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BERKELEY

LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF
.^AllFORNIA

A HISTORY

TONG, SHROPSHIRE,

WITH

NOTES ON BOSCOBEL.

TjA<vrltJ /.

*Aj.

Walker & BoutiH.Ph.3c

A HISTORY

TONG, SHROPSHIRE,

Church, Manor, Parish, College,
Early Owners, and Clergy,

NOTES ON BOSCOBEL,

GEORGE GRIFFITHS,

OF WESTON-UNDER-LIZARD.

ILLUSTRATED,

Edmund H. New, Gertrude M. Bradley, and
Charles W. S. Dixon.

Second Titian, tottf) Attritions.

NEWPORT, MARKET DRAYTON, AND' STONE:
Horne & Bennion, "Advertiser" Offices.

LONDON :
Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Co., ltd.

MDCCCXCIV.

" Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less."

Watts.

No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting."

Lady Mary Worthy Montague.

" The knights are dust,
Their swords are rust,
Their souls are with the saints we trust."

The Church was old and grey, with ivy clinging to the walls, and round
the porch. It was a very quiet place, as such a place should be, save for
the cawing of the rooks, who had built their nests among the branches of
some tall old trees.

" Let us wair here," rejoined Nell, " the gate is open. We will sit in the
church porch till you come back."

" A good place, too," said the schoolmaster, placing his portmanteau on
the stone seat.

It was a very aged, ghostly place. The church had been built many
hundreds of years ago, and had once had a convent or monastery attached ;
for arches in ruins, remains of oriel windows, and fragments of blackened
walls were yet standing. They admired everything — the old, grey porch,
the mullioned windows, the venerable gravestones dotting the green church-
yard, the ancient tower, the very weathercock, the brown thatched roofs of
cottage, barn, and homestead, peeping from among the trees ; the stream
that rippled by the distant watermill, the blue Welch mountains far away

Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop.

D/H90

©Jjfe TOotk i» (Stattfttllg Eniwrfoe& antf
Betu'catrtr to

Wxt €arl anb Ofrmnto of §xMoxb,

on tjje

jFtftutfi &itttt&eraatg of tfja'r JSartiage,

Bprfl 30tf>, 1894,

332 ft* &utf>ot.

198

vi.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION,
WITH ADDITIONS.

The thousand copies which comprised the first edition of
my work on Tong, its Parish Church, and early history,
having been exhausted, and the demand for the book by
antiquarians and visitors alike continuing, I am persuaded to
launch this second and enlarged edition with much con-
fidence and hope of public approval.

The numerous illustrations and additional subjects will, I
imagine, increase its general interest and usefulness.
These latter embrace : —

The Hengist Tradition.

Some account of the Earl of Bradford's family and ancestry.

Notes upon the Restoration of the Church, Slabs found, the Stanley
Tomb, &c, and numerous revisions throughout.

An account of Tong College and its quaint rules.

A document recording the Perambulation of the Boundary of the
Lordship or Manor and Parish of Tong in 171 8, with local notes upon
perambulations, millers, maypoles, the tithe pig, marlpits, Tong
tournament, factory, and clockmakers, surnames, &c.

Memoranda of the Durant family.

Tong Church Registers, and a Proclamation found in the parish
chest as to Gunpowder Plot.

Some account of the famous Ladies of Tong, viz. : Venetia Lady
Digby, Lady Mary Wortley Montague, Mrs. Fitzherbert, Isabella
Forester, Lady Stafford, and Dorothy Vernon.

Some account of Boscobel, which is just outside Tong parish, and
particularly of the Royal Oak, the shelter of King Charles II ; the
faithful Penderels of Hubbal Grange in Tong. The Nunneries of
White Ladies and Black Ladies, immediately on the outskirts.

Early Deeds of the Pemburges, Vernons, and Stanleys, forming a
portion of this edition, are of interest to antiquarians, and will help,
when time permits a fuller examination, to throw more light upon the
ancient history of Tong.

I desire to record my grateful thanks to the Earl and
Countess of Bradford for their kind and approving letters
written on the publication of the first edition. I must
also mention the valuable help rendered me by Mr. Walter
de Gray Birch, F.R.S.L,, of the British Museum, and by MS.
Notes of the Rev. R. G. Lawrence, a former Vicar of Tong.

To others, whose names are mentioned throughout the
work, I am desirous to express my obligations for their
courtesy.

GEORGE GRIFFITHS.

Weston-under-L izard,

30th April, 1894.

Vll.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

This little book has been printed in the hope that it may be useful in
refreshing the memories of those visitors to Tong Church who are already
in some degree acquainted with its ancient and historic associations ; while
to the many tourists from neighbouring towns who resort to the village,
it may be not only a " guide " to the building, but a reminder of a pleasant
holiday.

The compiler is not unconscious of the importance and delicacy of such
a task as the description of Tong Church, but hastens to defend its publica-
tion as supplying the great want of a handy comprehensive guide to a
much-visited edifice.

He has endeavoured to introduce, where possible, comments upon its
rich contents by abler hands, completing the remainder with an ordinary
notice of things as they are to be seen at present. He hopes that neither
such simple language — nor indeed the existence of conflicting opinions
upon matters of remote date — will be allowed to detract from the lustre
pertaining to the objects themselves.

He has to express his thanks to those strangers and friends who have
favoured him with interesting notes.

GEO. GRIFFITHS.

Weston Bank, Shi/nal,
1885.

Letter from the Earl of Bradford.

Weston, Shifnal, Feby. 6, 1885.

My Dear Sir,— Let me thank you very much for the book you have sent me on Tong
Church. I think it is very nicely got up, besides the merits of its contents as a guide to
Tong Church and Parish.

I have looked through it, and it appears to me to be full of correct information,
given in a popular way. I hope it may prove successful, and will certainly recommend
my friends to buy it.

Yrs. very faithfully,

(Signed) Bradford.

Letter From the Countess of Bradford.

Weston Park, Shifnal, Sept. 6, 1885.

Dear Sir,— I am quite delighted with your book, and accept it with much pleasure. I
have read a great part of it, and shall study it one day in the Church of Tong. I cannot
but think it is a book that will make its mark in the County. I want a copy at once to
give away to a friend, and I doubtless shall want several more. With thanks and con-
gratulations on its success.

Believe me,

Yours truly,

(Signed) Selina L. Bradford.

*'»"*-x*xx*x*

ILLUSTRATIONS.

AJg*

Charles I FronUspiece

Tong Church and Vicarage viil

Plan of District **

Plan of Church x

Reference to Effigies xi

Plan of Village xii

Thong Castle and Merlin 6

Tone Church from the East, p. 20 \ 20

Stanley Tomb, p. 65 ■>

East window, 3 Screens, and Pulpit 26

Seal of Isabella the Foundress, p. 214... \

Font, Tong Church, p. 27. ■"••••• I 27

White Ladies Abbey Ruins and Gate- 1

house, p. 194 '

Sir F. dePembruge IV. Tomb, p. 30 )

Sir Richard Vernon Tomb, p. 37 \ 3°

Sir Harry Vernon Tomb, p. 47 1

Brass to Sir W. Vernon 42

Sir Harry Vernon's Tong Castle 5°

Brass to Sir A. Vernon 53

Sir Arthur Vernon Effigy, p. 54 )

The King's Champion, p. 61 . .. I

King Charles II. and the Penderels and [ •>*
Yates, p. 180 ;

Tong Church— Choir-Stalls, p. 74 "j

Richard and Margaret Vernon Tomb, h 74

P 57 J

Duke of Kingston Deed 82

Crystal Ciborium 83

Brass to W. Skeffington 84

Brass to Lady Daunsey 86

Tong Castle, as at present 90

Vestry Door 95

Brass to Ralph Elcock 96

Plate on
Page.
Great Bell of Tong, and G. Boden.l T„
Clerk .! I I0X

Great Bell of Tong „... 103

Sir Thomas More 114

Tong College 12a

The Watchman 129

Forge Hammer from a Coin found in\
Tong Church during the Restora- I
tion, p. 142 [ **

Tong Upper Forge Waterfall, p. 142. ... )

Hubbal Grange, p 204 142

Convent Lodge, Entrance to Tong Castle 156

Dove-house, p. n and 160 "^

Tong Church from the West, and Alms- [-160
house ruins, p. 160 J

Lady Mary W. Montague, p. 166

Venetia, Lady Digby, p. 171

Dorothy Vernon, p. 177

Richard Penderell, p. 180 ["166

Charles II.. p. 183

" Mrs." Jane Lane, p. 182

Lady Mary, the toast of the Kit-cat Club 167

Mrs. Fitzherbert i6g

The Royal Oak, photograph in 1894 ) _„_

Black Ladies, p. 206 \ x"9

The Royal Oak, trunk as at present 184

Boscobel and the Royal Oak, copy of a

photograph in 1879 185

The Royal Oak, with brick wall, p. 187 \

Tong Golden Chapel Roof, p. 53 I t0„

William Penderell, p. 179 f IB'

Sir Kenelm Digby, p 173 )

White Ladies— slabs, \

White Ladies— from the S. E. Corner [■ 200

of Ruins )

White Ladies as a Cart Shed, Tiles, \

North Doorway, Dame Joan | „_.

Penderill's Tomb f2oa

White Ladies— hinge )

Plan of Stanley Tomb, Tong 226

IX.

PLAN OF DISTRICT

CountyBoundary
Parish „
Main Roads
b-mile Circle

xr.

A Concise Reference to ye Effigies.

NOTICE that ye little number placed against each illustrious name refers

the industrious reader alike to ye Plan of ye Church, and ye

Bodye of ye Boke.

From ye Harcourts of the Blood Royale of Saxony, ye famous De Belmeis
familie, and La Zouches descended of ye Dukes of Brittany : came Orabel
de Harcourt married to Henry de Pembruge of Pembridge, Co. Hereford ;
" my faithfull and beloved Henry," as His Majesty described him : from
whom in very direct descent —

SirTho:
Ludlow

'Elizabeth de Lingen=
daughter & heire to
Sir Raffe Lingen of
Wigmore. She

built ye Church*.
12

=Sir Fulke de

Pembruge

Juliana de=Rich: de

Pembruge
sister and
heire.

Benedicta de Ludlow=
13

Vernon,
from the
Vernons off
Normandie

Sir Richard de Vernon, ye Speaker of Lei'ster
13 Parliament, 1426.

Sir Will: Vernon= Margaret (Swynfen), heiress of Sir
14 14 Rob : Pype and Spernor.

Sir Harry Vernon=To ye Ladye Anne Talbot, granddaughter
15 to ye Great Earl Talbot.

Governor & Treasurer to Arthur,
Prince of Wales, elder brother
to King Henry VIII., a very
worthie Prince.

Margaret (Dymock)=Richard

dau: of Sir Robert
Dymock, ye King's
champion.

Vernon,
Esq. 17

Humphrey=Alice de Ludlow, Arthur
Vernon, 1 8 Vernon,

Esq. 18 co-heire of her Pryst
grandfather Sir 1 6
Richd: de Ludlow.

Sir George Vernon, 'buried at Bakewell, leaving two lovely
daughters co-heires,

Margaret Vernon
19

=At Haddon, to Sir Tho:
Stanley, son to ye Earle
of Derbie 1 9

Dorothy^

=Sir John Manners,
from whom His
Grace of Rutland.

Sir Edw: Stanley=Ye Lady Lucie Percie, daughter to ye Duke of
1 9 I Northumberland.

From whom the beautiful Venetia, Lady Digby, and others.

xu.

W>MmM

TONG — Early History.

THE early history of Ton;

from the time of
the Conquest till the time of the erection
of the present church, about 141 1, has been
given in the most complete manner possible
by Mr. Eyton in his Antiquities of Shropshire, a
work so scarce and expensive as to be generally
inaccessible.

I have therefore extracted from it his prelim-
inary remarks on the place, which form a char-
acteristic preface : —

" Tong was for centuries the abode or
heritage of mea great for their wisdom or their
virtues, eminent either from their prosperity or
their misfortune. The retrospect of their annals
alternates between the Palace and the Feudal Castle, between
the Halls of Westminster and the Council Chamber of Princes,
between the Battlefield, the Dungeon, and the Grave. The
history of the Lords of the Manor is in part the biography of
Princes and Prelates, Earls and Barons, Statesmen, Generals,
and Jurists. These are the great names and reminiscences
with which the place is associated: The Saxon Earls of Mei
— brave, patient, and most unfortunate victims of inexorable
progress ; then their three Norman successors — one wise
politic, another chivalrous and benevolent, the last madly
ambitious and monstrously cruel : then the Majesty of England

2 Early History.

represented by Henry I., a Prince who in ability for ruling
almost equalled his father, and has been surpassed by none of
his successors ; then the sumptuous and viceregal pride of De
Belmeis — Bishop, General, Statesman, and withal very Prince;
his collateral heirs with their various and wide-spread interests,
dim in the distance of time, but traceable to a common origin ;
the adventurous genius and loyal faith of Brittany represented
in La Zouch ; tales of the oscillating favouritism and murder-
ous treachery of King John ; overweening ambition and saddest
misfortune chronicled in the name of De Braose ; a Harcourt
miscalculating the signs of his times, and ruined by the error ;
a race of Pembrugges, whose rapid succession tells of youth
and hope and the early grave ; then the open-handed and
magnificent Vernons ; lastly Stanley, a name truly English,
and ever honourable in English ears, yet for one of whom it
was fated to add a last flower to the chaplet of ancestral
memories — to cut short the associations which five centuries
had grouped around his fair inheritance."

p-|d||HE name of the village has been variously spelt. The
§3c£ most familiar is Tong, by some attributed to the sound
or " Tong " of a large deep, full-toned bell ; Tonge, as
it was generally spelt in the last century and previously ; and
Tuange, Twange, Tuang, Toang, the sound of a smaller " tang-
ing" bell. The working classes call it u Tung," and the sur-
names of Tong and Tonge are met with among inhabitants
in the neighbouring town of Shifnal.

On the other hand it is said that Tong or Thong was in
ancient times the stronghold of Hengist the Saxon, and that
the name is derivable from a tradition connected with him, to
the effect that the British King who had hired him and his.

Early History. 3

followers to fight, in consideration of their success granted to
Hengist as much land as an ox-hide would encompass ; that
thereupon he cut the hide into thongs as narrow as possible,
and upon the land thus encircled formed a settlement for him-
self and followers.

The earliest record, or rather tale, relating to Tong, is con-
nected with Hengist, and is to be found in " The Chronicles
of Merry England," of which a translation is given below.
Of the state of the country it may be briefly noted
that the withdrawal of the Romans to look after their
own affairs nearer home, left some parts of Britain
destitute of armed soldiers, of martial stores, and of all
its active youth ; but generally the country was divided
into districts under provincial Governors. The attacks of
Picts and Scots led to confederations, headed some by British,
some by Roman chiefs, which caused civil strife. This, with
a religious discussion (arising out of a dispute between the
native bishops and Pelagius, a native of Wales), plunged the
country into confusion. Application was then made to the
Roman General for aid, but in vain. At this juncture,
Vortigern, the most powerful of British chiefs, employed
mercenaries to aid in fighting his battles. The old Chronicle
may now be left to speak for itself. " Now a little before the
Hallelujah Victory there had been great strife among the
Britons, whether one Aurelius, or his brother Uther, surnamed
Pendragon, should reign over them, which a warrior named
Vortigern, taking advantage of, he made himself king in their
stead, and the two brethren fled into Cornwall. Vortigern,
finding his crown red-hot to him by reason of the dis-affection
of his subjects, and the fears he had of his enemies, resolved
to strengthen himself by alliance with the Anglo-Saxons. A
detachment of these enemies of his country in their war-galley
had just landed in Kent, headed by two brothers called
Hengist and Horsa. To them applied this unworthy king,

4 Early History.

with messages of peace, desiring them to repair to his
presence. Forthwith they comply, and stand before the king.
Like most of the Anglo-Saxon race these men were tall, well-
built and comely, of undaunted yet frank and pleasing aspect,
blue-eyed, fresh coloured, and with pale, brown hair, divided
down the centre, and diffusing itself over their shoulders.
King Vortigern having surveyed them from head to foot, in-
quired of them (what he knew well enough) whence they
came, and with what object. Hengist being the mercury of
the twain made answer, according to the Monmouth Book, as
follows: — " Most noble King! Saxony was the place of our
birth, and our object in coming hither was to offer our ser-
vices to you, or any other Prince in want of them. It is a
■custom among us, that when our country is over-populated
we should cast lots to decide which of our young and valiant
men shall seek their fortunes somewhere else ; and the lot-
having lately fallen upon us — you see us in your presence."
King Vortigern, regarding them earnestly, asked what gods
they worshipped, he himself being professedly, though not
much in practice, a Christian. " We worship our country's
gods," says Hengist, " the chief of whom are Woden and
Friga." Then said Vortigern, " I regret your ungodliness,
but am glad of your coming, for I am just now oppressed
with enemies on every side, and if you will aid me in putting
them down, I will entertain you honourably, and bestow upon
you lands and other distinctions." Hengist and Horsa could
not fail of being satisfied with this arrangement ; and an army
of Picts presently breaking in upon the country from the
North, they went forth with Vortigern against them, and
enabled him to gain a complete victory. Hengist now
thought he might advance a little on his demands ; and
although Vortigern had already bestowed on him a large
grant of land, he came to him and said " My lord King !
Your enemies are again making head, and your own subjects

Early History. 5

love you very little. With your leave, we will send over to
our own country for some more to help us ; and there is also
another thing I shall be glad to mention to you." " What is
that?" says Vortigern. " Why," says Hengist, "the
possessions you have given me in houses and lands, are cer-
tainly very large, but I have no rank conferred upon me suit-
able to them. I should wish to have some town or city made
over to me, that I might take a title from it, and thereby find
my proper place among your own nobility. " The thing you
ask now is out of my power. You are strangers and Pagans,
and my nobility would be highly displeased." " Nay then,"
says Hengist, " give me at all events so much land in addition
to what I have already, as I can compass with thongs cut
from a single hide to build a stronghold upon wherein I may
shelter if there be need, for faithful I have been to you, and
faithful I will be." " Well," said the King, " I will grant
you that much." Whereon Hengist cut his thongs as narrow
as he well could, and having already selected a strong, rocky
position, he compassed it about, and built a strong tower
thereupon, to which he gave the name of Thong Castle.

Vortigern married Rowena, the daughter of Hengist who
became King of Kent, and died in 488.

Hengist and Horsa, Vortigern and Rowena, are said by
some writers to be mythical persons. Nevertheless historians
continue to repeat the account of their doings ; as there are
good reasons for believing that the commonly received
accounts of the conquest, are based upon historical facts.
(Archeol. Instit., 1849).

The acreage of the parish is now set down as 3,465 acres.
The Tong parish in Kent, which reasonably claims to be the
one connected with Hengist's stronghold, contains but 1,600
acres, and seems to be now of small account.

A picture of Thong Castle, from Merlin's book, given on
another page, shows an extensive fortress occupying a site

6 Early History.

corresponding somewhat with that of the Tong Castle referred
to in these notes.* It stands upon a triangular piece of
ground formed by two streams which unite immediately
below the western tower of the Castle.

THONG CASTLE : from

Tlie Life of Merlin, surnamed Ambrosius. His prophecies and predictions interpreted,
and their truth made good by our English annals. Being a Chronological History from
Bruti to the raigne of our Royal Sovereign King Charles, by Thos. Heywood.— London :
Printed by J. Oakes, 1641.

"Merlin well verst in manv an hidden spell,
His Countries < linen did long since foretell,
Grac'd in his Time b> tundrt Kings he was,
And ad that In; predicted came to passe."

•Merlin, according to Plot, being " the British Prophet who ilouribh't about the year 480.'

Early History. 7

In the British ArcJmological Journal, Mr. Tucker's Report

says :

The Hengist tradition is not only credible, but founded on fact. The
Prophet Merlin or Ambrosius was associated with Shropshire. It is worthy
of remark that the author gives the venerable Bede, and Wm. de Regibus,
as authorities for this tradition. Hengist landed 449, and died 488 ; and
flourished contemporaneously with Merlin. When also the locality is.
admitted, and the strange coincidence of the mention of the building of
Tong in his life, and the representation of it on the same print with his.
portrait is discovered, it appears to me there is not only ground for accept-
ing the tradition but for acknowledging its probability.

In a letter from a Kentish authority on these matters the
following passage occurs :

Hengist invaded and subdued Kent. He had nothing whatever to do
with Salop. The stronghold of a Saxon Chief was not a stone castle, but
an earthen mound, surrounded by a moat. The mound remains at Tong in
Kent, and the water remains at its foot, long utilised as a millpool and
stream.

In Domesiay bock the word is spelt Tuange, and as early
as 1 167 the two names occur of Tong and Tong Norton, which
were charged with a fine of a merk for an offence their owner
had committed against the harsh Forest Laws. Twanga is
mentioned by Mr Eyton as occurring 11 67, and Thonk 1212 ;
1284 the Manor of Tugge occurs, but of many references
Tong and Tonge are the most frequent. The opinion of an
eminent Shropshire archaeologist is, however, that the name
is simply derivable from Thong-lands, i.e., the l^nds of
Thanes or Barons. May not the solution of these conflicting
opinions be that the cunning device of the Saxon in Kent was
imitated in Salop in a time when the rewards for great military
achievements were generally the lands of the conquered ?

The great Roman Road — the Watling Street —passes
through the northern part of the parish, and the spot where
it leaves it (at Burlington), crossing the brook that divides the
parishes of Tong and Shifnal, was, not long ago, known as
Stoneyford, a name, Mr. Hartshorne says, traceable to the
Roman occupation.

8 Early History.

The first owner of Tong, of whom there is any record*
seems to have been Leofric, called Earl of Leicester, who
governed the North part of Mercia (a) ; he married the
Lady Godiva, who, with her husband, is said to have numbered
Tong among their vast possessions. Their son Algar, Earl of
Mercia (1057) married a sister of the " King of Wales," their
sons were Morcar and Edwin.

The doings of Morcar occupy so prominent a place in the
history of his time, that they may be briefly related : —

The rule of Tostig (Harold's brother) being too severe, the
Northumbrians broke into insurrection (1065) when they
elected Morcar their Earl, which act their king, Edward the
Confessor, confirmed.

The dignity and title of Earl was very rarely held, and
implied much absolute authority ; indeed Earls were little
less than Kings in the districts they governed, which were
called Shires. The Earl's duty was to lead his men to battle,
to preside with the Bishops in the Courts, and to enforce the
execution of justice. He appears to have received one-third
of the fines paid to the King.

After the nobles, in the social scale, there were two classes
of freemen — Thanes and Ceorls — the owners and cultivators
of the soil.

Thanes held lands by honourable tenure of service about
the person of their Lord, or in the field, the law requiring one
combatant from every five hides of land. A hide is said to
be as much land as one plough would cultivate in a year.

At the bottom of the scale were Serfs or born slaves
generally attached to the Manor, and sold with the land and
cattle, or sometimes used as " live money " to purchase or

(a) Merci i extended irom London to the Mersey and was the most powerful of the
Seven Kingdoms forming the Saxon Heptarchy.

Early History. g

barter goods, being valued at four times that of an ox. What
an unhappy contrast with the present state of things !

T.o return to Morcar. William I. having won the Battle of
Hastings, and devastated part of London and the southern
counties, Earl Morcar (and his brother Edwin) submitted to
him and swore allegiance at Berkhampsted. They accompanied
the King into Normandy (1067), but returned the end of the
same year. Edwin for his services was promised the daughter
of William in marriage, but the engagement being broken
they, stirred up the people against William I.; they were
surprised before the affair was ripe, but subsequently par-
doned. Morcar joined Hereward, the banished Saxon, who
came to England, and became a rallying point for all who
were disaffected to the new government. William I. broke
up their " Camp of Refuge" (1071). Morcar submitted but-
was condemned to perpetual imprisonment ; Edwin was slain
in an attempt to escape ; thus the last effort to resist the
Conqueror was overcome, and the conquest became complete.
William I. was now bestowing his new possessions upon his
kinsmen and countrymen who had accompanied him from,
Normandy, and so we find he conferred Tong upon Roger de
Montgomery (created Earl of Shrewsbury, Chichester and
Arundel) together with the greater part of the land in the
county of Salop, f

t Ex. Ross's History.

rJst cslft rSs* cjrt csV> eJ/* r<$S* r^» r^l rA-» cy* r&t rX* cy»

\J> vf> M> *f> Vj> Vj> xf * Vj> Af > Vj> x|> X V *V*> vj>

"^ * i^ *K^I^I> 4* *T* 4* 4> 4> 4> 4> *i> 4*

OWNERS OF TONG.

EARL MORCAR, elected by his countrymen Earl of Northumberland
in the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066). Tong worth
£11 annually at this time. He forfeited it to the King.

KING WILLIAM I. who conlerred it upon

EARL ROGER DE MONTGOMERY, his kinsman, "The Great Earl."*
Founded Shrewsbury Abbey. Founded or rebuilt Tong Church,
Tong fully described in Domesday Book about 1086, valued at £6
annually.!

EARL HUGH DE MONTGOMERY, his second son, succeeded about
1 100.

EARL ROBERT DE BELESME, his elder brother, who rebelled, and
was defeated, forfeiting it to

KING HENRY I. ; who bestowed it upon

RICHARD DE BELMEIS I., Bishop of London in 1108, a remarkable
man, a great jurist ; he consecrated several Bishops, gave all his
revenue to complete magnificent improvements at St. Paul's Cathe-
dral, died 1127, and was succeeded by his nephews,

RICHARD DE BELMEIS II., as to Church Lands only, He was Bishop
of London.

PHILIP DE BELMEIS (as to other lands). They founded Lilleshali
Abbey. Some of his land between Tong and Brewood was the sub-
ject of litigation ; the Bishop of Lichfield claimed it — hence probably
the name Bishop's Wood. He granted lands to Buildwas Abbey ;
and to Lilleshali tithes of his mills, of his herds, mares and colts,
and free paunage for swine in his woods, also advantage of his woods
for fire and building materials, and lands at Lizard Grange, the once
proposed site of Lilleshali Abbey.J

PHILIP DE BELMEIS his son, died without issue, as also did

RANULF DE BELMEIS his brother, 1167.

ALICE DE BELMEIS, his sister, who married ALAN LA ZOUCHE,
descended from the reigning Dukes of Brittany. The land of " Lusard "'
is mentioned.

(WM. DE BELMEIS, grandson of Robert, holds land at Tong, Hen. III.)

WILLIAM LA ZOUCHE alias DE BELMEIS, d.s. p. Forcibly ejected a
Clerk from Tong advowson, d. 1 199.

• The authority of Earls, within their province, was equal to that of Royalty itself.
They granted the various Manors to Knights (or armed horsemen) whom they undertook
to protect, receiving in return certain military service, generally 40 days every year.

t The depreciation was probably due to the devastation attending the Conquest.
Domesday book records that there were then 3 'hides,' may be 120 acres, subject to the
Bishop's tax, and in demesne 4 ox-teams, and 13 slaves and poor people with 3 ox-teams,
an ox-team being said to be as much land as one plough would cultivate in a year.
Here was a league of wood.

t " The grange" of which there are three in this Parish (Lizard, Hubbal, and Ruckley)
and many in this neighbourhood, is denned by Mrs. M. E. Walcott from an old document
of the 13th century, as " the monastic farm, and included a dove-cot, ox-houses, pig-styes,
and stables : sometimes a large one had a hall and two or three chambers abutting on it,
a kitchen and a court enclosed with a stone wall, pierced with a gateway. Some granges
were only thatch'd, others had slatt roofs." [Ex. Shreds and Patches, Aug. 16, 1876.]
Mr. Hartshorne also defines it as signifying originally a farmhouse or granary or farm
appertaining to a monastery, or other religious house, and thus in time the term became
identified with the place itself, hence the name, granger or store-keeper, a farmer..
Pigeons are still kept at Lizard Grange, as indeed they are at most Granges.

Owners of Tong. it

ROGER LA ZOUCHE alias DE BELMETS.* Forfeited Tong 1204 to

KING JOHN, who conferred it upon his favourite

WM, DE BRAOSE, 1204 (he had some undefined interest before in Tong).
Soon forfeited it to King John, and died an exile : his wife and son are
said to have been starved to death. King John again confers it upon

ROGER LA ZOUCHE (before named), who had returned to allegiance, and
advanced in the King's favour : he accompanied the King on several
journeys : was bound to find 2 men to fight in the King's army in
Wales : was no less faithful to his son, Henry III.; made a grant to
Hugefort, known as the tenure of Chaplet of Roses.* Died 1238.

<HY. DE HUGEFORT, query undertenant only).

ALAN LA ZOUCHE (son of Roger). Distinguished for loyalty and
capacity, a great jurist, 1240. He gave the monks pasturage for their
stock at Ruckley Grange, through all his manor of Tong, and one
swine stall in his wood of Brewde, and eight cart loads of fuel yearly,
1247. He further gave them leave to take old stumps in Ruckley
Wood, and provided against their stock straying into his manor of
Tong : also leave to make a bridge at Ruckley : the monks gave up
certain privileges before granted, but reserved site for a mill at Timlet
Holloway. D. 1270.

ALICE LA ZOUCHE, his sister, who married WM. DE HARCOURT, of
the blood royal of Saxony, was in 1256 prosecuted for wasting the
Abbot's trees at Lizard Grange. The Marlpit of Methplekes (? Meashill),
is mentioned. Died 1272.

MARGERY and ORABEL DE HARCOURT, their daughters and co-
heiresses.

HENRY DE PEMBRUGE married ORABEL. King Henry granted to his
" beloved and faithful Henry " a weekly market at Tong for three days,
at St. Bartholomew's Day. The Pembruges came from Pembridge co.
Hereford, a family of high antiquity in that county.

FULCO DE PEMBRUGE I., only son of Orabel : his half-brother insulted
•Prince Edmund at Warwick, and was imprisoned in the dungeons of
Wigmore : 1 282, is not yet 12 years old, 1284 holds the manor of
Tugge with the vill of Norton. The capital messuage valued at
5s., the fish in the Vivary {i.e. a place for keeping them alive) at
2s. 8d., the Dovecot at is. 8d.,t and the Water Mill at £2 per year.
The Mill was below the Castle in all probability : of rents mentioned, is
the Chaplet of Roses.

FULCO DE PENEBRUGGE II., b. 1292, d. 1326. His mother, Lady of
Tong, 1297, occurs in a return, as liable in respect of her property of
^20 or over, to be summoned to perform military service with horse and
arms, in parts beyond the seas. Fulco claimed right to fix weight and
price of bread and beer, and to hold a market and fair at Tong. Of
age in 1312. In 1314, as a Knight and Lord of Tong, gives to Bishop

* He did by a fair deed under his seal on which was his pourtraiture on Horseback in a
Military Habit, grant unto Henry Hugefort, and his Heirs, three Yards lands, 3 Messuages,
and certain Woods in Norton and Shaw in this Parish of Tonge, with Paunage for a great
Number of Hogs in the Woods belonging to this, his Manor, also Liberty of Fishing in all
his Waters there, except in the great Pool 0/ Tonge, with other Privileges, viz. :— of
gathering Nuts in his Woods there, &c, rendering yearly to him the said Roger and his
Heirs a Chaplet of Kos"s upon the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in case
he or they shall be at Tonge, if not then to be put upon the image of the blessed Virgin in
the Church of Tonge for all services, suits of Court, &c [Ex Magna Brit 1 1" 1 Hike*
Lloyd's Shropshire I find a note that the great Pool was a Meadow in 1736, but I am
unable to identify it.

+ A dove-house stands in and still gives a name to part of the Park at Tong, between the
Castle and Church.

12 Owners of Tong.

. of Coventry and Lichfield a plot of wood (? near Brewood). Confirms
free road for the monks' sheep and animals from their farm (or grange),
at Ruckley, to their pasture at Donington ; also to make a fence and
bridge, and site for a mill at Timlet. In 1 313, he had King's pardon for
joining the Earl of Lancaster. 1319, licence to exchange 10 acres with
Prioress of White Ladies. 1322, a Knight representing Salop at York
Parliament, and later for Gloucester at second York Parliament.
1323- 1326, summoned to levy archers, and engaged in several offices
and counsels. U. 1326, leaving a son, aged 15.

FULK DE PEMBRUGE III., 1333. Lawsuit against him by his mother
Matilda de Bermingham ; Fulk defeated.

ROBERT DE PEMBRUGE (brother and heir), said to occur 1346-7, occur*

I351-
FULK DE PEMBRUGE IV., see Tomb 12. 1371-1410.

ELIZABETH DE PEMBRUGE, Lady of Tong, his widow, see Tomb 12,

SIR RICHARD VERNON, Fulke's nephew and successor, see Tomb 13.

SIR WILLIAM VERNON, his son, see Tomb 14,

SIR HARRY VERNON, his son, see Tomb 15.

RICHARD VERNON, ESQ., his son, see Tomb 17.

SIR GEORGE VERNON, his son, King of the Peak, owned 30 manors
(buried at Bakewell, near Haddon 156;)".

DOROTHY & MARGARET VERNON, "his daughters and co-heiresses.
Dorothy eloped with Sir John Manners, upon the night of her sister's
marriage, and conveyed Haddon to the House of Rutland.

MARGARET married HON. SIR THOMAS STANLEY, see Tomb 19.

SIR EDWARD STANLEY, their son, succeeded, and died in 1632. He
sold Tong to

SIR THOMAS HARRIES, Bart., Serjeant-at-Law. See referred to under
Tombs 23 and 31.

ANN AND ELIZABETH, his daughters and co-heiresses. Ann married
John Wylde, Esq., and died 1624, aged 16, see Tomb 23. Tong
Castle passed to

ELIZABETH, who married THE HON. WILLIAM PIEREPOINT of
Thoresby, Notts., " William the Wise," see under No. 31. He suc-
ceeded, 1640; was described as "of Tong Castle." He died 1679,
and his three grandsons became successively Earls of Kingston, viz :
Robert, died 1682, William 1690, and

GERVASE, LORD PIERPOINT, their youngest son, gained a peerage, see
No. 24. His only child. Elizabeth Pierpoint, having pre-deceased him,
see under No. 31, Lord Pierpoint died in 1715, when his nephew,

EVELYN, 5th EARL OF KINGSTON, created 1st DUKE OF KINGSTON
succeeded as Lord of Tong. He was father of Lady Mary Wortley
Montague so celebrated in the literary world. His son William died
before his father 1713, leaving a son,

EVELYN, last DUKE OF KINGSTON, owner of Tong Castle, and had
his seat there. He married the celebrated Miss Chudleigh, but left
no issue and on his death in 1773 all his titles became extinct. He,
in 1760, sold Tong to

GEORGE DURANT, ESQ., of a Worcestershire family, who amassed a large
fortune at Havannah. Reconstructed the Castle as now to be seen.
Sec Tomb 30. He died 1780 aged 46.

GEORGE DURANT, a minor at his father's death. He had issue a son
' ! 1 >rge Stanton Eld Durant, who pre-deceased him, but leaving a son,

GfeORGE CHARLES SELWYN DURANT. who sold Tong 1855 to the
Earl of Bradiord.

THE EARL OF BRADFORD'S FAMILY.

GEORGE A. F. H. BRIDGEMAN, EARL OF
BRADFORD, 2nd Earl of the 1815 creation, D.C.L., de-
scended from Sir Orlando Bridgeman, Kt. and Bart., a lawyer
of great eminence, and Keeper of the Great Seal, 1667, son of
the Right Rev. John, Bishop of Chester, 1619 — 1657,- — a family,
whose seat at Weston Park has passed to them by inheritance
from the De Weston s (Knight Templars) of Weston, whose
effigies in heart-of-oak still remain in the chancel of Weston
Church, through the Newports, Wilbrahams, Myttons, and
Peshalls. The Earl married Georgina Elizabeth only
daughter of Sir Thomas Moncreiffe and Lady Elizabeth
Ramsay. ' In 1865 the Earl died, when Tong passed to

ORLANDO GEORGE CHARLES BRIDGEMAN, 3rd
EARL OF BRADFORD, Viscount Newport and Baron
Bradford, of Bradford, co. Salop ; a Baronet, Privy Councillor,
Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Shropshire ; whose
first official appointment was in the administration of the
Earl of Derby ; and later in those of the Earl of Beacons-
field, K.G., having held the high offices of Lord
Chamberlain (1866-8), and Master of the Horse to Her
Majesty the Queen 1874-80 and again in 1885-6. He repre-
sented South Shropshire in Parliament twenty-three years,
until his accession to the peerage. Born 24th April, 1819.
Married 30th April, 1844, the Hon. Selina Louisa Weld
Forester, daughter of Cecil, 1st Lord Forester.

The COUNTESS OF BRADFORD is the youngest
daughter of Cecil, first Lord Forester (created Baron
Forester, of Willey Park, co. Salop, in 1821) by his wife,
Lady Katherine Manners, daughter of Charles, the 4th Duke
of Rutland, K.G. Her ladyship's brothers, George, second
Lord, and Cecil, third Lord Forester, died without issue,
the present Lord Forester (Orlando Watkin Weld) being a
Canon of York. This nobleman has an hereditary privilege,
granted by Henry VIII., of wearing his hat in the presence

14 The Earl of Bradford's Family.

of the Sovereign. It was made to John Forester, of Upton
and Easthope, in 1520, by licence " to use and were his bonet
on his hede at all tymes and in all places, as well in our
presence as elsewhere." The name of Forester is derived
from Richard Forestarius, who had charge of the King's
Forest of Wellington Hay in Shropshire, in the reign of
Henry III. — an appointment of trust conferred by the King
when penalties of death were frequently inflicted upon persons
guilty of breach of the Forest Laws. A younger brother of
the Countess of Bradford is the Hon. Henry Townshend
Forester (b. 19 Jan., 1821), the well-known patron of the turf.
Lady Bradford's sisters were : — The Hon. Anne Elizabeth,
who became Countess of Chesterfield ; the Hon. Elizabeth
Katherine, married Hon. Robert John Smith, afterwards 2nd
Baron Carrington ; the Hon. Isabella Elizabeth Annabella,
married Gen. the Hon. Geo. Anson, and died leaving three
daughters, Countess Howe, Hon. Mrs. George Fitzwilliam,
and the Marchioness of Bristol ; and the Hon. Henrietta
Maria, who married Lord Albert Conyngham, created Baron
Londesborough. The Forester arms are argent, a bugle horn
sable, garnished with gold, a token of their office. Some
further account of the Forester Family who were owners of
part of Tong Parish will be given later.

The Earl's eldest son, GEORGE CECIL ORLANDO,
VISCOUNT NEWPORT, born Feb. 3rd, 1845, represented
North Shropshire in the House of Commons from 1867 to 1885,
and is known as a fluent and graceful speaker, and one of the
best shots in England. He lives at Castle Bromwich. His
lordship's Silver Wedding day is in 1894, ne having married
on Sept. 7, 1869, Lady Ida Frances Annabella Lumley, second
daughter of Richard George, 9th Earl of Scarbrough, by his
wife Frederica Mary.Adeliza Drummond ; Lady Newport's
brothers and sisters being the present Earl of Scarbrough,
Lady Algitha, wife of Hon. Wm. Orde Powlett, heir to Lord

The Earl of Bradford's Family. 15

Bolton ; the Marchioness of Zetland, Countess Grosvenor, and
the Hon. Osbert Lumley. Lord Newport has issue: Sons —
the Hon. Orlando (b. 6 Oct. 1873), Hon. Richard Orlando
Beaconsfield, (b. 1879, god-son to Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of
Beaconsfield), and Hon. Henry Geo. Orlando (b. 1882);
daughters— the Hon. Beatrice Adine (b. 1870), the Hon.
Margaret Alice (b. 1872, now Countess of Dalkeith), Hon.
Helena Mary (b. 1875, god-daughter of H.R.H. Princes*
Christian), Hon. Florence Sibell (b. 1877). The Hon. Orlando
Bridgeman made a voyage round the world in 1893, and all
will welcome the attainment of his majority this year ; while
the Hon. Richard is a Naval Cadet. The Hon. Margaret
married January 30, 1893, Jonn Charles, Earl of Dalkeith, son
and heir to the Duke of Buccleuch, and has issue Margaret
Ida, born Nov. 13, 1893. Lord Newport accompanied the
Duke of Abercorn on his Special Mission from Her Majesty
to the King of Italy, in 1878.

The Earl's younger son, the HON. FRANCIS CHARLES
BRIDGEMAN, born 4th July, 1846, is a retired Lieutenant
Colonel of the Scots Guards, was engaged in the Soudan
War, and is M.P. for Bolton. He married 26th July, 1883,
Gertrude Cecilia, eldest daughter of George Hanbury, Esq.,
of Blythwood, and has issue Reginald Francis Orlando (b.
1884), Francis Paul Orlando, Humphrey Herbert Orlando,
and Selina Adine. He resides at Neachley. He accompanied
the Earl of Rosslyn's Special Mission to the King of Spain.

The Earl's elder daughter, LADY MABEL SELINA,
married Lieut. Col. William Slaney KENYON-SLANEY,
M.P. for the Newport Division of Shropshire, of Hatton
Grange, Salop, and has issue Sybil (b. 1888), and Robert
Orlando Rodolph (b. Jan. 13, 1892).

The younger daughter, LADY FLORENCE KATH-
ERINE, married in 1881 Henry Viscount Lascelles, and is
now Countess of Harewood, having issue a son, Henry
Viscount Lascelles (b. 1882), Lady Margaret Selina (b. 1883),
and Hon. Edward Cecil (b. 1887).

THE BRIDGEMAN FAMILY.

ORLANDO, ist Earl of Bradford (who succeeded as
second Baron Bradford, and was created an earl in 1815),
married Lucy Elizabeth, daughter of George, fourth Viscount
Torrington, and Lady Lucy Boyle, daughter of John, Earl of
Cork and Orrery, an old Irish family. Orlando's father, Sir
Henry Bridgeman, Bart., was created first Baron Bradford in
1794. He married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of the Rev.
John Simpson, of Stoke Hall, County Derby, and her second
son, John Bridgeman, married Henrietta (only daughter of
Sir Thomas Worsley, Bart.), a great heiress, who took the
name of Simpson, and thus founded the Bridgeman-Simpson
family. A delightful miniature of this lady, Miss Worsley, is
in the possession of Lady Bradford, and called " The Heiress
of Appuldercombe."

Sir Henry Bridgeman was the eldest son of Sir Orlando
Bridgeman (of Castle Bromwich and Blodwell, Bart.)
and Lady Anne Newport. She was a sister of the three last
Earls of Bradford, of the Newport family, which title became
extinct on the death of Thomas, fifth Earl of Bradford, in
1762.

The Newport estates held by Henry Newport, third Earl
of Bradford, Lady Anne's eldest brother, who died with-
out issue, were of enormous extent, but were alienated by him
from the family very largely. Lady Anne's sister, Diana,
Countess of Mountrath, succeeded to a great part of the
London property, including the Park of Isleworth, called the
New Park of Richmond, and also Twickenham Park, with
the mansion-house therein. This lady bequeathed all her
cattle% sheep, and horses, corn, grain, hay, wine, ale, and all
liquors and stores in her house to Lucy, Duchess of Montrose*
Her other properties included Walsall, Tamehorn, Manors of
Newton, Bobbington, &c, some of which happily reverted to
the descendants of her sister, Lady Anna Bridgeman.

The Bridgeman Family. 17

Sir Orlando Bridgeman was the son of Sir John Bridgeman,
third Baronet, and Ursula, daughter and sole heiress of
Roger Matthews, Esq., of Blodwell Hall, Salop, a descendant
of the Princes of Powys and Wales. Roger was the son of
John Matthews, Esq., of Court, and Jane, elder daughter and
co-heir of Morris Tanat, of Blodwell, County Salop.
These Tanats, of Blodwell, were seated at Abertanat, and
took their name from the sparkling river Tanat, a famous
trout stream. A part of the picturesque Tanat Valley
in the Marches of Wales, forms a portion of Lord Bradford's
ancestral estate.

Morris Tanat was descended from " Einion-Efell," who
resided at Llwynymaen, near Oswestry, Salop, and was Lord
of Cynllaeth, who died in 1196. He was second son of
Madoc-ap-Meredith, Prince of Powys, son and heir of
Meredith-ap-Bleddyn, Prince of Powys, 1132. He was son
and successor of Bleddyn-ap-Cynfyn and Haer, daughter of
Cilin-apy-Blaidd Rhud, surnamed " The Wolf." Bleddyn-
ap-Cynfyn, Prince of Powys, by inheritance, and Prince of
North Wales and South Wales by usurpation, was fourth in
descent from Mervyn, King of Powys, third son of Rhodri
Mawr (or the Great), King of Wales, a.d,, 843, and died 847.

Reverting to the family of Bridgeman, and tracing it a little
further it will be seen that Sir John, second Baronet (who
bought the Castle Bromwich estate), was son of Sir Orlando
Bridgeman, Bart., and Judith Kynaston, daughter and heiress
of John Kynaston, Esq., also descended from the great King of
Wales. The Kynastons, an ancient Shropshire family, trace
back through Humphrey Kynaston "The Wild" (1534),
through Griffith (of Cae Howell and Kynaston, Salop), to
Jorwerth Goch, surnamed " The Red," son of Meredydd-ap-
Bleddyn, Prince of Powys. It is curious that the Newport
family also trace through a female co-heiress back to
Meredydd-ap-Bleddyn.

T8 The Bridgeman Family.

Thomas Newport, Esq., ancestor of the Earls of
Bradford, married Elizabeth, one of the co-heiresses of Sir
John de Burgh, Knight of Mawddy, son of Elizabeth,
daughter of John, Lord of Mawddy, son of William-ap-
Grifnth, son of Griffith-ap-Wenwynwyn, son of Gwenwynwyn,
Prince of Powys-wenwynwyn (17 Ed. I.) by Margaret,
daughter of Rhys, Prince of South Wales.

Gwenwynwyn was grandson of Griffith-ap-Meredith, son
.0/ Meredith-ap-Bleddyn, Prince of Powys. Another sister of
Elizabeth, viz., Eleanor, married Thos. Mytton, Esq., M.P.,
an ancestor of the Myttons, of Weston-under-Lizard, whose
heiress is a direct ancestress of the present owner of Weston.

' Sir Orlando Bridgeman, the lawyer of great eminence,
was successively Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer,
Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and Lord
Keeper of the Great Seal. His father, Dr. John Bridgeman,
chaplain to King James I., was, after filling many Church
offices, translated to the See of Chester, 1619, but was driven
to take refuge with his son, Sir Orlando, at Morton Hall, and

: died there, the ancestral home of his daughter-in-law, Judith
Kynaston, in 1652. During the troublous times of the Civil

, War, Clarendon tells how "the City of Chester remained true
to his Majesty, influenced thereto by the credit and example
of Bishop John Bridgeman, and the reputation and dexterity
of his son Orlando, a lawyer of very good estimation." Sir
Orlando's charge to the jury at the trial of the regicides was
highly extolled — indeed, as Chief Justice of the Common
Pleas his reputation was at its zenith, and " his moderation
and equity were such that he seemed to carry a chancery in
his breast."

^^T^s^r

EARLY CLERGY, &c.

1188-1194 ERNULF ..... Chaplain, had the Parsonage.
1315-1220 ROBERT DE SHIREFORD, Parson.

1255 WILLIAM Parson of Tong: he impleaded

a layman as he did not supply boots (?) to his wish. Church

of Tong valued at ^4.

1410 Church built and College founded : Wm. Shaw or Wm. Mosse,

Warden.

141 1 WALTER SWAN, Minister.

1416 KING HENRY V. gave the revenues of Lapley town, manor
and grange, to the College of Tong, provided Lapley Vicarage
be sufficiently endowed, and a competent sum allowed to
the poor there.

1454 SIR RICHARD EITON, Priest ; Warden of the College.

1470 MASTER JOHN LYE, Warden of Tong, made vicar of
Idsall. Died, 1515.

1510 RALPH ELCOCK died ; cellarer and co-brother.

1518 SIR ARTHUR VERNON, Priest ; Warden of the College.

1526 THOMAS FORSTER, died; sometime Warden of Tongue
and Vicar of Idsall. See curious monument at Shifnal
Church.

1535 College valued at ^22 8s. id. a year.

1546 College sold for /200 to J. WOOLRICH.

1547 Deed of Sale signed by K. EDWARD VI.
1616 Register dates from.

1639 GEO. MEESON, Clerk of Tong.

164 1 WILLIAM SOUTH ALL, Rector.

1658 ROBERT HILTON, Minister.

1676 RICHARD WARDE, Minister.

1678 WM. COTTON, Curate.

1688 L. PEITIER appointed Minister. Died, 1745.

1694 JOHN HULTER, Curate of Tong, buried.

1765 S. HALL died-. 35 years Assistant Curate.

1777 THOS. BUCKERIDGE, Minister of Tong.

1785 THOS. LAWRENCE. Curate of Tong.

1791 CHAS-. BUCKERIDGE. D.D.

1806 W. H. MOLINEUX, Perpetual Curate of Tong.

1807 JOHN FLETCHER MUCKLESTON, M.A., afterwards D.D.
1835 THOS. HALL, Curate.

1839 LEONARD HENRY St. GEORGE,
1843 GEO. SHIPTON HARDING.
1855 JOHN WINGFIELD HARDING.
1870 RICHARD GWYNNE LAWRENCE.
I876 CHARLES T. WILSON.

1882 GEO. CLENELL RIVETT-CARNAC who married a grand-
daughter of the poet Crabbe.
1890 JOHN HENRY COURTNEY CLARKE present vicar, late

Major of the Royal Fusiliers. Churchwardens : THOS.

MIliNER, jun, and G. F. NORTON. Lectors

HON. F. C. BlilDGEMAN, M P., and MR. H. K SMI I H.

Gterk . GEO. BODEN. Schoolmaster , THOtf. GREEN LR.

TONG CHURCH.

HE present stately edifice which forms so
pleasing a feature in the village and lands-
cape, is one of few in the country that re-
main to us without bearing traces of that
destruction which is the natural outcome
of opposing forces of men ; and it is re-
markable, looking back upon the struggles
of 500 years, to think there should be
found in a country village so fine a specimen of Gothic
architecture in practically as good (i.e. unrestored) state now
as at the time of its erection ; and this applies almost as well
to the interior as the exterior. The present building, worthily
described as a venerable pile, is a pure and beautiful example
of the Early Perpendicular.

There seems to be no doubt that Earl Roger de Montgomery,
the great Earl (and " a very prudent and moderate man," as an
old chronicle describes him), founded a church here in the reign
of William the Conqueror, within 8 years of Domesday. It is
not clear whether his work was carried on or added to by his
second son and successor, Earl Hugh, or whether the great
bishop and statesman, Richard de Belmeis I., Bishop of London,
who had a grant of Tong a little later, and spent all his resources
in beautifying and improving St. Paul's Cathedral and the
Clerkenwell Priory, had any part in completing the church ;
but in the present building there are traces of work which are

HThe Stanley tomb
Tong

EM-K.

Foundation of Tong Church. zr

referred, on good authority, to a date at least a century earlier
than that of the general fabric as it now stands.

To the pious benevolence of a lady, a widow, we are indebted
for this rich and valuable example of Gothic architecture ;
rich on account of the undisturbed condition of its component
parts, thus enabling us to see the church in practically the
same condition as that in which it was left by the monkish
designer, and valuable in affording the student sufficient con-
current details of the work for his instruction and guidance,
with the view to their imitation elsewhere ; thus it must
awaken a more than ordinary interest in the casual visitor. Irr
short, Tong Church is a building of national interest, and
contains monuments rarely to be found in edifices of the like
proportions.

Elizabeth, widow of Sir Fulke de Pembruge, Knight, with
two clerks, had in the 12th year of King Henry IV., 141 1, his
license to acquire of the Abbot and Convent of Shrewsbury
the advowson and patronage of the Church of St. Bartholomew
the Apostle, at Tonge in Shropshire, reserving to the Abbot
and Convent an annual pension they were used to receive of
6s. 8d. to convert the said Church into a perpetual college,
with warden, chaplains, &c. ; the amount paid by Elizabeth
being ^"50, a large sum of money in those days."'

The College stood south of the Church, and seems to have
occupied four sides of a square. It must have covered a good
deal of ground, judging by the twenty or more people who
lived in it, besides the accommodation for the children who
were to be taught there. (See account later of Tong College
and its rules and regulations.)

The Church thus made over to the widow of the Lord of
Tong was made Collegiate, and by her dedicated, as some

-»Mr. Cox gives the amount £40, paid into the Hanaper, i.e., the Kins;-- Bxchaduer.
The Hanaper was a kind of basket used in early days by the Kings of England fix holding
and carrying the money as they journeyed from place to place.

22 Church — Architectural Features.

accounts say, " to the worship and glory of God and in memory
of her husband." Built of a durable local stone, evincing little
or no decay, it consists as the plan shews of chancel
and choir, nave, north and south aisles, vestry and porch.
The Golden Chapel adjoining the south transept was added a
century later, and is the only part of the building which dates
subsequent to the time of Dame Elizabeth. In the centre,
supported upon four lofty pointed arches, rises a curious
steeple, which above the roof is square, and contains in the
lower story the Great Bell of Tong. Upon this springs an.
octagon, forming the upper bell-story, containing the peal of
bells, the whole finished with an elegant spire.

In a report to the Archceological Journal of 1845, the following
remarks by Mr. Petit occur, and will best complete the descrip-
tion of the edifice : —

" The building affords a striking instance how completely
the mediaeval architect felt the importance of scale as well as
proportion. In a large church the simplicity of detail in this
church would have given an unpleasing degree of plainness.
In a larger church much that is now excellent would have
been meagre and minute. The flattened roof is here a decided
beauty, as it not only gives effect to the embattled parapet
and pinnacles (which, when the finials were complete, must
have been very beautiful), but to the steeple itself ; and had
this steeple been of more tapering form, the range of spire
lights, which are perhaps nearly unique, would have been out
of place.

*'The building is essentially a cross-church, yet it neither
developes the form of a cross in its ground plan, nor indicates
it, as it might have done, by transepts distinguished from the
aisles. Such examples are far from common.

"The following discrepancies are remarkable in a building
which exhibits so much uniformity in design and carefulness
in execution : —

Church— Architectural' Features. 23

u Difference in north and south ranges of arches in the nave.

" Mouldings at base of piers differ, though the capitals are
nearly alike.

11 External divisions do not correspond with internal ones,
for the parapet along nave is divided by the pinnacles into two
equal parts, whereas the interior has three arches between
west wall and west pier of tower.

" Width of the two aisles differs a few inches ; and the east
window dpes not stand in the exact centre of the front.

' -'The base of the tower is not exactly square, nor is the
octagon equal-sided; the equilateral spire is more nearly, if
not altogether so, which renders necessary a peculiar con-
struction at its junction with the octagon. " This is illustrated
in the Archaeological Journal.

The following interesting note upon Tong Church occurs
in Mrs. Halliday's work on the Porlock Effigies.

"This is no church of the common order, but a theme for
the painter and poet. Situated in a slightly undulating and
beautifully wooded country, it is on the whole a building
which embodies more of the true mediaeval feeling than
perhaps any other we still possess. Besides many features of
interest, such as the Vernon Chapel, with its beautiful fan-
traceried vaulting, the abbatial-looking stalls, with their
richly-sculptured poppyheads and western return ends, and
several highly-wrought screens, it contains no less than seven
elaborate altar-tombs, forming, along with the surrounding
architecture, such picturesque groups as true artists like
Louis Haghe or David Roberts would have delighted in.
Thanks, as I am informed, to the protecting arm of the Earl
of Bradford, it has been shielded from the destroying inroads
of the dilettante 'restorer,' the interested 4 architect,' and the
cheap contractor."

24 Tong Church.

THE RESTORATION.

ITH regard to the Restoration of the Church
in 1892, it must surely be a great satisfac-
tion to know that no old features have dis-
appeared nor old arrangements been ex-
extinguished, but that the work, under the
direction of the eminent architect, Mr. Christian, has been
done thoroughly and well, and in a true conservative spirit.
The cost, about ^5,000, has been chiefly borne by the Earl of
Bradford, the patron. The Vicar, the Rev. J. H. Courtney
Clarke, Mrs. Hartley and her friends, the Churchwardens,
and the parishioners all must share in the ctedit which
is due for collecting the monies to commence this
great undertaking, and one which the Committee found
was too great for their resources. This mediaeval fabric,
substantially u a gem of the middle ages," is again
made good, and the ravages of time are stopped ; and patron,
priest, and people are to be congratulated upon the achieve-
ment of a noble duty, and one which hands on to posterity a
monument alike of the Foundress's bounty, of the Ecclesiastic's
devotion to art and religion, and of the present patron's
munificence. The performance of such a work earns our
present gratitude, it multiplies our inherent veneration, and
lovingly consecrates the edifice anew to the holy offices of
successive generations.

Traces of one tiny patch of ancient mural painting too in-
distinct to be of any value whatever, were found on the wall
of the nave, when cleaning the wjIIs of the ugly colour which
hitherto had disfigured them.

A few modern pews which marred the appearance of the
old oak benches have been removed, and the latter with their
traceried panels refixed in a little more convenient manner. .

The Restoration. ' 25

The flooring is entirely new, and the gradual rise of the
level of it from the West end to the East, which was so
marked and uncommon, has been adhered to.

The various discoveries in the Golden Chapel and elsewhere
will be found noted in their places under the headings,

A valuable old book of Homilies was found by the Vicar,
and also a note that the Royal Arms in the North Wall cost
over ;£6o. The workmen also found two old silver coins, one
of Queen Elizabeth's reign, during the restoration.

The builder and contractor for the general work of Restora.
tion in 1892 was Mr. William Bowdler, of Shrewsbury, who
also undertook the carving and restoration of the choir
stalls and screens, with a success most visible. Mr. Robert
Brid^eman, of Lichfield, has re-erected the " Sianley " tomb,
and done other work to the altar-tombs. The mediaeval
stained glass which was all scattered about in a fragmentary
way in various windows, has been collected and re-arranged
by Messrs. Pepper & Boyd, of London.

The Restoration has consisted of a thorough renewal of the
roofs, the old lead having been re-cast, and new oak timbers
put in where needed, preserving all old carvings ; the Tower
stone-work partly rebuilt, the walls entirely cleaned inside
and repaired, as also the damaged tracery of the West
window, which was long an eye-sore, and caused many
anxieties to visitors. A tew missing pinnacles have been
supplied, and the parapets, vane, and clock repaired.

Numerous other works have been done, and include heat-
ing, with new chamber near the ruins of the ancient Alms-
house, the general reflooring, reglazing, new ceiling to tower,
&c, &c, and at the close of the work, it was a matter of con-
gratulation to be able to announce that a piece of land had
been given by Lord Bradford to enlarge the burial ground.

IS" Visitors are advised to enter by the Porch and South
door, the proper entrance, and to make the circuit of the
building in the order given.

'ORCH. Ancient stone seats on either side. Fine
old oak ceiling with well-carved bosses, pediment,
and shields for arms.

1. Door with considerable mouldings. A two-light window
on either side, neither of which Mr. Christian thinks has
ever been glazed ; old saddle-bars.

2. SOUTH DOOR of Church exhibits some mouldings.
Over it is a recessed niche for a statuette of the patron saint.

SOUTH AISLE. Probably the pillars carrying the arches
forming the arcade between aisle and nave are older than any
other part of the church. Notice dog-tooth ornament on cap
of pillar 3, and the labels of the arches at 4 and 5. These
features, Mr. Petit says, in his report to the Archaeological
Journal, may be referred to the 13th century (i.e., prior to
1300), and he suspects that the present south aisle originally
formed the nave of the earlier church founded by Earl Roger
de Montgomery, as the south side of the pillars is more orna-
mented than the north, which perhaps faced the north aisle
of the older edifice. Oak roof with carving. Tracery in
windows.

Generally, notice the OLD OAK SEATS and panelling of
same with tracery ; most of them remain in their proper

3&S&S , ,,/ggp*

r^ \^;

Seal dl the
L»a.dy foundress

Nave, Font, &c. 37

positions, but were rearranged in 1892, when modern seats
were removed. The tile flooring- is entirely new, but a tiled
floor of much older date was discovered in the north aisle when
erecting the new organ a few years ago. Tong once possessed
a beautiful Gothic organ, described later under "Organ."

6. NAVE. Take a general view of the interior from this
spot. Notice old oak roof, with carved bosses at the inter-
sections. The ranges of arches on the right and left are
dissimilar, a common occurrence in mediaeval work.

7. WEST DOORWAY, formerly closed, but re-opened
in 1892. There was found concealed by plaster a very old
rough boarding in this doorway, and in it a very small door,
4ft. 6in. high, with double ogee head and rude hinges, and
above it, WEST WINDOW. It has five lights, enriched in
the upper part with debased Perpendicular tracery, and retains
fragments of old stained glass. Subject " We praise Thee,
OGod."

8. FONT. Old octagonal one of simple design, but good
workmanship ; each face exposed has a trefoiled arch corres-
ponding with the sedilia arches, and a shield. A hinge and
catch still remain, probably appertaining to the old cover.
The Font is made a little more accessible, but remains in the
same position as usual, viz. : against the north-west pillar.
There is a step for the priest, and one for the sponsor handing
up the child.

NORTH AISLE, oak roof, carved ; old oak seats. Tra-
cery in windows.

A slab found in 1892 beneath the floor of the north aisle
bears " Here lieth the body of Thomas Poole, who departed
this life Oct. the 21st ano., 1739, aged 51 years." Another
slab found near the west door bears " Here lieth the body of
Walter Clay, son of Walter and Margaret Clay, who departed
this life April ye .... 1735, aged 18 years."

28 Old Slab, Screens, &c.

There has also been found during the restoration in 1892
an interesting incised slab representing, I believe, a priest,
having on his arm the maniple, and a dog at foot. Some
large letters

LE WARDE . . . ERC ... J
are upon it in very old character, which may allude to a
Warden of Tong College. Various dates have been assigned
to this slab, viz., 8th, 9th, or 12th century. It is now fixed
in the floor of north transept, where antiquaries may view,
and perhaps enlighten us upon it.

9. NORTH DOORWAY, now closed, and in it notice
the fragment of an old tomb now destroyed, comprising a
shield of alabaster, with angels supporting it, and at the side
some architectural features, twisted column, &c, of stone.
The length of fingers and other characteristics have led some
visitors to give an opinion that this is the oldest piece of
sculpture in the Church. A somewhat, but not exactly
similar fragment is to be seen at east end of No. 12 tomb.

10a & b. WOOD SCREENS in north and south aisles
dividing them so as to form Chapels in which particular ser-
vices were said by the Roman Catholics. These screens are
in the form of the letter L (see plan) and are " of very rich
workmanship, with the colours well preserved, and only
mellowed and toned down by time," Mr. Petit says. The
north aisle screen 10a is ornamented only on the side facing
the west, and was a good deal damaged, but repaired in 1892.
It consists of a central arched opening over the path of the
aisle, and on each side of it running north and south are three
open traced divisions (time of Henry VII.), the piece returned
to the pillar of tower consisting also of three divisions ; the
lower part of screen being of traced panelling, corresponding
with the tracery above : the crenulated cornice has carved
foliage, and a cresting of Tudor character.

Screens — Effigies. zg

10b. The south aisle screen, the richer of the two, has four
openings on either side of the central one, and three returned
to the pillar, all of delicate tracery. (Transitional ; about
1400). On the side of it facing the west wall is a cornice
(acorns and foliage), and below it is a carved string-course of
laurel ; on the other side the vine. John Babyn is carved in
letters 4m. long upon the transom of this screen, in Tudor
character. A step is observable from the aisle into the south
chapel, but not in the north one.

11. DOORWAY TO BELFRY.

The next object of interest is the oldest altar tomb, and
before describing it in detail it will be well to note that the
effigies herein described belong to a period of continuous war-
fare, when the custom of wearing complete armour necessitated
the use of heraldic devices ; therefore a little note or word
has been occasionally inserted, to explain certain objects
which at the time of the erection of the monuments had a
purpose and signification well known to alt beholders. Of
effigies generally the following prefatory remarks by Mr. C. A.
Stothard (author of the Monumental Effigies of Great Britain)
will enable anyone to appreciate the value of these monu-
ments : — " With very few exceptions, effigies are the only
portraits we possess of heroes and others in the ages famed
for chivalry and arms. Thus considered they make us ac-
quainted with the customs and habits of the time. To history
they give a body and a substance, by placing before us those
things which language is deficient in describing."

In the beginning of the 14th century effigies are first met
with in full relief. It was generally the custom to bury the
dead in the dress which marked the habits of their lives, and
so we find Knights who held their lands by so many days
military service represented in military costume, their suit
of armour descending from sire to son, or sometimes being

30 Sir F. de Pembruge — 1409.

bequeathed as a rich legacy. The first body armour was
composed entirely of " mail," i.e., links interlaced, when the
weapons of the rank and file were bows and arrows — " Eng-
lish shafts in volleys hailed " ; this was succeeded by a mixture
of ''mail and plate" armour, and finally "plate" entirely.
The head was covered by a steel cap or helmet, having a
narrow slit in the form of a cross to allow of vision and res-
piration.

12. SIR FULKE DE PEMBRUGE AND DAME
ELIZABETH. GOTHIC ALTAR TOMB, mostly of ala-
baster, with recumbent effigies representing Sir Fulke de
Pembruge, Knight of Tong Castle, and his second wife,
Dame Elizabeth (or Isabella), daughter and heir of Sir Ralphe
Lingen, of Wigmore,

This, the first and oldest of the altar-tombs at Tong, is the
one under the north arch of tower, and originally beneath the
rood loft, — an honourable place of interment, I suppose, for
Chaucer relates of a Knight that "He lith y grave under
the rode-beem."* It rests upon a sandstone base, and is one
of the four monuments described in the Archceological Journal
before referred to, and in this guide numbered 12, 13, 14,
17. "They are," the report says, " four monuments invalu-
able as representing a series of Perpendicular work, each speci-
men being characteristic of the period to which it belongs.
The first, though executed with great care (the minutest
details of costume being elaborately worked), is comparatively
severe and simple in its design, having more a massive than
an ornate character."

The Male Effigy :—
Sir Fulke was Lord of Tong 1371, and died May 24, 1409 —
the last of his line.

♦Archbishop Courtenay (1396) bequeathed his body to be buried in front ot the rood
lott, but subsequently revoked that part of his will, by a death-bed codicil, averring that
he was not worthy.

Sir F. de Pembruge, Died 1409, 31

He is clad in armour, partly mail and partly plate — a fact
which helps to fix the date of the effigy closely.

For men at arms were here,
Heavily sheathed in mail and plater
Like iron towers for strength and weight.

Sir W alter Scott.

Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,

And thereto hadde hejridden, no man ferre.f

Chaucer.

" The Knight rests his head upon the ' helm ' or helmet
whereon was the crest, viz., — a Turkish woman's head, with
a wreath about her temples, her hair plaited and hanging
below her shoulders." This helmet would completely con-
ceal the Knight's face, and so warriors wore crests upon their
helmets, and coats of arms, to distinguish them from one
another on the field of battle.

Then marked they, dashing broad and far,
The broken billows ot the war,
The plumdd crests of chieftains brave,
Floating like foam upon the wave ;
But nought distinct they se« :
Spears shook, and falchions flashed amain ;
Fell England's arrow-flight like rain ;
Crests rose, and stooped, and rose again,
Wild and disorderly.

Sir Walter Scott.

Helmets were made of certain different kinds, distinguishing
the rank of the warrior. The placing of a helmet beneath the
head of the Knight — with his gauntlets laid by his side, as on
tomb 17 — is suggested by the soldier's actual practice when
asleep in camp. Notice the mantlet worn upon the helmet to
protect it from stains or rust. The mantlet took the place of
the contoise, which disappeared from use about the middle of
the fourteenth century. The " contoise " was a coloured
scarf, " the lady's favour " or "token" given by her to the
knight before he set out to fight. The welding of the joints of
the helm is so arranged as to form a cross, a favourite emblem
in the middle ages. At the feet of the Knight is a lion, emblem
of courage.

t i.e. farther.

2,2 Dame Elizabeth de Pembruge — 1446-7.

The Female Effigy .—
His second (?) wife, Dame Elizabeth de Lingen, described as
a widow, and " Lady of Tonge," was the great benefactress of
Tong, and survived him. Sir Fulke Pembruge's first wife
was Margaret, daughter and eventual sole heiress of Sir
William Trussell, of Cublesdon, and of Sheriff Hales, Knight.

Dame Elizabeth, about 1410, caused to be built the present
Collegiate Church (except the Golden Chapel), and richly
endowed it — as more fully described elsewhere. She died
1446-7, and was buried beside her husband. Her effigy is
on his right hand, indicating, Mr. Stothard says,* that
she was an heiress. She is in widow's weeds, and on her
chin a wimple. At her feet is an animal of the deer kind
without a head, collared, and with chain of rectangular links.
The lady's head rests upon a two-tiered pillow, an angel at
each side supporting it (heads gone). The wimple extends
round the chin over the shoulders, where it disappears under
a hood. The dress is one long plain garment.

Ful semely hire wimple ypinched was.

For, all for heat, was laid aside
Her wimple, and her hood untied.

It was upon this tomb that the Chaplet of Roses was placed
annually on the 24th of June, the peculiar and only rent
reserved by one of the La Zouche lords upon granting large
privileges in Tong to a De Hugefort (see detailed under
Owners of Tong). " Round the neck of one of these Knights
I observed a fresh garland of flowers, and was informed that
an estate was held by the Tenure of putting such a Chaplet
every year about this time on the said Tomb," Mr. Cole says,
in 1757.

There seems to be some uncertainty as to this monument,
Sir William Dugdale, visiting Tong Church in September,

* I think this rule will not apply to the Tong Effigies, as the lady is placed on the
Knight's right hand on each of the tombs, and they were not all heiresses.

The de Pembruges. 33

1663, refers to it thus : — " Towards the north side of the
Church stands a faire Tombe of Alabaster whereon do lye the
figures of a man in armour (partly mail and partly plate
armour) and of his wife on his right hand, and on her chin a
wimpler. Upon the Helm whereon the man resteth his head
is this Crest (upon a wreath), viz., a Turkish woman's head
with a wreath about her temples ; her haire plaited and hang-
ing below her shoulders, with a tassel at the end of the
plaiting. This is sayde to be the monument of Sir Fowke
Pembruge, Knight, sometime Lord of Tong Castle. On the
sides of this Tombe are divers Escocheons whereon armes
have been anciently depicted, but I suppose it was since the
Vernons became Lords of Tonge Castle, by marriage with the
heire female of Pembrugge, for the painting is as followeth : —
I., Blank. II., Party per pale, — dexter, barry of six empal-
ing a lion rampant, sinister, blank. III., Barry of six empal-
ing fretty. IV., Arg. fretty sa. V., Arg. fretty sa. emp. barry
of six. VI., Arg. fretty sa. VII., Barry of six or and az.
VIII., Barry of six or and az. IX., Barry of six or and az.
empaling az. a bend lozengy or. X., Az. a bend lozengy or.
XL, Barry of six. XII., Barry of six." Others including
VI. and XL are repeated.

The above language of Sir William Dugdale does not point
to his conviction that the male effigy is not Sir Fulke Pem-
bruge's ; moreover he says the arms have been depicted,
implying that they were indistinct even when he saw them.

Mr. Eyton argues from the arms thus recorded, that the
tomb must be a Vernon one, but the crest of the knight would
throw a doubt upon the conclusion that the entire tomb and
effigies commemorate a Vernon, as all the Vernons have a
boar's head crest.

The measurements of the panelling (inclu ling the shields)
on the north, south, and west sides, and part of the east, lead

34 The de Pembruges.

me to venture the suggestion that it originally surrounded a
single-effigy tomb, now destroyed ; and, assuming the arms to
be as above, it would seem to have been a Vernon one, upon
which the broken alabaster boar's head crest now lying loose
about the church would have found a proper place, as also
the fragments of angels, and shields of alabaster found in 1892
among the rubbish beneath the church floor. As we have
continuous memorials of each generation of the Vernons from
Sir Richard, the Speaker, downwards, and as none of
them are defective as regards the crest, the thought suggests
itself that the destroyed tomb could only have been to the
memory of the Richard Vernon, father of the Speaker, whose
rebellious conduct resulted in his execution. It seems not
unnatural that his loyal descendants should view with indiffer-
ence the ruin of a monument recalling unfavourable incidents
in a distinguished family's career. The sculpture now at the
east end of this tomb (17) seems to belong to another destroyed
tomb.

Mr. Eyton appropriates the arms above mentioned to
Pembruge, Vernon, Ludlow, and Bermingham, and is dis-
appointed at not finding Sir Fulke's first wife's arms among
them. Discussing the arms as above recorded, is it possible
that the Arg. fretty sable (Vernon), " the true lover's knot of
heraldry," has been mistaken in some shields for Arg. a fret
gu., for Trussel ? And again, the Lingen arms are so similar
to Pembruge that they may have been confused — Lingaine,
Barry of six or and az., on a bend gu. 3 roses arg. ; JLingayne,
Barry of six or and az. on a bend gu., three plates arg.

In Hereford Cathedral is a tomb with an effigy to Sir
Richard de Pembruge, a benefactor to a priory there, the arms
upon it being Barry of six with a bend. He was one of the
earliest Knights of the Garter, the 53rd (Edwardian period),
and has plated armour and shirt of mail ; panache crest to
helmet, a very rare example of the kind of plume worn in

The de Pembruges. 35

those times, not flowing but stiff and erect. There is a grey-
hound at foot, with shaggy mane, and other details are very
perfect and interesting.]: The effigy has been carefully
restored under the late Lord Saye and Sele's directions.

It is probably he, Sir Richard, that is referred to in the
Brantingham Issue of Rolls : —

" To Henry de Wakefield, Keeper of the King's Wardrobe,
by the hands of Sir Richard de Pembrugge, Knight, in dis-
charge of £116 19s. 7d., due to the same Richard in the
Wardrobe aforesaid, for the expenses of himself, his men-
at-arms, and archers in the war, as appears by a bill of the
said keeper, cancelled in the Hanaper of this term. 44, Ed.

in. (1371)."

" The war " was one of the great military expeditions of
Edward, the Black Prince — " the youthful prince who won
his spurs at Cressy — that mirror of knighthood, the first and
greatest of heroes, whose victories surrounded the name of
his country with a lustre which produced strength and
safety." f

It is curious that Mr. Eyton makes no reference to a
Pembruge so illustrious as to receive the Order of the Garter,
whose name might have filled the blank he found when tracing
the descent of Sir F. Pembruge IV. from Sir F. Pembruge
III., and whose existence would, perhaps, have restrained him
from appropriating Sir Fulke Pembruge's tomb to Sir Richard
Vernon, alias (as he said) de Pembruge. The records as to
the ownership of Tong appear to be deficient between 1335
and 1 37 1* ; this would not be surprising if the hero, Sir
Richard Pembruge, were the owner, seeing he was absent on
the Continent with the Black Prince, whose military career,

% Note from Lady Saye and Sele. f Mackintosh.

* See page 12. Under owners of Tong, Robert de Pembruge is mentioned by Shaw as
brother and heir pi Fulk de Pembruge III., and father of Fulk de Pembruge IV.

36 The de Pembruges.

commencing in 1346 (Battle of Cressy), kept him almost con-
tinuously abroad until his death in 1376.

The will of Fulke Eyton may be here mentioned, as it
refers to Sir F. Pembruge's burial, and also gives an idea of the
personal effects of a gentleman of that time. It is dated 1454,
and directs that his body shall be buried by his godfather,
Sir Fowke Pembruge, within the Chapel at Tong. This does
•not refer to the present Golden Chapel, which was not
founded until 151 5, but to the Lady Chapel, which sometimes,
though rarely, occupies a position near the north aisle.

After directing that prayers, &c, shall be said at 4d. each, he gives /io
to the almshouse of Tong ; his best basin and ewer of silver to the priest of
the College of Tong ; also " to the saide College a Bed called a fedre bed
with the honging thereto of blew worstede ; to John Eiton " alle myn
horse and riding harnes," and "harnes of goldsmythes worke" ; to "John
the boy an horse and 40s." ; to the Chapel of Tonge a " mass boke " and
" Chalice," and "blew vestiment of damaske of my arms" ; to " Nicholas
Eyton one of the good fedre beddis, and a chambre, and a bedde of lynne
cloth, steyned with horses"; to Isabella Englefield " another good fedre
bedd," which after her decease was to go to John Eiton.

In an old Book in the British Museum, dated 1796, I find
" Col. Roper saith Vernon should be a red Knot, not sable"
The same work, in referring to Shottesbrookf (which has the
most perfect Gothic Church in its county) confirms the
account of a Pembruge and Trussell marriage. It says : —

" Margaret Pembridge, daughter of Sir Wm. Trussell, knight, founded
here [Shottesbrook,] 2 Ed. Ill,* a College and a Chantry for a warden,
5 priests, and 2 clerks. He married Maude, daughter of Sir W. Butler,
lord of Wemme. His body was seen by industrious Thos. Hearne (whose
father was Parish Clerk of Shottesbrook), wrapt up in lead, and hers at his
feet in leather. Their son John died without issue, and then their daughter
was married to Sir Fulk Pembrudge."

The arms, Az., a bend lozengy, or, for Bermingham, seem
more suggestive of the Pembruge family than the Vernon,
Sir F. Pembruge II. having married a Bermingham.

f Gough's Sep. Mon. v. 2 p. 2.

• If she was wife of Fulk Pembruge IV. this date must be a misprint.

Sir R. Vernon, Kt., the Speaker. 37

The arms of Ludlow would not be inconsistent with Sir F.
Pembrugge's widow Elizabeth's, seeing she married Sir
Thomas Ludlow as her first husband, according to an MS. in
the British Museum recording the Visitation of 1584.

13. RICH ALABASTER ALTAR-TOMB, with the re-
cumbent effigies of a Vernon and Lady, and most probably
SIR RICHARD VERNON, and his wife, BENEDICTA,
(? daughter of Sir . . . . Ludlow, of Hodnet and Stoke*
say Castle, Co. Salop, perhaps by his wife, Elizabeth de
Lingen).

Sir Richard, born about 1391, created a Knight 1418, was
constituted by patent Treasurer of Calais, 4 May, 1444,
resigned it in favour of his son 1450, Captain of Rouen,
(the place where Joan of Arc was burned to death in 143 1),
and Speaker of the Parliament held at Leicester 1426, died
1451-2.

The Treasurer of Calais was an important personage. Vast
sums were constantly being expended in the protection and
maintenance of Calais during the time the English possessed
it, and this money all passed through the Treasurer's hands.
The office of Captain was almost always held by a great noble
or Prince, and the subordinate officers were of corresponding
honour and profit with it, the chief one. In the rolls pre-
served in the Tower of London, mention is made (1) of a safe
conduct to Richard de Vernon to Vasconia (Gascony), signed
by the King at Westminster ; (2) concerning the office of
Treasurer of the Town of Calais assigned to Richard Vernon,
signed by the King at Westminster, 17th May, 1444 ; (3) the
King appointed Richard Vernon, Knight, and Walter Aumener,
Custodians and Receivers of the Mint at Calais, 1 Sep., 1446,
and there are many ' safe conducts ' for various persons
addressed to Richard Vernon, knight.

38 Sir K. Vernon, Kt., 1451 — Tomb, No. 13.

His father joined in the Rebellion of the Percies, and took
part in the Battle of Shrewsbury, July 21st, 1403, for he was
executed there two days after, on Monday, July 23rd, Sir
Richard being then ten years of age. It was the impatience
of Hot-spur (Henry Percy) in attacking the King's forces
before his junction with Owen Glyndwr, that cost him his life,
and his followers defeat : a contest remarkable for the bravery
of the combatants, and described as " one of the most obstinate
and bloody battles recorded in English History."

His mother was probably sister and heiress of Sir Fulke
Pembruge, who died in 1409.

Of five pedigrees relating to the Vernons no two agree in all
particulars, but supposing the above assumption as to Bene-
dicta to be correct, and two genealogies confirm it, it is not
difficult to discern the exceptional facilities at the command of
Lady Pembruge for carrying out the huge task she had set
herself, namely, the foundation of a College with its beautiful
Church and other accessories, at a place where her own
interest was merely as a dowry. Her father. Sir Raffe Lingen,
is described in the Visitation of 1584, " as of Tong Castle,"
which is curious. The erection of the Shottesbrook Chantry
by Sir Fulke's first wife Margaret (Trussel), was not unlikely
the cause of Elizabeth's equal zeal at Tong ; and the marriage
of her daughter to the Lord of Tong, her husband's nephew,
the Speaker (whose influence with the king is marked by the
bestowal of the revenues of Lapley upon the College), enabled
her to overcome the apparent difficulties in the way of placing
upon a permanent footing her College scheme. It seems
natural that Sir Fulke's sister, who probably survived her
husband, should have had Tong Castle, but I suppose her
alliance with the rebel would put her outside the pale of royal
sympathy.

Sir R. Vernon — Tomb, No. 13. 39

The learned antiquary, the Hon. Canon Biidgeman, having
found my supposition confirmed in Inq. P.M., I append his

letter dated 20 May, 1892 : —

The Hall, Wigan,

20 May, 1892.
Dear Mr. Griffiths, - I told you some time ago that I had come across
the inquisition giving the exact connection between Sir Fulke Pembruge of
Tong and Sir Richard Vernon.

I do not know that it will be any news to you, but I had lost sight of it
and have now found it again.

You know that the last Sir Fulk de Pembruge married two wives. His
first wife was the daughter and heiress of Sir William Trussell of Cublesdon
and Sheriff Hales, and widow of Nicholas de VVhyston, Lord of one-fifth of
the Manor of Weston-under-Lizard as being the son of Elizabeth de
Weston, afterwards wife of Sir Adam di Peshale. This Margaret died in
1402. You know much more about Elizabeth, the 2nd wife and widowr
than I do.

Fulk de Pembrugge died on Friday before the feast of St. Augustin,
10 Hen IV. (May 24th, 1409), and Juliana, wife of Sir Richard Vernon of
Hailaston, was found to be his heir. She was then 60 years of age and
more.

Sir Fulk held the Manor of Tong jointly with Isabella (same name as
Elizabeth), his wife yet surviving, with remainder to Richard de P.
(Pembruge ?), son of Richard Vernon, the nephew of Fulk and Benedicta
his wife, yet living, to them and the heirs of their bodies, by charter or
settlement.

It would seem from this that the Manor of Tong went straight to this
Richard Vernon (or Pembrugge) instead of to his mother, the rightful heir.

The reference for this information is Inq. P.M. 10 Hen. IV. no. 45.
Believe me,

Yours truly,

George T. O. Bridgeman.

The tomb rests upon a sandstone plinth, and is ornamented
with rich canopy work, into which are introduced figures of
angels and saints alternately. The latter are of remarkable
beauty, and doubtless modelled by some Italian artist ; those
holding shields, being, on the other hand, of commoner design
and execution. Sir Albert Woods, Garter King at Arms, adds
a note that these shields are '• Not sketched in the Visitation.*'
This is the second of the four tombs in the nave described by
Mr. Petit, and of this, in particular, he says, M The
second is decidedly florid, yet all its enrichments are of a
strictly architectural description."

40 Sir R. Vernon — Tomb, No. 13.

The knight is on the left, " his face being noble, and very
peaceful, — the repose of death."

He rests his head upon a helmet with the Vernon crest
thereon, viz., Upon a wreath, a boar's head* couped and tusked.
The helmet and crest are placed to the north side. On the
Pembruge tomb, the crest is to the south. At his feet is a lion.
He is in plate armour, and has a large circlet on basinet of
gilt laurel leaves, and probably pearls are intended. There is
a gold circlet below on the forehead, and a stud near the ears
to fasten the body armour to basinet. The armour on shoulders
and chest is crescented. The elbow-roundlets and knee-caps
are shell pattern. There is a rich circlet below the waist,
from the waist to the hips are four plates, one plate beneath
the circlet, and two plates below, and to the lowest plate of the
armour are attached straps (4 in front) which form a kind of
hinge to the tassets. This arrangement was in order that the
armour protecting the thighs should not impede the free move-
ment of the legs when marching. He wears besides a sword-
belt and sword, the SS. collar, an honourable decoration to be
seen on later Vernon effigies.

The collar of the SS., composed of links of silver gilt, with
badges at the centre, containing the shamrock, rose, and thistle,
was introduced by Henry IV. The earliest instance of it is
believed to be upon the effigy of his Queen, who died in 1397.
(See tomb in Canterbury Cathedral of Henry IV. and Queen, in
the Thomas A'Becket Chapel, where the letters SS. are often
repeated in the ornamentation of the tomb). The King's motto
was " Soverayne," and the inference is that the letters were
used as the initials of that favourite impress. The king seems
to have made this emblem of his sovereignty an honorary
mark of distinction ; we find it employed as such, by his son
Henry V. at the battle of Agincourt, 1415. " He exhorted

* The only colouring left is the animal's red nose.

Sir Richard Vernon, Speaker 1427. 41

such of his train as were not noble, to demean themselves well
in the fight ; he promised them letters of nobility, and to dis-
tinguish them, he gave them leave to wear his collar of SS."f

11 The sword in the middle ages was a symbol of honour,
an object almost of worship ; the chosen seat and image of
the sentiment of chivalry. X " On the scabbard of Sir Richard's
two-handed sword, now broken, was the sacred monogram
I.H.S.

In Stothard's EJfiffies those of Sir E. de Thorpe (killed 1418)
and lady, in Ashwell Church, Norfolk, and of Ralph Nevill,
Earl of Westmoreland, and his two wives in Staindrop
Church, are very similar to these Vernon effigies.

Of Sir Richard Vernon's wife little is known beyond that
her christian name was Benedicta. Rayner suggests that
she was a native of France, but Mr. Eyton describes her as
daughter of Sir John Ludlow.

Woman ! whose sculptured form at rest

By the armed knight is laid,
With meek hands folded o'er a breast,

In matron robes arrayed ;
What was thy tale ? — O gentle mate

Of him, the bold and free,
Bound unto his victorious fate,

What bard hath sung of thee ?

He wooed a bright and burning star —

Thine was the void, the gloom,
The straining eye that followed far

His fast-receding plume ;
The heart-sick listening while his steed

Sent echoes on the breeze ;
The pang- but when did Fame take heed

Of griefs obscure as these ?

— Mrs. JJemans.

The characteristics of her effigy are : — Large head-dress of

the style called " mitred," peculiar to the time of Henry VI.

(illustrated in Mrs. Halliday's work on the Porlock Efjfitjies of

Lord and Lady Harrington, who died respectively 1418 and

about 1472), with the fret on each side, laurel band, band

f Stothard. * Building lftw», Aug. to, I883.

42 Vernon — Tomb No. 13.

crossing breast and fastening mantle, with enriched lozenge-
shaped button on each shoulder. Long cords intertwine
across the chest and hang down, with tassels at the end ;
several rings are on the fingers, and the hands are folded as if
in prayer. At her feef are two dogs collared.* f" These
animals, so frequently found with figures on tombs, especially
those representing females, are the appendages of high rank.
They were indeed the lady's pet dogs." Thus Chaucer
(1. 146) says—

M Ot sraale houndes hadde she, that she fedde,
With rosted flesh, and milk, and wastel brede,
But sore wept she if on »f hem were dede,
Or if men smote it with a yerde smert,"J

The lady wears the collar of the SS., and her head rests
upon a cushion supported by angels. " The lady's face is
lovely, the broad fair forehead, and the well-arched eyebrows,
the straight nose, and beautifully-moulded mouth and chin ;
and above all, the expression that seems to animate the
features, though in stone, and to shine down to us through
centuries, fills even a casual observer with admiration and a
kind of awe." Somewhat resembling the lady's effigy are
those of Sir Humphrey Vernon's wife at Bromsgrove, and
Joan, Lady Bardolph, at Dennigton, County Suffolk. This
latter lady was daughter of Thomas, Lord Bardolph, whose
body was quartered, and parts set upon the gates of Shrews-
bury and other towns after the insurrection under the Earl
of Northumberland, 1407-8. The attire of Lady Mohun (Joan
Burwaschs or de Burghersh) presents us with an example of
the fret or reticulated coiffure adopted by Court Ladies of the
14th century.

There is no inscription on the tomb, but in a Gothic window,
in the old Chapel forming part of Haddon Hall, is an inscrip-

* These dogs are technically called " brackets,"

f Stothard. X m. with ej, stick hardly-

TOMB NO. 14.
SIR WILLIAM VERNON AND MARGARET HIS WIFE.

Sir W. Vernon, 1497. 43

tion asking the prayers of the reader for Richard Vernon, and
Benedicta, his wife, 1427.

*' Orate pro animabus Ricartii Vernon et Benedict® uxoris ejus qui
fecerunt Anno Dni., mccccxxvii."

By this marriage Hodnet came to the Vernons, and the
East Window of the Chapel there commemorates the union.

14. FINE ALTAR-TOMB of free-stone, with slab of Pur-
beck marble inlaid with brasses, to SIR WILLIAM
VERNON, of Tong Castle, and MARGARET his wife. He
died 1467.

This is the third of the four monuments referred to by Mr.
Petit: — "The third, though it has open work canopies,
depends much for its richness upon the spaces filled with
minute and intricate panelling." There are several stone
shields in the panelling, but the arms are defaced. The
brasses with the shields form an elegant example of a
V mediaeval brass." On removing modern woodwork in 189a
from the south side of this tomb it was found to be plain
stonework, except one panel at the west end of that side.
Solid masonry intervened between it and the pillar near.
This and the east end panels are not in their proper positions*
but remain as they were found, it being impossible to tell
exactly how they ought to be ; perhaps antiquarians will
examine them and give their opinions.

inscription : —

P?tc jacent tows OTiilius Uernon jJHilea <&uontmt fflilz&
constabulatiua &njjlie films et tyxz& tint &icaroi Uernon jJHilitia
qui quontim erat STfjesautiiriuB Calesic qui qufoem bus SKSillmg obiit
ultimo trie menais 3unii &nno Bomini iHillimo cccc li bit* <£t
Jftargareta Uxor tiki TOilli filia 4£t fjerebitar tint Eoberti $gpia #t
.Spernores JHilitig que quitiem JHanjareta obiit tii4

iJKensis . ♦ . $mno ©omini fHillimo ccccli ♦ . . quorum
Animabus $topicietut JDeus. &Jffi^H.

44 Vernon— Tomb No. 14.

translation :
Here lie Sir William Vernon Knight sometime Knight Con-
stable of England son and heir of Sir Richard Vernon Knight
who sometime was Treasurer of Calais which Sir William
indeed died the last day of the month of June in the year of
our Lord 1467 and Margaret wife of the said William
daughter and heiress of Sir Robert Pype and Spernore
Knight which Margaret indeed died .... day of the

month in the year of our Lord 146-, *on whose

souls may God be merciful. Amen.

It is curious that the inscription should omit the maiden
name of Dame Margaret, viz., Swinfen + ; she was daughter
of William Swinfen and Jocosa his wife. He was cousin and
heir of Sir Robert Pype of Pype Ridware, and Jocosa was
younger daughter and co-heir of William Dureversale alias
Spermore (or Spernore). Probably Margaret's father adopted
his cousin's name upon his succession to the Pype inheritance.
Sir Wm. Vernon and Dame Margaret were married in 1435,
when they had grants of her grandfather's (Spernore's) lands.
In 1445 she succeeded to her father's estates, Pype Redware,
Draycot, and Seile, and the Manor of Wall.

The appellation of " Knight Constable of England " would
seem to indicate the deputy of the Lord High Constable, an
office next in dignity to the Lord High Steward, who was the
first personage in the realm next to the King, but Sir
William does not appear to have had a superior. The Con-
stable's office was, however, more ancient, and at one time
more important than the Lord High Steward's. In the
absence of the King, the Constable commanded the army and
kept the Constable Court.

* She survived her husband, and is described as his executor in 1467. The inscription
is defective as to the day and month, and probably the year was left to be filled up by
other hands in the same way, but never was completed.

t The hamlet of Swinfen is near Lichfield, the parish of Pype Ridware being also in that
neighbourhood. I imagine these are the places from which the families of Swinfen and
Pype emanated. Mr. E. Swynfen Parker Jervia is the present owner of a large part of
Pype Ridware.

Vernon- Tomb No. 14. 45

Constabl» : To horse, you gallant princes ! straight to horse

Shakespeare.

' To the Constable it pertaineth to have cognizance of con-
tracts touching deeds of arms and of war out of the realm, and
also of things which touch war within the realm, which cannot
be determined nor discussed by the common law." Ralph de
Mortimer was the first Constable appointed by King William I.
He had the estates of Edric, the Forester, Earl of Shrewsbury,
whom he took prisoner in his Castle of Wigmore. King Henry
I. made the office hereditary in the family of the Earls of
Gloucester ; but in Sir W. Vernon's time there appears to
have been no hereditary constable. Sir William "was the
last one who had a grant of the high office, it being looked
upon as too important for a subject to be thus entrusted with
it," says Bayner's History of Raddon.

The brasses inlaid consisted of 26 pieces (well shewn in a
print published by Wallers in 1842), viz. : —

1. Sir William, in late chain and plate armour, with sword, dagger, and
spurs ; the helmet with mantling in shreds,* his crest a boar's head,
and this motto : —

2. " BenetltCtltS taUS in bonis 0U12." (Blessed be God for His

gifts.)

3. Dame Margaret, wearing a hood and wimple, long cape lined with
ermine, hanging from the shoulders, with cords and tassels. At her
feet is an elephant.

4. This motto above her head—" 3$U fill fcabttl JHlgetCte VUib ' ¥

(Jesu, Son of David, be merciful unto us.)
.5. Shield above the Knight, for Pembruge. Barry of six, or and az.

6. Shield above the lady for Dureversale, f Sa., a fesse chequy or and gu.
between six escallops a/77., three above, three below.

7. Shield between 5 and 6 for Pype. Az., two pipes between seven cross
crosslets, or.

8. Shield in the centre, for Vernon. Arg. fretty sa.

9. Shield for Ludlow. Arg. a lion rampant ducally crowned, gules,
collared langued

* Latterly mantlings were represented as very much cut and worn, occasioned by the
many cuts received about the head, and therefore the more ragged they were, Uio more
honourable, as is the case with our " Colours."

t According to Edniondson. In Ducarell's Book this shield is put down as " Peter de

ancerlis.'

46 Vernon — Tomb No. 14.

10. Shield recording the union of Vernon and Pype. Per pale, dexter,
arg. fretty, sa. sinister, az. two pipes between seven cross crosslets or.

11. Shield for Camville. Az. three lions passant, or.

12. [Missing J Shield, arg. a bend engrailed gules for [Un-
known.]

13. One son, and this scroll : —

14. " &pabt tit tUT0 et erqriat me." (I have put my trust in the Lord
and He will deliver me.)

15. One son, and this scroll : —

l6- " J Jilt tot memento met." (Son of God remember me.)

17. One son.

18. One son, and

19. [Place of scroll, missing.]

20. One son, and thi9 scroll : —

ax. " ©tie lefoafci aiam mea atJ te." (Lord, I have lifted up my soul to

Thee.)
a2. Two sons (? twins.)

23. Two daughters (? twins)

24. One daughter, and this scroll : —

25. 4< 3fnt filt matte ptetat mtgsetete nom'g." (jesu son of Mary of Thy

pity be merciful unto us).

26. [Missing.] two daughters (twins ?;

The sons are shown alike in long frocks, and wear pointed
sandals ; the daughters wear large fret head-dresses and long
gowns.

Near this tomb is the LECTERN (L), given by the Rev.
G. C. and Mrs. Rivett-Carnac in 1890. The old lectern was
an eagle carved in oak, with one leg bent in an unnatural
position. The Bible upon it is inscribed thus: — " Tong
Church, 1848. Presented by the Rev. R. H. Leeke."

P. Jacobean PULPIT of oak, hexagonal, exhibits some
good carving. Date and inscription on the side facing the
nave: — " Ex dono Dne Harries Anno Dni. 1622." The gift
of Lady Harries.

15. FINE ALTAR-TOMB with stone effigies commemo-
rating SIR HENRY VERNON KT., (Lord of Haddon and
Tong Castle, Knight of the Bath, Governor and Treasurer to

Sir Harry Vernon, 151 5. 47

Arthur Prince of Wales), and his wife LADY ANNE
(daughter of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury), both
buried beneath the tomb. He died 1515 ; his wife in 1494.

The following is the inscription, which, with the shields and
base, were until lately partly concealed by modern wood- work
in the chapel : —

Pftc jacet corpora Jfenttcf Femon ifEtlttts 3^ttj8 eccleste
Collegiate fttnoatorte et ©tie &rme 2Talfjot uxorfs mi& ftlie Jtofjfte
©omits &aIopte qui qutom ©ns ^cnttcus obttt xttt ote mensfa
&prtlta &nno oommt mtllestmo qumtrentestmo xfj° 35t trtcta one &nna
ofjttt ibtt ote mens ntajj &nno ont mtllo cccc Ixxxx tujto quor atam
pptcietur

Translation : — Here lie the bodies of Sir Henry Vernon
Knight, the founder of this Chantry Chapel, and Dame Anne
Talbot his wife, daughter of John, Earl of Shrewsbury, which
said Sir Henry died the 13th day of the month of April in the
year of our Lord 15 15, and the said Lady Anne died the 17th
day of May in the year of our Lord 1494, on whose souls may
God be merciful.

The tomb is placed under a wide Burgundian arch, which
opens the north side of the chapel to the south aisle.

Above the tomb on the aisle side are four elaborately carved
tabernacles, but bereaved of their statues When this work
was richly gilt, and images filled the niches, as no doubt was
the case when the tomb was completed, the general effect
must have been very striking.

Mr. Cole in 1757, speaking of these, said " There is a very
neat small chapel which has a very fine tomb under a most
beautiful and richly carved canopy."

A small shield in stone stands between the two central
brackets, the arms being : — Quarterly of six, viz. : — 1st. Pretty.
(Vernon). 2nd. Two lions passant guardant. ( .) 3rd.

48 Sir Harry Vernon, 151 5.

Gh. a lion rampant or within a bard 1 ire engrailed or. (Talbot).

4th. Barry. (Pembrugge.) 5th. Fretty, a canton

(Vernon.) 6th. az. Two pipes between nine crosslets or.
(Pype).

On the north side of the tomb itself are four shields bearing
the following coats: — 1. Barry of six or and az. (Pembruge.)
1. ... a lion rampant sa. within a bordure gu. (Talbot.) 3.
Az., two pipes between 12 crosslets, or. (Pype.) 4. Fretty.
(Vernon). And on the south side are four : — 1. A lion ram-
pant sa. for Ludlow. 2. Fretty for Vernon. 3 Three

lions passant for Camville. 4. Fretty impaling Gules a lion
rampant, within a bordure or for Vernon and Talbot. The
heads of the figures intervening, on the south side, are all
broken.

Sir Henry is represented in plate armour and wears the
collar of SS. At his head, black plumes surround the helmet,
which is large and has narrow ventaille with little ornaments
in rows above and below the aperture. The crest of helmet
is a boar's head. The knight's figure is of large proportions,
and resembles that of Talbot the great Earl of Shrewsbury.
The basinet is discontinued and the hair is cropped at the
neck. Notice the veins in black lines upon the hands. The
shields on this tomb are similar in pattern to the armour hang-
ing down over the thighs. The scabbard of his large sword
is coloured red ; upon the hilt is the Vernon crest, a boar's
head, which is repeated upon the guard. He also wears a
dagger.

Sir Henry was Guardian (or Governor) and Treasurer to
Arthur Prince of Wales, eldest son of Henry VII., who lived
at Ludlow Castle and held his Court there. In 1489 Prince
Arthur was created Prince of Wales, and the nominal govern-
ment of Wales was vested in him. Probably Sir Henry
Vernon was chief of his counsellors. The talents, acquire-
ments, and character of the Prince, are reported to have been

Sir Harry Vernon, died 151 5. 49

such as reflected honour on himself and on the individual to
whom he was indebted for the direction of his studies and the
cultivation of his faculties.* He married at the early age of
16 the Princess Katharine of Arragon, and died soon after-
wards (in 1502), much regretted by the nation. Sir Henry
witnessed the marriage contract.

According to tradition Prince Arthur Tudor spent much of
his time with Sir Henry at Haddon, where one of the apart-
ments was called the Prince's chamber. Sir Henry's seat at
Tong was probably no less honoured by the Prince's presence,
lying as it does a little less than half way between Ludlow
and Haddon, and being within easy distance of Shrewsbury,
where Prince Arthur frequently visited.

Sir Henry was one of " les nobles et vaillants chevaliers "
who gathered round the Royal standard June 6, 1487, and was
M.P. for co. Derby, 1478, and High Sheriff for Derby 1504.
He passed his last days in retirement.

Sir Henry gave the " Great Bell " to Tong, and founded the
Golden Chantry Chapel (both described elsewhere), and in
1500, on the site of the old castle which had become ruinous,
built the second Tong castle.

John Leland's Itinerary^ thus refers to " The Vernons " at

Tong :

" Many or almost al ly there that were famous

Syr Henry of them sins the Fundation.

ernui There was an olde Castel of Stone caullid

daies made.
the Castel Tunge Castel. It standeth half a mile from the

new al of Toune on a Banke, under the wich rinnith the

Brike. Broke that cummith from Weston to Tunge.

Weston is 2 Miles of, and is in Stafordshire."

The bit of very early carved stone now to be seen in the

* Vide History of Haddon, t Ordered by K. Henry VIII., and begun in 1538.

Vkrnons and Talbots— Tomb 15.

Castle yard is probably the only remnant of the ** olde Castel "
ot the De Belmeises, La Zouches, and Pembruges,

Lady Anne's effigy is on the right of her husband ; she-
wears a long dress, has a necklet, a mantle with cord and

Vernons and Talbots — Tomb j^. 5jt

tassels, and tresses extending below the shoulders. At her
feet, two small hounds hold the hem of her gown. She was
daughter of the second Earl of Shrewsbury, who was a Knight
of the Garter, and Lord Treasurer of Ireland during the admin-
istration of his father (Talbot, the " Great Earl "), and subse-
quently Lord Treasurer of England. He fell at the battle of
Northampton, 1460, fighting under the Red Rose. Lady
Anne's father and grandfather are immortalised by Shakespeare
in his King Henry VI., where the reader finds some heroic
yet tender passages addressed by father and son to each
other

Talbot (First Earl) : Upon my blessing. I command thee go.
John Talbot (his son) : To fight I will, but not to fly the toe.

John : No more can I be sever'd from your side,

Than can yourselt yourself in twain divide:

Stay, go, do what you will, the like do I,

For live I will not if vaj father die.
Talbot : Then here I take my leave of thee/f air son,

Born to eclipse thy life this afternoon.

Come side by side togetner live and die ;

And soul wita soul from France to heaven fly.

A Vernon is also introduced in the play, whose zeal for the
White Rose faction causes him some trouble.

Of Lady Anne's brothers, one, Sir Gilbert Talbot, was High
Sheriff of Shropshire, temp. Richard III., a staunch adherent
of the Earl of Richmond at Bos worth, the right wing of whose
army he commanded. For his valiant conduct he received the
honour of knighthood and the manor of Grafton and other
lands. His son was Sir John Talbot of Albrighton. Leland
says of him : " Syr John Talbot that married Troutbeks Heire
"dweilevh in a goodly Logge on the hy Toppe of Albrighton
** parke. It Is in the very Egge of Shropshire 3 miles from
"Tunge "

Of Sir Henry's numerous family, three sons are commemo.
rated at Tong, viz : — Monument No. 16, to Archur, fifth and
your.gestson. MonumentNo. 17, to Richard Vernon, Esquire,
of Haddon and Tong, the eldest son. Monument No. 18, to
Humphrey, third son, who married the younger daughter of

52 Vernons and Talbots — Tomb 15.

John Ludlow, Esq., and co-heiress of Sir Richard de Ludlow,
Knight, and thus founded the Vernon family "ofHodnet."
The second son, Thomas, married (1497) the elder grand-
daughter and co-heiress of Sir Richard Ludlow, founding the
Vernon family " of Stokesay." In 1509 he, as Sheriff of
Shropshire, had a dispute with the burgesses of Shrewsbury,
which lasted several years. A daughter Margaret seems to
have been Abbess of West Mailing 151 1.* Sir John, the
fourth son, founded the Vernons " of Sudbury." He was one
of the King's Council in Wales, and Custos Rotulorum of Co.
Derby (died at Harlaston, Co. Stafford, 1542) ; while a
daughter Mary married Thomas Newport, Esq., an ancestor
of the Earls of Bradford.

* See Account of White Ladies and Black Ladies.

?tf uif aiguftia'iitiie^OWarfaif jpinrt Df

SIR ARTHUR VERNON (see page 55).

sit sit sit sit sit sit >t>* *f> a1> xf> *1> *1> vf> \*>

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" Some part of the edifice had bten a baronial chapel, and here were •ffigies of warrior*
stretched upon their beds of stone."— Old Curiosity Shop.

While quite as polite were the squires and the knights,
In their helmets and hauberks and cast-iron tights.

Ingoldsby.

HE VERNON CHANTRY or GOLDEN
CHAPEL is entered by a rich ogee door with
finial, the crocket-mound springing from
labelled heads. This beautiful chantry, called
the Golden Chapel from its once costly orna-
mentation, is of the latest period of the Gothic, and was
described by Walter White as an ''exquisite little appendage
to the south aisle, which shows what adepts the masons of
the 16th century were in the art of fan-vaulting," the roof
being of elaborate stone-work, once entirely gilt. From the
traceried vaulting hang three graceful pendants, two termin-
ating in foliage, and one in neat shields with arms. The walls
were originally decorated in distemper, traces of red and
brown colouring being still visible.

On the east wall, in 1757, there was a crucifix in colours,
and beneath it the following INSCRIPTION in Gothic letters
yet visible . —

" $rag for tfje Mobile of %xyt fffarte Fernon l&nncjfjt anb ©ante
&nne jga TOgfe bjfjgcfj <Sor fjerte m tfje gear 1 1 off afore 3Lorb
m ccccc 10 mabe anb ftafonbpb tfjgs cfjapell anb efjafontro anb tfje
gapb &tr P?arrg II bepartgb tfje xm bau of &prnll in tfje gere a babe
saob anb of pure Cfjartte tor tfje soil of &ix &rtfjur || Uernon
Prgst gone of tfje aoobe gagb &tr fjerrg on infjos sollys if)8 fjabe
tnercg &men.

H These divide the lines.

54 Sir Arthur Vernon Priest- Warden of Tong.

There seems to be no doubt that the noble founder was
familiarly known as "Sir Harry" or " Herry," Audelay t
poem affords illustrations of the use of this word in Shropshire
in the 15th century :

" On him sehal fal the prophece
That hath ben sayd of kyng Herre."

41 Fore hit is mad of kyng Herre."

IB. Good half-length figure of SIR ARTHUR VERNON,
priest of Tong, in the attitude of preaching, on the west wall
of the Golden Chapel ; the figure is upright and of stons,
beneath a gilt canopy, and rests upon a bracket with
pediment apart from the wall. " A monument as singular as
it is curious." There is a book in the right hand, the fingers
of left hand being raised as if to give emphasis to his reading.
Beneath the crockets of the canopy are four shields of arms,
viz.: — 1. Barry of six (Pembruge). 2. Chequy, the squares
raised and depressed alternately (? Reymes) : the revenues of
the Abbey at Rheims had been conferred on Tong College by
King Henry VI. by virtue of an Act passed at .Leicester, of
which Sir Richard Vernon was Speaker. 3. Fretty (Vernon)
impaling a lion rampant, with a bordure gu. (Talbot). 4.
Fretty (Vernon).

Sir Arthur Vernon was fifth son of Sir Henry Vernon, A.M.
of the University of Cambridge, and sometime Rector of
Whitchurch, co. Salop. Died 15 Aug., 1517. Buried at
Tong.

Mr. Petit says, ■« the features and expression are remarkably
good, and there is a perceptive resemblance to his father, so
probably they are faithful portraits."

The prefix Sir or Den, meaning Dean, held by priests
before the Reformation chiefly. Mr. Cooper, of Stourbridge,
has found his will, of which the following is the commence-
ment : —

In the name of God Amen In the yere of our Lord 1515 the last day of
Septembre in the yere of King Henry VIII. the eighth I. Sir Arthur

Sir A- Vernon

The King's Champion

C-^fy

/r*/n 4rt oft/ />r*'r>< •

[ KlVlg- CHarkS mah'nj H» ttcapt., attend* d by 3 Pcndaretj *"<* F-Y*ti%

Sir Arthur Vernon Priest- Warden of Tong. 55

Vernon Prest bole of mynde and of body being in clene lyfe at the making
of this my last Will and in good prosperite often tymes thinking of this-
wreched lyfe seying by circute of daies and revolucion of yeres the day of
deth to fall which nothing lyving may passe therefor of this helefull mynd&
thus I make my testament &c [Proved at Canterbury],

Mr. Cole, writing in 1757, says : —

" Time was so pressing [the clock was striking seven, and he had to go-
seven miles to Newport that evening], yet I could not resist the Temptation
of one [monument] which lies in the very midst of this Neat Chapel, out of
regard to beloved Alma. Mater, and was only half concerned that I could no*
stay long enough to take a sketch of it, as on the Grey Marble [i.e., on the
floor] was the Figure of a Priest shorn, and in his proper Master of Arts
habit as worn at that time, which was different from what it is at present,,
being more like a Batchelor of Arts with large open Sleeves,; over his Head
was the Cup and wafer, and at the four corners his coat of arms, viz. : at
two corners single for Vernon, viz., fretty ; and at the 2 others Vernon and
five others, among which I thought I observed one of Trumpington, with
two trumpets reversed, etc.* At his feet was this inscription all in brass r

* ©rate gpmaleter prtr $fta JBnf Slrtijuri Fernon In &rtftu«
jIHarrrt tfcurj'gitatts (Eanti&rigu qui abiit xfc Bte VLugasti %L° ©n^
mcccccibtt Cttjs 3fe p'pictetur ©eus.'

"On the Floor, just at the foot of his Gravestone, and on the only step in?
the Chapel, lies the Old Altar Stone [of the chapel] as part of the Pave-
ment of it."

None of these were to be seen until 1892, when on removing"
the modern woodwork the objects so minutely described by
Mr. Cole became again visible. On restoring the Chapel in
1 892, there was revealed the grey marble slab, 8ft. 5m. X4ft. iin.r
and Sir Arthur Vernon's brass memorial, with inscription ir*
centre, very perfect and complete ; also four shields of arms
in the corners of it, viz. : — Fretty (left-hand top corner),.
Fretty (right-hand bottom corner). Quarterly of Six : Vernon,
Camville, Ludlow, Pembruge, Vernon, Pype. Quarterly of
Six : the same. And over his head the Paten sunk in the
Chalice, and S.f^.jfc. in brass. The old altar stone, 10 inches
deep, was found as part of the pavement. It has 5 Maltese
crosses cut in it, viz. : one at each corner, and a larger one in

* Error for Pype.

56 Sir Arthur Vernon Priest-Warden of Tong.j

the centre, 5 inches across ; also two other tiny crosses cut in,
like the oylets of the Norman castles. There were indications
that this altar was originally against the east wall of the
chantry, so it has been fixed again there ; size, 6ft. long,
aft. 7m. wide.

A piscina, 14^ in. high x 14^ in. wide, in the south wall
of this chantry is now seen, though shorn of the projecting
mouldings which had been previously cut off; on each side of
this piscina have been found Bishop's marks of consecration
upon the walls, viz. : a Maltese cross within a circle 14^
inches in diameter, all in colour. A similar consecration mark
is on the north wall of the Chapel, and one on the south wall
near the shaft of the vaulting.

The shafts which originally continued from the fan-vaulting
of the roof to the floor, had also been cut, and are now restored
with greatly-improved effect. The old chantry flooring was
found to be slightly raised in the south-west angle and old
encaustic tiles were found, four forming a pattern, of which
some similar ones were once seen at White Ladies Abbey.
One set of four tiles had each a lion rampant. Another tile
had a yellow shield, and two crosslets in the lower part.
Another had a Maltese cross in the first quarter, and a very
curious old tile removed from the chancel floor, and now fixed
here, is of the Lamb. The stall end and angle-piece of the
old bench to fit this raised floor was found in another part of
the Church ; it has now been refixed. It is probable that this
was the high " pew " or seat for the distinguished worshippers,
including the Founder of the Chantry, Sir Harry Vernon,
and possibly of his princely ward, Prince Arthur Tudor, Prince
of Wales, first husband of Queen Katharine. The Historical
Manuscripts Commission has recently discovered among the
Duke of Rutland's MSS. a programme by the King's command
drawn out, directing how and with what sumptuous array Sir

Richard and Margaret (Dymmok) Vernon — No 17. 57

Harry Vernon and others were to conduct the King's
" daughter " Margaret to Scotland for her marriage. A hole,
formerly an Aumbry, 15m. high and ioin. wide, was found in
the east wall, which contained nothing but a large fungus.

Of the roof of the Chapel, the following notes occur : —

Spaces between fans have circles, to which are attached pendants by ribs
of the same moulding with those of the second order in the fans themselves.

Central fan on north side, instead of being supported by shaft (which
would have interfered with the Vernon tomb), springs also from a pendant,
which is enriched with mouldings and foliage.

H Over the door into the Chapel .is a tablet of white
marble, surmounted by an urn and bearing a brass plate with
the following inscription :—

Near this Place
Is Interred the Body of

Daniel Higgs Gent :
Steward to his Grace of

KINGSTON
Who departed this Life
Oct. 1. 1758
In the 60th Year of his age

Few so Honest
None more so.

H And on the south-west pillar of the tower is a tablet —

Near this place lieth the body of Maria Higgs, Daughter of Danl. and
Mary Higgs of Tong Castle who departed this life the 9th of May 1748
Aged 19 Months & Ten days.

17. Alabaster ALTAR-TOMB of elegant workmanship
with recumbent effigiesof RICHARD VERNON, ESQUIRE,
and MARGARET, his wife. Mr. Petit, in speaking of the
traceried panelling of the Altar which belonged to this very
richly-sculptured tomb, says " The front and sides are
elaborately worked with open arches, pinnacles, and crocketed
canopies with several figures. The round and elliptical arch
are freely used, and other marks show it to be of the latest
period. The following is the inscription : —

58 Richard and Margaret (Dymmok) Vernon— No. 17.

f^fc jacent corpora Ifttcarbt Ucrtton be Gaboon ^rmtgert et
J&anjarete uxorts fxlte Eobrrtt ©gmntcfc fHilitts qui fjafcuerunt
txitum ©eortjmm Uernon <&ut quibem Utcarbus ooftt m Utgtlta
^teaumptoms sancte JHarte Uirgmts ^tntto bnt fHtllestmo qo bmmo
septtmo 3& <£t bicta f&argareta cfoitt . . . . bte menste
.... &mw bni JHtfetmo qumgentesinw . . . Quorum
animate omntpfltens proptuetur be*. &men.

TRANSLATION.

Here lie the bodies of Richard Vernon of Haddon, Esquire, and Margaret
his wife, daughter of Sir Robert Dymmok, Knight, who had issue George
Vernon. Richard indeed died on the * Vigil of the Assumption of Saint
Mary the Virgin, in the year of our Lord, 15 17, and the said Margaret died

day of the month .... in the year of our Lord 15— ,on

whose souls may God Almighty be merciful. Amen.

The pannelling on the north side and two ends of this
monument were used for many years to form the altar (No.
25), but were restored to this tomb in 1892. The vault under
this tomb is now filled up with concrete. It is arched with
stone, and appears to have held two coffins only, probably
wooden ones which had perished.

The effigies are somewhat small but finely executed.

The male one is in plate armour and wears the gilt collar of
the SS. His helmet (like Sir Harry's), has the Vernon crest,
a boar's head (lying to the south), with mantlet and armour
very similar to Sir Harry's ; an ornamented sword-hilt,
dagger, and gauntlets lying at the side ; his feet rest against
the double tail of a lion.

He appears to have died while yet young, soon after his
father, so probably was not knighted {vide the inscription) ; we
may imagine him, while we stand by this tomb, a candidate
for knighthood passing the " Vigil of Arms " (pictured in Mrs.
Hemans' poemj, the consummation of which honour was
subsequently hindered by some adverse fate.

* Aug. 9. 14 Hen. VIII.

Vernon Tomb, No. 17. 59

A sounding step was heard by night

In a church where the mighty slept,
As a mail-clad youth, till morning's light,

Midst the tombs his vigils kept.

He walked in dreams of power and fame,

He lifted a proud bright eye,
For the hours were few that withheld his name

From the roll of chivalry.

The candidate for knighthood was under the necessity of keeping watch
the night before his inauguration, in a church, and completely armed.
This was called the " Vigil of Arms."

His son and successor was then nine years old, viz., Sir
George Vernon,* whose tomb is at Bakewell Church.

His lady on the right has a hood pointed over the forehead
and hanging down over the shoulders in short strips. Angels
(now headless), support her pillow, and two small hounds at
the feet hold her dress in their mouths. There is a circlet at
the waist with leaf pattern, and hanging obliquely.

The south side only has shields of arms, and they are : —
1. Ou. a fesse dauncettee or, between 6 crosslets. 2. Arg.
fretty sa. (Vernon). 3. Az. two pipes or, between 6 cross
crosslets (Pype). 4. Arg. fretty sa. (Vernon).

Sir Robert Dymmok was king's " champion " at the coro-
nations of Richard III. (1483), Henry VII., and Henry VIII.,
an office of great antiquity, derived from the celebrated house
of Marmion with the feudal manor of Scrivelsby, co. Lincoln,
to which the championship is attached. He was a military
man, and one of the principal commanders at the siege of
Tournay, where, after the surrender of the city, he was con-
stituted king's treasurer. The "championship" has been
held by the Dymmok family upwards of 400 years.

The Champion claims on Coronation Day one of the king's great coursers
with a saddle, harness, and trappings of cloth of g^ld, and one of the best
suits of armour with cases of cloth of gold, and all such other things appeiv

* In the side aisle there [Bakewell Church] is a table monument with effigies of a
knight, and a lady on each side, and this inscription:—" Here lyeth Sir George Vernon,

deceased the day of and Dume Murgaret his wytie, doughter

to Sir Gylbert Taylebois, d«ceased the .... day of 15, and also Dame

Mawde his wyffe doughter to Sir Ralph Langefofot, deceased the . . . . day of . . .
wnose souls God pardon." - Antiquarian Repertory.

<6o The King's Champion — Dymmok.

taining to the sovereign's body, as the sovereign ought to have if personally
going into mortal battle.

On Coronation Day, he, mounted on the said courser, trapped and furnished
as aforesaid, and accompanied by the Constable and Marshal of England,
&c. , a trumpet sounding before him, rides into the banqueting hall where
the king sits at dinner, and in his presence and the presence of all the people,
the herald makes three proclamations to the effect that if any do deny that
the sovereign is the rightful heir to the crown, here is his Champion ready
by his body to assert and maintain that he lyes like a false traitor, and in
that quarrel to adventure his life. Thereupon the champion throws down
his gauntlet as a challenge, and if none pick it up accepting the challenge,
the sovereign drinks to his champion in a gold cup with a cover, which cup
the champion has also as a fee for his services.

At Henry IV's coronation, Sir — Dymoke expected an adversary. When
dinner was half over, he entered the hall armed, mounted on a handsome
steed, richly barded with crimson housings. He was armed for wager of
battle, and was preceded by another knight bearing his lance ; he himself
had his drawn sword in one hand, and his naked dagger by his side.

The canting motto, " Pro Rege Dimico " (I fight for the king), is
singularly appropriate to the office of this family.

The scene depicted in Sir. W. Scott's poem, " Marmion," of
the approach and entry of Lord Marmion, the Champion, into
Norham Castle, may well be imagined as happening at Tong
Castle. Sir Robert Dymmok was Champion at the time in
which the story is placed, and his daughter, Margaret Vernon,
was the Lady of Tong Castle.

The lines so vividly describe the mode of procedure from
place to place of a great knight, his retinue, his steed, and
habiliments, as well as the occupants of a castle, at the date
to which these Vernon monuments refer us, that a rather long
quotation may be given.

The sun was setting on the castle when

The battled towers, the donjon keep, The scouts had parted on their search,
The loophole grates where captives weed, The castle gates were barred ;

The flanking walls that round it sweep, Above the gloomy portal arch,

In yellow lustre shone, Timing his footsteps to a march,
The warriors on the turrets high, . The warder kept his guard ;

Moving athwart the evening sky, Low humming, as he paced along.

Seemed forms of giant height. Borne ancient Border gathering song.

Thh King's Champion.

A distant trampling sound he hears ;
He looks abroad, and soon appears
O'er Horncliffe Hill a plump of spears,

Beneath a pennon gay ;
A horseman, darting from the crowd,
Like lightning from a summer cloud,
Spurs on his mettled courser proud,

Before the dark array.
Beneath the sable palisade
That closed the castle barricade,

His bugle-horn he blew ;
The warder hastened from the wall,
And warned the captain in the hall,

For well the blast he knew ;
And joyfully that knight did call,
To sewer, squire, and seneschal.

Then to the castle's lower ward

Sped forty yeoman tall,
The iron-studded gates unbarred,
Raised the portcullis' ponderous guard,
The lofty palisade unsparred,

And let the drawbridge fall.

Along the bridge Lord Marmion rode,
Proudly his red-roan charger trode,
His helm hung at the saddlebow ;
Well by his visage you might know
He was a stahvorth knight, and keen,
And had in many a battle been ;
The scar on his brown cheek revealed
A token true of Bosworth field ; [limb,
His square-turned joints, and strength of
Showed him no carpet knight so trim,
But in close fight a champion grim,
In camps a leader sage.

Well was he armed from head to heel,

In mail and plate of Milan steel ;

But his strong helm, of mighty cost,

Was all with burnished gold embossed ;

Amid the plumage of the crest,

A falcon hovered on her nest,

With wings outspread, and forward breast :

E'en such a falcon, on his shield,

Soared sable in an azure field :

The golden legend bore aright,

tCS^o tjjtchs at tnt, to btatlj in oio,\t.

Behind him rode two gallant squires,
Of noble name and knightly sires :
They burned the gilded spurs to claim ;
For well could each a war-horse tame.

Four men-at-arms came at their backs,

With halbert, bill, and battle-axe :

They bore Lord Marmion's lance so strong,

And led his sumpter mules along,

And ambling palfry, when at need

Him listed ease his battle steed.

The last and trustiest of the four,

On high his forky pennon bore.

Last, twenty yeoman, two and two,
In hosen black, and jerkins blue,
With falcons broidered on each breast,
Attended on their lord's behest :
Each, chosen for an archer good,
Knew hunting-craft by lake or wood ;
Each one a six-foot bow could bend,
And far a clothyard shaft could send ;
Each held a boar-spear tough and strong,
And at their belts their quivers rung ;
Their dusty palfreys, and array,
Showed they had marched a weary way.

Sir Edward Dymoke (brother of Dame Margaret Vernon)
officiated as Champion at the Coronations of Edward VI.,
Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth. At the latter, he " came
riding into the hall as she sat at dinner in ' faire complete
armour,' mounted on a beautiful courser, richly trapped in
cloth of gold, and cast down his gauntlet, offering to fight with
any one that should deny her to be the lawful Queen of the
realm."

ORGAN.

The ORGAN is a modern one, purchased in 1877, with
funds the proceeds of some concerts kindly given by Mrs,
Hartley and her family at Tong Castle, and voluntary con-
tributions. It was built by J. H. Walker & Sons, of London.

The following accounts of the ANCIENT ORGAN, as seen
at the end of the last century, will be read with interest : —

62 Organ.

In 1763 : — u In a sort of Vestry close to the Chancel among
other old Lumber, is the very same old Organ-case and Bellows
belonging to it which was in use before the dissolution of the
College, a piece of antiquity hardly to be parallelled in the
whole Kingdom. The Organ was small, but the case of Oak is
very neat, and of a pretty Gothic Fashion."

" In the Parish Church of Tong (once collegiate), the
gallery, with the entrance to the choir, is yet unremoved, and
the organ case remains, with little more room than was
sufficient for the player. This organ, to judge by what is left
of it, seems the most ancient of the sort that has come under
my observation, which for the entertainment of your musico-
mechanical readers, I will describe. And first the case. It is
in the true Gothic, with pinnacles and finials after the manner
of ancient tabernacles, and very like the one just finished and
erected in Lichfield Cathedral, only on a smaller scale. Now,
as to the other parts. The keys arc gone, but the sounding
board remains, and is pierced for one set of pipes only, seem-
ingly an open diapason, whether of metal or wood could not be
determined, there not being a single pipe left ; from the
apparent position and distance I presume they were of metal.
I perceived no registers or slides for other stops, and observed
the compass to be very short — only to A in alto for the treble
part, and short octaves in the lower bass ; therefore, not more
than forty tones on the whole. The bellows were preserved in
a lumber«room near the vestry, double winded without folds,
and made with thick hides, like unto a smith's or forge bellows.
Thus simply constructed there could be no transmutation of
sounding pipes, nor that variation to be produced from a
mixture of different flute and reed pipes, which are made use
of in the modern organ. An instrumental machine, whose im-
provement has been the work of more than one century ; at
first very plain and uncompounded, like the generality of
mechanical inventions. And this remark will serve to establish,

Vernon of Hodnet and Alice (Ludlow) 1513. 63

in some measure, the antiquity of the Tong Organ." — Quoted
from Gentleman's Magazine, 1789, — from Shreds and Patches,
Shrewsbicry Journal, Nov. 28th, 1883.

18. Pass behind the organ to a fine TOMB of stone with
an INCISED SLAB of alabaster. A soldier (on the right) and
his lady (on the left) are repiesented in black lines inlaid, well
defined, except the heads. At the east end of the tomb are the
following words in English : —

. . tiajj of ^urjust En tfje sere of oure 3Lorti m ccccc xix

At the man's feet is a dog with collar and link, short ears,
and long tail. At the side of the lady's head is a wingless
creature, not a griffin, as has been suggested, but a lion ram-
pant (for Ludlow).

This coat, with the entry and date of decease given below,,
is doubtless sufficient to warrant the appropriation of the
tomb to HUMPHREY VERNON, of Hodnet, and of Hounds-
hill, 2nd son of Sir Harry Vernon (No. 15) and his wife
ALICE, younger daughter and co-heir of John LUDLOW, Esq.

He died August, 1542 or 1545,* and was buried with his fore-
fathers at Tong. His funeral is the subject of a curious entry
in the Hodnet Churchwardens' accounts for the year 1542 : —

Item.— Rec. at ye burryall of ye Right worshypfull Homfrye Vernoa
being burryed at Tong, Lyghtes II.

Alice his wife died 28th August, 1531.* The part of the
inscription, as above, is much crowded ; the last x is at the
corner of the tomb, and it is possible that the final figure f may
have been worn off, or perhaps never was put on. Alice was
daughter of John Ludlow, and granddaughter of Sir Richard
Ludlow, Kt., who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard
Grey, Lord Powys.

Humphrey left two sons, George, of Hodnet, and Thomas, of
Houndshill. His great-grandson, Edward Vernon, of Hounds-

* History of lladdon Hall.

64 Stanley Tomb No. 19.

hill, married his brother John's great-granddaughter and
heiress, and thus the Houndshill and Sudbury inheritances of
the Vernons became united in the persons of Edward and
Margaret Vernon. Their son Henry was an ancestor of the
present Lord Vernon, f

19. Return to the south transept, where is now the
STANLEY TOMB, a fine monument in the Italian style,
surpassed by few in Westminster Abbey.

It bears three effigies in very good preservation. Two in the

upper or table part, — which is supported by eight pillars of

marble — commemorate MARGARET, daughter and co-heir of

Sir George VERNON, and her husband, SIR THOMAS

STANLEY, second son of Edward, third Earl of Derby, and

one in the lower part, beneath the table, SIR EDWARD

STANLEY, Knight of the Bath, their son, Lord of Harlaston,

and of Tong Castle, and of Eynsham. Dame Margaret's

effigy is on the right, and her husband's on the left. The

coffin containing Sir Thomas Stanley's remains is in the

Stanley vault beneath the chancel, and records the date of

his death in 1576. This vault, now filled up with concrete,

was found near the altar during the restoration of the Church

in 1892, and contained three old-shaped lead coffins, and a

small lead box, some of which had been cut open and rifled

long years ago. One has an inscription plate of lead, about

8 inches by 7, with the following small quarter-inch letters

cut in : —

HIC JACET THOMAS STANL MILES FILVS SECVNDVS

EDOVADI COMITVS DARBI MARIIVS MARGARETE FILIE

ET VNE HERETVM GEORGII VERNON MILITES QVI

OBIIT VICESSIMO PRIMO DIE DECEMBRI ANNO REGNI

REGINE ELIZABETH QVINGENTESSIMO SEPTVAGESSIMO

SERTO ANIME MISEREATVR DEVS AMEN PER ME

JOANNEM LATHOMVM.

f I am indebted to Mr. Vaughan for correcting the statement in the first edition to
the effect th*t the Hodnet and Stokesay inheritances became united in the person of
Henry Vernon, which was not so.

Thomas Stanley and Margaret (Vernon) No. 19. 65

The following is a translation : — " Here lies Sir Thomas
Stanley, Knight, second son of Edward, Earl of Derby,
husband of Margaret, daughter and co-heir of George Vernon,
Knight, who died on the 21st December, in the 19th year of
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a.d., 1576. God have mercy
on his soul. Amen. By me, John Lathom."

Sir Edward Stanley was called by the Puritans an " arrant
and dangerous Papist," and died in 1632. He sold Tong to
Sir Thomas Harries in 1623.

The tomb formerly occupied a position at the north side of
the altar. " A monstrous large canopy tomb stands
jostling the altar, and before it, placed there, as I should
guess, in the indecent reign of Queen Elizabeth," Mr. Cole
says, 1757. It was removed, as I am informed, by Mr.
Durant, a late owner of Tong, to make room for the Durant
monuments. The late Mr. Street contemplated restoring it
to its original position, as described in the Gentleman's
Magazine, 1763; but this was impossible, and Mr. Christian
wisely contented himself with advising its retention on the
present site, simply repairing and re-erecting it parallel with
and adjacent to the other tombs of the Vernon family.

Sir Thomas is in heavy plate armour, richly ornamented.
Both hands are on his breast. His helmet plumes are ostrich
feathers. All the effigies recline upon quilted straw-like beds
of stone.

Dame Margaret is in black ; her head rests upon an
embroidered pillow ; the features are delicately cut ; the hair is
brushed back off the forehead ; she wears a cap with gold
circlet, and a muslin gorget, and narrow Elizabethan collar.

Sir Edward is in plate armour, with right hand on his
breast, the left on his sword hilt.
J

66 Stanley Tomb, No. 19.

The square tapering columns of black marble are now
placed upon the tomb ; formerly they were apart from it, and
each was surmounted by a white marble figure. The figures
are all damaged, and are lying loose about the tomb.

On the arches which carry the upper structure of the tomb
and around the sides are the numerous shields of arms
quartered by the Stanleys and Vernons.

The eight square alabaster columns supporting the table
are carved with elegant narrow ribbon decoration, into which
are introduced little centres of compasses, spears, quivers,
books, censers, torches, drums, lances, body-armour, helmets,
some erect and some inverted. Similar emblems and ribbon
decoration were to be seen on the arch of the Goldsmiths,
erected by the Emperor Severus. The 32 panels which form
the ceiling of the table have been enriched with rosettes or
roses, but all are missing. The 8 circular columns, which
stand beside each square pillar, are of rich marble, four being
black, and four, the centre ones, red.

The present state of the tomb scarcely comes up to the term
" magnificent " applied to it by more than one writer, but let us
bear in mind that it is now shorn of much that formerly lent
elegance to it. The' original colouring of the figures repre-
senting the deceased as they lived (of which the black hair of
Sir Edward is an example), the polished marbles and gilding,
the shields of arms, and other embellishments, with the tall
columns bearing angels — the whole surmounted by a rich
canopy — would give an incomparably different effect from
that presented at the present time, though it still exhibits
much rich work.

The shields of arms upon the tomb appear to be as follow
but the colours are very indistinct : —

Stanley Tomb, No. ig. 67

x. Sable on a bend azure, three stags' heads cabossed or [Stanley].

2. Stanley 1 impaling a fret safcfe [VernonJ .

3. Or, a cross engrailed sable [ ].

4. Azure, a fret sa&te, a canton gules [Vernon].

5 a fesse chequy or and az. between 3 escallop shells [ ].

6. Gone.

7. Gules, three legs conjoined in armour proper, garnished and spurred
or [Isle of Man].

8. Azure, three lions passant sable [Ludlow] .

9. like 1.

10. Sable, a lion rampant guardant gules, collared or [ ].

11. Cheeky azure and or [Warren ?].

12. Azure a saltier gules, on a chief gules, 3 escallops or [ ].

13. Barry of six or and a^ure [Pembruge].

14. Argent a lion rampant sable langued gules [Ludlow].

15. Or, on a chief dancettee azure, 3 bezants [Latham].

16. Azure, two pipes between 7 crosslets or [Pype].

17. Azure, a fret sable [Vernon].

18. Gules, a canton sinister and base azure [ ].

19. Gules, two lions passant in pale, or [Strange].

20. Gules, a cinqueioil or. within 6 cross crosslets or [Umfreville ?].

A. Stanley, impaling or a lion rampant [ ] .

C. Or a lion rampant sable langued gules (?) [ ].

B. Or a lion rampant sable langued gule$ [ ].

D. Stanley (?)

E. Ditto (?)

F. Vernon (?)

On the north side of the monument is this INSCRIPTION

in gilt lettering (not cut in) : —

THOMAS STANDLEY SECOND SOONE OF EDWARD EARL OF DERBIE
LORD STANLEY AND STRANGE DESENDED FROM THE FAMILIE OF THE
STANLEYS MARRIED MARGARET VERNON ONE OF THE DAVGHTERS
AND COHAIRS OF SIR GEORGE VERNON OF NETHER HADDON IN THE
COVNT1E OF DERBIE KNIGHTE

BY WHOM HE HAD ISSVE TWO SOONS HENRI AND EDW : HENRY DIED
AN INFANT & E SVRVIVED TO WHOM THOS LORDSHIPES DESENDED
AND MARRIED THE LA. LVCIE PERCIE SECOND DAVGHTER TO THOMAS
EARL OF NORTHVMBELAND BY HER HE HAD ISSVE 7 DAVGHTERS AND
ONE SOONE SHEE AND HER 4 DAVGHTERS 18 ARABELLA 16 MARIE 15
ALIS AND 13 PRISCILLA

68 Shakespearian Inscription, Tomb ig.

ARE INTERRED VNDER A MONNIMENT IN YE CHVRCHE OF WALTHAM
IN YE COVNTIE OF ESSEX. THOMAS HIS SOONE DIED IN HIS INFANCIE
AND IS BVRIED IN YE PARISHE CHVRCHE OF WINWICKE IN YE COVNTIE
OF LANCA: YE OTHER THREE PETRONELLA FRANCIS AND VENESIE ARE
YET LIVINGE.

At the head of the tomb on west end are these " following
verses made by William Shakespeare, the late famous
tragedian," says Sir Wm. Dugdale.

ASK WHO LYES HEARE BVT DO NOT WEEP;

HE IS NOT DEAD, HE DOOTH BVT SLEEP.

THIS STONY REGISTER IS FOR HIS BONES

HIS FAME IS MORE PERPETVALL THEN THEISE STONES;

AND HIS OWN GOODNESS WT HIMSELF BEING GON

SHALL LYVE WHEN EARTHLIE MONVMENT IS NONE.

And at the foot of the tomb {i.e., the east end now) these
interesting and oft-quoted lines : —

NOT MONVMENTALL STONE PRESERVES OVR FAME

NOR SKY ASPYRING PIRAMIDS OVR NAME

THE MEMORY OF HIM FOR WHOM THIS STANDS

SHALL OVTLYVE MARBL AND DEFACERS' HANDS

WHEN ALL TO TYME'S CONSVMPTION SHALL BE GEAVEN

STANDLY FOR WHOM THIS STANDS SHALL STAND IN HEAVEN.

Underneath was the following line not now to be seen : —

Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur.
(Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord)

Mr. Eyton, in his Antiquities of Shropshire, writes : — " Sir
William Dugdale says positively that this epitaph, ' Not
monumental stone,' &c, was written by Shakespeare," and
that " the opposite or east end {i.e., the foot) of the tomb
exhibits six lines which I cannot help thinking to have been in
imitation of them by an inferior poet. Possibly they are in
praise of Sir Edward, son of Sir Thomas, for they speak of
one who ' lyes here.' Now Sir Tnomas is said to have been
buried at Walthamstow." This is an erroneous conclusion :
Sir Thomas is buried at Tong, and he and his wife lie in the
same vault. It has been remarked that if Shakespeare wrote
the epitaph at the date upon the tomb — (I see no date upon
the tomb now) — he could only have been 12 years old, but
possibly this tomb, like many others, was not erected for

Stanley Tomb — Shakespearian Inscription. 69

many years after Sir Thomas's decease, and probably not
until some time after Sir Edward's decease. May not its
beauty of design suggest the artistic taste of Sir Kenelm
Digby, Sir Edward's son-in-law ?

Sir Edward Stanley was father of the famous beauty

Venetia Lady Digby, about whom Johnson wrote a long

poem. Her name is mentioned as " yet living " on the
Stanley tomb at Tong.

The date of the tomb, and so probably of the inscription
also, can be readily traced to a very definite period thus :
Venetia Digby was born 1600 and died in 1633, therefore the
inscription was put on between those dates. Sir Edward
Stanley died, I believe, in 1632.

I have before suggested that this handsome monument was
probably due to the refined taste of the husband of Venetia,
Sir Kenelm Digby, the "Ornament of England," as he was
called. It would seem, therefore, that in attributing the
epitaph to Shakespeare's early youth, 12 years, as one writer
has done, he may have been guided by its similarity to his
sonnets, which, though written in early youth, were not pub.
lished till 1603 when he was 39, two of which are given below.
I think the doubtful inference has arisen through adopting as
its date the time of the death of Sir Thos. Stanley (1576).
Shakespeare was born in 1564, and died in 1616. In 1616
Venetia would be a young girl of 16 ; hence the words " yet
living " in the inscription. Shakespeare would then be 52.

There are other lines in Shakespeare's sonnets and else-
where so similar to these lines attributed to him at Tong,
that they, and Sir William Dugdale's record that he wrote
them, appear to be conclusive. I choose out these two : —

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme :
But you shall shine more bright in these contents

Than unswept atone besmear'd with sluttish time.

Jo Stanley Tomb, No. 19.

When wasteful war shall statues oveitum,

And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars hia sword nor war's quick fire shall burn

The liviug record of your memory.

My love looks fresh, and Death to me subscribes,

Since, spite of him, I'll live in this .poor- rhyme.
While he insults o'er dull and speechless tribes,

And thou in this shalt find thy monument.

When tyrant's crests and tombs of brass are spent.

As " England's Queen and most chivalrous nobles were his
friends," it seems to me most natural that the monument at
Tong, which commemorates together the following illustrious
names, should bear lines written by the great poet of the time
— Margaret Vernon (daughter of the Vernon King of the
Peak), Sir Thomas Stanley, son of Earl of Derby, Sir Edward
Stanley, K.B., his son, Lady Lucy Percy (daughter of Duke of
Northumberland), and Venetia Digby, the beautiful.

I have no doubt the inscription in the 3 compartments, now
on the north side, was at first on the south side. The tomb
stood in the Chancel on the north side of the altar, and hence
the inscription would be only readable if on the south side of
the tomb. It seems, therefore, that the table part of the tomb
has been twisted completely round. The verse " Ask," &c,
originally at the foot of the tomb, and at the east end, is now
at the head and west end ; and the verse " not monu-
mental," &c, formerly at the head, is now at the foot.

The late Dean Stanley's letter to Mr. Lawrence, regarding
the Stanley Tomb, is appended : —

Sept. 8, 1873.
Address Anderfield Dren N.B.

Dear Sir, — I am much obliged for your kind trouble in regard to the
Stanley Monument in your Church. I presume that there is no date on
the monument to indicate that it may have been a later epoch than the
date of the death of its owner, and so escape the necessity of adopting the
impossible youth of Shakespeare, if there were other sufficient points for
supposing him to be the author. When in the Church I only read hastily
that part of the inscription which is at the west end of the tomb ; and>

Margaret and Dorotky Vernon. 7f

unless I am mistaken, the name was written Standly in the last line, and
this made the basis of the play on the words. Is this so ?

Yours faithfully,

A. P. STANLEY.

Margaret Vernon by her marriage conveyed Tong Castle to-
her husband; and her sister Dorothy (who eloped on the
night of her sister's wedding, from Haddon Hall, the home of
the Vernons, with Sir John Manners) conveyed that grand old
pile to her husband. The walk by which the young lady
fled the mansion is still pointed out as " Dorothy Vernon's,
walk."

All Haddon is fragrant with the memory of one fair woman Dorothy
Vernon. Her postern, her walk, her rooms, her terrace, her beauty
beautifies the whole place ; the charm and romance of the fair heiress linger
yet round every part of Haddon. She was daughter of Sir Geo. Vernon,.
King of the Peak, died 1565, the year that Mary Queen of Scots married
the ill-fated Lord Darnley. Dorothy loved one whom her father did not
approve, and she determined to elope. And now we must fill in fancy the
long gallery of Haddon Hall with the splendour of a revel, and the stately
joy of a great ball in the time of Queen Elizabeth. In the midst of mirth
and excitement, while " noble lords and stately dames step in the courtly
dance," the fair young daughter of the house steals unobserved away. She
isues from her door, and her light feet fly with tremulous speed along the
darkling terrace, till they reach a postern gate in the wall, which opens.
Someone is waiting eagerly for her, with swift horses, — young Sir John-
Manners, second son of the House of Rutland. The lovers mount and ride
rapidly away, and so Dorothy Vernon transfers Haddon to the owner of
Belvoir, and the boar's head of the Vernons becomes mingled with the
peacock of the Manners of Belvoir.

Sir John was second son of Thomas 13th Lord Ros and

Earl of Rutland, and was great-grandfather to the first Duke

The Hon. (Sir) Thomas Stanley was a Knight, of Win-
wick, and probably Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man,
1562. The family of Stanley, — an old branch of the Barons
Audley, of Audley, co. Stafford, in the time of King John, — is
one, the conduct of whose valiant sons has contributed largely
to the glorious annals of England. One Sir John Stanley was
a K.G. , and in 1406 had licence to fortify his new house at
Liverpool (Knowsley) with embattled walls, and a grant of the

72 Stanley Family.

Isle, castle and pile of Man, with all the isles adjacent, on pay-
ment of two falcons to the King on Coronation Day. It was
Sir Thomas Stanley's great-great-grandfather who was created
Earl of Derby in consideration for his services in the victory
of Bosworth, 1485 ; and his placing the crown of Richard III.
upon the head of the victorious Richmond (Henry VII) in the
field, is a matter of historic record. His great-grandfather
George, married Jane, daughter and heir of John, Lord Strange
of Knockyn. His father, Edward, 3rd Earl of Derby, K.G.,
bore the additional titles of Viscount Kynton, Lord Stanley
and Strange, Lord of Knockyn, Mohun, Basset, Burnal, and
Lacy, and Lord of Man and the Isles. This Earl on the birth
of Sir Thomas Stanley's son, Edward, 1562, made a Deed of
Settlement declaring that his several manors and lands in the
counties of Warwick, Devon, and Oxford, also Dunham
Massey, Bowden, Rungey Hale, ^Eton, and Darfield in Co.
Chester, shall appertain and belong to Sir Thomas Stanley
for life, with remainder as moiety to his wife Lady Margaret for
life, with remainder to Sir Edward for life, wiJi remainder to
the Earl's first son, with remainder to the heirs male of Sir
Thomas, with remainders to the heirs of Sir Edward. Sir
Edward became possessed of all the said lands on his father's
death, as well as the Castle of Hornby.

Lady Lucy Percy, his wife, was daughter of Thomas Percy,
who was created by Queen Mary, Earl of Northumberland,
but conspiring later against Queen Elizabeth, was beheaded
at York, 1572. His father, Sir Thomas, a lineal descendant of
Hotspur, and other illustrious Percies, was also executed for
conspiracy in Henry VI IPs reign.

Of Sir Edward Stanley's numerous family only two daughters
grew up, viz. : — Frances, married to John Fortescue, Esq., of
Salden, Berks, and Venetia, the renowned beauty, married
to Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, the philosopher.

Pillar of Mary — Choir Screbn. 73

20. Here was formerly an octagonal PEDESTAL
attached to N.E. pillar of tower, supposed to have originally-
supported the image of Saint Bartholomew, the patron Saint
of the Church, or perhaps the Virgin Mary ; it was called the
" pillar of Mary." On the other hand it may have been a
pulpit pedestal. Until lately the broken crest from a destroyed
Vernon tomb lay upon it.

Tradition says that there once stood in the Lady Chapel
(" our Lady's " Chapel) " a most beautiful sculptured image of
the Virgin, but this was destroyed by some Puritanical hands
in the 16th Century ; and the pedestal on which it once stood
only remains/' and is now situated on the north corner under
the Belfry tower, close to the foot of the Pembruge tomb, it
having been removed there from the Lady Chapel, i.e., sup-
posed to be on the north side of this tomb.f In 1892 this
pillar was found to be a modern intrusion of brickwork, and
was removed.

CHOIR SCREEN.

21. The CHOIR SCREEN between chancel and tower-
space is Transitional, of choice workmanship and design, and
in very good preservation for its date. On the side facing the
nave, the cornice is composed of oak leaves and acorns, and
the string-course or the surbase shews the vine ; on the other
side are birds, the vine, and other carving, the whole taking
up and being continuous with the delicate oak tracery form-
ing the upper part of the choir stalls. Only one piece of the
trefoil ornament forming the cresting of the screen remained
in 1884, viz., at the end near the chancel door, and that had
disappeared a few years later, but fortunately by the aid of a
detail in an old photograph belonging to the writer, the crest-
ing has been faithfully reproduced. The reparation of the
Choir Screen and Tracery is a very marked improvement,
and Mr. H. Bridgman, of Lichfield, is to be congratulated

f Note by Rev. R. G. Lawrence.

74 Choir- Screen and Stalls.

upon his careful execution of the work. The two low door*
in this screen separating the nave and chancel were removed
in 1892. They were not thought to harmonize with the
original work. Perhaps they belonged to the woodwork
which is supposed to have run across under the western
Arch of Tower, forming part of the rood loft, and which
would take up with the two Aisle Screens 10a. and 10b.

In the arch above the screen are to be seen the holes from
which were removed the timbers of the rood-cross. The rood-
loft gallery doubtless extended from the two east to the two
west pillars of the tower-space ; access to the same was
gained through the doorway (to be seen over the pulpit) from
the stone staircase. Previous to the reign of Edward VI.
the rood-loft, or gallery and screen supporting the rood cross,
was a conspicuous object in early churches. In the gallery
the deacon performed part of the public services of the Church,
and at St. Julian's, Shrewsbury, a bottle of claret was placed
in it for his use on Passion Sunday on account of an excep-
tionally long part of the service which he read from there.
Upon the gallery was fixed the holy rood, or crucifix bearing-
the image of Christ. To our ancestors the rood conveyed a
full type of Christianity, the nave representing the Church
militant, and the chancel the Church triumphant, and thus
denoting that they who would go from one to the other must
pass under the rood, i.e., bear the Cross.

CHOIR-STALLS.

The CHOIR, though small, contains some original stalls
of beautiful workmanship, the carving being well preserved
considering its antiquity. They are 16 in number, four ad-
joining the screen, and six on each side adjoining the north
and south walls, and are of the peculiar construction implied
by the name "Miserere" (Lord have mercy). The benches
are of massive oak, hinged at the back, and when turned up

Choir-Stalls. 75

against the stall each exhibits a small half-octagon projecting

bracket, carved with floral ornaments or hideous figures, in

very fair preservation. A verger at Chester Cathedral thus

described the use of this uncomfortable bench arrangement,

the misereres there and in many old churches being of exactly

similar construction : — During the long services of the Roman

Catholic Church the monks became wearied from prolonged

standing, and these seats were constructed to give them

partial rest without permitting the comfort of an actual sitting

posture. The occupant is supposed to stand, letting the

weight of his body rest partly upon his feet and partly upon

this little bracket, and so long as he kept awake the little

bracket relieved his tired limbs and served him well ; but the

instant he passed into sleepy forgetfulness his legs ceased to

prop him up, and the increased weight thrown on the bracket

caused it immediately to topple over and nearly precipitate

the drowsy worshipper to the floor. It is difficult to describe

in words the action of this peculiar arrangement, but visitors

may examine the benches for themselves. The stalls were

numbered in Mr. Durant's time (as well as the seats in the

Church), as the following items in an old account book of

Heayse, a wheelwright of Tong, record : —

£ s. d.

1806. G. Durrant, Esq., paint and numbering the seats in the Church and

Chancel ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. o 18 6

Altering the Cottage numbers, and in the Church .. .. .. ..026

Numbering the Cottages at Tong .. .. .. .. .. „oi6

1811. Assisting with the Commandments in the Church and materials ..046

The numbers still upon the stalls will be convenient for
reference (see plan).

Detailed notice of choir-stalls : —

Stall 1. — Bracket shews an embattled pattern similar to
parapet on the church. This stall- division differs from the
others, which are single figures, in being a winged male figure
holding a smaller one. The two desk-ends in front of stalls
1 and 2 are the " barbarous repairs " referred to by Mr. Petit.

*j6 Choir-Stalls.

Brackets of stalls 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 15, and 16 are generally
floral ornaments. Stall 4, a face with foliage springing from
the mouth ; this stall must have been the seat of a Church
dignitary, for above it a trefoil panel of tracery is"enriched with
(1) Head of Christ ; (2) an I H S ; and (3) an angel holding a
shield, which bears : a heart in the centre, a key horizontally,
a spear perpendicularly, a hand in each top corner, and a foot
in each bottom corner. Stall-bracket 5.— Winged half-length
figure holding shield. Stall-bracket 8, the one upon which
most pains seem to have been bestowed, has in the centre the
Crucifixion scene ; on each side is an angel holding a scroll.
At the foot of the cross are flowers, and on each side of the
bracket a bird — perhaps intended for a dove. 9. — A face with
foliage springing from each side of the mouth. 10. — A large
bird, and a smaller one on either side. 11.- — Foliage, a little
more elaborate than the others. 12. — A winged half-length
figure and shield (same as No. 5). 13. — Modern piece of
moulding. The desk-end or poppy-head opposite stall 3 ex-
hibits two figures, and two birds " crewdling." Opposite stall
8 the poppy-head is perhaps for the Ascension scene ; but
there are twelve figures, besides the figure upon a bracket
above them. Opposite stall 9, the Resurrection scene,
Roman soldiers, one large figure sleeping, three smaller, and
above them two female figures. Opposite stall 14, two
figures, and below two faces. Opposite stalls 15 and 16, two
figures, and below two angels with shields.

The elegant tracery of the woodwork above the stalls is
composed chiefly of quatrefoils, and is nearly similar to that
shewn in the illustration of the Choir-Screen. The numerous
birds carved in this woodwork are, I suppose, emblems of
watchfulness.

During the restoration in 1892 there were found two
Bishop's Marks of Consecration on the walls behind the^e
stalls, one on either side.

WINDOWS IN CHANCEL.

The EAST WINDOW is a fine five-light one, with good
Perpendicular tracery, and transom ; it is about 20 feet high,
occupying a not exactly central position in the east wall, as
before remarked. From north wall, 3ft. sins. ; from south
wall, 3ft. 1 in. Some writers assert that during the middle
ages the east window was intentionally placed nearer to one
side-wall than the other, in order to typify the Head of the
Saviour upon the Cross, which is generally shewn slightly in-
clined to one side, the east window being the principal light
of the chancel, the most sacred part of the Church In the
tracery are some remains of old stained glass, the red and
blue colours being especially rich. The following notes
roughly record the composition of the glsss until its re-
arrangement in 1892.

Referring to the lights by numbers (commencing on the
left) :—

Below the transom —

1.— Black and white pieces, chequy. A shield of deep red, in the centre
thereof a cross, on dexter side a pair of rings, pincers (white), a hammer
(white head, yellow handle) ; on sinister side, three dice (white, black spots),
two spears (yellow, white heads). These are the emblems of the Passion,
called by heralds the shield of arms of Jesus Christ.

2. — St, Peter and keys (yellow), rich blue foliage.

3.— Some Gothic letters, and yellow and white architecture. A female
figure in white

4.— A shield, same as in No. i, except that the scourge and a bird appear
on the sinister side.

5.— Architecture corresponding very nearly with the arches of the
Sedilia, and some old English letters, same as on the tomb of Sir Wm.
Vernon (d. 1467).

Above the transom —

1.— Madonna and Child, white and yellow. A rich crown shewing four
leaves, yellow ; some deep rich red foliage, and some blue.
2.— Mixture of white and blue, a little red.
3. — Fragments, including a pieee of a yellow crown.

4. - Fragments. Three spear-heads held by a white hand, the centre
one dark brown, the other two light blue heads, brown handles,

5. — Generally white, some black and white triangles.

78 Ancient Glass in East Window, &c.

Above these again in the tracery were —

Over centre-light (No 3). -

Nearly perfect, left side, a male figure with scroll, Gothic letters ; right
side, female figure in white, with hands uplifted, red foliage.

Above light No. 1. —An angel, white heal, with censer, and blue foliage.
Above light No 2.— A female head, with white covering. Above light No.
4— Mixture, blue and white. Above light No. 5.— White head, yellow
halo; some black and white squares, chequy.

The same glass is now arranged thus : —
Below the transom —

1. - Plain.

2. • Fragments.
3.- Ditto.

4. — Holy face and another, probably St. Anne.

5. -Plain.

Above the transom —

1. Angel bearing the shield with emblems of the Crucifixion.

2. - St. Peter.

3. — Virgin Mary and Child.

4.— St. Edmund King and Martyr.

5.— Similar to No. 1.

In the 10 panels of tracery immediately above are : —

1, 4. 7 and 10. Emblems of the Four Evangelists.

2 and 3. - (Larger). The latter is St Mary Magdalene.

5.— Unknown.

6.— The Angel Gabriel.

8.— The Virgin Mary.

9. — Probably Salome and another Holy Woman.

Of the OTHER WINDOWS in CHANCEL there are two
in the north wall, each having three lights, with Perpendi-
cular tracery. And in the south wall three three-lighted
windows with good Perpendicular tracery, the centre one
being over the priest's door.* The graceful black and white
flower to be seen in little corners of the tracery of these win-
dows is undoubtedly of Early Fifteenth Century date,

* Mr. Ejton records that in 1663 "the South window of chancel" contained arms as
follow :— I. - Barry of 6 or and az i Pembruge) impaling Barry of 6 or and az. on a bend gu.
three roses arg. (Lingen). II.- Pembruge). III. -(Lingen). IV. -Gu. a lion rampant,
(Fitzalan). V. -Arg. fretty sa. (Vernon). VI.— Arg. fretty sa., a canton gu., (Vernon).
VII.— At. two pipes between nine cross crosslets or (Pype). VIII. — Az. a bend arg. cotized
between six martlets or (De la Bere).

And " the North window of chancel "— I.— Arg. fretty gu. with a bezant on each joint of
the fretty iTrussel), empaling or a lion rampant sa. (Ludlow). II. — (Ludlow) empaling
(Lingen). III. — (Ludlow) empaling arg. fretty sa. a canton yw., (Vernon). IV. (Lingen).
V.- (Pembruge). VI.— (Pembruge) empaling (Lingen). V 11.— Arg. fretty ta. a canton gu.
(Vernon) impaling [blank] VIII.— (De la Bere) empaling gu.fa. lion rampant or:

WlLLOUGHBY MONUMENT, No. 22. 79

22. By the commuunion rail and formerly bordered with
fossil marble, but now with tiles, was the black marble slab
with arms and supporters thereon, to the memory of the
Hon. HENRY WlLLOUGHBY, youngest son of Sir
Thomas, afterwards in (171 2), created Lord Middleton of
Middleton, who had served in six several Parliaments during
the reigns of King William and Queen Anne. Mr. Wil-
loughby died in 1734 at Tong Castle, of which he was tenant-
The slab, which was much worn, is now moved for protection
nearer to the north wall of the choir : the arms are plainly to
be seen, viz. :— Quarterly for Willoughby of Parham andWil-
loughby of Middleton, with supporters a grey friar and a
savage, and the excellent motto " Truth without fear/' The
inscription is too indistinct to give a verbatim copy, but below
the name are some lines which have been preserved : —

His aoble soul and truly generous mind,

In acts of goodness both were^mconfined;

His charity was free and private too,

By proper objects felt but known to few.

His hospitality the poor did share,

Relieved the widow, dried the orphan's tear ;

Pride with its lures and vain attempting art,

Hateful to sight, was absent from his heart—

A friend he was most worthy and sincere,

There did the lustre of the friend appear ;

And as his merits justly claimed a name

Inscribed in annals of immortal fame,

In his just praise to latest times be it said,

That all who living knew him, mourn'd him dead.

This vault was opened July 3, 1891, when it was found to
contain only one coffin, bearing the plate of arms, with a
martlet for difference, agreeing with the slab.

23. On the south wall of the chancel, immediately above
the altar rails, is the mural MONUMENT partly of alabaster
and partly of marble and stone, to MRS. WYLDE, with
female figure in Elizabethan costume, kneeling beside a table.
Length of monument, 6tt. 6in. ; width, 3ft. 3m. Inscrip,
tion : —

80 Mrs. Ann Wylde nee Harries, d. 1624.

HERE LYETH THE BODY OF ANN WYLDE LATE WIFE OF JOHN WYLDE
OF DR01TVVYTCH IN THE COVNTY OF WORCESTER ESQR ELDEST
DAVGHTER OF SR THO : HARRIES OF TONG CASTLE SERJEANT-AT-LAW
AND BARONET AND DAME ELLINOR HIS WYFE WHOSE VIRTVE
MODESTIE RARE AND EXCELLENT PARTS FAR EXCEEDING HER AGE
HAVE FITTED HER FOR A MORE HEAVENLY HABITATION LEAVING
BEHIND HER THESE SPECTACLES OF GRIEFE AND PLEDGES OF TRVE
AFFECTION SHE DIED THE 6TH OF MAY IN THE YEERE OF OVR LORD
1624, AND OF HER AGE THE 16TH BEING THEN NEWLY DELIVERED OF
HER FIRST-BORNE.

There have been some verses below, which are now
illegible. At the top of the monument is : —

ad te deum clamavi (I have called unto Thee, O God;.

There are two shields upon the monument. One, the larger,
has : — Party per pale : dexter — quarterly, first and fourth arg.

on a chief sa., 3 martlets (for ?), second and third arg.

a cross sa. (for Wylde) ; sinister — barry of 7 erm. and az., over
all 3 annulets or, two and one (for Harries). On the smaller,
a lady's shield, the Harries arms are repeated.

John Wylde was descended from Symon Wylde of the
Forde, co. Worcester, by his wife, Ellinor, daughter and co-
heir of George Wall of Droitwich.

Ann was the elder daughter and co-heiress of Sir Thomas
Harries. He was an eminent lawyer, Sergeant-at-Law 1589,
created a baronet 12th April 1623, and died in 1640 — the
great-great-grandson of John Harries of Cruckton, Salop, 1463.
Her mother was Elinor, daughter of Roger Gifford, of Lindon,
physician to Queen Elizabeth.

Sir Thomas purchased Tong Castle from Sir Edward
Stanley about 1623.

Among the " prisoners taken at Salop 22nd February, T644,
were Sir John Wyld, senior, Knight, and Sir John Wyld,
junior, Knight." Sergeant John Wylde was a member of the
Long Parliament in the time of Oliver Cromwell, representing
Worcestershire. At the same time Edmund Wylde, Esq.,
represented Droitwich, and was described as a King's Judge,
i.e., nominated to that office and only in part, or not at all,
risking to perform it.

Mrs. Elizabeth Pierpoint ne'e Harries. 8r

Mrs. Wylde's sister, and the eventual sole heiress of Sir
Thomas Harries, was Elizabeth. She married the Honourable
William Pierrepoint of Thoresby, Notts, M P. for Salop, and
called " William the Wise," and died in 1656. He was 2nd
son of Robert Earl of Kingston, and, in right of his wife,
succeeded to the Tong estate in 1640 ; was Member of the
Long Parliament for Great Wenlock, Co. Salop, in Cromwell's
time, and one of the Commissioners to treat with the King at
Oxford, " being one who pressed for an Accommodation with
the King ; " while his brother Francis represented Notting-
ham. At the Restoration, William, as M.P. for Notts,
heartily espoused the Royal interest, and was chiefly in-
strumental in getting rid of the oppressions of the Court of
W7ards, Reliefs, &c. He died 1679.

In Carlyle's Cromwell Letters, Vol. III., occurs the following

relating to him : — *

Charles's standard, it would seem then, was erected at Worcester on
Friday, the 22nd August, 1651. About sunrise " our messenger " (i.e., the
Parliament's) left the Lord General (Oliver Cromwell) at Mr. Pierpoint's
house, — William Pierpoint of the Kingston family, much his friend, — the
house called Thoresby near Mansfield, — just starting for Nottingham, to
arrive there that night.

William's father was Robert Pierrepoint, created Baron
1627, Viscount Newark and Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull, 1628 ;
his mother being a daughter and co-heiress of Henry Talbot,
3rd son of Geo., Earl of Shrewsbury. At the breaking out of
the Great Rebellion, Lord Pierrepoint was appointed by King
Charles Lieut. -General of the Royal Forces within the counties
of Lincoln, Rutland, &c. ; subsequently surprised at Gains-
borough and made prisoner by Lord Willoughby of Parham,
he was sent towards Hull in a pinnace (or small boat), which
being pursued by Sir Charles Cavendish (who demanded the
Earl and was refused) was shot at by that gentleman with a
drake (a small piece of artillery) ; the Earl and his servant

* Ex Tract printed at London for Edw. Husbands, March io, 1644J

%2 The Earls and Dukes of Kingston.

were placed as a mark to Sir Charles's shot, and were both
killed 13 July, 1643.

William and Elizabeth left several sons. The youngest,.
Gervase, was a considerable benefactor to Tong, and gained
the title of Baron Pierrepoint of Ardglass in Ireland, and Lord
Pierrepomt of Hanslope in England. (See brass No. 24 to his
memory in Tong Church). The eldest, Robert, left three sons,
two of whom, Robert and William, became successively Earls
of Kingston-upon-Hull, and died without issue 1682 and 1690
respectively. William's elder brother Henry, " succeeded his
father as 2nd Earl of Kingston, and was created Marquis of
Dorchester 1645 ; eminent for his learning, a great reader, and
well versed in the laws ; in 1658 was member of the College of
Physicians in London, and became, as Anthony Wood says,
their pride and glory." He left two daughters, co-heirs, of
whom Anne married John, 9th Earl and 1st Duke of Rutland.

Upon the death of this Marquis, the Kingston titles (except
the Marquisate) and estates (including Tong Castle and
Thoresby), passed to William's grandson Robert ; afterwards
to his brother William, Lord of Tong 1690 ; and afterwards to.
their brother Evelyn, created Duke of Kingston, 17a 5. He
was father of Lady Mary Wortley Montague (who became so
celebrated in the literary world), and grandfather of Evelyn,"4
last Duke of Kingston, who sold Tong to Mr. Durant in 1762,
and died in 1773, when all his titles became extinct. In 1760
the Duke's seat was at Tong Castle.

Lady Harries gave to Tong, about the year 1630, the beau-
tiful and costly Ciborium (see illustration), a sacramental
vessel of the time of Henry VIII., said to be the work of the
celebrated artist Holbein, and regarded by the highest
authorities on such matters as unique. It stands 11 inches
high, and is of silver gilt, richly chased, having a central

* He martied the celebrated Miss Chudleigh.

^4^. ^

v*
ti

,^*^ e>^ Pj

, ^ M *d i)3 — pH

Ciborium and Gifts by Lady Harries.

barrel of crystal 2 in. deep, 2|in. diameter outside, and 2%
inside. f It probably belonged to the ancient college of Tong,

and held the sacred wafers,
but is now used to hold the
consecrated wine on the high
festival days of the Church.
It is described among " the
guifts of that pious and
charitable Lady Eleanor
Harries (relict of Sir
Thomas)," as " a large
Comunion Cup of Gould and
Christall and cover."

She also gave the pulpit

and " frontal " (see No. 36) ;

besides these, "an ioo/*

was given by ye vertuous

Lady for ye use of ye poore

of ye Parish for ever ; a

ciborium. yewer and plate of silver ; a

cloth for ye com'un table of Diaper ; a pulpit cloth of black for

funeralls; a black cloth for ye bier at all funeralls.''

In May, 1645, Tong Castle was one of the garrisons of
Salop ; and the following other notes of it, about that time,
occur : —

" First the King had it ; then the rebels gott it ; then Prince Rupert took
it (6 Apl. 1644), and put in a garrison who afterwards burnt it when he
drew them out to the battle of York."

11 Prince Rupert took Longford at the same time he took Tong Castle."

" Tong Castle shall be speedily released according as Col. Rugelie, Mr.

Crompton, and Mr. Stone shall see fit. Apl 16th, ordered that /20 shall

be given to the troops which is already paid to Captain Rugelie, and £z of

the rent of Captain Barnsley and Mr. Draycott in Barnhurst, shall be

f Permission was given to the South Kensington Museum for it to be photographed
for the use of Schools of Art ami local Museums. The crystal was slightlji iracmre&in
1875, but has been so skilfully restored as to bear scarcely a trace of its misfortune.

T$4 Tong Castle and the Civil Wars.

allowed to commanders and officers, a gratuity only to those commanders,
officers, and troops, that did so good service in the release of Tong Castle."

Old Vicars relates :— " That Captain Stone, governor of Eccleshall Castle,
having intelligence that the garrison of Tongue Castle were abroad, fell
upon them with a party of horse, slew many of their officers, took prisoner
the Governor of the Castle, and 200 private soldiers."*

Symond's Diary gives : — " Saturday, May 17th, 1645. His Majestie
marched by Tong, Salop ; a faire Church, the windows much broken, f yet
divers ancient coates of armes remaine. A faire old Castle near this
Church called Tong Castle, belonging to Pierpoint this 18 years : it was
the ancient seat of Stanley, who came to it by marrying Vernon of the Peak
at Haddon. Thence through Newport."

u Upon [the Parliament] taking Shrewsbury, the enemy quitted and
burned Leahall and Tonge Castle." J

24. In the Chancel floor is a small BRASS, about a foot
square, let into the tile floor, bearing this inscription : —

THE RT. HONBLE. GERVAS, LORD PIERPOINT

BARON PIEREPONT OF HANSLOP, COUNTY BUCKS

AND BARON PIEREPONT OF ARGLAS IN THE KINGDOM OF IRELAND

DEPARTED THIS LIFE MAY THE 22D 1715 IN YE 66 YEAR OF HIS AGE.

This brass was until recently in the centre of the floor, but
is now placed near the North Wall. It commemorates
Gervase, Lord Pierrepoint, who gave to Tong the valuable
library now in the Vestry. A lead plate on a coffin beneath,
found in 1892, had this inscription, " The Right Honble.
Jervos, Lord Pierpont, died May 22nd, 1715." (See No. 35,
under Library). He married Lucy, daughter of Sir John
Pelham of Sussex, and had one only child, Elizabeth, who
pre-deceased him, and on the north wall of the chancel is a
marble tablet, of which the lower part and inscription appear
to be to her memory. (See No. 31).

WITHIN THE ALTAR RAILS a handsome new floor
and steps have been put. The old flooring tiles have been
removed, and the few which could be re-used are laid in the
Vernon Chantry. Some were " chequy," corresponding with

* Ex Hulberts Shropshire.

f If the Church was garrisoned as an outpost to the Castle, it seems astonishing that
more damage was not done.
% History of Shrewsbury, p. 39.

5?x

fern Imto Isrig mierrrilJHfcre feotoe rrf MliamSM;

- fmatoniafrof ftf&Mr lafites sliinnYiaiiiTrHiiD °

i) nrr of Srr3a5u Sfeffft^hra foroffetae of
lanfto fcaij&tf . Sbijf JUio ton . mo

aiidteDHjMtDljis pijnre in qmrt tpme of pear?*
Bui iibra tjis conrfe on eartfjrV IfairfuIlfilOr
^tjriorbe oftocrplblp ttora tnfrljimreleali'
Mb to bis fcmaftome ttjen big faulr frfr call
|i5 botrpf to onft T?rturnfDifi?aratol}fnff uf catof
(jfetjir ge rapfr aaanur ijMkrillfo fcrp celeff tall

- (Jbljerr bofipp am* fonle Otjall etier prapfr I)ia namr

Tomb No. 28.— William Skeffington, Esq.

The Skeffington Tablets. 85

fragments in the east window; others were quatrefoils, an
eagle (yellow on red), a man with sword and shield defending
himself against some animal ; some Gothic letters were on
two tiles, and there were other designs. Size 4^in square-
There are two old carved oak CHAIRS. The one on the
south side has the letters I.H. upon it.

25. The ALTAR is of wood. It was until 1892 of
alabaster, and a part of the very rich tomb to Richard Vernon,
Esquire (see under the pulpit, No. 17), to which it has been
restored. The new altar cloth, worked by the Sisters of St.
Margaret's East Grinstead, is a handsome piece of needle-
work, with designs of the Holy Lamb, and the knives of St.
Bartholomew. It was exhibited at the Church Congress Ex-
hibition at Folkestone.

26. The SEDILIA, in the south wall, comprise three
stone stalls with depressed trefoiled heads. These seats were
for the use of the Priest, Deacon, and Sub-Deacon.

27. The PISCINA, in the south wall, is a holy-water
basin, carved in stone upon a half-octagon stone bracket ;
there is a recess, and at each of its two inner corners is a
circular shaft supporting a small shelf. This basin was for
the purpose of receiving the water used by the priest, which
sank through an opening into the rubble of the wall, and was
then lost, a method to prevent the water from being applied
afterwards to any sacrilegious purpose.

28 & 29. The SKEFFINGTON TABLETS to a mother
and son, in the east wall of the chancel, are of Purbeck marble,
each bearing plates of copper, inlaid with silver for colour.
Over these tablets in the East Wall are shallow recesses,
where there appear to have been panels of a date anterior to
these tablets, probably having carvings worked in as part of
the original walling.

®6 The Skeffington Tablets.

28. The one on the south side of the east window com-
memorates WILLIAM SKEFFINGTON, Esq., late of the
41 White Ladies."

The centre plate bears the following quaint lines : —
5^ere unisex IgetJ interred tl)e izoboe of William &keattxj$ton,
late of tfje TOfjttc 3£abies (Esquire sonne atto fjeire of &ir
3o\)n JSkefEmrtort sometime of 3Lonbo' H&nishtt.
©Wit &u'o b'm 1550.

&n esquier Ije mas tirjljte Jjarbge to tfje fealbe
$fab fattfjfull to fjts ^rgnce in quiet tgme of peace
But tn^en Tjfgs course ou eattfje fje fjab fululbe
Clje 3Lorb of OToclblg moes bib Jim release
$Uib to Ijis fciujjbome tljen Jjtg soule bib call
His fcobge to bust returneb from faience ot came
TOfjicf) ragse ajjaune fje mill to 3fog celestiall
OTljere boboe aub soule sljall eoer pragse Ijis name.

The upper plate bears his arms, viz. : — Quarterly of six
pieces, ist Arg. three bulls' heads erased, sa., 2 and 1
(Skeffington). 2nd. Azure, a bend cotised between six mullets

or (Ouldbeif). 3rd three ravens, two and one ( )

qXh.Arg., a fesse dancette-e between three crescents,

gu., 1 and 1 (Doyle). 5th. Ermine, a bend az. (Inglish).
6th. Ermine, on a chief indented^., three escallops or (Child)
In the fesse point a crescent for difference. Crest, upon a
wreath, a mermaid proper, with comb and mirror or.

On the lowest plate are the letters —

G
R S T

upon a lozenge ; and this inscription : —

Posuerunt ^ietatis fEonumentum.
29. On the north side of the east window is a similar
tablet to LADY DAUNSEY (mother of Wm. Skeffington,
Esq.), with brass plates.

•fepFf tafirr ftjefb tnf mrfr -fije feoirtr of Seocof slf>abetti ■
*$aimfexj Oifcraoefr-of'fljf tjcnlTr j% ftarilB of p'pprfefa
ftrfl raaneO to sir3otra sftpffinsion topfe
fomtpmp stjfritfr of HonOSa after aameD
tos'^afoa SalmCaxi foin'i#f$bijt fffan 1549.

Jitiouo^trirtup^rarr Oi^mtiji^ ttnaftte abonnDe-
/lB&U3eI%r9iiJoall'ttn'a\i30^'S)X!f JlaOi>«C)i(> purrCCf #
Brt tuotb w unf en&p tjer praxCe' 6xh more r ptoim&e
ttjenfeit^ie m Mm sljrift liriflj laba* floOlmwi
#n rif to blpfra lum^tolamrt&f \5oas
€n poor? afvetifr sf feHitne fn ecgr Deare
btrtbe Otmouw^telouf&toolorlfe 0% totupas
•'Jo place appointed bu tfjeloj.te \^m blettefrvit fljal be

TOMB NO. 29.— DAME ELIZABETH DAUNSEY.

The Skeffington Tablets. 87

The centre one bears also a quaint inscription : —

f^erc imbcr SLoetl) intcrreb tfje 3Sobuc of ©ante ©KjaJwtfl

©aunseg biscenbeb of tfje Jause & familg of ge peckes,

first marrieb to Sir Jofjn Skeffington l&mcjljtt

sometgme £f}.eruTc of Honba' & after marrieb.

to &r Soini ©aunsag l&ntgljte. ©biit &o bn'i 1549.

GE&ougJje nirtues tare bib in tin's OTujfjte abounbe
&nb Mettle at mill t|)is mortfjie 3Labie bib pocesse
get notfjinrje in ge mtit fjer praise bib more resonnbe
tfjen faitlje in Sesus Cfjrist mitfj softer rjoblines
&n eie to blinb a Igme to tame sfje mas
&o poore a frenb ©f fcgnne in ecfje begre
Botlje Ijononreb & belooeb too for tfjis botij oirtu pas
2To place appointeb bg tlje ILorbe inhere nlesseb gt sfjal be*

On the upper plate these arms : — Per pale : dexter, quarterly

of six pieces (as on monument No. 28) ; sinister

three eagles displayed two and one (Peche), and on

the lowest plate an inscription and initials the same as upon
No. 28.

At Brewood Church, in the east wall of south aislej there
was in 1680 a companion tablet to Nos. 28 and 29, with
similar initials at foot —

G
R S T

and this inscription : — *

Postterunt $t'etatts JHonumentum
f^ere unber Igetfj tfje bobg of Jone, sometime tfje banrjfjter
of Mantes 3Lem'son (55sq mfjicfj 3fone mas first marrieb to.
TOilliam Sneffimjton 4£sq, seconblg to William jFomfce,!
(gentleman, et lastlg to ^bmarb (GHffarb G£sq. ©tout anna
Bom. 1572.

88 The Skeffington Tablets.

GTfjfg btrtuous ©ante, infjtle tfjat sfje It'betr fieer,
& goolg fHatron Snag, out Christ fjcr cfjtcf Ijolo,
OTfjo totll jje corpse restore to f^caoen's cfjeer,
OTfjere now l)cr soule Tjer i&airiour ootf) oefjolo
5To learn of life tfje course ano fatal race
^Trjat mortal flesfj upon tl;e eartfj must run
Cfje fofncfj ootl) olo ano goung must trace
TOfjen as tfye 3Lorb cuts oft tlje tfjreao ineJl spun
The Skeffingtons of Skeffington, meaning a " sheep town,""
in Leicestershire, are an ancient family, allied to many
Staffordshire families, and in later times had their seat at
Fisherwick, co. Stafford.

Sir John Skeffington, Knight, the father of Wm. Skeffington
of White Ladies, and husband of ' the Lady Dauntsay,' was.
an Alderman of London, Merchant of the Staple at Calais.
By his will, dated 1524, he gave one third of his property
" according to the laudable custom of the city of London to
his dear wife Elizabeth," and besides many bequests to
relations, friends, and apprentices, gave divers sums to
churches, and a vestment with all its appurtenances to be set
on the cross at Skeffington Church. He died 1525, seised of
lands in the city of London, and the counties of Middlesex and
York, leaving, with other children, William his son and heir,
13 years old in i52g, described as of White Ladies, Shrop-
shire. His will, dated 155 1, gives ^20 to his eldest son, John.
£\o each to his other children not married, and the residue to
Johanna, executrix with her brother, R. Leveson, Esq., and
the said son John: proved at Newport, 1551, the testator
calling himself "of the parish of Tong," in which W^hite
Ladies was said to be situated. ;£

Edward Mytton, Esq., of WTeston-under-Lizard, an ancestor
of the present owner of Tong and Weston, married Cecilia,
daughter of Sir Wm. Skeffington, as a large monument in
"Weston Church records.

One " Sir Wm. Skeffington, knight, was appointed by King
Henry VIII., in 1529, commissioner to Ireland, empowered to>

* Ex Hicks-Smith's Hittory of Brewood, from Ashmolean MSS.

f William Fowke died, 18 February, 1558, and was buried in Brewood Churchyard.

X Nichol's Leicestershire*

Durant Family. 89

restrain the exactions of soldiers, to call a Parliament, and to
provide that the clergy's possessions might be subject to bear
their part of the public expense. He was a very distinguished
political personage in Ireland, and died in the government of
that kingdom as Lord Deputy, 1535."

JLady Daunsay's second husband, Sir John Daunsay, may
possibly be the London Alderman of that name occurring
about 1542, the founder of the Daunsay Charity at West
Lavington, of the Mercers' Company.

30. DURANT monuments in the chancel. The larger
one, a handsome marble monument, has sculpture emblem-
atical of grief, Mr. Durant's arms with the motto " Beati qui
durant " (Blessed are they who endure, or Blessed are the
Durants), besides the following inscription : —

Beneath are deposited the remains of George Durant of Tong Castle, Esquire who
died Aug. 4, 1780, Aged 46 He married Maria daughter of Mark Beaufoy Esq and left
issue George, born April 25th, 1776 Maria born July 2nd, 1779 who died April 24th 17&5
and is interred in the same vault.

, His sentiments were liberal

His disposition humane
His manners polished
Happy alike in his mental
As in his personal accomplishments.
In the same vault are deposited the remains of Marianne, eldest daughter of
George and Marianne Durant, who was born 22nd November, 1779, and died 18th March,
1800. And of Mark Hanbury Durant, their fifth son, born November 5th, 1808, and died
August 22nd, 1815. Emma, their youngest daughter, died in France June 5th, 1829, aged 19,
and was buried in the great cemetery called Pere-Lachaise at Paris, in a little chapel
built to her beloved memory by her disconsolate father.

The family of DURANT, which has left such traces of itself
at Tong and the neighbourhood, came from Worcestershire, and
in the Market Place at Worcester is still to be seen an old
black and white timbered house bearing the inscription " Love
God WB 1577 RD Honour the King." The former half
of the inscription having been placed there when the house
was built by William Berksley, the latter portion was added
by Richard Durant, who lived there at the time of the
Civil Wars ; and it was to this house that Charles II. repaired
with Lord Wilmot when the disastrous issue of the battle of

go Durant Family.

Worcester was known. He was followed there by Colonel
Corbet, a Parliamentarian, and, it is said, effected his escape
by the back door as his pursuers entered by the front.

Another of the family was rector of Hagley in the days of
Lord Lyttleton of " ghostly fame," and his Lordship seems to
have taken a dislike to his son or nephew George, who subse"
quently became the first Durant of Tong Castle, on account of
some difference with one of the Lyttleton family during the
time he was holding a position under Government in the West
Indies. It was while occupying a situation provided for him
by Lord Holland, to whom he had been on a former occasion
able to do a kindness, that Mr. George Durant amassed a
very large fortune at Havannah, and returning to England
determined to locate himself somewhere in the neighbourhood
where his forefathers had lived, and with this view he
purchased from the Duke of Kingston the Tong Castle estate.

Mr. Durant (about 1764) demolished all but the main block
of Sir Harry Vernon's castle, built in 1500. It was a
picturesque building of red brick, with stone quoins and
clustering twisted chimneys rising above the towers, a very
beautiful specimen of the embattled manor-house. Some
portions of Sir Harry's building are still left, notably the north
and south ends, and the clustered chimneys, as shewn in
Buck's View of 1731 (see page 50). The plan of the Castle
itself consisted of masses of buildings arranged around three
sides of a parallelogram with detached buildings. Mr. Durant
seems to have encased the remaining portion of it in stone
according to a fanciful design of his own, a mixture of Gothic
and Moorish architecture. Surmounted by its lofty domes and
pinnacles, the structure is noticeable principally for its massive
and stately appearance. This is enhanced in a great measure
on the church side by its position at the edge of a broad rich
greensward extending uninterruptedly to its very foot, and the
pretty low-lying sheet of water winding along the valley ;

Durant Family. 91

while on the west side, just below the lawn and shrubberies,
this scene of marked repose rapidty changes into one of wilder
beauty as the two hurrying streamlets burst away over little
falls till they mingle in the dell below.

Mr. G. Durant's son George succeeded him. He was four
years old at his father's death. His eccentric character is
indicated by the quaint buildings, monuments with hiero-
glyphics, and inscriptions alike to deceased friends, eternity,
and favourite animals, which were then to be found on every
path of the demesne. One in the wood still bears " si monu-
mentum requiras circumspice," and of others some further
account is'given in a later part of this work. He married firstly
Miss Eld, of Seighford, by whom he had a son, George Stanton
Eld, who predeceased his father, leaving a son, George
Charles Selwyn, who succeeded his grandfather, and sold the
estate in 1855. He never lived at Tong Castle, and died in
1875 without surviving issue.

DURANT Tablet near east wall.

George Durant remarried -September 25, 1830, Celeste, daughter of
Monr. Caesar Lavefve, of Lorraine, and had issue : —

Born. Died. Buried.

Cecil September 8, 1831 »ai March 25, 1832 Beneath

Celestin November 22, 1833

Cecilia January 20, 1835

Augustine January 27, 1837

Alfred June 7, 1838

Agnes May 2, 1840

The above George Durant died Nov. 29th, 1844, age& 69.
DURANT Tablet near Vestry Door —

Died.

Maria .
Rose . . .
Bell ...
George .
Hope. . .
Marianne
Maria . .

Apl. 15, 1833
Mar. 24, 1838
Sept. 6, 1835

Durant Sept. 24, 1831

Feb. 14, 1836

their mother Apl. 16, ;

their grandmother Apl. 28, 1832

Remarried to Major Payne and Colonel Chapman
Ernest obiit, March 25th, 1846
JEtat 35.

Aged.

Buried.

33)

32 [

Beneath.

28}

30,
25 f

In the

churchyard

g2 Hatchments — Elizabeth Pierrepoint.

The Vault under the middle of the Choir contains ten
coffins of the Durant Family.

HATCHMENTS.— Over No. 30 were until lately two
hatchments or mourning shields to members of the Durant
family. Jurisdictions of Courts Zeet, 1675, gives an account
of " Trespass brought by Dame Wiche against the Parson for
taking down a Coat of Armour with the arms of her husband,
when it was decided that a Parson shall not have that nor the
Churchwardens, for they are hung there for the honour of the
body of him that was buried there."

31. Over the Vestry door is a monument of statuary and
grey marble. The inscription upon it records the death of
ELIZABETH, only child of Gervase Lord PIERREPONT,
aged 11.

A medallion above the inscription shews a finely executed
head of a lady, and probably not representing the child referred
to in the inscription. There is also some excellent sculpture
of drapery, with a shield ; and below are the skull, cross-bones,
&c, emblems of death.

In 1763 " there was on the north side of the chancel a bust
in the wall of a daughter of the Pierpoint family, but no
epitaph."* May not the medallion be intended to commemo-
rate Elizabeth Pierrepoint, the child's grandmother, eventual
sole heiress of Sir Thomas Harries, through whom Tong
Castle passed to the Pierrepoint family ? It seems unlikely
that there would be no memorial at Tong to one whose protect-
ing arm probably shielded the Church and its monuments
during the troublous times of the Commonwealth, and who
was buried at Tong, July 1, 1656.

* Ex Shreds and Patches, Shrewsbury Journal, from the Gentleman's Magazine.

Elizabeth Pierrepont. 93

Hie intra

Terrestria Impedimenta

Praematurius reliquit quasi ad coelum Properans

Elizabetha Pierrepont.

Ao. .(Erce Chrni. cioiocxcvii Pridie Kal. Sept.

Annos nata xi

Puella ingenii acuminis & Morum Vrbanitatis

Supra ^Etatulse captum.

Quam multa jam Feliciter edocta,

Nihil non si diutius Parcae Favissent Assecutura

Parentum Decus Dulce Familiarum Delicias

Utrommque spes gratissima

Filia unica Gervasii Pierrepont Armigeri Dni Terras de Tong

Nepotis Roberti Pierrepont Comitis Kingstoniaa

Accerimi (ingruentibus sub Carolo Io Rege dissidiis CivilibusJ Strategi

Fidelitatis suo Principi debitae, etiam vitas dispendio Assertoris :

Cui Genus ortum a Roberto de Pierrepont

Gul'mo Io Regi Expeditionum Comite ;

Fratrum natu maximo,

Quorum etiam dum superest in Normannia

Posteritas.

* Ov ys <£<Aei ©eo? y airoOvrjorKeL veos.

TRANSLATIO* : —

Here, below, Elizabeth Pierrepont prematurely has cast off [her] earthly trammels, as
it were hasting to heaven, in the year 1697 of the Christian Era, on the day before the
Kalends of September [31st August] Eleven years old. A maiden endowed with a mind,
prudence, and sweetness of manner far beyond her tender years : How many precepts of
her parents would she not have gladly followed if the Fates had spared her longer ! The
ornament of her friends, the delight of her family, the most pleasing hope of b6th : The
only daughter of Gervase Pierrepont, Esquire, Lord of the Land of Tong, nephew of
Robert Pierrepont, Earl of Kingston, in the civil wars which raged bitterly under King
Charles I. the assertor of fidelity due to his Prince, even at the cost of his life: He was
descended from Robert de Pierrepont, companion of the expeditions of William I. the
Conqueror— the eldest brother— whose posterity even yet survives in Normandy.

Whom God loves dies young.

Mr. Walter de Gray Birch writes me thus : The Greek
line should be : —

* Ov 01 ©eot <Jh\ov<tlv airoOvrja-KU veos.

He whom the Gods love, dies young.

It is a fragment of a poem by Masnander, a comic poet, who
died B.C. 290. Plautus says : " Quern di diligunt adolescent
moritur" a similar sentiment. The inscription as given
herein is slightly altered, and reads : He whom God, etc.

Dr, Bukeridge,

32. Over the stalls, between the two north windows of
the chancel, is a white marble TABLET bearing the following
inscription : —

Sacred to the memory of the Revd.

Charles Buckeridge D.D.

Archdeacon of Coventry first Canon Residentiary

and Prascentor of the Cathedral

Church of Lichfield

And sixteen years Minister of this Parish

Died 28 Sept 1827 aged 72.
In the same vault are interred the Remains

of his three children

Margaretta born April 1800 died an infant.

Mary Elizabeth born 10 Aug. 1797

Died 7 Septr. 1810 aged 13 years. \,

Charles Lewis born 3rd July 1802

Died 7 Feb 1812 aged 9 years and 7 months.

Elizabeth relict of the said Charles Buckeridge D.D.

and daughter of the late Richard Slaney Esq.

of Shiffnal in this County

Died 13th Feb. 1832 aged 69 years.

Mr. H. F. J. Vaughan writes : " The Slaneys were much
«< connected with this neighbourhood, having been Lords of
"Donington for many generations, but I do not find one of
" them wife of Dr. Buckeridge, who married a Miss Durant,
"and had two children buried at Tong."

v;v *a* •*> *i> *i> ^\ *j> <j> <j> *v* *v- *#k

eA£) GAS 5 ; 9 2A9 GA£) PA'- - %AD

GY^ 6Y3 GYe) b JYc) SYS

xV M^ *1> <t> *1> *-1> x?> <j> V?a. x|^.xt^ ^f^^t^t*.

VJ>? Vi>i? V|v Vj>? Vj>i? Vp? V{v vjv VJv Vj>* /{v /i> <j> ^i>

VESTRY.
VISITOR to Tong in 1763, describes this as " a-
detached building, now- used as a Ve&fry" The
massive door has some carving, and in the upper-
part, three circular holes four or five inches in
diameter (see illustration) ; these are too small"
for "doles" to be given through, and although Mr. Cole re-
marked that besides a church and a college there were along
the street some almshouses, afterwards calLed by him ai

VESTRY DOOR,
hospital, " wliich seems to have a chapel of its own" there is
no reason to suppose it was a hospital for lepers, who, to
avoid contagion, were accustomed tu receive the consecrated
elements through apertures provided for that purpose near
the chancel.

g6 Vestry Elcock brass, 1510.

The two vestry windows are two-light ones, and differ from
all the other windows in having- no labels or tracery ; their
forms are marked by small sunk triangles similar to the-
sedilia. The stained glass formerly in the vestry window
shewed the half-length figure of a King, very similar to the
head of King Edward III. in the great east window of York
Cathedral, date latter end of the 14th century, by John Thorn-
ton, of Coventry, glazier.5"

" The Vestry and Chancel doors have the four-centred arch,,
and are not later insertions; and these doors alone have
spandrils."

33. BRASS in two pieces to RALPH ELCOCK, 1510.
This was for a long time in the Vestry, having been detached
from the south wall of the south aisle (at the spot marked
R E on plan). It is now fixed nearly in its old position.

f^tc jacet ffcatrolpffg Elcock Celer cofrate tatfe Collegii qttt
$atu8 fttit in fctlla Skapforfcfe infra gfrmftattt festrie qui ohiit in
feato gee fcatmne Firgim's et JHarter %axm tmi ttulltmo ccccc taBuno*

Translation of inscription : —

Here lies Ralph Elcock, celerer and co-brother of this College, who
was born in the town of Stopford, in the county of Chester, who died on
the ffeast of St. Katherine, Virgin and Martyr, in the year of our Lord on*
thousand five hundred and ten.

The " Celerer " had care of the provisions of the College.

34. In the Vestry floor a small BRASS PLATE bears :—

BENEATH

ARE ENTOMBED THE REMAINS OF

ARCHDEACON BUCKERIDGE

AND ELIZABETH HIS WIDOW

ALSO OF

CHARLES; LEWIS, MARY ELIZABETH,

AMD

MARGARETTA THEIR CHILDREN.

(See tablet No. 32.)

* See Carter* Architecture. J 35th November.

fljir lacrt TsaMpFcM rclie dfcattfwohrjn
qra urfuB fart ru Inlla Cigpft^Dir nrfra coraitem
crftriF qtn obut mfrfroirrkatmnp &irgrcha
A martrr axmo ton cmltou f€ff fMimo

NO. 33.— RALPH ELCOCK f «* AW 9*>

Minister's Diet, Horse, and Library. 97

35. The LIBRARY, given by Lord Pierrepoint (see No.
24), consisted of 410 volumes, including many scarce and
valuable works. A catalogue of them was made under the
direction of the late Mr. Beriah Botfield, M.P., F.R.S.,
F.S.A., and a very few copies of it are in existence. The
Duke of Kingston's deed for confirming Gervase Lord Pierre-
point's settlement of several charities in Tong Parish, recites
a deed of 23rd October, 1697, by which Gervase granted as
to dieting the minister at his own table, and allowing him h?.y
for his horse, and keep ; and Lord Pierrepoint granted that
the minister should enjoy a chamber in Tong Castle, as the
same was then furnished with books and presses, and use of
the said books, which were to be inserted in a catalogue.

Still am I besy bokes assemblinge,
For to have many is a pleasant thinge.

May I a small house and large garden have,
And a few friends and many books, both true,
Both wise, and both delightful too.

Also, the minister to enjoy part of a stable for keeping the
horse, and place over same for laying his hay, and between
May-day and Michaelmas-day to graze his horse in Tong
Park without paying for the same.

In " Heayse's Accompts " occur : —

£ *■ d.

1806. Marking Coffers in the Church . . .. .. .. .. ..026

Printing a large board in the Vestry .. .. .. .. ..1116

1807. Altering board in the Church .. .. .. .. _ ..010

1812. Framing, boarding, and making, and materials ; a coal and coak cupboard

in the Vestry.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3 19 o

Making a ladder to go up to Libra .. .. .. .. ..096

1813. NewbottomingtheBierandrepd.it .. .. .. .. ..059

Painting and lengthening double doors in the Porch .. .. ..176

Do. the Wicket with green .. .. ., .. .. .« on 6

36. In a glass case is an ancient dalmatic or ecclesiastical
VESTMENT of red velvet, embroidered and ornamented in
gold and coloured silks, with cherubs in raised work, flowers,
and other devices, and four scrolls, of which two bear mottoes : —

COR VNVM VIA VNA- (One heart, one way)

Ecclesiastical Vestment.

and two : —

VSE BIEN TEMPS. (Use time well)

It i9 considered a beautiful specimen of needlework, and is
supposed to have been made by the ntms at the Cloisters of
St. Leonard of the Cistercian Order, for use in their Chapel
(now called the White Ladies, and in ruins, a mile or two
from Tong), It is said to be 300 years old. It was given by
Lady Harries, and was used to a late period as a pulpit
frontal. Size about six feet square.

CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS GAS CAS GAS CAS
6Y3 GYt) GY&GYS GYc) 6Y3 6Y£ GYc> GYt) GYc) GYc) GYt) GY3 .

>K ^K ^w|w*> yjy 4* 4* *i* *j> vl\T wv *j> *<;*

S CAS CAS G_A5) CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS CAS GAS
c) GYo GYc) GYc) GY3 GYc) GYc) GYc) GYO GYO GYc) GYc) GYc)

TOWER AND BELFRY.

§M MEDIATELY on opening the door to ascend the steps
the following curious lines will be seen in a frame
which formerly hung on the outside face of this pillar,
but were removed by direction of Bishop Lonsdale.

1 1 If that to Ring you doe come here,

You must ring well with hand and eare.

keep stroak of time and goe not out ;

or else you forfeit out of doubt.
Our law is so concluded here ;
For every fault a jugg of beer,

if that you Ring with Spurr or Hat;

a jugg of beer must pay for that.
If that you take a Rope in hand ;
These forfeits you must not withstand.

or if that you a Bell ov'r-throw ;

It must cost Sixpence e're you goe.
If in this place you sweare or curse ;
Sixpence to pay, pull out your purse.

come pay the Clerk it is his fee ;

for one (that swears) shall not goe free.
These laws are old, and are not new ;
therefore the Clerk must have his due.

GEO. HXRISOlt. 1694,

Next to those at Culmington, the above are the oldest
version in the county of Salop, of the familiar lines,

" If anyone do wear his hat when he is ringing here."*

The BELFRY itself contains eight bells, one, the Great
Bell, in the lower stage, and seven in the upper stage of the
tower.

The GREAT BELL was given to Tong by Sir Harry Vernon
(Governor to Arthur, Prince of Wales), and "a rent out of
his Manor of Norton for the tolling of it, when any Vernon
comes to Tong." A tradition runs that Sir Harry was once
benighted in the immense forest of Brewood, but the bells of
Tong led his steps in the direction whence the sound pro-
ceeded, and so he reached his Castle in safety, in gratitude

• Report of visit of Shrop. Archie. Soc. to Tong, July 8, iti;8.

ioo The Great Bell of Tong.

for which he gave "the Great Bell." Mr. Cox (1720), says
"the Inhabitants here boast of nothing more at present than
a great Bell, famous in these Parts for its bigness/'

It originally weighed 2 tons 18 cwt., and measured 6 yards
round. It weighed 41 ^ cwt. in 1892.
Inscription on the upper rim : —

HENRICVS VERNON MILES ISTAM CAMPANAM FIERI FECIT, 1518 AD
LAVDEM DEI OMNIPOTENTIS BEAT^ MARINE ET STI. BARTHOLOM^EL*

On the lower rim : —

QVAM PERDVELLIONVM RABIE FRACTAM SVMPTIBVS PAROCHLE
REFVDIT.

ABB RVDHALL, GL0CEST: ANNO 1720- L. PIETIER, MIN., T. WOOD-
SHAWT, T. PEYNTON, ^DITVIS.

Following the precedents of 1518 and 1720, an 1892 in-
scription has been added in the centre : —

EANDEM VETUSTATE IAM FATISCENTEM DENUO CONFLANDAM ET
REPONENDAM CURAVIT ORLANDO GEORGIUS CAROLIUri COMES DE
BRADFORD VICARIO JOANNE COURTNEY CLARKE-mdcccxcii.

TRANSLATION OF INSCRIPTIONS.

Henry Vernon Knight caused this bell to be made 1518 to the glory of God Almighty
the Blessed Mary aad St. Bartholomew.

Which having been broken through the madness of enemies, was recast at the expence
01 the parish, [by] Abr. Rudhall. Gloucester, in the year 1720. L. Pietier, Minister, T.
Woodshawt, T. Peynten, Churchwardens.

Orlando George Charles, Earl of Bradford, took care that this same bell, now cracked
with age, should be cast anew and replaced ; John Courtney Clarke being Vicar, 1892.

The Great Bell was broken by the Parliamentary forces
(the Roundheads and Puritans) in the time of King Charles I.,
probably in 1635, for in the Churchwardens' accounts are
entries* : —

1635. " For hanging the Great Bell anew,"

1636. "For apiece of metal broken orfthe Great Bell," £i 12s. 8d.

1641. " Fetching a strike for the Great Hell."

1652. " Peese of Rope for the Great Bell," 3s.

After being recast at the expense of the parish (as recorded
by the inscription), it remained entire until the first Wednes-
day in Lent [Ash Wednesday], 1848, when, while ringing for
divine service, it cracked through the word "Woodshawt,"

*The words " et Sti Bertolomaai " appeared to have been inserted later, between the
beginning and end of the otner lettering.

Royal Visits to Tong. ioi

probably in consequence of a defective clapper having been
made to strike the rim too near the edge.

Its weight now is 50 cwt. , and diameter 5ft. 2in. The
framework has been entirely renovated.

The illustration is kindly furnished by Mr. Taylor, of
Loughborough, the Bell-founder who re-cast it.

Once during recent years it was tolled in accordance with
the donor's directions, viz. : when the late Lord Vernon came
over from Weston Park to Tong Church a few years ago. He
was a descendant of Sir Harry. The visits of the Vernons
are now so rare that tradition has, I suppose, supplemented
Sir Harry's request by requiring the great bell to be rung
when " Royalty or a Vernon comes to Tong," and thrice
recently have Royal Princesses visited Tong, in company
with the Countess of Bradford, whose guests they were, viz :
— on December 17, 1872, H.R.H. Princess Christian (Princess
Helena, Her Majesty's third daughter), and in the first week
of November, 1869, H.R.H. The Duchess of Teck (Princess
Mary of Cambridge). The old bell was last tolled upon the
death-day of that much-mourned prince, the Duke of
Clarence and Avondale. Only a few months before then,
the Princess "May"" had visited this church with her
mother, H.R.H. the Duchess of Teck, and Lady Bradford,
and was shown by the Vicar the interesting features of the
place. Since then Her Royal Highness — now gladly known
as the Duchess of York — has again been at Tong.

The following lines, which H.R.H. once wrote, give us a
glimpse of her kind and sympathetic nature : —

If each man in his measure

Would bear a brother's part,
To cast a ray of sunshine

Into a brother's heart,
How changed would be our country,

How changed would be our poor,
And then would " Merry England"

Deserve her name once more.

io2 The Bells of Tong.

In the upper bell story : —

The smallest, and probably the oldest of all the bells, is the
one on the south-west side of the octagon, " ye sanctus bell."
It is 14m. in diameter, and around the upper rim is a band
into which are introduced two fleurs-de-lis alternately with
two cross-crosslets, equi-distant. I can find no lettering on
the bell, but the French fleur-de-lis and the cross-crosslet
suggest its association with Sir William Vernon, Treasurer of
Calais, and his wife. [See Tomb 14.] The priest's or
" sanctus M bell was generally hung at the west end of the
nave, and dates as early as the 13th century. The other six
bells form the regular peal, whose melodious notes are heard
each Sabbath-day.

Taking the BELLS in the order of their dates : —

On the north side of the octagon is a bell bearing —

PRAISE THE LOROD 1533.

On the bell on the east side —

GLORIA IN EXCELSVS 1623 W.C.
(Glory in the highest;.

The initials are probably those of one Chalmer, a bell-
founder.

On the east-centre bell —

JS&jeetlg tollmjj, men tic call
2Eo taste an meats tljat feetie tfje 2oule»
1605.
and a Latin cross with the letters J^.©. on each side of it, and
a crescent and mullet outside those letters.

These initials are believed to be those of a bell-founder,
Henry Oldfield, of Nottingham, who helped to re-cast the
Great Tom of Lincoln.
On the west bell —

GLORIA IN EXCELSVS DEO 1636.

On the west-centre, bell —

PEACE AND GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD A.R. 1719.

The Great Bell of Tong.

The Bells of Tong. 103

The initials are those of Abraham Rudhall, the well-knowr*
hell-founder of Gloucester, who brought the art to great per-
fection in 1684. A bell is also shewn between the above
initials and date. The Eccleston register records a payment,
of two shillings for a bottle of wine for Mr. Rudhall, bell-
founder.

On the south bell, the tenor bell —

THOMAS MEARS OF LONDON i8ict.

Bells have been in use since the 7th century, and were
anciently prohibited from being rung in time of mourning.
The " passing bell/r which in some places still tolls for the-
dead (a note for every year of the deceased person's age), was.
intended to advertise good Christians to pray for the soul just
departing.

There seems to be no bell at Tong with a Greek inscription,,
as some have said ; nor any bell with a Latin inscription com-
mencing "Virgo regina," given by William Fitzherbert.

A cornice of an old screen, or perhaps a relic of the old
Gothic organ case, remains in the belfry.

It is a peculiar arrangement that the ringers should have to*
stand in the centre of the Church floor to ring, but there
is no alternative. Their names are : — George Henry
Boden, treble ; Henry Smith, second ; John Ore, seniorr
third ; John Orer junior, fourth; Richard Bellingham, fifth ;
and Fred Haighway, tenor bell. The great bell of Tong is
toned C sharp, and only rung on certain special occasions :
it requires two men to set it.

OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.

37. There are some rude CROSSES cut in the stonework
beneath the east window of the south aisle. This window has
a sweeping cornice springing off heads. It may be the chancel
window of the earlier church.

104 Niches — St. Chrysom's Cemetery.

, 38. In the buttresses at the north-east corner of chancel
are elaborate NICHES, which contained the figures of saints
in early days, and were placed at the side ot the church
nearest to the high road.

39. ST. CHRYSOM'S CEMETERY— The burial place
of unbaptized children. A Maltese cross of red sandstone
bears the well-known and appropiate verses on the side facing
the road : —

But sive the cross'above my head
Le neither name or emblem spread
By prying stranger to be read
Or stay the passing pilgrim's tread.

Byron.

Weep not for those whomrthe veil of the tomb,

In life's happy morning hath hid from our eves ;
Ere sin threw a blight on thejspirit's young bloom

Or earth had profaned what was born for the skies.
Derth chill'd the fair fountain ere sorrow had stain'd it,

'Twas frozenjn all the pure light of its course,
And but sleeps till the sunshine of heaven has unchained it,
To water that Eden where first was its source.

(T. Moore.)
Like the last beam of evening thrown
On a white cloud— just seen and gone.

On the side of this cross facing the church —

H. M. E.

1823.

CHRISOME, in the office of Baptism, was a white vesture, which in
former times the priest used to put upon the child, saying, " Take this
white vesture for a token of innocence."

By a constitution of Edmond, Archbishop cf Canterbury, a.d. 736, the
Chrisomes, after having served the purpose of baptism, were to be made
use of only for the making or mending of surplices, &c, or for the wrap-
ping of chalices. The first Common Prayer Book of King Edward orders
that the woman shall offer the Chrisome, when she comes to be churched ;
but, if the child happens to die before her churching, she was excused
from offering it ; and it was customary to use it as a shroud, and to wrap
the child in it when it was buried. Hence, by an abuse of words, the term
is now used not to denote children who die between the time of their
baptism and the churching of the mother, but to denote children who die
before they are baptized, and so are incapable of Christian burial.*

* Note from Hook's Church Dictionary; sent by the Rev. J. H. C. Clarke.

Civil Wars. 105

40. The north doorway, and indeed the entire north wall
of the north aisle, exhibit numerous CANNON BALL
MARKS, some of which have been filled up with mortar.
These are a lasting record of the Parliamentarian's hatred
against the Church. With their cannon well planted on the
old mound (now called Castle Hill), at Tong Norton,!
they devised the destruction of both castle and church. An
intermediate earthwork (by the upper water-carrier) possibly
saved the castle from damage, but I cannot help thinking, as
before remarked, that the preservation of the castle, and the
beautiful monuments in the church, must have been due to
the friendship and regard Oliver Cromwell had for Mr*
Pierrepoint and his wife Elizabeth. The feeling cannot be
mistaken when we call to mind that during the Common-
wealth, Christmas-day was ordered to be regarded as a super-
stitious festival. The holly and mistletoe bough were ordered
to be cut up root and branch as plants of the Evil One.
Cakes and ale were held to be impious libations to super-
stition ; and in 1647 Cromwell's party ordered, by the mouth
of the common crier, that Christmas-day should no longer be
observed, it being a superstitious and hurtful custom, and that
in place thereof, and more effectually to work a change'
markets should be held on 25th December.

In the churchyard a SUN-DIAL bears —

THOS: ORE
FECIT 1776-

a surname still lingering in the parish in the family of a lusty
bricklayer. Thomas Ore was one of the seven jury of the
Manor of Tong, who perambulated the Boundary, as described
later.

t Mr. W. Phillips, F.L.S., cf Shrewsbury, is of opinion this is an ancient Tumulus.

T>^)^

MINISTER'S LIBRARY AT TONG.

HE chief feature of the Library is a collection
of Councils of the Popes, 37 volumes, folio, in
vellum coverings : " Conciliorum Pontijicum
Decretum Miscellaneorum Ab Anno 34 Ad Annum
1623 cum Indicibus IV. Paris Typ. Beg. 1644.'*
The other works are bound in calf, and were chiefly printed
in the 16th and nyth centuries ; there are a few of the 15th
and 18th centuries also. Mr. Botfield says, " The biblio-
grapher will look in vain for any work of surpassing interest ;
they form, however, a useful library of reference for the

theological student When the means of

locomotion were few, and the sources of information were
scanty, this local library argues a degree of intelligence and
refinement unknown in other and less favoured districts," and
he concludes that this was one of the earliest to enjoy the
blessings of religion, and the benefits of learning. Among the
other books the following may be named as interesting and
valuable : —

Augustino Marlorata. Testamenti Expositio Catholica
JEcclesiastica Ex Prob&bis Theologis, 1593.

Beza, Theodorus (a great Lutheran commentator). Be
Trinitate Geneuce, 1560.

Brett, LL.D. (an English commentator). Liturgies used by
the Church in celebration of the Holy Eucharist. London,
1720.

Carleton. Collection of the Great Deliverances of the
Church since the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign.
London, 1627.

Drexelius, Jeremiah (a famous commentator). 13 volumes,
dating 1630 to 1655.

Erasmus (a well-known name). 7 volumes, 1540 — 1641.

Gaule, John. The Magicall Astrologicall Diviner Posed
and Puzzled. London, 1652.

Minister's Library. 107

Moulin, Peter. Buckler of the Faith. London, 1623.

Perkins. Declaration showing how near we may come to
the Church of Rome, and wherein we must for ever depart
from it. Cambridge, 1598.

Poss, Alexander. Mystagogus Poeticus, or the Muses' In-
terpreter. London, 1648.

Stockwood, John. Disputationes Pueriles. Tunbridgiae, 1606.

Testamentum Gr cecum et Latinum cur a Th. Bezce. Genevse,
1611.

ZTdall, John. Hebrew Grammar. Amsterdam, 1648.

The Library is referred to under No. 35. It consisted of
554 Volumes and is understood to have been added to by Mr.
Peitier, a former Minister.

MONUMENTS FORMERLY IN TONG CHURCH.

Near the spot marked R. E. on plan was a large red stone
to the memory of William and Elizabeth SCOTT, who died in
1694 and 1700 respectively. This is not now to be seen.
Were these of the familyof Scot of Scot Hall, Cosford, andTong
Norton, otherwise the Heath, Shifnal, whose daughter Mary
married Francis Forester, d. 1652 ?

And near the West Door were two other monuments, not
now visible. One, an alabaster slab to William CLAY, who
died in 1735. The other, to William TAYLOR, of Staple-
ford, who died at the Castle in 1733.

Mr. Abraham Hare, of Bridgnorth, wrote the following
epitaph to the memory of his daughter buried at Tong. He
was described by the European Magazine of 1789 as " an un-
4t tutored son of the Muses," and was an excise officer: —

Here lies the the body of Lucy Hare
Who departed this life 1783 aged 19 years.

" In solemn silence, sweet repose,
Virtue and youth these stones inclose,
The sacred puth of truth she tiod,
Death snatched her hence to meet her God ;
Eternal joys, through Christ, to share,
Prepar'd for ail as Lucy Hare."

io8 THE COMMUNION PLATE.

Consists of the Ciborium described on page 60, the gift of
Lady Harries.

A Pocket- Service of Silver. The cup about two and a half
inches high, engraved with I H S within a gloria. The plate
about three inches in diameter, similarly engraved, and having,
in addition, the donor's name

@. ©urattt, ftortjj Castle, 1839.

A Silver Cup, five inches high, quite plain, on short low
stem, and apparently very old.

A Silver Ewer, with dragon-head spout, twelve and a half
inches high. Except a little chasing round the base, and the
lid-rest, which is a cherub's face, the vessel is a plain one ;
probably the gift of Lady Harries.

A Silver Plate, about nine inches across, bears : — " The gift
of George Durant, Tong Castle, 1839," beneath a fleur-de-lis,
his crest.

A Silver Plate, somewhat smaller, with the shield of the
Harries family.

There is also a white enamel portable Font, consisting of an
octagonal receptacle, and a lid. The former has, on each face
of the octagon, a quatrefoil, and rests upon four feet set
cardinally. From the centre of the lid rises a cross (with
quatrefoil at the intersection), while from its foot radiate the
crocketed divisions of the octagonal lid. Size, seven inches in
diameter ; eight and a half inches high.

Note. — I believe a few years ago there was, in addition, a handsome walnut or rosewood
alms dish, with fret-work cover, and underneath it a brass plate recording the name of
the donor. Mrs. Harding, wife of one of the perpetual Curates ot Tong.

EXTERIOR OF THE CHURCH.

The following notes, from the Brit. Archosol. Journal, are re-
counted for the benefit of those visitors more deeply interested
in architectural study and pursuits : —

The ground had been terraced up previously.

Exterior of the Church. 109

Base-moulding is varied by breaks, uniform, except at
Chapel.

Both ends are finished with embattled parapet ; central
raised in two stages.

Vestry is gabled. No parapet.

Pinnacles, square section. Delicate embattled horizontal
strings, instead of gables or canopies, their faces being set
cardinally. Not crocketed. Well-executed finial, suitable to
the building.

Nave has no clerestory.

Aisles have no parapets.

There has been a large pinnacle at each west angle.

Central buttresses had crosses, as the sockets are there.

South porch is embattled. Small pinnacles.

Belfry is rectilinear, and octagonal. On each slope is a
small pinnacle. Lower part has the great bell, and a window
of two lights, N. and S. Others plain, square-headed. Doors
opening on to the leads. No weather moulding to indicate
that the Church was ever higher. Octagon contains the peal
of bells, and windows of two lights on the cardinal sides.

Spire at half-height is encircled by spire-lights, ending each
in a crocketed finial or pinnacle, those only on the cardinal
sides being pierced.

Chancel is divided on south side by bold buttresses into
three compartments. Each has a beautiful three-light window,
the base of central one being slightly raised to allow of a door.

North side is different. It shows the Vestry to be a part of
the original design. It is nearly equally divided in two by
west wall of Vestry, to which a buttress corresponds.

Principal mullions in Chancel windows are of the first order ;
the secondary mullions of the second order. In the rest of

no Exterior of the Church.

the windows throughout the Church, the tracery is of one
order.

Arches of windows are mostly two-centred, and differ but
slightly in their forms (though less pointed), from the
equilateral.

Buttresses of Chancel are finished with a pinnacle, and
have well-executed gargoyles, or figures of monsters, with
mouths pierced for waterspouts. The east angles of Chancel
have each two buttresses, and double pinnacles.

There are 17 gargoyles altogether, viz., 7 to Chancel roof,
2 to the South Porch, 1 to the Golden Chapel, 2 at the West
End, and 4 on the Tower.

And every house covered was with lead,
And many a gargoyle, and many a hideous head,
With spouts through, and pipes, as they ought,
From the stonework, to the kennel rought.

Lydgate't Boke of Troy.

The Kennel means crenelle or loophole. As late as Henry
VIII's. reign, no man dared to have his house crenellated with-
out royal licence.

nr^G)

TONG COLLEGE.

HE following particulars are extracted from Bishop

Tanner's notes, 1744 — original date 1695. The

Licence for the foundation of the College was in

12 Hen. IV. The Statutes and Ordinances for

the Government of the College, dated 9 March 14 ro, were

confirmed by the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, 27 March

1411.

King Henry IV., in the 12th year of his reign, in considera-
tion of £50 received, granted his licence to Elizabeth, relict
of Fulk de Pembrugge, Knight, Wm. Shaw, Clerk, and
William Morse (or Mosse), Clerk, to acquire of the Abbot and
Convent of Shrewsbury the Advowson and Patronage of the
Church of St. Bartholomew the Apostle at Tonge in Shrop-
shire, of the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, for them to
have and to hold, reserving to the said Abbot and Convent an
annual Pension they were us'd to receive of £o 6s. 8d.

And the said Elizabeth, Wm. Shaw, and Wm. Morse,
when seized of same, to convert the said Church into a per-
petual and incorporate College of 5 Chaplains, more or less,
one of whom to be by them appointed Warden of the said
College. And that the said Persons might assign to the
College so founded a Messuage with its Appurtenances in the
said Town of Tonge ; the aforesaid Advowson and Patronage,
as also the Advowson and Patronage of the Parish Church
of St. Mary of Orlyngbere in Co. Northampton and Diocese
of Lichfield ; and two Messuages, 2 roods of Land, and 4
acres o£ Meadow, with the Appurtenances, at Shameford in

ii2 Tong College.

Co. Leicester ; with the reversion of the Manor of Gilden
Morton in the County aforesaid, after the Death of Margaret,
the' wife of William Newport, who had same for her Life ; and
the said Master and Chaplains to hold and possess all the
Premises, and to be a Body Corporate by the name of the
College of St. Bartholomew the Apostle at Tong. Likewise
that the said Elizabeth, Wm. Shaw, and Wm. Morse, when
the said College was actually founded, might give the
Patronage and Advowson of the same to Richard de
Pembruge and the Heirs of his Body.

King Henry V , at the Parliament at Leicester,* at the
request of Elizabeth, relict of Fulk Pembrugge, gave and
granted to the Warden and Chaplains of the Church of St.
Bartholomew the Apostle at Tonge, the Town and Manor or
Grange of Lappeley, commonly called the Priory of Lappeley,
with all appurtenances, and the Church of Lappeley, once
part of the Possessions of the Abbot and Monastery of St.
Remigius at Rheims, seized into the hands of King Edward
on account of the war with France, and had been farmed out
to the Prior of Lappeley at 42 marks per annum, free of all
impositions whatsoever.

King Henry IV., in the twelfth year of his reign, i.e., 1410,
granted the Licence for Tong College. It will be well to re-
call a few historical incidents of the time. Henry IV. was
not the rightful heir to the Crown, on the deposition of
Richard II., although he had been the principal means of the
despot's overthrow. The Houses of Parliament, however,
admitted his claim, and the House of Lancaster was allowed
to add a large share of laurel to British History. It was just
at this time that the Commons made a considerable advance
in importance and authority. Counsellors were appointed, by
whose sole advrce the King was to be guided. Various

* It will be remembered that Sir Richard Vernon, Elizabeth's son-in-law, was Speaker
of this Parliament

Tong College. 113

articles were agreed to regulating the grants of money, courts
of justice, elections of knights for counties, &c, and other
provisions made, which were " of themselves a noble fabric of
constitutional liberty." Justices of the peace were first
appointed in this reign. Nevertheless the statute book was
marred by the Law for the burning of heretics ; and in 1401
William Salter, a clergyman, was burned to death in Smith-
field, London, because he refused to worship the Cross, and
denied that the bread in the sacrament was transubstantiated.

WyclifFe, in order to promote his views, had sanctioned the
employment of wandering preachers, called "poor priests/'
men that, after the manner of the ancient religious orders,
traversed the country and preached to the common people
assembled at fairs and markets. Hence grew up a sect called
11 Lollards " (from " lullen," to sing with a subdued voice).
The Clergy held that the movement ought to be crushed, and
so the statute was passed, and the persecution of the Lollards
went on in this and the succeeding reign. In the latter, how-
ever, the King was disinclined to persecution. " Many
bishops were still accused of slackness in the persecution, and
it should be mentioned to their hononr. The prisons in
Bishops' houses, which had been simply places of confinement,
were now often provided with instruments of torture." At
Woburn, in the palace there was a cell in the bishop's prison
called " Little-Ease," because it was so small that those con-
fined in it could neither stand upright nor lie at length."
" The same law, which transferred to the Church the power
of life and death, left a discretion with the ordinary of fine and
imprisonment ; and frequently those convicted of heresy were
doomed to the sentence formerly inflicted by the Church for
homicide, of perpetual imprisonment within the wall of a
monastery. It is possible that in such abodes they may have
been sometime the blessed instruments of imparting divine
truth to the companions of their sojourn ; but if we may judge

Tong College.

of the feelings towards them by Walsingham and other
monks of the time, we may well imagine how with such
keepers, they ate and drank the bread and water of affliction.
Others were burned on the cheek with a hot iron, which, if
they dared to hide, they were liable to be burnt as relapsed
heretics ; or were condemned to wear the device of a faggot
worked upon the sleeve of their clothing, in token of their
narrow escape from burning. '* Not until the reign of
Charles II. was the practice finally abolished.

The writer has an iron body-ring covered with leather, to
which two wristlets are appended to hold the arms, fixed at
the sides. It seems similar to the rings which victims wore
formerly, v/hen being dragged on a hurdle by a horse to the
scene of execution.

To the credit of Sir Thomas More, the pious statesman and
Chancellor of Henry VIII., Erasmus, his friend, distinctly
testifies, no man was put to death " for Protestant dogmas
while More was Chancellor " ; though his staunch adherence
to the Roman Catholic religion, and his denial of the King's
supremacy, as head of the Church in England, brought his
head to the block in 1535.

This period is remarkably interesting to Englishmen. The
year which saw Sir Thomas More's execution sounded the
death-knell of Tong College ; it saw th2 first English transla-
tion of the Bible, namely Coverdale's, in 1535; it saw the
commencement of Henry VIII's great act of spoliation, the
destruction of the Monasteries and all their rich treasures ;
Tong being one of the 93 Colleges destroyed. The revenues of
the destroyed Colleges, Monasteries, and Hospitals (645 in
number), amounted to ^"160,000, or one-twentieth of the
National income. The word " protestants " was just coined
from the action of 14 cities and 6 princes in "protesting*'

* Massingberd.

Sir Thomas more

{From a Painting in possession of the Author).

Tong College. 115

against further changes in religion; while disciples of Bass and
Allsopp must look back to that period with tender regard as the
date of the introduction of Hops, and the wearers of Mail had
cause to rejoice in the disappearance of Bows and Arrows.
In 1536 Parish Registers were established. Sir Thomas
More, the man of inflexible integrity, whom no motivei could
seduce nor honours corrupt, was the guest and retainer of
Holbein, and the famous drawings at Windsor by that artist,
who is supposed to have designed the Tong ciborium, — are
principally of More and his friends. By his indefatigable
application as Chancellor not a cause was left undetermined.
His character has been much mis-represented by Foxe and
Bishop Burnet, while ail his contemporaries describe him as
being of a singularly amiable disposition, and unaffectedly
and sincerely pious.

1416. King Henry V. attaches the town or Manor and

Grange of Lapley in Staffordshire with its Church
or Priory, and all the Revenues thereunto apper-
taining being heretofore part of the possessions
of the Abbey of St. Remigius at Rheimes in
Champeigne in France, provided that the
Vicarage of the Church of Laply be sufficiently
endowed, and a competent sum allowed to the
Poor of the Parish.

1535. (26 Hen. VIII.) College rated (valued) at ^22 8 1

1546. Atthedissolution of Religious Houses, SirRichard

Manners was appointed Commissioner for the
Sale of Tong College, and sold it to James
Woolrich for ^200. The deed confirming
Sir Richard's power to effect the sale — signed by
King Edward VI. and Lord Protector Somerset
— was in perfect preservation at Tong Castle
not long ago.

u6 Tong College Rules.

1649. J. Woolrich's heirs sold the College to William

Pierrepont, proprietor of Tong Castle.

1763. Visit of Mr. W. Cole. The Duke of Kingston's

seat is at Tong Castle. The ancient College
where the Clergy lived is mostly demolished,
and what remains is partly inhabited by some
poor people, and partly converted into a stable.
(Gents Mag.) At the West end of the Church
there are Alms houses for six poor widows, who
have 40s., a shift and gown per annum.

1774. Duke of Kingston sold Estate to Mr. George

Durant.

The above-mentioned Elizabeth, William Shaw, and William
Mosse, founders of this College in the year 1410, appointed
Statutes and Ordinances to be for ever observed in this
College, which were confirmed, 141 1, by John, Bishop of
Coventry and Lichfield, the Purport whereof is as follows : —

"That there should be in the said College 5 Priests, having
no other Benefices excepting the Warden, who might have
any One of the Said Priests to be the Warden, and the rest
obedient to him, and another Sub- Warden.

That there should be also 2 proper Clerks for the Service
of the Church.

Also 13 Poor maintained by the College, 7 of which so
infirm that they could not help themselves.

The Warden to be named by the Foundress Elizabeth during
her life, and presented to the Bishop of Coventry and Lich-
field, and afterwards to be chosen by the Chaplains.

In case the Chaplains disagreeing, a Warden should not
be chosen in 15 days, then the right of nomination to devolve
to the Patron ; if he name not in 4 months then to belong to the
Bishop, who not doing it in a month, it should pass to the

Tong College Rules. 117

Chapter of Lichfield, and they neglecting it in 15 days, lastly
the choice should belong to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Every Chaplain to be admitted by a majority of the Wardens
and Chaplains, and to be in the nature of a novice for the
first year, at the end whereof, if found fitting by the greater
number, to be received by them.

None to be Warden or Chaplain but a Priest, and of un-
spotted life and conversation.

If, upon the vacancy of a Chaplain's place, another were
not received by the master in three months, the Deficiency to
be supplied by the Bishop.

The Poor of the College to be appointed by Elizabeth the
Foundress aforesaid during her Life, and after her Death by
the Warden ; not to be removed again without just Cause.

Every new Warden before his Admission to swear he will
faithfully execute the said office, and observe the Statutes.

Sub-Warden to take the like Oath.

The Chaplains when incorporated to swear Obedience to the
Wardens, and to observe the Statutes and defend the rights
of the College.

The Warden within 2 months after his admission to make
an exact Inventory of all that belongs to the College, and to be
afterwards accountable yearly.

The Sub- Warden to have the management of all things
when there is no Warden.

The Warden to hear the Confessions of the Chaplains.

The Warden not to be non-resident above two months in a
year, nor any of the Chaplains above one, unless it be upon the
Business of the College, nor ever to be absent from Divint
Service.

u8 Tong College Rules.

The Warden to appoint one of the Chaplains to have the
Care of the Parish, and he to be called Parochial Chaplain,
and another of them to teach the Clerks and Ministers of the
College, as also the Children of that and other neighbouring
Towns to read, sing, and their Grammar, for which he to be
allowed a Mark a year extraordinary.

The Mattins to be sung early in the morning ; the Mass and
other Hours at their proper times ; with many other ordinances
about the performing of the Divine Service.

If any of the Poor be so sick and weak that they cannot go
to the Church to hear Mass, then a Chaplain to be appointed
to say Mass in the Chapel in the House, 3 times a week.

Several Anniversaries to be dutifully kept in the Church.

Every poor person, unless hindered by sickness, to hear one
or two Masses every Day.

The Warden and Chaplains to be uniform in their decent
Habit in the Church according to the Use of the Church of
Sarum, and every Chaplain to furnish himself with Habit,
and any of them coming into the Church to Divine Service
not so habited, to be punished as absent.

The Warden and Chaplains to live in a Community in the
same House, each having a Chamber apart, and if they speak
to one another to do it lowly. The Warden to keep the keys
of the outward Doors at night. The Warden and Chaplains
to eat at one Table, and the Warden to say Grace. Meat and
Drink to be modestly distributed. One of the Chaplains to
be yearly or quarterly appointed Steward. Provisions always
to be laid in at proper seasons. Strangers to be but seldom
brought into the house ; and women never, though the most
virtuous, or at least very rarely, upon Extraordinary Occasions,
and if they be suspicious persons on no account whatsoever.

TONS College Rules. 119

If any dined there at the upper table, he who invited him to
pay 3d. if at the lower 5 farthing's. It Provisions should be
dear, or the Dignity of the Guest require it, the Charge to be
proportionately rated ; but if any person were brought in to
eat, for the Benefit of the College, the Charge to be defrayed
out of the Public Stock. No Priest to bring any person to
Table above one day unless it were a Friend or Relation that
came from some remote part.

No Priest or Clerk to use Hunting or Hawking, nor to
keep any Dog for sport, and any transgression after three
admonitions, to be expelled without Noise.

The Warden and Chaplains to be decently Cloath^d and
uniformly, once a year, and the Clerks in like manner.

The Warden to be allow'd 10 Marks a year for his Cloathing
and expenses besides Diet ; each Clerk 4 Marks besides Diet,
and other profits for Obits, &c.

Clerks and other Choristers to be allowed according to their

Ability.

The Sub- Warden, the Chaplain that has the cure of the
Parish, the Steward, — \ a Mark above their Constant allowance
for a year or in proportion for a shorter time.

TheWarden and Chaplains strictly forbid granting or selling
any Pensions, Corrodies, or Immovables belonging to the
College.

Any one consenting to such Pension, *Corrody, or Aliena-
tion, to be expelled the College unless the same were done by
the Diocesan for the Benefit of the said College, or upon
some other necessary occasion.

The Brethren disabled either by Age or Sickness to be
charitably maintained, and not to be expell'd on that account,

* An allowance of food and Clothing allowed by an Abbot to the King for the maintenance
of one of his servants. — Halliwell.

120 Tong College Rules.

but only for crime committed, or in case anyone have other-
wise got temporal Possessions to the value of 6 marks a
year.

When the Brethren meet in their Chapter after the business
relating to the same, they are to enquire whether any Faults
have been committed since their last meeting ; then, and if
any appears, the same are to be chastised by the Warden, or
Sub-Warden.

Grievous crimes not to be punished but the Warden being
present, unless he were long away, and the Delay might be
dangerous. But if the case were doubtful, his Return to be
expected. Yet if it were such a crime to cause Irregularity,
the Party to be immediately expelled as in the case of Murder
or the like.

Yet for Adultery, Perjury, Theft, or the like, which might
admit of Re-admissions, after due penance performed, the
Party having made his humble confession before the Brethren,
to be again restored If it be Fornication, Drunkenness, or
the Like, offender to be twice corrected by the Warden or Sub-
Warden, and the third time to be expelled.

The same to be observed in relation to the Poor.

If the Warden should be guilty of such offence, the Brothers
twice to exhort him to correct the same, and three times to
accuse him to the Bishop to be punished by him canonically,
and if after such Punishment he does not amend, then to be
expell'd by the Ordinary.

If any Chaplain would of his own accord leave the College,
he should give 6 months' Warning, and if he did not then, to
lose his Allowance for those 6 months.

No seizure to be made by the Patrons or their Heirs during
any Vacancy, &c.

College Rules, Seal, &c. 121

The Clerks to serve the Warden at Table, and to eat at a
Second Table ; as also to See Harvest brought in at proper
season at such Hours as they are not to attend Divine Service.
Each poor person admitted into the College to receive Diet,
Cloathing, and other necessaries, i Mark Sterling in Money
or the value, besides their Dwelling house with other profits
of the Gift of the Faithful.

A Lamp to be kept burning before the High Altar, and
Candles to be furnished for the Divine Service, &c.

The College to have a Common Seal for their Common
Business, with the Image of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, as
also that of a Knight on one side, and a Lady on the other,
kneeling, and the Coat of Arms of Fulk Pembrugge, Knight,
and of his wife Elizabeth, the Foundress, in the same Seal,
under the feet of the aforesaid Apostle, and about the same
written, " The Common Seal of St. Baitholomew at Tonge."
The same to be kept under two different Keys in a Chest with
the Writings and Treasure of the College.

The above Statutes and Ordinances, dated 2 March, 1410,
for the Government of the College, were very salutary and
severe.

^50 equal to a large sum of present money.

" Shaw," a name still applied to some of the richest
land in Tong Parish, in fact the " Shaw Lane " where there
are some old Cottages, is called by "the oldest inhabitant "
" The Prior's Road." Fancy pictures " the Rev. William
Shaw " sitting with a fellow warden upon the rude old stone
seat now remaining in the middle of the Shawfield. Shaw
itself means a wood, or cover, a shady place,

Welcom quod he and every good felaw
Whider ridest thou under this greene shaw?

The immense elms, which lately stood in the Shawfield,
testify to the good qualities of the soil for tree or herbage.

122

Tong College, Site, and Grange.

Two Cbrks being mentioned show that even thus early the
people of Tong had exceptional religious facilities.

A worthy clerk, as proved by his wordes and his werk„
He is now ded, and nailed in his cheste,
I pray to God to yeve his soule reste.

Castfe

Home Sha»

Con&ree Me3idow Tow„ Mea.do#

Tong College is the building shewing/
three sides of a square.

Map made for Evelyn, Duke of Kingston, in 1739.

The exact position of the College is shewn by the sketch
which I have taken (by the kindness of the late Mr. Fisher, of
Newport, Salop) from a Map dated 1739, when the ancient build-

Tong College Inmates. 123

ing was still in existence. In 1887, a dry summer, the lines
of the foundations could be traced in the grass.

The " Town of Tong" is a high-sounding title, certainly
not borne out by our present knowledge of it. We may, how-
ever, easily understand the place to have been of considerable
importance ; firstly, it had a Royal Grant of a Fair on the Eve-
Day and morrow of St Bartholomew the Apostle (24 Aug. )
secondly, the holding of the Manorial Court and View of frank
pledge ; and thirdly, from being the centre of religious zeal
and means of diffusion of knowledge, its body corporate
possessing other towns and manors affiliated to it and in-
creasing its income, while the Grange or monastic farm at
Lizard, and possibly others, managed and overlooked periodi-
cally by one of the chaplains himself riding out, increased its
importance and usefulness, and provided employment for the
poor. Thus Chaucer says : —

This noble Monk of which I y>u devise
Hath of his Abbot as him list licence
Because he was a man of high prudeneo
And eke an officer out for to ride
To seen hir granges and his hemes wide
For certain bestes that I inuste beye,
To storen with a pi ace that is oures.

It seems as though the officer who had this happy periodical
relief from the routine of monastic life may be compared to the
favoured boy at a boarding school, who is occasionally sent by
his master to perform a little commission for him in the town.

2 messuages or houses, 2 roods of land, i.e., cultivated arable
land.

The parish clerk, i e.y the priest,

I trow that he be went
For timbre, ther our Abbot hath him sent,
For he is wont for timber for to go,
And dwellen at the Grange a day or two.

5 priests including the Warden and Subwarden,
2 proper clerks.

124 Tong College, Habits, Manorial Customs, &c.

13 poor, 7 too infirm to help themselves.
20 inmates in all.

Upon my faith thou art som officer,
Som worthy sextein, or some celerer.*
For by my fadres soule, as to my doraef
Thou art a mnister, whan thou art at home
No poure cloistorer, ne non novice.
But a governour both ware and wise
And therwithal of braunes and of bones
A right wel faring persone for the nones.

We may hefe remark how much greater a blessing a College
was than a Monastery. The one a community or assemblage
of men invested with certain authoritative powers using their
establishment to diffuse learning, promote the education and
welfare of the neighbours, and to attend to the wants of the
sick and infirm ; the other, the Monastery, a place of retire-
ment, a provision for housing and feeding primarily themselves,
the monks, without much regard for the rest of the world, an
association of men full of the light of learning and blessed
with advantages which might have been turned into a bless-
ing to those around them, but one which enabled them to self-
ishly hem in and bury themselves within the four walls of
their habitation, bent only on attaining Salvation themselves,
regardless of the rest of mankind.

" The parochial chaplain and another to teach the clerks,
" ministers and children of that and other neighbouring towns,
" to read, sing and their grammar." Which can the neigh-
bouring towns be ? Tong-Norton, Donnington, Shifnal,

W'eston.

There appears to have been a little Chapel within the
College, besides the Collegiate Church, and Mr. Cole remarked
in 1757 that the Alms-house or Hospital had a Chapel of its
own. The rules as to their Costume or Habit appear to be

* The oificer in a monastery who had the care of the provisions. f In my opinion.

Pews akd Seats in Church. \7%

ligid in the extreme, while on the other hand the hospitality
to be shown to strangers, although according to rules, was of
a full and ample character.

The ambiguous and contradictory regulations for the admis-
sion and exclusion of women are truly naive.

The regulations point to the Clerks' inclination to indulge
too freely in matters of sport ; however, an oftence or two
may be overlooked, and if the extreme penalty be enforced,
it would be best to say as little as possible about it. Doubt-
less there was no great harm then as now, but real good in
the Clergy joining in the -various avocations and diversions of
their flock, provided it were not carried too far. The pre-
dilection for sporting was manifest too in the ladies of that
day, as we shall remark more explicitly in referring to Black
Ladies ; but it may be that the " Canes Venatici " (Dogs of
the Chase) of the Nunnery were frequently instrumental in
providing a dinner for the inmates who we read were poor
indeed ; thus nothing is new under the sun, and the occupa-
tion of the lurcher to be seen under every ugly caravan of the
present day finds a precedent in the usages of religious
zealots of old.

The Manorial Court consisted of the Lord or his Steward
and the Jury, duly summoned and warned by the quaint in-
junction " Oh, yes ! Oh, yes ! Oh, yes ! " At the Court the
deaths of various tenants of the Manor, and the fines due to
the Lord of the Manor on each death or change of ownership,
were declared and recorded.

This custom is still performed in Manorial Courts at the
present day — the Jurors and Court being discharged in
similar words to the opening exclamation. An old work (re-
ferred to previously), and dated 1675, prints elaborate
rules of Courts Leet and Courts Baron of the time. One or

326 Pews and Seats in Church.

two may thus be noted: — "8 Henry VII. The Freehold of
the Church is to the Parson, and the pewes are Chattels unless
they are fixt, but some have pews there by Prescription ; but
the pews fixt there are the Freehold ot the Parson."

"A peiw" (says Gouij;h in his quaint History of Myddle,
quoting- eminent authorities) " is a certain place in church
incompassed with wainscott or some other thing, for several
persons to sitt together. A seat or kneeling (for in this case
they are the same) in such a part of a Pew, as belongs to one
families or person. And a peiw may beelong whoaly to one
family, or it may beelong to the ordinary, and noe man can
claime a right to a seate without prescription or some other
g-ood reason [sic.]. A peiw or seat does not beelong to a
person or to land, butt to an house, therefore if a man remove
from an house to dwell in another, hee shall not retaine the

seat belonging to the first house

If a man sell a dwelling house with the appurtenances the

seate in Church passes by the word appurtenances

Wee have a tradition, that theire was noe peiws in Churches
before the Reformation, but I believe that some of the cheife
Inhabitants had peiws in the upper end of the Church before
that time, as appears by certain antient cases in law-books.
Neverthelesse after the Reformation the bodys of the Churches
in most places were furnished with peiws ; or with benches
(which were called forms) for the people to sitt in while the
Lessons were read and dureing Sermon time. " And Mr. Gough
proceeds to give a very interesting account of the Parish of
Myddle by taking in order the names of every householder's
pew.

The two pews on the north side of the pulpit in Tong
Church, i.e., in the North Chapel, were claimed a few years
ago as " belonging to the Minister " ; but rights to pews are
— or ought to be— better held in these days by constant use

Pews and Seats in Church-. t2^

of them than by any other title. It is the habit, however, of
some old people to bequeath the family pew in their Parish
Church in the same way as other valuables, although the pew
itself may have been already lost sight of in a much-needed
re-arrangement of sittings. Such was the case when Mr.
Isaac Pugh, a cousin of mine, recently bequeathed Pugh in
his will the pew in Oswestry Church. The family came
from Llanfyllin, near Oswestry. The name Pugh means son
of Hugh, formerly written Ap Hugh, as is Griffiths,, for Ap
Griffiths, (son of).

Harriot, f Two manner of, viz. : Harriot custom, and
Harriot Service ; the former after the death of the tenant for
life ; the latter after the death of the Tenant in fee-

Breviate of the Charge.

Ill persons for the Commonwealth (inter alia) : —

Of those which Sleep in the day and Walk in the nighty
and have nothing to live on.

Of those which catch Pigeons in the Winter with Nets or
Engines.

Very extraordinary offences I

Herriot. One of the properties belonging to the Tong
Charity Trustees is called " Little Harriots Hays," otherwise
44 Dead Woman's Grave/' The connection between the two
names is easily surmised. Heriot in " all the Lordship's
marches " was the best weapon. Heriot Covenant is such a
weapon as an arrow or a sum of money or such a beast or
goods as is mentioned in the Covenant. And this the Lord is
obliged to take, although it happen to bee worse than the

best weapon the best weapon may be but

a " pickavill, a trouse bill, or a clubbe staffe, for these are
weapons offensive and defensive. "

t From " here " a lord of herus, and geat or neat, a beast. Quasi dictum " The lord'*
beast"

I2S Manors, Pounds, and Constables.

Trespass.
Of Common Barretors and Scolds.
Ot breaking the Common Pound.

" Barretors " or Scolds meant Brawling Women. The
ladies charged with this offence were punished by having-
an iron bridle locked on their heads —part of it, a narrow
tongue of iron, one and a half-inch long, much like the bowl
of a spoon, was thrust into the mouth, which effectually pre-
vented conversation offensive or even supplicatory.

Pound. — In many a parish the pound is the sole relic of
Manorial Authority. All stray animals were impounded, and
the fact proclaimed in the Church. There is a pound at
Tong Norton, and one at Weston, and at Blymhill.

Constable. To see the Watch kept !

The Community was in very simple hands, if we may judge
by Shakespeare's Constable and the men of the Watch.

Dogberry : Well, for your favour, Sir, why give God thanks, and make
no boast of it, and for your writing and reading, let that appear when
there is no need of such vanity. You are thought here to be the most
senseless and fit man for ths Constable of the Watch ; therefore bear you
the lantern. This is your charge— you shall comprehend all vagrom men ;
you are to bid any man stand, in the Prince's name.

Watch : How if a' will not stand ?

Dogberry : Why, then take no note of him, but let him go ; and
presently call the rest of the watch together, and thank God you are rid of
a knave.

Well you are to call at all the ale-houses, and bid those that are drunk get
them to bed.

Watch : How if they will not ?

Dogberry : Why then let them alone till they are sober ; if they make
you not then the better answer, you may say they are not the men you
took them for.

Watch : Well, sir

Dogberry : If you meet a thief, you may suspect him, by virtue of your
office, to be no true man ; and for such kind of men, the less you meddle
or make with them, why, the more is for your honesty.

Watchman, Wardens, Masses, Etc.

129

Each town a century ago had its Watchman, who hourly
cried out the progress and atmospheric phases of the night :— -

* One o'clock and frosty '
'Two o'clock and raining."
' Three o'clock and line," &c.

The London Watchman
cried the time every half-
hour. In addition to a
lantern and rattle, he was
armed with a stout stick.
T. L. Busby, who in
1819 illustrated "The
Costumes of the Lower
Orders of London," tells
us that in March the
Watchman began his
rounds at eight in the
evening, and finished
them at six in the morn'
ing. From April to Sep-
tember his hours were
from ten till
five ; and from
November to
the end of Feb-
ruary, twelve till seven. During the darkest months there
was an extra watch from six to twelve, and extra patrols or'
sergeants walked over the beats at intervals.

It is peculiar that the only reference to the farming opera'
tions upon which the College must have depended for its pro-
visions is so briefly referred to. " The Gifts of The Faithful "
may, however, have been so ample as to provide hard cash
with which the Warden could buy the larger portion of tlie
necessaries of life.

Watchman : " Past One o'clock, an'' a fine morning.'

130 Tong College — Masses.

I have come across no illustration of the Seal of the
College.

In the Hon. and Rev. Canon Bridgeman's Account of
Marston,* containing some account of Lapley Priory, mention
is made that the Master (or Warden) of Tong College was to
have a man and a pair of horses kept at the expense of the
College to travel about the business of the fraternity ; but, if
occasion require it, he might keep more horses when he
travelled to more distant parts, and further that the following
Masses should be performed : —

On Sunday, the mass of the Holy Trinity for founders and benefactors ;

Monday, the mass of the Holy Ghost ;

Tuesday, Salut Populi (the Salvation of all Men) ;

Wednesday, the Angels' mass ;

Thursday, the mass de Corpore Christi ;

Friday, mass of the Holy Cross ;

And on Saturday, the mass of Rest.

Thomas Forster's tomb is in the north wall of Shifnal'
Church, a canopied one, with effigy, and this inscription :

Here lieth the Body of Thomas Forstar
Sometime Prior of Wombridge Warden
Of Tongue and Vicar of Idsall 1526.

The arms are quarterly (per fesse indented), i and 4 sable-
a pheon ; 2 and 3 argent, a forester's horn.

Thomas Forster's Will is in the Bodleian Library, dated
1522. Among others, are bequests for the following purposes t
" to the prysts and Clerks of St. Andrew of Idsall to kepe
the Mass every Friday by rote, x * to John Hatton to set
me in his Bead-roll : every pryst in the parish to have iiis, ivd.
to pray for me. Also it is my mynd to have a Trentall-day as
soon as may be after my departyng " [i.e., a celebration of
Mass 30 days after).

An extract from the Shropshire Archaeological Journal may be:
taken, as Forster or the Foresters are farther associated with

* Staffordshire Archaeological Vol., 1884, and Lloyds Duke's Shropshire

Forester, Warden of Tong. 131

Tong in the person of Isabella Forster referred to later. It says
he was a Pluralist of that date, and one of much dignity ; repre-
sented lying in his priestly robes, which consist of a Cassock,
Alb or Tunic, a Chasuble with border, and an Amice round the
neck ; on his head the Tonsure, which was a corona or crown
shewing the mark of his order. He was one of the family of
the Foresters, presumably of the Royal Forest of the Wrekin,
and a native of the parish, as evidenced by a deed of Richard
Forster of Evelith (temp. Hen. VIII. 20), who granted certain
lands in Alderton in the parish of Great Ness, Co. Salop, to
find a fit chaplain " to pray for the Soul of Thomas Forster,
and for the souls of all his friends and kinsmen."

He was of the same family as Anthony Forster (" Tony
Fire-the-fagot " in " Kenilworth "), whose tomb in Cumnor
Church, Co, Oxford, describes him as M Qui quondam
Ipplethae Salopiensis erat." Ipplethae or Ivilith, or Evelith
the paternal Estate, was held by Lord Forester's family
until within the last few years.

A pretty drawing of the Tomb, conveying an idea of its
character, was made by the Rev. J. Brooke, of Haughton.

A DOCUMENT DESCRIBING THE "BOUNDARY
OF THE LORDSHIP OR MANOR AND PARISH OF
TONGE:"—

GTfje I9tfj anb 20tfr of JHag in &nno 1718 jacmoranoum, tfje
Xiaos ano gear aoobe torttten famjj iftagatton toeeke. 31 Bounoerg of
tfje ILoro^sfjtp, or JEannor ano ^arigfj of (Eowje toaa tfjen taken 05
tfje JHtmstor ano surf) of tfje Inhabitants thereof foijogc names are
hereunto suoiscrtoeo, ano 12 ag folloinetf) :

Impr.

It was begun at Tonge Mill Poole and went Eastward up A Brooke called
Kilsall brooke uuto A Bridge over the said brooke in the Road from Tonge to
Albriugton, ou the midle of which Bridge was a Gospell Read, and from theoce
Eastward up the aforesaid brooke unto tlie upper part of a piece of ground in th«
tenure of John Cotton, c -tiled the Walds, from thence Across the bottom of widdow
Hauison's fieald unto the Cornor of Tonge Parke pale then forward adjoyning to
the lands of Will. Colemore, Esq., in the tenure of John Yate. and Thomas Ellits
lour foot on the outside of the Park pale all along, likewise fiom thence forward
on the outside of the Parke pale adjoyning to the Lands Ffitchherbot, Esq. four foot
being in the tenure of Thomas Row adjoining unto the Park pale up to the
Keepers meadowes, then continuing on by a bond hedge made by Mr How from
the Keepers meadows, and also from the Parke helds, from thence unto A marie
vitt in mill fi-ld in the tenure of Mr. How being adjudged to be an acre which
formerly paid tythes to Touge, thence returning out of the grounds of Mr. How
into Ambiit-g meadowe and still continueing by Mr. How's bond hedge unto
Moralls meicell now in the tenure of John Carpentor to A gate place there where
there thm was A gospell read and from thence Along by the bond hedge of
Dennis Field, in the upper part of the aforesaid held is about two Acres of Laud
in the Parish of Tonge and pavs Tithes to the Lord of the Aianuor of Tonge as often
as it is tilled, from thence returning out of that lands into Biyery hurst and still
continuing by Mr. Howe s bond he ge unto Pierce Hay laoe thence returning to A
gate entering into Bishops wood where there then was A gospell read and from
thence by a bond hedge dividing from the Parish of Brewood leaaing to A piece of
Land Pertry lessow iu the tenure of William Le^ke, and from thence by A bond
hedge dividing from the Pa<ish of Blimhiil untill we come to Weston Parke Pale
Corner, at A gate there was then A gospell read, then goeing seven foot of the out-
side of the Westou Parke pale westward unto A piece of Land called Cowe haye,
then continuing by the Bond hedge of cowe haye in the P-ish of Westou unto
Cowe haye gate where there then was A gospell read and from thence continuing

Perambulation of the Boundaries of Tong. 133

~by the Bond hedge belonging to Weston P-ish aforesaid unto A certain gate lead-
ing of Norton heath unto Weston new Mill where there then was A gospell read
and from thence by the aforesd Bond henge of Weston unto Windrill
meadow, And from thence continuing by certin grounds called the Windrills uuto
Street way still by the P-iah of Weston along certain grounds in the tenure of John
Fox of Lizyard Grange unto to the road from Tonge to Newport were there was a
gospell read. And thence along the lands of John Fox aforesd adjoyning to Street
road in i he P-ish of Sheriffehalse unto A certain brooke ruuing from Burlaughton in
the P-ish of Sheriffhalse And from thence southward dovvne by the said Brooke
adjoyning to the P-ish of Shiffnall ati* Idsall unto A way and steping stones upon
the same brooke belo v Thomas Wenlocks corne Mill where there then was A
Gospell read, And thence along the same brooke unto the upper forge hammor
ditch where there was then A gospell read and from thence along the fforge brooke
unto A way and steping stones where was then a Gospell read And from thence
by the same brooke to A bridge below the lower Forge where there was a Go-pell
read, thence by the same brooke unto Timlett Bridge where there then was a
Gospell read. And from thence by the same brooke unto a certain bridge over
which is a way into Muncke fields from Ruckley Grange near below which bridge
is A bylott or spot of Land over the brooke belonging to the P-ish of Tonge adjoyn-
ing to a meadow in the holding of Lancet Jones, then returning to the Forge brooke
aforesd downe to A bridge below Ruckley Grange house upon which there then
was A Gospell read And from thence along the same brooke to the Hole upon A
bridge there then was A gospell read, And from thence by the same brooke round
to Ruckley wood cornor which is the Tenure of Thomas Scott untill it meets the
Brooke that runs from Tonge Mill. Thence returning up Tonge Mill brooke adjoyn-
ing to the P-ish of Dunington untill we come to a certain Piece of Land about
half an Acre lyeing over the sd brooke now in the holding of John Horton
which is in the P-ish of Tonge unto a gate upon Worcester Road where there then
was a Gospell real, and from then .e returning two and up the saide brooke untill
we come to Tonge Mill, at A gate over the poole Bridge adjoyning to the P-ish o
Dunnington where there then was A gospell read, and the Boundary there
ended : —

Lewis Peitier, Curate of Tong ")

George Salter | The Seavon of the

Robert Stones | Jury at the Court Leet

TheR"CM 0? R M""on Tent- j& Court Baron held

TheKmogrekr of (? Mas0B, Ror the Mannr of Tonge

Thomas Ore j the 26th of Oct. 1719

John Cotton | know the Boundaryes.

The mark of n H„, „

George § HolmM J

The above was a small paper document 2oin. x i6in. found
by the Rev. R. G. Lawrence at Donnington, a neighbouring
parish, and sent by the Rev. H. G. de Bunscn, rector there, to
Mr. Lawrence, Nov. 20, 1872. " This is the Document I told
you of, to which, as far as I can see, not we, but you have the
right."

134 Boundary of thk Manor and Parish of Tong, 1718,

The above old document, describing the Boundary of the
Manor and Parish of Tong nearly two hundred years ago,
is of much interest, especially to the inhabitants who are
acquainted with the roads and places mentioned. It seems
that the perambulation took two days to complete, namely,
the 19th and 20th of May, 1718, and these no doubt were
Rogation days.

Rogation days are the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
before Ascension Day ; and are said to be so called from the
old custom for processions to go out from the Church to
various stations in the parish, where hymns, canticles, and
litanies were sung, asking for God's blessing upon the fruits
of the earth.

The following are words from a beautiful Rogation hymn : —

Our hope, when Autumn winds blow wild

We trusted, Lord, with Thee;
And still, now Spring has on us smiled,

We wait on Thy decree.

The former and the latter rain,

The Summ«r sun and air,
The green ear, and the golden grain

All Thine, are ours by prayer.

Thine too by right, and ours by grace,

The wondrous growth unseen,
The hopes that soothe, the fears that brace,

The Love that shines serene.

Why are not out-of-door services revived in the Church of
England ? They are very impressive indeed. The service
of the Consecration of new burial ground at Tong lately is an
instance, and a more striking one was the Volunteer Camp
Service at Coppice Green a few years ago.

The walking of the boundaries of the Parish or Manor was
a duty zealously performed a century ago in all parishes.
The party perambulating included the clergyman, some old
men, inhabitants well acquainted with the windings of the
boundary, and a certain number of lads " to tell them that
come after." Refreshments were provided at certain points

Tong Mill — the Miller. 135

on the route, and the proceedings were not infrequently
enlivened by practical jokes played upon the boys, to stamp-
in their memories the day's business, such as where by
chance a brook took a doubtful turn or divided in two, in that
part of it which remained as the boundary one or two of
them would be "ducked." In a place where the boundary
ran through a cottage, a small boy was pushed through a
little window which denned it ; and in another case where
there was no window, money was thrown over for the boys to<
catch on the other side, f

The Duke of Kingston was Lord of Tong at this time.
The parish boundary seems to have been identical with that
of the Manor.

" Begun at Tonge Mill Poole." This Mill was
probably upon the site of the old Mill connected with the
feudal establishment of Bishop de Belmeis, immediately
below the Castle. Several mill-stones came to light when
the dam of this pool burst a few years ago. It is probable-
that a small pool on the west side of the Castle fed by the
larger Church Pool, supplied the water to drive the mill-
wheel, for the document says the boundary went " Eastward
up a brooke," thus proving that the Kilsall water was not
impounded to form a pool then.

The poet Chaucer iwho lived in 1359, and bore arms in
Edward's Expedition to Calais), so quaintly describes the
miller and other rural characters of the 14th century, that I
have quoted his _ words, in order to bring vividly before
us pictures of the country people of those earlier days.

The miller was remarkable for his stout build, and prowess.
at " wrastling.*'

Upon the cop right of his nose he hade
A wert, and thereon stode a tufte of heres.
Rede as the bristles of a sowes eres.

t Custom on the Hawarden Manorial boundary W.G. says —

136 Gospell Trees and Places,

A white cote and a blew hode wered he,
A bagge pipe wel coude he blow and soune
And therwithall he brought us out of toun.

A damaging line says

Wel coude he stelen corne and tollen thries,
And yet he had a thomb'* ot golde parde.

It was the boast of old Mr. Bloxham, of Lizard Mill, that
he was " the honest miller."

" The road from Tonge to Albrington (i.e., Albrighton)
*' on the middle of which Bridge was a Gospell Read."

Old Plot tells us that—

"'In the skirts of the town [of Wolverhampton] are ranged at determinate
"distances a number of large trees, which serve to mark the limits between
" the township and the parish. Thase are denominated by the inhabitants
" Gospel trees, from the practice 01 reading the Gospel under them, when
*' the clergy were wont to perambulate the boundaries."

Plot, again in his history of Staffordshire, 1686, says: —

** They have also a custom in this- County,, which I observed on Holy
Thursday at Brewood and Bilbrook, of adorning their wells with Boughs-
and flowers ; this it seems they doe too at all Gospell-placea, whether wells
trees or hills ; which being now observed only for decency and custom
sake is innocent enough. Heretofore it was usual to pay this respect io»
such wells as were eminent for cureing distempers on the Saint's day
whose name they bore, diverting themselves with cakes and|ale, and a little
musick and dancing.''

There are no wells of this description in Tong, but in the
Shaw Lane, at Tong Norton, upon some old half-timbered
cottages there, I have seen bunches ot yellow May flowers*
hanging over the doors, some weeks after the 1st of May has
passed. And this May-day custom I have observed on
John Wilkes's Cottage in the neighbouring parish of Weston.

The May-pole. — The Shaft or Maypole was in former times
considered part of the public property of the parish, and as
such was repaired by the Churchwardens- Popular amuse-
ments were in those days under the patronage of the Church..

* Meaning probably that notwithstanding his thefts he was an honest miller,, i.e., as-
Stonesi as his brethren^

May-Day and Cromwell. 137

May-games, though much olderthan the Christian Church, were
connected with some of its most pleasing rites.

A little nonsense now and then
Is relished by the wisest men.

At Waddingham, before the Elizabethan spoliation, a
sacring bell hung from its top. May-poles seem to have
existed in most of our villages until the time of the Great
Civil War. By an ordinance of Parliament in Cromwell's
time, 1644, all May-poles were ordered to be removed as
heathenish vanities.

We read that " not long after the restauration of King
" Charles II., the young people of Myddie [and others] were
" about setting up a May-pole near the church-stile ; " where-
upon the parish clerk remonstrated. He was brought before
a justice of the peace, "when it was deposed on oath that
14 hee said it was as greate a sin to sett up a May-pole as to
" cut of the King's head. (These words hee denied even to
" his dying day)." He was, however, subsequently fined 5
marks, " and an order was made that he should louse his place."

" Corner of Tong Parke Pale." There seems to be little
doubt that the Park belonging to Tong Castle was enclosed
with pales, and extended from the present brook at Tong
Park Farm northward to Hubball, and possibly to the foot of
the Knoll. There is no reason why it should not have done
so, as the OfFoxey Road is a comparatively new one, happily
substituted for the old tortuous way by the Knoll House,
passing not far from the old Tithe Barn to White Oak.

This old barn is very large, and was probably the tithe
barn of the parish, in which the tithe hay and grain were
stored, before the Tithe Commutation Act came into force
some 50 or 60 years ago.

In harvest time, when the grain was in mows ready to carry
to the stack, notice was required to be given to the person
collecting the Tithe-owner's share of grain crops, and he

138 Collection of Tithe in Kind.

would come to the field and sprig with a twig every tenth
mow ; these would be carried to the Tithe barn, for use of
the Incumbent, unless he agreed, as was often the case, with
one farmer to give him so much money for the tithe crop of
the whole parish.

This method was a survival of the practice adopted in the
time of the Norman kings to obtain their revenues. The
Sheriff was the king's " fermor " ; he agreed to give the king
so much money from a given County, and anything more he
could extract from the people in it was his pay and profit.

By the Tithe Commutation Act there was a certain sum
in lieu of tithe apportioned on each field ; an Act which often
works unjustly at the present day, when the highest-tithed
land, i.e., the wheat growing arable land, bears a tithe of
perhaps 4/- to 6/- an acre, and the crop itself will not pay the
cost of production, while rich pastures are almost tithe free.

Here are some of the words of an old song called " The
Tithe Pig " :—

" Good morning said the Parson," " Good morning Sir to you,"
" I've come to choose a sucking pig, you know it is my due,
" I pray you sir, go fetch me one, that is both plump and fine,
" For I expect a friend or two along with me to dine."

With my whack fol the diddle dol the dido.

Then in the stye the farmer went, among the pigs so small,
And brought him out a little pig, the least among them all.

On seeing this, the parson, how he did ramp and roar,

He scratched his head and stamped his foot, and almost cursed and swore.

With this outcried the farmer, " Since my offer you refuse,

" W*lk in the stye, you're welcome Sir, now pray go pick and choose."

Then in the stye the parson went without any more ado,

Th' old Sow came out with open mouth and at the parson flew.

The other lines of this doggrel are now forgotten, but the
old sow tore off the skirts of his coat, not to mention graver
grave disasters to other garments,

And ran her head between his legs, and tumbled him in the mirev
Then out of the stye the Parson came, all in a handsome trim.
The farmer almost split his sides with laughing at the fun.

He then demanded his hat and wig (for wigs were worn in

The White Oak. 139

those days), and hurried out of the place, and said he was
almost dead, departing with the words —

" For all the- treatment I received, all in the accursed stye,
" I never shall relish a sucking pig unto the day I die "

With my whack fol the diddle dol the dido.

The "WHITE OAK" overhangs Mr. Murdock's back-
kitchen, and is a large tree standing upon an elevated
piece of ground midway between Tong and black
Ladies near Brewood, and was probably in the middle of
that part of the Forest called Bishops Wood. It was
formerly whitewashed, as I am informed. The reason for so
doing may have been to render it a more conspicuous
signpost, marking the way through the forest, and
perhaps denoting that near here was the turn off the main
road into the bridle way to White Ladies Abbey, and now
the shortest cut to Albrighton Station.

The next name we come to is " Morrall's meicell, at a
gate place there, where was a Gospel. read," i.e , the bridle
road to the White Ladies Abbey aforesaid. The " meicell "
being spelt with a small m suggests that it was not an
uncommon word, but one aptly describing certain lands.
Mr. Hartshorne gives : meese, a labyrinth, to turn giddy
(from the Anglo-Saxon meuse) — a hole in a fence, a hare's
general track. Perhaps the word denotes a part of the old
Forest of Brewood, unridded, where the trees were thick,
and the way through it puzzling, the underwood growth
briery, and good shelter for wild animals.

"Dennis Field" — belonging to the owners of Boscobel.
The tithe upon it was apportioned at 6/- per annum, and is
still payable to the owner cf Tong. St. Denys is the patron
Saint of France, and the name suggests a connection-wifch
White Ladies Abbey hard by. The bridle-way field and one
adjoining bear the respective names of " White Ladies Close"
and "Minerals Leasow"; other old names suggestive of

140 Lady Isabel's Well.

mines are Ores Bank and Small Ores Bank to the North
of Meashill house.

** Bryery Hurst." The name is still retained in New and
Far Briery Hurst and Briery Leasow some thirty-five acres,
lying west of the Meeshill house. A Hurst is defined as a
woody place, where trees grow but low.

Mr How's bond-hedge extended to the road to Boscobel,
then called Pierce Hay lane.

A well, called Lady Isabel's Well, and a weeping- willow
over it, are near this spot. At the present cross roads, near
a cottage called " Acorn Lodge," was, I suppose, the gate
leading into Bishops wood, probably then a wood indeed, and
part of Brewood Forest. Near here occurred a famous
fi^ht between two pugilists.

Pertry or Pear-Tree Leasow, a name still retained by the
field south of Park Pales house.

A bond-hedge divided Blymhill and Tong, '* until we come
to Weston Park Pale Corner." This is a point in the road
leading from Park Pales House towards Ivetsey Bank, not
far from the wood to which Weston Old Park extended.
The present noble owner, the Earl of Bradford, tells me
that Weston Park originally reached nearly to Brewood.
A Map in Plot's Staffordshire of 1686 shews this so.

An inhabitant living at Park Pales, named JIMMY
TETHERTON, an honest old cottager whose life is bound up
with the spot, soliloquized on rent-day in October, 1890, in
terms which I paraphrased thus : —

I want a bit o' paint fur the doo-ers

It'll do 'em good, Keep the splicings right

And the nail-holes in the wood ;

Tisn't much, it'll do for me, I shan't be lung

Afore I've done with it all, right or wrung

D'ye know how old I am, why eighty years and more,

Was eighty-one last birthday, and that's over four score ;

Cow Hay in Weston Park. 141

Ten year oldtr than My Lord, cos I know he's seventy-one,
But oh I'm well and hearty, but my work is a'most dun.
I bin' workin at Pyatt's, a harvestin' up at the hill,
Finished six weeks to-day, and some 'ull soon go to the mill.
Farmin'i; up to nuthin' now, they keep no men,
I never see sich a thing— jest look at it then

When Stockley Squire had the farm, and the stuff they ased to grow,
Everywhere like a garden and men he had enow'.
Oh ! I bin workin o' his garden, Pyatts I mean to say
Fetched all the rubbish and weeds up— ow they dun grow on the clay.
Stockley ee kep it sa nice, an this un ee knows ow ta farm,
But why doant he see to the gardin better from takin' harm.
"Well— I must go, good day, you'll see to the paint and stuff,
Better be done afore winter, the weather gits rough.
N.B. — " Meester Norton hasna' sent the paint fur the doo-ers yet !"

A piece of land called "Cowe Haye" in Weston Park. A
haye was that fenced or paled part of a forest into which
beasts were driven to be caught, as elephants are in India and
deer in America. The entrenchments, made by bushes and
thickets, were termed hayes*

4< Cowe haye gate." The present Tong entrance Lodge to
Weston Park.

Norton Heath. Evidently then unenclosed (1718), as shewn
on a Map of Tong, which I have seen dated 1739. It was
here that Leslie's 3000 Cavalry re-assembled and offered King
Charles their doubtful services again.

Weston New Mill. The mill must have been just erected,
in place of a Windmill, which occupied a site on the banky
land not far from Streetway or Watling Street. The Wind-
mill was in situ in 1686. The Windrills corrupted from
"Windmill," a name given to the fields west of Mr. Shaw's
farm house, the Woodlands.

The boundary to Burlaughton brook is easily followed in a
westerly direction from Pikemere Hollow, the bed of a
large sheet of water now dry, but whose outline can be
partly followed in the meadows. The present oak trees just
inside the field, on the north side of the Watling Street,
indicate the boundary of the Parish and County.

* Hartshorn's Salop. Antiq.

*42 Weston New Mill — Idsall.

" Shiffnall, alias Idsall" (Idd's hall ?). — Both names were
then in use. Why do not the inhabitants return to the latter
and more euphonious name?

Good lad}- Ida,
Hear me, ere I die.

Tennyson.

" A way and steping stones below Thomas Wenlock's
corne Mill," i.e., the present Lizard Mill.

"Upper forge hammor ditch," " Forge brooke," "lower
Forge," and "Timlett bridge" are names suggesting the
important business of the conversion of iron ore, hitherto
carried on here, before the discoveries of steam had removed
such work to the towns. The ore was brought from the
Priors Lee and possibly Wolverhampton districts. The
brook lay on a good road between the two, and its rapid fall
favored the use of powerful waterwheels. These were con-
structed either (i) to work a large hammer (as the name of
the upper forge implies), or (2) to compress large bellows by
which the blast was made constant, and thus the heat became
so increased that the operators "had the satisfaction in
three days' time of seeing the metal begin to run." A token
shewing a forge hammer was found at Ton^ Church during
the Restoration in 1892. (See illustration.) A lengthy
account of the whole process 200 years ago cannot but interest
those engaged in the iron works of the present day.

" When they hav-* gotten the Ore before tis fit for the furnace, they burn or cal-
cine it upon the open ground with small wood, to make it break into small pieces
which will be done in three days this is annealing or fiting it for the furnace. In
the meanwhile they heat their furnace for a week s time with charcoal without
blowing it, which they call seasoning it, and then they bring the Ore to the furnace
thus prepared, and throw it in with the charcoal in baskets vicissim i.e. a basket
of Ore, and then a basket of coal s.s.s. whereby two va>t pair of bellows placed
behind the furnace and compressed alternately by a large wheel turned by water
the fire is made so intense that after three days time the metall will begin to run
still after increasing till at length in fourteen nights time they can run a sow and
piggs once in twelve hours which they do in a bed of sand before the mouth of the
furnace wherein they make one larger furrow than the rest, next the Timp (wht-re
the metal comes forth) which is for the Sow from whence they draw 2 or 3 &
twenty others for the piggs. It not only runs to the utmost distance of the

^f*^5^3»g^v*&^ ' ' HubW Grange '

Ancient Forge — Sow and Pigs. 145

furrows but stands boiling in them some time. Before it is cold i.e. when it begins.
to blacken at the top & the red to goe off, they break the Sow and pigs off from
one another & the Sow into the same length with the piggs tho' in the runing it is
longer and bigger much, which is now done with ease. The hearth of the furnace
into which the Ore & Coal fall is ordinarily built square the sides descending ob-
liquely, and drawing near to one another at the bottom where these terminate,,
which they term the boshes ; there are joined four other stones, commonly
set perpendicular and reach to the bottom stone making the perpendicular square
that receives the metall which 4 walls have the following names — that next the
bellows, the tuarn or tuiron wall ; that against it the wind wall or spirit plate \.
that when the Metall comes out the Timp or foreplate ; that over against it, the
back wall. Tis of importance there should be 5 or 6 soughs made under the
furnace in paralel lines to the stream that turns the wheel which compresses the
bellows to drain away the moisture from the furnace, for should the least drop of
water come into the metall, it would blow up the furnace, and the metall would
fly about the workman's ears from which soughs they must also have a conical pipe
about 9in. at the bottom set to convey the damp from them into the open air which
too otherwise would annoy the workmen even to death." From the furnaces they
bring the Sows and piggs when broken asunder to the Forges ; these are of 2 sorts,
commonly standing together under the same roof, one called the Finery the other
Chafery — both open hearths upon which they place great heaps of Coal, blown by
bello vs like to those of the furnaces and compressed the same way but nothing
near so large. In these two forges they give the Sow and piggs 5 severall heats be-
fore they are perfectly wrought into barrs. First in the Finery they are melted
down as thin as lead, where the metall in an hour thickens to a lump called loop ;
this they bring to the great Hammer raised by the motion of a Waterwheel and
first beat it into a thick square, a half bloom — secondly put it into the Finery for
half an hour then bring it to the same Hammer when they work it iuto a bloom,
which is a square bar in the middle and two square knobs at the end, one mu h
less than the other the smaller the Ancony the larger the Mocket head. This is
all they do at the Finery. Then the Ancony end is brought to the Chapery where
after being heated for a quarter of an hour it is brought to the Hammer and beat
quite out into such bars as they think fittest for Sale. Whereof those for rodds are
carryed to the Slitting Mills, where they first break or cut them cold by the force
of one of the wheels into short lengths ; next heated red hot & brought singly to
rollers by which they are drawn even & to a greater length; another workman
takes them whilst hot & puts them through cutters of divers sizes — then another
lays them straight whilst hot, and when cold binds them into faggots, then they
are fitting for Sale.

Thus I have given an account of the Ironworks of Staffordshire, as they are now
exercised in their perfection, the improvement whereof we shall find very great if
we look back upon the methods of our ancestors, wlio made iron in foot blasts or
bloomeries by mens treading the bellows, making but a little lump or bloom of
iron in a day, not 100 weight leaving as much iron in the sla? as they got out ;
whereas now they make two or three tons of cast iron in tweuty-tour hours, leaving
the slag so poore that the founders cannot melt it again to profit.

The " upper forge hammor-ditch " runs alongside the upper
forge pool. Iron cinders still cover a part of the pool

144 Stone Cross, Tong Norton, Timlet.

embankment. At %t the way and steping stones " is a foot-
road still.

" The bridge below lower forge, where was a Gospell read,"
is now called Upper Timlet Bridge or the Forge bridge. This
road leads direct to the Stone Cross at Tong Norton.
Whether this is the site of an old preaching cross I know not.

Tong Norton had a separate history from Tong as early as
1 167, when each was fined for an offence against the Forest
Laws. Stone Crosses were erected first in 653. When
Churches were rare, and clergymen were sent from episcopal
monasteries to preach, they did so in the open air at a cross,
until the advantages of religion induced the lords to build
churches, f By the will of an Oxford Collegiate Dignitary,
dated 1447, Stone Crosses were directed to be put up " of the
usual kind, where dead bodies are rested on the way to their
burial, that prayers may be made, and the bearers take some
rest."* In Brittany they are common yet.

Timlett Bridge, i.e., Timlett Hollow, the bridge carrying
the road from Shifnal to Tong. An inhabitant of Timlet
Hollow informs me that the man who kept horses to do
nothing else but cart the ore to the Forge, died about 56
years ago ; and that his father, who lived by the "loom-hole,"
2 miles away, used to hear the forge hammer very plainly,
"and could always tell when it was a going to rain by its
sound."

" Will. Colemore, Esq." was, I suppose, a previous owner
of Shackerley property.

" Fitcherbot Esqr.," one of the Fitzherberts, owners of
historic Boscobel.

The "Keepers Meadows" are those adjoining the brook,
where it bends from a N.E. to an easterly direction on the
east side of Tong Park House. The name is still retained.

•) Hist, of Hawarden. * Building News.

Marl ano Maklpits in Tong. 14$

Mr. How's bond hedge. — Mr. How seems to have been a
large occupier, and without his bond hedge — which may mean
a boundary hedge, or one newly pleached down — the boundary
would have puzzled Mr. Pietier to describe, judging from the
repetition of the name.

Marl is a red earth, brittle when dry, but if wetted becomes
adhesive and clayey. " A Marie Pitt in Mill Field." This
is in Meashill farm. The dressing of land with marl was very
much in vogue years ago, judging by the numberless marl
pits in this and the adjoining parishes. Then the profitable
production of wheat warranted the farmer in going to con-
siderable expense in preparing his land for that crop ; but
now, alas ! this is not the case and agriculture pines. As
early as 1260 the Marlpit of Methplekes was referred to in an
action against Wm. de Harcourt, as to a tenement in Tong,.
and as to a Charter of Alan la Zouche, seignoral lord,
granting " the land which Robert de Betterton [Beighterton]
held in the Barude [Brewood], also his waste near the Pole
between the Wood and the Marlpit of Methplekes against the
road which passes from Tong towards the Wood, also the
Brod-more, &c." The field adjoining the old barn field bears-
the name of Marlpit Leasow too. The large holes by the
roadside indicate the spot whence the earth was taken.
The land where these pits are is naturally retentive of
moisture. Very likely the marl was carted to other places in'
the Parish or Manor where the soil is lighter and sandy.
I find Neachley was the Grange or Farm of White Ladies
Abbey, and the use of marl there would probably be suitable
and efficacious.

In the amusing " Chronicles of a Clay Farm/'" we find an
account of some Marl Pits, which puzzled the young farmer :•

"Amongst the legacies which the wi dom and labours of antiquity had
bequeathed to the Clay Farm and its cultivators, one of the most euricutf and1
truly puzzling was a quantity of Marl-pits, In every field of 5 or & acres' w£s *
great yawning * pit/

146 Lime and Marl.

And Sir Anthony Fitzherbert in his Boke of Husbandrie
published in 1523, frequently mentions the employment of
Marl ; but in his list of Manures omits Lime altogether ; and
this is extraordinary when we find a writer on the same
subject some 70 years before, declare that u Lime even close
to the kiln was dearer than oats " ; and when we consider
that all produce was carried away by pack-horse, so that
lime-drawing would have been too expensive to pay. \

It is thus easy to see that our forefathers had good reason
for making the Marlpit do duty for the Limekiln.

" Human instinct and experience had discovered the top of something which
neither rain nor sunshine, nor even farm yard manure deprived of their elements
could restore, before sulphates or phosphates had been christened ; hence the-
Marl-pits."

Theory : " This field, for instance, what does it want ? "

Practice : " Lime."

Theory: "Why?"

Practice : " Because it would sweeten it."

Theory : " But why ? " and Practice ia silent after centuries of experience.

The Chemist says: "Its effect arises from its avidivy for combination ; it
searches out free acids, as a ferret does a rat, and instantly closes with them
Sulphuric, pbosporic, silicic, nitric, humic, and last not least, the 'Gr*-atl>is
► olver,' Carbonic acid ; all these it makes known by seizing upon them and bee m
ing their ba^e ; thus disintegrating, as it were, and reconstructing the elem nt« 0
the soil, and exciting to a new action the sluggards of Nature wherever t:ev ? re-
lurking. It is the Composer and Decomposer, for natute cacnot suffer either
process, but fertility must follow : re-compositiou (growth) has begun ere decom-
position is over : does a latent atom of organic matter stand inert for one instant
it is at him like a Policeman, — ' Came, kip moovin' .r ' "

The ancient De Hugefort deed is translated as follows: —

" And that they [the monks] may have all liberty and free common in woods, in
plains, in highways, in paths, in waters, in mills, in heaths, in turbaries, in
quarries, in fisheries, in marl-pits, and in all other places, and easements to 1he
aforesaid unniir of Tonge belonging, and that they may take marl at their pleasure-
to marl their land. ' *

Here may be mentioned the curious grant of Roger la
Zouche to Henry de Hugefort, thus described by Mr. Cox : —

" In after time** we find Roger Zouche of Ashby to be Lord of this Manor of
Tonge, and tnaT h^> did by a fair Deed, u der his Seal, on which was his.

* Translation supplied by the late Rev. W. AUport Leigkton.

Hogs— Th" Chaplet of Roses — Horses. 147

Pourtraiture on Horseback in a Military Habit, grant unto Henry Hugefort, and.
his Heirs three Yardlands, thre* Mt-ssuages and certa n Weds in Norton and
Shawf in this Parish of Tonge, with Paunage for a great Numb-r of Hogs in the
Woods belonging to this his Manur ; also Liberties of Fishing in all his Waters
there, except in the J great Pool of Tonge, with other privilege**, viz. : of gathering
Nuts in his woods there, &c , rei dring yearly to him tue said Roger and his
ideirs, a Chaplet of Roses upon the Feast of the Nativity of St. John Baptist, in
case he or tbey shall be at Tonge, if not, then to be i ut upon the Image of the
blessed Virgin in the Chnrch of Tonge, for all Services, Suits of Court, &c "

This quit-rent of a Wreath of Roses is recorded among- the
rents due from the free tenants of the Manor to Sir Fulco de
Pembruge, who died 1296. A visitor to Tong a century ago
observed a garland upon the Pembruge tomb. Probably
placed then upon the oldest monument of the Lords of Tong
on the previous 24th of June, it commemorated the ancient
custom, though not in the strict letter, which was impossible
seeing that the Image of the Virgin had been removed from
the Church. Mr. Lawrence says he renewed the custom.*

The " mill field," about an acre, is not clearly distinguished,
but it may be the bit south of the marl pits. The mill must
have been the one where Humphrey Pendrell carried on his
business, now known as Shackerley Mill, formerly pertaining
to the Convent of White Ladies.

" Ambling meadow," possibly where the same ladies of the
Nunnery rode their palfreys.

In those days they rode astride like the men. Chaucer
tells us how they rode : —

Upou an ambler esily she sat,
Y wimpled well, and on hire hede an hat,
As brode as is a bokeler, or a targe.
A fote-manfcel about hire hippes large,
And on hire feto a pair of sporres sharpe.

" No sporres sharpe " were needed when the sensational
"Sir Hugo" won The Derby for Lord Bradford in 1892, a
year in which there were 259 entries, the fourth largest num-

t Names still distinguishing part of the Parish. J The great poole— query, Norton Merc.
* Vide paper read at Archaeological Society's visit.

148 Salt-Making— Tong Lakb Tournament.

ber on record ; nor can many parishes boast, as Tong can, to
have been the galloping ground of a Derby winner, whose
owner owned the land and bred the colt.

The Abbies and Convents had to get their own salt made,
it seems; and I read, I think, in an article of Mr. H. F.J.
Vaughan's — whether he was quoting from Eyton's Antiquities
of Shropshire or not I forget — that the salt works of Lilleshall
Abbey were at Donnington near Albrighton. The following
letter throws some light on Salt-making : —

Letter from Roger Bedall, 3 Dec, , about 1542.
Right worshypple masters, my dewty rememberyd, I have me commendyd unto
yow, sertyfying yow that your servanttes bathe demawndyd of me serten salte that
the abbye of Bordynley hade yerly, for the whiche sawlte that was laste made I
have payd to Mr. Ttiomas Evans liij*. iiijd. Consytheryng the chargys fierto
belongyng, 1 thynke hyt be all payd, soo ther ys no more dewe to ba payd as yet ;
for Bordysley salte ys wont to be made alweys betwene Estur and Penteycoste.
The chargys that belongythe to the salte makyng

Item, for the salte makyng is.

Item, for the cuttyng of the wod ija.

Item, for the beryng of the bryne xvjd.

Item, for the drawyng of the bryne : vd.

Item, for the reparacyon of the fates [vats] xvjd.

Also, for the getheryng of the rent

and the makyng of the salte, my

ffee is yerly a lyverye cote and ...vj«. viji

To the ryght worshypple
Mr. Scuddamore and Mr.
Bargoenye thyg be
delyvered with sped, dd.

With regard to Tong Lake, a sheet of water of some 21

acres in extent, the following old placard has been sent me by

John H. Clarke of Tong Norton : —

Programme

OF THE TOURNAMENT ON THE LAKE AT TONG

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th, 1839.

The Cecilia, Lotus, and Water Witch, having four Champions and a Bugle man,
with the Crew of each Boat in uniform to correspond with the Flags, will start
from Vauxhall Gardens at 12 O'clock make a circuit round the Lake, and draw up
to front of the Fairy Isle, from whence the Queen of Love and Beauty will give the

Tonq Lake Tournament.

149

signal by lowering her flag for the Cannon to fire and the Tilting to commence
which will be performed during their procession round the Islands. When the
B >ats meet the Bugles sound the Charge, and the Cb amnion standing on the stern,
with his Lance advanced, will endeavour to overthrow his antagonist.

The Vanquished will be immediately succeeded by another Champion till the
whole have been encountered, when the two last will receive the Prizes from the
Queen of Love and Beauty.

The Gold Purse to the Champion who has vanquished the greatest number, and
the Silver Purse to the other.

When the Tilting is finished the following Coracles —
Neptune- - - - Colour
Nautilus
Mermaid
Porpoise
Jim Crow
Duck 'em
Will start from Vauxhall Gardens, make the
front of the Fairy Isle, when the Queen of Love and Beauty will give the signal by
lowering her Flag for the Cannon to fire, and the Race to Commence round the
Western Island.

The first Coracle that returns to the Starting Post will be entitled to the Ladies
Purse.

All the Champions who are overthrown and unsuccessful Competitors in the
Race will receive a handsome remuneration.

George Hbmpenstall, Seneschal
Francois de Vos, Maitre D'Armes
John Swan

- Red

- Blue

- White

- Yellow

- Red & White

- Blue & White

our of the Lake, and draw up In

John Wedge

Wardens

W. Parke, Wolverhampton (Printer).

There is a grandeur about this programme worthy of old
times ! Who were the Champions, and the Bugleman ? The
Seneschal we know, and the Wardens are old Tong names ;
and was the Fairy Isle the same as the reed bank of to-day ?
Above all, who was the Queen of Love and Beauty ? Or were
there two Queens ? What a charming "Queen of Love " little
Miss Sybil Kenyon Slaney would be.

Four Champions in three boats sounds awkward. Probably
they carried long lances and thrust at each other, as was done
by Tilting Knights on horseback in old times. The horses
were set at a gallop, and the shock of a lance-thrust, received
at such a pace, may better be imagined than described. The
lance was often broken, or the rider unhorsed. The legend

150 Tong Lakb— Coracles — Tong Factory.

on Marmion's shield, Sir Walter Scott tells us, ran

" Who checks at me to death is dyghte."

A few old tilting lances are preserved in the Tower of London ;
they are of light wood, and from memory I should guess them
to be about 15ft. long, and 3 or 4 inches through at the butt
end.

The Coracle is a small wicker boat, the ancient British
Curwgll, which a man can carry on his back, and is rowed
with one oar. It requires skilful manipulation, or easily cap-
sizes. Old fishermen on the Severn, near Shrewsbury, are
very clever with the coracle, and it is still used on some rivers
in Wales and Ireland.

Some names are readily traceable to occupations. Hempen-
stall, ;£io worth of hemp or flax was to be bought by Lord
Pierpoint's Will, to be worked up by the poor, and then sold to
apprentice poor children. He also bequeathed a sum to buy
Staffordshire or " Shalloon " wool to be worked up by the
poor, and when woven, to allow each widow a gown. There
was a room over the College porch belonging to the Manufac-
tory.

Items in Heayse's accounts occur which probably relate to
this factory : —

1803. Mrs Andrews — Repairing the washing mill, Is. ; a board for the washing
mid &..-., 2a. 8d. ; webbing for the mill, auu b-dhs, 4d.

The woik-house or factory was at Tong Norton, a thatched
building.

The Wedges are numerous in Tong ; and old John Wedge,
who lived at Neachley Brook, a worthy old man, was a walk-
ing compendium on Tong parish matters. The name
is undoubtedly traceable to occupation at the Forge
or Forge hammer, or Wheels. John Wedge it seems won
the coracle match and £2, and Abraham Hempenstall the
tilting match. There were supposed to be 3,000 persons
present and 300 carriages!

t Ex. Salopian Journal, 1839.

Clockmakers of Tong. i5r

William Wootley. — He was clerk in 1801, and a clock-
maker ot no small repute, who carried on his business at
Tong Hill. The late Charles J. Horton (who gave me a
a curious Tudor Jug, with Medallion of Queen Mary, which
belonged to his grandmother) told me that Woolley got the
" works " for his clocks from Coventry. The Earl of Brad-
ford has a clock of his make, as also have James Tetherton,
of Park Pales, Mrs. Alice Turner (Charles J. Horton's niece),.
William Stevenson, of Cross Roads, whose parents had it
70 years ago. Woolley was an apprentice of John Baddeley,.
blacksmith, of Tong, who made Sheriffhales clock, and was
" Clockmaker to King George," as I am told. Mrs. George
Parker (now Salter) has a clock made by " Baddeley, Tong."
She is a daughter of a worthy old Foreman of Labourers,
now disabled, named Samuel Greatbach. He found a piece
of the old Forge mill-wheel. John Jones, of Tong Lodge
(uRosy Jones"), had a clock made by Woolley & Son,.
Albrighton, His wife is a Salter, one of the oldest families of
Tong. George Salter was one of the Manorial Jury in 1719
who knew the " Manor Boundarye." Benjamin Andrews*
father, of Tong Norton, made the frames for these clocks.
It seems Thomas Ore was also a Tong clockmaker, and
made the present sundial at Tong in 1776. They are "grand-
father " clocks, and it was the custom for each young couple
who got married to have one of " Woolley's " clocks.

There is a Salter's Hall at Newport, possibly a name deriv-
able in connection with the fish-salting there.

In 1808 Heayse's accounts refer to William Woolley, Esq.:
In 181 1 he lived at Neachley. In 1808 Heayse put up a
bridge at Butters Brook for Mr. W. Jones, of Tong Parish,
costing 17/6. Which brook is this? In 1809, James
Ellis came to work for him at 1/6 a day. In 181 3, Nov. 14,
Mr. Smith, of Weston — 2 pair of large stocks, £1 5s. od. ;

152 Names and Sayings.

Newport, at the Fair, cash 7/- ; Easter week, £1 J Codsall
Wake, 5/r ; Emingham's cocking, 4/- (what is this?);
stockings, 3/6 ; Wake, 10/6 ; cash, Nov. 26, gallowses and
ale ; cash for a Harper, 4/- ; brass for cards, 6d. ; cash,
£1 is. od., old Nan. " Clew" means a ring at the head of a
scythe, from the Anglo Saxon. Mr. Clews was a tenant in
Tong, lately, whose father was gardener to Lord Bradford.
"Jimmy Beresford, the artist," says " they soul at Tong, and
always have done," i.e., on All Souls' Day, and that if you
bring the spade or pikel in the house they say " ther'll be a
death in the family." Also, " the crows whirling about is a
sign of rain ! " Milner is a corruption of Miller, and Great-
batch from the batch of flour baked at one baking, or brought
from the mill. Picken suggests an occupation, and Gamble
is from gambrel. Bourne is a boundary stream. Haighway
from John •■' of the highway." Yate and Yates from gate.
Crowther a player on an ancient violin.

In 1 88 1, the population of Tong was 498 ; in 1801, 404 ; m
1831, 510. In 1891, population 445.

Some other local sayings are, " to scratch for the 'adlant,"
i.e., hurry to reach a place before a certain time; "hussel,"
household goods ; " with a jaundiced eye," t>„ evil and
prejudiced," " twarly," illtempered : " it rained cats and dogs
at his funeral/' a sure sign of a not very good life ! "By the
dumpty derry," a jocular oath; " Wrong way of the Charley/'
misconstrued or perverted intention ; " gallus," a wag.

Of names we find Leichfield, the field of dead corpses,
hence lich-gates to church-yards. — Newport means the new
haven, or way ; Parker, keeper of a park, or to inclose ;.
Pierepoint de petra ponte ; Shuker means a bender ;• Stanley,
a stony hill ; Taylor, from Tailere, to cut ; Twiss, a twin ;
Vernon, green-springing, or a town in Normandy. *

•E-a. Gough-'s Myddlfr.

Names and Places -Rare Birds. 153

The name of HARTLEY will long be associated with the
tenancy of Tong Castle. The late Mr. John Hartley died in
his 72nd year. He was a deputy lieutenant for Staffordshire,
and J. P. for Stafford and Salop Counties, one of the partners
in Chance & Sons' well-known Glass Works, and later a
partner with his brothsr-in-law, Major Thorneycrott, J. P., in
Messrs. G. B. Thorneycroft & Co.'s large Ironworks and
Collieries, a member of the Royal Coal Commission and chair-
man of the South Staffordshire Iron Trade, and many years a
Director of the L. & N.W. Railway. Mr. Hartley married in
1839, Emma, a daughter of Mr. G. B. Thorneycroft, of
Wolverhampton, the lady who now resides at Tong Castle,
and interests herself much in promoting the happiness of her
friends, and the cottagers.

There seem to have been four public-houses in Tong, if not
more. There were three at Tong Norton, via. : —

The Horse Shoes, where George Meddings now lives, near the Smithy.
The Bush, in the hollow, formerly kept by Mrs. Jane Jones.
The Plough, at the north end of the shaw Lane ; and
The Red House was an Inn in Tong Village.

Birds of some rarity are frequent visitors to Tong, and
they have been noted in the 7 ransactions of the Shropshire
Archaeological Society (vol. iii. , pt. 4, &c), from communica-
tions furnished by Colonel the Hon. F. C. Bridgeman, M.P.
of Neachley, who, like his father, the Earl of Bradford, is an
ardent naturalist ; they include Grebes, Herons, Pochards,
&c.

Reliable contributions of that kind are always appreciated
by the Society, whose operations now are so undervalued,
alas 1

THE DURANT FAMILY.

OME account of Mr. Durant's family is given on
pages 89 to 92. The following addenda may be of
interest.

Probably few country paiishes bear more striking marks of
a family's ownership than does that of Tong. Whether these
are calculated to increase our respect for the name or other-
wise is not for me to say. Certainly many old landmarks
were demolished or lost sight of in that time, notably the
College, the Almshouses, and Sir Harry Vernon's picturesque
Castle itself; but on the other hand, large sums of money
were spent greatly in the employment of labour — and there-
fore deserving of high commendation — in forming water
carriers, in rebuilding the Castle, in razing old and ugly
dwellings, and in the erection of new ones. On the whole
perhaps a more judicious and discriminating use of his means
would have commended itself to all who know the place at
the present time. About 1760 Mr. Durant purchased Tong
Castle and Estate from the Duke of Kingston, and he
appears forthwith to have commenced to chop off the strag-
gling parts of the old Castle, and to reface the main building
with the mixed Moorish and Gothic exterior forming the im-
posing facade which now presents itself to our view, and to
carry out his other " improvements."

The ownership by Mr. Durant and his family extended to
within a few years of a century, and Mrs. F. O. Durant's-

The Durant Family. ire

decease and her son's change of residence from the neigh-
bouring town of Shifnal sever the last link which associated
that name with the district. I append a letter from the elder
Mr. Edwin Durant.

Shifnal, 8 Sf-pt., 1884.

My Dkar Sir, — I reyret it is not in my power to give jou any particulars of
importance of my "blessed" ancestors.

Th« tablet thing the name"* of children who were then alive (and which ^ as
erec*<-d by my grandfather) does not contain all the names bv some hdf score, as
my Father Francis Ossian, and Mav, who *re buried in our vault, were tren living
as well as Em est Beanfoy and Ausrustus. (These 3 last, T think, are not buried at
ToDg. B, and A. are not, but I am rot quite sure about Ernrst).

Wouid it not be well to mention that the sketch of "Little Nell" in Dickens's
work is taken trom long Church ?

Faithfully yours,

EDWIN DURANT.

It is said (1893) that on the Durant Tomb being opened for the burial of Mr.
and Mrs. F. 0. Durant there was found half-a-crown on the coffin of one already
buried there, it b-ing the legacy left that person by Mr. Durant, and which person
refused to receive it during life— so it was placed on his coffin after death, and so
paid.

George Durant, Esq., purchased the Castle, &c. , in 1760,
having married Maria, daughter of Mark Beaufoy, Esq.,
leaving a large family.

Mr. George Durant, his son, was a minor at his father's
death in 1780. He married first Miss Eld of Seighford, and
secondly, in 1830, Celeste, daughter of M. Caesar Lafefve.
By his first marriage he had issue a son, George Stanton Eld,
who predeceased him, but leaving a son, George Charles
Selwyn, who sold Tong Castle Estate in 1855 to the Earl of
Bradford.

The following pages are of private rather than of general
value, and the result of stray notes made during the frequent
sight of these which may be properly termed, lt Durant
Oddities," dating from the second Mr. Durant's period,
called Col. Durant. They may be of secondary interest now,
but simple accounts of familiar objects become dignified by

156 The Hermitage and Convent Lodge.

lapse of time, and to their happy preservation are we indebted
for some valuable details of the domestic history of bygone
days. I venture to think that such records also make us
regret the less the necessitous removal of those old things
themselves, which modern requirements have rendered in-
convenient or perhaps valueless.

The Hermitage at Tong, to be seen from the Albrighton
Road, is so called from the fact that a miserable poor half-
witted man once chose to dwell in a cave-like place cut in the
rock behind it. He dressed himself in a kind of tunic or
coarse cloth, and wore a long white untrimmed beard. He is
said to have been a gentleman who had seen better days. He
got together some money at one time, but afterwards lost it,
and for several years chose to inhabit this dismal cavern.

Mr. Hubert Smith, in Shrops. Trans. , vol. 1, p. 171, says
he was called Carolus, but his real name was Charles Evans.
He died in a house at the back of the Castle, says the Gentle-
mans Magazine of 1822. "Oct. 6, Shropshire: C. Evans,
better known by the name of Carolus, the Hermit of Tong,
where he had lived seven years in a lonely and romantic cell,
on the domain of G. Durant, Esq."

Near by this place and the Convent Lodge is a handsome
octagonal stone Pulpit, six sides of which have open tracery.
It is built upon one of the wing walls on the south side of the
massive wrought iron Gates, which form the principal
approach to Tong Castle.

The pulpit is very similar to the Oratory in the Abbey
Yard, Shrewsbury, but is of modern date.

The roof is of stone, and around the outside on each face
of the octagon are little emblems carved in imitation, or
perhaps ridicule, of heraldry and religion ; such as the follow-
ing :— a harp, a censer, an hourglass, an axe, flag and spear,
cross-keys, a quatrefoil, a mullet, 4 fleur-de-lis with hearts

Entrance Lodge to Tong Castle. 157

thereon, a bell, a crescent, a wreath, cross-spears, lozenges,
and a Maltese cross. Inside the Pulpit is a rude stone seat
with lion-head ends. The doorway is on the west side, and
is reached by steps from the Convent Lodge garden and
shrubbery. On one step we are just able to see the well-
known lines, I think they are Tom Moore's : —

The harp that one. through Tar a s halls

The soul of music shed.
Now hangs as mute on Tara's Walls,

As if that soul were find.

In the West wall of the Lodge itself a stone bears other
two verses of the same melody : —

No more to Chiefs and Ladies bright

The. harp of Tarn swells ;
The. Chord alone, that breaks at night,

Its tale of ruin telte.

Thw Fr> edom now so seldom wakes,

The only throb she gives
Is when some, heart indignant breaks,

To shew that still she lives.

The gate-pillars and wing-walls of the Entrance Gates are
elaborately carved stonework, of fantastic design, the coping
being crenulated, and having a continuous rope-like cresting
ending in tassels.

Similar emblems to those before named are introduced
upon the pillars ; and the faces of the walls on the side next
to the high road are relieved by stone entablatures of the
Castle, viewed from the East and West respectively, the
Durant arms, &c. ; there are also niches, and piercings in
the forms of a St. Andrew's and a Latin cross. On the
pulpit is this Greek line : —

tov Otov (fyofitio-Oe tov BacriXea TL/xaT€

These piercings appear in other walls built in the vicinity.
The south wing-wall is much the longer of the two, and its
terminating pillar at the south end bears this inscription : —

*5'8 Approach to Tong Castt e.

posteritati sacrum

impensis
geo.: durant ar.

i8ai.
(Dedicated to his descendants at the expense of George Durant, Esq., 1821.) .

A stone shield in the East Wall of the Convent Lodge has
upon it, a bend, between 5 rings (3 and 2). This, I think, is
partly a caricature of the arms of Sir Thomas and Lady
Harries of Tong Castle, or of their youthful daughter, Mrs.
Ann Wylde, whose monument is in Tong Church.

Near to the Convent Lodge and within the Shrubbery is a
white stone pedestal surmounted by a ball, bearing this in-
scription : —

AB HOC

MOMENTO

PENDET

^TERNITAS

(On this moment hangs Eternity.)

The two jaw-bones of a whale form an arch over the gate-
way on the same drive, a little nearer to the Castle. Upon
«ach is a legend. On the north one : —

MORS JANUA VIT^E
(Death the Gate of Life.)

On the south one

POST TOT NAUFRAGIA PORTUM.
(A Haven after so many Storms.)

The bones are about 16 feet high, tapering from a foot wide
to six inches, and are three or four inches through at the
thickest part.

On a stone pedestal surmounted by a well-carved urn of
stone : —

GEO : DURANT

OBT. r78o.

Ml 8 46.

SI MONUMENTUM

REQUIRAS

CIRCUMSPICE.

(If you need a memorial [of me] look around.)

Fowlhouse — Tong Prtory, &c. 159*

This epitaph was insciibed, I believe, by Sir Christopher
Wren on St. Paul's Cathedral.

Over the three shutters, through which coals are thrown;
into the Castle coal-house, is the word : —

MAUSOLEUM.

Other buildings upon the property bear mottoes. The
wheelwright and coffin-maker's shop has a stone, suitably in-
scribed : —

IN MORTATE LUCRUM.
(La Death, is, Gain.)

On Vauxhall Cottage is a semicircular stone bearing in

colours a circular shield ( a fesse indented a chief

ermine) beneath a fleur-de-lis crest and the * canting ' motto 1 —

BEATI QUI DURANT 18101
(Blessed are those who endure ; or, Blessed are the Durants.)

And near this place is a pyramidal Egyptian Fowl-house,,
into the sides of which are built bricks with encaustic facings-
having pictures of birds, and these terse mottoes : —

"LIVE AND LET LIVE."

"SCRAT BEFORE YOU' PECK"

"TRIAL BY JURY."

"TEACH YOUR GRANNY."

"CAN YOU SMELL."

"GIVE EVERY (DOG) HIS DUE." (DAY?)

"HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY." • *

Another little pyramidal building at Belle Isle Cottage
bears : —

"PARVA SED APTA."
(Small but convenient)

Upon a classic monument in Tong Priory grounds : —

M.S.

Georgh Hamilton (Sacred to the Memory

Legione Regis of George Hamilton of

Armigeri the King's Guards

In Bollo et Pace Gentleman. In war and

Virginti Annos petce he consecrated! 20.

Georgian! Brittanioe years (to the Georges)

• Consecmvit of Britain. Born 14

Natuni 14 Nov. 177a Nov. 1770 dbd 1832.)

Ob. x83jl

160 Adam's Ale— iEoLiAN Harps.

In the rock below the Castle, near where the old mill stood,
is a Dropping Well labelled : —

ADAM'S ALE,

LICENSED TO BE DRUNK ON THE

PREMISES.

1838,

A two-roomed Building \now used as a foreman's cottage)
bears : —

LOUVRE,

and another Building near has panels in style in rude imita-
tion of an Egyptian man and woman. A lozenge-shaped
shield between them has the Durant crest, arms, and motto,
and OB. 18 JET :

Upon each pillar of the Gateway to this little yard was an
iEolian Harp, which cadenced sweet music to unappreciative
animals. One of these instruments still remains in a dilapi-
dated condition. Some eight lines upon a stone in one of
these pillars are nearly illegible. They are, I find, after
much searching, taken from Sir Walter Scott's " Lady of the
Lake."

Harp of the North I that -mouldering long hast hung

And down the fitful breeze thy numbers flung,
Ti'l envious ivy did around thee cling,
Muffling with verdant ringlet ro'ru string—

Oh minstrel harp 1 still must thine accents sleep t
Mid rustling leaves and fountains murmuring.

Still must thy sweeter sounds their silence keep,

Nor bid a viarriour smile nor teach a maid to weep.

In the Park of Tong Castle is a pretty Dove-house. (See
illustration). There is a similar one at Haughton. Every
manor house had its dove-cot in old times.

The north or Rosary Lodge, the Round House at the
Forge, and " the Hall," a farm-house in Tung (which latter
became Mrs, Celeste Durant's), are examples of fantastic
brick structures.

Dovecot "•
Tong

'//"

•**. >

•\W

.«~>'^< The church from "•
the west shewing
•ruins ••• w' ,M '*

Respice Finem. i6r

Of Mr. Durant's erections perhaps should be specially
mentioned the Monument, which formerly stood on the Knoll,
on a site a few yards east of the Flag Tower built by the
present Earl of Bradford in 1883. It was an octagonal cottage
of three stories, and had a stone roof finished with a vane,
and was occupied, together with a few acres of land, by an
industrious cottager, whose children, Lord Bradford informs
me, roamed amid the towering bracken. The story goes thus,
about Mr. Durant's erection. Built, in questionable taste, to
record Mr. Durant's success in a prolonged law-suit against
his own wife, her annoyed but powerless sons shared her
disgust at its obtrusive existence, and planned its destruction.
While Mr. Durant lay upon his dying bed two barrels of gun-
powder were placed in the foundations of the monument, and
the same night that saw his decease saw the cottage a heap
of ruins. A man who now lives at Tong Hill, who was then
a keeper at Woodcote (7 miles away), heard the detonation,
ana was so- much alarmed as to attribute the unusual noise to
nothing less than a " hearthquake."

Fifty years later, among some debris near, were found some

FERAMUS,"

stones, one inscribed —

another —

An. Jubil. Quia quae

Reg. Geo. Ter.

Oct. xxv. mdccclx. (?)

And a third, which becomes a fitting motto to conclude this
paper —

RESPICE FINEM
" Remember the end "

x QA£) QAS) QAS GAS
~ <SY3 GYd GY£ 6Y3 GYd ^

<- *% if\y *\\ <j> v^v ifj^y <j> • jv y?>

Ga5 £a9 GA£> GAS GAS GyviJ GAS

GYd 6Y3 GYd GTd 6Y3 SYd 6YO

TONG CHURCH REGISTERS.

APTISMS, marriages, and burials are all entered
promiscuously down to the death of Thomas-
Hall, 1765.

We read that registers were begun to be kept
in every parish in 30 Henry VIII. (1539^ and.
by the injunctions of the young King Edward VI. " all
parishes were to keep a register booke in the parish chest."

Registers began by being simply labours of love on the part
of the clergy, and after many years received partial recognition!
as public documents. In early times, the Monastic Registers.
— priceless records, of which too many were scattered during,
the fanaticism which car.ied everything before it between the.
suppression of monasteries and the re-organisation of the
Church — supplied the place of the Parish Registers. But as.
the deaths registered were as a rule only those of important
persons, the object being to tell when masses became due„
their value is limited. Ordinary folk in those ages, and long
subsequently, contented themselves with private records, or
with entering the births,, deaths, and marriages of their
families on the fly-leaf of a family Bible, or, when Bibles were
scarce, on the blank pages of books of devotion. In 1538
Thomas Cromwell ordained that regular Parish Registers
should be kept, in order to meet the needs created by the sup_
pression of Religious Houses. This injunction, however, was.
carried out so carelessly that in 1597 Elizabeth ordered, not
only that the Registers should be better kept> but that copies-

Tong Parish Registers. 163

should be sent to the Bishops. During the Commonwealth,
the Registers again fell into irregularity, and on the Restora-
tion it was found that many of them were lost, probably having
been destroyed. After the Restoration the Parish Registers
began to become more interesting, and even entertaining.
They contain notices of a host of events, lay as well as ecclesi-
astical, in addition to the usual entries of births, deaths, and
marriages.

The earliest entry in Register now in use is —

Thomas son of Edw. Bistan and Joyce his wife h. Oct. 10 1616

Roger Boult and Jane Wenlock in. May 1, 1636

John Wheeler was bu. May 5 1630, and lyeth 3yds. south from the east corner
of the Golden Chapel.

Anne w. of Thos. Scot was bu. June 28th 1636

Frances d. of Win. Pierpoint was born 1 Sept. 1630, b. 1 Oct.

Eleanor d, of Wm. Pierpoint Etq. and Eliz. his wife was baptized Sept. 4
163 (1 or 2)

Margaret Pierpoint their dau. bapt. Oct. 2 163 (2 or 3)

Dorothy Giffard was bu. Sept. 30 634

Robert sou of Wm, and Eliz. Pierpoint b. Sept. 20 1634

Dame Elinor Harries was bu. Apl 9 1635

Mrs. taar^t. Harries was bu. Aug 1636

Hy. ison of the Hon. Wm Pierpoint and Eliz. his wife was b. Aug 15 1637

Wm. son of Wm. Pi*rpoiut bu. Nov. 13 1640

Elizabeth wile of Wm. Pierpoint oi Tong Castle was bu. July 1 1656

1648 .hurried was Thos. Lawrence gent.

1692 Burried was Eliz. dau. of the Hon Gervas Pierpoint Aug 30th

1715 Burried was the Hon Gervas Pierpoint June 4th

1738 Burried was the Hon H. Willoughby Dec. 11th

1722 Smallpox raged

1694 Buried was Featherstone of Bromsgrove Oct 11

1777 Geo. son of Geo. Durant Esq. and Maria his wife, of Tong Castle, was
born in the Parish of St Margaret's Westminster Apl. 25th 1776 in the presence of
Mary Cusin and Mrs. Langley midwifes, and was baptized by me 15 Apl. 1777.
Thomas Buckeridge, Minister of Tong.

1780 Aug. 16 Geo. Durant of Toug Castle died Aug. 16

1799 Fras. Humpage uuiortunately suffocated

May 15th 16bQ there was oolected in the Church of Tong s8 11 for Southwold
Suffolk

Aug. 25th Collected «5 10 for Willeuhall Staffre.

For tue Towu of Poole [Welshpool] Montgomeryshire, who had suffered a great
loss by tire there was collected ihe sum s2 3 June 16th 1667

Collected in the Chinch of Tong at the request of the inhabitants of Sheriffhales
towards iho relief of those thut suffered there £3 14 4, 16G3

b. bapt., w. marr., di. died. bu. buried.

164 Parish Registers — Tong and Gunpowder Plot.

March 14 1717 it began to snow at five o'clock in the afternoon and without any
intermission continued till Monday 16th ; a strong wind blew at the time ; it
drove the snow into hollow places to so great a height as to make the roads
altogether impassable ; snow upon the level of the garden behind the castle 13
inches deep ; 16 inches Court before it. It did snow again and freeze all n;ght,
and the night following. A vast number of sheep were buried under the snow,
20 and 30 together. The sheep that lay burried 5 or 6 days escaped, but those
that continued longer under were found dend. So great a snow in so short » time,
and in a season so far advanced, had never been seen by anybody in the Parish.
It occasioned as it had done the year before a mighty bright meteor in the air at
night, some few days after it had melted away.

In 1715 April 22 there happened to bean eclipse of the Sun which continued
total about 2 minutes, during which time several stars did appear ; all things looked
much darker than they do during twilk-ht, insomuch that the largest prints
could not be r^ad in the open fields, nor hardly anybody be seen in the house.

I have been told that "the Parish Register before Mr.

W 's time [he died in 1596] was written in several

pieces ot parchment or paper/' subsequently transcribed into
one book, the latter being attested by two Churchwardens.
This refers to the Parish Clerk who answers to that descrip-
tion in the present day, and not to the Clerk or priest of the
parish.

Old Gough of Myddle tells us about Parish Clerks : —

The first that I remember was Will. Hunt, a person vesy fitt for the place as to
his reading and singing with a clear and audible voice ; but for his writeing I can
say nothing.

On Christmas day in the afternoone when the minister had gone out of
Churche this Will Hunt sung a Christmas caroll in the Churche, being assisted by
old Mr. who bore a base exceedingly well.

In Will Hunt's successor's time there was an ordinance of parliament that there
should bee a parish register sworne in every parish. His office was to publish the
banns of marriage, and to give certificates thereof ; and alsce to register the time
of all births (not christnings), weddings, and burialls.

The next was a person altrgeath^r unfitt for such an imployment. Hee can
read but litle ; he can sing bu;. oi,e tune of the psalmes. Hee can scarse write his
owne name, or read any written hand.

Copy of ye original Proclamation for the observance of the 5th Nov. found among
parish papers in ch.wds. chest and deposited by me with other papers in the
parish chest fvr the Registers.

Anno 3 Jacobi Regis (1606).

An Act for a publique Thanksgiving to Almighty God every year on the 5th
Novr.

Gunpowder Plot. 165

For as much as Almighty God hath in all ages shown His power and mercy in
the mysterious & gracious deliverance of His Church & in ye p°tection of
Religious Kings and States & that noe nation of ye earth hath been blest wh
greater benefitts than this Kingdome now enjoy eth, having y« true and frie
p ° fession of y* gospel under or most Soveraigne Lord King James — the most great,
learned & religious Kiog that ever reigned therein inricht with a most hopefull
& plentiful po genie p°ceeding out of his royal loynes, p ° mising continuance of
his happiness & p° fession to all posterity, the wh many malignant it devilish
Papists Jesuits & Seminary Priests much envvinge & fearinge conspired most
hombly.when the King's most excellent Mht the Queene the Princts & all the
Lord spirituall and temporall, and Comns shd have been assembled in the upper
house of Parliament upon the 5th day Nov1- in the yeare of our Lord 1605 suddenly
to have blowne up the said whole house wh gunpowder, an invention (invention)
so inhumane barberous, & cruell as the like was never before heard of, and was, as
some of the priucipall conspirators thereof confess, purposely devised & concluded
to be done in the s* house. That whereas sundry necessary & religious lawes for
the p • servation of the Church & State were made : that they falsely & slanderously
| be r me s***jj j. lawes enacted against them and their religion, both place

and person shd be all destroyed & blown up at once, wh wd have
turned to the utter ruine of this whole Kingdome, had it not pleased
Almighty God by enspyringe the Kinges most excellent ma1'* with a Divine spirit
to interprit some tiarke p'hrases of a letter shewed to his majesty : above & be-
jonde all ordinary construction, thereby miraculously discovering this hiden
treason not many hours before ye appointed time for y* execution thereof. There-
fore the Kings most excellent Majesty the Lords Spiritual & Temporall & all his
Majestys most faithful & loving subjects doe most wisely acknowledge this great
& infinite blessinge to have proceeded meardeley fr Gods grate mercie, and to his
Holy Name doe ascribe all honor glory and praise.

And to the end this unfaigned thankfullnesse may never be forgotten but be had
in a perpetuall remembrance that all ages to come miy yielde praise to his Divine
Majesty for the same & have in memory this w'full day of deliverance Be (Be) it
enacted by the Kings most excellent mtie the Louis Spiritual and temporall & the
Conions in this p ' seut Parliament assembled & by the authority of the same
that all and singular ministers iu every Cathedrall & P8h Church or other usual
place for Com Pry within this realme of Eugl*nd & Dominions of y« same, shall
allwaies upon \e 5 day of Novr *&y morniug prayer & give unto Almighty God
thauks for this most happy deliverance & that all & every p'son & pce some in-
habiting it in this realme of England & the dominions of >« same shall allwaise
upon that day diligently & faithfully ret«oit to ye P»h Ch or Chappell
accustomed or to some usual ch or chapell where ye said morning
prayer, preaching or other service of God &hall be u»ed & theu k
there to abide, & duly & sobarly duringe the time that the .••aid prairs or preaching
or other service of God used : And that all & every p'son may be put in mind of
this duty & be the better p' pared to the said holy Service, be it inacted by
authority aforesaid that every minister shall give warning to his p'shners iu ye Ch
at morning prayer the Sunday before every such 5 day of Novr fur the observuciou
of y« said day, & that after m> rniog praier or preaching upon the said 5 day of
Nov1 they reade distinctly & plainly this p' sent act.

GOD save y« Kinge.

FAMOUS LADIES ASSOCIATED WITH TONG.

Three maids unmatch'd in manners as in grace,
Skill'd in each art and crown'd with every grace.

OTES upon Tong can hardly be closed without some
reference to the celebrated ladies associated with it.
Few country places can boast association with
such distinguished ladies. They are VENETIA, LADY
DIGBY, (of whom some account is given under the
particulars of Monument No. 19), LADY MARY WORTLEY
MONTAGUE, and MRS. FITZHERBERT; not to mention
Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston, and Isabella
Forester, who married Lord Stafford.

LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE was daughter
of Evelyn, 5th Earl of Kingston, who was in 1706 created
Marquis of Dorchester, by Queen Anne, and in 1716,
Duke of Kingston ; and Tong was the scene of her
early years, if not her birthplace (which is claimed by
Thoresby). Her youth at any rate must have been
passed between these two homes of the Pierpoint family.
Her letters form a conspicuous part of the literary productions
of her time. Born in T690, she lost her mother in 1694, an<^
being educated under the superintendence of Bishop Burnet,
obtained a high degree of mental cultivation. She married
Mr. Edward Wortley Montague by special license. Her
father had refused him, because he would not make the
necessary settlements ; and she had allowed him to encourage
another suitor ; and matters had gone so far that the wedding
clothes had actually been bought ; but, only making up her
mind the evening before, she decided to run away with Mr.
Montague, and was married on August 12, 1712.

P£yy>

**Y v^

C^ARLXS^

front a.iaortrdit

itlth^ possession

dflhe author

G/^ve.

Lady Mary Wortley Montague.

167

ft had fallen to the lot of the Duke of Kingston in 1690 to*
propose a beauty as the annual toast of the Kitcat Club, and
a whim seized him to nominate his little daughter, Lady-
Mary Pierpoint, then 8 years old. Some of the members;
demurred, as they had not seen her. The Duke sent for her,
and when she arrived, finely dressed, she was received withi
acclamations, her health drunk, her beauty extolled on every
side, and she was petted and caressed by all present, the;
company consisting of some of the most eminent men ini
England.

Walpole, writing in 1762, describes his visit to this strange*
lady : —

"I found her in a little miserable bedchamber of a ready furnished
&Quaefc with two tallow-candles, and a bureau covered with pots and pans.

168 Lady Mary Wortley Montague.

On her head she had an old block-laced hood, wrapped entirely round, so
as to conceal all hair, or want of hair. No handkerchief, but up to her
chin a kind of horseman's riding-coat, made of dark green brocade, with
coloured and silver flowers, and lined with furs ; bodice laced, a foul
dimity petticoat, sprig'd velvet muffeetens on her arms, grey stockings,
and slippers. Her face less changed in 20 years than I could have

imagined She is very lively, all her senses perfect, her

language as imperfect as ever, her avarice greater. With nothing but an
Italian, a French, and a Russian, all men-servants, and something she calls
an old secretary, but whose age till he appears will be doubtful, she
receives all the world, and crowds them into this kennel. The Duchess of
Hamilton, who came in just after me, was so astonished and diverted, that
she could not speak to her for laughing."

Lord Byron, in describing the shores of the ^gean and
Bosphorus, thus refers to her : —

And the more than I could dream,

Far less describe, present the very view,

Which charmed the charming Mary Montagu.

The picture on the preceding page of Lady Mary entering
the club is supplied by Mr. H. Blackburn, author of Royal
Academy Notes, 1884, by kind permission of Mr. Yeamesr R.A.

Edward Wortley Montague was in 1716 appointed
Ambassador to the Porte, and she accompanied him to the
East, and during his residence in the Levant wrote the well-
known Letters, which form one of the most delightful books
in our language. In 17 18 she returned to England, and
settled at Twickenham, where she renewed her acquaintance
with Addison and Pope. In 1739 Lady Mary went to Italy
for her health, and did not re- visit England till 1761, and died
Aug. ai, 1762. During her residence in Constantinople she
was enabled to confer on, Europe a benefit of the greatest
consequence, namely, inoculation for the small-pox, which
was at that time universal in Turkey. She had so much faith
in its safety that she tried it first on her own son. Lord
Wharncliffe has a picture of her which she gave to her god-

* Mr. H. A. Grueber says.

MRS. FITZHERBERT.

{See page i6<;.)

Mrs. Fitzherbert. 169

Writing in 1730 from Dijon to her husband she says : —

This is a very aereahle Town, and I find ye air agree with me extreamely ;
herein a great deal of good company, and I meet with more civility than I
had reason to expect. I should like to pass ye winter here, if it was not
for ye expense. I have been entertained by all ye considerable people,
French and English.

MARIA ANNA FITZHERBERT, born 1756, youngest
daughter of William Smythe, of Tong Castle, and niece of
Sir E. Smythe, Bart , of Acton Burnell, married 1st, Edward
WTeld, of Lulworth Castle, who died the same year, 1771 ;
secondly, Thomas Fitzherbert, of Swinnerton, County Stafford,
who died in 1781.

Soon afterwards her beauty and fascinatiag manners
attracted the particular attention of the Prince of Wales
(George IV. )> and she consented to a marriage with him
according to the rites of the Roman Church, which marriage
however was not permissible by the law of England, she
being a Papist. In her memoirs written by the Hon. Charles
Langdale, it is said that there was not one of the Royal Family
who had not acted with kindness to her, including the Queen
of George III., herself. At the command of the Prince, Fox
denied the marriage in the House of Commons.

Earl Fortescue has a portrait of this lovely woman by
Gainsborough, which she left to the Hon. Mrs. Dawson
Darner ; and the Earl of Portarlington has one by Sir Joshua
Reynolds, whose studio she often visited with the Prince of
Wales. The accompanying picture is after Cosway, who
painted delightful mimatures of her, including two rings
belonging to Lord Portarlington, one representing an eye of
George IV. as Prince of Wales, and the otiier an eye of
Mrs. Fitzherbert.

Lord Portarlington has also a fine collection of

miniatures and relics owned by that lady, one

,j0N being a gold ring given to George IV. by her,

>-Y-\ bearing on it the poesy reading ** L'ami de mon

\J ) coeur," expressed by two musical notes, la mi,

de mon in letters, and a heart,
w '

170 Mrs. Fitzherbert.

The Graphic of March 5th, 1892, has an article about this
lady, commencing with the lines of a ballad, which are said
to have some reference to Mrs. Fitzherbert : —

I'd crowns resign to call thee mine,
Sweet Lass 0/ Richmond Hill.

We cannot question the charms of person and mind possessed by Mrs.
Fitzherbert ; they enthralled one of the most volatile of Princes, and
under their fascination, induced that wayward youth to jeopardise the
splendid prospects of heir to the Throne by marrying a lady who had been
twice a widow whose religious faith, as well as the restrictions of the
Royal Marriage Act, were insuperable barriers ; and who, moreover, had
the formidable disadvantage of being seven years the senior of the
enamoured swain. The Church of Rome received the pair as man and
wife; the King, Queen, and members of the Royal family consistently
treated the lady with respect and consideration. Mrs. Fitzherbert, who
was a rigid and devout Roman Catholic, retired to the Continent.
The enforced separation failed to allay the Prince's passion. He
threatened numerous acts of folly, and, after lengthened absence, the
return of Mrs. Fitzherbert was, by her advisers, counselled as the most
prudent course in 1785. The Prince proposed the most romantic schemes.
One morning affairs reached a crisis ; two of the Royal suitor's friends
drove to Park Lane with the urgent request that the lady would hasten
immediately to Carlton House, for the Prince lay bleeding to death. This
highly-sensational summons sent the lady off in a flutter ; on her way to
the Palace, she thought proper to call upon her confidential friend, the
Duchess of Devonshire, and they decided to fly to comfort the sufferer,
anil to receive his last sigh. The agitation of his feelings, the alarm-
ing apprehensions of his confidential attendants, backed up by the violence
of his passion, his reckless declarations, his moving entreaties, and the
melting tears, convinced the lady that there was danger in standing aloof.
On December 21st, 1785, in the presence of Mrs. Fitzherbert's connections,
the nuptial ceremony was gone through at her house in Park Lane, accord-
ing to the ritual of the Church of Rome, and also the Protestant service
was performed by the Rev. Samuel Johnes. On the death of George IV.,
his successor authorised Mrs. Fitzherbert to wear royal mourning, and
gave' her the right of using the royal liveries ; moreover, William IV. pro-
posed to make the lady a duchess, a distinction she, with excellent taste,
thought proper to decline. It is said that by his own wish the miniature
of Mrs. Fitzherbert was buried with the King, suspended round his neck.

Mr. H. F. J. Vaughan writes to me, Nov. 17, 1884, as

follows: —

Mrs. Fitzherbert, the wife of George IV., was born in the Red Room
at Toag Castle, having arrived somewhat unexpectedly during a visit of

Venetia Stanley, Lady Digby. 171

her parents at Tong, as I was informed by the late Madame Durant, with
whose family my own was intimate. You are probably aware that her
maiden name was Mary Anne Smythe, and that she was thrice married.

One of the dearest friends of Mrs. Fitzherbert, Lady
Horatia Seymour, in the last stage of a decline, was advised
to go abroad to seek in change of climate her own chance of
recovery, and had at that time an infant daughter, Miss
Seymour, who became devotedly attached to Mrs. Fitzher-
bert.

There arose difficulties on account of Mrs. Fitzherbert's
religion, and the question of custody became a Chancery suit.
The opposing Counsel, the Attorney-General, observed that
Mrs. Fitzherbert merited everything that could be said in her
favour ; but whatever amiable qualities she might possess, the
religion she professed excluded her from the right to retain
the custody of a Protestant child. The Lord Chancellor
however decided in favour of Mrs. Fitzherbert, and the child,
who became Mrs. Lionel Dawson Darner, erected a monu-
ment to her memory at Brighton, with the following inscrip-
tion : —

"In a vault near this spot are deposited the remains of Maria Fitz-
herbert. She was born on the 26th July, 1756, and expired at Brighton
on the 29th of March, 1837. One to whom she was more than a parent
has placed this monument to her revered and beloved memory, as a
humble tribute of her gratitude and afiection,"

The hand of the figure had three rings on it, bearing
evidence of the triple marriage of her departed friend.

VENETIA STANLEY, OF TONG, married Sir Kenelm
Digby. " With the exception of Lady Rich, no woman has
been made the theme of so much song that deserves to live as
Venetia Digby." Tong Castle was the birthplace and scene
of her early years, and she died there in 1633. Lord Claren-
don speaks of her as " a lady of extraordinary beauty, and of
as extraordinary fame." Her husband was so enamoured
with her beauty that he is said " to have attempted to exalt

172 Venetia Stanley, Lady Digby.

her charms and preserve her health by a variety of whimsical
experiments, and to have fed her with capons fed with the
flesh of vipers, inventing for her use new cosmetics." Her
beauty and fascination were the theme of many an eulogy by
painter and poet. Ben Johnson has devoted some lines to
her, including one tather long poem called " Eupheme." He
tells us how to paint her, so : —

Draw first cloud all save her neck,

And out of that make day to break,

Till like her face it do appear,

And men may think all light rose here ;

Then let the beams of that disperse

The cloud, and show the universe,

But at such distance that the eye

May r ither yet adore than spy.

The Heaven designed draw next as spring,

With all that youth as it can bring,

Four rivers branching forth as seas,

And paradise confining these,

Last, draw the circles ot this globe,

And let there be a starry robe

Of constellations 'bout her burled,

And thou hast t ainted beauty's world.

Mr. Granger says* " Her beauty, which was much extolled,
appears to have had justice done it by all the world." Mr.
Skinner had a small portrait of her by Vandyck, in which she
is represented as treading on envy and malice, and is unhurt
by a serpent that twines round her arm.f Here the historian
and painter illustrate each other. This was a model for a
large portrait for Windsor, where there is now, in the
Vandyck room of the Castle, a full length picture of her, as
well as a half length of her husband. Mr. Walpole had a
miniature of her by Peter Oliver. There were two fine busts
of her in the possession of Mr. Wright at Gothurst, Newport
Pagnel, formerly the seat cf Sir Kenelm Digby. There is a
fine portrait of Sir Kenelm, by Vandyke, at Weston Park.

The tomb to " Anastatia Venetia, Lady Digby," stood in
Christ Church, London, but was destroyed in the great fire.

* In the Antiquarian Repertory Brit : Mus : — Communicated by T. Pennant, Esq., 1808.
f In the Anecdotes of Painting, Vol. II., 2nd Edition, p. ioz.

Sir Kenelm Digby. 173

The inscription was : —

Mem : Sacrum, Venetia Edwavdi Stanley Equitis Honoratiss.
Ord. Balnci (Filii Thomcc, Edwavdi Comitis Devbiz Filii)
Filitz ac coh&vedi, ex Lucia Thomce Comitis N ovthnmbvia Filia et
CohaiYcde ; Posuit Kenelmus Digby Eqnes Anratus Cui Quatuov
Pepevit Filios Kenehnum Nat. vi Ociobr. mdcxxv ; Jcannem Nat.
xxix. Decemb. mdxxvii ; Everavdum (in amis Mortum) Nat. xii.
Jan. mdcxxix : Georgium Nat. xvii. Jan. mdcxxxii. Nata est
Decemb. xix., mdc. Denata Maii i. mdcxxxiii.

Quin lex eadem monet omnes
Geinitum dare sorte sub una
Cognataque funera nobis
Aliena in morte dolere.

TRANSLATION :

Sacred to the memory of Venetia, daughter and coheiress o Edward Stanley, Knight ot
the Most Honble. Order of the Bath, (son of Thomas [who was] the son of Edward, Earl
of Derby). Erected by Kenelm Digby, Knight, to* whom she bore four sens, Kenelm, born
6th Oct., 1625; John, born 29 Dec. 1627; Everard (died in his cradle) born 12 Jan., 1629;
George, born 17 Jan. 1632. [She was] born Dec. 19, 1600. Deceased May 1, 1633. How
the same law warns all to break f jrth into weeping under one fate and to deplore in
another's death the death which we ourselves are born to undergo.

Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, son of Sir Everard Digby, exe-
cuted on account of his participation in the Popish plot, was
one of the most faithful adherents of Charles I. in the Civil
War, and an exile in consequence during Cromwell's usurpa-
tion.

This " Ornament of England," as Sir Kenelm has been
styled, wrote several learned books, and was a great bene-
factor to the Bcdleian library by presenting it in 1633 with a
large collection of MSS. ; he recovered the reputation of his
family, and rendered it famous throughout the Christian
world. He was born at Gothurst, 1603, and married in 1625.
He returned to England in 1661, was appointed one of the
Council on the first settlement of the Royal Society, died at
his house in Covent Garden, nth June, 1665, (his birthday)
leaving, by his wife Venetia, two sons and a daughter. He
was descended from Edward Digby, Esq., High Sheriff of co.

174 Charles I.

Rutland, and M.P., 1434. The ancient name was Tilton of
Tilton, co. Leicester, but that abode was abandoned for
Digby, co. Lincoln.

He wrote two treatises of " Choice Receipts in Physick and
Chirurgery and of Cookery," published in 1669, which con-
tained receipts for the celebrated aurum potabile or digest of
gold, bites of a mad dog, serpents, vipers, &c, spirits, sweet
waters, for Scotch ale, Metheglin, Morello, currant, cherry,
and strawberry wines, and many other curious receipts which
are now obsolete.

He wrote the " Broadstone of Honour, or True Sense and
Practice of Chivalry," which Julius Hare characterises " as
that noble manual for gentlemen ; that volume which, had I a
son, I would place in his hands, charging him, though such
admonition would be needless, to love it next to his Bible."

The Stanley Tomb, No. 19, bears the name of Venetia, and
a long account of her parents and grandparents is given under
the description of that monument.

It may not be out of place to give here the portrait of
King Charles I., the unfortunate prince whose queen's violent
spirit and foreign temperament conduced so much to the
disasters of his troublesome reign, and during whose time
Tong Castle was burnt, and other memorable incidents are
recalled to the minds of Salopians.

He was a good rather than a great man ; one of the most
powerful and elegant writers of the English language, a liberal
patron of the fine arts, and but for the evil counsels by which
he sufiered himself to be guided, might have escaped the un-
timely end to which he was brought by the offended judgement
of a people determined to be free.

Charles I., 1642, Sept. 20, Tuesday, came to Salop with his
army, where he and the court were joined by Prince Rupert,

Isabella Forster, Lady Stafford. 175

Prince Charles, and the Duke of York, and generously con-
descending to consider the worthy services of Sir Richard
Newport, he advanced him to be a baron of England by the
title of Lord Newport of High Ercall* ; and Feb. 22, 1644,
the enemy quitted and burned Tong Castle. *

During the last few days a silver pound piece, coined at the
mint of Charles I. at Shrewsbury, realised £27.

The original painting of Charles I. belonged to the famous
John Mytton, of Halston, Co. Salop, and appears to be a
hitherto unknown portrait of the King, which does not seem
to have been engraved, the print room of the British Museum
affording only two of any similarity, one of which, very rare,
is after Rubens, and the other, a French one, by Daret.
" Monsieur Hymans, Curator of the National Gallery,
Brussels, the great authority on all that relates to Rubens,
writes that we know very little of the meetings between
Rubens, Gerbier, Buckingham, and probably Charles when
prince. It is not known that Charles ever was painted by
Rubens. Rubens however accompanied him in Spain, when
he went fruitlessly to woo the Infanta.

Oh happy he, who with good address,

Knows how and when and where his suit to press

Unto attainment of assured success ;

But, oh ! unhappy he, who not possessing

The art of fluently his thoughts expressing,

Addresses him in vain to his addressing.

Unlike the happy coster or the rural swain, who, after a
more successful errand —

Now fitted the halter, now travers'd the cart,
And often took leave, but seemed loth to depart !

ISABELLA FORSTER, LADY STAFFORD. I
am unable to learn much about this lady, a member of a
Tong family, branching from the ancient Shropshire family of
Forester, Foster, or as it was often spelt Forster, for a not too
diligent regard was paid to spelling two or three centuries ago.

Isabel married the young son of Edward, 2nd Baron
Stafford, whose mother was heiress of the Duke of Clarence,

*Hulbcrt'a Salop.

176 The Beautiful Isabella, Lady Stafford.

and thus direct legal heir to the crown. Edward was grand-
son of Edward, the attainted Duke of Buckingham. Her
father was Thomas Forster, of Tong, the younger of two
brothers, the elder being Robert Forster, of Barton Green
(v/ho married Joan Mytton, of Weston), descended from John
Forster, of Evelith. Her brother, Humphrey Forster, of
Tong, occurs 1614.

It seems that the attainted Duke's daughter, Elizabeth,
married the Duke of Norfolk. Their son Henry was be-
headed 1572. His son, Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, was
beheaded the same year, and his son Philip died in the Tower,
1595. His son, Thomas, Earl of Arundel,* died 1646, and
his son William married Mary, the granddaughter of Isabel
Forster, of Tong.

Isabel's husband, Edward, was, as 3rd Baron Stafford, heir
to the crown, but died in 1625, his son Edward having died
before him, leaving a son, Isabel's grandson, Henry, 4th
Baron Stafford, who died under age, in 1637, and a daughter
Mary.

She herself is variously described once as the " beautiful
Isabella," and in another place, as of " prepossessing appear-
ance." Doubtless the features were duly committed to
cmvas, but like other portraits adorning the walls of many
county houses, the identity has been unpreserved, and a
lamentable loss arises : " Tis pity that in many galleries the
names are not writt on or behind the pictures, though it could
be done with very little trouble," says an old writer.

The heir de jure of this Henry in the male line was — through
an uncle of Isabel's husband, Richard, who was " very poor "
— a cousin, Roger, born 1572, who died about 1640, leaving
a sister, Jane, born 1581, described as a widow, living 1637.
She married a joiner at Newport, Co. Salop, and left a son, a

* This was the great patron of the Arts the Collector of the Arundelian Marbles, and
portraits of Li.n u^idi.ig a baton over his grandson are at Weston and Arundel.

Roger Stafford of Newport. 177

cobbler at Newport, 1637. King Charles L created William
Howard and his wife Mary, baron and baroness Stafford, of
Stafford Castle, " with such precedency as Henry, brother of
Mary, did enjoy." This was an instance of the improper and
undue Court influence of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel
which was quite reprehensible.

Roger claimed the honor that had become his by right of
law, but "was unjustly denied the dignity on account of his
poverty." Roger presented a petition to the king, who, how-
ever, declared " his royal pleasure that Roger, having no part
of the inheritance of the said Lord Stafford, nor any other
lands or means whatever, shall make resignation of all claims
and title to the said barony of Stafford, for his majesty to dis-
pose of as he shall see fit." In obedience to the King's
command poor Roger duly surrendered his claim by Deed
enrolled 7 Dec, 1639. In 1640 the lords in parliament were
too regardant of their privileges to allow the " melancholy
precedent " of the Lord Stafford to remain uncondemned, and
they afterwards resolved to obviate so dangerous an example. f

MARGARET and DOROTHY VERNON, daughters of Sir
George Vernon, Lord of Tong, and King of the Peak, must
not be omitted from mention again here among the Ladies
of Tong, — though an account is given of them under Tomb
19, page 71, — as the story of their lives is interwoven with
the annals of their time. Mr. New's sketch of Margaret is
taken from her effigy at Tong, and the portrait of Dorothy is
sketched by Miss Bradley, from a painting in the Porter's
Lodge at Haddon, by kind permission given to me by the Duke
of Rutland.

" Where are the high and stately dames
"Of princely Vernon's banner'd hall,
" And where the knights, and what their names,
" Who led them forth to festival ? "

" Arise ye mighty dead arise !

"Can Vernon, Rutland, -tinley, sleep?
"Whose gallant hearts, and eagle eyes

" Uisdain'd a ike to crouch or weep."

f The Howard Papers, by H. K. S. Causton, 1862.

BOSCOBEL AND THE ROYAL OAK.

AM loth to bring to a conclusion the History of
Tong without mentioning some few particulars
of historic Boscobel and its neighbouring
Convents known as White Ladies and Black
Ladies.

Many have formed conclusions on the question of the
identity of the Oak, based upon very fragile and chimerical
data, and the sincere conviction that this tree, happily pro-
tected from the ravages of enthusiasts, is one and the same
tree which sheltered the royal and jovial, if unworthy, king,
prompts me to commit to paper some notices and notes to
quell the storms of detraction which gather round this and
similar marks of antiquity.

The King's wanderings in Tong and neighbourhood are re-
lated by His Majesty himself, and his flight, and seclusion
with the notoriety of the humble Penderells, born and bred at
the house at Hubball in the parish of Tong, in the depths
and secluded part of the Forest of Brewood, are ably related
by Thomas Blount, a Catholic lawyer and sufferer in the
royal cause, in which also he is said to have borne arms. His
account runs thus : —

The battle of Worcester* took place on Sept. 3rd, 1651. At one time so rssolute
was the on-et of the Royalists, led by Charles II. in person, that the Republicans
at first gave way before them, abandoning a part of their cannon. "One hour of
Montrose" at the head of the 3,000 horse, whom a few minutes might have
brought to the charge, had perhaps retrieved the fortune of the day ; but Lesley,
who commanded this important force, induced either by treachery or distrust,

* The writer has an interesting painting of this.

Royal Oak, 1894.

BLACK LADIES.

The Penderells of Hubbal. 179

kept them stationary in the rear, until the infantry, having expended their ammu-
nition, and reduced to fight with the butt-ends of their muskets, gave way before
tin reserve poured in by the Protector, and fell back into the city with the loss of
their best leaders. The Republicans followed closely, and the King finding his
entrance on horseback impossible, got into the City on foot ; and putting off his
heavy armour rode up and dowa the streets on a fresh horse, calling the officers
and men by their names, and in vain urging Lesley and his cavalry to faee the
enemy for the first time. At six in the evening, Charles II., surveying
the still unbroken appearance of Lesley's horse, who had taken little or no share in
the struggle, faced about, and meditated a fresh charge to retrieve the fortune of
the day. From this hazardous step he was soon dissuaded, as his infantry were
nearly annihilated, and Lesley's horse had begun to show symptoms of mutiny and
desertion. Nothing, therefore, now remained but the alternative of escape.
Accordingly Charles rode off, accompanied by about 60 most trusty adherents, in-
tending to reach Lord Derby's place of refuge at Boscobel House, whither Mr.
Charles Giffard undertook to conduct them. At day-break next morning they
reached White Ladies, a house belonging to the Giffard family, bringing the king's
horse by way of precaution into the had. Here news was brought to hm that
Lesley's cavalry had rallied in full force on the heath near Tong Castle (i.e.,
between Tong Norton and Lizard Grange), and it was suggested to the King to
join this force with the view of ensuring his retreat to Scotland. This advice
Charles absolutely rejected^ indignant at their recent conduct, and "knowing," in
his own word3, "that men who had deserted him when they were in good order
would never stand to him when they had been beaten " : an opinion which the
event fully justified. He was recommended by Mr Giffard to the good offices of
his retainers, Richard and William Penderell, whose fidelity Lord Derby had
already experienced. Being divested of his buff coat, his George, and other orna-
ments, and di guised in a leathern doublet and woodman's suit belonging to those
honest yeomen, the king parted from his devoted band of followers. Under the
guidance of the brothers Penderell, Charles quitted White Ladies by a back door it
being now broad day, and took refuge in a wood called Spring Coppice,* on the
Boscobel demesne. The noblemen and gentlemen rode off with the intention
of joining Lesley's horse on the northern road. In this attempt most were taken
prisoners. The horse under Lesley, as in-fficient in retreat as iu battle, were
shortly dispersed by a comparatively trifling force of republican cavalry.
In the meantime the King enjoyed comparative security under the protection of
the Penderel family. This loyal brotherhood consisted of 6. George and Thomasj
the latter of whom fell at Edgehill, had served in the army of Charles I. At the
time of the battle of Worcester the 5 survivors were living as tenants of the Giffard
family, on the demesne of Boscobel and White Ladies, then annexed to the
principal mansion of Chillington. William Penderel resided with his wife in
Boscobel House ; Richard with his mother at Hubbal Grange, now a little home-
stead, and where all the brothers were born ; Humphrey at the mill of White
Ladies, and John and George in neighbouring cottages, occupying small portions
of land in paym-nt of their services as woodmen. On Thursday night, when it
grew dark, his Majesty resolved to go from those parts into Wales, and to take
Richard Penderell with him for his guide ; but before they began their journey his
Majesty went into Richard's house at Hubbal Grange, where the old good-wife
Pendt-rell had not onely the honour to see his Majesty, but to see him attended by
her son Richard. Here his Majesty had time and means better to complete his

180 Charles II. 's Journey with Trusty Dick.

disguise. His name was agreed to be " Will Jones." and his arms a wood-bill.
In this posture, about 9 o'clock at night (after some refreshment taken in the
house), his Majesty, with his trusty servant Richard, began their journey on foot.
At Evelith Mill, near Shifnal, they met with an ill-favoured encounter. The
miller had been protecting in his mill some loyal soldiers, and " Trusty Dick," un-
happily allowing a gate to clap, caused the miller to be alarmed, and the fugitive
and his guide, thinking themselves pursued, hurried away by an unusual route,
and waded through a brook, causing the king some discomfort, and here he would
have losthis guide that dark night but for the rustling of Dick's calveskin breeches.
They arrived at Madeley about midnight, but the Severn was so guarded as to
make a passage of it impossible. After spending a night in a barn, ami a day in a
hay mow, the king and his guide determined to return to Boscobel, the king
previously discolouring his hands with walnut leaves. They started on the return
journey about 11 o'clock that night, and arrived at Boscobel about three in the
morning, the king remaining in the wood. Here Richard found Colonel Carlis,*
and William and Richard subsequently assisted the King and the Colonel to get
up into a thick-leaved oak, the famous Royal Oak of Boscobel.

That night the King spent in Boscobel house, in the secret place where Lord
Derby had been secured. And here Wm. Penderell shaved him, and cut his hair,
leav^Dg some about the ears, according to the country mode. Humphrey Pendtrel
went tbis day (Saturday) to Shefnal to pay seme taxes, where a colonel of the
rebels offered him £1000 for discovering the King, and threatened him with death
for concealment. Humphrey, however, pleaded ignorance, and returned to
Boscobel, and related his adventure. Sunday the King got up early (his dormitory
being none of the best, nor his bed the easiestt), and having spent some time in
devotions, surveyed from a window the road from Tong to Brewocd. In the
arbour on a mount he spent some time in reading on Sunday. Mr. Huddleston,
the Catholic priest, now did some good service ; and arranged that the King should
go to Moseley, en route for Bentley.J The King being very foot-soie, it was
arranged that he should ride upon Humphrey's mill-horse (ft r Humphrey was the
miller of White Ladies mill). The horse was taken up from grass, and accoutred
with a pitiful old saddle, and a worse bridle, " the heaviest dull jade he ever rode
on," as the king remarked, to which Humphrey rpjoined, " My liege can you blame
the horse to go heavily, when he has the weight of three kingdoms on his bick?"

This scene, sketched by Miss Bradley, where the King,
accompanied by the five Penderell brothers, sets out for
Moseley, is represented in the picture on the black marble
chimney-piece at Boscobel house ; being an accurate copy of
Blount's print in the Bodleian library.

*A name still retained by the plantation at Tong Hill.

* A family seated at Albrighton temp Rich. ii. H.F.J. V. says.

f A hole or hiding place in the floor, where the King squeezed himself in, and some very
precipitous steps remain, all of which have been duly tried by H.R.H. the Duchess of Teck
and many royal and noble personages with much amusement.

+ Mr. Hodleston was tutor to Sir John Preston (a young man), a guest at Moseley, under
the assumed name of Jackson, to protect him from the Puritans, who had sequestered his
father's property ; and Mr. Whitgreave had taken the opportunity of placing his two nephews,
Palyn and Reynolds under Father Hodleston's care. It was on Monday, Sept. 8, that Father
Hodleston, under pretence of personal apprehension as a Catholic priest, set his pupils, Palyn,
Reynolds, and Sir John, to watch from the garret window of Moseley the approach of any
rebel parties.

Charles II. 's Journey. 181

The gigantic figure immediately behind the King is meant
for William, whom Hodleston describes as so tall a man
that his breeches hung below the knees of Charles, himself a
person above the middle size.

The King arrived at Bentley, where, availing himself of a
pass to the west, that Mistress Jane Lane had obtained for
herself and man, he performed the part of page, and rode
before her, in which journey Mistress Lane acted as a most
faithful and prudent servant to his Majesty, shewing her
observance when opportunity would allow it, and at other
times acting her part in the disguise with much discretion.
The King's narrative says : — " Memorandum, that one Mr.
Lassell's, a cousin of Mrs. Lane's, went all the way with us
from Colonel Lane's on horseback, single, I riding before Mrs.
Lane." Thence the King proceeded to Stratford, Long Marston,
Cirencester, and Bristol, and eventually to Brightelmstone,
whence he sailed to France.

The Watch, given by Charles II. to Jane Lane, was ex-
hibited at the Stuart Exhibition recently. She became Lady
Fisher, and died in 1689. A pretty picture of her is in the
Staffordshire Archaeological Collection ; as also one of
Charles II. as a youth.

The day after he left Boscobel the rebels called and made
diligent search for him there in vain.

The name of Trusty Dick is said to have arisen from a
dialogue (related by Mrs. Penderel, a maiden descended in a
direct line from Richard Penderel), which took place between
him and his wife, in the silence of the night, and overheard by
the King when at Hubbal Grange. The dame passionately
reproved her husband for the danger he had incurred for
himself and family by concealing Charles, held out to him the
certainty of the splendid reward offered for his apprehension,
and conjured him to seize the golden opportunity, hinting her

182 Charles II. 's Journey.

readiness to be herself the informer. Her husband replied
with much indignation, assuring her that no money should
bribe him to desert his sovereign, and charging her, in good
set terms, as she valued his future affection, to be secret and
faithful to the trust imposed upon them. Next morning the
King acquainted Richard with his having overheard the con-
versation, and ever after distinguished him by the name of
Trusty Dick. After King Charles' restoration the brothers
Penderel were received at Court, and had substantial pensions
for their fidelity. Penderell rents are still paid by Lord Brad-
ford, Mr. Giffard, and others, to the descendants of this loyal
family.

The Penderell, who lived at Weston in the cave there,
hewn out of the sandstone rock, was probably an idle relation
(perhaps a brother) of the loyal band.

It was King Charles II. who advanced Viscount Newport,
of the Newport family, to the Earldom of Bradford.

In person, Charles II. was tall and well proportioned, his
complexion swarthy, his features singularly austere and for-
bidding. The disposition of his mind presented an extra-
ordinary contrast to the harsh lines traced on his countenance.
" Whatever might have been his failings (and they were too
glaring to escape observation), few monarchs were more
beloved by the people. During his reign, arts improved,
trade met with encouragement, and the wealth and comforts of
the people increased. He entered London 29th May, 1669,
his birthday, amidst the most universal and extraordinary
demonstrations of joy."

Oak-ball day, or oak-apple day, is named from this circum-
stance, and the school-boys' local rhyme is never forgotten : —

Oak-ball day,
The twenty-ninth, of May,
If you don't give us a holiday
We'll all run away !

The Royal Oak. 183

A poet, Thomas Shipman, more gracefully alludes to the
subject : —

Let celebrated wits with laurels crown'd,
And wreaths of bays, boast their triumphant brows.

I will esteem myself far more renown'd
In being honoured with these oaken boughs.

Charles II. issued a proclamation dated at Tong Norton,
20th August, 1 65 1.

The portrait of Charles II., which is given here, is a con-
temporary painting in the possession of the writer, and " much
resembling Sir Peter Lely's, picture of the King at Bridewell
Hall, and may be by an equally able artist of the time, such
as Riley."

MEASUREMENTS OP THE ROYAL OAK.

1881.

Girth 1 foot from ground

14 feet 1 inch.

Nov. 11th

» 4

12 „ 2 „
11 „ 6 „

„ 10

„

11 „ o „

Length of trunk

or butt,|21

feet.

1883.

Girth 1 foot from ground 14 feet 1 inch.

Dee.

» 4

„

12 „ 2 „

» 5

„

11 » 6 „

„ 10

. »»

„

11 „ o „

1885.

Girth 1

„

14 „ 1 „

Jan. 21st.

» 3

„

13 „ 2 „

„ 5

„

11 „ 7 „

1886.

Girth 1

„

14 „ 1 „

July 24th.

„ 4
„ 10

12 „ 3 „

11 „ 7 „
11 „ o „

1889.

Girtti 1

„

14 „ 1£ „

May 2.

» 3

13 „ 2 „
11 ., 7 „

It is from data, such as appeared in an article in a local
paper in January, 1890, that wrong impressions are formed.
Some of the reports upon the Royal Oak (of which I have a
collection) bristle with inaccuracies and contradictions, and
these arise from the writers not having verified their state-
ments, but having written from " hearsay," I have no doubt.

Preferring as I do to rely upon the well-weighed opinions of
those who live in the neighbourhood, and who make trees a

184 The Royal Oak.

study of their lives, and form their conclusions from frequent
observations at various seasons of the year, rather than on the
hastily-conceived ideas of hurrying tourists who devote half-
an-hour to the inspection of a celebrated tree, I unhesitatingly
advise my readers that this tree cannot be a sapling of the
Royal Oak.

It is a tree of no mean dimensions, as the above measure-
ments shew, and has indications of numerous branches having
been lopped off" its sides. It is decaying in the butt, though
so vigorous and fair to view ; but a large sheet of lead hides
the hole in the trunk.

Partly from the Rev. H. G. de Bunsen's little History of
Boscobel, and partly viva voce, we get the Earl of Bradford's
account, 1878, as related to him by his father, which is gener-
ally thus : —

" The trees and underwood were in full leaf in September, when the King hid in the Oak,
not decayed, but a growing tree. It became well known to Mr. Giffard, the owner, and other
loyalists. After the restoration (nine years after) numbers visited it. The idea of its being
a substitute, least of all an acorn from the tree, his lordship discards as ludicrous and
absurd. Known it himself half a century. Looks same now as then. His father spoke of
the absurd stories of the owl, the acorn, &c. He used to say his father and grandfather
spoke in the same sense, which would carry him back to 1740, less than 90 yenrs after the
King sat in it. Tree3 in the park at Weston estimated at 1,100 or 1,200 years old ; others at
600, 500, and 400 ; sometimes a smaller tree is considerably older than a larger one.
Estimates it at 400 or 450 now, i.e., 220 then. His father, the late Earl, spoke of hearing
from those who went before him, the labouring men had pointed oat the tree from father
to son as the Royal Oak."

Mr. J. S. Hooker, who has care. of the National Gardens at
Kew, writing on this subject, says he is of opinion that the
maximum age of oaks may be between 800 and 1,000 years,
and he judges by the rapid growth of trees of known age, and
from the fact that the insects and fungus ravages on old oak

wood are so multifarious and great He is

astonished to see the size to which trees have attained, which
he himself planted at Kew since 1865.

At the Edinburgh Forestry Exhibition, about 9 years ago,
much interest was shewn in sections of two Scotch firs, one

THE ROYAL Oak.

fpMW.Mi, xxv- V— »»yl -» ../(///Ill'- '"*

,«£ ••— •"•- ••••• -;;:*•»< ■•- •.'»". .»>//} |)

THE

RPYAL

BOSO
OBEU

The Tree is from a Photograph in 1879.

The Royal Oak. 185

23 feet in circumference, distinctly vouching its own age to be
217 years; the other, a lesser tree, 18 feet in circumference,
shewing a clear record of year- circles to the number of 270.
The site of both was known, as well as the dates of the felling
of one, and the blowing down of the other.

The above measurements of the Royal Oak have been
taken by Mr. James Craig, the Earl of Bradford's head
forester, whose careful study of this and other trees for many
years firmly convinces him that this is no two-century
" sapling " as some suggest. He further says that Mr. H. S.
Cumming's Paper on the Royal Oak, read before the British
Association, is written in a sensational and romancing spirit ;
and any relics that it mentions might all have been made out
of the many boughs and limbs that have been taken from the
tree. Mr. Craig points out some errors made by Mr. Collins,
forester, of Trentham, and says the girth of the tree round the
surface of the ground is only 15ft. 7m. (instead of 1 6ft. 3m.,
as Mr. Collins says), and the girth at 5ft. from the ground
11ft. 7m. This is a little more than it used to measure,
because the sheet of lead has been fastened on lately, and
bulges out more than it used to do. Also the tree shows scars
all up the stem, where branches have been cut off from time
to time ; and records bear testimony to this fact, that at one
period of its existence it would have been difficult to find a
tree in the Forest with more leafy surface. The heart is
quite rotten at that large hole in the stem that is covered over
with a sheet of lead about 3ft. by 2ft.

Mr. James Hope, head gardener at Weston for 35 years,
writes me : I do not think the Oak at Boscobel a sapling. I
have no doubt but it was a good sized tree when the King
was there, and quite large enough to hide anyone, with the
foliage on.

186 The Royal Oak.

It shews marks on the bark of the trunk, where low
branches have been removed. It may easily have been a
pollarded tree, and from the accompanying reproductions of
photographs anyone will perceive that conclusions, quite at
variance, may be arrived at respecting it.

Mr. Barnett's dimensions of the Royal Oak, taken in
presence of Mr. Brooke and Mr. Botfield in 1857 : — Girth
just " above the ground " (too indefinite to rely on), 15ft. ; at
4 feet above the ground, lift. 4m. This must have included
the large piece of lead shewn in one of the views where the
trunk is rotten in the side, hence the discrepancy with the
recent measure.

Charles II. (in Pepys' Diary) said : —

"A great oak in a pretty plain place, that had been lopt some three or four years before,
and, being grown out again very bushy and thick, could not be seen through."

The tree readily accords with the King's description in The
History of His Sacred Majesty's Preservation (1809), " Boscobel "
pt. 1. " Where the Colonel made choice of a thick-leav'd
oak."

Blount in his Boscobel, published in 1660, says : —

"Hundreds of people have flock'd to see the famous Boscobel . . . but chiefly to behold
the Boyal Oake, which has been deprived of all its young boughsf by the numerous visiters of
it, who keep them in memory of His Majesty's happy preservation ; insomuch that Mr. Fitz-
herbert has been forced in due season of the year to crop part of it for its preservation, and
has lately been at the charge to fence it about with a high pale."

The Rev. Geo. Plaxton, vicar of SherifThales, 1673, rector
of Donnington, 1690- 1703, says in a paper of 1707 : —

" I had nothing very remarkable at Donington, save the Boyal Oak at Boscobel. The Boyal
oak was a fair spread thriving tree. The boughs of it were all lined and covered with ivy. Here
in the thick of these boughs the King sate . . . they arc strangely mistaken who judged it
an old hollow oak, whereas it was a gay and flourishing tree, surrounded with a great mnny
more."

This is a very natural description. It would have been mad
folly to choose a large tree standing alone, or one that would
call attention to itself.

f Probably the lower boughs easily reached, which have evidently been cut off, as the bark
shows now.

(Page 53).

WILLIAM PENDERELL
(page 179).

Sir Kenelm Digby

(Page 173).

! CIHT.IIAC.IS09.

ROYAL OAK:THEBRICK WAL

(page 187).

The Royal Oak. 187

Mr. Plaxton further says : —

" The poor remains of the Royal Oak are now fenced in by a handsome brick wall . . .
put up 20 or 30 years ago by Basil and Jane Fitzherbert."

The view of this in the Gentleman's Magazine shews the tree
much as at present, and the brick wall surrounding it.

Evelyn (born 1620, died 1706) " Silva" published 1729,
edition reprint of 17 14, speaks of remarkable oaks, bearing
strange leaves, &c. : —

" The people never left hacking the boughs and bark till they" kill'd the tree [in New
Forest] ; as I am told they have serv'd that famous oak near "White Lady's."

Mr. Thos. Arnold, who transcribed it, remarks this sentence
was not in the edition of 1679, being an insertion of later
editions. The first edition was 1664. This " as I am told,"
is only hearsay evidence, and not reliable, as he was writing
without local knowledge.

Dr. Charlett, writing in 1702 to Pepys : —

" The trunk of the Royal Oak is now enclosed within a] round wall, with'an inscription
having no date."

Dr. Stukeley, in a letter, Dec. 171 3 : —

" A bow shot from the house, just by a horse track passing through the wood, stood the Royal
Oak. The tree is now enclosed within a brick wall, the inside whereof is covered frith laurel
. . the oak is in the middle, almost cut away by travellers, whose curiosity leads them
to see it. Close by the side grows a young thriving planb from one of its acorns."

This gentleman relates the story of the owl as they related
to us, which formed valuable material for Ainsworth's Novel ;
but is a pretty fiction, finding no basis in fact. He does not
say that he saw the tree himself, and Mr. Dale wrote, not
many years after, that "it is going to decay."

Mr. Charles Dunster, M.A., writes, in a work dedicated
1 79 1, whether from hearsay or not he does not say. It does
not appear that he had seen the place : —

" The old tree in which the King was hid was soon after cut down and carried off, bntone
is still shewed as the Royal Oak, having been raised (it is said) from an acorn of the old tree.
The present true is a large one, and appears to be about four score years old. The bark and
sides are much torn and cut by the curiosity of its visitors."

i88 Royal and Local Oaks.

The Rev. J. Dale, 1845 : —

"Tire site of present tree accords with that on which the old tree is represented in the
engraving [Blount's Boscobel] to have stood. Old persons had indistinct recollections that
present tree did not stand in centre of the plot enclosed by a wall earlier than Miss Evans',
but nearer to an angle of it."

Plaxton makes no mention of the sapling or successor ; but
his description accords with the King's.

Mr. Dale gives opinions to Mr. Botfield and Mr. Brooke,
later, against the identity : (saying 50 years ago he was told it
had been rooted up, writing in 1857) : this is " The Bishton
Legend!" He also, writing in 1845, said, "The present
Royal Oak is now rapidly going to decay," and attributes it in
some part to the removal of the wall, and consequent ex-
posure to storms, &c.

Mr. Dale also said it was a shy bearer, not bringing acorns
to perfection oftener than once in 8 or 10 years.

Mr. Stubbs, old gardener at Boscobel, again refutes this in
1878, saying it only failed to bear acorns once in 10 years, and
that was last year, 1877.

Rev. J. Dale, curate of Donington, found the broken stone
(blue gold letters) broken, and a new inscription " restored by
Basil and Eliza Fitzherbert about 33 years ago, i.e., 1812"
Mr. Evans soon after bought Boscobel.

The brick wall and the brass inscription were removed in
18 1 7, when iron pallisades were put at Miss Frances Evans'
cost.

The Rev. H. G. de Bunsen notes in 1878 : —

"Mr. Dale's anticipations have not been realized ! The Oak still looks like a flourishing
tree, and lias no appearance of decay about it at the present time."

There are two inaccuracies in the article of January, 1890,
before referred to. First, there is the trifling error of 10 feet
in the height of the tree (57 should be 67ft.) ; secondly, the
soil in which it grows, Mr. Brown, who occupies the land,
says is certainly not marl, as stated therein.

Girth

Date

at 4 ft.

Measured.

Remarks.

ft. in.

25 7 .

. Oct.

1883

22 9 .

. Nov

1884

26 6 .

. including ivy

19 2 .

„

18 7 .

„

17 6 .

20 0

„

20 1 .

Famous Trees. 189

Mr. Ralph said in a paper, re Boscobel, that the King's
account and Lord Clarendon's account are inaccurate, quoting
Stukeley's as correct, who gave the account "as they related
to us." Mr. Ralph says it is not a pollard tree ! also that
there are no records of White Ladies !

The following are Mr. Craig's measurements of large local
trees, which may interest arboriculturists : —

Girth

at 1 ft.

ft. in.

The larger Oak of 2 at Aqualate 28 6

Great Oak in Weston Park 31 2

Large 0;*k near Weston Hall Stables 27 0
Oriental Plane on Weston Hall Lawn 27 3

Lime (N) near Pendrill's Cave 23 6

Lime(S) „ , 23 10

Oak in Forge Croft 22 4

Oak near Black Fir Clump 25 0

Wellingtonia near Temple 110.. . . . . Height 47ft. 6in.

11 Weston and its glorious Oaks " are mentioned in Lady
John Manners' (now Duchess of Rutland's) Life of Lord
Beaconsfield, as one of the places where that great statesman
enjoyed a quiet retreat from the bustle of political life.

White Oak (see page 139) 18

Brewer's Oak, at Crackley Bank

(named from a suicide, Brewer)... 14
Pine, in front of Tong Castle 16

*Girth at 3 ft. Height 97 feet.

Alder at Woodlands 21

Oak at Brockhurst 24

(hole inside, 5ft. 3in. by 4ft.)

The following are dimensions of an oak, felled in 1881, in
Lady Wicket field, on Weston Estate, half-a-mile from
Boscobel, but within the area of the same old forest of
Brewood, taken Nov. 11, 1881 : — Girth at ift. from ground,
14ft. gin. ; at 4ft., lift. 8in. ; length of trunk, 22ft. This tree
had 215 concentric rings, and its dead tops or stag-horns were
cut off about 30 years ago, evidenced by woodmen now living,
and bore the marks of having been so dealt with. The age of
this tree, allowing for the time between which it ceased to

. . Nov. 1884

..*

190 Famous Trees.

form wood, and commenced to shew signs of decay, would
bring its age to 300 years at least, and probably nearer 400.
And this tree threw out considerable foliage.

The following sizes are from Sylva Britannica, 1822 : —

SVilcar Oak, in Needw>nd Forest, is known by historical documents to be 600
years old— girth at 6ft., 21ft. 4£in.

The Beggar's Oak in Bait's Park— at 5ft., 20ft. girth.
Givat Oak of Panshanger, Earl Cowper's, is 19ft. girth at 3ft.
At Tatbury, the WycQ Elm or Wychhazel, formerly used for the longbow, is
16 ft. 9in. at 5ft.

In this once favor'd walk beneath these elms,
Oft in instructive converse we beguil'd
The fervid time, which each returning year,
To friendship's call devoted. Such things were :
But are alas ! no more.

8. Dunelm.

The Yew at Ankerwyke is supposed to be 1000 years old.
" The Eugh obedient to the bender's will."

Spenser.
It was formerly much u*ed in Queen Elizabeth's time for htdges. when it was
enjoined t > bi planted in all Churchyards partly to ensure its cultivation, partly
to secure its leaves and seed from doing injury to cattle, and partly its unc anging
colour made it a fit emblem of immortality, audits dark green gave the solemnity
of the grave.

Of Ash, ''the Venus of the Forest," at Woburn, is a great Ash, 15ft. 3io. at 3ft.
from ground.

The B ack Poplar (held sacred to Hercules), at Bury St. Edmunds, is 15ft. girth
at 3ft.

The Tort worth Chestnut is the oldest in England : and the Plane at Lee Court is
14ft. 8 m. at 6 feet.

The contributions of zealous opponents of the Royal Oak's
identity as the king's refuge are marked by many contradic-
tions and prejudiced views.

It will be as well here to mention the comparisons quoted
by Jarco (see Bygones, May, 1877) of certain trees in a timber
merchant's yard, which happened to be of the same size, and
from which he concluded that the present oak is no years old,
or perhaps 150 !

Among papers sent me by Lady Evans in 1888, reference is
made to the M.S. in Mr. Thomas Whitgreave's handwriting
on six separate sheets ; and marked with genuine features of

The Royal Oak. 191

the facetious monarch. She also sent other remarks of
11 Philarchus " and " Observator." Philarchus wrote, in 1789,
to the Gentleman's Magazine, viz. : that a maid servant pointed
out the field where the tree once was, and says there stood the
tree, which is now gone, and was a lone and pollarded tree,
and other notes upon the House, &c. Observator, writing in
1790, June 12, says " descriptions should be just and accurate,
and conjecture only permitted where facts cannot be ascer-
tained. How can we excuse the negligence and impropriety
of your correspondent Philarchus, a person who pretends to
write from personal observation, who has given such a loose
and erroneous account .... which is highly reprehen-
sible." " The object of your miscellany ought

to be the recording matters of fact, not the repository for
groundless and ridiculous conjecture"; and he points out
other numerous errors of Philarchus.

An inscription (embodying the older ones of 1677 and 1787)
prepared by Rev. R. P. Thursfield, and affixed to the tree by
the Rev. Joseph Dale, 29th May, 1845, bore in Latin words,
after reciting the previous inscription one thus rendered " The
present oak sprung, it is said, from the above-named tree, Frances
Evans .... has fenced in with the present iron railing,
1817.

This brass plate was removed soon after, and the words in
italics were altered into " Hanc Arborem " (this tree), she
being persuaded that the present tree is the identical tree
which had sheltered the King.

There was also an English inscription placed there by her
desire.

The Misses Evans, who owned Boscobel, had another
house at Allestree, near Derby. On the survivor's decease
Boscobel passed to Mr. T. W. Evans, who was afterwards
created a baronet, but dying without issue the estate passed
to the Rev. E. Carr, the present owner.

192 Primeval Oaks, &c.

It is a matter for public congratulation that the Evans
Family and their successor, the Rev. Canon Carr, so kindly
allow this historic spot to be viewed by the public daily
(Sundays excepted), a privilege which H.R.H. the Duchess of
Teck, the Duchess of York, and many noble personages, in-
cluding M. de Waddington, a descendant of the Pendrills,
gladly availed themselves of. The Visitors' Books, under the
care of Miss Brown, are a delightful record of loyalty and
autography.

Of single trees, relics of primeval forests, which have been
preserved to our own times, Mr. Beriah Botfield mentioned : —

"Christ's Oak once at Cressage, a name recalliDg the period when Christian
Missionaries fir*t taught the Gospel to heathen Saxons under the tree."

"The Lady Oak, which still exists at the same place, was clearly so called in
honour of the Virgin."

" Th« ancient and gigantic Lime which adorns the precincts of Pitchfcrd Hall."
" Owen Glendwyr's Oak (the Shelton Oak) whence that chieftain is said to have
witnessed the Battle of Shrewsbury, 1403, ?till standing mar Shrewsbury. This
was described as a " j?r««at tree*' in 1540. Though now hollow and decayed, it
girths upward* of 44 ft., and has some branches still fresh and vigorous."* It is
mentioned by Shakespeare —

" How the grette oake at Shelton standeth on my grounde."

When so eminent an authority as Mr. Botfield describes
these trees as relics of primeval forests, how easily may less
experienced people be mistaken in their views of the age of
trees at the present day.

The Lapley Oak was mentioned by Plot in 1686 : —

" Thus out of a great Oak, that grew at Lapley, of about 6 Tunns of Timber [about 240
feet], brought to Elmhurst for the new building the house, there was a great Toad sawn
forth of the middle of the tree in a place which, when growing, was 12 or 14 foot from the
ground, the tree being sound and intire in all parti quit round, saving just where the Toad
lay, it was black and corrupted and crumbled away like sawdust."-)-

Mrs. Baldwyn Childe says that at Kyre Park are some
enormous oaks, no doubt planted in Norman times, for the
licence to plant them is dated 1275.

* Address at Shrewsbury, 1860. + Plot's Staffordshire, 168C.

Philosophical Summary. 193

In conclusion, let me quote some lines of Proverbial
Philosophy, written by a negro, who, rather bold and severely,
sums up in a comical manner his lessons of a lifetime : —

Dar's a heap o' dreadful music iu de very finest fiddle :
A ripe and mellow apple may be rotten in de middle ;
Dar's a lot of solid kicking in de humblest kind o' mule :
De wisest-looking trabeller may be de biggest f— — ;
De preacher ain't de holiest dat wears de meekest look,
And does de loudest banging on de kiver o' de book.

All lovers of historical treasures are wary of historical
fiction, and I advise them to defer still longer from arraying
themselves on the side of those who declare for the imposture
of a Royal historical tree.

WHITE LADIES.

Not far from this Town (Tong) and Castle is Whitladyes, the seat of Mr.
Gifford and Boscobel so famous for the Oak. — Cox's Mayna Britannia, 1720.

HE Convent of White Ladies was so-called from the
habit of that colour worn by the Cistercian Nuns,
who occupied it. It is supposed to have been
founded or established in the reign of King
Richard I. or King John possibly by Herbert Walter, Arch-
bishop of Canterbury, about 1195 ; but J. C. Anderson, in his
History of Shropshire, says that Mr. Eyton finds that Ema
de Pulverbatch having granted a virgate in Beobridge to these
White Nuns earlier than 1186, granted the remainder in 1186
to Haughmond Abbey, so he concludes that the founda-
tion may be as early as 1185. All antiquarians are
silent upon it, and "no Chartulary or even a legend exists to
throw a light upon its origin," says J. C. Anderson in his
History of Shropshire. Dedicated to St. Leonard, it was a
house parochially and manorially independent, whose pro-
perty was acquired by gradual instalments, each representing
the consignment of some female member of a wealthy or
powerful family to the service of religion ; these, in time, came
to be represented by a large aggregate, and in 1536, the Prioress
returned the gross annual value of this Convent, derivable
from demesne lands at White Ladies, and from various rents
in Notts, Staffordshire, and Salop, at £31 is. 4d.

Leland says in his Itinerary:—" Byrwoode, a Priory of
White Nunnes, lately suppressid, in the very Marche of

Bishop's Wood. 195

Shropshire toward Darbyshire."* It was within the Forest
of Brewood, whose boundaries described by Mr. Botfield,
were : Weston and Bishop's Wood on the North, Brewood
and Chillington on the East, and Albrighton, Donington, and
Tong on the South and West.

The Bishop's Wood, reference to which has already been
made on pages 10, 139, and 140, as also to White Ladies
pages 12 and 139, was granted by Henry II. in 1153, to
the Bishop of Lichfield.

Bishop's Wood was in Brewde, in Domesday. Brewood
belonged exclusively to the Bishop of Chester, i.e., Coventry
and Lichfield styled Chester, in nth and 12th centuries ; the
White Nuns being called of Brewood because they were in
Brewood Forest. So far from the two Convents constituting
one foundation they had nothing to connect but their propin-
quity and nothing in common but the spirit of rivalry which
was mutual, Mr. Eyton says.

In 1200, the Bishop was to enclose from the forest, a park
in his wood of Brewude, which was to be two leagues in
circumference, Weston being the forest's northern boundary.

In 1204, the King has altogether disafforested his forest of
Brewude, and the men who dwelt therein for ever.

In 1206, the King gives the Bishop license to make a decoy
saltatorium in his park of Brewde. A saltatorium is a deer-
leap, so constructed that the deer could jump over the park
pales from the forest into the Bishop's Park, but not back
again. There was one near Shifnal, not far from the
Manor-house of the King's Forester of Wellington Forest.

In 1209, Hamo de Weston and John Bagot were indicted
for receiving marksmen and hounds at Blymhill and Weston,
but the result was not given, as the illicit objects were un-
decipherable.

* Error for Staffordshire.

196 The White Nuns and Prioresses.

131 5. Hugh de Beaumes, wishing to benefit this Convent,
inquired for the King's permission to grant 30 acres in Donyn-
ton to the Prioress, The Jurors sat at Donynton, and held
that the grant would be harmless. The same Hugh grants
a messuage in Shakerlew, which John atte Syche* held to
John, his brother, and wood for fire and fence and common
right for own stock, and 240 sheep of other people.

Undertenants of the Nuns were at Neachley, Shackerley
and Kilsall.

In 1 21 2, King John granted to the White Nuns — he may have
been at Brewood at the time, a Weir called " Withlakeswere '*
in River Severn, near Bridgnorth ; and in 1225, Alditha
Prioress, and her Convent of Brewe, and Cecilia, another
Prioress, each granted half the rent of the Weir to Henry of
Brug.

By Inquisition, 1255, the Nuns of Brewood are in receipt
of 6/8 rent in Brug, and a few years later'of other income in
that Borough ; Agnes was Prioress about then.

In 1288, the Prioress had right of Common Pasture in
Rugge.

In 1292, Sarra, Prioress, complained that she had not
enough of pasture, and defeated William de Rugge, in a suit.

1286. In the Pleas of Cannock Forest, the Staffordshire
Archceological Society's Transactions, Vol. V., page 163, expublic
records occurs : —

It was presented that when the huntsmen of the King were hunting in the
bailiwicke of Gauel^ye 4 E. I. , they put up a stag with their dogs, and followed it
as far as the Park at Brewode into a wood there, and John dela Wytemore came
up with a bow and arrow and shot at it, and it fled out of the forest as far as the
fish p->nd of the Nuns of Brewode, and the said John followed it and dragged it
out dead from the said fish pond (vivarium) ; and John Giffard, of Chyl'yngton
came up and stated he had pursued the stag, and claimed the whole of it; and
they skinned it and the said John took half of it and carried it to his house, and

* White Sitch in Weston.

The Bishop's Deer-Leap. 197

the Nuns of Brewode had the other half. As they are poor they are pardoned for
the good of the King's soul, and although the said stag was taken outside the forest,
yet it was the chasia of tbe King, and put up by his d^gs within the forest, and
taken in front of th^m against t >e assize. The Sheriff is ordered, therefore, to
arrest the said John and John, who being convicted of the above were committed
to prison. John de la Wytemore was fiued 1 mark, and John de Chilinton
(sic) 20s.

And the same Bishop [Roger] has a saltatorium [deer leap] against the forest, in
his part of Brewode which adjoins the boundaries of the forest, to the injury of the
said forest. It is not known by what warrant. He, being infirm aud weak,
appeared by his attorney, Robert de Pype, at Lichfield. Said he was not bound to
answer except by the King's writ, nor without his peers, the Barons of England,
said he found his church in seisin of the woods with power of taking venison, &c.
Tne Bishop commanded to appear before the King at the Parliament. Nothing
was done, but later the forest was taken into the King's hands, the Bishop showing
no warrant. Bishop subsequently took proceedings to recover, and produced
charters, aad showed his predecessors had been accustomed to hunt and take in the
woods at will, beasts which came from the f jrest of the King.

After further proceedings, Bishop came before King at Westminster, 18 Ed. I. ,
and gave up all his woods, etc., in Cannock Forest, and the King of his special
favour conceded and granted again to the Bishop the same woods, to hold in free
and perpetual alms as his free chase fer ever, and so that it may be lawful for him
to inolose his woods and make parks m them at his will, sc long as he and his
successors made in them no saltaries or used nets to capture the King's deer —
and for this concession the Bishop gave to the King £1,000.

1304. Inquest whether it would injure the King" if it be
allowed John de Beaumeys to grant 10 acres of land and 10
acres of wood in Donynton, to the Prioress of White Nuns of
Brewod. Inquest in favor.

1 3 18. Submission of the Priory of White Nuns to the
Papal Ordinance — as to Church of Tibshelf, Co. Derby.

Elizabeth la Zouche, great granddaughter of the loyal
Alan, (see page 11) caused a flutter of excitement by escaping
from White Ladies Nunnery in 1326, with Alice de Kallerhal,
Nuns regularly professed of this house, who had left their
Convent.

The Bishop causes publication to be made in Churches ;*
all who aided or abetted to be severely punished.

* See Notes by W. Salt Archaeological Society Publications, and Ey ton's Antiquities.

198 Election of Prioress.

Bishop Norbury's Register (Lichfield), says in 133 1,
Elizabeth la Zouche makes her confession before the
Bishop in Brewood Church, her petition before the Con-
vent Gate for re-admission, after which absolution by the
Bishop, and admission to penance.*

Also 1338: An Order falling heavily on the Prioress for
expenses voluptarioe, dress and laxity of rule ; Canes Venatici
(dogs of the chase) were found in the Convent.

1332. The Priory was vacant by the resignation of Dame
Joan de Huggeford, last Prioress. On the third day of the
vacancy, the Sub-Prioress and Convent met, and agreed to
elect a Prioress by scrutiny, whereon Agnes de Weston, Sub-
Prioress, and two others collected and announced the votes
of the Convent. The result was the election of Dame Alice
Harlegh, which was quashed by the Bishop, who appointed
Dame Alice, because he had heard of her many virtues. She
died 1349.

Then she for her good deeds and her pure life,
And for the power of ministration in her,
And likewise for the high rank she had borne
Was chosen Abbess ; there, an Abbess lived,
For three brief years, and there an Abbess, past
To where beyond these voices there is peace.

Tennyson.

when Beatrice de Dene was appointed, when the site and
local possessions were three carucates in Donington.

William de Ercall III. gave a ninth of the tithes ofErcallto
the White Nuns of Brewood, and land near his Court of La
More on which to make a weir. J

1535-6. At the Dissolution, besides £6 i3s. 4d. at White
Ladies, there were rents in Notts, Staffordshire, and Shrop-
shire, at Higley, Chatwall, Rudge, Bold, Sutton Maddock,
Ronton, High Ercal, Berrington, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth,
Ingardine, Tedstill, Beckbury, and Humfreston, and the
Advowsons of Muntford (Salop), and Tydshull (Derby), and

* See Notes by W. Salt Archasological Society Publications, and Eyton's Antiquities.
J Shrop. Trans.

Rents of the White Nuns. 199

a pension from Bold Chapel. They had to pay a chief rent
of 10/- to the Lord of Donnington, and 16/8 annual fee to
Thomas Giffard, Esq., their Seneschal ; a salary of £$ for
the Chaplain, appointed by the Nuns, to pray for the souls of
the Founders.

The following descriptive letter was sent me by Dr. Knight,
in reply to my enquiries : —

Letter irom Francis Whitgreave, Esq., to the Right Rev. Dr. Knight, D. D.f
Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury.

Burton Manor, near Stafford,

August 2-lth, 1886.
My Dear Lord, —

In answer to your kind note just received, enclosing one from Mr. George
Griffiths and which I now return, I am sorry tu inform you tuat but little is known
with regard to the Convent of White Ladies, near Boscobel. Wo have, perhaps,
the be«t collection of books aud manuscripts in England rtlating to any Ci.unty, at
the Salt Library, in Stafford, and if Mr. Giiffiths, on his n^xt visit to Stafford,
which is only a very moderate distance from what I presume to be his residence —
Weston Bank — will call there, the Librarian, on his application, will show him all
that is known with regard to the Cistercian Convent in question.

Please to tell him to ask to be shown a .small eograving representing "White
Ladies " as it existed in the time of Charles II.

A half timber house, with a curious gate-house of the same materials, existed
at that time attached to the ruins, which were then in much the same state as they
are now ; ihe Convent itself having been swept away and only a portion of the
Church remaining. Ihe more modern hou»e mentioned was the residence of a
younger branch of the Giffards's, of Chillii gtun, an I it was to this home that
Charles was hist conducted by Gaptaiu Gifford aiter having ridden with him and
other attendants all night on his flight from Worcester.

As you are perhaps aware, the house has now entirely disappeared, leaving only
the ruins of the Church.

The property of the Convent, and also that of the Benedictine Nuns at Black
Ladies, was grau ted by the iufamous Tyrant who suppressed them to the Gifford
of the time. Wh.te Ladies passed by marriage to the Fitzherbert?.

Black Ladies still continues the property of the Giffords.

But I will not add more, as you and Mr. Griffiths proba ly know all this.

I shall be much obliged to > our Lords>hip if you will ask Mr. Griffiths to let me
know where his " Guide to Tong Church " can te procured, and the volue of the

I need hardly add that Mr. Griffiths will find ample materials relating to
Boxcobel at the Salt Library. --Believe rue, my de^r Lord, yours very sincerely
and respectfully,

(Sigmd) Francis Whitgreave.

P.S.— The house which now exists at Black Ladies was built by the Giifords in
the reign of James I. upon the foundations, however, in part, at least, of the
Beneiictive Convent.

200 Architectural Features of White Ladies Abbey.

The Convent ruins were described in 1550, as in the Parish
of Tong, but they now are in Boscobel extra-parochial district
in Shropshire. They exhibit some Norman features, particu-
larly a circular-headed doorway.

It is a cross Church without aisles. There are indications
of a pent roof on the north wall, and looking into the cloister
on that side were four windows. A tiny south window indi-
cates the centre of the south transept ; a large circular one
on the north, the north transept, while three more, further
east are in the north Chancel wall.

The caps to the south door and arch of the north transept
are beautiful and characteristic. Generally, there are indica-
tions of great simplicity and much refinement. The ancient
vestment in Tong Church .(see page 97; is believed be the
work of the Nuns here or at Black Ladies. Probably, Neach-
ley was the Grange of the Convent. Is it possible that the
Mill at Shackerley was the Mill of this Convent ?

In 1785 Mr. Parkes found at White Ladies, a triple head
carved in stone, and at seven feet deep several ancient tiles,
green, yellow and red, with simple designs of circles and
quatrefoils. Within the ruins are some old monumental slabs,
commemorating I suppose conventual or church dignitaries,
viz. : —

One a cross with quatrefoil and circle head, a cap and J. T.

One a sunk quitrefoil with, circle near south wall, on a tapering slab.

One on a similar slab, with Latin cross, having eich limb trefoiled, and a cup on
the right side.

One a circle with four anchor-like arrows radiating to the angles of the square at the
head of the slab.

Winifred White's tomb is still here ; her " miraculous "
cure of permanent lameness was attributed to the healing
virtues of her namesake's well at Holywell.

The site consists, I believe, of two acres of land, at present
unfenced, but defined, the property of the Fitzherbert Family,

White Ladies, from the S.e. Corner of Ruins.

(Photographed by G.G., 1894.)

UPRIGHT SLABS AT WHITE LADIES.

White Ladies Abbey. 201

and the records are kept by the Rev. Lewis Groom, Roman
Catholic priest of Brewood, of which place it was the Roman
Catholic Cemetery until recently.

In recent times, comparatively, the spot has earned
notoriety as the burial place of King Charles IPs protectress,
Dame Joane wife of William Pendrell, for a headstone, seen
there in 1792 — and a copy of which still is in situ — bore the
following inscription : —

Here lyeth The bodie of a
Friende The King did caLL Dame Joane,
But Now Shee is Deceast and Gone.
Interred Anno Do. 1669.

Here grew the yellow saffron or autumn crocus, which an
old herbalist informs me, grew at Tung and all Romish places ;
and here still grow the Myrrhis Odorata, a relic of the Nuns'
herb garden, and other rare plants.

This Nunnery is in Shropshire, and that of the Black
Ladies is in Staffordshire. White Ladies was the more im-
portant of the two. It was a larger establishment than that
of the Benedictine Nuns, 2 miles distant.

The perplexities of an Abbess at the time of the Dissolu-
tion may be gathered from the following curious letter to
Thomas Cromwell, afterwards Earl of Essex, and as it may
be from Margaret Vernon of Tong it is interesting : —

A.D. 1535. Margaret Vernon to Secretary Crowwell.

After all dew comnoendacyon* hid unto yowre good maystershyp with my most
umble tiankes for the greate coste mayd on me and my pore maydyn at my last
beynga with yowre miystershyp, furthermore plesyth yt yow to understonde that
yowre vysytors hath bene here of late, who hath dyscharged iij. of my systers, the
one ys danae Catheryn, the other ij. ys the yonge women that were last professyd,
whyche ys not a lyttll to my dyscomforte ; nevertheless I must be content with the
kynges plesure.

But nowe as touchynge my nowne parte, I must humbly besech yow to be so
specyall giod miyster uato me yowre pore bedawoman, as to give me yowre best-
advertysmeat and counseyle what waye shalbe best for me to tike, seynge there
shalbe none lift here bat myselfe and thys pore rrradyn ; and yf yt wyl plese yowre
goolnes to take thys pore howse into yowre owne honeys, ether for yourself e, er
for my nowne [maister] yowre sonne ; I woylde be glad with fcll my hart to geve jt
AA

202 Abbess Margaret and her pore Madyn.

into yowre maystershypes hondes, with that yewyll commaunde me to do tberin
Trustynge and nothynge dowptynge in yowre goodnes, that ye wyll so provyd for
ns, that we shall have syche onest lyvynge that we shall not be drevyn he necessyte
nether to begge, nor to fall to no other unconveuyence.

And thus I offer my selfe and all myne unto your most hygh and prudeot wys-
dome, as unto hym that ys my only refuge and comfort in thys world, beschynge
God of hys holy goodnes to put in yow hys holy sprete, that ye maye do all thynge-
to hys lawde and glory.

By yowre own* assured bedewoman,

Margaret Vernon.

Mr. Thomas Wright, F. S.A., says he had not ascertained
of what Nunnery, Margaret Vernon, the writer of this letter,
was Abbess. There was a Margaret Vernon, Abbess of West
Mailing, 151 1, daughter of Sir Harry Vernon ; probably it is
the same person (see page 52).

Mr. Wright adds that the visitors, by putting in force the
injunctions already alluded to, seem to have nearly emptied
the house, all the sisters but one having quitted it voluntarily
or by force, and the Abbess herself seems to have been not
unwilling to follow their example.

Here is another curious letter, and of local interest, written
about the same period as the one from Margaret Vernon : —
John Foster to Cromwell.
[from M.S. Cotton Cleop. E. IV., fol. 116.]
In my moste humblyst wyse, I beyng not so bold as to appere before your lord-
schyp untyll your plesure is knowyn, feere sett aptartt, nede compellythe me to
wrytt. Thys last Lentt I dyd no lesse then wrytt, and also to your presence I dyd
approche, suyng for your lordschypps gracyous servyce ; but now my sute ys
muche other, for my dysfortune hathe byn to have conceyvyd untruly Goddy*
Wordo, and not only with yntellectyon to have thought yt but externally and
really I have fulfyllyd the same. For I as then beyng a presste have accomple-
shyd maryage, nothyng pretendyng but as an obedyentt subject ; for yf the kyngys
grace could have found yt laufull that prestys myght have byn maryd, they wold
have byn to the crowne dubbyll and dubby 11 faythefull ; furste yn love, scondly
for fere that the byschoppe of Rome schuld sette yn hy* powre unto tber desolac-
yon. But now by the noyce of the peopull I perseyve I have dunne amysce, which
saythe that the kyngys erudyte yugement with all his cowncill tenoperall
and spyrytual hathe stableschyd a contrary order, that all prestys schalbe separat
by a day ; with which order I have contentyd my selfe, and as sone as I horde yt.
to bii tru I sent the woman to her frendys iij score mylys from me and apedely

t From Letters relating to the suppression of the Monasteries Camden Society,— from
M.S Cotton Oleop.,, E. IV., cap. 55.

WHITE LADIES.
NORMAN DOORWAY.

from the "Gentleman's Magazine," 1809.

The Priest and his Wife. 203

and with all celeryte I have reaortyd nether to desyre the Kynges hyghtnes of hys
favour and absolucyon for my amysce doyng, prayng and besechyng your lord-
schypps gmcyous cumfort tor the optaynyng of hys gracyou* pardon, and I schal
be your bouuden aervauntt yn hartt and also yn contynual servyce, yf yt schall
please your gracyoua lordschypp to accept yt, duryng my lyfe*

Wryttya the xviij day of June.

Youre bounden for ever,

John Foster.

Cromwell was the son of a blacksmith ; some time after
being a clerk in an Antwerp factory, he was taken into the
service of Cardinal Wolsey, and on the fall of the Cardinal
became chief adviser to Henry VIII. He was instrumental
in the dissolution of the Monasteries, and was created Earl of
Essex, but for having advised the King's marriage with Ann
of Cleves, he was accused of treason and heresy, and exe-
cuted on Tower Hill, 1540.

At White Ladies Lord Derby committed the King to the
care of the Pendrill's, having ridden 26 miles. Of Richard
Penderel's Mill, itself, at White Ladies, if it were there, no trace
can be found. Near the Abbey were found an old hollowed
piece of oak, and an ancient water pipe, and traces of a pool
were visible nearer the brook. George Penderel was servant at
White Ladies, and opened the door for the King, who had
hardly arrived before he was advised to go into the Woods.
One of the Pendereis, William was a farmer at Hubbal Grange,
Richard, or " Trusty Dick," a retainer at Boscobel House and
two had lately fallen in the Civil War.

Mrs. Yates of the Wood was a sister of Richard Penderel's
wife. She lent the King a blanket, provided eggs, milk,
butter, &c.

At the time of the Reformation, Sir John Giffard who lived at
Chillington, and was one of the Commissioners for the seques-
tration of Church property, received for his own part the
property of Black Ladies at Brewood; His grandson Edward
was seated at the White Ladies, another sequestrated religious,
house. Edward's grandson Peter was an active partizan for

204 The Giffard Family — Hubbal Grange.

the King during the Civil War, and it was his nephew Charles
who attended on that Monarch at BoscobeL*

Dame Margaret Stamford was Prioress at the Dissolution,
and she had £$ allowed her yearly out of the Revenues
£17 10s. 8d., and the other Ladies in proportion. Henry
VIII. gave it to Sir Thomas Giffard, 10th Lord, 1560, who
was Bailiff and Keeper of the Bishop's Park, and Seneschal
of the Priory of St. Leonard's. He was High Sheriff and
a Royal Commissioner to obtain inventories of Church
Revenues, 1552. Doubtless his loyal descendant the Squire
of Chillington could throw much light upon the history. It
passed through females to the Fitzherberts, of Swynnerton,
who still own the ruins, and a right of way thereto.
The Skeffingtons lived here in the 16th century, and there
exist 3 tablets with exceedingly quaint lines to their memory,
two (to William Skeffington and his mother) in Tong Church
(Nos. 28 and 29), and one to his wife Jone in Brewood Church,
and some account of that family is given on page 88.

Hubbal Grange is a little old brick and timber
homestead in Tong Parish, on the side of the Green Lane
from Tong to White Oak. (See illustration.) In Hartshorne's
Salopia Antigua, a suggestion is made as to the derivation of
this place's peculiar name. " Brompton, in his Chronicle, speaks
of Hubbelow, or Hubba's Grave, and there is scarcely a place
in England where there is not some spot thus nominally con-
secrated by a Briton's or a Saxon's grave, low meaning a
tumulus, or grave. To the present day the first syllable indi-
cates the name of the person so interred. In an old Chronicle
cited by Hearne, speaking of Hubba, the writer says : And
when the Danes fond Hungar and Hubba died, thei bared
theym to a mountain ther besyde, and made upon him a logge,
and lete call it Hubbslugh.'" Samuel Hubball, a local tailor,
says his family came from Hubbal.

*Neicport Advertiser on the death of Mr. W. P. Giffard in 1877.

BLACK LADIES.

LACK Ladies in Staffordshire, was a Convent of
Benedictine Nuns dedicated to the Virgin Mary,
and so-called from their black habits, the Nunnery
being three miles from White Ladies. It was
valued at the Dissolution at ^"17 10s. 8d. (or £\\ is. 6d.)
per annum, and was styled the Convent of Brewood. It
only had six religious persons in it at the dissolution. One
seal of the House bore : — s. convent s. marie nigrar d'narvm,
and another, if we may believe Bagshaw : — sigillum commune
nigrarum monalium d'bre. This second seal is thus described
in the Brit. Mus. Catalogue : — A pointed oval, the Virgin,
seated in a canopied niche on the left arm the Child with
cruciform nimbus, in the right hand a sceptre fleur de lize.

Henry II. founded Black Ladies, and in 31 Hen. VII., it
was conveyed to Wm. Whorwood.

King John, 1199 — 1200, bestowed the year's rent of* Brom,
i\ merks on the Nuns of Brewood — probably when he visited
it, as he did also and in 1204, when he gave it a Charter. In
1203-4 ne gave Brewood Nunnery and five others an almoign
of two merks each.

Isabel, Prioress of the Black Nuns at Brewood, granted
lands at Brewood to Bishop Roger Meyland. Bishop elected
1265. f T283, a Papal Bull addressed through the Bishop to
the Black Nuns of Brewood.

Staff. — Clement de "Wolvernekampton, Clerk, sued Alice, Prioress of the Black
Nuns of Brewode, Robert de Stafford, and Robert atte Hyrst, for taking by forc«

Staff. Archaaol. Vol. II.

♦ Staff. Archaeol. Trans. Vol. VI.

2o6 Inventory of the Nunnery.

two oxen belonging to him at Horsebrok, worth 40s. The defendants did not
appear, and the Prioress was attached by Ralph le Messager and another, and the
others could not be found. The Sheriff was therefore ordered to distrain the
Prioress and to arrest the others, aud produce them at the Octaves of St. John the
Baptist, m 38.

Staff. — Clement of Wolvernehampton, Clerk, sued Alice the Prioress of the
Black Nuns of Brewode, and Robert atte Hyrst and another for forcibly breaking
into his hou.se at Horsebrok, and taking his goods and chattels to the value of
100s. The defendants did not appear, and the Sheriff had been ordered to distrain,
and he now returned 10s. distrained from the chattels of Alice. He was therefore
ordered as before to distrain and produce the defendants at the Quindene of St.
Michael, m. 138.

1394. — Petronilla, Prioress of the Black Nuns of Brewode and the Convent there,
acknowledges £100 at the hands of Thomas lech (de Newport, of High Ercall, Esq. ,
who married Isabel, sister of Sir Adam de Peshali, Kt. of Weston) to pray for the
soul of Thomas de Brumpton, Isabel's first husband, formerly Lord of Eyton, and
the souls of all his ancestors ; dated in their Chapel at Brewode on Tuesday' in the
Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, 18 Rich. II. — Thomas de Brnmpton died 1382
Isabel was dead 1438.

Brewood Nunnery ex Dugdale's Monasticon ; but whether
relating to White Ladies or Black Ladies, I cannot tell : —

The Church, the Vestrye, the Chapter Ho., Bells in Stepull (iii.), the Hale, the
Parlore (includes i Folding Tabull, the Forme, the Chayre, the Cuborde, and the
Hangings of the Payntyd Cloth). The Chaffe Chamber, the Baylyflfs Chamb.
the Keichyn, the Larder, Brewhouse, Kelyng House, Boylyng Ho., Cheslofte,
Kylhouse, Grayne (1 qart of whete 6s., 2 qt. of munke corn 8s., 1 qt. of oats xxd.,
1 qt pese 2s. 8d.) Catell (1 horse 4s.) Waynes (1 wayne and 1 dmngcart) Heye
xvs. Plate (1 chales and 4 sponys).
Given to Abbess and Convent ther at ye deptun.

First to Isabell Launder xls.

It to Christabell Smith xxs.

Alin Beche , ... xxs.

Felix Baggshawe xxs.

Rewards gyvene to the Sarvente ther at ther lyke deportun.

It. to Wm. Pker chapelon ... xxxs.

Robt. Baker xiii. ivd.

Margt. Burre
Thos. Bold
Wm. Morre
Thos. Smith
Kateryn Alate
Php. Duffelde
Owing by Bailiff of Tonge iis. rent.

Churchwarden of Brewood iijd.

u.
iii.

ii.

x.
xiii.
iiii.

Demolition at the Disolution. 207

There were Roman Catholic Chapels at Long Birch and
Black Ladies in 1834, the Rev. R. Hubbard being priest at the
former, and the Rev. John Roe, assisted by the Rev. Henry-
Richmond, incumbent of Black Ladies. Services were
discontinued in 1840.

Here in 1834 one report says, " The choir for these latter
nuns, that for lay sisters, the images on the altar,
&c, are in the same condition they were left in at the
dissolution." Where are these now ? It is strange how they
escaped so long when we find other Commissioners' reports
tell how the contents of various Religious Houses in Lincoln-
shire were disposed of as mentioned below, the sacred objects
having to be deliberately put " to profane use," as the report
quaintly expresses it.

1566 Images of Rood, Mary, and John, burned III Eliz.

1666 Itm. all mas bokes and all bookes of papistrie tome in pees, and sold to.

pedlars to lap spice in.

Itm. one handbell broken, the start of it sold to J. C. and he hath made-

a morter of y t.

Itm, one crewett cruste in peces and soli to plumer for sawdar.

Itm. copes ve^tnents amisse, towelles, one vaille sold to Johnnie ffoster

and George verna' 1565 and they have defaced same.

Itm. all brassen things sold and George Verna' haith sold them to a pewterer

of Lincoln.

Itm. crosse cloth, banner clothes, one cannabie, one veal, one crewitt, one-

sacring bell, one paire of scissors, and one hally water ffatt wee know not

what was done wt theim and that wee will depose upon a book.

Itm. iiij altar stones Remayneth vnbroken but at or retorne wee will put it

{sic) to pfane use.

Itm. candlesticks, &c, which we have to make awaie and breake afore-

Easter nexte ; one sacring bell, Will Eland had and hong it by his horse eare

a long tyme and now yt is broken.

Itm. a pix d^facid and made a salt cellar for saltv

Itm. a roodloft sold to Langlands who haithe mad> a bridge for his sheep t&

go over into his pasture.

Jtm. altar stone Pennell made a fyreherth of it in his hall.

To Robt. Bellameeij corporax' whof bis wief made of one a stomacher for her

wench and of thother being ript she will make a purse, the covering of the

pix sold to John Storr and his wief oceupieth yt in wiping her eies.

I visited Black Ladies in 1881 when thert seemed scarcely to
be a vestige left of the ancient nunnery ; yet the place has an

208 Black Ladies.

old world look. A rather bold head, carved in stone, is set in
the chimney stack in the attics. The Chapel between the pool
and the stackyard is now used as stabling ; in one wall is a
stone cross, perpendicular, let into the wall. It was disused as
a chapel in 1844. Small and poor though this chapel was, it
seems to have at one time possessed among other vestments,
" a beautiful cope of crimson velvet." Is this the one now at
Tong?

The late Mr. Hicka-Smith wrote a little account of Brewood,
with notices of these nunneries, and the letteis from Mr. W.
Parkesto him on the subject, which I have recently purchased,
are full of interest. There are pictures of Black Ladies and
White Ladies in the Salt Library, Stafford. In the Gentle-
man's Magazine the White Ladies' Abbey is shewn as being
used for a cart shed, and drawn, I think, by Mr. Parkes ; of him
and another correspondent in that old magazine, the inimit-
able Tom Hood makes sorry jest; —

B asks of C if Milton ere did write

" Comu»" obscured beneath some Ludlow lid,
And C next month, an answer doth indite,

Informing B that Mr. Milton did !

X sends a portrait of a genuine flea,

Caught upon Martin Luther years agone,
And Mr. Parkes of Shrewsbury, draws a beer

Long dead, that gathered honey for King John.

If time and space permitted there are many more notes,
including some on the patronage of the Church of Montford,
which could be added, throwing light on and relating to these
Nunneries, but these and many other interesting notes must
be omitted, as the limit of pages is reached, and I now con-
clude a work which has been full of interest to write, and will,
I trust, be perused and accepted by an indulgent public as a
volume which aims at being nothing more than an earnest
attempt to contribute an humble page to the glowing, records
of my native County,

Addenda as to the Nunneries. 209

Mr. Eyton, in his " Antiquities of Shropshire," tells us that
the Advowson of Montford had passed to the White Nuns of
Brewood in the 13th century ; but whether by grant of a
Lacy or a Fitz-Alan he cannot learn. They had the appro-
priation of the Rectory soon after 1291. In 134 1 the Assessors
quoted diminished revenues of Montford, and therefore of the
Nunnery, because there had been a murrain among the sheep,
and a Severn flood had destroyed most of the growing corn.

In 1535 the Nuns' Ferm at Montford produced £8 per
annum, but 10s. pension they had to pay out of it to the Prior
at St. Guthlac at Hereford. The Priory and Convent of the
White Nuns of Brewood presented the following Vicars — Sir
R. de Audla, d. 1331 ; W. de Redenhull, d. 1342; Richd.
Morys, d. of the pestilence 1349; Robert de Wythington,
1349 ; Sir John de Brehull, 1373 ; and others, the concluding
name being Sir Richard Hamon, 141 8.

The following extract from " Forest Pleas," 14 Edward I..
jStafford, relates to the Nuns of Brewood : —

" It was presented by the reguardors of Cannock that when
the huntsmen of the Lord the King were hunting in the said
Forest, in the Bailiwick of Gauley [Gailey] , in the fourth
year of the present reign, they put up a stag with their dogs,
and followed it as far as the Park of Brewood, and into the
Wood there, and that John de la Wytemore came up with a
bow and arrows and shot at it ; that it fled out of the Forest
as far as the Vineyard of the Nuns of Brewood, and the afore-
said John followed it, and drew it out dead from the said
Vineyard. And thereupon came up John Giffard, of
Chylyngton, saying he had followed the same stag, and
claimed it ; so that after they had skinned it together, the
same John Giffard took half of it with him, and carried it to
his house without warrant, and the other half the Nuns of
Brewood had ; and because they are poor, let the same be
pardoned to them for the soul of the King. And notwith-

+Ex. J. Hicks-Smith's " History ot Brewood."
BB

210 Addenda as to the Nunneries.

standing the same stag was captured outside the Forest, yet
was it the chase of the Lord the King, being put up by his
dogs within his Forest, &c. It is, therefore, ordered to the
Sheriff to produce the aforesaid John and John. They were
fined, the sureties being Will Fitzmargery and Adam of the
Gate."

A Convention is mentioned by Mr. Hicks- Smith, without
date, between the Prioress and Nuns of Browde and the Lady
Ysabel of Patingham, by which " the said Nuns released to
" Ysabel all their right in half a virgate of land in Pattingham
• ( of the demesne of the said vill, and which they held in free alms
"of the gift of Ralph Bassed, and for which the said Ysabel
" released to the same Nuns an assart in Chylintun.
"Witnesses, the lord Ralph Abbot of Lylleshull, Ralph
" Bassed the younger and Richard his brother, Ralph de
" Perton, William de Wrotesle, and Yva de la Yde."

It may be that Lady Isabel's Well, on the road near
Boscobel, mentioned on page 140, is named after this lady.

Here is another Grant, given by Mr. Hicks-Smith, but
from what source is not said, relating to Brewood Nunnery.

" A grant by Margery, formerly daughter of Ralph de
Coven, to the Black Nuns of Brewde, of 16 pence rent in the
vill of Horsebroc, from the heirs of Richard Bromhale.
Witnesses, Richard de Stretton, Kt., Hugh de Weston, Hugh
de Bolinghale, William Giffard, Robert de Somerford, John
de Sempiham, Walter [serviente] Peter de Brewode, and
W. D. Bromhall." It is without date.

Brewood means frightful wood, and the lane near Kidder-
more Green, which is on the way for Black Ladies Nunnery,
was called Spirit Lane. There were two healing wells in
Brewood parish, one of which was, I think, in the fields,
adjoining Black Ladies at Stinking Lake, near the Watling
Street road ; was the other the Leper Well, in the direction
of Codsall, just outside the Chillington Woods ?

A view of the present interesting domestic structure, known
as Black Ladies, now used as a farmhouse, is given.

DEEDS RELATING TO TONG, &c.

§T should be premised that I have obtained these ancient
Charters chiefly from the British Museum, from time to
time, and the principal ones of them have been trans-
lated by Mr. Walter de Gray Birch, F.R.S.L., author of
" Vita Haroldi " or the " Romance of King* Harold," the
" History of the Utrecht Psalter," the " Heads of Religious
Houses in England," and many other works. Two of the
Charters with seals were transcribed by Mr. R. Sims, author
of the Handbook of the Library of the British Museum. I am
aware that antiquarians generally like old documents, such as
these printed in the Norman-French or Latin, as the case may
be ; but making a choice of difficulties I have thought it best
to give them in English only, hoping that Mr. Birch's trans-
lations will satisfy the most exacting readers, and not forgetting
that there is a growing number of students of antiquity, who,
charmed by the subject, have regretfully to confess to a similar
situation to that expressed in the " Shipmannes Prologue " in
Chaucer's " Canterbury Tales " : —

My joly body shal a tale telle

And I shal clinken you so mery a belle,

That I shal waken all this compagnie :

But it shal not ben 01 philosophic,

Ne of physike ne termes quiente in lawe :

Ther is but litel Latin in my mawe

Grant in Norman French by Fouke of Pennebruge, Lord
ofTonge, to William, son of William de Pres, 1323.

To all the lawful ones in God who shall see or hear this present writing Fouke de
Penebrugge (a) Lord of Tonge greeting in God. Know ye that I have given and granted and

(a) Probably Fulco de Pembruge II., Lord of Tonge, died 1326.

212 Deeds Relating to Tong.

by this present writing confirmed to William son of William de Pres and to his
heirs of his body lawfully begotten one acre of land in the town of Nortone (b) within my
Manor of Tonge lying within the field which is called the Watecroft (c), between the land of
Harlewyne on the one side and the land of the aforesaid William on the other side. And if
the aforesaid William die without heirs of his body lawfully begotten, then I will that the
aforesaid acre of land remain to Kichard son of Richard Haligode of Schuffunhale [lAi
Shifnal] and to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten, and if the aforesaid Richard die
without heir of his body lawfully begotten, then I will that the aforesaid acre of land
remain to Alice sister of the said Richard and to the heirs of her body lawfully begotten.
And if the aforesaid Alice die without heir of her body lawfully begotten, then [I will that]
the aforesaid acre of land remain to Gralan brother of the aforesaid William and to the
heirs of bis body lawfully begotten. And if the said Gralan die without heir of his body
lawfully begotten then [that] the aforesaid acre of land remain to Ralph brother of the
said Gralan and to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten. And if the said Ralph die
without heir of his body lawfully begotten, then I will that the aforesaid acre of land with its
appurtenances revert to me the aforesaid Fouke and to my heirs or to my assigns. To have
and to hold all the aforesaid acre of land with its appurtenances easements and
approachments inclosed (?) and in defence each hour of the year, of me and of my heirs or of
my assigns, to the aforesaid William, Richard, Alice, Gralan, Ralph, and to their heirs of
their bodies lawfully begotten in form above-mentioned, freely, quietly, well, and in peace, for
ever, yielding therefor yearly to me and to my heirs or to my assigns fifteen pence sterling at
the two terms of the year usual, by equal portions, and two appearances at my Court of
Tonge, for all manner of other secular services, exactions, customs or demands. And I
the aforesaid Fouke and my heirs will warrant and defend all the aforesaid acre of land with
its appurtenances aforesaid to the aforesaid William, Richard. Alice, Gralan, Ralph, and to
their heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten according to the form above-mentioned, against
all mortal persons for ever. In witness whereof I have set my seal to this present writing.
By these witnesses John the Ward of Tonge (d), John the Parker (e), William de Hethul (/),
Nichol the Tailor, Robert Lefevre [the smith] (g), and others. Given at Tonge, on Sunday
next before the feast of St. Barnabas the Apostle, in the sixteenth year of the reign of King
Edward son of King Edward. [A.D. 1323.]

Grant in Norman French by Fouke of Pennebrugge, JLord
of Tonge, to John the Parker, of Tonge, and Cecilia his wife,
probably about the same date as preceding. Many of the
earliest deeds are undated.

Know all men who are and who are to come, that I Fauke of Penebrugge. Lord of Tonge«
have given and granted, and by this present writing confirmed to John the Parker of Tonge
and to Cecilia his wife, all the land which John Brid lately held in the manor of Tonge
excepting the Messiage with the curtilage, that is to say, that three acres lie in holieffeld,
and one acre lies on the mill hul, and one acre lies in the hullefeld, and a " place" in Cole-
winescroft between the land of William atte Wode (h) of Ampart, and an assart atte Ivy
hattes between the highway and the land of Thomas de la Hulle, and an assart Brery hurst \(i)
between Matheus Mor and the land of Thomas de la Hulle.

I have also given and granted to the aforesaid John and to Cecilia his wife three acres of
land in the lyhte outside the Town of Tonge, that is to say, lying between the fields called
presteleye (j) on the one side and the way leading towards Brewood from Tonge on the other
Bide.

I have also given and granted to the aforesaid John and Cecilia his wife a " place " of land
containing six acres in the hyewood, that is to say lying along the highway near the assart
of Thomas de la Hulle towards the highway near the assart of Edith Rogers enclosed between
the land of William Robyns on the one side and my demesne land on the other side.

To have and to hold all the aforesaid land of me and of my heirs to the aforesaid John and
Cecilia his wife for the term of their lives, and after their decease I will aud grant for me and

(6) Tong Norton.

ic) Is this the Water-croft, or wet-croft, or wheat-croft ?

(d) Le Ward, the Warden, or one who takes care of. The same name occurs on the old
Blab mentioned on page 28.

(e) Or park-keeper, a name still lingering in Tong Parish.
(/) Heathill in Sheriff hales.

(cr) The smith or blacksmith, the forgeman.

(h) Is this The Wood, now Mr. F. W. Yates's? An assart is part of the forest cleared of
wood.

(j) Briery Hurst, mentioned on page 140.
(J) Priest-ley or pasture.

Deeds Relating to Tong, 213

for my heirs that all the aforesaid land revert to John their son and to the heirs of his body
lawfully begotten.

And if the aforesaid John [die] without heir of his body lawfully begotten alive all the
aforesaid land shall return to Oliver his brother and to the heirs of his body lawfully
begotten.

And if the said Oliver [die] without heir of his body lawfully begotten alive all the afore-
said land shall return to Avore his sister and to the heirs of her body lawfully begotten.

And if the said Avore die without heir of her body lawfully begotten all the aforesaid land
shall return to Amice his sister and to the heirs of her bodv lawfully begotten.

And if the said Amice die without heirs of her body lawfully begotten all the aforesaid land
shall return to Edith her sister and to the heirs of her body lawfully begotten.

And if it siiall by chance happen that the said Edith [die] without heir of her body law-
fully begotten alive all the aforesaid land shall return to me the aforesaid Fouke, and to my
heirs without any contradiction.

Yielding therefor yearly to me and to my heirs and to my assigns thirteen shillings and
ninepence sterling at the terms of the year usual in the town of Tong, and making two
appearances at my Court of Tonge far all other services, exactions and demands.

And I the aforesaid Fouke and my heirs and my assigns will warrant acquit and defend all
the aforesaid laud to the aforesaid John Cecilia, John, Oliver, Avore, Amice, and Edith and
to'their heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten in the form aforesaid against all. people for
ever.

In witness whereof as well the aforesaid John on the one part as I the aforesaid Fouke by
the other part, to this present writing indented and partite among us, have put our seals on
these witnesses :

Hugh de Beaumes (d)
Roger de Pulesdone
William de Preez
John le Warde
Roger Hadham and others.

Seal. A shield of arms ; Barry of six, between two wyverns.

DE . PENBRIGG

A similar seal was in the Shrewsbury Museum of the Shropshire Archaeological Society
before its removal to the Corporation Museum, but cannot now be found.

Receipt in Latin by Robert de Penbrugge, Lord of Tonge
to William le Harpour, 1351.

Let it be manifest to all by these presents that we Robert de Pennebrugge (a), Lord of
Tonge, have received by the hands of William le Harpour all the moneys due to us for ward
and marriage of all the lands and tenements formerly belonging to John le Ward (the
Warden) of the said Town of Tonge. Whereof we confess that we are fully paid and the
said William quit and absolved. In witness whereof our seal has been appended to these
presents. Given at the Castle of Tonge. on Thursday next before Palm Sunday in the
twenty-fifth year of the reign of King Edward the Third after the Conquest. [A.D. 1351.]

(a) Robert de Pennebrugge being described as Lord of Tonge, sets at rest the doubt of Mr.
Eyton in his Antiquities */ Shropshire, as to whether he was ever owner of Tong, see page 12

Seal, a shield of arms in tracery as before : SIGrILL

Indenture in Latin by Sir Fulke de Pennebrugge, Knight,
Lord of Tonge, to William the Smith, of Tonge, 1377.

This indenture witnesses that I, Fulke de Pennebrugge, Knight, Lord of Tonge, have given
and granted to William the Smith of Tonge, and to Joan his wife, those two messuages with
their adjacent curtilages and appurtenances which John Bysshop formerly held in the town
of Tonge.

To have and to hold the aforesaid messuages with their curtilages and appurtenances to the
aforesaid William and Joan and to the heirs issuing lawfully from the body of the same
William, of me and my heirs freely, quietly, well, and peacefully. Yielding therefor yearly to
me and my heirs two shillings of silver at the usual terms within the Manor of Tonge,
and suit of Court as the other burgesses do. And also I, the aforesaid Fulke, and my heirs
will warrant the aforesaid messuages with their curtilages and appurtenances to the aforesaid
William and Joan and to the heirs issuing lawfully from the body of the same William iu
the form above mentioned against all people for ever. In witness whereof as well I, the

(d) Or de Belmeis, a family who a century earlier had so much'to do with Tong.

214 Deeds Relating to Tong.

said Fulke, as the aforesaid William have to these indentures alternately appended our
seals. These being the witnesses :

Fulke the Smith of Tonge,

Thomas Harlewyn of Norton,

Roger de Hathain,

William Hynkeley, and others.
Given at Tong, on Sunday next after the feast of St. Hilary the Bishop, In the fiftieth
year of the Reign of King Edward tbe third after the Conquest. [A.D. 1377.] Broken seal :
a hare or rabbit.

Release in Latin by Sir Fulk de Pembruge, Knight, of
claim in Weston to Sir Adam de Peshale, Knight, 1399.

Let all men know that I, Fulk de Pembruge (a), Knight, have remitted, relaxed, and abso-
lutely quitclaimed from me and my heirs, to Adani de Peshale(6), Knight, to the end of his life,
all my rent which he was accustomed to pay me namely, thirty-three shillings and four
pence, for a fifth part of the Manor of Weston-under-Lizard [Co. Staff.] which he holds from
me for his lifetime, reserving to me and my heirs free entry and exit to the wood within the

said fifth part of the said Manor according to my

will and to my heirs (?) .

Dated at Weston Thursd. after Feast of Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary [8 Dec] in
the first year of Henrv [IV.] [1399].

Grant by Sir Adam de Peshale, Knight, of lands in Weston,
to Roger de Aston, William Lee and Thomas de W'alton,
excepting those held for his life from Sir Fulk de Pembrug,
Knight, 1406.

I, Adam de Peshale, Knight, have given and by this my indented'Charter confirmed to
Roger de Aston, parson of the Church of Weston, William Lee, and Thomas de Walton, my
Manor of Weston-under-Lizard [Co. Staff.] and the advowson of the same Manor, with all
its appurtenances, excepting those lands and tenements with appurtenances which I hold in
the same town to the end of my life from Fulk de Pembruge, Knight.

Dated at Weston, Thursday before the Feast of the Purification of the.Blessed Virgin Mary
[2 Feb.] in the 7th year of the reign of King Henry the Fourth after the Conauest. [1406].

Indenture by Isabella de Penbrigge, lady of Tonge, and
Sir Richard Vernon, Kt., to William Wixstone, 1436-7.
Campbell Chart. April 14, 1436-7, 14 Hen. VI., L.F.C.
xix. 13.

This indenture made between Isabella Penbrigge, lady of Tonge, and Richard Vernoun
Knt., upon the one part, and William Wixstone, upon the other part, witnesseth, that the
aforesaid Isabella and Richard, have conceded, delivered and to farm let, to the aforesaid
William, a cottage called le Bakhous and a toft in which a cottage called le Hallehous
was lately built, which said toft is called le hallehous yarde, and three acres
of waste" land, of land existing in the hand of the lady and one half acre
of meadow lying next a meadow called Fysshermedowe. To have and to hold, the afore-
said cottage, toft, three acres of land and half an acre of meadow, with appurtenances, to
the aforesaid William and his assigns, from the day of the making of these presents, until the
end of a term of sixty years, then next following and fully completed. Rendering thence
annually, to the aforesaid Isabella, or to her certain attorney, or to her executors, during the
life of the said Isabella, three shillings of lawful money of England, and after the deceasa of
the said Isabella, if she should die within the term aforesaid. Rendering thence annually, to
the aforesaid Richard, his heirs or executors, or to his certain attorney, three shillings of the
lawful money of England, at the three terms of the year, there usual, by equal portions.
And if it should happen that the aforesaid rent of three shillings be in arrear, in part or
wholly, and not paia for the space of fifteen days, after any Term in wnich it ought to be
paid, then it shall be lawful for the aforesaid Isabella and her assigns, and for the aforesaid

(a) Fulke de Pembruge IV. who died 1499.
lb) Lord of Weston.

Deeds Relating to Tong. 215

Richard, bis heirs and assigns, if the aforesaid Isabella should happen to die within the said
term, to distrain upon the aforesaid cottage, toft, three acres of land, and half an acre of
meadow, with appurtenances, and upon any parcel thereof, and to abduct, carry away, drive
away, and take possession of, the distraints so taken, until the aforesaid rent together with
the arrears of the same, if there shall be any, shall be satisfied and paid to them. And if it
should happen that the aforesaid rent of three shillings, be in arrear, in part or wholly un-
paid for forty days after any term in which it ought to be paid, by default of the aforesaid
William, and that sufficient distraint upon the aforesaid cottage, toft, three acres of land
and half an acre of meadow, with appurtenances, cannot bo found, then it shall be truly
lawful for the aforesaid Isabella or her certain attorney, and to the aforesaid Richard, his
heirs and assigns, provided that the said Isabella should die within the term aforesaid, to
enter upon the aforesaid cottage, toft, three acres of land and half an acre of meadow, with
appurtenances, and to repossess the same, and to hold thein in their original state, the present
indentures notwithstanding. And the aforesaid William shall build upon the said toft, next
the said cottage called le Bakhous, a certain house of two spaces, and a sufficient oven in the
said house, such as may satisfy the tenants of the lord there. And the aforesaid William
shall build, upon the said toft, called the "Ilallehous varde," a certain house of three spaces
in which the said Wiliiam shall dwell, within two years of the term aforesaid. And the
aforesaid William his heirs or assigns, shall well and sufficiently repair, sustain, and main-,
tain, the said tenement so erected, as often as it shall be necessary, during the term afore-
said, and shall restore it, sufficiently repaired, at the end of the term aforesaid. And the
aforesaid Isabella and Richard, and their heirs, shall warrant, in form aforesaid, the afore-
said cottage, toft, and three acres of land and half an acre of meadow land, with appurten-
ances, to the aforesaid William and his assigns, during the whole of the term aforesaid,,
against all people. In testimony whereof the parties aforesaid, have alternately affixed their
seals to those Indentures. These being witnesses, Thomas Merstone, William Glever, Henry
Benet, John Jowe, John Cat, of Aylestone, and many others. Dated at Aylestoue, the 14th
day of the month of April, in the 14th year of the reign of King Henry, the sixth since- the
Conquest.

A small circular seal of red wax impressed with the letter I. surmounted by a crown.

This seal is sketched on the plate at page 27, and an account of Isabella, the Foundress of
Tong College and Church, is given on page 32.

Grant, in Latin, by Isabella (formerly wife of Sir Fulco
Penbrugge, Knight), lady of Tonge, and Sir Richard Vernon,
Knight, to Thomas Skot and Johanna his wife, at the rent of
a red rose, 1446.

To all the faithful in Christ to whom this present indented writing may come Isabella (a)
formerly wife to Fulco Penbrugge, Knight, lady of Tonge, in the County of Salop, and
Richard Vernon, Knight, greeting in the Lord. Since I the aforesaid Isabella may have and
hold for term of my life, a burgage with croft at the end of tlie town of Tonge towards
Culsale (b), situated next the high way, the reversion and remainder of the said Burgage and
Croft belonging after the death of the said Isabella to me the said Richard Vernon and my
heirs. Know that we the aforesaid Isabella and Richard Vernon by unanimous assent and
will, have delivered, conceded, and by this own present indented writing have confirmed to
Thomas Skot (c) and Johanna his wife the aforesaid Burgage with croft, for the good
service of the said Thomas, paid to me the said Isabella and also for the laudable service to be-
hereafter paid to me the aforesaid Isabella and to Richard, and to the heirs of the said
Richard. To have and to hold the aforesaid Burgage with Croft, to the aforesaid Thomas
aad Johanna his wife for the term of their lives and of the longest liver of them. Rendering
thence annually to me the said Isabella during my life and after the death of tue said
Isabella to me the said Richard and my heirs during the life of the said Thomas and Johanna
and the longest liver of them, a red rose on the feast of St. John the Baptist suit at Court
and of the mill for all other services and demands. And the said Thomas and Johanna shall
well and truly maintain repair and sustain the said Burgage with croft during their lives-
and the longest liver of them, at the expense of 16s. to them, and after the death of the said
Thomas and Johanna the said Burgage with croft shall wholly remain to mo the said
Richard and to my heirs for ever. And we therefore the aforesaid Isabella and Richard and my
heirs will warrant and defend the aforesaid Burgage with croft to the aforesaid Thomas and
Johanna during their lives and the longest liver of them in form aforesaid against all
people. In testimony whereof the said Isabella and Richard Vernon have affixed their seal*

(a) Same as in preceding deed. The Foundress of Tong College— see page IS. Date 144.6,.
24 Hen. VI.
(6) Kilsall.
fcc) Name mentioned on page 107*,

216 Deeds Relating to Tong.

to the one part of the indented writing remaining in the possession of the |aforesaid
Isabella and Richard, the, aforesaid Thomas and Johanna have affixed their seals. 'Dated at
Tonge on the feast of All Saints in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Henry the
Sixth since the conquest.

.(Without Seal.)

Charter, in Latin, by Sir Richard Vernone, Knight (see
Page 37) to Jonn Vernone, his son, of all his lands at
Trusseley, Co. Derby, 1447.

Know men present and to come that I, Richard Vernone, Knight, hare given granted, and
by this my present charter confirmed to John Vernone my son, all my lands and tenements,
rents and services, meadows, fields, and pastures, with all their appurtenances in the town
and fields of Trusseley in the County of Derby. To have and to hold all the aforesaid lands
and tenements, rents and services, meadows, fields and pastures, with all their appurtenances,
to the aforesaid John, his heirs and assigns for ever of the chief lords of that fee for the
services there for due and of right accustomed : And I also the aforesaid Richard and my
heirs will warrant and for ever defend all the aforesaid lands and tenements, rents and
services, meadows, fields and pastures with all their appurtenances aforesaid to the above said
John his heirs and assigns against all people. In witness whereof to this my present charter
I have appended my seal. These being the witnesses :

Thomas Blount, Sampson Meverell, Knights :
Nicholas Mountegomery, John Cokayn,
Henry Bradborne, esquires, and others
Given at Harlastone, on the fourteenth day of the month of September In the'twenty-sixth
year of the reign of King Henry the Sixtli after the Conquest. [A.D. 1447.]
Seal in red wax : A Shield of Arms ; Fretty, a canton, etc.
SIGILLUM. RICARDI. VERNOUN. MILITIS.

Mr. Charles Wrottesley writes to the Rev. J. H. C. Clarke,
vicar of Tong : — " General Wrottesley copied for me John
Mitton's will, dated 1499, from a manuscript of ' Huntbach,'
now at Wrottesley. I should have sent it to you before, but I
mislaid it. You will see in his will John Mitton of Weston
bequeaths 2/6 to the ' forming of Tong Church,' which I
suppose is the ancient way of naming the seats in a Church."

Huntbach M.S. at Wrottesley, p. 153, Oct. 12, 1893.

In the name of God Amen,* 21 Dec, 1499, I John Mitton of Weston make my testament in
this wise. First I bequeath my soul to God and to our Lady and all the company of heyven
and my body to be buryed in the Chancell of St. Andrew of Weston, and 40/s to the said
Church and XIll> of wax to burne about my body the day of my buryall to our Lady of
Coventry 12d. to St. Chad of Lichfield 12d. I give to my wife the Manor of Weston for 6
yeares to find a preist to sing for my soule in the Church of St. Andrew of Weston for 7yeares,
to Griffith my son 5 marks of land for his life and 10 marks in monye, 6 kiue, 2 gownes, and
2 doubletts. I will my servant John Brokes goder (gather) my rents in Bobinton and have
20/s per annum for his life. Item to my servant Thomas Steventon 63 8d, to William Fowke
of Brewewoae a gowne of black and penke furred with martennes, to Bobinton Church 3s 4d,
to the forming of the Church at Tong 2s 6d. To my cozen Joyce Jacks the farm of
Donnetione for her life. Executors Jane his wife and Mr. Docter Salter and the Lord
Shrewsbury, overseer. Proved 12 February, 1499.*

Fulke Eyton'sWill, date 1454. See referred to on page 36.

" In dei nomine, Amen; and of oure Lady and of alle the Holy Company of Heven,
Amen. I Fooke Eiton, Esquire, hole of body and mynd, make my Testament in this
wise. First I bequeath my sowle to God, and to our Lady, and to alle the Company of
Heven, and make myn Executors Sir Richard Eiton Prest my brother, Warden of the
College of Tonge, and Sir Roger the Vicar of Welyngton, and Isabella Englefield. First
I will that my body be laide in Tonge, by my Godfadre, Sir Fowke of Penbrege,

* One of these dates is an error.

Deeds Relating to Tong. 217

withinne the Chapell of Oure Lady ; and after that, I will that there be take of my best
goods for to say V thousand placebos and dirigies and V thousand masses^; and for every
dirigie and masse iiijd., add I bequeth to the almeshouse of Tonge X Li of money, for the
which money the said almesman should be charged for to sey at my grave De profundis,
thei that canne, and thei that can not a Pater noster — and for mo sowle and Thomas of
Eiton my fadre and Katherine my modre's sowles; and also thei should pay a prest to
cast holy water on my grave. Also I bequetli to the Warden and to the Prestes of the
saide College of Tonge my best Basin and Eure of Silver; and the saide Warden and
Prestes shall have in charge, every daie when thei wesch, to sei a Pater Noster and Ave,
and so to have me in perpetuall remembrance. — Also I bequeth to the saide Collage a Bed
called a fedrebed, with the honging thereto of blew worstede; wherefore the saide
Warden and Prestes should be charged and bounden for to seie withyn the same yere XV
Placesbos and Dirigiees, and V Masses of the Trinitee, and V of the Holy Ghost,
V and of our Ladye, and while it pleasith him to seie a mass of Requiem every
yere, on that same day that I dide upon. Also I bequeth to a prest to synge V
yere as my Executor may accorde with him for my fadre sowle, and my modere's
and myn, and I charge you that he be a clene man ot his body. Also I bequeth
to John Eiton alle myn horse and riding harnes, reservyd to me all my trapers and
harnes of Goldsmythes worke; and I will that Luce his wife have X,li so that she
kepe here a clene woman and a good till the daye of here manage. I bequeth also to
John the boy an horso and XL.S : and also to John de LabowJey XL.s.; and to my page
Hermon XX,s, : for thei both came with me out of Normandye. Also I bequeth to the
Chapell of our Lady of Tonge my masse boke and Chalice, and my blew vestiment of
damaske of my arm.es ; and another vestiment to Wembrege, to pray for my fadre's sowle
and my modere's. I bequeth also to John Eiton XX. li to his manage; and to Fowke
Eiton, Roger Eiton son other XX li of the summe the which Roger Eiton oweth me; and
he to be alowed of all that he paide me. — Also I wille that the- said Roger yeve to every
frere house of Schropbery a centayn ot come for to pay certain eires (years) for my soule,
after the disposition of myn Executours : and that if he woll not 1 charge you that ye law-
fully sue him till he doe it. Also I woll that my Lord of Arundell, that now is aggre and!
compoune with you my seide Executours, for the bon (bones) of my Lord John his brother,
that I broughte oute ot France ; for the- which carriage of bon and oute of the frenche-
mennys hand'es delyveraunce,he owith me- a ml, marc and iiij c, and aftere myn Executours
byn compouned with, I woll that the bon ben buried in the Collage of Arundell, after
his intent;, and so I to be praide for in the College of Arundell and Almeshouse per-
petually. Also I bequeth to Nicholas Eiton one- of the good fedre beddis and a chambre
and a bedde of lynne cloth, styned with horses. I bequeth also to Labelle Englefield
another goode feder bedd, and a pair of fustians and a sparrcer of selke, the which myn
armes beth ynne; and after herdecesse, to yeve it to John Engleffeld here sone.. — and as
towchinge the goodes to fulfills my Testament, Sir Wiliam lynsey my prest can telle you
where thei ben and more overplus. Wherefore I charge you as ye will answer afore God
at the dreddful'l day of Dome and that ye fnllfill and complete this my Testament here and
afore Godr I geve you full power of all my go-des, so for to do ; and wille that my brothers
Nicholas and Roger, have the oversight of the fulfilling of my Testament. In to the
witness of alle this, I have sett to the ssigne of myn arrres and the seigne of myn devise, 1
wreten atte Schrawardyne the VLij day of Februarie the yere of our Lorde a.m.l, cccclh"
(Proved 12th Dec, 1454, by Richard Eiton and Isabella Englefield).
Ex Shreds and Patches.

A curious letter of Margaret, Lady Stanley (see pages 64
and 177), to her brother- [-in-law] , John Manners,

1594, Sept. 16, Tonge. I spoke to you before of a lease my father blade cf a tenement at
Harleston to Harry Vernon and Dorothy his wife and George tl.eir son fur tlndr lives* but
virtue uf which they lived and died in that tenement. Now comes Maud. Vernon and claims
iit by virtue of a prior lease granted to her father and mother and her. by my fa' her. She-
can, shew no lease, but tries to prove it, by witnesses. As these witnes-es fail, t&ey vaunt
that Lady Vernon " will knocke yt deade-, and that in her y* all there tn.ste,' It would be-
very bad if my lady should do so, as she cannot justify Maud Vernon's title, without touching,
my father's credit. I beg to be commended to my nephow George and his wife.

Signotl

Indenture between Sir Edward Stanley, K.B., Sir Baptist
Hickes, and Dame Elizabeth, his wife, of the one part, and.
Tboroas Cromptony of Stone, Esq. ;. Robert Cliallenor

2i 8 Deeds Relating to Tong.

Richard Barbour, of Stone, gent. ; George Bennett, the elder,
of London, and George Bennett the younger ; and John
Daintry, of Spott Grange, yeoman, of the other part. A.D.
1613. (L. F. C. xi., 30, Brit, Mus.)

This Indenture made the three and twentieth daye of June in the yeres of the Eaigne of
our Soueraigne lord James by the grace of God king of England Scotland ffraunce and
Ireland Defendor of the ffaith etc. That is to saye of England ffraunce and Ireland the
Eleuenth, and of Scotland the Sixe and ffouretietli, Betweene Sir Edward Stanley of Ensham,
in the Countie of Oxon Knight of the Honorable order of the Bath Sir Baptist Hickes of the
City of London Knight and Dame Elizabeth his wife of the one partie, And Thomas Crouipton
of Stone in the Countie of Stafford Esquire, Bobert Challenor and Bichard Barbour of Stone
aforesaid gent, George Bennett the elder Citizen and Salter of London, and George Bennett
the younger Sonne of the saide George Bennett the elder. And John Daintry of Spott grange
in the said Countie of Stafford yeoman on the other partie, Whereas the saide Sir Edwaid
Stanley and Sir Baptist Hickes, by diverse and sundry deedes Indented bearing date the
second day of November lasb pasc before the date of these presents, and enrolled in his.
Majesties High Court of Chauncery, as also by diverse and sundry other deeds bearing date the
Tenth day of November last past before the date of these presents, Have for the Considerations
in the saide Deeds expressed graunted bargained sold assured Conveighed vnto them the
aforesaid Thomas Crompton Bobert Challenor Bichard Barbour and John Daintry theire
heires and assignees, And unto the said George Bennett the elder and George Bsnnett the
yonger and the heires and assignees of the saide George Bennett the elder diverse Messuages
Cottages ffarmes lands Tenements Commons and Hereditaments scituate lying and being or
to be had Received or taken within the Manor or Lordshipp of Cublaston alias
Kibbulstan alias Kebleston, alias kebulston alias Cubleston, and in Stone in the aforesaid
Countie of Stafford : as by the said severall deeds more at larger appeareth, And whereas
also the saide Sir Edward Stanley, Sir Baptist Hickes and Dame Elizabeth his wife have in
*he Octaves of Saint Martin last past before the date of these presents leuied and acknow-
ledged one ffine before his Majesties Justices of the Common Pleas at Westminster vnto the
aforesaid Thomas Crompton and Robert Challenor and to the heires of the saide Thomas of
Thirty Messuages, Tenne Cottages, ffourety gardens three hundred acres of land, two
hundred acres of meadow ffoure thousand acres of pasture a hundred acres of wood ffoure
hundred acres of ffures and Heath, and one Hundred acres of Moore with the appurtenauncts
in Cublaston alias Kibbulston alias Kebleston alias Kebulston alias Cubleston Meyford alias
Meyforth Outonne alias oulton Cotwalton Woodhouses alias Woodhousen Spott ana Scone,,
and of Common of pasture for all manner of Cattle in Outoune alias Oulton and Meyford
alias Meyforth as by the Record of the saide ffine more at large appeareth : Now these
present witnesse that the entent and true meaninge of the parties to the said ffine at the tyme
of the acknowledging thereof was, That the Messuages iCottages lands Tenements Commons
and other the hereditaments in the saide ffine Conteyned were, And it was ment and entended
they should be the Messuages Cottages lands, Tenements and hereditaments by the aforesaid
deeds enrolled and other the Conveiances aforsaide graunted bargained sold assured and
Conveighed or thereby mencioned to be graunted bargained sold assured and Conveighed,
And all and every the parties to these presents doe further by these presents declare, And
fop them and every of them theire and every of theire heires and assignes doeC ovenantg
gsaunt and agree that the saide ffine shall be an envre, and shall be deemed and taken to.
bean envre. And that they the saide Thomas Cromspton ^nd Robert Challenor theire heires
and assignes shall stand and be seised of the premisses in the saide ffine mencioned and
Conteyned vnto the uses entents and purpose hereafter followinge. That is to say that as to.
the Messuages [etc., etc.]

la witness whereof the parties above said to these presents have interchangeably put
ttxeire handes and seales the day and yere first above written, [A..D. 1613.]

Seals of the arms of

Sir Edward Stanley and.
Sir Baptist Hickes.

Edward Stanley Baptiste Hickes.

Sealed and delivered in the presence of ^ Sealed and delivered
John Lathu. (a) > per Sir Baptist Hickes.

Simon Smith. ) in the greseuites. of vs.

Robt. Grigg.
iElcocke.

(a> It will be remembered that this man, wrote the coffin plate recently found in. the vault
4aXQtt^Ch.uxchs See page 65..

Deeds Relating to Tong. 219

Deed— John Giffard, of Boscobell, and his three daughters,
Frances, Dorothy, and Phillip, 1632.

To all Christian people to whome theis presentes shall come I John Giffard of Boscobell in
the Countie of Salop Esquier doe send greetinge in our Lord God everlastinge. Whereas I the
said John Giffard by Indenture bearing date the Ninth day of May last past before the date
of theis presentes made Betweene me the said John Giffard of the one parte, And ffraunces
Giffard, Dorothie Giffard and Phillip Giffard three of the daughters of me the said John
Giffard on thother parte, for and in consideracion of the naturall Love and Affeccon which I
have to my said daughters And for the Continuance of the Lands thereafter expressed in my
blond And for other Consideracons me the said John Giffard especially thereunto moving
did for me and my heires thereby covenant and graunt to and with the said ffraneces Giffard
Dorothie Giffard and Phillip Giffard their heires and assignes That I the said John Giffard
and my heires and every other person and persons and his and their heires whoe then stood
and were seised or hereafter should stand and be seized of any estate of Inheritance in all or
any parte of the Scite of the dissolved Monastery Priory or Nunnery of the White Ladies of
Brewood otherwise called theSciteof the late howseand Church of saint Leonard of Brewood
in the Counties of Salop or Stafford or either of them And of the Scite of the howse now
Called or knowne by the name of Boscobell And of all or any parte of the howses Buildings
Barnes gardens orchards dovecotes hoppyards Lands Tenements Meadowes Leasowes
pastures profitts Comodities Rentes Revercions quitt rents and all and singular
other the hereditaments to the said dissolved Monastery Nunnery or Howse and
Church in any wise belonging which was or were theretofore the inheritance of
Edward Giffard Esqre deceased father to me the said John Giffard And of all
that the Grange Farm or Teuemente called Necholes with the appurtenaunces in
the parishes of Tonge and Donnington or either of them in the said Countie of
Salop -and of all howses Buildings Lands Tenements and other hereditaments to the said
Grange or farme or Tenement in any wise belonginge or then or late to and with the same
occupied or enjoyed or was reputed to be parte or parcell of the said Grange or farm called
Necholls And aisoe of all that the Mannour of Plordweeke with the appurtenaunces in the
said Countie of Stafford and all the Lands Tenements Rents Revercons and other heredita-
ments being and arisinge in or out of the Townes feilds or precincts of Plordweeke which
heretofore were the inheritance of the said Edward Giffard deceased should and would stand
and be seised thereof and of every parcell thereof to the severall uses intents and purposes
thereafter expressed That is to say of the Scite of the paid dissolved Monastery Priorie or
Nunnery of White Ladies of Brewood otherwise called the Scite of the howse and Church of
St. Leonard of Brewood the house called Boscobell and of all and singular other the premisses
with their and every of their appurtenaunces to the said howse Priory Nunnery or Church
belonging or to or with the same used or enjoyed And alsoe of the saide Grange or ferme
called Necholls and all other the premisses with their appurtenaunces to the said Grange or
farme belonging or to and with the same used or enjoyed TO the use and behoofe of the
said John Giffard for and during his Naturall life without impeachment of or for any
manner of Wast whatsoever and from and after the decease of the said John Giffard then
TO [the use and behobpe of the said] ffraunces Giffard and her heirs &c. 1632.
(Signed) Jhon Gyfford.

Seal of his arms well preserved.
Endorsed.— Subscribed, sealed and delivered in the presence of—

Jephson JnrtI
Thomas Cotton
Edward Bariff

Deed — John Giffard, of Boscobell, and John Cotton and
Frances Giffard, on their marriage, re White Ladies, Bosco-
bell, and Neachley Grange, 1633.

This Indenture made the Twentith daie of June in the Eight yeare of the raigne of our
soveraigne Lord Charles by the grace of God of England Scotland ffraunce and Ireland King
Defender of the faith etc. Betweene John Giffard of Boscobell in the Countie of Salop
esquire of a th'one parte and John Cotton Sonne and heire apparent of Thomas Cotton af
Gidding Abbotts In the Countie of Huntington esquire and ffraunces Giffard daughter of
the said John Giffard of th'other parte Witnesseth that the said John Giffard for and in
Consideracon of a marriage by the grace of God shortly to be had and soli'inpui/.rd by and
betweene the said John Cotton and ffraunces Giffard And for the naturale love and
affeccon which the said John Gilford beareth unto his said daughter and unto the said John
Cotton his intended Bonna in lawe and for the Continuance of the lands hereafter menconed
in his blood and for other good causes and consideracons him the said John Giffard thereunto
specially moveinge Doth for him his heires and assignes, and everie of them Coveuauat

22o Deeds Relating to Tong.

graunte anrl agree to and with the said John Cotton and ffraunces Gyffai-d and either of
them their heires executours administrators and assignes and every of them by theis presents
That hee the said John Giffard and his heires and every other person and persons and his and
their heires whoe nowe stand or bee seised or at any time hereafter shall stand or bee seised
of any estate of inheritance of or in all or any parte of the Scite of the Mannour or disolved
Monastery Priorye or Nunnerye of the White Ladies of Brewood otherwise called the Scite
of the late howse and Church of St. Leonard of Brewood with th' appurtenaunces situate
lyeing or being in the Counties of Salopp and Stafford or one of them And of the Scite of the
howse nowe called or knowne by the name of Boscobell. And of all that the Graunge ffarme
or Tenement Called Nechel Is with th'appurtenances situate or being in the parrishes of Tonge
and Donnington or either of them in the said Countie of Salopp with th'appurtenaunces
scituate lyeing and being in the said Countie of Salopp and Stafford or one of them And of
all or any parte of the 'howses.buildingps Barnes stables Courtes Backsides gardens orchards
dovecotts hoppyards lands meadowes leysures pastures feedinges waters pondes fishpooles
profitts Comodities services Rentes quitrents reversions and all and singular other the
hereditaments with their and every of their appurtenaunces unto the said Mannour or
disolved Monastery Priorye Nunnery howse or Church Graunge ffarme or Tenement in any
wise belonginge or apperteyning or now or late vsed occupied or enjoyed with the same or
knowne reputed or taken to be part or par?ell thereof and of all other the Landes and
tenementes of inheritance of the said John Giffard lyeing and beinge in the said Counties of
Stafford and Salope or either of them (except all that Tenement with th'appurtenaunces
commonly called Hedgford lyeing in the said Countie of Stafford) shall and will imediately
from and after the said Marriage had and solempnized Betweene the said John and ffraunces
stand aud be seised thereof and of every parte and parcell thereof and of all and singular the
premises with th'appurtenaunces (except before excepted) unto the several uses intentes and
purposes hereafter in and by theis presentes menconed expressed limitted or declared and vnto
none other use intent or purpose whatsoever that is to saie unto the use and behoofe of him
the said John Giffard and Dorothy Giffard wife of the said John Giffard for and dureing
their naturall lives and the naturall life of the longest liver of them And from and after the
deathes of them the said John Giffard and Dorothie his wife vnto the use and behoofe of the
said ffraunces Giffard. &c, &c, provided allwayes and it is mutually agreed Betweene the
said parties that the sale of the said tymber and tymber trees be ffirst of all Tendred for the
said somme of Three Hundred pounds vnto them the said John Cotton and ffrannces his
intended wife or to the survivor of them before any sale thereof be absolutely made unto any
person or persons whatsoever. And the said John Giffard for himselfe his Executors
administratours and assignes and every of them Doth Covenaunte graunte promise and agree
to and with the said John Cotton and ffraunces Giffard his intended wife and either of them
their executours administratours and assignes and every of them by theis presentes That hee
the said John Giffard or his assignes or any other person or persons by or with his consent or
procurement dureing the naturall life of him the said John Giffard shall not nor will not fell
or cutt downe or cause to be felled or cutt downe any wood Underwood or Copice wood
standinge or groweinge in the vpward parte of the wood Commonly Called or knowne by the
name of Cawdle wood the same wood being parcell of the foremenconed premisses and the
said vpward parte thereof in and by this covenaunte intended doth' conteyne and is to be
esteemed the greater parte of the said Wood and leadeth from the dwelling howse there
called Boscobell to the Lavvnde there belowe In Wittnes whereof the parties ffirst above
named have vnto theis presentes Interchangeably putt their hands and seales the day and
yeare first above written.

(Signed) Jhon Gyffard

Seal of his arms : well preserved.
Endorsed :— Sealed and delivered in the presence of

Thomas Cotton
Thomas Cotton
Jephson Jnell
Edward Husbands
[British Museum. Cotton Charters, iv, i3— 2.]

Deed — John Giffard to John Cotton, re White Ladies, 1632.

Memorandum quod Johannes Gyffard de Boscobell in Comitatu Salopie Armiger (blank in
MS) Junii Anno Regni Domini nostri Caroli Regis Anglie Scotie Prauncie et Hibernie etc :
Octavo Coram Domino Rege in Cancellaria sua personaliter constitutus Recoguovit etc.

The Condicon of this Obligacon is such that yf thabovebounden John Cotton doe or shall
from time to time and at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly permit and suffer thabove
named John Gyffard and his asgs to have hold possesse and injoye All that Maunor Scite of
the Mannor or dissolved Monastery or Nunnery of the Whiteladyes of Brewoode otherwise
called ye Scite of the late howse and Church of Set Leonard of Brewood with thappurtenaunces
scituate lyinge or beinge in the Countyes of Salope and r-tafford or one of them And alsoe
all that Scite of the howse nowe Commonly called or knowne by the name of Boscobell with
thappurtenaunces scituate or beinge within the saide County of Salop And likewise All

Brewode Priory.

221

that G-raunge Ferme or tenement called Necholls with thappurtenaunees scituate or heinge
in ye parishes of Tonge arid Donnington in the said County of Salope And all the howses
buildings barnes stubles Courts backsides gardens orchards dovecotes hoppyarde lands
mesidowes leasowes pastures feedings waters ponds fishpooles profitts Commodityes services
Rents quitrents Reversions and all and singular other the hereditaments with their and
every of their appurtenaunces vnto ye said Maiinor or dissolved Monastery Priory Nunnery
house or Church Graunge Farme or tenement in any wise belonginge or appertayninge or
now or late vsed occupied or injoyed with ye same or is knowne reputed or taken to be part
or parcell thereof for and duringe the naturall life of him ye said John Gyffard without the
let molestacon disturbance hinderaunce or denyall of him the saide John &c. &c.

Brewode Priory. Dissolution of Monasteries. White Ladys.

BREWODE PRIORY.
Hereafter ensueth the names of all and every suche Person and Persons as was by
Thomas Bigg Doctor in the Lawe and William Cavendyshe Auditors Commissioners
appoynted by the kyng our Soveraigne Lorde for the dysolucon of these Monasteryes
followeng by them indiferently chosen and sworne of and for the valuyng and ratyng and
appresyng of all and singlor the Gooddes and Chatells cumyng and being found at the
Surrenders taken in the same late dysolyed Monasteries and priories within the Countie
of Stafford the names as well of the seyd Howses as of the Persons so sworne foloweng
hereunder wryghten in order.

That ys to say

Brewode

John Browne
William Barnes
Henry Halt
| Thomas Wills

Jur

Richard Wayt
John Baker
William Turner
William Atwill

Jur

John Shyrborne
Jhones Clarke
Anthony Palmer
George Wilkayns

Jur

(Hereafter folowyth all suche parcells of implements or
houshold Stuff Come Catel Ornements of the Church and
such other lyke founde within the late priory ther at the tyme
of the dissolucon of the same House Solde by the kyngs
Commisioners to Thomas Gyfforde Esquire.

The f Fryst one Table of Alebaster owlde formes and Settes 2 \
Churche 1 Partici°ns of Carvyd Woodepavyng of the Church and Cjuere ]■ 20s.

(28 panes of Glas and one masboke j

Item 2 payr of grene Dornyx Westments 1 olde Cope of I
Sendall one Serples 1 Altercloth and 1 Towell 1 litell Bell 4s.

and a Sensure of latynne |

Item 3 panys of Glasse and 2 long Formes soulde for

The
Vestrye

The
Chapter
House

Bells in the
Stepull

The Hale

The
Parlore

The Cheffe
Chamber

The Baylyffs
Chamber

The
Buttery

] Item ther Remeyneth unsolde in the Stepul 3 Bells.

I Item there 2 Tabulls and a Forme soulde for

J Item 1 foldyng Tabull 1 forme 1 chayre

1 2d.

i2d.

1 Cubborde)
( and the hangyngs of payntyd Clothe )

Item one fetherbedd 2 oulde Coverletts 1 oulde blankett*\
1 Tester of whyght Lynen Clothe 2 bedstedds 2 formes 1 f
Cobborde one Joynt Cheyre 2 oulde Coffers 1 Boulster 2 C
pyllowis and 4 payre of Shetts )

j Item one mattres 1 coverlet one blanket and one axe J- xad.

{Item 2 ale tubbs 1 oulde chest 1 borde 1 table clothe and 2 )
candle stykys of latten J

I Item 2 dressyng bordes 2 stoles 1 forme 1 ladder 1 (blank) of I
The Kechyn salt 4 porrengers of peuter 4 platters 2 saucers and 2 bras-
I pottes I

The Larder | Item one great chest 1 troffe and 2 little barrels |

The brew- I Item 5 tubbs 1 Keler 1 olde tubbe 1 olde table 1 olde whete ")
house \and one chese presse )

housed"8 { Item 3 colyn8 ledes 2 brasse pannes and 7 olde tables >•

i2d.

6d.
i6d.

222

Brewode Priory.

The

Boultyng

house

The Ches-
lofte

The j
Kylhouse (

Grayne j

Catell |

Waynes |

Heye |

Plate (
soulde \

Recevved "1 Item Reseyved 0:f an olde dett dwe to ye seid late Priorye

Item 3 troffes i watering fate i boultyng Huche, one bushell
and 2 tables soulde for

Item 2 little tubbes 2 cheese rakkes 2 charnes i lytell whele

and 2 shelves

Item i Hercloth and i ladder hangyng upon the Walle of ye
seid house

Item one Quarter of Whete 6s. 2d. quarter of Monck Corne
8s. one Quarter of Ottes 2od. a Quarter of pese 2S. 8d. in all...

Item one horse 4s. soulde to the seid Thomas .a

Item 1 wayne and 1 Dungcarte sould for

Item for 10 lode of Hey

Item soulde to George Warren 1 Chales and 3 sponnys all
whytt weing 8 ounces at 3s. 4d. the ounc

Rewardes
gyvene to
the late
Abbes and
the Convent
ther at yer
Departure

Rewardes

gyvene to

the Servants

ther at theyr

lyke
Departure

The Sume totall of all the Guddis of thys seid late
Priory with 26s. 8d. for Dettreceyvyd and 26s. 8d.
for Plate

Fyrst to Isabel Launder 40s.

Item to Cristabell Smith 20s.

Item to Alice Beche 20s.

Item to Felix Baggshawe 20s.

Item to William Parker Chapelen 30s. \

Item to Robert Baker 13s. 4d.

Item to Margarett Burre 2s.

Item to Thomas Bolde 3s.

Item to William Morre 2s. 6d.

Item to Thomas Smith 10s.

Item to Keteryn Slate 13s. 4d.

Item to Phillip Duffelde 4s.

Item in Cates boughte and spent at the tyme of the
Comissioners being there for the Dissolucon of the said late
Priory and for the saffe.kepyng of the Gudds and Catell there
founde duryng the said tyme

8d.

nd.

18s. 4d. ex
43.

i6d.

15s.

26s. 8d.

26s. 8d.
£7 6s. id.

I The Sum of the payments aforeseid is |

And so remayneth in the seid Com[m]issioners handes for 1
they have payd more then they for the Goodes of the seid I
late Priory have receyd by '

Memorandum that the Prioress of the seid late Priory
hath receyveyd of Michaelmas qrth rents due to the seyd
Priory thes parcells folowyng And none other as sche sayth.

Fyrst of Mr. Thomas Gyfford for blythebery for halfe a yere ....

Item of Mr. Thomas Moreton for le feldes for half a year

Item of T Tunks for the Rents of hys farme for halfe a yere...

Item of John Penford for half a yeres Rent

Item of Thomas Pitt for a hole yeres rent

Item of Cristofer Alatte for one quarters rente

Summa £4 3s. 4d.

Memorandum that ther ys owyng to the said late Priory of
Michaelmas rente by the Confession of the foreseid theis
parcells.

Fyrst of Barnaby Clarke for 3 yeres quietrente

Item of the Balyff of Tonge for 1 yeres rente

Item of William Wydowes for 1 yeres rente ,

78s. 2d.

60s.

£11 18s. 2d.
£4 12s. id.

33S. 4d-

26s. 8d.

6s. 8d.

8s.

2S.

6s. 8d.

18s.

2S.

I2d.

Sir Arthur Vernon's Will. 223

Item of the Lordshype of Brome for i quarters rente as.

Item of Richard Gowgh for halfe a yeres rente 8d.

Item of Mathew Parker for halfe a yeres rente isd.

Item of John Staunton for halfe a yeres quietrente 6d.

Item of Blakeman for halfe a yeres rente i2d.

Item of Whytemore for 2 yere 6d.

Item of Thomas Johnson for halfe a yeres rente 3d. ob.

Item of the Churchwardens of Brewode for 3 yeres rente 3d.

Item of Robert Bromhall for halfe a yeres rente 4d.

Summa 34s. ad. ob,

Pencions and Porcions grauntyd and allotted to the late
Prioresse and Convent there by the seid Commissioners.

Fyrst to Isabell Launder late Prioresse 66s. 8d.

Item to Cristabell Smyth 33s

Item to Alys Beche : 33s

Item to Felix Baggeshawe 33s. 4d.

. »d. "k
. 4d. I

■ 4d. f
. 4d.J

£8 6s. 8d.

[British Museum. Additional MS. 6714, f. 183; and Additional MS. 6698, f. 248b.X

Sir Arthur Vernon's Will.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

Book, Holder., folio 35, b..
Testamentum Domini.. In the name of God amen.

Arthuri Vernon, In the yere of our Lord mt vc and xvij. The last day

of Septembre,
In the yere of the Reign of Kyng Henry the viijth the viijth yere. I Sir Arthur Vernon
prest hole of mynde and of body being in clene iyfe at the making of this my last will and'
in good prosperitie often tymes thinking of this wreched lyfe seyng by circure of daies and
revolucion of yeres the day of deth to fall which nothing lyving may passe therfor of this
helefull mynde thus- 1 make my testament. First I bequeth my soule to god almighty and
to all the holy company of hevyn and to the blissed saint Petyr and saint Mighel and to
be defended ayenst all wyked spirits. Item I bequeth my body to be buried in the same-
pisshe church where I dye and to have a stone what inyn executours thinke best for me
and my picture drawen therupon and for making ofjmy stone I bequeth xxxs. and for asmoche-
as with good prayers and almes dedes the soule is delivered fro everlasting deth and payne
therfor I will that at the day of 'my burying I may have a trentall. songe for my soule my
fadre soule my moder soule and for all my brethern and sustern soules and for all xpen soules
yt it may be. And of this my testament aforewriten and after to be truely doon I ordeyn.
constitue and make my true executours my brother John Vernon Rauf Gilbert and
Thomas Wagstaff my servants the which executours all thinges afcrewrken and after
shewed truely to be executed after myn entent in this my wille shewed as they will answere
afore the high Juge at the dredfull day of Dome. Item i will that at the day of my burying
ev'y poren man that cometh have a peny and a loffe to pray for my soule and the soules
afore rehersed yf it may be at that tyme and yf not therefore to tarye unto the tyme
convenient. And yf my goods will not reche to that I will that myn executours do as
they thinke most best for me.. Also that I have Torches and Candelles about myn herse
the day my burying as myh executours thinke necessary for me. Item to ev'y preest that
comyth to my burying and saith masse for my soule and the soules afore rehersed shal-
have iiijd ev'y clerk id.. Item. I will that at my moneth mynd there be songe a trentalC
for my soule and the soules atore rehersed and for asmoche as this my will may be taken
doubtfull in many poynts therfore I will that yf any ambiguite contrariositie or mys-
reheraall cr doubtfulnes be foundenin this my last will I wille therefore that itbecorrecte
by one or ij ot myn executours also my reyment I will that it be evynly devided betwixt
Raut Gilbert and Thomas Wagstaffe my servants and also yf they be good of demenure
toward my brother John I will that they have xlj/i". evynly devided betwene them and
their wages to be content in the said sume aforewriten. And yt the be not of good demenure
1 will that they be at my brother John Vernon limitacion.. Also all my good not bequethect
my will perfourmed I will my brother John Vernon have tbenu Also the Reversion
which I had besett me by mv fader bequest I will my brother-John Vernon have it. Item
I will that my brother John Vernon have all my naprye ware and also all mv beddinge and'
my boks wtthe chests and coffers. Item I will that Robert Neyll have for paying of subsidies
and Dymes and other dueties which I have cawscd him to pave xlj/t and to I
of him for it. Wrfl mil yere aforsaid. These beign witnesse Sir Roger Lyne

maister Harry Bullock maist' Harvy Sir Thomas Rowsoa and maister Browne Item. L

224 Church Goods — Henry VII. to Sir Henry Vernon.

will that rny Skarlet gown and my murrey gowne and my Jaket of velvet may paye suche
dettes to the Church of Scheie and of Bogeston yf there be any asked as owght to be
And all other stuffe of silk or velvet I will my brother John Vernon have it. Item I will
that all rny linnen clothes my brother John Vernon have them and all my plate of silver
Also i will that x marcs be distributed for to pray for my soule and the soules afore
rehersed that it be distributed in the parishe of Scheie.

Church Goods at the Dissolution.
donyngton.

This byll indented mad the xvijth day of May in the seventh yere of the Raigne of o»
most dread sov'aign lorde Kyng Edward the syxth betwyxt Andrewe Corbett Rycc
Manweryng Knyghtes Rycc Cornwall & Rycc Newport esquires on thon ptie & Rycc Hyll
pson Thomas Boscoke & John Dossett church wardens on thother ptie wittnessitn that we
the sayd Rychard Thomas & John do bynd or selves by these p'sentes to save kepe
unstollen unsold & unembesellyed one chalys of sylv' withe pattent there unto ij smale
bell[s] nowe remaynynge within the church & steple of Donygto' as we wyll answere
therefor In wyttnese wherof we have putte or handes the day St. ,>ere above sayd.

Rychard Hyll Thomas Bosschock.

Church Goods, Salop.

TONGGE,
Thes byll Indentyd made the xxvth of Maie in the vijth yer of the reygne of our moste
dreade Sov'aygne lorde Kyng Edward the syxte betwyxt Andrewe Corbett Rychard
Cornewaylle & Rychard Newport on thon ptyee & Rottt Foster Roger Wysston & Henrye
Harryson on the other ptyee vvyttnessythe that wee the sayd Robt Roger & Henrye do by
these p sens confesse & bynd our selvys to saive & kepe unstollen unsolde & unembessallyd
three bellys att these p'sens remaynyng wythin the steeple of Tonnge & in wytnes heroff
wee have putte our handes the yeer & dey above seyd.

Robert Forster,

Henry VII. to [Sir] He [nry Verno]n, knight.

1492, April 13. Sheen. — " Trusty and right welbeloved we grete you wele, ascertaynyng
you that for the singulier trust that we have in your approved trouth and wisedom, we
have appoincted you to be Comptroller of houshold with our derest son the Prince,
entending by Goddes grace that he shal procede to the begynnyng of the same the vij. day
of May next commyng. Wherfor we pray you that ye wilfully dispose you to take uppon
you the said rowme and auctoririe, and to yeve your attendance in be begynnyng of the
said housholde for the good ordering and establisshing of the same, desiring you that
somwhat bifor the said tyme ye wol addresse you unto us to thentent that uppon con-
vercacion we may shewe unto you our rninde concernyng the premissez more at large, not
failling herof in any wise, as we specially truste you. Yeven under our signet at our
manoir ot Shene the xiij day of April the seventhe yer of oure reigne."' Sign manual*

Henry VII. to Sir Henry Vernon, knight.

[1492-?] April 26. Greenwich.. — " Trusty and welbeloved we grete you wel, lating you
write that as wel by our espies that we have in the parties beyond the see, as othrewise,,
we undrestande that our ennemyes of Fraunce prepaire theymsilt to do all the hurt and
annoyance that they can compasse and devise to this our reame and subgiettes of the
same, for the [resisting and subduyimg of whoes malicious purpos we shal, with Goddes
grace suffisantly provide and putte us with a good multitude of our subgiettes in defensible
redinesse for the same entent, which can in noo wise be doon without grete substance of
good. Wherfor we holding for undoubted that ye here a singulier tendrenesse to suche
thinges as concerne the suxetie and universal weale and tranquillite of our saide reame and
subgiettes desire and hertily praye yuu that ye wil lene unto us the somme of an c^, and
to sende it unto oure Tresourer of England by some trusty servauntes of yours to thentent
that theye maye recyve bills of hym for contentaccion therof ayen.. And we feithfully
promitte you by these oure lettres that ye shal have repayment or suffisant assignment
upon the half quinzame payable at MartUmasse next commyng, whefunto ye maye
vesraily truste, wherin ye shal not ocnly doo unto us thing of [grete ? J and singulier plteasir,,
but also cause us to have you therfor moore specially recommended in the [ho]nor of oure
grace in such thinges as ye shal have to poursue unto us henaftre. Ycven undre our signet
at our manoir at Grenewiche tlie xxvj day of April."' Sign manual.

Henry VII. to Sir Henry Vernon. 225

Henry VII. to Sir Henry Vernon, knight for his body,
Controller with the Prince.

1492, August 31. Windsor.— " Trusty and welbeloved we grete you wel. And inasmoche
as we have appointed you to be Comptrollour of houshold with oure derrest son the
Prince, and that we departe in all hast on oure voyage over the see, we therfor desire and
praye you that ye wol geve your personall attendance uppon our said derrest son for the
tyme we shalbe out of this oure reame, and that ye faille not herof, as we truste you.
Yeven undre our signet at our Castel of Windesor the last day of August, the viijth yer of
our regne." Sign manual. Signet

Henry VII. to Sir Henry Vernon, Controller of the
Household of the Prince.

[1494 ?] June 2 Sheen.—" Trusty and welbiloved we grete you wele. And for the true
and acceptable service that ye have doon to our derrest son the Prince we can you special
thanke, and considre wele that by your wise and poletike meanes his houshold is the
better conducted and governed, which is greatly to your laude a praise. And therfore we
pray you to dispose you to contynue and yeve your personal attendance there at such
seasons as the counsail of our said son shal thinke necessarie and expedient, for then-
creace of your said thanke. And elles we must of urgent necessite appointe oon of our
hede officers to exercise your saide rowme, and calle you to serve us in his stede. Yeven
undre our signet at our manoir of Shene the secund day of Juyn." Sign manual.

Henry VII. to Sir Henry Vernon, one of the knights for
his body, and Treasurer of Household with the Prince.

N.Y. March 2. London.— " Trusty and welbeloved we grete you wele. And for certain
causes and matiers concernyng as wele our derrest sonne the Prince as youreself, we wol
and desire you to comme unto us some day this Lent tyme, and that ye ne faille [so] to
doo in any wise, as we trust you. Yeven undre our signet at oure Citie of London the
ijde day of Marche." Sign manual.

The Townsmen of Walsall to Sir Henry Vernon.

N.Y. January 18.— We have a chaplain and true bedeman of yours amongst us, whose
name is Sir John Staple. We hear that you intend to take him away from us. He has
always been ready to maintain the service of God. He has caused charity amongst the
people, where else there would have been much discord and debate. He has kept a school,
and taught the poor children of the town of his charity, taking nothing for his labour.
He has done many more good deeds, specially to the poor people. That he should thus
depart were the greatest loss to the poor town of Walsall that it has ever had by the
departure of any priest. If you will suffer him to continue with us, you shall have the
prayers of him and of us all. " Wryttan [at] Walsale the morou next after Scent Antonyys
day be the cowencelles of the mere masters of the yeld (guild) and the xxiiijti with all the
best of the commyns asemblede at the same tyme, and selyd with the commyn seall o
the towene.'

Henry VII. to Sir Vernon, knight for his body.

[1503,] May 6. Richmond.— "Trusty and welbiloved we grete you wele. And forso-
mouche as according to the treatie and convencion passed bitwene us and oure derrest
sonne the King of Scottes, and of late at his special desir and instance, we have ordeyned
and determyned oure moost dere doughter the Quene of Scottes to be delivered into
Scotland for her traduccion and the solempnisacion of matrimony betwixte the said King
and hir by the furst day of August next commyng, We willing as wel for the perfourmance
of oure promyse made in that behalve, as also for the honnourofus and this oure realme oure
said doughter to bee honorably accompanyed as in like caas it hath been hertofor accustumed
not oonly for hir conveyance thoroughoute oure said reame and at hir entree into Scot-
land, but also during the feest and solempnisacion of the said mariage, have appoincted
you amonges othre nobles and estates to yeve youre attendance upon nir at hir commyng
to oure Citie of Yorke, and from thens to contynue the same til the said mariage and feest
bee doon and finisshed. Thefor we wol and desire you to prepaire youre self for this
entent with as smal a nombre as ye shal thinke convenient, soo that ye maye bee in

226

Miss Lane to the Queen.

arredinesse to entre into your said attendance upon oure said doughter at hir commyng
to Yorke forsaid, withoute any youre failing as ye tender the honnour of us and of this our
reame. Over this insomoche as it is thought unto us and oure counsaill inconvenient and
not mete that any mornyng or sorofull clcthinges shuld be woran or used at suche noble
triumphes of mariage, We therfor wol and desire you tattende upon oure saide
doughter in youre best arraye as in suche caas it apperteigneth. Yeven undre our signet
at oure manouur of Richemounte the vjth day of May." Sign manual. Fragment of
signet.

Miss Lane to the Queen.

I was infinitly glad to have the honour to reseave a letter from your Mati« for it was
reported here that you ware not well and indeed I was in much pane till I heard from my
cosen Broughton, God be praysed the King is well out the Duke is in phisick still and soe
is the Duches she is very gratious to me but I doe not goe oft up to wait on her. The
King has now given order for the setling of a thousand pounds a yeare upon me I am very
much bound to his matie for his gratious favour to me I hope in time he will doe what is fit
for maties to expect from it tys the opinion of many heare that your matie should com into
England without an invitation but I confes I cannot tell how to advise your matie in this
point I think your matie the best iudg on it your selfe what is most proper for you to do, if
I may be so happie as to know when your matie will come I will not fade to paye i
in waiting of your matie for noe soule a live is more

Your mat'e» most obedient most humble servant

paye my duty

J. LANE..

South

East

DII3 15

9 C

» 16

17 19

a soH

West

1 INSCRIPTION

North

JStaKLBYToMB : £>MTELDS.

See Page 67

ADDENDA, ERRATA, &c.

Page 15. — Lieut,-Col. should be Col.

Page 45. — Last line — aucerlis should be Saucerlis.

Page 88.— The * and f Notes should be on page 87.

Page 108.— Page 60 should be 83.

Page 132. — Thomas Row should be How.

Page 133.— Ati* should be ali(a)s,

Page 142. — Idd's hall should be Ida's hall.

Page 143. — Line 11, where not when.

Page 163. — Dorothy Giffard, 1634 not 634.

Page 179.— The *note is on page 180.

Eage 180. — The second * note refers to Col. Carlis.

Page 182.— King Charles II. advanced Lord Newport to a Viscountcy
in 1675 ; the Earldom of Bradford was given by William and Mary in
1694.

Page 206.— Lech should be Gech.

Page 206. — Peshali should be Peshal.

Page 208. — The additional notes as to the Nunneries were subsequently
printed. See pages 209 and 210.

Page 213. — The note (a) to Robt de Pennebrugge deed should have been
a footnote, not to have been printed as part of the deed.

Page 214— Note (a) 1409, not 1499.

The View of the Pulpit (page 26) shews position it occupied before the
Restoration in 1892.

The View of Stanley Tomb (page 20) shews position it occupied before
the Restoration in 1892.

Richard de Pembruge, *".*., Sir Richard de Vernon, the
Speaker.

GA5) CAS) £A5) GA9 £A£)
GYS (5/c) GT3 GYd GYS

GA£)
6YS

GYdGYd

A &L >i>, >1> >fc >xfc 3*£ M< >H >H ftfc £j£ >te ^ jk?.

GA5) £A£) QA£) £A£)
GY~<D 6Yc> GYZ) GY3

GY3GY3GYD

GY3GYD

INDEX.

Rage

Abertanat 17

Acorn Lodge 140

Acreage 5

iEolian Harp 160

Albrighton 51, 136, 139, 195

Alderton 131

Alditha 196

Ale and Alehouses 105, 115, 128, 152

Almshouses 25, 95, 116

Altar 55, 85

Ambling Meadows 132, 147

Andrews, Bemjamin 150, 151

Ankerwicke 190

Appuldercombe, Heiress of 16

Aqualate 189

Architectural Details.. .22, 23, 26, 30, 43,
47. 53. 54. 57. 66, 73, 77, 78, 96, 108, 109,

no, 156, 157, 200

Armour 40, 41, 48, 58, 6o, 65

Arms... 33, 34, 36,45. 46, 47. 48, 54 63, 66,

67, 80, 86, 87, 115, 130, 156, 157, 159, 160
Arms, Shields of —

Bermingham 34, 36

Camville 46,48, 55

Childe 86, 87

DdlaBere 78

Doyle 86

Dureversale 45

Durant 89

English 86

Fitzalan 78

Forester 14

Forster 130

Harries 80

Isle of Man 67

Latham 67

Lingein, Lingayne, or Lingaine 34,78

Ludlow 34, 37, 45, 55, 63, 67, 78

Ouldbeif 86, 87

Peche or Peeke 87

Pembruge ... 34, 36, 37, 45, 48, 54, 55, 67, 78

Peter de Sancerlis 45

Pype «... 45. 48, 55. 59. 67, 78

Reymes or Rheims 54

Royal 25

Skeffington 86, 87

Stanley 67

Strange 67

Talbot 48,54

Trumpington 55

Trussel 34, 78

Vernon... 33, 34, 36, 45, 47, 48, 54, 55, 59,

63, 67, 78

Warren 67

Willoughby of Middleton 79

Willoughby of Parham 79

Wylde 80

Umfreville 67

Unknown 46, 47, 67, 80, 86, 87, 92

Arthur Tudor, Prince ... 47, 48, 49, 56, 99, 224

Page

Arundel 9,176,177,217

Aston, Roger de 214

Audley Barons 71

Aumbry 57

Babyn, John 29

Baddeley, John 151

Bagot, John 195

Bagots Park 190

Bailifie of Tong 206, 222

Bakewell 12, 59

Barbour, Richard 218

Barretors or Scolds 128

Beaufoy 89, 155

Bedall, Roger 148

Beighterton, or Betterton 145

Belfry, 29, 73. 99. 224

Belle Isle 159

Bells, Bell-founders, and Ringers ... 101,

102, 103, 224

Bell, "The Great" 22,49,99,100,103

Belmeis or Beaumes, Alice de 10

„ Bishop de 2, 135

„ Philip de 10

„ Ranulph de 10

„ Richard del. ... 10,20

„ Richard de II 10

„ William de 10

„ „ William de alias La

Zouche 2, 10

,, „ Robert de Belesme 10

„ „ Hughde 196,213

„ „ John de 197

Benet, Joy 215

Bennett, George 218

Bentley 180

Bermingham, Matilda de 12

Berestord, Jas ~ 152

Bishops 10, 11, 166, 195, 198

Bishop's Marks 56,76

Bishop's Wood 10, 139. 140. *95

Black Ladies... 125, 139. 199. 200, 201, 205, 210

Blodwell 16, 17

Blount, Thos 178

Blymhill 128, 132, 195

Bobbington Church 216

Boden 19

Body-ring (iron) 114

Bordesley Abbey J48

Boscobel 144- 178,203

Bosschock, Thos 223

Botfield, Mr 97, i°6, 144, 178, 192, 203

Boundary 132, 134. J35, 136, 151

Bourne, W 152

Bradford, Countess of. 13, *4. WW

Earls of. 12, 13, 16, 23, 52,

100, 140, 147, 151, 153. 182, 184

Bradley, Miss 177.180

Braose de "

Brasses 43. 45. 55, 84, 85, 86, 87, 96

Brewers Oak 189

Index. — continued.

229

Page
Brewood, Brewdc.io, II, i«, 136, 145,194,

196, 205, 219

Brewood Forest 99, 139, 140, 178, 189,

195 209, 210

Bridgeman, Lady Anne 16

Bishop 13, 18

„ Hon. Beatrice Adine 15

,, Lady Florence K 15

Hon. Florence Sibell 15

Col. Hon. F. C, M. P.. ..15, 19, 153

Frederick Paul 15

„ Hon. and Rev. Canon... 39, 130

Hon. Mrs. F. C 15

„ Hon. Helena Mary 15

„ Hon. Henry George 0 15

„ Humphrey H. 0 15

„ Lady Mabel Selina 15

„ Hon. Margaret Alice 15

„ Hon. Orlando 15

„ Sir Orlando 13, 17, 18

Hon. Richard O. B 15

,, Reginald Francis 15

„ Selina Adine 15

Brid, John 212

Bristol, Marchioness of 14

Brockhurst 189

Brodmore 145

Brokes, John 216

Bryery Hurst 132, 140

Buccleuch, Duke of 15

Buckeridge, Chas. Thos. Margtta. Eliz....

19 94, 96, 163

Bullock, Harry 223

Buckingham, Duke of 175, 176

Buildwas Abbey 10

Burials 162, 163

Burlington 7,133,141

Burnal, Lord of 72

Bush Inn 153

Butters Brook 151

Bysshop, John 213

Calais, Treasurer of 37

Camp of Refuge 9

Camville 46, 48

Cannock 196

Cannon Ball Marks 105

Carnac, C. R 19

Carved Stone (early)

Carr, Rev. Canon 191, 192

Castle Bromwich 16

Castle, Tong ... II, 49, 50, 83, 90, 91, 137, 153

Celcilia 196

Celerer 124.

Chairs, Old Oak 85

Challenor, Robert 217

Champions 149

The King's 59,60

Chapel, The Lady 23, 36, 55, 57, 73

!„ Golden... 36, 53, 2

Chaplet of Roses II, 32, 147

Charities 83, 97

Charles I Frontispiece, 93, 174, 175, 182

Charles II. ....81, 89, 114, 137, 141, 178, 181,

183, 186, 201

Charlett, Mr 187

Chilie, Mrs. Baldwyn 192

Chillington 179, 195, 209, 210

Chur Screen 73, 76

1, Stalls 74, 75 76

Christian, H.R.H. Princess 15, ioi

Chrysom's, St Cemetery ., 104

Page
Chudleigh, Miss (Duchess of Kingston) ...

12, 22, 166

Churchwardens' Accounts 97, 100

Ciborium 82, 83, 108, 115

Cilin-ap-y-Blaidd Rhud 17

Cirencester 181

Clarence and Avondale, Dukeof... 101,175,176

Clarendon, Lord 189

Clarke, Rev. H. C 19, 100, 216

Clay, W 27,107

Clergy, Clerks, Chaplains of Tong 19

Clews, Mr 152

Clockmaking 151

Cocking 152

Codsall Wake 152

Coffins 64, 159

Coiffure 42

Coins 25

Cole, Mr 47, 55, 65, 95, 116, 124

Colemere, W. Esq 132, 144

College 19, 21, 36, 38, 54, 83, 96, in to 124,

216, 217

College Chapel 124

Commandments 75

Communion Plate 83, 108

" Contoise" 31

Consecration Marks 55, 56, 76

Constable's Office 44, 45, 60, 128

Convent Lodge 156

Coppice Green 134

Coracle 149, 150

Corbet, Andrew 224

Cornwall, Rycc 223

Coronation-day 52, 60, 72

Cotton, John 132, 133, 218, 219

Cotton, Wm 19

Court of Tong 11, 212

Cow Haye 132, 141

Cowper, Earl 190

Craig, Mr. Jas 185,189

Cressage 192

Crest 73

Crompton, Thomas 217

Cromwell, Oliver 81, 105, 174, 203

Cromwell, Thomas 162, 201

Crosses 55, 56, 74, 103

(Rood) 74

Crowther 152

Crucifix 74

Cublesdon 32, 39, 218

Cummings, Mr 185

Cynllaeth 17

Daintry, John 218

Dale, Mr 187, 188, 191

Dalkeith, Earl of 15

Dame Joan 201

Damer, Hon. Mrs. Dawson 169, 171

Daret 175

Darfield 72

Daunsey, Dame Elizabeth, Lady... 86, 87, 88

„ Sir John 87

Deacon 74

Dead Woman's Grave 127

Dean or Den 54

Dene, Beatrice 198

De Belmeis See B

De Bunsen, Rev. H. G 133, 184, 188

Deeds, Ancient 146, 211 to 226

Definitions 8, 10, 21, 29, 41, 42, 45, 85, 88,

103, 126, 127, 134, 138, 139— 141, 150
De Hugefort , 146, 198

23°

iNEyEX. CONTINUED.

Page

" Dennis Field" I32,"i39

Derby, Earls of 64, 65, 67, 72, 179

The 147

Devonshire, Duchess ot 171

Digby, Sir Kenelm 69, 172, 173, 174

Digby, Venetia See Stanley

Domesday 7, 8, 10, 20

Donnington 94, 124, 133, 148, 195, 227

,, Monks Pasturage at 12

Dove-cote 10, 11, 160

Draycot 44

Dress ... 46, 50, 51, 55, 59, 65, 79, 124, 131, 168

Dropping Well 160

Duchess of Teck, H.R.H 101

Dugdale, Sir William 32, 33, 68, 69

Dunham, Massey 72

Dunster, Mr. Chas 187

Durant family 91

Durant, Edwin Mr 155

F. O. Mrs 154

G 75,89,116

George 12,91,155

„ George Chas. Selwyn 12, 91, 155

„ George Stanton Eld 12, 155

Mr. ... 65, 75, 82, 90, 108, 158, 159, 161

„ Mrs. Celeste 91, 155, 160, 171

„ Richard 89

Dureversale, Wm 44.45

Dymoke, Sir Edward 61

„ Margaret (See Vernon)

„ Sir Robert 58,59,60

Easthope 14

East Window 77

„ „ ofChapel 43

Eclipse 164

Edric 45

Edward, The Confessor 8

Edward VI. 19, 74. "5

Edwin, Earl 8,9

Effigies 29,40,41,42,64,65

Einion-Efell 17

Eiton, John 36,217

Eiton, Sir Richard 19, 216

Elcock, Ralph 19, 96

Eld, Miss 91

Englefield, Isabella 36, 216

John 217

Ercall, William de 198

Ernulf, Chaplain 19

Evans, Thomas Mr 148, 191

„ Miss Francis 188,191

„ Lady 190

Evelith 131, 180

Eynsham 64

Eyton, Fulke 36, 216, 217

„ Nicholas 36,216

„ Roger 217

Factory 150

Fair n, 123

Famous Ladies 166, 167, 168

"Fermor" 138

Figure of Priest 55

Fisher, Lady 181

Fisherwick 88

Fishing II, 147

Fitcherbot, Esq 144

Fitzherbert, Mrs 166, 169, 170

,, Sir Anthony 146

„ Thomas 169

William 103

Fitzherberts ; 132,188,200,204

Page

Font „. 27

Forest Laws 7, 14

Forester, Edric the 45

family 13, 107, 130, 131, 176

,, Col. Hon. Henry Townsend ... 14

Hon. Selina L.Weld 13

John 14, 176, 202

Lord 13, 131

Richard 14, 131

,, Robert 176, 224

Thomas 176

Mary 176

Forster, Anthony 131

,, Humphrey 176

,, or Forester, Isabella... 131, 166,

175. 176

,, Thomas 19, 130, 179

Forge, Tong 133, 142, 150, 151

,, „ Bridge 144

,, ,, Brook 142

,, ,, Hammer 142

Fortescue, Frances 72

Fowke, William 87, 88, 216

Fowl House, pyramidal 159

Fox 23

Frontal Pulpit 83,98

Gailey 196, 209

Gallery 74

Gallowses 152

Gamble 152

Gargoyles no

Gerbier 175

Giffard, Charles Mr 87, 179, 182, 194,

196, 2oo, 210, 217, 218
Giffard family... 80, 163, 179, 199, 218, 219, 220

Giffard, Sir John 203,217

Giffard, Sir Thos 204

Gilbert, Ralf 222

Gildenmorton, Manor of 112

Glass, Stained 77, 96

Glever, Wm 215

Golden Chapel 22, 36, 47, 49, 53, 54

Gospel Road, Gospel-trees 136, 144

Granges 10, n, 37, 123

Grafton 51

Greatbatch, Sam 151, 152

Great Ness 131

Grey, Sir Richard 63

Groom, Rev. L 201

Grosvenor, The Countess 15

Gunpowder Plot, Proclamation Tong 164, 165

Gwenwynwyn 17

Griffith of Cae Howell, Kynaston, &c. 17, 18

Griffiths, Ap Griffith 39, 127, 236

Haddon 12, 42, 45, 46, 49, 51, 63, 71, 177

Haighway Road 152

Hadham, Roger 213

Haligode 212

Hallelujah Victory 3

Hall, S 19

Hall The, Tong 160

Hall, Thos 19

Halston 175

Hamilton, Duchess ot 168

„ George 159

Hanaper 21

Hanbury, George 15

Harcourt, Margery n

„ Orabel n

Wm.de 2,11,145

Harding, Revs. G. and J iQ

In-

dex. CONTINUED.

2-U

Page

Harding, Mrs 108

Hare, Lucy 107

Harewood, Countess ol 15

Harlaston 52, 216

Harlegh, Alice 198

Harlewyn 212, 214

Harpour, William le 213

Harries, Ann 12

,, Elizabeth (see Pierpoint) 12,80

Lady 46, 158

Lady Eleanor 80, 82, 83, 98, 108

Sir Thomas ... 12, 65, 80, 83, 92, 158

Harrington, Lord and Lady 41

Harrison, George 99

Harriot or Heriot 127

Hartley, John 153

Harryson, Henry 223

Hatchments 92

Hatham 214

Hatton, John 130

Haughton 160

Havjmnah 12, 90

Hawarden 135. x44

Hay 14

Heathill or de Hethull 212

Hell Meadow 122

Hempenstall, A 149, 150

Henry-de-Hugefort 11

Henry 1 2,10,45

„ III ii, 40

„ IV in, 112

„ V 19, 112, 115

„ VI 54

Hengist 2

Henry VII 59,224,225

VIII 13,49,59,114,115

Hereward 9

Hermit of Tong 156

Hermon 217

Herons 153

Hickes, Sir B 217

Higgs, Daniel and Maria 57

High Ercall 174

Hilton, Robert 19

Hodnet ■... 43,52,63

Hogs ii,i47

Holbein 114

Holmes, George 133

Holy Rood ....: 74

Holywell 200

Homilies, Book of 25

Hooker.J. S 184

Hope, Mr. Jas 185

Hops 115

Horse Brook 206, 210

Horse Shoes Inn 153

Horton, John 133, 151

Hospital 95

Hotspur 38, 72

How, Mr 132, 140, 145

Howard, Thomas 177

„ William 177

Roger 177

Howe, Countess 14

Hubbal Grange 10, 37, 137, 179, 203, 204

Huddieston, Mr 180

Hulle.Thos.de la 212

Hulter, John 19

Hugefort 11, 32, 146, 198

Hunt, Will 164

Hurst, A 140

Page

Hyde (or Yde) 210

Hyll, Richard 224

Hynkeley 214

Idsall 19, 130, 133, 142

Image of Blessed Virgin 11, 73, 147

,, of St. Bartholomew 11, 73

Iynsey, Sir Wm 217

Inscriptions... 43, 53, 57, 63, 64, 67, 88, 91,

93. 94. 157. 158, 159. 160, 161, 169, 173

Isabel's, Lady, Well 140, 210

.. •. 205

Iron Ore 142, 143

Jacks, Joyce 216

John, King 2, 11, 196, 205

Jowe, John 215

Jones, "Rosy" 151

Jones, Mr. W 151

Jones, Lancet 133

Jorwerth Goch 17

Jury 151

Katherine of Arragon, Princess 49, 236

Keepers' Meadows 144

Kenyon Slaney, Lady Mabel 15

RobertO. R 15

Sybil 15, 149

Colonel, M.P 15

Kilsall 132,135,196,215

Kingston, Earl of, Evelyn 1st Duke... 12,

57, 82, 90, 116, 135, 166, 167

,, Earls of 12,81,82,93

King of the Peak 71

Kitcat Club 167

Knight Constable of England 44

,, of Mawddy 17

„ Doctor 199

Knockyn 72

Knoll 137

„ Tower 161

Knowsley 71

Kynaston, Humphrey 17

„ Judith 17

Kynton, Viscount 72

Lascelles, Henry Viscount 15

Lascelles. Hon. Edward Cecil 15

,, Lady M. Selina 15

Lacy, Lord of 72

Lady Wicket Field 189

Lafefve, Celeste 91, 155

Lance 150

Lane, Mistress Jane 181,226

Langefofot, Mawde, dau. of Sir Ralph ... 59

Llanfyllin 127

Lapley, and Priory... 19, 38, 112, 115, 130, 192

Lathom, John 64,65,218

" Lass of Richmond Hill " 170

Lawrence, Rev. R. G 19, 133, 147

Lawrence, Thos, 19

Lassels, Mr 181

Lectern 46

Lee Court 190

Lee, William 214

Leotric 8

Leeke, Rev. R. H /,(.

Leper Well 210

Leslie's Cavalry 141, 179

Levison, Jone 87

R 88

Library, The Minister's 25,0

I.ilk'sh.dl Abbey 10, 148, 210

l.iuli'Noll 155

Lime 146

232

Index — continued.

Page

Lines to Bellringers 99

Lingen, Elizabeth de (see Pembruge)...

30, 32, 37> 38

Lingen, Sir Raffe 30, 38

Little Harriots Hays 127

" Little Nell " iv. 155

Lizard Grange 10, IX, 123, 133

Lizard Mill 136, 142

Lollards 113

Long Birch 207

Longford 83

Long Marston 181

Louvre 160

Ludlow 45, 49

Alice, dau. of Sir Richard de 63

Benedicta de 37

John 63

Sir John 41,52

Sir Richard, Kt 52, 63

Sir Thomas 37

Lumley, Lady Ida F. H 14

„ Hon. Osbert 15

Lusard 10

Lye, Master John 19

Lyne, Sir Roger 223

Lyttletons 90

Madeley 180

Man, Lord of and the Isles 72

Manners, Lady Katherine 13, 189

„ Sir John 12, 71, 217

„ Sir Richard 115

Manor of Tong 105, 132, 212

Manorial Courts, Leet and Baron 125, 127, 133

Manweryng, Rycc 223

Maps and Plans ix., x., xii., 122, 226

Margery de Harcourt 11

Market or Fair n, 105, 123

Marl 145, 146, 147

Marlpit, Methplekes 11, 132, 145

Marmion 59, 60

Marriages 162

Marrion Road 133

Marshal of England 60

Mary Queen of Scots 71

Masons, R 133

Matthews, Rogers, Esq., and Ursula 17

Mausoleum 159

Maypole 136, 137

Meashill u, 132, 139, 140, 145

Mears, Thomas 103

Meddings, George 153

Meeson, George 19

Mercia, Earls of, Morcar and Edwin... 1, 8, 9

Meredith-ap-Bleddyn 17, 18

Merlin 5,6,7

Merstone, Thomas 215

Mervyn, King of Powys 17

Middleton, Lord 79

„ Sir Thomas 79

Mill, the Water 11, 132, 133, 135

Miller, The 136

Millfield 147

Milner, Thomas 19, 162

Minerals Leasow 139

Misereres 74

Mitton, Griffith 216

Mitton, John 216

Mohun, Lady 42

„ Lord 72

Molineux, W. H 19

Page
Monasteries, Colleges, Hospitals,
destruction of 114, 162, 203, 207, 219,

220, 221

Moncreiffe, Sir Thomas 13

Monks 75

Montague, Mr. Edward 166, 168

,, Lady Mary Wortley ... iv., 12,

82, 166, 167, 168

Montford 208, 209

Montgomery, Earl Hugh de 10, 20

„ Earl Roger de 9, 10, 20

Montrose 178

Montrose Lucy, Duchess of 16

Monument, Knoll 161

Mountrath Diana, Countess of 16

More, Sir Thomas 114,115

" Morralls meicell " 139

Morse, William, or Mosse 19, in, 116

Mortimer, Ralph de 45

Muckleston, J. F 19

Murdock, Mr 139

Mytton, Edward, Esq 88

„ Jane 216

,, Joan 176

„ John 175,216

„ Thomas 18

Mytton Family 13, 88, 216

Nave 27

Neachley Grange ... 15, 145, 151, 196, 218, 226

New, Mr 177

Newport 152, 177

Newport, Geo. Cecil Orlando Viscount... 14

„ Lady Anne 16

,. Lord 174

„ Margaret 112

„ Sir Richard 175

„ C. Rycc 224

Newport Family 13, 16, 18, 52, 182, 206

Newport, William 112

Nether Haddon 67

Neyll, Robert 222

Niches 104

North Aisle 27

Northumberland, Earl of 72

Norfolk, Duke of 176

Norton (see Tong Norton) 11,99.212

Norton Heath 107, 132, 141, 179

Nuts, gathering 11, 147

Nunnery of Brewood, see Black Ladies

Observator 191

Office, Constable's 44, 45

Offoxey 137

Old Castle 49

Old Mill 160

Oliver, Peter 173

Orde-Powlett, Hon. Win 14

Order of the Garter 35

Ore's Bank 140

Ore, Thomas 105, 133, 151

Organ 61

Organ, Old Gothic 27, 61, 62, 63

Orlyngbere, St. Mary of in

Oswestry 127

Owners of Tong 10,11,12,13

Parker, John the 212

Palfreys 147

Parham 79

Park (Tong) 11, 137

Park Pale 132, 137, 140

Parker, John lc, and Cecilia 212

Index — continued.

233

Page
Parker, John, Oliver, Avice, Amore,

Edith 212

Patingham, Lady Ysabel of 210

Payne, Major 91

Paunage of Hogs n, 147

Peckes Ye, or Peche 87

Pedestal 73

Pelham, Lucy, daughter of Sir John 84

Pembruge, Pembrugge, Penbrugge, Pem-

brugeor Pembridge ... 2, 11, 34, 35- 45- 5°
Pembruge, Dame Elizabeth nee Lingen

12, ax, 30, 32, 37. 39. i". I21

Fulcodel 11,121,147

Fulco de II 11 111,112,

121, 147, 211, 212

Fulco de III 12,35,213

„ Fulco de IV. ... 12. 30, 35, 36,

213, 214, 216
Half-brother ot Fulco de I. ... 11

Henry n

Isabella 214,215

,, Juliana

„ Margaret 36

„ Robert de 12,35,213

,, Sir Fulke de 21, 30, 33, 36, 38, 39

Pencions 221

Pendragon 3

Pendrell, Penderel, or Pendrill 147,

178, 179, 182, 192, 201, 203

Pendrell Cave 189

Percy, Lady Lucy, daughter of the Duke

of Northumberland 67,70,72

Percy, Sir Thomas 72

Percy, Thomas 72

Pertry 140

Peshall de 13, 206, 213, ?i4

Pew or Peiw 126

Peynton, T 100

Philarchus 190

Pierpoint 117, 152- 163, 166

„ Elizabeth, daughter of Lord
Gervasede... 12,81,82,84,

92, 93. 97
„ Elizabeth, daughter of Wm.

and Elizabeth ... 84, 92 93, 112

„ Gervase Baron 82

„ Gervase Lord 12, 93, 150

„ Hon. William 12

,, Lady Mary 167

,, Robert de

Pietier, Lewes 19. 100, 107, 133

Pigeons 127

Pigs 142

Pillars 74

Pillar of Mary 73

Pikemere Hollow 141

Piscina 56, 85

Pitchford Oak 192

Plans, see Maps

Plate, Communion 108

Plaxton, Rev.G 186

Pochards 153

Pool of Tong (the Great) 11, 147

Pool, Church 135

Poole, Walter 27

Population 152

Porch 26

Porlock Effigies 23,48

Pound 121

Powis, Prince of 17

Powys, Lord 63

Page

Preface to first edition 7

Preface to second edition 6

Pres, William de 211, 212, 213

Prescon, Sir John 180

Prince Arthur Tudor... 47, 48, 56, 99, 224, 225

Prince Charles 174

Prince Edward II

Prince of Wales, H.R.H. (George IV.) ... 169

Princess Margaret 57.227

Prioresses 196, 197, 198, 201, 204, 205,

206, 210, 222, 223

Prior's Lee 142

Priors Road 121

Proclamation 164, 165

Public Houses (old) 128, 153

Pugh, Isaac 127

Pulesdon, Roger de 213

Pulpit 46,83

„ or Oratory 156

Puritans 73

Pype, Redware 44. 46

Pype, Sir Robert 43. 44. 45

Queen Anne 79

Queen Elizabeth 61, 65, 71, 72

Queen Mary 61, 72

" Queen of Love and Beauty " 149

Queen Elizabeth of York 224

Ralph, Mr 188

Red House Inn 153

Registers 19, 115, 1G2, 1G3, 104, 165

Restoration 24

Rheims Abbey 54, 112, 115

Rhys, Prince of South Wales 18

Richard III 5X, 59, 72

Richmond 51, 72

Richmond Park 16

Riley 183

Rivet Carnac, Rev. G. C 19, 46

Rhodri Mawr 17

Robyns, Wm. 212

Roe, Rev. John 207

Roger, Robert 223

Rogers, Edith 212

Roman Road 7

Rood Beam 30

Rood Cross 74

Rood Loft 30,74

Rosary Lodge 160

Rouen. Captain of 37

Round House 160

Rowena 5

Rowson, Sir Thos 222

Royal Forest (Wrekin) 131, 195

Royal Oak 178, 183

Royal Visits 49, ioi

Rubens, P. P 174, 175

Ruckley Grange 10, 11, 12, 133

Ruckley Wood 11

Rudhall, Abraham 100, 103

Rugge 196

Rungey Hale 72

Rupert Prince 174

Rutland, Duke of 13, 56, 71, 82, 177

„ Duchess of 189

„ Earl of 71

St. Bartholomew's Day 11

St. Leonard's Nuns of, see White Ladies

St. Denys 139

St. George, L. H 19

St. Paul's Cathedral 10,159

Salden 72

InDex — continued.

Page

Salter, George 133.151

Salter, Doctor '. 216

Salter, Mrs 151

Saltworks 148

Sarra 196

Sayings 152

Scarbrough, Earl of 14

Scott, Wm. and Elizabeth..., 107

Scot, Thomas 133, 163

Screens 28, 29, 73, 74

Scuddamore, Mr 148

Seats, Old Oak 26,75,216

Sedilia 85

Seal 27, 121, 130, 146, 205, 213, 215, 216

Seile 44, 224

Serfs 8

Seymaur, Lady Horatia 171

Seymour, Miss 171

Shakerley 144, 147, 196, 200

Shakspearian Inscription 68

Shaineljrd in

Shaw, The n, 121, 136

Shaw, Mr. T 141

Shaw, William 19, 111, 116, 121

Shawfield 121

Shaw Lane i2r, 136

Shelton Oak 192

Shields See Arms

Shifnal 2, 7, 19, 124, 142, 212

Shireford, Robert de 19

Shottesbrook 36, 38

Shrewsbury 49, 52, 74

„ Abbey 10, in

Battle of 38

,, Earls of (see Talbots) ... 45,

47, 48, 51, 2t6

„ Great Earl 51

"Sir" 54

Sir Hugo 147

Skeffington, Cecilia 88

„ Johanna 88

„ John 86

Sir William 88

William 86

Tablets 85

Skinner, Mr 173

SkotThos 215

Slaney, Elizabeth 94

Slabs : 27,28,63,200

Small Ore's Bank 140

Smith, Robert the 1 or Lefevre) 212

Smith, William and Joan, The 213

Smith, Fulk 213

Smythe, William 169

Smythe, Sir E 169

Somerset, Lord Protector 115

Southall, Wm 19

Souling 152

Sow and Pigs 142

Speaker, The 37

Spernor, Spernores, Spermore 44

Spirit Lane 210

S.S., Collar of 40, 42, 58

Stained Glass 77

Staindrop Church 41

Stafford, Lady 131, 175, 177

Stafford, Edward, Baron 175, 176

„ Henry, Baron 176

„ Roger 176

Stamford, Dame Margaret 204

Pago
Stanley, Arabella, Marie, Alice and

Priscilla 67

„ A. P., Dean 70,71

„ Frances 68, 72

„ George 72

„ Henry 67

„ Jane Strange de Knockyn 72

„ Lady Lucy (see Percy ) 67

„ Margaret (see Vernon) ... 12, 64,

65, 217

„ Petronella 68

;, Sir Edward ... 12, 64, 65, 67, 69,

70, 72, 80, 173, 217, 218
„ Sir Thomas. .2, 12, 65, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72

„ Strange, Lord 72

„ Thomas (son of Sir Edward) 68, 152

„ Tomb 64,70,174,175,226

„ Venetia, Lady Digby... 68, 69,

72, 166, 171, 172, 173, 174

Staple, Sir John 225

Stevenson, W 151

Steventon, Thomas 216

Stinking Lake 210

Stocks . 151

Stokesay 52

Stone Cross : 144

Stones, Robert 133

Stoneyford 7

Storm, &c 164

Strange, John Lord 72

Stratford 189

Streetway 141

Stubbs, Mr 188

Sudbury 52

Sundial 105, 151

Swilcar Oak 190

Swan. Walter 19

Swynfen, Jocosa 44

„ Margaret (see Vernon) 44

„ William 44

Tailor, Nichol the 152,212

Talbot, the great Earl (Shrewsbury and

Talbot) 48, 51

Talbot, John, 2nd Earl 47. 51

„ Lady Anne 47

„ Sir Gilbert 51

„ Sirjohn 51

Tanat, Morris 17

Tavlebois, Margaret, daughter of Sir

"Gilbert 59

Taylor, William... 107

Teck, H.R.H. the Duchess of ... 101, 180, 192

Temple, the 189

Tetherton, James 140,151

Thanes 7> 8

Thonglands 3* 7

Thoresby , 81, 82

Thorneycroft, Major 153

Thorpe, Sir E. de 41

Thursfield, Rev. R. P 191

Tibshelf 197

Tiles, Old 56,84,200

Tilton 174. i75

Timlet Bridge 133, 142, 144

„ Hollowav n,i44

Site for Mill 12

Tithe Bam 137

„ Pig 138

Token H-:

Tomb destroyed 34

Index — continued.

235

Page
Tong, Tuange, Twanga, Thonk, Tugge,

Thonge name of 2, 5, 7, 11

Tong Castle (see Castle) 5, 49. 79, 82, 83,

84, 90, 91, 27, 153, 170, W* 174. 189

„ Lake 128,144,148

,, Norton 7, II, 105, 107, 124, 183

,. Park House 144

" Tony-lire the Fagot " 131

Tortworth 19°

Tostig 8

Tournament 148) H9

Tournay 59

Trees Famous 190, 192

Troutbek's Heire 51

Trussel, Margaret 32.38

Trussel, Sir William 32,3^,39

Trusseley 216

Trusty Dick i79> 181

Tumulus 105

Turner. Alice 151

Tutbury 19°

Twickenham Park 16

Twiss 152

Upton 14

Urn 158

Vauxhall Cottage 159

Vernon 33, 34, 38, 39, 45, 46, 49. 52, 152

„ Alice, daughter of John Ludlow... 63

Arthur 19, 51, 53, 54, 55. 222

„ Benedicta (wife of Speaker)37,38,4i ,43

„ Chantry See Golden Chapel

„ Dorothy 1*, 71, 177, 217

„ Edward and Margaret 63, 64

„ George (of Hodnet) 63,177,216

„ Henry 64

„ Humphrey 42, 51, 63

„ Lady Anne 47, 5°

Lord 64,101

„ Margaret. Abbess of West

Mailing 52, 61, 201

„ Margaret (wife of Sir Thos.

Stanley) 12, 64. 65. 67, 72, 177

„ Margaret ("daughter of Sir Robert

Dymoke) 57, 58

„ Margaret (wife of Sir George

Vernon) 59. 70, II

„ Margaret (Swynfen), wife of Sir

Wm 43,44, 45

„ Mary 52

,, Mawde (2nd wife of Sir Geo.

Vernon) 59, 217

„ Richard (father of Speaker) 34,43

112,217
Richard. Esq. ... 12, 37, 39, 5i> 58, 85

Sir Arthur 19, 53, 54, 55, 57, 223

„ Sir Edward 65

,, Sir George 12,59,63,65,67

„ Sir Harry ... 12, 46, 47, 49, 53, 54,

56, 57. 63, 90, 100, 202, 216, 224, 225
„ Sir John (of Sudbury) ... 64.216. 223

„ Sir Richard 12. 34, 35, 37, 39.

41. 52, 54, 58 112, 214, 215, 216, 218

., Sir Thomas 63, 65

„ Sir William 12,43,45146

„ Thomas (of Houndshill) 63

„ Thomas (of Stokesay) 52

Vestment 97-98 20^

Vestry 95,98

"VigflofArms" 58

Vivary u

Vortigern, , , 3,4, 5

Page

W-addingham 137

Waddington M. de 192

Wagstaffe Thos 222

Wales, Princes of 17, 18

Walk, Dorothy Vernon's 71

Walking the Boundaries 134, 135, 136

Wall, Ellinor 80

Wall, Manor of 44

Walsall 225

Walter, Herbert 194

Waltham or Walthamstow 68

Walton, Thos. de 214

Warde, John le 28,212,213

Warde, Richard 19

Wardens 19, 112, 116, 117, 123, 223

Watchman 128, 129

Water Tilting 149

Water Mill 11

Watling Street 7,141

Wedges 150

Wells 136,140,210

Weld (sometimes Wyld), Edward 169

Wellington Forest 195

Wellington, Sir Roger, vicar of 216

Wemme 36

Wenlock, Thomas 142

West Mailing 52

Weston-under-Lizard ... 19, 39, 49, 124,

128, 195, 214

Church 88, 216

>> ,, i, Park i3, 132, 140,

173, 189

Weston, De 13,195, 198,210

Whalebones 158

White Ladies ... 12, 56, 86, 87, 88 98, 139,
145, 147, 179, 189. 194, 200,

203, 209, 2l8, 219, 220, 221

,, ,. "Close" 139

White Oak 137, 139, 189, 204

White, Winifred 200

VVhitgrave, Mr 180, 190, 199

White Sitch : 196

Whytemore, John de la 196

Whyston, Sir Nicholas de 39

Wiche, Dame , 92

Wigmore ",45

Wilbrahams 13

Wilkes, John 136

William 1 9, 43

William (Parson of Tong) 19

Willoughby, Lord 81

,, Hon. Henry 79

Wilmot, Lord 89

Wilson, C. T 19

Windmill or Windrills 141

Witnesses to deeds, and other persons
not immediately connected with

Tong 216, 218, 219, 222, 223

Woburn 190

Winwick 6J. 71

Wixstone, Wm 213

Wolsey. Cardinal 203

Wombridge 130, 217

Woodlands 141, 189

Woodshawt T 100

Wool 150

Woolrich, James 19.115,116

Woolley 151

Worcester. Battle of 89,178

Worsley. Sir Thomas 16

Wren, Sir Christopher 159

236

Index — continued.

Page

Wright, Mrs 173

Wright, Mr 202

Wrottesley 210, 216

Wylde, Ann (nee Harries) 12, 79. 80, 8i, 158

„ Edmund 80

„ or Weld, John, senior 12

„ John, junior 12,80

Wysston, Roger 223

Yate, Yates, or Gate 132, 152, 203, 210, 212

Yeames, Mr. R. A 168

York Parliament 12

York. Duchess of. H.R.H 101,192

Ysabel of Pattingham, Lady 210

Zetland Countess of. 15

Zouche La 2. 10. II, 32, 198

„ Alan 10,11,145

„ Alice it

„ Roger 11, 146

„ William 10

„ Elizabeth 197

'II -I IK

IProspertto be tfjg pacje !

— Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

(Confioinrj, speefc tfjen, on life's Venturous mao ;
&fjg satis ate set— tfjs launcij tfje tfirst of JHau.

Queen Katherine :

&fter mo oeat^ C misf} no otfjer Kerala,
$o otijer speaker of tug liointj actions,
€0 keep mine ijonour from corruption
But sue!) an fjonest cfjronicler as ffiriffttjj.

— Shakespeare.

THEBEIalaMOTEK

-"® TOUSFGk

A Comfortable Country Hotel,

«_^c^ with Good Stabling.

Only a Few Minutes' Walk from Tong Church.

Proprietor: MAURICE DAVIES,

§&ctt Hotel, Sfona9 neat Stiifnat.

BRADFORD HRMS,

IVETSEY BANK.

Proprietress— MARY CARPENDALE.

GOOD WINES AND SPIRITS

accommodation for Cgcligta, $icmic Parties, Eouxiztz, &c.
Tennis Ground. Capital Stabling.
Postal Address— IVETSEY BANK,

STRETTON,

Telegraph Office— WESTON-UNDBR-LlZARD. cTADrnDn

No Sunday Post. w,l AFFORD.

The Nearest Hotel to Boscobel and the Royal Oak.

The COALBROOKDALE COMPANY,

LIMITED,

Coalbrookdale Ironworks,

. . . SHROPSHIRE.

Wrought & Oast Iron Work, and General Iron founders.
SPECIALITIES :

Entrance Gates, Palisading, Balconies, Garden Seats, Fountains,

Monumental Erections, Grates, Stoves, Cooking Ranges, Sugar

Pans, and Colonial Articles generally.

Steam Engines, Steam Pumps, Millwright Work.

BEST BROSELEY ROOFING TILES.

Fire Brick Goods.

AnnRcoo/WORKS: COALBROOKDALTn^SO., SHROPSHIRE.
AUUKtbn LONDON SHOW ROOMS: 1, VICTORIA EMBANKMENT,

BLACKFRIARS, E.C.

Tie Railway Passengers Assurance Co.,

GRANT POLICIES OF ASSURANCE AGAINST

ACCIDENTS OF ALL KINDS,

AT VERY MODERATE PREMIUMS.

It was established in 1849, and empowered by Special Act of Parliament.

It has a large Subscribed Capital, and Invested Reserve Fund
as a guarantee to its Insurers.

Chairman: RIGHT HON. EVELYN ASHLEY.

It has already paid in compensation for Injury or Death caused by Accident
Of every description, nearly

£3,350,000 STERLING.

Application to be made to the Clerks at all Railway Stations, or to

IF. D. MASSY) a , .
,-, ~ „ a tt-t a at r Secretaries.

Head Office, 64, Cornhill. A. VlAX J

Agent for Shifnal— Mr. JAMES COX.

Telegrams: GNOSALL.
Station; NEWPORT.

WILLIAM STACEY,

oTiwlW and Qiate--wood

Merchant, Contractor, = =
= = and Builder,

ORSLOW, NEWPORT, SALOP.

C^RTS, WAGGONS, ETC

Made and Repaired.
ESTIMATES GIVEN.

[A Card].

EdWd. griffifeh^, Jun., F.g.L,

LAND & TIMBER VALUER,

Knockin, Oswestry.

Agent for the Yorkshire Fire & Life
Insurance Co.

The Imperial Live Stock Insurance

Co.

LIVE STOCK (PEDIGREE) SELECTED FOR EXPORT OR
OTHERWISE,

W. B. DAWSON,

Station Carriage Works,
(D NEWPORT, SALOP.

i A

CARRIAGES OF THE MOST ELEGANT DESCRIPTION,

INCLUDING—

LANDAUS, BROUGHAMS, VICTORIAS,

Reversible Waggonettes,

T Carts, Dog Carts, Gigs, &c.

All Carriages are fitted with latest improvements, perfection
of finish, and durability guaranteed, proofs of which are given
by continued increase of business, with highest references and
testimonials.

Inspection invited of Carriages in process of Manufacture,

A COUNTY SPECIALITY!!

An excellent Liqueur, guaranteed to be made
from the finest old Spirit and selected Fruits,

SHROPSHIRE LIQUEUR

has been supplied to the Lord Lieutenant of the
County, some of the leading M. F. H.'s in
England, &c, as well as to various connoiseurs in
France, Sweden, &c.

It will be found of great advantage as a
pleasant Tonic, and is exceedingly suitable for
Sporting Flasks, and as an after dinner liqueur.

Manufactured exclusively by

T. SOUTH AM & SONS,

Wine and Spirit Importers, SHREWSBURY.

Jerningham A rms Hotel

SHIFNAL.

Conveyances meet Trains at Five minutes notice. 3f miles from
«— -*k— To-ng Church.— >i«—»

Catering for Luncheons, Dinners, Parties, &c.

HEAD QUARTERS OF CYCLISTS TOURING CLUB.

MRS. KENT, Proprietress.

Telegraphic Address-" JERNINGHAM."

BENNION & SON,

Bookgelkp?, Stationed, &e., J^ewpopt, Salop.
QOLF ! GOLF ! ! GOLF ! ! !

At makers' prices.

Bennion & Son beg to call attention to their Selection of Golf Clubs : —

SPECIAL LADIES GOLF CL08S. LEFT-HANDED CLUBS

Always in Stock.

GOLF BALLS: vSilvertown," 12/- per dozen. Made up Balls, 6/. per

dozen. Repairs done by competent men same dayf

Old Golf Balls made equal to new. Price List sent on Application.

ALL REPAIRS IN FISHING TACKLE.

Trout and Grayling Flies Tied to Pattern on shortest notice.

TENNIS, CRICKET, FOOTBALL, AND ALL MATERIALS FOR OUT-DOOR GAMES

KEPT IN STOCK.

Postal Orders promptly attended to.

3e;NNioN &l son, Newport,

SALOP..

jPLDNITT & NAUNTON,

j3u6lis^ers' ar\d J3riqferg;,

SHREWSBURY.

Publishers of the

Garrisons of Shropshire, demy 4to.
Castles and Old Mansions of Shropshire, demy 4to.
Gough's History of My d die, demy 4to.
History Shrewsbury School, demy 4to.
Walcott's Abbeys of Shropshire, demy 4to.
Register Shrewsbury School, 1562 — 1635, demy 8vo.
History Free Masonry in Shropshire, demy 8vo.
Word Book, Shropshire, demy 8vo.
Folk Lore, Shropshire, demy 8vo.
Shropshire Archaeological Society Transactions, demy 8vo.
And many other Local Works.

COPIES OF MOST OF THE ABOVE MAY BE OBTAINED.

WILLIM HOWe, *•

6, Chester Street,

SHREWSBURY,

BUILDER OF

CARTS, WAGGONS, LORRYS, FLOATS, do.

CONTRACTOR FOR

Galvanized Iron Dutch Barns, Covered Yards, &c.

MAKER OF

Iron Hurdles, Continuous Iron Fencing, and all kinds
of Iron Work.

W.H. has the largest and best Stock of IMPLEMENTS AND
MACHINES for the Farm, Garden, and Dairy, in the Midlands.

Special Discount for Cash. Illustrated Lists Free.

\Xnlal*I7*M HOWE,

6, Chester Street, SHREWSBURY.

STKMP OFFICE, SHIFJWR

RICHARD LOWE,

Jttachine printer, bookseller, <Stationer,

BOOKBINDER,

Patent Medicine Vendor, &c, &c.

Agent for Horniman's Pure Tea, The Singer Sewing Machines, &c, &c.

The London and Provincial Newspapers,
Magazines, and Periodicals,

Regularly supplied to order, and delivered in all parts of the town (daily) immediately
on their arrival at i»-30 a.m.

Advertisements Received for all Newspapers, &c.

Sole Agent in Shifnal and Neighbourhood for

LIPTON'S TEAS AND COFFEES.

RICHARD LOWE, Stationer, Market Place, Shifnal.

NOVELTIES IN
< HOICE BUSINESS UlRCULARS, (gARDS,

TRADE ANNOUNCEMENTS,

^H 1 1

OFFICE SPECIALLY FITTED
FOR

LAIN /\ND iRNAA\ENTAL ^RI^TING

OF EVERY DESCRIPTION.

ESTIMATES AND SPECIMENS SUBMITTED.

Aju jl H]G]S BROS » ,

General, Furnishing, Builders' and
Estate Ironmongers,

42 & 43, CASTLE STREET, SHREWSBURY.

SPECIALITIES :

Slow Combustion Register and other Grates.

Ranges — Close and Open Fire.

Encaustic Tile Work, &c.

Matthew Harvey & Co.,

SADDLERY HARDWIRE
-< MANUFACTURERS,

glkbeijAnd "wo:r,:k:s,

WALSALL.

JOHN TAYLOR & CO*,

Bell Founclepg Bell Hangepg,

LOUGHBOROUGH, %**

**£ LEICESTERSHIRE.

-+8- ESTABLISHED FOUR CENTURIES. -34-

Founders of the great Ring of Twelve Bells
of St. Paul's Cathedral ; also the Bourdon Bell,
11 Great Paul," the largest in England, weighing
37,483/65. ; the heavy Rings in Worcester, Newcastle,
and Edinburgh Cathedrals ; the Imperial Institute,
and many others.

A SPECIALTY.

UNDER DISTINGUISHED PATRONAGE.

OAKENGATES, SALOP.

^w — ■w — yr — ^r — -w

GROUPS, ANIMALS, MACHINERY, &c,

PHOTOGRAPHED BY APPOINTMENT.

The New Permanent

are becoming more fashionable every day ; they 'will not fade,

and the Engraving-like appearance is unquestionably the

most artistic yet produced.

At Home" Portraits a Speciality.

PRICE LIST MAILED FREE ON RECEIPT OF POST CARD.

WOLYEEHAMPTON.

-+8>5*§+-

The Star & Garter Royal Hotel,

patTjily, (5omrr(ercial7 ar|d Isosti'ng pouse.

NIGHT PORTER. — TELEPHONE

MISS BE/ITTOIT,

a/GX MANAGERESS.

mei^y * gsoEQfim

(LATE JOHN BULLOCK.)

$gr Family Grocer, Provision Dealer, and
General Ironmonger,

Mig5 Stpeet, 2>5\fftal Salop,

GARDEN SEEDS OF THE BEST QUALITY.

Established 1796.

A. & W. J. MASSEY,

MECHANICAL AND HYDRAULIC ENGINEERS,

LOWER BAR FOUNDRY, NEWPORT, SALOP.

MASSEY'S Improved

SINGLE-ACTING

HYJOHAULIC

HAMS

For Supplying Water to

Villages, Mansions,

Farmsteads,

These Rams can be ma;le to work Automatically where the supply is limited and
insufficient to keep them in constant operation.

MASSEY'S "DOWNTOW" WHEEL

Is specially designed for Low Falls, from six inches, and adapted for Working Pumps

for the Supply of Water to Towns, Villages, Mansions, and Farmsteads ; also

for Irrigation.

Experienced Men sent to any part of the Country to measure Streams,
take Levels, &c, in view of estimating fur fixing either Hydraulic Hams
and Pipes, or "Dcwnton" Wheels and Pumps.

J^ewpopt & Mapket Dpa^ton KcLvepti^ep,'

Published on Saturday.

*%*; "Stone & Eeek^all Kavertijser,"

Published on Friday Night, for Saturday.

These Papers have an extensive circulation throughout Shropshire, Staffordshire, and

Cheshire, comprising a rich and prosperous district — Agricultural, Mining,

and Commercial in its character.

Advertisements intended for this Paper must be received not later than Friday Morning,

H Hit 3<

HORNE & BENNION,

-H- PEIUTEBS & PUBLISHERS, -H-
Ncwport, Market Drayton, and Stone.

HORNE & BENNION,

§xittfol$f $tt(li*JWd, and eBoofe&iti^ei^,

Newport and Market Drayton, Shropshire ;
and Stone, Staffs.

<^ox'K§r»

ALL DESCRIPTIONS OF

PLfMI] % 0OLOURED LETTER-PRESS
-m- PRINTING. -98-

EMPIRE AND
LIBERTY.

PEACE WITH
HONOUR.

P^IIQ^OSE * LEMUE.

WESTON HABITATION, No. 854.

— ■&&&■ — ■

Dame Present: THE COUNTESS OF BRADFORD.

COUNCIL-

TBE LADY MABEL KENYON-SEANEY. , M,f MONCKTON Bre»ood Ha«.

Blymhill. .

M, GEORGE OR.FF1THS,TWSSn-unae,L,ari,

mHE Tern- of ,W-^J^X?S*wS

'X 1/6 entrance fee and 6 annual W> bute for ^

orDame-badge or brood), 2/--and 10 an ^

Assocmte-badge, 3d g^^JSe yearly, between

| 14 DAY USE

1 RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED

LOAN DEPT.

1 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or
[ on the date to which renewed.

Renewed books are subject to immediate recall.

1 ,«i -.«*»•

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nri*1 1 Q 'cr r' niu

utl 14 bb-5 PM

LOAN DEPT.

LD 21A-60m-7,'66
(G4427sl0)476B

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