church of the Holy Trinity in London, by which it was held till Henry VIII. granted the whole of the monastery and its possessions to Sir Thomas Audley; it has since passed through several families. The church is a very handsome structure. Salmon says, that "near the churchyard is an old house, at present the habitation of poor families: it was given, with all sorts of furniture, for the use of weddings. They carried their provisions, and had a large kitchen, with a caldron, large spits, and dripping pan; a large room for entertainment and merriment; and a lodging room, with bride bed, and good linen: some of this furniture was lately in being."

HAMELS, in this parish, was purchased by Sir John Bro grave, attorney-general for the duchy of Lancaster in the reign of queen Elizabeth; it afterwards descended by mar riage to the earl of Hardwicke, who sold it to John Mellish, Esq. who was unhappily murdered a few years since. The estate is laid out with much taste, and it abounds in beautiful landscapes.

A benedictine nunnery was founded at Rownea, in the parish of Great Mundane, in the reign of Henry II. by Conan, duke of Britagne, and earl of Richmond; but the revenues were so reduced in the reign of Henry VI. that Agnes Selby, the prioress, was compelled to apply for the royal licence, to resign the estates to John Fray, chief baron of the exchequer, who had the king's permission to apply them to the support of a chantry of one priest in the parish church. At the Dissolution, the revenues were esti. mated at 137. 10s. 9d. The whole was converted into a farm; the hall is still in existence.

Gough, in his Additions to Camden's Britannica, informs us, that in the year 1729 two labourers digging a trench in Lemonfield, in the parish of WESTMILL, discovered two large Roman vessels, of pale reddish earth, pointed at the bottom, and having handles, with some letters on them, but containing only dirt and chalk. The letters AR AA were stamped on the narrow neck of one of them.

ALBURY

ALBURY was held by the bishop of London, at the time of the Conquest. It is now the property of Nicholson Calvert, Esq. M. P. for Hertford. Albury Hall, in the reign of Charles II. was the residence of Sir Edward Atkins, chief baron of the exchequer, 1686.

LITTLE HADHAM belonged formerly to the bishops of London, who are supposed to have been stripped of it by king John. It was afterwards held by the family of Baud. Sir William Baud granted to the church of St, Paul, London, yearly, a fat buck on the Commemoration of St. Paul; and a doe on the festival of his Conversion *.

The church contains inscriptions for Arthur, lord Capel of Hadham, who was beheaded for his loyalty; his lady; Henry Capel, lord deputy of Ireland, &c. and several antient memorials for the family of BAUD.

BISHOP's STORTFORD,

is situate at the extremity of the county, adjoining Essex, in the heart of a corn country, thirty miles from London, twenty-six from Cambridge, and thirty-one from New

This present, which was for the allowance to enclose his park at Cofingham, in Essex, was accompanied with particular ceremony. Stow informs us that "the buck and doe were brought, at the hours of procession, to the steps of the high altar, the dean and chapter being apparelled in copes and vestments, with garlands of roses on their heads. They sent the body of the deer to baking, and had the head fixed on a pole, borne before the cross in their procession to the west door, where the keeper that brought it, blowed the death of the buck, then the horners that were about the city answered him in like manner. For their pains they had each of the dean and chapter 4d. in money, and their dinner, and the keeper was allowed meat, drink, and lodging at their charge, whilst he staid, and at his departure a loaf of bread, with the effigies of St. Paul upon it, and 5s. in money. There were belonging to the church of St. Paul for both the days, special suits of vestments, one embroidered with bucks, the other with does."

Camden justly remarks, "that this looks like a pagan custom crept into Christian practice; that Diana's temple having stood where St. Paul's now does, a buck might antiently have been thus dressed up for sacrifice, which the owners of those lands in Essex were obliged to furnish: and though the Bauds are said to grant this, it might be founded on a demand elder than enclosing the park."

market;

market; and is so called from its situation on the river Stort, as well as being possessed by the bishops of London. The road divides about half a mile from the town, one passing Hockrill, the other through Stortford; they join again about the same distance on the other side of the town. Bishop's Stortford and Hockrill are both situate on a rising ground, with the wharf or quay between in the valley, where a number of warehouses are erected for the reception of all kinds of grain, but principally for malt. On the north side of the road leading from Hockrill to Stortford, upon an artificial hill, are the remains of a castle built in the time of William the Conqueror, and was originally called Waytmore Castle*, now only Castle Hill. At that time a prison stood at the bottom of the hill, where soldiers mounted guard, and the rents of certain lands were given to the support of it. William the Conqueror afterwards gave it to the bishop of London, (whence its name,) and ever since that time the bishops of London have appropriated the money which is paid for Castle-guard to themselves. The castle and prison were both demolished by king John for the offence of William de St. Maria, the then bishop, who was one that published the Pope's interdict against the English nation. The bishop was restored by the same prince, and satisfaction made him for demolishing the castle. The hill or keep of the castle is artificial, made of earth carried thither, with a breast-work at top of stones and mortar. Á bank of earth leads from it through the moory ground, on which it was situated, to the north-east. There is a large wall from the top of the hill yet remaining. The bishop's prison was in being in bishop Bonner's time, and used by him in his cruel persecution of the Protestants; all the old buildings are demolished, and where the prison stood an inn was erected, which still continues as a public house. The town itself is built in the form of a cross, the two principal streets crossing each other at right angles. No particular

*If we were to derive this name from Gwaith-maur in the antient British, it would signify the Great Work. Roman coins have been found here.

manufactory

manufactory is carried on here; the staple commodity is malt, of which large quantities are made: this place is a general reservoir for the major part of that article made within twenty-five or thirty miles, particularly from Saffron Walden in Essex, Newport, and villages adjacent; it is deposited in the care of persons called meters, and disposed of by them to factors or brewers in London, for a small commission of three halfpence per quarter; it is then put on board barges and sent to the metropolis. The market is held on Thursday, and is very considerable for all kinds of grain. There are three fairs, the principal one on the 10th of October; the summer fairs are, nine days before Whit suntide; and nine days after; these are principally for horses and horned cattle. The navigation was brought here. in the year 1779, from which time the trade and commerce of the town have daily been increasing. The length of the navigation hence into the river Lea is fourteen miles, and to London eighteen miles. Before this river was made navigable, the malts now lodged here were carried to Ware and Stansted, and put on board barges and sent to London; but, by means of this navigation, there is a net saving of fourpence per quarter to the gentlemen residing at Walden, Newport, &c. from which places are brought the best brown malt in the kingdom;.of course Ware and Stansted receive at present very little malt from this part of the country. Ware is however considered the best market for pale malt, but Stortford for brown.

The number of inhabitants is about three thousand, of which the Dissenters form a considerable part. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is lofty, and stands on high ground; it hath a fine ring of eight bells. There were antiently three guilds and a chantry founded here. In the church are nine stalls on each side the choir. On the north side of the church is a gallery for the young gentlemen f the school; upon it Sir John Hobart's armis, (first earl of Buckinghamshire of that family,) who was educated here, and a great benefactor. At the west end is another gal lary, built a few years ago, upon which is an organ; and

it is observable, that there was an organ in this church so long ago as the reign of Henry VII. A new font stands before it, with a pavement of black and white marble, inclosed with iron rails. There are a great number of monuments in the church, particularly one, in the north aisle, for seven children of Edward Mapplesden, who died of the small-pox. The large tithes of the parish are in lay hands. There is a handsome meeting house of the Independent persuasion, besides a neat one belonging to the Quakers,

Several benefactions are bestowed on the poor of this town, particularly two almshouses in Porter's Street. But the greatest ornament of Stortford is the school, built. by contribution of the gentlemen of Hertfordshire and Essex, at the request of Dr. Thomas Tooke, formerly master, who also procured several sums for completing it from the young gentlemen educated here. When first engaged in it, the school was at the lowest ebb of reputation; but he raised it to great celebrity, and considerably increased the trade of the town, by the beneficial concourse that it brought thither. He revived the annual school feast, and charged his own estate with a yearly present to the preacher on that occasion. He gave a chalice of 201. value to the church, and was a great benefactor to the school library; which is a very good one, and was first set on foot by the rev. Thomas Leigh, B. D. who was vicar of the church, anno 1760. Every gentleman at leaving the school presents a book to the library.

Bishop's Stortford sent members to parliament during the reigns of Henry III. Edward I. II. and III.

Between Stortford and West Mill, is GREAT HADHAM, called also MUCH HADHAM, seated on the rivulet Ash. Part of this manor was given by the Saxon king Edgar, to the church of Ely. The parish, however, is distinguished in Domesday Book, as part of the lands of the bishop of London; and at present it is wholly exempt from the archdeacon's jurisdiction, being wholly in that of the bishop or his commissary. It was a peculiar palace of the bishops, by one of whom (probably bishop Kemp) it was granted to