i' - '■ LINCOLNSHIRE IN 1836: -ig.3 J:* DISPLAYED IN A SERIES OF NEARLY ONE HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS, ON STEEL AND wood; ACCOMPANYING DESCRIPTIONS, STATISTICAL AND OTHER LMPORTANT INFORMATION, LINCOLN: PUBLISHED BY JOHN SAUNDERS, JTJN. MDCCCXXXVI. P II E F A C E. The present work, apart from the Engravings, which form so considerable, we may say, so valuable a portion of it, must be considered merely as a sketch of the history, antiquities, and present state of the county. Its limits precluded any idea of a more elaborate composition. But it was considered that a sketch of this kind might include quite as much information on the several subjects, as would be generally desired. The editor trusts he was not mistaken. As the object has been to make the work, within its limits, as complete as possible, advantage has been taken of several late and valuable publications, hitherto unknown to the great majority of our sub- scribers ; we allude to the Parliamentary Reports on the state of the Corporations, and on the Eccle- siastical Revenues (from which last we have the gra- tification, to present our readers with a highly im- portant and :iiitei'es;ting ; dbcutnent), Lewis's Topo- graphical Dictionary, &c. lo thos'6',gieiTt'tiemen who Jijlve assisted the editor in the publication, he begs leave thus to return them his sincere thanks. CONTENTS. Page Aslackby, the village of . . . . . . .15 Barton 40 Beaufort^ Henry, Bishop of Lincoln, Life of . . . .25 Belvoir Castle , . . .138 Boston 44 Brigg . 54 Burghley House 133 CasewickHall 32 Crowland 124 Distances, Plan of . . .179 Dunston Pillar 31 Fairs, List of 177 Ferry on the Trent . .82 Foss Dyke 80 Fox (the Martyr ologist) Life of 51 Frieston 92 Gainsborough .3 Old Hall 34 Bridge 17 Grantham 94 Grimsby, Great . . . 143 Grimsthorpe Castle 81 Grossteste, Bishop of Lincoln, Life of 25 Harlaxton Manor House 84 Holbeach 89 Horncastle 146 Humber, The, from Beacon Hill 43 Hussey, Lord, Life of 75 Leadenham 28 Lincoln, General description of 55 Lincoln Cathedral 17 Sir Hugh, a ballad relating to . . .27 Lincoln Castle, Gateway in 6 IV CONTENTS. Lincolnshire, General Description of vii Louth 148 Market days 177 Mausoleum, Brocklesby Park 1 Municipal Government Reform Act, Abstract of the most im- portant parts of 76 Newton, Sir Isaac, Life of 86 , Birth-place of, Woolsthorpe ... 85 Palace Ruins, Lincoln 9 Population of the Parishes 153 Property in every Parish, assessed value of . . . .153 Revenues of the See, the Cathedral Church, the Dignitaries and other sole Corporations, and the beneficed Clergy . . .153 Scrivelsby 89 Sleaford 11 Spalding 119 Spittal 8-2 Stamford 101 Stow ........... 33 Tattershall 93 Thornton Abbey 141 Torksey 29^ Wesley, Rev. J., Life of 174 Whykam Chapel ......... 74 Willis, Dr. Life of 74 — — Extraordinary incident in .74 Wolsey, Cardinal, Life of ....... 25 LIST 0¥ ENGRAVINGS. Church Aslackby, the village of . Barton . St. Peter's Church Belvoir Castle Boston, Water View of, — '■ Church Assembly Rooms from the Tower of the Brigg .... Burghley House Casewick Hall Crowland Abbey Tri-une Bridge Punston Pillar Ferry on the Trent Frieston Church G ainsborough ■ from the Retford Road Old HaU Top of the Church Font in Grantham Chm-ch Font in Grammar School Old Building in Catholic Chapel Grimsby Church • Monument in Haltham (Jhurch Harlaxton Manor House Holbeach .... Humber, the, from Beacon Hill Leadenham Lincoln, Newport Gate Gateway, Lincoln Cas.tle Lunatic Asylum John of Gaunt's Palace — Exchequer Gate Tower in Palace Ruins Niche on 'J^ower of the Grand Hall Entrance to ■T o Eace i)age 16 40 '='■' 11 138 •' 44 48 48 53 >"' 54 r ■ 133 ' 32 . 129 ,' 130 31^ 82 '••' 92 ' 5 . 3 :■' 34 3S 28 88 91.(.'' 97 99 99 99 83 133 84 V'. 90''" 43 28 ' 67 -'■' 6^ 57 68 / 17 9/ 28 43 VI LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. Lincoln Palace Ruins, AVindow in Gateway in Cathedral Monument in • Chapel attached to the Bishop's Porch Entrance to the North Aisle Font in . . . Row of Kings on the West Front of Chapter House . Castle, Cobb's Hall . — Observatory ■ Doorway of the Jews' House Oriel \V indow in Mechanics' Institute . Postern on the Grecian Stairs St. Giles's Vicar's Stables Conduit .... Louth, with the Church Church, east end of Map, General one of the County Parliamentary Mausoleum, Brocklesby Park Newstead Abbey, near Brigg Newton, Sir Isaac, Birth-place of, at Woolsthorpe Room in which he was born Scrivelsby .... Silk Willoughby Church Sleaford .... Spalding .... , Church, North Porch of Spittal .... Stamford .... and Rutland Infirmary St. Mary's ('hurch St Leonard's Priory St. Michael's (the New Church) East end of . Truesdale's Hospital East Window of All Saints' Church Catholic Chapel Ancient Gateway Stow Church Font in Tattershall Castle Thornton Priory Torksey Whykham Chapel Wothorpe, Ruins of To frtce page 31 6 *T \ 69 32 69 29 68 43 53 40 3 8 70 70 54 85 16 148 5 Title \ii 1 55 85 *^'' 119 89^' 124 11^ 119 122 82-^' 101'^' lt)6^ 104 V lO?'-- 105 V 137 108 108 109 106 33 15 , 93 '^ 141 83^ 102 LINCOLNSHIRE Is a maritime county of England, bounded on the north by the river Humber, which separates it from Yorkshire, on the east by the German Ocean, on the south by Cambridgeshire and Northampton- shire, and on the west by the counties of Rutland, Leicester, Notting- ham, and York. It is in length 77 miles, and in breadth about 48. Mr. Arthur Young states the area of this county at 2888 square miles, or 1,848,320 acres, of which, he says, the wolds contain 234,880; the heath 118,400; lowland 976,960; and miscellaneous soils 718,080. That part of Britain which is now called Lincolnshire, was, anterior to the Roman Conquest, possessed by a class of Britons known by the name of Coritani. During the Roman dominion, this district was in- cluded within the province of Britannia Prima, and was intersected by different roads, occupied by military stations, and some of its natural inconveniences removed by Roman science and industry. The prin- cipal roads were the Ermin Street and the Foss-way. A great work of this county, generally attributed to the Romans, is the Car-Dyke, a large canal or drain, which extends from the river '^Yelland, on the southern side of the county, to the river Witham, near Lincoln. Its channel, for nearly the whole of this course, an extent of upwards of forty miles, was originally sixty feet in width, and had a broad flat bank on each side. This great canal received from the hills all the draining and flowing waters, which taking an easterly course, would, but for this Catchwater Drain, as it is now appropriately called, have inundated the Fens. Several Roman coins have been found on the banks of this dyke. The whole of the present county is supposed to have been named by the Romans Lindum, and the principal station or town Lindum Colonia. During the Anglo-Saxon dominion in England, Lincolnshire was in- corporated within the kingdom of Mercia, which, according to an old chronicle quoted by Leland, was then divided into two provinces, north and south ; and as the Trent was the line of separation, the county of Lincoln constituted a considerable part of South Mercia. Crida was the first Mercian sovereign, and began his reign in 586. At this time, Mr. Turner (History of the Anglo-Saxons) supposed that the whole island was governed by Anglo-Saxon monarchs, whence it should rather be denominated an octarchy than an heptarchy. During the establish- ment of these petty kingdoms, the Saxons were in constant warfare with the Romanized Britons, and after these were subdued, the former were . repeatedly embroiled in conflicts with each other. In the midst of these civil commotions, Christianity was introduced, and gradually made its progress through the island, giving a new turn to human pursuits, and diverting and engrossing the attention of the barbarous heathens. Peada, the son of Penda, was the reigning monarch here when this religion was accepted by the South Mercians : he founded a monastery at Meden-hamstead, now Peterborough. He was soon after- wards murdered, as supposed, by his wife. Edwin the Great, the first christian king of Northumberland, conquered the counties of Durham, Chester, Lancaster, the Isle of Man, and Anglesea ; carried his arms Vlll LINCOLNSHIRE. # southward over the Trent^ and obtained all the provinces of Lindsey. PaulinuSj who converted him to Christianity, preached the gospel wherever that king's power extended. He built the cathedral of Southwell, a little west of Newark, baptized many thousands in the river Trent, near to Tiovulfingacester, and converted Blecca, the governor of Lincoln. This was about the year 630. The learned and pious Alkfrid kept his court at Stamford in 658. After the death of Oswry, King of Northumberland, Egfrid, his son, attacked Wulfere, and wrested from him the whole province of Lindsey, in Lincolnshire. In 677 he erected the episcopal see of Sidnacester in favour of Eadhed, who had been chaplain to his brother, Alkfrid, King of Deira. In 683 Eadhed removed to Ripon, where he remained till his death. The South Mercian kingdom and bishop's see being thus established, but few public events are recorded till the incursion of the Danes, who, in the year 870, laid waste great part of Lincolnshire, and burned the monasteries of Bardney, Croyland, and Meden-hamstead, putting all the monks to the sword. After the defeat of the Danes by Alfred, the sovereignty of Mercia fell into his power. He did not, however, avowedly incorporate it with Wessex, but discontinued its regal honours ; and during the reign of Edward the Eider it was found necessary to construct and fortify several places on the borders of Mercia joining Northumbria, particularly on the banks of the Humber. Mercia was soon afterwards annexed to Wessex, but some places were still held by the Danes ; among these were the towns of Stamford and Lincoln, even so late as 941, when Edmund the Elder expelled them hence. From this period until the Norman Conquest, the transactions of the episcopal church and see of Lincoln form the principal subjects of historical narrative. In the war between Stephen and the Empress Matilda, Lincoln and its vicinity were the scene of some of the most interesting events, that city having been twice besieged by the king, who captured it on the first occasion, but on the second, the siege being raised by the arrival of the Earl of Gloucester and his army, the king, after fighting with des- perate valour, was taken prisoner. In 1174, the isle of Axholme being at that period surrounded with water, and consequently a position of considerable strength, Roger De Mowbray, constable of England, one of the adherents of Prince Henry in his rebellion against his father, Henry II., maintained himself there until compelled to surrender by the Lincolnshire men, who razed his castle. The year 1216 is remark- able for King John's disastrous march into Lincolnshire, when after losing all his baggage in the wastes, and narrowly escaping with his life, he first rested at Swineshead Abbey, whence being attacked by dysentery, he was removed to Sleaford, and thence to Newark, where he died. On the 4th of June in the following year the associated barons and Gilbert De Gaunt, Earl of Lincoln, and the French under the Comte da Perche were defeated at Lincoln by the Earl of Pem- broke, regent for the young king, Henry III., when the French com- mander and most of his men were slain, and the principal barons and four hundred knights made prisoners. At at a later period of the same reign, the isle of Axholme afforded a retreat to many of the disaffected nobles after the battle of Evesham. In 1536, at Barlings, commenced an insurrection of the Lincolnshire men, in consequence of the sup- pression of some religious houses, which Avas put an end to by the execution of the ringleaders. LINCOLNSHIRE, IX The county was the scene of some considerable mihtary transactions in the last general civil war. In the year 1643, by an ordinance of both houses, Lincolnshire was added to the Eastern Association. On March 22nd of the same year, Grantham and its garrison were cap- tured for the king by Col. Chas. Cavendish; and shortly afterwards, near that town, twenty-four troops of royalist cavalry were defeated by Oliver Cromwell at the head of his own regiment. On May 11th, at Ancaster, the parliamentarians under the younger Hotham were de- feated by Col, Cavendish, On the 30th of July Gainsborough was taken by the parliament's forces under Lord Willoughby of Parham, and its governor, the Earl of Kingston, made prisoner, who in his passage down the Humber to Hull was in a mistake shot by the royaUsts. Soon afterwards, near Gainsborough, the royalists were de- feated by Cromwell, and their commander. Gen, Cavendish, slain ; and on Oct, 1 1 of the same year at Horncastle, Lord Widrington, at the head of a detachment of the Marquis of Newcastle's army, was defeated, five hundred royahsts slain and eight hundred taken prisoners, by the Earl of Manchester, who again on May 6th, 1644, stormed Lincoln and captured its governor. Col, Francis Fane, with about eight hundred men. The maritime counties of England being more directly exposed to attack from invading armies and piratical plunderers, and in the early part of our civil establishment being more populous than the midland country, were therefore frequently exposed to the conflicts of warfare ; and hence it is found that these districts abounded with military works and castles or castellated mansions. Besides the permanent stations of the Romans in Lincolnshire, they threw up castrametations in different places, to guard the valhes, protect the great roads, and defend the mouths of the rivers. In the continued wars between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, these were again occupied by the contending parties, and after the Norman Conquest some of the most commanding were adopted by the conqueror's captains and barons, and then became heads of ex- tensive lordships. To describe or discriminate them is, and ever will be, impossible, for documents are wanting, and the innovations of the latter occupiers generally obscured or annihilated all traces of their pre- decessors. Exclusive of the Roman permanent stations, there are notices . or remains of the following fortifications in this county : encampments at or near Brocklesby, Hibaldstow, Broughton, Roxby, Winterton Cliffs, Aulkborough, Yarborough, South Ormsby, Burwell, Stamford, Castle- hill near Gainsborough, Winteringham, Bunnington, Ingoldsby, Castle Carlton, Burgh, Brough, north of Castor, Barrow ; castles or remains at Horncastle ; Tattershall, a noble remain ; Bourne, only earth-works remaining; Castor, Somerton, Moor Tower, Stamford, Scrivelsby, Torksey, a fine remain ; Sleaford, only earth-works ; Bolingbroke, Lin- coln, with walls and gates; Folkingham, with large fossae; Kyme Tower, and Hussey Tower, near Boston; Pinchbeck, a moated mansion; and Bytham. According to the best authorities, the episcopal see was established at Lincoln towards the close of the eleventh century, previous to which era the diocese had consisted of the two Anglo-Saxon sees of Dor- chester, now a village in Oxfordshire, and Sidnacester, now supposed to be the village of Stow. The diocese of Lincoln is the largest in the whole kingdom, notwithstanding those of Oxford, Peterborough, and Ely have been taken from it. It comprehends the counties of Lincoln, Leicester, Huntingdon, Bedford, and Buckingham, excepting the parishes of Monks Risborough and Halton, which are peculiars of X LlNCOLNJJHIRIi:. Canterbury, and Abbots-Aston, and Winslow, (which with fifteen othei* parishes that are in Hertfordshire, and were taken hence, being made of exempt jurisdiction, and appropriated to the abbey of St. Albans, became, on the dissolution of that monastery in 1541, part of the diocese of London). The see also retains the greater part of Hertford- shire, and several parishes in the counties of Oxford, Rutland, and Northampton. The whole diocese is divided into six archdeaconries ; these are subdivided into fifty-two deanaries. The number of parishes is stated by Browne WiUis to be, including donatives and chapels, 1517, of which 577 are impropriated; and the clergy's yearly tenths in this very extensive jurisdiction 1751/. 14.v. 6d. Camden says there are 630 parishes in this county. The monasteries, hospitals, &c. connected with the cathedral and its ecclesiastical establishment, were very numerous, and some of very extensive influence. The ecclesiastical architecture of Lincolnshire has long been justly celebrated for its magnificence, and its numerous churches have been the subjects of admiration. It is remarkable that the most splendid edifices which adorn this district, were erected chiefly in its lowest and most fenny situations, where all communication must have been, at the time of their erection, extremely difficult. The ecclesiastical edifices in the division of Lindsey, excepting the cathedral of Lincoln, are in general inferior to those in Kesteven and Holland ; but in the north-eastern part of this division, which is bounded by the German Ocean to the east, and the high lands, called the wolds, to the west, there are several churches, displaying much elegance in their archi- tecture, and built of excellent material. The division of Kesteven abounds with churches, splendid both in their plans and decorations. In the central part, the greater proportion of them is adorned with lofty spires, while many of those in the northern and southern extremities present handsome towers, frequently divided into three or four distinct stories, and formed of excellent materials and masonry. The date of the churches in this division, with the exception of those of Sempring- ham and St. Leonard, Stamford, is, in few instances, earlier than the thirteenth century. It is principally in the division of Holland that Lincolnshire boasts of superior excellence in ecclesiastical architecture, and it is really surprising that so many fine monastic buildings and sacred edifices should have been erected in a fenny district, which, at that time had been drained very ineffectually, and, of course, abounded with swamps, marshes, &c., and under all the disadvantage the ar- tificers in such a situation must experience. Yet, under such circum- stances were built the churches of JBoston, Gosberton, Pinchbeck, Spal- ding, Holbeach, Godney, Long Sutton, Croyland, and many others, which have a just claim to universal admiration. The character and plan of the churches in this division vary in different parts ; some are cruciform, many have spires in common with those of Kesteven, while embattled tower-s at the west end form the principal feature of the re- mainder. Of the splendid church at Croyland, only a small portion of the original structure now remains, but sufficient to show that in its entire state it was not inferior to any of our cathedrals, either in size or architectural ornament. The stone employed in the erection of the edifices of this district is universally found to be of an excellent and durable species, still retaining, at the distance, in many instances, of six or seven centuries, its original face and firmness. This county is more noted for its religious than for its civil archi- tecture. Though of great extent, it contains but few seats of con- LINCOLNSHIRE. XI sequence, grandeur, or elegance. The follo\ving are the principal : Grimsthorpe Castle, the seat of Lord "^I'illoughby D'Eresby ; Nocton, the Earl of Ripon (the mansion Avas lately burnt) ; Brocklesby, Lord Yarborough ; Beiton, Earl Browulow ; Redbourn, the Duke of St, Albans ; Burton, Lord [Monson ; Revesby Abbey, the late Sir Joseph Eanks; Syston, Sir J. Thorold j Eiston, Sir Montague J. Cholraeley ; Scrivelsby, Rev. J. Dymoke ; Aswarby, Sir T. Whichcote ; Lea, Sir C. Anderson ; Fulbeck, General Fane ; ^V"itham on the Hill, General Johnson ; Canwick, Col. Sibthorp, &c. Lincolnshire has been often described as an unhealthy county, and with strangers, even now, ws often find its name associated with the ideas of feus, flatness, and bogs. Though there are very few counties of England possessing now a purer air or a healthier climate. Those who reside in, or have travelled over it, are better enabled to appreciate and define its character. Arthur Young has pointed out and described many features and places in this county that may be referred to as par- taking of the beautiful and picturesque. " About Beiton," he says, "are fine ^iews from the tov^-er on Belmont ; Lynn and the Norfolk cliffs are visible, Nottingham castle, also the vale of Belvoir, &c. And in going by the cliff towns to Lincoln there are many fine \'iews. From Fulbeck to Leadenham, especially at the latter place, there is a most rich pros- pect over the vale of the Trent to the distant lands that bound it. These views, over an extensive vale, are striking, and of the same features as those from the chff road to the north of Lincoln to Kirton, where is a great view, both east and west, to the wolds, and also to Nottingham- shire. Near Gainsborough there are very agreeable scenes ; the view of the windings of the Trent, and the rich level plain of meadow, aU alive \vith great herds of cattle, bounded by distant hills of cultivation, are features of an agreeable county. But stUl more beautiful is that about Trentfall ; from Sir Robert Sheffield's hanging wood, following the chff to Aulkborough, where beautiful grounds command a great view of the three rivers. As the soil is dry, the woods lofty, and the country various, this must be esteemed a noble scenery, and a perfect contrast to what Lincolnshire is often represented by those who have only seen the parts of it that are very different. The whole line of the Humber hence to Grimsby, when viewed from the high wolds, presents an ob- ject that must be interesting to all. This, with the very great planta- tions of Lord Yarborough, are seen to much advantage from that most beautiful building, the Mausoleum at Brocklesby." Many other parts of the county might be pointed out as presenting in themselves com- manding and interesting scenery. The country around Grantham, also in the vicinities of Louth and Alford, and that more particularly be- tween Bourn and Grantham, includ ng the noble and spacious woods of Grimsthorpe, abound with that inequaUty of sturface, that diversified interchange of hiU and dale, wood and lawn, which constitute the pic- turesque and beautiful in natural scenery. Lincolnshire may be said to present three great natural features, each of which has a specific and nearly uniform character. These are the wolds, heaths, and fens. The latter occupy the south-eastern side of the county, and though formerly a mere waste and perfectly sterile, have been, by means of drainage, &c., rendered subservient to agri- culture, and most parts, indeed, may be pronounced uncommonly fer- tile. On the sea-coast, towards the north part of the county, this tract is narrow ; near the Humber it contracts to a mere strip of land. The heaths, north and south of Lincoln, and the wolds, are calcareous hills, Xll LINCOLNSHIRE. which, from their brows, command many fine views over the lower regions. The rest of the county is not equally discriminated either by fertility or elevation. " The heath, now nearly inclosed," says Arthur Young, " is a tract of high country, a sort of back bone to the whole, in which the soil is a good sandy loam, but with clay enough in it to be slippery with wet, and tenacious under bad management; but excellent turnip and barley land on a bed of limestone, at various depths, from six inches to several feet, commonly nine inches to eighteen." Be- tween Gainsborough and Newark, for twenty-five miles, is a large tract of flat, sandy soil, the greater part of which has been inclosed, and partly drained. The soil of the isle of Axholme may be said to be among the first in England. It consists of black, sandy loams, warp land, brown sand, and rich loams of a soapy and tenacious quality. The under stratum at Stacey, Belton, &c.^ is, in many places, an imperfect plaster stone. Respecting the general products of the county, the higher grounds are now mostly inclosed and appropriated to tillage, and pro- duce all sorts of grain. Some of the wolds, however, are not yet divided, but are devoted to sheep and rabbits. The lower lands that have been drained and inclosed, produce abundant crops of oats, hemp, flax, &c, Lincolnshire has long been famous for a breed of fine horses ; but the adjoining county of York has now the credit for rearing many that are actually bred in this county. In some districts great numbers of mares are kept for the sole purpose of breeding. The two principal breeds of cattle are the Lincolnshire short-horned and the Leicestershire long-horned, the former of which seems to be most generally preferred. In the vicinity of Folkingham is found a dun-coloured breed, said to have been originally brought from the isle of Alderney ; there are also a few cattle of the several breeds of Devon, Teeswater, Holderness, Durham, and Alderney, and crosses between the long-horned and short-horned breeds, between that of Devonshire and that of Lincolnshire, and between the Lincolnshire and the long- horned Craven. There are no dairies except for private use, and the supply of the neighbouring markets with butter, the chief objects of the agriculturists being breeding and feeding. The two principal breeds bi' sheep are the native Lincoln and the Leicester, the latter of which has become very general. It is computed that there are usually not less than 2,400,000 sheep in the county. The hogs common in Hol- land Fen, about Boston and its vicinity, are of inferior mongrel sorts, which, however, have been latterly improved. Few manufactories are established in this county; but here are two objects of considerable merchandise, rabbit's furs and goose feathers. These were formerly of great consequence, and furnished articles of extensive trade. From the system of inclosing now so extensively adopted, both rabbits and geese are much diminished. The rabbit warrens in this county were formerly much more extensive than at present, and were preserved on a principle of improvement, some being broken up for tillage, and others, which had been under tilth, being again laid down for this purpose. The soil of old warrens, by the rabbits continually stirring and ventilating the earth in burrowing, has been found incomparably better than lands of a like nature left in their ori- ginal state. The fecundity of rabbits was of no small consequence when the skins of large, well-chosen rabbits would produce 2s. 6^?. or 3s. each. At that time they were used in making muffs, tippets, lining robes, &c. : the down was also employed in hats. As the skins constitute the prin- cipal profit of the proprietor, it becomes a primary object with him to LINCOLNSHIRE. XUI attend to the breeding, killing, &c. Skins that are free from black spots on the inside, are said to be in season. The trade is now on the decline, not only from the diminution in the value of the skins, but also from the means of conducting it becoming daily more circumscribed, it being now thought good husbandry to de- stroy the warrens and apply the lands to other uses. Many of what are called the fens are in a state of waste, and serve for little other purpose than breeding and rearing geese, which are con- sidered the fenman's treasure. They are a highly valuable stock, and live where, in the present state of these lands, nothing else will ; they are very prolific, and the young quickly become saleable, or speedily contribute to increase the flock. The feathers are very valuable ; and however trifling it may appear, the sale of quills alone amount, on a large flock, to a considerable sum. The geese are usually plucked five times in the year : at Lady day for quills and feathers, and again at Midsummer, Lammas, and Martinmas. Goslings are not spared, as early plucking tends to increase the succeeding feathers. The common mode of plucking live geese is considered a barbarous custom, but it has prevailed ever since feather beds came into general use. The mere plucking is said to hurt the bird but little, as the owners are careful not to pull before the feathers are ripe, that is, just ready to fall : if forced from the skin sooner, they are of inferior value. "Wild geese are taken in immense numbers in the fens. A particular account of the mode will be found in another part. The general improvements that have been effected in this county within the last few years, and that are now gradually making, have co-operated to alter the general appearance, the agriculture, climate, &c., so materially, that the surface has assumed a new aspect, the value of land is greatly increased, the means of social and commercial com- munication have been faciUtated, and the comforts of domestic life greatly promoted. The wolds extend from Spilsby, in a north westerly direction, for about forty miles, to Barton, near the Humber. They are on an average nearly eight miles in breadth, of sand and sandy loam, upon flinty loam, with a substratum of chalk. Beneath this line lies an ex- tensive tract of land at the foot of the wolds, called the Marsh, which is secured from the encroachments of the sea by embankments, and is agriculturally divided into north and south marshes, by a difference in the soil. The fens of this county form one of its most prominent features. They consist of lands, which at some distant period have been inun- dated by the sea, and by human art have been recovered from it. They exhibit immense tracts, chiefly of grazing land, intersected by dry ditches, called droves, which serve both for fences and drains. These are accompanied generally by parallel banks, upon which the roads pass, and were intended to keep the waters, in flood time, from overflowing the adjacent lands. They not only communicate with each other, but also with larger canals, called dykes and drains, which in some instances are navigable for boats and barges. At the lower end of these are sluices, guarded by gates, termed gowts. That this district was thus flooded at a very remote period, is evident from the plans of embanking and draining which the Romans adopted in order to counteract the mischievous effects of such inundations. Since their departure much has been done, at various times, for the im- provement of the fen country ; and an immense expense has been occa- XIV- LINCOLNSHIRE. sionally, and is still annually incurred, to prevent the encroachment of the water, and to ameliorate the soil. A very hrief notice of these en- deavours will tend to give some idea of the country, and to illustrate those periods of history. Deeping Fen, on the banks of the AVelland, appears to have received the earliest attentions ; for at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign (as Ingulphus relates), a road was made across it by Egelric, formerly a monk of Peterborough, but at that time Bishop of Durham. In the time of the Conqueror, Richard de Rulos, the king's bed chamberlain, inclosed this part of the fen country from the chapel of St. Guthlake to Cardyke, and to Clevelake, near Cranmore, including the river Welland, by a large and extensive bank of earth. The Foss-dyke is an artificial trench, extending upv/ards of ten miles in length, from the great marsh, near the city of Lincoln, to the river Trent, in the vicinity of Torksey. It was originally Roman, but was en- larged by Henry I., in the year 1121, for the purpose of navigation, and for making a general drain for the adjacent level. From its passing through such a flat country, the water could have but a slow current, whereby it became unnavigable from the accumulation of mud, so that it was found necessary to cleanse it. Of the marshes on the river Ancholme, the first account on record is the 16th of Edward I. In succeeding reigns, various statutes were enacted for rendering effectual the drainage of this part of the country. The island of Axholme, though now containing some of the rich'est land in the kingdom, was formerly one continued fen, occasioned by the silt thrown up the Trent with the tides of the Huniber ; this obstructing the free passage of the Don and the Idle, forced back their waters over the circumjacent lands, so that the highest central parts formed an island, which appellation they still retain. In the first of Edward the Third, and in several succeeding reigns, commissions were granted for repairing the banks and ditches as they fell to decay. Early in Charles the First's reign, that great work was commenced, which embraced not only the marshes of Axholme, but of all the adjacent fens, called Dikesmarsh and Hatfield Chase, in the county of York. These comprehend an extent of lands which were not only drowned in winter, but even in summer, were so deeply covered with water, that boats could navigate over 60,000 acres. It is tradi- tionally affirmed, that large vessels could sail up the river Witham, from Boston to Lincoln ; and from the ribs, timbers, &c. of ships, that have been frequently found near it, the tradition seems to be justified. At present it is only adapted for large sloops, and the flow of the current is so small, that it does not cleanse the bed of the river. The first notice of the inconveniencies arising from the obstruction of its waters, appears in the sixth year of Edward III., when commissioners were appointed for surveying the same. In consequence of their report, and of various surveys and presentments in different reigns, successive regulations were made for restraining the waters within due bounds, and delivering the land floods speedily to the sea. But in the 15th of Henry VII., more effectual measures were thought necessary to be adopted for furthering the design ; and an able engineer, Mayhave Hake, of Graveling, in Flanders, was invited over to put it into execution. It was accordingly covenanted between him and the king's commissioners, " that the said Mayhave Hake should bring with him from Flanders fourteen masons and four labourers, to make him a proper sluice and dam, near the town of Boston, sufficient for its proper safeguard. For which they were to be remunerated as follows : Mayhave Hake, for himself and man, per diem, 4*.; masons and stone-hewers, per week, 5s.; labourers, per LINCOLNSHIRE. XV week, 4 OF LOUTH CHUKCH. GATEWAY, LINCOLN CASTLE. GATEWAY, LINCOLN CASTLE. The outer arch of this gateway, which is pointed, or Gothic, with the turrets ahove, appear to have heen erected ahont the fourteenth century. Just within this there is another, a semi- circular one, of considerably earlier date, which foraied a part of the original castle, built by William the Conqueror. As we shall describe the castle elsewhere, we shall now present our readers with an extract from Neele's Romance of History. And though we are not prepared to prove, that the principal incident on which the story hangs, really occurred, yet there is much to favour the supposition, and nothing positively contradictory of it. The story, which is well told, will be unknown to the gi-eat majority of our readers, the scene is laid almost at their own doors, and all the characters introduced familiar to their historical recollections. John, King of England, died in 1216, when his son Henry was only nine years of age: and Louis the Dauphin, having invaded the kingdom, marched triumphantly through it, almost every city opening its gates to him, and he was joined by nearly all the barons. A few, however, still continued their allegiance, amongst whom was Ranulph, Earl of Chester, who, with a band of warriors, threw himself into Lincoln Castle, and prepared to defend it. The Earl of Chester was a short, square-built man, with a high pale forehead, large sparkling black eye, and strong, muscular limbs. He arrived at the Castle of Lincoln at- tended only by a single page, and the warden was astonished to see the earl dismount and tenderly assist his youthful attendant from the saddle ; then recollecting himself, he passed through the gate followed by the page, who was a stripling of a slight and agile form, but uncommoTdy beautiful features, with flaxen locks flowing down his shoulders. It Avas soon whispered amongst the soldiers that this page was a female in disguise, and on the arrival of other knights to assist in the defence, young Fitzjohn (so was the page named) no longer made his appearance in the hall, but confined himself entirely to his chamber. This tended to confirm the suspicions of the men, and it speedily reached the ears of the knights, who passed many jokes upon the earl and the lady in disguise. The Dauphin noAV entered the city, and the cry of " Montjoie, St. Denis !" rung through the streets, whilst the soldiers in the castle sent forth deafening shouts of " God and St, George !" The French took possession of the Cathedral, and the earl, preceded by a flag of truce, proceeded thither and demanded a parley. The Dauphin was seated on a throne in front of the high altar, the Comte de Perche stood on his right hand, and Gilbert de Gaunt, whom he had created Earl of Lincoln, on his left. The Earl of Chester approached the throne, and sinking on one knee, the Dauphin extended his hand to him, " Rise, renowned earl," said the Dauphin, " it gives us great pleasure to see thee return to thy allegiance, and bend thy knee at the throne of thy lawful sovereign." " Prince !" said Ranulph, starting to his feet, and drawing himself up proudly, " mistake me not — but I know thou dost not. I bowed myself before thee, to show my respect for thy valour and courtesy ; I now, as a loyal subject of King Henry, demand why thou appearest before the gates of the castle, which my royal master has committed to my charge." St , iV. ' GATEWAY, LINCOLN CASTLE, 7 " Earl Ranulph/' said Louis, smiling, " I come to demand possession of that fortress, whicli was delivered to thee by a sovereign who has since been deposed by the barons of this reahn, and whose crown, there- fore, reverts to me in right of th"^ Lady Blanche, whom I have espoused, the niece and lawful successor of the deposed monarch." " I am at a loss," said the Earl, " to understand the authority by which you inform me King John has been deposed, and still more so to comprehend the argument which makes his niece his successor in preference to his own sou. King Henry, whom God preserve." " "We hear much of King Henry," said Louis, " but we see mar- vellously httle of him. How are the barons of England to be convinced that he is ahve ?" " 'Tis marvellous, doubtless," said the earl, " that whilst wolves are scouring the plain, the lamb should remain hid But we lose time." " In truth, do we" said the Comte de Perche, impatiently. " Is this the man," he added, scanning with his eye the dimensions of Ranulph, " at whom our wives and children quake for fear — this dwarf — this abridgement of humanity ?" " Say you so, my Lord de Perche !" exclaimed the earl, his eyes flashing fire ; " I vow to God and Our Lady, whose church this is^ that before to-morrow evening I wUl seem to thee stronger, and greater, and taller than yonder steeple." A smile of defiance passed between the barons, and Ranulph, making his obeisance to the Dauphin, left the cathedral. The next morning the- castle resounded with the notes of preparation for defence and assault; the bugle of the invaders sounded in the streets, daring the besieged to come forth. " The Comte de Perche is braving us," said Sir Richard Plantagenet ; " let us sally forth, my Lord of Chester, our force is fuUy equal to the encounter, though the foe imagines we are far inferior in numbers." " In five minutes," said the earl, " we will convince him of his error ; within that time I wiU be ready to conduct the attack." " He is gone to take leave of his lady," said Sir Richard, smiUng, The page, notwithstanding aU Ramilph's persuasions, persisted iu combating at his side. The French forces attempted to concentrate their strength before the castle, but the arrows of the defenders compelled them to retire, and a knight who was standing by the Comte de Perche was killed at his feet. The castle gates were now thrown open, and the Earl of Chester at- tacked the besiegers so vigorously, that they were driven back to a considerable distance. They ralhed again, and were again driven back. The air was darkened by flights of arrows, and the cries of " St. Greorge !" and " St. Denis !" sounded Mke the exultation of a fiend by whom the elements of anarchy and slaughter had been set in motion. The Earl of Chester dealt death and destruction amidst the hostile ranks: the Earl of Lincoln feU beneath his spear. A cry of triimaph and despair now arose, and the Comte de Perche saw the Enghsh division of his army, consisting of the revolted barons and their adherents, fleeing towards the city postern, hotly pursued by Earl Ranulph and Sir Richard Plantagenet, " By Saint Denis ! aU is lost," he exclaimed, " if we cannot rally these traitors. — Ha ! " he added, as another shout rent the air, and he saw the assailants and the assailed join their forces, and bear down upon him. " The double traitors ! Frenchmen, one effort more for your own honour and that of your country. Shout, God and Saint Denis, and set upon the foe." The battle again raged with redoubled \'iolence, and the Comte de 8 GATEWAY, LINCOLN CASTLE, Perche maintained his reputation for gallantry— numbers fell beneath his arm. At length the Earl of Chester approached him; they joined in furious combat, their spears were shivered to atoms, their battle-axes were broken, and, drawing their swords, they closed in a short but deadly struggle ; the Frenchman, with one blow, cleft the Earl's shield in two and wounded him in the arm, but the latter rising in his saddle and striking him on the head, the weapon cut through his helmet, and entering his brain, the Count fell lifeless to the earth. The French now fled in all directions, and Earl Ranulph proceeding immediately to the Cathedral, the Dauphin was taken prisoner, but set at liberty by the Earl on swearing immediately to evacuate the kingdom with all his followers. The Earl of Chester now required the Barons and Knights to swear allegiance to King Henry, but William Longsword, Earl of Salisbury, one of the Barons who had just deserted Louis, replied : " We are not prepared to swear allegiance to a person who may not be in existence. Produce the King, and we will tender him our homage." Sir Richard Plantagenet became incensed, but the Earl of Chester re- plied, with a smile, " Nay, Sir Richard, my Lord of Salisbury's ob- jection is reasonable, but I am prepared to obviate his scruples ; ap- proach, sire, and receive the homage of your faithful subjects." Thus saying, he led the page into the midst of the circle, and unbarring his visor, the fair face, blue eyes, and flaxen ringlets of young Henry, were immediately recognized by all. "God save King Henry!" said Earl Ranulph, and the exclamation was echoed by a thousand voices. ORIEL WINDOW, LINCOLN. This window ori p;inallt/ formed a part of John of Gaunt' n palace , the site of which is now partly occupied by a modern house belotiging to H, Boot, Esq., and to this houxe the windou' is attached by cramps, to one of its gable ends. It is a most delicate, beautiful piece of workmanship. fVe are sorry to add, it is expected soon to fall to pieces. THE PALACE RUINS, LINCOLN. The Palace Ruins, Lincoln, are situate just below the Minster, on the side of the hill, overlooking the lower part of the city, and a vast expanse of country towards the right, stretching far away into the dim distance. The erection of the palace was begun in the time of Richard the Second, by Bishop Chesney, and con- tinued by his successors in the see, most of whom added to its extent and splendour, till it became almost unrivalled for its mag- nificence. Hugh de Grenoble, who built the gi-and hall, was one of these bishops ; of whom it is recorded, that in raising some portion of the Cathedral, which he almost entirely re-built, to in- spire the workmen with the enthusiasm he felt himself, he carried stone and mortar upon his shoulders for the masons. The Palace did not retain its splendour long after the early part of the seven- teenth century ; civil contests, from which Lincoln has peculiarly suffered, speedily overthrew it. Every victim of the hour, coming in its way, ransacked and plundered it of its riches, and before the end of the same century, the whole pile was shattered, rifled and deserted. We approach the ruins from the Minster-close, through a short avenue with parapetted gateways, and immediately we see, on the right, the straight Roman wall standing on a high mound, that enclosed the palace on the north side ; before us, at a little distance, a modern house, built of the materials from the ruins, and just beside us, on the left, a square tower, through which we enter the palace, or rather its remains. On the arched dooinvay, leading into the porch, the anns of the bishop who built this tower (Aln- wick) may yet be traced. The roof of this porch is gToined, and in very fine preservation. The ribs of stone spring from clustered pillars, with square mouldings in each corner. When we think how noble roofs of this kind must have been, it seems impossible to help feeling something like contempt for the roofs (or ceilings) of modern times. They are as bad as the walls and windows, and seem expressly contrived to deaden all perception of the beautiful in art. From this porch a door on the left takes us into a large straight garden, with walls on each side : this was the Grand Hall. The main entrance into this hall is shown us by the three beau- tiful arches on the south side. In the far corner there is another gateway, and beyond this a small building, in the end of which are two exceedingly curious old windows. As we enter this grand hall, or garden, we pass a door on the right in the tower, leading by a circular stone staircase to its upper stoiy, for there is now but one left. Returning to the porch, we find a door opposite the main entrance, leading into a long grassy slope, originally the middle court of the building. On the left side of this, are the long ruined vaults, — and on the right the more imposing ruins of the palace. Just at the top of this court, a gateway on the left leads us along a little narrow avenue (probably a covered passage at one time), and then through a second gateway, into another 2 ^ c 10 PALACE RUINS, LINCOLN, garden. At the soutli end of tins garden stood the chapel and the dining-room ; the remainder formed the east court of the palace. Near the bottom of the middle comt we find a flight of broken stone steps ; on ascending these, we look down into a square place, surrounded by high walls, exceedingly picturesque and beautiful. The sjjot we are standing upon appears to have been the first story of some part of the building. Passing through an archway half choked up, on the same level, we find ourselves in a long and noble apartment, surrounded by walls, though entirely open to the sky. Both places are covered with mounds of earth, and fallen fragments of stone, thickly interspersed with wild looking shrubs and small trees. Descending the steps, we j^erceive that the outer of the two places we have just left is over a porch, about the size of the one at the entrance, and the roof of which is also very finely groined, and the inner over a very curious, long, high, gloomy vault, with a gi'oined roof; the ribs branching from a sort of small circular pedestal fixed in the wall, about a yard from the ground, in the four corners of the vault, and also from two other places at equal distances between the corners on each side. The masonry between the ribs has a surprisingly jagged appearance, as though formed of thin slices of stone fixed as unevenly as possible in a peiijendicular position. Of course, all this rough work must have been covered originally, and then this vault must have had a grand, though, owing to the little light admitted by the windows, a gloomy appearance. These windows (two) are mere openings ill the wall, very large, with broad circular tops on the inner side, but gradually lessening through the immense thickness of the wall to mere slits with pointed tojDS on the outer side. To describe the numerous vaults, the dark windings, turnings, and passages we find in every corner of these highly interesting ruins, would fill up too much of our space ; but we would willingly linger in our pages over the recollection of a place that has so much charmed us, that has impressed upon us so many deep and solemn emotions. We have felt there the past above, about, and beneath us. " Why dost thou build the hall, son, of the winged days ? Thou lookest from thy tower to-day, yet a few years, and the blast of the desert comes — it howls in thy empty court*." The grand hall is now a flower-garden, roofless, the pillars gone, and the mutilated walls covered with fruit trees. How different a scene it once presented ! Allow us for a moment to summon the doniiant genii of Aladdin's lamp, that we may see it as it fonnerly stood. Behold ! it is the evening of a banquet in King James the First'sf time, and in his honour it is given. The grand entrance admits him and his steel-clad, knightly retinue, that look, in all their glittering accoutrements, almost insignificant in the blaze of pomp and sjjlendour they enter upon. Our good genii has re-fixed the two lines of majestic marble columns ranging down the noble hall, the eight high, arched windows, with their * Ossian. f Who once spent some days here. SLEAFORD. tl richly-stained glass, the fretted roof, the polished, inlaid floor, with every other detail of its ancient magnificence, though they are hardly distinguishable through the mist of the perfumes shaken from the clinking censors, and though a multitude of wax tapers of the largest size are burning in massive candlesticks of silver and gold from end to end of the hall. Down the centre aisle, the long, polished tables are strewed over with pieces of plate, glitter- ing as thickly as the diamond-looking pebbles of a garden-walk on a summer's day. The kingly, belted and mitred Epicureans take their seats ; the sweet, full voices of concealed choristers, melting and blending the while with the confused sounds of rustling robes, clattering armour, the tramp of armed heels, and the low, deep hum of tongues innumerable ; and now — but hark I the hollow- voiced wind comes sighing through the deserted tower, and the vision passes ; King James, knights, and prelates, music, banquet, perfumes, the marble columns and the fretted roof, all are vanished, and lo ! we are alone in the gftrden of the grand hall, in the mournful ruins of the Episcopal Palace of Lincoln. /■■^, -i ST. MARY S CHURCH, BARTON. The lower part of the totvei' of this church is very ancient ; supposed to be Scuon, but its date is unJinown. SLEAFORD, Or, as it is more properly designated, Neiv Sleaford, to distin- guish it from the adjoining parish of Old Sleaford, is in the wapen- take of Flaxwell, parts of Kesteven, on the main road from London to Lincoln; distant from London 115 miles, and. from Lincoln 12 SLEAFORD. about 18. It stands upon a small rivulet called Slea, which rising in the vicinity of the town, runs rapidly through it to Chapel Hill (a distance of twelve miles), where it empties itself into the Witham. A branch of the ancient Ermine-street passes through this parish, and Stukely supposes Sleaford to have been one of two towns lying on this road between Castor (Northamptonshire) and Lincoln, built by the Romans for the convenience of the troops on their marches, messengers, &c. Many Roman coins, especially of the Constantine family and their wives, have been found here. Sleaford is a small but thriving market-toAvn, well paved, of neat and respectable appearance, and is evidently fast improving in buildings and general importance. Two long streets running in directly contrary directions, divided about the centre, where they would otherwise cross each other, by the Market-Place, form the principal part of the town. On entering the market-place, vou see directly before you the bold and beautifully picturesque front of the Church, with its grand and peculiar sj^ire rising in the centre, its embattled and pinnacled parapets on the sides, its doors and windows, with their delicate mouldings and tracery. This church exhibits some fine specimens of almost every style of early English architecture. It consists of a nave, aisles, a large chapel on the north side, a chancel, and a tower or steeple crowned by a spire. This steeple is the oldest part of the building, and its Spire, considering the earliness of its date, is one of the most complete examples of the kind in the kingdom. The nave is sup- ported by four pointed arches, springing from clustered pillars of a light and elegant form. The chancel is separated from the nave by a screen of open fret-work, with a carved canojoy ; the whole uncommonly beautiful. At the end of one of the aisles stands a very fine font, with its pillar or shaft ornamented on every side with a bold tracery, and its summit decorated with oval and diagonal shields alternately. An enriched spiral staircase leads to the spire. There are several monuments, and one very old one, belonging to the Can- family, fonnerly lords of the manor. In the tower hangs a peal of eight bells. The living is a dis- charged vicarage, valued in the king's books at 8/. : jjatron, the Rev. Richard Yerburgh, D.D., the present incumbent. Sleaford is also a prebend in Lincoln, valued in the king's books at 11/. 19*. Id. : patron, the Bishop of Lincoln. On the north side of the church is the vicarage-house, a de- lightful-looking little spot, with an old-fashioned aspect, curious windows, and ivy-covered walls. On the opposite side of the church is a small, open square, in the left of which is a low, long, handsome modern building in the Gothic style — the almshouse or hospital, supporting twelve poor aged men, and at the end facing you its chapel, also modern, but owing to the old materials used in its construction, it does not look so. The workmanship of this chapel is very chaste and elegant. At one corner of the SLEAFORD. 13 market-place stands the County Hall, a very handsome new build- ing of stone, in the Gothic style of architecture, and in which the Quarter Sessions for the parts of Kesteven are held by adjourn- ment from Bourne. At the northern extremity of the town stands the Grammar-School, a handsome building, just erected, and built in the style of architecture of the early part of the seventeenth century. It is not yet opened, but will be in June. The school was founded by Robert Carr, Esq., in the year 1604, but the old school-house has been taken down some years, and the pre- sent one is erected on a new site. There was once in Sleaford a very large and magnificent castle, built, it is supposed, by Alexander, third bishop of Lincoln, the site of which Stukely, the historian, thinks had been previously occupied by a Roman citadel. In this castle King John sojourned one night, a short time before his death, which took place at Newark. Shakspeare, in his play of King John, as many of our readers will remember, makes him die at Swinstead (or Swines- head) Abbey, near Boston, poisoned by a monk. The expression of silent agony in the poor king's speech, on being brought forth into the ojjen air, is not easily forgotten : " Aye, marry, now my soul liath elbow-room ; It would not out of windows, nor at doors. There is so hot a summer in my bosom. That all my bowels crumble up to dust : I am a scribbled form, drawn with a pen Upon a parchment ; and against this fire Do I shnnk up." Of this castle there remains only a fragment of the wall, nine oi" ten feet high, and of immense thickness, and the traces of the foundation, ditch, and moat. There was, also, here what Leland (another antiquarian writer) called " a house or manor-place, lately almost new builded of stone and timber, by the Lord Husey" (a nobleman who was beheaded at Lincoln in the reign of Henry the Eighth, for the part he took- in the commotions of the time) ; but every trace of it has now disappeared, and its site is occupied by a farm-house. A strange custom of the old feudal times, a relic of their bar- barous laws, is still preserved here — the curfew bell. Eight hun- dred years have elapsed since William the Conqueror sent our ancestors, darkling, to bed with its sound : he and his laws, and it is to be hoped the spirit of his laws, have entirely passed away, but still the bell rings on, still " The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." During the civil wars, Sleaford, like its neighbouring towns, was continually harassed by the skirmishing, " the hurryings to and fro of bold and bloody men " of different parties. The following letter, written from this place by Cromwell, will, we have no doubt, be 14 SLEAFORD. interesting to our readere. Of all tlie gi-eat men of otu' history, perhaps there is no one character less luidei-stood than that of Cromwell. A glimpse, therefore, into the heart of such a man is indeed valuahle ; and such a glimpse appeal's to he given us in this letter : — " Sir — T\"ee doe with griefe of hart receive the sadde condition of our armie in the west, and of affaires there. That businesse hath our hartes with itt^ and truly had wee winges wee wovdd flye thither. Soe soone as ever my lorde and the foote set mee loose, there shall be noe want in mee to hasten what I cann to that service : for indeed all other considerations are to bee layd aside, and to give place to itt, as beinge of farr more importance. I hope the kingdom shall see that in the middest of our necessities we shall serve them w^f^out dispute. ^Vee hope to forgett our wants, which are exceedinge great and ill cared for, and desier to referr the many slaunders heaped upon us by false tongues to Gotl, whoe will in due tyrae make it apeare to the world, that wee studye the glory of God, the honor and Mbertye of the parliament for w'h we unanimously fight, without seekinge our owne interests. In- deed, wee find our men never soe cheerfull as when there is worke to doe. I trust you will alwaies heare soe of them. The Lorde is our strength, and in him all our hope. Pray for us. Present my love to ray freinds : I begg their prayers. The Lorde still blesse you. M'ee have some amongst us much slow in action. Iff we would all intend to our owne ends lesse, and our ease too, our businesses in the armie would goe on wheeles for expedition. Because some of us are enemies to ra- pine and other wickednesses, wee are sayd to be factious, to seek to maintaine our opinions in religion by force, w^^ wee detest and abhorr. I professe I co\ild never satisfie my selfe of the iustnesse of this warr, but from the authoiitie of the parliament to maintain itt in itts rights, and in this cause I hope to approve my selfe an honest man, and single harted. Pardon mee that I am thus troublesome. I write but seldom ; itt gives me a little ease to poure my minde, in the middest of callum- nies, into the bosom of a friend : S"", noe man more truly loves you than " Your brother and sers'ant, " Sep. 6th or 5th, Sleaford, " Ouver Cromwell," *' For Col. "Walton, theire in London." Besides the public huildiugs before mentioued, there are three chapels — ^Lady Himtiugdon's, Methodists, and Independents, and a small theatre, inider the management of Mr. Smedley, open generally about Easter. There are fire annual fair days for cattle, on Plough IMonday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, August 12, and December 20. The one held on August 12 is inconsiderable. Market-day, Monday. Population, including the hamlet of Holdingham, 2500. ASLACKBY. 15 FONT AT STOW CHURCH. ASLACKBY. , On the high road from London to Folkingham and Sleaford, and about two miles before you reach Folkingham, you see on the left, lying in the little valley below, the village of Aslackby. And a true specimen of the old Ehiglish village it is ; sloping- fields, dotted with sheep, rise around it ; a small square embattled tower, hoary with years, seems guarding it on the right, and amid the habitations which repose so calmly around, the Church, as conscious of its high and solemn purposes, uprears towards Pleaven its simple beauty. On the left, as we enter the village from the high road, we find this tower, which is now all that remains of a preceptory of the Knights Templars, built in the reign of Richard the Lion-hearted. The interior consists of two stories. The upper one has been roofed and fitted up as a chamber by the occupant of the farm- house adjoining ; the lower one, used as a cellar, appears more in its pristine state ; it is vaulted, with groined arches, having in the centre eight shields bearing various coats of arms, and upon the middle one a cross. Near this spot, according to tradition, a round tower formerly stood, which was pulled down, and the materials used to construct the farm-house above alluded to. This edifice still bears the name that for centuries has been attached to the spot, viz. the Temple. On one of the eminences which rise south of the village, is said to be the site of the ancient church of the Templars, and it is certain that about ten years ago, a stone coffin of large dimensions was dug up in the adjoining enclosure. There is a tradition among the villagers of a subterraneous passage 16 ASLACKBY. from this church to the Temple before-mentioned. Returning thence into the village, we find an ancient gateway, and in the house to which it is attached some perfect armorial designs, and two very beautiful sun-dials, all in stained glass. About one mile westward, in a field called the Avelands (from which the hundred derives its name), is a large space of ground enclosed by a moat; and here, it is said, about a century ago, the Sessions for this division were opened under a large tree, now no longer standing, and from thence were adjourned to Folkingham. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at 12/. 10s. \\d. Population, including the hamlets of Millthorpe and West Graby, 455. SONNET. Dear English village, grassy nest of peace ! Where, bird-like, singeth still the human heart ; Never, oh ! never, may thy sweet fame cease. Thy artless children from thy vale depart. Long may they there laugh out in harvest glee ; Down the slant field, among the clover laugh ; Thy ruddy maids sit prattling jocundly ; Thy sons, the horn, round winter hearthstones quaff: Unto the simple church, in simple guise. Still decently repair as Sabbaths come ; Where, in rude harmony, their voices rise To God, to fit them for their heavenly home. Oh ! sick and weary of the world's vain strife, How glad were I to lead a village life ! CONDUIT, LINCOLN. 17 GAINSBOROUGH BRIDGE. This bridge was built by Mr. Weston, an architect to whose taste and science the Americans were much indebted for his plans for the building of Washington, United States. It was erected about forty years since by a private company. The tolls, which are rather heavy, are justly considered prejudicial to the interests of the town. THE CATHEDRAL, So far-famed for its extent and splendour, stands upon the summit of a hill, overlooking the city of Lincoln, part of which lies round its base, and the remainder stretches down the slope of the hill, and along the valley below. From the commanding situation it thus possesses, and from its own stately and towering grandeur, it forms, from a great distance, on all sides, a conspi- cuous and magnificent object; nor does its interest decrease on a nearer ap^Droach. Passing directly through the lower part of Lincoln, up what is called the " Steep Hill" (and truly it is worthy of its name, being the steepest hill we remember in England to have houses on its sides, and to be in the centre of a populous place), on reaching the top, we find, on the right, an ancient gate, called the Exchequer Gate, NICHE ON THE EXCHEQUER GATE, LINCOLN. leading into the Cathedral Close (as the area on which the Min- ster stands, is named), and passing through this, the west front of the Cathedral stands before us. The prevailing character of the building, with the exception of this west front, is the early style of English architecture, of a peculiarly rich kind, inteiTBixed occasionally with the decorated and later styles. The tvest front was the work of at least three distinct periods, the centre, with a portion of the towers, being the remains of an 3 D 18 THE CATHEDR.\L. early cliurcb^ in the Norman or circular style of architecture, which was aftenvards increased in size, and formed into a beauti- ful square facade in the pointed or Gothic style. At a later period, the towers were earned up to their present height. The doorways are richly moulded, and decorated with sculpture. Over the central entrance, in niches, are statues of eleven kings, sup- posed to rejjresent the monai'chs of England who reigned from the Conquest to Edward the Third's time. The towers, which are very beautiful in their outline, are strengthened at their angles by octagonal buttresses crowned with pinnacles : they are 180 feet high, and were fonnerly suiTounded with spires, which were taken down in 1808. Before we carry our description farther, we will endeavour to give the reader an idea of the ground plan of the Cathedral. Its fonn is that of a very long double cross, with a transverse limb at the west end, like a pedestal, made by the un- usual breadth of the west fi"ont. The plan is subdinded into a nave and choir, with north and south aisles, a grand transept with an eastern aisle, and a second and lesser transept situate nearer to the east end. Besides these principal divisions, there ai'e several chapels and jDorches, the cloisters, and a chapter-house. The Cathedral, including the cloisters, chapter-house, &c. covers TQore than two acres and a half of gi'omid. The gi-eatest interior length is 482 feet, the greatest interior breadth 222 feet ; length of the nave 250 feet, breadth 82 feet ; two west towers, 180 feet high each ; great tower, including the pinnacles, 267 * feet high, and 54 * feet square ; breadth of west fi'ont 174 feet ; height of the nave 80 feet ; height of the choir 72 feet ; length of the choir 156 feet; breadth (without aisles) of the choir 40 feet. We shall now walk round the exterior of the Cathedral, and turning to the right, commence with the south side first. We wish it here to be understood, tflat throughout this article we in- tend merely»to notice such particular objects as we think will be especially interesting to our readers, for to wi-ite an architectural detail of the building would be as far beyond the scope of our pre- sent undertaking, as it would be from our jimi^ose, which is to give the greatest amount of information on the subjects before us, that can be given with entertainment, or at least Arithout weaiiness to the general reader. And first, then, we find attached to the south end of one of the crosses alluded to in the gi'oimd plan, which is the lower or western ti-ansept, a very elegant porch, called a Galilee, o])en on three sides, the fomth leading by large folding doors into the Cathedi'al. The roof and pillars of this jDorch are very light and delicate. The origin of the name, and the uses of this porch are thus exj^lained by Dr. ^lilner in his Treatise on the Ecclesiastical Architecture of the Middle Ages. " There were formerly such porches at thewestern exti^emity of all large churches ; in these, public penitents were stationed, dead bodies were some- times deposited previous to interment, and females were allowed * The figiu-es marked thus * are from 'Sh. Betham's actual admeasurement. 11 IK CA'I'IIMDK Alv. l!> to sci; Uu; monks ol' llio couvciiLk, wIio vvcit llicii' niliilivcs." Wo may ^aUicr from a ])a8,sa^(! in (iJcrviiHc, (Jiiil, wlicn a vvouian n,)i|ilic(l lor Uiivc. to 8eo a monk, Iut relation, hIhi wiih an,sw(r(^(l in tlic words of S('ri])tiin! : " Ih^j^ootli Ixjforc yon into ( Jiililcc, tliiTc uliull yon SL'(; liim." Jlcnco tin; word " («a,Iil(M;." It is vv(dl known that at Dinliam Catliodnil, woOKm wcro m)t ov(;n allowed to attend di- vine serviec!, except in llns )tait of llie clinrcli. It is stat(;d, in |{ro(dve's (Jnide tln'on^li Lincoln < 'atliedral, on wliat aiitliority W(5 know not, tliat tliis ])art oC tlie IniiMin^ was used lor tiie re-admis- sion into tlie chnrcli of excomniiniicated persons, and a, font was sometimes placed in it, to wiiicli tliey were all