
 Two others were manuscripts of fortification, 
 and the military art. And a fourth book, fairly 
 written, wherein are computes of the yearly ex¬ 
 pense of his Majesty’s navy and land forces. 
 
 And as for his gold, only twenty guineas were 
 given to the said Parkin, and ten guineas a-piece 
 to the two troopers that first seized him ; and the 
 rest was returned to the said late Duke. 
 
 As the prisoners passed through Rumsey, Win¬ 
 chester, Farnham, and Guilford, one would 
 admire to see the very great numbers of the mi¬ 
 litia, with the deputy Lieutenants, and gentlemen 
 of those parts, that were ready to guard them,and 
 take off the fatigue of such as were on the march. 
 
 Within doors, none but commission officers 
 were trusted to watch by them; and besides those 
 
87 
 
 the Lord Lumley and Sir William Portman took 
 their turns to watch in person, night and day, 
 from the time of the taking of the said late Duke 
 until they had delivered him safe at Whitehall, 
 from whence he was conveyed to the Tower.” 
 
 When captured, the unfortunate Duke was in 
 a very exhausted state, having lived upon peas, 
 or what else he could gather in the fields through 
 which he had passed. His spirits were much 
 depressed, and without consideration of his men¬ 
 tal as well as bodily sufferings, his enemies 
 cruelly charged him with cowardice : when on 
 his arrival at Ringwood, on the 8th of July, he 
 wrote the following letter to the King. 
 
 “ Sir,—Your Majesty may think it the misfor¬ 
 tune I now lie under, makes me make this applica¬ 
 tion to you, hut I do assure your Majesty, it is 
 the remorse I now have in me of the wrong I have 
 done you in several things, and now in taking up 
 arms against you. For my taking up arms, it was 
 never in my thoughts since the King died. The 
 Prince and Princess of Orange will he witness for 
 me of the assurance 1 gave them that I would 
 never stir against you. But my misfortune was 
 such, as to meet with some horrid people, that 
 made me believe things of your Majesty, and gave 
 
88 
 
 me so many false arguments, that I was fully led 
 away to believe, that it was a shame and a sin 
 before God, not to do it. But, Sir, / will not 
 trouble your Majesty at present with many things 
 I could say for myself , that I am sure would move 
 your compassion; the chief end of this letter being 
 only to beg of you, that I may have that happiness 
 as to speak to your Majesty ; for I have that to 
 say to you, Sir, that I hope may give you a long 
 and happy reign. 
 
 I am sure, Sir^ when you hear me, you will be 
 convinced of the zeal I have of your preservation, 
 and how heartily I repent of what I have done. 
 I can say no more to your Majesty now, being that 
 this letter must be seen by those that keep me. 
 Therefore, Sir, I shall make an end in beging of 
 your Majesty to believe so well of me, that I would 
 rather die a thousand deaths, than excuse any 
 thing I have done, if I did not really think myself 
 the most in the wrong that ever a man was; and 
 had not from the bottom of my heart an abhorrence 
 for those that put me upon it, and for the action 
 itself. I hope, Sir, God Almighty will strike your 
 heart with mercy and compassion for me, as he 
 has done mine with abhorrence of what I have 
 done: wherefore. Sir, I hope I may live to show you 
 how zealous I shall ever be for your service ; and 
 
89 
 
 could I but say one word in this letter , you 
 would be convinced of it; but it is of that con¬ 
 sequence that 1 dare not do it. Therefore , Sir, I 
 do beg oj you once more to let me speak to you; 
 for then you will be convinced , how much I shall 
 ever be 
 
 Your Majesty's most humble and dutiful 
 Monmouth. 
 
 The Queen dowager who had always shown the 
 greatest kindness to her late husband’s favourite 
 son, joined most strenuously in the petition for an 
 audience for the unfortunate prisoner, which ap¬ 
 pears to have been granted, more to satisfy the 
 revenge of the Queen, who insulted him in the 
 most cruel manner, than from any kind feeling 
 of the King towards his fallen foe. 
 
 The Duke fell on his knees and earnestly peti¬ 
 tioned for life, and to strengthen his appeal for 
 mercy, concluded his prayer in that firm and 
 solemn tone, which waS enough to freeze each 
 drop of blood oozing from the flinty heart of 
 James, “ Remember, Sir, I am your brother’s 
 son, and if you take my life, it is your own blood 
 that you shed.” 
 
 * Fox’s History of King James 2nd, page 251. 
 
90 
 
 The King (although he had broken through 
 the etiquette, before observed by all Monarchs 
 with regard to State-prisoners, never to see them, 
 unless the attainder, which carried with it the 
 sentence of death, had been so far reversed) en¬ 
 couraged the Queen in her insults, by insisting 
 that his nephew should sign a document, in which 
 he declared that his father had told him that he 
 had never married his mother. What upon earth 
 could have been a more cold-blooded and humili¬ 
 ating insult than this, to a man possessing the 
 highest sense of honour, who had always shown 
 the utmost bravery in the “battle field,” and pre¬ 
 vious to his unfortunate attempt to gain the 
 Crown, had been the very idol not only of the 
 Court, but of his Country ! 
 
 After the signature was executed, James de¬ 
 clared that, sorry as he was for the Duke’s mis¬ 
 fortunes, still his crime was so great that he must 
 suffer for it. 
 
 The scene was now changed, Monmouth found 
 he had done wrong in having petitioned for life, 
 and on rising, became cool and collected, and left 
 the chamber with such an air of bravery, accom¬ 
 panied by such a look of contempt towards the 
 King and Queen, as probably they never forgot. 
 
91 
 
 In order to show that the King’s command to 
 the Duke to sign this declaration could not have 
 been of further use than to gratify the revenge of 
 himself and consort, I give the following extract 
 from the London Gazette. 
 
 “1680, Whitehall, June 8th. 
 
 “This day was publish’d his Majesty’s declara¬ 
 tion, which follows :— 
 
 “ Charles R. 
 
 We cannot hut take notice of the great industry 
 and malice wherewith some men of a seditious 
 and restless spirit, do spread abroad a most false 
 and scandalous report, of a marriage, or contract 
 of marriage, supposed to be had and made be¬ 
 tween Us and one Mrs. Walters, alias Barlow, 
 now deceased, mother of the present Duke of 
 Monmouth, aiming thereby to fill the minds of 
 our loving subjects with doubts aud fears, and if 
 possible, to divide them into parties and fac¬ 
 tions, and as much as in them lies, to bring into 
 question, the clear undoubted right of our true 
 and lawful heirs, and successors to the Crown. 
 
 “We have therefore thought Ourself obliged 
 to let our loving subjects see, what steps We (out 
 
92 
 
 ofOur care of them and their posterity) have alrea¬ 
 dy made, in order to obviate, the ill consequences, 
 that so dangerous and malicious a report may have 
 in future times, upon the peace of our Kingdoms. 
 
 In January last was twelvemonth, We made 
 a declaration, written with our own Hand, in 
 these words following :— 
 
 “ There being a false and malicious report, in¬ 
 dustriously spread abroad by some, who are nei¬ 
 ther friends to me, or the Duke of Monmouth, 
 as if I should have been either contracted or 
 married to his mother ; and tho* I am most confi¬ 
 dent that this idle story cannot have any effect in 
 this age, yet I thought it my duty, in relation to 
 the true succession of this Crown, and that future 
 ages may not have any pretence to give disturbance 
 upon that score or any other of this nature, to 
 declare, as I do here declare, in the presence of 
 Almighty God, that I never was married, nor 
 gave any contract to any woman whatsoever, but 
 to my wife Queen Catharine, to whom I am now 
 married. 
 
 In witness whereof, I set my hand at White¬ 
 hall, the 6th of January, 1679. 
 
 Charles R. 
 
93 
 
 And this declaration I made in the presence of 
 
 W. Cant. H. Coventry. 
 
 H. Finch, C. F. Williamson. 
 
 To strengthen which declaration, We did in 
 March following(whichwasMarch last was twelve- 
 month) make a more public declaration in Our 
 Privy Council written likewise with Our own 
 Hand, and having caused a true transcript thereof 
 to he entered in Our Council Books, We signd it 
 and caused the Lords of Our Privy Council, then 
 attending us in Council, to subscribe the same 
 likewise, and we ordered the original to remain 
 in the Council Chest where it now remains. The 
 entry whereof in the Council Book is in these 
 words following :— 
 
 At the Court at Whitehall, March 3d, 1679, 
 present, 
 
 The King’s most excellent Majesty. 
 
 Lord Chancellor. 
 
 Lord Treasurer. 
 
 Duke of Lauderdale. 
 Marquiss of Worcester. 
 Earl of Ossory. 
 
 Lord Chamberlain. 
 
 Earl of Sunderland. 
 
 I Earl of Clarendon. 
 
 Earl of Essex. 
 
 Earl of Bath. 
 
 Earl of Craven. 
 
 Earl of Aylesbury. 
 
 Lord Bishop of London. 
 Lord Bishop of Durham. 
 Lord Maynard. 
 
 Mr. Vice Chamberlain. 
 
 j 
 
94 
 
 The unfortunate Duke wrote the following 
 letter to the King, on the day previous to his exe. 
 cution. 
 
 “Sir, 
 
 I have received your Majesty s order this day 
 that I am to dye to morrow . I was in hopes. Sir, 
 by what your Majesty said to me yesterday, of 
 taking care of my soul , that I should have had 
 some little more time ; for truly, Sir, this is very 
 short. I do beg of your Majesty, if it be possible 
 to let me have one day more, that I may go out of 
 the world as a Christian ought . 
 
 4< I had desired several times to speak with my 
 Lord Arundel of Wardour, which I do desire still. 
 I hope your Majesty will grant it me ; and I do 
 beg of your Majesty to let me know by him if there 
 is nothing in this world that can recal your sen¬ 
 tence, or at least reprieve me for some time. 1 
 v:as in hopes I should have lived to have served 
 you, which I think J could have done to a great 
 degree; but your Majesty does not think it fit. 
 Therefore, Sir, I shall end my days with being 
 satisfied that I had all the good intentions imagin¬ 
 able for it, and should have done it, being that I 
 am your Majesty s most dutiful 
 
 Monmouth. 
 
95 
 
 “ I hope your Majesty will give Doctor Tennison 
 leave to come to me,or any other that your Majesty 
 ivill be pleased to grant me” 
 
 “ To the King . 
 
 This epistle seems to have had no effect what¬ 
 ever on the feelings of James, except as to the 
 request in the postcript for spiritual assistance, 
 as the execution took place on the following 
 morning. 
 
 lExmttton ot fftonnumttj. 
 
 On the morning of Wednesday the 15th of July, 
 at ten o’clock, this unfortunate Nobleman was 
 taken in a coach belonging to the Lieutenant of the 
 Tower, to Tower Hill, where a scaffold had been 
 erected, and which he ascended with a firm step, 
 attended by his spiritual assistants. Tradition 
 says that the concourse of spectators was far great¬ 
 er than was ever before seen on a similar occasion. 
 All appeared to feel the greatest sympathy; a 
 deep groan accompanied by the sighs and tears 
 of the immense assembly burst forth as the illus¬ 
 trious sufferer ascended the last step; this was 
 succeeded by the most death-like silence. So 
 
 j 2 
 
96 
 
 universal was the feeling of attachment that* “ it 
 is said that a brave old officer, who came over 
 with him, and afterwards accompanied the Prince 
 of Orange, offered, with a small party of horse, 
 to venture through the guards, and take the 
 Duke off the scaffold; but they could not be got 
 together.” 
 
 The following account of this last sad scene is 
 taken from a scarce pamphlet published at the 
 time. 
 
 “ The late Duke of Monmouth came from the 
 Tower to the scaffold, attended by the Bishop of 
 Ely, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Dr. Tennison, 
 and Dr. Hooper, which four the King was gra¬ 
 ciously pleased to send him, as his assistants, to 
 prepare him for death ; and the late Duke him¬ 
 self intreated all four of them, to accompany him 
 to the place of execution, and to continue with 
 him to the last. The two Bishops, going in the 
 Lieutenant’s coach with him to the bars, made 
 seasonable and devout applications to him all the 
 way; and one of them desired him not to be sur¬ 
 prised, if they to the very last, upon the scaffold, 
 renewed those exortations to a particular re¬ 
 pentance, which they had so often repeated. 
 
 Western Martyrology. 
 
97 
 
 “At his first coming upon the scaffold, he 
 looked for the executioner, and, seeing him, said, 
 “ Is this the man to do the business! Do your 
 work well.” 
 
 “ Then the late Duke of Monmouth began to 
 speak, some one or other of the assissants, during 
 the whole time, applying themselves to him. 
 
 Monmouth . I shall say but very little : I come 
 to die: I die a protestant of theChurch of England. 
 
 Assistants. My Lord, if you be of the Church 
 of England, you must acknowledge the doctrine 
 of Non-resistance to be true. 
 
 M. If I acknowledge the doctrine of the 
 Church of England in general, that includes alL 
 
 A. Sir, it is fit to own that doctrine particu¬ 
 larly, with respect to your case. 
 
 M. I have had a scandal raised upon me 
 about a woman, a lady of virtue and honour. I 
 will name her, the Lady Harriet Wentworth . I 
 declare, that she is a very virtuous and godly 
 woman. I have committed no sin with her ; and 
 that which hath passed betwixt us was very honest 
 and innocent in the sight of God. 
 
 A. In your opinion, perhaps, Sir, as you have 
 
 j 3 
 
98 
 
 been often told ( i-e in the Tower), but this is not 
 fit discourse in this place. 
 
 Mr, Sheriff Gostlin. Sir, were you ever mar¬ 
 ried to her? 
 
 M. This is not a time to answer that question. 
 
 Mr, Sheriff Gostlin, Sir, I hoped to have 
 heard of your repentance for the treason and 
 bloodshed, which have been committed. 
 
 M, I die very penitent. 
 
 A. My Lord, it is fit to be particular ; and, 
 considering the publick evil you have done, you 
 ought to do as much good now, as possibly you 
 can, by a publick acknowledgment. 
 
 M, What I have thought fit to say of publick 
 affairs is in a paper which I have signed. I refer 
 to my paper. 
 
 A. My Lord, there is nothing in that paper 
 about resistance ; and you ought to be particular 
 in your repentance, and to have it well grounded. 
 God give you true repentance. 
 
 M. I die very penitent, and die with great 
 cheerfulness, for I know I shall go to God. 
 
 A. My Lord, you must go to God in his own 
 way. Sir, be sure you be truly penitent, and ask 
 forgiveness of God] for the many you have 
 wronged. 
 
99 
 
 M. I am sorry for every one I have wronged: 
 I forgive every body : I have had many enemies : 
 I forgive them all. 
 
 A. Sir, your acknowledgment ought to be 
 publick and particular. 
 
 M. I am to die : pray, my Lord. I refer to 
 my paper. 
 
 A . They are but a few words that we desire : 
 we only desire an answer to this point. 
 
 M. I can bless God, that he hath given me 
 so much grace, that for these two years last past, 
 I have led a life unlike to my former course, and 
 in which I have been happy. 
 
 A . Sir, was there no ill in these two years ? 
 In these years, these great evils have happened ; 
 and the giving publick satisfaction is a necessary 
 part of repentance :—be pleased to own a detest¬ 
 ation of your Rebellion. 
 
 M. I beg your lordship, that you will stick 
 to my paper, 
 
 A. My Lord, as I said before, there is nothing 
 in your paper about the doctrine of Non-resistance. 
 
 M. I repent of all things, that a true Christian 
 ought to repent of. I am to die. Pray my Lord. 
 
 A. Then, my Lord, we can only recommend 
 
100 
 
 you to the mercy of God ; but we cannot pray 
 with that cheerfulness and encouragement, as we 
 should, if you had made a particular acknow¬ 
 ledgment. 
 
 M. God be praised, I have encouragement 
 enough in myself: I die with a clear conscience: 
 I have wronged no man. 
 
 A . How, Sir, no man! Have you not been 
 guilty of invasion , and of much blood, which have 
 been shed; and it may be, the loss of many souls, 
 who followed you ? You must needs have wrong¬ 
 ed a great many. 
 
 M. I do. Sir, own that, and am sorry for it. 
 
 A . Give it the true name, Sir, and call it 
 rebellion . 
 
 M. What name you please, Sir. I am sorry 
 for invading the Kingdom; for the blood that 
 has been shed ; and for the souls which may have 
 been lost by my means. I am sorry it ever hap¬ 
 pened. (This he spoke softly). 
 
 Mr. Sheriff Vandeput, (to some that stood at a 
 
 distance.) He says, he is very sorry for invading 
 the Kingdom. 
 
 A. We have nothing to add, but to renew the 
 frequent exhortations we have made to you, to 
 give some satisfaction for the publich injuries to 
 
101 
 
 the Kingdom. There have been a great many 
 lives lost by this resistance of your lawful Prince. 
 
 M. What I have done has been very ill; and 
 I wish with all my heart it had never been. I 
 never was a man that delighted in blood : I was 
 very far from it: I was cautious in that as any 
 man was. The ALMIGHTY knows how I now 
 die, with all the joyfulness in the world. 
 
 A. God grant you may, Sir! God give you 
 true repentance ! 
 
 M. If I had not true repentance, I should not 
 so easily have been without the fear of dying. I 
 shall die like a lamb. 
 
 A. Much may come from natural courage. 
 
 M. I do not attribute it to my own nature, 
 for I am fearful as other men are ; but I have 
 now no fear, as you may see by my face; but 
 there is something within me which does it, for I 
 am sure I shall go to God. 
 
 A. My Lord, be sure upon good grounds. 
 Do you repent you of all your sins, known or un¬ 
 known, confessed, or not confessed; of all the 
 sins which might proceed from error in judgment? 
 
 M. In general for all, I do with all my soul. 
 
 A. God Almighty of his infinite mercy for¬ 
 give you! Here are great numbers of spectators : 
 
102 
 
 here are the Sheriffs; they represent the great 
 City; and in speaking to them, you speak to the 
 whole City. Make some satisfaction by owning 
 your crime before them. (He was silent here). 
 
 Then all went to solemn commendatory pray¬ 
 ers, which continued for a good space ; the late 
 Duke of Monmouth and the company kneeling, 
 and joining in them with great fervency. 
 
 Prayers being ended, before he, and the four 
 who assisted him, were risen from their knees, he 
 was again earnestly exhorted to a true and tho¬ 
 rough repentance. 
 
 After they were risen up, he was exhorted to 
 pray for the King; and was asked, whether he 
 did not desire to send some dutiful message to his 
 Majesty, and to recommend his wife and children 
 to his Majesty’s favour. 
 
 M. What harm have they done ? Do it, if 
 you please. I pray for him and for all men. 
 
 (Then the versicles were repeated.) 
 
 A. 0 Lord, show thy mercy upon us ! 
 
 M. And grant us thy salvation. 
 
 A. 0 Lord, save the King! 
 
103 
 
 M. And mercifully hear us when we call 
 upon thee! 
 
 A. Sir, do you not pray for the King with us? 
 (Then the versicle was again repeated.) O Lord 
 save the King ! 
 
 M. (After some pause, he answered,) Amen ! 
 
 Then he spoke to the executioner, concerning 
 his undressing, &c., and he would have no cap, 
 and at the beginning of his undressing, it was 
 said to him on this manner : 
 
 A. My Lord, you have been bred a soldier : 
 you will do a generous, Christian thing, if you 
 please to go to the rail, and speak to the soldiers; 
 and say, that here you stand, a sad example of 
 rebellion, and entreat them and the people to be 
 loyal and obedient to the King. 
 
 M. I have said I will make no speeches: I 
 will make no speeches: I come to die. 
 
 A. My Lord, ten words will be enough. 
 
 M. (Then calling his servant, and giving him 
 something like a tooth-pick-case,) Here, (said 
 he,) give this to the person to whom you are to 
 deliver the other things. 
 
 M. (To the executioner.) Here are six gui¬ 
 neas for you : pray do your business well : do 
 
104 
 
 not serve me as you did my Lord Russel. I have 
 heard you struck him three or four times. Here, 
 (to his servant,) take these remaining guineas, 
 and give them to him, if he does his work well . 
 
 Executioner. I hope I shall. 
 
 M. If you strike me twice, I cannot promise 
 you not to stir. 
 
 During his undressing, and standing towards 
 the block, there were used by those who assisted 
 him, divers ejaculations proper at that time, and 
 much of the 51st Psalm was repeated, and par¬ 
 ticularly, “ Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, 
 O God, thou God,” Sec. 
 
 Then he lay down, and soon after he raised 
 himself upon his elbow, and said to the execu¬ 
 tioner, “ Prithee, let me feel the axe” : (he felt 
 the edge, and said) “I fear it is not sharp enough.” 
 
 Executioner. It is sharp enough, and heavy 
 enough. 
 
 Then he lay down again. 
 
 During this space, many pious ejaculations 
 were used by those that assisted him, with great 
 fervency, God accept your repentance ! God ac¬ 
 cept your imperfect repentance ! My Lord God 
 
105 
 
 accept your general repentance ! God Almighty 
 shew his Omnipotent mercy upon you! Father, 
 into thy hands we commend his spirit, &c. Lord 
 Jesus, receive his soul! 
 
 Then the executioner proceeded to do his office. 
 
 This is a true account. Witness our hands, 
 
 Francis, Ely. Thomas Tennison. 
 
 Thomas, Bath and Wells. George Hooper. 
 
 William Gostlin, T 
 Peter Vandeput, y * 1611 S * 
 
 A copy of the paper, to which the late Duke of 
 Monmouth referred himself in the discourses 
 held upon the scaffold. 
 
 “ I declare, that the title of King was forced 
 upon me ; and that it was very much contrary to 
 my opinion, when I was proclaimed. For the 
 satisfaction of the world, I do declare, that the 
 late King told me, he was never married to my 
 mother. Having declared this, I hope that the 
 King, who is now, will not let my children suffer 
 on this account. And to this I put my hand this 
 fifteenth day of July, 1685. 
 
 “ Monmouth.” 
 
 K 
 
106 
 
 Declared by himself, and signed in the presence 
 of us, 
 
 Francis Ely. Thomas Tennison. 
 
 Thomas Bath and Wells. George Hooper. 
 
 I had a manuscript in my possession several 
 years since, which was the property of a person 
 of Weston, whose grandfather was a soldier in 
 the King’s army, and who was near enough to 
 the scaffold to hear all that passed. In the pam¬ 
 phlet above quoted, the last words of the Duke 
 were carefully omitted; they were very similar 
 to those given by Oldmixon. “I die in this faith, 
 that God in his good time will deliver his people, 
 and then will be seen the great and horrid villa- 
 nies our enemies have been guilty of; you see my 
 case is desperate, yet know you all, I die a Martyr 
 for the people.” The Duke’s caution to the exe¬ 
 cutioner, had quite the opposite effect to what was 
 intended : as it completely unnerved him. He 
 first gave a slight wound on the shoulder, when 
 the poor sufferer lifted up his head and looked 
 him in the face, but said nothing. He then gave 
 two other ineffectual blows, and threw down the 
 axe exclaiming, “ I cannot finish the work:” but 
 by the threats of the Sheriffs, he was induced to 
 resume the horrid butchery ; and at two more 
 strokes he severed the head from the body. 
 
107 
 
 The mangled remains were then deposited in a 
 coffin covered with velvet, which was placed in a 
 hearse also of black velvet, and carried off for 
 interment, followed by the sighs and groans of 
 almost all present. 
 
 Thus died this unfortunate Nobleman, in the 
 36th year of his age, who was born at Rotterdam, 
 on the 9th of April 1649. In 1665 he married 
 Anne, daughter and sole heir of Francis Scot, 
 Earl of Buccleugh, whose surname he then as¬ 
 sumed. 
 
 In 1673, with the rank of Lieutenant-General, 
 he served as a volunteer in the French army 
 against the Dutch, and gained great reputation 
 for bravery at the seige and capture of Maestricht. 
 
 In 1678, he went to Scotland, where he took 
 the command of the English troops to suppress 
 the insurrection of the covenanters, whom he de¬ 
 feated in an action which, in compliment to him, 
 was called the Battle of Both well bridge. 
 
 His merciful disposition and kindness of heart, 
 shone forth here most conspicuously, for he not 
 only shewed the greatest clemency to the van¬ 
 quished rebels; but through his influence over 
 k 2 
 
108 
 
 
 the King, gained concessions far beyond their 
 expectations, for the whole of the Scottish fanati¬ 
 cal party. 
 
 He had by his Duchess four sons and two 
 daughters : Charles died an infant. James in¬ 
 herited the Dukedom of Buccleugh from his 
 mother, and from him is descended the present 
 Duke. Henry was created Earl of Deloraine, a 
 title now extinct. Francis and the two daughters 
 died in their infancy. 
 
 He also left four illegitimate children; two 
 sons and two daughters, by Eleanor, daughter of 
 Sir Robert Needham, Knight. 
 
 In 1677, Richard Blome dedicated his Analogia 
 Honorum, or Treatise of Honour and Nobility, to 
 the Duke, when his style was, 
 
 “The Right Noble James Duke of Monmouth 
 and Buccleugh, Earl of Doncaster and Dalkeith, 
 Lord Scott of Askdale, Tendale, and Wichester, 
 Lord High Chamberlaine of Scotland, Cheife 
 Justice, and Justice in Eyre of his Majesty’s 
 Parks, Chaces, and Forests on the south side of 
 Trent, Lord Lieutenant of the County and Stew¬ 
 ard of the Towne of Stafford, Lord Lieutenant of 
 the East Rideing of Yorkshire, Governor of the 
 
109 
 
 Towne and Citadel of Kingston-upon-Hull, Chan¬ 
 cellor of the University of Cambridge, Master of 
 the Horse to his Majesty, Captaine of his Majesty’s 
 Guard of Horse, Knight of the Garter, Captaine 
 Generali of his Majesty’s land Forces, and one of 
 the Lords of his Majesty’s most Honourable 
 Privy Councell, &c.” 
 
 He bore the Royal Arms of his father, sur¬ 
 mounted by a Baton. Over all in an escocheon 
 of pretence—Or* on a bend azure a mullet be¬ 
 tween two crescents of the first—Scot. Support¬ 
 ers, dexter a unicorn, sinister a stag, attired Or, 
 both gorged with ducal coronets. 
 
 Writers in general agree that he was the most 
 complete gentleman of his day. To his manly 
 and graceful form was joined, a disposition full of 
 courtesy, bravery, gentleness, and sincerity ; al¬ 
 though* Lodge says when speaking of the Rye- 
 house plot, “The weakness, not to say meanness,, 
 of Monmouth's character now fully displayed 
 itself: he made an ample confession indeed of 
 more than had been before suspected, and, having 
 
 * Portraits and Memoirs of the most Illustrious Personages 
 of British. History, by Edmond Lodge, Esq.; Norroy King of 
 Arms, F.S.A. 3rd edition. 
 
 K 3 
 

 110 
 
 received a free pardon, retracted the whole,” and 
 besides many other severe reflections he adds; 
 “ He summoned sufficient resolution to die with 
 decent firmness, if not with magnanimity. In 
 his previous communications with the Bishops 
 Kenn and Turner, and with Dr. Tennison, he 
 betrayed marks of superstition, and fanaticism of 
 which he had not been before suspected. He 
 could not be brought to acknowledge the justice 
 of their censure on his connection with the Lady 
 Harriet Wentworth, because, as he said, he had 
 prayed to God that if his affection for her were 
 sinful it might cease, and as it had not ceased, 
 he concluded therefore that it was pleasing to 
 God. He had earnestly sought for a respite of 
 one day, on the credit of an idle prognostication 
 that if he could outlive that day, his life would 
 be long and happy; and after his death, spells 
 against danger, and other fantastic and mystical 
 papers were found on his person. 
 
 The following memorandum is taken from the 
 register of Westonzoyland. 
 
 <e An account of the fight that was in Lang- 
 
 * Were not 9 out of 10 of the most learned men of the 
 17th century truly superstitious ? 
 
 
Ill 
 
 more, the sixth of July 1685, between the King’s 
 army and the D : of M : 
 
 “ The ingagement began between one and two 
 of the clock in the morning. It continued near 
 one hour and a half. Their was killed upon the 
 spot of the King’s souldiers sixteen, and five of 
 them buried in the Church. The rest in the 
 Church-yard; and they had all Christian Buriall; 
 one hundred or more of the King’s souldiers 
 wounded, of which wounds many died ; of which 
 we have no certain amount; their was killed of 
 the rebels upon the spot aboute 300; hanged with 
 us 22, of which 4 weare hanged in Gemmasses. 
 About 500 prisoners brought into our church ; of 
 which their was 79 wounded, and 5 of them died 
 of their wounds in our church. 
 
 The D : M : beheaded July 15th, 1685.” # 
 
 One of the four unfortunate prisoners alluded 
 to, was Captain Adlam, who "was so severely 
 wounded that he was in a dying state when taken 
 to the gallows the day after the battle, and was 
 the first who was hung in chains on the moor. 
 It is said he had 100 broad-pieces quilted in his 
 buff coat. The eighteen, through Feversham’s 
 
 * Kindly copied by the Ttev. Samuel Luscombe. 
 
112 
 
 impatience for revenge, were executed (before a 
 gallows could be erected) on the branches of a 
 large tree at Bussex, adjoining the moor, and 
 their bodies were buried near it by some of the 
 cottagers. 
 
 Whiting says, “ The next day after the defeat 
 of the Duke’s army at Sedgmoor near Weston- 
 zoyland, many being killed and the rest scattered, 
 flying for their lives ; several of the country gen¬ 
 tlemen (who hardly dar’d appear before) came 
 about in pursuit of the Duke of Monmouth’s men, 
 and Sir Edward Phillips (Judge of the sessions) 
 came to my friend’s house at Long Sutton ; and 
 sate and slept in her chair, while his men went a 
 hunting about the fields to take men, and several 
 were brought to my friend’s door and sent to 
 prison, sending them to prison in droves, as if it 
 had been to get their horses, for which some of 
 them paid dear after King William came ; as to 
 brother Scott in particular, who was wonderfully 
 preserved, being taken and put into Weston stee¬ 
 ple-house, with many more, the night after the 
 fight, in order to be bang'd next day, as many 
 were ; but he got out at the little north door, 
 while the watch was a-sleep, and so escaped with 
 his life, lying in corn fields by day, and going by 
 night until he got home, and so lay about till after 
 
113 
 
 the general pardon : but many were hang’d in 
 cold blood, by that cruel, inhuman bloody wretch, 
 Coll. Kirk, the shame of mankind; and some 
 were hung in chains naked, to the terror and 
 shame of the country. 
 
 “The assizes began in the seventh month, both 
 at Taunton and Wells, by special commission to 
 that tyrannical Judge George Jefferys, Lord chief 
 Justice &c., for trying the Duke of Monmouth’s 
 men, (for the Duke they had taken and be¬ 
 headed before) where there were above 500 
 prisoners from the several goals of the County, 
 and many were had in carts from Ivelchester to 
 Wells, most of them were condemned, even by 
 wholesale; (Jefferys making what haste he could, 
 not regarding how he threw away men’s lives, or 
 run over them to hasten home to the King at 
 Windsor, to be made Lord Chancellor,) having 
 done the work he was sent about, of which he 
 was admonished as I have heard by a sober man, 
 before he went the circuit, to shew mercy as he 
 expected it another day ; (which he then sleight- 
 ed, but wished afterwards, in his agonies, that he 
 had took his advice). Many were executed, and 
 their heads and quarters set up on trees and poles 
 &c., in most of the highways in this County, 
 Dorset and Devonshire, to the terror of travel- 
 
114 
 
 lers, being dreadful to behold ; and many trans¬ 
 ported, some wheadled out of their lives, and 
 others terrified to confess in hopes of pardon, and 
 then hanged, whom otherwise they could have 
 had little against; in relation to which I cannot 
 forbear to mention, what I observed past at 
 Ivelchester, while I was a prisoner in the ward. 
 Then came David Timm of Wells, and took ac¬ 
 count of the prisoners (which perhaps was his place 
 as county-clark to do) with the causes of their 
 commitment, but not only so, but wheadled them 
 to confess, how far they were concerned, pretend¬ 
 ing, if they would confess, they would do them 
 all the kindness they could at the assizes, so drew 
 out of them what they could, under hopes of 
 favour, and then went in, and writ down their 
 examinations which I was an eye-witness of, and 
 which, if they had denied at the assizes (or plead¬ 
 ed not guilty), would have been produced, as 
 evidence against them, and as reported, was, and 
 the like, they did at the common goal, which 
 though some endeavoured to excuse themselves 
 of the guilt of the poor men’s blood, when they 
 saw it fall so heavy; (some hanged for a little 
 hay, or letting them have a little victuals, which 
 perhaps was not in their power to hinder) and 
 afterwards lay the blame on King James and 
 
115 
 
 Jefferys, yet it was such a piece of treachery to 
 betray them out of their lives, that I know not 
 how they can acquit themselves of, or who could 
 force them to it, if they had not been as willing 
 and forward as their masters; which I mention to 
 show, how much better it is to shew mercy than 
 severity. 
 
 There were eight executed, quartered, and 
 their bowels burnt on the market-place before 
 our prison window. I went out of the way be¬ 
 cause I would not see it, but the fire was not out 
 when I returned ; and forcing poor men to hale 
 about men’s quarters, like horse-flesh or carrion, 
 to boil and hang them up as monuments of their 
 cruelty and inhumanity, for the terror of others, 
 which lost King James the hearts of many ; and 
 it had been well he had shewed mercy when 
 ’twas in his power, or made examples of these 
 inhuman wretches, Jefferys and Kirk, who hanged 
 men in cold blood, though he pardoned a great 
 many afterwards.” 
 
 Among other prisoners taken on the field were 
 Colonel Holmes, Major Perrot, and Captain 
 Madders of Crewkerne. Poor Williams, the 
 faithful servant of the Duke, brought back the 
 
116 
 
 horse, which was lent to his master without the 
 most distant hope of its return; and many are 
 the stories of his hair-breadth escapes, but he was 
 at length taken and executed ; he died most he¬ 
 roically, refusing to the last to give any informa¬ 
 tion which could in the slightest degree criminate 
 any who had rendered assistance to his master or 
 himself. Thus he probably saved the lives and 
 fortunes of many. 
 
 It is said he had his master's cloak and 200 
 guineas in his possession. 
 
 Among the slain was Lieutenant de Misiers, of 
 the 1st regiment of granadier foot guards; who 
 lies buried in the Nave of Middlezoy Church, 
 under a brass plate bearing the following ins¬ 
 cription. 
 
 “ Here lyes the Body of Lovis Chevalier de 
 Misiers, a French Gentleman, who behaved him¬ 
 self with great courage and gallantry 18 years in 
 the English services ; and was unfortunately 
 slaine on the 6th of July 1685, at the Battle of 
 Weston, where he behaved himself with all the 
 Courage imaginable against the King s Enemies, 
 commanded by the Rebel Duke of Munmuth.” 
 
117 
 
 Perhaps a more cruel act of wanton barbarity, 
 was never committed on a field of battle towards 
 a fallen foe, than that which I am about to relate. 
 
 A very fine young man holding an ensign’s 
 commission in the Duke’s army, was amongst 
 the prisoners; and it was represented to Fever- 
 sham that he could show extraordinary feats of 
 agility: with a promise of saving his life, he 
 submitted to be stripped, when one end of a hal¬ 
 ter was fastened round his neck, and the other 
 round that of a wild young colt. They started 
 at a furious rate atf; Bussex rhine in Weston ; 
 and the horse fell exhausted, by the side of his 
 ill-fated companion at Brinsfield bridge, in Ched- 
 zoy, a distance of three quarters of a mile ; when 
 the young man worn down with fatigue claimed 
 his pardon, but the inhuman General ordered 
 him to be hanged with the rest on the fatal Bus- 
 sex-tree. 
 
 Another of the Duke’s men was more fortu¬ 
 nate, although he narrowly escaped the fangs of 
 the royal blood-hounds. He was a native of 
 Shapwick, his name John Swain, and was taken 
 in his bed a few nights after the fight, by two of 
 Kirke’s dragoons, who on the following morning 
 were marching him to Bridgewater. His young 
 
 L 
 
118 
 
 wife and two children, attended by several of the 
 villagers followed him, and when he arrived at 
 that part of the parish called Loxley-wood, he 
 fell on his knees, and petitioned that the prayer 
 of a father doomed to death, might be heard, and 
 that he may be allowed to show “ how far he 
 could leap, that his children when grown up 
 anight keep him in remembrance.” His prayer 
 was granted, when he ran and took three suc¬ 
 cessive leaps, and before the soldiers had reco¬ 
 vered from their astonishment, he had entered 
 the adjoining coppice, which was so thickly 
 wooded and full of swamps, as to render it im¬ 
 possible for the horses to follow. He remained 
 in tbe ditches of the neighbourhood until the 
 time of slaughter was overpassed, when he re¬ 
 turned to his happy family.* 
 
 Three days after the fight, Colonel Kirke 
 marched from Bridgwater to Taunton, and took 
 with him two carts’ full of wounded men, and a 
 number of prisoners. After taking refreshment 
 with his officers, he caused nineteen to be hanged 
 immediately ; and inhumanely ordered the drums 
 
 * The four stones which mark these leaps, can be seen from 
 the road leading from Bridgwater to Glastonbury. The originals 
 were much decayed and sunk into the earth, but have lately been 
 carefully restored by George Warry, Esq., Lord of the Manor. 
 
119 
 
 and lifes to be played, as when he saw the 
 wretched victims in their last agonies, he said 
 they were dancing, and should have music . 
 Their hearts and bowels whilst warm, were 
 thrown into a large fire, amidst the shouts of the 
 unfeeling soldiers, and their quarters and heads 
 after having been boiled in pitch, were hung up 
 at the cross ways. 
 
 Cfje <&rabr* 
 
 Not far from Bussex is the great grave, in 
 which the unfortunate slain were buried, and 
 horrid to relate, many who were mortally woun¬ 
 ded ; instead of being taken to the Church with 
 their fellow-sufferers, were stripped with the 
 dead, thrown into the trench, and held down by 
 some of the inhuman soldiers, whilst others 
 threw in sufficient earth to cover them. 
 
 It is, supposed the grave was a circular dike, 
 as the centre of the mound has been opened and 
 no remains found, but a man a few years since 
 was employed to dig near it, when he discovered 
 an immense number of bones in a very high 
 state of preservation. 
 
 k 2- 
 
120 
 
 The following letters relating to this spot are 
 in my possession. 
 
 “ Sumrstt. 
 
 Whereas comeplainte have benn 
 made to me by the inhabitants of the parish of 
 Weston-zoyland that the Rebells lately buried in 
 the more are not suffeciently covered & that they 
 have benn at great charges to builde Gallowsess 
 & Gebbuts, & to make chaines, or gemmacess to 
 hang up the rebells ; These are in his Maties. 
 name to require you forthwith on sight hereof to 
 press plowes & men to come to the said place 
 where the rebells are buried, that there may bee 
 a mount errected upon them, as the inhabitants 
 of Weston shall think fitt, and you are to beare 
 your proportionable charges with them, in make- 
 ing the Gemmacess and buryinge the rebells, 
 and this you are not to faile as you will answer 
 the contrarie, at your utmost perils— 
 
 Given under my hand at Bridgewater, July 
 the 13. 1685. Kirke. 
 
 To the constable or Tythingman 
 of Chedzoy. 
 
 Chedzoy Six plowes & twelve men. 
 
m 
 
 Somersetsh* 
 
 Goodman Philipps you are not ig¬ 
 norant what order was granted by the right 
 honble. Colonel Kerke for burying the dead re¬ 
 bells, making gallowes and Gibbetts and Jimmes 
 to hang up fower prisoners and other things for 
 covering the Dead for ye doeing thereof there is 
 charged on yor parish of Chedzoy two pounds 
 fower shillings and a penny which mony you 
 know is psently expected from your said parish 
 You are therefore desired to bring over the said 
 mony without delay for the workemen doe desire 
 and expect their wages. Wherefore you are de¬ 
 sired not to faile to bring it on sight hereof to 
 the tythingman of Westonzoyland and in soe 
 doeing you will answer the expectacion of your 
 neighbours and especially your frinde 
 
 JoHif Bragce. 
 
 Weston July 15th 85. Tythingman. 
 
 To the Tythingman of Chedzoy 
 & Constale. These* 
 
 At the latter end of August the Lord Chief 
 Justice Jeffreys, (attended by a guard well suited 
 
 * At the above period Goodman was often used in the Zoy- 
 lands when addressing a male, and Goody for the female. Gadfer 
 an abreviation for Grandfather and Dame have since been used. 
 
 L 3 
 
122 
 
 for such a campaign, under the command of 
 Colonel Kirke) opened a special commission at 
 Winchester and began what was termed 
 
 The first prisoner he tried was Lady Alicia 
 Lisle, relict of John Lisle one of the regicides, a 
 great friend of Cromwell and who was one of his 
 Lords. 
 
 She was upwards of seventy, and the only 
 charge that could be brought against her, was 
 that she had concealed in her house (for a short 
 time) Mr. Hickes a tion-conformist minister, and 
 a Mr. Nelthorpe. 
 
 It appears that Jeffreys was fully determined 
 to sacrifice her, as he had gained a promise from 
 James that a royal pardon should be withheld. 
 
 The venerable prisoner denied that she had 
 any knowledge whatever of her guests having 
 been friends of the Duke, but the judge told the 
 jury upon his honour , that both Nelthorpe and 
 Hickes had confessed they had been with the 
 Duke. Thus he became witness against the pri¬ 
 soner he was trying, and though the jury re- 
 
123 
 
 turned a verdict of not guilty twice , he in a 
 furious rage threatened them with an attainder 
 of high treason, when they brought her in guilty. 
 The robed and ermined fiend, then sentenced his 
 half-sleeping victim, to be burned, and the only 
 favour that he or his master would grant, was 
 that she should be beheaded. The sentence was 
 carried into execution on the second of Septem¬ 
 ber. She died most calmly,, declaring she was 
 happy to suffer for having done a pious and cha¬ 
 ritable act. Her remains were deposited in 
 Ellingham Church-yard, near Ringwood* Hants. 
 On the third of September he arrived at Dor¬ 
 chester, where twenty-nine who pleaded not guilty 
 were convicted and condemned ; this severity 
 frightened the remainder of the prisoners into a 
 confession. 
 
 He next proceeded to Exeter, where there were 
 two hundred and forty three prisoners. The first 
 who pleaded not guilty was a Mr. Fourakers, but 
 the intimidated jury finding a verdict against 
 him, the judge sentenced him to be executed 
 immediately. This cruel act so terrified the rest 
 that they all pleaded guilty, and were con¬ 
 demned accordingly. 
 
 The next commission was opened at Taunton, 
 
124 
 
 when Jeffreys used the most violent and ungen¬ 
 tlemanlike language in his charge to the Grand 
 Jury; A few of the prisoners put themselves on 
 their trial, and were convicted ; the rest without 
 hope of escape pleaded guilty. He then went 
 to Wells, where the same tragedy was repeated. 
 
 Throughout the circuit he ordered the different 
 courts to be hung with red cloth, perhaps the 
 better to match with his blood-stained robes. 
 
 Thirty-five were fined or whipped, among them 
 Mr. Staple of Thorncombe, Devon, a man of 
 good property, and highly respected. Mrs. 
 Brown a respectable woman of Lyme, jocosely 
 said to an officer <e I will pay my excise to King 
 Monmouth,” for which she was convicted of a 
 misdemeanor, and was whipped in several mar¬ 
 ket towns. But the most extraordinary sentence 
 ever passed, was on a young gentleman by the 
 name of Tutchin, who assumed the name of 
 Thomas Pitts, and thus escaped the capital 
 charge of rebellion, but for changing his name 
 Jeffreys sentenced him to be imprisoned seven 
 years; and once every year to be whipped through 
 all the market towns in Dorsetshire ; to pay a 
 fine to the King of one hundred marks, and find 
 security for his good behaviour during life. 
 
125 
 
 The clerk of the arraigns observed to his Lord- 
 ship, “ that as there were a great many market 
 towns in the county, the sentence reached to a 
 whipping about once a fortnight; and the prison¬ 
 er was a very young man, “ Aye, said Jeffreys, 
 he is a very young man, but an old rogue; and 
 all the interest in England shan’t reverse the sen¬ 
 tence I have passed on him.” Tutchin petitioned 
 the King to allow him to be hanged with his fel¬ 
 low-prisoners, rather than undergo the barbarous 
 sentence, and his Friends endeavoured to pur¬ 
 chase a pardon, but without success. He was 
 soon after so severely attacked with the small¬ 
 pox, that his life was despaired of, when Jeffreys 
 was prevailed upon to reverse the sentence, and 
 the young man lived to pay a visit to his fallen 
 enemy whilst a prisoner in the Tower, where he 
 was shown as a monster, and a fit companion for 
 the wild beasts in the King’s collection. 
 
 The following is the list given of those who 
 were condemned and suffered in the west in the 
 year 1685, under the sentence of this heartless 
 Judge.* 
 
 The heads and quarters of most of the sufferers 
 were hung up in all parts of the country. 
 
 * History of the Life and Death of George Lord Jeffreys, late 
 Lord Chancellor of England, page 37. 
 
126 
 
 6 . 
 
 Walter Baker 
 Henry Body 
 Gerrard Bryant 
 
 Thomas Clotworthy 
 Thomas Collins 
 John Carter 
 
 Pfnitpsnorton 12. 
 
 Robert Cook 
 Edward Creaves 
 John Caswell 
 Thoms Hayward 
 John Hellier 
 Edward Beere 
 
 Henry Portridge 
 George Pether 
 Thomas Peirce 
 John Richards 
 John Staple 
 John Smith 
 
 Broome 12. 
 
 Francis Smith John Humphrey 
 
 Samuel Vill, alias Vile George Hasty 
 Thomas Star Robert Man 
 
 Philip Usher Thomas Pearle 
 
 Robert Beamant Lawrence Lott 
 
 William Clement Thomas Lott 
 
 Bruton 3. 
 
 James Fieldsen 
 Humphrey Braden 
 
 Richard Bole 
 
127 
 
 Wlimanton 6. 
 
 John Howel 
 Richard Harvey 
 John Tucker 
 
 William Holland 
 Hugh Holland 
 Thomas Bowden 
 
 £f)rpton-JMaU*t 13. 
 
 Stephen Mallet 
 Joseph Smith 
 John Gilham, jun, 
 Giles Bramble 
 Richard Chinn 
 William Cruise 
 George Pavier 
 
 John Hildworth 
 John Ashwood 
 Thomas Smith 
 John Dorchester, sen. 
 John Combe 
 John Groves 
 
 Jl£n*fortr 12. 
 
 Roger Cornelius 
 John Starr 
 Humphry Edwards 
 William Pierce 
 Arther Sullway 
 George Adams 
 
 Henry Russel 
 George Knight 
 Robert Wine 
 
 William Clark, alias 
 Ghick 
 
 Preston Bevis 
 Richard Finier 
 
 mutingtott 3. 
 
 Alexander Key 
 David Boyse 
 
 Joshua French 
 
128 
 
 mcm 8 . 
 
 William Mead 
 Thomas Coade 
 Robert Doleman 
 Thomas Durston 
 
 John Sheperd 
 Abraham Bend 
 William Durston 
 William Plumley 
 
 3. 
 
 William Ruscomb Robert Combe 
 Thomas Pierce 
 
 Cuton^upott^enirtjj 2. 
 
 Peter Prance William Watkins 
 
 Cfmrtr 12. 
 
 Edward Foote Abraham Pill 
 
 John Knight William Davy 
 
 William Williams Henry Easterbrook 
 John Gervis James Dennett 
 
 Humphry Hitchcock Edward Warren 
 William Godfrey Simon Cross 
 
 io. 
 
 John Spore Nicholas Adams 
 
 Roger Burnoll Richard Stephens 
 
 William Pether Robert Halswell 
 
James Evorv 
 Robert Hill 
 
 John Bushel 
 William LasMy 
 
 Common 7 . 
 
 William Gillefc George Cantick 
 
 Thomas Lissant Robert Allen 
 
 William Pocoek Joseph Kelioway 
 
 Christopher Stephens 
 
 mom 8 . 
 
 Francis Foxwell William Johnson 
 
 George Pitcher Thomas Harford 
 
 Bernard Devereax Edward Gillard 
 
 Bernard Thatcher, for Oliver Powci 
 concealing Bovet 
 
 3 . 
 
 Humphrey Mitchel Merrick Thomas 
 
 Richard Culverell 
 
 $&umut 3 . 
 
 Henry Lack well William Sully 
 
 John Geanes 
 
 UuUwrtim 3 . 
 
 John Basely Henry Thompson 
 
 John Lloyd 
 
130 
 
 $&xi%gxtoatxx 12 . 
 
 Robert Fraunces 
 Joshua Bellamy 
 William Moggeridge 
 John Hurman 
 Robert Roper 
 Richard Harris 
 
 Richard Evans 
 John Tinckwell 
 Christopher Clerk 
 
 Nicholas Stodgeli 
 Richard Engram 
 John Trott 
 Roger Guppey 
 Roger Hore # 
 
 Isaiah Davis 
 
 at 2$rtetol 6. 
 
 Edward Tippot 
 Philip Cambridge 
 John Tucker, alias 
 Glover 
 
 Xlmittgter 12 . 
 
 Nicholas Collins, sen. 
 Stephen Newman 
 Robert Luckis 
 William Kitch 
 Thomas Burnard 
 William Wellen 
 
 John Parsons 
 Thomas Trocke 
 Robert Fawne 
 Western Hillary 
 John Burgen 
 Charles Speake 
 
 Sbtflgemg 2 . 
 
 Hugh Ashley John Herring 
 
 * This statement is wrong, as Roger Hoare, Esq., was reprieved 
 under the gallows, and afterwards represented the Borough of 
 Bridgwater in several Parliaments. 
 
131 
 
 Wellington 3. 
 
 Francis Priest Robert Reed 
 
 Philip Bovet 
 
 gontfjpetlnrton 3. 
 
 Cornelius Furford Thomas Davis 
 
 John Parsons 
 
 l^orlocfc 2. 
 
 James Gate Henry Edny 
 
 0la#at&ur£ 6. 
 
 John Hicks William Mead 
 
 Richard Pierce James Pyes 
 
 Israel Briant John Broome 
 
 Catmton 19. 
 
 Robert Perret 
 Abraham Ansley 
 Benjamin Hewling 
 Abraham Mathews 
 William Jenkins 
 Henry Lisle 
 John Dryer 
 John Hucker 
 Jonathan England 
 John Sharpe 
 
 M 
 
 Peirce Murren 
 John Freake 
 John Savage 
 William Deverson 
 John Williams 
 John Patrum 
 James Whiitom 
 William Satchel 
 John Trickey 
 
 2 
 
132 
 
 nmgpazt 3 . 
 
 Humphrey Peirce John Shellwoed 
 
 Nicholas Yenton 
 
 %tx$ti$ge 6, 
 
 Isaac Tripp John Gill, sen. 
 
 Thomas Burnell Thomas Monday 
 
 Thomas Hillary John Butcher 
 
 Cutfjmtxm 2. 
 
 Richard Bovet Thomas Blackmore 
 
 Mimfjmt® 6 . 
 
 John Jones, alias Evens Peter Warren 
 Hugh Starke Samuel Hawkins 
 
 Francis Barlett Pickard Sweet 
 
 IBtoiltfjtfter 12. 
 
 Hugh Goodenough 
 Samuel Cox 
 William Somerton 
 John Masters 
 John Walrand 
 David Langwell 
 
 Osmond Barret 
 Matthew Cross 
 Edward Burford 
 John Mortimer 
 John Stevens 
 Robert Townsden 
 
 §?mgutmmt 3 . 
 
 George Hillard Arthur Williams 
 
 John Lockstone 
 
133 
 
 <£a&tUcatv 3. 
 
 Richard Ash Robert Hinde 
 
 Samuel Garnish 
 
 Milton^oxt 2 . 
 
 Archibald Johnson James Maxwel 
 
 l&rtmifjattt n. 
 
 Charles Chepman 
 Richard Bowden 
 Thomas Trock 
 Lewis Harris 
 Edward Halswell 
 IJowel Thomas 
 
 George Badol 
 Richard Evans 
 John Winter 
 Andrew Rownsden 
 John Phillelrey 
 
 Suffered in all, 239. # 
 
 The copy of a warrant from the High Sheriff 
 to the Officers of Bath, will show with what se¬ 
 verity the sentences were put into execution. 
 
 “ Somersetshire. C Edward Hobbes Esqr. ; 
 
 ( Shereiffe of ye Countie 
 aforesaid, to the Conbles: and other his Maties : 
 Officers of the Cittie and Burrough of Bath, 
 greeting : Whereas I have reed, a warrt. under 
 the hand and seale of the right Honble* the Lord 
 
 History of the Life and Death of George Lord Jeffreys. Page 37, 
 
 M 3 
 
134 
 
 Jeffreys for the executing of several Rebells with¬ 
 in yowr said Cittie. These are therefore to will 
 and require yow immediately on sight hereof to 
 erect a Gallows in the most publike place of yor: 
 said Cittie to hang the said Trators on, and that 
 yow provide halters to hang them with, a suffi¬ 
 cient number of faggots to burne the Bowells of 
 fewer Trators, and a furnace or cauldron to boyle 
 their heads and quarters, and salt to boyle there¬ 
 with, halfe a Bushel! to each Traytor, and tarr to 
 tarr ym with, and a sufficient number of speares 
 and poles to fix and place their heads and quart¬ 
 ers : and that yow warne the owners of fower 
 Oxen to be ready with a dray and wayne and the 
 said fower Oxen at the time hereafter mentioned 
 for execusion, and yow yorselves togeather with 
 a guard of fortie able men att the least to be pre¬ 
 sent on Wednesday morning next by eight of the 
 clock, to be aiding and assisting to me, or my 
 deputie, to see the said rebells executed. 
 
 Given under my Seal of Office this 16th day of 
 November A° . 1° Jacobi Secfndi. 
 
 You are also to provide an 1685. 
 
 Axe and a Cleaver for the 
 quartering the saidRebells/ ,# 
 
 Edward Hobbes, Vice. 
 
 * Collinson's History ©i Somerset 
 
135 
 
 The following persons were condemned and 
 afterwards given over to the undermentioned for 
 
 transportation. 
 
 To Sir Phillip Howard .. .. 200 
 
 To Sir William Booth.200 
 
 To Sir William Stapleton .. .. 100 
 
 To Sir Christopher Musgrave .. 100 
 
 To the Queen’s Order .. .. 100 
 
 To Jerome Nipho, Esq.100 
 
 To Captain John Price .. .. 50 
 
 850 # 
 
 Amongst the families who suffered most se¬ 
 verely, was that of George Speke, Esq., of 
 Dillington House, near Ilminster. His son 
 Charles had purchased a lucrative situation in 
 the King’s Bench or Common Pleas, which was 
 likely to suit one of Jeffreys’ favourites. 
 
 He was spending a week with his father when 
 the Duke made his tour in the year 1680, and, 
 with upwards of ten thousand attendants, was 
 regaled in the park. His Grace, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Speke and family, and several of the gentry of 
 the neighbourhood, being seated under a very 
 large Spanish chesnut tree, still known as the 
 Duke’s tree. 
 
 * Locke's Western Rebellion, 
 
136 
 
 This perhaps was the young gentleman’s great¬ 
 est crime, as it is said he was very courteous, and 
 paid the greatest attention to the illustrious 
 visitor. 
 
 He was executed at Ilminster amidst the heart¬ 
 rending wailings of the towns-people. 
 
 His father and mother after having been cruel¬ 
 ly treated, were obliged to pay upwards of ten 
 thousand pounds, in order to purchase a quiet 
 return to their family seat. 
 
 The ancient and highly respected family of the 
 Bulls, of Strap wick, had a very narrow escape, 
 which tradition relates as follows. 
 
 It so happened that Henry Bull, Esq. expected 
 a party to dine with him on the day of the fight, 
 and had not even heard of the arrival of the King’s 
 troops in the neighbourhood. He sent his servant 
 to Bridgewater to obtain fish and other luxuries, 
 which in those days, were to be “ far fetched and 
 dearly bought,” before they could be placed upon 
 the oaken boards of the hospitable old English 
 Gentry. 
 
 It seems the servant on his return, could not 
 resist the temptation of seeing what was going on 
 
137 
 
 in Sedgemoor. The sight of a red coat was very 
 rare at that period, the sound of a great gun still 
 more so, and gunpowder was so sparingly used 
 in our quiet moor, that many an old dame has 
 felt a shock at the report of the Squire’s fowling 
 piece, at the commencement of the shooting sea¬ 
 son : we cannot then he surprised that the young 
 man so far deviated from his course upon such 
 an occasion. But he unfortunately arrived just 
 in time to join the fugitives, among whom he was 
 taken, and nothing but the tried loyalty, and 
 former sufferings of the family in the cause of 
 Royalty, preserved them from the grasp of 
 Jeffreys; as the servant was in the livery of his 
 master. He was taken before Feversham, who 
 was busily employed in the selection of a number 
 of the unhappy captives for immediate execution. 
 After having heard the poor fellow’s artless ex¬ 
 cuse for having been found in such unlucky com¬ 
 pany, the General exclaimed : “Go home Varlet 
 to thy master, for thou art not worth the hanging, 
 tell him not again to put that garb of thine upon 
 the shoulders of a fool.” 
 
 I shall now quote some of the family documents 
 in order to show how dearly the head of it paid 
 for his determined attachment to his King, and 
 and the established religion of his country. 
 
138 
 
 Alt the standinge Comittee of Parlent. for the 
 County of Sorriest., in Ilchester, 21st April 1646. 
 
 It is now ordered that Mr. Thomas Durston of 
 Cattcott shall holde and enjoy all the demeasne 
 lands belongeinge to William Bull Esq. in Shap- 
 wick, togeather with the Rectory or parsonage 
 there and all the farme of Weeke Champ-flower, 
 togeather with all other lands there joyntly helde 
 between the said Mr. Bull, and Doctor Ducke, 
 and also all the lands in hande lying in the 
 Mannor of Sydenham, and one Tenent: lying in 
 Marke, for one whole yeare from our Lady day 
 last, yeeldinge and payinge therefore (over and 
 above all charges and reprises) to the use of the 
 estate, the rent, of two hundrede pounds upon the 
 nyne & twentieth day of Scptcmbr and the five & 
 twentieth day of March next, by equall porsones. 
 Whereof twenty pounds is for the moity of the 
 lands belonginge to Doctor Ducke, providede all- 
 wayes, that if any the lands bee already lett by 
 any of our Sequestrators then the said Mr. 
 Durston is to receive the rent thereof; and all 
 our Sequestrators are requirede from henceforth 
 to forbeare to fell or cutt any the woods belong¬ 
 inge to the said Mr. Bull upon the Lands afore¬ 
 said untill further order. 
 
139 
 
 Nich : Sanders Jonat : Pitt 
 
 John Pyne Tho : Frauncies 
 
 He : Minterne 
 
 Mr. Bull, through the interest of his friends, 
 had his estates restored upon payment of a heavy 
 fine, as appears by the following copy. 
 
 Somst. 
 
 At the standinge Committee for this 
 County, Ivelchester, 23 Junii 1646. 
 
 It is this day ordered that the estate reall and 
 personall of William Bull of Shapwicke in this 
 County, Esq., be forthwth suspended from seques¬ 
 tration (being not already disposed of by the 
 sequestrators), the sd: Mr. Bull havinge com¬ 
 pounded for his delinquency at Gouldsmiths hall, 
 as appears by their order remayninge upon file 
 in or: Committee Chambers. 
 
 To ail sequestrators 
 whom these may concerne. 
 
 Mathew Clift Henry Minterne 
 
 Roger Hill Tho : Frauncies 
 
 Nich : Sandrs. 
 
 Robert Hunt, Esq., of Compton-house, who 
 was Sheriff of the County for the year 1654, was 
 Mr. Bull’s brother-in-law, and by his journal it 
 
140 
 
 appears, that he was most indefatigable in the 
 service of the office—but he, also had much trou¬ 
 ble, and experienced great alarm and vexation, 
 through the extraordinary escape of a prisoner 
 who it unfortunately happened was of the same 
 name, though no relationship could be traced to 
 the family. Some extracts from his manuscripts 
 will I am sure prove interesting to many of my 
 neighbours. 
 
 “ I caused my Goaler to sett up a pulpett in 
 the prison and procured Ministers to preache in 
 the prison every wenesday or every other wense- 
 day at farthest and caused the keeper to have the 
 minister to dinner. Mr. Powell ye then Minister 
 of Ilchester, I desired to begin the lecter on 
 wenseday the first of January 1654. 
 
 The Lre sent to the Justices concerninge a sall- 
 rey for one yt may instructe the prisoners. 
 
 Gent and my honoble frends 
 
 Thear are nowe in the goale near 60 poore 
 prisonrs. Tis a usuall sayeinge & I feare too 
 true, that they come in bad and goe out worse. 
 In order to the redresse of this evell I have caus¬ 
 ed the keeper to sett up a pulpitt in the prison, 
 & have desired the Minister of Ilchester to begin 
 
141 
 
 the Lecter thear wch hee did wtli much willing- 
 nesse on wenesday laste. And I shall procure 
 some neybour Minister to keepe up the Lecter 
 every wenesday or every other wenesday at far¬ 
 thest. But truly Gents I am affrayde If the next 
 Sherife should live farr of, the Lecter thus sett 
 up may fall to ye ground. And to prevent it, I 
 doe (wth all submission to yor better judgemts) 
 conceive twil bee the best way if the Bench 
 please, amongst other pensions, to setle a smale 
 one upon the Minister of Ilchester for the tyme 
 beeinge, whoe may constantly preach to the 
 prisonrs and instruct them upon all occasons. 
 Gents tis my humble requeste to you that you 
 will doe this charitable worke : And if you cast 
 yor bread upon the waters you may by God’s 
 blessinge finde it the next Assizes in the conver- 
 tion of a poore theife, and then you will not 
 repent of yor charity, nor will it bee any greife 
 of mynde to you, when you shall passe out of 
 this worlde, to remember that you ware instru¬ 
 mental! to the saveinge of poore soules, nor matter 
 of shame to you when at the last day, it shal be 
 tould you that you sent to visitt poore prisonrs 
 soules. Such a worke as this Gentn is beseeme- 
 inge the piety you professe, and will lodge a 
 worthy esteeme of you in the bosomes of all 
 
 N 
 
142 
 
 honest men, will procure you a reward hereafter 
 from your great master, & present many thankes 
 from Your very humbl servant 
 
 5 Jany. 1654. Robert Hunt, Sheriff. 
 
 To ye Right worll Sf my muck 
 bondfrends the Juticesse now at 
 Wells Sessions ‘present . 
 
 The Justices ware pleased to alio we a pension 
 of eight pounds pr ann, to bee payd quarterly to 
 the minister that did preach every Sunday to the 
 prisonrs, & was payd duly all my tyme. 
 
 The severall Ministers under written that 
 preached the wensedayes did it gratis & willing¬ 
 ly, only had a dinner. 
 
 Mr. Powell, of Ilchester 
 Mr. Wyott, of Puddimore 
 Mr. Ligh, of Charde, who preached one Assize 
 Sermon 
 
 Mr. Lambert, of Sparkford 
 Mr. Cradock, of North Gadbury 
 Mr. Walker, of Gompton-paunc-foote 
 Mr. Westerdale, of Kingsdon 
 Mr. Wetcombe, of Charleton 
 Mr. Brayne, of Lymington 
 Mr. Clench, of Chilton 
 
143 
 
 Mr. Moore, of Aller 
 Mr. Baker, of Currey-mallett 
 Mr. Roache, of Quenne Camell 
 Mr. Albine, of West Camell 
 Mr. Nicholls, of Maperton 
 Mr. Hanham, of Charleton 
 Mr. Ball, of Long Sutton 
 Mr. Cox, of Babcary 
 
 Mr. Squibb, of Babcary, who preached ye two 
 first Assizes 
 
 Mr. Ban ger the elder, of Yarlington* 
 
 Mr. Berry, of Pucklington, preacht at ye 
 fourth Assizes 
 
 * I have in my possession, the original appointment of 
 Mr. Banger, to the rectory of Yarlington: it is well written 
 on Parchment, as follows. 
 
 ** Know all men by these presents—That whereas the 
 Rectory of Yarlington in the County of Somerset, is at 
 present under Sequestration, and Bernard Banger Clerk 
 is by his Highnesse Oliver Lord Protector of the Comon 
 Wealth of England & the patron thereof under the great 
 Seal of England nominated thereunto. The Commissionrs 
 for approbation of Publique Preachers having received a 
 testimony in the hehalfe of the said Bernard Banger, of his 
 holy and good Conversation, and finding him to he a person 
 qualified as in and by the Ordinance for such approbacon is 
 required. Doe by these presents ratifie, confirme, and 
 allow him the said Bernard Banger to be and continue in 
 N 2 
 
144 
 
 “ THE FIRST ASSIZES. 
 
 The Lord cheife Justice Roll and Baron Nicholas 
 ware appointed to come towards the westerne 
 Circuitt, and to begin the Assizes at Salisbury 
 munday the — day of March 1655. and to bee 
 hoald the Assizes for Somersett at Taunton — 
 March. The Sunday night before the Assizes 
 should bee at Salisbury, The Judges weare as¬ 
 saulted in their bedds, made rise, and about mid¬ 
 night ware brought out into the markett place 
 by Mr. Penruddocke, Mr. Grove and about 300 
 others : The Judge’s Comission taken away, theirs 
 
 the said sequestred Rectory as Publique Preacher there. 
 And to receive, possesse, and enioy all houses, Gleab-lands. 
 Tithes, rents, duties, and profitts whatsoever, incident and 
 belonging to the Rectory of Yarlington aforesaid, in as full 
 and ample manner as being present Incumbent he ought or 
 might enioy the same. In witnes whereof they have caused 
 the Comon seal to be hereunto affixed, and the same to be 
 attested by the hand of the Register by his Highnesse in 
 that behalf appointed. Dated at Whitehall, the eighteenth 
 day of Aprill, one thousand six hundred fifty and six. 
 
 Jo Nve, Regr.” 
 
 The Seal is two inches and half in diameter, and bears a 
 shield charged with a plain cross, round it is inscribed,— 
 “The Seale for approbation of Publique Preach¬ 
 ers.” 
 
145 
 
 and the Lawers and others horses taken away,, 
 The Goale broake up &c. and in the morninge 
 very early the Companie all marcht to Blanford 
 whear they proclaymed Chars, the second, & then 
 marcht to Sherborne munday night, and after 2 
 or 3 howers staye, made on to Evell made a halte 
 thear & soe past to Crewkehorne & made a litle 
 stopp at Charde Tewseday nighte, and in Moulton 
 wenseday nighte ware most of them surprized 
 and taken wthout any bloud spilte, most ware 
 carriedd to Exeter prison, about 35 taken stray- 
 linge in Somersettshire and brought to Tanton 
 Castle, and afterwards the 27 & 28 of March 
 Genii. Disbrewe being at Tanton ordered the 35 
 persons then in Tanton Castle to bee sent to 
 Ilchester prison, whether they ware sent by a 
 warrant from 4 J ustices for Treason ; at the same 
 tyme Edward Phelipps of Montegue, Esq., was 
 at his house taken up by a party of Capt: Wal- 
 lington’s men by order of Genii. Disbrewe, first 
 carried to Exeter and then sent backe to Tanton 
 & remained under the custody of 4 musketteires, 
 hee was to goe to Ilchester prison,, be einge comit- 
 ted by warte. from 4 Justices for misprision of 
 Treason ye wart, was date 29 March 1655. But 
 I tooke Mr. Phelipps into my custody, and after 
 l had brought the GenlL out of Tanton, I had 
 n 3 
 
145 
 
 Mr. Phelipps to my owne house whear hee re¬ 
 mained untill the Assizes. By reason of this 
 accident the Assizes first appointed were all putt 
 of. And Sunday the 8 of Aprill 55 beinge at 
 Church a Post came from the Councell wth a 
 Lre dat. 3 Apr. 55. and a warrant from som ap¬ 
 pointed Comissionrs of oyer k terminer k Goale 
 delivery to warne the Assize to bee hoi den at 
 Charde wenseday the 25 Apr. 55. for tryall only 
 pf prisoners. 
 
 The Comissioners that sate as Judges at the 
 Assize ware the Lord Comissionrs. Lisle, Baron 
 ]N T icholas, k Recorder Steele (afterward Lord 
 chief Baron) who gave the charge k managed the 
 businesse : Genii. Disbrow and diverse Justices 
 Mr. Pyne Mr. Bingham Mr. Gorges Mr. Bovett 
 &c. comissionrs. for that purpose. 
 
 The Assizes held Wenseday k Thursday, Friday 
 about ten of the clocke the Judges went out of 
 Towne, Five of the Salisbury men Capten Hunt 
 Mr. Pirkouer Mr. Foote, Lymington k Maning- 
 ton received sentence to be dragde to theGallowes, 
 hanged k quartered k their quarters to bee dis¬ 
 posed of at my Lord Protector s pleasure, k three 
 for other facts to bee hanged, one of wh. was 
 i-epreived (beinge a boy) by the Judge, Mr* 
 
147 
 
 Phelipps whoe was in my house at that tyme was 
 indicted for misprision of Treason, the Indictmt, 
 was prest very hard by the solicitor Mr. Nutly, 
 but the grand Jury would not finde the bill but 
 an Ignoramus : Yet the order was to continue 
 him in prison. But Genii. D. afterward was 
 pleased uppon my earnest importunity to give 
 mee leave to sett him at libty giveinge a bond 
 wth Two Suretyes in £2,000 to appeare when the 
 Protector should send fr him, wh was performed 
 accordingly and hee set at libty to repayer to his 
 home. The Genii, allsoe gave mee leave to carry 
 the condemnede persons backe to Ilchester, and 
 in case no thinge to the countrary came to mee 
 from the Protector before the munday senight 
 the 7th day of May, they ware that day to dye 
 all. In the meane tyme came severall repreives 
 to mee from the Protector for Lymington, Foote 
 Sc Pirkouer, and the Sunday noone before the 
 Execuson, came an order dat. 3d. May from the 
 Protector concerninge the beheadinge of Capten 
 Hunt in these words. 
 
 Oliver P. 
 
 Whearas Thomas Hunt Sc Richard 
 Manninge ware indicted, convicted Sc attained of 
 high Treason at a comission of oyer Sc terminer & 
 
148 
 
 Goale delevery lately held at Chard in our 
 County of Somersett and have received sentence 
 to be executed as Tray tors. We have thought 
 fitt, & oure will and pleasure is that the sd. 
 Thomas Hunt insteede of beeinge hanged by the 
 necke bee putt to death by severinge his head 
 from his body, & that the sd. Richd. Manninge 
 bee only hanged by the necke till he bee dead, 
 and that you forbeare all other & farther corpo¬ 
 rate payne & execuson of the bodyes of the parties 
 aforesaid. And for soe doeinge this shall be your 
 warrant, Geven at Whitehall 3 May 1655. 
 
 To Robert Hunt JEsqr. high Sheriff 
 of or County of Somersett or. 
 his Deputye. 
 
 Monday the 7 of May 1655 beinge the execu¬ 
 son day I roade to Ilchester attended wth my 
 undersheriffe, officers, servants and others, none 
 of them beeinge made acquainted that I had 
 received repreives for any of the condemned per- 
 sons, As soone as I was off my horse and gone up 
 into my roome, I sent for Foote Pirkouer k 
 Lymingeton, wlioe when they ware come to mee, 
 tliear beinge divers others alsoe in the roome, all 
 ignorant of the Repreives, I told the prisoners 
 they could not bee ignorant of the cause of my 
 
149 
 
 coming, and that this was the day appointed for 
 their Execucion of wch I had (in order to their 
 better preparacon for their deathes) sent them 
 notice some dayes before both by my under she- 
 riffe k Chaplaine and thearfore did hope they 
 ware provided for death, Mr. Pirkouer and Mr. 
 Foote or one of them sayd they ware ready. I 
 then told them, that their sentence indeed was 
 very sadd and heavie Twas, to bee dragd to the 
 Gallowes upon a hurdle, to be turned off, cut 
 down alive, and quartered, and your quarters not 
 to bee allowed the civillity of a buriall, but to 
 bee disposed of accordinge to his Highnesse plea¬ 
 sure, But Gent. Thoe this sentence at the first 
 blushe appeares gastly and terrible, yet if you 
 have yor peace made wth God by true repentance, 
 and have an interest in Christe by a lively fayth 
 in his meritts, you are happy men, Death cannot 
 hurte you, thoe it kill you, And your bodyes thoe 
 they should bee mangled heare, yet they shall 
 arise hearafter whole and glorious, and let mee 
 tell you, and truly I speake it wth much ioy, I 
 heare you have since the sentence of death past 
 on you (wch is about ten dayes agoe) you have 
 spent your tyme very piously and have beene 
 most wth God in holy dutyes, and I can assure 
 you Gent, you have not sought God in vayne, for 
 
150 
 
 that God whome you have moved by your Pray¬ 
 ers, hath moved his Highnesse to pytty and 
 Repreive you, not only from the ugly and ere well 
 circumstances attendinge your death, but from 
 death itselfe, soe that doubtlesse whilest I looke 
 on you as fyer brands pluct out of the fyer, every 
 one of you is lookinge up to heaven wth his Soule 
 & mouth full of David’s quid retribuam, and shall 
 I gent (who bringe you the good newes) tell you 
 what you ought to render for soe great a deliver¬ 
 ance, Not a bare verball thankes, but in good 
 earneste a givinge up yourselves, Your bodyes & 
 Soules as a livinge Sacrifice to that God that hath 
 delivered you from soe shamefull a Death. O 
 Gent doe not forgett that God, that remembred 
 you in your low estate. Lett it never bee sayd 
 that you now you have served your turnes upon 
 God, you have left him. That Pyety you pro- 
 fesse, the candor and ingenuity you seeme to 
 owne, doe persuade me better things of you : O 
 lett mee never have cause gent to rise up in 
 judgement againste you for soe great ingratitude! 
 Well Gent your lives are nowe given you by the 
 mercie of God, and the favor of the Protector soe 
 that thoe you had noe cause at Charde, heare I 
 am sure you have sufficient to say, God blesse my 
 Lord Protector and you that ware nowe ready to 
 
151 
 
 glorifye God in your deathes, I hope will endea¬ 
 vor to doe it in your lives, and if your lookes doe 
 not deceive mee you are every one longinge to 
 bee in yor chambers in private to give God an 
 earnest of your purposes, and I shall not keepe 
 you longer from your Sacrifice, I wish the favor 
 of your Prince and the mearcie of God may prove 
 a blessinge to you, And soe farre yee well Gent. 
 
 Keeper, you are to returne wth them to their 
 chambers, and to prepare for the Execucon of the 
 woeman and ye two men that are to suffer. 
 
 The prisoners beeinge two men and one woeman 
 ware that eveninge executed & dyed very pene- 
 tently, one of them Rich: Maninge a Bayliffe and 
 under keeper of Salisbury Goale that lett out the 
 prisonrs thear, was executed upon the Salisbury 
 businesse. 
 
 By reason of the difficulty of procuringe an 
 axe (wch must bee eleaven inches for such a pur¬ 
 pose,) and the preparing a scaffold I was necessi¬ 
 tated to putt of the execucon of Capt. Hunt whoe 
 havinge two sisters cominge to visitt him wense- 
 day nighte the — day of May about ten of the 
 clocke ye night shiftinge cloathes wth one of 
 them (whilest his two chamber fellowes, (who lay 
 
152 
 
 at his beds feete) went downe to drinke) went 
 downe wth his other Sister through the house, 
 paste 2 or 3 doore keepers & the Guard of Soul- 
 diers wthout & soe past away; but whether or 
 howe, it could not bee learned. The Sister that 
 stayed behinde in the chamber hanges the Captens 
 cloake & hatt & dublett on the chayer & goes 
 into his bedd, Foote & Pirkouer (condemned per¬ 
 sons) cominge into ye chamber thought him 
 asleepe & soe layd downe in the Trundle Bedd, 
 In the morning callinge to the Cap ten, perceived 
 that twas his sister that was in the bedd and the 
 Capten gon, that morninge beeinge thurseday — 
 day of May it was conceived the Capten should 
 have beene executed. The Scaffold beeinge erect¬ 
 ed in the markett place near the shear-hall in 
 Ilchester. 
 
 About nine of the clocke Wm. Pullen came 
 with the newes to mee of the escape, I presently 
 dispatched a servant post to London wth Lres to 
 the Protector, to Genii. Disbrowe, to Col. Syden¬ 
 ham 2 of the Councell and to Mr. Lislebone 
 Longe then Master of Requests. These Lres 
 brought the first newes, and by Gods blessinge, 
 kept of what many expected and my frends feared 
 would fall on mee, the rather in respect yt the 
 Gent, was of my name. Col. Sydenham & Mr. 
 
153 
 
 Longe approved themselves cordiall frends and 
 the Protector upon readinge my Lre seemed well 
 satisfied at length, Non nobis Dne, sed tuo nomini 
 detur gloria. As soon as my Lre to the Protector 
 was reade came in two Souldiers wth a Lre to the 
 Pro: to give him an accompt of the escape of 
 Hunt but thoe the Lre was stufft with many no¬ 
 torious untruiths put on by a Gent in the Countrey 
 to doe mee mischiefe, yet it pleased God it did 
 me no hurte at all, I have spared to name my 
 Enemy because I would forgett the iniury & 
 would have my Relacons alsoe to doe it, but the 
 love of my frends I would never forgett. 
 
 They confined the two Sisters to a chamber as 
 prisoners, they ware brought to Two Assizes, but 
 ware never tryed, After they had remayned con- 
 fyned at Ilchester two yeares, they ware at Tanton 
 assizes bay led by Judge Newdegate wth the con¬ 
 sent of the whole Benche.” # 
 
 And now for a few specimens in order to show 
 that Superstition in those days, not only mar¬ 
 shalled in her ranks the lowly and meek, but 
 many of the brave, the great, the learned and the 
 
 * On the margin opposite Non nobis Dne &c., are the fol¬ 
 lowing Scriptural references—5 Job. 19: 43 Esa. 2: 31 Psa 6. 
 4. 7. 17. 52: 30 Esa. 19: 
 
 O 
 
154 
 
 wise : those who held the highest situations, and 
 were most deservedly respected by all who en¬ 
 joyed the pleasure of their society. 
 
 26 Febie 1664 
 
 ee Deare Brother late at night. 
 
 The tenth of March they say all the Comis¬ 
 sions. for the Roy all ayde are to meete at Somer- 
 ton. Thear is an Embassador from France come 
 to mediate in behalfe of the Dutch, yet some 
 think the French underhand blowes the Cole, 
 and I feare wee shall see some troubles for some 
 reasons I shall give you when wee meete, wee 
 have had many ill prognostickes of late, at 
 Farington a child borne wth a heade like a piggs 
 snowte, ten fingers on a hand, Sc ten toes on each 
 foote, and the former weeke a calfe bought from 
 Parneham Sc killed at Dorchester that had a 
 stone wthin it that wayed twenty pounds, a lambe 
 at Limmington whear my Co: Newboroughs 
 Schoole is, was yeaned wth 7 leggs one of them 
 came out by his Tayle, you may take these 3 for 
 a truith. We had a younge mayde dyed at Kil- 
 mington on wenseday bewitched by an Aple, lay 
 3 weekes in great Torment, Sc dyed wenseday, 
 her body brake Sc her bowells came out, The 
 story is to long for this paper : This unhappy 
 businesse of wiches hath given mee very much 
 
155 
 
 trouble and they have don very much mischiefe* 
 both to Catle and people, but I suppose some of 
 them will receive their reward & they well deserve 
 it. The last weeke uppon examinacon of a prison¬ 
 er I had a discovery made of the Rouges that 
 robd & murdered the younge Gent betweene 
 Crewkehorne & Chard, by the Lord Pauletts 
 Lodge at Rayne Hill, at Whitesontyde was three 
 yeares, Brooke, Hooper, & Lawrence. I imme¬ 
 diately dispatched away 3 horsemen well provided 
 & wth hand boults, & have seized them all 3 & 
 they are in prison, but neyther would confesse the 
 fact, thoe the guilt hung uppon their browes, I 
 have drawen one of them from his fellowes upon 
 hopes to have him confesse, but the proofe is soe 
 full agst them as may bee. God seldome lets 
 bloud bee buryed, but at length bringes it to light 
 & this came strangely out, as I shall tell you 
 when I meete. I thinke I have waried you by 
 this tedious discourse* my harty respects to you, 
 my Son & Daughter, hoping Southy is well agen, 
 I remaine yor affectionate brother & Servant 
 
 Robb. Hunt. 
 
 I pray preserve 4 or 6 payer 
 of Mr. Rolls grafts of his two 
 great winter pares for me. 
 
 To my honed Brother William Bull Esqr . 
 at Shapwicke These Present . 
 
 o 2 
 
156 
 
 Honed Brother 16 Dec 1667 
 
 I have had the luck to kill a fatt do we 8c have 
 sent Stene wth a Syde of it to you 8c I shall bee 
 glad to hear of yor good helth by his return. 
 
 My daughter Brodrepp I thanke God, came 
 hither well on Satterday, After the three weekes 
 or more great torments shee had indured, one 
 whiles in her throate, another tyme at her harte, 
 sometymes in her belly, & at other tymes in her 
 backe, such strange paine as if shee was thrust 
 wth nayles or needles & at two of the clocke 
 every morninge the torment enforced her to ryse, 
 8c found noe ease in any place, on Sunday last 
 was senight about two of the clocke, shee had a 
 violent fitt, some tyme dead & about 4 of the 
 clocke shee was assaulted more violently. Her 
 Eyes strecht 8c swolen out, her teeth clencht, her 
 lipps open, her chinn gatherd upp like a button, 
 and her hands 8c armes turned backward, & leggs 
 8c armes soe stiffe 8c distorted that they could not 
 bee bowed, for an hower shee remayned as dead, 
 8c lookt most gastly, but in this fitt she softly 
 groaned only once, Alice Knight hath made mee 
 guiddy, uppon this they sent for Alice Knight 
 whoe thoe very unwillinge yet came to the house, 
 but when shee came neare the house shee fell a 
 tremblinge as soone as she came in she prest to 
 
157 
 
 see my daughter & the childe, but insteed of that, 
 they after much adoe drewe some bloud from her 
 arme by a bramble Sc then made her kneele Sc 
 pray that neyther the devell nor any of his instru- 
 mts might doe her any more hurte, but this she 
 was unwillinge to doe, but at last did. As soone 
 as the bloud came my daughter had ease, and fell 
 into a fyne sleepe & ever since hath beene in ease 
 Sc well I thanke God. In her pillow severall 
 kuarkes ware found made upp in feathers Sc 
 bound wth red silke. I have.3 of them hear 2 
 they burned : This Alice Knight, my daughter 
 never suspected nor had’ seene her in 3 quarters 
 of a year before, the particulars are to longe for 
 a Ire, She tould one 2 dayes before that Mrs. 
 Brodrepp would dye shortly &c. 
 
 Thear is a Lre this day from the Counsell to 
 returne the names, tymes Sc causes of the Comitt- 
 mt of all such as are in or Goale, pticularly of 
 quakers, Sc whoe are fitt for mearcy Sc whoe ring¬ 
 leaders. but I shall give you to much trouble, Sc 
 thearfore shall stopp, only lett mee give you the 
 services of all hear Sc be assurd you that I am 
 
 Yor affectionate brother & Servant, 
 Robb. Hunt. 
 
 To my honoed Brother William Bull Esqr y 
 at Shapwicke these 
 
 o 3 
 
158 
 
 The Rev* Andrew Paschall, whom I have be¬ 
 fore noticed, was considered to be a learned man 
 of his day, and no Clergyman was more revered 
 by his Parishioners during the number of years 
 he resided amongst them : and with honour to 
 himself, and to the comfort of all around him, 
 fulfilled the duties of Pastor, Father, Brother and 
 Friend. I will quote two of his Letters which 
 will convince my readers, that he too, was rather 
 superstitious. 
 
 A Letter from the Rev. Mr. Andrew Paschall, 
 . B.D., Rector of Chedzoy in Somerset, To John 
 Aubery, Esqr., at Gresham College, London. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I last week received a letter from a learned 
 friend, the Minister of Barnstable in Devon, 
 which I think worthy your perusal. It was dated 
 May 3d 1683, and is as follows (He was of my 
 time in Queen’s College in Cambridge). 
 
 There having been many prodigious things per¬ 
 formed lately in a Parish adjoining to that which 
 Bishop Sparrow presented me to, called Cheriton 
 Bp. by some discontented Daemon, I can easily 
 remember that I owe you an account thereof in 
 lieu of that which you desired of me, and which 
 I could not serve you in. 
 
159 
 
 About November last, in the parish ofSpreyton 
 in the county of Devon, there appeared in a field 
 near the dwelling-house of Phil: Furze, to his 
 servant Francis Fry, being of the age of 21 next 
 August, an aged gentleman with a pole in his 
 hand, and like that he was wont to carry about 
 with him when living, to kill moles withall, who 
 told the young man he should not be afraid of 
 him ; but should tell his master, i-e- his son, that 
 several Legacies that he had bequeathed were 
 unpaid, naming 10s. to one 10s. to another, &c. 
 Fry replied, that the party he last named was 
 dead. The Spectrum replied, he knew that, but 
 said it must be paid to — and named the next 
 relation. These things being perform’d, he pro¬ 
 mised he would trouble him no further. These 
 small legacies were paid accordingly. But the 
 young man having carried 20s. ordered by the 
 Spectrum to his sister Mrs. Furze of the Parish 
 of Staverton near Totness, which money the 
 Gentlewoman refus’d to receive, being sent her, 
 as she said, from the devil. The same night Fry 
 lodging there, the Spectrum appeared to him 
 again, whereupon Fry challenged his promise not 
 to trouble him, and said he had done all he de¬ 
 sir’d him ; but that Mrs. Furze would not receive 
 the money. The Spectrum replied, that’s true 
 
160 
 
 indeed. But bid him ride to Totness and buy a 
 ring of that value, and that she would take : 
 which was provided for her, and received by her. 
 Then Fry rode homewards attended by a servant 
 of Mrs. Furze. But being come into Spreyton 
 parish, or rather a little before, he seem’d to 
 carry an old Gentlewoman behind him, that often 
 threw him off his horse, and hurried him with 
 such violence, as astonish’d all that saw him, or 
 heard how horridly the ground was beaten ; and 
 being come into his Masters yard, Fry’s horse (a 
 mean beast) sprung at once 25 Foot. The trou¬ 
 ble from the Man-spectre ceased from this time. 
 But the old Gentlewoman Mrs. Furze, Mr. 
 Furze’s second wife, whom the Spectre at his first 
 appearance to Fry, called, that wicked woman my 
 wife, (though I knew her, and took her for a very 
 good woman) presently after appears to several 
 in the house, viz. to Fry, Mrs. Thomasin Gidley, 
 Anne Langdon born in my Parish, and to a little 
 Child which was forc'd to be remov’d from the 
 house; sometimes in her own shape, sometimes 
 in shapes more horrid, as of a dog belching fire, 
 and of an horse, and seeming to ride out at the 
 window, carrying only one pane of glass away, 
 and a little piece of iron. After this Fry’s head 
 was thrust into a narrow space, where a man’s 
 
161 
 
 fist could not enter, between a bed and a Wall; 
 and forced to be taken thence by the strength of 
 men, all bruised and bloody; upon this, it was 
 thought fit to bleed him; and after that was done, 
 the binder was remov’d from his arm, and con¬ 
 vey’d about his middle, and presently was drawn 
 so very straight, it had almost killed him, and 
 was cut asunder, making an ugly uncouth noise. 
 Several other times with handkerchiefs, cravats 
 and other things he was near strangled, they 
 were drawn so close upon his throat. He lay 
 one night in his Periwig (in his master’s chamber, 
 for the more safety) which was torn all to pieces. 
 His best Periwig he inclosed in a little box on 
 the inside with a joind-stool, and other weight 
 upon it; the box was snapp’d asunder, and the 
 wig torn all to flitters. His master saw his 
 buckles fall all to pieces on his feet: But first I 
 should have told you the fate of his shoe-strings, 
 one of which a Gentlewoman greater than all ex¬ 
 ception, assured me that she saw it come out of 
 his shoe, without any visible hand, and fling itself 
 to the farther end of the room; the other was 
 coming out too, but that a maid prevented and 
 help’d it out, which crisp’d and curl’d about her 
 hand like a living eel. The cloaths worn by 
 Anne Langdon and Fry (if their own) were torn 
 
162 
 
 to pieces on their backs. The same Gentlewoman, 
 being the daughter of the minister of the parish, 
 Mr. Roger Specott, shewed me one of Fry’s 
 Gloves, which was tom in his pocket while she 
 was by. I did view it near and narrowly, and 
 do seriously confess that it is torn so very accu¬ 
 rately in all the seams and in other places, and 
 laid abroad so artificially, and it is so dexterously 
 tatter’d (and all done in the pocket in a minutes 
 time) as nothing human could have done it; no 
 cutler could have made an engine to do it so. 
 Other fantastical Freeks have been very frequent, 
 as, the marching of a great barrel full of salt out 
 of one room into another; an Andiron laying 
 itself over a pan of milk that was scalding on the 
 fire, and two flitches of bacon descending from 
 the chimney where they hung, and laid them¬ 
 selves over that Andiron. The appearing of the 
 Spectrum (when in her own shape) in the same 
 cloaths, to seeming, which Mrs. Furze her daugh¬ 
 ter-in-law has on. The intangling of Fry’s face 
 and legs, about his neck, and about the frame of 
 the chairs, so as they have been with great diffi¬ 
 culty disengaged. 
 
 But the most remarkable of all happen’d 
 in that day that I passed by the door in my 
 
163 
 
 return hither, which was Easter-eve, when Fry 
 returning from work (that little he can do) he 
 was caught by the Woman Spectre by the skirts 
 of his doublet, and carried into the air ; he was 
 quickly mist by his master and the workmen, 
 and great enquiry was made for Fran. Fry, but 
 no hearing of him ; but about half an hour after 
 Fry was heard whistling and singing in a kind of 
 a quagmire. He was now affected as he was 
 wont to be in his fits, so that none regarded what 
 he said ; but coming to himself an hour after, he 
 solemnly protested, That the Daemon carried him 
 so high that he saw hisMaster’s house underneath 
 him no bigger than an hay-cock, that he was in 
 perfect sense and prayed God not to suffer the 
 devil to destroy him ; that he was suddenly set 
 down in that quagmire. The workmen found 
 one shoe on one side of the house, and the other 
 shoe on the other side ; his Periwig was espied 
 next morning hanging on the top of a tall tree. 
 It was soon observ’d, that Fry’s part of his body 
 that had layd in the mud, was much benum’d 
 and therefore the next Saturday, which was the 
 eve of Low-Sunday, they carried him to Crediton 
 to be let blood ; which being done, and the com¬ 
 pany having left him for a little while, returning 
 they found him in a fit, with his fore-head all 
 
164 
 
 braised and swoln to a great bigness, none being 
 able to guess how it came, till he recovered him¬ 
 self, and then he told them, that a bird flew in at 
 the window with a great force, and with a stone 
 in it’s mouth flew directly against his fore-head. 
 The people looked for it, and found on the ground 
 just under where he sat, not a stone, but a weight 
 of brass or copper, which the people were break¬ 
 ing, and parting it among themselves. He was 
 so very ill, that he could not ride but one mile or 
 little more that night, since which time I have 
 not heard of him, save that he was ill handled 
 the next day, being Sunday. Indeed Sir you 
 may wonder that I have not visited that house, 
 and the poor afflicted people; especially, since I 
 was so near, and passed by the very door: But 
 besides that, they have called to their assistance 
 none but Non-conforming Ministers, I was not 
 qualified to be welcome there, having given Mr. 
 Furze a great deal of trouble the last year about 
 a Conventicle in his house, where one of this 
 Parish was the Preacher. But I am very well 
 assured of the truth of what I have written, and 
 (as more appears) you shall hear from me again. 
 
 I had forgot to tell you that Fry’s mother came 
 to me, grievously bewailing the miserable con¬ 
 dition of her Son. She told me, that the day 
 
165 
 
 before he had five pins thrust into his side. She 
 ask’d and I gave her the best advice I could. 
 Particularly, that her Son should declare all that 
 the Spectre, especially the woman gave him in 
 charge, for I suspect, there is aliquid latens; and 
 that she should remove him thence by all means. 
 But I fear that she will not do it. For I hear 
 that Anne Langdon is come into my parish to her 
 Mother, and that she is grievously troubled there. 
 I might have written as much of her, as of Fry, 
 for she hath been as ill-treated, saving the Aerial 
 Journey. Her fits and Obsessions seem to be 
 greater, for She scrieches in a most hellish tone, 
 Thomasin Gidley (though removed) is in trouble 
 as I hear. 
 
 Sir, this is all my friend wrote. This letter 
 came inclosed in another from a Clergyman my 
 friend, who lives in those parts. He tells me, all 
 the relations he receives from divers persons 
 living in Spreyton and the neighbouring parishes 
 agree with this. He spake with a gentleman of 
 good fashion, that was at Crediton -when Fry was 
 blooded, and saw the stone that bruised his fore¬ 
 head ; but he did not call it copper or brass, but 
 said it was a strange mineral. That Gentleman 
 promised to make a strict enquiry on the place 
 
 p 
 
166 
 
 into all particulars and to give liim the result 5 
 which my friend also promises me; with hopes 
 that he shall procure for me a piece of that mine¬ 
 ral substance, which hurt his forehead. The 
 occasion of my friends sending me this narrative, 
 was my entreating him some time since to enquire 
 into a thing of this nature, that happened in 
 Barnstable where he lives. An account was 
 given to me long since, it fills a sheet or two, 
 which I have by me : And to gratifie Mr. Glanvil 
 who is collecting histories for his Sadducism 
 Triumphatus, I desir’d to have it well attested, it 
 being full of very memorable things ; but it seems 
 he could meet only a general consent as to the 
 truth of the things ; the Reports varying in the 
 circumstances. 
 
 Sir, yours.” 
 
 66 Sir, 
 
 Tis very likely my Lord Keeper (North) 
 (if an account of a thing so considerable, hath not 
 been presented to him by another hand) will take 
 it kindly from you. I would transcribe it for Dr. 
 Henry More, to whom, as I remember, I pro¬ 
 mised some time since an account of the Barn¬ 
 stable Apparition; but my hands are full of work. 
 May I beg of you to visit Dr. Whitchcot Minister 
 of St. Laurence Church, and to communicate a 
 
167 
 
 sight of this letter from Barnstable : Probably he 
 will be willing to make his servant transcribe it, 
 and convey it to Dr. More. Pray present my 
 humble service to him, as also my affectionate 
 service to our Friends Mr. Hook and Mr.Lodwick. 
 I ever rest, Sir, 
 
 Your most faithful and affectionate Servant, 
 
 Andrew Pascrall,”* 
 
 Chedzoy 
 
 To Jo. Aubrey Esq. 
 
 The following memorandum appears in the 
 Register of Chedzoy. 
 
 1662. 10 Nov. 
 Andrew Paschall 
 entered Parson 
 of Chejdsey 
 B.D. Fellow of 
 QuenCollCambr. 
 Presented by 
 it. Rolle Esqr. 
 
 'Upon the tenth day of November in ye 
 yeare 1662. Andrew Paschall was induct¬ 
 ed Parson of Chedsey by George Wotton 
 Vicar of Bridgewater, and did toll the Bell 
 when he took possession, and did read his 
 Articles on the Sunday following being ye 
 16th day of the said month of November 
 in the afternoon in the time of Divine Ser¬ 
 vice in the audience of the whole Con¬ 
 gregation. 
 
 Mr. Paschall was Rector thirty-two years, and 
 began an Exordium for a History of the County of 
 
 * Both these Letters from Mr. Paschall, were published in 
 “'Miscellanies collected by J. Aubrey, Esq., 1696.” 
 
 p 2 
 
168 
 
 Somerset, which he did not live to finish. A few 
 parts of it were published, as were some of his 
 Letters. In one to Dr. Hooke, he gives an ac¬ 
 count of an Earthquake felt in the Parish of 
 Chedzoy, and in all the neighbourhood of Bridge- 
 water; Jany. 4th, 1682. 
 
 In his handwriting, I have a curious statement 
 relative to his Parish. 
 
 “ Apr. 13. 1683. 
 
 The totall sume of all ye Males 188 
 Of all ye Females ... 210 
 
 Of both toger. 398 
 
 The sume of the marryed ... 130 
 
 Males unmarryed ... 105 
 
 Females unmarryed ... 118 
 
 Widowers . 18 
 
 Widows. 27 
 
 398 
 
 Males not natives . 26 
 
 Females not natives. 36 
 
 62 
 
 Sent up for Sr. William Petty to serve him in 
 hs politicall Arithmetic.” 
 
169 
 
 When a boy; I was informed by several of the 
 old inhabitants of Chedzoy, that the year after 
 the fight, James 2nd arrived at Bridgewater, and 
 the next day sent to the Westonians to inform 
 them, that he intended to visit the field of battle, 
 and some of the adjoining Parishes. JJpon which, 
 notice was given to the Officers of Chedzoy, to 
 lay a slape or temporary bridge over the Manor 
 rhine : but the King fearing that Gunpowder 
 might be concealed beneath; leapt his horse over, 
 at some distance from it. It is said, that the first 
 time common swearing was heard in this retired 
 village, was when after the fight, the Kings dra¬ 
 goons rode through the street in pursuit of fugi¬ 
 tives ; crying d—m ye, keep fast your doors and 
 windows, for we know not our friends from our 
 foes. 
 
 A few extracts from an old memorandum-book 
 of the Churchwardens, which I found several, 
 years since, in an old box full of rags and rubbish, 
 will in some measure confirm this account. 
 
 1684. 
 
 £. s. d. 
 
 Pd. for ringing when the King was 
 
 0 1 6 
 
 1685. 
 
 Pd. for bear the 6 of July 
 Pd. for Bell roops - - - - 
 
 0 5 0 
 0 7 0 
 
 p 3 
 
170 
 
 Pd. for the expenses & time in going 
 
 to Weston about the Gibbit money 0 3, 0 
 
 Spent at a day of rejoy sing.0 3 0 
 
 ^ 1686 . 
 
 Spent when the King’s Commishners 
 
 where heare -.- - - 0 3 2 
 
 Spent at the Wid: Bonds when the 
 Kinge was heare : uppon the 
 Ringers.0 7 0 
 
 Pd. Cat: Ward haveing the Kinges 
 
 broad Seale.- - - 0 4 0 
 
 Pd. for laying of the Slepe when the 
 
 Kinge was heare - -- -- -- -- 0 2 0 
 
 I have a button, which with part of the corner 
 of the Duke’s cloak, was torn off by a bayonet as 
 he rode down the line encouraging his soldiers 
 for the last time. Two comrades who fought 
 side by side and who felt the highest regard for 
 theirCommander, agreed to divide the Relic, when 
 one took the small part of the cloak and the 
 other the button. The latter was a native of 
 Congresbury : he lived to a great age, and was 
 much respected and kindly treated by Mr. Jones, 
 a worthy gentleman of the same Village. The 
 Veteran had long determined to have what he 
 considered his greatest treasure placed in his 
 coffin: but when near death, having no other 
 thank-offering to give, he sent for his benefactor, 
 
171 
 
 and with a blessing, presented to him the relic. 
 At Mr. Jones’s death, Miss Fry, his Niece and 
 Executrix, gave it to me. It is of gold thread, 
 and of ancient form, and answers to the descrip¬ 
 tion given of the Duke’s dress on the day of the 
 fight. 
 
 €f)e of tf)z 
 
 The Battle was succeeded by the greatest con¬ 
 fusion. The farmers of the neighbouring villages 
 as far even as Catcott, Ashcott, Moorlinch, and 
 Shapwick, as soon as the bells of Weston and 
 Chedzoy announced that a victory had been 
 gained; sent many hogsheads of cider to the 
 moor, (with their names on the barrels) in order 
 to regale the victors, and with the hope of gain¬ 
 ing their favour. Whilst Feversham was enter¬ 
 taining himself with the execution of the prison¬ 
 ers, many of his Officers returned to Weston, and 
 without ceremony, went into the different houses 
 and ordered refreshment. One, an ill-bred ruf¬ 
 fian, went into the family-house of the Bridges, 
 which had been so recently the head-quarters of 
 his General; (who, though not a welcome guest, 
 had received all the attentions due to a stranger, 
 by the rules of Old English hospitality.) The in¬ 
 truder hastened through the great hall, to the 
 
172 
 
 parlour where the ladies were assembled, and 
 had not recovered from the fright, which the 
 long continued sound of the great guns had occa¬ 
 sioned. After having made use of the most 
 ungentlemanlike expressions, the armed and 
 cowardly miscreant, proceeded to offer a gross 
 insult to the Lady of the Mansion, when her 
 daughter, Miss Mary Bridge (between eleven 
 and twelve years of age), drew his sword and 
 stabbed him to the heart. She was brought be¬ 
 fore Colonel Kirke, and tried by a court-martial, 
 when the fair, young, and interesting heroine, was 
 not only honourably acquitted, but also received 
 an order that the sword should be given to her, 
 and that it should descend to the future Mary 
 Bridges of the family. The relic is now in the 
 possession of Miss Mary Bridge of Bishop’s Hull, 
 near Taunton, who bears on her seal “ Mary 
 Bridge 1685” surmounted by an exact represent¬ 
 ation of *• the sworde.’' 
 
 Since I wrote the description of the contents of 
 the Priory, I have received from Mrs. Robert 
 Tucker* of Ashcott, a fine specimen of theQrni- 
 thorynchus, and several birds from Van Dieman’s 
 Land, for which I return my best thanks. 
 
 Sister of Miss Mary Bridge. 
 
173 
 
 And also to John King, Esq., of Chilton, for a 
 fine specimen of the British Arv-vwyell or battle- 
 axe, (commonly called a Celt) found on his estate 
 at Burtle. 
 
 In my description of the Turbaries, I omitted 
 to notice that, innumerable Oak and Yew Trees 
 have been, and are continually discovered near 
 the surface of the peat. They generally lie east 
 and west, and from the mutilated state of their 
 roots and branches, it is supposed that, at a far 
 distant era, during some great convulsion of na¬ 
 ture, they were torn up and driven on by the 
 floods to a great distance from their original po¬ 
 sition. If care be taken to dry the wood gradu¬ 
 ally by keeping it from exposure to the air, the 
 oak especially is very beautiful, it will take a 
 fine polish, and is nearly as black and much 
 harder than ebony. 
 
 A Chapel has been lately erected at Burtle, 
 principally at the expense of Miss Field of 
 Edington House, on a site given by Earl Walde- 
 grave; which will contain upwards of400 persons. 
 It is a Gothic Edifice built of fine blue stone, 
 with the windows, tracery &c. of the Bath oolite. 
 It consists of a Nave, Chancel, south Porch, and 
 north robing room. At the west end is an octa- 
 
174 
 
 gan turret surmounted by a spire terminated by a 
 beautifully carved Gothic fineal. No expense 
 has been spared by the Foundress in the fitting up 
 of the interior, and a neat gallery over the west- 
 ern entrance contains a fine organ built for the 
 situation, and tastefully cased in English oak. 
 In the turret is a fine-toned bell, of sufficient 
 magnitude, at one time to proclaim to the ear of 
 the mariner in the channel, the return of the joy¬ 
 ful Sabbath, and thus remind him of prayer; at 
 another, its cheering note will be heard through 
 each peaceful hamlet, on its way to the vene¬ 
 rable Avalonia. 
 
 And aft in winter’s darkest night the rugged 
 fowler, half lost in the intricate windings of his 
 dangerous path, will be guided by it to his anxi¬ 
 ous family; and as it peals forth the dismal knell, 
 will rest on his gun and put up a prayer for the 
 soul of some once hardy partner of his toil. Even 
 the grizzly daemon of the waste, over which he 
 has held almost undisputed sway for many centu¬ 
 ries, will stand aghast at the awful sound, and 
 dare not cross the path of the unfettered spirit in 
 its Heaven-ward flight through the redeeming 
 gate of Faith to that of Mercy. # 
 
 * The “parting knell ” was introduced by our Forefathers, in 
 order to drive off evil spirits from their departing relatives.. 
 
175 
 
 Upon the 22nd day of May, 1839, at about 
 eleven o’clock in the morning, a rather alarming 
 shock of an Earthquake was experienced at 
 Chilton Polden. It appeared as if an immense 
 machine was forced along over the uneven sur¬ 
 face of some vast Caverns beneath, and thus 
 causing a sound somewhat like distant thunder. 
 The concussion was so violent that many ran out 
 of their houses expecting that something dreadful 
 had happened : others who were in the upper 
 rooms, caught hold of the bed-posts until their 
 fright had subsided. 
 
 At the Priory, every thing was gingling ; the 
 tower appeared to rock on its foundation, and one 
 of the heaviest of the spears was thrown down. 
 
 I shall conclude this hastily written and ill-ar¬ 
 ranged little book, by giving an account of an an¬ 
 cient and curious ring in my possession. It is of 
 gold, and was found several years since at Can- 
 nington near Bridgwater. Its shape is that of the 
 ancientRoman, but its date is supposed to be about 
 the time of Henry 7th. On the Boss is beautifully 
 engraved a representation of the Holy Trinity,—- 
 God supporting on the cross the Blessed Re¬ 
 deemer with the Dove. On one side, in a niche, 
 is the Holy Virgin, and on the other St. John. 
 
176 
 
 Within is an inscription in the highest state of 
 preservation in old Church-text, which was long 
 considered by many learned antiquaries, to be 
 some latin motto with monkish abbreviations. I 
 had presented it for the inspection of the late Sir 
 Richard Colt Hoare, the Revds. J. Skinner of Ca- 
 merton, Richard Warner (Author of the History 
 of Glastonbury) John Poole of Enmore, and Rob. 
 Anstice, Esq. of Bridgwater, but none of them 
 could decypher it. In the winter of 1837, I was 
 called to London, and one day the atmosphere 
 was sufficiently clear to allow me to find my way 
 to the British Museum ; and as I had not visited 
 that splendid establishment since the year 1812, 
 I was delighted to see what vast improvements 
 had been made. Then all the fine specimens 
 in natural history seemed through neglect to be 
 fast going to decay : but at my last visit every 
 thing appeared to be in the highest order. I 
 strolled through the different apartments, and at 
 length came to the long room containing many 
 of the antiques which were the most interesting 
 to me. In it w r as a most respectable looking 
 man, who informed me I could go no farther 
 without a ticket, as the next room was occupied 
 by Mr. Hawkins, who presided over the antiqua¬ 
 rian department. I however summoned suffi- 
 
177 
 
 cient resolution to give a knock at the door of 
 this “ Sanctum Sanctorum,” and inquired if Mr. 
 Hawkins was within, when he came forward 
 and received me with much kindness. After 
 having made my apology as an intruding stranger, 
 I presented the ring, with a request that he 
 would give me his opinion as to the inscription. 
 After having minutely inspected it, he handed it 
 to his assistants, who agreed with him that one 
 very similar had been shown to them some months 
 before, which I believe was soon after published 
 in the Gentlemans Magazine; and at first they 
 thought it was the same, but mine has never been 
 out of my possession, since within a few days after 
 its discovery. Neither he (nor his Attendants) 
 could decipher it, but requested me to show it to 
 Sir Frederick Madden, who presides over the 
 Manuscript department. I found him engaged, 
 but experienced the utmost civility from the 
 gentlemen in the M. S. room, where I had an 
 opportunity of admiring the excellent arrange¬ 
 ment of the fine collection around me. Sir 
 Frederick soon made his appearance, and re¬ 
 ceived me with great courtesy. On seeing the 
 ring he remarked “You are an antiquary—but 
 you are all too apt when you see an inscription in 
 ancientChurch-text, to look out for monkish latin 
 
 Q 
 
178 
 
 abbreviations; but I advise you to look first for old 
 French.” As soon as he had placed his lens to 
 the letters, he exclaimed, I have read the first 
 word—yes, and the second—and the third. The 
 ring was a new year’s gift, (some time in the 
 reign of Henry 7th) from one Friend to another, 
 and the motto is 44 %lU tlCitt an or &U fion an” 
 which he kindly copied at my request, and added 
 his signature. He wished me to show it to Sir 
 Henry Ellis, which I did. He, also admired the 
 relic, and perfectly agreed with Sir Frederick, as 
 to the meaning of the characters. 
 
 I have given this account, with the hope that 
 it will encourage all my fellow antiquarian labour¬ 
 ers of the minor class, to most strenuously persist 
 in their exertions, and save from the melting pot 
 (to which my poor ring was condemned) every 
 antique that is brought to them ; as, whilst we 
 have such learned and truly kind-hearted Gentle¬ 
 men to preside over the different departments of 
 the British Museum, we shall always be enabled 
 to receive their most valuable assistance in our 
 researches. 
 
 This little Golden Key , has since introduced 
 me to the Curators of several of the interesting 
 Institutions of the Country. 
 
179 
 
 I now conclude by saying that, as I believe I 
 have not made use of a word (except as to the 
 description of the antiquities) which cannot be 
 understood by the lowest class of my neighbours, 
 that if but one , of the old fashioned agricultural 
 labourers, the descendants of Monmouth’s hardy 
 Scythe-men, will read this book to his Family (on 
 what ought to be the “ happy Saturday night”) 
 instead of spending it at the pestiferous cider- 
 shop, I shall feel amply repaid for my labour. 
 
 
 6 . AWBREY, PRINTER, BRIDGWATER. 
 

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