-£^ ^> >>2> : 5> 4rC ^TT >X2* - m> s >? > ^ / .>:PP - »>■ -^ > ■'■■^3g--?:^ - t»5 _> 3> »^ "":» 3> Oi? >3>P?^. » » » Z>^> >/3*. m i 3> rjo» do> .'v. "3^ } ■ sJtt >3» ^>S» Dt3> • 1> ^ r>^> 1>^3 ^> ~3* M> 3>ys^>- :>K>:">>2> J» •-yO >:>;■£ :»lb* 5X31 ■>':■ / E R K s h m i : ^f£^X-^fSi,- , , ' (\r R E 3£ „ ;:l; tjft, THE JOURNEY-BOOK OF ENGLAND. HAMPSHIRE; INCLUDING THE ISLE OF WIGHT./ THIRTY -TWO ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD, AND AN ILLUMINATED MAP OF THE COUNTY. LONDON: CHARLES KNIGHT & CO., LUDGATE STREET. MDCCCXLI. LONDON : Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I.— General Description. Page Situation, Boundaries, and Extent . . . . • . 1 Physical Topography . . „ ...... 2 Coast-line ............ 2 Surface ............ 2 Drainage — Rivers .......... 3 Geological Features .......... 4 Means of Communication and Traffic ...... 5 Canals ............ 5 Railway ............ 6 Roads . . • . . . . . . . .6 Fairs ......... ... .6 Agriculture and Rural Economy ...... 7 Soils 7 Improvements ........... 9 Cattle 9 Hampshire Bacon ........... 10 History and Antiquities . . . . • . . • .11 Political Topography . . . . . . . ► .14 Population and Occupations ......... 14 Legal and Ecclesiastical Divisions . . . • . . • .15 Civic Economy .......... 17 Local Taxation and Expenditure . . . . . . • .17 Crime . * . . .18 Savings' Banks ........... 18 Education .18 CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. — Means of Communication between London and Hampshire. Page South-western Railway 20 Turnpike Roads 22 CHAPTER III.— The Farnborough Station. To Portsmouth by Farnham and Petersfield 24 To Gosport by Alton 28 To Southampton by Bishop's Waltham . . . . . .31 To Winchester by Alresford 32 CHAPTER IV.— Portsmouth, Gosport, and Portsea. Portsmouth ........... 35 Portsea ............ 38 Gosport . . . . . . . . . . . .45 CHAPTER V.— The Winchfield Station. Odiham to Alton 49 Odiham to Farnham .......... 50 Odiham to Reading .......... 50 CHAPTER VL— The Basingstoke Station. Basingstoke ........... 55 Basingstoke into Berkshire ......... 62 Kingsclere ...♦•••••••• 62 To Winchester 64 Andover Road Railway Station . . • . . • • .64 To Whitchurch and Andover ........ 66 Whitchurch 66 Whitchurch to Newbury, Berks. ........ 67 Burghclere ............ 67 CONTENTS. V Page Andover ............ 68 Andover to Newbury, Berks. . . . . . . . .70 Andover to Winchester ......... 70 Andover to Amesbury, Wilts. . . . . . . . .71 Andover to Salisbury . . . . . . . . . .71 CHAPTER VII.— The Winchester Station. Winchester 73 The Cathedral • 77 The College 82 The Market Cross 86 Hospital of St. Cross 88 Winchester to Gosport and Portsmouth ....... 94 To Havant, Kmsworth, and Chichester ....... 95 To Southampton ........... 97 To Poole, Dorset, through Romsey ........ 98 To Salisbury, through Stockbridge ....... 103 To Petersfield . . . . . 104 CHAPTER VIII.— The Southampton Station. Southampton ........... 105 Southampton to Gosport . . • . . . . . .112 To Chichester 114 To Salisbury . . . 115 To Lymington and Christchurch . . . • . . . .115 CHAPTER IX.— The New Forest. Historical Notice , . • . . . . • . .117 Boundaries . . . . . . ... . . 121 Surface, Natural Appearances, Geological Features. &c. . . . . 123 Animals, &c, of the New Forest 131 CONTENTS. Forestal Regulations—Timber for the Navy Forest Roads To Lyndhurst and Lymington Lymington to Christchurch Christchurch to Ringwood Ringwood to Southampton By Fordingbridge Southampton to Beaulieu Abbey and Calshot Castle Page 133 135 135 139 141 141 141 142 CHAPTER X.— The Isle of Wight. Extent 144 Natural and Political Divisions, Population, &c. ..... 145 Historical Notice ........... 146 Voyage round the Island 148 Tour in the Interior . . . • • • . . . .167 First Excursion — From Cowes to Newport, Carisbrooke Castle, &c. . . 168 Second Excursion — To Appuldercom.be, the Undercliffe, Ventnor Cove, &c. &c. 179 Third Excursion — To Wootton Bridge, Quarr Abbey, Binstead, Yaverland, &c. &c 182 Fourth Excursion — To Freshwater and the Needles . . . . .186 Table of Distances 188 ILLU STRATI O N S. Page 1 . Portsmouth Harbour .... . 36 2. Portsmouth and Portsea, Gosport, and Porchester Castle in the Seven- teenth Century .... . 37 3. House at Portsmouth in which the Duke of Buckingham was assassi- nated ...... . 38 4. Lion Gate, Portsea .... . 40 5. Strathfieldsay, the Seat of the Duke of Wellington . 52 6. Basing House after the Siege . . 61 7. View of Winchester .... 75 8. Winchester Cathedral .... . 79 9. Nave of Winchester Cathedral . . 80 10. Interior of Winchester Cathedral . . 81 12. Winchester College with the Cloisters, Entrance to the Library, and the Church ...... . 84 13. Winchester Market Cross . 87 14. Hospital of St. Cross 15. Norman Window, Hospital of St. Cross 92 16. Plan of Porchester Castle 95 17. Romsey Abbey Church . 100 18. Norman Doorway, Romsey Abbey Church . 101 19. Southampton. From an old Print . . 108 20. The Bar Gate, Southampton . . 109 21. Ruins of Netley Abbey . 112 22. Tyrrell's Oak in the New Forest . . 122 23. Boldre Church 138 24. Gilpin's School at Boldre . 139 25. Alum Bay, Isle of Wight . 151 26. Scratcheli's Bay and the Needles . 154 27. Black Gang Chine .... 158 28. Ventnor Cove .... 135 29. Shanklin Chine .... 164 30. Carisbrook Castle .... 171 31. Keep of Carisbrook Castle 173 32. Window from which Charles I. attempted to escape from Carisbrook Castle ...... 177 - Basing stt Emasdere. AnJmer Winrfiester Ice II Farehcan m _ o?7ibe Chin? Hi Southampton JST Semsev ~&ead V Zyminpfym 2 - j&tcm Pder.mdd ~VI Pinouood ^L VII i>£? ofWightt ■■< mmmmbmm A S S f, THE JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. CHAPTER I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. SITUATION, BOUNDARIES, AND EXTENT. Hampshire is a southern maritime county, situated principally on the main- land of England, but includes the Isle of Wight. The portion on the main- land approximates in form to a paral- lelogram, except at the south-west cor- ner, where a portion juts out to the westward : the sides of the parallelo- gram face the four cardinal points. Hampshire is bounded on the north by Berkshire, on the east by Surrey and Sussex, on the south by the English Channel, and on the west by Wiltshire and Dorsetshire. The length of the county (mainland part) from north to south varies from thirty-seven to forty- six miles ; the breadth varies from twenty-eight to forty-one miles. The Isle of Wight is in the form of a lo- zenge, having its longer diagonal from east to west twenty-three miles, and its shorter diagonal from north to south fourteen miles. It is separated from the main part of the county by an arm of the sea averaging about three miles over; but in the narrowest part not more than one mile. There is a small detached part of the county nine miles long, and for the most part less than half a mile wide, extending from near Haslemere in Surrey to Midhurst in Sussex. The area of the county, in- cluding the Isle, is 1625 square miles: in size it is the eighth of the English counties, being a little smaller than Somerset and a little larger than Kent. The population in 1831 was 314,280, or 193 to a square mile. In absolute population it is the fifteenth, in rela- tive population the twenty-fourth of the English counties. V % i y?L t - S H I tt,B E ,.,,,,, I L "\?,<. k* \ _ JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. PHYSICAL TOPOGRAPHY. COAST-LINE. The coast of Hampshire (not includ- ing the Isle of Wight) is low towards the east side of the county, where there is a wide but not very deep bay or inlet, divided by Hayling Island and Portsea Island into three parts; Chichester harbour on the east, Langston harbour in the middle, and Portsmouth harbour on the west. These harbours, when the tide is up, present broad sheets of water ; and Portsmouth harbour espe- cially, with its shipping, has, when viewed from the top of Portsdown, a striking appearance ; but when the tide is out, little is seen but an assemblage of sand or mud banks, with channels of deeper water running between them. Hayling Island is about four miles long from north to south, and nearly as much broad at the widest part, which is next the open sea. It contains the two vil- lages of North and South Hayling, with a population of 882. Portsea Island, four miles long from north to south, and about three broad, contains the ancient borough of Portsmouth and the town of Portsea .with their exten- sive suburbs. From the entrance of Portsmouth harbour the coast runs north-west to the entrance of the inlet or estuary called Southampton Water. In this part are some low cliffs. Southampton Water penetrates about seven miles in- land to the town of Southampton, at the junction of the Test and the Itchin : its breadth, when the tide is up, is from one-and-a-half to two miles ; at low water, about half a mile. From the en- trance of Southampton Water a low coast runs south-west until opposite to the western extremity of the Isle of Wight. Along this low coast are some salt-works, and at its extremity, upon the point of a long sandy neck, stands Hurst Castle. From Hurst Castle the coast runs west, forming the shallow bay of Christchurch, terminated at its western point by Hengistbury Head, from which the coast still runs west to the border of Dorsetshire. From the neighbourhood of Hurst Castle the coast is generally high and abrupt. SURFACE. The surface of this county is rather irregular. The South Downs enter the county from Sussex on the south-east- near Petersfield, and cross it in a north- west direction into Wiltshire: Butser hill, between Petersfield and Horndean, on the Portsmouth road, one of the highest points in this range, is 917 feet high. The North Downs enter the county from Surrey near Farnham, and extend across the county, by Odiham, Basingstoke, and Kingsclere, into Wilt- shire. Highclere Beacon, one of the points of this range, in the north-west- ern part of the county, near the border of Wilts and Berks, is 900 feet high. The Alton hills form a connexion on the east side of the county between the GENERAL DESCRIPTION. South and North Downs, and run from Petersfield northwards past Alton. Portsdown is an isolated eminence ex- tending east and west just above Ports- mouth and Langston harbours ; its height is about 447 feet; its length seven miles, and its breadth one. All these hills are in the chalk formation. DRAINAGE — RIVERS. A large part of Hampshire is within the basin of the Southampton Water ; a small portion on the north and north- east sides of the county is in the basin of the Thames ; a small portion on the south-east side is in the basin of the Arun, and a small portion of the west side is in the Wiltshire and Dorsetshire basin. The principal streams which drain the Southampton basin are the Anton or Test, the Itchin, and the H amble. One branch of the Test rises near Hurstbourne Tarrant (between New- bury, Berks, and Andover), and another near Whitchurch : their united stream flows by Stockbridge and Romsey to Southampton. The Itchin rises in the hills around Alresford, and flows past Winchester to Southampton. The Hamble rises near Bishop's Waltham, and joins the Southampton river some miles below Southampton. A stream to which the maps assign no name, flows by the village of Titchfield into the sea, near the mouth of the South- ampton Water. The length of these rivers is as follows : — the Anton or Test to Southampton, thirty-five miles ; the Itchin twenty-five miles (of which thir- teen, viz., up to Winchester, are navi- gable) ; the Hamble ten, and the Titch- field river twenty miles ; the length of the Southampton Water has been al- ready given. The Itchin navigation does not coincide with the natural bed of the river. The New Forest occupies nearly all that part of the county which has been represented as projecting at the south- west corner. It is drained by two small streams, the Ex or Beaulieu river, and the Boldre Water, besides some smaller streams. The Ex and the Boldre flow south-east into the sea, the first at Ex- bury, the second at Lymington : the length of the Ex is about thirteen miles,, that of the Boldre Water about fifteen miles. The basin of the Thames is separated from the rest of the county by the North Downs, and drained by the Wey, the source of which is in Hampshire^ and by the Anborne and the Loddon r which have their course along the bor- der. The basin of the Arun is separated from the rest of the county by the Al- ton and Petersfield hills and the South Downs. It is drained by the Rother, which rises in this county and flows past Midhurst into the Arun. The Wiltshire and Dorsetshire basin comprehends a narrow strip of the coun- ty to the west of the New Forest. It is drained by the Avon, which, entering the county just below Downton, Wilts, about six miles from Salisbury, runs south past Fordingbridge, Ringwood, and Christchurch, into the sea. That B 2 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. part of the river which is in the county is about twenty to twenty-two miles long. A small portion of the Dorset- shire Stour, and of the Great Leonards Water, a tributary of the Stour, are in the county or upon its boundary ; the Stour joins the Avon below Christ- church : their estuary forms Christ- church haven. GEOLOGICAL FEATURES. That vast district of chalk which overspreads so large a portion of Wilt- shire, and of which Salisbury Plain forms a part, extends into Hampshire, and occupies a considerable part of it. It is bounded on the north by a line drawn from Inkpen Beacon, near Great Bedwin, Wiltshire (the highest point in all the chalk formation of England), by Kingsclere and Basingstoke to Odiham : on the east by a line drawn from Odi- ham by Alton, and along the Farnham road to the neighbourhood of Bishop's AValtham ; and on the south by a line drawn from the neighbourhood of Bishop's Waltham and north of Bishop- stoke into Wiltshire. The extent of this chalk district, from north to south, is about twenty or twenty-two miles; from east to west its Hampshire extent varies from twenty-two to thirty-two miles, but its whole extent through Hampshire and Wiltshire together is much greater. The breadth of the North Down range is about two or three miles, that of the South Downs about four miles. Portsdown hill is an out- lying mass of chalk. The country to the north of the great chalk district and of the North Downs belongs to the London basin ; the coun- try to the south of the great chalk dis- trict and of the South Downs belongs to the Isle of Wight basin ; and these are almost entirely occupied by the strata above the chalk. The country to the east of the great chalk district, and embraced between the North and South Downs, is occu- pied by the strata which underlie the chalk, and which extend into Surrey and Sussex, and form the district of the Weald of the south-east of England. In the London basin the Bagshot sand, belonging to the upper marine forma- tion, is found at Frimley Heath, on the border of Surrey, and is surrounded by a belt of the London clay ; but these two formations are found only in the north-east of the county, and are of small extent: the rest of this basin in Hampshire is occupied by the plastic clay, except near Kingsclere, where, for a short distance, the chalk marl, and greensand crop out from beneath the chalk. In the Isle of Wight basin that part of the New Forest which extends from the Boldre Water to the South- ampton Water is for the most part occu- pied by a sand probably agreeing in its principal characteristics with the Bagshot sand : this district is peculiarly adapted to the growth of oak. The remaining part of the New Forest, the country around the Southampton Water, and the whole line of the coast eastward from the Avon, and including Portsea and Hayling Islands, are occupied by the London clay ; the country west of the GENERAL DESCRIPTION. Avon, and a belt varying from three to seven miles south of the chalk, are oc- cupied by the plastic clay. The Weald district east of the chalk is occupied by the chalk marl and greensand ; and the small detached part of the county included in Sussex, partly by these formations, and partly by the Weald clay. No minerals are procured from this county to any extent, except near Pe- te rsfield. where grey chalk is quarried and sent to Portsmouth dockyard to be burnt for lime. MEANS OF COMMUNICATION, &c. CANALS. The Andover Canal commences at Andover, and is carried along the valley of a small feeder of the Anton or Test, till the junction of this feeder with the main stream. The canal then crosses the Anton and follows the valley of that river on the eastern side of the stream to Redbridge, three or four miles above Southampton, where it enters the Anton. Its whole length is 22J miles : its total fall is above 176 feet. It has a branch to Salisbury. It is chiefly used for the import of coal and other fuel, and of general goods from the coast, and for the export of agricultural pro- duce. The Basingstoke Canal commences at Basingstoke, and is carried in a very- winding course twenty-two miles east on one level to the Loddon, which it crosses into the county of Surrey, its farther course through which to the navigable part of the river Wey (near its junction with the Thames) is fifteen miles, with a considerable fall. That part of the canal which is in Hamp- shire is the summit level, and is thirty- eight feet wide and five feet and a half deep. About four miles east of Basing- stoke the canal is carried by a tunnel above a mile long through a chalk hill ; from this chalk, which yields a great quantity of water, the chief supply is obtained for lockage at that part of the canal which is in Surrey. Not far from the border of the county this canal is carried by an aqueduct across a valley three-quarters of a mile broad. This canal serves for the conveyance of coal, deals, groceries, bale goods, &c., from London, and for the export of timber, flour, malt, bark, and earthenware. During a fortnight's observation upon the Basingstoke Canal, two or three years ago, there passed 371 tons of the lighter description of general merchan- dise, and 859 tons of coal, timber, grain, stone, gravel, &c. Part of the canal from Arundel by Chichester to Ports- mouth is in this county. It will be seen that there is no conti- nuous line of inland navigation between London and Southampton. The link which should connect the Basingstoke Canal with the Andover Canal, and with the Itchin navigation from Win- chester to Southampton, has not been JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. completed in consequence of the diffi- culties which the intervening part of the country presents. The South-western Railway has conquered these obstacles, but the stage -waggon would per- haps never have been superseded by the canal barge in this part of the country. Should the opening of the railway render the conveyance of goods less costly, the number of stage-wag- gons which will in course of time be discontinued will be much greater than in most other parts of the country where a complete line of artificial navi- gation is in existence. It is calculated that the number of stage-waggons which the Birmingham Railway threw out of employment was 54, while the number on the London and Southamp- ton line of road will be about 82. ROADS AND RAILWAY. Three principal mail-roads cross the •county, viz., the road from London to Portsmouth, that to Southampton and Poole, and the great western road through Salisbury. The South-western Railway from London enters Hampshire at Farnborongh, in the north-eastern corner of the county, and passes Ba- singstoke in a direction nearly due west; but from this town its direction is south-south-west past Winchester to Southampton. A more particular ac- count of the principal roads will be found in the following pages. The number of turnpike trusts in Hampshire, as ascertained in 1835, was 36 ; the number of miles of road under their charge is 810 ; the annual income in 1835, arising from the tolls and parish composition, was 30,321/., and the an- nual expenditure, 29,894/. FAIRS. The following are the principal fairs in Hampshire :— Alresford, last Thurs- day in July, October 17 ; Alton, Satur- day before May 1, September 29 ; An- dover, May 13, November 17 and 18; Basingstoke, Easter Tuesday, Septem- ber 23, October 11; Botley, July 23, August 20, November 13; Christ- church, June 13, October 17; Hamble- don, February 13, October 2; Kings- clere, April 2, October 15; Lymington, May 12, October 2; Magdalen Hill, near Winchester, August 2 ; Newport, Isle of Wight, Whit Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; Overton, May 4, July 18, October 22; Petersfield, March 5, July 10, December 11 ; Portsmouth, July 10, lasts fourteen days; Romsey, Easter Monday, August 26, November 8; Southampton, February 17, May 6, December 1 5 ; Stockbridge, Holy Thurs- day, July 10, October 7 ; Weyhill, Octo- ber 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 (this is one of the greatest fairs in England for cattle, sheep, wool, and hops) ; Whitchurch, April 23, June 17, July 7, October 19 ; Wickham, May 20 ; Winchester, first Monday in Lent, October 24. GENERAL DESCRIPTION, AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. CLIMATE AND SOILS. The climate of Hampshire is gene- rally mild and favourable to vegetation. The southern part of the Isle of Wight is considered to have the mildest cli- mate in Great Britain, and is resorted to on that account by invalids during the winter. But a great part of Hamp- shire consists of poor sands and gravelly soils or chalky hills, having between them low bottoms, with no ready outlet for the water, which has produced marshes and peat- bogs. In such places the nature of the soil has a greater ef- fect on the climate than the difference of several degrees of latitude would have under other circumstances. The northern part of the county, where it borders on Berkshire and Surrey, consists chiefly of the poor, dark sand, mixed with an ochrey loam, which is well known as the Bagshot heath soil. This extends to Basing- stoke. The whole of this part of the county is naturally very unproductive, and till within a few years was almost entirely covered with a brown heath, on which some hardy forest sheep and a few miserable cattle were reared, and contrived to pick up a scanty living. There were however some spots between the hills which contained a few farm buildings and some green fields, form- ing a striking contrast with the sur- rounding waste. Within the last thirty years much of this heath, which lay in common, has been enclosed and divided. Some of it has been brought into culti- vation at a great expense, and a consi- derable portion has been planted with fir-trees, which have thriven wherever the proprietor was at the expense of trenching and draining the land before planting. The great roads which traverse this part of the county, and the numerous places in which horses have been kept for posting, stage-coaches, and waggons, have caused a supply of manure by which the poor soils immediately around them have been much improved. The very poverty of the soil has set inge- nuity to work to produce the most im- proved practices and implements. Most of the drilling-machines which are used within a certain distance in the counties of Surrey and Berks, as well as in Hampshire, are manufactured in the neighbourhood of Basingstoke. South of this district, as far as Win- chester and a few miles beyond it, the chalk prevails. The soil which lies over this chalk varies in depth, and where it is sufficiently deep produces good crops of barley, wheat, and oats. In many places it lies very near the chalk, and is intermixed with flint and pebbles. Although the appearance of it is not very promising, it is tolerably produc- tive in good seasons; the pebbles and flints reflect the sun's beams, while the 8 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. young plant is sheltered by them from the cold easterly winds which in spring sweep over the hills, where few trees break their force. Where the soil is thin and very near the chalk, it is scarcely fitted for the plough, but remains in the state of down ; and the natural grasses which grow there, when kept closely cropped by sheep, are sweet, and make the best sheep-pastures. If these downs are not sufficiently stocked, or if they are re- served for cows, the furze and brambles are apt to overrun them, and the coarse grasses get the upper hand. In the valleys and along the lower slopes of the chalk-hills the soil is of a tough, tenacious nature, being a mix- ture of chalk washed down the hills by the rains and stiff clay. This is a soil very difficult to cultivate. In spring it is extremely heavy, and retains mois- ture a long time ; and w r hen dried it be- comes so hard, that unless it has been worked at the exact moment when it is dry on the surface, and the clods are still friable, there are no means of re- ducing it to a proper tilth. But when it is carefully managed and well ma- nured, it produces very good crops of beans, wheat, and oats. This land can scarcely be cultivated and kept clean without occasional fallows, and the most profitable rotation is wheat, beans, oats, fallow. It is much too heavy for tur- nips. In some spots which are not quite so heavy, the Suffolk rotation of barley, after a long fallow, clover, wheat, beans, and oats, might be introduced with ad- vantage. It is not at all adapted to the Scotch convertible system ; for although grass-seeds might grow well, the land could seldom be depastured with cattle, either in spring or autumn, and after a dry summer it would be almost impos- sible to plough it up in good time to sow it with wheat. On the eastern side of the county, bordering on Surrey and Sussex, is a small tract of land, which is provincially called malmy land, form- ing the vale of Petersfield. It has a grey, tender, sandy soil of some depth, lying on a soft sandstone which is al- most impervious to water. This cir- cumstance counteracts the advantages of a light soil, unless the water be ar- tificially carried off. On the higher grounds the poor sandy soil is only fit for plantations of firs. The land in the New Forest, and on the opposite side of the river or estuary below Southampton, is mostly of a light nature, intermixed here and there with heavier loams and clays. Where it is sound and free from springs it is of a good quality ; and that which is not so may be materially improved by judi- cious under-draining. Some spots in the New Forest were effectually drained many years ago by Mr. Elkington, and have amply repaid the expense incurred, both by the improvement of the land and the greater salubrity of the neigh- bourhood ; for where the land has not been drained, low bogs and marshy places are formed, which are the cause of frequent fevers and agues. Various kinds of marl are found in manv places ; some of these are very useful on poor gravelly soils, which GENERAL DESCRIPTION. they greatly improve when a sufficient j quantity is carried or*. The value of marl depends on the union of carbonate of lime and clay, and is readily disco- vered by its effervescing strongly when any acid is poured upon it. When the quantity of carbonate of lime is small, very good white or red bricks are made of it. The white colour is caused by the calcareous matter, the red by the presence of the oxide of iron. The Isle of Wight consists princi- pally of chalk, over which are found various soils, such as gravel, sand, and very stiff clay. The mildness of the climate is favourable to vegetation,. and there are some neat farms, in which the land is well cultivated. In traversing the whole country it will be observed that the poorer soils predominate. There are a few fertile spots, and some very valuable water- meadows along the principal rivers, es- pecially the Avon, which runs through the western part of the county bordering on Dorsetshire. Where a farm has a portion of water-meadow and a run for sheep on the downs, the occupier gene- rally thrives ; but the greatest agricul- tural skill is displayed in the cultiva- tion of the poorer soils, where manure must be made on the spot, and the cattle and sheep kept on the produce of the arable land. IMPROVEMENTS. Hampshire, although it cannot be compared with some eastern and north- ern counties for agricultural improve- ments, is not far behind them ; and there are seme farms as well managed as any in England. The great fault lies in the want of economy of labour ; too many horses are used ; the thresh- ing-machine is not sufficiently common; the stock is not fed so economically as it might be ; the manure is not so care- fully collected, nor so well prepared, be- fore it is put on the land ; and there is a great waste of the liquid part of it on the best managed farms. The old clumsy plough, once in gene- ral use, is now replaced by a lighter and more durable plough, of which the parts the most exposed to wear are made of cast iron. Two horses now plough land which formerly was thought to require four. The seed is put in by a drilling- machine instead of being scattered by the hand. The corn is put into neat stacks raised on stone pillars, and well thatched, instead of being exposed to the depreciation of rats in a huge barn. The farm buildings, as well as the house of the farmer, are more commodiously arranged, and there is a general spirit of improvement. The correction of the abuses of the old poor-laws, and the commutation of the tithes for a fixed annual payment, will much encourage the improvement of poor lands ; and in half a century the general face of the county will be very different from what it is at present. CATTLE. There are no breeds of cattle, horses, or sheep, peculiar to Hampshire, unless we consider the small New Forest ponies in that, light. The cows are of various 10 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. breeds. The oxen are chiefly Sussex and Devon. The horses used in hus- bandry are mostly bred in other counties. The sheep are — the common small fo- rest breed, or heath-sheep, which, when tolerably fat, give the high flavoured mutton formerly known by the name of Bagshot mutton ; the Dorset and Leicester sheep, in the richer mea- dows ; and the South Down, on the chalky hills. The last are most nu- merous, and preferred for folding on the land. HAMPSHIRE BACON. Hampshire has long been famous for the curing of bacon ; and a Hampshire hog is a very common sign for a public- house ; yet the native breed of pigs in this county is by no means remarkable for its good qualities. The native hogs, which live on the acorns and beech-mast of the New Forest, although the flavour of their flesh may be good, are coarse, raw-boned, flat-sided animals, and are now seldom met with. The improved breeds produced by crosses of the Berk- shire, the Suffolk, Essex, and Chinese pigs, are so much better and more pro- fitable, that the only difference to be noticed in the pigs bred on different farms is that which arises from the pre- dominant character of any one of the above mentioned breeds. The reputation of the Hampshire bacon is owing entirely to the care with which it is cured. The hogs, being fatted on peas and barley-meal, are kept fasting for twenty-four hours at least before they are killed ; they are used as gently as possible in the act of killing, which is done by inserting a long pointed knife into the main artery which comes from the heart. The hair is burnt off with lighted straw, and the cuticle of the skin scraped off. The carcase is hung up after the entrails have been removed, and the next day, when it is quite cold, it is cut up into flitches. The spare- ribs are taken out, and the bloody veins carefully removed : the whole is then covered with salt with a small quantity of saltpetre mixed with it. Sometimes a little brown sugar is added, which gives a pleasant sweetness to the bacon. The flitches are laid on a low wooden table, which has a small raised border all round it. The table slants a little so as to let the brine run off into a vessel placed under it, by a small opening in the border at the lower end. The flitches are turned and re-salted every day ; those which were uppermost are put under, and in three weeks they are ready to be hung up to dry. Smoking the bacon is no longer so common as it used to be, as simply drying it is found sufficient to make it keep. Those who, from early association, like the flavour given by the smoke of wood, burn saw- dust and shavings in a smothered fire for some time under the flitches. When they are quite dry, they are either placed on a bacon-rack for the use of the family, or are packed with wheat -chaff into chests till they are sold. The practice of cutting the hogs into pieces and pickling them in a vat, being attended with less trouble, is very gene- GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 11 rally preferred when there is only a suf- ficient number of hogs killed to serve the farmer's family ; but flitches of bacon, well cured, are more profitable for sale. HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES. Before the Roman invasion, this county was inhabited by three tribes : the Regni (Yvyw, Ptol.), who occupied the coast, as well as the counties of Sussex and Surrey : the Belgse (BeXyoij Ptol.), who inhabited the middle por- tion, and extended into Wiltshire ; and the Atrebates, or Atrebatii ('Arjj^-^;, Ptol.), who occupied, it is likely, the northern part on the confines of Berk- shire. Winchester appears to have been a British town antecedently to its being occupied as a Roman station, and Siichester also, if it may be identified with Calleva Atrebatum. This part of the island was reduced by the Romans, probably under Vespasian, who is dis- tinctly recorded by Suetonius (Vespas., c. iv.) as having subjugated the Isle of Wight, called by the Romans Vectis (Qlr.zri;, Ptolemy). It was compre- hended in Britannia Prima, and was crossed by several Roman roads, and contained several Roman stations. It was Camden's opinion that the Trisan- ton river, mentioned by Ptolemy (T>;- ffavruvo; vroTUfjiov \k$oXx)) w T aS the Anton or Test : perhaps it was the South- ampton Water, with all the streams that flow into it. Others, however, identify the Trisanton with the Arun of Sussex. If Trisanton be a represen- tation of the British Traeth Anton, ■ the estuary or frith of Anton,' it is a desig- nation peculiarly suitable to Southamp- ton Water. The Roman station Clau- sentum, mentioned in the Iter vn. of Antoninus, is generally admitted to have been near Southampton. At Bit- tern farm abundance of Roman remains are found, and modern antiquaries seem to agree in fixing the station at this spot, which is on the east side of the Itch in, by a bend in which it is nearly surrounded. There are remains of the Roman works, a ditch, and part of a rampart on the land side, composed of earth, flints, and large flat bricks, and faced roughly with small square stones. A quantity of Roman coins and of fine red pottery, a glass urn, and sculptured and other stones have been dug up. The area of the station is about half a mile in circumference : Southampton probably arose from its ruins. In the latter part of the name Claus-entum we probably discern the same root which may be traced in Tris-anton, South- hampton, and Hampton- (now short- ened into Hamp-) shire. Another sta- tion mentioned by Antoninus is Venta (a Roman modification of the more an- cient British name Caer Gwent, ■ the white city,'), distinguished from some 12 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. other places of the same name, as ■ Venta Belgarum.' Ptolemy mentions Venta, or as he writes it Ovivrcc, as one of the towns of the Belgoe. It is the modern Winchester, the first part of which name is a corruption of the British Gwent, or the Roman Venta. This was an important station : the walls with which the Romans enclosed it yet form the chief part, though frequently repaired and much altered, of the town walls. Roman tomhs containing hu- man bones, sepulchral urns, and some other antiquities, have been discovered just outside the town walls. An en- trenchment on St. Catherine's Hill, south of the city, is perhaps the Roman castra rostiva, or summer camp. The county appears to have been the scene of contest in the Saxon invasion. Cerdic, who founded the kingdom of Wessex, is said to have defeated and slain in the New Forest a British chief- tain who bore the name of Natanleod. Hampshire was included in the king- dom of Wessex, and Venta, called by the Saxons Wintanceaster, became the seat of Government. Here Cerdic was buried, and here, on the conversion of the West Saxons to Christianity, a bishop's see was established. In the contests of the Saxon princes the Isle of Wight was taken by Wulfherc, king of Mercia, and annexed by him to the kingdom of Sussex : it was, however, soon after reconquered by Ceadwalla, king of Wessex. Upon the predomi- nance of the West Saxon kings over the other Saxon potentates being per- manently established by Egbert, Win- chester became the metropolis of Eng- land. When the Northmen attacked the island, Hampshire was exposed to their ravages. In the reign of Ethelbert, grandson of Egbert, (id. &G0— 866), a body of them landed at Southampton, and advanced to Winchester, which they partially laid waste : they were routed, however, as they returned to their ships, and much of the booty re- covered. At Basing, near Basingstoke, Ethelred I., king of Wessex, and his bro- ther Alfred, were defeated by the Danes, a.d. 870. A year or two after, viz., in 871 or 873, in the reign of Alfred, the invaders made another attack on Winchester, damaged the cathedral and murdered the ecclesiastics belonging to it. From the time of Alfred's restora- tion the county experienced scarcely any hostility till the time of Ethelred II., in whose reign, about the close of the tenth century, the Danes ravaged the Isle of Wight. In the civil dissensions of the reign of Edward the Confessor, the same island was infested by God- win, earl of Kent, and his son Harold, then in rebellion : and in the subse- quent reign of Harold II. it was laid under contribution by Tostig, the king's rebellious brother. Winchester con- tinued to be the principal seat of roy- alty in the reign of William the Con- queror. The New Forest became the scene of several disasters which befel the fa- mily of William the Conqueror, and which were regarded as judgments on him for the arbitrary and cruel GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 13 manner in which he had afforested this district : his conduct, however, has been much exaggerated. His son Richard lost his life here by what Camden describes as a " pestilential blast ;" his grandson Henry, son of Robert, was entangled among the branches, and killed while hunting; and his successor, William Rufus, was shot by a random arrow by Walter Tyr- rel, a.d. 1100. (See chap, ix.) Upon Rufus's death, Henry, his brother, hastened to Winchester, where he pos- sessed himself of the royal treasure, and afterwards succeeded to the crown. Robert, his elder bother, to whom the succession rightfully belonged, landed at Portsmouth with an army the next year (a.d. 1101) to enforce his claim; but finding his rival too strong, came to an accommodation with him and retired. In the civil war between the sup- porters of King Stephen (then a pri- soner) and the Empress Maud, Win- chester was the scene of contlict. The cathedral and Wolvesey Castle, the residence of Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester and brother of Stephen, were in the hands of the king's party, and Winchester Castle and other parts of the city in the hands of the empress. The empress's friends were gradually dispossessed of all they held, except the castle ; and, when this was hard press- ed, it is said that the empress escaped by being carried through the opposing army, wrapped in a sheet of lead, like a corpse for interment. Her natural brother and chief supporter, the earl of Gloucester, was taken soon after at Stockbridge, and exchanged for the captive king. In the civil war which marked the close of the reign of John, Odiham Castle was gallantly but vainly defended for that prince against the revolted barons and the Dauphin, Louis of France. At the commencement of the French war of Edward III., a.d. 1338, the town of Southampton was attacked by the French with their allies the Genoese and Spaniards. Their fleet was of fifty galleys. They took the town, burned the greater part of it, and slaughtered many of the inhabitants. About the close of the reign of Edward III., or the commencement of that of Richard II., another attack was made on this town, but failed. About the same period the Isle of Wight was attacked by the French, and Newtown and Yarmouth burned, and Carisbrook Castle vainly besieged. In a.d. 1415, when Henry V. was about to embark at Southampton for France, a conspiracy against his life was detected ; for which the Earl of Cambridge and others were executed in that town. In the reign of the same monarch the Isle of Wight was once attacked and a second time threatened by the French. About the close of the reign of Henry VIII. another attack was made by the same people, but re- pulsed. It was at Winchester that Mary I. was married to Philip of Spain, a.d. 1554. In the beginning of the reign of Charles I. the duke of Buckingham was stabbed at Portsmouth, and in the 14 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. civil war of that reign this county was the scene of partial hostilities. The strong posts of the Isle of Wight were early in the contest secured for the parliament, and the island was thus preserved from subsequent disturbance. In December, 1643, the Royalists were defeated at Alton by Sir William Wal- ler. But the most remarkable event in the contest that occurred in this county was the defence of Basing House, near Basingstoke, by its possessor, John Pau- let, marquis of Winchester, the chief incidents of which are related in a sub- sequent page. In a.d. 1647, Charles I., after his escape from Hampton Court, remained concealed at Titchfield House till he gave himself up to Colonel Ham- mond, governor of the Isle of Wight. He was imprisoned for some time at Carisbrook, and afterwards at Hurst Castle. The country contains several relics of the ancient state of the county: these are noticed elsewhere. The chief mo- nastic remains are at Netley, Beaulieu, Winchester, and Romsey. POLITICAL TOPOGRAPHY. POPULATION AND OCCUPATIONS. Hampshire is an agricultural county, few of its inhabitants being engaged in manufactures : it ranks the 22nd in the list of agricultural counties. Of 74,71 1 males twenty years of age and upwards living in the county in 1831 there were 28,683 employed in agricultural pur- suits, and only 292 in manufactures or in manufacturing machinery ; 1 0,348 were employed as labourers not agri- cultural. The population of the county at each of the four enumerations made in the present century was — Years. Males. Females. Total. Inc. per ct. 1801 105,667 113,989 219,656 1811 118,855 126,225 245,080 11-57 1821 188,373 144,925 283,298 15-59 1831 152,082 162,198 314,280 10-94 showing an increase between the first and last periods of 94,624, or rather more than 43 per cent., which is 14 per cent, below the whole rate of increase throughout England. The population is 193 per square mile, while the aver- age for the whole of England is 259. The density of the population in the counties of Berks, Bucks, Norfolk and Suffolk is nearly the same as in Hamp- shire, these counties varying only from 193 to 198 per square mile. The following table contains a sum- mary of the occupations and population on the mainland separately, and also in the Isle of Wight and the mainland together : — GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 15 Houses. Inhabited . Families ..... Building . • • . . Uninhabited .... Occupations. Families chiefly employed in agriculture „ „ trade, manufactures, and handicraft • All other families not comprised in the two preceding classes • • * Persons. Males ...... Females • Total of Persons .... Males twenty years of age Agriculture. Occupiers employing labourers • „ not employing labourers • Labourers employed in Agriculture • Other Occupations. Employed in manufacture, or in making manufacturing machinery Employed in retail trade, or in handicraft as masters or workmen Capitalists, bankers, professional and other educated men Labourers employed in labour, not agri- cultural ..... Other males twenty years of age (except servants) ..... Male servants, twenty years of age „ under twenty years of age Female servants .... The number of persons qualified to vote for the county members of Hamp- shire in 1838 was 8983, being about 1 in 35 of the whole population, and above 1 in 8 of the male population twenty years and upwards, as taken in 1831. LEGAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISIONS. The most ancient division of the Mainland. 50,715 57,968 478 1,763 20,532 18,763 18,673 134,877 143,972 278,849 66,652 2,490 1,049 22,305 233 20,614 3,415 8,925 5,526 2,095 876 11,170 county is into hundreds, of which there were fifty at the time of the Domesday survey. There are now thirty-nine hundreds, besides the city of Winches- ter with the liberty of Soke, the borough of Portsmouth with the district of Port- sea and Portsea Guildable, the town and county of Southampton, and eleven liberties, including the liberties of East r e of Wight. 5,811 6,684 44 254 Whole County 56.526 64,652 522 2,017 2,229 22,761 2,220 20,983 2,235 20,908 17,205 18,226 35,431 8,059 152,082 162,198 314.280 74,711 284 185 2,370 2,774 1,234 24,675 59 292 2,550 23,164 369 3,784 1,423 10,348 591 228 96 1,544 6,117 2,323 972 12,724 16 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. and West Medina in the Isle of Wight. From the great number of the hundreds and liberties they have been arranged in 'divisions' for administrative pur- poses. At the time of the census in 1831 there were ten of these divisions including the Isle of Wight ; but by a subsequent arrangement made under the direction of the magistrates of the county, the divisions of the county have been increased to thirteen, not including the Isle of Wight. They are as follow : — Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Drox- ford, Fareham, Kingsclere, Lymington, Odiham, Petersfield, Ringv/ood, Rom- sey, Southampton, and Winchester. — There are two liberties or divisions in the Isle of Wight, East and West Me- dina. Hampshire, not including the Isle of Wight, contains one city, Winchester ; six ]urliamentry boroughs, Andover, Christchurch, Lymington, Petersfield, Portsmouth, and Southampton ; and thirteen other market-towns, Alresford, Alton, Basingstoke, Bishop's Waltham, Fareham, Fordingbridge, Gosport, Ha- vant, Kingsclere, Odiham, Romsey, Stoclvbridge, and Whitchurch. The principal towns in the Isle of Wight are Newport and Ryde. The county is in the Western circuit: the assizes and quarter-sessions are held at Winchester. For the election of members of parliament, the county was by the Reform Act divided into two parts. The Northern division compre- hends Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Droxford, Kingsclere, Odiham, Peters- field, and Winchester divisions ; the chief place of election is Winchester, and the polling stations are Winchester, Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Kings- clere, Odiham, Petersfield, and Bishop's Waltham. The Southern division com- prehends Fareham, Lymington, Ring- wood, Romsey, and Southampton divi- sions; the chief place of election is Southampton, and the polling stations are Southampton, Fareham, Lyming- ton, Portsmouth, Ringwood, and Rom- sey. The Isle of Wight was by the same act severed from the county for parliamentary purposes, and allowed to return one member : the chief place of election is Newport, and the polling stations are Newport and West Cowes. Formerly, two members each were re- turned from the city of Winchester, the boroughs of Christchurch, Lymington, Portsmouth, Southampton, Andover, Petersfield, Stockbridge, and Whit- • church, and for the boroughs of New- port, Newtown, and Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight. By the Reform Act, Stockbridge, Whitchurch, Newtown, and Yarmouth were disfranchised, and Christchurch and Petersfield reduced to one member each. The act, by regu- lating the franchise, opened the city of Winchester, and the boroughs of Ports- mouth, Christchurch, Lymington, Pe- tersfield, Andover, and Newport, which were all previously close. Hampshire is included in the diocese of Winchester and the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury, and constitutes (inclusive of the Isle of Wight) the archdeaconry of Winchester. This archdeaconry is subdivided into ten GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 17 deaneries, viz., Alresford, Alton, An- dover, Basingstoke, Dorkinsford, or Droxford, Fordingbridge, Somhourn, Southampton, Winchester, and the Isle of Wight. The number of churches and chapels is given in Warner's * Col- lections' at 277. In Lewis's * Topo- graphical Dictionary ' the number of benefices is given at 305, xlz -> 154 rectories, 72 vicarages, and the rest perpetual curacies. From the Report of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners it appears that the number of rectories is 144, vicarages 75, perpetual curacies 33, curacies 62; besides 12 sinecure rectories and donative curacies. For the administration of relief to the poor the county is divided into 23 unions. CIVIC E LOCAL TAXATION AND EXPENDITURE. The amount of property estimated and assessed in Hampshire under the different schedules of the property-tax in 1814-15 was as follows: — Assessed to the owner, 1,236,563/., namely, pro- perty from lands, 707,127/.; houses, 367,596/.; tithes, 139,873/.; manors, 1221/.; fines, 9692/.; mines, 169/.; iron works, &c, 9715/. Assessed to the occupier, 706,550/.; profits of trade, &c, 918,872/.; public offices and em- ployments, 10,716/. The sums expended for the relief of the poor at the four dates of — For each inhabitant. £ .v. d. 1801 were 124,019, being 11 3 1811 „ 225,601 „ 18 4 1821 „ 193,294 „ 13 7 1831 ., 215.229 „ 13 8 1837 '„ 123,840 „ 7 11 Assuming that the population had increased at the same rate of progres- sion as in the ten preceding years, the above sum of 123,840/. gives an average of 7s. 6d. for each inhabitant. These averages are ail above those for the whole of England and Wales. CONOMY. The sum raised in Hampshire for poor-rate, county-rate, and other local purposes, in the year ending the 25th of March, 1833, was 248,176/., and was levied upon the various descriptions of property as follows : — On land, 1 8 0,534/. ; dwelling-houses, 58,680/. ; mill, fac- tories, &c, 4112/.; manorial profits, navigation, &c, 4849/. The amount expended was — For the relief of the poor, 211,075/. ; in suits of law, removal of paupers, &c, 5467/.; for other pur- poses, 35,980/.; total, 252,523/. In the returns made up for subse- quent years, the descriptions of pro- perty assessed are not specified. In the years 1834, 1835, 1836, and 1837, there were raised 243,525/., 211,826/., 177,547/., and 151,240/. respectively; and the expenditure of two of these years was as follows : — 1834. 1837. £. S. £. For the relief of the poor . . 203,466 4 123,840 la suits of law, removals, &c. 6,545 11 2,105 Payment towards the countv- ) M " rate . . . * \ 33,934 1? J lo ' oJ7 For all other purposes' . j \ 13,297 Total money expended . £243,946 12 154,839 The saving effected on the whole sum c 18 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. expended in 1837, as compared with that expended in 1834, was therefore about 36 i per cent. ; and the saving effected on the sum expended for the relief of the poor was rather more than 39 per cent, in 1837, as compared with the expenditure in 1834. The county expenditure in 1834, ex- clusive of that for the relief of the poor, was 19,618/., disbursed as follows: — Bridges, building, and repairs, &c, 1247/.; gaols, houses of correction, &c, and maintaining prisoners, &c, 3909/.; shire-halls and courts of justice, build- ing, repairing, &c, 898/. ; prosecutions, 2999/.; clerk of the peace, 732/.; con- veyance of prisoners before trial, 791/. ; conveyance of transports, 91/. ; con- stables, high and special, 71/.; coroner, 298/. ; debt, payment of, principal and interest, 6165/.; miscellaneous, 2412/. CRIME. The number of persons charged with criminal offences in the three septen- nial periods ending with 1820, 1827, and 1834, were 2085, 2190, and 3187 respectively; making an average of 298 annually in the first period, of 313 in the second period, and of 455 in the third period. In the five years ending with 1839 the annual aver- age had increased to 576. The class of crimes most prevalent are offences against property committed without violence. Out of twenty-two agricul- tural counties, only two are exceeded by Hampshire in the average proportion of criminals to the population ; and one of these counties adjoins the metropolitan county. In 1839, at the assizes and sessions, 642 persons were charged with crime in Hampshire. Of the whole number of offenders, 517 were males, and 125 were females; 214 could nei- ther read nor write ; 364 could read and write imperfectly ; 56 could read and write well ; 1 had superior instruc- tion, and the degree of instruction of 6 could not be ascertained. savings' banks. There are eleven savings' banks in this county. The number of depositors and amount of deposits on the 20th of November in each of the following years were — 1832. 1834. 1836. 1838. Number of de- positors . . 7,700 9,237 10,408 13,516 Amount of de- £ £ £ £ posits . . 279,299 322,493 356,456 415,883 In 1835, the number of depositors of sums under 20/. in each 1000 of the population of the county was 15, and of depositors of the several classes, 35 in 1000 ; the proportion for England being respectively 18 and 35 to each 1000 of the population. EDUCATION. From the Parliamentary Returns on Education, made in the session of 1835 (which however are not always to be depended upon), it appears that the number of daily schools in the county- was 1197, and of Sunday schools 440, and that 38,733 children were attend- ing the former, and 32,412 the latter. We find by approximation that there were 108,217 children between the ages GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 19 of two and fifteen in the county of Hampshire in 1834, the time the edu- cational inquiry was made ; and allow- ing for a number of children having been entered twice as under instruction in Sunday and day-schools, we may per- haps fairly conclude that not two-thirds of the children between the ages of two and fifteen were receiving instruction in the county. One hundred boarding schools are included in the number of daily schools : lending libraries are at- tached to ninety-two daily and Sunday schools. c 2 20 CHAPTER II. MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LONDON AND HAMPSHIRE. SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. The railway communication between London and the county of Hants is by the London and South-western Rail- way, formerly called the London and Southampton Railway. This railway begins on the right bank of the Thames, at a place called Nine Elms, in the pa- rish of Battersea, a short distance above Vauxhall-bridge, and terminates at the beach of the Southampton Water. It passes through or near to Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Morton, Kingston, Thames Ditton, Esher, Walton-upon-Thames, Wey bridge, Chertsey, and Woking, all in the county of Surrey. At Farn- borough, 31^ miles from the London terminus, the railway enters Hamp- shire, and passes through or near the following places : Odiham, Basing, Ba- singstoke, Worting, Popham, Mitchel- dever, Winchester, Twyford, and Bishop's Stoke to Southampton. The course of the line from London to Ba- singstoke is west-south-west, and for the remaining distance south-south-west: the entire length of the line is 76|, of which 4S| miles are in Hampshire. The following are the stations for taking up and depositing passengers, and the distance of each from London and from each other : — Surrey. Dist. from Dist. from London, each Station. ineElms to Wandsworth 3 3 jj Wimbledon . 6 3 jj Kingston . . 10 4 yy Esher & Ham [ ton Court 13 3 V Walton . 151 91 "7. yy it Weybridge . Woking . • Hampshire. 17* 23 2 *4 yy Farnborough Wiiichfield . 31* 38 61 Basingstoke Andover-road 46* 56 8 10 i) Winchester . 64 8 yy Southampton 76| 12 : Having one of its termini at the water's edge in Southampton Harbour, and the other on the hanks of the Thames, the South-western Railway affords every facility for traffic which nature and art combined can give. An idea, however, generally prevails that the London terminus is situated at an inconvenient distance from the popu- lous parts of the metropolis ; but it is actually nearer the two great central points of the Royal Exchange and Charing Cross than either of the other two great lines of railway, which termi- MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 21 Distance from each Railway Terminus. nate at Paddington and at Euston- square, as the following table will show : — To To the Charing Royal Ex- Cross change. Miles. Cbaitis. Miles. Chains. London and Birming- ham. Euston-square 1 65 3 18 Great Western, at Paddington . . 2 60 4 26 South-western, at Vauxhall . . . 1 77 3 9 Omnibuses start before the departure of each train from the Spread Eagle in Gracechurch-street ; Swan with Two Necks, Lad-lane ; Cross Keys, Wood- street, Cheapside; White Horse, Fetter- lane ; George and Blue Boar, Holborn ; Golden Cross, Charing Cross ; and the Universal Office, in Regent-street. The traveller availing himself of these con- veyances, the fare by which is 8d. 9 will be certain of arriving in time for the trains. The steam- boats plying above London Bridge, and which start every quarter of an hour, also convey passen- gers to and from the Railroad Station, for the charge of 4c?., calling at the Southwark, Blackfriars, Waterloo, and Westminster Bridges ; and some of them call at intermediate places, but occa- sionally, when the tide is unfavourable, these boats do not arrive in time for the trains, unless passengers embark a quarter of an hour earlier than may be necessary when the tide is favour- able. The number of trains starting from each end of the line on week-days is thirteen, and on Sundays seven. The time occupied by the fast trains in the journey from the Vauxhall Station to Southampton, including stoppages, is three hours. By the goods' train, which is six hours, the fare to Southampton is only 7s. ; and by other classes of carriages 12s., 18s., and 20s. By the trains which stop at every station on the line the fare to Southampton is 12s. in the second class of carriages, and the journey is performed in three hours and forty-eight minutes. The line has been completed at a cost of about 2,000,000/. It was opened to Woking Common, twenty-three miles from London, May 21st, 1838; on the 24th of September, in the same year, a further opening was made to Shapley Heath, thirty-eight miles from the Lon- don terminus; on the 10th of June, 1839, the line was made available as far as Basingstoke, forty-six miles from London ; and at the same time an open- ing was effected between Southampton and Winchester, leaving only eighteen miles uncompleted. On May 11th, 1840, the railway was opened through- out its whole extent. The following is a statement of the monthly traffic on the railway from the 1st of January, 1840, to the 30th of June following : — Passengers. Amount. £ Jan. . . 33,707 8,275 Feb. . . 32*405} 7,870 March . 40,392 9,189 April . . 51,344 11,224 May . . 58,701 17,981 June . . 84,256} 25,915 Total . 300,806 80,457 The passenger traffic for the first 22 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. three months after the entire opening of the railway, namely, from the 11th of May to the 10th of August, produced 75,141/.; and during the months of July and August the receipts amounted to upwards of 1000/. per day, Sundays included. The traffic in goods has been comparatively inconsiderable, and it is found by experience that goods are conveyed by the previously existing modes of transport long after a more eligib^medium has been in existence. Proposals have been made for con- structing branch railways from Guild- ford to the South-western line at Wok- ing; and from Salisbury to Hook Pit, near Winchester. A branch from Gos- port will join the South-western Rail- way at Bishop's Stoke, near Southamp- ton ; and the contractor is under en- gagements to complete the works from Bishop's Stoke to Fareham by the 1st of May, 1841: from Fareham to Gos- port the works are very light. In ad- dition to these feeders of the main line we may reckon that the railway from Rouen to Paris will induce many per- sons who visit Paris to prefer the voy- age from Southampton to Havre, owing to the railway facilities which this route affords in each country. We shall now accompany the reader to each of the stations on the line within the county of Hants, commencing at the Farnborough station, which the tra- veller starting from London may reach in less than one hour and a quarter by one of the fast trains. Before leaving each station the principal market-towns and places of interest nearest to it will be described and its situation pointed out, so that this little work may form a Railway-Excursion Guide for the Coun- ty. At the same time, while making the railway the chief basis of a tour in Hampshire, the great lines of road will be fully noticed, still keeping in view their bearing in reference to the Rail- way. TURNPIKE ROADS. There are four great thoroughfares from London through Hampshire ; the principal one is — 1. The great western road to Exeter, Falmouth and Penzance. This road enters the county three miles north-west of the Farnborough station, between Bagshot (just beyond which it branches off from the Southampton- road) and Basingstoke ; it passes through Basingstoke, Whitchurch, and Andover to Salisbury, in Wiltshire. Two miles west of Basingstoke this road forms an angle with the railway, the former bear- ing west by south, and the latter leaving the road in a direction south-south-west. The Farnborough, Winchfield, and Ba- singstoke stations are none of them situ- ated far from this road ; and even west of Basingstoke, the Andover-road sta- tion is not much more than six miles from Whitchurch, and eleven from Andover. 2. The high road from London to Southampton enters Hampshire near the Farnborough station ; and, after leaving the county to pass through Farnham, situated in a projecting corner of Sussex, it re-enters Hampshire and passes through Alton, Alresford, and MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 23 Winchester. Farnham is about six miles south of the Farnborough station ; Alton about seven miles south of the station at Winchfield ; and south-west of Alton, the station nearest this road, is the one at Winchester. 3. The London and Portsmouth road passes along the eastern side of the coun- ty through Petersfield and the villages of Horndean and Cosham, and is, for the whole of its course, at a considerable distance from any railway station; Pe- tersfield is nearly twenty miles from the Winchester station. When the con- templated railway from Gosport to the South-western railway is formed, some part of the traffic on the roads on the eastern side of Hampshire will be at- tracted to the railway. 4. The London and Gosport road branches off from the London and Ports- mouth road about a mile and a half south-west of Farnham, and passing through Alton, inclines a little to the west, through Fareham. This road approaches .much nearer the railroad than the London and Portsmouth road, and a line carried from the road to the Winchester station, in a direction due east, would be about thirteen miles. At Alton, and north-east of that town, the road is identical with the London and Southampton road ; and its bearings in reference to the railway are the same as are described above in the notice of that road. (2.) 24 CHAPTER III. THE FARNBOROUGH STATION. The Farnborough Station, 31 h miles from London, is situated just within the north-eastern corner of Hampshire, about 210 feet above the level of the Vauxhall terminus. It is the key to four important roads, leading to the fol- lowing places: — 1. To Portsmouth, by Farnham and Petersfield. — 2. To Gos- port, by Alton. — 3. To Southampton, by Bishop's Waltham. — 4. To Winchester, by Alresford. — Few persons, on an ex- cursion of pleasure, would think of proceeding either to Winchester or Southampton by any other mode than the railway ; but for many other pur- poses the high road may be preferred, and we therefore give a brief notice of each of the above routes, indicating at the same time the distance of the most important places from the nearest railway station. 1. To Portsmouth. Most of the Portsmouth coaches which are put upon the railway at the London terminus leave the line at the Woking Station, in Surrey, 8^ miles before reaching the station at Farnborough : they proceed through Guildford and enter the present road at Farnham. Some of them pass through God ai- ming; and the only part of the road under notice which they travel is that lying south of Petersfield. Before the opening of the railway the number of coaches travelling between London and Portsmouth (including two mails) was nineteen, conveying on an average about 1300 passengers weekly; and until the branch railway from Gosport to Bishop's Stoke be opened a large portion of this traffic will be confined to the turnpike- road. About ten miles from Farnham, three miles west of the present road, and mid- way between it and the London and Gos- port road, is the village of Selborxe, the birth-place of the Rev. Gilbert White. Here he spent a long and serene life, affording a most pleasing example of the pleasures and advantages arising from the observation of nature in any spot, however limited. The enthusiasm with which he carried on his investiga- tions had an ample field for its exercise in this district, and within its limits he gathered facts and information which escaped the attention of naturalists em- ployed in a more extensive sphere, and thus rendered himself a welcome corre- spondent of eminent scientific men. The pedestrian at least will be tempted to pay a visit to Selborne ; and a pleasanter excursion from London can scarcely be FARNBOROUGH STATION TO PORTSMOUTH. 25 made than to this place, proceeding by the railway to the Farnborough Station, thence to Farnham and Alton, and from the latter place across the country by the parish roads. The district of which Selborne is the centre is thus described by White : — " The soils of this district are almost as various and diversified as the views and aspects. The high part to the south-west consists of a vast hill of chalk rising three hundred feet above the village, and is divided into a sheep- down, the high wood, and a long hang- ing wood called the Hanger. The covert of this eminence is principally beech, the most lovely of all forest trees, whe- ther we consider its smooth rind or bark, its glossy foliage, or graceful pendulous boughs. The down, or sheep-walk, is a pleasing park -like spot, of about one mile by half that space, jutting out on the verge of the hill country, where it begins to break down into the plains, and commanding a very engaging view, being an assemblage of hill, dale, wood- lands, heath and water. The prospect is bounded to the south-east and east by the vast range of mountains called the Sussex Downs, by Guild-down, near Guildford, and by the downs round Dorking and Reigate, in Surrey, to the south-east ; which altogether, with the country beyond Alton and Farnham, form a noble and extensive outline." The " hangers" are almost peculiar to Hampshire ; they are woods growing down the sides of very steep hills. There are roads down some of the "hangers'* which are so steep that it is not possible to proceed down them on horseback. Hawkley " hanger " is equally famous with the one at Sel- borne, from which it is about 5 miles distant in a direction south by east, and it is a little nearer the London and Portsmouth road than Selborne. From the summit of Hawkley " hanger " the spectator looks down upon the vil- lages of Hawkley, Greatham, Selborne, and some others. The scene which meets his eyes may be thus described : — " From the south-east, round, south- ward, to the north-w r est, the main valley has cross valleys running out of it, the hills on the sides of which are very steep, and, in many parts, covered with wood. The hills that form these cross valleys run out into the main valley like piers into the sea. Two of these promonto- ries, of great height, are on the west side of the main valley. The ends of these promontories are nearly perpen- dicular, and the tops so high in the air that you cannot look at the village below without something like a feeling of apprehension. From the south-west, round, eastward, to the north, lie the heaths of which Wolmer Forest makes a part, and these go gradually rising up to Hindhead, the crown of which is to the north-west, leaving the rest of the circle (the part from north to north- west) to be occupied by a continuation of the valley towards Headley, Binstead, Frensham, and the Holt Forest." Some of the roads in the vicinity of Selborne are very bad in wet weather, the mud being " the colour of rye-meal mixed up with water, and just about as clammy.*' Gilbert White has given an account of 2G JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. two of these roads, the one leading to Alton and the other to Wolmer Forest : — "These roads, running through the malm lands, are, by the traffic of ages and the fretting of water, worn down through the first stratum of oar freestone, and partly through the second ; so that they look more like watercourses than roads, and are bedded with naked rags for furlongs together. In many places they are reduced sixteen or eighteen feet beneath the level of the fields." Alice Holt and Wolmer Forest, between the London and Portsmouth and London and Southampton roads, are divided into two parts by inter- vening private property, namely, Alice Holt, near the Southampton road, a little beyond Farnham, and Wolmer, nearer the Portsmouth road, between Liphook and Petersfield. The forest of Wolmer is about seven miles long by two and a half in breadth, running nearly from north to south. The soil is sand covered with heath and fern. The surface is somewhat diversified with hills and dales, and comparatively recent plantations of fir. In the beginning of the last century a stately herd of 500 red deer were kept in the forest, the whole of which were made to pass before Queen Anne as she was journeying to Portsmouth. Some time before the middle of the century, not more than fifty head remained, which were taken alive to Windsor Park. The poachers called the Waltham Blacks had caused this reduction in their numbers. There are three considerable lakes in the forest, Hogmer, Cranmer, and Wolmer, but fish do not thrive very well in them. An extraordinary number of coins was found in Wolmer Pond in 1741, when its bed had become dry in consequence of two summers in succession with scarcely any rain. They consisted of many hundreds of Roman copper coins, all of the Lower Empire. The Forest contains altogether nearly 15,500 acres, more than half of which belongs to the Crown. The growing timber in Alice Holt is of considerable value : the soil is a strong loam. There were fallow deer in the Holt in the year 1767, but the poachers were constantly harassing them and thinning their numbers, and now none remain. Like the other forests of the county it had during the last century been much neglected. In the marshy bottoms of Wolmer Forest many trees have been found and dug up with the peat. Petersfield is a small, neat country town, having but little trade, any con- sequence which it possesses arising from its lying on the high road from London to Portsmouth. It is 52 miles south- west from London; 18 miles east by south by the road from Winchester; and 18J from Portsmouth. There are roads to Haslemere and Midhurst in Sussex, the former being 12 miles from Petersfield and the latter 9 miles. The town is partly lighted with gas, tolerably paved, and amply supplied with water. Fairs for sheep and horses are held March 5, July 10, and December 11. The market-day is Saturday. The assessed taxes levied in 1830 amounted to 54 0/. The population of the town PORTSMOUTH TO PETERSFIELD. 27 and parish in 1831 was 1803. The living, attached to the chapelry of Petersfield, is a curacy, which, with the rectory of Buriton, are in the diocese of Winchester and patronage of the bishop of that see, and yield an average net income of 1194/. Near the chapel is an equestrian statue of William III. There is a school called Churcher's College, from the name of the founder, who, in 1722, bequeathed the sum of 3000/. Bank stock and 500/. in cash for its establishment and support. Several acts of parliament have been obtained for regulating the expenditure of the funds of the charity, which have in- creased considerably. According to the Corporation Reports, no royal charter of incorporation is known to have been conferred upon the town ; but in Warner's * History of Hampshire,' and in other works, it is stated to have been incorporated by a charter of Queen Elizabeth, which is also confirmed by the Report of the Commissioners on the boundary of the borough. The town is governed by a mayor, chosen annually at the court- leet of the lord of the manor, but the functions of the mayor are merely nominal. The borough of Petersfield returned members to parliament as early as Edward I., and two members continuously from the reign of Edward VI. till the passing of the Reform Act, since which it has been represented by one member. The present parliamen- tary boundary includes the old borough of Petersfield and a considerable portion of the adjacent neighbourhood. About 10 miles from Petersfield the road passes through the Forest of Bere. This forest extends southward to Portsdown-hill, and its bounds, according to a perambulation made in 1688, and still observed, comprehend about 16,000 acres, of which one-third is enclosed. It is divided into two larger divisions, the East and West Walks, with some smaller portions dependent on these, and is under the control of a warden and other officers. The quantity of timber grown in this forest is trifling compared with what it once yielded. Some deer are kept. Southwick Park is on the right, midway between this and the London and Gosport road. The mansion is erected upon the site of an old manor- house built here in the time of James I., and in which two monarchs were en- tertained, Charles I. and George I. The former was here at the time of Buckingham's assassination ; the king having accompanied his favourite thus far from London on the road to Ports- mouth, from whence the latter was to lead an expedition against the French. Charles was at prayers in the chapel when Sir John Hippesley came in, and whispered the melancholy tidings he had brought into his ear ; and Lord Clarendon states that the king re- mained in the discharge of his duties till the service was over, when he retired and burst into the bitterest lamentations. Sir Daniel Norton was then the pos- sessor of Southwick ; his family had been settled here for a very remote period. His successor, Col. Norton, dis- 28 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. tinguished himself in behalf of the Par- liament during the civil war. The grandson of this gentleman, who was a highly accomplished person, an excel- lent actor (he had a theatre fitted up here) and the writer, it was supposed, of a tragedy which Sir Samuel Garth praised, was the last heir male of the family. By his will he bequeathed the whole of his property, amounting to 6000/. a year and 60,000/. in personals, to the Parliament, in trust for the use of " the poor, hungry, thirsty, naked stran- gers, sick, wounded and prisoners, to the end of the world." The will was, how- ever, set aside on the ground of insanity, and the estates passed to his relatives. The mansion is a truly elegant one : its principal front, which faces the south, is built of stone, and has a colonnade extending the whole length, and reach- ing to about half the height of the house. The central portion projects with a circular sweep. A finer situa- tion than Southwick enjoys it would be difficult to find. The park is well stocked with game. Through the grounds, which are beautifully laid out, flows a clear stream cf water. Within the boundaries of the park stood the ancient priory of Black Canons, where Henry VI. and Margaret of Anjou were married. On the west of the road, at a distance of lj mile is Butser Hill, 917 feet above the level of the sea. It is the highest eminence in the county, and terminates the chain of the South Down Hills to the westward. From the top of this hill, the ridge of which is not above 130 or 150 yards wide in one part, the spec- tator looks down into a deep valley on each side ; and the prospect in every part of the horizon is also very extensive ; including the hills of North Hampshire, and great part of Surrey and Sussex, with the South Downs to the eastward ; and southward, looking over Portsdown- hill, there are views of Portsmouth, Spithead, and the Isle of Wight. Five miles before reaching Portsmouth the road passes the eastern end of Ports- down-hill, the shape of which has been described as resembling, " an oblong tin cover to a dish." Its extent is about 7 miles from east to west, Bedhampton being at the foot of the eastern extremity, and Fareham at the western : it is 447 feet above the level of the sea. Excel- lent crops of corn are grown on the hill- side, and the harvest is said to com- mence here earlier than in any part of the south of England. After skirting the eastern extremity of Portsdown-hillthe road passes through the village of Cosham, where it crosses the road from Southampton to Chi- chester. Between Cosham and Ports- mouth, a distance of 4J miles, there is no place particularly noticeable. 2. To Gosport. This is a branch of the London and Portsmouth road, which it leaves about 1J mile south-west of Farnham. It passes through Alton, West Meon, Warnford, Exton, Carhampton, Drox- ford, and through Fareham. Arthur Young called the vale be- iween Farnham and Alton the finest GOSPORT TO ALTON. 29 ten miles in England ; and its beau- ties have been thus described by Mr. Cobbett : * — " Here is a river with fine meadows on each side of it, and with rising grounds on each outside of the meadows, those grounds having some hop-gardens and some pretty woods." Cobbett, though he was born in this vale, gives the preference to the ten miles between Maidstone and Tun- bridge, called the Garden of England by the people of Kent : but even this latter beautiful district had fewer charms in his eyes than the north of Hamp- shire. About three miles before we reach Alton, and within a mile of the present road, is Froyle Place, the seat of the Rev. Sir Thomas Miller, Bart. It is situ- ated in a finely wooded park of consi- derable extent, and in the immediate neighbourhood of some celebrated hop grounds. The mansion is about three miles distant from Alton. The ground- plan of the edifice was originally that of a half H, but this has been subse- quently enlarged and changed by addi- tional offices. This form, which does not present so ready a communication between the various apartments as might be desirable, admits however a greater circulation of air, and makes a more imposing appearance : it was much used about the period of the reigns of James I. and Charles I., and to that date Froyle Place, with its gable roofs and square mullioned windows may be attributed. The mansion has under- * ' Sural Rides.' gone a complete repair within the pre- sent century. Alton is 16 miles from the Farn- borough station ; 1 8 east north-east of Winchester; 10 miles from Farnham, and 47 south-west of London. The high road to Winchester, as well as to Gos- port, passes through the town, which is situated near the source of the river Wye. Alton is well built, with three prin- cipal streets, partially paved by sub- scription and lighted. Some bomba- zeensand serges were made here, but this manufacture sems to have decayed, nor is the town at present noted for any particular branch of industry. There u,re hop plantations in the neighbour- hood ; and two breweries in the town. The living is a vicarage in the gift of the Bishop of Winchester. The church is neat, and there are two or three meet- ing-houses for the Dissenters. Alton has a national school. The market is on Saturday, and there are two fairs in the year. The population in 1831 was 2742. During the civil wars, the royal- ist troops, under Lord Hopton, were surprised at Alton by the parliamenta- rians under William Waller. Near East Meon, two miles south- east of West Meon, through which lat- ter place the road passes, the scenery is very beautiful, and in some respects sin- gular. " Here is a very fine valley in nearly an elliptical form, sheltered by high hills sloping gradually from it ; and not far from the middle of this val- ley there is a hill nearly in the form of a goblet glass with the foot and stem broken 30 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. off and turned upside down : and this is clapped down upon the level of the val- ley, just as you would put such goblet upon a table. The hill is lofty, partly covered with wood, and it gives an air of great singularity to the scene."* On the west, between Warnford and Exton, is Beacon Hill, one of the lof- tiest hills in the county. From its summit may be obtained an excellent view of the Isle of Wight and of the sea, with an extensive prospect on the east into Sussex, and on the south-west over the New Forest into Dorsetshire. A few miles nearer Gosport, and mid- way between this road and the London and Portsmouth road is the small mar- ket-town of Hambledon, a long strag- gling place, situated in a valley formed by hills of no great elevation, but of very pretty appearance. The parish of Ham-' bledon is a hundred of itself. After passing over the western ex- tremity of the Forest of Bere we reach Wickham, the birth-place, in 1324, of the illustrious William of Wykeham, the architect of Windsor Castle and founder of the colleges at Winchester and Oxford. The ancient church con- tains several interesting tombs and mo- numents. From Wickham to Fareham is about 4 miles. Fareham is situated at the head of the north-west branch of Portsmouth harbour, 73 miles from London, at the intersection of the road from London to Gosport and that from Chichester to Southampton : it is 13 miles from the • ' Rural Rides.' Southampton station. The parish is ex- tensive, containing 6670 acres : it consti- tutes the whole of the hundred, and had in 1831 a population of 4402. Fareham was in Leland's time a fishing village : it is now a tolerably thriving town, depend- ing for its prosperity chiefly on its neigh- bourhood to Portsmouth. Several per- sons connected with the naval establish- ments at Portsmouth reside here. Some small vessels are built at Fareham ; and cordage, sacking, and coarse pottery are made. Vessels of 300 tons can get up to the port ; and considerable trade in corn and coal is carried on. The market is on Wednesday, and there is one yearly fair. Petty sessions are held here. The architecture of the church is of various dates and styles ; the chancel is early English. The living is a rectory in the peculiar jurisdiction of the bishop of Winchester, in whose gift it is ; the an- nual value is 671/. There were in 1833 twenty-two day and four boarding- schools, with nearly 700 children. There were also three Sunday-schools, con- taining above 400 children. There are congregations of Independents and Me- thodists. Cams Hall, the seat of H.P.Delme, Esq., is situated on the eastern side of a lake or inlet of Portsmouth harbour, that runs up to Fareham, from which town the mansion is about a mile dis- tant. It stands on the site of an older house, pulled down by the late John Delme, Esq., who also erected this in its room. It is built of brick, which being covered with a composition has the effect of stone ; the principal front, SOUTHAMPTON TO BISHOP S WALTHAM. 31 which faces to the south, commands views over a most interesting tract of country, including the hills of the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth harbour, Spit- head, and the British channel, with its numerous vessels passing and re-pass- ing. The interior is constructed upon a very splendid scale with fine billiard- rooms, baths, &c, but does not, we be- lieve, contain any distinguished work of art. Gosport, described in the next chap- ter, is 4 miles from Farehara. 3. To Southampton, This is a branch of the above-men- tioned road between London and Gos- port, which it leaves at Meon Stoke, 27 miles from Gosport, and 15 from South- ampton. The only place of any im- portance through which it passes is Bishop's Waltham. Bishop's Waltham is 10 miles south-east of the Winchester station, 10 miles east-north-east of the South- ampton station, and 62 miles south- west-by-west from London. Bishop's Waltham has immemorially been the property of the see of Win- chester, whence the affix ' Bishop's.' Domesday describes it among the lands of the see in Hampshire, and says that it was held in demesne, and had always belonged to the bishopric. It was then, as formerly, assessed at twenty hides, but there were actually thirty. It was in the time of the Confessor worth 31/., was afterwards worth 10/. 10-9., but was then worth 30/. There were se- venty villagers and fifteen yeomen, em- ploying twenty-six ploughs ; there were seven servants ; and Radulphus, a priest, held two churches belonging to the manor, with two hides and a half. There were three mills which paid 17s. 6d, Leland speaks of Bishop's Waltham as "a praty townlet; here the bishop of Winchester hath a right ample and goodly maner- place, motid about, and a praty brooke running hard by it. The maner-place hath been of many bishops' building; most part of the three parts of the lease court was buildid of brick and timbre by Bishop Langten ; the residew of the inner part is all of stone." The brook men- tioned is the small river H amble, the source of which is about a mile from the town, and passes through a piece of water which is described as having been a large and beautiful lake, half a mile long and a furlong broad ; but it is now deprived of this character by the growth of rushes and the encroach- ments of the soil. The bishop's castle, mentioned by Leland, was originally built by Bishop Henry de Blois, brother of King Stephen; but much of the grandeur which it ultimately attained is attributed to the architectural taste of William de Wykeham, whose fa- vourite residence it was, and who there terminated his active life at the age of eighty. The great hall in the second or inner court was 65 feet in length, 27 in breadth, and 25 high, and was lighted by five large windows of mag- nificent proportions. The castle was demolished during the civil wars by the parliamentary army under Waller; and 32 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. the ruins, which consist of the remains of the hall and of a square tower, are now mantled with ivy. The park in which it stood has since been converted into farms. The town is chiefly re- markable for the neighbourhood of this castle. In has, however, a trade of some activity in leather, of which it sends large quantities to Guernsey, London, and the neighbouring fairs ; there is also some business in malting. Its market is held on Friday ; and there are fairs on the second Friday in May, July 30th, and the first Friday after Old Michaelmas-day. The parish con- tained 438 houses in 1831, when the population amounted to 2181 persons, of whom 1115 were females. The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter, accommodates 1100 persons. The liv- ing is a rectory, with a net income of 915/. per annum, in the diocese of Win- chester, the bishop being patron. There is an endowed charity school in the town founded by Bishop Morley. There are also two national schools in the town, containing together eighty boys and as many girls. Waltham Chace is eastward of the town. 4. To Winchester. This is the fourth important branch of the great road from Farnham into Hampshire. It branches from the London and Gosport road, about a mile south-west of Alton, and passes through Alresford. North of this line of road there are some cross roads through a beautiful country of sweeping downs and deep dells. Just after passing through Ropley Dean the valley of the Itchin com- mences. The river rises at Ropley Dean, at the foot of the high lands be- tween Alton and Alresford, and flows into Southampton Water. " The sides of the vale are, until you come down to within six or eight miles of Southamp- ton, hills or rising grounds of chalk co- vered more or less thickly with loam. Where the hills rise up very steeply from the valley the fertility of the corn lands is not so great ; but for a consi- derable part of the way the corn lands are excellent, and the farm-houses to which those lands belong, are for the far greater part under covert of the hills on the edge of the valley." * Alresford, a neat little market- town, is 7i miles east-by-north of the Winchester station, and is situated on the high road from London to Win- chester, through Alton and Farnham, the distance from London being 57 miles. Three miles east of Alresford there is a branch from this road to Pe- tersfield into Sussex, which crosses the London and Gosport and the London and Portsmouth roads, the former about 7 miles east of Alresford, and the latter at Petersfield. The town is situated on the river Itchin, and has a very pretty appearance from the hills coming from Abbotstone. It was formerly a place of far greater importance than at present, and sent a representative to parliament. It probably owed its pros- perity to the circumstance of the river • ' Rural Rides.' ALRESFORD. 33 having been rendered navigable by a head or pond of 200 acres, formed by- Godfrey de Lacy, Bishop of Winches- ter, early in the thirteenth century. At present the navigation does not extend above Winchester, and is there con- fined to a few barges. The town has been twice destroyed by fire, once in 1690, and again in 1710. It has a manufac- tory of linseys; the population in 1831 was 1437, or if we include that of Old Alresford, a village in the immediate neighbourhood, and which some consi- der as another part of the same parish, it may be taken at nearly 1900. Al- resford has a national school. The market, which is held on Thursday, is chiefly for corn. During the summer of 1833 a large quantity of English silver coins, all of the reign of William the Conqueror, were found in a leaden box in a field a short distance from this town. About 7000 of these coins are now in the Bri- tish Museum. After passing Alresford, at a dis- tance of about 3 miles from the road, is Avington Park, a seat of the duke of Buckingham. The manor, originally a royal demesne, was given by King Edgar, in 961, to the monastery of St. Swithin at Winchester. At the disso- lution it became the property of the Clerks, of Micheldever, in this county ; but in the time of Queen Elizabeth we find it passed to the family of Brugges or Brydges. From the intermarriage of Sir Thomas Brugge with Alice, grand- daughter of the Sir John Chandos who so highly distinguished himself in the French wars under Edward III., springs the present family. During the reign of Charles II. Avington was possessed in marriage by Anne Maria Brudenell, better known as the infamous Count- ess of Shrewsbury, whose former hus- band, from whom she derived that title, died from a wound received in a duel with George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, her paramour. It is said that she was present on the occa- sion, disguised as a page, and held the duke's horse. Charles II. visited Avington frequently while she was its owner ; and a room in the old house used to be shown as Nell Gwynn's dressing-room. The present mansion, built principally of brick, is situated in a well planted and secluded valley, nearly surrounded with high downs. Se- veral of the apartments are fitted up with great elegance, and enriched with valuable works of art by Rembrandt, Cuyp, Carlo Dolce, Claude Lorraine, N. Poussin, Salvator Rosa, Ruysdael, Domenichino, Reubens, Correggio, Gui- do, Albert Durer, Holbein, Wilson, &c. In front of the house extends a fine sheet of water, formed from a trans- parent stream that flows through the valley. The park is about 3 miles in circumference. Before reaching Winchester the road passes over Magdalen Hill, often called Morning Hill. This is the highest point of a ridge of hills, stretching southward, and descending in elevation towards Bishop's Waltham. The view from the summit embraces a tract of country about 70 miles in diameter, D u JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. and includes the Isle of Wight in one direction, and the high lands of Berk- shire in another ; hut the general aspect of barrenness in the immediate vicinity of this eminence renders the prospect less pleasing than it would otherwise be. The series of hills to the south, as far as Upham, are amongst the most bar- ren of the downs of England. 35 CHAPTER IV PORTSMOUTH, GO SPORT, AND PORT SEA, Portsmouth, the road to which we have described in the preceding chapter, is 73 miles from the General Post-office, London, by the mail road through Kings- ton, Guildford, Godalming, and Peters- field : it is 18 miles from the railway station at Southampton. By means of the semaphore telegraph communica- tions can be conveyed from the Admi- ralty, in London, to Portsmouth, in five minutes. The railway now constructing from Gosport to Bishop's Stoke, on the South Western Railway, will most probably be opened in 1S41, until which time much of the traffic from London will doubtless be carried on in the old channel. The harbour of Portsmouth is formed by the western end of an inlet of the British Channel, which with its various creeks extends nearly sixteen miles from west to east : from Fare:: am to Fishbourn, a village close to Chiches- ter : and about four miles, on the aver- age, from the open sea inland. Two large alluvial islands, Portsea island on the west, and Hayling island on the east, divide this inlet into three parts. The westernmost and smallest part forms Portsmouth harbour, between Portsea island and the main ; the middle portion, between Portsea and Hayling island, forms Langston har- bour : and the eastern part, between Hayling and the main, is divided by a smaller island (Thorney island) into Emsworth channel and Chichester har- bour. Each of these divisions presents, when the tide is up, a noble sheet of water ; but when the tide is out, they are chiefly occupied by mod banks, separated by channels of greater or less width. The greater depth of the chan- nel, the narrowness of its entrance, and the consequent facility of defending it, render Portsmouth harbour by very far the best of the three. Portsmouth Harbour is indeed the finest in Great Britain, with the exception of Mil ford Haven, in Pembrokeshire : which, from its position, has not been so much used. Portsmouth Harbour, lying on the south coast of England, and within 70 miles of London, has been rendered the chief seat of our navy, though Chatham, in more recent years, has shared with it, and even approached it in some respects. The roadstead between the mouth of Portsmouth harbour and the Isle of Wight forms an anchorage, part of which is well known under the name of Spithead. Adjacent to Spithead, on D 2 PORTSMOUTH. 37 the coast of the Isle of Wight, near the eastern extremity of the island, is the bay of St. Helens, a place of rendezvous for the navy ; and between Covves and the Isle of Wight is the Motherbank, an anchorage for smaller vessels. The excellence of the port attracted the notice of the Romans, who esta- blished a station at Porchester, on its northern shore. This was probably the Portus Adurni, or perhaps the " Portus Magnus" of the Notitia; and the ele- ment of the Roman name Port-us has been transmitted directly or mediately to the modern Port-chester, Portsea {Ports'-ey, " the island of the port,") Ports-mouth, Ports-down, and Gos-port. The decline of Port-chester, where there are still some Roman remains, is ascribed to the retiring of the sea, in consequence of which the inhabitants removed and built Portsmouth, which is first noticed in the Saxon Chronicle on occasion of the landing (a.d. 501) of a body of Saxon allies of Cerdic, founder of the West Saxon kingdom. The leader of this body is said to have been called Porta, and some have supposed the [Portsmouth and Portsea, Gosport, and Porchester* Castle in the Seventeenth Century] 38 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. [House in which the Duke of Buckingham was assassinated.] name Portsmouth to have been derived from this circumstance ; but the ety- mology given above appears much more probable. Portsmouth was a place of importance in the time of Henry I. Robert of Nor- mandy landed here with a strong force (a.d. 1101) when he came to dispute the crown with Henry I. : and the Empress Maud, with her supporter the Earl of Gloucester, landed here (a.d. 1140) to dispute the crown with Stephen. Rich- ard I. granted to the town a charter, with the privilege of a weekly market and a yearly fair of fifteen days ; and from some ancient records it has lately been ascer- tained that there was a naval station at Portsmouth in the reign of John. In the time of Richardll. Portsmouth was burnt by the French. Edward IV. and Richard III. secured it by fortifications, which were completed by Henry VII. In the reign of Henry VIII. it became the principal if not the only station of the English navy; and in a.d. 1544 an indecisive engagement between the PORTSMOUTH. 39 English and French fleets took place off Spithead. In the time of Charles I. (a.d. 1628) the Duke of Buckingham, who had come down to hasten the equipment of the armament for the relief of Rochelle, was assassinated here. In the great civil war the town w T as garri- soned for the parliament. The marriage of Charles II. with Catherine of Bra- ganza was celebrated here (a.d. 1662). Since the time of Henry VIII. the for- tifications have been so far extended (especially in the reigns of Charles II., William III., and George III.) as to be now impregnable. It is said to require a garrison of 13,500 men to man the works and the forts : the moats, which are wide and deep, can be filled with water from the sea. The town of Portsmouth is situated at the south-western extremity of Port- sea island, and just at the entrance of the harbour. It is enclosed by fortifi- cations forming a semicircle to land- ward, and has an area of 110 acres. It contained, in 1831, 1195 houses (besides 6 building and 40 uninhabited), inha- bited by 1627 families ; the population was 8083. The streets are paved and lighted, but, with the exception of High- street, are narrow, and consist of houses of inferior appearance. There are some substantial houses in High-street and on the Grand Parade, which is at the western end of High-street. North of Portsmouth is Portsea, con- siderably larger than Portsmouth, ex- tending along the harbour, and con- taining the dockyard and the principal establishments connected with it. Port- sea is the new town and Portsmouth the old town of the municipal and parlia- mentary borough of Portsmouth. Port- sea, like Portsmouth, is strongly forti- fied, and its defences are so united with those of Portsmouth, that the two towns may be considered as comprehended in the circuit of one fortress. The streets of Portsmouth and Portsea are well lighted and paved. Outside the fortifi- cations of these two towns are extensive suburbs, as Southsea, on the east of Portsmouth ; Landport, adjacent to Port- sea ; and Mile End and Kingston, ra- ther more remote. Some of the houses in the suburbs are handsome, especially those on Southsea Common : others, though neatly and regularly built, are smaller and of inferior description. There are some groups of habitations less connected with Portsmouth. All these suburbs are in the parish of Portsea, which comprehends the whole of Portsea island, except the town of Portsmouth, some extra-parochial dis- tricts, chiefly belonging to government, on the east side, on the shore of Langs- ton harbour, formerly occupied by some salterns, and the northern extremity of the island, which is in Wimmering pa- rish. The mouth of Portsmouth harbour is about 2 miles wide between Fort Monk- ton and Southsea Castle, two strong forts erected to command the approach. Within these ^ points the passage nar- rows to about a furlong, at what may be considered the true entrance into the harbour: within this entrance the har- bour widens to half a mile between the 40 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. PORTSMOUTH. 41 dock-yard at Portsea and the town of Gospovt on the opposite side : farther in it expands to the width of three miles, and contains the three small low islands, Pewit Island, Horsea Island, and Whale Island. There is sufficient depth of water for a first-rate ship to enter the harbour at almost any time of the tide. About a mile and a half from the en- trance the main channel branches into three arms, leading respectively to Fare- ham, Porchester, and Portsbridge, and the northern end of Portsea Island. Portsmouth Dock-yard is the largest in the kingdom, covering nearly 120 acres; it has a wharf-wall along the harbour of nearly three quarters of a mile ; and is enclosed on the land side by a wall 14 feet high, which com- pletely separates it from the town. The entrance to the Dock-yard from the town is by a gateway : strangers are admitted without any formal introduc- tion. The great basin has its entrance in the centre of the wharf-wall: it is two acres and a half in area, 380 feet in length, and 260 feet in breadth. Four dry-docks open into this basin, and on each side is another dry-dock, all ca- pable of receiving first-rate ships. Be- sides these, there is a double dock for frigates. There are also six building- slips, two of which are capable of receiving the largest vessels. The Dock-yard includes a rope-house, (three stories high, 54 feet broad, and 1094 feet long,) anchor wharfs, anchor forges, copper-sheathing foundry, block, mast, and store-houses, building-slips, docks for repairing ; in a word, all that is re- quisite for the construction, equipment, armament, and repair of vessels. There are also residences for the port admiral, the admiral superintendent, and the officers of the yard ; a chapel, school for naval architecture, and other buildings. The block machinery, invented by Mr. M. J. Brunei, is an admirable mani- festation of mechanical skill : it is im- pelled by steam. There are forty-four machines, which are arranged in three sets for blocks of different sizes. They take the rough timber, cut it up, shape, and bore it, and carry the process through to the completion of the block. The machinery is capable of producing 1400 blocks daily, and supplies the whole of the British navy. The number of men employed in the dock-yard, in time of war, has amounted to 4000, and even 5000. They consist of block- makers, braziers and tinmen, caulkers, carpenters, locksmiths, painters and glaziers, plumbers, sail-makers, sawyers, shipwrights, smiths, rope-makers, wheel- wrights, workmen at wood-mills, at me- tal, &c. ; and labourers employed in various departments. Convicts are em- ployed at Portsmouth, as at other dock-yards belonging to the naval service. The dock-yard has three times been seriously injured by fire: in 1760 from the effect of lightning; in 1770 from an unascertained cause ; and in 1776 from the attempt of an incen- diary, John Aitkin, otherwise " Jack the Painter, 5 ' who was executed for the crime at Winchester, in 1777. Adja- cent to the dock-yard is the spacious and well- furnished gun-wharf and its 42 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. connected buildings. It is the grand depot for cannon, shot, and every de- scription of ordnance stores. The parish church of St. Thomas, Portsmouth, is a spacious building, in- cluding some ancient portions, but mingled with additions of various later periods. The tower is 120 feet high, and forms a good mark for seamen ; but the architecture is heavy and taste- less. It is surmounted by a cupola : the whole is crowned by the model of a ship, which serves as a vane. The church contains a fine monument to Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, and the inscription records the manner of his death by Felton. The garrison chapel, on the Grand Parade, is an ancient structure, once belonging to the hos- pital of " Domus Dei " (House ofGod),- repaired and fitted up in modern times for the officers and soldiers of the gar- rison. The parish church of St. Mary, Portsea, is in the suburb of Kingston ; it is an ancient building, surrounded by one of the largest burial grounds in the kingdom. The chapels of St. George and St. John, in Portsea, are commo- dious edifices, of little architectural beauty, erected in the latter half of the last century. The new church of St. Paul, Southsea, capable of accommo- dating 1900 persons, is a quadrangular building, in the perpendicular style of Gothic architecture, with four low tur- rets at the angles: the church of All Saints, Mile End, is of similar architec- ture, with a handsome western front, crowned with a bell-turret; it will ac- commodate more than 1700 persons. A new Gothic church, with a tower, has been built at Portsmouth, capable of holding above 1200 persons, and an- other has been built, or is in course of erection in Portsea; making altogether nine places of worship of the Establish- ment. Those of the protestant dissent- ers are yet more numerous ; and there are a Roman Catholic chapel and a Jews' synagogue. Among the other public buildings are the Town Hall, with a covered market- place underneath, in High-street ; the governor's house on the Grand Pa- rade, originally part of the hospital of Domus Dei, but so much altered as to retain little of its monastic appearance ; the residence of the lieutenant-governor; the theatre ; a national school-house, with concert, assembly, and card rooms above ; and the building of the Philo- sophical Society : all these are in Ports- mouth. The ramparts are planted with trees, and form an agreeable promenade : the saluting battery at the end of the parade commands a fine view of the anchorage of S pithead and the Isle of Wight. About two miles from the town, on the London road, extending from the road to the harbour, is an extensive cemetery, laid out and planted with trees, and furnished with a chapel for the burial-service, and an office for the officiating minister. The population of Portsmouth has been given: that of Portsea in 1831 was 42,306 ; of Portsmouth and Port- sea together, 50,389 {Pop. Returns). Of the inhabitants of Portsea 14,874 were in the town, 23,325 in the su- PORTSMOUTH. 43 burbs (Rep. of Muni dp. Corpor. Com- missi oners). The area of Portsea pa- rish is given in the same return at 4930 acres: the number of inhabited houses at 8215, besides 57 building and 327 uninhabited ; and the number of families at 9767. The trade of the place, which is considerable at all times, but especially in time of war, depends much upon the expenditure connected with or caused by the naval station and dock-yard : and is of a very miscella- neous character. Portsmouth felt severely the decline of business on the termination of the war in 1315. The injury has not been a permanent one : M If," say the Boun- dary Commissioners, in their Report on Portsmouth, " the prosperity of the place be compared with its prosperity in time of war, it may be considered as dimin- ished : but if it be compared with periods of peace, it cannot be considered on the decline.'' The Municipal Commission- ers who inspected the place in 1834 (three years afterwards) are more de- cided in their expression of opinion. They say, " The prosperity of the town is considered to have depended mainly upon the excitement produced by the war, and to have declined much since the termination of it. We are of opinion that this notion is at any rate exagger- ated. The population has been steadily upon the increase, and although one very important excitement to trade has subsided others appear to have been created. More horses and carriages are kept than formerly. It is, however, said, that the new houses which are built are on a smaller scale than the old ones, and that profits are much reduced. There are few persons of large fortune ; the property is considered to be more equally distributed here than else- where." The " port" extends from the town of Emsworth, on Emsworth channel on the east, to the entrance of Southamp- ton Water on the west ; and includes Portsmouth and Langston harbours, Emsworth channel and the roadsteads of Spithead and the bay of St. Helens, be- tween Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. There is considerable coasting and foreign trade carried on. The Ports- mouth and Arun canal was originally carried nearly across Portsea island, (entering it from Langston harbour, across which the canal boats were towed by steam) to its terminus in a capacious basin at Landport. But the creek at Portsbridge having been rendered navi- gable since the last peace, barges have thus direct access to the docks and wharfs of the harbour and towns sur- rounding it : and the cut being now use- less, the basin has been filled up and built upon. There is a considerable import of coal, (it has increased 30 per cent, in the ten years ending 1834) and also of cattle from the Isle of Wight, and from the West of England : 50,000 sheep have been brought in in a single year. Corn and provisions are brought in from Ireland, eggs from France, tim- ber from the Baltic, and wine is im- ported direct from the continent. The gross amount of Customs duty col- fected in 1339 was 58,290/. Seve- 44 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. ral steam-vessels visit the port, some of which go and return several times in the day ; and there are others which touch here in their passage. Commu- nication is thus kept up with the Isle of Wight, Southampton, Plymouth, and Havre. A considerable part of the land round the town is laid out in market gardens, from which the town is supplied with excellent vegetables. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are market- days. There is a yearly fair, of fifteen days, from the 10th July, but after 1840 its duration will be limited to a shorter period ; and a holiday fair held on Ports- down hill, at the close of Portsmouth fair, is much frequented. The corporation of Portsmouth is said to have been established by Henry I. ; but the earliest known charter is of Richard I. The borough limits for- merly included the parish and town of Portsmouth ; the town of Portsea and a considerable part of the parish of Portsea, extending along the harbour, the whole of which was in the jurisdic- tion of the corporation. By the Boun- dary Act, the limits were extended for parliamentary purposes, so as to include the whole parish of Portsea ; and by the Municipal Reform Act the parlia- mentary limits, thus extended, were adopted for municipal purposes. The enlarged borough is divided into six w r ards: the number of aldermen was fixed by the Municipal Reform Act at fourteen ; the number of councillors at forty-two. Quarter sessions for the borough are held. There is a court of record having jurisdiction in all personal actions; and petty sessions are held three times in the week. The prison is not well situated, nor is it sufficient for the proper classi- fication of the prisoners. There is neither chapel nor chaplain. The place is kept clean, but the discipline is considered too lax. {Inspectors of Pri- sons : Third Report.) The average number of prisoners is fifty. Ports- mouth first returned members to par- liament 23 Edward I. : the number of voters before the Reform Act was very small, but is now considerable. The number on the register in 1836 was 1439. The living of Portsmouth is a vicar- age of the clear yearly value of 555/., with a glebe-house. The living of Port- sea is also a vicarage, of the clear yearly value of 696/., with a glebe-house. The perpetual curacies of the chapels are in clearyearly value as follows: — St. George 45/. with a glebe-house ; St. John 141/. with a glebe-house ; St. Paul's, South- sea, 310/. ; and All Saints, Mile End, 160/. The vicar of Portsea is patron of these, except St. John's, to which the proprietors of pews present. There were in 1833, in the parishes of Portsmouth and Portsea, an infant school with 40 children, held in Portsea workhouse ; a grammar school for 20 free scholars ; a large school called " the Beneficial Society School,'' with from 260 to 300 boys; the "Portsea Institution," for 110 girls; two Lancas- terian schools, with 250 boys and 112 girls ; two national schools, with 409 boys and 160 girls; the "Seamen's GOSPORT. 45 School," with 210 boys and 80 girls; a " National School of Industry," with 40 boys and 40 girls ; two workhouse schools, with 70 boys and 60 girls ; and four other schools, wholly or partly sup- ported by subscription, with 271 chil- dren of both sexes. There was a pro- prietary school with 100 boys; and there were about 270 day or boarding and day schools, most of them of a very humble description. There were re- turns of the number of scholars from 217 of these schools, which contained 1243 boys, 472 girls, and 2657 children of sex not distinguished. There were at the same time twenty-six Sunday schools, with 4629 scholars of both sexes. Some of the charity and most of the Sunday schools have lending li- braries attached. There are a Ports- mouth and Portsea Literary and Philo- sophical Society, with a tolerably exten- sive museum ; an institution called the " Hampshire Library Society," with a valuable collection of books, and a Me- chanics' Institution. Besides the fortifications of the two towns of Portsmouth and Portsea, the island of Portsea has strong defences. On the southern extremity is Southsea Castle, built by Henry V1IL, mounted with heavy cannon, and commanding the approach to the harbour from the eastward ; and on the eastern point, at the entrance to Langston harbour, which it commands, is Fort Cumberland, a large fort erected in 1746, and mounted with 100 heavy guns. The entrance to the island from the north is defended by lines carried along the bank of the channel which separates the island from the main land, and by other works at Hilsea, four miles from Portsmouth. Fort Monkton, which commands the approach to the harbour from the west, corresponding in situation to Southsea Castle on the east, and the fortifica- tions of the town of Gosport, on the shore of the harbour opposite Ports- mouth, are also to be considered as part of the system of defences which pro- tect Portsmouth harbour. Gosport is situated within the parish of Alverstoke, and on the western side of Portsmouth harbour, near its en- trance, 73 miles south-by-west from London. A floating-bridge was esta- blished early in 1840, which plies across the harbour between Portsmouth and Gosport every half-hour. A second bridge is intended to be established, and when both are in operation they will start from either shore every quarter of an hour. The distance is about a mile, and the passage is made under ten minutes. The bridge is worked by two steam-engines, and several hundred per- sons may be conveyed at one trip, be- sides coaches and other vehicles. In the reign of Henry VIII. Gosport is described by Leland as a mere vil- lage, inhabited by fishermen. It is now a market-town of importance, and in time of war is a place of great activity. Gosport is subject to the jurisdiction of the county magistrates. About the be- ginning of the present century it was strengthened by a line of bastions which extend from Weovil to Alverstoke. The Royal Clarence Yard, within the lines, 46 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. contains the brewery, victualling de- partment, &c, from which the Royal Navy are supplied. The coasting trade is considerable. There are several dis- tilleries, and an extensive iron foundry, where chain cables and anchors are made. The market-days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Gosport is a chapelry to the neighbouring village of Alverstoke, and is in the diocese of Winchester, the living being a curacy worth 100/. per annum, in the gift of the rector of Alverstoke. The rectory of Alverstoke is in the patronage of the bishop of Winchester, and has an aver- age net income of 1287/. The chapel is spacious and neat, and stands to the south of the town, in the centre of a cemetery well stocked with shrubs. Besides an almshouse there are several charity schools supported by voluntary donations. Near the extremity of the point of land which forms the west side of Portsmouth harbour is situated the Royal Hospital of Haslar, founded at the suggestion of the earl of Sandwich, and erected between the years 1750 and 1762. The ordinary expenses of this establishment, which is intended ex- clusively for the reception of sick and wounded seamen, is about 5000/. per annum, and it contains accommoda- tions for more than 2000 patients. The portico of the centre building is sur- mounted by the royal arms, and by two figures representing commerce and na- vigation. The population of Gosport with Alverstoke was 12,637 in 1831, and had much increased in conse- quence of the removal of the victualling establishment from Portsmouth. Gos- port is a polling-place for the southern division of the county. Bingham Town is a populous suburb, containing many genteel residences ; and Anglesea, about two miles from Gosport, on Stoke' s Bay, is a new and fashionable watering-place, 47 CHAPTER V. THE WINCHFIELD STATION. The Winchfield station is 38 miles from London and about a mile south of the great western road to Exeter, De- vonport, and Falmouth : it is about 245 feet higher than the level of the Vauxhall terminus. From its entrance into the county to Winchfield there is no place on this road which requires particular notice, with the exception of Elvetham House, the seat of Lord Calthorpe, which is about a mile south of Hartford Bridge, and was formerly a place of great extent and magnificence. It is chiefly now remembered for the entertainment given to Queen Eliza- beth by the Earl of Hartford, in 1591. An account of the ceremonies, pageants, &c, which took place on this occasion was published at the time ; and which, reprinted in Warner's Collections for Hampshire, occupies no less than twenty goodly quarto pages of that publication. A somewhat briefer notice will doubtless suffice here. Elvetham, it appears, not being one of the earl's chief seats, was not thought large enough for the recep- tion of her majesty ; so 500 artificers were set at work to enlarge it, and to raise various additional buildings on a hill side within the park, for the enter- tainment of the nobles, gentlemen, &c, of the suite. Among these was a room of state, and a withdrawing room for the queen, the floor of which was co- vered with sweet herbs and green rushes, the walls with arras, and the roof with " work of ivy leaves," whilst the exterior was decorated with boughs, and clusters of ripe hazel nuts. Close by were erected " a spicerie, larderie, chaundrie, wine-cellar, ewery, and panterie, all which were tyled." Another large hall was erected for the entertainment of knights, ladies, gentlemen of chief ac- count, and other separate places of ac- commodation respectively for M her ma- jesty's footmen and their friends," for i( her majesty's guard," for " other of- ficers of her majesty's household ;" and, lastly, for the entertainment of " all comers, suiters, and the like." A large and "goodly pond" was erected, and mimic forts and islands raised in its centre, &c. &c. The first day was de- voted to the proper reception of Eliza- beth. " About three of the clocke his honour seeing^ all his retinue well mounted and ready to attend his plea- sure, he drew them secretly into a chief thicket of the park; where, in few 48 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. words, but well couched to the purpose, he put them in mind what quietness, and what diligence, or other dutie they were to use at that present, that their service might first work her majesty's content and thereby his honour, and lastlie their own credit, with increase of his love and favour towards them.'' A handsome procession was formed by the earl and his train, amounting to the number of 300 persons, most of them wearing chains of gold about their necks, and in their hats yellow and black fea- thers, who met her majesty about two miles from Elvetham. " Half-way be- tween the park-gate and the house, a poet saluted her with a Latine oration, in heoricall verse ; I mean veridicus vates—a. soothsaying poet, nothing in- ferior for truth, and little for the deli- very of his mind to an ordinarie orator. • This poet was clad in greene to signify the joy of his thoughts at her entrance ; a laurel garland on his head to express that Apollo was patrone of his studies ; an olive-branch in his hand to declare what continual peace and plentie he did both wish and aboade to her majestie ; and, lastly, booted, to betoken that he was vates cothurnatus, and not a loose, or lovve creeping prophet, as poets are interpreted, by some idle or envious ignorante." Of the quality of this oration the fol- lowing specimen will doubtless convey a sufficient idea : " While, at the fountaine of the sacred hill, Under Apollo's lute I sweetly slept 'Mongst prophets full possestwith holy fury And with true vertue void of all disdaine ; The Muses sung, and waked me with these words : ' Seest thou that English nymph, in face and shape Resembling some great goddess, whose beams Doe sprinkle Heaven with unacquainted light, While she doth visit Semer's fraudless house, As Jupiter did honour with his presence The poor thatch cottage where Philemon dwelt V " " While the poet was pronouncing this oration, six virgins were behind him, busily removing blockes out of her majesties' way ; which blockes were supposed to bee layde there by the per- son of Envie, whose condition is to envie at every good, but especially to malice the proceedings of vertue, and the glory of true majesty." Singing a song, and strewing flowers in the path, these vir- gins preceded her majesty into the house. The second day was devoted to sports and pageants on the water, during which Nereus, the " prophet of the sea," at the head of five Tritons blowing their trumpets, and followed by Neptune and Ocean leading between them a pinnace furnished at all points as for sea, in which were three virgins who " played Scottish gigs," delivered an- other complimentary address. After this the sea-nymphs sang a song, of which the following is the first verse : u How haps that now when prime is don Another spring time is begun ? Our hemisphere is over runne With beauty of a second sunne Echo — a second sunne," &c. W1NCHFIELD TO ODIHAM. 49 " On the Wednesday morning about nine of the clock, as her majesty opened a casement of her gallerie window there were three excellent musicians, who being disguised in auncient country at- tire, did greet her with a pleasant song of Corydon and Phyllida, made in three parts of purpose." THE PLOWMAN'S SONG. " In the merrie moneth of May, In a morne by breake of day, Forth I walked by the wood side. Where as May was in his pride, There I spied all alone Phyllida and Corydon. Much adoe there was. God wot ! He would love, and she would not. She said never man was true, He said none was false to you. He said he had loved he long ; She said, love should have no wrong. Corydon would kiss her then, She said maides must kisse no men, Till they did for good and all. Then she made the shepheard call All the heavens to witness truth, Never lov'd a truer youth. Then with many a prettie oath, Yea and nay, and faith and troth, Such as silly shepheards use, When they will not love abuse, Love which had been long deluded, Was with kisses sweet concluded ; And Phyllida with garlands gay, Was made the lady of the May.*' Pageants of different kinds, intro- ducing every possible kind of flattery of the illustrious spectator, fireworks, discharges of artillery, music, dancing, hawking, and banqueting, filled up the remainder of the period that Eliza- beth stayed with her entertainer, who received at her departure her warm com- mendation and thanks for his magni- ficent hospitality. The mansion was repaired about the beginning of the present century, and made a handsome residence. The park and grounds, occupying an area of about two miles, were greatly improved by Mr. Emes, the well-known landscape gar- dener, who had a lease of them for twenty-one years. About two miles west of the Winch- field station is a road from Reading through Odiham to Alton, where it joins the roads from London to Gosport and London to Winchester : these roads are described in Chapter III. Pursuing that part of the first-mentioned road, which is south of the great western highway, we soon reach Odiham, three miles south of the Winchfield station, and about 40 miles from London. The parish is large, comprehending 7550 acres, and had in 1831 a population of 2647, about half agricultural. The market is on Friday, and there are two yearly fairs. Odiham was formerly a free borough, belonging to the bishop of Winchester : it had a royal residence and park ; the remains of the residence have been con- verted into a farm-house, still called Palace Gate, or Place Gate. There is an old almshouse near the church, which latter is a large, ancient brick building. The living is a vicarage, with the pa- rochial chapelry of Grewell annexed, so JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. in the diocese and archdeaconry of Win- chester, of the yearly valuo ef 537/., with a glebe-house. There is an Inde- pendent congregation atOdiham. There were 'in the parish in 1833 ten day or boarding and day-schools, with about 250 children: one of these schools, with forty-one children, was partially sup- ported by endowment : there was also one Sunday-school with 187 children. Odiham was the birth-place of Lilly the grammarian. Near Odiham are the remains of an old castle, which, in the civil wars at the close of King John's reign, was bravely but unsuccessfully defended by a garrison of thirteen against the Dau- phin, Louis of France. In this castle David Bruce, king of Scotland, was con- fined for eleven years after his capture at Neville's Cross. There is a road from Odiham to Farn- ham and Guildford, the former town being about eight miles south-east of Odiham. On this road, about two miles from Odiham, is Dogmersfield Park, the seat of Lady Mildmay. It is situ- ated near to the site of an ancient palace of the archbishop of Canterbury, which was standing here as early as the 12th century, and to which the extensive foundations that have been discovered in the neighbourhood are supposed to belong. The house is very extensive, has two fronts commanding distant views to the south and to the east, and includes a great number of spacious and elegant apartments. There are here some excellent pictures of the Italian, Venetian, and Flemish schools, and a few by our own countrymen. Among the great names they include are Claude Lorraine, Titian, Holbein, Van- dyck, Rembrandt, Reubens, N.Poussin, Teniers, Jansen, Sir P. Lely, Hoppner, &c. The park, comprising about 700 acres, is finely wooded, and presents an agreeable diversity of surface. The shrubberies and pleasure-grounds were laid out by Ernes. Near the house is a lake of water of about forty -four acres in extent; and immediately adjoining the park is a large common covered with oaks and holly trees, and presenting in some parts a striking similarity to the New Forest. The late Sir Henry Pau- lett, who took the name of Mildmay, was paternally descended from the Ports, lords of Basing, and maternally from Wm. de St. John, a Norman chieftain who came over with the Conqueror. Returning to the road from Odiham to Alton, we pass through the village of South Warnborough, where there is a park and mansion. We now return to that part of the western road from which we diverged southward, and pursuing the northern branch of the road for about 2J miles, we find on the right, at the distance of 2 miles from the road, Bramshill, an ancient mansion, oc- cupying an eminence, which gives it a very commanding appearance. Large as the house is at present, it forms but the central part of the building originally de signed. It was built for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King James I.; and his coronet still sur- mounts the pediment in the middle of STRATHFIELDSAY. 51 the building. But it appears never to have been inhabited by the prince. The style is that which characterised the national taste at the time when Italian improvements were newly intro- duced into our old domestic architecture. Although the existing edifice forms but the central portion of the building ori- ginally designed, yet the centre itself has wings, one on each side of the entrance. The wings or projecting extremities are rather plain, and are constructed of brick, excepting that the numerous windows have stone dressings. The central portion is built wholly of stone, and is very profusely decorated. The portal leads to a vestibule or corri- dor of three divisions, enriched with an open carved parapet. The very elabo- rate ornaments which decorate the exterior of part of the building are a mixture of Grecian and Gothic ; and the whole centre is carried up in rich com- partments with pilasters from story to story, and surmounted by a pediment. From the pediment is continued a balus- trade perforated in quatrefoils. The porch presents a good example of the curious admixture of styles in the architecture of the reign of James I. The terrace is formed by a recess extending along the south side of the mansion, with arcades under the projecting wings at each end, and is a beautiful feature of the edifice, giving it a stately air of grandeur. There are two most inte- resting views of Bramshill in Mr. Nash's M Mansions of England in the Olden Time," in which figures are introduced in the costume of Charles I.'s time. In returning to the road and con- tinuing our course for about 2 miles further, we approach Strathfieldsay on the west of the road, from which the park is about a mile distant. Strathfieldsay, the seat of the Duke of Wellington, is situated about 6J miles north-west of the Winchfield Station, and about the same distance north-east of the station at Basingstoke : it is about 3J miles east of Silchester. The parish of Strathfieldsay is partly in the county of Berkshire. A view of his grace's seat is given in the accom- panying cut. The park is not of very gre-t extent, the average breadth being about a mile, and the length about a mile and a half; but it is rendered pleasant, especially on the eastern side, by a diversity of hill and dale, and some fine trees ; and it is also enlivened by the waters of the river Loddon, which, winding through the grounds, are expanded into various sheets of ornamental water, near which the man- sion is situated. The term Strath, or Strat, as it is usually pronounced, seems to have been an old term signifying a " stretch n of level ground with eleva- tions running along the sides. In this sense it is frequently used in Scotland, and some instances of its employment with this meaning may be found in Wales. The addition of " Say " appears to have been derived from a family of that name, who originally possessed the domain, and from which it passed in marriage to that of the Dabridgecourts, who held it from the time of Richard II. to the year 1636. About that time e2 strathfieldsay. 53 it was purchased by Sir W. Pitt, an ancestor of the Earl of Chatham, to whom it descended, and who, as well as his equally celebrated son, often resided here. The Duke of Wellington took his seat in the House of Peers on the 28th of June, 1814. He had but just ar- rived from Spain, the scene of his splen- did career of victories. After the cere- mony of introduction, all his patents of nobility were read ; and the Lord Chan- cellor, in delivering to his Grace the unanimous thanks of the House, took occasion to remark, in the course of his speech, that (a circumstance unprece- dented in our history) the first day on which the Duke had appeared among the Peers of England, he had produced titles in regular gradation to the whole of the honours of the peerage in the power of the crown to bestow. After the battle of Waterloo, the legislature was called upon to "take such measures as should afford a further proof of the opinion entertained by par- liament of the Duke of Wellington's transcendent services, and of the grati- tude and munificence of the British nation." But as there were no honours which the Duke had not already re- ceived, parliament could therefore only repeat their thanks, and increase their former munificent grant for the pur- chase of an estate, by the addition of a sum by which a palace might be erected on a scale of magnificence worthy the conqueror for whom it was designed. These several grants had now amounted to a considerable sum, and the trustees appointed to carry the intention of parliament into effect by the application of the funds to the pur- chase of an estate and the erection of a mansion suitable to the dignity of the Duke's rank, at length purchased the manor of Strathfieldsay. The first act, granting a sum of money to the Duke of Wellington for the pur- chase of an estate, was passed December 22, 1812 (53 George III. c. 4). For this purpose, and in gratitude for the services of the Duke, " particularly at the battle of Salamanca," it vests in the hands of certain trustees the sum of 100,000/. to be applied as above stated. This act was amended by another (53 George III. c. 133), empowering the trustees to lay out a portion of the money in the erection of buildings. The next grant was made by the 54th George III. c. 161, which gives to the same fund the additional sum of 400,000/. (or an annuity of 13,000/.) to the Duke and his heirs. The sum granted after the battle of Waterloo was 200,000/., by the act authorising which (55 George III. c. 186) it is enacted that the estate purchased with the money should be deemed to be holden of the crown, on condition of sending to the king at Windsor a tri-coloured flag on the 1 8th June, the anniversary of Waterloo. Silchester is about four miles west of Strathfieldsay, but is nearer the Basingstoke Station. Silchester was certainly a Roman station of importance, though it is difficult to determine whether it was the Calleva Atrebatum or the Vin- 54 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. domis of the Itinerary. Camden iden- tifies it with the latter, and assigns to it the British name of Caer Segont, which is said to have been destroyed in the invasion by Ella, who founded the king- dom of the South Saxons. The re- mains of this station are among the most entire in the kingdom. The walls form an irregular octagon and are about a mile and a half in compass ; they en- close a space of about 100 acres, divided into seven fields, together with the pa- rish church and churchyard, a farm- house and its offices. The enclosure contains several springs, and slopes to the south : the foundations of the streets may yet be traced running across it in parallel lines, and in the centre is an open space supposed to have been the forum, where the foundations of a large building and other remains have been dug up. The walls are generally from fifteen to eighteen feet high ; on the south side, where they are most perfect, they are twenty feet. There are four gates, facing the four cardinal points : some other openings have been made since the ruin of the town. The walls are formed by layers of flat stones of variable dimensions, and of rubble-stone consolidated by cement : the whole is surrounded by a ditch which has in many parts been filled up by the ruins of the wall. Coins, inscribed stones, and other antiquities have been dug up. At a short distance north-east of the wall are the remains of an amphitheatre. In 1833, some labourers, whilst cutting a drain m a field called the Nine-acre Field, within the walls of Silchester, and at a distance of about 200 yards south-west from the church, struck upon three ancient foundations. The Rev. Mr. Cole, having obtained permission from the owner to prosecute the discovery, soon caused to be laid bare the entire foundations of what ap- peared to have been the Thermae, or public hot baths of the Roman city. There were five rooms in all, of which three are supposed to have been Hypo- causts, the fourth the Natatio, or water- bath, and the fifth a large ante-room, where the bathers undressed. The floors of the first three stood upon numerous round and square pillars of Roman brick, each about 3 feet 4 inches in height and 9 inches in diameter ; the walls were 3 feet 4 inches thick, and their dimensions 25 feet each one way, whilst the others were respectively 1 1 feet 12 inches, 12 feet 9 inches, and 19 feet. The floors were composed of large square tiles, on which, in a bed of cement, had probably been originally a tesselated pavement. The ante-room was also paved with large square tiles, surrounded by a border of tesserae, each an inch square. A quantity of broken window- glass full of air-bubbles, and having a coarse surface, was found here. A hu- man skeleton found in the natatio, and with which was, in all probability, con- nected the Roman coins, to the number of above 200, found in a water-pipe in the same place. The skull of a dog was also lying close by. 55 CHAPTER VI. BASINGSTOKE STATION. The Basingstoke station is 46 miles from London, 18 miles from that at Winchester, and 30tJ from the terminus of the railway at Southampton : it is 290 feet higher than the London terminus. The town of Basingstoke is an important centre of communication with various parts of the county, the roads from Newbury and Reading, from South- ampton and Winchester, from Alton and the Gosport road, and a road from Preston Candover, forming a junction at this point with the great western road. The Basingstoke Canal com- mences here, and communicates with the Thames by the river Wey, in Surrey, thus affording great facilities for the trade of the town. Before the opening of the South-western Railway, the number of coaches passing through Basingstoke was very great, but they have nearly all ceased to run, and not only is the appearance of the town much less cheerful and lively in conse- quence of this change, but many local interests are suffering from the transition. The great western road from London through Basingstoke enters the county at its north-eastern extremity, and pass- ing for about 5 miles along a ridge of high ground, crosses the Blackwater, passing through Hartford Bridge and Hook to Basingstoke, a distance of about 14 miles. Although the country around Basing- stoke is surrounded with woods, it is rich in pasture, and many fine houses are dispersed through it. A brook which runs by the town, called the Town Brook, rises about one mile and a half west of Basingstoke, and is the main branch of the Loddon, an affluent of the Thames. Basingstoke is men- tioned in Domesday Book under the name of Basin gtoches, and is described as having always been a royal manor which had never paid tax or been dis- tributed into hides, and which had, at the time of the Survey, a market worth 30*. The Saxon addition of Stoke, or hamlet, would imply that previous to the Conquest it was of inferior import- ance to Basing, now called Old Basing, in its neighbourhood. At a short distance west from Basing- stoke is an ancient encampment: the embankment is about 1 100 yards in circumference* but no traces of a ditch are visible : it has two entrances, re- spectively east and west ; its form is that of an irregular oval, approaching to an oblong square. 56 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. An hospital for the maintenance of aged and impotent priests was founded at Basingstoke by Henry III. at the instance of Walter de Merton, Bishop of Rochester and Lord Chancellor in that reign, and it became eventually appropriated to the reception of super- annuated fellows and scholars from the prelate's other foundation, Merton Col- lege, at Oxford. It stood on the north side of the brook, a little below the town bridge, and some remains of it might be traced not very long ago. On an eminence at the northern ex- tremity of Basingstoke are the remains of the Holy Ghost Chapel, described by Camden as having been erected in the reign of Henry VIII. by Sir William (afterwards Lord) Sandes. Mr. Car- ter, however, is of opinion that the architecture of the chapel is not of later date than the reign of Edward IV., al- though carvings appear to have been added and alterations made in the reign of Henry VIII. The site is known to have been an ancient burying-place, and as Winchester had bishops as early as the period of the Saxon Heptarchy, it is not improbable that there may be some truth in the tradition which makes a religious edifice to have then existed here, and in which, according to the same testimony, seven Saxon kings worshipped at one time. The tradition is also in some slight measure supported by the fact that Kingsclere, in the neigh- bourhood, was a royal residence during the Saxon period. The present chapel was at least re-established in accordance with a licence granted by Henry VIII. about 1516 to Bishop Fox of Winchester and Sir William afterwards Lord Sandes ; it was dedicated to the Holy Ghost, and a brotherhood or guild established within it, which was by perpetual succession to continue for ever. At the dissolution the chapel escaped for the time ; but in the reign of Edward VI. it was broken up, and the estate taken for the king's use. In 1556, during the reign of Queen Mary, upon the petition of the inhabitants and at the intercession of Cardinal Pole, the guild was re-esta- blished and the estate returned for the maintenance of a priest, for the celebra- tion of divine service, and for the in- struction of the young men and boys of the town. The estate was again se- questered in the Civil War, and the • school closed for many years, till in 1670 Bishop Morley succeeded in ob- taining their restoration. All the per- sons of whom the guild consisted in Queen Mary's reign were Papists: it is supposed that after her death no new members were admitted, and before the reign of James I. the fraternity had be- come extinct. The estate is still appro- priated to ecclesiastical purposes. The chapel is built of brick faced with freestone, and in a highly-enriched style of architecture. On piers between the windows on the south side are long, narrow pedestals, with niches rising above them. The angles of the tower are decorated in the same way. On the roof in the interior, Camden informs us that the history of the prophets, apos- tles, and disciples of Christ was very artificially described. Owing to neglect, BASINGSTOKE. 57 the chapel is now in ruins. It is said to have been stripped of a leaden roof during the siege of Basing House, in order to make balls for the besiegers, whilst others affirm that the chapel was tiled, and that the tiles have disappeared within a comparatively recent period. The present remains of the chapel are parts of the east and south walls, and a beautiful hexagonal turret tower at the south-west, which is almost entire with the exception of the winding stairs of its interior, which are completely gone. Camden states that Lord Sandes, who is supposed to have founded the guild and built the chapel without any pecuniary assistance from his nominal coadjutor Bishop Fox, lies buried here — a statement partially corroborated by the large pieces of marble dug up among the rubbish many years since, and bear- ing a coat of arms and other figures upon them. Adjoining the chapel is a regularly-built room, which has been supposed to have been the body of an ancient church, to which the chapel was attached as the chancel or choir. This is the only place that has been used for many years, as the chapel or school-room. The parish church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a spacious and handsome building, consisting of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a low square tower. The south side of the church is of stone, but the other sides are constructed with alternate squares of brick and stone. It was built in the reign of Henry VIII. under the direction of Fox, Bishop of Winchester. The living, which is of considerable value, is a discharged vi- carage in the gift of Magdalen College, Oxford : it is of the clear annual value of 572/. When woollen manufactures began to be first established in this country, Basingstoke obtained a considerable share in the business, and was particu- larly noted for its druggets and shal- loons. These manufactures have long ceased ; and at present malting and the corn trade form the principal business, which has been much facilitated by the canal. The market is on Wednesday, and the fairs on Easter Tuesday, Wed- nesday in Whitsun week, 23rd of Sep- tember, and 10th of October; all, ex- cept the second, are chiefly fairs for cattle. The number of houses in the town, according to the returns of 1831, was 727 ; and the population consisted of 3581 persons, of whom 1863 were females. The town was incorporated at an early date, and is at present governed by a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors. The petty ses- sions are held here. Basingstoke pos- sesses a free school of some repute, and three charity schools, one of which, for the maintenance, clothing, and education of twelve boys, is supported by the Skinners' Company of London. John de Basingstoke, a distinguished scholar of the thirteenth century, was born at Basingstoke. He was, indeed, an extraordinary person for his time. Though the date of his birth does not appear to be fixed, he was alive in the year 1230, and studied not only at Oxford and Paris, after the custom of 58 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. the age, but also at Athens ; a fact re- marked by Leland as uncommon in the history of English scholars at that time, who seldom proceeded farther eastward for the prosecution of their studies, and improvement in learning, than Rome or Venice. At Athens he studied the sciences under Constantina, daughter of the Archbishop of Athens. Leland says, at his return he brought with him into England various Greek manuscripts, which, together with his proficiency in that tongue, caused Hugh Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, a great restorer of that language, to promote him to the archdeaconry of Leicester. It was upon Basing's information, as Matthew Paris tells us, that Grosseteste sent to Athens for a Greek manuscript entitled * The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs/ which, when obtained, he translated into Latin. Sir James Lancaster, the navigator, and the brothers Joseph and Thomas Warton, were also born at Basingstoke. The former of the War- tons (born 1722, died 1800) is known by his ' Essays on the Writings and Genius of Pope ;' and Thomas Warton (born 1728, died 1790) was poet laure- ate, and wrote * The History of English Poetry :' both were distinguished for their learning and classical attain- ments. Their father was vicar of Ba- singstoke, and was master of the free school, at which Gilbert White and several other well-known persons were educated. The small village of Old Basing is about a mile east of Basingstoke, near the line of the railway. It has been distinguished from an early period of our history, as the scene of a severe battle fought in 871 between the Danes and the Saxons, when the latter, under the command of Alfred and his brother King Ethelred, were defeated ; and in later times it has become no less memo- rable for the gallant defence of Basing House. There appears to have been a castle here at a very remote period ; for in a grant made to the priory of Monks' Sherbourne, in the reign of Henry II., mention is made of the " old castle of Basing." This appears to have been rebuilt in a magnificent manner by Paulet, the first Marquis of Winches- ter, a nobleman in some degree re- markable for his skill in courtiership : . he lived during four reigns, those of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, and enjoyed the royal favour in all. We may add, that he himself is said to have explained the secret— the " being a willow and not an oak." We have said that he rebuilt Basing House in a magnificent man- ner; according to Camden, it was ren- dered so magnificent and costly as to be " overpowered by its own weight ;" the expenses it entailed upon the owner were so great, that the build- er's posterity were forced to pull down some part of it. In this splendid man- sion the marquis had the gratification of receiving Elizabeth in 1560, and of entertaining her in so royal a manner that she playfully lamented his great age, remarking, " By my troth, if my lord treasurer were but a young man, I OLD BASING. 59 could find in ray heart to love him for a husband before any man in England." The queen came here again in 1601, and was entertained by the fourth mar- quis for " thirteen dayes," and, as we are told and can very well believe, " to the greate charge of the sayde Lorde Marquesse," for during her visit Eliza- beth received in state the French am- bassador, the Duke of Biron, who was accompanied with about twenty other French noblemen, and a retinue of some 400 persons. It is recorded that the Queen made this circumstance a matter of gratulation, saying, " she had done that in Hampshire that none of her ancestors ever did, neither that any prince in Christendom could do ; that was, she had, in her progresses, in her subjects' houses, entertained a royal ambassador, and had royally enter- tained him.'* In August, 1643, Basing House, then very strongly fortified by John, fifth marquis, for the king, was invested by the parliamentary troops, and for a period of two years, broken however by occasional intermissions, was continu- ally harassed by the enemy. During this time many assaults were made, particularly by Sir William Waller, who within nine days three times at- tempted to carry the house, but was repelled with great loss, and ultimately obliged to retreat. On their part, too, the besieged troops kept the besiegers in a constant state of anxiety and alarm by repeated sallies. After Waller's de- feat the parliamentary forces of Hamp- shire and Sussex were collected under Colonel Norton, who once more sum- moned the marquis to surrender. The answer was, " If the king had no more ground in England than Basing House, he would maintain it to the uttermost/ ' Famine now promised to accomplish for the parliament what its soldiers could not ; the distress of the garrison became so great that in September, 1644, the marquis, after having in vain sent mes- senger after messenger to Charles, w r ho w r as at Oxford, for relief, was compelled to send a last notice that in ten days he must surrender if no assistance were given. For the time, how 7 ever, the brave defenders of Basing House were saved by the courage and address of Colonel Gage, who, seeing their despe- rate condition, volunteered to convey them provisions. He succeeded in ac- complishing this object, and in return- ing to Oxford, with the loss of eleven men killed and forty or fifty wounded. This protracted defence would naturally draw the eyes of the nation upon the struggle, and make it imperative upon the parliamentarians to succeed. Ac- cordingly the attack was next confided to the man who knew not defeat; Crom- well appeared before it, and the fate of the place was sealed. His force con- sisted of three regiments of foot and three regiments of horse ; the garrison, according to Sir Robert Peake (its go- vernor, under the marquis), of 300 fighting men, but according to his an- tagonists of about 500. The house was also defended by about ten pieces of ordnance. The result is best told in Cromwell's own brief, business-like let- 60 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. ter to the Speaker of the House of Com- mons, dated 1 4th of October, 1645 : — u Sir, — I thank God I can give you a good account of Basing. After our bat- teries placed, we settled the several posts for a storm : Col. Dalbeere was to be on the north side of the house next the grange, Col. Pickering on his left hand, and Sir Hardresse Waller's and Col. Montague's regiments next him. We stormed this morning after six of the clock: the signal for falling on was the firing from our cannon, which being done, our men fell on with great resolution and cheerfulness. We took the two houses without any considerable loss to ourselves. Col. Pickering stormed the new house, passed through and got the gate of the old house, whereupon they summoned a parley, which our men would not hear. In the mean time Col. Montague's and Sir Hardresse Waller's regiments assaulted the strongest work, where the enemy kept his court of guard, which, with great resolution, they recovered, beating the enemy from a whole culverin and from that work ; which having done 5 they drew their ladders after them, got over another work and the house wall before they could enter. In this, Sir Hardresse Waller, performing his duty with honour and diligence, was shot in the arm, but not dangerously. We have had little loss: many of the enemies our men put to the sword, and some officers of quality : most of the rest we have prisoners, amongst which are the Marquis and Sir Robert Peake, with divers other officers, whom I have or- dered to be sent up to you. We have taken about ten pieces of ordnance, much ammu- nition, and our soldiers a good encourage- ment," &c. The booty, thus delicately phrased, was indeed considerable, being valued at 200,000/. It consisted of money, jewels, provisions, the magnificent fur- niture, and, in a word, the entire con- tents of Basing House. The provisions and furniture were sold to the country- people. What the soldiers left a fire destroyed, caused by the neglect of the garrison in quenching a fire-ball thrown by the besiegers. In less than twenty hours, Basing House literally presented nothing but bare walls and chimneys. The prisoners were about two hundred in number, and the slain about one hun- dred : of these there were counted in the house immediately after the assault seventy-four men and one woman, a young lady, the daughter of Dr. Grif- fith, whose fate is very pitiable : •' she came," says Mr. Peters, Cromwell's messenger to the parliament, " railing against our soldiers for their rough car- riage towards her father," whom he ac- knowledges they used hardly, on account of his opinions and past conduct. Her two sisters, and six or seven other ladies of rank, appear to have been permitted to escape without any serious injury The Marquis himself would in all pro- bability have fallen a victim to the rage of the soldiers but for an incident of a nature which it is especially gratifying to meet with in such transactions. The week before, Col. Hammond, the par- liamentary officer, had been taken pri- soner by the Marquis : when the assault of the house was evidently successful, and all hope leaving the besieged, they began to hide themselves where they could from the fury of their enemies ; at that moment the Colonel was re- BASING-HOUSE. 61 ■,'g iii M Am SB I It * !C4 62 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. lieved from his imprisonment, and, in accordance with a promise he had pre- viously given, endeavoured to save the Marquis's life ; and although it was at the imminent hazard of his own, he happily succeeded. Many of the garrison probably escaped, and others miserably perished in the vaults of the house. Mr. Peters says, " Riding to the house on Tuesday night, we heard divers cry- ing in vaults for quarter; but our men could neither come to them nor they to us." In the concluding portion of the let- ter from which we have before quoted, Cromwell recommends the destruction of Basing House, and the parliament concurred in his recommendation. From a survey made of the spot in 1798, it appears that the area of the works, in- cluding gardens and entrenchments, occupied about 14J acres. The form of the fortifications was very irregular, surrounded with deep ditches and strong and high ramparts ; the existing re- mains were peculiarly bold and striking The citadel was circular, having an ob- long square platform on the north, de- fended by a rampart and covered-way. The north gateway was still standing, together with parts of the outward wall, constructed of brick, joined with great care and nicety. The site of the ruins is bold and commanding. The Basing- stoke Canal now runs through it. The Marquis lived long enough to taste the bitterness of ingratitude : the Restoration came, but brought him no recompense for his immense losses ; the exertions, the anxieties, the gallantry, and the fortitude which entitled the Marquis to our respect and admiration, produced no acknowledgment, at least no fitting or worthy one, from the son of the man for whom so much was done and suffered. Two miles from the village of Old Basing is the Vine, a mansion said to be so called from the first Lord Sandes, who built the house, having planted vines here for the shade which they afford. The chapel contains some cu- riously carved stalls, and an altar-tomb to the memory of Chaloner Chute, Esq., who was Speaker of the House of Com- mons : he is represented in his robes as Speaker. The windows of the chapel are pointed, and exhibit figures of the first Lord Sandes and his two wives. Before proceeding further along the western road we will notice the roads north and south of Basingstoke. There is a road communicating with Berk- shire, which diverges into two branches for a distance of about eight miles, but they again unite just after passing out of the county. About five miles from Basingstoke, on the western branch of the above road, there is a cross-road leading to Kingsclere, distant about three miles. Kingsclere is a small market-town, of rather mean appearance, near the northern boundary of the county, ten miles north-west of the Basingstoke station : it is not upon any great tho- roughfare from London, from which it is distant about fifty-five miles through Basingstoke. There are roads from Newbury, distant seven miles, and from HACKWOOD PARK. 63 Reading, distant seventeen miles, which form a junction at Kingsclere before joining the great western road. The parish of Kingsclere is large, containing 17,240 acres, and had in 1831 a popu- lation of 3151, three-fourths agricultu- ral : the parish extends into the hun- dred of Evingar. There is some trade in malt carried on : the market is on Tuesday, and there are two fairs in the year. The living is a vicarage, with the chapelries of Ecchinwell and Sid- monton annexed, in the diocese and archdeaconry of Winchester, of the yearly value of 400Z. At Kingsclere was anciently a residence of the West Saxon kings, and there was a royal residence in the neighbourhood as late as the time of King John. On the border of the county, between Strathfieldsay and the road from Ba- singstoke to Reading is Silchester, where there was once a Roman station : it lies north by "east from the railway station at Basingstoke. The road to Alton, distant about 1 1 miles from Basingstoke, connects the latter town with the London and Gos port road : it passes through Winslade, Herriarde and Lassham. Hackwood Park, the seat of Lord Bolton, is close to this road, and about a mile from Basingstoke. The site of the present mansion was occupied in the time of Queen Elizabeth by a lodge, used as a place of meeting and banquet- ing by ha wking parties, who found in this neighbourhood peculiar facilities for the enjoyment of their sport, in consequence of which the spot became known as the Hawking Wood — since corrupted into Hackwood. After the demolition of Basing House, the Mar- quis of Winchester adapted the lodge for a residence. The present edifice was principally built about 1688, (which date appears in various parts of it) by the Duke of Bolton, the son of the distinguished nobleman we have mentioned. The house at that time consisted of a large central build- ing, connected with two considerable wings by open corridors. The great hall extended without interruption from the ground floor to the roof; in a subse- quent alteration this immense height was reduced to 20 feet, and the hall enriched by some oak carvings by Gib- bons, brought from another seat belong- ing to the family. The late Lord Bolton erected a new front on the north, with a handsome portico, and which he con- nected with the old wings in a very graceful and useful manner. Opposite the entrance of this front is an eques- trian statue of George I., given by that monarch to the Duke of Bolton. Among the pictures are some interesting por- traits : for instance, a whole-length of the gallant defender of Basing House, and of his second wife who aided him on that occasion, and wrote a journal of the proceedings. We may also mention the portrait of Charles, the third earl, who married Miss Fenton, the original repre- sentative of Polly in the * Beggars Opera.' The park and pleasure-grounds are very interesting. Among the chief attractions we may enumerate the fol- lowing :— Spring Wood is a noble col- 64 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. lection of the finest forest trees, on which ivy has been allowed to grow so long undisturbed that it has reached the highest branches, and is now seen hang- ing in thick loose chains of rich foliage, which give to the whole a peculiarly beautiful effect both in winter and sum- mer. In another part of the park we find everything so disposed as to give the idea of a rich but neglected wilderness, wherein a space of about four acres assumes the form of an ancient amphi- theatre, bounded by a wall of elms thickly planted and inclining inwards over the area. The stage is a flat lawn at the lower end, from which rise seats of turf, in successive stories,, divided in the centre by a broad passage extending from the bottom to the top, where we find a circular recess with the ruins of a rotunda. There are also two ornamental buildings in the grounds deserving men- tion—one with a handsome front of the Doric order, an open colonnade in the centre, and which is connected with a fine sheet of water, and the other situ- ated in what is called the French garden, with four fronts and a central dome, built in a heavy style of architecture. This has within a spacious apartment, stuccoed, and paved with marble, and commanding from the windows, which are decorated with beautiful flowering shrubs and double blossoming fruit trees, some fine park views. This v is said to have been the favourite music- room of the actress-duchess. The whole of the pleasure-grounds and adjoining parts of the park are supposed to have been formerly one large wood, and con- nected by avenues of chesnut-trees, two miles long, with Basing House. The distance from Basingstoke to Winchester is 1 1\ miles : the road passes through Popham, East Stratton and Worthy : at Popham Lane there is a branch road to Salisbury through Stock- bridge, the latter place being 21 miles from Basingstoke. The Andover Road Station, on the South-western Railway, 10 miles from the Basingstoke station, and 8 miles from that at Winchester, is about half a mile west of the present road. This station affords the readiest mode of access to that part of Hampshire which lies immediately to the west and south- west, and to such places as are situated in the vicinity of the station. It is also the nearest point of communication be- tween the railway and Bland ford, Hin- don, Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Sturmin- ster, Wilton, and with the county of Wilts generally. Stratton Park, the seat of Sir Thomas Baring, Bart, lies by the side of the high road, at a spot distant about 7j miles from Basingstoke. Its beauty of situation is so remarkable that Francis, the fifth Earl of Bedford, to whom the estate then belonged, pulled down a great part of the mansion, leaving only a single wing standing, in order that its attractions might not in- duce his successors to neglect the mag- nificent residence of Woburn, which he had built. On purchasing it from the Bedford family, the late Sir Francis Baring, whom Erskine designated as " the first merchant of the world," re- ANDOVER ROAD STATION. 65 built the house, and made great im- provements in the grounds. The exterior is in the Italian style—- pleasing and elegant, and the interior combines com- fort with magnificence to an extent unsurpassed in any part of the country. In the park is a long avenue consisting of the very finest old trees. The chief attraction of the mansion however is the collection of paintings, which is very nu- merous, contains many works of great value, and is on the whole unusually complete. The gem of the collection however has gone, — this was a Holy Family by Raphael, which cost Sir Thomas 4000/., and which he was in- duced to part with to the King of Bava- ria for 5000/. There is still an original work by that artist, a portrait of a young man, supposed to be Lorenzo de Medici. Among the more valuable and interest- ing of the pictures we may enumerate those of the Roman school, by Vasari, Raphael, and Giulio Romano; of the Venetian, — Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, Titian,Giacorao Bassano, Paul Veronese; of the Lombard school, — Correggio, Par- magiano, Schidone ; of the Carracci school, — Ludovico and A nnibale Carrac- ci, Domenichino, Guido Reni, Guercino, Carlo Dolce ; of the Spanish, — Morales, Velasquez, Murillo (no less than five of this master) ; of the French, — N. & G. Poussin ; of the Flemish— Jan Van Eyck, Rubens, Vandvck, Rembrandt ; of the English, — Opie, Northcote, Reynolds, &c. Among the pictures by artists, not included in the above classification, are those by Michael Angelo Caravaggio, Spagnoletto, Claude Lorraine, and Sal- vator Rosa. Even this bare and brief notice will give some idea of the great richness of the collection, and particu- larly when we add that the cases are few in which there is not more than one fine specimen of the same artist. There is one circumstance connected with the history of Stratton that must not be overlooked : it came into the pos- session of the Bedford family after the death of its previous owner, Thomas Earl of Southampton and Lord High Trea- surer of England, by the marriage of his daughter to the illustrious patriot, Lord William Russell ; who proved by her conduct under her husband's misfortunes that she was in every way worthy of him : higher praise it would be perhaps impossible to pay to her memory. About two miles from Stratton is Grange Park, the seat of Lord Ash- burton. It is situated about 2 miles from the road, near the village of North- ington, and about 5 miles from Win- chester. The house was originally built by Inigo Jones, and Lord Orford men- tions it as one of the best proofs of the architect's taste. In the present century it has been enlarged and the exterior wholly changed, under the direction of the late Mr. Wilkins. The elevation of the present front is striking ; its princi- pal feature is a grand portico, the style of which is borrowed from the Parthenon at Athens. In accordance with the model the massive columns are fluted, and they rest upon the bases without any intermediate plinth. The exterior consisted of five stories before the alter ation ; the uppermost being in a pon- 66 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMP3HIRE. derousroof of greatelevation. The lowest, which was used for offices, is now dis- used ; the terrace, which has been raised around the house, conceals the basement Moor, and the roof has been entirely taken away, consequently the mansion now appears to be only two stories in height. The alterations in the interior were made chietiy with the object of giving a more modern character to the rooms. The situation of the house being low, the views from it are not very extensive ; but the pleasure-grounds, which are various and beautiful, partly compensate for the deficiency. The family of Henley, which possessed this estate for nearly two centuries, was of considerable note. Robert Henley was knighted and appointed attorney- general in 1756, and keeper of the great seal in the following year. In 1760 he was created Baron Henley of Grange, in the county of Southampton ; in 1761 Lord Chancellor, and, in 1764, was raised to the dignity of the earldom of Northington in the same county. This nobleman presided as high steward at the trial of Earl Ferrers. The family is now extinct. The road to Preston Candover, 10 miles from Basingstoke, passes through Cliddesden and Nutley ; and at Preston Candover it is connected with several important country roads. Resuming our journey westward, we meet with no place of importance until we reach Whitchurch, 11^ miles from Basingstoke. Whitchurch, 56 or 57 miles from London, is situated on the great western road, near the head of the river Anton, midway between Basingstoke and An- dover: it is 12 miles from the Basing- stoke station. The distance of the Andover-Road station, between Basing- stoke and Winchester, is nearly one- half less, but the road from this point to Whitchurch is by the parish roads. The traveller who wishes to visit Whit- church and the neighbourhood may leave the Railway at either station ; but the facilities for reaching Whitchurch from Basingstoke are by far the most extensive. In 1840, an Act was ob- tained for improving certain roads west of this station. Whitchurch is a borough and market town. The parish comprehends 7330 acres, with a population in 1831 of 1673, about half agricultural. Shalloons and .serges are manufactured ; also paper for the exclusive use of the Bank of England. The market-day is Friday. Whitchurch is a borough by prescrip- tion, and returned two members to parliament until disfranchised by the Reform Act. The living is a rectory, in the peculiar jurisdiction of the bishop of Winchester, of the yearly value of 140/. There were in 1833 seven day or boarding and day-schools, with above 230 children, and three Sunday-schools with above 300 chil- dren The road from Winchester to New- bury and Reading crosses the great western road at Whitchurch. The road to Reading, which place is about 1 7 miles from Whitchurch, branches off to the east about a mile north of the latter town, WHITCHURCH TO BURGCLERE. 67 and, after crossing the Roman road, passes through Kingsclere, already de- scribed. The road from Whitchurch to New- bury proceeds in a direction due north, through Litchfield and Burgclere: Newbury is 13 miles from Whitchurch. Burgclere, a small village at the foot of the Highclere and Kingsclere Hills, is between 7 and 8 miles north of Whitchurch. " From these hills you look at one view over the whole of Berk- shire, into Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire, and you can see the Isle of Wight and the sea. On the north side the chalk soon ceases, the sand and clay begin, and the oak woods cover a great part of the surface."* Few men had a more lively idea of scenes of rural life and domestic comfort than Mr. Cobbett, and the features which characterise the North Hampshire hills were such as particularly delighted him, " where high downs prevail, with here and there a large wood on the top or side of a hill, and where you see in the deep dells, here and there a farm-house, and here and there a village, the buildings sheltered by a group of lofty trees. I like (he says) to look at the winding side of a great down, with two or three nume- rous flocks of sheep upon it belonging to different farms ; and to see, lower down, the folds, in the field, ready to receive them for the night." The cha- racter of the country from Winchester to within two miles of Burgclere is such as is here described. * • Rural Rides.' On the left of the road and between it and the road from Andover to New- bury is Highclere House, the seat of the Earl of Carnarvon : it is situated on a rising ground, in a noble park up- wards of 13 miles in circumference. The Bishops of Winchester formerly possessed the manor, and had a resi- dence here. Some of the public acts of William of Wykeham are dated at High- clere. In the reign of Edward VI. the estate was granted to the king, who re- granted it some time afterwards to Sir William Fitz-William. It was pur- chased from his successors by Sir Robert Sawyer, attorney-general to Charles II. and James II., and thence passed by marriage into the Pembroke family. Part of the present house was built upon the site of an older one, by the Hon. Robert Herbert ; but its great enlarge- ment, and the form it at present bears, it owes to the first Earl of Carnarvon, who died in 1811. The building is of brick, stuccoed, and is in the modern style of architecture. The entrance-hall measures 70 feet by 24, the library 33 by 23. There are a few good pictures by Vandyck, Reynolds, Gainsborough, &c. But the chief glory of Highclere is its park and pleasure-grounds. In the former, about a mile from the house, is Sidon Hill, which is 400 feet above the level of the ground. It is ascended by a winding road lined with plantations, and on the top we find a ruined arch and a grove of venerable trees. The views of the surrounding country from hence are most extensive and delight- ful. , Beacon Hill, to the south-east of F 2 68 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. Sidon Hill, presents a very different aspect, being completely destitute of foliage. An attraction of another kind, however, leads us to its summit, where we find an ancient encampment of ir- regular form, following the outline of the hill. The ditch is well preserved, and, where the ascent is easy, very deep. The entrance is on the south side, and defended by two ravelins. Within the enclosed area are vestiges of ancient huts, the origin of which may probably be coeval with the Britons ; for they are of a circular form, rather ele- vated, with a small depression in the centre. Upon a ridge to the north is a raised bank of turf, apparently intended as an outpost. On a plain about a mile from the hill are seven large tumuli, and three small. Some of each kind have been opened, and ashes, &c. found as usual. The largest is no less than 100 yards in circumference, and about 10 or twelve feet high. About a mile and a half from Beacon Hill is another encampment, on an eminence called Ladle Hill, which includes an area of nearly eight acres ; and at a short dis- tance to the north-east, on the declivity of the hill, is another small circular earthwork, intended, doubtless, as an outpost to the first. There are three barrows south of this large camp. The entrance into the park lies between Sidon Hill and Beacon Hill, and is spanned by an arched gateway. On the side of Sidon Hill is a small cas- tellated lodge. The park possesses a beautiful sheet of water called Milford Water, the effect of which is greatl enhanced by the foliage of the venerable woods which completely surround it. There are various other ornamental buildings scattered about the demesne. The road from Whitchurch to Win- chester, a distance of 13 miles, is by a continuation of the roads from Reading and Newbury, which unite on the northern side of the western road, before entering Whitchurch. This road passes through Bullington and Wonsfort. The continuation of the great west- ern road from Whitchurch to Andover, a distance of 7 miles, is through Hurst- bourne Priors. Andover is 63 or 64 miles from Lon- don, by the Great Western Road. It is about 11 miles west of the station called the Andover Road Station, and 18 miles from the station at Basingstoke. 'The traveller, wishing to proceed to Andover, will therefore have to decide whether he will leave the line at Basing- stoke and travel on a great highway a distance of 18 miles, or proceed 9 miles further by the railway and travel 1 1 miles by cross-roads. The town is situated on the border of the downs which stretch into Wilt- shire. It is on the left bank of the river Anton (a branch of the Tese or Test, which falls into Southampton Water), and from its situation, gets the name of Andover (Saxon, Andeafa- ran, ?. e. ferry, or passage over the river Ande). The three principal streets are well paved, but not lighted; the houses are well built, and the town is well supplied with water. The church is near the north ANDOVER. end of it, and is a spacious structure, of very great antiquity, having existed as far back as the time of the Conqueror. At the west end is a fine semicircular arched doorway, with zigzag mould- ings. The living, a vicarage, with the chapelry of Foxcote annexed, is in the patronage of Winchester College. There are meeting-houses for Baptists, Quak- ers, Independents, and Methodists ; a free grammar school, with a school- house built and kept in repair by the corporation ; and an almshouse for six poor men, erected and endowed by John Pollen, Esq., one of the members for the borough in the time of William III. Another almshouse, for six poor women, was built with funds bequeathed by Catherine Hanson, but not endowed. There is also a school-house, erected and endowed by John Pollen, Esq., for educating twenty poor children. This establishment is now incorporated with the National School, supported by addi- tional subscriptions, in which 250 child- ren are educated. The town-hall is a handsome stone building with a Grecian front, supported by arches : the under part is used as a market -house. It was erected within these few years. The corporation is said to be as ancient as the time of John ; but the present charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth. Andover first returned members to Parliament in the time of Edward I. ; but the right was lost, or disused, from the first year of Edward II. to the twenty-seventh year of Queen Elizabeth, when they were again sent, and have since been regularly returned. Before the passing of the Reform Bill, the right of election was in the corporation, which was considered to be under the intiuenee of the Earl of Portsmouth. By the Boundary Act connected with the Reform Bill, the tything of Foxcote was added to the borough, which had previously included the parishes of Andover and Knight's Enham. The population of the whole was, in 1839, 4966. The town is governed by a bailiff, four aldermen, and twelve councillors ; the style of the corporate body is the bailiff, approved men and burgesses of the borough of Andover. The chief business of the town con- sists in malting, and in the manufac- ture of silk, which has lately superseded that of shalloon, the former staple. A considerable quantity of timber is for- warded from Harewood Forest to Ports- mouth, by means of tlie canal from this town, through Stockbridge, to South- ampton Water. The market is on Saturday ; and there are three fairs in the year. Near Andover there are the remains of some Roman encampments, espe- cially one on the summit of Bury Hill, a mile or two south-west of the town ; and some beautiful specimens of Roman pavement have been found in the neigh- bourhood. (Warner's Hampshire; Beauties of England and Wales.) Amport House, the seat of the Mar- quis of Winchester, derives its name from a village near Andover, southward of the western road, formerly called Anneport. The mansion is situated on 70 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. a gently rising ground, and on the bor- ders of a well-wooded and extensive park, and presents altogether an effect that excites the admiration of every vi- sitor. The projecting wings of the edi- fice are connected by a corridor, built in the Ionic style, and used as a con- servatory of the choicest plants. The apartments in the interior are elegant and of good proportion. The lawn and pleasure-grounds, which extend in front of the house, are separated from the valley beyond by a sunken fence. Crossing the valley, and ascending the opposite steep, we command a fine extensive prospect of the surrounding country. A branch of the ancient and noble family of Paulet has long been resident here. There is a road from Andover to Newbury which passes through Knight's Enham, King's Enham, and Hurst- bourne Tarrant to Highclere, about 11 miles from Andover: Newbury is 6 miles from Highclere. On the right of this road, between 7 and 8 miles from Andover, is the village of Hurstbourne Tarrant, near which is Hurstbourne Park, the seat of the Earl of Portsmouth. It is situated about a mile westward' on elevated ground, com- manding fine prospects to the north, and south from Winchester. The mansion consists of a centre, and two uniform wings, connected with it by colonnades. The eastern wing contains a large li- brary and chapel, the western is princi- pally occupied by the offices, servants' apartments, &c, whilst the centre, con- stituting the general family residence, has some noble apartments. The edifice was erected from the design of "Wyatt. From the south (which is the principal) front, the ground gradually slopes to a fine sheet of water, which winds through a delightful park, well wooded, and abounding with deer. The country around Hurstbourne consists of extensive downs. Mr. Cob- bett remarks — " This country, though so open, has its beauties. The home- steads in the sheltered bottoms, with fine lofty trees about the houses and yards, form a beautiful contrast with the large open fields. The little vil- lages, running straggling along the dells (always with lofty trees and rook- eries), are very interesting objects even in the winter ; you feel a sort of satis- faction when you are out upon the bleak hills yourself at the thought of the . shelter which is experienced in the dwellings in the valleys.'' The road from Newbury to Andover divides into two branches at the latter town, one proceeding to Salisbury and the other to Winchester. The road from Andover to Winchester, a distance of about 14 miles, passes through Wher- well and over Barton Stacey Down. At Wherwell, 4 miles from Ando- ver, a nunnery was founded by Elfrida about 986, as an atonement for the murder of her first husband, Athelwold, and of her step-son King Edward the Martyr. The accession of Edward had been opposed by a faction, at the head of whom was Elfrida, who maintained the right of her own son to the vacant throne, but Edward was formally ac- cepted as king by the Witenagemote. ANDOVER TO WEYHILL. 71 This however did not extinguish the ambitious hopes of his mother-in-law ; and while Edward was hunting one day, he stopped at the gate of her residence, Corfe Castle, in Dorsetshire, when he was stabbed by an assassin in the back as he sat on horseback drinking a cup of mead. Elfrida spent the close of her infamous life in this nunnery, and was buried within its walls. The country from Hurstbourne Tar- rant to Wherwell is a bed of chalk co- vered with a thin soil. There is a road from Andover to Amesbury, in Wiltshire, which enters the latter county about ten miles from Andover. About 3 miles from Andover, on this road, is the village ofWEYHiLL, where one of the largest fairs in England is held. This fair begins on the 10th of October, and continues for six days. It is thus described in * Magna Britannia Hi- bernia? a survey of Great Britain, pub- lished in 1720: — "This fair is reckoned to be as great an one as any in England, for many commodities, and for sheep indisputably the biggest, the farmers coming out of the south, north, and east to buy the Dorsetshire ewes here. It is also a great hop and cheese fair, the former being brought out of Sussex and Kent, and the latter out of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Somersetshire." The above account of the chief articles of trade will apply with little alteration to the present day. The sale of sheep, though the favourite breed may be dif- ferent, is still great ; more than 140,000 have been sold on the first day. The Farnham hops, the choicest of any grown in England, are chiefly sold here, and a place appropriated to their sale bears the name of Farnham Row. Many horses, particularly cart colts, are also sold. During this fair assemblies are held in the town-hall at Andover. The great road from Andover to Salis- bury passes out of the county at Lob- combe Corner, about 10 miles from Andover and 8 from Salisbury. This road crosses the beautiful valley which winds between the hills to Stock bridge, after which it rises upon the downs, which form the commencement of the tract called Salisbury Plain. Between Andover and the verge of the county are several remains of camps and earth- works. Danebury hill is along elevated ridge running nearly E. and W. and termi- nating abruptly at a point or head: at that spot is found an ancient circular intrenchment in good preservation, and which is known by the name of Dane- bury Camp. It encloses an extensive area. The entrance is by a winding course protected by great banks. The rampart of the area is very high, and protected on the outside by a single ditch on the north and south sides where the descent is abrupt, and by a double one elsewhere. On the W. and N.W. of this camp are several barrows ; one of them about a mile distant bears the name of Canute's Barrow. About five miles from Danebury, in a north-western direction, is another con- siderable camp, which occupies the sum- mit of Quarley Mount, an eminence to 72 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. the south of the road. This is supposed to have been the opposing camp to that of Danebury, or in other words, that the two camps were erected at the same period and by hostile forces. On the south side the works are quadruple ; there is a space of sixty paces between the two outer lines, and of thirty-six between the others. The eastern side is ploughed up; the others measure respectively 210, 240, and 290 paces. Over the downs in the vicinity are scat- tered various tumuli. There are also the remains of Roman camps at Otte- bury, about six miles from Andover ; and at Frippsbury, about five miles from Ottebury. 73 CHAPTER VII. THE WINCHESTER STATION. The Winchester station is 64 miles from the London terminus of the South- western Railway, and 12$ from the terminus at Southampton. The high road from London to Southampton and Poole passes through Winchester, and it is about 12 miles south of the great thoroughfare from the metropolis to the south-western counties. Being, how- ever, nearly in the centre of the county, many important county roads form a junction at Winchester. The distance from London, by the London and South- ampton road, is 62j miles. Besides the railway, the traveller who starts from the metropolis has the choice of two roads, namely, the road which branches from the great western road at Basingstoke, and the one which branches from the London and Gosport road near Alton. The origin of the city of Winches- ter lies concealed in the farthest depths of our British antiquities. Tradition, and the evidence of our oldest histori- cal monuments, concur with the proba- bility afforded by the situation of the place in making it out as having been one of the earliest settlements of the first inhabitants of the island. In this way it may possibly have existed as a village in the woods for a thousand years before the Christian era. When the Romans first landed in Britain, about half a century before the birth of Christ, the tract of country in which Winchester stands appears to have been peopled by a Belgic tribe, who had come over from the continent about two hundred years before. It is said that the British name of Winchester was then Caer Gwent, or the town of Gwent, which the Romans Latinised into Vinta, calling it commonly the Vinta of the Belgge. If it had been, as is commonly thought, the capital of England in the times of the Britons, it regained that distinction under the Saxons, on the union of the country under one sceptre in the beginning of the ninth century, by Egbert, king of Wessex, to whose original dominions it had belonged. Winchester was more than once ravaged by the Danes, who landed at Southampton. Here, in 1002, commenced the massacre of the Danes, who had settled in England. From this time till the reign of Ed- ward the Confessor, in the middle of the eleventh century, Winchester retained the dignity of chief city of the realm. Here Alfred and Canute 74 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. principally resided and held their courts ; and the cathedral was the burial-place of Saxon and Danish kings. Even after the erection of the abbey and palace of Westminster by the Confessor, and the attachment which he showed to that neighbourhood, had crowned the long- rising importance of London, Winches- ter continued for a considerable period to dispute pre-eminence with its rival. During the reigns of the Conqueror and his two sons, in particular, it may be said to have still maintained an equality with London. William Rufus was crowned here, and his remains were interred in the cathedral. Here were the royal mint, treasury, and public record office, a pa- lace and a strong castle. Tt was not perhaps considered to have altogether lost its old metropolitan supremacy till the reign of Richard L, towards the ' close of the twelfth century. Parlia- ments were held at Winchester both in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Prince Arthur, son of Henry VI I., was born at the castle, and Henry VIII. entertained the Emperor Charles V- at the same place in 1522. The castle was garrisoned during the civil war under Charles I., first by the parliamentary party, from whom the royalists captured it in 1643, when it was retaken after the fight at Naseby. This castle, which had been erected by William the Con- queror, was nearly demolished on its surrender; and the city walls, as well as Wolvesey Palace, the residence of the bishops, were greatly damaged at the same time. The parliamentary soldiers also committed excesses in the cathedral by destroying monuments and mutilating and injuring parts of the edifice. The remains of the castle are now scanty: the chapel attached to the castle is now used as the county hall for holding the assizes, and here is sus- pended Arthur's Round Table, which was fresh painted on the occasion of the entertainment given to Charles V. The bishop's palace was rebuilt in 1684. Winchester was a favourite city both of Charles II. and his brother James II. The former sovereign commenced the erection of a palace on the site of the old castle in 1682, but he died in less than two years after laying the foundation stone. Prince George of Denmark vi- sited Winchester in 1707, accompanied by his consort Queen Anne, and they were also so well pleased with the city and the country around it, that the prince resolved upon completing the pa- lace commenced by King Charles ; but again death interposed, and the origi- nal design has never been finished. The building has been used as an abode for prisoners of war, and is now occupied as barracks. The principal floor con- sists of a suite of rooms, 160 in number. Winchester is situated on the eastern slope of an eminence, at the foot of which flows the Itchin, which is navi- gable for barges, and empties itself into Southampton Water. The city consists of several good streets lighted with gas and well paved: the principal street is half a mile long, and is intersected at right angles with secondary streets of nearly the same length. Of the four ancient gates only one is now remain- WINCHESTER. 75 <> A..- m 7(5 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. ing, and the ditches have in many places been filled up, and all trace of them and the old walls obliterated. When visited by the Boundary Com- missioners in 1831, they remarked in their Report that Winchester was gra- dually, and with respect to some por- tions of it annually increasing in houses, population, and wealth. The ecclesi- astical and other corporate bodies who hold property in the city, are not em- powered to grant long leases, and there- fore building is not encouraged on their estates, and the increase in the number of houses takes place chiefly upon free- hold property. Winchester has no ma- nufactures : it is the residence of vari- ous individuals connected with the ma- nagement of the county business ; and there are also the cathedral dignitaries and the parochial clergy, so that the society of the place has many attrac- tions for persons living upon a hand- some independence, who have also the additional inducement which the Col- lege holds out as a superior place of education for their children. The public buildings whose appear- ance will attract the traveller's attention after the Cathedral and the College, are — 1. The Town Hall, erected in 1711 : here are shown the ancient Winchester bushel, and other standard measures, ordered to be kept at Winchester by King Edgar. 2. The County Gaol, built on Howard's plan, in 1788. 3. The County Bridewell. 4. The City Bride- well. 5. The County Hospital, erected in 1 759. There are nine parish churches : before the dissolution the churches and chapels which the city contained are said to have amounted to ninety. Winchester, indeed, affords a rich field to the student of ecclesiastical antiqui- ties ; but it is not possible to enumerate all the various sources to which he should direct his attention. He may refer with advantage to the works of Warner, Britton, and other topographi- cal writers, if he wishes fully to explore this subject. The general reader will be interested to know that a gaol now occupies the site of Hyde Abbey, in which, before the high altar, the remains of the great Alfred were interred. Some years before his death he had begun building a monastery, which he intended as a burial-place for himself and his family ; but he died two years before it was completed, and his remains were first interred in the cathedral, but, in 903, they were removed to his own abbey-church, called the " Newn Myn- stre." This monastery being subse- quently removed to Hyde Meadow, they were again removed and finally deposited, as before mentioned, in front of the high -altar. King Alfred also assisted his Queen, Alswytha, in build- ing another monastery in the city for persons of her own sex. It was near and parallel to the cathedral, and was called the "Nunna Mynstre," or Abbey of St. Mary's. It is in vain that we seek for the remains of many of these old establishments. The church of St. Maurice was anciently a priory chapel, and is distinguished for its low massive tower. St. Swithin's church also belonged to a priory, and WINCHESTER. 77 may be recognised by the stranger from the situation which it occupies over a postern gate called the King's Gate. St, John's House, or Hospital, in the High-street, is said to have been founded by a bishop of Winchester before the Conquest. It was once in the hands of the Templars ; but when it was re- founded in the reign of Edward II., it was placed under the direction of the corporation, who obtained sole posses- sion of it at the dissolution. Christ's Hospital, founded in 1586, for the sup- port of six poor men, and the education and maintenance of four poor boys, has at present an income exceeding 400/. a year. Near the Cathedral there are alms-houses, endowed by Bishop Mor- ley, in 1672, for the poor widows of clergymen. There are a number of other charities and endowments, which want of space will not allow us to men- tion: among them are three well-endowed charity schools. The Roman Catholics, the Independents, Baptists, Wesleyan Methodists, have places of worship in the city. The more modern of the city institutions include a public library and a mechanics' institute, the latter esta- blished in 1835 : there are also public baths. Reduced now to a town not contain- ing, by the last census, quite 10,000 inhabitants, modern Winchester derives its chief importance from the ancient and splendid ecclesiastical establish- ment of which it is the seat. While the other bishops take rank according to the date of the consecration of each, the Bishop of Winchester holds perma- nently the next place after those of London and Durham, who stand next to the two archbishops, and before all the rest of the episcopal bench. In point of opulence, also, this see has always been reckoned one of the first in England. The net income of the bi- shopric for the three years ending 1835, was 11,151/., and that of the cathedral dignitaries and other officers was 12,783/. for the same period, after deducting ex~ penses of various kinds. THE CATHEDRAL. The foundation of the see, and also that of the Cathedral of Winchester, have been carried back so far as the middle of the second century after the birth of Christ, when, it is affirmed, the British King Lucius, having become a convert to the true religion, erected here the first Christian church on the site of the chief Pagan temple. This legend, however, rests on too uncertain autho- rity to be entitled to much regard. All that we really know of the ecclesiastical history of those times is, that Chris- tianity was undoubtedly introduced into the island in the course of the first century; that the converts among the Roman settlers were some time after considerable for their numbers; and that it had been generally diffused among the British inhabitants prior to the Saxon invasion. It was not till after the commencement of the seventh century that * the Saxon kings and people of Wessex were induced to relin- quish Paganism. The first of the former who was baptized was Kinegils, 78 JOURNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. the great-great-grandson of Cerdic, the founder of the dynasty. His conver- sion, which took place about the year 635, and which was speedily followed by that of the greater number of his subjects, is attributed to St. Birinus, who had been sent over to preach the Gospel from Italy by Pope Honorius, and is accounted the first Bishop of Winchester. Kinegils began the build- ing of a cathedral, but his death, which took place soon after, prevented him from carrying it much beyond the foundation. The work, however, was continued by his son and successor Kenewalch, and brought to a conclu- sion in 648, when it was dedicated to the Holy Trinity and *to the Apostles Peter and Paul. This edifice is de- scribed as having been of great extent and magnificence ; but any consider- able building of stone, which is said to have been the material employed in the present instance, was calculated to ex- cite admiration in that age. It stood, there can be no doubt, on the same spot which is occupied by the existing cathedral. In 871, however, in an at- tack made upon the city by the Danes, the sacred structure appears to have b^en, if not entirely demolished, so ter- ribly injured as to have been reduced to little better than a ruin. It is probable tiiat it was repaired by the great Alfred, when, some years after, he regained the throne of his ancestors ; but in the middle of the next century we find the fabric to have fallen again into such complete decay, that the then bishop, kt. Elhulwold, (h'UuiuniLci to pull it down, and rebuild it from the founda- tion. St. Ethelwold's Cathedral was finished in the year 980. Much controversy has taken place among writers on the architectural an- tiquities of Winchester, as to whether any or how much of the building erecied by St. Ethelwoid remains in the pre- sent cathedral. Some have contended that the entire church was lebuilt about a century after by Bishop Walkelyn, the prelate who was firbt appointed to the see after the Conquest ; and cer- tain of the statements of the old eccle- siastical historians would seem to imply that this was the fact. It seems to be generally acknowledged, however, that the character of the architecture of part of the east end is nearly decisive in fa- vour of its superior antiquity to that of the rest of the church, and especially of the tower and those portions of the transepts and nave which are known to be the work of Walkelyn. Some have even contended, on evidence of a similar description, that parts of both the tran- septs and the nave must be considered to be of the age of Eihelwold. The central tower, however, was un- doubtedly built by Bishop Walkelyn, whose repairs and additions, whatever was their extent, were regarded as so important, that, upon their completion in 1093, the church underwent a new dedication to St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Swithin. After this, a portion of the east end was rebuilt towards the close of the eleventh century, by Bishop Godfrey de Lucy. But the most im- portant improvements which were made WINCHESTER. 79 [Exterior of Winchester Caihed ral.] on the original structure were those which were commenced soon after the middle of the fourteenth century, by Bishop William de Edyndon, and con- tinued and completed by his illustrious successor the celebrated William de Wykeham, who held this see from 1366 to 1404. The latter prelate may be said to have rebuilt nearly the whole of the cathedral to the westward of the central tower ; and to him in particular is to be attributed the construction of the great west front, which is by far the most magnificent part of the edifice as it now exists. Finally, in the early part of the sixteenth century, a consi- derable part of the church to the east of the central tower was restored by Bishop Richard Fox, another of the distinguished prelates by whom this see was governed. The Cathedral of Winchester, it will be perceived from this sketch of its his- tory, may be regarded as a nearly com- plete record and exemplification of all the successive changes in the Norman style of architecture, from its rise, or at least its introduction into this country, in the eleventh, till its disappearance in the sixteenth century. The building is in the usual foim of a cross ; and is one of the largest of our cathedrals, its length from east to west being 545 feet, and the breadth of the nave and aisles 87 feet. The nave is considered one of the finest in England, and is nearly the same length as that of York Minster. The length of the transepts from north to south is 186 feet; and the roof of the nave is 76 feet in height. The height of the tower is 138 feet, and its breadth 50 feet by 48. With the exception of the west front — which, with its noble window, its buttresses, and pinnacled 80 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. turrets, and the canopied statue of Wykeham that crowns its pointed ter- mination, has a grand and imposing effect — the exterior of the church has but little to recommend it. The ex- treme plainness of its architecture, its long unbroken continuity of roof, and its short and squat tower, give it altogether j / [Nave of Winchester Cathedral.] \ WINCHESTER. 81 rather a homely and almost heavy air. Placed as it is, besides, in a low situation, were it not for its immense mass, it would scarcely have anything to distinguish it from the undecorated buildings by which it is surrounded. The interior, however, is such as amply to make up for this deficiency of outward display. The vast length of the vista formed by the nave and choir, with the splendid ceiling overhead,— the lines of columns and arches on each hand, — and the large and beautiful window that casts its light down from behind the choir, at the termination of the view, — all con- tribute to produce upon the spectator, as he enters from the great western door, an overpowering impression of solemnity and magnificence. And when he proceeds to examine the ob- jects by which he is surrounded more in detail, he discovers everywhere a richness of ornament which it is impos- sible to look upon without admiration. Not to speak of a profusion of modern monuments, there are placed in diffe- rent parts of the church various ancient chantries and tombs, exhibiting some of the finest efforts of Gothic sculpture in the world. The chantries, in particular, of William of Wykeham, of Bishop Fox, of Cardinal Beaufort, and of Bishop Waynfiete, are structures of the most superb description. Behind the altar also is a stone screen erected by Bishop Fox, a work of wonderful elaboration and beauty. The altar is ornamented by West's picture of the Raising of La- zarus from the Dead, one of the most successful works of that master. Many [Interior of Winchester Cathedral.] 82 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. venerable relics of antiquity are like- wise here preserved, and which are pointed out to visitors. THE COLLEGE. Winchester College, which ranks next after the cathedral in point of in- terest, was founded by William of Wyke- harn in the latter part of the fourteenth century. An institution for education had existed at Winchester before the Conquest, which was afterwards made a general grammar school for all classes of the people. William of Wykeham WINCHESTER. 83 was among the last of the scholars who received their early education in " The Great Grammar-school in Winchester." After various changes of fortune, all of them steps of advancement, Wykeham became bishop of Winchester. This happened in the year 1366 ; and seven years after this, in 1373, he took the grammar-school into his own hands ; paid the master's salary out of his own private funds, and also found board and lodging for the scho- lars in different houses in St. John's parish. He had just endowed at Oxford, the other place of his educa- tion, a college for the special benefit of natives of his diocese ; and he wished that they should have the means of obtaining that preliminary education which should qualify them for deriving the necessary advantage from the col- lege at Oxford. Having purchased a site of the prior and monks of the cathe- dral, the works were commenced, and six years afterwards, on the 28th of March, 1393, JohnMorys, who had been the same day appointed warden, and with him the rest of the society, made their solemn entrance into the college, chanting in procession. The society consisted of a warden and ten priests, who were perpetual fellows ; a master and second master, seventy scholars, three chaplains, three inferior clerks, and sixteen choristers : in all 105 on the foundation. Wykeham lived eight years afterwards, and died in September, 1404, at Bishop's Waltham. The situation of the college, though low, is by no means either damp or un- healthy ; for the current of the river, and the constant exchange of the atmo- sphere between the downs and the mea- dows, and also between the upper and lower parts of the valley, keep the air in continual and healthy motion. The part of the college fronting the street is anything but handsome. An arched gateway leads to the first court or square, or rather oblong, the court end of which is occupied by the warden's house, and the rest is taken up by dor- mitories, offices, and other common apartments. The tower over the gate- way leading inwards from this first quadrangle is rather more ornamented than that towards the street ; and the upper part of it is ornamented by three niches, containing statues of the Virgin, the angel Gabriel, and one of Wykeham, in his episcopal robes and mitre, sup- plicating the blessing of the Virgin. The archway under the tower leads to the second quadrangle, which is not so long, but broader, and therefore better proportioned than the first. The build- ings are also in far superior style, and display that classical simplicity and strength which are so conspicuous in every work that Wykeham designed or erected. The dining hall occupies the left side of the second quadrangle, and is a splendid room, in the ancient Gothic style, measuring 63 feet in length and 33 in breadth. The roof is lofty, and without ceiling ; but with the beams and rafters appropriately ornamented, especially with bosses at the intersec- tions. The people of the middle age G 2 84 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. [Winchester College, with the Cloisters, entrance to the Library, and the Church.] WINCHESTER. 85 never ceiled their dining-halls either with stone or with wood, but left them clear to the roof, and with some means of ventilation for carrying off the fumes of the dinner ; and this roof is elevated, and has openings for this purpose, but so contrived as that neither rain nor a current of air shall find entrance. The trusses of the roof are supported on the walls by ornamented corbels, which chiefly represent the heads of kings and bishops. The ascent to this hall is by a flight of steps in the south-western angle of the court ; and by the bottom of the stairs there is a lavatory, where the members of the college performed their ablutions as they went to and from their meals, personal cleanliness having been strictly enjoined in all establish- ments of the kind. The west wing con- tains the kitchen, which is an ample apartment well suited for its purpose. In an apartment near the kitchen there is a very singular figure in oil painting, usually termed " the trusty servant," and intended perhaps as a standing admonition to the servants of the esta- blishment. The eastern or right wing of the south side of the second quadrangle is occu- pied by the chapel, 33 feet wide, the same as the hall ; but the length of it is 102 feet. The windows are spacious, and filled with stained glass ; and the roof, which is made of oak in imitation of a groined roof of stone, is exactly in the same style as the ceiling, of the same kind which is over the presbytery of Winchester eathedral. The great east window is spacious in its dimen- sions, and has its mullions very chastely- disposed, and being entirely filled with stained glass, it throws a dim but warm and mellowed light over the whole in- terior. The other windows are also filled with stained glass, exhibiting a numerous collection of kings, bishops, priests, abbots, nuns, &c. The dark colour of the oaken ceiling gives a peculiarly solemn air to the interior of the chapel. The floor was, in former times, paved with ornamental stones inlaid with curious brasses ; and the choir stalls were adorned in the ancient style with canopies and spire- work. In 1691 Dr. Nicholas, with singular bad taste, placed modern benches and wainscoting in the room of the stalls, new painted the choir, and had a new altar erected of the Ionic order, so that the roof and walls still appear those of an ancient chapel, while the floor and furniture would better become a modern meeting-house. The appointment of the choir consists of three chaplains, three clerks, an or ganist, and sixteen choristers ; and the choir service is performed at 8 o'clock a.m. and 5 o'clock p.m. on Sundays and holidays, and 5 o'clock on the vigils of the latter. In vacation-time stran- gers may attend the chapel; and there are tribunes for females in the places formerly occupied by the side altars. The cloisters constitute the extreme south-east of the college buildings, and form a square of 132 feet on the sides, and are supposed to have been erected about 1430, by John Fromond, who cer- tainly built the chapel in the centre of 86 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. their area. An endowment by the founder for a priest to officiate in this chapel was subverted at the dissolution. The chapel was converted into a library in 1629, and so remains to the present time. The collection of books is con- siderable, and some of 1 hem are valuable : there are also a few articles such as are suitable for a museum. To the westward of the cloisters and library, and separated from them by an area of moderate dimensions, stands the building which is, in a public point of view, the most interesting of the whole. This is the public school, a plain sub- stantial building, erected in the year 1687, at a cost of 2600/, obtained chiefly by a subscription amongst Wykeham- ists. Over the entrance there is a bronze statue of the founder, modelled, cast, and presented by Caius Gabriel Cibber, father of Colly Cibber. The statue in question has been disfigured by being painted and gilt. This school-room is spacious, being 90 feet long, 36 feet wide, and of proportional height: upon the walls are set forth the admonitions and rules for the government of the scholars, all in Latin. The admonitions are three : " Either learn ; or depart ; or in the third place be flogged ;" and adjoining to these there are appropriate symbols. Winchester College, with its gram- mar-school, differs little in its manage- ment from Eton. The commoners are not under the control of the warden, but under the immediate superintendence of the head-master, and have a quadran- gle and a hall of their own, situated at the north-western angle of the college. The foundation scholars are limited to 70, and the commoners are in general about 130. The warden and fellows at Win- chester, and those of Wykeham's col- lege, are the parties who have the nomi- nation of the foundation scholars. The candidates for Wykeham's college at Oxford consist of two of the kin of the founder, if such are found qualified, and after them of the other foundation scho- lars in the order of their respective merits. While at the school here the total expense to gentlemen commoners may be about 120/. a year, and perhaps the extras, not included in the foundation, may cost the foundation scholars some 30/. or 40/. There is no limitation as to the age at which foundation scholars may enter the establishment ; but if they are not of the kindred of the founder, they must leave it at 1 8,whereas his kindred may remain till they are 25. After the candidates for Oxford have been selected and all the business is over, there is a ball, and the final act previous to the summer vacation is the chanting of a Latin song, "Dulce Domum,"' to which justice cannot be done in any English translation. The City Cross, erected in the reign of Henry VI., is an elegant work of art, 43 feet high. It is undoubtedly the finest market-cross remaining in Eng- land. It is much to the credit of the then inhabitants of Winchester, that they saved it from destruction in 1770. Some commissioners of pavements had either sold it or bargained for its re- moval, and the workmen had actually [Winchester Market Cross.] 88 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. assembled in order to commence opera- tions, when a number of the citizens gathered together, and by their spirited remonstrances frustrated the attempt. The period of its erection is assigned, with every appearance of probability, to the period we have mentioned, namely, the fifteenth century. The cross stands in the High- street, nearly in the centre of the city. It is elevated on five stone steps, each of which gra- dually diminishes in size, and consists of three stories, adorned with open arches, niches, and pinnacles, sur- mounted with small crosses. It appears to have had four statues originally ; but only one now remains, under one of the canopied niches on the second story. Mr. Britton gives the following dimen- sions : — " It now measures 43j feet from the ground to the summit. The lower tier of arches is 7 feet 10 inches high, and the statue is 5 feet 10 inches." The origin of market-crosses seems obvious enough. The figure of the cross during the middle ages was the grand symbol of religion. It was placed every where — in churches, church- yards, by the road-side, to stimulate the devotions of the traveller. The use of the cross, therefore, to indicate the market-place, arose very naturally from the veneration paid to it : it served to excite devotional feelings in those as- sembled for the purpose of buying and selling. A large number of market- towns were in the immediate neigh- bourhood and stood on the soil of ab- beys and other religious foundations. The country people who came to dispose of their grain, poultry, eggs, butter, &c, had to pay certain tolls on their commodities ; these were generally col- lected at the " cross," or market- pi ace ; and frequently advantage was taken of the assembling of the people to address them from the cross on some particular topic. During the latter days of the Gothic, or rather the ecclesiastical architecture, the idea was adopted of enlarging the area where the cross stood, and arching it over, so as to afford a shelter during inclement weather, or, in the words of Leland, " for poore market folkes to stand dry when rayne cumine^.'' At the dissolution of the monasteries, almost every market town in England had a cross, some of them exceedingly rich and elaborate in their architectural details. ' It is a matter of regret to the antiquary and the lover of ancient monuments that so few have been preserved. The Hospital of St. Cross is situated within the parliamentary bound- ary of the city, in the centre of a delightful part of the valley of Itchin, and is every way deserving a visit. There are several ways *of getting to this hospital from Win- chester : the carriage- road may be either the Southampton road from the upper part of the city, or the Kingsgate- street road directly from the Cathedral and Close. For pedestrians, especially in summer, the most delightful walk is across the meadows, along that canal or branch of the Itchin which is used in irrigating the western parts of the vale. By any of these routes one is soon 1 ■* <>0 JOURNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. brought to the entrance-gate, which is in the northern part of the premises, toward the village of St. Cross. Although the valley in which this village is situated stretches from Aires- ford to Southampton, with a pretty regu- lar descent and current of the water all the way, yet this particular portion of it has the appearance of an amphitheatre of considerable extent and of very great beauty. On the left bank of the river is St. Catherine's Hill ; the northern slope of which is the grand play-ground for the scholars of Winchester College ; and for this reason the hill itself is sometimes called the College Hill. Near the summit of the hill there are traces of an ancient fortification. On the summit there is a lonely little clump of trees ; but they form a very con- spicuous object from most parts of the surrounding country ; and they are sometimes not a little provoking to the pedestrian whom the beauties of this part of Hampshire tempt to a long ramble ; for they are always seen, but never appear to be reached. Between the hospital and St. Catherine's Hill there are various ramifications of the crystal waters of the itchin, which is here employed to irrigate exceedingly beautiful and highly-productive water meadows; and, immediately under the hill, which is very steep, there is the barge river or canal, by which heavy goods are carried from Southampton to Winchester in barges vary ing from fifty to seventy tons in burthen. The trans- parency of the water, and the exquisite perennial green of the meadows, which extend upwards to Winchester, and downwards as far as the eye can reach, with the occasional trees and hedge- rows, all in the richest verdure, render this one of the sweetest spots that can well be imagined. Nor must we forget the beauty of the hill. St. Catherine's is the western termination of the chalk- ridge which extends, with a little inter- ruption, from Butser hill, near the borders of Sussex, to this point on the Itchin, and after heing interrupted by that river, rises again on the opposite side, swelling into a considerable mount, from the summit of which Cromwell battered the castle of Winchester, and forced it to surrender after it had long withstood the attempts of Sir William Waller. Like St. Catherine's, this ele- vation has a clump of stunted trees, which occupies nearly the whole area of the fort. Near St. Catherine's is the beautiful vale of Chilcombe, containing some of the most productive land in Hampshire, though without the slightest rill of run- ning water. On the top of Twyfoid down, behind St. Catherine's, there arc still vestiges of the <>reat Roman road from Porta Magna, modern Porches- ter, to Venta Belgarum, or Winchester. This road was the principal thorough- fare for the Romans from the sea to the interior of this part of Eng'and ; for though there was a Roman harbour at Clausentum on the Itchin, a little above Southampton, and another at Nutshal- ling, a little above Redbridge on the Test, with roads from each of these to Winchester, yet both appear to have WINCHESTER. 91 been merely river harbours, and not much employed for direct intercourse with the Continent. This Roman road descended the north-eastern shoulder of St. Catherine's Hill, passed the lower part of the vale of Chilcombe, and so reached Winchester, beyond which it was carried along the heights to the strong hill-fort of Sorbiodunum, or Old Sarum, which, in those days, was per- haps the place of greatest strength in the south-west of England. The downs surrounding St. Cathe- rine's and Chilcombe have fine slopes, and are covered with delicate and whole- some grass; they rise to a considerable elevation on the south-east and the north ; the most lofty being Longwood Warren on the east, and the western termination on the north, St. Giles's Hill, rising very abruptly from the bank of the river at Winchester ; which city, in the days of its splendour, extended a considerable way over the summit of the hill, and even on towards Magdalen Hill, upon which there once was an hospital, as there was a chapel on the summit of St. Catherine's. On the north-west, Winchester, with its vast length of Cathedral, the beautiful tower of its college, and the mass of that por- tion of Charles II.'s intended palace, now converted into a most commodious barrack, form a continuous barrier in this quarter, from which the chalky down trends south and south-east by Cromwell's fort, until it approaches the river in Compton downs, opposite to St. Catherine's and Twyford downs on the other side. From the number of chan- nels into which the waters of the river are diverted for the purposes of irriga- tion, and the quantity of the surface which is generally under water, the temperature of this amphitheatre is de- lightfully fresh in summer : and though it is a little cold in winter, it has no ten- dency to be aguish, as those who under- stand the management of water-mea- dows never allow the waters to stagnate upon them, even for a single day. The chapel of St. Cross, which is the finest and most perfect remains of the architectural splendour of Henry de Blois (temp. Stephen), is certainly a magnificent structure, considering that it was originally intended only for thir- teen poor men, a master, a steward, four chaplains, thirteen clerks, and seven choristers. The church is in the cathedral style ; that is to say, it consists of a nave and side aisles, with a chancel and transepts, and a huge and massy Norman tower over the intersection, which has origin- ally formed a lantern to throw a dim oblique light upon the high altar; but it is now divided off by floors. The leads of the tower can be ascended without much difficulty ; and from them there is a very fine view of the rich meadows around, the South Western Railway, the city, cathedral, and college of Winches- ter, and the valley of theltchin, upwards and downwards. Externally the building is plain, but the different parts of it are admirably proportioned; and the whiteness of its colour renders it a striking object as contrasted with the rich green of the 92 JOURNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. meadows and the dark foliage of the trees. The towers, and all the eastern turrets, which appear to be in very nearly the same state as they were left by the architects of De Blois, are of squared stone, jointed in the neatest and most durable manner. This chapel or church is, indeed, evidently of the same size, on the same foundation, and by far the greater part of it of the same architec- ture, which it had from the beginning. The nave and aisles measure 150 feet long from east to west, and the transepts 120 from north to south, thus approach- ing more nearly to a perfect and regular cross than in most cathedrals. De Blois seems to have been anxious that this, his favourite hospital, should be the monument of his architectural taste — a taste in which, by peculiarity of orna-. ment, he seems to have been anxious to excel all his Norman predecessors. "Whether the arched roof over the nave and aisles was part of his original plan we cannot now determine, though it is not likely, as the Normans, down to this age, carried up their walls with a succession of arches to the timbers of the roof. But from the style of the pillars which divide the aisles from the nave, it is highly probable that they are part of the original Norman structure. They are very massy, quite cylindrical, without any taper, and the circumfe- rence of the shaft is about equal to its height, thus making them not more than four diameters, including the bases and capitals. The bases are placed upon square plinths, with a supporting claw to each corner, though these parts are considerably worn, and the capitals in general consist of simple mouldings, though these mouldings are not perfectly uniform in all their pillars. The arches [Norman Wiudovr, St. Cross. J which they now support have a slight approximation to being pointed ; and there are pointed arches of decidedly Norman structure in other parts of the edifice ; but it is doubtful whether the present arches which the pillars support are not of more recent date than the pillars themselves. By some writers these pillars and arches have been considered as Saxon, that is, as constructed after Saxon models ; but as the first thing the Normans did, after establishing their possession of England, was to rebuild the cathedrals and churches, it is by no means likely that they would have chosen Saxon models; because, if the models had been satisfactory to the Normans, these people would not have pulled down the original edifices and WINCHESTER. 93 erected others in their stead. It is to be borne in mind also, that 70 years had elapsed between the Norman con- quest and the building of St. Cross, and that these years had been years of religious building in many parts of the country, during which princes, nobles, and prelates seem to have vied with each other as to who should produce the finest specimen of the building art. In St. Cross, De Blois seems to have collected all the methods of ornament- ing: which were then known. In the mouldings we find the cheveron, the hatchet, the billet, the pellet, the fret, the indented, the clouded, the waved, and every other style of this kind of ornament which can be regarded as truly Norman. The most elaborate workmanship appears to have been be- stowed upon the interior of the presby- tery; and this consists of circular arches, springing from short pillars, enriched with mouldings and work- basket wire, so that immediately over the pillars they form pointed arches, while in each crown of an arch, which is over the intermediate pillar, there is a triangular space. Some of the pointed arches have been carried out into windows of the same form, and of these there are four over the high altar and four on each side of the presbytery. In modern times, the revenues of the hospital afford rather a handsome re- venue to the master, who is seldom, if ever, resident : the present master is the Earl of Guildford, who is in holy orders. Besides his living, there is something, but we believe not a great deal, to the chaplain, who resides in the building, and performs service in the chapel, which is attended by sufferance by the inhabitants of the adjoining parish of St. Faith, they having had no church of their own for many years. The bre- thren are some eleven or twelve in num- ber, and they have comfortable houses with separate gardens, and about 100/. a year each. The charity is a perfectly free one, so that a brother may not only have his family along with him, but may follow his trade or profession, if he has one ; and we have seen, in one of the lodges, a venerable painter amusing his old age with his pallet and brush, and living cheerfully and happily in the society of his grandchildren. The bre- thren, when they come abroad, wear black cloaks, with a large silver cross on the left breast, so that they may be known. Cardinal Beaufort, who may be regarded almost as the second founder of St. Cross, intended that his part of the charity at least should go to the support of broken-down gentlemen ; and for this reason he wished it to be called "The Alms-house of Noble Poverty." At present, however, we believe that the vacant brotherships are as often filled up by favourite servants in their old age as by broken-down squires. The revenues of the brethren vary consider- ably from year to year, because a good part of them are derived from fines on leases and on entries. There is still a small remnant of the hospitable customs of ancient times, and of the manners of an early state of society, and any one who, before the 91 JOUKNKY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. day is too far spent, knocks at the por- ter's lodge, gets a horn of ale and a slice of bread. There are not very many way- faring men who avail themselves of this charity ; but when a poor traveller does call, the portress gives him a slice of bread worth having. In summer, much both of the bread and ale is given to those who resort to the hospital in order to see its beauties. For this treat the portress expects such gratuity as they please to give her. The road from Winchester to Gos- port, a distance of 24 miles, passes through Twyford, Botley, and Titch- field. About 2 miles south of Winches- ter the road branches out of the road to Southampton, soon after which it passes through Twyford, where there was once a Roman Catholic seminary, at which Pope received part of his education. The church contains a bust by Nolle- kins, of Dr. Shipley, bishop of St. Asaph. There are several good mansions in the neighbourhood --Twyford House, Twy- ford Lodge, and Shawford Lodge. Botley, 11 miles from Winchester, lies in a valley watered by the river Hamble, which is navigable to this place. There are here several large corn-mills, and a considerable trade in flour is carried on. The late Mr. Cob- bett had once a farm in this parish. Titchfield is 6 miles further on the road, and in a pleasant situation, at tne head of Southampton water, near the Titchfield river, winch is navigable for small vessels: it is about 10 miles from the Southampton station. The church is an interesting structure, and contains the effigies of Wriothesley, first Earl of Southampton, and his wife and son ; also a monument by Chantrey, in me- mory of Miss Hornby. On the east of the town are some high grounds from which a view may be obtained of the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Spit- head. The ruins of Titchfield House are near the town. This mansion, which is now almost entirely demolished, was built on the site, and with the materials of the old abbey. Charles I. was twice concealed in this house — first, after his escape from Hampton Court, and, se- condly, previously to his surrender and imprisonment at Carisbrook Castle. Fareham is 2 miles west of Titch- field. The road from Southampton to Chichester passes through Fareham, and forms a junction with the present road at Titchfield. Continuing our present route, we pass through Crofton and Rowner to Gosport, distant 7 miles from Titchfield, and 24 from Winchester. The road from Winchester to Ports- mouth and Chichester is through Bish- op's Waltham and Fareham. After leaving Winchester the road passes over Chilcombe Down to More- stead, and about a mile east of Upham, whereYoung wrote his 'Night Thoughts.' Thence it proceeds through Bishop's Waltham over Waltham Chace to Wickham, where it joins the London and Gosport road, described at p. 28. At Fareham we leave this road, passing at the foot of Portsdown Hill, and to the left of Porchester Castle, to Cos- hani, where we join the London and PORCHESTER CASTLE. 95 Portsmouth road about 4j miles from Portsmouth. Porchester Castle, situated at the head of Portsmouth harbour, is of great antiquity and doubtful origin. The walls contain some portions of Roman archi- tecture, and are probably on the site of one of the stations denominated Portus, either Portus Magnus, or more probably Portus Adurni, mentioned in the No- titia Imperii. It is probable that the site has been occupied by a fortress from a period anterior to the Roman con- quest; and the present structure exhibits traces of Saxon and Norman, as well as Roman architecture. It is a quadrangle enclosing an area of four or five acres (see plan, p. 96), and is still in sufficient preservation to be used as a place of confinement for prisoners of war. The walls are from eight to twelve feet thick and eighteen feet high, having in many places a passage round them, defended by a parapet. It is enclosed by a ditch (double on the east side), and has eigh- teen hollow circular towers (a), including those of the keep, which are four. A square Saxon keep, which has usurped the place of one of the circular Roman towers forms the north-west angle of the castle, and encloses a quadrangle of 1 15 feet by 65. There is no sign of a portcullis having been used in this Saxon keep. To this tower Mr. King supposes an addition to have been made by the Normans, who at the same time fortified it after their manner, forming an inner baillie, or ballium, within the outer baillie formed by the large Roman enclosure. This keep was in fact the citadel of the castle, and was the resi- dence of the chief officer. Porchester Castle is interesting from the examples of Saxon and Norman adaptations and earth building within its walls. The Roman gates (6, c), most probably the Decuman and Praetorian, have been filled up with gates constructed after the Norman style of fortifying castel- lated entrances. The area of Porches- ter is 620 feet by 610. The remains of Roman workmanship are chiefly observable in the outer walls. Many Roman coins and medals have been dug up at different times. The parish church of Porchester is within the outer court of the castle : it is a large Norman cross church, of which the south tran- sept has been destroyed. All the doors and windows of the more ancient part have semicircular arches. The church contains a curious font. A priory for- merly existed at Porchester, which w T as removed to Soutrnvick in the reign of Henry II. (12th century.) From Cosham there is a continual ion of the road eastward to Chichester through Havant and Emsworth. Havant is in the liberty of Havant (which comprehends only this parish), near the head of Langston harbour, 66j miles from London by Petersfield and Horndean, and 8 miles from Ports- mouth. The parish comprehends 2560 acres, and had in 1831 a population of 2083, about one-iourth agricultural. The church is in the centre of the town, in the form of a cross, with a tower rising from the intersection : some parts of it are of Norman architecture, but it 96 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 400 500 [Porcliester Castle.] exhibits various styles. The living is a rectory, in the peculiar jurisdiction of the bishop of Winchester, who has the presentation : it is of the yearly value of 489/., with a trlebe-house. There is an Independent congregation. Havant has little trade: some parchment is made, and some of the inhabitants are engaged in fishing and fowling. The market is on Saturday, and there are two yearly fairs. Emsworth, a hamlet of the parish of Warblington, at the head of a channel which forms a branch of Chichester harbour, is a place of some trade as a port; ship-building and rope-making are carried on. Emsworth is on the edge of the county, about 9 miles west of Chichester. The road from Winchester to South- ampton, 12 miles distant, passes through St. Cross, Compton, and Otterbourn The hospital of St. Cross has already been described. After passing through Compton, we find Hursley Lodge tne seat of Sir W. EMSWORTH TO HURSLEY. 97 Heathcote, bait. It is situated about 5 miles from Winchester in a south-wes- tern direction. There was formerly a castle or palace here belonging to the bishops of Winchester, erected by Bishop de Blois, and which, so early as the 14th century, was in ruins. A portion of the keep still remains, standing in an area which was surrounded by an immense double and circular entrenchment. We may also add, in connexion with the ancient history of the manor, which is called Merdon, that Kynewulph, king of the West Saxons, was murdered here by Kyenard. But a much greater in- terest attaches to Hursley than these circumstances excite ; we allude to its connexion with the Cromwell family. About 1639 Hursley was purchased from Sir Gerard Napier by Richard Major, Esq., whose daughter and co- heiress Dorothy married, May 1, 1649, Richard, the eldest son of Cromwell. From that time Richard Cromwell re- sided here, enjoying the amusements the country afforded, of hunting, hawk- ing, &c. After his father's death, his own elevation to the Protectorate, and his deposition, this was the only estate belonging to him that the restored go- vernment could not seize ; for it be- longed in jointure to his wife aad their issue. After the death of his wife and eldest son, Richard Cromwell became entitled to a life-interest in the estate at Hursley ; he accordingly sent down his daughters to take possession. They did so, and then refused to give it up to him, alleging that he was superannu- ated, and in lieu they offered him an annual income. He had then recourse to the law, which decided in his favour. The respect his daughters refused, strangers were proud to pay him: his appearance in court excited great in- terest, and the Queen (Anne) herself is said to have expressed her approbation of the great deference paid to a man who had been a sovereign. He died at Cheshunt in 1712, aged eighty-five, and was buried with great funeral pomp at Hursley in the chancel of the church, near his deceased lady and children. His daughters, after his death, sold the estate to Sir W. Heathcote for 35,000/., who caused the ancient mansion to be entirely taken down, in consequence, according to tradition, of a vow he had made, that, because it had belonged to the Cromwells, " he would not let one stone or brick remain upon another even to the foundations !" A seal was found on this occasion in one bf the walls, which proved to be the seal of the Com- monwealth, and, in the opinion of Ver- tue, the eminent artist, the very one taken away by Cromwell from the house of parliament under such extraordinary circumstances. The demolition being completed, Sir William erected the present building, which is of brick. The front has a somewhat grand appearance, with its lofty pilasters of stone rising from the basement story, and sur- mounted by a pediment. The entrance is by a flight of steps on each side. The lawn in front is of considerable extent, and ornamented with many fine old trees and shrubs. The park is well stocked with deer, and game of every kind. 98 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. The hills in the neighbourhood of Otterhourn, through which the road passes, command fine views of South- ampton water, the Solent sea, and the Isle of Wight. At Stoneham, on the right, is a mansion and extensive park. Admiral Hawke, one of the naval heroes of the reign of George II., was buried in the church, which is situated within the park. South Stoneham park and village are on the left, somewhat near- er Southampton. Passing Ports wood House and Belle Vue on the left, and Bannister Lodge and Bevis Mount on the opposite side of the road, we quickly reach Southampton, a distance of 12 miles from Winchester. The road from Winchester to Poole passes through Romsey and Ringwood : the latter place is noticed in Chapter IX. Romsey is 10 miles south-west of the Winchester station, and 8 miles north-north-west of the station at South- ampton. The high road from London and Winchester to Poole, through Ring- wood, and from Southampton to Salis- bury, passes through the town. The distance from London by the road is 73 miles. Romsey is situated in a* rich agricultural district, upon the left bank of the Anton or Test, over which is a bridge, and close to the Andover canal. The population had increased in the twenty years between 1811 and 1831, although during this period the last re- mains of its lingering woollen manu- facture had gone, and the manufacture of paper, which was once considerable, became very greatly reduced. The only manufactures that it can now be said to have are those of parchment and other dressed skins ; and the chief trade, besides the vending of these, is wool- stapling. A good deal of business is done in the purchase of corn, and in the flour and malt trade. The whole parish is very extensive, compre- hending 9310 acres, with a population of 5432, about one-fourth agricultural; but the borough comprehends only that part of the parish known as " Romsey Infra," having an extent of 380 acres, and a population of 2046. There are dissenting meeting-houses, a town-hall, an " audit-house," supported on piers, with an open space below for the mar- ket-people, a small borough gaol, and some almshouses. The market is on Thursday, formerly on Saturday, and ' there are three yearly fairs. By the Municipal Reform Act, the council of the borough consists of a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese and archdeaconry of Winchester, of the yearly value of 305/. There were in the parish in 1835 twelve infant or dame-schools, with 136 children, twenty day-schools, with about 650 children, and seven Sunday-schools, with about 700 children. Of the day-schools one is a free- school, another is a national- school united with an old endowed free- school, and a third is wholly supported by Lord Palmerston and family. The church formerly belonged to an abbey founded in the reign of Edward the Elder, and occupied by Benedic- tine nuns : the abbev was valued at the ROMSEY. 99 dissolution at 5281. 8$. lOd. per annum gross, or 3931. 10$. lOd. clear. Several members of the Saxon royal family were abbesses. The original buildings were totally destroyed by the Danes, and subsequently rebuilt. It is impossible to say what may have been the style of architecture in the Abbey, properly so called, because no part of it remains ; the church, however, is Norman, as is evinced by its majestic height, and the bold mouldings and sculptures of the capitals. The situation on which the church stands is commanding. The edifice is in the form of a cross, consisting of a nave and chancel as the stem, and two transepts as the arms, with a massive tower supported upon pillars and cir- cular arches, over the intersection . The length of the nave and chancel is about 240 feet, and the breadth along the transepts more than 120. The whole is very lofty, even in proportion to the extent of the horizontal dimensions. The chancel and transepts, with the eastern part of the nave, are in the richest style of purely Norman archi- tecture ; and the tower is also Norman ; but the western part is of a mixed style, inclining to what is usually termed Gothic, with pointed windows divided by mullions, and the great west win- dow consists of three lancet-headed compartments, the central one more lofty than the others, so that they har- monise with a large pointed arch of blind masonry in which they are in- cluded. The internal ornaments on the arches of the most ancient part are, generally speaking, zigzags in very bold relief; and the architecture of the whole of this portion is in very fine taste. Though more modern, the west- ern part is inferior, but still it is hand- some. The nave has side aisles parted off by pillars ; and round the chancel there is an external passage of some width, inferior in height to the interior, but with singularly fantastic sculptures on the capitals of some of the pillars. In this place some of the best monu- ments are situated. The eastward angles, between the transepts and the chancel, are filled up by two buildings enclosed by arcs of circles, which may at one time have been the chapels or chantries of local saints whose names have perished with the record ; but one of them is now used as a vestry, and the other is a sort of grammar-school, while a Sun- day-school is held in a divided portion on the west end of the south aisle of the nave. The tower, which surmounts the intersection of the body and tran- septs of the church is accessible by a circular staircase enclosed in the wall at the south-western angle, and consists of 1 51 stone steps. Near the top of the tower, or rather in a wooden belfry over it, there is a peal of eight bells of the finest tone ; and the lead roof surround- ing this belfry, and enclosed by a very low parapet, commands a delightful view of the surrounding country. Some years ago there was rather a singular curiosity upon this roof; it was an apple-tree which grew upon a small portion of mould there, and blossomed H 2 100 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. te§0£ ROMSEY. 101 [Norman Doorway, Romsey Abbey Church.] and ripened its fruit every year, in the same perfection as if it had been in an orchard. The sculptures are few, with the ex- ception of the grotesque figures on the capitals of some of the pillars and along the mouldings under the eaves of the nave, together with a very fine repre- sentation of the Crucifixion upon the western wall of the south transept, which had once been under the clois- ters, in the passage of the nuns from their apartments to a highly orna- mented doorway near the angle where this transept joins the south aisle of the nave. Among the monuments, the most notable is that of Sir William Petty, a native of Romsey, ancestor of the Marquis of Lansdowne : it is a rude stone in the pavement without the chancel, and near the door of the ves- try ; and the only inscription on it is, " Here lyes Sir William Petty." Tatchbury Mount, near Romsey, af- fords a fine view of Southampton Water. Broadlands, the seat of Viscount Palmerston, is situated in an extensive park which immediately joins the town of Romsey, and through which flows 102 JOURNEY-EOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. the river Test. The mansion on the eastern side of the river presents an elegant front, adorned with a portico built in the purest style of the Ionic order. It is built of fine white bricks, from a design by Brown, who origi- nally laid out the grounds. The inte- rior arrangements, and in fact every part of the mansion, present evidences of the excellent taste and classical ac- quirements of the late Lord Palmerston, its builder. He it was who collected together the valuable collection of paint- ings which now adorn the walls ; and among which we may mention pictures by Salvator Rosa, N. Poussin, Rey- nolds, Vandyck, Domenichino, Rubens, "Wouvermans, P. Veronese, Caracci, Claude, Rembrandt, &c. There are also some fine specimens of ancient statuary. The Test, as it flows through the grounds, is both wide and clear : it abounds with trout, and when it reaches Romsey is crossed by a bridge, which forms a pleasing object as seen from the park. The dairy, standing at the end of the shady walk, is a very pic- turesque little building, with its orna- mental statues and busts, and its sur- rounding willows hanging their pend- ent branches over the water. As an evidence of the accomplishments of the noble lord we have before spoken of, as well as for its intrinsic merit, we may here quote the inscription written by him for his deceased lady, and placed in Romsey church: — " TO THE MEMORY OF FRANCES, VISCOUNTESS PALMERSTON. " Whoe'er, like me, with trembling anguish brings His heart's whole treasure to fair Bris- tol's springs ; Whoe'er, like me, to worth, distress, and pain, Shall court these salutary springs in vain ; Condemn'd, like me, to hear the faint reply ; To mark the fading cheek, the sinking eye; From the chill brow to wipe the damp of death, And watch, in dumb despair, the short'n- ing breath: If chance should bring him to this art- less line, Let the sad mourner know his pangs were mine. u OrdainM to lose the partner of my breast, Whose virtue warm'd me, and whose beauty blest ; Fram'd every tie that binds the heart to prove, Her duty friendship, and her friendship love. But j^et rememb'ring that the parting sigh Appoints the just to slumber — not to die ; The starting tear I check'd — I kiss the rod, And not to earth resign her, but to God.'* There is a road from Winchester to Salisbury through Stockbridge. On the left of Sparsholt, near which the road passes, are the traces of an ancient entrenchment. The Roman road from Winchester to Old Sarum passes south of this spot. STOCKBRIDGE. 103 Stockbridge, which the traveller from London may reach either by the Andover road station, or the Winches- ter station, is 1 2 miles from the latter, and 9 miles from the former station. The town is situated on the high road from Winchester to Salisbury : a road from Basingstoke joins this road at the eastern entrance to the town, and con- nects it with the high road to London, 66 i miles distant. There is a road to Southampton through Romsey ; to Poole through Romsey and Ring wood ; also one to Ly mington through Romsey. Stockbridge is situated on the left bank of the Anton or Test. It is a borough and market-town. The parish and borough limits coincide, and com- prehend 1220 acres; the population in 1831 was 851, about one-third agri- cultural. The town consists of one street, in which are seven bridges : it has little trade, but is chieliy supported by being a considerable thoroughfare. There are races in the neighbourhood. The market is on Thursday, and there is a yearly fair (there w T ere formerly three fairs), one of the largest in the county for lambs. Stockbridge re- turned two members to parliament up to the passing of the Reform Act, by which it was disfranchised : it is a bo- rough by prescription ; the town-hall is a neat building. The living is a chapelry, in the diocese and archdea- conry of Winchester, annexed to the vicarage of King's Sombourn, to which the chapelry of Little Sombourn is also annexed ; their joint yearly value is 696/; with a glebe-house. There were in Stockbridge in 1833 five day-schools with 99 children, and two Sunday- schools with 60 children. Six miles west of Stockbridge the road from Winchester to Salisbury forms an angle at Lobcombe Corner with the road from Andover to Salis- bury, and here it passes into Wiltshire. The remains of a Roman station, sup- posed to have been the Bridge of Anto- ninus, were observed by Mr. Gale at Broughton, on the left of the former road. There is another road from Winches- ter to Salisbury through Hursley and Romsey. The road from Winchester to Peters- field, and into Sussex, passes over Longwood Warren, through Hinton Ampner, Bramdean, Langridge, and over Strood Common ; the distance from Winchester to Peters field being 18 miles. About three miles east of Bramdean this road crosses the Lon- don and Gosport road. At Bramdean are the remains of one of the palaces of the Bishops of Winchester. Brookwood Park, the seat of Wil- liam Greenwood, Esq., is delightfully situated between Bramdean and the London and Gosport road. Since it was purchased from the Earl of Malms- bury by the present possessor, it has been extensively repaired and improved both within and without. It enjoys the advantages of an elevated site, and of beautiful prospects over the surround- ing country, which is a fine sporting district : Brookwood is in the very centre 101 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. of the Hampshire and Hambledon hunts. The house is a handsome mo- dern-looking building, consisting of a centre and two wings. On the ground floor in the interior is a noble and well- arranged suite of rooms, comprising a large and lofty dining-room, with con- servatory adjoining ; two drawing-rooms, library, and an excellent billiard-room. There are some valuable pictures by Cuyp, Jansen, Teniers, Canaletti, Rey- nolds, Hogarth, Morland, &c. East Meon is on the left of the road. The church is a large and interesting structure, with a Norman tower. The font resembles that in Winchester Cathedral, and is said to have been presented by Bishop Walke- lyn, founder of the church, who died in 1098. . 105 CHAPTER VIIL SOUTHAMPTON STATION. This Station is the southern terminus of the South- Western Railway, and is 76| miles from the London end of the line commencing at Nine Elms, near Vauxhall. Southampton is 75 miles west south-west of London hy the mail-coach road from London to Poole, through Alton and Alresford. South- ampton, from its situation, is a less important centre of communication than Winchester, as far as the turnpike- roads are concerned ; but the Railway has necessarily placed it in connexion with many places with which it had formerly but little intercourse, and coaches are established on new lines to bring passengers to this station as the most speedy means of journeying to and from London. The following places are in this manner immediately con- nected with the Southampton Station ; and the second column shows the time now occupied in travelling from each to London by the road and railway : — Distance Time ? C ™V™& In Hamp- to the Shire. Railway. Miles. Rin^wood . Christchurch Lymington • in performing the journey to London. Hrs. Mia. Cowes . Titchfield . Fareham Go sport . . Portsmouth 20 28 16 16 9 13 17 18 24 19 59 59 12 39 6 12 In other Counties. Miles. Hrs. Min. ., Bridport . . 71 11 6 „ Weymouth . 64 10 19 „ Dorchester . . 56 9 25 „ Wareham . . 44 7 39 „ Poole ... 36 7 12 „ TVimborne . . 30 6 32 The town of Southampton is built on an elevated gravelly piece of ground, lying at the head or northern extremity of the bay, called the Southampton Water, being flanked on the one side by the river Itchin, and on the other by the Test or Anton, which fall severally into the north-east and the north-west corners of the bay. Its situation, over- looking the sea to the south, and a very rich country, abounding in w 7 ater and woodland scenery in all other directions, is one of great beauty. The Southamp- ton Water is supposed to be the Antona of Tacitus, and Bittern to have been the Roman station Clausentum. The most conspicuous object which the town presents, when viewed from a distance, is a modern building, which has been erected over the site of the keep of the old castle. The town, which no doubt took its origin from the castle, appears to have sprung up in the Saxon times. The earliest mention of it is in the Saxon Chronicle, under the year 873. Some three or four centuries ago it was 106 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. a place of great opulence and import- ance, sustained by an active trade, principally in wine, with France and Portugal. At the commencement of the present century its commercial con- sequence had much decayed ; but its prosperity has been for some time reviv- ing, and it has again become a flourishing town, containing, according to the last census, not much under twenty thousand inhabitants : in the twenty years between 1811 and 1831 the population more than doubled. The South-Western Railway has already proved of great benefit to the local interests of the town, and a Dock Company, which was incorporated in 1836, promises to realise important com- mercial advantages, not only to the town but to other parts of the country. Southampton possesses perhaps the. finest harbour for merchantmen on the southern coast, and the formation of docks will add very much to its value and importance. The project of form- ing docks was conceived under the im- pression that the railway system would be so far carried out, as to connect the great trading and manufacturing stations of the midland and northern counties with the southern coast, when the ad- vantages as a port of shipment presented by Southampton in preference to London would be sufficiently apparent. It was also imagined that Southampton being brought by means of its railway within three hours and a half (it is thus we must henceforth speak of distances,) of the Metropolis, might become, in some degree, the port of London for ships arriving from and sailing to the west- ward. Vast as is the consumption of foreign and colonial goods in London, by far the greater part of those goods which now ascend the Thames are dis- tributed afterwards to various, and fre- quently distant, parts of the country. The anticipated formation of railway lines would allow of this distribution being better made in many cases from Southampton, and it is agreed on all hands that the advantage to the owners of ships from terminating their voyage at Southampton, rather than proceed- ing through the Straits of Dover to the Thames, would be exceedingly great. The expense, both in time and in money, that would thus be saved would be so much gain to the country at large.* So long ago as 1379 a Genoese mer- chant undertook to render Southamp- ton a great shipping port, but the projector is said to have been assas- sinated. The proposed docks are in- tended to receive vessels of the largest class and steam-vessels. The facilities of travelling to London by the Railway have lately induced the owners of one of the great Trans- Atlantic steam ships to select Southampton as a station in- stead of Portsmouth. The passage up Channel from off Cowes to London by steam-boat requires an average of 28 hours, but by means of the Railway the journey may be accomplished in from 4 to 5 hours. These facilities have also rendered Southampton the most convenient port for steam-boats for Plymouth, Guernsey, Jersey, St. Malo, # Companion to British Almanac for 1S3S. SOUTHAMPTON. 107 Granville and Havre. The number of foreign ships entering the port of Southampton yearly is about 290, ave- rage tonnage 31,000; and about 1500 coasting vessels. The amount of Cus- toms' duty collected at the port in 1839 was £58,296. The trade with France and Portugal is considerable ; also with the Baltic ports and Canada. The coasting trade is still more active ; corn is imported from Wales, coals from the Tyne, and there is a brisk commercial interchange with the Channel Islands. Between London and Southampton there are six regular trading smacks and schooners, each of about 100 tons register, making upon an average two trips per week. Cowes is the station of the Royal Yacht Club ; and there are several yards for building coasting vessels, yachts and steam- boats. In 1837 a floating bridge was established between the opposite shores of the Itchin. During the ninth and tenth centuries the Danes frequently ravaged Southamp- ton, but when Canute had succeeded in displacing the posterity of Egbert from the sovereignty of England, he reigned for twenty years in peace, making Southampton his occasional residence. The beautiful incident of the rebuke which he gave to the flattery of his courtiers, and which is mentioned by all our old writers, is said to have occurred while staying at Southampton. The town enjoyed a considerable trade with France during the reign of the Norman kings, and down to the end of the 16th centurv. The merchants of London were so jealous of its commercial importance that they procured an order directing that wine from the Canaries should be landed only in the Thames. In the 14th century, it was twice at- tacked by the French, and it was the frequent rendezvous of the fleets carry- ing troops for the war which the English were waging in France. In the early part of the following century the array which fought at Agin court embarked at Southampton ; and two years after- wards a second army destined for France encamped near the town. In the 1 6th century the town was visited by the Emperor Charles V., by Edward VI., Philip of Spain, and Queen Eliza- beth. Charles I. resided at Southamp- ton some time. Southampton was once fortified and defended by double ditches, battlements, and watch-towers. The curious relic of ancient architecture represented in the cut (p. 109) crosses the principal street of the town of Southampton, called the High-street, or English-street, at the point where the town is considered to ter- minate and the suburbs to commence. It is, in fact, one of the gates of the wall by w T hich the town was formerly sur- rounded, and considerable portions of which are still standing, while the line can be distinctly traced throughout its whole extent. Of several gates, how- ever, by which these encompassing fortifications were anciently adorned, the Bar Gate is the only one that now remains. Among the Saxons, what we now call a gate was commonly called a bar, the 108 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. SOUTHAMPTON. 109 [The Bar Gate, Southampton.] term gate being used to describe the street or road itself, as it still is in Scotland. Of the old application of the word bar we have instances in Temple Bar, Holborn Bar, and Smithfield Bar, or Bars, in London. The Bar-gate, the name by which the structure at South- ampton is commonly known, seems to be a corruption which had arisen from the continued use of the term bar, after its original meaning had been forgotten. High-street, or English-street, runs nearly due south and north, and is in all about three-quarters of a mile in length, of which two- thirds are below or to the south of the Bar Gate. The re- maining portion is called High-street above Bar. Leland the antiquary, in the middle of the sixteenth century, describes this as one of the fairest streets in England ; ^and its length, straightness, and spaciousness, together with the character of its buildings, still entitle it to that encomium. But its proudest ornament is the imposing structure already noticed. The most ancient part of the Bar Gate consists of a massive semicircular arch, which is undoubtedly to be referred to the early Norman, if not to the Saxon times. Beyond this, on the north side, has been subsequently erected a high and pointed arch, richly adorned with mouldings. The whole of this front now forms a sort of semi-octagon (or the half of an eight-sided figure), ter- minated at each extremity by a semi- circular tower. Each of these towers has been perforated in modern times by a doorway crossing the foot-path at the side of the street ; but anciently they seem to have had lateral entrances 110 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. (which are now built up) from under the arch. The south front, or that which looks to the town, appears to be in a more modern style of architecture than any other part of the gate. The structure indeed has undergone altera- tions at different times in almost every part ; and some of the decorations which have been added to it are far from being in the best taste. The ancient battle- ments, however, by which the whole is crowned, have escaped such innovation and disfigurement; and their aspect is remarkably majestic and venerable. The part of the building immediately over the arch is occupied by the town-hall, which is a room 52 feet in length by 21 in breadth; and over this are spacious leads, from which there is an extensive view of the town and the surrounding country. Among other decorations on the north front of the gate are two figures, said by tradition to represent the famous hero of romance, Sir Bevis of Hampton, and the giant Ascapard, whom he slew in single combat. The reader may re- collect an allusion to Ascapard, or As- cabart, as he is there called, in the first canto of Scott's Lady of the Lake, which the author has illustrated by a quotation from an ancient manuscript copy of the * Romance of Sir Bevis.' The following is the modernised version of the same passage, which is given by Ellis in his 4 Specimens of the Early Romances :' — il This giant was mighty and strong, And full thirty feet was long. He was bristled like a sow ; A foot he had between each brow; His lips were great and hung aside ; His eyen were hollow, his mouth was wide; Lothly he was to look on than, And liker a devil than a man : His staff was a young oak, — Hard and heavy was his stroke." Of Sir Bevis there are other memo- rials at Southampton besides the figure on the Bar Gate, especially an artificial elevation called Bevis Mount, which seems anciently to have been fortified. The castle stood on the western side of the town, and some remains exist of a large building which is believed to have been the palace of the Saxon and Danish kings. The town and adjacent district were erected into a county at a remote period, and the boundaries, which are marked with great accuracy, were fixed so early as the reign of King John. The shape of this district is that of an irregular triangle, one side of which is formed by the river Anton and the other by the Itch in, the land boundary being the base of the triangle. Under the Muni- cipal Reform Act, Southampton is di- vided into five wards, and governed by a mayor, ten aldermen, and thirty coun- cillors. The mayor has an extensive maritime jurisdiction. The recorder tries offenders at the local quarter ses- sions, except in capital cases ; and the same officer presides over the local court for the recovery of small debts. The five parishes were united for the admi- nistration of the poor law in 1776. A police has been established on the model of the metropolitan police force. SOUTHAMPTON. Ill Before the passing of the Reform Act, the inhabitants paying scot and lot had i the right of voting for the two members returned to parliament, and the number of electors was about 1700. In 1831, out of 3502 houses in the town and county, 1667 were of the annual value of 10/. and upwards. Many large and well-built houses have been erected within the last ten years. The princi- pal streets are spacious and well-paved. The number of streets is about forty. Among the most important public buildings and institutions are the Mar- ket House, in the High-street, and which comprises the Audit House, where the business of the corporation is transacted ; the Custom House, situated upon the quay ; five parish churches, namely, St. Michael's, All Saints, Holy Rood, St. Lawrence, and St. Mary's. St. Paul's, built in 1829, in the Gothic style, is a proprietary chapel. A chapel for Roman Catholics was erected in 1830 ; and the Independ- ents. Baptists, Wesleyan Methodists, Society of Friends, Primitive Method- ists, and followers of the late Mr. Irving, have places of worship. The Jewish worship is performed in a private house, and a place of worship has been esta- blished for the seamen frequenting the port. Trinity Chapel is connected with a female penitentiary. The free gram- mar-school in Bugle-street was founded by Edward VI. Since the boys in the Royal Military Asylum have been transferred to Chelsea, the building which they occupied has been appropri- ated for the girls belonging to the same institution, who are chiefly orphans of soldiers. The National School w 7 as es- tablished about the close of the last century, and the Royal British School, on the Lancasterian system, was en- larged in 1837, and is capable of accom- modating above 300 scholars. There are several infant schools, one of them large enough for several hundred chil- dren. There is a school for navigation, founded in 1760 by Alderman Taunton. St. John's Hospital was founded in 1671 for instructing six boys in the woollen trade : the institution has been trans- ferred by the corporation to the guar- dians of the poor. An orphan-school was established in 1837. The County Female Penitentiary w 7 as established in 182S on the plan of the Magdalen Hospital in London, and is capable of receiving thirty females. The me- dical charities are the Dispensary, the South Hants Infirmary, a lying-in charity, and there is a society for the rescue and recovery of drowned persons. Nearly all the great institutions of the present age for circulating the Bible, religious books and tracts, and for pro- moting missions, have branches in Southampton. No public library has as yet been es- tablished in Southampton, though many towns less than one-half its size, and much less wealthy, have enjoyed the advantages of such an institution for above half a century. The Literary and Scientific Institution was established in 182 7, and a museum is forming by the members. The Mechanics' Institution dates its, existence from 1830. There 112 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. has been an annual exhibition of paint- ings, statuary, and drawings, since 1827. The theatre is opened annually for seve- ral months. The pier, erected in 1832, is a fa- vourite promenade ; and as a proof of the increasing prosperity of the town and the effect of the railway in bringing visitors to it, we may mention that the tolls at the pier let for 700/. more in 1840 than in the previous year. Con- certs and balls are held at the Long Rooms, erected in 1749, and at the Victoria Rooms, built in 1833. The ^rounds attached to the latter afford pleasing views of the river, and are much resorted to as a lounge. A re- gatta and races take place annually in the bathing season. Bathing-machines, swimming-baths, and all other means of ablution applicable either to the in- valid or the robust, are provided for those who resort to Southampton as a watering-place. Letters are despatched to and from London by the railway twice a- day. The night mail from London reaches Southampton at forty minutes past eleven. The road from Southampton to Gos- port passes through Bursledon'^and Titchfield. At a distance of about 3 miles from Southampton are the ruins of Netley Abbey. Netley (or Nettley) Abbey has long been celebrated as one of the most pic- turesque ruins in England. The proper name of the place appears, as*Leland has noted it in his Collectanea (vol. i. p. 69), to be Letteley, which has been Latinised into de Lceto Loco (pleasant place), if it be not, as has been most [Ruins of Netley Abl ey.] SOUTHAMPTON. 113 commonly supposed, a corruption of this Latin designation. The founder of Netley Abbey is stated by Leland to have been Peter Roche, Bishop of Win- chester, who died in 1238. The monks of Netley Abbey belonged to the severe order of the Cistertians, and were origi- nally brought from the neighbouring house of Eeaulieu. Hardly anything has been collected with regard to the establishment for the first 300 years after its foundation, except the names of a few of the abbots. At the dissolu- tion it consisted of an abbot and twelve monks, and its net revenue was re- turned at only about 100/. It appears, indeed, to have been always a humble and obscure establishment. Nor did the riches of the good monks consist in their library. Leland found them pos- sessed of only one book, which was a copy of Cicero's Treatise on Rhetoric. In 1537 the place was granted by the king to Sir William Paulet, afterwards the celebrated Marquis of Winchester. It has since been successively in the possession of various other families. Netley Abbey is now a complete ruin, nothing remaining except a part of the bare walls. It stands on the declivity of a gentle elevation, which rises from the bank of the Southampton Water. The walk to it from the town of South- ampton, of about 3 miles in length, is one of enchanting beauty, the surround- ing landscape being rich in all the charms of water and woodland scenery. The abbey itself is so embosomed among foliage, — partly that of the oaks and other trees which rise in thick clumps around it, and some of which, springing up from the midst of the rootless walls, spread their waving branches over them, and partly that of the luxuriant ivy which clothes a great part of the grey stone in green,— that scarcely a frag- ment of it is visible till the visitor has got close beside it. The site of the ruin, however, is one of considerable extent. Originally the buildings seem to have formed a quadrangular court or square ; but scarcely anything more is now to be seen, except the remains of the church or chapel which occupied one of the sides. It appears to have been about 200 feet in length by 60 in breadth, and to have been crossed at the centre by a transept of 120 feet long. The walls can still be distinctly traced throughout the whole of this ex- tent, except in the northern portion of the transept. The roof, however, as we have said, no longer exists, having fallen in about forty years ago. Its fragments, many of them sculptured with armorial bearings and other de- vices, lie scattered in heaps over the floor. Many broken columns still re- main ; and there are also windows in different portions of the wall, the orna- mental parts of which are more or less defaced, but which still retain enough of their original character to show that the building must have been one of no common architectural beauty. The east end is the most entire, and the great window here is of elegant proportions and elaborately finished. Besides the church, various other portions of the abbey, such as the kitchen, the refec* in JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. tory, &c, are usually pointed out to strangers ; but the conjectures by which these apartments are identified must be considered as of very doubtful authority. The whole place appears to have been surrounded by a moat, of which traces are still discernible ; and two large ponds still remain at a short distance from the buildings, which no doubt used to supply fish to the pious inmates. Their retired and undisturbed waters now present an aspect of solitude which is extremely beautiful, overhung as they are by trees and underwood. About 200 feet distance from the west end of the church, and nearer the water, is a small building called Netley Castle or Fort, which was erected by Henry VIII. But the chief attraction of Netley Abbey must be understood to consist,' not so much in any architectural mag- nificence of which it has to boast, as in the singular loveliness of the spot, and in the feelings inspired by the over- thrown and desolate state of the seat of ancient piety. No mind having any imagination, or feeling for the pictu- resque and the poetical, but must deeply feel the effect of its lonely and mournful, yet exquisitely beautiful se- clusion. It has accordingly been the theme of many verses, among which an elegy, written by Mr. George Keate, the author of the Account of the Pelew Islands and Prince Le Boo, was at one time much admired. A living poet, the Rev. Mr. Bowles, has also addressed the ruin in some lines of considerable tenderness, which we shall subjoin : — " Fallen pile ! I ask not what has been thy fate ; But when the weak winds, wafted from the main, Through each lone arch, like spirits that complain, Come hollow to my ear, I meditate On this world's passing pageant, and the lot Of those who once might proudly, in their prime, Have stood with giant port ; till, bowed by time Or injury, their ancient boast forgot, They might have sunk like thee; though thus forlorn, They lift their heads, with venerable hairs Besprent, majestic yet, and as in scorn Of mortal vanities and short-lived cares : E'en so dost thou, lifting thy forehead g^y, Smile at the tempest and time's sweeping sway." The windings of the Hamble river and the wooded hills which gently recede from its margin, render the road near Bursledon very pleasing. Ships of war were built at this small place in the reign of William III. Passing through the village of Houghton and over the common, we reach Titchfleld, in a valley watered by a stream called the Aire. The road next passes through Rowner and Crofton to Gosport. A road from the Southampton and Gosport road branches off at Titch field, and runs parallel to the coast to Chi- chester, passing through Fareham, along the foot of Portsdown Hill, through Wimmering, Cosham, Havant, and Emsworth ; crossing the London and SOUTHAMPTON. 115 Gosport road at Fareham, and the London and Portsmouth road at Cos- ham. The places through which the road passes have already been noticed. The road from Southampton to Salis- bury divides into two branches about a mile from Southampton, and again unites after passing out of the county. One branch passes through Romsey, and the other through Rumbridge. Testwood House, the seat of the Rt. Hon. Sturges Bourne; Tatebury Mount, commanding an extensive view of the beautiful scenery in the neighbourhood of Southampton Water ; and Paulton's Park, embracing an enclosure of 5 miles, •diversified with woods and lawns, are situated between these roads. There is also a third road to Salisbury, which skirts the north-western parts of the New Forest. There is a road from Southampton to Lymington and Christchurch, between which latter places it runs parallel to the coast. The Southampton and Poole road crosses the head of Southampton Water, and passes through Ringwood. The road from Southampton to Ford- ingbridge is by a branch of one of the roads from Southampton to Salisbury. These roads will be more particularly noticed in the following chapter. The tourist who makes Southampton his head-quarters for a short time, may make several pleasant excursions in the neighbourhood, and thus enjoy at the same time the pleasures of a country ramble and those which the town af- fords as a watering-place. Horses and vehicles may be hired at a moderate rate. The village of Itchin, on the eastern banks of the river, chiefly supplies Southampton with fish, which is taken to market by the fishermen's wives. The railway will be of great advantage to the fisheries on the south-western coasts of England, by giving them access to the London market, the supply being brought by steam-boats, and then despatched by the goods-trains in time for Bil- lingsgate-market. Pear Tree Green, an eminence commanding views of the valley of the Itchin, Southampton, and Southampton Water, should be visited in the same excursion. Passing Ridg- way Castle, we reach a common of con- siderable extent, on the left of which is Chissel, a seat belonging to Lord Ash- town, soon after which we cross Nor- tham bridge. Several ships of war were built at Northam during the last war. The South-Western Railway is carried over a bend of the river just above the bridge. The Priory of St. Dionysius is on the banks of the river, at no great distance. It was founded by Henry I. for Augustinian or Black Canons. Its yearly revenues at the dissolution were valued at 91/. 9s. gross, or 80/. lis. 6d. clear. The ruins are of small extent, and appear to have formed the west end of the Priory church. The Voad from Northam bridge leads directly to Southampton, passing Bittern Manor House, the site of the Roman station Clausentum — a i 2 116 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. name which Mr. Warner derives from clausus, shut up, and intus, within. Bittern was anciently a castle belonging to the Bishops of Winchester. Another pleasant excursion may be made to Fareham over Netley Com- mon, returning by Wickham, Bishop's Waltham, Waltham Chace, and Botley* Waltham Chace is a waste of 2000 acres, belonging to the Bishop of Winchester. This chace or forest was in the early part of the last century infested by a formidable and resolute gang of deer- steal ers, who called themselves " hunt- ers," but were more generally known by the name of the " Waltham Blacks, 1 ' because they blackened their faces in their predatory enterprises. They are mentioned by this name in the Act of Parliament which was passed against them, and which was therefore, as well as from its extreme severity, called the Black Act. This Act declared more deeds to be felonies than had ever before been comprehended in a single statute. On this account, when Bishop Hoadly was advised to re-stock Waltham Park, he refused, observing that " it had done mischief enough already.'* Gilbert White, writing in 1767, says, "Our old race of deer-stealers are hardly extinct yet ;" but at the beginning of the cen- tury he remarks that " all this country was wild about deer-stealing." On leaving Botley, the road crosses Town Hill Common, the views from which present a pleasing view of undulating hills, which are in many parts well wooded. Other excursions may be made to South and North Stoneham ; and to Romsey, through Shirley and Nutshall- ing ; also to the New Forest, an ac- count of which is given in the next chapter. 117 CHAPTER IX. THE NEW FOREST. Few spots of England are more inte- resting or more worthy of being visited than that portion of Hampshire which is known by the general name of the New Forest. To those who seek health in travel it offers the finest atmo- sphere that can be breathed in any part of England; to the lover of scenery it presents alternations of wild and woodland, upon which there is no trace of the hand of man, yet with iuterspersions of exquisite retreats and highly cultivated patches here and there, which form, with the surrounding woods and wildernesses, the most de- lightful contrast that can well be ima- gined. To the lover of nature it has many attractions, both in its vegetation and in its animals. The oaks, it is true, seldom rise into lofty stems ; but their branches are commonly twisted into picturesque forms. Many of the trees are ancient and of great bulk. — Mr. Gilpin remarks {Forest Scenery), that the New Forest oaks " seem to have a character peculiar to themselves. They seldom rise into lofty stems, as oaks usually do in richer soils, but their branches, which are more adapted to what the ship-builders call knees and elbows, are commonly twisted into the most picturesque forms. Besides, the New Forest oak is not so much loaded with foliage as the trees of a richer soil." The New Forest also abounds in beech, which grows to a large size. The most interesting part of the Forest, in a pic- turesque view, is that comprised between the Beaulieu River and the Bay of Southampton ; the water prospects are very grand, and the banks, both of the river and bay, being richly decorated with woody scenery, give them a peculiarly beautiful character. In noble distances and grand forest scenes, the northern division of this tract is the most striking. There is no doubt now that the comple- tion of the South Western Railway has brought Southampton within three hours' distance of London, that num- bers of people will seek health and freshness and rural enjoyment upon the balmy and beautiful shores of this de- lightful portion of the kingdom. HISTORY. The New Forest appears to have been, at the time of the Conquest, a wooded tract thinly peopled. William the Conqueror, or his immediate suc- cessors, afforested the tract extending from Godshill, near Fordingbridge, to 118 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. the sea, and from Ringwood to Hard- ley, near Southampton Water, and comprehending 92,365 acres. The bounds were so far enlarged between the commencement of Henry II.'s reign and the reign of Edward I., that they comprehended all the country be- tween the Southampton Water and the Avon for several miles inland. These additions were disafforested in the reign of Edward I, in pursuance of the Charta de Foresta, and the original bounds retained till the perambulation in the time of Charles IT. Nearly all our historians and annal- ists concur in stating that William, in afforesting this extensive district, de- stroyed a great number of villages and churches, drove away the inhabitants, and laid waste a tract of country of no less than 30 miles in circuit ; and look on the fact of two of his sons, and his grandson, having lost their lives in this forest, as the judgment of God for his cruel and tyrannous proceedings. The acute sense and sceptical inclinations of Voltaire rendered him the first writer who doubted the probability of the facts thus unhesitatingly put forth as to the destruction of towns and villages, which he did in his abridgment of * Universal History.' Dr.Wharton, in his • Essay on the Writings and Genius of Pope,' con- curred with Voltaire in opinion ; and since that time the subject has been amply dis- cussed. Gilpin, in his 'Remarks on Forest Scenery; has laboured in defence of the early writers, while Warner, in his 'Collections for the history of Hamp- shire,* joins in pronouncing William's acquittal. The general arguments in favour of the king are, that the writers on whose authority the facts rest were monks, all highly exasperated against him, and greatly offended at the exac- tions he had made on their monaste- ries ; that the assertions of one annalist are frequently adopted by many, who, either from want of inclination or talent, did not pursue the proper means of ex- tending their inquiries; that no par- ticular era is marked by these annal- ists (who are at other times precise in dates) at which these cruelties took place ; that there is no mention of them in the ' Saxon Chronicle,' the author of the latter part of which was indisputably contemporaneous with William, and who viewed all his vices and crimes with a severe eye ; that the district be- ing at the time thinly peopled, it is un- likely that places of public worship were so liberally scattered ; and that it was not necessary, notwithstanding its pri- vileges, that a forest should be depopu- lated; the forest laws being, both in. their original form and in their amended state, enacted rather for restricting and punishing those who dwelt within the limits of those scenes of royal diversion, than for those who dwelt without them. The 'Pictorial History of England ' (vol. i. p. 401) describes the popular feeling of the day in reference to the catastrophe which befel William Rufus in the New Forest : — •' Popular superstition had long darkened the shades and solitudes of the New Forest, and peopled its glades with horrid spectres. The fiend THE KEW FOREST. 119 himself, it was said and believed, had appeared there to the Normans, announcing the punishment he had in reserve for the Red King and his wicked counsellors. The accidents that hap- pened in that chace, which had been so barbarously obtained, gave strength to the vulgar belief. In the month of May, Richard, an illegitimate son of Duke Robert, was killed while hunting in the forest by an arrow, reported to have been shot at random. This was the second time that the Conqueror's blood had been poured out there, and men said it would not be the last time. On the 1st of August following, William lay at Malwood-keep, a hunting-seat in the forest,* with a goodly train of knights. A reconciliation had taken place between the two brothers, and the astucious Henry, who had been sometime in England, was of the gay party. The circumstances of the story, as told by the monkish chroniclers, are sufficiently remarkable. At the dead * The Red King lies in Malwood-keep, To drive the deer o'er lawn and steep, He's bound him with the morn. His steeds are swift, his hounds are good; The like, in covert or high-wood, Were never cheer'd with horn. W. Stewart Rose. 'Malwood Castle, or Keep, seated upon an eminence, embosomed in wood, at a small distance from the village of JMinstead, in the New Forest, was the residence of this prince when he met w T ith the accident which terminated his life. No remains of it exist; but the circumference of a building is to be traced; and it yet gives its name to the walk in which it was situated.'— Notes to the * Red King.' — This spirited and beautiful poem is published in the same volume with ' Parteuopex de Blois.' of night the king was heard invoking the Blessed Virgin, a thing strange in him ; and then he called aloud for lights in his chamber. His attendants ran at his call, and found him disturbed by a frightful vision, to prevent the return of which he ordered them to pass the rest of the night by his bedside, and divert him with pleasant talk. As he was dressing in the morning an artisan brought him six new arrows : he exa- mined them, praised the workmanship, and keeping four for himself, gave the other two to Sir Walter Tyrrel, other- wise called, from his estates in France, Sir Walter de Poix, saying, as he pre- sented them, ' Good weapons are due to the sportsman that knows how to make a good use of them.'* The tables were spread with an abundant collation, and the Red King ate more meat and drank even more wine than he was wont to do. His spirits rose to their highest pitch ; his companions still passed the wine-cup, whilst the grooms and hunts- men prepared their horses and hounds for the chase ; and all was boisterously gay in Malwood-keep, when a messenger ar- rived from Serlon, the Norman Abbot of St. Peter's, at Gloucester, to inform the king that one of his monks had dreamt a dream foreboding a sudden and awful death to him. ' The man is a right monk,' cried Rufus, ' and to have a piece of money he dreameth such things. Give him, therefore, an hun- dred pence, and bid him dream of better fortune to our person.' Then turning to Tyrrel, he said, * Do they think I am * Orderic. Vital. 120 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. one of those fools that give up their pleasure or their business because an old woman happens to dream or sneeze ? To horse, Walter de Poix !' 81 The king, with his brother Henry, William de Breteuil, and many other lords and knights, rode into the forest, where the company dispersed here and there, after the manner used in hunt- ing ; but Sir Walter, his especial favour- ite in these sports, remained constantly near the king, and their dogs hunted together. As the sun was sinking low in the west a hart came bounding by, between Rufus and his comrade, who stood concealed in the thickets. The king drew his bow, but the string broke, and the arrow took no effect. Startled by the sound, the hart paused in his speed and looked on all sides, as if doubt- ful which way to turn. The king, keeping his attention on the quarry, raised his bridle hand above his eyes, that he might see clear by shading them from the glare of the sun, which now shone almost horizontally through the glades of the forest ; and at the time being unprovided with a second bow, he shouted, * Shoot, Walter ! — shoot, in the devil's name.'* Tyrrel drew his bow,— the arrow departed, was glanced aside in its flight by an inter- vening tree, and struck William*in the left breast, which was left exposed by his raised arm. The fork-head pierced his heart, and with une groan, and no word or prayer uttered, the Red King * "Trahe, trahe arcum ex parte diaboli." Hen. Knyghton. fell and expired. Sir Walter Tyrrel ran to his master's side, but, finding him dead, he remounted his horse, and, without informing any one of the cata- strophe, galloped to the sea-coast, em- barked for Normandy, whence he lied for sanctuary into the dominions of the French king, and soon after departed for the Holy Land. According to an old chronicler, the spot where Rufus fell had been the site of an Anglo-Saxon church which his father, the Conqueror, had pulled down and destroyed for the enlargement of his chace.* Late in the evening the royal corpse was found, alone, where it fell, by a poor charcoal- burner^ who put it, still bleeding, into his cart, and drove towards Winchester. At the earliest report of his death, his brother Henry flew to seize the royal treasury, and the knights and favourites who had been hunting in the forest dis- persed in several directions to look after their interest, not one of them caring to render the last sad honours to their master. The next day the body, still in the charcoal-maker's cart, and defiled with blood and dirt, w 7 as carried to St. Swithin's, the cathedral church of Winchester. There, however, it was treated with proper respect, and buried in the centre of the cathedral choir, many * Walter Hennyngforde, quoted in Grafton's Chronicle. f 'This man's name was Purkess. ' He is the ancestor of a very numerous tribe. Of his lineal descendants it is reported that, living on the same spot, they have constantly been proprietors of a horse and cart, but never attained to the possession of a team.'— Notes to the ' Red King.' THE NEW FOREST. 121 persons looking on, but few grieving. A proof of the bad opinion which the people entertained of the deceased is, that they interpreted the fall of a certain tower in the cathedral, which happened the following year, and covered his tomb with its ruins, into a sign of the displeasure of Heaven that he had received Christian burial.*'* Dismissing these popular notions, which were certainly at one time uni- versally prevalent, and taking a calm review of the circumstances of the Red King's death, the following conclusions seem to be just: — "That he was shot by an arrow in the New Forest,— that his body was abandoned and then hastily interred, — are facts perfectly well au- thenticated ; but some doubts may be entertained as to the precise circum- stances attending his death, notwith- standing their being minutely related by writers who were living at the time or who nourished in the course of the following century. Sir Walter Tyrrel afterwards swore, in France, that he did not shoot the arrow: but he was probably anxious to relieve himself from the odium of killing a king, even by accident. It is quite possible, indeed, that the event did not arise from chance, and that Tyrrell had no part in it. The re- morseless ambition of Henry might have had recourse to murder, or the avenging shaft might have been sped hy the desperate hand of some English- man, tempted by a favourable oppor- tunity and the traditions of the place. * Dr. Milner, Hist. Winchester. But the most charitable construction is, that the party were intoxicated with the wine they had drunk at Mai wood-keep. and that, in the confusion consequent on drunkenness, the king was hit by a random arrow."* In that part of the Forest near Stony Cross, at a short distance from Castle Malwood, formerly stood an oak which tradition affirmed was the tree against which the arrow glanced that caused the death of Rufus. In Leland's time there was a chapel near the spot, and Charles II. directed the tree to be encir- cled by a paling. Neither chapel nor tree now remain, but the spot on which the latter grew is marked by a triangu- lar stone about five feet high, which was erected by Lord Delaware, above eighty years ago. This monument bears the following inscription: — " Here stood the oak-tree on which an arrow, shot by Sir Walter Tyrre), at a stag, glanced and struck King William II., surnamed Rufus, on the breast ; of which stroke he instantly died, on the second of August, 1100. " King William II., surnamed Rufus, being slain, as before related, was laid in a cart belonging to one Purkess, and drawn from hence to Winches- ter, and buried in the cathedral church of that city. "That where an eventso memorable had happened might not hereafter be unknown, this stone was set up by John Lord Delaware, who had seen the tree growing in this place, anno 1745." BOUNDARIES. The New Forest district is an irregu- lar triangle, of which the three angles are at Calshot Castle on the east, be- tween the Southampton Water on the north-east and the Solent on the south- ^* Pict. England, vol. i. p. 403. 122 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. mmmm mm [TyrrelTs Oak, near Stonoy Cios-.] THE NEW FOREST. 123 east ; the Black Hill in Rookbourn- down, on the borders of Wilts, on the north-west; and Dunley Chine, within about a mile and a half of Poole Har- bour, on the south-east : the entire length of the north-east and south-west sides of this triangle, taken on the straight line, may be about 25 or 26 miles ; and that of the remaining side, which lies northwards inclining a little to the east, is about 20 miles ; but the triangle contained by those lines is less in surface than the district politically considered as part of Hampshire, inas- much as more of the surface lies without the lines on the south-eastern and north- eastern sides than lies within that on the western. If, however, we take the district as naturally bounded by the river Avon on the west, westward of which river no part of the forest ever extended, the surface of the triangle which we have named will be very nearly that of the forest district. Taking this natural view of it, it may in great part be said to be insulated. It is bounded by the sea on the south and south-east, from Dunley Chine to Cal- shot Castle ; and taking the windings of the coast, without reference to the minor estuaries, creeks, and harbours, the sea-beach here measures about 32 miles. Then, on the north-east, from Calshot Castle up to Redbridge, where the river Usk falls into the Southamp- ton Water, the coast-line, estimated in the same way, is about 11 miles in length. Putting these together, we have a sea-coast of about 43 miles bounding this small district. Then again, if we take the river Avon from near Hale, where it enters Hampshire, to the entrance of Christchurch Har- bour, we have, without noticing the smaller flexures, a river boundary of about 22 or 23 miles ; and this, added to the sea boundary, gives a definite water-line of 66 miles, separating this district from every other part of Eng- land. Turning to the land boundary properly so called, we have, not includ- ing the flexures, above 14 miles, the first 5 of which, from Redbridge ta Cadnam, have Hampshire on the north, and therefore no artificial line of de- marcation, any more than they have a natural one ; but the remaining 9 miles, from a little to the westward of Cadnam to the Avon near Hale, have the county of Wilts on the northern side ; and as a high down rises in this place, it may be considered as the isthmus by which the natural district of the forest is joined to the rest of England; and as the prin cipal rivers in the forest have thei sources at no very great distance from this high down, it is a good point of reference in forming a general idea of the slopes and other surface appearance of the district. SURFACE, NATURAL APPEARANCES, GEO- LOGICAL FEATURES, ETC. From the high down betwixt Cadnam and Hale two heights or summit-levels ramify, the one ranging in irregular lines southward, and reaching the sea at High Cliff, about 2 miles to the east- ward of Christchurch Harbour, and the other ranging south-eastward by Lynd- 124 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. hurst, and onwards between the Lyming- ton river on the west and the Beaulieu river on the east, and subsiding into level ground within a short distance of the Solent, opposite the Isle of Wight. These are the two principal elevations, or ridges of summit-level, in the Forest; but branches of them extend through the different parts of it, as one from the southerly ridge extends towards Lyming- ton, between the Forest Avon on the west and the Lymington river on the east, and a second from the same ex- tends along the western bank of the Avon to near Hurst Castle. From the southerly ridge a branch extends alon£ the margin of the Southampton Water, and another to the west of that, between the Blackwater and the Beaulieu. None, of those ridges are of such elevation as to merit the appellation even of a hill ; but they produce an agreeable variety of surface, especially in the cultivated parts, and in those of the Forest where the soil is of tolerably good quality, and the woods alternate with lawns. We have said that the margin of the Forest — those parts of the district which are private property and which probably never were afforested, are the most beautiful of the whole ; and they con- tribute not a little to heighten the in- terest of the peculiar parts of the Forest, from the contrast which they afford at exceedingly short distances. The shores from Redbridge along the Southampton Water to Calshot, and thence along the Solent to Hurst Castle, are unquestion- ably the most beautiful, and perhaps the most highly cultivated in the whole district. Along the whole of this coast* which may be about 26 miles in length, there is an exceedingly pleasing alter- nation of wood, open field, mansion or villa, and cottage or village, which, being near the margin of the still waters, and not exposed to any violent action of the sea or to the turbulence of storms, is peculiarly fresh and pleasant. Nowhere along this line are there any cliffs or bold shores ; the surface slopes gradu- ally down to the water's edge, and trees upon it thrive so well, that when the tide is in and the water still, the reflec- tion of them is given from it as from a faithful mirror. There is no waste of the land at any single point along this whole line of coast. On the contrary, there is everywhere an accumulation, so that the banks of sludge which margin the land are everywhere on the increase. In most places these mud-banks, which are of very considerable breadth at low water, are so soft that one cannot tra- verse them on foot with comfort or even with safety. Even when the tide is out, however, they do not present such scenes of desolation as are presented by the shore-banks of more turbulent seas ; for they are in general so much covered by zostera, that at low water they have some resemblance to green meadows. This " grass-like sea-weed," which is especially abundant on the mud-banks along the Solent, from Calshot Castle to Hurst Castle, is a very favourite food with many of the swimming birds, es- pecially with the different wild ducks, and this is the reason why such num- bers of them resort to these banks during THE NEW FOREST. 125 the inclement season. The common mallards and other ducks, not divers, which live chiefly upon vegetable food, frequent these banks when the tide is out : and this gives rise to a very severe and sometimes hazardous species of fowling among the poorer inhabitants of the coast, who even in the severest weather remain all night in their skiffs, or wander on the banks supported by their mud-pattens (boards fastened to their feet), and thus incapacitate them- selves for more regular and useful la- bour during the day. From Calshot north-eastward, along the banks of the Southampton Water, there is compara- tively little of this kind of labour, as the banks there are narrower ; and there are scarcely any streams or estu- aries which the birds can ascend, or find cover wherein to rear their broods during the summer. Thus the south- east coast of the Forest, opposite the Isle of Wight, is rather a peculiar coast, or at least it has its counterpart only in the harbours of Langston and Chiches- ter, to the eastward of Portsmouth. The Isle of Wight shore of the Solent, immediately opposite, bears no analogy to it, as that shore is scoured to the gravel and rock by the direct tide, the eddy of which brings and deposits the silt and mud upon the opposite shore of the New Forest. Some antiquaries, and among the rest Whittaker, in his ' History of Manches- ter,' who have endeavoured to draw geo- logical conclusions from imperfectly un- derstood statements in the ancient his- torians, have advanced the hypothesis that the Isle of Wight was once united to the New Forest at some point a few miles to the westward of Calshot Castle, where there- is a hard beach extending some distance into the water from the island side of the Solent ; but the struc- ture of the country in the direction of the heights and of the courses of the streams, and also all the changes which appear to have been brought about here by surface action, are against the pro- bability of this hypothesis, though the point of its truth or falsehood is not one which we are called upon to discuss. All the " hards," or gravelly beaches, which occur along the coasts of the Forest, are either continuations of simi- lar strata from the land itself, or they are accumulations of pebbles which have been brought by the waters at a time when the mud-banks were not so extensive as they are now. The two points forming the boundaries of this peculiar coast, and upon w T hich Henry VIII. 's castles of Calshot and Hurst are situated, are even now advancing gradually into the sea, and have been doing so ever since any observations of them were recorded. The deposit at Calshot consists chiefly of mud formed in the eddy westward of the castle, which is occasioned by both the flood and the ebb tide setting most strongly against the opposite shore in this part of Southampton Water. That at Hurst Castle is a little* more singular, as it forms or receives its increase upon the eastward side, and this exclusively of loose pebbles. It is probable that a portion of beach, more stubborn than 125 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. the rest, ,had existed here before the shore to the eastward was so much silted up. The accumulation of mud along the coast between Calshot and Hurst Cas- tles, though it adds very considerably to the seaward edges of the banks, ap- pears to add very slowly, if at all, to the cultivated surface, or to the mea- dows along the little estuaries, which meadows have in all probability been formed by debris brought down by the streams, and rejected and returned by the tide. This species of formation re- quires however that the tidal waters should act with some energy, in order to force the debris up to the full level of the high water mark, or above it ; and this again requires some depth of water in the offing, and a sloping bot- tom of hard matter, to give the requisite upward impulse to the surge. On many places of this bank, as it now exists, there are not more than 5 feet of water at high water of spring tides, while the surface, as we have said, is tangled with zostera and other marine plants. These circumstances reduce the force of the water to almost nothing when it reaches the shore ; and this is the reason why the sea has so little influence here, either in the forming of dry land or in the destruction of that which is already formed. The north-east shore, along the Southampton Water, partakes of the same quiet and permanent charac- ter, although the banks do not extend so far within the high water line. They are pretty nearly proportioned however to the action of the general tide; for the Southampton Water being a cul-de- sac, which rather expands above its entrance, the tide in it is not so strong as in the thoroughfare channel of the Solent. These circumstances tell not only in the undisturbed position of the coast-line, but in the foliage of the trees, which, along all the shores of this character, is as fresh and green, down almost to the water's edge, as if it grew upon the banks of an inland expanse of the most limpid fresh water. These circumstances render both portions of the coast very delightful places either for a temporary sojourn or constant re- sidence. When we quit this portion of the shore of the Forest district, passing Hurst Castle, we find the shore of a very different character. Upon the general outline it is nearly as long, at least within Hampshire, to the west- ward of Hurst Castle, as to the east- ward of it ; and it consists of two bights, or inbends of the line of coast, one of small curvature to the westward of Christchurch or Hengistbury Head, and another and deeper one, Christ- church Bay, extending from the latter to Hurst Castle. The coast of both these bays is of much the same cha- racter, consisting of a sandy and gra- velly beach, upon which the water rip- ples or beats directly, and a cliff of loose tertiary matters — various clays, sands, and gravels immediately inward of that, portions of which are ever and anon decomposed by the joint action of the sea, the land Hoods, the land springs, and the weather— so that, THE NEW FOREST. 127 upon the whole, the sea is advancing upon the land. The cliff here varies considerably in elevation, being in some places more than 150 feet high, while in others, where small streams find their way to the sea, the levels at which they run are so low, that high water flows up them for some distance, and gives them the aspect of little arms of the sea. As the sides of these are gene- rally well wooded, either with trees or with coppice, they form an agreeable contrast with the comparatively treeless surface of the intervening high grounds, which, though generally under culture near the cliffs, gradually pass into a bleak furzy moor, which forms the southern part of the Forest. In the cliffs along this shore of the Forest district there are numerous fossil shells, found chiefly in a stiff tertiary clay, which is probably an estuarial forma- tion, containing fossils both of the fresh water and of the salt, as is the case with the strata north of the chalk ridge in the Isle of Wight. The beds containing fossils, in the tertiary formation, extend a very con- siderable way northwards through the Forest, though of course, as their natu- ral position is at some height above the chalk, they crop out long before we arrive at the chalk ridges of Hants and Wilts to the north. The direction of these through the whole extent of the Forest, from the cliff in the south to the most northerly situation in which they are discovered, has not been satisfacto- rily traced. There is one matter worthy of our notice in'this singular district, and that is the great disproportion between the dells or ravines in which the brooks and small rivers run toward the sea, and the small quantity of water in those rivers, even when they are swollen by the heaviest rains. At present, the most turbulent of them — and none of them are very turbulent — does not disturb a rod of ground to the depth of a foot in the course of the most stormy year ; and yet one and all, and more especially those trifling ones which find their exit in Christchurch Bay, How along dells of considerable magnitude. In order to account for this, we must suppose that, at some period of its history, the New Forest, and indeed the whole of the country, must have been far more thickly wooded, and in every respect more hu- mid than it is at the present time ; be- cause, from the similarity of the strata on both sides of these dells, and the fact that the ends of those strata are cut on the opposite sides, it follows as a matter of course that the dells must have been formed by surface action, and in nowise by any geological force, that is, by any upheaving or depressing from causes acting below — for when such causes operate, they bend the strata and alter their inclinations, instead of simply cut- ting them asunder, as is done by sur- face action, and is here exhibited. The dells also through which those little brooks flow are larger and deeper, in proportion to the quantity of water in the brooks, than the valleys of the larger rivers in this part of the country, — the Avon, the Teste, and the Itchin ; and 128 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. from the character of the surface, none of those little rivers could have been assisted in forming its dell by the outlet of any lake or large portion of water, such as we find in countries of different geological formation, and such as may have taken place in the case of the larger rivers in this part of England, in the valleys of which there are at least pretty clear indications of obstacles which have been worn through by the action of the waters, as for instance, in the disruption of the chalk strata, on the east and west sides of the Itchin at Winchester, which disruption must however have taken place long before the commencement of the period recorded in history. With regard to the inroads of the sea upon the cliffs to the westward of Hurst Castle, we have also some evidences which fix. the date of the commencement ' of devastation there as not being so very early as we might have been led to sup- pose. At low-water of very great spring- tides there are perceptible within the low-watermark the remains of salterns, or enclosures for the partial evaporation of sea-water, in order to obtain culinary salt from it by a subsequent boiling ; and it is by no means likely, if the beach had possessed the character which it possesses at present, and the sea had been making such inroads as it makes now, any such permanent work would have been there effected. Those re- mains of salterns are on the manors of Milford and Hordle, and on the average about three miles to the westward of Hurst Castle. The chalk formation, though not far from the border of the New Forest dis- trict, where that abuts upon Wilts, and though, for a considerable distance southward in the Forest itself, it cannot lie at any considerable depth below the surface formations, yet does not appear uppermost anywhere within the Forest or its precincts. The whole forest con- sists of the tertiary formation above the chalk ; and as is the case with the form- ation in other parts of England, it varies greatly in different places, though within the Forest itself the prevailing soil is sand, or sandy loam, more or less min- gled with clay, and, generally speaking, pretty strongly impregnated with iron. The quantity of oxide of iron contained in this formation often gives it very con- siderable hardness and consistency, al- though nowhere within the Forest is it in such compact masses as to be of any value as building-stone. There are, however, certain districts where the iron predominates, so far as that a valuable iron- ore is readily obtained, the smelt- ing and manufacture of which formed, in the olden times, an important and valuable branch of occupation. Before the value of the coal-mines was duly appreciated, and coal became the staple article of fuel, and coke the one em- ployed in the smelting of iron, such dis- tricts as the New Forest and the Weald of Sussex and Kent possessed an im- portance to which they can now lay no claim. In those days the charcoal fur- nished by their timber was used in the small old-fashioned " bloomeries," or air-furnaces, in the reduction of iron from the ore ; and as iron-stone near the THE NEW FOREST. 129 surface was all that could be rendered available in those days, and carriage from a long distance was entirely out of the question, the iron-stone beds in such districts as have been alluded to, were of great value in an economical point of view. Up to a comparatively recent date the iron- works at Sowley, about midway between the Lymington and Beaulieu rivers, or three miles from each, were carried on to a very considerable extent, and not unprontably, as the water accu- mulated in Sowley pond was made use of as a power in working the necessary machinery ; these have, however, given way before the more successful compe- tition of Wales and the midland coun- ties, just as the woollen manufactures of the South have given way before those ofYorkshire. The tertia formation of the New Forest district consists not only of differ- ent strata superposed upon each other over the chalk upon which it rests, but those beds vary at short intervals in breadth, and give evidence that they have been gradually deposited through a long period of time. That portion of the Forest which lies northward, toward the head of Southampton Water and the downs of South Wilts, is of course the lowest part of the formation, whatever may be the present height of its surface above the level of the sea. Accordingly, true to what is found in other cases, with re- gard to this formation, the soil of a con- siderable portion of this part of the Fo- rest consists of plastic clay. This is very conspicuous in the brick-pits about Eling, and it extends westward along the hollow, by Minstead, and then turns round for a short distance along the upper course of the streams of the Boldre, or Lymington Water, though the pre- cise outline of it has not been defined, nor is it indeed easily definable. This plastic clay passes gradually into a sandy loam at the slopes, which some- times attains considerable elevation, but it is generally lost in sand or gravel on the more extensive heights. In the eastern parts of the Forest a consider- able extent of the inland part is occupied by crag, and this is naturally very steril. Beaulieu Heath may be considered as the grand centre of this crag formation, and the downs to the eastward of Lyndhurst as the highest part of it. In general these are now destitute of vegetation, except a small beech here and there, which appears as if consumed rather than nourished by the hungry soil. Still, wherever there is a hollow, there are trees : and when there is a mixture of loam in the soil, they acquire a pro- portional magnitude. On the southern margin of the Forest again, to the south-westward of the pri- vate property at Brockenhurst, which contained a church and village before the Conquest, and was not afforested by William, the ground passes into a sandy heath, in many places thickly covered with furze, thereby showing that it is more favourable to vegetation than the crag in the opposite part of the Forest, and that, under proper management, it may still be made productive of excel- lent timber of some description or other. 130 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. Perhaps the natural tendency of no dis- trict of the Forest is now naturally to produce oaks without some artificial assistance ; but as there mingles less calcareous matter in the loam upon the slopes here, they have not such a ten- dency to run into beech, as is the case in the more northerly parts of the wooded portion of the Forest. There is how- ever another evil, which has perhaps ex- tended itself here, in consequence of the exposure of much of the surface, both on the heights and in the bottoms, to the action of the weather. When surfaces are so exposed, every hole be- comes a receptacle for those minute par- ticles of soil of which the sweeping winds and the pelting rains rob the heights ; and this transported matter, being in a state of exceedingly minute division, and held suspended in water until it is gradually precipitated, or the waters dried up, forms a water-tight crust; and this lays the foundation of a bog or quagmire, which quagmire continues accumulating year after year with a deceptive crust of moss and the coarser marsh plants upon the surface, while below it is so sludgy and treacherous, that instead of giving a tree hold of the ground so as to resist the weather, it is unsafe for the feet of domestic animals or of man. Within the Forest there are several extensive patches of this descrip- tion ; and as they occur in those places which naturally ought to be clothed with the most luxuriant timber or the finest pasture, we cannot help feeling that there has been some neglect, or, at the best, very great ignorance, in the management of this singular portion of the kingdom. ANIMALS, ETC., OF THE NEW FOREST. The New Forest horse is quite a study to those who wish to see the natural de- velopment of this most useful animal. According to the ordinary estimation of those who are fond of fancy horses, he is by no means beautiful ; but he is not a little picturesque, and harmonises well with the scenes in which he is found. His tail and mane are at all times co- pious and flowing ; and during the win- ter months his coat is somewhat shaggy. The hog is another animal of which the true New Forest breed may be said to be peculiar : it is the domes- ticated breed left to run wild in the •forest for so many generations as to have, in some degree, at least, reverted to the original type. As in the wild boar, the volume and strength of the New Forest hog are concen- trated upon the anterior part of the animal, the shoulders being thick and the neck massive, as compared with those of what are esteemed the most valuable domesticated breeds. The wild hog of the New Forest has certainly not the same volume of body as the in- dolent tenant of a sty or a farm-yard, but there is a vigour and fleetness to which the other has no pretensions. In the hinder parts he is light and slender, while he is strengthened in front, has an elevated crest on the neck and shoulders, with a thick mane of bristles which he can erect at pleasure. His colour, also, approaches to that of the wild boar as . THE NEW FOREST. 131 still found in the continental forests, being generally dark brindled, and some- times entirely black. His ears, too, are short, firm, and erect ; and when he is excited, there is a fiery glance or glare in his eye. His spirit is also true to these indications ; for a single dog, un- trained to the sport, must be stanch indeed before he will venture to go in upon the wild hog of the New Forest. These hogs are generally seen in small herds, led on by one patriarchal male. In their native glades, or in the depth of the beechen forests, they are animals of no inconsiderable beauty, their forms being light and elegant, and their bris- tles having almost a metallic lustre, which shows very brightly in the strag- gling sunbeams among the trees. Besides these wild hogs, of which the number is much more scanty than it once was, there are many seasonal hogs collected in the New Forest to feed on the acorns and beech-mast. The beechen woods are most luxuriant in the Bold- re-wood Walk, to the westward of Lynd- hurst ; and accordingly it is here that seasonal hogs are sent into the forest by the forest borderers. The right of fattening hogs in this and the other royal forests is very ancient. Those who have this right pay a trifling fee, in the steward's court at Lyndhurst, for the run of the forest during the « pan- nage" month, which begins about the end of September, and lasts for six weeks. This business is not now car- ried on to the same extent that it was formerly. In these latter times, what- ever it may have been formerly, the swineherd, who is a" resident in "the forest, and well acquainted with it, is governor-general of this peculiar lo- cality during the pannage month. He selects his appropriate spot, always in a neighbourhood where acorns and mast are abundant, and he constructs a rude habitation of wattles, generally round the bole of some ancient tree, for the nocturnal rendezvous of his long-nosed guests. This he covers in in a rude manner, but generally sufficient to keep out the rain, and beds to a considerable depth with ferns, or with straw, if such an article is accessible ; and this being done, and a quantity of acorns and mast collected, his preparations are com- plete. Next he goes round among the bor- der farmers and collects his herd of hogs, which may amount in some in- stances to five hundred or six hundred, and for which, we believe, his fee is Is. a head. Collecting them on the borders of the forest, he drives them to the vi- cinity of the wattled shed he had pre- pared, feasting them sumptuously with acorns or mast, and enlivening them during their meal with the music of his horn, by which he^ intends to impress them with the instinct of a connection between the said music and meat. When they have been fed and serenaded to the full measure of their desire, they are easily driven^ to the shed, where they soon sink into repose upon the comfortable straw or fern; and their sleep is of course as balmy and refresh- ing as that of hogs can be— somniferous as these animals in general are, espe- k 2 132 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. cially after a full meal. On the follow- ing morning he lets them out, drives them to the neighbouring pool or stream whereof they are to drink, and leaves them for the day to pick up the frag- ments of the former evening's supper. When night comes on again, they have a repetition of the feast and the horn, whereby they are soon hushed to repose. This is generally repeated a third day, and sometimes a fourth one, but after that they are understood to be instructed in forest manners ; after which they are left to find their own food, of which there is no want upon a soil so conge- nial both to the growth and to the re- productive fertility of the oak and the beech. When the autumnal winds blow keenly, the acorns and the mast fall in abundance, and the hogs fare sumptu- ously, with comparatively little fatigue, though when the atmosphere is still, they occasionally require a meal pro- cured by the swineherd, to which they are always called by the sound of the horn, a species of music which former feasting has rendered very delightful to their ears. After this first instruction, the swine- herd has comparatively little trouble with his herd, as they range about in the forest all day ; and, with the excep- tion of very calm days, as aforesaid, they find abundance of food ; so that when he returns their, home to their owners, at the expiration of the month, they are in very vigorous and healthy condition ; and a very short time in keeping upon dry food makes them in excellent condition for the market, in respect both of weight and flavour. The hogs may perhaps be considered as the most truly characteristic animals of the New Forest ; for the horse is not quite in his native element, and perhaps the same may be said of the deer, for which, red deer especially, the range of the forest, ample as it is, is neither exten- sive enough, nor sufficiently exposed to the free and sweeping atmosphere, which is so essential to the full deve- lopment of these splendid and majestic animals. There are many deer kept in the forest. The right of deer-shooting is now confined to the lord warden and those appointed by him ; and the annual supply required by that officer is sixty- four brace ; a few of which are sent to her majesty's currier and the great officers of the crown, and the rest are distributed amongst those persons to whom old customs have assigned them. Rabbits, which formerly abounded, are now scarce. In consequence of the diversity of the surface and the vegetation, the note of every bird may be heard within the forest, from the piteous chirp of the twite — the appropriate bird of deso- lation — to the murmuring of the ring- dove, "in shadiest covert hid." The moorland places are not sufficiently elevated for any of the species of grouse, but the whistle of the plover greets one immediately after quitting the lonely habitation of the twite: as one ap- proaches the mossy bottoms, of which there are several in the forest - , the lap- wing alternately tumbles along the THE NEW FOREST. 133 earth and twitches through the air, to decoy the passenger from the habitation of its young. Some of those birds which are migrant in other parts of Britain, are resident, summer and winter, within the natural district of the New Forest. In the winter season they find the shores, especially the south-eastern shore opposite the Isle of Wight, and stretch- ing from Calshot Castle at the entrance of the Southampton Water, to Hurst Castle near the Needles, peculiarly warm and fertile; and thus several of the long-legged or runninghirds, which have to travel with the seasons in most other places, have only a few minutes' flight between the tidal shore and the inland moor. In fact, in this short distance, there is in all respects, save that of cli- mate, almost the same transition, in the course of a few miles, that one meets with between the summits of the Gram- pians and the estuaries of the tidal rivers in the Scottish lowlands. Nor are the winter visitants — the swimmers of all dimensions, and from all parts of the northern regions — less plentiful in this interesting district, when the rigour of winter seals up the waters and drives them from their native north. There- fore, to the lover of birds, whether as a sportsman or as a naturalist, the New Forest is a district of great interest ; and, unlike many other places, it is equally interesting at all seasons of the year. In winter the aquatic birds throng to its shores, and resident species flock upon the cultivated fields and rich bot- toms ; in spring, the resting-place for many* migrants which proceed farther inward to spend the season ; in summer it is all song and flutter ; and in autumn, many of the birds which find their way into the country, singly and by stealth, muster their array here before they take their departure for those more tropical climates in which they winter. TIMBER. The chief value of the New Forest is for the raising of oak and beech timber for the use of the navy. It possesses advantages of situation, with respect to the convenience of w r ater-carriage and nearness to the dockyards, superior to every other forest, having in its neigh- bourhood several ports and places for shipping timber; amongst which, Lym- ington is at the distance of only 2 miles, Beaulieu about half a mile, and Redbridge 3 or 4 miles from the forest ; and the navigation to the dockyard at Portsmouth is only about 30 miles from the nearest of those places. Its soil, which is in general a sandy loam, is well adapted to the production of oak timber. The forest at present compre- hends nearly 64,000 acres, and is the property of the crown, subject to rights of common, and other ancient claims. The crown has also manorial rights over some, and the absolute property of other plots of ground included in the former, but not in the present bounds of the forest. For local purposes the forest is divided into nine bailiwicks, known by the names of North Bailiwick, Fritham, Godshiil, Linwood, Burley, Brattamsley, South Bailiwick, Inn Bai- liwick, and East Bailiwick, which are 134 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. again subdivided into fifteen walks. The chief officer of the Forest is the lord warden, who is appointed by letters patent under the Great Seal, during the king's pleasure ; under him are a lieu- tenant, a bow-bearer, two rangers, a woodward, an under • woodward, four verderers, a high-steward, an under- steward, twelve regarders, nine foresters, and fifteen under-foresters. Most of these appointments being connected with the royal chase, are now considered rather as marks of distinction than as offices of responsibility or business. Be- sides these ancient officers there are two others, principally concerned in what relates to the timber, and of mo- dern appointment, the purveyor of the navy for this forest, and the surveyor- general of the woods and forests. The latter appoints a deputy, whose duty is to execute all warrants for felling timber for the navy, or for the sale of wood and timber, or executing any other works in the forest. The only object of real importance now to the public in the New Forest is the increase and preservation of the timber. As in every other of the great forests, the quantity of timber in it has greatly decreased. Within the present century many reforms have been made from which considerable benefit may be expected ; but the use of iron, and the process of bending timber by me- chanical processes, has diminished in some measure the peculiar value of the New Forest oak, which consisted in the adaptation of its crooked branches to the purposes of ship-building The condition of the lower inhabit- ants and borderers of the forest has improved much in a moral point of view of late years. Of what they were only half a century ago, the reader may form some idea by the following account, taken from Mr. Gilpin's work before mentioned: — "The many advantages which the borderers on the Forest enjoy, such as rearing cattle and hogs, ob- taining fuel at an easy rate, and pro- curing little patches of land for the trouble of enclosing it, would add much, one would imagine, to the comfort of their lives ; but, in fact, it is otherwise : these advantages procure them not half the enjoyments of common day-labour- ers. In general, they are an indolent race, poor, and wretched in the extreme : instead of having the regular return of a week's labour to subsist on, too many of them depend on the precarious sup- ply of forest pilfer. Their ostensible business is, commonly, to cut furze, and carry it to the neighbouring brick-kilns, for which purpose they keep a team of two or three forest horses ; while their collateral support is deer-stealing, poach- ing, and purloining timber. In this last occupation they are said to have been so expert, that, in a night's time they would have cut down, carried off, and safely lodged in the hands of some re- ceiver, one of the largest oaks of the forest; but the depredations which have been made in timber along all the skirts of the Forest have rendered this species of theft, at present, but an unprofitable employment. In poaching and deer- stealing thev often find their best ac- LYNDHURST. 135 count, in all the arts of which many of them are well practised. From their earliest youth they learn to set the trap and the gin for hares and pheasants ; — to ensnare deer by hanging crooks, baited with apples, from the boughs of trees ; and (as they become bolder pro- ficients) to watch the herd with fire- arms, and single out a fat buck as he passes the place of their concealment/' FOREST ROADS. Having now described the general characteristics of the New Forest, we shall point out the roads by which the tourist may traverse this interesting district, taking Southampton as the point of departure. Lyndhurst, Lymington, Christchurch, Ringwood, and Fording- bridge, will also form good central points, and from his head-quarters in any of these places the visitor may make many pleasant excursions in various directions. The road from Southampton to Lynd- hurst, the little capital of the Forest, passes through the village of Four Posts. Spring Hill, an eminence on the right of our road, commands exten- sive prospects. Freemantle House, in the same direction, was often visited by Cowper at an early period of his life. Passing an iron-foundry, in which iron steam-boats and locomotive-engines are made, we reach Millbrook, a large and pretty village. The church-yard contains a monument in memory of Pollok, author of the * Course of Time,' who died at Shirley, near this place, in 1 82 7, at the early age of t wenty-n ine. A mile further, at the head of Southampton Water, and commencement of the An- dover canal, is Redbridge, a place of great antiquity, which enjoys a consi- derable trade in coal, corn, timber, &c, and has many advantages as a port. There are here yards for ship-building Crossing the Andover canal and the river Anton, we reach Totton, and next Rumbridge, after which a branch of the Southampton Water is crossed, and we approach Hounsdown Hill, over which the road lies. From this eminence there- are grand and commanding prospects of the Forest, which we enter about a mile distant from the base of the Hill. Lyndhurst is about 3j miles from Hounsdown Hill, and between 9 and 10 from Southampton. The forestal courts are held here, and it was an important place in the feudal times. The King's House, the official residence of the Lord Warden, when he visits the Forest, was built in the reign of Charles II., and probably occupies the site of a more? ancient building. The courts are held in the hall, where an ancient stirrup iron is shown, which is said to have been the one used by Rufus at the time of his death. A quadrangular building opposite the King's House is called the King's Stables, and was used as bar- racks during the war. From the tower of the church, which was erected in 1740, a fine prospect of the Forest may be obtained. The population of Lynd- hurst was 1 236 at the last census. From Lyndhurst there is a turnpike- road to Lymington ; and there are pa- rish roads in various other directions 136 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. through the sequestered parts of the Forest. One of these roads leads to Christchurch passing Rhinefield Lodge, Welverley Lodge, and the village of Hinton. Pursuing the road to Lymington, which is between 8 and 9 miles from Lynd hurst, we pass on the right Cuff- nells, the seat of Sir George Rose, most delightfully situated in the heart of the Forest. Here the gloom and majesty of the Forest increases as we advance, and a feeling of solitude arises such as men experience when they roam the untrodden woods or the pathless desert. JBrockenhurst, midway between Lyndhurst and Lymington, is a village of great antiquity, and parts of the parish church were erected before the Conquest. The font is also very an- cient. Brockenhurst Park and Wat- combe House are situated near the vil- lage : the latter was for several years the residence of John Howard. Lymington, a corporate town and parliamentary borough, is agreeably situated on the right bank of the river Lymington, at a short distance from its mouth, and is about 90 miles south- west from London, direct distance. By the road through Lyndhurst, Lyming- ton is 19 miles from the Southampton station : it is 9 miles from Lyndhurst, and 10 from Christchurch. Lymington is well supplied with water, and the paving and lighting are defrayed by a rate of \3±d. in the pound on houses, and A±d. in the pound on land. u Lymington is subordinate to the port of Southampton, from the ne- cessity of the importers having to pay the full duties on the entrance of their cargoes into the port" {Corp. Reports), which circumstance is regarded by the inhabitants as a grievance, inasmuch as they consider the situation of their own port peculiarly favourable to foreign trade. The foreign trade is unimpor- tant, and the coasting-trade is evidently on the decline, for it appears that the aggregate tonnage inwards and out- wards, which in 1812 amounted to 44,934, had gradually decreased down to the year 1832, when the tonnage inwards was 10,757, and outwards 7242. The town has of late years received con- siderable improvements, with a view to invite visitors during the bathing sea- son : 3000/. had been subscribed in 1835 for the erection of baths, and a like sum for the establishment of gas-works. The chief manufacture in the neigh- bourhood is salt, which some years ago was carried on to a considerable extent, but has since declined. The salt-works are situated on the bank of the Solent Channel, to the south-west of the town. The fairs for cheese are held May 12 and October 2, and are usually well attended. Lymington is a borough by prescription, there being no charter ex- tant or upon record. The town-council consist of four aldermen and twelve common-councillors (5 and 6 Will. IV., c. 76), and the income of the corporation, arising from landed property, tolls, quay, and river dues, amounted, in the year ending October, 1832, to 68/. 19*. 5d., the expenditure during the same period being 79/. 12s. 4d. The parish church, LYMINGTON. 137 dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket, is in the diocese of Winchester, and in its interior are many handsome monu- ments. The living is a curacy, depend- ent in some respects upon the church of Boldre, and the income is included in that of the vicarage of Boldre. The population of the town and parish in 1831 was 3361. Lymington has returned two members to parliament since the reign of Elizabeth. The traveller who visits Lymington, from which Boldre is about two miles distant, may be induced to stroll to- wards the village-church on learning that it was for above twenty years the scene of the pastoral labours of the Rev. William Gilpin, author of several works on the picturesque. The view from Boldre churchyard is exceedingly interesting ; that towards the north ex- tending over an area of thirty or forty square miles of forest scenery, of the richest and most diversified character ; while on the opposite side appear the white cliffs of the Isle of Wight. The ' intermediate woods gently incline to- wards the adjacent stream, which, wid- ening as it proceeds, flows into the sea at Lymington Bridge. The church itself is an ancient and primitive-looking structure, and crowns the summit of a thickly-wooded eminence. Mr. Gilpin applied the profits which he derived from his pen and pencil to found two parish-schools, a view of which are given in the accompanying sketch. The school-houses adjoin each other, and are situated in an angle formed by the junction of two roads, one of which leads to Pilley, and thence to Boldre Church, and the other to Vicar's Hill and Lymington. In these schools twenty boys and as many girls, " taken as far as can be out of the day -labouring part of the parish" of Boldre, are clothed and educated according to the direc- tions of the founder. With a view to render these schools permanent he sold some of his drawings ; the first lot pro- ducing 1200/., and the second, sold after his death, pursuant to his will, bringing 1500/. One book, which is now in the possession of a gentleman of Boldre, sold for eighty guineas. Mr. Gilpin died in 1804, and was buried in Boldre church- yard, where a plain tomb marks the grave of himself and his wife. Wallkamfton, the seat of the late Sir H. Burrard Neal, is about a mile east of Lymington. The grounds com- mand extensive views of the Channel and the Isle of Wight, and contain a piece of water twelve acres in extent. Milford, a small village about three miles from Lymington, is situated be- tween the town and Hurst Castle. It is opposite Alum Bay, and affords fine views of that part of the Isle of Wight. Hurst Castle, situated on a long narrow strip of land, was erected in the time of Henry VIII., for the defence of this part of the coast ; and, though still occupied as a garrison, is of little strength, but its position is an excellent one in a military point of view. Charles I., after being removed from the Isle of Wight, was lodged in Hurst Castle for several weeks previous to his trial and execution. id&^t''- 1 CHRISTCHURCH. J39 We will now pursue the road to Christchurch, which is parallel to the coast the whole of the way. On the left of the road is the village of Hordle, near which the coast-line assumes a bold character, and Hordle Cliff rises about 150 feet above the level of the sea. As we approach the entrance of Christchurch Bay the coast becomes less elevated. Passing Belvidere House on the left, we soon reach Christchurch, which is pleasantly 140 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. situated within the angle formed by the confluence of the Avon and the Stour, 20 miles west-south-west of Southampton, and 93 south-west from London in a straight line. It is nearly 30 miles south-west of the Southamp- ton station, by the road through Lyndhurst and Lymington. Christchurch derives its name from its church and ancient priory, founded by the West Saxons, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, for a dean and twenty canons. Ranulph Flambard, Bishop of Durham, re-built the priory in the time of Rufus, and its revenues were greatly augmented by Richard de Redvers, or Rivers, Earl of Devon, to whom the manor was given by Henry I. At the dissolution the annual income was 544/. 6s. (Speed.) Fragments of the priory walls are still standing, and of the castle-keep, which are more than 10 feet in thickness, and in the Nor- man style. The earliest notice of Christchurch is in the Saxon Chroni- cles, where it is said to have been the military position of Ethelwold, during his revolt against Edward. By the Saxons it was called Twyneham- Bourne, and Tweon-ea ; and in Domes- day Book, where it is mentioned as a burg and royal manor containing thirty messuages, it is called Thuinam. The church is a very line old structure, in the form of a cross, partly of Norman architecture. There is a delightful and extensive prospect from the tower. From some remains that have been dis- covered, the town is supposed to have been of Roman origin. In the vicinity- appears the site of a camp and en- trenchments, with several tumuli and barrows, which have contained human bones. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Winchester. Though the town is a corporation, it is wholly under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates. It sent two mem- bers to parliament since the time of Elizabeth ; the number was reduced to one by the Reform Act, and the parlia- mentary borough was enlarged by the Boundary Act. The town is not lighted nor regularly paved, but is amply sup- plied with water, The salmon fish- eries on the coast and river have greatly declined. The population in 1831 of the whole parish was 5344, and 'of the new parliamentary borough 6077. There is a free grammar-school, a na- tional and Lancasterian school, and several endowed charities. The rivers Stour and Avon, after uniting about 1^- mile below the town, flow into Christchurch Bay, and form a spacious harbour ; but from being obstructed by a moving bar of sand, it can be entered only at high water by small vessels drawing five or six feet of water. Good anchorage in six fathoms water is found in the bay, east of the harbour, two miles from shore. The town has little trade, and does not appear likely to improve in that respect. There is a road from Christchurch to Salisbury through Ringwood. From Christchurch to the latter place, a dis- tance of 9 miles, there are two roads parallel to each other, with the river Avon flowing between them. The road RINGWOOD. 141 on the left bank of the river passes by Staples' Cross, Sopley, Avon, and Lower Kingston. In the vicinity of Staples' Cross are several good mansions — Hin- ton House, Hinton Admiral, and High Cliff. Ringwood existed during the Roman occupation of Britain, and was a place of some importance in the Anglo-Saxon times. It stands on the east side of the Avon, which here divides into three branches, and their banks not unfre- quently overflow. There is a stone bridge over each branch of the river. Besides the parish church there are places of worship for several other sects, and there is a small endowed school. Ringwood is famous for its ale. The weekly mar- ket is held on Wednesday ; and there are fairs in July and December. The country around is rather flat. The roads from Southampton to Poole, and from Salisbury to Christ- church, pass through Ringwood. To return to Southampton by the former road we pass Picked Post, Stoney Cross, and Cadnam, where the road joins the Southampton and Salisbury road, and at Totton, on this road, we reach the point by which we proceeded on leaving Southampton. Between Picked Post and Stoney Cross, on the right is Boldre Wood, famous for its beeches. At Stoney Cross, 7 miles from Ringwood, is Rufus' stone, already described, and near it is Castle Mai wood. To the right is the sequestered hamlet of Minstead, and here we are again in the midst of the finest parts of the Forest. The scene which here meets the eyes of the tourist, and the feeling which it inspires, have been described by William Hovvitt, who recently visited this spot:—" Herds of red deer rose from the fern, and went bounding away, and dashed into the depths of the woods ; troops of those gray and long-tailed forest horses turned to gaze as I passed down the open glades; and the red squirrels in hun- dreds scampered away from the ground where they were feeding. * * * I roved onward without a guide, through the wildest woods that came in my way. Awaking as from a dream, I saw far around me, one deep shadow, one thick and continuous roof of boughs and thou- sands of hoary boles standing clothed, as it were, with the very spirit of silence. I admired the magnificent sweep of some grand old trees as they hung into a glade or ravine ; some delicious open- ing in the deep woods, or the grotesque figure of particular trees, which seemed to have been blasted into blackness, and contorted into inimitable crookedness, by the savage genius of the place." Cadnam Park is between 9 and 10 miles from Ringwood, and as many from Southampton. Instead of returning to Southampton by this road, we may ascend the valley of the Avon to Fordingbridge. The road is parallel to the river, which divides into several branches. The distance from Ringwood to Fordingbridge is only 6 miles by Blackford Green and the village of Ibbesley. Fordingbridge is on the right or west bank of the Avon, 92 miles from London, and 18 miles from the South- 142 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. ampton station, from which there is a road crossing the head of Southampton Water. The parish is large, containing 5720 acres, and had in 1831 a population of 2822, more than half agricultural. Fordingbridge was formerly a place of greater extent than now, and has suf- fered several times from fire. There is a stone bridge of seven arches over the river. There are some manufactures of sail-cloth and bed-ticking. The market is on Saturday, and there is one yearly fair. The living is a vicarage, united with the parochial chapelry of Ibsby, or Ibbesley, in the diocese and archdea- conry of Winchester, and in the gift of King's College, Cambridge : the an- nual value is 601/., with a glebe-house. There is an Independent congregation. The road to Salisbury, after proceed- ing between 3 and 4 miles north of Ford-* ingbridge, passes out of the county. Two miles from the town, on the right of a branch road which joins the road from Southampton to Salisbury, is a hill called Godshill, overgrown with oaks, on which are visible the remains of an ancient camp, perhaps of Saxon origin, secured on one side by a double trench, and on the other by the steep slope of the hill. This is the nearest road to Southampton : it passes along a ridge of high lands which runs between two feeders of the Avon, and skirts the north-western verge of the Forest, en- tering the Salisbury and Southampton road about 13 miles from Southampton. We are once more at Southampton ; but before taking leave of the Forest we may point out other pleasant excur- sions, which may be made to a part of this district which the last tour did not embrace. Crossing Southampton Water to Hythe, we proceed from this village to Beaulieu Abbey, a distance of about 5 miles. The woods around Beau- lieu are chiefly beech, and in the pan- nage season several thousand hogs are turned into them. The Beaulieu river takes its rise north-east of Lyndhurst, and is an insignificant stream until it nearly reaches the village to which it gives its name. Here it expands into a lake covering many acres, on the eastern side of which stands the abbey. The abbey of Beaulieu was of the Cis- tercian order, and was founded a.d. 1204, by King John: its yearly revenue at the dissolution was 428/. 6s. 8d. gross, or 326/. 13s. 2d. clear. The stone wall which surrounded the precincts of the abbey is in several places nearly entire, and is finely mantled with ivy. The abbot's apartments, converted after the dissolution into a family seat, having a well-proportioned vaulted hall : a long building, supposed, from the extent and height of the apartments, to have been the dormitory, the ancient kitchen and the refectory are still standing. There are some traces of the cloisters ; a gate- way leading to the area enclosed by them is standing ; the church is entirely destroyed. The refectory, a plain stone building, with strong buttresses, and a curiously raftered oak roof, forms the parish church of the village of Beau- lieu. This abbey possessed the privilege of sanctuary, and as such afforded shel- ter to Margaret of Anjou and her son BEAULIEU. 143 Prince Edward, on their landing in England at the time of the battle of Barnet, and to Perkin Warbeck, after the failure of his attempts in the West of England. The church of Beaulieu has been lately repaired, new pewed, and other- wise improved, at the expense of Lord Montague, brother of the Duke of Buc- cleugh : and a comfortable residence for the clergyman of the parish has also been completed at his lordship's ex- pense. Besides this, he has erected two schools for the reception of 1 00 boys and 100 girls, and provided them with a master and mistress, and it is his in- tention to encourage two infant schools, which are to be auxiliary to the other two schools. These schools, however, are strictly confined to children whose parents belong to the Established Church ; and if there should be any Dissenters in the parish, their children will be entirely excluded from the ad- vantages which Lord Montague has provided: and he will not allow any dwelling belonging to him " to be used for the purpose of a school of instruction in any form of religion opposed to or differing from that of the Established Church, as taught in my own schools." * At Beaulieu was also an Hospital of Knights Templars, which was founded before the establishment of the abbey. * ' Memorandum and Directions' issued by Lord Montague, Oct. 27th, 1840. The ruins of the Hospital, which are now converted into farm buildings, are some- times mistaken for those of the abbey. They are about half a mile distant from the water, on rising ground which commands views of Hurst Castle, the Needles, S pithead, and the towns of Yarmouth, Newton, Cowes and Newport. The ruins of the abbey are in a low situation, and the lands above them are now rather swampy. The Beaulieu or Exe river is navigable to the village ; and the tourist is recommended to sail down it to Exbury, near its mouth, a distance of rather more than 3 miles. Here he will disembark, and proceed across the country to Calshot Castle, about 4J miles from Exbury. This brings him to the western shore of Southampton, and the walk across the head of land from the Beaulieu river to Southampton Water presents views of the Isle of Wight and Spithead, while the scenery inland is not wanting in charms. Calshot Castle, like that at Hurst, was erected by Henry VIII. for the defence of the coast : it occupies a slip of land at the mouth of South- ampton Water. From Calshot we proceed to Fawley, and then once more reach Hythe, pass- ing the whole way within a short dis- tance of the Southampton Water. We may cross the water at Hythe, or pro- ceed to Dibden and Eling, and there cross to Southampton. 144 CHAPTER X. THE ISLE OF WIGHT. The old topographical poet, Michael Drayton, says justly of the Isle of Wight, in his many-footed verses, — 14 Of all the southern isles she holds the highest place, And evermore hath been the great'st in Britain's grace." He might, indeed, have made his eu- logy more unqualified ; for there is certainly no other of the islets that bor- der the British coasts that can pretend to vie in any respect with this " gem of the ocean." In beautiful and sub- lime scenery, much of it of a kind pe- culiar to itself, the Isle of Wight is sur- passed by few spots on the globe. It has been said in praise of the island of Great Britain that it contains within itself, on a small scale, specimens of all the beauties and variety of scenery of the whole of Europe. In a similar manner we may almost say that the Isle of Wight contains within a narrow compass all the most pleasing and pic- turesque features of Great Britain. No person with any eye or feeling for the beauties of nature ever visited this fair isle without delight ; and we trust we shall render no unacceptable service by drawing our readers' attention to it, and pointing out a few of the pleasures they may obtain in the course of a short and cheap tour. The South- Western Rail- road has brought Southampton within a few hours' ride of London, and from Southampton to Cowes, the usual land- ing-place in the Isle of Wight, the distance is so short that it is performed, by regular steam-boats, in little more than an hour. The passage from Portsmouth seldom exceeds half an hour. EXTENT. Though the largest island in the British Channel, the Isle of Wight is only 24 miles in its greatest length, that is, from east to west, or from the Nee- dles to Foreland Farm, and about twelve in its greatest breadth, or from Cowes Castle to Rocken End. Its form is that of an irregular ellipsis, and it has been compared to the shape of a turbot. It contracts at its two extremities, and is very narrow towards the west. The entire circumference is generally set down at about 60 miles, and the island contains from 120,000 to 130,000 acres of land, of which a great portion is ISLE OF WIGHT. 145 very productive. The high downs are excellent sheep-walks, and the farms are generally so contrived as to unite pasture with arable land. An old boast of the peasants is, that this fortu- nate island yields seven times as much as its inhabitants consume. At a very early period it exported a considerable quantity of wool. The breadth of the sea-channel that separates the island from the main or Hampshire coast varies from 6 to 4 miles ; while at one particular point, near Hurst Castle, in Hampshire, there is such a projection from the main- land towards the isle, as to leave a pas- sage by water of no more than 1 mile. Thus those who are most indisposed to sea voyages have little to fear. The channel or strait is called the Solent, or the Solvent Sea.* NATURAL AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS, POPULATION, &C. The natural division of the island is very clearly marked; a centrical chain of hills and downs cuts it into two nearly equal parts, the one being north and the other south. The southern part, which is farther from the Hampshire coast, and much the more picturesque, bold, and secluded of the two, is com- monly called the " back of the island." Another natural division into east and west is formed by the river Medina, which, rising at the foot of St. Cathe- rine's Down, traverses the island, and falls into the Solent Strait at Cowes. * Bede calls the channel " Pelago Solvente." The country to the east of the river, called East Medina, and that on the other side, called West Medina, are nearly equal in extent of territory. The whole of the island is politically subdivided into thirty parishes, fourteen of which are to the east of the river and sixteen to the west. The entire popu- lation of the Isle of Wight, as shown by the census of 1831, was 35,363 persons. Previously to the passing of the Reform Bill the isle returned six members to Parliament ; that is to say, two for the borough of Newport, two for Yarmouth, and two for New 7 town ; but since that great constitutional change, the Isle of Wight returns one county member, and two borough members for Newport, Yarmouth and Newton being both dis- franchised. The whole of the island is in the see of Winchester. Newport, which is now the capital, though Caris- brook enjoyed that honour in olden times, contains a population of above 4300 persons, and is a place of consi- derable trade and activity. A very favourable character has been generally given of the islanders. An enlightened foreigner, M. Simond, praises their politeness, love of neat- ness, and orderly behaviour. In the course of his tour at the back of the island, he says, " The meanest of their cottages, and those inhabited by the poorer class, were adorned with roses, jessamines, and honey-suckles, and often large myrtles, which, on this southern coast, bear the winter out of doors. There were vines everywhere against their houses, and often fig-trees. 146 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. We thought the women remarkably good-looking. Children and grown people took off their hats, or gave us a nod, as we passed along.*'* Having taken lodgings for a whole week at the village of Steephill, in a fisherman's cottage, which was a sort of ale-house, he had there an opportunity of observing a new class of people (the fishermen), of whom he reports, much to their credit, that he found them remarkably decent and well-behaved ; not addicted to drunkenness (the capital vice of our poor, and the cause of all their other vices) — not quarrelsome among them- selves, but friendly, good-humoured, and very cheerful. HISTORY. The Romans took possession of the Isle of Wight (Vecta or Vectis) in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, about the year 45 of the Christian sera, and kept it till 495, when it was reduced by Cerdic the Saxon, who is said to have cut off the few abo- riginal Britons that still remained there. During the Saxon Heptarchy, when England was unhappily cut up into little kingdoms jealous of and almost continually at war with one another, the pleasant hills and quiet valleys of the Isle of Wight were often made to run with blood. In 678, when the population of the island still ad- hered to the old Druidical superstitions, Caedwalla, king of the West Saxons, made war upon Edelwach, king of the * 'Journal of a Tour and Residence in Great Britain.' J5y Louis Simond. South Saxons, in whose possession the island then was. Caedwalla prevailed in the struggle, slew his rival, and pass- ing over to the Isle of Wight, put all the people to the sword, except 300 families, who were forcibly converted to Christianity, and then, with a fourth part of the island, given by the conqueror, who had made a vow to that effect, to Wilfred, Archbishop of York. During the incursions and invasions of the piratical Danes the island was frequently plundered and desolated. In 1052 Earl Godwin, who was then an exile and an outlaw, having obtained a fleet from the Earl of Flanders, stripped the wretched inhabitants of all that had escaped the rapacity and barbarity of their former invaders. The now happy islanders will hardly conceive the fre- quency and the cruelty of these attacks ; but if they reflect upon them, they will have motives to be grateful for that pro- gress in civilization and in national strength (the consequence of civiliza- tion) which have secured to them the undisturbed enjoyment of life and its blessings. At the period of the Norman Con- quest (1068) William Fitz-Osborne, carrying fire and the sword, subdued the island for his own use and profit, and became the first Lord of Wight. He founded a stately priory near Caris- brook, and built several churches. This Fitz-Osborne, who is better known in English history under the title of the Earl of Hereford, bestowed the priory of Carisbrook and the churches he founded in the island on the great ISLE OF WIGHT. 147 Abbey of Lyra, in Normandy, which also owed its origin to his devotion and munificence. The monks were of the Cistercian order. For more than two centuries the island continued to be governed by its independent lords, who, like those of the Isle of Man, exercised all the rights of sovereignty ; but in 1293 Edward I. purchased the regalities for a sum of money, after which the kings of Eng- land retained for themselves the title of Lord of the Island, and governed it by custodes or wardens. The person who sold the regalities was a lady— namely, Isabella de Fortibus, Lady of Wight, &c, who had succeeded to the honour in 1283 by the death of her brother Baldwin, fifth earl of Devonshire and Lord of the Isle of Wight. The money she received from the crown was 4000/*, and she is said to have died on the same day that she concluded the bargain and alienated the rights of sovereignty from her family. But it was only these rights or regalities that were sold to the king, as she disposed of her estates on the island by will. The title of Warden, conferred upon the king's representative, 5 was afterwards changed into that of " Constable of Carisbrook Castle," to which was sometimes added, " and Cap- tain of the Isle of Wight." The title of "Governor" gave great offence to the islanders, who thought an extension of power was intended thereby, and when (in 1558) Sir George Carey assumed that title, and claimed unwarrantable authority over them, they very properly resisted him; and the powers objected to were never more heard of, though the title of " Governor " was resumed in 1634 by Jerome, Earl of Portland, and was long continued in other persons. The weak and unfortunate Henry VI. conferred the title otKing of Wight upon Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, and in a ridiculous coronation placed the crown on the duke's head with his own hands. It appears, however, that this ceremony conferred no regal power, as it was held that the king had no right to touch the integrity of the British mo- narchy, or transfer any part of his sove- reignty, and the empty title was left to ex- pire with the nobleman who first bore it. Before the time of the duke-king the island had been partially fortified, and means had been adopted to defend it from the attacks of the French. During the reign of Edward III. twenty-nine beacons and watch-towers were erected at different points, in order to spread the alarm over the whole island when an enemy was approaching. Two men by day and four by night kept watch and ward at each of these towers ; and every landed proprietor was bound to find men and arms, in proportion of one man for every 20/. a year his estates rendered him. In case of an attack the Lord of the island furnished seventy-six men, the clergy sixteen ; the Abbot of Glastonbury, the Bishop of Winchester, and the other great churchmen who held lands there, contributed then- quotas, and the custos insula, or warden of Wight, could summon home absen- tees, and make other provisions for the common security. Every land-owner L 2 us JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. was bound, when called upon, to do gar- rison duty for forty days, and at his own expense, in Carisbrook Castle, the main fortress. This castle was often attacked by the French, but never taken, the islanders on every occasion making a gallant defence. In 1340 Sir Theobald Russel, one of the wardens of Caris- brook Castle, was killed in an action with the French invaders, who were, however, thoroughly beaten and driven back to their ships. In 1377 the French, who had laid a regular siege to it, were obliged to retire with great loss. In the following century, while Henry V. was desolating France with his mad wars, a body of Frenchmen, determined to carry the same curse into his own dominions, suddenly appeared off the Isle of Wight, and effected a landing there. After burning some detached cottages and farm-houses, this force was defeated by the inhabitants and driven back to their ships. From this time till the reign of Henry VITL, the French made no new effort, but then they succeeded in landing on the island, and plundered a good part of it. Shortly after this sad event the is- landers furnished themselves with a parochial artillery ; each parish provided one piece of light brass ordnance, which was carefully kept either in the church or in a small house built for the purpose close by the church. Towards the end of the last century some sixteen or eighteen of these guns were still pre- served in the island ; they were of low calibre, some being six- pounders and all the rest one-pounders. The islanders, by frequent practice, are said to have made themselves excellent artillerymen. The gun-carriages and ammunition were provided by the parishes, and par- ticular farms were charged with the duty of finding horses to draw them.* From the time that the naval supe- riority of Great Britain was established, these measures of defence on the part of the islanders became almost unneces- sary ; their protection was secured by our " wooden walls;" no more invaders could set their feet upon the happy soil ; and whilst hundreds of our fleets went by in succession from Portsmouth and Spithead, to carry war to every corner of the globe, the Isle of Wight had nothing to fear for itself. In our view of the interior of the island we may mention a few local occurrences, but, in an historical sense, there are few events of any importance to distinguish its annals from those of England at large. VOYAGE ROUND THIS ISLAND. The most striking and distinctive fea- tures of the Isle of Wight exist on its coasts, which present a continual succes- sion of natural phenomena, and grand or beautiful scenery. The tourist who is favoured by fine weather, and has time enough, would do well to make the tour of the island by sea ; as in that manner he will see many things that would otherwise escape him, and take in the stupendous dimensions of cliffs and rent * Pennant: 'Journey from London to the Isle of Wight.' Sir Richard Worsley: ■ Hist. Isle of Wight.' ISLE OF WIGHT. 149 columns with far more effect than^ in looking at them from above, or from the narrow line of the shore. We will attempt to describe a few of the scenes to be met with in this brief circumnavigation, before we speak of the quieter rural beauties of the interior. We will begin with the picturesque ma- ritime town of Cowes, where we landed when we visited the island, and thence proceed along the western coasts to the Needles and the back of the island. This pretty town, surrounded by gen- tlemen's seats and elegant cottages, is situated at the mouth of the Medina, standing partly on the eastern and partly on the western bank of that river. A port and roadstead generally crowded with shipping offer animated seaward views ; and on the land side there is a variety of beautiful walks through an undulating country, where trees are everywhere mixed with the habitations of men. Old Cowes Castle is a small fortress on the sea-shore, offering no very picturesque features ; but East Cowes Castle, and Norris Castle, in the neighbourhood, though both modern Gothic structures, are fine objects in the scenery, and beautifully situated. As our object at present is to describe the coast of the island, we will refrain from giving farther details about this town, which is one of the most important and most frequented in the Isle of Wight. On leaving West Cowes, we sailed under the pleasant TVest Cliff, and, doubling a little promontory, came into Gurnard's Bay, where a small stream, called . the Rue, falls into the Solent Channel. Thence, crossing Thorness Bay, we reached Newtowx, which is curiously situated on a deep and irregular inlet or creek of the Solent, which admits vessels of considerable burden. Though formerly a market-town of some consequence, and though, until very re- cently, it sent two members to Parlia- ment, Newtown is but a small village, with fourteen or fifteen cottages, and a population of about seventy persons. The only trade it now has is derived from some salterns, or saltpans. In the rear of the village are the picturesque re- mains of an old church, which are al- most entirely concealed by luxuriant ivy. From Newtown Bay we sailed slowly along the coast to the estuary of the river Yar, on the eastern bank of which stands the town of Yarmouth. During this short voyage from Cowes the tourist catches fine glimpses of the interior scenery of the island, backed by hills and downs ; but the coast itself, though prettily sprinkled with small hamlets and fishermen's huts, and covered in many places with green grass, or trees, to the water's* edge, yet offers none of those features of sublimity which occur a little beyond Yarmouth. Yarmouth, the most important town on the western end of the island, is very advantageously situated, and has a con- stant intercourse by means of steam- boats and sailing vessels with Lyming- ton on the main, from which it is dis- tant no more than 4 miles : its port or roadstead is excellent. The population of Yarmouth, however, is but small, not 150 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. much exceeding 600 persons. There are no very old buildings, for the town was totally destroyed by the French in 1337. The small castle or block-house at the entrance of the river was built by Henry VIII. to defend the town from the naval attacks which Francis I. com- menced after Henry had leagued himself with the Emperor Charles V. In 16 71 the fortifications were improved, and in the course of that year Charles II., on a royal progress, paid a visit to Yar- mouth, where he was entertained by " that gallant Admiral Sir Robert Holme," a hero of no mean fame, who lies buried in the parish church, with a statue and a long epitaph over his ashes. The church is nearly 300 years old, having been built in 1543, but it under- went a thorough repair in 1831. Yar- mouth sent its two members to Parlia- ment as early, it is said, as a.d. 1304. The river Yar, which has a fine ap- pearance at high water, rises close to Freshwater Gate, on the opposite side of the island, and within a few yards of the sea, which, in stormy weather, has been seen to break over the narrow ridge of separation, and mingle its salt waves with the fresh waters of the river-head. The Yar almost insulates the western extremity of the island from the rest of the Wight ; and, were it desirable, the ocean could be easily made to flow through its bed, from the south to the Solvent Strait at the north. To this end nothing would be required but to cut through the very narrow isthmus at Freshwater Gate. The river Yar is navigable up to Freshwater Mills, and affords a pleasant aquatic excursion. On leaving Yarmouth we almost im- mediately reached Sconce Point, where Hurst Castle, standing at the end of a projection from the Hampshire coast, presents itself in a picturesque manner, and apparently almost within reach. At the turning of Sconce Point into Colwell Bay the peculiarities of the coast begin to appear. The cliffs become lofty and vertical, exposing their dif- ferent strata, the lowest of which is of white sand, and more than thirty feet thick. This continues along Totland Bay to the grand eminence of Headon Hill, which rises 400 feet above the level of the sea, which is here remark- ably clear, with a fine rocky bottom. On turning this point the voyager finds himself in a remarkable bay, at the southern side of which the Needles show their fantastic shapes, — their rugged narrow ridges, in summer time, being generally covered with sea- fowl. Alum Bay, a section of which is cor- rectly represented in our engraving, presents indeed one of the most striking scenes on this curious coast. On one side it is bounded by lofty precipices of chalk, of a pearly colour, broken and indented ; — on the other, by cliffs strangely but beautifully variegated with different colours, arisin^from the strata of red and yellow ochres, fuller's earth, black flints, and sands, both grey and snowy white. The white sand is valu- able for the manufacture of glass and chinaware, and is exported in consider- able quantities. Of the coloured sands, 152 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. which are uncommonly hright and pretty, the people of the island make little chimney-piece ornaments, by put- ting them into phials, and so arranging and contrasting the different tints as to form fantastic designs. Alum and cop- peras-stones are also picked up on the shores of the bay and exported in small quantities. As the tourist changes his position in Alum Bay, the Needle Books, which are five in number, though only three of them now stand boldly out of the water, vary their irregular forms to the eye in a most singular manner. From some points they appear as if united in one broad rugged mass ; from others they are seen detached, and looking like old fortresses which had battered each other to pieces, or fallen into one common ruin under the weight of time and the violence of tempests. It would require the pencil instead of the pen, and many successive views, to give a notion of the variety of these combinations; but the natural causes which have produced these phenomena admit of an easy and brief explanation. A very sharp point of land forms the western end of the Isle of Wight. This has been broken by the sea, and di- vided into several large columnar rocks, that now seem to have risen out of the waters. These rocks, which are famous under the name of " The Needles" stand on a line with the extremity of the island, of which they were formerly a part. They are white, with a black base, and curiously streaked with black dots, from the alternate strata of Hints. A traveller has remarked, that, at a dis- tance, they look more like thimbles than needles.* The only one of them to which the name of needle was at all applicable was of a cylindrical shape, thin, and above 1 00 feet high, measuring from low-water mark ; and this one fell down and almost entirely disap- peared about sixty years ago, its base having been worn through by the con- tinual action of the waves and tides. Seamen used to call it the ** pillar of Lot's wife." It was the farthest from the island : its base, consisting mostly of Hint, is still visible, and in stormy weather it forms a dangerous reef. From the chalky nature of this remark- ably group of rocks, and of the coast of the /island from which they have been det iched, continual changes are taking pla^e in their form and disposition. In some places the sea has eaten them through, and formed large and irregular archways ; in others, it has so washed awiy their sides that they look rather lik-5 walls than solid rocks ; while deep ca^erns have been formed in the chalky clilFs of the island, which fall in from tin e to time, and gradually diminish the island in that direction. At no * V correspondent of the * Penny Magazine' says " The word Needles signifies llnderclxjf, aud is a corruption of Nieder fels, merely by ellipsis of the r and/, in the haste and carelessness of colloquial pronunciation. And this derivation is not only important in an etymological point of view, but also in its physical sense, as it shows that precisely the same process took, place formerly with respect to the Needles that is now going on at St. Catherine's Point, namely, that it was, originally, a landslip, then an Underclijf, whence the name ; and that subsequently it has been washed by the action of the sea into a thousand, fantastic shapes, all probably as unlike needles us it is possible to be." ISLE OF WIGHT. 153 distant period the present Needles, or rocks, will have wholly disappeared ; but new ones will be formed out of the western end or projecting point of the Isle of Wight, which, already extremely narrow, will be insulated like the Nee- dles, w T hen the sea, at work on both sides, shall have quite broken through the thin partition. Whilst standing on this perilous part of the island, in 1811, M. Simond says, " We observed, with some terror, a long crack along the margin of the cliff, cutting off a slice of the downs (sheep were quietly feeding upon it) of full one acre. This slice has settled down already two or three feet, and must soon fall. The next heavy rain, or frost, or high wind, may detach it, — and down it slips 660 feet perpendicular ! We had landed yes- terday on the flinty beach precisely under this cliff, twice as high as those of Dover, and more exposed to an open sea." The Needles' light-house is built on the highest point of this western part of the island, at au elevation of 715 feet above the level of the sea. The building is a low truncated cone, but its light shines afar like a brilliant star, being distinctly seen at sea at the distance of i eleven leagues. It is cited as a proof of the healthiness of this airy height, that an old couple who lived in the light- house, and sat up by turns all night to attend to the lamps, were never, during the long term of nineteen years, hin- dered by sickness from attending to their duties a single night. It is ob- served that at the Needles the tide rises only eight feet, and at the whole back part of the island no more than nine, while at Cowes, on the other side, it rises fifteen feet. On turning the Needles and the most westerly point of the Isle of Wight, into ScratchelVs Bay, the rough sublimity of the cliffs continues, and there com- mences a series of caves that end at Freshwater Gate. Scratchell's Bay is an indentation much smaller than Alum Bay. It is represented in the wood-cut, as seen, along with the other objects to the west of it, from the front of the cave, the magnificent arch of which, 150 feet in height, forms the foreground of the picture. This is one of numerous caves which pierce the Freshwater Cliffs, and vary the extraordinary aspect of that vast wall of whiteness marked with parallel inclined lines of black, " only to be com- pared," to use the language of Sir Henry Englefield, "to a ruled sheet of paper;" that is, the cliffs are for the most part perfectly white, with narrow streaks of black flint, much inclined to the horizon, like the flint streaks of * The Needles.* In many parts these cliffs are 400 feet in height ; — at one place, called Main Beach, their elevation is not less than 600 feet. Here, however, the precipice is not quite perpendicular. The several strata form rough projecting shelves, that serve as lodgments for the sea-fowl and other birds, that congregate here in prodigious numbers. There are cormo- rants, gulls, puffins, razor-bills, will- cocks, Cornish choughs, wild pigeons, daws, starlings, &c, that in certain sea- sons sit in tiers, the one above the other, 1.31 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. ISLE OF WIGHT. 155 almost covering the entire face of the cliffs. At the report of a gun they scream, fly out, and almost darken the sky with their countless wings. At times flights of these birds skim the air in endless circles, and wheel round the head of the tourist on wings that seem without motion, and with a cry like a horse-laugh. One or two species remain all the year round, but most of them are migratory, coming in May, when they lay their eggs in the rocks, and taking their departure about the middle of Au- gust, after which they are seen no more till the next breeding-season. During their stay, they are not left undisturbed in their seemingly inaccessible retreats. Unable to get at them from below by climbing, the islanders reach them from above by descending the perpendicular cliffs, in much the same perilous manner as is practised by the Norwegians and the hardy natives of the Feroe Islands. They drive a large stake or iron bar into the top of the cliff;— to this stake or bar they fasten a strong rope, at the other end of which there is a stick put crosswise for the adventurer to sit upon or support himself by ; and with this simple apparatus he lets himself down the front of the horrid precipice. If his object is to secure eggs, he halloos as he descends, to scare the birds away ; but when he wishes to obtain feathers and the birds themselves, he goes to work in silence, and either catches them in their nests or knocks them down with a stick as they fly out of their holes. The soft feathers of the birds are of value, . and find a ready market with upholsterers: their flesh, which is rank and fishy, is bought by the fishermen, who cut it up and use it for their crab-pots and other baits. Some of the eggs are said to be very good eating. Worsley says that in his time a dozen birds generally yielded one pound weight of soft feathers, which were sold for 8d. the pound. Standing on the summit of these tremendous cliffs, Shakspere might have said, with stricter accuracy than he did of those of Dover, " The murmuring surge, That on the unnumbered idle pebbles chafes, Cannot be heard so high. 5 - Here, too, grows samphire, in fine green tufts ; and those who gather it, "peril- ous trade," are let down by a rope from above, in the same manner as the fowlers. The pebbles below, over which the sea rolls, are black and shiny, being mainly flints loosened or dissolved from their beds in the chalk, and broken and polished by the friction of ages, pro- duced by the never-resting tides and waves. The water at the foot of the cliffs is so clear, that one can see, many fathoms deep, to the bottom of it. Scratchell's Bay is often visited by tourists. The most magnificent view down into it, Sir Henry Englefield says, is obtained by descending a very steep grassy slope, to the edge of one of the cliffs in the neighbourhood, and from this point the whole of the Needles may be seen ; but he advises strangers not to attempt to find their way down with- 156 JOURNEY-EOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. out taking a guide along with them. In his splendid folio, entitled ■ A De- scription of the Isle of Wight,' (London, 1816,) Sir Henry has given various views of the scenery in the neighbour- hood of this spot. ".Nothing can be more interesting," he remarks, " parti- cularly to those who take pleasure in aquatic excursions, than to sail between and round the Needles. The wonder- fully coloured cliffs of Alum Bay, the lofty and towering chalk precipices of Scratchell's Bay, of the most dazzling whiteness and the most elegant forms, the magnitude and singularity of the spiry, insulated masses, which seem at every instant to be shifting their situa- tions, and give a mazy perplexity to the place, the screaming noise of the aquatic birds, the agitation of the sea, and the rapidity of the tide, occasioning not un- frequently a slight degree of danger, all these circumstances combine to raise in the mind unusual emotions, and to give to the scene a character highly singular, and even romantic." We are now at the back of the island. Rowing under Freshwater Cliffs, the tourist may visit Neptune's Caves, the larger of which is 200 feet deep ;— the bay of Watcomb, where the scenery is as bold and almost as curious as at Alum Bay, — and then Freshwater Cave, which is about 120 feet in depth, and, taken altogether, the most roman- tic of these caverns. A rude fantastic arch, about thirty feet high, and of the same width, and two lateral arches of smaller dimensions, separated from each other by a thin rocky column, give admittance to this wild and deep recess. Looking seaward, from the interior of the cave, the view is at once curious and beautiful. Through the main arch a glorious expanse of ocean presents itself; and looking through the side arches, which are of an arrow- head shape at top, you see part of the rocky coast of the Wight as through the Gothic windows of a cathedral. A little farther on, a detached arched rock stands boldly out into Freshwater Bay, its rough edges generally crowded with screaming wild sea-fowl. It is now nearly 600 feet from the cliffs of the island, of which it once formed a solid part. In the centre of this bay is a creek, called Freshwater Gate, with a huge columnar rock, rising out of the sea immediately before its mouth. It is just behind this creek that the Yar rises, which river, running due north, right across this end of the island, falls, as we have said, into the Solent Strait at Yarmouth. In the time of Queen Elizabeth an earthen redoubt was thrown up on the narrow isthmus that separates the sea from the river — a bit of fortification that cost the sum of 651/. 11 s. 2\d. precisely. Near to this point is Compton Bay, where there is a delightful walk on a broad margin of silvery sand. Passing the pretty vil- lage of Brook, and a curious group of small rocks, called the Bull Rocks, which are frequently dangerous to seamen, we shoot into Brixton Bay. Here the cliffs become much lower, and are cut and rent towards the sea in an extraordinarv manner. These chasms, ISLE OF WIGHT. 157 which, in the language of the islanders, are called Chines, form one of the most characteristic features of the coast. Sir Richard Worsley has endeavoured to explain the etymology of the term " chine." " This term," he says, " is applied to the back-hone of an animal (both in the manege and culinary lan- guage), which forms the highest ridge of the body. Echine, in the French, is used in the same sense ; and Boyer has the word chinfreneau for a great cut or slash. Hence the word chine might be thought peculiarly expressive of a high ridge of land cleft abruptly down ; and the several parts of the southern coast denominated chines all correspond with this description." Our worthy historian, having got upon the stalking- horse of etymology, from which people are seldom in a hurry to dismount, goes on to prove the derivation of chine from a Greek word ; but we may leave the matter here, it being enough for our readers to understand what is meant by the English word in the Isle of Wight, or that a chine is a place where the ridge of the cliffs is cut through by the action of water running seaward from the interior of the island, or by other means, and where a ravine is formed opening to the shore. Every one of the chines has a stream of water running through it. In Brixton Bay there are above a dozen of them ; but they are inferior in magnitude and picturesque beauty to some we are fast approaching. Among them, however, Compton Chine and Brooke Chine are worth visiting. After leaving Brixton Bay and pass- ing Atherfield* Point, and another group of rocks that lies off it, the voyager will find himself in Chale t Bay, where freestone cliffs, and of a tremen- dous height, impend over the shore. Whether seen by sea or land, the views here are sublime. On St. Catherine's Hill, the most elevated point of the whole island, " there is a stern round tower of other days,'* which has a happy effect in the landscape, and is not un- interesting in its history. It was built above those terrible precipices as far back as the year 1323, by Walter, lord of the neighbouring manor of Godyton, who assigned certain rents for a chant- ing priest to sing mass in it, and also to provide light in the tower (which was at once a chapel, a hermitage, and a pharos), for the safety of seamen in dark and stormy weather. At the Reformation the trifling revenues were sequestrated or alienated, — the poor monk ceased his mass, and the lights to shine across the deep, where rocks and shoals threatened destruction to the " night-faring skiff." On the latter point, however, 'our regret may be the less, as it is asserted that, owing to its great elevation, the pharos is so fre- quently surrounded with ^mists as to render even the best of modern lights of no avail there, when they are most wanted. By day, and in fine weather, * From Aderfeldt, the field with a vein or streak through. f The word schale signifies "a cup or bowl, also a nut-shell; and thus it may mean j the bay in the shape of a bowl. 158 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. ISLE OF WIGHT. 159 however, the old tower still renders good service, being an excellent land- mark. Mr. Pennant informs us, that it was thought of such importance in his time, that it was thoroughly and solidly repaired, and that, in clearing away the rubbish that had fallen in, the workmen discovered the form of the little chapel, and the floor of the little cell in which the pious priest used to sleep. This tower stands more than 800 feet above high-water mark, and commands a most extensive view, em- bracing the whole of the island, except one corner, the Hampshire coast, the New Forest, Southampton Water, Portsdown Hill, the downs of Sussex, Beachy Head, the isles of Portland and Purbeck, and (on a very fine day) part of the French coast near Cherbourg. Chale Bay, which is about three miles in extent, is considered very dangerous in stormy weather, the shore is every- where bold and bluff, and there is always a large swell rolling in on it ; when that swell is attended with what sailors call a ground-sea, not even the strongest Newfoundland dog can gain the shore by swimming. On the coast of the Wight, at the foot of this towering eminence, and in Chale Bay, occurs one of the finest of the chines or ravines, called "Black- Gang Chine" This gloomy fissure penetrates far into the cliffs that form the most southern point of the Isle of Wight. At the upper part of it, a stream, which no doubt has largely contributed to the disruption of the soil and the formation of the chasm, falls over a ledge of rocks that is nearly eighty feet high. At certain seasons, after long and heavy rains, this is no mean cataract ; but during fine sum- mers the scanty stream is retained behind the rocky ledge, or merely trickles over the brow of the precipice. Without this adjunct, however, the Chine is wild, picturesque, and gloomily sublime. In some places, the cliffs on either side of it are nearly 500 feet high. These rocks are of the wildest forms, and in colour almost black. There is scarcely a trace of vegetation. The whole scene reminds one of a chasm in the Alps, or, still more, of some of the lava recesses in the flanks of Mount ^Etna. Near the Black-Gang Chine, and in that very ravine, are some curious evidences of the landslips that occur so often on these coasts, and alter their appearance and character. Continuing our circumnavigation, and doubling St. Catherine's Point, we find ourselves close to that remarkable part of the island called the Underclijfl where the effects of great and remote landslips show themselves on a prodi- gious scale. Here a strip, of about six miles long and from a quarter to half a mile in breadth, seems to have settled down and slipped towards the sea, ex- hibiting a jumble of rocks overturned and broken — mounds of earth — deep hollows — and numerous springs, form- ing falls of water, collecting into pools, and hurrying to the sea.* The cliffs that immediately face the sea vary from * M. Simond. 160 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. 60 to 100 feet in height, and upon these runs the long irregular platform or terrace, which is backed on the north by a bold abrupt steep — a wall of rock, rising from 200 to 300 feet higher. These upper or land cliffs are composed of horizontal beds of sandstone ; being precisely the same material as is seen on the broken surface below. It is every way evident that the sunken tract, or undercliff, was formerly a con- tinuation of the high cliff. " The crisis of this part of the undercliff," says M. Simond, " is evidently of no recent date, and the earth has had time to grow young again ; for, contrary to the laws of organised life, inert nature loses with age its original deformity and barren- ness, and is indebted to the very dissolu- tion of its substance for beauty and fecundity." The same observer, in try- ing to account for the landslips, thinks it probable that the numerous springs which now run over the surface of the undercliff to the sea, must formerly have flowed under it, and may have worn wide passages through some soft under- strata to the sea, the waves of which, penetrating into these fresh- water courses, may gradually have un- dermined the foundation of the superin- cumbent mass so as to make it give way, upon which it partly settled down, and partly spread out into the sea. It should appear that the undercliff has been formed rather by a succession of landslips, than by one grand fall or subsidence. These changes are still occurring on a larger or smaller scale, at the two extremities of this, the south- eastern, side of the island. In the year 1799 a large tract of the high cliff (from eighty to ninety acres) was of a sudden seen sinking and sliding towards the sea, the surface breaking into strange shapes, and yawning chasms, closing and opening again. This was at the western end of the undercliff, near Niton ; and a few years ago a slip of land, about a mile to the south of that village, gave a good notion of a country that had been overturned by a dreadful earthquake. The remains of a house that had been partly swallowed up were still 'seen. Another of these landslips happened in the winter of 1810-1811 at the eastern extremity of the undercliff district, close to Bon- church. M. Simond, who was on the island a few months after this subsi- dence, says that it extended over forty or fifty acres. The whole of his descrip- tion is singular and very spirited. " The rents here are frightful, and the rocks are in some places ground to fragments, bv their friction against each other. The old surface, with its vege- tation, seems to have been swallowed up, and new soil, white and barren, substituted. We have seen the roots of trees actually standing up in the air, while their branches were buried in the soil ! a poetical situation, assuredly, which put us in mind of that picture of the deluge, in which two human feet only appear on the surface of the waters." [What follows is exceedingly consoling to those who are anxious for the preservation of the beautiful and salubrious undercliff.] " The chaos of ISLE OF WIGHT. 161 debris that fell, now forms a promontory into the sea. The phenomenon of the landslips, thus going on at the two extremities of the tract (E. and W.), and not in the middle, seems to indicate that this middle has reached a solid basis, and is really now quite firm." In 1818 there was another landslip, which threw out another little promon- tory into the sea. We believe there are no records of any loss of human life occurring from these moving mountains. At all events the peasantry who reside on the spot testify but little apprehen- sion, their usual answer to any queries being, " Oh ! it is all firm and strong hereabout." The Undercliff, as it has been well observed, unites, in a singular manner, the pastoral wildness of Scotland, the luxuriant vegetation, verdure, and shade of the middle parts of England, with a bold shore, and an unbounded sea, con- tinually traversed by ships. The great terrace or platform of the Undercliff rests upon a sub-stratum of blue marl and is broken above into a succession of smaller terraces, rising irregularly above one another, and diversified with hillocks of all shapes and sizes. Wheat grows exceedingly well on this perturbed soil, and potatoes and all other crops flourish equally. In the lower part are some open pastures covered with Alderney cows, and flocks of sheep hang on the steep downs in the background. The trees that have been planted thrive in a wonderful manner, and with the luxuriant myrtle- bushes form on every side the most delightful shades, from which cottages villas, churches, and villages peep forth with beautiful effect. This is indeed a favoured nook — an epitome of the regions of the fair South, protected and sheltered by a felicitous arrangement of nature in the regions of the North. It is not less healthy than it is lovely and picturesque. Doctor James Clark, after a careful examination of the places on the English coast best suited to persons threatened with consumption, gives the preference to Torquay, in Devonshire, and the Undercliff in the Isle of Wight ; and he seems to think that many invalids might find those- benefits from climate close at home,, which they seek in distant countries, and too often separated from all their friends. " The whole of the Under- cliff," he says, " which presents in many places scenery of the greatest beauty, is dry and free from moist or impure exhalations, and is completely sheltered from the north, north-east, north-west, and west winds, by a range of lofty downs or hills of chalk and sandstone, which rise boldly from the upper termination of these terraces, in elevations varying from 400 to 600 and 700 feet ; leaving Undercliff open only in a direct line to the south-east, and obliquely to the east and south-west winds, which rarely blow here with great force. * * * * Indeed it is matter of surprise to me, after having fully examined this favourite spot, that the advantages it possesses in so eminent a degree, in point of shelter and exposi- tion, should have been so long over- M ISLE OF WIGHT. 163 looked in a country like this, whose inhabitants, during the last century, have been traversing half the globe in search of climate. The physical struc- ture of this singular district has been carefully investigated and described by the geologist, and the beauty of its scenery has been often dwelt upon by the tourist; but its far more important qualities, as a winter residence for the delicate invalid, seem scarcely to have attracted attention, even from the me- dical philosopher."* This inattention, however, no longer exist : within these last six or seven years medical men have turned their views towards that spot, and accommodations for invalids have been materially improved and in- creased. Dr. Clark, to whom the praise of much of this result is due, may live to see the accomplishment of his predic- tion, that " the Isle of Wight will have added to its title of the Garden of Eng- land, that of the British Madeira." In this little strip of mild climate and dry soil, snow is rarely seen, and frosts are only partially felt. The myrtle, the sreranium, and many other foreign plants, flourish luxuriantly in the open air all through the year. In the winter months the mean temperature of the atmosphere at eight o'clock in the morning is about 45 Q . But it is time to leave this " happy valley," where we have tarried long. Continuing our excursion by sea, and keeping under the cliff, we soon come * ' The Influence of Climate in the Prevention and Cure of Chronic D.seases, &e.' to Steephill Cove, an exceedingly pretty spot, but which, however, yields the palm of beauty and picturesqueness to Ventnor Cove, about a mile farther on, and near the eastern extremity of the Undercliff. Here the upland downs, the very edges of which are seen fringed with sheep and cattle, stand out in bold eminence ; there is a cliff and a little stream that tumbles from it, after work- ing a mill ; lower down, on some shelv- ; ing rocks, there is a group of fishermen's j cottages, disposed as if a painter had had the arranging of them — nets, drying in the sun, baskets, oars, sails, " scattered all about," make up one of those marine pictures which can hardly be seen without delight ; and finally, in front of these thatched cottages, there is a wide and beautiful beach, and then a far- spreading transparent sea. Soon after turning the extremity of the Undercliff at East Point, above which towers the rugged and lofty hill of Bonchurch, we come to Luccombe Chine, which presents the picturesque features of rushing streams, hanging woods, scattered cottages, dark brown cliffs, and a fine sea-shore. About a mile farther on (to the N.E.) occurs another of these curious ravines, deeply cut through the cliff by an inconsider- able rill. This is called Sfianklin Chine, and is the most beautiful and most fre- quently visited of all the chines. Seen from below, it appears as if the solid cliff had been rent in twain from top to bot- tom : — the mouth of the gap is very wide; its sides are on one hand almost perpendicular, on the other (to the right) M 2 164 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. [ShafckliD.] ISLE OF WIGHT. 165 more shelving, and partially clad with grass and moss, bushes, and wild flow- ers, and shaded with tall graceful trees, among which, high over the head of the tourist who approaches by sea, are a few cottages, most picturesquely dis- posed. On this side a long rude flight of steps leads up the cliff to a quiet little inn. The beach below this chine affords a delightful walk when the tide is out. We are now in Sandown Bay, which sweeps in a beautiful curve from Shank- lin Chine to the Culver rocks. At the farther end of this bay, where the shores are flat and of easy access to an enemy, stands Sandown Fort, a small work erected in the time of Charles I., and near to it they show a quiet little cot- tage, which was once the residence of the turbulent and restless John Wilkes. The contrast between the nature of this secluded spot and the character of the man is rather interesting. According to his biographer, Wilkes bought Sandown Cottage, in Sandown Bay, in the parish of Brading, at the south-east end of the Isle of Wight, from Colonel (afterwards General) James Barker, of Stickworth, in the Isle of Wight, in May, 1788. He resided there a good deal till his death in December, 1797, and (according to this authority) by many improvements made it a very elegant abode. The cottage had been formerly in the occu- pation of the Earl of Winchilsea. Wilkes was accustomed to call it his VillaAzVz, and he dated many of his letters from the place. At the distance of about two miles from this spot, however, and to the south- east of it, the vast chalky precipice, called Culver Cliff, shows itself with fine effect. A bed of coal, which is about three feet thick, and dips to the north, is seen at the foot of the preci- pice. This fossil occurs in some other parts of the Isle of Wight, but in such thin veins as not to answer the expense of working it. The summit of the cliff is about 400 feet above the level of the sea, and affords a fine view across the British Channel. The name of Culver* according to Mr. Pennant, is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Culfre, a pigeon, and applied here on account of the swarms of those birds which make the cliff their haunt.* The same writer tells us, that at certain seasons these pigeons make most amazing flights, going daily, in vast flocks, as far as the neighbour- hood of Oxford, to feed on the turnip- fields, and returning again to Culver Cliff and the Freshwater Cliffs, where they pass the night. The Culver is also much frequented by auks, and other birds that love to nestle in the holes and crannies of precipices. In former times it was famous for a breed of hawks much used in the sport of hawk- ing, and of so valuable a kind that in 1564 Queen Elizabeth issued her war- rant to Richard Worsley, Esq., captain of the island, to make diligent search * Another origin of the word has been sug- gested : upon all these eminences in former days, and especially in troublesome times, beacons are said to have been lighted. Charcoal was probably used here, and it may thence have been called * Kohlen (vulgarly Kohl) Feuer Point.' Abridged to 'Kulfer,' it is now written 'Culver,' v being merely substituted lor /. 1(56 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. after some that had been stolen, as also "for the persons faultie of this stealth and presumptuous attempt." The grand scenery of these coasts terminates at Culver Cliff. Doubling the eastern extremity of the island, called the Foreland, and then coming to Eembridge Point, the tourist will find himself at the narrow mouth of Brading Haven, which is a shallow arm of the sea at high water ; but a large and ugly puddle, with very little water in it, when the tide is out. Between 800 and 900 acres of marshy land are overflown at every tide, and rendered useless. "My adventurous and noble countryman, Sir Hugh Middleton," says Pennant, " in the time of James I., in concert with Sir Bevis Thelwal, of the house of Bathavern, in Denbighshire, and page of the king's bedchamber, employed a number of Dutchmen to recover it from the sea by embankment ; 7000£. were expended in the work, but partly by the badness of the soil, which proved a barren sand — partly by the choking of the drains for the fresh water — by the weeds and mud brought by the sea — but chiefly by a furious tide which made a breach in the bank, they were obliged to desist, and put a stop to their expensive project." The small town of Bembridge stands near the mouth of Brading Haven, to the east ; and the town and church of Brading are picturesquely situated on the slope of a bill at the bottom of the haven. At a short distance from the mouth of Brading Haven is the pretty village of St. Helen's, built round a green near the sea; and from this point there is a succession of gentle, rural views as far as Ryde, which, a poor fishing village about eighty years ago, is now a considerable and beautiful town, surrounded, like Cowes, with groves, villas, and cottages. There is a fine view of Calshot Castle ; of Ports- mouth, at seven miles distance ; of its harbour, often full of shipping ; of Spit- head, with men-of-war riding there ; and, not to mention numerous other objects, of the distant spire of Chichester Cathedral. There is a good shore for bathing, with bathing-machines, warm baths, and all necessary comforts. The long bold pier of Ryde, which was begun in 1813 and finished in 1814, has been much admired, and it is a very great convenience, as passengers can land there at all times, whether the tide be high or low. In the interior of the town there are a few public edifices, built in a neat if not elegant style. After leaving Ryde we pass the hamlet and church of B instead, the delightful little wood called Quarr Copse, in which are the ruins of an abbey, and then reach the mouth of Fishbourne Creek, through which a small river called the Wootton discharges itself into the sea. By the village of Fishbourne, which is some- times called Fish House, there is a ship- yard, where some of the light, fast, and elegant yachts belonging to the Yacht Club have been built. During the last war some gun-brigs, and, it is even said with pride, some frigates, were launched from these stocks. Above Wootton Bridge the banks of the river rise in ISLE OF WIGHT. 167 beautiful elevations, and are in some parts covered with little woods and copses to the very brink of the stream. At low water there is a practicable and very pleasant walk along the sea-shore from Ryde to Fishbourne. The village of Wootton Bridge, which is only par- tially seen from the mouth of the creek, is quiet and picturesque. From Fish- bourne Creek to the harbour of Cowes, whence we started on this voyage, the coast is finely wooded ; luxuriant forest- trees at some points seeming almost to grow out of the sea. This tract, indeed, excels all other parts of the island in woodland scenery, and forms a striking contrast with the bare, perpendicular, chalky cliffs we have recently passed. The view from the sea is refreshing beyond measure ; and in the calm of a summer's evening the music of thou- sands of birds, nestling in those green recesses, floats over the waves, and is heard far from the shore, while the breath of flowers and fragrant plants sweetens the air, whither, to use an expression of Lord Bacon's, ■' it comes and goes like the warbling of music." The sort of tour we have here been contemplating, in its perfection sup- poses the party to have a boat at their own disposal for three or four days, during which they can leisurely observe all the points on the coast, being sure to find a comfortable little inn every night. The halts may be made at Yar- mouth, or at the Needles Hotel (which is close to Alum Bay, to the rocks, and to all the finest of the coast scenery) ; at the Undercliff; and then at Ryde or Cowes. The trip may be prolonged and easily shortened ; but four days can hardly be spent in a more delightful manner by the lover of nature. If pre- ferred, boats may be procured from point to point, those of Cowes and Yar- mouth being particularly good. During the fine season of the year there are steam-boats, both from Cowes and Ryde, that make the voyage round the island in from eight to ten hours' time. This is a short, cheap, and delightful excursion for such as have not time for a more deliberate survey and exa- mination of the beauties and phenomena of the Isle of Wight. TOURS IN THE INTERIOR OF THE ISLAND. We have noticed some of the princi- pal scenes and objects on the coast of the Isle of Wight, and shall now pro- ceed to describe some parts of the inte- rior of the island, which offers to the tourist, and to the pedestrian in parti- cular, such a number of beautiful short excursions as is scarcely to be met with elsewhere. The general characteristics of the scenery by land are gracefulness and fertility, the central range of downs, though at some points bold, not attaining to sublimity. It offers that blending pas- ture and pastoral life, with arable land farming, and gardening, which is always so agreeable to the eye and imagina- tion. In former times the isle was uncommonly rich in forest scenery, and although some of the woods have wholly disappeared to supply timber to the dockyards of Portsmouth, and others 1G8 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. have been much thinned, the country is still well sprinkled with trees. The almost invariable recurrence of fine woodland scenery, in connexion with glimpses of the sea, is a peculiar feature of the Isle of Wight. Water is not wanting. Besides the rivers Yar and Medina, which flow right across the island from south to north, and admit vessels with their snow-white sails far inland, among trees and hills, there are numerous streams and springs of less note scattered over the country. Indeed almost every valley has its flowing stream, the waters of which, from the natural percolation they undergo through limestone strata, are in general singularly pure and transparent. Vil- lages and mills on the banks of these clear streams, with rustic bridges across their beds, and cattle lowing on their brinks, continually serve to make out those pleasant, cool, rural pictures which please even in words. From the small size of the island, and the comparative short course of the longest of these rivers and rivulets to the sea, they never overflow or spoil their banks. When many parts of England are oppressed with Hoods and inundations, the people of the Wight are wholly exempt from those evils, having all the benefit and beauty of flowing waters, without being liable to their devastation. With the exception of those streams which trickle through the chines, at the south side of the island, all the waters of the Wight have a northerly course, and fall into the Solent sea that separates the island from the Hampshire coast. The course of the main chain of hills, as we have already stated, is from east to west ; it has in all its extent the character of downs, and presents in some parts far-spreading carpets of turf, and odorous thyme, and wild flowers that cannot be trod without delight to more senses than one. FIRST EXCURSION. Leaving Cowes, which we made our point of departure for the coast voyage, the tourist may walk or ride by a plea- sant inland road to Newport, the capi- tal, which is situated almost in the very centre of the island; or he may go to that town by water, ascending the river Medina, which is called Mede in ancient deeds, probably from the Latin medium (middle), the river dividing the island in the midst. (This particular stream, we may mention, en passant, abounds near its mouth with flat-fish and excellent oysters.) From Cowes to Newport, by land, is about four miles and a half, and as the river does not wind much, the ascent by water is very little more. The tide flows up almost to Newport bridge, and carries large barges to the quay of the town, which is built at a point in front of Newport, where another stream forms its junction with the Medina. Here the fertile, pleasant valley of the river, chequered with gardens and groves, the neat, thriving town, the vessels loading or unloading, and the fertile hills that encircle the whole, afford a scene which is at once tranquil and animated. Newport, the capital, is the most ISLE OF WIGHT. 169 ancient existing town of the island, and is still the place that has the greatest trade and the largest fixed population ; for Cowes and Ryde are more the resorts of pleasure, and lose more than half of their occupants at the departure of summer. The agriculturist ships his corn and other produce on the Medina, which bears it down to the seaport at Cowes, and the returning barges bring articles of manufacture, coals, iron, timber, tea, coffee, and whatever else maybe wanted, back to Newport, which is a central depot, and furnishes nearly all the interior and back of the island. Sir Richard Worsley tells us that in his time, on every Saturday (the principal market-day), no fewer than 200 waggon loads of different kinds of grain were brought into Newport, amounting to 1400 or 1500 quarters; great part of w r hich w T as made on the island into flour ©r malt, or biscuit for the navy, and the rest exported. The present population $f Newport is about 4500 souls. The town is situated on a very easy ascent of ground, and chiefly disposed in three parallel streets in length, and as many in breadth. At the points wdiere these streets intersect, there are three squares which serve as market-places, but which have been much encroached upon by recent builders. The dwelling- houses^ generally built of brick, are neat and convenient, without any pretension to grandeur or elegance. The town, on the whole, notwithstanding its antiquity, has a modern air, but there are a few old buildings in it. The Free Grammar School was erected in 1 6 19, in the reign of James I., and here, in 1648, James's son, the first Charles, then a prisoner at Carisbrook Castle, entered upon the remarkable treaty with the commis- sioners from Parliament, which goes by the name of the treaty of Newport. The school- room, in which the con- ferences that lasted forty days were held, is about fifty feet long, and inter- nally has undergone slight alteration since the time when its e walls echoed the voices of the unfortunate Charles and his advisers, of Hollis, Vane, Glyn, and the rest of those commissioners who eventually left the island wdth a firm determination to bring the king's head to the scaffold. In the church, an old but frequently repaired edifice, built originally in the year 1 1 72, towards the end of the reign of Henry II., and dedicated to St.Thomas a Becket, (whose murder and canonization were then recent events,) was discovered, in 1793, the coffin of Charles's second daughter, the Lady- Elizabeth Stuart, who died a prisoner in Carisbrook Castle, about a year and seven months after her father's execu- tion at Whitehall. According to the royalist party of the time, she was poisoned, but there is no more truth in this report (usual with all such person- ages and at such times) than there is in the odd story that the republicans once intended to bind her highness appren- tice to a button-maker. Elizabeth was only fifteen years of age, nearly three of which she had passed in confinement. The body was inclosed in a leaden coffin, which had^ this legible inscrip- 170 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. tion : — Elizabeth 2d Davghter of ye late King Charles Deced. Sept 8th mdcl. The spot was originally marked by a small stone, bearing the initials E. S., but soon after the discovery of the vault a small brass plate with a brief inscription was placed over it, inlaid in the floor of the church just within the screen. In another part of the church is a curious sculptured monument to Sir Edward Horsey, a Captain of the Wight in the time of Queen Elizabeth. Sir Edward was a brave and fortunate commander, by sea and by land. He was much be- loved by the favourite, the Earl of Leicester, who intrusted him with the secret of his clandestine marriage with Lady Douglas Sheffield, whom the knight gave away in person. This circumstance, however, did not prevent his denying or concealing all knowledge of the nuptials when the worthless earl fancied another fair one. In reward for services like these the favourite gave him the captaincy of the island; and though foully obtained, Sir Edward discharged his trust very much to the satisfaction of the islanders. It is recorded of him that he stocked the country with game, and gave a young lamb for every live hare brought into it that was fit for breeding. The market-house and Town Hall of Newport form, together, a building of some importance, and though the archi- tecture is somewhat open to criticism, the edifice is neat if not elegant. It was begun in the year 1 S 1 4, finished in 1 8 1 6, and cost 10,000/. Within the Hall is still held a Curia Militum, or Knight's court (a curious relic of the olden time) in which the governor's deputy or stew- ard presides ; the court having jurisdic- tion in all civil matters where less than the value of 40s. is involved, in every part of the island, with the exception of the borough of Newport. The founder of this feudal court is supposed to have been the first Norman Lord of Wight, and the judges, who decide without a jury, are all such as hold a knight's fee from the lord. A still greater ornament to Newport is the 'Isle of Wight Insti- tution/ an elegant edifice, erected by subscription in 1811, and now well fur- nished with books and periodical publi- cations. The town has also a ' Mecha- nics' Institution,' and other societies for the promotion of literature and educa- tion. The House of Industry, in the vicinity of Newport, is a spacious build- ing, founded soon after the year 1770, for the accommodation and education of the poor of the island. Eighty acres of productive land are attached to it, divided into fields and gardens, which are cultivated by the inmates. The house can afford proper accommodation for 1000. On the edge of King's Forest, or Parkhurst, not far from the House of Industry, are the Albany barracks, with an excellent military hospital and grounds attached to them. The barracks were begun at the end of the year 1798, and were almost constantly occupied during the last war. The hospital of the barracks is now appropriated as a prison on a large scale for the reforma- tion of juvenile criminals. ISLE OF WIGHT. 171 The fair of Newport, which collects people from all parts of the island, is celebrated for its display of female beauty, which, as we mentioned, is a very general quality in the Isle of Wight. In the olden time, however, not only was this claim disallowed, but other imputations were maliciously cast upon the Wight by its neighbours. The classification is curious. The worthy Sir John Oglander, who began to write a history of his native place in 1615, says indignantly — " It is, and hath been, a tax laid on this island, that it never produces any extraordinary fair hand- some woman, nor a man of any super- eminent gifts in wit or wisdom, or — a horse excellent for goodness. Now I can answ 7 er that no part of England, in general, the quantity considered, hath produced more exquisite in either species than this island." From the town of Newport, where the tourist will find several comfortable inns, there are coaches which go daily to and return from Cowes and Ryde at stated hours. These short journeys afford a great variety of pleasing scenery, and may be recommended to those who have little time for seeing the island. No one, however, should turn back from New- port without seeing Carisbrook, which is only a mile and a half from the town, and the most memorable place in the [Carisbrook Castle.] 172 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. whole island. A beautiful public pro- menade, called the Mall, leads nearly- all the way from the town to the village. The approach to Carisbrook, with its old romantic castle (one of the most ancient in these kingdoms) towering high above it, is exceedingly picturesque, and highly interesting from historical associations. The village and the church, with its steeple, Gothic arches, and em- battled towers, are prettily situated on the slope of an ascending hollow or dell which is backed by the downs, and richly studded with trees, from the ver- dure of which the light blue smoke of the cottagers' fires is seen rising with that effect which, though constantly described both by pen and pencil, is never ob- served in reality without emotion. Though now a mere village, Carisbrook was the capital of all the island under the independent lords of Wight ; but when Isabella de Fortibus, the last of those petty sovereigns, sold the regalities (in 1291) to the English crown, Newport began to rise in importance, and soon became the metropolis, for which its central situation on a navigable river, and other advantages, best suited it. The present church of Carisbrook, which contains some uncouth sculpture, and a curious epitaph in memory of Captain Keeling, a naval hero of the time of Elizabeth and the first James, is sup- posed to stand upon the ground of a Saxon church built some centuries be- fore the Norman conquest, and called " the Church of the Manner of the Fair Valley." Evidences of the rude arts of the Saxons were discovered many years ago near some of the fine springs of ex- cellent water that exist in and near to the village. The church of Carisbrook is remarkable for having eight choice bells, which, according to one of the local his- torians, " are perhaps as musical bells as were ever cast." Adjoining to the church, which stands on a gentle emi- nence, are the ruins of a priory of Cis- tercian monks, founded soon after the Norman conquest by Fitz-Osborne Earl of Hereford, of whom we have spoken in a preceding page. The paltry remains of this once extensive and stately edifice are now converted into sheds and stables dependent on a farm- house hard by. There is scarcely enough of the priory left to make a picturesque ruin. Not so of the castle which stands 'opposite to it, but on a much higher eminence ; where towers, keep, and barbican, ramparts and battlements, frown along the steep, and are just suffi- ciently ruined and ivy-clad to be emi- nently romantic and picturesque. The keep, and the artificial mound it stands on, which lies to the north, and is much higher than the ground-plan of the rest of the fortress, are generally supposed to have been raised by the Saxons as early as the sixth century. In the eleventh century Fitz-Osborne, the Norman, included this portion in his larger castle, which covered the space of an acre and a half, and was of a square form, with rounded angles ; the base of the whole being surrounded by a fosse or ditch. In this Norman castle the lords of that race lived in all the splendour and with all the tyranny of ISLE OF WIGHT. 173 those times. All lands were held of it, and on condition of serving it and de- fending it at all times from the enemy. Hence it was called the " Honour of Carisbrook." Fitz-Osborne's castle was repaired and enlarged during the reign of Richard II., by Montacute, Earl of Salisbury; and it was again enlarged, and some parts wholly rebuilt by Lord Widville in the time of LCarisbrook Castle— The Keep.] 174 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. Edward IV., when the noble main gate- way, and the great round towers which flank it, were erected. Extensive addi- tions were subsequently made ; the last by Queen Elizabeth, when the outer walls, which still remain, were made to enclose no less than twenty acres of land. These works were erected according to the modern rules of fortification, under the direction of Genebella, an Italian, who is said (we can scarcely see why) to have imitated the famed citadel of Ant- werp. On an attentive examination the tourist will detect several specimens of the Norman age, and a very small por- tion of what seems Saxon architecture, on the western side of the castle next the entrance. Among the curiosities pointed out by the guides to the stran- ger's notice are two wells — the one in the centre of the keep, said to have been 300 feet deep, but now partially filled up; the other in the castle-yard, 200 feet deep, where water is drawn up by means of a wheel, turned by an ass. The sober quadruped works precisely in the same fashion as did the dogs called " turn- spits" in our kitchens in former times. The wheel is broad and hollow, and fur- nished inside with steps, or projecting pieces of wood ; the ass is introduced into the interior of the wheel, and by treading from one of these steps to ano- ther turns it round, and makes the wheel act like a windlass. Pennant, Gilpin, Hassel, and our other tourists of the last century, speak of a poor donkey that performed this duty uninterruptedly for the surprising long space of forty years, and was then turned out to enjoy his old age in the paddock. This second well is also famed for having the property of echoing the fall of a pin in a most sin- gular manner. The most modern part of the castle is the chapel of St. Nicholas, which was entirely rebuilt by George II. Carisbrook Castle was in one instance made memorable by the heroism of a female, whose adventures in some re- spects resembled those of the celebrated royalist the Countess of Derby, and Queen of the Isle of Man. At an early stage of the civil war, Jerome, Earl of Portland, who had been governor for Charles I. during many years, was re- moved by Parliament as a Catholic, or as one who at least was a favourer of popery. Shortly after, when he was suddenly imprisoned in London on this ground, and further accused by the Commons of a thoughtless and profligate expenditure of public money in ammu- nition, entertainments, and the drinking of loyal toasts in Carisbrook, the princi- pal inhabitants of the island drew up a petition in favour of their " noble and much honoured and beloved captain and governor," in which, dropping all allu- sion to his wasting of the ammunition, &c, they stuck to the more important question of his religious faith, declaring that not only he was a good Protestant, but that there was not one professed Papist, or favourer of Papacy, in the whole Isle of Wight. This petition being disregarded by Parliament, they drew up a spirited remonstrance, in which they spoke of defending them- selves by arms, and admitting no new ISLE OF WIGHT. 175 governor that was not appointed by the king. Twenty- four knights and squires signed this paper, but the people were very differently inclined ; and they were led by Moses Read, the mayor of New- port, who declared in favour of Parlia- ment, and transmitted a representation on the great danger accruing to the state from the Countess of Portland being allowed to continue in the castle, and retain Colonel Brett there as her warden. Read soon received orders to seize the fortress, and secure Colonel Brett, the countess, her five children, and other relatives who had taken shelter within the walls ; and he marched uponCaris- brook with the militia of Newport, and 400 sailors drawn from the vessels at anchor in the island. The garrison of the old castle did not exceed twenty men, but the countess resolved not to surrender it except on honourable con- ditions. At the approach of the force from Newport, with a lighted match in her hand she walked deliberately to one of the bastions, declaring she would fire the first cannon at the foe. Moses Read, who had expected no resistance, soon came to terms with the bold countess, and the castle was surrendered on con- ditions. The countess was soon after- wards removed from the island. No other attempt was made at resistance, and' though somewhat agitated by Charles's residence in Carisbrook a few years later, the Wight remained enviably tranquil during the whole of the civil war. This fortunate circumstance in- vited many families from the neigh- bouring counties which were exposed to the horrors of warfare, to go and settle there ; in consequence of which the rents of farms rose in proportion of from 20/. to 100/., and did not find their ordi- nary level until the Restoration.* The most memorable incident in the history of Carisbrook Castle is the detention here of King Charles I. the year before his execution. The unfortunate monarch fled from Hamp- ton Court on the 5th of Novem- ber, 1647, attended by two confiden- tial servants, but without having de- termined upon any particular place in which to take refuge. They rode all night, and finding themselves at day- break in the New Forest in Hampshire, it was resolved to repair to Titchfield, a seat of the Earl of Southampton, in the neighbourhood of which they were. This, however, was not a place in which his majesty could remain in security ; and, after some deliberation, it was deemed best to send a message to Colonel Hammond, the Governor of the Isle of Wight, intimating the king's desire to avail himself of his protection. Charles thought that he might expect to find a friend in the colonel, who was the ne- phew of his chaplain, Dr. Henry Ham- mond ; but he was, in fact, a devoted partisan of Cromwell, through whose interest he had married a daughter of Hampden, and had also obtained his post of governor at this station. At first, however, on receiving the king into Ca- risbrook Castle, he treated him as a guest rather than as a prisoner — permit- * Sir It. Worsley's History. 176 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. ting him to ride wherever he chose, and to receive all who desired to see him. It was not till after some time that his movements were subjected to any re- triction. Hammond then informed him that orders had been sent down for the instant dismissal of all his attendants ; and they were accordingly compelled to take their leave the day following. As soon as they were gone, it was further intimated to the unhappy king that he must for the future consider himself as a prisoner within the walls of the castle. He was still, however, allowed as much freedom as was compatible with this species of confinement — being permitted to walk on the ramparts, and to amuse himself in a bowling-green, which Ham- mond caused to be formed for that pur- pose in a part of the castle-yard. He usually indulged himself in the former exercise in the morning, and in the lat- ter in the afternoon. Much of his leisure was also occupied in reading; his fa- vourite books being the Bible, the works of Hooker, Bishop Andrews, and Dr. Hammond, Herbert's Poems, the Jeru- salem Delivered of Tasso, in the original, and Fairfax's translation of that poem, Ariosto, and Spenser's Fairy Queen. Many persons, it would appear, also still contrived to gain admission to his pre- sence, under the pretext of desiring to be touched for the king's evil. The con- dition in which he was kept, however, was now undisguisedly that of a pri- soner ; and his thoughts as well as those of his friends were naturally directed to the means by which he might effect his escape. The several attempts which he made for this purpose may be found detailed in the 4 Threnodia Carolina' of Sir Thomas Herbert, and still more mi- nutely in Sir Richard Worsley's History of the Isle of Wight, where many parti- culars are published for the first time from manuscript documents. The first attempt was made on the 29th of De- cember, and failed through the misma- nagement of its conductor Capt. Burley, the captain of Yarmouth Castle, who was besides so unfortunate as to be him- self apprehended and executed for his share in the enterprise. To Charles the only result was increased severity of treatment and greater watchfulness on the part of his jailors. Some time after, at the suggestion of a person of the name of Firebrace, who had con- trived to find access to him by bribing the sentinels, he was induced to endea- vour to escape from his window during the night ; but after getting his head through the bars he could not force through the rest of his body. Aqua fortis and files were then conveyed to him ; but by this time the governor had ob- tained some intimation of his formei attempt ; and when, after having de- stroyed one of the bars, the king was about to pass through the opening, he observed a number of people on the watch below, and instantly retired to bed. It is said that a Major Rolfe, who happened at the time to have charge of the castle, declared he was ready to have shot his majesty should he have actually commenced making his descent. After these repeated failures in the effort to obtain his liberty, Charles so completely ISLE OF WIGHT. 177 abandoned himself to despair as even to neglect his person, allowing both his hair and his beard to remain undipped, and uncombed, till his appearance be- came at last savage and desolate in the extreme. In this state he remained till the 18th of September, 1648, when he was permitted to remove to Newport to confer with commissioners appointed for that purpose by the parliament, on giving his promise that he w r ould not make use of the opportunity to attempt his escape. On the 29th of November he was seized here by a party of soldiers, and conveyed to Hurst Castle, on the coast of Hamp- shire, which he left only to undergo his trial and execution about six weeks after. The apartments in which he was confined at Carisbrook Castle are now in ruins — but a window is still pointed out as that by which he made the seve- ral attempts that have just been related to regain his liberty. This part of the castle is on the left hand upon entering the first court from the gate. A short distance further on, and on the same side, are the governor's apartments, almost the only portion of the interior of the castle which is now in a state of repair. fta fCausbrook Castle : the Window from which Charles I. attempted to escape.] 17S JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. It was subsequently to the execution of Charles (for he had not the pleasure of their society there), that his two youngest children, the Duke of Glou- cester and the Princess Elizabeth, of whom we have spoken in describing Newport Church, became inmates of Ca- risbrook Castle. They at first lived with the Countess of Leicester at Penshurst, in Kent, where Parliament allowed 3000/. a-year for their maintenance, When they were removed to this castle, the young Duke was attended by his tutor, one Mr. Lovel, M an honest man," as Clarendon calls him, and both he and his sister were humanely treated. One of their greatest hardships, next to their loss of liberty, appears to have been the Parliament's order, " That no person should be permitted to kiss their hands, and that they should not be otherwise treated than as the children of a gentle- man." Mildmay, who was then captain of the castle, observed this order very exactly, so that the Duke was never called by any other style than Master Harry. Two years after the death of his sister Elizabeth, the young duke was liberated by the advice and influ- ence of Cromwell, who caused 500/. to be paid by the Treasury to defray the expenses of removing him to the conti- nent — the only condition imposed being that he should sail directly from the Isle of Wight, and not touch at any part of the English coast. After the removal of the Duke of Gloucester, the Commonwealth conti- nued to use Carisbrook Castle as a state- prison. One of the most remarkable of the inmates of Carisbrook, at a some- what later period of the Commonwealth, was Sir William Davenant, the poet, and god-son (at least) of Shakspere. Davenant had adhered to the court, and fought repeatedly in the field against the Parliamentary forces. On the down- fall of his party he tied beyond seas, where he was put to strange shifts, and derived all the help he could from a pretty apparent want of conscience. According to old Aubrey, when at Paris, u He laid an ingenious design to carry a considerable number of artificers, chiefly weavers, from thence to Virginia, and by Mary, the Queen-Mother's means, he got favour from the King of France to go into the prisons and pick and choose ; so when the poor wretches understood what his design was, they cried uno ore (with one voice) * To us Tisserans" — We are all weavers ! Well, he took thirty-six, as I remember, and not more, and shipped them ; and as he was on his voyage to Virginia, he and his weavers were all taken by the ships then belonging to the Parliament of England. The French slaves I suppose they sold, but Sir William was brought prisoner to England : whether he was first a prisoner at Carisbrook Castle in the Isle of Wight, or at the Tower of London, I have forgotten. He was a prisoner at both. His ' GondibertV 4to., was finished at Carisbrook Castle. He expected no mercy from the Parlia- ment, and had no hope of escaping with * A long poem with some fine passages, but tedious as a whole. ISLE OF WIGHT. 179 his life. He was saved, however, by the intervention, according to one ac- count, of two aldermen in his favour, according to another by the wit of Henry Martin. 5 ' The fine old hunting forest, called Parkhursi, or Alvington, or the King's Forest, which extended over nearly 4000 acres of land, coming close up to New- port and Carisbrook, must have greatly added to the variety and beauty of the scenery. It was so closely wooded, that according to tradition a squirrel could have leaped through it from end to end, and from side to side, without ever being obliged to touch the ground. It was first emparked during the reign of Wil- liam the Conqueror, and was after- wards much frequented by our Norman princes, who sallying from the castle with their fierce but picturesque reti- nues, made the greenwood ring with hound and horn. Like the new Forest, Windsor, and the rest of the royal chases, it had its warden, its ranger, and under- rangers. It is now so thoroughly cleared and cut down, that scarcely anything remains but brushwood. It formerly bordered on another forest called North- wood, which covered the left bank of the Medina, and stretched almost to the spot where the town of West Cowes now stands. The old names are still retained, though nothing can well be less like forests than the two places. The walks through Parkhurst are, however, ex- tremely pleasant. There is one deli- cious spot called Park Cross, which combines some of the finest features of a gentle rural landscape. There are smiling valleys sprinkled with cottages, pools, and running waters in abund- ance ; and high above all there is a noble range of downs. The downs here, as in most other parts of the island, ex- hibit a vast number of those circular marks on the grass which philosophers have not yet satisfactorily accounted for, and which peasants call Fairy-rings, When At fail of eve, the Fairy people throug j In various game and revelry to pass The summer night, as village stories tell. SECOND EXCURSION. Having briefly described the imme- diate neighbourhood of Carisbrook and Newport, we may now point out a few longer excursions, each of which will give good employment for a whole day or more. For convenience of arrange" ment we will make Newport our centre and general point of departure and re- turn. Proceeding by Carisbrook the tourist will find himself, after a short ride or walk, at Gatcombe, a handsome modern house, formerly the seat of one of the Worsleys, which lies in a snug, shel- tered bottom, and with an adjacent church, beautiful groves, a little lake, and a purling stream, makes up an agreeable picture. About three miles farther on, to the south-east, is the village of Godshill, similarly situated, and equally pleasing. The church, which was one of the six in the island given by Fitz-Osborne to the Abbey of Lyra, in Normandy, stands on an eminence, insulated by a rich wooded N 2 180 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. dell, and shows its tower-steeple afar off. It contains the tombs of the Worsleys (whose seat we are now approaching), from the fifteenth to the nineteenth cen- tury, as well as the monuments of some of the Leighs of Derbyshire and the Wight, whose daughters, by intermar- rying with them, made the Worsleys the lords of these fair domains. A wild but not uncommon tradition is told to account for the elevated situ- ation of Godshill church. The founda- tion was laid at the foot of the steep hill, and the men began to build there, but the next morning, on returning to their labours, they found that all the stones and other materials had been removed during the night and placed at the top of the hill. They recommenced their . work below, but the next day all was gone, and this continued until they took the hint, and built upon the spot indi- cated to them by invisible hands, and by so doing added much to the beauty of the scene. Its elevated situation, how- ever, has more than once exposed the church to danger. In 1778 it was struck by lightning, which so injured the old building that a part of it fell in the following year. In the quiet little village beneath the church there is a grammar school, whicli was founded and endowed above 200 years ago by one of the Worsleys. The name of this family occurs so often, and, in general, is connected with such agreeable and praiseworthy objects, that it is almost painful to reflect it should now be extinct in the island. Appuldercombe, which has long been the seat of the ancient and ho- nourable family of Worsley, is beauti- fully situated about a mile to the south of Godshill. The park, adorned with fine beech trees and venerable oaks, rises in noble slopes behind the house, and ter- minates in some lofty downs which com- mand extensive prospects. On the most elevated point there is an obelisk of Cor- nish granite, 70 feet high, erected in 1774 to the memory of Sir Robert Wors- ley, the founder of the present house, by his grandson Sir Richard, the last Ba- ronet. About a mile distant, on the summit of a rocky hill, are the ruins of a castle, called Cooke's Castle. The mansion itself, which stands on the site of a very old manor-house, of which w r e have seen a drawing, is comparatively modern, having been begun in 1710 by Sir Robert Worsley, who left it in a very incomplete state, and finished by his grandson many years after. Here was written the history of the island to which we have frequently referred. The book, which bears the name of Sir Richard, was in fact the production of three suc- cessive generations of the Worsleys. It was begun by Sir Robert, who died in 1747, continued by his son, Sir Thomas, and finished and published by his grand- son, Sir Richard, in 1781. We confess that, for ourselves, it is not without a pleasing interest we see the love of their native place, and the desire of illustrat- ing it, thus descend from father to son. But the house of Appuldercombe con- tains material and beautiful objects of art and antiquity to interest the tourist. There is a large collection of paintings, ISLE OF WIGHT. 181 drawings, statues, and bass-relievi. Some of the pictures, particularly the historical portraits, were in the old ma- nor-house for many generations, and were presented to the Worsleys by the princes and great personages they re- present. The sculptures and drawings were collected by Sir Richard, the last Baronet, who, in the course of the years 1785-86 and 87, made an extensive tour through Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Tur- key, and took with him able artists, who made the drawings and views of the most interesting places under his own inspec- tion. Permission to see these treasures is readily obtained by applying to Mr. Thomas Sewell, at Newport. Sir Richard printed a catalogue raisonne of his col- lections, and afterwards a larger work called " Museum Worsleianum," which contains numerous engravings with descriptions. This gentleman died here, at his birth-place, about thirty-five years ago. He left no children, but was suc- ceeded by his sister, whose daughter, by her marriage, carried the mansion and estates of Appuldercombe to the Earl of Yarborough, the present proprietor. On leaving Appuldercombe, the tourist soon reaches the Under cliff and the village at Ventnor Cove. A little to the south-west of Ventnor Cove is Steephill, and about a mile and a half farther on the romantic vil- lage of St. Lawrence, with its old miniature church, which is considered to be the smallest building of the kind in these kingdoms. It is only twenty feet long and twelve wide, and is proba- bly of. Saxon origin. At this point, and still more from the heights behind St. Lawrence, all the beauties of the Under- cliff are seen to great advantage. Con- tinuing the route to the west, with the sea constantly in view, and passing through Mirables, we soon reach Sand Rock, where, among other pleasant things, there is an hotel which looks more like a gentleman's villa than a place of public entertainment, and affords some magnificent seaward views. A romantic path which leads through rocks and fallen cliffs — the huge debris of landslips, terminates at Sand Bock spring, about a mile from the hotel, which is about 150 feet above the level of the sea-shore. Over the spring, which gushes out in a singularly wild spot, there is a pretty cottage, erected by a surgeon of Newport, who discovered the source, or made its virtues known, in the year 1808. From the spring it is only a short walk to Black-Gang Chine. Chalybeate springs, reputed to have more or less medicinal virtue, occur in different parts of the island. According to an analysis made by Dr. Marcet, the Sand Rock spring contains an unusual proportion of alum and iron, held in so- lution by sulphuric acid. ^Dr. Lempriere, an army physician, who employed these waters extensively at the depot, an invalid hospital established at Parkhurst during the last war, reported that he found them eminently useful in chronic cases of debility. At Pitland, in the parish of Chale, at the distance of not more than half a mile from Sand Rock, there is a spring impregnated with sulphur, which is said to be useful in 182 JOURNEY-EOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. cutaneous disorders. As in many other cases, the virtue of these mineral waters may he somewhat exaggerated, but their romantic situation, the exercise to vhich they woo the invalid, the quiet of the country, and the mild and pure air breathed at them, can hardly fail to produce some beneficial effects. The water of the Pitland spring, while flow- ing, is pure and transparent ; but on stagnating it deposits a white sediment as thick as cream. Cattle drink it with- out any repugnance. Another mineral spring at Shanklin was discovered, or brought into notice by Dr. Fraser, a physician to Charles II., and was for some time much resorted to. Sand Rock Hotel, or the humbler, but not less comfortable little inn at Niton, a pretty village close at hand at the foot of St. Catherine's Down, the highest part of the island, may serve as a resting place and centre of observa- tion for days, as all the most beautiful and striking scenes of the island are within short distances. But we, in pur- suance of our plan, must return to Newport, in order to find room for the description of some other places in opposite directions. To vary the road, after again reaching Appuldercombe, the traveller may strike off by a beautiful road to the right, which, after passing through the village of Newchurch and some rich valleys, leads to Arreton Downs, whence the views of the interior of the island are extensive, and almost perfect in their kind. Corn-fields, meadows, and orchards, with a gentle little river wind- ing among them, and cattle seen here and there ; shelving heaths, spotted with white flocks : villages and village spires, hamlets, and mansions; bold hills and rocks; and, afar off, the blue waves of the ocean, are the main features of the scenery, to which are added many minuter and inexpressible graces. On the downs of Arreton the tourist will see two large sepulchral barrows, which, as well as several others on the island, are generally referred to the period of the Danish invasion, and supposed to mark the spots where some of the lead- ers of those fierce depredators were interred. The village of Arreton, at the west- ern end of the downs, is only three miles from Newport, and its scattered cottages line the side of the road for half of that distance. The neatness of these rural abodes, and the prosperous look of their inhabitants, who are nearly all cultivators of the soil, sufficiently show that this is the most fertile part of the Isle of Wight. THIRD EXCURSION. Another delightful excursion from Newport is in the direction of Fern Hill and Wootton Bridge, which both lie on the left bank of the Wooton river near to the point where it flows into Fish- bourne Creek. The village of Wootton Bridge is one of the prettiest in the island. About two miles from it, on the little promon- tory that lies between the Medina river and Fishbourne Creek, and on the shore of the Solent strait, there is a place ISLE OF WIGHT. 1S3 called 4 ' King's Key" where King John is said to have landed when he came to conceal himself from his barons in the Isle of Wight. The fact of this singular concealment is perfectly authentic. While on the field of Runnemede, and in the very act of signing the charter, John was devising the means of sub- verting all its provisions and making himself again the absolute, unchecked sovereign he had been. His envy and spite were increased by finding that after that imposing ceremony only seven gentlemen attended him, all the rest following the confederated barons. Withdrawing rapidly to Southampton, he privately dispatched letters by night to some of his trustiest castellans, enjoin- ing them to victual and strongly fortify their castles, and the next morning before daybreak he very secretly retired to the Isle of Wight, where he remained about three months, leading, according to the old chronicler Grafton, " a solitary life among ryvers and fishermen."* Holinshed says, "In which meantime many things were reported of him ; some calling him a fisher, some a mer- chant, and some a pirate and rover. And many (for that no certain news could be heard of him) judged that he was either drowned or dead by some other means. "f It was soon, however, made manifest that John was neither dead nor sleeping. Some of his acts, while lurking in the island and the neigh- bouring cinque ports, as nearly resem- bled piracy as could be ; but that time * Grafton's * Chronicle at Large,' &c. | Chronicle, vol. iii. p. 323. was chiefly employed in winning over the seamen of England, and in petition- ing and waiting for troops from abroad, with which to crush the barons. Seeking redress both by the spiritual and tem- poral sword, he sent messengers to the pope, and to princes on the continent. The first sent him bulls and a threat of excommunication to hurl at Magna Charta and his barons ; the others arms and soldiers ; " and from Flanders, Gascony, Brabant, and other parts, such competent aids came in, as encouraged the king (after three months' secrecy and retiring) to show himself in the face of his enemies."* In the fine season of the year a passage boat goes and returns between Wootton Bridge and Portsmouth every day. The creek and river admit shipping up to the village, and at high water they singularly add to the beauty of the spot, flowing full among wooded hills and green pastures. A very picturesque mill projects into the river, and several of the houses of the village little above high-water mark are reflected with the trees and orchards that stand about them in the tranquil stream. From Wootton Common there is a fine view inland, which is backed by the downs, and comprises many villas and pretty cottages. The common is now inclosed. The mansion at Fern Hill, which has a graceful Saracenic air, though much in- jured by the huge excrescence of a high heavy tower, was built by the late Luke of Bolton when he was governor of the * Speed, book 9, chap. 8. 184 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. Wi^ht. Noble trees rise in the rear of the house, the evergreens and shrubs of the plantation are magnificent, and the grounds are all laid out in excellent taste. This, though there are some exceptions, is generally the case in the island, the stately country seats and villas of which are too many to be enumerated. Norris Castle, the seat of Lord G. Seymour, East Cowes Castle, the seat of the Earl of Shannon, St. Clares, Fair?/ Hill, and St. John's, will all command attention, and are all situated on this, the north-eastern side of the island, at short distances from each other, and from the pleasant village of Wootton Bridge. Crossing the river at Wootton Bridge, the tourist will find himself under a beautiful elevation called Kite Hill, which is crowned by another villa; and then keeping to the right, he will soon approach the Solent strait and the ruins of Old Quarr Abbey. Another and delightful way of making this short progress from Wootton Bridge, is to descend the river and Fishbourne Creek in a boat, and then land at the mouth of the creek, near to which the ruins are situated. In this way the banks of the stream, the opening sea, the ship-yard and village of Fish- house are seen to great advantage. At the turn of the tide, just as the full stream begins to return to the ocean, the little skiff may be allowed to float down with it, giving time to admire all it passes in its course. The walk across smooth lawns, and through shady copses to Q uarr Abbey, on a fine summer morning or evening, is delicious. This ancient abbey, like Carisbrook Priory, has been almost ob- literated by the hand of man, and the tourist will look in vain for the bold arch, the shafted oriel, the tall chancel, and all those things which look so pic- turesque in our better-preserved eccle- siastical ruins. The abbey derived its name from the stone-quarries in its neighbourhood, which were once held in very great repute. Here was dug a principal part of the stone of which Winchester Cathedral was built, as ap- pears by a grant made by William Rufus- to Walkelyn, Bishop of Winchester, and by the register of Winchester, wherein it is recorded that William of Wykeham, the great church architect of the middle ages, used it in all the body of this cathedral. Hence it should seem that the quarries of Portland, that furnish a harder and much better stone, were not then known. The Quarr stone is still quarried, and is in very common use. It varies in quality, some of it being hard and durable ; the inferior sort, which is soft, porous, and easily reduced to lime, is employed in the gar- den-walls, outhouses and cottages in the neighbourhood. A farm-house occupies what seems to have been the centre of the old abbey ; a wall, covered with ivy, is supposed to be part of the eastern end of the church ; and the refectory, the best-preserved part of the ruins, is now turned into a barn. Traces of a wall, which is said, when perfect, to have enclosed thirty acres of ground that formed the pre- ISLE OF WIGHT. 185 cinct of the abbey, may be found in low, broken, and detached masses: and here and there, within the space, there are some fragments of mean arches. This once-famous abbey, which was dedi- cated to St. Mary Magdalen, and te- nanted by Cistercian or White Friars, was founded in 1132, during the reign of Henry I., by Baldwin de Rivers, Earl of Devon, and Richard his son, who were both buried within its walls. In monkish Latin it was called Quarriera, and thence Quarrer, and at last Quarr. From Quarr Abbey a pleasant foot- path, through copses and an undulating wooded country, leads to the churchyard of Binstead ; and a little farther on is the town of Ryde. Striking inland, a pleasant road, or a succession of foot- paths (if the pedestrian seek them), will convey the tourist to Brading, another picturesque village, which we partly described in making the voyage round the coasts of the island. Brading Church, which is supposed to occupy the site of the first Christian place of worship that was erected in the island (in 704), is a very old and, for this island, a very large church, having a body, chancel, and side aisles, with massy, round pillars, and curious pointed arches. It contains some antique tombs, and the family chapel and burying-place of the Oglanders, the oldest existing fa- mily in the island, whose founder, Richard Okelandro, came over with William the Conqueror, and whose large, old family mansion, called Nun- well, stands close to the village. The worthy, knight Sir John, of whose quaint history of the Isle of Wight (the manuscript of which was consulted and used by the W^orsleys), we have already made honourable mention, lies entombed here among a long line of predecessors and successors. In Brad- ing Church there is the celebrated epitaph which has become familiar to every lover of music, by being selected by Dr. Calcott for one of his most cele- brated compositions. The words are beautiful, and we therefore quote them : u Forgive, blest shade ! the tributary tear That mourns thy exit from a world like this ; Forgive the wish that would have kept thee here, And stay'd thy progress to the seats of bliss ! No more confined to grov'lling scenes of night, No more a tenant pent in mortal clay, Now should we rather hail thy glorious flight, And trace thy journey to the realms of day!" Crossing the eastern end of Brading Downs, and a pretty winding stream which traverses a good part of the island, and after turning several mills falls into Brading Haven, we come to the village of Yaverland, with its quaint manor-house, that was built in the time of Queen Elizabeth. Here, too, there is a curious church, much smaller, and apparently much older, than Brading Church. There is around- headed Norman-looking arch leading to the chancel, which fortunately has been left almost untouched, though the 186 JOURNEY-BOOK OF HAMPSHIRE. hands of modern bricklayers and plas- terers are but too discernible in other parts of the church. Some fine elm- trees stand close by. The neat village of Yaverland is situated at the head of the little peninsula which is flanked on one side by the Culver Rocks, and ter- minates in Bembridge Point, near to which there is another hamlet that commands a fine view of Brading Haven. From Yaverland or Sandown Fort the tourist may make a pleasant return journey to Newport by passing Sand- ham heath, Alver stone, txndAshey Doivn. The view from the summit of the last- named down, where there is a triangular pyramid about twenty feet high, which serves to guide ships sailing into St. Helen's or Spithead, is one of the finest in the island, but does not differ ma- terially from that obtained from Arreton Down, which is a continuation of the same ridge. The walk from Newport to East Cowes, by the Whippingham road, is a very delightful one, presenting pictu- resque views of West Cowes, East Cowes Castle, Norris Castle, &c, with their richly-wooded grounds ; the scenery near the Medina, which flows on the left parallel to the road, is pleasing and agreeable ; and on approaching the coast the tourist has before him fine views of the Solent and the Hampshire coast. FOURTH EXCURSION. Another delightful trip, and the last we shall treat of, is to the north-west of the island, in the direction of Freshwater and the Needles. At about 4 miles from Newport, taking that road, is the beautiful spot called Park Cross, which we have al- ready described in speaking of the coun- try about Carisbrook. Another mile farther on is Sicainston, a fine country- seat which stands on the spot that was once occupied by an ancient palace of the bishops of Winchester. Hence we proceed to Calbourne, a small village with another of those curious antiquated little churches which add so much in- terest to the island, and with a fine mansion and park called Westover, on a gentle hill in its neighbourhood. From this point there is a succession of shelv- ing downs, quiet valleys, and scattered woodland, till we reach the river Yar, on the opposite bank of which stands the village of Freshwatkr, the birth- place (in the year 1635) of Dr. Robert Hooke, a leading member of the re- cently-instituted Royal Society, a na- tural philosopher and machinist of no mean fame, of whom the islanders, who always class him among their worthies, are not a little proud. Hooke, who enjoyed the lucrative post of city-sur- veyor of London after the Great Fire in 1666, did many wiser and more useful things, but wanting to ily in the air like a bird, he, at an enormous expense of time and labour, invented above thirty machines and methods for living, and found himself obliged to walk upon the earth after all. " But what of this whimsical niche," says a native his- torian, " for, not to mention that a grave ISLE OF WIGHT. 187 and learned bishop was much occupied in the same fancy, these foibles in men of real genius are but like spots in the sun, visible indeed, but not able, on the whole, to obscure its glory."* The village of Freshwater is not other- wise remarkable ; but going from that point the tourist can examine the Yar river, and the singular peninsula which it almost entirely cuts off from the rest of the island. The Needles, at the western extremity of this peninsula, and the stupendous cliffs and rocks of Alum, Totland, and Scratchell bays, are not seen to such advantage as from the sea beneath ; but, as at other places where we have approached the coasts in these excursions from the interior, it is inter- esting to observe the different aspects under which these rocks present them- selves when seen from above, and the * John Starch, 4 View of the Isle of Wight,' &c. seaward views from the summits of the cliffs are in general of great extent and beauty. At Freshvjater-gaie there is an easy descent to the seashore at the back of the island, not far from Wat- combe Z?az/ and Compion Chine. There is also a neat and comfortable inn among a small group of cottages. A pleasant way of returning to New- port is by Thorley, a village in a wooded vale, with a small church of great antiquity, and no steeple, — Shal- fleet, another village, with a Norman church, — and Parkhurst, or the King's Forest, which we have already described. The routes we have traced will give a very good notion of this beautiful little island ; but from each of them there are many roads and bye-paths branching off, and leading almost invariably to some graceful, quiet, or picturesque nook, TABLE OF DISTANCES OF TOWNS FROM EACH OTHER IN THE COUNTY OF HANTS. %* The distances from London are marked on the Map. Alresford. Alton... 10 Alton. Andovcr 18 27 Andover. * Basingstoke 12 12 18 Basingstoke. Bishop's Waltham 12 18 24 25 Bishop's Waltham. Christchurch 42 52 41 53 37 Christchurch. Cowes 30 40 38 42 22 39 Cowes. Fareham 20 25 32 33 8 43 17 Fareham. Fordingbridge ... 32 42 26 40 25 15 27 27 Fordingbridge. Gosport... 23 30 37 36 14 49 12 5 32 Gosport. Havant 12 25 37 36 13 51 21 8 35 10 Havant. Lymington 36 46 35 44 26 12 17 30 21 35 38 Lymington. Odiham 17 8 24 8 27 61 51 35 49 38 34 54 Odiham. Petersfield 8 12 26 24 15 48 30 16 39 20 12 40 22 Petersfield. Portsmouth 28 30 41 45 17 46 12 9 34 2 9 37 39 18 Portsmouth. Ringsvood 36 46 33 45 29 9 32 32 6 37 40 15 54 44 41 Ringwood. Romsey 18 28 17 29 19 24 20 20 14 25 30 18 35 34 28 18 Romsey. Southampton 18 29 25 30 10 24 12 12 15 17 20 18 36 24 22 20 7 ^Southampton. Stockbridge 15 25 7 22 19 34 28 27 24 32 33 28 30 27 34 28 10 16 Stockbridge. Whitchurch 15 17 7 11 23 47 37 31 33 35 36 39 17 23_40 41 23 40 7 Whitchurch. Winchester 7 17 14 18 10 35 24 18 25 23 23 29 24 18 25 28 11 12 9 12 Winchester. Stations on the London and South-Western Railway, and Fares by each Class of Carriages. Distance. Miles. 3 6 10 13 15£ 17* 23 31* 38 46 56 I I STATIONS. London to Wandsworth Wimbledon Kingston Esher and Hampton Court Walton Weybridge Woking Farnborough Winchfield Basingstoke Andover Road Winchester Southampton FAST TRAIN. 1st Class. MIXKD TRAIN. 1st Class. S. d. 1 1 6 2 2 6 2nd Class. s. d. 6 1 1 6 1 6 2 2 3 5 6 9 10 12 GOODS TRAIN'. 3rd Class. s. d. %* By the Fast Trains the Journey from London to Southampton is performed i:i 3 hours ; by the Mixed Tr line in '31 hours ; and by the G >odi Trains in G lions. INDEX. Alice Holt., 26 Alresford, 32 Alton, Vale of, 29; Alton, xb. Alum Bay, 150 Amport House, 70 Andover, 68; Andover to Newbury, 70; to Winchester, ib. ; to Amesbury, 71 ; to Salisbury, ib. Appuldercombe, ISO Arretown Downs, 182 Avington Park, 33 Basingstoke, 55 ; Holy Ghost Chapel at, 56; Basingstoke into Berkshire, 62: to ■Winchester, 6-1 ; to Whitchurch and An- dover, 66 Basing, Old, 58 Basing House, Siege of, 58 Beacon Hill, 30 ; Beacon Hill, High- clere, 68 Beaulieu Abbey, 142 Bere Forest, 27 Bishop's Waltham, 31 Black Gang Chine, 159,M81 Boldre, 137 Botley, 94 Bramdean, 103 Bramshill, 50 Broadlands, 101 Brockenhurst, 136 Brookwood. Park, 103 Burghclere, 67 Bursledon, 114 Butser Hill, 28 Cadnam Park, 141 Calshot Castle, 143 Cams Hall, 30 Carisbrook Castle, 172 Chale Bay, 159 Christchurch, 139 ; from Christchurch to Ringwood, 141 Compton Bay, 156 Cowes, 149 Cuffnells, 136 Culver Cliff, 165 Danebury Hill, 71 Dogmersfield Park, 50 Elvetham House. 47 Ems worth, 96 Exbury, 142 Fareham, 30, 94 Fishbourne Creek, 167 Fordingbridge, 141 Forest, the New, 117; Historical Notice of, tb. ; Death of Rufus, 118; Tyrrell's Oak, 121 ; Boundaries of the New Forest, ib. ; Surface, Natural Appearances, Geo- logical Features, &c, 123; Animals, &c. of the New Forest, 130; the Pannage Season, 131 ; Forestal Regulations, 133 i 190 INDEX. Supply of Timber, ib. ; Inhabitants of the Forest, 134 ; Forest Roads, 135 ; Southampton to Lyndhurst, ib. ; Lynd- hurst to Lymington, 136; Lymington to Christchurch, 139; Christchurch to Ringwood, 140 ; Ringwood to South- ampton, 141 ; Ringwood to Fording- bridge, ib. ; Southampton to Beaulieu Abbey and Calshot Castle, 143 Froyle Place, 29 Gatcombe, 179 Godshill, 179 Gosport. 45 Grange Park, 05 Hack wood Park, 63 Hambledon, 30 Hampshire, Situation, Boundaries, and Ex- tent, 1 ; Coast-line, 2 ; Surface, ib. ; Drainage, and Rivers, 3 ; Geological Features, 4; Canals, 5; Roads, 6; Fairs, .ib. ; Climate and Soil, 7 ; Im- provements, 9 ; Cattle, ib. ; Mode of curing bacon in Hampshire, 10 ; History and Antiquities of the County, 11; Po- pulation and Occupatious ; Legal and Ecclesiastical Divisions, 15 ; Local Tax- ation and Expenditure, 17; Crime, 18; Savings' Banks, 18; Education, 18 Havant, 95 High Clere House, 67 Hordle, 139 Hursley Lodge, 96 Hurst Castle, 137 Hurstbourne Park, 70 Itchin, 115; Vale of, 32 Kingsclere, 32 Luccombe Chine, 163 Lymington, 136; from Lymington to Christchurch, 139 Lyndhurst, 135 ; from Lyndhurst to Lym- ington, ib. Magdalen Hill, 33 Meon, East and West, 29 ; 104 Milford, 137 Millbrook, 135 Minstead, 141 Needle Rocks, 152 Netley Abbey, 112 Newchurch, 182 Newport, 169 Odiham, 49 ; Odiham to Alton, ib. ; to Farnham, 50 ; to Reading, ib. Park Cross, 179 Parkhurst, 179 Petersfield, 26 Porchester Castle, 95 j Portsea, 38 Portsmouth, 35; the Harbour, 37; Dock- yard, 41 Priory of St. Dionysius, 115 Quarley Mount, 72 Quarr Abbey, 184 Railway, South Western, 20; Farnborouj^h Station, 24; 35; Winchfield Station, 47 ; N Basingstoke Station, 55 ; Andover Road Station, 64 ; Winchester Station, 73 ; Southampton Station, 105 ; 117 Ringwood, 141 ; from Ringwood to South- ampton, ib. ; ditto by Fordingbridge, 44 Roads — from London into Hampshire, 22 ; London to Portsmouth, 24; to Gosport, INDEX. 191 28: to Southampton, 31 ; to Winchester, 32 ; from Odiham to Alton, 49 ; to Farn- ham, 50 ; to Reading, ib. ; from Basing- stoke into Berkshire, 62 ; to Winchester, 64; to Whitchurch and Andover, 66; from Whitchurch to Newbury, 67 : from Andover to Newbury, 70 ; to Winchester, ib.; to Amesbury, Wilts, 71; to Salis- bury, ib. ; Winchester to Gosport and Portsmouth, 94 ; to Havant, Emsworth, and Chichester, 95 ; to Southampton, 96; to Poole, 98; to Salisbury, 102; to Petersfield, 103; from Southampton to Gosport, 112; to Chichester, 114; to Salisbury, 1 15 ; to Lymington and Christ- church, 115; to Lyndhurst and Lym- ington, 135; from Lymington to Christ- church, 139 ; from Christchurch to Ring- wood, 141 ; from Ringwood to South- ampton, ib. ; ditto by Fordingbridge, ib. ; from Southampton to Beaulieu Abbey andCalshot Castle, 142 Romsey, 98 ; Abbey Church at, 98 Sandown Bay, 165 Sand Rock, 181 Scratchell's Bay, 156 Shanklin Chine, 163 Selborne, 24 Sidon Hill, 68 Slichester, 53 Southampton, History and Present State of, 107 ; Excursions in the Vicinity of, 115; Southampton to Gosport, 112; to Christchurch, 114; to Salisbury, ; to Lymington and Christchurch, 116; to Lyndhurst and Lymington, 135 Southwick Park, 27. Stockbridge, 103 St. Cross, Hospital of, 88 St. Catherine's Hill, 157 St. Helen's, 166 St. Lawrence, 181 Strathfieldsay, 51 Stratton Park. 64 Tatchbury Mount, 101 Titchfield, 94 Undercliffe, Isle of Wight, 159, 181 Upham, 94 Ventnor Cove, 181 Vine, The, 62 Walhampton, 137 Waltham Chace, 116 Weyhill, 71 Wherweil, 70 Whitchurch, 60; Whitchurch to New- bury, 67 Wickham, 30 Wight, Isle of, 144 ; Extent of, ib, ; Na- tural and Political Divisions, Popula* tion, &c, 145 ; Historical Notice of, 146 ; Voyage round the Island, 148 ; Cowes, 149 ; Yarmouth, ib. ; Alum Bay, 150 ; The Needles, 152; Scratchell's Bay, 153; Freshwater Bay, 156 ; Compton Bay, ib, Brixton Bay, 157; St. Catherine's Hill, ib ; Chaie Bay, 159 ; Black Gang Chine, ib. ; The Undercliffe, ib. ; Luccombe Chine, 163 ; Shanklin Chine, ib. ; San- down Bay, 165; Culver Cliff, ib. ; St. Helen's, 166; Ryde, ib. ; Quarr Copse, ib. ; Fishbourne Creek to Cowes, 167. — Tours in the Interior of the Island, ib. ; First Excursion, 168; Newport, 169; Carisbrook Castle, 172 ; Parkhurst, 179; Park Cross, ib. — Second Excursion, ib. ; Gatcombe, ib. ; Godshill, ib. ; Appulder- combe, 180; The Undercliffe, 181; Vent- nor Cave, ib. ; St. Lawrence, ib. ; Sand Rock, ib. ; Black Gang Chine, ib. ; Pit- land, ib. ; Niton, 182; Newchurch, ib. ; Arretown Downs, ib. — Third Excursion, 192 INDEX. ib. ; Wootton Bridge, ib. ; Fern Hill, 183 ; Quarr Abbey, 184 ; Binsted, 185 ; Brading, ib. ; Yaverland, ib. ; Yaverland to Newport, 186. — Fourth Excursion, ib.) Newport to Freshwater and the Needles, ib. Winchester, History and Present State of, 73 ; the Cathedral, 77 ; the College, 82 ; City Cross, 86 ; from Winchester to Gosport and Portsmouth, 94 ; to Chi- chester, 95 ; Southampton, 96 ; to Poole, 98; to Salisbury, 102; to Petersfield, 103 Wolmer Forest, 26 Wootton Bridge, 182 Yarmouth, 149 London: Priuted by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street. it cc < cc ■-'■£ V. cc cc * >> rfWFc *?<■ Cl.*<^<,.. :»£ ■ c .C i%^V< <2i C ^^C^ C*k CG; :"SG <:<:cc» c ■ cod •zmi_ *r- *3e ctC'Cr ;- *C.z ccc.cz <->V'c' ceccoe: «cz ccr *r **£■ c c cccci c~ cec « c-c>> «zc czee CZCC CCC czccc <^ - cccfC -SE esc ZCEC C©Cv -CLCK^C r ccc* ■ crc ccci CCCx .cccrcc 1 CZ'CKEX^ czccrcc: ■ - cc€«: ■ cjCckc. ' — *C4 CCCC'fi 'CCZCCZ 'CCZ'CC' •CCtC' cccc C7 «...