m am : antiw ann a,

OF THE

I N THE COUN TY OF

JOHN M A N .

NON TAMEN PlGEBlT VEL INCONDI’

I‘

A VOCB MEMORIAM PRIORIS SERVITUTIS , AC TESTIMONIUM PRESENTIUM

BONORUM COMPOSUlSSE.—Tacitus Vita Agricola

READING

33mm {19 51mm m mM an ;

I

SOLD BY N I CHOLS , SON , AN D B ENTLEY, RED LION P AS SAG E , FLEET STREET ; J. RI CHARD SON ,

ROYAL EXCHANGE, LOND ON ; A N D R . SNARE, M IN STER STREET, READ ING .

1 81 6.

THE W OR SHI PFUL

THE M AYOR , ALDERM EN, BU RG ESSES ,

AND

I NHAB ITANTS ,

THE B OROU GH OF READ ING ,

TH IS WORK

INSCR IBED

THE IR

OBED IENT SERVANT ,

JOHN M AN .

R eading, D ec . 30, 1 8 1 5.

P R E F A C E .

THE duthor (f the following sheets fe els himself ca lled upon to

apologiz e to the public for thus intruding on the ir notice a subje ct that

has a lready been tre a tedon by M r. Coa tes, in hisHistory andA ntiquities

ofReading ; but when the diflerent arrangement if the present work,

comparedwith his, is considered; andthe va rie ty of n ew and interesting

subje cts introducedin it, which we re e ithe r unknown to, or omittedby tha t

gentleman, some of which materia lly afect the in tere sts of the inha bitants,

hefla tters kimsey he sha ll not be considered too presum ing in subm itting

to the ir candor a work commencedlong before tha t gentlem an’s appeared,

and which has only been hitherto de layed through an apprehension tha t

an earlier publication might have interferedwith the sa le of that work.

In making a sele ctionfrom various m anuscripts a ndancient a uthors

for the following History, the a uthor m ay ha ve omitted many circam a

stances wh ich to others m ay appear of consequence to be known , w h ite

on the contrary, he m ay have inserted some which m ay appear too

triflingfor the subje cts of history. To this he can on ly observe , tha t

it is a lmost impossible for an author to sa tisfy the grea t va riety of tastes

of an en lightened public in literary subje cts ; for while the a n tiquary is

de lightedwith the contempla tion (fmouldering wa lls a ndbroken colum ns,

the m an of the world is equa lly pleasedwith tra cing the m a nners livingas they rise,

’and bringing into view the habits of the people from the

unpolished sta te of our barbarous ancestors, to the present refin em en .

’

e

of civiliz ed society. Under this conviction, he has endeavoredto vary

i i P R E F A C E .

h is selections asmuch as possible , consistent with the interest of the work,

and has pla ced them under distinct heads or chapters, to render them

a s intere sting a s possible to the genera lity of readers.

In the historica l pa rt of the work, it m ay be thought tha t he has

introduced too many pe titions a nd addresses but it shouldbe considered

tha t such things make up a lmost a ll the politica l interest of corpora te

towns, and though they m ay now be thought of insign ificant value , ye t

shouldthis work survive but a veryfew years, they m ay perhaps be read

by the succe eding genera tion asma tters of curiosity, if not of imita tion .

The list of th e members (f pa rliamen t who ha ve represented the

borough from the commencement of the represen ta tive system is taken

from B rown W illis, a sfar as his list goes, with some few additions

extra ctedfrom the Corpora tion D iaries, which are not to befoundin the

Rolls : particularly during the Prote ctorship, which he says‘ he had

purpose ly omittedfor the credit of the nation but a s this motive no

longer ex ists, they are here inserted in the ir proper order.

For want of a regular list of m ayors, he has been under the ne cessity

of searching the Corpora tion D iaries, through every yearfrom the first

mayora lty in the year 1432 to n early the present time , so that consideringthe grea t length of time from the era of the ir commencement, andthe

difiiculty a rising from the mayora lties a lways taking pla ce in the last

quarter of the year, whereby the sam e person sometimes appears to have

servedin two succe eding years, when in fa ct he had on ly ofi ciated one ,

it is hopedit will be found as nearly a ccurate as possible .

To those gentlemen who have furnished the a uthor with original

papersfor the present work, he begs to re turn his sincere a ckn owledg

ments, particularly to the members of the Corpora tion for the readiness

with which they permitted him to examine the ir origina l re cords, fromwhich he has extra ctedthe most va luable part ofhis work, andtoWi lliam

dudrews, esq . town clerk, for his condescending a ttendance while

examining the various re cords in his possession . His best thanks are

P R E F A C E .

a lso due to Jonathan Tanner, esq . for the loan (f some origina l docume nts 5 andhefe e ls equa lly obligedto hisfriendM r. Williamsfor much

useful information on subje cts of a la ter da te .

In a work which embra ces so many subje cts, some errors or inad

verte ncies m ay possibly have arisen without any intention on the part of

the a uthor to mislead his readers if any such shouldbe discovered, he

trusts they will me e t with a candidinterpreta tionfrom a generous public,espe cia lly when it is considered, tha t this is not the work of an a uthor

by prty'

ession , but the hum ble a ttempt of one whose only a im has be en to

give to hisfe llow townsmen a more de ta iled a ccount of the various

changes that have taken pla ce in the government of the borough, a nd

the rights they possess, than has hitherto appeared; andhe has only to

regret, tha t it has not been in his power to render it more worthy of

their a cceptance .

THE dUTHOR.

READ ING, Dec. 30 , 1 81 5.

LIST OF PLATES.

N o. 1 . M ap of the - B orough toface the Title«4 D an ish House a t M ortim er

J I I . S iege of R eading

J I I I .

‘

A rchbishop LaudI V. TokensV: A V iew of the large West Window

of S t. M ary’

s Church

VI . Speed’

s M ap

J VI I . High- bridge

VI I I . M r. John Kendrick

J IX. T he CanalX. The A rm s of the C orpora tionXI . The Castle

JXI I . M iscellan eousJ XI I I . S ir T hom as R ich

J XI V. Forbury G a te

JXV. P lan of the A bbey ChurchJ XVI . P lan ofthe ForburyJ XVI I. I n terior of the Friary

J XVI I I . M r. B lagrave’

s M onum en t

J“XIX. The Charter

J XX. Caversham B ridge

J XXI . S ir Thom as IVhyte

J XXI I . M r;A ldworth

THE

HI STORY A ND A NTIQU ITI E S

R E A D I N G .

H istory of R eading .

CHAPTER L

P ROV INC IAL towns have so seldom attracted the n otice of our besth isto r ian s, that very few authe nti c m emor ia ls h ave b een - handeddow n to

posterity, even of our la rgest capitals. I t w ill n ot, there fo re , b e con siderede xtraordina ry, if the follow ing H istory of Re ading should b e defic ien t inm any re quisite s for fo rm ing a corre ct ide a, of the r ise , a nd progress of itsc ivi l izat ion, to its p rese n t improved state ; o r, if the few c ircumsta n ce s w e

have be en“

abl e to colle ct, from the pages of h istory, or an c ient records,should b e l ittle more than a catalogue (if its m isfortun es.

When a country is in a flourish ing condition , its happin ess se ldom attra cts

the atten tion of the h ist o r ian , bu t its distresses, and ca lamitie s, affordan amplefie ldfor the scope of his pat ie n ce , ab ilitie s, ande loque n ce .

Whethe r Re ading ow es its origin to the Briton s, the Romans, or the

Saxon s, is a que stion very difficult to be asce r ta ined a t this distan t pe riod;

ye t w e m ay safe ly con clude , from the silen ce of o ur e a rly h istorian s, that itmust have be e n ve ry incon side ra

‘ble , if it e x isted at a ll, prio r to the e stab

lishm ent of the latte r in th is island; unde r w ho se auspice s, it fo rmed a part

of the k ingdom ofWesse x , tow a rds the close of the fi fth ce n tury. A t this

pe riod, Ce rdic, a ccompan ied by his son , K e n ric, w ith five sh ips, la nding on

the Susse x coast, at a place ca l ledC hardford, or Ge rdie’

s Fo rd, made him se lgifm aste r o f the w este rn coast, and ga ined severa l battl e s ove r the Britons, who

n

CHAP . I .

HISTORY OF READING .

CHAP . I . con tended for the possession of the ir n ative so i l w ith so much courage ,

829

868

that, a lthough they w ere routed in se vera l e ngagemen ts, Ce rdic w as unable

to push his conquests far beyond the se a - coast. His victories, how e ver,by reduc ing the num be r of the Britons, pavedthe w ay for further con que sts.

by his son Ke n ric, w ho subdued Sal isbury, ande xtended his dom in ion as far

as Benson in Oxfordshire ; at w h ich t ime it is re asonable to suppose , that thispa rt of the coun try subm itted a lso, to the autho r ity of the con que ror.

From this period to the un ion of the Sa xon Heptarchy, under Egbert,king of Wesse x , it is l ike ly that the Saxons he ld an undistu rbed possessionof the k ingdom ; the Britons be ing e ither e xp e l led or subdued; and, e xceptthe quar re ls that a rose am ong pe tty kings for the sovere ignty of England,andwhich w e re ch ie fly ca rried on in distant pa rts of the country, n othingof conse quence , or of impo rtan ce , o ccur red, for the spa ce of n e arly th re ehundred ye ars, to preven t the inhab itan ts of Be rksh ire from cultiva ting thearts of pea ce , and of c ivil ized l ife .

Notw ithstanding the se flatte r ing appearan ces, the fate of the coun tryrema in ed ye t unde cided. A mo re da ring and fe roc ious e n emy, unde r thedenom inat ion of Danes, en couragedby the success of the ir p re cursors, beganat th is t ime to ravage the coast, from w he n ce they afte rw a rds made predatoryexcursions in to the in te r ior of the coun try ; but, as plunder, rathe r than con

quest,formedthe m ost prom in ent featu re of the i r w a rfare , they hadno soon erfre ighted the ir sh ips w ith the spo ils of the unfortun ate inhab itan ts, than theyreturnedto the ir homes, to enjoy the fru its of the ir courage , andrapa c ity.

The display of so much w ealth, to a pe ople just eme rging from ba rba rism,w as a b ait too tempt ing to b e resisted; the succe ss therefore of the se

—

ma raude rs,b ecame a stimulus to othe r adve n ture rs to pursue the same c ourse . P irat ica lb odies issued from e very part of the North, and the Saxons w ho hadfor a.

long t ime be fore enjoyed an un interrupted se ries of success, w e re doomed in“

their'

turn , to be come the victims of an in vading foe .

Among the le ade rs of these ‘ Dan ish fre eboote rs w as Ivar, one of the ir

pi ratica l k ings, w ho, e n couraged by the fe eb le opposition he had m e t w ithfrom the inhab itan ts on forme r occasions, at length de te rm in ed to attemptthe subju g ation of the w ho le kingdom . Having

,

colle cteda fo rm idable fle et,he sa iledfrom Denma rk in the yea r 868, a ndsoon afte r landedat Southampton .

w ithout me e ting w ith any opposition . Le aving a ga rrison to se cu re that tow n,he ma rchedw ith. the rema inder of his army into the interio r, ravaging and

burn ing eve rypla ce he came to , from the se a to the Thames andat le ngth fixedon Reading for his he ad qua rte rs

,w hich he fort ified, so as to re sist any a ttack

that couldb e made on it by the Saxons. Ivar w as fol low edin 870 by another

HISTORY OF REA DING .

p arty of his countryme n , more nume rous than be fo re , under the commandofC R AP .I.

Hingu ar and Hubba ; ‘ w ho , afte r hav ing con que red'

the kingdom of the “

East Angle s, and sla in Edmund the i r k ing, ma rchedto Re ading , where , for870

the ir be tter se cu rity, they are sa idto have dug a de ep tre nch from n o rth to

south, betw e en the r ivers Thames andKennet .

* Thre e days after the ir arrival 871

a t Re ading, a battle w as fought at Englefie ld, be tw e e n them andthe Engl ish,commanded by E thelw u lph, e arl of Be rks ; w h ich w as con tested w ith e qualobstinacy on both sides,

’

til l on e of the Dan ish c omm anders, w ith a gre at pa rtofhis army, be ing k illed, the rema inderw ere put to fl ight, andv ictory de claredin favor of the Saxons. After th is engagemen t, the Danes re tre ated to Reading, w h ithe r they w ere pu rsued, by Ethe red, and his b rother Alfred; afterw a rds de se rvedly ca lled, Alfred the Gre at : here a se cond battle w as fought,m ore violen t than the former ; w hen the Dane s, w ith the assistance of thegarrison , wh ich they hadleft in the tow n , mak ing a sortie at the same instant,from e very p art ofthe ir l in es, andfa ll ing up on th e Engl ish, w ith an impetuosityn ot to

"

b e re sisted, ob l iged the roya l brothe rs to break up the siege , after an

obstinate contest, in w h ich many l ive s w e re lost on b oth side s, and to re treat

tow a rds Aston w here , be ing fol low edby the Danes, an othe r sangu inary battlet ook pla ce , in w h ich the Engl ish w ere victorious, the Dan es be ing aga inc ompe l ledto retre at w ith gre at loss. W ith such animosity did the two con

tending parties pursue each other, that these three engagements, are sa id to

It is, perhaps, difficul t to de term in e , w he ther this tren ch w as dug on the east, or w est side , ofthe tow n , though I am in clined to think it w as on the fo rmer, from conside rin g the high groundbe tw een the tw o rivers on the w est side , w hich must have ren dere d such a measure , almost impossibleto have been exe cute d, at le ast, sufficien tly n e ar the tow n, to have be e n of any use for de fensiveO perations; w hile the e astern side

,be in g a flat coun try, w as very w e ll adapte d for the purpose . A nd,

in deed, this opin ion se ems corroborate d by the accoun t given of the transaction by the an cien t historianHoveden

, w hose w ords are, przedic tuspaganorum exerc itus, o cciden tales S ax -

ones adieus,R adingum

venit, in meridiana Thamesis fluvii ripa, in il la plaga, qua: dicitur B e arocshyre , tertioque adven tusdie ,

duo comites corum , cum magna m u ltitudine , in pra dam equ itaveru nt, aliis in terim vallum facien tibus,in ter duo flumin a, Tam esin e t C in e tam , a dextra parts ejusdem regiae villas.

”

The aforesaid army of pagans, m arching to the W est Saxons, came to R eadin g, situated on the

South side of the river Thames, in that part of the coun try cal le d B erkshire , and on the third daya fter the ir arriva l, tw o of the ir le aders, w ith a gre at mul titude

,rode ou t to forage , the o the rs, in the

m ean time,diggin g a trench b e tw een the tw o rive rs, the Thame s andKe nn e t, on the right

-handside of

the same regal t ow n .

”

Here, w e see , it w as on the right - han d side of the town , that the tren ch w as dug, w hich cou ld be

no o ther than the eastern , supposin g a person to b e looking tow ards the n orth , as is customary inlayingdow n p laceson maps ; I con ce ive , the refore , the tren ch “here men t ion e d, cou ld be no other thanthe Flummery Ditch, as it is now cal led, w hich actually un ites the tw o rivers, andnearly insu lates theFor-bury, w hic h it ismore than probab le , from itse levated situation , w as the part the Danes fortifie d.

Rog. Ho veden .

‘

3 2

H ISTORY OF READING .

C R AP . I . have taken place , in the space of seve n days ; a ndno le ss than nine p itched“ battles w e re fought w ithin the ye ar, w ith va r ious success. In on e of these ,

872E the lwu lph , e a rl ( com es) of Be rks, lost his l ife ;

'and, in an othe r, Ethe red

h imse lf re ce iveda mo rta l w ound, of w h ich he died soon a fte r, and w as, as

some w rite rs say, bu rieda t W inb ourn M inster in Dorse tsh ire , andthe fol low

ing inscription placedon h is tomb

In hoc loco qu iescit corpus sanct i E the ldredi, regisWest Saxonum , qu i A n . D om . D C C C LXXI I I , xxi i i dieApril is

, pe r m auus D an orum pagan orum oc cub uit .

B ut the princ ipa l a c tion , and that w h ich for a t ime de c ided the fate ofReading, is sa idto have be e n fought a t a place ca l ledM e ran tem ,

”ew here the

Saxons w e re de fe a ted. F rom the great change s effe ctedby time in the namesof places, and the diflicu lty of a sce rta in ing the derivat ion of the Latin

appe llat ives, it is a lmost impossible to a sce rta in , w ith any degre e of ce rta inty,w here th is place re a l ly w as. I t might p ossibly b e M o re ton , in th is coun ty,w h ich l ies about fourte en m il es distan t, n orth from Re ading, from w hence one

of the hundreds re ce ives its n ame , andis in the n e ighbou rhoodof Aston , whe reone ofthese contests is a cknow ledgedto have taken place . O r, if a conjecturem ight b e haza rded, w e are ra the r incl in ed to fix it at M o rtimer ; pa rt of

wh ich is in th is county, andno t more than seve n or e ight m iles from the sceneof action . This supposit ion is strengthen ed by eviden t ma rks of an engagem ent having taken place on its e x ten sive common ,

at some e arly periodof our

h isto ry For, on the left handof the road le ading from Re ading to Silchester,are the rema ins of a squa re encampmen t, the south side of w h ich, fo rms theboundary lin e be tw ee n the coun tie s of B e rks and Han ts ; and opposite to itare seve ra l tumul i or ba rrow s, probab ly the bu r ia l p laces ofsome ofthe ch iefswho fe ll in the engagement . P e rhaps th is ba ttle w as fought by A lfredh

tw ho

succe eded his b rothe r Ethe red on the thron e , about the yea r 873 or 874 .

How e ver th is m ay b e , there can b e n o doubt, b ut this pla ce , w as the scene

S cala Chron ica .

Some w rite rs are of opin ion , that byM eran te m w as m ean t M erton in Surrey ; o the rs, that i t

w asM ertun e in Oxfordshire , orM arde n , in W il tshire,but all these places are at too grea t a distan ce

from the se at of action .

‘l' Thiscommon has late ly be en en close d , and all traces of the barrow s w il l soon be ob literated bythe plough .

I W e have bee n ledto this conje cture from se veral tra ces w hich stil l e xist in that n e ighbourhoodparticu larly a farm adjoin in g the Spot , cal le d Alfred’

s Farm , andano the r n ew un ited to it, cal led D an a’

A cres, the property ofJeremiah M oore , esq . of Englefle ld. O n this last,is a ve ry an cie n t co t tage ,

w hich, by a tradition amo n g the in habitan ts,is said to be of Dan ish construct io n . This Opin ion

seems, in some measure , corroborated by the peculiar style of the building. I t is abou t 30 fee t long,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

C R AP . I .

H ISTORY O F READ ING .

Alfredhaving at le ngth obta inedseve ra l advan tages over the en emy, Ivarthought fit to make proposa ls fo r pe ace , w hich the k ing a cceptedon conditionof his eva cua ting his dom in ions. In conse que nce of th is t re aty, the Dan esm a rched to London , the reby fre e ing the inhab itan ts of Re ading from the

oppre ssion andcrue l ties they hadso l ong e nduredfrom a savage a ndba rbarousfoe , to w hom n o tre a tie s w e re sac red, andunder w hose government n e ither thel ive s, n or the p roperties of the people w ere se cure .

This tranqu il ity w as soon aga in in te rruptedby the a rriva l of a fresh bodyof the se fre eboote rs under the commandof Ha lden, w ho, se iz ing the castleof VVareham in Dorse tshi re , thre aten ed the w e ste rn parts of Engl and w ithdevastation andru in . A lfred e xpostu la tedw ith th is chie f on his bre ach of asolemn treaty made w ith Ivar, and w as answ e red, that e ach of the se bodie s

of adventurers be ing unde r an independent chiefta in , they w ere n ot boundbyany com pact m ade by Ivar.

Alfred, re lying on the p eace w h ich he had made , found h imse lf unpre

paredfor this une xpe cteda ttack ; h ow ever, se e ing the n e ce ssity of immediate lyopposing force to force , with gre at e xertions, he soon co l le cteda nume rousarmy, w h ich so intim idatedthe invading enemy that they aga in suedfor pe ace .

The terms w e re accepted, and rat ified in the most solemn mann e r,Alfred

sw ea ring to observe them by the relics of the sa in ts, andHa lden by his bracelet, both eq ua l ly sac redin the opin ion of the respe ctive parties.

Th is pe ace , n otw ithstanding the solemn pledge s by w hich it had be encon fi rmed, w as no be tter observedon the part of the Dan es than the formerhadb e en fo r landing aga in on severa l pa rts of the coast, they subjugatedbydegre es a gre at p ortion of the in te rior ; and, it w as not w ithout many seve reconfl icts, a nd m any re ve rse s of fortun e , that Alfred w as at last enabled tose cu re to his w estern subje cts the in est imab le b lessing of pe ace , by giving up

the sove re ign ty of East Angl ia to Guthrun, one of the ir ch iefs, on his con

sent ing to embrace Ch rist ian ity.

From th is p e riodto the death of Alfred, the country enjoyeda profoundpe ace ; b ut unde r the re igns of the succ e eding Saxon m on a rchs, the con testfor the emp ire w as c ar ried on by th e Dane s w ith in ce ssan t hostil ity ; and,

a lthough many pa rts of the kingdom suffe reddre adful ly, ye t Reading se emsin a gre at me asure to have escaped the gene ra l calam ity, and even to have

incre ased in c onse quence and populat ion , t il l the ye a r w he n Sw eyn,

king of De nm a rk, landed w ith a p ow e rfu l army, and, marching throughHampshire , ca rried devastat ion and ru in in to the interior of the country,

Rog.Hoveden .

HISTORY OF READ ING .

b urning and destroying tow n s and vil lages in his march ; and, at length Ca se .I

.

a rriving at Reading, he '

reduced the tow n to ashes, toge ther w ith Wa ll ing W V

fordandCho lsey a t which t ime the be autifu l monastery for nuns, at Reading,wh ich is sa idto have be en foundedby E lfrida , w idow of king Edgar, as an

a tonemen t for the de ath of Edw ard the martyr, whom she causedto b e assas

sinated’

at the gate of Corfe Castle in Dorse tsh ire , w h i le he w as drinking a

cup ofw ine to he r he a l th, w asdestroyed.

‘

Ow ing to the b ad gove rnment of Ethe red, Sw eyn m e t w ith l ittle difficulty E thered.

in over runn ing the w hole kingdom . The k ing fled to N ormandy for safe ty,4

dSw eyn , the first of the Dan ish mona rchs, w as p rocla imedk ing ; he e njoyed,how ever, the sovere ignty of England but a short time , for dying the same

year, Ethe red w as reca lled; w ho, afte r holding the re ins of gove rnment a

10 16short time , w as succe eded by his son Edmund Ironside . This pr in ce , by a

Edward.

treaty w ith Canute , king of Denma rk, divided his kingdom into two pa rts,rese rving the southern division , in c luding Reading, to h imse lf, but be ing m ur

de red the fo l low ing ye ar at O xford by Leolf, a n otor ious robbe r, w homCan ute

b e se izedby the ha ir for insolently com ing in to the ha l l, whe re he kept a 10 16

.

fe stival , and se ating himse lf a t tab le w ith his attendants, w hen the ruffian

drew a dagge r, a nd stabb ing Edmundto the he art, b e instantly exp ired.

’

Canute , succe eded to the sove re ignty of England, and w as fol low edby his sons Ha rold and Hardicanute , b ut the Dan ish l in e of prin ces b e came Edwardso odious to the pe ople , that in le ss than forty years they restored the Sax on the C on .

race in th e p e rson of Edw a rd, surnamed the Confe ssor ; in w h ich fam ily fesse r .

the crow n rema in ed t il l the conque st by Will iam , duke of Normandy,O4I

to w h om it became an e asy prey,*

after the de ath of Harold, in the battle William I1066of Hastings.

Nothing particular re lating to this tow n is re corded in h istory, dur ingthe re igns of the tw o Will iams ; but in that of Henry I . it b egan to make Henry I .

a somew hat mo re distingu ished figure . From this mon a rch ’

s pa rtia l ity, or 1 100

as othe rs say, from remo rse of consc ien ce fo r having imprisonedhis brothe rRobe rt, anddep r ived him of his eye sight, he bega n the e re ction he re , in thetw en tie th. ye a r of his re ign

,of a splendid abbey for ben edictine monks, the 1 120 ,

w hole ofw h ich, except the chu rch, w as fin ished in the space of five ye a rs.’

B esides l ibe ra lly e ndow ing it w ith la rge posse ssions, he a lso addeda don at ion

Traces ofDan ish an cestry are still observab le in the n ames of some of the most an cie n t fam ilieshere, as the DeanesandAdean es, formerly a Dane , Se lw yn or Sw aine hasalso be e n a common n ame here .

Turne r’s A n glo- Saxo n History. Hume3 Mat thew Paris.

HISTORY OF READ ING .

C R AP . I .of seve ral pre c ious re l ics, andamong them th e handof St . James the Apostle ;

Henr i/I I .

1 154

w hich w as g iven to him by his daughter the empre ss M atilda .

‘

H e n ry spe n t much of hisi

tim e a t th is place , but, dying* at Roue n , in

N ormandy, the l st D e c . 1 135, from e at ing too he art ily of stew ed lampreys,

h is body w as embalmed, a ndtranspo rted, agre e ably to his ow n re quest, to this

abb ey for in te rme n t. T he monks, in gratitude , e re cteda magn ificent monum en t to his memo ry, w h ich w as destroyed at the reformation, in the re ign of

Edw ardthe Sixth .

’

His n ephew , Stephen , having se ized the th rone , in violation of a solem n

oath he had take n to He nry, to support the right of his daughter after the

k ing ’

s de ce ase , found it ne cessary, in o rder to support his usurpation , tobu i ld castles in va rious pa rts of his dom in ions ; among these w as one at

Re ading, w h ich w as surrende redto Henry II . duke of Norma ndy, andgrand

son to H e nry I . in 1 1 53, by the t re aty o fWa l lingford. A ndHenry, as soon

as he came to the throne , causedit, w ith many o the rs, to b e destroyed.

Du r ing the conte st be tw e e n Steph e n a nd.Hen ry for the throne,Henry’

s

mothe r, th e emp ress hi a tilda , came to Re ading, and w as favo rab ly re ce ived

by the inhab itants, b ut whe ther they otherw ise e spousedhe r c ause , or that ofStephen , is un ce rta in .

He n ry I I . ascended the throne , on the de ath of Stephen , in 1 154 ; and

soon afte r the comme n ceme n t of his re ign h is e lde st son , Prin ce Wil l iam,dying in the fourth ye a r of his age , w as interred n ear his great grandfather,H en ry I . in the abbey a t Re adin g .

’

About th is p eriod ch iva l ry w as carriedto its utmost extravagan ce . Tiltsandtou rn ame nts w e re p ra ctisedin e ve ry cou rt in Europe , and it w as by n o

m e a ns un common to see cha rge s for h igh tre ason , ando ther crime s, de te rm in edby single comba t in the fie ld. A rema rkable instan ce of th is w as de c idedh e re in this re ign , wh ich w e prese nt to ou r re ade rs, ne arly as w e findre cordedin No r roy Segur

’

s Hon ou rs M il itary a ndCivil . ”

The k ing having marchedan a rmy into Wa les, Robe rt of M ountfo rdaccusedH en ry ofEssex of tre ason , in having, ne a r to a place ca l ledC olshill,throw n aw ay the roya l standa rd, saying the king w as dead; by w h ich all

those w ho w e re ma rch ing to his assista n ce turn ed back . Esse x den ied the

cha rge , and cha l lenged M ountford to p rove it by single comba t, w hich w as

a ccepted, anda pleasant island, -

l'

n e a r R e ading, w as fixedon for the de cision

The death ofHe nry, says M at thew Paris,w as foreshew n by a treme ndous hurrican e , on the

eve of S t . Simon andS t . jude , w hich threw dow n church ste ep les, houses, &c . andtore up tre es bythe roo ts, so that many thought the e ndof the w orld w as com ing o n .

t This combat w as probab ly de cided on the island in the Thames to the e astw ard of Caversham bridge.Rog. Hovedcn . Dodd’s Church History. 3 M atth. Paris.

HISTORY OF READING .

of the contest, when the success of e ithe r of the combatan ts w as supposedto C R AP . I .

de te rm in e the truth or falshoodofthe a ccusat ion .

“

On the appo intedday, thekn ightsm e t on horseback, cladin a rmour, a ndthecharge be ing sounded, M ountfo rdatta ckedhis adversa ry

*w ith so much vio le n ce , as, a lmost at the first onse t,

to throw h im from his saddle , w hen , be ing stun ned by the fa l l, and fa intingw ith the loss of b lood,

'

he w as take n - up. appa re n tly de ad, andconveyedto theabbey, w he re , by the ca re and assiduity of the monks, he w as re cove red bu t,

w he the r from shame for having be en ove rcome , or from a conviction of his

guilt, w h ich w as confi rmed in the m inds of the pe ople by his de fe at, here n ounced the w orld, and having, w ith the k ing ’

s pe rm ission , and to avo idthe mark ofinfamy, andthe loss of his estates, re ce ivedthe ton su re , he b e camea monk , andbe stow edal l his p roperty to e n cre ase the revenue s of the abbey.

”

U nder th is re ign a lso the abbey church w as comple tedandconse c ra tedbyarchb ishop Be cket , in the pre sen ce of the k ing andten b ishops andthe par

liam en t, for the fi rst time , m e t he re in when se veral statutesw e re enacted; 1 17 1Hen ry I I . passed much of his t ime at th is pla ce , e ithe r a l lured by the

pl easan tne‘

ss of the situation , or from re spe ct to the memory of the roya lfounde r, from whom he inhe ritedthe th ron e . He kep t his wh itsuntide he re in1 165, andhis e aste r in 1 177 ; andin 1 184 he w as pre sent at a convocation he ldhere , in wh ich Baldw in w as e le cted archb ishop of Can te rbury ;

3 in 1 185 he 1 185

re ce ivedhere Hera cl ius, patr ia rch of the holy resurre ction , and Roger, masterof the hosp ita l of Jerusa lem, who w ere sen t on a solemn emba ssy by popeLuc ius, to inform him of the successes of Saladine aga inst the crusaders in theh oly w ar, andto sol icit his assistan ce . A t the same t ime He racl ius pre sentedh im the keys of the holy sepulch re, and the roya l bann ers of Je rusa lem ;these the mona rch return ed, and, as the que st ion so de eply involved in it theinte rest of h is kingdom , he de cl in ed g iving a dire ct answ e r, til l he had an

opportun ity of con sulting the p re lates and ba ron s of his re a lm .

‘

Hen ry, dying in 1 189 , w as succe eded by his son R icha rd, who soon R ichardIa fte r his acce ssion to the thron e w as preva i led on by the pope to jom W ith 1 188

1 1643

I n Le lan d’sCollectanea,vol . 3 , p . 4 10 , he says A nnoD . 1 163 . Due llum factum in ter R. de

Mun ford et Hen ricurn de Essex,v i 1d. Apr. apud Kadinge , quem Robertum He n ricus in campo semi

v ivum re liquit.”—Ex . Chron . Vestust

Bu t accordin g to M at thew Paris, Ann e 1 163 , Rob ertusdc M on tforde , cumHenrico de Essexia '

;

de proditione regis, singulari certamin e congredie ns : vic toriam reportavit . Qua de causa , Henri-cusn o tam infam im simul

,e t e xhaereditation is jacturam in currens ; indu lgen tia pii Regis, apud R adingum ,

habitu m m on achalem susceptit .”

So un certain are historical re cords,that these earlyw rite rs assign the victory differen tly to each of

the combatan ts.4 Mat. Paris. Brompton .

3 Lyson’s Berkshire . RogerHovedcn .

C

H ISTORY OF READING .

C R A P . 1 . Phil ip; king of F ran ce , in an e xpedition to the h oly,

land, le aving his own

1 199

dom in ion s a p rey to c ivi l disse n sions, brought on by the oppressive government .

of Longchamp , ch an ce l lor and b ishop of E ly, w hom the king, during his

absence , hadappo intedto the rege n cy ofthe coun try. The m al- adm in istrationof Longchamp be ing representedto the k ing on his voyage , he sent a comm is

sion to Will iam the e arl ma rescha l , andth re e others, impow ering them to bringthe chan cellor

‘

to trial, andinfl ict on him such pun ishm en t as the n atu re of h is

ofl'

ences m ight re qu ire . B ut John , the king’

s brothe r, impatien t of the de lays

attending a regular trial , summon eda me e ting of the gre at m en of the n at ion

to take place at Lodde n ( Leodon e ) b r idge , be tw e en Re ading a ndlVindsor, on

the first Sunday afte r m icha e lmas, to take in to considerat ion the a rduous affa irsof the kingdom fi" The convent ion se ems to have n o soone r m et, than it

adjourned to Reading, w here seve ra l cha rges w ere m ade aga in st the chan .

c e llor ; particula rly one for having caused the archb ishop of Yo rk to b e

violently taken ou t ofa chu rch, andsent to p rison forw h ich ofl'

ence , he , and

all those w ho hadbe en con cern edin the t ran saction , w ere , by the b ishops thenat Re ading, e xcommun icatedw ith l ightedcandles, in the most solemn manner.

This is the on ly o ccur rence of a p ubl ic nature w h ich is re cordedto have taken

place a t Re ading, during R icha rd’

s re ign,most of wh ich he spen t in the

w a rs ab road, o r in captivity ; and dying soon afte r his return home , he lefthis kingdom to his b rother John .

Whi le John w as e ngaged in a w ar w ith France , the pope sent Teren

t inus, legate of the apostol ic se e , to visit the p rinc ipal tow n s in England, inorder to levy a con side rab le sum of mon ey. A t Reading he helda counc il,on the eve of St . Luke , but w e are n ot in fo rmed of any pa rticular b usine ssw hich w as tran sa cted at it. Probably it w as ca lled on ly for the purpose oflevying mon ey from the clergy for the h isto rian adds, that after se e ing his

pa ckages secured anddisp o sed o f w ith the utmost care , the hasty trave l lertook his le ave of England.

“

Th is ye a r,Joce line , b ishop of We l ls, w as conse cratedb ishop of Bath, atReading, by Wi ll iam , b ishop of London .

In the ye ar 1209, a p riest of the un ive rsity of Oxford having, as it issa id, by a cc ident, k il leda w oman , the mayor of th e c ity sent immediate ly to

a rrest him a t his lodgings, b ut, the offender having fled, thre e othe r p riestswho w e re foundthe re w ere se ized, andcommittedto p rison ,

though they w ere

who l ly inn ocen t of the c rime . These , the k ing orde red to b e hanged, in

M r. Coates, p . 8, says, Richard he ld a parliamen t here this year, bu t this must be a mistakehe being then in Pa lestin e

, w arrin g against Saladin e .

A parliamen t was held here, but Richard w as no t pre sen t at it. —B romptcm .

Mat thew Paris.

HISTORY OF READ ING . 1]

dire ct opposition to the privileges of the ir order, w h ich“

so exaspe rated the CHAP .

‘I .

cle rgy, that both maste rs and stude nts, to the number of ab out three thou V w

sand, quittedthe un iversity in 12 13, most of w hom se ttledat Re ading, w he rethey pursuedthe ir studie s, to the gre at emolume n t, andadvantage ofthe tow n .

‘

The oppre ssive government of John having createda c ivi l w ar be tw e enhim and his barons, the pope se ized this oppo rtun ity of conve rting it to hisow n advantage , fo r the purpose of levying a n e xtrao rdina ry Rome scot, or

Pe ter’

s pen ce , in England. He therefore sided w ith the barons, w ho, w iththe b ishops and c lergy, w e re preva i led up on to holda c ounc il

, to conside r ofhisdemands. This coun cil, how ever, b roke up by the king ’

s orde r, w ithoutcom ing to any de term in at ion ; on w h ich the legate immediate ly convokeda

syn od to b e he ld at Re ading, w he re he e xtorted from the m emb ers a con

siderab le aid in l ieu of Pe ter’

s p en ce , for having, as he pre tended, b een t h eoccasion of the king ’

s opposition to the p ope ’

s measu res. 2

John , finding h imse lf unab le to con te nd w ith such pow erful Oppon ents,s upportedby the menace s of the pope , resolved upon surrendering his c rownin to the hands of the legate ; and, in order to make it appear, that the interestof the barons w as n ot n egle ctedon this occasion , he agreed to holda con

vention at Re ading, for the restorat ion of those possessions w hich he had so

unjustly se ized. Th is mee ting, how e ver, the k ing did n ot th ink proper toattend; andit w as adjou rn ed to Wa l lingford, w he re he p rom ised to resto rethe ir property in the most ample mann er. This engagement a lso he foundmeans to evade ; and, at another me eting he ldat Reading, the legate favoringhis M ajesty

’

s cause , the business w as aga in deferred, notw ithstanding e ach 1213of the suffere rs p roduceda schedule of the losses he had susta ined from theking’

s a rbitrary proce edings.

*

The barons, finding n o re l ian ce could b e placed on the roya l"

w ord,aga in had re cou rse to arms, andconvokedanother counc i l to b e he ldhere , at

w h ich the k ing w as present, w hen the appe al, brought by them aga inst the«conduct of the legate , w ho w as then a t B ou logn e , andwho hadsupported the

m ona rch in the oppression of his subje cts, w as confirmed. Th is so e xasperated

the pope , that he sen t over a comm ission empow e r ing the b ishop ofWincheste r,the abbot of Re ading, and P andulph, sub - de a con of th e Roman church, toe xcommun icate the ba rons, w ith all those w ho favo red the i r cause ; and to

pla ce the i r e states unde r an e cclesiastica l in terdict . B u t, the e xcom m uni.

The author ofHistoric Aurea says, S tephan Lan gton , archbishop of C an terb iry, kep t a

counsail at Redin g, for goodes to be restoridto the cle rgy, take n aw ay bfrKin g John . Stephan had

adjudgidto hym 3 M . M arkes. The reside w of the cle rgy, 1 5 M. M arkes.

’ 3

Wood’sA nnalsofthe U niversity ofOxford, vol. I . fo l. 1 82 .

3 M at. Paris. 3 Le land’s Co ll.c 2

H ISTORY O F READING .

C n ar . I . ca tion be ing general, it in some m e asu re lost its effe ct ; and the barons coh

1214

1 2 1 6

1240

ti n ne dthe i r opposition in de fi ance of the thre a ts of the church, o r the autho

rity of the king . His hol iness the n se nt an othe r bul l to the same comm is

sion e rs, au tho rizing them to excommunicate ea ch of the refracto ry barons byn am e ; bu t th is hadn o mo re effe c t than the forme r ; a nd the w ounds wh ich

this am ic ted kingdom had susta in eddur ing the c ivi l w ar, w e re on ly closedbythe death of the mon a rch, w hi ch happenedin 12 16.

His son and succe sso r , Hen ry I II , se ems o ccasion a l ly to have made .

Re ading the pla ce of h is re side n ce ; and, as it w a s the custom of those days,

for our kings to p ass the fe stiva l of ch r istmas a t on e of the princip a l tow ns

of the ir dom in ions, so Hen ry chose th is pla ce for tha t purpose in 1227 . He rea lso b e appo in ted his a rmy to rende z - vous, p repa rato ry to its emba rkation at

Portsmouth for Fran ce , in the beginning of April ,A s th is p rin ce pursued the same impo l itic lin e of conduct as his father

had don e , in the latter p a rt of h is re ign , in assist ing the pope to plunde r

his subje cts, it is n ot su rpr ising tha t he m e t w ith the same opposition .

A l th ough much m ay b e sa id for“

the dark sup erstition w h ich un fortuna te lyp re va iled in those days, ye t a lmost the w hole of his re ign e xh ib iteda se riesof rapac ity by the monarch, a nd of resistan ce by h is p e ople . In 1240 , an

assembly of the cle rgy, a nd princ ipa l m en of the realm, w as conve n ed at

R eading, by O tto, the pop e’

s legate , to take into conside ra tion the distre ssesofhis holin ess,

‘

arising from the il l succe ss of the w ar w h ich he had for a

l ong time ca r ried on aga in st the emp e ror F rede r ic ; in de fe n ce , as he sta ted,

of the righ ts of the church . The legate con cludeda long spe e ch, by ea rnestlyre que st ing a gran t of on e fifth p a r t of all the i r p rope rty, for the furtherp rose cu t ion of th is disaste rous w ar. After th e many imposition s the peoplehad subm itted to, from the same quarte r, this re que st appe a red pa rticula rlyun se ason ab le ; a nd the l egate w as in fo rmed, that they could n ot take uponthemse lves so insupportab le a burthen , w ithout more ma ture de l ibe ration . O tto

,

finding them in fle xib l e in the ir resolution , a ndproof against all his artifice s,w as obl igedto adjou rn th e m e e ting to a future day.

’

Wh i le this assembly w as sitting, R icha rdea rl of Cornw a l l , the k ing ’

s b ro

ther, w i th othe r n oblem en and ge ntlemen w ho hadespousedthe cause of thec ross, came he re to take le ave of the i r frie nds p revious to the i r depa rture forthe H oly Land. Although the ir p re se nce must have addedmuch to the splendor of the comp any already assembled, ye t a gen e ral gloom pe rvadedthe m indsofall the pe ople from the distressedstate the coun try w as reducedto, andmade

Matthew Park. Matthew Paris.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HISTORY O F READING .

C a n . I . reque st, it appe a rs the k ing residedhere, and m ost probab ly in the abbey, in

E dw ardI1279

the fol low ing ye ar, w he re m ichae lmas te rm w as he ld.

The a rb itra ry conduct of the sovere ign tow a rds his infe rior subje cts, and

his perfidy tow ards the ba rons, a l ie n ated the afl'

ection s of both from hisgove rnment, a nd obl iged them to un ite in defen ce of the ir violated l ibe rtie s.O n this occasion Hen ry calleda pa rl iame n t to b e he ldhere, inste adof London }fea ring it m ight b e overaw ed by the tra inedbands of that c ity, andconse

quen t ly not so much a t his devotion , as it w ould b e in a provin cial tow n ;b ut th e e arl of Esse x w ho w as at the head of the rebe l l ious baron s, re fusingto attend, it w as dissolved, w ithout e n te ring on the b usin ess for w h ich it hadbe en assemb led.

H ithe rto parl iamen ts, or rath er c onven tions of the barons and cle rgy,

(for the commons hadhithe rto n o sha re in th e government, ) hadm et w ithoutany regul a r w rits be ing issued; b u t w hen k ing Hen ry and prin ce Edw ard

w ere made prison e rs by the baron s, Henry, for the first t ime , issuedwrits forconvok ing a pa rl iamen t, to con cert me asures for obta in ing his l ibe rty, in w h icheve ry sh i re w as orderedto return tw o kn ights, and every c ity and b orough tw oburgesses. Soon a fte r w h ich , at a counc il he ldhe re , it w as de cre ed that thecle rgy of e ach dioc ess shoulde le ct tw o proctors, to appe a r for them at the n ext

convocation : “ qu i au ctoritatem hab eant un éi n ob iscum , tracta re de his, quesec clesia c ommun i utilitati e xpedient A nglican ze in proxima congregatione

nostra t empore parliam enti From w h ich t ime the clergy havea lw ays m et in convocation a t the b eginn ing of a new parl iament ; but sincethe re ign of queen Ann e, they have n ot be en perm ittedto a ct.

’

H enry dying soon after, left his crown to ~ b is son , Edw ard I . whosere ign w as so much occup ied w ith h is w ars in France and Scotland, that itis doubtful if he ever visited th is p lace ; how ever, a syn od w as he ld here,in the se ven th yea r of his re ign, w hich w as con voked by John de Pe ckh am , archb ishop of Canterbury, unde r pretence of obta in ing the ratification ofthe ca n ons of the gen era l c oun c il

, he ld at Lyons, in F ran ce , c on cern ingp lu ral ities but the re a l de sign w as to procure the passing of some canons, ino pposition to the royal p re rogat ive s

The first, de cre ede xcommun ication aga inst th ose w ho suedfor the king’

s

lette rs, to proh ib it certain cause s be ing triedin the e cclesiastica l cou rts.

The se cond, subje ctedthose m agistrates to the same pena lty, who ref usedto imprison e xcommun icatedp e rson s.

W ho, toge the r w ith us, shal l have au thority to trea t of t hose things, w hich are expedien t for

the common good of the church of En gland, at our n ex t mee ting in the time of parliam en t .”

C oates’sHistory ofReadin g, p . 1 0 .

3 Hutchinson ’

sHistory ofDorse t. 3 Rapin .

HISTORY OF READING . 15

The third, subje cted to the sam e punishm ent, all those who invaded the C usp I .church lands.

The fourth , prohib ited, un der the sam e pena l ty, the se ll ing of provisions tothe archb ishop ofYork, wh ene ve r he cam e with in the j urisdict ion of the see

of Can terbury .

These canons were conside re d by Edward, so gre at an encroachm en t on

his prerogative , that he soon after com pe l led the archb ishop to rescind them .

He afte rwards, according to Prynne , ordered all m onasterie s to b e searched,andthe m oney foun d in them to b e sen t to his excheque r, but as this circumstan ce is not m ention ed by our b est h istorians, it is prob ably not corre ct, and

the m ore so, as a convocation of the clergy w as he ld this year whe n they

granted him a te n th .

During the re ign of the unfortunate Edward I I . w e find n othing re

m arkab le con cern ing the subje ct of th is history, except that in 13 14, Edwardbe ing th is year at Re ading, his officers se i zed tw en ty- thre e quarte rs of oats

,

belongingto Nicholas A t-Oke of Stratfie ldMortim er, for the king’

s chi ckens,andas m u ch l itter as w a s valuedat th irte en shill ings, wh i ch he hadprovided

for the re ception ofhis landlord, the b ishop of St . Davids. On a pe tition toparl iam en t, satisfa ction w a s ordered to b e m ade to the owner, the offi ce rshavingrefused to pay e ith erfor the l itter or corn . The latt e r w asva lued at£3. 13s. 4d.

The attachm en t wh ich Edward shewe d to his favorite s, w as the principa l

o ccasion of these i l lega l se izure s, which, with other a cts of tyran ny, w as the

cause ’

of the civi l w ar wh i ch soon afte r fo l lowed, and the deposi t ion of the

unfortun a te m onarch ; andto addto the m isery of the people , so gre a t a fam ineraged in e very part of the k ingdom , tha t the weal thi e st nob lem en wereob l ige d to dism iss the gre ater part of the ir dom estics. The highways we reinfeste d with robb e ry andm urder: the stre e ts andpub l i c pla ce s e xh ib itedthe

‘m ost d ism a l scen es of m isery anddistre ss. N um b ers of wre tched cre atureswe re se en fa in ting anddying for wan t of sub sisten ce and he l pless pare n ts

lyingin the ir last agon ies, surrounded by the ir tende r offspring, c lam‘

orous for

food . The prisons were b urst Ope n , and the m alefactors de voured by the

desperate popu lace ; the de ad b e cam e a prey to the l iving ; the grave s wererobb ed of the ir tenants, to a l lay the rage of hunger ; andto such a degre e of

horror d id this c a lam i ty in crease , that e ven the m other w as known to destroy

andfe ed upon the fru i t of her ow n wom b .

” Such is one of those pic tures

which historians have drawn of form er tim es; whi ch , a lthough too freque n t in

the ch equered page of history, w e are too apt to adm ire, ande ven to prefer

Rapin . Hum e. 3 Lyson ’s Berkshire . 4 Sm ol le tt.

EdwardI I .

1 307

1-3 16

HISTORY'

OF R EADING .

C R AP .I

. to the present auspicious pe riod, wh en plen ty preside s-at our boards, the l awsw a re distribu te d with im part ial justi ce , re l igion is c u lt ivate d by reason , and.

13 16kings are taugh t to conside r the rights,

‘

the l ib erties, a ndthe happ in e ss of thepeople , a s the surest foun dation of the ir ow n glory. By this happy change in

the adm in istra tion of our governm en t , fam in e , andits attendant m iseries, ha ve

b e en b an ishedthe la nd ; a rts a ndsciences‘

c ultiva'

ted; industry rewarded ; and

a degree of pub l i c happin ess has b e en experien ced, unkn own to ou r fore

fathers, fron t the in vasion oft he Rom ans, w hen w e be cam e civil ized,’till

the e xpu lsion of the Stewarts, w he n we b e cam e fre e .

Edwa rd In the ye ar 1346, Edwa rd I I I . passed his christm as here ; at which tim e a.

1346

grea t tournam e n t w as he ld, a nd a t his departure , b e ing in wan t of m on ey tocarry on the w ar aga inst France , he b orrowed a large sum of the m onks, forwhich he pledged his j ewe ls as a

'

sec urity for the re paym en t, b ut how or whenthey we re rede em ed, history rem a ins si lent .

The marriage ofJohn ofGaun t, e arl ofRichm ond, Edward’

s th ird son,w ith Blan che daughter o f He nry duke of Lancaste r, w as so lem n ized in theabb ey church here, o n the 1 9th ofM ay, 1 359 ; on wh ich occasion great rejoicings were m ade, andw hich C haucer has ce l eb rated in a poem ca l led, ‘ his

dre am ,

’ where in are t he fo llowing l ines descripti ve of the spot, andthe at‘

atending circum stan ces

A nd the feste holden w as in ten tes,In a rom e , in a large pla ine ,Un de r a wode , in a cham paine,

B e tw ixte a ri ver, and a we l l,W here n eve r hadabb ey n e sell

Yben , ne kirke , house , n e v i llageIn tim e of any m ane

’

s age,

And di

ured thre e m outhes the fe st. ”

3’ Though thisdescription ofthe spo t w he re the fe ast w ashe ldis w ritten in the form of a dream ,

y et, from its be ing in a cham pain e , be tw ixt a rive r anda w e ll it is probab le the poe t hadhis eye

u pon the King’s-m e ad

, than w hich, in the m on th ofM ay, n o p lace cou ldb e be tter adaptedfor such anoccasion . Itsbe ing under a w ode ,

’ is ano the r chara c te ristic of this p lace,w hich is ove rhung by the

Oxfordshire hills, at that tim e , n o doub t, c lo thedw ith w ood. There is, how e ve r, som e difficu lty inassign inga p lace for the w e l l he m e n tions, from the insign ifican cy of the obje ct, andthe ir freque n cyin every part of the tow n , bu t thism ight n ot have bee n the case w hen C haucer w ro te or, if it w ere ,it is probable this term w asnot m e re ly confinedto its presen t ac cep tation , but w as used as a generalterm for all springs ; 't' andthis idea seem s corrobatedby the fo l low ingpassage in the sam e poem

“ in his thoughtes as he layW ithin a lodge , ou t of the w ay,

Beside a well in a forest.r

'

W acl o rWeallan (Saxon for a spring). Thisdefinition isalso confirm edin Jam ieson‘

sScotish Dictionary, article W A I L.

HISTORY OF READING .

Unto a tente prince and princesMe thought b rought m e , a nd m y m a istres,Which ten te as

’ church paroch ia l],Orda in t w as in e spe c ia l lBoth for the fe st, and for the sacre,Where archb ishop , and archdiacre

Ysongen fu l l out the service .

”

Ifw e consider the spl e ndor of Edward ’

s court , w ho w as at this tim e inthe m eridian of his glory, a ttende d by his five son s in the flower of you th,the king of France his prison er, and all the principa l nob les of the land,toge ther with the ti lts and tournam ents that we re eve ry day e xhib i ted, as w e ll

a s the num b er of the ten ts, and varie ty of b ann e rs displayed on this occasion ,w e m ay con clude th is to have b e e n the m ost p icturesque andple asing sight e verb ehe ld in this town .

Edward I I I . dying in 1377, w as succe eded on the throne by Richard I I,son of Edward the b lack prin ce , at that tim e l i ttle m ore than ten ye ars of age .

The king’

s un cle , John ofGaun t duke ofLancaste r, owing to som e insinuations

wh ich hadb een thrown ou t aga inst h im , as wish ing to pla ce the crown on his

ow n he ad, refusedto take upon h im se lf the office of rege n t during the king’

s

m inority, to wh ich he w as ce rta inly e n titled by h is b irth, b e ing the e ldest sur

viving son of the la te . king ; whereupon a coun c i l w as appo inted in his ste ad ;w ho, a lm ost as the first a ct of the ir new gove rn m ent, took in to consideration

the debts of the crown, which had in cre asedto an a larm ing degre e , in couse

q uen ce of the late wars iri Fran ce . In order therefore to reduce th e se deb ts,they ob ta ine d the san ction ofparliam ent, to le vy a pol l - tax of on e sh il l ing

per ye ar on e v e ry inhab itan t ab ove the age of pub erty and, as taxes we re a t

this t im e b ut l ittle kn ow n , and le ss understood, this w as con side red as a very

grievous Oppression, by a pe ople a lre ady laboring under the b ondage of the ir

In this e xpre ssion , the well is generall y unde rstood to be a spring in Woodstock -park , cal ledRosam ond’

s- w e ll ; andtherefore this u nde r conside ra tion , m ight a lso he in te ndedto denote a spring:

andthe on ly on e conn e cted w ith the abbey,be ing the condu it, w he reby it w as supp liedw ith w ate r,

I think it n ot im probab le that this «w as the w ell in te ndedby C hau ce r ; b e tw een w hich andthe riverTham es the feast w as kept ; though pe rhaps after all, this e xpression w as on ly in troducedfor the sakeof the rhym e

, as our poe t m igh t have e n tertained the sam e opin ion as one ofhis successors, w ho

thought, thatThose w ho w rite in rhym e

,still m ake

The one verse for the o the r’

s sake ,For on e for se nse , andon e for rhym e

,

I think’s sufficien t at on e tim e .

”-Samuel B utler.

C R AP . I .

HISTORY O F READING .

CHAR 1 ' lords" , andgave rise to se rious insurre c tions in (lifl'

ere n t parts of the kingdom .

1384»

The reb e ls from Ke nt andEssex , ( w ho we re afte rwards jo ined by those of

o the r c ountie s, and part icu larlyby the inhab i ta n ts of he aded bylVa t Tyler andJ a ck Straw, m arched in to Lo ndo n , whe re they com m it tedthe

m ost dre adful o u t rages, m u rde ring eve ry p erson whom they de em edob n ox ious

to the ir c a use , a ndde st royed al l the pub l ic re c ords w h ich fel l in the ir“

w ay.

T o put a n e ndto this scen e Of confusion a nddre ad , the you ng king appoin t ed

a m e e t ing w i th the reb e ls in iVe st Sm ithfie ld; w he re the ir l e ade r, \Vat Tyle r,

b e ha v ing in an inde c e n t and inso len t m a nne r to his sove re ign , u a s stab b ed bySir \Villiam ofWa lw orth, lord m ayor of London ; and, his fo llow e rs were

so confounded a t the de a th Of the ir le ade r, a nd the m agnan im i ty of the ir

you ng prince , tha t t hey we re pre va i led upon to return to the ir hom es, wi th

such c once ssions as it w as though t e xpedie n t to grant them ,b u t w h ich were

ne ver afterwards fu lfi l led ; for, h is m aj esty, having ra iseda large a rm y , se t

out for the pu rpose of m aking a tour through his dom in ions, and of t akinga se vere reve nge on all w ho hadb e e n c once rn edin the reb e l l ion ; am ong o the rplaces, he cam e the fo l low ing ye ar to R e ading. t at the effe cts of th is

v isi t we re , history has no t inform edus ; bu t the re c an b e no doub t, that thesam e se ve ri t ies w ere exerc ise d on the inhab i tan ts he re , as at othe r places.

Soon aft e r the reb e l l ion w as que ll ed in e ve ry part of the kingdom , the

king thought i t n e ce ssary to e li'

e ct a re con cil iation. b e tw e en h im se lf andhis

unc le , the duke of Lancaste r, for an affron t wh ich had b e en Offe red to him in

Scotland; for w hich purpose , b e , by le t te r, in vited his injured kinsm an to

re turn to E ngla nd, and sen t orders to the diffe rent sheriffs of the count ie sthrough which he w as to pass, to escort him , wi th a thousand m e n a t arm s

,

b e side s archers, on his w a y to Reading, whe re Richa rd wai t ed his arriva l .From hen ce they proce eded toge the r to Lon don , where the parl iam ent w assum m oned to m e et in the Novem ber fol low ing.

2

From the e arl iest period of th is king’

s re ign , a differen ce had subsistedb e tween the c ourt, andthe c i t i zens of London , whe re by the p e ac e Of the c i tyhad b ee n ofte n disturb ed ; b ut, particu larly in 13841

, wh en the t e - e le c tionof the chief m agistrate a li

'

orded an Opportun ity of ren ewing the ir form e r

an im osities, by ope n acts of vio lence . The court party b rought forward SirNicholas B rem bar, in opposit ion to John of Northam pton or C om b arton , w ho

I t is custom ary in England, asw e l l as in several o ther cou n tries, for the nobility to have greatprivileges over the com m on alty, w hom they kee p in bondage ; that is to say, the y are boundby lawandcustom , to p lough the lands ofgen tlem en , to harvest the grain , to carry it hom e to the barn , to

thrash andw innow it : they are a lso boundto harvest the hay, andcarry it hom e . All these servic ethey are ob liged to p erform for the ir lords, andm any m ore in England than in other coun tries.“froisrart

’

sChronicle. Froissart ’s C hronic le . Stowe.

HISTORY OF READING .

w as supported by the c ity ; a ndw ho had fi lle d the ci vi c cha ir during the two I ,

preceding years, andw as a c coun tedan upright and virtuous m agistrate , for the

strictn ess Of his gov e rnm e n t, andthe vigi lance wh ich he used to suppre ss the

ru ling vice s of the t im e s. His in flexib le hon or andin tegrity, we re by no m eans

p le asing to those profliga te m in iste rs, w ho, unfortun ate ly for the n ation , sur

roundedthe thron e . The y therefore re solved , ifpossib le , to procure the e le ction‘

Of the form er, whom they c on sidered m ore l ike ly to support the ir views : For“

w h ich purpose , e ve ry effort w as m ade , wi thin the re ach of a c orrupt adm in is'

stra tion to effe ct the ir design and a lthough they su cce ededin the a ttem pt,

yet, the e lec tion w as not carriedwithou t gre at opposi t ion a nd rio t ing, which

w as at length suppressed by the sum m ary b ut arb i trary m eans u sed by Sir

R ob ert Kn ollysfi“w ho , entering the c i ty wi th som e troops, se ize d one of the

ch ief m em b e rs of the opposition , a nd dragging him from his horse , struck

Off his he adwithou t wa i t ing for the form s of a lega l tria l . A nd, though th isa ct w as com m itte d by a n individua l , inde fiance of a ll law and j ustice , ye t,so l i t t le we re e i the r Of the m obse rved in those t im e s, tha t it does n ot appe arthat Sir Rob e rt, w as e ver c a l led in qu estion for thus vio lating b o th, by an

arb itrary andwilfu l m urde r.

John Northam p ton him se lf w as taken into custody, and c om m itted toC orfi

'

e castle in D orsetsh ire , from whe n ce h e w as afte rwards con veyed to

Carisb rooke ca st l e in the Isle of Wight ; and, as the adm in istra t ion we redoub tfu l of b e ing ab le to conv ic t him , if triedin the c i ty of London , he w as

c onveyedto Re ading,wh e re his m aj e sty the n w as, andarra igned b efore judge

Tresi l ian , for c onspiring aga inst the king’

s l ife ; b ut, refusing to ple adin the

ab se n ce of h is supe rior lord, the duke Of Lan caster, he w as se nte n ced to

p erpe tual im prisonm e n t, in the cast le of Tin tegal in Cornwa ll, and all his

goodsto b e con fisc atedto his m ajesty ’

s use .

In 1389 , Richard b e ing a t Re ading, a p e ace w as c on c lud ed b e twe en

h im se lf a nd the b arons, under the m edia t ion Of John of Gau n t the king’

s

un c le , b u t the arb i trary m e asure s of the gove rnm e n t st ill con t inu ing, the n ob les

b e cam e aga in discon t e n ted, so tha t whe n i t w a s fou nd n ec e ssary, in 1390 , 1390

to c a l l the parli ame n t toge the r, the king’

s m in ist ers, b e ing afra idto sum m on

them to Westm in ste r, the u sua l plac e of ho lding the se ssions, they w e re

appoin t edto m e e t at R eading. One of the principa l obj e c ts of the ir atte n t ionw as, to effe ct a re conc il iation b e twe e n the dukes of La ncaster andG lou cest er,which they a ccomplished, andgave gre at hop e s, it is sa id, ofa happy un ion am ong

This ge n tl em an w as a so ldier of fortun e,w ho hadrise n by his ow n m e rit . andw as the fo under

of the fam ily of that n am e , w hich w as afte rw ards so in t im ate ly con n ec tedw ith this to w n,andrepre .

sen tedit in m any succeedingparliam en ts.

CHAP . I .

1 399

Henry I V

HISTORY OF READING .

all the branches of the roya l fam ily. B ut, these flattering prospects were

of short dura t ion ; for Richard, suffe ring h im se lf to b e gove rned by a few

fa vori te s, whose m al- adm in istra t ion fi l led the n ation with m urm urs and dis

c on tents, a t l ength produced a conspiracy for o ve rturn ing the gove rnm en t ;

at the he adof w hich we re Thom as of Woodstock, the king’

s uncle , the arch

bishop of Can terb ury, the e arls of Arunde l , andWarwick, and m any other

n ob lem en ; b ut, the king ga in ing in te l l igen ce of the ir in te n tions, they we re

a ll se i zed, and com m itte d to prison , e xc ept Thom as of Woodstock, whom

Richard, ( not daring to b ring to tria l in London , ) sen t to Ca la is, whe re he w as

private ly m urde red by the govern or. These tyrann i ca l m easures of the crownwe re succe eded by others equa l ly Oppressive , wh ich so efi

'

e c tually a l ienate d the

affe c t ions ofhis subje cts, that they soon after broke out into Open re vo l t, underHenry of Bo l ingb roke , duke of Lan caster, who, b e ing j oined by a num erous

arm y, com pe l led the m isgu ided m on arch to resign his crown to him , and la id

the founda t ion of that destruc t ive c ivi l w ar b e twe e n th e houses of York and

Lancaste r, w hich,for so m any ye ars afte rwards, de so latedthis unhappy c ountry ,During the re ign of H enry IV . the succ eeding prin ce , this town seem s

to ha ve b een unn o t iced by history, nor is i t c erta in whe ther that m onarch w as

Henry V.

e ver here ; b ut his son Henry V . visited i t in 14 15, from when ce he issued

1 4 15

HeuryVI

1422

1452

Edward

I V.

1 461

a proc lam ation, stating, tha t the m oney gran t ed by parliam e n t w as insuffic ien t

to m ake a se c ond paym en t to h is troops e ngaged in the w ar aga inst France ,andin vi t ing his loving subj e cts to lendhim a sum of m on ey, upon such se curities as he shou ld propose .

‘

Hen ry dying, at Vincenn e s in Fra n ce , in 1422, w as succe eded by his sonHenry VI . This prin ce sum m on ed a parl iam en t to m e e t at Re ading, the . 12 thofFebruary 1440, at wh ich t im e a new order of nob le s w as in stituted, sti le d

Viscounts, andplaced b e twe en e arls andb arons, b e low the form er and ab ovethe latter ; John lord Be aum on t b e ing c re a ted Viscoun t Be aum ont, in fu l l parliam ent.

2 Another parl iam e n t w as sum m one d to m e e t here , on the 6th ofMarch1452, which , after si tting a short tim e , w as proro

o

gued to We stm in ster, to m e e ton the 2oth of April, whe re it sat ti l l the 2dof Ju ly, when it w as aga in proroguedto Reading, to m ee t on the 7th of Novem be r, where it sat til l the 1 1 thof Feb ruary following.

’

In the suc ce eding re ign of Edward I V . the plague breaking out in Lon

don , in 1461 , the parl iam ent w as aga in adjournedto Reading, to m e e t on the

6th of Novem b er, where it sat ti ll the e arly part of the fol lowing ye ar. Thisw as the last parl iam ent he ld he re , andthe reform ation com ing on soon after,

pu t an e nd a lso to syn ods, counc i ls, and e cclesiastica l assem b l ies, whi ch hadoccasiona l ly m e t here since the foundation of the ab b ey by Hen ry I I .

Rym er'

s Feeders. Selden ’sTitlesof Honor, p . 680 .

3 C otton ’

s Abridgm en t.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

C a se . 1 .

15P

O8

HISTORY OF READING .

M r.Thom asAldworth ,

the m ayor, a ccom pan ied by the sub stance ofthe

gen t lem en of the town , as we l l b u rge sses as othe rs, in the ir b e st appa re l , res

c e ivedhis m aj esty at Co l ey Cross, ale all b e ing on foot, where the m ayor, on his

kne e , hum b ly we lcom e d h is m aj e sty, andkissed the m ace , andde l ive re d it to

hism aj esty, w ho m ost gen tly stayedhis horse , a ndre ce ive d it, and im m edia t e

ly de l ive redthe sam e m a ce unto the m ayor. A nd a lso his m aj esty, further

stayedhis horse , un t il the m ayor had taken his horse , andth en the m ayor,appo in ted by a gentlem an usher, rode b efore the king

’

s m aj esty through the

town, un to the king’

s p lace , a t the which tim e , forasm u ch as i t w as the

fi rst tim e ofhis m aje sty ’

s c om ing, the sa idm ayor presen ted , and gave unto

his m aj esty tw o yoke of o xen, which cost fift e en pounds the charge

where of w as b orn by the inhab itants of the sa id town, as we l l by the

b urgesses as o thers. A nd, at the sam e tim e , b e ing his m aj esty ’

s fi rst

c om ing,certa in ofiice rs dem andedce rta in dutie s, as they ca l l i t , which were

pa id un to them , at the cost and charges of the sa id m ayor and burge sses,as fol lows

I mprim is, s. d. To the footm en x 0

To th e h e ra l d xx 0 To the king’

s cup- b earer v i v i i i

"

To th e se rj e an t a t arm s x ii i iv To the c le rk ofthe m arke t v i v i i iT o the trum pe t ers at arm s xx 0 To the m arsha l l i i i i v

The sam e ce rem ony w as ob served when qu e en Mary cam e h ere in the

beginn ing of her re ign , accom pan ied by he r husb and, Phi l i p king of Spa in ,

at wh ich tim e the presen ts m ade to the ir m aj e stie s, a s we ll as the fe es pa id toth e ir atte ndan ts, were n e arly the ‘

sam e : b ut th is c ustom se e m s to h ave b e en

dropped in the su cc e eding re ign , for though qu e en Elizab e th frequ en tly honoredthis pla ce , by m aking a tem porary re siden ce at the abb ey, wh ich hadb e e ncon vertedin to a roya l p a lac e, the re is n o re cord , I b e l ie ve , in the corporation

E liz abeth b ooks, of any part icu lar form b e ing ob served on h er arri va l . She resided he rein 1601 , at wh i ch t im e she conferred the hon or of knigh thood on John Norris,of Fyfie ld.

Th is town w as gre a tly indeb ted'

to Elizab e th for m any don ations, whichwil l b e spoken of in the ir proper place s. She a lso confirm ed anden larged thecharter, gran t ed by form e r m on archs to th e c orporation ,

a nd w as a gre a te n cou rager of the woo l len m anufa ctory h ere , wh ich du ring her re ign w as

c arried to a greater e x ten t than at any o the r p eriod, andw as the m e ans of

ra ising to afflu ence m an y of the inhab i t an ts, from whose b oun ty e ve n the poor ‘

of the presen t‘

t im es are c on side rab ly b enefitted. From on e of the se indus

Probab ly w here the turnpike now is. C orporation D iary.

H ISTORY OF READING .

trious inhabitants, Sprung a rchb ishop Lau d, w ho w as born October 7 , 1573 CHAP

in a house ( as i t is sa id, ) la t e ly standing on the north side of Broad -

stree t .*

Pryn ne , in his Life ofArchb ishop Laud, sa y s, he w as born at Redding,

in B a rkshire , of poore andob scure pare n ts, in a co t tage o ve r aga in st the cagewh ich cage , since his com ing to the a rchb ishOprick of Cante rbury, upon com

pla in t of m aster E lveston , w as re m oved to som e othe r place ; andthe cottage

pu lleddown , andnew b u i lt by the b ishop b u t th is see m s a m e re ca lum ny ofthe author’

s,to degrade the archb ishop , whose paren ts were n ot so ob scure as

he pre tends, ne ither w as the re e ve r, as far a sw el

have b e e n ab l e to le arn , a cagein the si tua t ion here sta t ed ; and, it is m ore than probab le , that the cottage , asi t is he re ca l led , w as not rebu i lt by the archb ishop, w ho pa idoccasiona l visitsto this his n ati ve town , b u t n e ve r m ade i t his residence after le av ing co l lege .

No thing particu lar occ urred here during the re ign of Jam es I . re spe ctingth is place , e x ce pt tha t he w as once he re , on his w ay to Ba th, in 1612 ; andthe

fo llowing ye ar, his que en, Ann of Denm ark, also v isited the town , b ut m ade

no long stay here .

This house has late ly been taken dow n ; bu t a view of the bu ilding, as it appeared in 1 81 1 , is

annexed to the portrait of thisgen erous benefac tor to his native tow n . One of the cham bers re tainedthe n am e of Laud’

s study.’

H istory of R eading.

CHAPTER II .

CHAP I I .W E now com e to the e ven tfu l re ign of Charles I . a p eriod replete withW

m isfortunes b oth to the m on arch andhis pe ople , from its com m encem en t to theC hm ”lffsl

i

- rn elancholy c atastrophe wh i ch put an e nd to the l ife of the one , and the

l ib erties of the othe r during wh ich p e riod this town e xperien c ed m ore

distress than i t had suffe red in any form er t im e s sin ce the in vasion of the

Dan es, in the ten th cen tury.

In the first ye ar of his reign, the plague hav ing broke out in the c ities

o f Lon don andWe stm inste r, Charle s, to pre ven t the spre ading of the infe c

t ion, adjourne d a p art of m ichae lm as term ,as a lso the re ce ipt of the re ve nue, ‘

to th is town, where a com m ission passed the great se a l , for e xe cuting the laws

aga inst re cusants, wh ich we re re ad in all the courts of judic ature here , som e

ofwhich we re he ld in the town - hal l andthe abb ey, as the h igh court of chan

c ery, the c ourt of e xchequer, the courts of king’

s b en ch, com m on pleas, wards

andl i veries, andthe court ofre qu e sts, but these n ot b e ing suffic ien t to con ta inthem all, the augm en tation court w as he l d in the schoo l - room , the lord - ke eperlodged wi th Sir E . Clarke , the re corder : the a ttorn ey-

gen era l lodged at the

Fryers in M r. John Saunde rs’* house , w ho w as a lso re corde r, and appears tohave he ldthe office conjo intly with Sir E . Clarke . Som e of the judge s lodge d

at the Golden - b e ar, at the‘

south- e ast corn er of Castle- stree t, wh ich w as thencal led Serj e ant’s- inn in Fle e t- stre e t, and others at M r. Thom as Turner’

s, 1

‘ the

m ayor’

s, ne ar the High- b ridge , which w as the n de n om inatedSarje ant’

s—inn in

Chancery- lan e . B ut this pre caution , instead of pre ven t ing the plague fromspreading, w as, in all probab i l i ty, the occasion of bringingi t to Reading :

Thisgen tlem en was m em ber for the borough in five successive parliam en ts.1" He servedthe office ofm ayor three tim es.

1 The dreadoccasion edby this visitation , as it is called, am ong the people, can not be be tter examplified, than by the fo llow ing passage in VVhitlo ck’

s Mem orials; w hen the p lague w as som ewhat as«Rushw orth

’

s C o lle ctions.

HISTORY OF READING .

wh ere i t soon after m ade its appearan ce . At fi rst, on ly tw o persons we re C R AP . I I.

affe cted with i t, andi t w as hop edthe c on tagion wou l d stop here ; b ut, u nfortunate ly i t soon b egan to b re ak ou t in various parts of the town , anda t le ngthb e cam e so a larm ing, that all com m un ic ation am ong th e inhabi tan ts w as m u tua lly a vo ided, a ll the houses, wh ere th e infe c t ion w as known to e x ist, w ere

shut up,

*andthe fo l lowing regu lat ion pub l ishedby order of the m agistra tes

This day i t w as ordered, for the b e tter pre ve n ting of the visi ta tion of

the plagu e in this corpora t ion , that if a ny inhab itan t shal l, a t any tim ehe re after, du ring the infe ct ion of th e plagu e, re ce ive , or take in to his house ,any pe rson or p e rson s, goods or m e rchan dize , b rought from London , e very

such offender sha l l b e shu t up in his ow n house , by th e space of on e m on th,andto b e kept a t his ow n charge .

”

A nd, for the b e tte r enforc ing a com pl ian ce with th is order, w atchm en

were statione d in e a ch parish, to pre ven t a ny c om m un ic ation w ith the visited

houses, andto take care tha t n o goods brought from London shou ld he lan ded

a t the wharf. Besides the se pre cautions, an orde r w as sen t from his m aje sty 1 626

in coun c i l to the m ayor to rem ove the m arke t and staple of cloth to a m ore

safe p la ce , un til Alm ighty G odof hisgoodn ess sh ou ld stop the v io len ce of the

contagion ,

”andto se nd up to the coun ci l t w o we l l e xperienced cloth ie rs to

give the ir opin ion , what place wou ld b e m ost prope r to rem ove the staple to,andparticu larly to appo int at his discre tion , a sufficien t n um b e r of watchm en ,

to watch all hou ses that were infe cted or suspe cte d to b e so, and-a lso the pest

h ouse at the Con du it - close , andto ke ep all suspe cted persons ou t of“

the tow n .

A nd, for the b e tte r perform an ce of these instru ct ions, the m ayor w as autho

rised to appoint a sufficient nu m b er of the m ost respe c tab le inhab itants to

patrol e the ir se vera l parishes day an dn ight , to se e that the watchm en didthe irduty . From this pe riod, for n e arly fifty ye ars, the town ‘does n ot appear to

suaged, and there died in London but 2500 in a w e ek , it fe l l to judge W hitlock ’s turn to go toW estm inster-hall , to adjourn m ichae lm as term , from the n ce to R e ading; and accordingly he w e n tfrom his house in Buckingham shire , to Horton n ear C o lnbrook , andthe n ex t m orn ing e arly to H ighpark - corn er, w here he and his re tin ue din ed on the ground,

'

w ith such m eat and drink as theyb rough t in the coach w ith them , andafte rw ards he drove fast th rough the stre e ts

,w hich w ere em pty

ofpeop le , andovergrow n w ith grass, to W estm inster-hall ; w here the offi ce rsw ere ready, andthe judgeandhis com pany w en t straight to the King’

s-b en ch,adjourn ed the court

,re turn edt o his coach

,and

drove aw ay presen t ly ou t oftow n .

The m an n e r ofshu tting up infe cted houses, as w e le arn from a con tem porary w riter,w as, by

fasten ingthe doors on the ou tside , on each side of w hich w as pain ted a large red cross, on the arm s

w here of, e x tending abou t tw o fe e t on e ach side, w as inscribed, in capital le t te rs, LO R D HA V E

Hodge": Loim ologia .

4 C orporation Diary.

E

M E R C Y U PO N U S.

HISTORY O F READING .

C R AP . I I . have been perfe ctly fre e from th is dreadfu l v isitation, asi t w as em phaticallycalled,

1 636

though i t w as n e ver so fata l a s at th is t im e , e xcept in 1638, w hen gre a t num

b ers fe l l vic t im s to its v iru l ence . It first b roke o u t in a house in hIinster

stre e t, from w hen ce i t spre ad so rapidly in to oth er parts of the town ; that i t

w as found n ece ssary to adopt the sam e m e thods of pre caution as on the form er

o c casion ; b ut, as m any of the sufferers were u n ab le to m a inta in them se l ves,a tax w as levied on the inhab itants for the ir assistan c e , ou t of wh ich those in

the pest- house we re a l lowedfour- pen c e a day, the others thre e -

pen ce .

at

The infe ct ion raged prin cipa l ly am ong the poorer c lasses, occasion ed, no

doub t, from the ir w an t of c lean l in ess, a nd the crowded state of the ir dw e l l

ings, e vi ls w hich are now happily in a gre a t m e asure rem oved, by the im provedsta te in which this deserving c lass of pe ople n ow l ivest

On accoun t of the plague stil l raging in London , the last term th is ye ar

w as he l d in'

R e ading, wh ere the com m ission ,under the gre at se a l of England,

for the due, a nd effe ctua l , pu tting in force the several laws andstatutes aga inst

popish re cusants, w as pub l icly re ad in a ll the courts.

During th is scen e of distress, the king had su ccessive ly c a l le d toge therse ve ra l parl iam en ts, wh ich had b e en disso lve d a lm ost as soon as conve n ed .

The repre sen tati ve s of the p e opl e dem an de d the redress ofgrie vance s, whilethe m onarch andhis m in isters were ca l l ing on them in va in for fresh subsid ie s.At le ngth Charle s de term in ed to govern withou t the con tro l of parl iam ent,and to ra ise the n e cessary suppl ies by virtue of h is prerogat ive . In the pro

se cution of this p lan , the country w as harassed by arb itrary and unconstitu

tional m e asures, and his pe rse veran ce in le vying the unpopu lar tax for shipm oney, on the in lan d count ies, w as on e - of those n um erous a cts of oppre ssion,which soon after invo l ved the n ation in all the horrors of ci v il d issention .

Though th is town possessed n e ither m a te ria ls for bu i lding ships, nor

sa ilors to m an them , yet, under pre tence ofguarding the coast , the inhab itan tswere ordered to prov ide a ship com ple te ly e qu ippe d, to b e at Portsm outh bythe first ofMarch 1636, andthe m agistrates we re authorise d to le vy the sum

of£260, under the pre te xt of bu i lding it, b ut in re a l ity to b e pa i d in to thetre asury i Sm a l l as this sum m ay now appe ar, the difficulty of co lle cting i t

D uring the con tinuan ce of the infe ction , the corn -m arke t is said, by tradition , to have beenkept on a w aste pie ce ofgroundin Map ledurham parish, sin ce cal led N ew Marke t -green .

t C on tagium in ter Jam'

s infim hom ines diffusum,repen te adm odum luxuriasse ; hinc praz ter

propter Lucapauperum vu lgo appe llitata, equibus holocaustum fcre in m ensum libitin ae sacratum .

Hodge’s Loim ologia .

i The proportion of ship m one y levied on each corporation , w ithin this coun ty, w as,

—forReading, 2601. New bury, 1 201. Abingdon , 1OOA\Vindsor, 1 001. VVokingharn , 501. \Vallingford,Rurhworth

’

r Collection.

HISTORY O F READING.

w as so great, that the corporation pet itione d the throne , though in va in , to C RAP.I I

.

have som e ab atem ent of som e part the reof.

After the de cision of the court of e xchequer in favor of the crown against 1640

M r. Ham pden, who had dispute d the lega l ity of the tax, the m in istry weree n courage d to resort to the sam e m easure , and th is town w as aga in assessedin the sum of£290, for the purpose of providing a ship , with m en and

am m un ition .

2 But these sum s were so inade quate to the king’

s ne cessities.tha t, after a long struggle, he w as at le ngth ob lige d to re sort not on ly to thezincien t m ode of ca l l ing a parl iam ent, but a lso to agree that they shou ld notb e disso l ve d withou t the ir own consen t. Con fiden t of the ir ow n strength and

popularity, the parl iam en t im m ediate ly sat abou t reform ing the governm en t,and re tren ch ing the prerogati ves of the crown ; but Charles, fin ding a ll his

efforts for the support of his pre tended prerogative s unava il ing, appea led tothe sword, in defen ce of what he considered his just rights, andthe civ i l - w ar

ensued .

After the battle of Edge - hi ll, his m aj esty fi xe d his re sidence a t Oxford ; 1642

and, in order to rende r his ou t- posts m ore se cure , he pla ced garrison s in as

m any of the ne ighbouring town s as the n um ber of his force s wou ld adm it of,from when ce they were ordere d to scour the coun try in flying parties. On e

of these , which had b een station ed at A b ingdon , advan cing farther into thecoun try than it had bee n orde red to do, cam e within sigh t of Reading, whenHarry Martin , a t that tim e governor of the town for the parl iam ent, takinga larm , fled with all his m e n towards London , leaving the town open to the

king’

s troops, w ho accord ingly took possession of i t withou t opposition , and

Charles appo inted sir Arthur Aston to he the govern or, with a salary ofseven

pounds per week, to b e pa id by the inhab itan ts.’

Aston n o soon er took possession of his n ew gove rnm e n t, than he de ter

m ined to m ake the town as strong as the n ature of the groun d would adm it

andtha t the n ew entren chm ents m ight b e com ple ted before the re turn of the

parl iam en t ’s forces, he issue d a proclam at ion , ordering all the prin cipa l inha

b itants to work in ra ising the bu lwarks in the Forb ury, on pa in of forfe i t

ing se ven pen ce a day for e very day’

s non atten dan ce , o ut of wh i ch fines the

poorer sort were to b e a l low ed e ight pence per day for the ir lab or : Posts and

cha inswe re l ikewise fixed at the endof e very stre e t, at the desire of the cor

poration , w ho , in a loya l address to the go vernor, assure d him tha t theywou ld assist him with the ir counse l and purses to the u tm ost of the ir ab i

The on ly rem ains of these is the Forbury-hil l, andpart of the fences ofthe adjoin inggarden .

C orporation Diary.

2 Ibid. 3 Ibid.

IIISTORY OF READING .

Cu sp . I I . lities. and that the garrison m ight n ot b e taken by a surprise, a tax. w as

le viedon the inhab itan ts, to defray the e xpen c e of providing m en andhorses

to ride ou t da i ly as a scou t to inform the town of the ir da nge r, as the y m igh t

learn a ndunderstand ,” and, an addition a l assessm ent w as'

m ade “ to supply the

garrison with c loth, appare l , vi’

ctua ls, and such oth er things as th ey stood in

n e ed of. A guard w as constan tly kept in the O rac le , w ho we re provided

with wood andcoa ls a t the e xpe nce of the town . A nd, to preve n t the garrison

and inha bitan ts b e ing distressed for wan t of provision s, in case of the ir b e ingb esieged, care w as take n, n ot on lyto ha ve the town supplie d with e verya rtic le of n e cessity ; b ut on com pla int b e ing m ade , tha t on e ll/Ia tthew Pane

a nd others were se cre tly con veying wh e at, and o the r com o ut of the town ,the corporation issu ed an orde r, forb idding any person to carry aw ay

’

w hea t,

or rye , andcon fin ing the exporta tion to b arley a lon e , and tha t the

m arke ts m ight b e regu larly suppl ied, fou r m en were appoin te d by day, and

four by n ight, to attend the sen tine ls, for the qu ie t passage of such townsm en

and cou n trym e n , as m ight pass to and from the m arke t.” Notwithstandingthe se burth ens, which the loya lty of the c orpora tion induced them to lay on

the inhab itan ts, they we re foun d inade qu ate to the m a in te nance of the so ldiers,whom the king, from the low e sta te of his fin an ces, w as in capab le of paying.

The king ( says Clarendon ) w as at th is t im e very m uch distresse d forwant ofm oney ; for, of all his ow n re ven ues, he had n ot the re ce iving of one

penny with in his powe r ne ither didhe think fi t to com p e l any on e , e ven su chas were known fre e ly to have con tribute d to the parl iam en t, to supply himon ly by le tte rs, and all other ge n t le ways, he invite d those w ho we re ab le , toconside r how m uch th e ir own interest andprosperity w as conne cted with his.

”

After th is fa vorab le display of the king’

s forb e aran ce , i t m ight b e supposed,that he wou ld have b e en satisfied , with respe ct to th is town , with the gre a tsacrifi ces the inhab i tan ts had a l ready m ade in his fa vor, b ut th is w as n ot the

case : Charle s had i t n ot in his power, hadi t been his incl ination, to fo l lowthe practice ascrib ed to him by the h istorian ; h is ne cessities com pe l le d him

to use harsher m odes ; and,a ccordingly w e find, that soon afte r the town

h ad b e e n take n possession of by his troops, he issued an order to the m agis

trate s to m ake a fresh assessm en t on the inhab i tants, and those w ho did n ot

m ake good the ir paym ents, within a gi ven t im e , were , by his e xpress com m and,to b e doub ly rated.

3

Every spe c ie s of oppression w as at th is p eriod e xercised on the unfor

tunate inhab itan ts : taxes, asse ssm en ts, contribu tions, and force d loans, fol

D ifferen t sortsi

of com m ixedtoge ther.C orporation Diary. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HISTORY OF READING.

C n ar . I I . after au thorised by his m aj esty, to dem and of th em a furth er loan of tw o

thousand pounds. I t having b e en a lre ady found im possib le to ra ise so large

a sum on the inhab itan ts, the corporation aga in had re course to his m ajesty,by a pe tition , so l ic i t ing, in the m ost e arn est m an ner, a m itigation of the sum ,

in conside rat ion of the very he avy burthe ns they hada lre ady b orn e . This

p etition having m e t with no b e tter su ccess than the ir form er one , the corpo

ration , withou t a ttem pting to harass the people for m oney they were con v ince d

w as out of th e ir power to pay, took the im m ediate resol ution of m ortgagingthe rem a inder of th e ir possessions, and thus, by in volv ing the ir revenues in a

state of doubt and un ce rta in ty, led the w ay, p erhaps, to that system of pe e n

lation , which , in the m inds of the inhab itants, is supposed to have be en prac

tised by the m em b ers of the corporation up to the com m en cem en t of the

seven te en th cen tury . I t n o where appears, I b e l ieve , in the c orporat ion b ooks,that e ither of these m ortgages were e ver pa id by Charle s or his successors, and

conseque n tly m ust have b e en discharge d from the surplus p rodu ce of the irren ts, b ut which n ot having b e en regu larly a c coun ted for, has given rise toth is report, as unjust to the parties con cerned, as disgra cefu l to the town .

The frequent repet itions of the se oppressi ve dem an ds, a l ien ated in a greatm e asure the affe ctions of the inhab itan ts from the cause they hadat first sowarm ly e spoused, and prepared them for the change which w as about totake p lace .

The treaty for peace , which had b een for som e t im e n egotiating at

Oxford, b e ing at length broken off, the parl iam ent dete rm in ed to pursu e thew ar with the utm ost vigour ; andaccordingly, Essex, w ho at that t im e had

the com m an d of the forces, w as ordered to attem pt the re cove ry of R eading,as we l l for the future se curity of London , as for the open ing a ready c om m u .

n ication with the west ofEngland . Cha rleshadnegle cted to place a garrison at

Hen ley, which b e ingperce i ved by Essex, he de term ined to take possession ofitforthe parl iam en t, thereby se curing to him se lfa safe retreat, in case ofhisfa il ingin hisa ttem pt on Re ading. Accordingly, in the m onth of Feb ruary, th is ye ar, b ede tached a large b ody of horse andfoot from Windsor, w ho, the sam e e ven ing,e n tered the town , after be ing de layed a short tim e in repa iring the bridge,wh i ch hadb e en previously broken down . His thus tak ingpossession ofHen ley,w as, prob ab ly, a fe in t to de ce i ve Charles, w ho expec t ing,

as it hadb e en gi venout, to b e b e sieged in Oxford, wou ld not ve n ture to dim in ish his forces, bysending a part ofthem to stre ngthe n the garrison at Reading. Aston , howe ver,having ga ined som e inform a tion of the en em y ’

s route , im m ediate ly d ispatcheda party of horse , in hope s ofdriving the e n em y out of the town ,

shou ld theynot b e so fortunate as to pre e occupy it b efore th e ir arriva l. But he w asdisap

HISTORY OF READING .

poin ted in th is expe ctation, for the en em y re ce i ve d them with so m uch spirit, C u sp . I I .

tha t they were ob liged to re tre a t, after a short a ction , with the loss of severa lof the ir m e n .

The fo llowing le tter, writte n by an office r in Essex ’

5 arm y, is so de scri pti ve 1643ofthe place , andthe m anner of the attack, that the insertion of it in this placem ay n ot b e a l toge ther un in te re sting

About n ine o’clock at n ight, w e cam e into H en ley, where , b efore w e

coul d get in , by re ason tha t the b ridge w as not qu ite la id down , w e were en

forcedto stay an hour andha lf at the l e ast ; so soon as w e w ere com e in , and

our m en but gon e to the ir quarters, som e of u s, am ong whom m yse lf w as on e ,

rode roun d to v iew the town , how it lay wh ich , when w e had done , w e appo in ted four ( om panies to watch all n ight, one towards Redding, another a t

the bridge , a third at the uppe 1 e ndof the town , andm yse lf, having the m a in

guard, i t be ing m in e for tha t n ight, as I w as e ldest capta in of those tha t

watch ed, I d ividedm y com pany, andse n t m y l ieu ten an t, with ab out forty m en,

to guard som e workswh ich the town hadm ade , on the w ay to Oxford, 1 havingthe rest on the m a in guard, which w as kept in a l ittle round house ,

atc lose by

the town‘

ha l l,”wh ere four w ays div ide them se lves.

Having thus ordere d our m en , and having plan te d our ordnan ce,which

were but three in all ; on e ofour bigge st pie ce s towards Redding road, an other,which w as our b est, towards Oxford, and the third, which w as b ut a drake ,w e plan ted towards the upper endof the town . A nd, by the t im e that thisw as done , it grew n e ar e le ven o

’clock . Ab ou t ha lf an hour afte r, b e ing incom pany with capta in Be tting, i t be ing m y place to go the round, he desiredto go with m e , and so w e wen t with six m usquete e rs roun d ab ou t the hills

wh ich com pass the town . Ab out ha lf an hou r after twe l ve , w e cam e in aga in,and found all qu ie t andwe l l . Ab out tw o of the clock in the m orn ing, b e ingin a house with the m ayor, and m ost of our gun n ers, discoursing toge the r,n ews w as b rought, that the e n em y w as com ing upon u s, and had fire d upon

our sen t ine ls, wh ich presen tly caused an a larm through the town , w e all

p utting on resol ution to withstan d the m to the utm ost . The e nem y cam e

furiously upon us, with a loud cry the town is our’

s,”andm ade n o question

to have broken through us all, b e ing m ost of th e m troopers anddragoon ers,

in num be r ab ou t one thousand, and rid ing tw o on a horse . The fi rst se ntine ltha t m ade discovery of them , hav ing gi ven fire , presen tly ran away to the

court of guard, w ho a lso were presen tly in re adiness, and cam e forth and

fired upon them , so as they cou l d not com e in to the town ,so soon as they

m ade account of, b ut b e ing all, e xcept ten or tw e l ve dragoons, on horse, they

This house was rem ovedat the tim e the pavingof the town took place .

HISTORY OF READING .

C HAR H . broke th rough ou r’

s, and c am e a long the lan e towards the town, the w ay

1 643

they cam e b e ing bu t n arrow'

,andn ot ab ove a fl ight shot, or l ittle m ore in

l ength from the ir fi rst e n trance , w e b e ing in re adiness to have fi re d u pon

them , b ut durst n ot, by re ason tha t they dro ve o ur m e n before them a ll the

Way a long, b ut our parliam en t dog lay re ady b oth to ba rk and to bite, b e inglade n with on e gre at shot, a ndtw o c ases, c on ta in ing one hundre d and tw en tym uske t b u l le ts ; at length the w ay b e ing c lea re d of our m en , b ut fu l l ofth e ir’

s,

w e le t fly ; m yse lf b e ing within a yard or two a t m ost wh en it gave fire , I

cou l d e asily se e the exe cu t ion i t d id upon th em ; ye t som e of the ir horse cam e

so desperate ly on ,tha t they w e re e ve n re ady to en ter upon the m ou th of the

c annon , as pre sen t ly after the sh ot w as give n , appeared by tha t wh i ch fo l low s ;b ut som e of our com pany c rying very loud, to le t fly a nd discharge the rest

of the ordnan ce at them , they were put into a terrib le fright and fl ight too,w e fo l lowing the e xe cution . B ut the ir de sperate onse t app eare d by this,that w e

.

found three m en andfour horses lying dead wi th in less than a quo it ’

s

throw of the m ou th of the can non , andan e n sign , which w as found halfdead,ha v ing his leg shot OE, a nd som e thre e shots m ore in his body, confest the

-

.w hol e ,aflair to us.

I b e l ie ve th ey were so h it, they wil l scarce brag of th e ir victory, or

com e aga in in haste to v isit our town . The num b er of m e n which w e found

ofth e ir’

s,-Were but four that were killed ou tright, a ndfive horses. One horse

a lso the gunner him se lf took, andanother which fe l l into a m uddy ditch, and

there w as left t il l m orn ing, w h en w e took him out . One of th e se four m e n,

as our so ldiers we re stripping him , sa id he w as the first capta in of the lord

G randison’

s regim ent, and so im m ediate ly e xpired, having re ce ive d a dozenwounds ; six m ore were found dead in a wood , one of them w as a capta in ;andw e Were a lso inform e d of“

som e w ho cam e from C aversham , tha t diversJaywounde d there , so that w e m ay justly con ce i ve , they lost at l e ast thirty

ef the ir m en .

JWe lost b u t three in a ll ; one ofwhich w as a soldie r of m in e,Thom as Hye tt, a fishm onger

’

s m an , w ho w as shot through the b ody with a

pistol shot, as he w as com ing from his qu arters, w ho w as forced to m ake use

of the cava lier’

s l anguage , andcry out, where are th ese roundheadedrogues;

but they pursued him , andstru ck him through the hat with a pole - axe .

”

Esse x de term in e d to pursu e h is advantage , by laying siege to Reading,as soon as the se ason of the ye ar wo u l d adm it of h is taking the fie ld.

Ac cordingly, on the fiftee n th of Apri l, he m arche d from Windsor wi th an

arm y consisting of si xte e n thousan d foot andthre e hundred horse , andreached

H e n ley the sam e n ight, from w hence h e pu rsued his m arch the n ext day, byB infield- heath, towards R eading. The fortifi cations which surrounded the

HISTORY OF READING .

town were not sufficien t to resist, for any le ngth of tim e , a large arm y, andCHAP . I I.

b e ing com m anded by the n e ighb oring h il ls, th e result of a siege w as e asi ly

forese e n ; for th is reason , it is sa id, his m aj esty hadde te rm in ed to withdraw

his troops b efore the endof the m on th, had n ot the sudde n arriva l of Esse x

b efore the town preve nted it . ‘ This w as the m ore to b e regre tted, as the

garrison w as n ot provided with m ore than forty b arre ls of powde r ; b ut, asthe town w as we l l su ppl iedwith provisions, hopes we re en t erta ined, tha t the

garrison , which consiste d of picke d m en , wou l d b e ab le to ho ld out til l theking

‘cam e toits re l ief, e spe c ia lly as the parl iam en t ’s forces c onsiste d ch ie fly

of young re cru its, andthe officers u nacqua inte d with the m e thods of c onducting a regular siege , th is b e ing the first that had b e en unde rtaken sin ce thecom m encem e n t of the w ar. Accordingly, as soon as Charl es w as inform ed

of the designs of the e n em y, he ca l led in all his troops from the n e ighb oringgarrisons, in hope s of ra ising such a force , as m ight e nab le him at the ir headto re l ieve the garrison ; and, in the m e an t im e issued a proc lam ation offeringa fre e pardon to a ll tha t wou l d lay down the ir arm s, and re turn qu ie tly tothe ir respe ct ive hom es. This, howe ver, m ade n o im pression upon the m indsof m en

'

w ho were b e com e e n thusiasts in th e cause they had espoused, a nd

which they we re taught to consider as the ir ow n .

“ Essex m e t with no oppositiou on his m arch, t il l he re a ched Cave rsham -h i l l, whe re the roya l ists hadthrown up a sl ight entre n chm en t, wh i ch they defende d

’til l, b e ing overcom e

by

'

num b ers, they were ob l igedto re tire towards the church , which they had

fortifie d ; b ut the ste eple b e ing b e ate n down by the cannon of the en em y,they at length gave w ay, and, passing the b ridge , were fo l lowed by Essex,w ho im m ediate ly e n cam pe d with his who le arm y in the m e ads on the we stside 2 of the road, w here they threw up intren chm en tsfl

e “ the soldie rs. ( says

Vicars) b e ing as will ing to[

dea l wi th the spade a s the sword .

At the sam e tim e the lord Gray of Warwick, w ho com m anded an other

division of the parl iam ent’s forces, sat down w i th seven thousand horse and

foot on the south e ast side of the town .1’ All the avenu es to the town , e xcept

on the we st b e ing thus shut up, andthe garrison n early confin ed to the l im its

ofthe ir ow n l ine s, Essex ca l led a coun c il of w a r, to con su lt, whe the r theyshou ld im m e diate ly storm the works, which wou ld b ring the siege to a spe edyde cision , or proce ed by the slowe r, but m ore sure , m e ans of taking the town

by regu lar approache s. The offi ce rs of the cava lry were unan im ou s for storm

These en tren chm e n ts are m arkedin the annexedplan , bydo ttedlines.'I' Probab ly on the tOp of B ed- lane .

C larendon’sH istoryof the Rebe llion .

2 C odrington’s Life of Essex.

HISTORY OF READING .

CHAP . I I . ing the w orks ; but those of the infan try, considering the great sacrifi ce

1643

of m en tha t m ust e n sue in such an attem p t , for which no success in the pre sen t

state of the arm y cou ld com p ensate , were for the o ther a l ternative . The

m ajori ty of the c ou rt b e ing of th is opin ion ,the exe cution of i t w as e ntrusted

to m aj or-

gen era l Skipton, an old and e xpe ri en ced officer, w ho hadform erly

served in the Low Coun tries, and had late ly b een appointed to th is rank byboth houses of parl iam en t . ‘

Unde r hisdire ction , b atte ries we re e re cted on C aversham - hi l l ; b ut, e itherfrom the distan ce a t which they we re placed, or from the u nski lfu lness of the

e ngin eers, very l ittle dam age w as don e e i ther to the town , or the fortifi cationsin the Forb ury ; and the only office r ki l led w as l ie ute nan t—co lone l D

'

Ew s,

w hose leg w as sha tte red b y a cann on - b a l l . Neve rthe l ess sir Arthur Aston , towhom the govern m en t of the town had b e en e ntru sted by his m aje sty, prob ab ly in the hop e ofga in ing t im e

, t il l the king’

s arriva l , from whom he

e xpe c ted to re ce ive a supply of am m un i t ion , of w h ich the garrison w as in

gre a t wa n t , offe red to capitu late , on condi t ion , tha t he m ight b e pe rm itted tore t ire with his m e n

,b aggage , a rm s, a nd am m un i t ion . B ut this w as refused

by Esse x , w ho re turnedfor an swer, that he w as not com e m ere ly for the purpose of re cove ring the town , bu t with the hop e l ikewise of m aking the gar

rison prison ers of w ar.

2

Wh i le th is n egotiation w as carrying on , Esse x hadadvan ced his worksto the sou th - west part of the town , andb y tha t m eans hadga ined possessionof the high ground le ading to Cast le -stre e t, from whence e very efl

'

ort w as

m ade by the govern or to dislodge h im , b ut w ithout efl'

e ct .

The garrison had p laced som e ordnan ce on the tower of St. G iles’

s

church to ann oy the enem y, b ut th is w as b eaten down , e ither from the b atteriesra ise d by the forces under Esse x , or from those which had b e en planted onR ed- lan e - hil l, by orde r of the lord Grey.

In addi t ion to the batte ries on that side the town , there were tw o very strongforts wh ich defe nded the entran ce towards the we st . On e of the se , ca lle d

Fort- roya l, w as, I b e l ie ve , ne ar the endof Co ley- lane ; the posi t ion of the

o ther, c a l led th e Inv incib le Fort, at Harrison ’

s- barn , is n ot so c le arly poin tedo ut, b ut I am inc l ined to th ink it w as situateda t Chap e l - hi l l, n ow Town

’

s- end,

w here w as a strong brick and stone barn"E which flanked the Caversham - road,

Thisw asoriginally S t. Edm und’

s- chape l after the reform ation , it w as cal led the King’s-barn ,

andat this tim e w as prob ab ly ren tedby on e Harrison, a carp en ter ; it was taken down abou t 40 years

ago, andre - built at B attle - farm,w here it now stands.

Ludlow ’

s Mem o irs. Ibid.

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C R AP . I I.

1643

HISTORY O F READING .

However Fie lding foun d m e ans to inform his m ajesty, by fre quen t m es

sages, of the state of the garrison ; wh i ch de te rm ined him to hasten to the ir

re l ief, with such troops as cou ld b e spared from Oxford; and to order prin ceRupert, w ho w as the n a t Litchfie ld, to j o in him with all the forces h e had

with him , as we l l as those he cou ld col le ct by the w ay ; and that Fie ldingm ight not surren der the town b efore his arriva l , he sent one Flower, a se rvan t

of sir Lewis Dive s, to inform Fie l ding of his com ing, andof som e am m un ition

h e w as forwarding to him . Flower fou nd m e ans, by swim m ing a cross the

Tham es in the n ight, to get in to the town , and to de l iver his m e ssage ; but,

e ndeavoring‘

to re turn the sam e w ay, he w as se ized by som e of Essex ’

s

patroles, as he w as c om ing ou t of the wa te r, andb e ing in t e rrogated, confesseda ll he knew ; wh e reupon c olon e ls Barclay and Holb ourn

’

s regim en ts we restationed to the we stward of Cave rsham , on the road le ading to Oxford, as

an out- post to watch the m ot ion s of the e n em y .

*

A n a ttem pt w as m ade , ab ou t the sam e tim e , by a dese rter from the lord

Robert ’s regim en t, to b low up the p arl iam e n t ’s m aga zine s in the c amp ; byse t t ing fire to a tra in , la idfor tha t pu rpose , to a b arre l ofgunpowde r, for wh i ch

he w as to re ce ive five gu in e as, b u t b e ing discovered, he w as im m ediate ly tried

ande xecu ted.

‘

Esse x, h aving inform ation tha t the king w as on his m arch, sen t a party

of horse, u nde r the com m ands‘

of co lon e ls Middle ton andlVIile s,to ga in in te l

ligen ce of his stre ngth , and to throw as m any ob stac le s in the w ay of his

m arch as possib le . Th ese , fal l ing in wi th the king‘

s advan ced guard, station eda t Dorche ster, consisting of som e regim ents of horse and on e of foot, underthe com m and of c o lone l Va vasor, so com ple te ly surprised them , that on e

c apta in and si xty pri vates were taken prison ers, andab out the sam e n um b erwere killed . His maj esty’

s standard had n e arly fa l len in to the ir hands ; and

capta in Watson , his m aje sty ’

s gen tlem an harb inger, w as am ong the prison ers.

They a lso took one hun dre d and forty horses, from forty to fifty poundsva lue e ach ;

2b ut th is va l ue m ust ce rta in ly have be e n e xagge rated, consi der

ing the low rate of m oney at that t im e , un less w e suppose the w ar to haveoccasioneda disproport ion ate rise in the va lue of these usefu l an im a ls.

News having b e en b rought to F ie l ding of th is defe at, which w as erro

n eously asse rtedto have happen edto the m a in b ody ofthe arm y, unde r Charles,w ho w as adva n c ing to the re lief of the tow n ,

that com m ande r in considera t e lyhung ou t the wh i t e flag, andcom m ission e rsb e ing sen t in by Essex, a truce w as

The m ain roadto Oxfordw as, at this period, on the Oxfordshire side of the w ater.V icars. 9 Ibid.

HISTORY -OF READING.

agreed upon by both parties, . to con tinue whil e the arti cles of capitu lation CHA P . I I.we re drawing up.

This che ck, wh ich Charleshadre ce ived at Dorchester, did n ot, howe ver,pre ve n t his m arch ing the n e xt day to Wa l l ingford, whe re he w as j o in edby his

n ephews, Rupe rt andMaurice , with the troopsunderthe ircom m and, m akingthe

w hole of the forces, co l le c tedfor the re l iefofthe garrison , to c on sist offortyfive troops of horse , wi th n in e regim en ts of infan try, and twe l ve piec es of

can non . The se‘

were opposed at Caversham , by tw o regim en ts, u nde r the

com m and of the lord Rob e rt, a nd colon e l Barc lay, wh ich had susta in ed a

prin c ipa l share in the late ac t ion a t Dorchester These l ast we re sta t ion edon

the right of Ca ve rsham bridge , h a ving with them . thre e divisions of the lord

Rob ert ’s regim en t, the o the r tw o b e ing sta tione d on the left . I n this situa tion ,they wa ited the approach of the e n em y, who se righ t c o lum n , con sisting

\ of

ab ou t on e thousandm e n , headedby the e arl .of Forth, were soon after se en

m arch ing down the h i l ls, whe n , fa l l ing on the tw o div isions pla ced at the en

tran ce of the b ridge , they we re so warm ly rece ived by th is vete ran corps, tha tafter a short, b u t warm con fl ic t, they were ob l igedto re tre at, wi th the loss of a

gre at n um b er of the ir m en . The lord Rob ert w as n ot pre sen t at the com

m en c em e nt of the a ction , bu t c am e up in t im e to partake of the victory .

In th is engagem en t, the king fo ugh t at the he ad of his troops wi th great

gal lan try, but finding a ll his efforts to ga in the p assage of the bridge‘

to b e

in effe c tual, he re treatedwith the rem ainder of his forces, to Ca ve rsham - house ,

then the seat of lordCra ven , w here Fie lding, the sam e n ight, foundm eans to

a ttend him .

All the accoun ts w e have of th is engagem en t, com ing from his m aj esty ’

s

e n em ies, they m ust b e considered as ve ry p artia l . I t is hardly possib le to sup

pose , that so la rge a force asw e are told he b rought wi th him , for the re l ief of

the town , cou ldhave b e e n defe a ted by on ly tw o regim e n ts. Vicars, inde ed,says,

“ i t ple ased the Lord, in the m idst of the fight, to send am ong them a

very v iole n t andvehem en t shower ofha il and ra in , which the windb lew into

the face s of the king’

s caval iers, andgreatly offended andm o lested them , wh i le

i t w as e qua l ly fa vorab le to the parl iam e nt ’s forces, b e ing in the ir b acks.

”

B ut th is m ira c le , wh ich has b e en c on ven ien tly b rought in by m any historian s, to a ccou n t for the achie vem en t of the m ost im prob ab le victorie s, isn ot suffi cie n t of i tse lf, to a ccoun t for a v ictory ga in edby su ch an infe riori ty of

stre ngth . W e m ay, the refore , conc lude , e i the r tha t the disparity b e twe e n theopposite force s w as less, or tha t Charles had no serious inte n t ion of passing the

bridge . Ifthe advan tage hadb e e n so m uch in favor ofthe parl iam ent ’s forces,they certa in ly would n ot have suffered him to re treat, and to pass the n ight

HISTORY OF READING .

C HAP . II . without m olestat ion ,within reach of the ir ow n b atteries. The king is a lso

i643

sa idto have b rough t wi th him twe lve pie ces of c ann on b ut as l ittle or n o use

appears to have b e e n m ade of them in the e ngagem ent, I am in clin ed to thinkthat h iswhole force con sisted on ly of som e regim ents of horse , col le cted pur

pose lyfor throwing som e am m un it ion in to the tow n , ofwhich the garrison stood

in gre at n e ed; andthat the a tta ck on the b ridge w as on ly a fe in t to draw the

a t tent ion of the e n em y to that point, wh i le se vera l cart—loads of am m un ition

were conveyed to the ri ver side , andfrom then ce c arrie d bywate r to the town .

’

It is probable that Charles, wh en he m ade the atta ck on the b ridge , w as

un a cqu a inted with the tru ce which had l ate ly b e e n agree d u pon b e twe en the

gen e ra ls on e ach side ; and, for the b e tter ke eping whe reof, hostage s hadb e en

re c iprocal ly gi ven . Ign oran t of this particu lar, he se em s to ha ve expe cte d

that the garrison wou ld h ave se con ded his efforts for the ir re l ief, by m aking a

sally a t the sam e t im e on the re ar of the en em y ; b u t, b e ing disappointed in

th is e xpe ctation , andfin ding the b ri dge b arricadoed, anddefe ndedby a strongforce at e ach of its extrem ities, andso n arrow as scarce ly to adm it of four m e n

m arch ing ab re ast ofe ach othe r, h e w as com p e l led, asw e have sa id, after a shortb ut b risk act ion, to re tre at to lord Crave n ’

s a t Cave rsham - park

This se em ing b re ach of fa i th , on the p art of h is m aj e sty, w as often m adeuse of by h is e n em ie s to his disadvan tage ; and, on his tria l

, the storm ingof Ca versham - b ridge w as on e of the prin c ipa l charges b rought aga inst him ,

as having upon that occasion m ade w ar upon his subj ects.

At the confe ren ce wh ich Fie lding hadwith his m aje sty at lord Craven 5,

h e inform ed him of the state of the garrison ; that th ey were in tre aty, andhe b e l ie ved m igh t h ave ve ry good condit ions, with l ib erty to m arch ou t witha ll their arm s and b aggage . This n ews w as so agre e ab le to the king, that,in the presen ce of prince Rupert, h e tol d Fie lding, if he cou ld procure su ch

term s, to a ccept th em ; the m en and arm s b e ing a ll he wan ted, as the loss

of e i ther m ight prove fata l to the cause , in the pre sent situat ion of affa irs.2

Thus au thorised by his m ajesty, Fie lding re turn ed to the garrison ,and

the n ext m orn ing the n egotiation, wh ich during the attack on the b ridge hadb e e n in terrupted, w as ren ewed , and the capitu la t ion sign ed on th e 25th of

Apri l, after a siege of ten days ; during wh ich, the garrison , c on sist ing of

ab ou t 3000 m en , w i th 22 pie ce s of ordn an ce , hadga l lantly defe n de d the tow naga inst the a ttacks of an arm y, con sisting of n e arly m en as, in

addition to those a lre ady m en tion ed, m ust b e added som e regim e n ts ofdra

Late the property of lordC adogan , bu t now ofm ajor C harles Marsack .Vicars. 2 C lare ndon ’

s History of the Rebe llion .

HISTORY OF READING .

goons, under the she riff of London , and co lone l Langham , who hadjoined CHAP . I I .the be si egers pre vious to its surre nde r.

The fol lowing we re the art ic les of capitu la tionI . That the gove rnor, com m an ders, a nd soldiers, both horse and foot,

should m arch out, wi th co lors flying, arm s, andfour pie ce s of ordnance , am

m un ition , b ag and b aggage , lighted m atch , bu l le t in m ou th, drum s b ea ting,and trum pe ts soun ding.

I I . Tha t they shou l d have free passage to his m ajesty ’

s city of Oxford,

wi thou t inte rrup t ion of any of the forces under the c om m andof h is exce l lency

the e arl of Essex, prov ided the sa id gove rnor, com m anders, and soldiers useno host il ity unti l they com e to Oxford.

I II . Tha t what persons were a cc iden ta l ly com e to the town , and shu tup by the siege , shou ld have l ib e rty to pass withou t interruption , su ch pe rsonson ly exceptedas hadde serted from the arm y under the e arl of Essex .

IV . Tha t they shou ldhave 50 c arriage sforb aggage , sick andwounded m en .

V . Tha t the inhab itan ts of the town shou ld n ot b e prej udicedin the ire states or pe rsons, e i ther by plundering or im prisonm e n t, and tha t they w ho

shou ld le ave the town , m ight ha ve fre e leave andpassage to go to what pla cethey wou ld, with the ir goods, with in the space of six weeks after the sur

render of the town .

VI . That the garrison shou ld qu it'

the town by tw e lve of the c lock thene xt m orn ing ; and tha t the e arl of Essex shou ld provide a guard, for the

se curity of the sold iers whe n they b egan the ir m arch.

A ndlastly, tha t the ou tw orks shou ld im m e diate ly b e gi ven up, andthre eperson s of qua l i ty, as pledge s for the fa i thfu l pe rform an ce of these arti cle s. ‘

The se article s hav ing be en ra tifi ed by b oth parties, the garrison m arche d

out at the tim e appo in ted , b ut, in passing the enem y ’

s guard, they were n ot

on ly grossly ab used, b ut m any of them were disarm ed, and the ir b aggagep lunde red, e ven in the prese nce of the com m ander in ch ief, w ho w as unab leto re stra in the l icent iousn ess of the soldiers.

Th is brea ch of the artic les of c apitu lation , w as afterwards ple aded as

an e xcuse , for m any acts of crue l ty and injustice pra ctised by the roya l ists onsuch of the con trary party as the chan ce s of w ar threw in to the ir powe r ;which w as aga in re ta l iated by the ir enem ies, n e ither of th em thinking themse lve s b ound to a stric t observan ce of those treaties which were m ade in the

se que l* of the contest .

He de liveredup the tow n (Bristo l), upon articles, w hich w ere no t w e l l kept,in re taliation, as

they pre tended, for the like breach of our’sat the taking ofReading.

—Ludlow’s Mdmoim

Robert C odrington’s Life ofEssex .

C n ar . I I .

HISTORY OF READING .

A s soon as the garrison had jo in ed th e king at Ne ttlebed, he proceeded

on his m arch to Oxford, where i t w as whispered ab out, am ong the officers

andso ldie rs, that there had n ot b ee n fa ir dea l ing, andthat Re ading hadb e en

b e t rayed.Whe re upon co lone l Fie ld ing, whose reputation as a soldier and a

m an of hon or w as ca l led in question , re quested his m aje sty to ca l l a coun c i l

of w ar, to in ve stigate his c onduc t wh ile in com m an d, a nd to c le ar him from

the im pu tation of tre achery . Th is w as the m ore n e cessary, as the soldiers

in a disorderly m ann er, a ccused him , not on ly of be traying and de l iveringup the town to the enem y, b u t a lso for h aving had fre qu e n t in tercourse

with the e arl of Esse x ; and for hindering, andforb idding them , to issu e but

of the town to jo in the king, w h en h e cam e to the ir re l ief, a lthough the

office rs had drawn them up for tha t purpose .

In conse qu ence of these insinuations, and his ow n request, the co lon e l

w as put un der arrest, in order to b e trie d by a court m artia l ; his m aj esty

b e ing particu larly in cen sed aga in st him ,for that c lause in the th ird article ,

which gave le ave to all w ho were a ccidenta l ly c om e into the town , and

de ta inedby the siege , to pass withou t m o lestation, wi th an e xception to the

d eserters from Esse x ’

s arm y, under co lor o fwh ich, se vera l so ldiers were taken

after the surrende r ofthe town , andshot : th e n atura l conse qu en ce ofc iv il w ar.

Notwi thstan ding the ab le and spirited defen ce m ade by th e co lon e l on

his tria l, so strong were the prejudi ce s aga inst him , that h e w asfound guilty

of disob eying orde rs, and thereupon se n ten ce d to b e b eh eaded ; a lthough he

hadhis m aje sty ’

s ow n san ction a nd approb ation pre v iously to his sign ing thetre aty . For th is reason, pe rh aps, i t w as n ot though t fi t to put the

'

sen tence

in'

e x e cution ; so that, afte r b e ing re spite d from tim e to tim e , he at length

rec e i ve d a fre e pardon ; b ut, according to Clarendon , he n e ver wholly

recove red th e shock wh ich his repu ta t ion fe lt in this affa ir.

During the siege , the town itse lf sufi'

ered ve ry l ittle from the en em y ’

s

cann on, for excepting the injury don e to the abb ey, wh ich w as the principa lpo in t of attack , and the destru ction of the towe r of St . G iles’

s church,'

by

cannon shot, w e do n ot‘

h ear of any o ther m ateria l injury i t re ce ived; thre ehouses indee d we re burn t down in Sievier- stre e t ; b u t thisw as occasion edratherby the care le ssn ess of the soldiers, w ho we re qu artered in them ,

than by thefire of the e nem y . The town w as b e sides so we l l suppl ied wi th provisions,tha t when the parl iam ent’s force s took posse ssion ,

they found the butchers’

sta l ls fu l l of m e a t , the re w as plenty of b e e r andwine in a ll the tave rnsanda le - houses, and seven ty quarte rs of oats, and fifty quarters ofwheat in one

C larendon ’s History of the Rebe l lion.

HISTORY OF READING.

place of the town, so th at i t w as supposed, if sir Arthur Aston hadn ot be en CHAP . I I .disab led in the ea rly part of the siege , the e arl wou ld not so soon , if at all,

have ga ined possession of the place .

*

In con firm ation of the above description of the siege of Re ading, w e

shal l add the fol lowing testim ony of c o lon e l Codrington , w ho w as h im se lfpresen t at the siege , and conse quen tly w as best able to give a corre ct ac coun tof e ve ry transac tion a t tending i t :

His exce l lency, the e arl of Esse x, about the m iddle of Apri l 1 643, didqu it his win ter quarters at W indsor, andadvan cedtowards Oxford ; he se em e d

to pass by Reading, to rende r that garrison m ore se cure , and that the chiefeststre ngth b e ing gon e , whe re the ch iefest dange r did appear, h e m ight takeReading with the m ore e ase and speed ; having the refore whe e led about, heun expe ctedly cam e and

‘

sat down b efore Reading, and se nt his trum pe ter tothe governor, to surrende r tha t town unto him , for the service of the king and

parl iam en t . Co lone l Ashton , (Aston)w ho w asgove rn or ofit, re turn ed a stub b ornanswer ; that he wou lde ithe r ke ep the town or starve , a nddie in i t . Therefore his ex ce l lency, tak ingcom passion of the wom en andchi ldren , which were

to undergo the c om m on danger, he sent un to the gove rnor, that they m ight besuffered to com e forth ; b ut this a lso w as refused by the co lone l .

Hereupon our so ldie rs b egan to en tre n ch them se lve s, andda i ly to m aketh e ir approaclies n earer a nd ne are r to the town ; his e xce l len cy e ncam ped on

the west part thereof, b e twixt Reading andOxford, to pre ve nt any re l ief tha t

m ight com e _ to i t . The enem y hadm any strong ou t-works, andinthe garrison

we re three thousand soldiers,b esides townsm en ; m any pie ce s of ordn an ce ,

and gre at store of provision and am m un ition . They had strongly fort ified

Caversham - hi ll,which com m an ds the town from th is place they were b e ate n

anddriven n earer the ir works. This h il l b e ing ga ined, w e ra ise d our b at t eries

o n it, wh i ch m uch ann oye d the e n em y, w ho ende avouring to m ake se vera l

sa l l ies, were a lw ays b eaten in wi th loss. They plan ted som e ordnance on a

ste e ple , but ou r cannon were le ve l led aga inst i t with su ch de xte ri ty, that both

c annonee rs andcann on were soon b uried unde r the ruins. O ur ordnance pe rpe

tually b e atingdown the house s, andAshton (Aston ) the governor b e ingwounde d

in the he adby the fa l l ofsom e bric ksfrom a b a tte redchim ney, m ade him will ingto surre nde r the town if his soldie rs m igh t m a rch aw av w i th b ag andb aggage ;

b u t his exce l lency se nt him wordthat he cam e for m e n , andn ot the town on ly .

The king, resolving to ra ise the siege ofRe ading, m arched from Oxford,

Sir Sam ue l Luke , the Hudibras of But l er, w as w ith the parliam e nt ’s arm y before the tow n,andis saidto have w ritten a journ al of the siege .

—Lyson’

s B ritannia .

V icars.

G

HISTORY OF READING.

CHAP .I I

.with n in e reg

im en ts of horse andn ine offoo t, andtwe l ve p ie ces of ordnan ce .

His exce l le ncy understanding that his m aj esty and the tw o Ge rm an

‘

prin ce s

we re wi th them in person , he ordere d tw o regim e nts ou t to oppose them , wh ich

w ere those of the lord Rob erts andco lone l Barc lay .

The fight b egan ab ou t Caversham - b ridge , andon b oth side s great valor

andre solu t ion we re expresse d . After less than ha lf an . hour’

s fight, the ene m y

began to give ground , l e av ing ab out thre e hundred arm s, and m any of the ir

m en beh indthem ; the ir horse a lso which cam e down the h i l l to assist the foo t/

were ga l lan tly re pu lsed . There we re ab ou t one hundred of the en em y sla in

upon the spo t, a m ong whom w as serj eant m aj or Sm i th, in whose pocke ts we re

foun d goodstore of gol d.The e n em y b e ing thus b eaten in the fie l d , re treated to Wa l lingford,

andco lon e l Botle s, l ie u te n ant- colone l The lw e ll andse rj e an t - m aj orG i lby, we resen t in by his e xce l lency to tre at for the surrende r of the town ; and lordRochford, l ie utenan t- colon e l Russe l, and serj e ant - m aj or King, were give n up.

as hostages for the ir safe re turn .

O n on e of the king’

s standards, the in vent ion w as, the efligie s of the

parl iam en t-house , with tw o tra itors’

he ads on po l es upon the top of it,with

this inscription : S icu t extra , sic intus. ( the sam e wi thin , as wi thout. ) The

parl iam en t b e ing so indign an t a t it, vo ted, that the au thor of i t, whoe ve r hem ight b e , shou ld b e for e ver ban ished the kingdom , as b e ing unworthy to l ivein the Engl ish a ir.

Thus ended the siege of Re ading,* to the re l ief and satisfa ction of the

Rob ert C odrington’s Life of Essex .

The ac coun ts of the siege of R e ading, pub l ished at the tim e,are so vague andcon tradic tory,

that it is alm ost im possib le,from them alon e , to fix the situation of the besieging arm y w ith any cer

tain ty . M r. C o ates,fo l low ing the W e ek ly In te ll igen c er, says, that Essex m archedfrom W indsor

,

by Loddon - bridge , andse t dow n on the w est - side of the tow n , w he re the w orks w e re w eakest .” B ut:

it m ust be e vide n t, to e very one acqu ain ted w ith the cou n try , tha t it w as im possib le for the arm yu nde r Essex

,to have reachedthe w est- side of the tow n by that rou te , w ithou t e ither passing through

its W t h w as im possib le , or,by a circu itous m arch tow ardsW hitley, to have e n cou nte red all the

difliculties atte nding the m a rch of an arm y,w ith the ir artille ry and b aggage , ove r a de ep andrapid

river, andthrough sw am py m eadow s,in te rse c tedby w e t ditches andbrooks, ande xposedthe w ho le of

the m arch , to a cross fire from the e n em y ’s batteries at e ach e x trem ity of the tow n . How e ve r,w e are to ld, that the e arl having, som e how or o ther, go t on the w est side of the tow n ,

“secureda

post at a kn ight ’s house , at abou t a m ile ’s andafte rw ards at tackedsir C harlesB loun t ’shouse ,

One of the Blagrave fam ily, w hich possessedthe house alludedto , had, in a form er re ign , bee n kn ighted, but theperson w ho then possessedthe house , w asonly a country gen tlem an , as appears from a pro tection gran tedhim by C harles,andnow in the posse ssio n ofJ. Blagrave , e sq . at Gale o t. In this pro te ct io n , his m ajesty re qu ires and com m ands a ll

hi5 1°Vings“ blfl i lss l o protect anddefe ndjohn Blagrave, esq . and his w ife , against the violence and oppression ofallrebelsand traitors."

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H{story of R eadz'

n

CHAPTER I II .

I M B’I EDIATELY on his taking possession of the town , Esse x began to

m ake preparat ion sfor u nde rtaking the siege ofOxford, acc ording to the plan

l a id down for him by the parl ia m en t ; b u t w as preven ted from putting i t in to

im m ediate e xe cution , by an e pidem i c fe ver which b roke out in the garrison,

and which carried off grea t n um b e rs of the m en .

6kso tha t it w as ne arly the

e ndof Ju ly, b efore he w as ab le to le ave Reading with his arm y gre atly

reduced in n umb erxf'

Before his de parture , ha ving ca l led toge the r the m em b ers of the cor

poration , he com m anded a ve ry h eavy contrib ution to b e l e vied on the inha

b itan ts for the paym en t of the so ldie rs, bu t i t b e ing foun d im possib le to ra ise

the m oney, a com m itte e w as appointed from the ir body “ to wa i t on the

lord ge ne ra l, andto inform him that the town w as so m uch im poverished by

the late siege , andthe exac tions of his m aj esty , that they were u tte rly unab le

to ra ise any m ore m oney am ong them .

“ It is prob ab le that th is repre sen

tation had its effe ct wi th the genera l , as n o entry is m ade in the diary of any

m oney b e ing col le c ted on this occasion .

Towards the endof the ye ar, Esse x be ing sent to the re l ief ofG loceste r ;Charles w as obliged to ra ise the siege of that c ity, andm a rche d tow ards N ew

bury,in hopes of in tercepting Esse x on his re tu rn , whithe r tha t n oblem an

arri ve d on the 20th of Septem b e r, and w as surprised to find , that, by hastym arches, Charles had got possession of the town b efore him . He re he foun d

h im se lf under the n e cessi ty of com ing to an engagem ent, which w as the

On diggingthe foundation for the coun ty bridew e ll , the n orth w ingofwhich isbu il t on the Spo twhe re the cem e tary ofthe abbey church w as, se vera l hum an ske le tons w ere discove red, som e at the

usual de pth in the ground, o thersvery n ear the surface , as ifde posited in haste . M an y of the bon es

w ere in a perfec t state , andthe tee th such as m ight b e e xpe c tedin youngm en w ho com pose the princ ipal part of an arm y, andw ere doub tless the rem ains of those w ho fe l l vic tim s to thisdisorder

,or w ere

killedduring the siege .

'l' N o t long after the surrender of the tow n,it p leasedA lm ighty G odto visit the arm y of the

parliam e n t w ith sickness, by w hich m an y of our youngm en perished,andthe rest , on accoun t ofthe ir

w e akn ess, w ere disab ledfrom doingm uch service in the fie ld. Physic, andwhatever e lse w as thoughtexpedien t, w as sent forfrom London , asw e l l asm on ey andc lothesfor the soldiers.

C orporation D iary.

HISTORY OF READING .

hottest tha t had hitherto take n pla ce b e tw e en the con tending part ies. Manyn ob lem en and gen tlem e n , as we l l as pri va te s, fe l l on b oth sides, and the

v ic tory, as is com m on in doub tfu l c ase s, w as cla im e d by b oth parties, though

the king’

s forces had e v ide n t ly the advan tage , as they k ept possession of the

town , wh i le those of the parl iam e n t we re ob l iged to pass the n ight in theopen fie lds, in wan t of a lm ost e ve ry n e ce ssary . Howe ve r, e arly in the n e xtm orn ing, Esse x orde red a gun to b e fi re d, a s a cha l lenge to the e n em y, whi chn ot b e ing a cce pted, he im m edia te ly b egan his m arch towards Re ading; thisb e ing pe rc e i ved by the e ne m y, prince Rupe rt w as orde red to fo l low him wi thone thousand m uske te e rs andsom e troops of c ava lry ; w ho greatly im peded

his m arch, by con t in ual ly a ttacking his rear guard, so tha t it w as la t e in thee ve n ing b efore he arri ved at E nglefield. The darkness of the n ight: havingo ccasion ed som e confusion in the ir m arch , through the n arrow lan e s b etwe entha t v i llage a nd The a le , the prince took advantage of the ir disorde r, and

fa l l ing upon them wi th his who le force , so in cre a sed the confusion , tha t the

office rs hadn o longe r the com m an d ofthe ir m en , b ut e ach sh ift ing for h im se lf,took the d iffe re n t roads, a ndi t w a s not

’ t il l n e a r te n o’

c lock a t n igh t, tha t Essex,with part ofhis a rm y re a ched The a le .

’

A s it w as, the slaughte r w as very gre a t

a ndon e of the l ane s in the roadto Engle fi e ld stil l re ta in s the nam e of De ad

m en’

s- lane , from th e num b er of the de ad that w as afterwards found in i t .Essex re m a ined tha t n ight a t The a le , and the n ext morn ing pursu ed his

m arch un m ole stedto Re ading. Here he re m a in e d seve ra l days, to re cove r his

troops from the fatigue they hadunde rgone from so long a m arch, afte r wh ich

he re tire d to his form er qu arters a t Windso r,taking wi th him the garrison,

to supply the de fi c ie n cy in h is arm y, occasion edby the loss i t had sustain e d

in the b a ttle ofNewb ury, a s we l l as in the differe n t confl icts with prin ce

Rupert, w ho had hung on the ir re ar from G loc e ster to Thea le . Charles no

sooner he ard that he hade vacu a ted the town , than he sent Sir Jacob Ashleywith tw o thousandfive hundredm e n to take possession of i t.Ab ou t th is t im e the house of com m ons de te rm inedto bring archbishop

Landto tria l , he b e ing considereda s the prin c ipa l instigator of the arb itrary

m e asure s pursued by the king, which hadinvo lvedthe n a tion in a ll the horrors

of c iv i l w ar. He had be e n c om m itted to the Towe r, on the com m en cem en t

of the troub le s, and on the 95th of Apri l , 1 642, w as fi ne d in the sum of

twen ty thousand pounds, in virtue of a b i l l tha t had passed b oth house s of

p arl iam e n t, for the pun ishing the la te m em b e rs of the c onvocation andM r.

Pym , in the nam e of the com m ons, e xhib ite d fourte en artic les of accusation

Ludlow’sM em oirs.

HISTORY OF READING .

aga inst him at the b ar of the hou se of lords, b ut these had b een suffere d tolie dorm an t ’til l the 23d

'

ofOctob e r 1643, w he n b e ing aga in prese n te d at the

b ar of the house byM r.Wilde ,‘a serj e an t at law , toge ther with ten addition a l

artic le s, he w as ordered by the lords to give in his answe r with in seve n days,b ut by the great n um b e r of p e titions he presen t ed to the house , and the expe

dien ts his counse l furn ished him with for the sake of de lay, in hope s n o doub ttha t som e favorab le occurre n ce m igh t happen in his m aj e sty ’

s favor, whichhe m igh t take advantage of, h e found me ans to put off his appe aranc e ’ti l l the1 2th of March fo l lowing, wh en, says the h istorian , he repl ied to e a chseparate artic le , and m ade as fu l l , a s ga llan t, as pithy a defen ce , and spakea s m uch for h im se lf a s w as possib le for the wit of m an to in ve n t, andtha t

w ith so m uch v iva city, oratory, auda city and con fide n ce , tha t he shewed not

the le ast a ckn owledgm en t of gu ilt, in any ofthe partic u lars tha t we re charge daga inst him .

” 2 Indeed the com m ons se em edto hav e b e e n con vinc ed that theyshou ld n ot b e ab le to con v ict him of the tre ason whe rewith h e w as charged,from e ithe r of the article s take n separate ly, and accordingly hadre course toa b i l l of atta inde r, wh ich w as carried through the house wi th on ly one dissen t

ing vo ice , a t the ve ry tim e that Lau d w as m aking his defe n c e b efore the lords,andas the b i l l w as founde d on all the art ic l es taken co l le cti ve ly, i t w as pre

sum e d such strong e viden ce wou l d not b e re qu ired to con vict him , as if theywere taken se parate ly.

The b i l l b e ing sent up to the lords, th ey, after som e tim e , re qu esteda con

feren ce w ith the c om m ons, in wh ich they inform ed them ,that they foundthe

archb ishop gu i l ty of the artic le s as to m atter of fact, b ut requested furthersatisfa ction whe th e r they am oun ted to tre ason in po in t of law . The com m on s

e nde avore d to satisfy the m as to the poin t of law , b ut suspe c ting by the di latory m an ner of the ir proce edings, that they m ean t to skre en him from pun ishm en t, th ey had re course to the ir form er practices, and by the ir e m issaries

procure d sub sc riptions to b e se t on foo t, andpe t it ions pre sented to them se l ves,from the citi zens of London andothe rs, in wh ich they we re re qu ested to proc e ed with vigour aga inst all de l inquen ts. These proce edings so in tim ida tedthe lords, tha t the gre ate r part of them are sa id to have wi thdrawn from the

house , wh en the rem a inde r, on ly seve n or e ight in num b er, passed the billwithou t any am e ndm en ts.

Whe n the archb ishop w as inform e d by the l ieutenan t of the tower, tha tthe b i l l w as passed, he n e i ther en terta in e d the n ews with stoi ca l apa thy, nor

w a ited his fate with we ak andwom an ish lam e n tations; bu t heard it with so

Heylin’s Life of archbishop Land. C larendon ’

sHistory of the R ebe llion.

HISTORY OF READING.

e ven and sm ooth a tem pe r, as shewed he ne i ther w as asham ed to l i ve, nor

afra idto die . The t im e be twe e n the sen ten ce a ndexe cut ion he spen t in praye rand appl ica t ion to the Lord his G od. For so we l l w as he studied in the art

of dying, that by con t in ua l fastings, watch ings, prayers, and such l ike a ctsof christian hum i l ia t ion , his flesh w as ra t ifi ed into spiri t , and the whole m an

so fi t tedfor e te rna l gl orie s, tha t he w as m ore than ha lfin he a ve n , b efore de athb rought his b loody b u t trium pha l chariot to c on vey h im thither. tW hen

sen te n ce w as p assed upon him , he p rodu ced a pardon , signedby his m aJe styin the pre c eding Ap1 i1, b u t th is b e ing voted of n o effe ct by his unre le n tingpe rse cu tors, he w as orde red to b e e xe cu ted as a tra itor to his c oun try, in the

January fo l lowing. In the m e an tim e he p e t it ionedthe tw o houses, that them an ne r of his e xe cu t ion m ight b e ch anged to dec apitation , and that som e

of his ow n chapla ins m igh t b e adm i t ted to a tten d h im , b o th b efore , and a t

the tim e of his e xe cu t ion . These requests we re re adily gran ted by the pe e rs,bu t the com m on s refuse d b oth, on ly sending him tw o m in iste rs whom he did

n ot ask for. The n e x t day he prese n ted a nothe r pe t ition for de capitation , on

the groun d that h e w as a divin e , a b ishop , a privy c ounse l lor, anda pe e rwhe reupon the c om m ons w e re at last induced to conse n t to his b e ing b ehe aded .

Ac co rdingly, on the 10th of Janu ary, he w as b rought upon the scaffo ld

on Tower hi ll”

whe n he addressed the spe cta tors in a long spe e ch , or rather

se rm on ,taking his te x t from Heb rews, xi i , Le t us run w ith pa t ien ce the

ra ce tha t 1 5 se t b efore us, looking un to Je sus, the au thor and fin isher of our

fa i th ; w ho for the joy that w as se t b efore him ,e ndured the cross, despising

the sham e , a ndis se t down a t the right handof the thron e ofG od.

”

In this spe e ch, h e de c la red his abhorren ce of the crim e of tre ason , andadded, in m y an sw er at the bar of the house of lords, to the se vera l cha rge sbrought aga inst m e , I protested m y inn oc e ncy, b ut i t has b e e n sa id, tha t

prrsone rs’ protesta t ions at the b ar m u st n ot b e take n . I can b ring n o witn ess

of m y he art, andthe in t e n t io n the re of; I m ust the refore , com e to m y prote s~

t ation , n ot a t the b ar, b u t m y pro te station of th is hour, and in stan t of m y

d eath, in wh ich I hope a ll m en w i l l b e such charitab le Christians, a s n ot to

th ink I wou ld die and disse m b le, b e ing in st an tly to gi ve an accoun t of the

tru th of i t. I do the refore he re , in the presen ce of G od, andhis ho ly ange ls,t ake it upon m y de a th, that I n e ve r intended the sub v ersion of law .or re ligion ;andI de sire you a ll to rem em b e r this prote st of m in e for m y in nocency in th is,and from all treasons w hatso e ver. I have b e en a ccused a lso as an e nem y to

parl iam ents ; no, I understan d them , and the b en e fit tha t com e s by them , too ,

Heylin’

s Life ofA rchbishop Laud.

HISTORY OF READING .

we ll, to be so . B ut I did m isl ike the m isgovernm en t ofsom e parl iam en tsm any ways, a ndI hadgood re ason for i t ; for corruptio Optim i, est pc

‘

ssim a ;

there is n o corrup t ion in the world so b ad, as tha t wh i ch is of the best thingswith in itself,

’

for the b etter a thing is in n ature , the worse i t is corrupte d .

A nd tha t b e ing the highe st court, over which no other has jurisdiction , wheni t is m isinform e d or m isgovern ed, the subje ct is left without all rem edy . B ut

I haveflon e , I forgive all th e world, a ll, a nde very ofthose b i t te r en em ies whichhave prose cuted m e , andhum b ly desire to b e forgi ven of G odfirst, andthen

of e very m an whe ther I have offende d him or n ot, if he do bu t con ce ive that

I have . Lord, do thou forgi ve m e ! A ndI b eg forgiven ess of him . A ndso

I he arti ly desire you to jo in in prayer with

He the n praye d a lou d forsom e tim e ; wh ich don e , he ca l led the e xecu

tion er to h im , andsa id, here honest friend, G odforgi ve the e, and I do, and

do thy office upon m e with m ercy .

” He the n kn e e led down , andafter a short

prayer, l a id his he ad upon the b lock, e xcla im ing, Lord re ce ive m y sou l wh ichw as the signa l to the e xecu tioner, w ho a t on e b low se ve red his he ad from

his b ody.’

Thus fe l l archb ishop Laud,”E a m an endowe‘d by n ature with great ab i l ities,but these were counte rb a lan ce d by an unb oun ded am b i t ion ,

and an infl e x ib lese ve rity . Though born in ra ther an ob scure station , he ra ised him se lf to theh ighest office in the church , and w as supposed to have had a grea t influé ncein the civi l adm in istration of the cou n t ry, from the deferen ce pa id him by the

m on arch . Had he b e en m ore m ode rate in his pol itica l conduct, and l essb igoted in his

‘

re l igious ten ets, the country m ight have de ri ved considerab lea dvan tage from his gre a t ab i l it ies, and the power which fortun e hadplaced in

h is hands. B ut he no sooner be cam e archb ishop ofCan te rb ury, than he dis

The fol low ing inscription is roundth e fram e ofhis pic ture in the coun cil - cham berTo the M em ory of D r. W il liam Laud

, A rch B ishop of C an t w ho

w as a Libe ral B en efac tor to this Town , w hich w as hon ored

w ith his B irth :A fter he hadm an y years ser vedt he Church, under the

D efendersofthe Faith ; K ingJam es, andKingC harlesthe Martyr

‘He w as so lem n ly m urderedby a fac tion of Rebells,

upon Tow er-hill , London , the l oth day of Jan uary ,A . D . m n c x u ri r,

‘

A e tatissuae Lx x ri t r.

The gift of D r. Pe te r M ew s. Vicar of S t. Maries

Reading, andA rch D eacon ofB erks, 1 667.

Heylin’s Life of A rchbishop Land. 9 Hum e ’

sHistory ofEngland.

M CIHHBIISIHIQJP LAU D . 1FR ©M"

li“

lHUE ( DR IIG IIN AL IIN THEE. C ’ONUN C IHL (CHAM BER .

lillis h ou se fun B ro ad Stre e t

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H ISTORY OF READING .

b owed seven tim es. Aft e r the re ading of m any praye rs, b e approache d the

sacre d e le m en ts, and gen tly l ifte d up the corner of the napkin in wh ich the

b read w as placed. \Vhe n he b ehe ld the b re ad, he sudde n ly let fa l l the napkin ,

flew b ack a ste p or tw o , b owed thre e se ve ra l tim es towards the bre ad ; then

he drew n igh aga in , o pe ned the n apkin , andb ow ed as b efore .

Ne x t he la i d his hand on the c up, wh i ch hada cover upon i t, andw asfi l le d w i th wine : He le t go the c up, fe l l b ack, a nd b owed thrice towards i t .

He approached aga in ; and l ift ing up the cov e r, p e eped in to the cup . See ingthe win e , he le t fa l l the cove r, started ba ck, and b owedas b efore . Then he

re c e i vedthe sacram e n t,andga ve i t to othe rs. A nd m any praye rs b e ing said,

the sole m n i ty of the conse cra tion e n ded . The wa l ls and roof of the fabricwere the n supposedto b e suffic ien tly ho ly.

The se superstitious c e rem oni es d id in appe aran ce warra n t his enem ie s

in the charge they brough t aga inst him , of his e n de avouring to introducepope ry, though i t is c e rta in he diffe red from that church in m a ny of its e ssentials, as m ay b e se e n in his c onfe re n ce wi th Fishe r the jesuit, andthe pa ins het ook in b ringing o ver m any of tha t com m un ion to the church of England .

B ut though he m ust b e a cqu i tte d of tha t cha rge , yet his conduct shews, tha t

he w as arb i tra ry in his principles, and carrie d the au thori ty of the starcham b er, whi le he pre sided in it, to a gre ate r e xten t than any of his predec e ssors, andd id n ot scrup le to m ake use of i t in vindicat ion of h im se lf

,when

e ve r an opportun ity offered of p uting i t in pra ct i ce , as m ay b e see n by thefol lowing instan ces sti l l on re cord .

One Bowyer, a ge n t lem an’

s servan t, com ing to Re ad ing soon after Land ’

s

e levat ion to the se e of Can te rbury, gave out,‘ tha t the archb ishop w as con ~

fi ned to his house at Fu lham , w here twen ty - four of the guards, twe l ve by

n igh t, andtw e l ve by day, w e re set to watch. him . That his con fin em en t w as

for four points of high trea son, which he affirm ed to b e these : l st, Tha t thesa idarchb ishop w as an a rm en ian ; 2d, that he had sen t l e tters to the pope ;3d, th a t the archb ishop sa id, that the m idwife of the v irgin Mary, w as a

m ediatri x to our sav iour 4th, that the virgin Mary w as n o hum an cre ature .

A nd a lso affirm ed, that he hadse e n four le tters, wri tten with the archb ishop ’

s

ow n h and ; which we re to b e sen t to Rom e , tw o to the pope , andtwo to car

dina l B lun t , the substan ce whe re ofw as, as b e affirm ed, tha t the sa id archb ishopw as re ady to do for those a t Rom e wh at w as in h is power, andthat they shou ld

dire ct the ir le tte rs to the quee n of England’

s c‘

ourt . That the sa id archb ishopwou l d b e an agen t to them , to se ndle tters b a ck aga in . That the archb ishoppre ached a serm on b efore the king in Scotland , that w as fit to b e pre ache d

before the pope , andthat he was reproved for the sam e, in a serm on prea ched

HISTORY O F READING.

by bishop Hamb le ton, b efore his m ajesty. That the archb ishop a l lowed five

hundre d pounds a year of his own m e an s to the pope , andthat se ven teen thousand pounds a ye ar w as a lso a l lowe d the pope by his m e ans.

B e ing b rought to tria l b efore the h igh court of star- cham b e r" for thisoffence , he w as sente n ced, to b e com m itte d to b ridewe l l , there to b e kept tohard labor during his l ife, andne ve r to he suffered to go ab road he w as a lsofin ed in the sum of three thousan d pounds, andordere d to b e se t ~ in the pil lorya t We stm inster, with a paper on his he ad, de claring his offenc e , andthe re toa cknowledge andconfe ss the sam e . T o b e set in the pillory at Che apside , withthe l ike paper, andthe re m ake the l ike subm ission and a ckn owledgm en t, andto b e burn t in the forehe ad, with the le tte rs L andR , andto b e set in the pil loryat Reading, with the l ik e pape r, and both his e ars to b e na i led there to, andtom ake the like subm ission anda cknowl edgem ent as b efore .

“

Though the offen ce com m itted by th ism an m ust b e a l lowe d to have b e en veryprovoking, ye t

'

the fe e l ings ofe very hum ane person m ust re vo l t a t th e se ve rity of

h ispun ishm ent, infl i ctedi t is true, u n der the a ppe aran ce ofjustice , bu t in re a l i tydictate d byre venge . If

,how e ver, som e e xcuse m ayb e ple aded in b ehalfofLaud,

from the aggravating n ature of the offe n ce in th is case , which w as who l ly per

son a l ye t e ven tha t apology cannot b e adm ittedin the fo l lowing on e , the on ly

offen ce com m it t edby the suffe rer, b e ing a com pl ian ce with h is m aster’

s orde r, in

c arrying an e ngraved le tter to the prin ter’

s, wh e n M r. Prynn e w as pub lishinghis Histrio -Mastix . M r. Prynn e hadgot the first le tter of the work , wh ich

happe n ed to b e a C , ornam ented in a p e cu l iar style , so as to re presen t se vera l

obj e cts, this he sent by his servan t, N . Wickens, to the printe r ; for which

supposed crim e Wickens w as afterwards t 1 ie d by the high com m ission court

at Lam b e th, as appears from h is sub se quen t pe tition to the house of com m ons,

w here in he states, tha t he hadb e e n excom m u n icated by the c ourt, andfined

on e thousand pounds on seve ra l art i cles to this effe c t : W e obj e ct to you N.

Wickens, tha t you know or be l ie ve , that the le tter, wh ich you ca rried to the

printer, to b e set th e first l e tter u pon the book, w as a very com ple te le tter,

andso artific ia l ly cut, as tha t to look on i t the u sua l w ay, i t se em e d a com plete

and perfe c t C , bu t turne d one side of i t, and i t appe ared a pope ’

s h ead, and

the n turn ed an othe r w ay, andthere appeare d an arm y of m en or so ldi ers. A nd

w e re qu ire you to de clare , by v irtu e of your oath , to your b est knowledge and

b e l ief, who or what w as m e an t by the pope ’

s he ad, i n the sa id le tte r or se a l ?

a nd w ho or wha t by the arm y of so l die rs P and w ho by the l e tte r C a nd

w he ther by the C w as m ean t his grace of Can terb ury ? and by the - pop e’

s

S tar C ham berR eports, 9 th of C harles I 2 Rushworth

’s C o lle ctions.

HISTORY OF READING .

h e ad , that his grace w as m e an t ? andth at by the arm y ofm en or so l d ie rs wasm e an t , that his grac e wou ld b e the cause of wars in this kingdom ab out re l i

gion , or som e o ther l ike - m e an ing or de vice ? “ For this supposed offenc e ,

I’

Vickins w as sen t en ced to pay a fin e of one thousand pou nds wi th cost of su i t,

w as excom m un icated, andcom m ittedto prison, there to rem a in in safe custody’ti]l furth e r orde r shou ld b e take n by the court .

‘Ve sha l l c on clude th is accoun t of Landwith the fo l lowing e xtrac ts fromcon tem po rary au thors, wh ich if re a d with prope r a l lowance s for priva te pi que ,andparty prej udices, m ay e n ab l e th e re ade r to form a ge n e ra l estim ate of his

character. Archb ishop Ab b ot, 916 his prede cessor in the se e of C a n te rb ury,describ e s him as the on ly inwa rd counse l lor of Buckingham , sitting w ith

him som e t im e s pri va te ly whole hou rs, and fe eding h is hum ors with m a l iceand spite . His l ife in Oxford w as to p ick quarre ls in the le c ture s of the

pub li c re ade rs, a ndto adve rtise the m to the then b ishop of D urham ,that he

m ight fi ll th e e ars of king Jam e s wi th discon te n t aga inst the hon e st m e n that

took pa in s in the ir place s, andse t t led the tru th (which he ca l led puri tan ism )in the ir auditors.

He m ade i t h is work to se e wha t books were in the pre ss, andto look

o ver e pistle s dedica tory, and pref-

ace s to the reader, to se e wha t fau lts m ight

b e found .

It w as an obse rva tion , What a swe e t m an th is w as l ike to b e That the

first observab le ac t that he didw as the m arrying of C . Blun t , e sq . ofDevonsh ire to l ady Rich (wife of the e arl ofWarwick , w ho w as then a l ive ) wheni t w as

'

n otorious to the world tha t she hadan other husb and, and the sam e a.

nbb lem an , w ho haddive rs chi ldren by her the n l iv ing.

King Jam e s did for m any ye ars take this so i l l , that he wou ld n e verh ear of any gre at preferm en t of h im , insom u ch tha t th e b ishop of Lincoln ,doctorWilliam s, w ho take th upon him to b e the first prom ote r of him , hath

m any tim e s sa id, that when he m ade m ent ion of Landto the king, his m aj estyw as so a ve rse from it, tha t he w as constra in ed oftentim es to say,

‘ that he wou l dn ever d e sire to se rve that master which cou ld n ot rem i t on e fa ult ofhis servan t . ’

We l l in the end, he didc on que r i t, to get him to the b ishoprick of St.David’

s, wh ich he hadn ot long enjoye d, b ut he b egan to underm ine his b ene

fa ctor, as at th is day i t appe areth.

The coun te ss of Bu ckingham told Lin co ln ,that St . Dav id ’

s w as the

Abbot hadb een suspe ndedfrom his offi ce,at the instigation of Laud

, (as he supposed,) for notl icensingSib thop

’

s andM anw aring’s Serm ons

,in favor of the ge n eral loan dem andedby his m ajesty;

W ickins’

s pe tition to the House ofC om m ons.

HISTORY OF READING .

m an that underm ine d him with her son . And ve rily , such is h is aspiringn ature , that he wil l unde rwork any m an in the world , so tha t he m ayga in by i t .

Clarendon ob se rve s, tha t le t his fa vorite s say what they wil l , he w as one

of the ch ief au thors of the troub les tha t in h is tim e affl i cted England, first,

by supporting wi th a ll h is powe r, the arb i trary prin ciple s which the court

strove for se vera l ye ars to e stab l ish : se condly, b y a too rigid ob se rvance of

trifl e s in the divin e service , andby the com pe l l ing e ve ry on e to conform the ret o .

His diary ( says Rushworth ) shew s him to h ave b e e n supe rsti t ious,

a nd a regarde r of dre am s, b ut in the m a in he w as a le arn ed, sin ce re , and

z ea lous m an , hum b le in h is pri vate deportm e n t , b ut witha l hot andindiscre e t . ‘

Am ong othe r works of p ie ty and m agn ific e n ce , he b u i l t a court at St .

John ’

s co l lege , Oxford . Procured from Charle s I . for the c le rgy in Ire land,a ll the im propriat ions the n rem a in ing in the crown . G ot com m endam s a h

n exedto the b ishoprics of the n ew foundat ion . Ob ta in ed ve ry a m ple charte rs

for the un ive rsi t ies of Oxford and D ub l in , and regu lated the sta tute s of the

form e r, whe re he fo undeda n Arab i c le cture .

”

Wood, in h is A the nm , give s the fo l lowing epi tom e of his l ifeWill iam Laud, son ofWill iam Landby Lu c ia his wife , widow ofJohn

Rob inson of Re ading, and da ughter of John Wehb e of the sam e place , w as

b orn in St . Lawre n ce’

s parish on the 7 th of Octob e r 1 573, edu ca ted in thefre e schoo l the re , e le c ted fe l low of St . John ’

s col lege 1590, w as m ade fe l low

in 1 594, andfour ye ars afte r, m aster of arts. Ab ou t tha t t im e he re ad thediv in ity le cture n ewly se t up in the co l lege , andm a in ta ined by one M rs. b Iay.

I n 1603 , he w as e le c ted on e of the pro ctors of the un ive rsi ty, and b e cam e

chapla in to the earl of De von shire . In 1604, he Was adm i tted to the readingof the sen te n ce s, andin 1607 , he b e cam e v icar of Stam ford in Northam pton

shire . In the ye ar fo l lowing he proc e ededD . D . andw as m ade chapla in to

doctor Ne a le , b ishop ofRoche ster. In 1609 , he b e cam e re ctor ofWest Tilbury

in Essex, for wh ich b e e xchangedhis advowson ofNorth Kilew orth in Leice s‘

tershire . The n e xt ye ar his patron the b ishop of Ro che ster ga ve him the

re ctory ofKuckston e in Ken t, but that place proving unhe a l thy to him,he

left it, and w as inducted into Norton by proxy . This year 1610, he resign ed

his fe l lowsh ip , a ndthe ne xt w as e le cte d presiden t ofhis co l lege . In 1614, h is

patron ,the n b ishop of Lin co ln , gave h im a preb endship in tha t church, and

after that the archde ac onry of Hun tingdon in 1615. In the ye ar 1616,the

king gave him the de ane ry of G lou ceste r, andthe year fo l lowing he b e cam e

re c tor of Ib stock in Le ice ste rshire . In 1620 , January 22d, he w as insta l led

canon or preb endary of the 8th stal l in the church ofWestm inster, and the

next year, his m ajesty ( who upon his own confession hadgiven him nothing

HISTORY OF READING.

b ut the dean ery of Glou c ester, wh ich he we l l knew w as a she l l without a.ke rn e l ) gave him the b ishopri c of sa int Da vid '

s, and le ave to ho ld his pre si

den tship of sa int John ’

s co l l ege in com m endam w ith it,a s a lso th e re ctory

of Ibstock b efore m en t ion ed, andCre ek in Northam ptonsh ire . In Septem b er1626, he w as transla ted to B ath andWe l ls, and ab out tha t t im e m ade deanof the roya l chape l . In 1 627 he w as sworn a pri vy counse llor, and on the

1 5th of Ju ly 1628 w as tran slate d to London , m uch ab ou t wh ich tim e his old

a cqu ain tance sir Jam e sWh itlock , a judge , use d to say of h im , that he w as

too fu l l of fire , though a j ust andgood m an , andthat his wan t of e xperien cein sta te m a tters, and his too m uch ze a l for the church , a nd h eat, if b e proc e ededin the w ay he w as the n in , wou ld set this n a t ion on fire .

’

I n 1 630 he

w as e le cted ch an ce l lor ofthe un ive rsi ty ofOxford, andin Septem b e r 1 9 , 1633,he w as transla ted to Can te rbury, wh ich h igh prefe rm en t drew upon him such

e n vy, that, by the puritan s in the b eginn ing of the long parliam en t, he w as

im peached of h igh tre ason . He w as an e n courager of le arn ing, a stiff m a int aine r of“ the rights of the chu rch, andclergy, andon e tha t did hon or to theu n iversity andhis country . Such a l ib era l b e n efactor w as he a lso towards theadvan ce m en t of learn in

g ,tha t h e left l ittle for his ow n u se , and that if the

se vere stroke of the reb e ls hadnot un tim e ly cu t him off, St. Pau l’

s ca thedra l

had si len ce d the fam e of an cien t wonders, our Engl ish c le rgy had b een the

glory of the world, the B odle ian l ibrary in Oxford hadda i ly outstripped theVati can , andhis pub l i c structure s hadovertopped the Escuria l . Whosoe ve rwil l read o ve r the b re v iate or d iary of his l ife andact ions, penn ed by h im se lffor pri va te use , wi l l find that he w as a m an of such e m in en t v irtue s, such

e xem plary pie ty, such unwearie d fide l ity to his sovere ign , of su ch pub li c sou l

towards the church and state , of so fixed a con stan cy in wha t he u ndertook,andso l ittle b iasse d in his pri vate intere sts, that Plutarch , if he were a l ive ,wou ldb e m uch troub led to finda suffi cient paral le l wherewith to m atch himin all the l in eam ents of pub l i c virtu e . This b rev iate w as a pocke t b ook,wh ich he had written in Latin, but restless Prynn e h a v ing hada hint of i t,ob ta in e d an orde r from the com m itte e oflords andcom m ons, appo in ted for thesafe ty of the kingdom , date d 30th of lVIay 1643, to se i ze u pon his p apers,l e tters, &02by virtue of which, he , w ith oth ers, repa ire d to the tower, the

n ext m orn ing e arly, and rush ing sudden ly in to his cham ber before he w as

stirring,wen t dire ctly to his b re e ches lying by the b ed sid e , and thrusting

-his

h and into his pocke t, took the sa id b re viate out, and pub l ished i t, in order to

ren de r the archb ishop m ore odious to the m ob i le than b efore . In the b egin

n ing of the civi l wars, he w as, upon suspic ion of in troducing popery in to the

k ingdom , a rbitrary governm ent, first, prisoner to the b lack rod,

HISTORY OF READING.

and afterwards to the towe r : Where rem a in ing abou t four ye ars, he w as by

the vote s of a th in house b ehe aded on Towe r- h ill the 10 th ofJan uary '

1644,

a ndhis b ody b uried in the chan ce l of the chu rch . ofAllha l lows, Barkin , w hich

he b efore had conse cra ted, bu t w as on the 2 1 th of Ju ly 1 663, deposi tedin a

l ittle b rick vau l t n e ar the h igh a l tar of S t. John ’

s co llege chap e l, Oxford,afte r he had l i ved 7 1 years 13 we eks a nd/fdays.

”

'

Though from the discordant opin ion s give n of the archb ishop, by the‘

authors above qu oted , i t m ay b e difficu l t to trac e his tru e chara c t er w i th any

c e rta in ty, ye t w e m ay c on c lude from the ir ge n era l te st im ony, that'

he w as a '

sound div ine ; anda z ea lous defende r of the church ove r which he presided .

If in the pursu it of this obj ect he de viate d too m uch from those gene ra l prin

c iples of hum an ity w hich ought to have gu ide d his conduct, it shou ld b eremem b ered , how m uch the m inds of m en we re a t tha t tim e soured by con

troversy, andthe struggle for suprem acy in the church . Pe rse cution , for the

sake of re ligion , w a s b e c om e an inhe ren t princ iple wi th all se cts whe n in

powe r, and the putting it in fo rc e w as so far f1 om b e ing thought c rim in a l bya ny, that i t w as in gen era l con sidered as a duty they were boun d to perform ,

for th e sa lvation of sou ls.

He w as a n e ncourager of l ite rature andof le arne d m en , and the sum s

he e xpe nde d in the purchase of va luab le b ooks andMSS . for the prom otion

of knowledge , shew that if no t a profi c ie n t in learn ing h im se lf, he sat a j ust

va lue on the advantage to b e derivedfrom i t, andw as wil l ing to prom ote it

to the utm ost of his

If his re l igion w as t inctured with b igotry andsuperstition , som e a l low

an ce shou ld b e m ade for the prej udices of the age . When witchcraft, judiciala strology, div in ation b y dre am s, om e ns, &c . we re conside red as true as holyw ri t,

” i t can n ot sure ly b e won de red at, if Laud j o in ed in the b e l iefofthem in ,

com m on wi th his contem poraries.

A s a m em b e r of the adm in istration, he w as arb itrary, cru e l, and oppres

sive and from the confide n ce placedin him by Charle s, is gen e ral ly supposed

to have prom ptedthe unfortunate m on arch to the c om m ission of those unjusti

fiab le m e asure s in support of his prerogat ives, which b rought on the civ i l w ar,

andended in the ru in b oth of‘

the church andstate , w h ich he hadso unjudic i

ously en de avoredto prom ote . In a prin tedpaper wh ich he left b ehind him , h e

e xcusesh im se lfby a l leging,that he w asb ut on e ofm any, who e i the r in coun c il,

Laudw as a love r of andencourager of learn ing, andlearn ed m en . HisM S S . b equeathed tothe Bodle ian Library, andhis prin tedbooks, in the l ibrary of S t . john ’

5 co llege , Oxford, suffi cien tlyat test this. In the archives of the latter

,is the cap, w hich the archbishop w e re at his execution ,

shew ingthe cut of the axe, which severedhisheadfrom hisbody.—Rev. T. F. D zbdin.

HISTORY OF READING .

star- cham ber, or h igh com m ission court, hadvoted il l ega l th ings, But sure ly

this is a poor e x cuse for a n arch - b ishop to say , tha t he only fo l lowe d o thers

in v ice , whom it w as hisdu ty~ to have ledin the paths of v irtue . Ra ise d from

a com parative ly low condition to the high est office s in church and sta te , he

is sa i d to h a ve so far forgot h im se lf, as to tre at his infe riors a nd de pendantswi th haugh t in e ss very unb e com ing the character of a b ishop while to his

supe riors or those who cou ld prom ote his interest, he w as a ltoge ther as hum b le .

He certa inly possesse d m any v irtues, am idst a varie ty of e rrors wh ich tarn ished

the ir lustre ; and though for that re ason w e m ay n ot a l low him to ha ve b eena good m an, w e m ust a cknowledge that he w as a gre a t on e , and deserved a

b e tte r fate than what he m et with from his perse cu tors in the two housesof parl iam ent .While Lau d w as a prisoner in the towe r, M r. Prynn e took his diary out

of his pocke t, wh i ch he afterwards pub l ishe d, from which w e have m ade the.fo l lowing e xtracts

Ju ly 1 589, I cam e a poor scholar to Oxford .

June 1590, chosen a scho lar of St . John the Baptist ’s col lege .

June 1593, adm itte d a fe l low the reof.

J un e 1 594, b ache lor of arts.

Ju ly 1 599, m aster of arts.

June 4, 1600, I w as m ade deacon .

April 5, 1 60 1 , a prie st, by doctor Young, b ishop of Roch e ster.De cem b er26, 1605, b e ing th e e arl of De vonshire

’

s chap la in, m arried th is

e arl to th e lady Rich , a t Wan ste ad, in Esse x .

Novem b er 16, 1607, I w as invested in to the Vi carage of Stanford, inNortham pton shire .

Septem b er 1 7, 1 609, I preached m yfirst serm on to kingJam es,atThe oba l d ’

s.

August 4, 1633, The re cam e one to m e at Greenwi ch, that offe red m e to

b e a cardin a l . I went presen tly to the king, anda cquain tedhim with the thingandpe rson .

News cam e to court of the lord archb ishop of Can te rb ury ’

s death, andtheking resolved presen t ly to give i t m e , wh ich he did August 6.

August 1 7, I hada se rious offer m ade m e aga in to b e a cardina l . I w asthen from court, but so soon as I cam e thi ther, I ac qua inted his m aj esty with

*A poor curate , once havingw aiteda longwhile to speak w ith the archbishop of C an terbury, atlast ob tainedan audien ce . In the irdiscourse , the gre at m e tropolitan to ldhim ,

he w as an idle fe llow ; to

w hom the curate rep lied, it is m ost true , m y lord, for b adI not b e en so ,- I cou ldnot have sparedso

m any idle hoursto attendupon yourgrace to such sm al l purpose .

"—Lgfe ifLaud.Rushw orth

’

s C ol lections.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HISTORY OF READING .

Oct . 27. I wen t into m y uppe r study to se e som e P/ISS . which I w assending to Oxford. In that study hung m y picture taken by the l ife , andc om ing in , I found it fal len down upon the face , a nd lying on the floor, thestring b e ing b roken by which it hange d aga inst the wa l l . I am a lm ost thre at

ened e ve ry day with m y ru in in parl iam e n t . G odgran t this b e n o om en .

D e ce m b e r 18, I w as a ccused by the house of com m ons ofhigh treason ,

and com m itted to the gen t lem an ushe r.

De c em b e r 2 1 , I w as fi ned five hundred pounds, andthe lords orde re d

m e pre sen t ly to pay the m on ey, which w as done . I w as forced to se l l plateto pay whe re I b orrowe d .

Feb ruary 26, This day I had b e en ful l ten we eks in restra in t a tM r. hI axw e ll

’

s house . I had fa vor of the lords not to go to the towe r’ t i l l

the Monday fol lowing.

March 1 . I went in M r. Maxwe l l ’s coach to the tower. N o no ise ’til lI cam e to the e ndof Cheapside , b u t from then ce to the towe r, I w as fo l lowe dandra i ledat by the rabb le in m u l t itudes, to the very tower gate s, where I leftthem , and thank G od, he m ade m e patient.

H istory of R eading.

CHAPTER IV.

‘

A FTER the death of Laud, noth ing particu lar occurred at Reading ( ofwhi ch the king

’

s troops st i l l kept possession )’ti l l the n e xt ye ar ; whe n the

parl iam en t ’s forces, b e ing un ited unde r Essex andWa l le r, with an intent tob esiege Oxford, his m ajesty found him se lf unde r the n e cessi ty ofcon cen tra t ingh 1s ow n arm y, by dism an tling som e of his garrisons. For th is purpose hec am e to Re ading e arly in the spring, and after orde ring all the works to b edem o l ished, he w ithdrew the garrison to Oxford . This m easure , wh ich

secu redthe inhab itan ts from the dread of undergo ing a se cond siege , didn ot

fre e them from the insole n ce of the d isorderly so ldie ry, w ho, im m ediate ly

afte r the king’

s departure , to ok possession of the town, and dem anded fre e

q uarters. This dem and, m ade at the po int of the . bayone t, they were so far

ob l iged to com ply with, as to order an assessm en t to b e m ade on the m ost

opu lent house - ke epe rs, for the purpose of paying these free booters the fol low

ing sum s pe r wee k : To the serge an ts 5s. 6d. drum m e rs 45 . soldiers 2s. 8d. and

those who refusedto pay the assessm ent, we re to have soldiers quartered on

them ’

ti l l the y com plied .

‘

A party of 120 horse c am e from Wal l ingford andDonn ington , to gath er

c on tribu tions ne ar Re ading, whe n colone l Baxter, wi th 30 horse , m arched

afte r them , b e at up the ir re ar, but they fac ing ab out , one of Baxter’

s m e n

w as sla in, andtwe n ty woundedand take n however a troop of 100 horse, who

by ac ciden t quarte re d a t Re ading,c om ing up to the re l ief of Ba xte r, they in

the ir turn routed the e n em y, re covered a ll the prisoners, took 25 m en , wi th

capta in Barke r, the ir c om m ander, and50 horse s.

2

O n the 8th of Septem b er, the e arl ofManche ste r w as wi th the parl ia

m en tary arm y at Reading, a ndon the 1 5th of n ext m onth Crom we l l e ntered

the town ,wi th his regim en t of horse , at wh ich tim e the e arl of Manche ster

m arched from Re adin g to Alderm aston , b u t re turn ing on the 23dof Novem

b er fo l lowing,they kept posse ssion of the town t ill the 24th of De cem b er fol

lowing,whe n m ajor Crawford m archedou t of t he tow n with 4000 horse a nd

foot to the re l ief of Abm gdon . In the fol lowing m on th it w as aga in v isited

C orporation Diary. 2 VVhitlo ck’sM em orials.

HISTORY OF READING .

by the arm y, wh e n orders were issu e d for m artia l law to b e enforced on all‘

the

inhab itan ts, as we l l he re as at Hen ley .

The com m i tte e for se clud ing un fi t m in iste rs from the ir l ivings, sat thisye ar a t Re ading, as appe ars from the register ofWest I lsley, in th is coun ty,whe re in is the fo l lowing e n try

The c om m it te e for the c ounty of‘

B e rks, sitting at Re ading 13 Apri lWhe re asD r. Goodm an , la te bp. ofG louseste r ha th he ld in com in en fla m

the re ctory ofthe parish church ofWe st I lde sley, in the coun ty of Be rks, and

is a n otorious de l inquen t to the parl iam en t, i t is the refore ordered by this corn

m itte e , tha t the sa id re c tory andthe profits the re of, b e sequest e red from the

sai d D r. Goodm an , and that H um phry Newb erry and M r. Artes, a goodly

and orthodox d ivin e b e forthwith placed, a nd settle d to offic iate the cure

of the sa idchurch, as the m in ister andre c tor there of, andto e njoy the parson

age house , gleb e lands, andall and singu lar the tithes, rents, duties and,

othee

profits the reof be longing

TANFI E LD V ATCHELL, FRAN C I S P1 KE ,.

DAN IEL B LAGR AVE , JOHN B LAGRAV'

E .

GEORGE ‘VOOLD R IDG E ,

The arm y hav ing got the king in the ir power, afte r he w as de live red up»

by the S co tch, to whose prote ction h e hadsurre nderedhim se lf, m arched withhim to Reading, whe re they took up the ir he ad

‘

qu art e rs, u nde r sir Thom as

Fa irfax , a ndpla ced his m aj esty u nde r a guardat the house of lord " Craven , a t

Ca ve rsham . Here he w as tre ate d in the m ost re spe c tfu l m ann e r by Fa irfax,w ho then com m andedthe arm y, andob ta inedhis perm ission , for his chi ldre n .

to visi t him ,so tha t the re w as a gal lan t court, andhis m aj esty very che e rfu l,

be ing a ttende d by m any b ra ve gal lan ts.

“ This chee rfulness wh i ch his m aj e styexhib ited at this t im e , w as prob ab ly occ asionedb y the appare n t kindn ess hee xperien ced from all the offi ce rs of the arm y, part icu l arly from Crom we l l,w ho told sir John Barclay, on e ofhis m aj e sty ’

s attendants, that he had'

late ly se en the tendere st sight that e ver his eyes b ehe ld, wh ich w as, the inte rview

b e tw e en the king andhis ch i ldren, that he wept p len tiful ly at the re m em bran ce

there of, saying, that n e ve r m an w as so abused as he in his sin ister opin ionof the king, w ho he thought w as the m ost uprigh t and conscien tious of hiskingdom that they of the independe n t party had in fin i t e ob l igations to him ,

for not con sent ing to the propositions sen t to him at Newcastle , wh i ch wou l d

have total ly ruine d them,andwhich his m aj esty ’

s interest seem ed to invite

Private le tters from the arm y.

HISTORY OF READING .

him to ; con cluding with this wish , tha t G odwou ld b e ple ased to look u pon CHA P.him , a ccording to the sin ce ri ty of his heart towards the IV

W’

hen the pe ace of the c oun try w as restored, by the m e lan cho ly deathof the m on arch ,

a ndthe dispe rsion of his adhere n ts, the n ew governm en t com 1649

pelled the roya l ists to com poundfor the ir e sta t es, which we re supposedto b eforfe ited, for the ir adhe re n ce to the ir sove re ign ,

a nd com m ission ers were se n tround the country to regu la te the proport ion e ach individua l shou ld pay. In

the l ist of the c om pounde rs re turn edto governm en t, are the fo l lowing gen tlem en of this townD r. Thom as Bunbury -l

' 1 17 O 0 Edw ard Ham lyn 33 6 8

M r. An thony B raxtoni 100 O 0 Christophe r Milton§ 80 O O

John Fartham 2 1 3 4 Thom as R e e ves 160 O O

The taxe s a t this period we re co l le ctedwe ekly ; those for the support of

gove rnm en t, we re thirty- seve n pounds ele ven shi l l ings, a ndtowards c a rrying on

the w ar in Ire land, n ine pounds four sh i l l ings ande ight pen ce thre e'

farthings.

The com m itte e for Be rksh ire a lso appl iedto the corpora tion for a loan oftw o

hundred and forty pounds, b u t a s they we re not ab le to ra ise the m on ey, the irre quest could not b e c om pl ied wi th .

During Crom we l l’

s adm in istrat ion the taxe s were conside rab ly in creased, Crom w ell‘

but as the trade of the town in cre ased in proport ion wi th them , the b urthe nw as n ot so Oppre ssive to the pe opl e , so that a t the re storation it had n e arlyre coveredits trade andits opu lence .

In 1663, wh en Charle s I I . wi th his que e n, passed through the town , the Charlescorporation pre sen tedhis m aj e sty wi th 50 pie ce s of gold, the qu ee n with 30 ; I I

a nd371 . 68. w as pa id as fe es to the ir servan ts. During this re ign the in terna lrepose appe ars to ha ve b ee n for a long t im e disturbed, by party feuds and

an im osi t ies, wh ich frequ en tly b roke out into open ac ts of vio lence . The m em 1660

b e rs of the chu rch of E ngland cou ld n ot forge t the pe rse cu t ion s they hadsuffe red from the dissen te rs, when in powe r ; n or c ou ldthe la t t e r he lp regrettingthe influen ce they had lost in the state , b y the re storation . E ach hadb e com e

perse cutors in turn , and nothing b ut the m isgu ided conduct of Jam es I I . in

W hen C rom w e l l first heardof the king’s capture

,he started up w ith'

savage exu ltation , ex

c laim ing, Then I have the parliam en t in m y po cke t .”—Sta ce’s Crom welliana .

t E x - re c tor of S t . Mary ’s, in this tow n .

1“

A m em be r of the corporation , w ho .hadse rvedthe oflice of m ayor.Brother to John M ilton , au thor of Paradise Lost . His fathe r, M r. John M ilton , re sidedw ith

him here til l abou t this period, w he n he w e n t to l ive w ith his son John , in A ldersgate -stree t , LoneClon, w here he died—BishopN ew ton

’s Life qfM ilton .

1 Ludlow ’s Mem oirs.

HISTORY OF READING .

CH AP . e nde avoring to in troduce pope ry,the com m on e n em y of both , cou ld have

IV '

re con c iled m inds so m u ch exaspera ted by m utua l injuries. The n ation b e ingat le ngth a la rm ed by the rapidstrides Jam es w as m aking for o ve rturn ing the

J'

m n esI I . protestan t re l igion ,a ndestab l ishing an a rb itrary govern m en t, in the room of

a l im i t ed m on archy, invited o ve r the prince of Orange , w ho in right of his

w ife w as conside redas he ir to the crown , n otwithstan ding Jam es had a son

l a t e ly b orn w ho w as styled princ e of lVa les. Vl’

illiam lande d at Torb ay onthe 4th ofNovem b e r 1688, and im m ediate ly m archedto Exe ter, from w hen ce ,a ft e r st opping a few days to refresh his m en , andto give tim e for the countryt o j o in him , he proce ededon his m arch to London .

Alarm ed by the m arch of the prin ce wi th his a rm y, as we l l as by thendefe c tion of the prin c i pa l n ob il ity, Jam e s issu ed wri ts to ca l l a new parl iam ent , to m e e t on the 25th of Janu ary and d epu ted the m arqu is of

Ha l ifax, the e a rl of No tt ingham , and the lord Godo l ph in ,to propose a treaty

w ith W i l l iam . They arri vedon the 3d of De cem b er at Re ading, whe re theym et a trum p ete r wi th the princ e ’

s passport, w ho a t the sam e t im e dem andeda passport for one of his gen t lem e n , whom he wished to sen d to the princesso f D en m ark .

‘

In the m e an w hile th e roya l arm y w as e n cam pedon Houn slow - he a th, anda party of e ight hundre d Irish so ldiers, horse and foo t, we re quartere d in th istown . A s the prince ’

s arm y advan ced, a report w as c ircu lated in the t own ,

that the m e n . hadre ce ivedorders to m assacre the inhab i tan ts, andplunder thetown , upon th e fol lowing Sunday,

‘

during di v in e service .

The a larm occasion e d by this report induced m any of the inhab itan ts tole ave the town ; andas the num b er of the fugi t i ve s in crease d da i ly, the c omm ander in ch ief place d se n tine ls at a ll the a venues, with orders n ot to suffer

any person to l e av e the place withou t his perm ission . Th is orde r, w hich w asc onside red as a c onfirm at ion of the report, in cre ased the gen era l pan i c wh ichhadspre ad through e very rank of the inhab i tan ts, w ho wa ited wi th the u tm ostim pa t ien ce for the a rriva l of the fi rst division of the prince ’

s arm y, which w as

m a rch ing to the ir a ssistan ce . A s soon , therefore , as inform a tion w as re ce i ve dof the ir arri va l a t Newb ury, the m agistra te s found m eans, n otwithstandingthe wa t ch tha t w as kep t , to send an e xpress the sam e e ven ing to the c om

m anding officer, request ing im m ediate assistance . In conse que n ce of th isrequest, the o tfice r dispatched a c orps of ab out thre e hundred m en , the sam e

n igh t , wi th orders to expedite the ir m arch towards Re ading as m u ch aspos

sible , so gre at was the a pprehe nsion of the thre a ten ed destruction ofthe town,

‘ 5 History ofW il liam I II . page 1 48.

HISTORY OF READING .

andthe m assacre of the inhab itan ts, which it w as supposed wou ld take placeon t he fol lowing m orn ing, the 10th of De cem ber. How e ver, if any suchinten tion had m an ifeste d itse lf on the part of the Irish,

whi ch is very preb lem atica l, it w as happily preventedby the critica l arriva l of the party sen t fromNewbury the ove r n ight .

The Irish, w ho were appri zedof the ir com ing, had taken e ve ry pre caut ion to pre ven t the ir pen e tra t ing into the he art ofthe town . For this purpose ,a party of horse w as drawn up in the golden b e ar yard, the corne r of Cast lestre e t, and the wa l ls, which a t that t im e e n c lose d sa in t Mary ’

s church - yard,on the west andsouth side s, we re l ined wi th m uske te ers. A strong corps w as

l ikewise station ed in Broad- stre e t, and the m ain b ody w as drawn up in the

Marke t- place , anda se n t ine l w as pla ce d on sa in t Mary ’

s tower to give n oticeby signa l , as soon as the e nem y appe ared in sight. ‘ From this disposit ionof the forces, i t is e viden t, they e xpe cte d the Dutch troops wou ld have at

tem pted to en ter the town by Cast le - stre e t, tha t b e ing the dire ct road fromNewbury b ut in this they we re d isappo in ted, for the latter, havinggot inform a t ion of the disposition of the e n em y from the inhab itants, fi ledoff to the

left b efore they cam e in sight of the town, and m arching a long Pangbourn

lane , u nder cover of the hedges, they ente red the town unperce ived by thesen tine l, who in consequen ce hadn ot tim e to give the a larm , b efore the Irish

foun d the m se lves vigorously a ttackedin differe n t points.

On e nte ring the Butts, the m a in body of the prince ’

s troops fe l l wi thsuch im pe tuosity upon the Irish, drawn up at the b ottom of Cast le - stre e t, tha tthey im m ediate ly gave w ay, and we re pursu ed by the en em y towards‘

the

Market - place , whe re they arrivedj ust as those , to whom the defence ofBroad

stre e t had b e e n entrusted, we‘

re e ntering ; having be en dri ven b ack by anothe rparty of the prin ce ’

s troops. The se tw o parties, m e e ting in the narrow stre e tsw h i ch u n i t ed a t the top of Sun - la n e we re so pressed togethe r, tha t they wereun ab le to ke ep the ir ranks, so that rush ing in to the Marke t - pla ce in a tum u ltuous m an n er, the m a in b ody stationed the re we re struck wi th such a pan ic ,tha t wi thout wa iting to le arn the num b e r or strength of the ene m y, they fledwith the u tm ost expedition towa rds Twyford.

A s soon as orde r c ou ld b e re stored in the town , a party of horse w as

sent in pursu it of the fugit ive s, b ut they we re not ab le to com e up w ith them’til l they we re see n passing C u l lum - b ridge , a t the e n tran ce ofTwyford, where ,b e ingjoin edby som e ofthe king

’

s troops, andn ight com ing on , i t w as thought

advisab le by the ir pursuers to re turn to Re ading.

”6

A t a p lace cal ledHorsepit-hill, just beyondTwyford, as som e laborersw ere digginggrave l,

HISTOR Y 0 F READING .

During the surprise , sir John Lan ie r, w ho c om m anded the Irish trodps,n arrowly escaped b e ing taken by som e Dutch troope rs, w ho fired a t his horses,as he w as ga l loping Offin a ca lash andfour, le aving his m en to e xtricate “them

se lve s in the b est m ann er they cou ld.

In th is e ngagem ent , if such it m ay b e c a l led, ve ry few l i ve s were lost on

e ither side , andthose were princ i pally Of the king’

s troops, the Dutch havingo nly one Ofiicer ki l led, andsom e few pri vate s wounded.

It is prob ab le tha t this success of the Dutch , over a body of regular

force s, superior in num b er, if n ot in d iscipl in e , to th em se lve s, m ay in som e

m e asure b e a ttribu te d t o the assistan ce the y ob ta in ed from the town ’

s pe ople , "s

w ho, e xaspe rated by the m en aces Of assassin a tion , which they had re ce i ve d

from the Irish soldie ry, pre vious to the arriva l of the ir de l ivere rs, wil lingly

e m b raced the Opportun ity Offe re d them of re ve nging the ir ow n c ause , whi le

fighting for tha t of the ir coun try . Howe ve r th is m ay b e , i t w as certa in ly a

day Of de l iveran ce for the inhab itants, andas su ch w as an nu a l ly ce lebrated bythe ringing Of the b e l ls in a ll the churches, on the l t Of De cem b er, n ew

style , U n ti l the com ple tion of a ce n tury ; ‘

sin ce wh i ch t im e , tha t c ustom has

been om itted, and the day Of Re ading- fight, as i t w as ca l led, isgradua l ly

wearing ou t of m em ory .

they discoveredseveral ske le tons lyingin a row , w ith the ir heads and fe e t p lacedalte rnate l y. Therew as likew ise founda m e tal b ox , in c losinga sm al ler one

,probab ly a c artridge b ox , w ith som e o the r

things, but these be ingcarriedaw ay by on e of the w orkm en,andlost

,its proper use cann o t n ow b e

ascertain ed. These w ere, probab ly, som e of the vic tim s w ho fe l l on this o ccasion .

On the approach of a sm al l party of the prin ce ’s cavalry, the Irish fired, and quittedt he ir

post, andw ere fo l low edby the S co tch in disorder there w e re not m any ofthe Irish kil led, andas fewtake n how eve r, the court com plain edtha t the tow nfs-peop le sho t at them ou t oftheir w indows, whilethey w ere attackedby the prince ’

shome r -History ofWilliam , vol. 1 1 1 . 1Jagc 1 52 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HISTORY OF READING .

CH AP . V h ouse for the furtherance of the ir trade bu t i t does not appe ar that any b ill

17 14

G eorge I .

w as passed .

An o ther great im pedim en t to the im provem en t of the bo rough, w as the

m iserab le state Of'

the high roads leading to it . These had b e e n suffered tob e worn down by carriage s, during a long serie s of ye ars, without the leasta ttem pt b e ing m ade towards the ir im provem e n t ,

’til l they had b e com e a lm ost

im passab le ; so m uch so, that, n e a rly within ,the l im its of the b orough, a singl e

carriage cou ld se ldom proce ed on its journe y ,’ t i l l o thers cam e up to its assis

tan ce . To rem edy th is e vi l , as turnpike roads b egan ab ou t this pe riod to b eform e d in the n e ighb ourhoodof the m e tro po l is, the gen tlem en of Reading, in .

1 7 14, pe tition ed the house - Of com m ons, bythe ir m em b ers, for le ave to b ringin a b il l to e nab le them to re pair the h igh - w ay from the b e ar- inn , in this.

b orough, to Puntfie ld, in the cou n ty Of Be rks, which b e ing agre ed to , a b i llfor that p urpose re ce i vedthe royal assent, the sam e ye ar.

On the a ccession Of‘ G e orge I . the partisans of the abdi ca ted fam i ly eu

deavored to ra ise disturb ances in various parts of the kingdom , part icu larly

a t the e le ctions for the re presen tat i ves in parl iam e n t, wh ich took place on that

occasion . In Re ading the conte st w as the warm e st e ver kn own : the m aj ori ty

ofthe m iddling class Ofthe inhab itants supporte d the whig inte rest, while those

of the lower orders, from b e ing less inform ed, and conse quently m ore e asily

dece i ve d; em bra ced that of the torie s. It had b e en the practice to adm it to .

the privilege of voting for m em b ers to‘

serve in parl iam en t for th is b orough,all who cou ld prove that they had b e en a ccustom ed to b oi l a pot with in itsl im its ; and, on th is occasion , the town hada ll the appearan ce of a large cam p.

ofgypsie s ; ~fire s b e ing l igh ted in e ve ry stre e t anda l ley, for e ve n lodgers weree n title d to th is privi lege . These , unde r the appe l lation Of pot wabb lers, fromthe superiori ty of the ir n um b e rs, and the riotousn ess of the ir dispositions,could at all t im es e nsure success to those '

candidates, whose in terests a b l ind

partia l ity, or the spiri t ofparty, m ight indu ce the m to adopt . At th is e le ction,they we re alm ost unan im ous in favor of Rob ert C large s and Fe l i x Ca lve rt,e sqrs. w ho were e le cted , in Opposit ion to Will iam Cadogan , esq . w ho w as

known to b e a friend to the re ign ing prin ce . B ut, on a pe tition Of certa in

of the inhab i tants of the borough, paying scot andlot, aga inst the re turn, a .

c om m i tte e w as a ppo in ted to take the sam e in to consideration , who, after thee xam inat ion of witnesse s, de clared the e le ction to b e n u l l andvoid, and tha t

,

the right Of e lect ion w as so le ly in the inhab itants paying scot and lot,”by

w hom it has ever since b e en e xerc ised .

Votes of the C om m ons. Ibid.

“

HISTORY OF REA DING. 67

A b i ll having b een brought into '

parliam ent, th is year, for m aking the CHA P .V.

river Ke nn e t n avigable from Re ading to Newb ury, the inhab itan ts Of the W V)

form er were greatly a larm e d lest the trade of the town, now becom e cousi 17 16de rable , should b e proportionab ly dim in ished, if n ot e n tire ly ru in ed, by b e ingdive rte d through another chann e l ; in conse quen ce of this persu asion , e very

m e asu re w as taken that c ou l d b e devised, to obstruct its progress through the

h ouse , andto pre vent, if possibl e , its passing into a law .

'

For th is purpose, a

pe t ition Of the m ayor, a lderm en , and b urgesse s, and other inhab i tan ts of the

b orough, w as prese n ted to the house , on the 26th ofApri l, praying to b e he ard

by counse l aga in st the b i l l , wh ich w as gran ted. On the 20th Of M ay fo l low

ing,a pe tition w as presen ted to the house , on b ehalf ofH . Bou l t, e sq . Thom as

Constab le , m erchan t, andJohn Syl ve ster, gen t . proprie tors Of the wate r works

for supplying th e inhab itants wi th water, praying to b e he ard by counse l

aga inst the sa id b i l l ; andon the day fo l lowing, an othe r p e tition w as pre sente d

from George B lagrave , e sq . p roprie tor of se veral m il ls c a l led sa int G i les, andM inste r m i lls, b oth within the b orough, and standing on the rive r Kenne t,anda lso one otherm i l l ca l le d Ga leot m i l l, in the p arish of Tilehurst, prayingl ikewise to b e he ard by counse l pe ti tions we re a lso pre sented to the house

from the own ers of wharfs and othe rs.

‘B ut all the se p e titions we re Of n o

a va i l , the b i l l hav ing passed the house of com m ons the 13 th ofAugust, and

soon afterre c e i ve d the royal asse n t .Though this m e asure at th e t im e w as considered ve ry initirious to the

in te rest of the town , ye t Re ading doe sn ot appear to have sutl'

e red from it,e xcept in

‘

a sm a l l dim inu t ion in the c arrying trade , and in the h ire of a few

warehouse s, wh ich have sin ce b e e n con ve rted to diffe ren t pu rposes ; b u t in .

o the r re spe cts, w e b e l ieve , the e xtension Of the n avigation has b e e n rather

b ene fic ia l than inj urious to the gen e ra l in te rest of the pla ce a nda s the com

m unic at ion is n ow open e d with B risto l and the n orth we st parts of the kingdom , by m eans of the Ke n n e t andAvon ca na l , the addi tiona l influ x of trade

by this c on veyan ce , wh ich has a lre ady b egan to b e e xp e rienc e d, w ill, w e have

n o do ub t, m ore than com pe nsate the trifl ing loss the town m ay have susta ine d

sin ce its first Op en ing.

In the e n su ing ye ar, a b i‘

i l passe d the legisl a ture , for im proving the h igh 17 18

road from Ma idenhe ad- b ridge to Re ading, andfrom the Fo l ly, uear Ma iden

he ad, to H e n ley. This b i l l w as dividedin to thre e separate districts, he m an

age m e nt whe re of is plac ed in diffe re n t com m ission e rs, w ho have the so le

c ondu ct of e ve ry thing that regards the ir se parate distri cts. Be ing thus inde

V ote s of the C om m ons.

x 2

HISTORY OF READING .

CH AP . V . pendent of e ach other, e xcept on the occ asion of renewing the bil l ,’

many of

17 18

G eorge

I I .

the Re ading com m ission ers thought it advisab le , on that occurren ce takingplace in 1806, for e ach of th e distric t com m issione rs to go to parl iam en t for

a separate bill , particu larly as though the n ew c lauses to b e inserted we resu ch as concern ed e ach distric t sole ly, ye t they we re l iab l e to b e lost in the

house , from the opposition tha t m ight arise in e i ther of the o the r' distri cts.For this, andother re asons, a m e e ting of all the com m issione rs w as requesteda t Twyford, where the subj e ct w as de l ib erate ly canvassed, a nd b e ing pu t tothe vote , w as carried in the n egati ve by on e vo i ce on ly ; sin ce w hich, as w as

fore se en , so m any d ifficu ltie s arose in passing the b i l l, tha t the othe r tw o

districts, w ho hadoppose d the m e asure , expre ssed the ir conv iction , tha t, on a

future occasion , i t wou ld b e be tter to apply to parl iam e n t for separate b il ls.

The pow ers granted the com m issio n ers for im proving the n a vigation of

the rive r Kenne t, b e ing found in adequa te for the purpose , a n ew bi l l passed

in 1 720, whereby they were considerab ly e n l arged, andthe term extendedto a

longe r pe riod, withou t m e e tingwi th any opposi t ion from th is b orough .

On the 2dofM ay, 1 72 1 , a pe tition of the m ayor, re corder, « a lderm en,

burgesses, and inhabitan ts, w as presen ted to the house and read, comp la in ingof the m iseries the n ation labored under, by the gre a t de cay of trade , m anu

facture s, and pub l i c credit, occasione d by the m ism anagem ent of the la te

dire ctors of the South - se a com pany, the ir a iders, ab e tte -rs, and confederates,and praye d tha t the house wou l d take such furthe r m e asures as shou ld b ejudged proper for the encouragem en t of trade , re dressing of grievan ce s,restoring of pub l i c c red it, and do ing j ustice to an injured n ation .

‘

Andon the 18th ofO ctob e r 1722, a pe t it ion w as pre sen ted to the house of

com m ons from Charle sCadogan , andRichard Thom pson, e sqrs. c om plain ingof

an undue e l e ction andre turn for th is b orough ,i

w hich b e ing referred to a com

m itte e ofpri vilegesande lections, the sittingm em b ersw ere de c lared du ly e le cte d.A s the prosperity of the town in cre ased , the inhab itants b egan to turn

the ir attention to its im prove m ent, whi ch appe ars for a long serie s of years tohave b e en e n tire ly n egle cte d ; the first a ttem pt of this na ture occurs ab ou t

the m iddle of th is cen tury, when M r. John Richards, an e m inent drape r, a nd

a lderm an of the borough, purchased a row of houses wh i ch had long d ivided

the presen t King’

s- stre et into tw o lan es, ca l le d Sun—lan e andBack - lan e, which

he pu l le d down , a ndcon verted the site into the present stree t, for the bene fi t

of the pub l ic . Had this im provem en t b e en e xte nded, by tak ing down the

row of houses which separate B utcher- row and Fisher- row , the com m uni

Votes of the C om m ons.

HISTORY OF READING . 69

c ation be tween the weste rn parts of the town and the f M arket- place would C n A p ,

V,

have b e e n rende re d m uch m ore com m odious than i t now is.On the 28th ofSeptem b e r 1 754, a fire broke out in Sie vie r- stree t, whereby 1754

six hop- kilns, tw o b arns, andse vera l store - house s were destroyed .

O

Ou the first of Novem b er in the fo l lowing ye ar, b e ing the sam e day on

which the city of Lisbon w as destroyed by an e arthquake , a rem arkab le agi

ta tion w as perce i ved here in the waters of the Kenn e t : Whe the r this phenom enon w as at all conn e c tedwith that m e lan cho ly e ven t, wou ldb e difficu lt toa sce rtain , b ut from the co in cide nce of tim e, andfrom the l ike agita t ion havingbe en pe rce ived in Plym outh on the sam e day, such a connexion se em s by nom e ans im prob ab le .

‘

The pe ace con cluded with France , b y the tre aty ofU tre cht, b egan abou t 1 755

th is tim e to b e disturb ed, afte r a pe riod of m ore than 30 years un in te rrupte dtranqu i l ity. The e n e m y, as usua l, h e ld ou t thre ats of in vasion , wh ich theyknew wou l d distra ct our coun cils anda larm the inhab itan ts, e ven though thesethre ats should ne ve r b e put in e xe cution . On th is occasion, addre sses, e xpres

si ve of the loya l ty anda t tachm e nt of the pe ople, we re pre sen tedto the throne

from various parts of the kingdom . Tha t from this borough , in the nam e

of the corporate b ody, w as as fol lows

M ost gra cious S overe ign ,

W e , your m aj e sty ’

s m ost dutifu l and loya l subj e cts, the m ayor, a lder

m e n, and b urge sses of your m aj e sty ’

s an cient b orough of Re ading, b e ingwarm ed with a just indignation ,

at the daring m e na ce s, and hosti le vio len ce s

of Fran ce , b eg le ave to assure your m aj e sty, tha t in the presen t, and all future

o ccasions, w e are , ande ve r sha l l be , re ady to e xert ourse lves to the u tm ost of

our powe r, in the defe nce of your sacred m aj esty ’

s pe rson , crown , anddign ity .

W e think ourse lves b ound in duty, to re turn your m aj e sty our u nfe igne dthan ks, for the v igorous andse asonab le m e asures your m ajesty has take n to

v indicate the honor of the crown , andthe rights of you r subj e cts, not doub t

ing b utthat your m ajesty will ob ta in that satisfa ction by the sword, which

cou ld n o t b e procured by pa cific andm ore agre e able m e asures.

From the justice of our cause, w e place a strong con fidence in the

b le ssing ofthe Alm ighty, upon your m aj esty ’

s coun ci ls andarm s, andpray thatyour unwe ariede nde avors for the pub l ic good m ay b e crowned with success

and that your m aj e sty m ay long l i ve to e njoy the fru its of i t, wh i ch w e hope

w i l l b e con tinued in your roya l aand il lustrious proge ny to the latest ages’

G iven under our comm on se a l the 25th ofM ay,

On the con clusion of the p e a ce in 1763 ,the corporate body aga in ads .

1 Philosophical Transactions.

HISTORY OF READING .

‘C HAP . V .dressed th e throne . Th is address w as n ot presentedby the m em b ers, which

1 763

G eorge

.of p e ace .

is usu a l on such occasion s, b ut transm i tte d to the e arl of Hal ifax, on e of his

m aj esty ’

s p rin cipa l se cre taries of state , by whom i t w as pre sen ted to his m a

j esty, andis as fo l lows

Jlfost gra c ious S overeign ,

W e , your m aj esty ’

s m ost fa i thful and loyal sub j ects, th e m ayor, alder

m e n, andb urgesse s of Re ading, b eg leave m ost hum b ly to c ongratu late your

m aj esty on the term ina t ion of a j ust, though b loody, ande xpensi ve w ar ; and

on the happy e stab l ishm e n t of pe ace , andthe pub lic tran qu i l i ty. For this so

de sirab le a nd inestim ab l e e ve nt, w e e n tre a t your m aj esty grac iously to accept

our m ost dutifu l and sincere a cknowledgm e n ts a nd as the prosperity and

happ in ess of your p e opl e is the so le obj e ct of your roya l e nde avors, w e b eg

le ave to assure your m aj esty, tha t w e m ost arden t ly b e seech the Alm ighty, thatyour m aj esty m ay l ive and re ign in th e he arts and affe ctions of all your sub

je c ts, u n ite d, ande ve r ze alous of your m aj e sty’ s hon or and dign i ty, a ndstudious, grateful ly t o cu l t iva te andi m prove the in va luab l e fru i ts a nd b le ssings

G ive n under ~

our ~com m on se al , the 1 1 th of Jun e , 1 763 .

I t is rem arkab le tha t both the forego ing addresses"

are in the n am e of the

c orporate b ody a lon e , andgi ven under the ir com m on se a l . I ha ve not b e en

ab le to trace , whe n th is practice b egan , b ut it is prob ab ly coe va l with thefi rst in st itut ion of that b ody, whe n the m ass of the zpeOple w as ra the r con

sidered as property, than fe l low citi ze ns, w ho had a right to parti c ipa te inwha te ver tended to the advan cem e nt of the goo d of the n a tion . Sin ce th isp e riod, however, a d iffe ren t system has b e en adopt ed in the b orough ; all the

sub se qu en t pe tition s andaddresses ha ving run in the nam e of the inhab itantsa s we l l as the corporate b ody.

i n the autum n of the year"

1 766, a lm ost e very part of the k ingdom w as

disturb ed by riots anddisord ers, o ccasioned, as w as pre tended, by the high

price of prov isions The se ge n era l ly took plac e on m arke t days, andse em to

have spread o ve r e very part of the coun ty, except th is town , where th ey w e rehappily pre vented by the seasonab le arriva l of a troop of lord A lb erm arle

’

s

dragoon s, andcapta in Cave ’

s com pany of infan try.An onym ous le tte rs were sen t to the m agistrates, andprin cipa l farm er

'

s,

thre a te n ing, w i th the m ost horrid im pre cat ions, to b urn them andth e ir houses,if the prices ofgrain , a nd other provision s, were not reduce d ; andso gre atw as the apprehension of the farm e rs, that they advertised, in the pub l i c prin ts,the ir w i l l ingn ess to dispose of the ir b est whea t to the poor, at five shi l l ingsthe b ushe l of n ine ga l lons, and the m i l lers agre edto grind i t for them gra t is.By these sa lutary m e asures, toge ther wi th the sp irited e xe rt ions of the

m agistra tes, and the assistance of the m il i tary,the spirit of insub ordination

HISTORY OF READING .

was subdued before the close of the year. Sixteen of the principa l rioters C R AP .V .

we re com m itte d to our coun ty j a i l, and M r. Baron Pe rrot, andM r. J usticeAston , were sen t, with a spe cia l com m ission , to th is town , to ho ld an extraor 1766dinary assi ze , whi ch com m enced the se condof De cem ber, andc ontinued thetw o fo l lowing days, when sen tence of death w as passedon thre e of th e rioters,but, through the len ity of the gove rnm e nt, on ly Da n ie l E clands, w ho

, in

addition to the crim e of com m i t t ing the riot, had e xtorted m oney from on e

Jam es Stone , of Ste ve n ton , suffered the pen a lty of the law ; b u t so gre at w as

the com m ise ration of the town ’

s- pe ople for the unhappy sufferer, that n on e‘

of the trade sm e n w ould furn ish the instrum ent ofde ath, n or cou ldthe m e anest.“

indiv idua l b e pre va i le d with to perform the ofiice of e xe c ution er, so that theke eper of the prison , i t is sa id, w as. ob l ige d to officiate him se lf, with an old,

cord proc ured for the p urpose .

It is rem arkab l e , that no twithsta nding the ple a fer the se e xcesses, w as

the e xorbitan t price of provisions, ye t the b est whe at so l d at the t im e from

16 to 17 l . per load the quartern loaf at 6d. b e ef45—61. per lb . ve a l 5d. m utton35—61. lam b 5d. andpork 5d. So l i t tle cause hadthe pe ople to disturb the pe aceof the coun try, and threa te n the l ive s of individua ls

, for no o ther crim e thanthat of not parting with the ir property for, le ss m oney than , they cou ld actua l ly afford .

In the ye ar 1770, a design w as se t on foot for m aking a n avigab le can a l 1 770 4

from Sonn ing to Monkey Island , n e ar Bray, in this coun ty, andfrom then ceto Isleworth, in the coun ty ofMiddle se x , whe reby the trade wou l d have b e en

greatly faci l itate d, andthe fre ight of heavy goods, whi ch are m ostly con veyed .

by water, very m uch reduced .

M r. Brindley, b e ing desired by the Tham e s’ com m ission ers to m ake a

survey of the pre posed l ine , and to give in an e st im ate of the e xpen ce , pre

se nte d the plan and report to the com m issione rs, at Reading, on the 2-6th of

February, w ho gave i t the ir u nqua l ifie d approb a t ion . Howeve r, at a m ee t ingh e l d at Oxford, in the fo l lowingMarch, anothe r plan w as la id b efore them .

for the im provem en t of the old ri ver, by m e ans of pound locks through its

w hole e xten t ; th is w as l ikewise agre e d to .

These differe n t proposals were supported , as is com m on on such oc casions,by cal cu la tions, from wh ich, for wan t of a ctua l proofs, e i ther party we re at

l ib erty to draw whatever con c lusions m ight b est su it the ir purpose . The

e xpence of navigating a b arge of 130 tons from Re ading to London, andb ack

aga in , w as proved, by e xpe rien ce , to b e on - an a verage ab ou t 881 . To lower

th is expence w as the obj e ct of b oth parties. The advocates for a can a l, bythe ir ca lculation s, m ade the suppose d expen ces, that wou ld accrue in n aviga t

¢

HISTORY OF READING.

C HAP . V . ing the sam e vesse l through the proposed can a l , without taking into consi‘

de rat ion the saving in t im e , to b e n o m ore than 541. 103 . 3d. l t w as, therefore ,

n e cessary for th e advocate s for the im provem en t of the old ri ve r to prove , that

the sav ings by the ir plan wou l d b e stil l gre ater ; a ccordingly they m ade i t

e vide ntly appe ar, on paper, that by the ir propose d plan the expen ce wou ld b e

re du ced to 501 . 1 1 3 . 4d. B ut so e rron e ously do w e re ckon whe n w e wish to

prom ote a fa vori te obje ct, tha t n otwithstanding the p a ins the gen tlem e n took

in form ing the ir ca l cu lations, the e xpen ce of n aviga ting the sam e distan ce on

th e river, sin ce th e poun d l ocks have b een e re c ted, is m ore than doub le what

th ey so clearly prove d it wou ld on ly b e .

The Tham es’ com m ission ers b e ing thus div ided into tw o parties, and

a cting from different m otive s a nd interests, ende avored to throw e very o b staclein the w ay of e ach othe r’

s plan . At the m e e ting held at Re ading on the 5th

ofJune , the c om m ission ers agre ed to pe tition parl iam ent, for leave to b ring ina b i ll to e n ab le th em to carry the ir in ten ded plan in to e xe cu tion ,

andpropose d

to b orrow the sum of se ven ty thousand pounds, on b onds, b e aring 5 per cen t .in tere st, to m e et the expen ce . A s soon as the se reso lutions we re m ade publ ic,an other set of com m issioners m et at Hen le y , and reso l ved to pe tition parl iam e n t for powers to b orrow m oney for the purposes of e re cting pound- locks

,

w iers, &c . as proposed by the o ther plan . These tw o opin ions were so opposite

,

tha t i t w as e asily se en, tha t som e se cre t influen ce w as m ade use of. It isim possib le bu t e very m an , w ho hadgiven the subje c t the le ast conside ration,m ust have b een convince d of the superior advan tages arising from a shortn avigat ion over a long on e , e ven supposing the expe n ces to b e e qua l on b oth,b e cause e xp edition is the l ife and sou l of trade , and the wan t of i t is at th isday

-

seve re ly fe l t by the com m e rc ia l inhab i ta n ts of th is town .

~ Pub l i c b e ne fi tis gen eral ly the ostensib le m ot ive for n ationa l im provem ents; andpub l ic b en e fi tis as often the p le a for obstru ct ing the ir e xecu tion . This w as the profe sse d

plan of those w ho proposedto im prove the navigation by m e ans of the c ana ls,

andso i t w as of the ir opponen ts, though the latter were thought at the t im e

to have b e e n a l i ttle b iassed by friendship , gen tlem en h aving b e en brought tothe m e et ing to qu al ify and vote , at the sam e t im e , on the proprie ty of a.

m easure which the ir hab its of l ife disqua l ified them from b e ing ac qua inted

wi th . A s we l l ( sa id the a dvoc ates for the-

ca nal ) m igh t the l egislature ap

po int a certa in num b er of barge- m asters to set in convoca t ion, or to regulate

the in t erior m anagem e nt of our co l lege s, as to em pow e r t he vi ce - chan ce l lor,or be ads of co l leges, t o p reside at a navigat ion m e eting. Ve ry few c oun try

ge n tlem en , w ho a re qu a l ified in poin t of property, pay tha t atten t ion to thedifficult task of im proving navigation, so as to qu a l ify them to debate on the

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C R AP . V .

74 H ISTORY or READING .

ofthe grea t prob ab il ity of the loss ofthe Aurora , andthat every soul on board’

hadperished, ,

as she hadn ot b e e n he ard ofform ore than tw o years, andthat thetown m ight no longer b e depri ved of the services of one of its m em b ers.

To this i t w as answered, that m ere prob ab il ity w asnot a suffi cien t m otive

for the house to proc e ed upon, in a case where in a n ew writ w as requ ired to be

gran ted, anda m em b er to b e ch osen in con se qu en ce of it . That ifM r. V an

sittart shou ld b e a l ive andre turn , the house wou ld b e p lunged in to a difiicu ltyi t wou l d n ot e asily get ridof: In the case of gen era l Stanwix, introducedin the debate , w ho. w as supposed to have b e en lost in his passage to Ire land,as the sh ip in which h e em b arked had n ever b e en h eard of, there could b e

n o doub t of the fact , the Irish se as b e ing too n ear, and too we l l known , forany pe rson to re m a in in them undisco ve red ; but it w as n ot so in

,distan t se as,

from wh ence persons m ight re turn a long tim e after they had been suppose dto have b e en lost, as in the c ase of.

capta in Che ap , w ho we nt to the South- se as.

with com m odore Anson , andw as not h e ardof“

for four ye ars, andye t re turned .

”

For these re asons the writ w as refuse d by the house but the inhabitants.

of the town considere d the argum e n t as a m anoeuvre to ge t ridof the m ot ionas handsom e ly as possible , b ecause i t w as n o lon g e r l ike ly to answer the

e xpe cta t ions of the origina l proposers. John Wa lter, e sq . of Farley- hi ll, M rt

Dodd ’

s friend and n ear ne ighb or, w as design ed to fi l l the vacan t se at , and

accordingly had the pre ce eding we ek offered him se lf a can didate , with theusua l professions of independen ce , anda prom ise of

'

a strict a ttent ion to theinterest of the b orough : b ut these professions were n ot so cordia l ly re ce i vedby the e le ctors aswas expe cted, they b eingjealous that i t w as the intent of the .

m in isteria l party to surprise them into the cho ic e ofa ge n tlem an , w ho wou l d b ethereby b oundto give themh issupport, A s i t w asn ot doub ted but that the e le ction

, ,

if'

the writ were granted, wou l d b e hurried on , the opposition m ade cho ice ofFran cisAnn esley, esq . a gentlem an thathadlongresidedin the town , a ndw aswe llknown and respe cte d by the m aj ori ty of the people , as a proper p erson to

support the independen ce of the borough . At a m e e ting of the inhabitan ts,

at the town - hal l, on the 29th of February, on the tw o gentlem en . b e ing pu t in .

nom ination , the shew of hands w as so de cidedly in favor ofM r. Annesley, tha tM r.Wa lter, not will ing to disturb the peace andunan im i ty of the borough,

”

de cl in ed gi ving them any further troub le ; whereupon the an xie ty e xpressedfor fi ll ing up the vacan cy in the represen tation of the b orough sub side d, andthe businessgot ridof, as w e have sa i d, by the house putting a n egative on ,

M r. Dodd ’

s m otion .

’IE

The great we ight of taxes which we re im posedon the n ation in support

Mr. C oates erroneously states, that Mr. An nesley was re turnedat this tim e.

"HISTORY OF READING .

ofthe Am erican w ar,which from the b eginn ing hadb een always unpopular, CHAP . V .

so m uch in crease d the pub l i c discon tent, that pe titions were prese n te d to thehouse of com m ons, during its con tin uan ce, from a lm ost e ve ry part of the

k ingdom , for the redre ss of publ i c grie vances, b ut in n one w as the n e cessityof reform m ore fu l ly e xpressed, than in the fo l lowing one from this borough

The hum b le pe tition of the inhabitan ts ofthe borough of Reading,to the house of comm ons

W e , the m ayor, a lderm en , burgesses, and inhab itants of the borough-'

ofReading, con sidering the vast sum s of m oney e xpende d in th is m ost unfor

tunate w ar, sensib ly afi’

e cted them se lves, by the he avy taxes a lready la id on

the subje cts of this kingdom , anda larm e d at the idea, that othe rs m ay shortly

b e im posed hum b ly re quest your honorab le house to turn their m ost seriousconsideration to

‘

the dim in ishe d resourc es; andgrowing b urthens ofthe coun try .Your petitioners con ce i ve , tha t, in this t im e ofgenera l distress, i t will

b e n e cessary to a lle v ia te the publ ic burthens, by ab o l ishing sine cure anduseless

places, curta iling the e xorb itan t salaries and perqu isi tes a nnexed to others,a nd rescin ding m any unm erited pensions, the disposa l

‘

of which n ot on ly oc ca

sions a great waste of the publ i c tre asures, but gi ves un const itutiona l power

to the m in isters of the crown , sub verts the independe n ce ofparliam eht’ and

o perates with an un due influence on all tha t is de ar to our coun try.Your pe t ition ers hum b ly c once i ve , that the interposition ofyour honora

ab le house , in these points, andits dil igen t a ttention to the just ande cono

m ica l e xpenditure of the publ ic re venu e , by persons e n trusted with it, m ay

b e productive of gre a t n ationa l good , and enab le this country, by properlydire cting andcom b in ing its resources, to preva i l over its m ost powerful e n em ies.

They the refore presum e to address the ir petition to your honorab le

house , assuring it, that it does not in any wise origina te from a spiri t of party,

b ut is dictated by the clearest conviction , that the present situation of affa irs,

re quires the attention of e very m an, andof his honest and spe edy e xertion

of all possib le m eans’

to prom ote or defend the publ ic-weal .

This pe tition w as carried by a gre atfm ajority of the inhabitants, at a

m ee ting he ld at the town -h all , on the 3dof February, when Henry Deane ,

e sq . b e ing ca l le d to the c ha ir, it w as proposed by M r. Jam es Sim onds, and

se con ded by the reve re nd doctor Nichol ls, andordered to b e presented to the

house by the m em b ers.

After the de ath of the m arquis of Rockingham ,th en at the he ad of the

a dm in istra tion ,under wh ich the p eace of Europe hadb e en re stored, and the

independen ce of North Am e rica c 0nfirm ed, M r. Fox, disgusted at not b e ing

perm i tted to take the le ad in governm ent, threw up his place, andform ed a

L 9M

HISTORY OF READING.

C i ne .V‘

.co a l it ion with the late prem ier, with whom b a had been in th e ha bits of?

con stan t Opposition during the con t in uance of the w ar. Th is coa l ition w as

so odious to the pe ople , tha t his m aj esty soon afte r foun d it n e cessary to re -m’

m ove th e n ew m in istry, w ho , by th is m e an s, hadobta ined an uncon stitutiona l

authority over the state , and to appoin t M r. Pitt to the head of the n ew .

adm in istra tion .This m e asure w as so a c ceptab le to the n ation at large ,

‘ that

addresses were c arried to the thron e , from m ost of the coun tie s, andcorporatetowns, in the kingdom am ong which , wasthe fo l lowing one from the inhabi

tan ts ofth is b orough-

.M ost gra cious S overeign,W e , your m ajesty ’

s m ost du tifu l, and loving subje cts, the m ayor, a lderm en , b urgesses, and inhab itan ts of the b orough of Re ading, b eg le ave

‘

to

approach vour m aj esty, with assurance s of ou r m ost c ordia l - attachm en t - to

your pe rson and governm entfi m d our re veren ce to the constitution , as establishedat the glorious re volu tion .,

~W e cannot re fle ct upon the pe cul ia r situation of' this country at the

pre sen t m om e n t, w ithou t’

repre senting the n e ce ssity that appears, for the m ost

di l ige n t, anda ctive ende avors ofthose , whom your m aj e sty has thought properto e n trust with the conduct of pub l i c a ti

'

a irs, a nd. w e trust tha t such m easures

wil l b e pursued, as m ay ten d effe ctua l ly to e stab l ish the glory and happiness.

of your m aj esty ’

s re ign , andthe true interests of your pe ople .

W e b eg le ave to thank your m aje sty for having rem oved your latem in iste rs, and h aving appo inted others whom w e are p ersuaded possess thec onfidence of your subje cts, andw e assure your m aj e sty of our resolution to.

un ite in the support'

of your roya l prerogative s, andour happy c onsti tution .

”

About th is t im e , the inhab itan ts‘

b egan to turn - the ir atten tion . to the

improvem en t of the town , particu larly with . respe ct '

to the paving of. the’

stre ets, which hadb e en suffered to fa l l in to a ru inous state ,'

from the n egl igen t“

m ann er in wh ich the y were gen era l ly repa ired, e ach i nhab itan t b e ing ob l iged,from custom , to ke ep tha t part, in . fron t of. his prem ise s, in repa ir, as-far asthe

ke nn e l whi ch ran through the m iddle of e ach. stre e t, and as i t fre que n tly happened that n o tw o, though n e ar n e ighbours, cou l d agre e to pe rform the n e cesa

sary work in con ce rt, the stre e ts were frequen tly obstructed by‘

w orkm en , and

fo r-want of a true le ve l b e ing observed , the stagnate d wate rs in the‘

hollows.

n ot on ly b e cam e dangerous, from the ir pu trescen cy, b ut frequ ently in terceptedthe com m un ic ation from on e side of the stree t to the o ther.

' In the narrow

stre e ts, n o part of the p it ch ing, rough as i t w as, w as appropriated to the footpassenger ; andin the wide r. ones, though the pitching w as le ss rough in the

foot-ways, yet these were so incom m oded with posts andra i ls, andtrees, that,

HISTORY OF READING.

it w as equa l ly difiicult and dangerous for the passengers passing them in the CHAPn ight . To rem edy these in conve n ie n ce s, i t w as th is ye ar proposed to procurean act of parl iam ent,

“

for the b e tter pav ing, l ighting, andwatch ing the town ;This schem e , n otwithstanding the gre at advantages tha t wou l d e vide ntly bede rived from i t, m e t with su ch oppo sition , that the b i l l wou l d ha ve b e en lostin the house , had it no t b e en for the pe rse ve ring efforts of John Dean e , esq .

at that t im e m ayor of the borough, to whom the town is principally indebted '

for its presen t im proved state .

By th is a ct, the com m issioners are authorisedto asse ss the occup iers ofa llfthe houses within the b orough, the rents where of are five pounds per annum ,

and unde r twenty, the sum of six- pen ce in the pound ; for a ll“ houses above

tw en ty , pounds per annum , and under forty, the sum of n ine - pence in the

poun d ; and for al l h ouse s of forty pounds per ann um and upwards, on e

shilling in the pound, whate ver m ay b e the rent of the ir houses.

A s soon as the act had re ce i ved his m aj e sty ’

s assen t, the com m ission ersb egan to take the n e cessary steps for pu tting i t in e xe cu tion . T o ha vewa ited for the slow progre ss of col le cting the rate s, b efore the work w as

;

com m en ced, would , in a grea t m e asure , have defe ated the ends of‘

the b i l l

it w as therefore agre ed to ra ise the m on ey for carrying ite m by l ife annu ities,and a ccordingly e ight hundred pounds «were bo rrowed, on ~tw o . lives, at the

rate of ten pe r cent. b ut this be ing insufiicient, a further sum of one thousandpounds w as b orrowed, by- a fre e loan, alew ithou t i n terest. By the aidof

‘ thesesum s, the com m ission ers we re e nab led to com ple te the work. in a short tim e

and, as a com pl im en t to the gen tlem an , by whose exe rtion s the ac t hadb e en ,

procured, the fi rst stone w as - la i d b efore the door of his house , with the following inscription :

N im is aspera, san e levab it cu lt -w

Oppidi cultus ofiicium m agistra tus.

The n ext im provem ent w as m ade by the corpora tion , by reb uilding the

town -ha l l“ on the an cien t si te , from a design ‘

ofM r. Pou l ton , one of the irm em b ers. T he form e r edifice w as disfigure d by a row of m ass1ve pillars;support ing he avy poin ted arche s, which , e xt e nding a long the cen tre , throughthe who le length of the hal l, div ide d it . into . tw o parts, thereby re ndering it

'

ve ry un fit,for the purpose s for w hich it w as in tended, andhad,

frequen tly com pla inedof by the j udge s w ho occasion a l ly h e ld» the assize s in it.In the fol lowing ye ar, the corporation took down the oldwooden b ridge ,

which had b een e re cted a cross the Kennet, in Duke - stree t, and bu i lt the

This loan has been sin ce repaidby instalm en ts, but the annuitan tsare still living.

HISTORY OF READING .

CHAP .’ V . presen t e legant stone one on the sam e spot, at a considerable expence . Great as

these'

b urthe ns were, they we re e n abled to exe cute them withou t incurring any

addi t ion a l debts, by a scrupu lous a tten tion to e conom y, a nd curta il ing the

e xpen ce s of the ir annua l festiva ls.

Towards the close of the year 1 788, h is m ajesty w as affli cted with a

(disorder tha t in capacitated him from perform ing the exe cu tive duties of the

-c row‘

n . On th is occasion , M r. P itt brought a b il l in to the house ofcom m ons,

"

for appo inting a regency, u n der ce rta in restrictions. T his w as opposed byM r. Fox, on the ground that the regency w as, by the constitu tion , veste d in

the prin ce ofWa les. This bi l l w as deb ated with conside rab le warm th on

b oth sides, b ut at length passed the'house . I t be ing thought n e cessary to

support the m in ister, on thisoccasion, a m ee ting ofthe inhab itants took place at

the town—ha ll, on the 1 9th of Jan uary, when it w as un an im ously re so l ved

That the thanks of the m ayor, a lderm en,xb urgesses, and inhab itan ts,

-b e presen ted to the right honorable Will iam Pitt, anda lso to Franc isAnnesley,

a ndR . A . N e v i lle , e squ ires, m em b ers of this b orough , andthe other m e m be rs

of parl iam en t, w ho, supporting the p la in pr in ciple s of'the glorious re vo lution,

by the ir '

votes.

.

ia parl iam ent, upon the l 6th day of De ce m b e r last, n ob ly

a sserte d the people ’

s rights,'

by the lords andcom m ons ofthe rea lm , to pro v ide

the m eans ofsupplying the defic ien cy of the e xe cutive powe r, during his

z-m aj esty’

s very m e lancholy indisposition .

W ho, by the firm ness of the ir conduct upon that oc casion , have ! carried'

into effec t the first princip les of ci v i l -

soc ie ty, and have probab ly preventedsc alam ities, which m ight

'

have arisen from the e stab l ishm ent of opposite doc

trine s, subversive of the lawful rights of the crown , and oft he l ib erties ofsthe people .

”

'

The above resolutions having been transm itted to M r. Pitt, at the requesto f the m e e ting, by R. Maul, e sq . m ayor, he w as p leased to return the fol

lowing answer :

Srn ,—Having had the honor of re ce iv ing through you, the resolutionso f the m ayor, a lderm en, b urgesses, and inhabitan ts of Reading, I hope youw i l l a l low m e to re quest ofyou, $to take the first Opportunity of conveying my

sincere ackn owledgm en tsfor the ve ry flattering test im ony ofthe ir approb ation .

I t gi ves m e particu lar :pleasure to find, that the sen tim ents of so respe ctable a

body, co in cide 'with the princ iples, on wh ich I fe lt it m y duty to act, on an

o ccasion so im portan t andcrit ica l as the present .I am , &c . W. PITT .

His m aj esty ’

s happy re covery b e ing ann oun ce d in the m onth ofM archfollowing, another m ee ting of the inhabitan ts was he l d at the town- ha l l, at

HISTORY OF READING .

w hich a loya l and congratu latory addre ss to his m aj esty on the occasion w asCRAP.Vm oved forbyM r. a lderm an Blandy, andse con de d byM r. H . Finch as w as one W

to he r m aj esty, by M r. John De ane , andse conded by M r. Jona than Tanner,b oth wh i ch were graciously re ce ived.

The question on the ab o l ition ofthe sla ve trade , w as at th is tim e agitated? 1792

w ith m u ch e arn estn ess am ong e very de scri ption of people . The Fren ch revo

lutionists, (who, un der the m ask of virtue a ndhum an i ty, were pra ct ising e very

spe cies of vi ce andcrue lty, ) hadem an cipa ted the n egroe s in the irWest India.islands, andM r. Wilb erforce had introduced a b il l into the house of com m ons

to the sam e effe ct, for those unde r the au thority of th is cou n try. This w as

a suffic ien t stim u lon s for we l l - m e an ing pe ople to e xert a ll the ir energies, to ,

put an e nd to a practice , wh i ch so e viden tly m ilitatesu aga inst all our ide as

of hum an ity, and the natura l rights of m an kind . Had they con fined the

m easure to a gradua l annih i lation of the trade , n o fe e l ing, no m an

that hada just ide a of the hum an form div in e,” wou ld have hesitated in

giving the m e asure his cordia l support ; b ut when they wen t to a sudden and:

un iversa l em an c ipation , it w as tim e for the prudence of‘

the house to in terpose ,and, by a wise procrastination, , to ward off from our islan ds those dre adful !

ca lam itie s, wh ich the white inhab itants. had. e xpe rie n ced in the island of St.

Dom ingo, from the pre c ipita te adoption of the sam e m easure .

When the passions of m en are roused, the sti l l. vo i ce of re ason is se ldom :

heard, orattended to ; ; it is n ot therefore to b e wondered at, if p e titions in :

favorof the im m ediate ab o l ition of the trade flowe d into the house of com

mons from all that the inhabitan ts of Reading, w ho are a lways

am ong the first in supporting popular m easures, shou ld have assem b led in an

e arly stage of th e business,'

to e xpresst he ir abhorren ce of that On this :

occasion , M r. Jonathan Tanner b e ing called to the ch air, the fol lowing pe tition.

to the house of com m ons w as read, andagre ed to un an im ouslyThe hum b le pet ition of the inhab itants* of the b orough of Re ading;

W e , your hum b le pe tition ers, having m ature ly considered the African

slave trade , presum e to lay b efore you- our m ost serious con v iction , that i t is

a system of com m erce repugna n t to e very principle of soun d po l icy, justice ,

andhum an ity andthe m ost in iqu itous that e ver disgraced a civi l ize d n ation .

In the fu l l possession of c iv il a ndre l igious l ib erty, w e fe e l it our duty,

to e xe rt our,

utm ost . endeavors; in e xtending these b lessings to the rest

of m ankind.

This is the first instan ce , w e b e lie ve , on record, wherein the petition didnot run in the names

of.the corporate body asw e l l- as the inhabitants.

CHAP . V .

792

HISTORY OF READING .

W e , the refore , hum b ly pray your honorab le house , t o pass an act for

a bol ishing a traffi c, the con tinuan ce of whi ch m ust e ver prove disgracefu l tothe character of a free p eople .

”

The re vo lutionary prin c iples, which had be en dissem inated in Fran ce ,began , ab ou t th is tim e , to m ake a great progre ss in this coun try : ‘

seditious

m ee tings we re he ldin differen t parts of the m e tropo l is, wh ere in inflam m atoryspe e ches were m ade by the popular leaders, sub v ersi ve of all orde r andgo

vernm en t. Whereupon his m aj esty issued a proclam at ion for the suppressingof all such un lawful m e e tings, which m e t with the warm est approb ation from

the loya l part of the n ation , particu larly from the friends ofgovernm en t inth is town , w ho h aving requeste d t hat a m e e t ing of the inhab itan ts m ight b eca l ledat the town - hal l, the sam e took place on the 22dof Jun e , when the

fo l lowing address,w as proposed by doctor Taylor, and se conde d by M r. a lder

m an Blandy, a nd“

b e ing un an im ously agre ed to , w as, on the Wednesday fo l lowing, presen ted to his m aj e sty, by the m emb ers for the borough

M ag/i t please y our M ajesty ,

'

W ‘

e , your m ost du t ifu l and loya l subj ects, the m ayor, a lderm en , b ur

gesses, andinhabi tants of the b orough ofR eading, b eg le ave to approach yourthrone , with ,

the assuran ce of our u nfe ign ed loya l ty, and a tta chm e n t, to yoursacred pe rson , and our zea lous regard for the preservation of our m ost e xce l

len t constitution .

‘

Whilst the gre atest part of Europe is d istra cte d with c i v i l dissen tions,andlaboring under the c a lam ities of w ar, w e b ehol d with ple asure , a ndheartfe l t grat itu de , th is kingdom enjoying the b lessings of peace , im proving h erm anufa cture s, ex te nd ing her com m erce , and, by he r in creasing revenues, en

ab led to dim in ish the b urthens of the pub l ic taxes.These superior advan tages, w e gratefu l ly asc rib e , under the divin e

providen ce , to your m aj esty ’

s auspicious governm ent, and to the wisdom , and

h appy in fluen ce of the British constitu tion .

W e cann ot the n , without horror, observe the la te insid ious attem ptsof ce rta in fa ction s and.e vil - m in de d persons to infuse a sp irit of discontent intothe n ation , and, u nde r the ' spe cious n am e of reform , to sub ve rt the founda tionsof a gove rnm ent so wise ly constructed, and which so effe ctua l ly m a inta ins, atthe sam e tim e ,

-the dign i ty and au thori ty .of the sovere ign ,andthe l ib erty and

happiness of the subj e c t.W e do therefore m ost hum b ly thank your m aj esty for you r late gra

c ion s proclam ation , te nding to coun terac t su ch e vi l design s, and to pre ventthe unw aryfrom b e ing e nsn ared by fa lse andspe cious pre te nces andw e hope,

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HISTORY OF READING.

CHA P . V . tution of our country, from wh ich our lib ert ies and properties deri ve protec

tion a ndse curi ty .

S econdly .Tha t w e will m a inta in anddefend the form ofgovernm en t, con

sisting of king,lords, andcom m ons, so happily e stab l ishedin the se kingdom s.

Thirdly . Tha t w e wi ll, to the u tm ost of our power, coun teract the

a ttem pts, so industriously andwickedly m ade , by seditious m e e tings andpub

lic ations, or by any othe r m e ans wha tsoe ve r, to distu rb the pub l ic p eace . Tha t

w e w il l prom ote a stri c t a ndun iform ob edien ce to the laws, andthat w e will

afford, by our individua l exe rtions, that assistan ce to the au thority of the

l awfu l m agistrate , and to the m a in ten an ce of the e stab l ished governm ent,which is at a ll t im es due from the subje cts of th is rea lm , b u t wh ich w e fe e l

to b e pe cu l iarly n e c e ssary unde r the c ircum stan ce s of the presen t tim es.

”

In the m onth ofJ u ly, this.

ye ar, the tow n w as a larm e d by a se rious afl'

ray

tha t took‘ pla ce b e twe e n the town ’

s- m en anda de tachm en t ofdragoon s, on theIrish e stab l ishm ent, quarte redhe re . From the ir first arri va l, they had e vinced

a riotous disposi t ion ; whe ther this w as owing to a wan t of prop er d iscip line ,or to the pro voking sarcasm of the lower c lass of the inhab i tants, w e are

unab le to say ; b u t the princ ip le cause of the riot, arose from one’

of the

sol die rs drawing h is sword upon a person wa lking down King- stree t, strikinghim se vera l tim e s with it,

‘

andthrusting at him through the window of a shop

in wh ich he had taken refuge . The ofl'

ender w as se izedby som e of the by

sta nde rs, andon com pla int b e ing m ade to the c om m anding offi ce r, w as triedby a court - m artia l and ac qu itte d . This act of injust ice , as i t w as supposedto b e , toge ther with othe r assau l ts com m i tted by the sold iers, so enraged the

c om m on pe ople , that they anx iously wa ited for an opportun i ty of taking the irre venge . For this they we re n ot kept long in suspen ce , as the n ext daya so l dier wan ton ly shaking one of the po le s of a scaffold, on wh ich som e

c arpe n ters were at work, a b attle e nsue d, w hen others of the so ld iers jo in ingthe ir c om rade , the carpen ters were seve re ly b e aten the riot now b ecam e gen era l ,for othe rs of the sam e trade , rese n ting the tre atm e n t the irfe l lows hadre ce ived,arm ed them se l v e s with club s, a ndattacked the m ilitary, w ho hadby th is t im ein cre ased in n um b e rs. In va in the m ayor andother reputab le inha b itan ts expostu latedwith the com b atan ts ; the ir rage pre ve n t ed them from he aring the

dic tates of hum an ity ; a nd, as the ge n tle m en’

s ow n safe ty began at length to

b e e n dange red, they w ere for aw hi le ob l iged to l e a ve them to the ir fa te , whena sce ne of c onfusion e nsued, that is hardly to b e de scribed. The so ldiers

knocked down all that c am e in the ir w ay,'

andthe ir oppon ents were not wanting in re ta l iating on them wi thout m e rcy .

F ortunate l y for b oth parties, the vo lunteers happened at the sam e tim e to

HISTORY OF READING.

be e xercising in the Forb ury, when the com m anding officer be ing inform ed ofCHAP. V.

‘

the disturban ce , m arche d them im m ediate ly in to the m arke t- place, with fixed

b ayone ts, andthe ir m uske ts loaded with b al l cartridges. At first the Irish

faced them with in trepidity, b ut observing the resolution with which they

advan ced, they thought fit to retire , andafi'

orded the townsm en, as they dis

persed, an opportun ity of e xercising ve nge an ce on such as t o“ in the ir w ay.

Su ch of the so ldiers as fled to the volunte ers for protection, were escorted tothe ir quarte rs andto pre vent a ren ewa l of the quarre l, m ajor Deane , the com

m andan t of the vo lunte ers, form ed hism en into three di visions, who, with the irofiicers,

'

paradedthe stre e ts the greater part of the n ight, andby the ir orderly

andspirited conduct, happ ily put i t out of the power of e ithe r party to renew

the att'

ray . Se vera l were wounded on both sides, but what is m ost to b e re .

gre ttedon this occasion , is, that a sense of the injury sti l l rankle s in the breasts

of the lower orde rs of the pe ople , wh ich a lways shews itse lfWhenever any

troops of that n ation are quarte red in the town .

During the presen t re ign, addresse s to the thron e have b e com e com m on on

every e xtraordin ary o ccurre n ce b ut on n o occasion w as one m ore n e cessa ry,than on the affront ofi

'

eredto hism aj esty, ashe w asgo ing tothe house oflords,in the sta te co a ch . A m ob , sa id to have consistedof people , aecom

pan iedthe proce ssion , with eve ry insu l t c om m on to an e nragedm u ltitude , and

in"

the confusion , som e person , m ore diabo l i ca l than the rest, b roke one of the

coach windows, with a p eb b le, m arb le , or bu l le t, shot, as w as supposed, from

an airgun . Th is ou trage afforded the inhab itan ts of R ea-ding,a fresh oppor

tun ity of expressing the ir loya l ty, in the fol lowing afi'

e ctionate address, propose d by He nry Deane , esq . and se con de d a nd supported by the reverend

doctor V alpy

TO Tun K ING ’

S M OS T EXC ELLENT M AJEST Y ,The hum ble addre ss of the m ayor, a l derm en , andburge sses, andother

'

inhabi

tants, of you r m aj esty ’

s anc ien t andloya l borough of Reading.

M ay it please your M ajesty,

W e , your m aj e sty ’

sm ost du tiful andloya l subj e cts, the m ayor, a lderm en ,b urgesse s, and othe r inhab itan ts of your an cien t borough of Reading, b egle a ve to approach your roya l . presence , w ith our warm e st congratu la tions, on

your late escape from the vio le nt andatro c ious a ttack, m ade on your m ajesty ’

s

sacredp erson , by som e of the m ost unprincipledof your faction s andde ludedsubj e cts. Perm it u s, at the sam e t im e , to e xpre ss, in the strongest term s

, our

u tm ost indign a t ion andab horre nce , of the conduc t of those m e n, w ho e ither

j oin ed in, or we re pri vy to th is insult, the he inousn ess ofwhich (were i t capab le of aggravat ion , ) w as increase d, by its b e ing com m itted a t a t im e , when

M 2

HISTORY OF READING.

C R AP . V - your m aj esty w as in the e xe rc ise of tha t p art of your royal function, which i t

is the pe cu l iar happ iness ofEngl ishm en to witn ess, andb oast of, tha t ofm e eting

the tw o o ther b ran ches of the legislature .

Tha t the a lm ighty king of kings m ay continue to b e your defe nce

against all you r open andse cre t e n em ie s that he m ay, n ot on ly protec t your

person ,bu t dire c t andb less you r counc ils, so that, during the rem a in der of

your re ign , wh ich w e arden t ly wish m ay be long and happy, w e m ay have

noth ing to dre ad, e i the r from fore ign or dom e st ic fe e s, is the ferven t and

e arnest prayer of your m aje sty’

s m ost dutifu l and loya l subje cts.

”

This insu lt ofieredto his m aj e sty, w as fo llowedby a m e asure that great ly

exasperatedthe gre a t b ody of the p eople , a lready d iscon ten t ed, andstruggl ingw i th ditficu ltie s in suppo rt of a w ar, whi ch they c on ce ived unne cessary, and

whose b urde ns we re'

m uch aggrava ted by the unpre cedented high price of

provisions of a ll kinds.

In this si tu ation of the c ountry, his m ajesty’

s m in isters, encouraged per

haps by the loya l ty of the pe ople , e xpressed in the late addresses, a nd under

the pre te n ce of se curing his m aj esty ’

s person, b rought in to parl iam en t two

b il ls, for the m ore effe ctua l ly pre ve n t ing seditious m e e tings.Hitherto the inhab itants of Re ading had re m a in ed firm in the ir a ttach

m e nt to the ir sovere ign, a ndin the support of his m in iste rs ; b ut, on this o ccasion , whe n all the ir de arest rights we re stru ck at, andthe pri v ilege of d iscussing po li t ica l su bje cts placed unde r the contro l of a single m agistrate , whoseword m ight disso l ve any m e e t ing howe ve r con st i tution a l , they b e cam e e xce ed

ingly irritated, and we re am ong the first to p e t i t ion the house of com m ons

aga inst the passing of the b i lls.The m e e ting for this purpose took place in the town - ha l l, on the 2 1 3t

of Novem b e r, and w as m ore num e rous than w as e ver known on a sim i laroccasion ; and though som e sl ight sym ptom of a rio tous disposi tion e vincedi tse lf in the course of the deb a t e , ye t, upon the who le it w as conducted withas l ittle in terrup t ion as cou ld ha ve b e en e xpe c t ed from such a b ody of pe ople ,whose m inds we re irri ta t ed in a n e x tra ordin ary m anne r. As this b usin e ssse em ed to in vo lve som e of o ur de arest in t e rests, as Engl ishm en , w e hope to b ee xcused, if, on such an occ asion , w e devia te from the plan w e have h ithertoob served, by inse rt ing the sub stan ce of the spe e ches m ade during the discussion of the quest ion , previous to the insert ion of the p etition , which gave riseto them .

The b usin ess w as introdu c ed by a ca l l on the m ayor to take the cha ir,w hen tha t gen t lem an addressed the m e e t ing as fo l lows

GENTLEM EN,— I am ve ry sensible ofthe honor you intend m e, byw ishing

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HI STORY OF R EADING.

C HAP .V

. a pretence , two b i lls, striking at the v ita ls of our l ib e rties,'

w ere in troduced . It

had b ee n the stratagem , h e sa id, of a c e rta in de script ion of people , to m ake

an ob sequ ious approb at ion of m inist eria l m e asure s, a crite rion of our loya l ty

t o o ur king ; b ut this h e scoutedby m an y apt observa tions : The m aste r and1 795 t he servan t had tw o distin ct dut ies to perform ; and the la tter shou ld not

a ttem pt to sku lk the irm isconduct unde r the wings of th e form er. The rega lLchara cter cou l d do no wrong, a nd the darkn ess of adm in istration shou ldnot

b e cast around the lustre , wh i ch surrounds the throne . Aga inst the sowers-

o f sedition and reb e l l ion , and aga inst the reapers of apostacy and despotism ,

I am , ( sa idhe ) a l ike an e n em y.’ He p o in ted out the danger of referringt o the severity of on e act of parl iam ent, as an argum en t for the introductioncofan other ; andthus, step by step, the pri vi leges ofEngl ishm en m ight b e com e

-

a s l i ttle as the ir loaf. He con clude d by c onjuring e ach individu a l present, as53 . part ofthe com m un ity, who were now e arnestly appl ied to, to co m e forwardfor si lence , a t such a larm ing strides as were going on, appe aredto him b othrdastardly andcrim inal . He e xhorted them , in just ice to them se l ves, to G od,

a ndthe ir c ountry, by e very l egal andfirm en deavor, to handdown to posterity,a fa ir copy of those b l essings, which the ir ancestors did not h esita te to purc hase with the ir b lood.

M r. T. Newb ery e xpressed his disapprob ation of the p e tition, andthoughtthe b il ls n ecessary. He cau tion ed the m e e t ing from be ing led away, by thea ssertions of persons, w ho afi

'

ecteddisconten t , and to b e guarde d aga inst the irinsinuations, for there were those , h e sa id, w ho w ou l d b e happy to se e England

lying at the fe e t of France, in the sam e prostrate situation tha t Ho l landn ow e xh ib its.

Martin Annesl ey esq . a lso opposed the pe tition , and ob served, that if a.few a lte rations were m ade in on e particu lar clause ofM r. Pi tt’s b i ll, (wh ichhe hoped the good sense of the house of c om m onswould n ot fa il to m ake )it would then have his he arty c oncurrence .

The reverend doctor V alpy, after som e pre lim inary loca l o bservations,in wh ich he in treated the num erous c lass of tradesm en , with whom he w as

conn ected, to b e gu ided sole ly by the ir ow n judgm en t, on the present occasion ,replied, in a spee ch of considerab le le ngth , to the argum en ts u sed by the

spe ake rs in favor of the bi lls. He declared his abhorrence of the tum u l tuousm e etings of pe rsons, who were not e xclusi vel y the inhab itan ts of a part icu larplace : andsa id,

‘

tha t if the b il ls hadon ly for the ir obj e c t, the suppression of

such assem b l ies, they shou ldhave his con curre n ce . B ut he tota l ly disapprovedthe arb itrary powergiven to m agistra te s, to disso l ve a m ee ting, for expre ssions,which, in their j udgm ent, were im proper. He w as sorry to say, that the cause

HISTORY OF READING .

of the m in istry, w as m ore the obje ct of the b i l ls, than that of his m aj esty. CHAP . V .

Of this, the n egative given to the am e ndm en t of the duke of Le eds, andlordThurlow , w as a strikingproof. He then took a re view of the history of the

sta tutes respe cting tre ason , from th e t im e of Edw ard I I I, a ndproved, tha t

whe n e ver any a l teration hadb e en m ade in them , under arb itrary adm in istrations,the greatest ca lam ities hadb efa l len e i the r the m on arch, or the people , and

that the good sen se of the n ation a lw ays re tu rned to the original laws. He

w as a ctuated , he sa id, by the m ost loya l sen tim e nts, ande xcla im ed with gre atwarm th, when this he art sha l l cease to glow with afl

'

e ction for m y king,m ay i t from tha t m om e n t cease to We re I a repub l ican , he added, Iwou ld ho ld up b oth m y hands in favor of both the b il ls, so firm ly am I pe rsuaded, tha t ifthe flam e is thus sm othered, it wil l b urst out on the constitution ,

‘

w ith doub le ru in, and a c cum u lated de struc t ion . He pathe tica l ly describ edthe disastrous situ ation of Fran ce ; owing, as he sa id, am ong other causes,to those m in isters w ho advised the ir king to b an ish the parl iam en ts, who had

e xerc ised the right of pe t i tion ing, andw ho, in revenge , threw the ir we ight

into the scale ofthe pe ople . He warn ed his coun try to shun the sam e dange rs, .

and conjured the m e e ting to ob ey the laws, which, b e asserted, were ful ly :

su lficient, if prop erly e nforced, to e nsure pub l ic o rder.

These were the prin cipa l argum en ts u sed in the course of this interestingdebate , when the question b e ing pu t on the pe tition , i t w as carried by a great

m ajori ty, andw as as fo l lows

To the honora ble the com m ons of Grea t B rita in, in parliam en t asset-

nbled.

‘

The hum b le pe tition of the inhabi tan ts of. the b orough of Reading,shewe th,

i‘

That your pe ti tioners have b e en, in a ll'

ages, distingu ished for the ir ,

a ttachm en t to the crown , andfor the ir regard to the consti tution .

That, on the late atroc ious attack - (in the person of his m aj e sty, youri

p e tition ers we re forem ost in t est ifying the ir indignation a t the horridattem pt,andthe ir gratitude to the king of kingsfor preserv ing a l ife so deservedly de ar

to e very loya l heart .That, during the present adm in istration , they have bee n unan im ous, to

a degree , a lm ost unexam pled, in adherence to the ir princ i ples, and in support

of the ir m e asure s.

Tha t they un e qu i voca l ly disapprove , andwill un i te the ir endea vors, to

che ck the prom iscuous andtum u ltuary m e e tings ofp ersons, w ho are not assenn

A s coun ter pe tition , expressive of their approbation of the two bills, was afterwards presentedto the house , : signedby 30 1 . e lec tors of the borough .

88 HISTORY OF READING.

C R AP .V

. b led in the c ivil or pol i t ica l capa c i ty of m em b ers of a coun ty, town , or parish,W V

such as have late ly take n pla ce in the n e ighb orhoodof the m etropo l is.

That, influen ced by the sam e m o t ives of loya l ty and patriot ism , your

pe titioners v iew wi th c onside rab le a larm tw o b i l ls in troduced into your honor

a b le house : the first, e ntitled a b il l for the safe ty and preserva tion ofhis

m ajesty ’

s person andgove rnm e n t , aga inst treasonab le and sedi t ious practices

a ndat tem p ts.” The second, a b i l l for m ore effe ctua lly pre venting seditious

m e e tings and assem b l ies.

That, in the form er, th ey se e , w i th the m ost serious con cern , a reviva l

of those attem pts to in crease the catalogues of tre ason wh ich were m ade in

form er ages by we ak and arb i trary adm in istration s, wi th e qu a l danger to the

safety of the m onarch, and the l ib erty of the subj e c t : b ut which a w iser

po l icy constan t ly restric ted, by re curring to the on ly b e n e fi c ia l statute on that

subje ct, a statu te san ctioned by the experience ofm ore than four hu ndredyears, that of the 23dof Edward I I I .

That your p etitione rs consider the se cond bill as sub versi ve of the fifth

article of the b il l of rights, of tha t so lem n com pact m ade at the re vol ution ,b e twe en the k ing andthe people , for the e stab l ishm en t of the rel igion , laws,and l ib erties of this coun try, which a ckn owledge s the right of the subj e ctto petition ’

in the capa city a lre ady describ ed, of m em b ers of a county, town,o r parish, and declares all com m itm ents and prose cution s for such pe titioning, i l legal .

That they conce ive the free exerc ise of th is privi lege to b e the strongestargum ent aga inst dem ocratic inn ovators, whose th eories of un iversa l sufi

'

rage ,

and”

annua l parl iam ents, wou ld a cqu ire som e plausib i l i ty, if the vo ice of the

p eople cou ld b e suppre ssed at the arb itrary com m and of tw o indiv iduals.That, in th e opin ion ofyour p e t ition ers, the e xist ing laws are suffic ien t

to protect the civil and pol iti ca l rights of e ve ry bran ch of the constitution ;andthat, if, a ccording to the Opin ion of a gre at law character, the personswho we re tried for high tre ason , had b e en indicted fo r sedition , the pub licorder wou ld probab ly have re ce ived a m ore efi

'

e ctual se curity .

“ That , ab ove all, your petitioners are apprehensive , tha t th e pre sent

une asine ss m ay b e tracedto a high er c ause , tha n that which is re presentedas

produc t ive ofpub li c danger. They, therefore , hum b ly im plore your honorab lehouse , as c i t izens, as Christians, andas m en , to take into your m ore se riouscon side ration ,

.

the c ircum stances of a w ar, which, whate ve r d iffe rence of

Op in ion m ay e xist on its princ iple , m u st b e a cknowledged to have b een i l lconducted in its progress, and

'

calam itous in its consequences.That, conce iving the restoration of peace to be be tter cal culated to a llay

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CH AP . V .

HISTORY O F READING .

Resol ved , that the plan ofe nrolm en t, andotherm atters, in c ident andre

latingthercto , b e under the dire ction ofthe ch iefm agistrate andthe com m itte e .

In conse quen ce of th is add itiona l se cu rity to the town, the origina l corps

of vo lun t e ers, w ho hadpledge d them se lve s to m arch in defence of the ir kinga ndc oun try, to a certa in d istan ce from the borough , in case of an invasion ,

e xte nded the ir se rv ice s at th is t im e to any part of the kingdom , whe never the y

should b e ca l led upon by the e xe cutive governm en t .

When in addition to these m e asures, a gen era l subscription w as se t on foot

in e ve ry part ofthe kingdom , for the support ofthe w ar the vo lun tary con tri

b u t ions col le c ted in this town , am oun ted to 1605l. 2 5 . 6d. w h ich, ifw e conside r

the we ight andm agn itude of the taxes, under wh ich the pe ople at tha t t im e

lab ore d, m ust appear a c onside rable sum to have b e en co l le cted, from a popu

la t ion n ot m u ch e xce eding te n thousand, andis an e vi den t proof, ifany werewan t ing, of the loya lty andpatriotism of the inhab itants.

The glorious vic tory ob ta in ed by lord N e lson , over the Fren ch fl e e t a t

Aboukir, on the coast of Egypt, afforde d a fresh opportun ity to the inhab itants,to express the ir sen tim e n ts ofgra titude to the Alm ighty, and loya lty to the ir

sove re ign, b y the fo l lowing address

[Host gracious S overe ign ,

W e , your maj e sty ’

s m ost du tifu l andloya l subj e cts, an im ate d by e veryse n tim en t of gratitude , for the m any b le ssings w e enj oy, under your m aj e sty ’

s

gove rnm ent, b eg leave , h um b ly t o address, and warm ly to congratu la te yourm aj e sty, on the l ate b ri l l ian t andde c isive victory ob ta in e d by your m ajesty ’

s

flee ts, unde r the com m and of adm iral lord Ne lson , andsir J . B . Warren . The

fo rm er has extended the fam e of the Bri tish arm s in Asia andAfri ca, and has

b een the instrum en t of sav ing who le coun trie s from the m iserie s, which thesystem of our enem ies wou l d have i ntrodu ced am ong them . The latter hashappily frustrated th e ir de signs on our sister island .

Ne xt to the de vou t ackn owledgm en ts of the m erc ies of the Alm ighty,wh ich w e conce ive , ha ve b e en , in som e m e asure , drawn down on th is country,by tha t n ationa l spirit ofre l igiou sgra titude for past favors, of which your m a

j esty h as give n so august an e xam ple ; w e cann ot suflic ientlyexpress our adm ira t ion of the skill, e n e rgy, andva lor, of our com m an ders, andof the discipline ,ze a l , andintrepidi ty, of our ga l la n t se am en andm arine s.

Wi th the m ost he artfe lt satisfaction , w e pe rce i ve the unan im ity that

pervades all ranks of pe ople , in defen ce of your m aj e sty, and of our happy

constitution ; andw e trust,tha t b y m e an s of th is pa triotic ardor in the nation,andofwisdom andfirm n e ss in your m ajesty ’

s counc i ls, under the prote ction of

HISTORY OF READING .

providence, the cause of socia l order, good governm en t, andtrue re l igion , wil l CHAP . V .

at last b e su ccessfu l .

Tha t the blessings of a secure , honorable , and lasting pea ce , m ay soon

b e gran ted to your m ajesty ’

s dom in ion s andthat your m aj esty m ay long re ign 1798

o ver an un i ted andhappy pe ople, is the ferve nt wish of your m aj esty ’

s m ostloya l andaffe ctionate subje cts.

The'

last ye ar of th is century w as rendered rem arkable , by an attem pt onhism aj esty’s l ife , while sitting in his b ox at Drury - lan e theatre . This w as at 1800

first con side re d as the consequ ence of the tra itorous m ach inat ions of som e de

ludedpe ople , w ho , notwithstan ding the a trocitiest ha t had b een com m itted inFran ce , during the re vo lution , andthe subse qu ent enslavem ent of the inhab i

tan ts, were st il l known to b e the advocates for the ir extravagan t not ions of

reform ,andwe re, therefore , con sidered capab le ofexe cu ting any crim e , however

wicked or e norm ous, for the a tta inm en t of the ir e nd; b ut, on investigat ion,the assassin w as foun d to b e a m an ia c

,and in n o w ay conne cte d with the party

ab ove - m e n tion ed but as th is w as not known ’ t i l l som e tim e afte r, the address

from th is town to his m ajesty, on the occasion, w asfounded on the then curren t

opin ion , andw as as fo llows

M ay it please your M ajesty,

W e , the m ayor, a l derm en , b urgesses, and inhab itants of the borough

of Reading, do m ost an xiously e m b ra ce the e arl ie st opportun ity, of congratu‘

lating your m aj e sty, andth e nat ion in ge nera l , on your h appy andprovide ntial

e scape , from the late horrid a ndtra itoro us a ttem pt upon your sacredpe rson .

An im ated in the highest degre e with a sen se of duty, loya lty, andafi'

e c

tion to your p erson and gove rnm ent, andcon sc ious of the m any b lessings w e

e njoy un der your auspic ious re ign , w e c ann ot b ut e xpress our aston ishm en t,that any m an should b e found, so com ple te ly depraved, a s to ra ise the arm

of v io len ce aga inst a l ife so dese rvedly de ar to e very m em b er of the e m pire ,andupon wh ich the se cu rity andhappin ess of the se kingdom s so m uch depend .

What m ot i ve s cou l d h ave led to such an a ttem pt, w e a re at a loss to

c once ive ; but w e fe e l ourse l ves ca l le d upon, in conjun c tion with the rest of

ou r countrym en, to de c lare , in the strongest term s, our ab horren ce andde tes

tation of so wicked an a ct, andto re turn our devou t thanks to that Alm ighty

Providenc e wh ich has so grac iously prese rve d your m aje sty, on th is, as we l l

as on form er occasions.

It is ou r m ost fe rvent wish and praye r, tha t the sam e good Providence

m ay stil l watch ove r and pro te ct your sacredpe rson ; and that your m aj esty

m ay long continu e to l ive and re ign, in the he arts and affe ctions of a FRE E,

H APPY, andU N ITED PE OPLE .

”

CH AP . V .

W

1800

HISTORY OF READING .

The last ye ar of the e ighte e n th ce ntury, w as al so rem arkab le for‘

thc

a lm ost t otal fa i lure of the c rops throughou t the kingdom , so tha t though in

the n e ighb orhood of Re ading they had suffe red l ess from the we tness of the

se ason ,than in o the r distric ts, ye t, on the 2oth of De ce m b er, this ye ar, whe a t

so ldat the en orm ous price of 1808 . per quarter, a pric'

e w e m ay ven ture to

sav, hi the rto unpre c ed en te d in this cou n try .

During the e ighte e n th ce n tury, Re ading produced very few authors,whose works have b een h a n ded dow n to us, andas m ost of the se ha vela lre adyb ee n n o t iced in M rJ C noate s

’

s History of the B orough ,I shal l on ly m en tion

one , whose m e ri ts se e m to ha ve b een overlooked by tha t gen t le m an , though

e qua l, if n ot superior,'

to som e , whose n am es w ere thought worthy of b e ingre corded in h is work .

M r. Richard Co le , ca l le d by his ne ighbors, for d istin ction sake , poe t C o le,Was b orn in this town ab ou t the ye ar 17 15, ofc reditab le pare n ts. Whe ther he

w as b rought up to a ny busin ess is un c erta in , as i n the la tter part of his l ifehe l i ved on a sm a l l patrim ony , in a ve ry re t ired w ay,

in St . Ma ry ’

s B utts. He

w as rathe r of an indo le n t disposit ion , and, though fon d of c om pany, very

rese rved, part icu larly am ong strange rs ; b u t to those he w as b e tter acqua in tedwi th , h e wou l d at tim e s b e e xce edingly c om m un icat ive and instructive . He

w as very atten t ive to young pe opl e , whom he found to b e of a sob e r and industrion s turn of m ind , m aking them his com pan ions, and by his con ve rsation

inspiring them wi th the love of v irtu e , a ndthe laudab le am b i t ion of exe c l ingin the ir se ve ra l ca l l ings. A re spe ctab le tradesm an of th is town has b een oftenh e ard to say, that it w as to his advice andencouragem e nt

,a ndby in troducing

him e arly in l ife into b e tte r com pany than p e ople of his l in e are u sual ly adm itted to, th a t he w as indeb ted for his prese n t fortun e andhappiness.

g

Som e of h is pie ces we re of a satyrica l ' c ast, andfw ritten in the '

style ofBu t l er’

s H u'

dibra'

s, b ut the gene ra l i ty of his w ri t ingswe re Of a m ore'

serious

andre l igious n a ture,as m ost su i tab le to his turn of m ind . He d ie d in 1777,andwas b u ri ed in St . l flary

’

s chu rch yard .The

'

fo l low ing spe c im e n

'

of his poe try is se le cted , n ot as possessing a

superiori ty over his'

o ther works, b u t, b e ca use i t is inscrib ed to the m em oryof an artist of whom

'

so'

l i ttle is known,tha t he has be en overlooked by

M r . Coates

To the M em ory of M r. John Weller, Lim n er, Of R eading,'

w ho died D ecem ber 24, 1 763 .

If thou c a nst ye t, lam en te d shade ! a ttendThe he artfe lt sorrow s of a fa i thfu l friend,Accept the hum b le hom age of a la y,

The on ly tribute that the m use can pay,

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CR AP . V .

HISTORY OF READING .

To fol low truth e’

e n through a thorny w ay,

A nd m e e t the blest, in rea lm s of happy day,Where virtues heighten

’

d to perfe ction rise ,

A nd, clad in light, p ossess the ir native skies.

The world , unworthy of a sou l l ike thin e ,Sha l l see i t on e day, in refu lgen ce sh in e ,W here harm ony ce le stia l dwe l ls, a nd pe ace ,A nd va in distin ctions, shal l for e ve r ce ase .

”

Another artist, though I b e l ie ve n ot a n ative of th is town, has som e c la im

to our n otice , from hav ingre side d m any ye ars in it, thisw as M r. John Rowe l l,professor of the an cien t a rt of sta in ing glass. Sir Horace Wa lpo le speaks

ofhim , as one of those , through whom this n ob le art w as preserved, andby

whom it w as de l ivered down to the present tim e . His co lors are sa id to h ave

b ee n glaring, bu t n ot lasting. M r. Coa tes has gi ven a l ist of his works, b ut

it is im perfe ct. The on ly on e to b e depe nde d on , is in his ow n appea l to thepub l i c, in the fo l lowing advertisem en t, pub l ishe d in the Reading Mercury,Feb ruary 12, 1753

John Rowe ll, professor of the a n c ien t art of sta in ing glass, late of

Wycom b, Bu cks, b ut now of Reading, having no son to suc ce e d him,doth

therefore, for the e n couragem en t and im provem en t of that curious art, pro

pose to expla in andte ach the sam e , to any pre per p erson , for a reasonable consideration . Pe rform an ce s by him are to b e se en , in the chance l window at

Ham ble ton , n ear Hen ley.

in Oxfordshire , in which are the twe l ve apostles, and

Moses andAaron , in the ir robes, with a large window of our savior’

s resur

re ction trium phing over death andthe grave . The figures as b ig as the l ife .

Also, a large a l tar window of our savior’

s last supper, at Apthorpe, i nN ortham ptonshire .

At Newnham church, in Ham psh ire , isthe h istory ofoursavior, m akingh im se lf know n to his tw o d isc ip les, a t Em m aus

,by bre aking ofbre ad.

The sam e history, in a chan ce l w indow , a t Pe n , in Buckingham shire .

Also, a large history of our savior’

s passion in the garden , in a chape lwindow of the lord bishop ofWorcester, at Hartlebury .

Likewise , Mose s andAaron , supporting the ten com m an dm en ts, in an

a l tar window, at A rb orfie ldin Berks.

”

In the Gentlem an’

s Magazine , for October 1758, is a le tter, signed EdgarB ochart, giv ing an accoun t of an enorm ous wate r serpen t, that w as kil led in1578, in a pond, b e longing to a farm house , n ear Hitchendon , in the coun ty ofB u cks. The house , he ob serves, hadform erly been an hosp ita l of the kn ightstem plars, andthe circum stances of the m onster’

s death, had, soon after the

HISTORY OF READING

transaction , been pa inted on the wal ls of the refec-tory, andrenewed as often asCHAP. V:

found n e ce ssary. The presen t pa int ing, he adds, w as done about forty ye ars

sin ce , by the fam ous Rowe l l, the glass sta in er.

A s M r. Rowe l l, in the form er part of his l ife , carried on the businessof a

pa inter andglazie r, at High Wycom b, in the sam e county, i t is very probablethat this an e cdote is corre ct, though w e have no other accoun t of his pa in tings,

1800

e xcept on glass.

M r. Rowe l l d ied at h is house in London - stree t, in 1 756, andw assucceede d

in the b usin ess of a plum b er, b y the late M r. Truss, w ho hadbeen his appren

tice in that b ran ch, b ut the art of stain ing glass, so far asw as pe cul iar to him

se lf, died with him . M r. Trusshas a v ery good portra it ofM r. Rowe l l, sa id

to be a striking l ikeness, but by whom drawn is uncerta in .

H istory of R eading.

CHAPTER v 1 .

THE n ineteen th cen tury com m ence d with the m e lan cho ly prospe ct offam ine ,arising from the scarcity, and conse quen t h igh pri ce of corn ; by which thepoorer classes of socie ty, and e ven m any of the m iddle rank in l ife

,we re

reduced to the greate st distre ss. Bre ad, m ade of barl ey, or whe at m ixe d with

other gra in , a nd e ven pu lse , w as re com m e nded andadopted by the ri ch , but

n e ither pre cep ts, n or exam ples, cou ld p reva i l on the poor to com ply with so

salu tary a m e asure , t i l l com pe l led by dire n e cessity . Rice w as purchased and

d istributed a t low pri ces, andsoup - shops were e stab l ishe d by public subscrip

t ion , but so rooted are the prejudice s of the poor, tha t few wou ld a ccept theassistance offered them by this m e ans, andthose tha t did, considere d it ratherin the l ight of an in su l t offe red to the ir fe e l ings, th an the effe ct of a charitab led isposition . The price of whea t ke pt gradua l ly e ncre asing t i l l the m iddleofMarch, when i t w as so ld in th ism arke t, at an a verage of 1 953 . the quarterb ut as the harvest approached, wi th the prospe ct of a n abundan t crop , theprice of this n e cessary artic le of l ife b egan to de cl in e , and the expe cta t ionof a gene ra l peace , afforded by th e sign ing of the pre l im in ary artic les, in theau tum n of th is ye ar, b rought it to nearly its usua l le ve l b efore the com m en cem en t oft h e n e xt .

Pe ace b etwe en the b e lligerent powers having been sign ed e arly in the

spring of th is ye ar, un der the auspice s ofM r. Addington , high steward of th isb orough , w ho had su cceeded M r. Pitt in the office of c hance l lor of the ex

che qu er, a m e etingo f the inhab itan tsw as ca ll ed, for the purpose of addressinghis m aj esty o n the oc casion , when Martin Ann esley, e sq . b e ing ca l led to thecha ir, the addre ss w as proposed by M r. a lderm an Blan dy, and se conded byM r. Rob ert Harris.

The rev. doctor V alpy opposed the address, in a spe e ch tha t m ight b ec onside red prophe t i c of wha t th is coun try has sin ce e xperien ce d . He wishe dt o know , (he sa id) whethe r i t w as the inten t of the m e e ting, that the addre ssshou ld b e signed indiv idua l ly, or

'

by the cha irm an in the n am e of the inhab itants. If the form er, he had no thing furthe r to say : e v ery pe rson m igh tsign whatever b e ple ased : but in the l a tter case , he m ust assure the m e e ting,

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HISTORY OF READING.

m arked by ple n ty and prospe rity ; and that the l ife of your m ajesty m ay be

l engthe ned to the latest pe riod, for your ow n happin ess, and the b ene fi t and

advantage of your u n ited kingdom s, is our e arnest andarden t prayer.

”

On the re newa l of ho stilities, in the suc ce eding year, th is borough aga in

addressed his m ajesty, in the following loyal and patriotic effusion of the ir

sentim entsTo THE K ING ’

S m os'r EXC ELLENT M AJESTY .

The hum b le address of the m ayor, alderm en, burgesses, and inhabitants

of the b orough of Re ading.

JlI ay it plea se your M ajesty,

W e , your m aj esty ’

s m ost dut iful subj e cts, the m ayor, a lderm en , b ur

gesses, andinhab i tan ts of the borough of Re ading, hum b ly b eg perm ission to

approach yourm ajesty, at this im portant crisis, with a de c larat ion ofthat activeloya l ty, and affe ctionate atta chm e n t to your roya l p erson andgovernm ent ,which have a lways distingu ished the inhab itants of th is an c ien t borough .

W e have b ehe ld with just indigna tion , the re stle ss spirit, andam b itious

views, of a power, whom n o con cessions can sooth , whom no trea ties can bind.

The Fren ch governm e n t, n ot con c il iate d by the ende avors of your m a

j esty, to restore the b le ssings of peace , to a world wasted with the ra vage s of

w ar, have in variably, sin ce the treaty of Am iens, pursued a system of host il ityto the com m erce and constitut ion ofth iskingdom , andto the l ib e rt ie s of m an ~

kind. Conscious that they cou ld not succe ed in the ir design to subj ugate theCon tin ent, wh ile Brita in in terposed her protecting arm , they have ~

atfectedto.

represe nt her as se cluded from the concerns of the rest of Europe , andche

rishedthe va in e xpe ctation, that they coul d ann ihi late her po l itica l influence .

The forb e aran ce andm oderation ofyour m aj e sty ’

s coun cils, inste ad of

producing re ciproca l sentim ents of am ity, and com m un i cation ofgood offices,have b e en repa idon ly with persona l insults, andwith n at iona l injurie s.

In these circum stan ce s, i t m ust b e a sooth ing conso latio n to your m aj esty,to observe the unan im i ty d isplaye d by your pe ople , in th e ir de term ina tion to.

resist the com m on e n em y of the repose , and of the independe nce of Europe .

A ndw e b eg leave to a ssure your m aj esty, tha t the inhab itants of Re adingyie ld to no class of your m ajesty ’

s subje cts, in the w arm th of the ir fe e l ings,andin the sincerity of the ir profe ssions, to m a inta in the nob lest cause , in whichthe ir he arts can b e e ngaged—the honor of the ir king, and the prosperity ofthe ir country.

It is our fe rve n t praye r, tha t, unde r the prote ct ion ofa wise andgraciousProviden ce , your m ajesty m ay b e e nab led, by the va lor ofyourfle e tsandarm ie s,andthe z ealous support of your p eop le , to place the com m ercia l interests of

HISTORY OF READING .

the n ation on a basis, which cannot b e shaken, by the intrigues of secret, or

the vio lence of open hosti l ity .

”

On the fifte en th of July, th is year, acontinua l firing of cannon w as heardthroughout the day, by m any of the inhab itan ts of the town , and ne ighboringvi l lage s. This phenom en on be ing circulated with great industry, by those thathe ard it, o ccasion ed a conside rab le an xie ty during that, and the su cce edingdays, m any peopl e here im agin ing that the Fren ch hada ctually put the ir threat

of in vasion in e xe cution . Th is anx ie ty w as not rem oved ’ti l l som e days after,when it b e cam e known , that the firing proce eded from the batteries at Boulogue , wh ich hadb e e n the whole of that day firing at

~

our cru iz ers, w ho weree nde avoring to cu t off a flee t of vesse ls com ing from Flushing. W e should

not have m ention ed this c ircum stance , had i t n ot b e en for the in contestib leproof i t affords, of the e xp losion ofgrea t guns having been heard at upwardsof one hundred m ilesdistan ce . At a subse quen t engagem en t at the sam e place ,in 1805, the report of the guns w as heard here , by m any of the inhab i tants,e qua l ly distinct, andclear. At b oth the se periods, the wind w as at N. E . and

n early ca lm .

At a m e e tingofthe inhab itantsin the town -ha l l, on the 6th ofM ay, th isyear,in conse qu en ce ofa re qu isit ion to the m ayor, for the purpose ofaddressinghism a

j esty, on the catho l i c question , which hadfor som e t im e agitated the m inds ofthe people , ande ve n tua l ly ca used the unpre ceden ted dissolution of parl iam ent,with in se ve n m onths from the last gen e ra l e le ction , the address w as proposedby M r. W ilsdon , andse conded byM r. Je sse, b ut H . Marsh , esq . hav ing proposedan adj ournm ent, i t occasion ed a ve ry interesting debate , in whi ch the

reve rend W . Marsh, the re ve rend doctor Barry, the reverend C . Mitford, and

M r. Ring, supported the address andthe reve rend doctor Va lpy, M r. W al

Gauntlett, M r. Mon ck, andM r. E . Vin es, spoke in favorte r, the reve rend

of the adjournm en t .On the qu e stion be ing put from the cha ir, the shew ofhands w as so e qua l,

i t w as im possib le to de term in e which hadthe m ajority ; i t w as, therefore , agre ed,that e ach side shou ld b e to ld out, when it appe ared there were 1 1 5 for the ad

dress, and 1 17 aga inst it .Tho ugh the catho l i c qu estion w as the leading poin t in dispute , there can

b e n o doub t that pol iti ca l conside rations of an other kind, hada grea t we ight inthe de term ination of the m e e t ing.

The late dism issa l of his rn ajesty’

s m in isters, with the sub seque n t dissolutie n of parliam en t, had irrita ted m any, who had b e en warm supporte rs ofthe late adm in istration , and induced the m to c om e forward on th is occasion ,in opposit ion to a m easure , which otherwise , from the ir we l l known loyal ty to

0 2

100 HISTORY OF READING .

the ir king, and love for the constitu t ion , they would, there is no doubt, have

supportedw i th the ir a c custom ed e n e rgy.

"Vhile one party depreca ted the dange r tha t thre aten e d the estab l ished

church, by the proposedem an c ipa t ion ofthe c atho l ics, by pla cing the c om m and

of the arm y , and n avy, in the hands of a b igotted set of m en , devote d to a

fore ign he ad, whom they a cknowl edged to b e the ir spiritua l ch ief, a l though

he w as at tha t very tim e under the influ ence of our grea test en em y ; of m en

w hose forefa thers, during the re ign ofJam e s I I . when they e njoyed the rights

now so e arn est ly sol ic ited, hada t tem p tedto sub vert our nation a l church , and

to in troduce an arb itrary governm en t the o the r displayed all th e ir e loquenc e ,in the pra ise of m u tua l to lera t ion , on the harm lessn ess of the m ode rn catho

l ie s, the ir reducedn um b e rs, and the b e n e fi t to b e derived to th e un ited kingdom s, in the prese nt w ar, by a t tach ing to our in tere sts, by a l ib e ra l conduct,the he arts of a loya l and b rave people , w ho had too long b een he ld in a

state of b ondage , unb e com ing the subje cts of a fre e coun try .

Such were the a rgum en ts used in th e course of the debate , and thougha nega t i ve w as pu t on the addre ss, it wou l d b e an injust ice to tax the m a

jority on the d iv ision , wi th the wan t “

of loya l ty and respe ct to the ir kingfor a l though som e few m igh t perhaps vote aga inst it, from party m otives, ye tthe greater part appeared c onvin ced , tha t the ca tho l ics we re e n titled to a ll

the privilege s tha t they them se lves e nj oyed as protestants.

The c onv en t ion agre ed upon in the fol lowing ye ar, b e twe en ou r com m an

ders, in Portuga l , andthe Fren ch gen era l Jun ot, a t tra c tedthe a t ten t ion ofthe

pe ople throughout the c ountry . Addresses were sen t up from e very part ofthe kingdom , am ong wh ich w as the fo l lowing from th is b orough , proposed byM r. Mon ck, andse conded by M r. Ovey :

To THE KIN G ’

S MOST'

EXC ELLEN T M AJESTY .

M ost gra cious S overeign ,

W e , your m ajesty ’

s m ost du t ifu l andloya l subj ects, the inhab i tants oftheb orough of Re ading, b eg leave to approach your m ajesty

,wi th our assurances

ofat tachm en t to your sacredp erson , andto your m i ld andpa terna l gove rnm e n t .

W e fe e l ourse lve s m ost gratefu l to your m aj esty, for the ze a l which youhave m an ife stedin the e m an cipation of Spa in and Portugal, and w e congra

tu la te your m aj esty on the tw o sp lendid vic torie s ob ta ined by your force s inthe latt er country. W e ow e i t a lso to your m ajesty, the sove re ign of a fre e

p e ople , as fa i thfu l subje cts, e ver a l ive to the tru e support and honor of yourc rown , not to c once a l our sen t im en ts on any pub l ic em e rgency, and to de c lareto you, that our disappoin tm ent and regret were extrem e, when w e found the

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102 HISTORY O F READING.

clause to tha t purpose , in the re qu isit ion to the m ayor to ca l l a ha l l, not of the

e l e ctors on ly, but very properly, of a ll the residen t inhab itants. At th is

m e e ting, wh ich w as a ttendedby u pwards of a thousand persons, the n e cessity

of a parl iam entary reform w as en larged upon by M r. Mon ck in his introduc

tory spe e ch on the occasion , andm e t with such un iversal approb ation , that the

m e asure b e cam e a strik ing figure in the“

fo l lowing resolutions ; a lm ost all of

whi ch were carried un an im ously, and those that were not, had on ly tw o or

thre e dissen ting voi ce sReso lved, that corrupt practices have b een found to e xist in the grant

of com m issions and appo in tm ents in the arm y, no l ess disgracefu l to the

c haracter of the late com m ander in ch ief, as a soldier, than rum ous to the

pub l i c se rvice .

Reso l ved, that G wyllym Lloyd Wardle , esq . is en titled to the thanks

o fhis coun try, for the ze a l , integrity, and intrepidity, with which he m a in

tain ed the charge s of corruption aga inst his roya l highness the duke of York,in spite of the lukewarm n ess of the leading

'

m e m b ers of opposit ion, and the

Open hosti l ity, anddire ct m en aces of m inisters.

Resol ved, that Charles“

Shaw Lefe vre , esq . on e of the represen tatives for

th isb orough, has deserved we l l of his constituents, andconferred honor on the irc ho ice , by the pla in , in te l ligib le , in depende n t, c on sisten t, andde cisive m anner,

in wh ich he a cted andvoted, during the who le course of the late in qu iry.Reso lved, that ourthan ks are due to sir Franc is Burde tt, bart. who

se conded M r.‘Wardle Lord Viscount Fo lkstone , sir Sam u e l Rom i l ly, kt.

S am u e l Whitbre ad, e sq . adm ira l Markham , the ga l lan t ge n era l Ferguson , and

the rem a inder of the one hundre d andtwen ty- five m em bers,who supported

M r. Wardle ’

s m otion .

Resol ved, that the vote of the house of com m ons, upon the m otion of

the chance l lor ofthe exchequer, for the a c qu itta l ofhis roya l h ighness the dukeofYork from a ll knowledge of the corrupt practices proved, has done v iolenceb oth to the understan ding, andfe e l ings ofEngl ishm en , andaffords a prom inentandstriking e xam ple of the very im perfe ct repre sen tation of the pe ople .

Re so lved, that the on ly effe ctua l barrier aga inst the inroads of corrupt ion, is to b e found in the consti tutiona l resort to obta in a fa ir and fa ithfu lrepre sentation of the pe ople in the ir house of com m ons.

Reso lved, that the n um ber of p lacem en , and pensioners, having seatsin the house of com m ons

, is a growing e vi l ; contrary to an an cien t resolutionof that house ; destru ctive of the independe n ce of parl iam en t ; and that thenum b er ought to b e restrictedto c e rta in officers of sta te, whose presen ce m ayb e expedient in the house of com m ons.

HISTORY,O F READING .

Resol ved, that the state ofthe de cayed boroughs in the un ited kingdom ,

return ing m em b ers to parl iam en t, andwh i ch have b e com e by lapse of t im e the

pri vate property ofindividua ls, is on e gre at cause ofthe presen t wide extended

and deplorab le corruption , anddem ands the serious attention of parl iam ent, asa m ockery of representat ion .

Re sol ved, that the restorat ion of trienn ia l parl iam en ts, agre eable to thesta tu te 6th ofWill iam andMary, wou ld greatly che ck corruption, andin thewords of the pre am b le to that m em orab le act, wou ld ten d very m uch to thehappy un ion ,

andgooda gre em en t of the king andpeople . ’

Re so l ved, that the on ly w ay to have indepe ndent m en in parl iam ent, is,

to send them independen t th ere and, tha t the exam ple se t byWe stm inste r, inthe m ann er of e le cting sir Fran cis B urde tt, cannot b e too h ighly com m ende d,andis worthy to b e im itate d by all the fre e b oroughs in the kingdom .

Re so l ved, that during the presen t re ign, e very succe ssive adm in istrationhas yie lded to the force , or to the tem ptation of the pre sen t system of corrup

t ion andthe result of e ve ry change has been, to ho l d the people in de lusion»andnot to rem ove , b u t perpe tuate ab u ses.

Re solved, that w e have no hope s, that his m ajesty ’

s presen t m in isterswill e ve r se riously and e arnestly take in hand the work of reform ation ; as the

proce edings in parl iam en t have ful ly proved them to b e , the m in isters of thecrown on ly, andnot of the pe ople ; the stiflers of enquiry, and the abettorsof corruption .

”

The additiona l resolu tion , proposed by the re v. doctor V alpy, that the .

vote ofJohn Sim e on, e sq . one of the represen tative s for th is b orough, in favorofM r. B anks

’

s am endm e n t to M r. Wa rdle ’

s origina l m otion , is highly de serving of the thanks ofhis constituents w asnegat i ve d by a gre a t m aj ority.

‘

The fo l lowing resolution w as then pu t by doctor V alpy, and carriedun an im ously, that, in order to set the exam ple of purity of repre sentation,i t is un fit for any e le ctor of th is b orough , to acce pt a publi c dinne r, or anyo th er gratu ity, dire ctly or indire c tly, from h is repre sen tative .

—The unan imm ous thanks ofthe m e e tingw as the n given to Thom asG le ed, esq . m ayor, for the

re adin e ss with wh ich he ca l led the m ee ting ; for his a ttention to the busin ess

of the day ; and, for his ab le , im partia l, andcon ci l iating condu ct in the cha ir.

O n the 25th of Jun e , th is ye ar, a m utiny took place am ong the loca l

m i l itia, while exercising in the Forb ury, on b e ing refused the ir m arching

gu in e a, previous to the ir dism issa l on the n ext day on which occasion , severa l

c om pan ies la i d down the ir arm s to . which conduct, as i t w as afterward

a sserted, they had be en in c ited by som e of the volunte ers im pruden tly u rging

them on, and prom ising to stan d by them ._ How far this asse rtion is founded.

C H A P .

104 HISTORY OF READING:

in fact,'

w e know not, b ut certa in i t is, the officers of the vol unte ers were by

n o m eans im plicated in the charge ; n e ither cou l d i t b e e xpe cted , th a t the y

shou ld b e answe rab le for the c ondu ct ofthe ir m e n while offfrom du ty n otw ith

standing th is, howe ver, ou com pla in t b e ing m ade at th e w ar- othe e , by the cum

m ande r of the loca l m il i t ia , on the supposed m isconduct of the regim en t ofRe ading vo lun te ers, th ey were in the Ju ly fo l lowing dism issed from his m a

jesty’

s service , wi thou t the sm a l lest rem un eration , andwithou t e ven a com pl i

m ent b e ing pa id them for the ir m eritorious condu ct, in com ing forward, in thehour ofdanger, to serve the ir country a lm ost whol ly at the ir ow n expe n ce .

Whe ther the re turn these b rave fe l lows m e t with from his m aj esty ’

s m i

m isters, for th e ir patriotic service , andthe se lf- den ia l they m u st fre qu en tly have

e xpe rie nced, in a t tending the ir m il itary dutie s in all seasons, andin all we athers,w as m e rited, the coun try m ust judge ; b ut certa in ly com m on pruden c e ought tohave dictateda differe n t conduct. The danger m ay b e defe rred, but is n ot

who l ly warded off; andshould the tim e aga in arri ve , when the service s of thevolunte erssha l l b e aga in ca l led for, the tre atm en t the se have re ce i ved, wil l n ot,w e fe ar, b e an inducem en t for othe rs to com e forward in defen ce of the ir kinga ndcoun try.

On his m aj e sty ’

s e ntering in to the fiftie th year of his re ign, in the m onthof Octob er,in the pre sen t year, it w as proposed bysom e frie nds ofgove rnm ent,that the a nn i versary shou ld b e kept as a jub i le e throughou t the kingdom , in

such m anner asshou ld b e though t m ost advisab le to e ach town or v i llage . In

c onsequ en ce of th is intent ion , the fol lowing requ isition w as sen t to the m ayorSir,—W e , the unde rsign ed, re quest you to ca l l a m e e ting of the corpo

;ration , as early as m ay b e conven ien t, to consider of a plan to ce lebrate , in the

m ost appropriate andrespe ctfu l m ann er, the fift ie th ann i ve rsary ofthe a ccessiono four ve n eratedandbe loved sovere ign to the throne an e vent a lm ost un exam ple di n the history of th is country

Richard Richards.Rob ert Harris.

Charles Pou lton .

Thom as Sowdon .

John Bu l ley.W . B . Sim onds.William Blandy.John Stephens.

‘

In conseque nce of th is requ isition, a hal l w as ca l le d, a nd a com m i tteea ppointed, consisting of the fol lowinggentlem en, to take the sam e into con .

s ideration °

Will iam Andrews.

George G i lb ertson .

Launce lot Austwick .

John Blandy.Will iam Garrard .William Ste phens

Thom asWard .

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HISTORY OF READING .

h igh steward , the m em b e rs and re corde r for th e b orough , andto the vi cars

Of the re spe c t ive parishes.

”

B ut the inhab i tants a t large , con ce i v ing them se l ve s a g grie ved, in b e inge x c luded from e xpressing the ir sen t im en ts p ub l ic ly on th is oc casion , another

requ isition , respe c tful ly sign ed , w as pre sen ted to the m ayor, request ing h im to

ca l l a m e e t ing of the inhab itants of the b orough, to take in to conside ration

the prOprz’

ety of c e leb rating the day.

”T o this i t w a s answe red, tha t the

te rm s of the re qu isition appe ared e xception ab l e ; and that it w as not e xpe .

dient to ca l l su ch m e e ting ; as the Obj e c t Of the requ isition w as to consider

the propriety of ce lebrating the approach ing a nn i versary, and n ot the m ode

of carrying the sam e in to effe ct .

I n consequ en ce Of this refusal , the gen tle m e n w ho signed the requ isition,

andwhose n am es had be en addedto the com m i tte e appointe d by the c orpo

rat ion, wi thdrew the ir n am es, and ca l le d a m ee ting of the inhab i tants in the

Forbury, in dep enden t of the m ayor andcorporation ,w hich w as num erously

atte nded ; when John Hoope r, e sq . b e ing ca l le d to the cha ir, the fol lowingreso lu t ions we re c arried unanim ously

Re so l ved, l st , That i t wi l l b e proper to c om m e m orate the e n su ing an

n iversary of his m aj e sty ’

s a cce ssion , by at t endan ce on div ine service , a t our

re spe ct ive churche s, or at other plac es of worship .

2dly, Tha t a du t iful, loya l, and congratu latory address b e presen ted tohis m aj esty, su itab le to the oc casion .

3dly, That it is the Opin ion of th is m e et ing, that it will b e m ore agre e

ab le to the wil l of the Alm ighty, and m ore consonan t to the pate rn a l fe e lings

ofhis m aj esty, that all fire -works, il lum ination s, andother use less e xpenditureshou l d b e a vo ided anddiscoun te nan ced and that , in lieu the re of, a sub scrip

t ion b e Op ened, to b e ca l le d the TOW N SU B S C R IPT ION , for the purpose Ofrelieving, and l ib e rating such ofthe deb tors, n ow in th e coun ty gao l , in thisb orough,as sha l l b e de em edprope r obj e cts ; anda lso, for distributing b re ad , m e at, andb eer to th e p oor inhab itan ts

,under distinc t heads of sub scription .

4thly, That sub scriptions b e re ce i ve d at b oth the banks, and the postOfiice ; and tha t on e churchwarden and one o ve rse e r of ea ch parish , the rev.

doctor V a lpy, rev. Arch ibal d Douglas, rev. John Hol loway, Me ssrs. Jam es

W ardsworth , He nry Marsh , John Hoop er, Thom asWh i te , E . S . Whi te , Thos.

Le tchworth , Ge orge He the rington , John Adam s, Edward Vin es, B enjam inWilliam s, and Fran cis Millard, b e appo inted to apply the m oney to be sub

scrib ed ih m ann er aforesa id.

5thly, That is is the undoub ted privilege of the inhabitants of th isb orough, in com m on w ith th e ir fe l low subj ects

, as confirm ed to them by the

HISTORY O F READING.

b i ll of rights, to assem ble on all publi c occasions, andto m ake the ir sent im en tsknow n to his m aj e sty andthe pe ople ; and that to throw obstacle s in the w ayof this priv i lege , is in dire c t v iolation of the prin c iple s Of the const itut ion .

6thly, That the m ayor and corpora tion , in refii sing to convene a publicm e e ting of the inhab itants in the town - hal l, to enab le them to e xpress the irsen tim en ts, andto dec ide andac t for them se l ves on the ensu ing accession , and

in attem pting to give the ir ow n plan e xc lusive authority, h ave acted partia l ly,

a nd disre spe ctful ly, to the‘ whole b orough, and de serve the se verest censure

of the ir fe l low townsm en .

7thly, That, as the m ayor and corporation have a cte d in exclusion of

th e pub l ic Opin ion , i t is the duty Of the inhab itan ts to with -hold all a idfrom ,

a ndsupport to the pl an re com m e nde d by them on this m em orab le occ asion .

There w as one dissenting vo ice to these two l ast re so lutions.

8thly, That th e thanks of this m e e ting b e gi ven to the rev. doc tor

V a lpy, H. Marsh , W .

"Southgate , J . Dorse t, and J . B . Mon ck, e sqrs, w ho

signed the re qu isition to the late m ayor, to c a l l a m ee ting Of the inhab i tan ts

ande spe c ia l ly to doctor V alpy, Me ssrs. Marsh andMon ck, who have so m ag

n an im ously assert ed andprote cte d the ina l ienab le rights of the p e ople .

”

N otwithstanding th is d isagre e m e n t b e tw e e n the m em b ers Of the corpo

rat ion andthe inhab itan ts, the day w as spen t with the u tm ost harm ony, a lm ost

e very indiv idua l in the town partaking of the plent ifu l provisions providedfor

them , e ither from the pub l ic sub scri ption , am ounting to 2661. 7 8 . or the bounty

of private individua ls. A nd wh a t a dded to the h i larity of the day, w as the

free discharge of a ll the Dan ish prisoners on paro le in the town, to the am ount

o f n e arl y 200, w ho pa rade d the stre e ts, expressing the ir grati tude andthanks

to the b est of kings.

The fo l lowing address w as afterwards unan im ously voted, a t a m ee t ingcal led by the corporation, he l d for the purpose , andpresen ted to h is m ajesty byM r. Ryd er, andm ostgraciously re ce i ved

The hum b le address Of the m ayor, a lderm en, and burgesses Of the

borough Of Re ading, in the county of B erks.

M'

ost gra cious sovere ign ,

W e ,your m aj e sty’

s m ost dut ifu l and loya l subje c ts, the m ayor, a lder

m en, and b urge sse s of your m aj e sty ’

s an cien t b orough of Re ading, b eg le ave

to expre ss our ab undant joy in approach ing your thron e , with our sin ce re a nd

l oya l c ongratu la t ions, on the arri va l of a period so rem arkab le as the fiftie th

ye ar of your b en evole n t re ign .

It has ple ased the Alm ighty t o orda in , that your m aj e sty shou ldre ign

in tim es of unexam ple d difficu lty anddange r, from c auses wh ich have affected

nrsronv OF READING .

’

the whole state of soc iety throughou t Europe , b u t he has yet thought fi t to

shew, by the i l lustrious e xam p le of your m aj e sty ’

s throne, how firm , e ven in

the m ost a rduous struggles, are the supports i ustice , m ercy, andpie ty .

I t c annot Oft e n happe n, tha t the re ign of a king shou ld b e ex ten de d tofifty ye ars ; b u t m uch m ore rare m ust it b e , in the n ature of th ings, for a

sovere ign to find the este em , adm irat ion , affe c t ion andgrat itude of h is people ,constan tly incre asing through the who le of such pe riod .

W e cann ot conc lude our dut iful address on the presen t joyful occasion ,w ithout adding our m ost cordia l w ishes and prayers, that your m aj esty ’

s

pate rna l re ign m ay b e con tinued, t il l som e happy turn of pub l i c prospe cts sha ll

give de l ight, as we l l as lustre , to the rem a in ing days ofa sovere ign, so rem ark

a b ly distingu ish ed by the prote cting care of Providenc e .

”

On the com m itm en t, this ye ar, of sir Francis B urde tt to the tower, for

a l ibe l on the house Of com m ons, on the m iscarriage of the e xpedition to

‘Va lchere n , the pub l ic m in d b e c am e ve ry m u ch discon ten ted, a ndve n te d i tse lf

in pe t it ions to the house of com m on s, from m ost of the coun t ies and prin cipa ltowns in the kingdom ; am ong the la tter, Reading m ay b e sa id , al m ost to have

taken the lead, by a re qu isi t ion to the m ayor, signe d by m ore than 250 e le ctors, to conven e a m e eting of the inhab ita n ts, to take into considera tion the

state of the coun try, in re la t ion b oth to fore ign anddom est ic occurrences, par

ticularly the po l i cy and conduct of the late expe dition to Wa lcheren , the im

prisonm en t Of Gale Jone s, and sir Fran cis Burde tt, and the n e cessity of a

reform in the represen tat ion of the people .

”

Charles Po u lton , e sq . the m ayor, afte r open ing the m ee ting, withdrew,whe n Thom asWh ite , esq . w as ca l led to the cha ir, and the fol lowing resolut ions we re carried unan im ously

Re sol ved, that the late expedition to VValcheren has be en m arked byan enorm ous waste of m e n and m on ey, and that its fa ilure is attributable t o

the m isconception s, b lunders, anddissensions of his m aj e sty ’

s m in iste rs ; and,

that it is wi th surprise andpa in , w e ha ve W itnessed , that the ir gross fo l ly andin capac i ty hadn ot b e en pun ished , or e ven ce nsured, by the house ofcom m ons,

whe reby the au thors of our c alam i t ies are e m b o lden e d to proce e d in the prosecution of m e asure s, which have un iform ly tended to m ake the nation con

tem ptib le abroad, anddissa t isfied a t hom e .

2dly, Tha t w e have v iewed with the de ep est con cern , the com m itm entOfM r. Ga le Jon e s to Newgate , andofsir Franc is Burde tt, b art . to the tower,for a l lege d l ib e ls, withou t e vide n ce on oath, or tria l by j ury, be cause all

charges of l ibe l are cogn i zab le , and m ay, Or ought to b e prose cuted in the

courts of law and, because we consider sum m ary com m itm ents, by w ay of

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HISTORY OF READ ING .

an e ncroachm en t on the tria l by jury, inj urious to the l iberty of the sribject,

a nd the l iberty of the press. The power of com m i tm en ts m ay b e n e cessaryfor the pro t e ction ofyour honorab le house , in cases w he re Ob struction is

ac tua l ly give n , or m enace d b ut your pe titioners are not aware , that any such

obstructions m ade the e xerc ise ofthat power ne cessary in the cases ofM r. John

Ga le Jones and sir Fran c is Bu rde tt, or that any m ischief or incon ven ien ce

w as l ike l y to have ensued, if the ir cases had bee n left to b e de c ided in the

ordinary course of law

W e the refore m ost hum bly pray, tha t your h onorable house w i l l dis”c harge M r. John Ga le Jones, andsir Fran cis Burde tt, from the ir confinem ent.

A ndyour pe tition ers sha l l e ver pray .

”

To the honorable the com m ons Of the u n ited kingdom , in parl iam ent

a ssem b led .

The pe tition Of the inhabitants Of the borough ofReading, in the

«c ounty Of Berks, shew e th

Tha t your pe t ition ers have Observed of late ye ars, ande spec ia lly during”the presen t adm in istrat ion , an en tire differen ce of opin ion b etwe en the people

a nd th e ir repre se nta ti ve s in parl iam ent, upon a lm ost e ve ry question of gen erali

fe eling and n ation a l im portance ; a ndb e ing sensib le how m uch the stab i l ity

of our con stitut ion depends upon the re storation of m utua l con fide n ce , w e

sin cere ly lam en t that differen ce, andb eg leave to draw your atten tion to the

grounds andcauses of it.

Your pe tition ers be l ie ve , tha t the chief grounds andcauses of thisdifference will b e found in the very defe ctive m ode of re presenta t ion which preva ils at presen t, in the n um b er of place m en and pension ers that have se ats in

your honorab le house , a nd in t he dura tion of parl iam en ts.

I t is we l l kn ow n‘

to your hon orab le house , tha t m any boroughs, re turning m em b ers to parl iam ent, are u tterly de cayed, and b e com e the property ofindiv idua ls, and are n ow the subje ct, l ike any other property , Of b arter and

e xchange . By this m eans, the people findthem se lves e xclude d from the sharew hich they ought to have in e le c t ions ; anda body of m e n have b e e n introdu ced into p arl iam ent, that are an anom a ly in the con stitution, b e ing n e itherca l led by the king, n or e lected by the p eople . Unde r such a state Of th ings,you r pe titioners th ink that n o exaggerat ion , which w as sa i d i n your honorab lehouse by a late distingu ished m em b er,

‘ tha t n o hon est m an c an long rem a inm in iste r of the country . Your p e titione rs lam en t e xtrem e ly, that in the

c ourse of last session, two of his m aj esty’

s m in isters were - charged wi th b e ingc oncerned in the disgraceful traffi c of boroughs ; and tha t this practice, al

HISTORY OF READING .

thought

repi'

ob ated, by your learned and upright speaker, with becom ing zea la nd indign a tion, w asjustifi ed, as b e ing as n otorious as the sun a t n oon day.

’

Ano ther ground of the c onstan t a ndgrowing diffe rence be tween yourhonorab le house , andthe p e ople , is the num b e r of placem en andpe nsioners thatare perm ittedto have sea ts in i t, by which the infl uence Of m in iste rs is increased

b eyond con tro l . Upon any other supposition , w e can not c on ce ive i t possib le ,tha t his m aj e sty ’

s pre sen t incapab le andarb itrary m in isters, shou l d b e stil l per~

m itted to c arry on the go vern m en t of the c ountry, afte r having wasted our

re sources, in fru itlessexpedit ion s, andhaving shewn no vigor, b u t in support ofa n tiqu atedprejudices, andin a ttacksupon the l ib e rt ies of the subj e ct, Fina lly,the b old inn ovation Of septe nn ial, for trienn ia l parl iam ents, has n ot b e e n foundto produce the sa lu tary effe cts m ention edin the pre am b l e of the sta tu te , passedin the first ye ar of the re ign of king G e orge I . b u t has certa in ly tended tore lax the tie

,andse t a t a wider in te rva l the conn e c tion b e twe e n c onstitu en t and

represe nta tive , so tha t the sam e is hardly fe l t anda cknowledged.

These are the chief grounds and c ause s of the unhappy difference inopin ion andfe e l ing, tha t pre va i l be twe en your hon orab le house andthe pe ople .

Your pe titioners, the refore , m ost e arn estly pray Ofyour honorab le house ,that you wil l take in to your t im e ly and serious conside ration , the pre sen t

state Of the repre sen tation , andwil l adopt such m e asure s of reform as m ay b e

suffic i en t to restore to the house , the con fiden ce Of the pe ople , wh i ch is its true

dign ity, andto m ake your honorab le house , in prac tice and effe ct, what i t is

constitutiona l ly, the organ of the sense of its con st itu e nts.

And your pe tition ers sha l l e ve r pray.

Such w as the genera l language Of the pe op le at th is period, grounded on

the condu ct of the house , andthe spe e che s of the m in isters, which se em ed to

afford too m u ch re ason for such rem arks to the m ass of the people ; b ut thesesen tim e n tswere n ot adopte d by all, and in con sequen ce , abou t se ven ty of the

prin cipa l inhab itan ts,in c luding the m ayor, andthe gre ater part Of the corpo

ra te body, con ce i ved it in cum b ent on them to publ ish the following de claration ]

Of the ir sentim ents

Reading, M ay 1 7, 1810 .

W e , the unde rsign ed, inhab itan ts of th e b orough of Re ading, ha v ingse en 1n publie adve rtisem ent, the reso lu tions and p e t itions to parl iam en t,agre ed upon a t a m e e ting ho lden at the town ha l l, on Monday the 7th instan t,a nd b e ing unwill ing tha t they shou l d go forth as con ta in ing the unan im ous

sen tim en ts of the borough ,th ink it n e cessary to de clare as fo l lows

That, w e v iew with sincere regre t the attem pts industriously m ade to .«

v il ify anddegrade , in . the opin ion of the country, the commons’

house ofpar

HISTORY OF READING .

liam ent, tha t m ost im portan t part of the legislature , which the wisest and

ab le st m en h ave considered and de clared to b e , the safeguard and prote ction

of the l ibe rty of the se kingdom s, aga in st th e en croachm en ts of power on the

one hand, andthe e xce ss of popu lar v iolence on the other.

Tha t, the confid en ce in the wisdom of parl iam ent, and reso lution to

support its privilege , wh ich w e are bound, as frie nds to the constitution, to

afford them at a ll t im es, were n e ver m ore im pe riousl y re qu ired , than at the

present e ve n tfu l pe riod , w hen the throne of our ven erab le k ing, and our very

e xistence as a n ation , are thre atene d by the m ost im placab le and powerfulenem y to whom our coun try has e ver b een opposed .

That, w e th erefore strongly disapprove the p e t ition to th e house of

com m ons, for the re l e ase of John Gale Jones and sir Fran cis Burde tt, be ingof opin ion that the re is n o sm a l l degree of presum pt ion, in attem pting to dietate to that honorab le house , the conduct i t ought to pursue towards thosepe rsons ; and a lso, that que stions of so great im port, affe cting the hon or, theindependence , and the very e xiste n ce of parl iam en t, shou l d b e left for de cision

to those tribuna ls,in which, by the constitut ion, they are u ltim ate ly vested .

That, w e a lso fu l ly re ly on the wisdom and patriotism of the house of

com m ons, to origin ate andcarry into effe ct such m e asures, as m ay conduce tore m ove all such im perfe ct ions as the lapse of tim e m ay ha ve produced ; b u tw e cannot think that this e nd is l ike ly to be effe cted, by such expre ssions ofdire ct or im pl ie d reproach, as w e findin the pe t itions—e xpressions, wh ich , onm any accoun ts, m e e t our dec ide d disapprobation .

That , w e disapprove the rev iva l ofsuch qu estions, as tha t re lat ing to the

pol icy andconduct of the late expedition to Wa l cheren , howe ver w e m ay regre tthe te rm ination of that affa ir yet, as i t has undergone a lab orious in qu iry, andrece i veda solem n de cision, by the proper constitutiona l au thority , i t can on lyb e productive of renewed irri tation in the pub l i c m ind, by b e ing brought intofurthe r discussion . On the whole , w e fe e l i t our duty to de clare , that as w e

adm ire the e xcel len t fram e of governm en t under which w e l i ve , anda re grateful for the b le ssings w e e nj oy,w e cannot consen t to b e considered as un itingin m e asures, wh ich w e think cal cu lated on ly to prom ote d isconten t anddisaffe c tion . Independent , howe ver, of a ll party, andzea lousfor the pub l i c good,w e can n e ve r ce ase to im plore the di vin e Provide nce , for the pe rm anen ce ofourh appy consti t ution , wh ich w e are de term ine d to support, in all its branches,aga inst e ve ry at t em pt to inj ure anddegrade i t, from whate ver quarter i t m ayproce ed.

In conse quence of the atrocious assassination ofM r. Perc iva l, the late

chance l lor of the e xchequer, in the lobby of the house ofcom m ons, which

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HISTORY OF READING .

fi l le d e very frien d to his coun trywith horror and de testation , the fo l lowingaddre ss w asdrawn up, andsigned by m ost of the prin cipa l inhab i tants of the

b orough, andafterwards presen ted to the prince regent

To his roya l h ighne ss the prince ofWa les, regen t of the un ited kingdom ofGre at Brita in and Ire land :

The hum b le anddutifu l addre ss and condo le nce , of the m ayor, a lde rm en , burgesse s. andother inhabitan ts of the b orough of Re ading, in

the coun ty of B e rks.

M ay it please y our roya l Highness,W e , his m aj esty ’

s m ost dutifu l andloya l subj e c ts, the m ayor, a lde rm en ,

b urge sses, ando the r inhab itants of the b orough of Re ading, hum b ly b eg leaveto offer to your roya l highn ess the assuran ce of o ur loya l ty and atta chm ent

to your person a ndgove rn m e n t , andof our firm and d evoted reveren ce and

affe c tion to the laws and constitu t ion of our coun try .

W e fe e l m ost sensib ly the outrage wh ich has b e e n com m i tte d aga instth ese laws, in the re ce n t assa ssina t ion of the righ t honorab le Spe n ce r Perciva l ,first lord com m issio n e r of the tre asury, andchan ce l lor of the e xche qu e r. W e

lam e nt the fou l sta in wh ich has b e en thrown on the n a t ion a l charac te r of

England by this a troc ious act, andcannot suffic ien tly expre ss o ur de testationand abhorren ce of the horrid , and a lm ost unpre c ede n t ed c rim e , and of the

pe rson w ho com m itted i t . lVIore particu larly w e deplore andregre t , the gre a tandhe a vy loss which you r roya l highne ss

’

s coun c il , andthe n a t ion , have sus

ta in ed, a t th is c ritica l pe riod, in the de a th of a m ost ab l e , virtuous, and

un corrupt m in iste r ; whose prob i ty and integri ty, whose m any pu b lic and

private v irtu es, are a ckn owledged, e ven by those w ho diffe red fronr h im in

po lit i ca l opin ion s, and whose nam e and chara cter will b e transm i tted in the

fa irest co lors to su c

'

c e eding ages.

W e e arnest ly im plore the pro te c t ion ofthat grac ious Providen ce , wh ich

has h ithe rto de l i ve red us from the com m on ru in, which has so rapidly ove r

whe lm ed the n ations of the Contine n t ; andw e indu lge the ple asing hope , tha t

unde r the auspic ious coun c i l a nddire c t ion of your roya l highne ss, the un i ted

kingdom m ay sti ll b e prese rved fre e and invio la tc, and m ay, unde r the divine

favor, u l t im a t e ly prove the m eans of restoring the oppre ssedn a t ions ofE urope

to l iberty and pe ac e .

”

The inhab i ta nts of the tow n b e ing m uch distre ssed this ye ar, b y the w an t

of a c ircula t ing m edium , owing to the w ar on the Con t in e n t, and the constan t

dra in of the sp'

e c ie for the paym e n t of our force s in Spain , J . Be rkley hIon ck,

esq . of Co ley - house , issued go ld and si lve r toke ns to a large am ount, which

Q

HISTORY O F READING.

were a gre a t re l ief to the trading part of the com m un ity . Im pressions of the

se vera l p ie ces are give n in pla te 5.

W hile the renew a l of the East In dia charter w as agitating, in the house

of com m ons this ye ar, se ve ra l m e m b e rs of the differen t re l igio ns pe rsuasions

in th is town, wish ing to e n courage the prom otion ofthe christian re l igion in thatvast e m pire , by m e ans ofm issionaries, he lda m e e ting in the town - ha l l, when M r.

Tanner b e ing ca l ledto the cha ir, the fo l lowing re solutions were p assed

l st, Tha t the p e t ition to the tw o house s, n ow re ad, b e adopted.2 nd, Tha t the right hon orab le lord B rayb rook b e requested to pre sen t

the p e tition to the house of lords; andto su pport the sam e .

3d, That the pe tition to the house of c om m ons b e presen ted by them em b ers for this b orough, and that they b e re quested to support th e sam e .

The pe tition w as as fo l lows

To the right honorab le the lords Spiri tua l and tempora l , in parl iam en t

assem b led.

The hum b le pe tition of the un de rsigned inhab itants ofReading andits

v ic in i ty, shewe thThat your pe ti t ion e rs m ost cordia lly approve ofthe iniportant

‘

anden

l ighten ed sen t im en ts c on ta inedin the reso lu t ion form edby the honorab le houseof com m ons, in the ye ar 1 793 . Tha t it is the pe cu l iar and b ounden duty

of the British legislature to prom o te , by all just and prude n t m e ans,’

the

intere sts andhappiness of the inhab i tan ts of the Brit ish dom in ions in In diaandtha t for th ese ends, such m e asure s ought to b e adopted, as m ay gradu al lytend to the ir advancem ent in useful kn owledge , a nd to the ir re l igious and

m ora l im provem e n t. ’

Your pe titioners, howe ve r, de e ply lam e n t, that so l ittl e has h i thertobeen don e , to c arry those hum an e andchristian prin ciple s in to effe c t , notw ithstanding the awfu l sta te of ignora n ce , supe rstit ion, and gross idolatry, inwh ich that im m ense popu lation has so long rem a ined .

You r pet i t ion e rs, therefore , e arn e st ly im p lore your lordsh ips, that such'

arrangem en ts m ay b e m ade , as sha l l afford the u tm ost fa c i l it ies to those b e nevo len t p erson s, as m ay b e desirous ofgo ing to India , for the purpose of com

m unicating the usefu l knowledge , and the b lessings of the christ ian re l igionand a lso, such prov isions b e m ade , as m ay pre ven t any future obstructionof the ir ende avors to forw ard the se gre at designs in that country, so long as

the pe rsons thus engaged, sha l l c ondu c t them se lve s in a p eace ab le andorderlym ann e r. A ndyour pe t i t ioners sha l l ever pray, &c .

”

This w as the last pub l ic a ct of the inhab itants of th is an cien t b orough,whose historic re cords w e h ave endeavored to trace from the earl iest ages

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THE

HI STORY AND ANTIQU ITIE S

R E A D I N G .

Town of R eading.

CHAPTER VII .

THE town of Reading is situa ted n e arly in the ce ntre of the coun ty of

Berks, on the b orders of Oxfordshire , from which it is separated by the ri verTham es, which form s its n orthern b oundary : On the e ast it is bounded by the

parish of Sonn ing : on the south by the ham le ts ofWhitley and Southco t

andon the w est by the parish of Ti lehurst. Its la titude is 51 ° 25’

N . andits

longitude 1° 0

'

W . b e ing n e arly four m inu tes late r in tim e than London .

Au thors differ so m u ch in the e tym o logy of its n am e , that it is b e com e very

difficu lt, from that a lone , to de term ine , w ho we re its origin a l fou nders. C am

den supposes it to have b ee n of Bri t ish origina l ; and Le land, by a force d

c onstru ction of the distan ce s se t down in A nton inus’

s Itin erary, c onj e cturesthat the Rom ans hada station here ca l led Pon t es, b u t that its pre sen t n am eW as derive d from the Saxons. The re verend He nry Be eke , D. D . F . A . S . ina paper pub l ished in the A rchae logia, for 1807, from the Rom an Itinerary ofRichard of Cire nce ste r, asse rts, tha t Re ading w as the an cien t Ca le va of the

Rom ans, from wh i ch n am e he derives the m anor of Co ley, n e ar Re ading.

Conj e ctures so ve ry wide of e ach o ther, requ ire som e e luc idation . The fol

lowing disqu isition therefore , if not entire ly satisfactory, m ay at least furn ish

a plausible solution of the diffi cul ty

TOWN OF READING.

The opin ion , th a t the nam e w as adopted from the B ritish wordi

rerl z'

n,

sign ifying fe rn , w as, I b e l ie ve , first sta rted by Cam den , in his Britann ia , w hohas b ee n fo l lowe d by m ost write rs sin ce his t im e , for n o o the r re ason that Ican con ce ive than ‘

the sim ilarity of sound in the two words, which m ust b ea l lowed too vague to found any re ason able c onj e c ture upon .

It is ce rta in ly

tru e , tha t fern does grow in the n e ighb orhoodof the town, b u t n ot in such

p rofusion as to e n title i t to the e xc lusive priv i lege ofgiving it its nam e .The re

are very few places in England whe re this pl an t is n ot to b e found, a ndthe refore so com m on an oc curre n ce ca n no t, I con ce ive , b e adm i tted, as a de c isiveproof, u nsupportedby o the r e viden c es, e i ther of its n am e o r origin .

Ju lius Caesar, w ho wrote his Com m e n taries ab out fifty years prior to thebirth of Christ, w ho w as the fi rst of the R om ans tha t invaded th is coun try,andhas left us the b est a u thent icated a cc oun t of the m anne rs of the a n c ie n tBriton s, m akes a dist inct ion b e tw e e n the inhab i tants of the co asts, and thoseof the in terior. The houses of the form er, he says, w ere thickly sca t t e redabou t the se a side ; b ut m akes no m e ntion of any in the inte rior. Wha t theinhab itan ts ca l led tow n s, we re on ly th ick woods surroundedby de e p d itche s,

“

w hi the r they occasion a l ly re t iredto avo id the incursions of a n e nem y .

* The

n eare r w e tra ce m ankindto a state of n a ture , the m ore w e sha l l b e c on v inced,that m any refin em en ts m ust b e m ade , andwan ts c rea ted, b efore thev can be

induced to form the m se l ve s in to fi xed soc ietie s. In the e arl iest ages of theworl d , a ll m ankind

'

appe ar to hav e b e en herdsm e n , andsu ch we re m ost pro

b ab ly the origina l inhab ita n ts of this isla nd, w ho, as Cae sar inform s us, for

the m ost part , sowed n o corn , but l ived ch iefly on fle sh and m ilky, a m ode of

l iv ing b e tter adapted to the roving n ature ofsa vage l ife , than to the inhab itants

ofregu lar towns. W e m ay, the refore , con c lude , that, a t the pe riodab ove m en

tion ed, the inha b i tan ts of the in t e rior we re n ot so far c iv il ized, as to h ave

bu i lt towns ; a nd consequ en tly tha t this pla ce cou ld not b e indeb tedfor its

origin to them , prior to the in vasion of the Rom ans ; and, from the state of

vassa lage they we re aft erwards he ld in by the ir conque rors, the re is l i ttle

re ason to suppose they form e d any se t t lem ent here during the ir gove rnm en t.

The wars carried on b e twe en the a b origin e s and th e Rom a ns, during so

m any ye ars, andthe num b e r of re cru i ts from the n a t ive s ann ual ly se n t to the

Con tin en t , to fi l l up the va can c ies in the Rom an legions, m ust, unde r the ir

governm en t, have great ly reduce d the ir n um b ers, and rende red m any parts

Oppidum au tem Britann i vocant, qoum sylvas im peditas val lo atque fossfi m un ie runt , quo,

in cursion es hostium v itandae causa conven ire consue ve rin t .

'l‘

Interioresplerique frum en to non serunt, sodlacte ct cam e vivunt. -Ca:sar’

s Commm tz rzer.

TOWN OF READING .

of the country a desert ; m any fled to the m ounta inous parts for safe ty, and

those w ho subm itted, were general ly in corporated with the ir con que rors, in

the ir m i li tary stations, or fixed the ir hab itations as n ear to them as possib le ,for the sake of affording re ciproca l assistan ce . N ow , as n o such place is

m en tion ed by a ny of the Rom an write rs, w e m ay, I think, fa irly conclude , that

the origin of Re ading m ust have b e en subse quen t to the ir departure in the'fifth century.

The num b er of b ridge s in th is town , seem s to h av e suggested to Le land,the i de a , that the place ca l led Pontes (Bridges) in the Itinerary, w as Re adingthis notion he e n de avors to support,

‘

by supposing the n um b er of m i le s, se t

down in that work, b e tween Lon don and Marlb orough, to b e incorre ct b ut

.

~c onse quences form ed from conje cture on ly, cannot b e adm itted as sufficiente vidence s of tru th . Hadthe Rom ans m ade a set tlem en t h ere , som e rem a ins

of the ir b u i l d ings or co ins, -l' wou ld , at som e tim e or oth er, have been dis

c overed ; but as n oth ing ofthe kind has happen ed, nor any n otice taken of such

a pla ce, by the ir historians, i t is e viden t w e m ust look to another race ofpe oplefor the founders of Reading.

The se I conce ive to have b e en the Saxons, who soon afte r the depart ureo f the form e r conquerors of th is coun try, were ca l le d «in , by the effem inaten atives,

~to defen d th em aga inst the attacks of their m ore ferocious en em ies, inthe northern parts of the island .

I t w as customary with the Saxons to give n am es to the ir towns, and

vi l lages, from som e pe cul iar c ircum stan ce attending the spot, on wh ich theyw ere b u ilt ; asWindsor, in Saxon , Windle- shoran, a winding shore ; so w e find

R e ading c om pounded oft w o Sa xon words, rhe a rive r, and ing a m e adow ,

e xactly answering to i ts situa tion on the b anks of the Ke nne t, andsurroun de dby m eadows. A nd, a l though

'Le lan d supposes tha t th is town e xisted in the

t im e of the R om ans, yet he acknowle dg es that it derived its presen t n am e

P ontes, numeroplurali, 8 c. Pon tes, in the p lural num ber, is, as I conjecture , the t own w hich

the Saxon s cal ledRadige , and Radyng, for thus I find it w ritten in very an c ient writings. A n ton inus m akes m en tion of Pon tes. A lthough the num ber ofm iles, expressedin the I tinerary, be tw ee nPon tes andLondon , does not agree w ith the distan ce of Radyngfrom London ye t I have le arnedfrom e xperie n ce , that the n um erals in A n toninus a re incorre ct . B esides the tow n of A launodun um ,

n ow calledMaiden he ad, andU xinum pon tem andC o lun um ,

in Saxon C olunbrokc , by corruptionC olebroke , arc of a m ore re cen t date

,andtherefore can n o t refer to the an cien t Pon tes. A ndin that

p lace he on ly m en tions c itie s a nd« towns of no te , ofw hich, ex cep t Radyng, there are n on e be tw eenC une tione aliasMarlebyri andLondon .

—Leland's Cygnca Cantic.rt Hem e

,i n his preface to Le land’

s C o l lec tan ea, m en tions som e Rom an c oins foundat Reading,but adds a tfertur, therefore no stre ss can be laidon his assertion . Et hic Kadingi B crcheriensi

r epertus m t, una cum el ils

, ut forum"

,

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TOWN OF READING .

vensisfi“w ho flourished in the re ign of Alfred, w as the first wri te r tha t m e n

t ions Reading and tha t con se quen t ly it cou l d not ha ve e xisted long, prio r

to the n in th cen tury .

Shou ld this co nje cture b e a l lowed , i t m ay b e n e cessary to e xam ine , at wha tpe riodits fou ndation to ok p lace ? A nd here w e sha ll find le ss difficu lty ; for

though h istorians have b e e n sil e n t on"

th is h ead, there are -other c ircum stance s

from wh i ch w e m ay deduce a warranta b le con clusion on the subje ct.Ce rdic , the first ofthe Saxon m onarchs, w ho con quered a part ofWessex,

didnot land on the Sussex c oast till the ye ar 493, and it w as n early fifty years

from this period b efore h is su ccessors pen e trated to the Tham es, and as i t

c annot b e supposed, tha t during the wars that atten de d the ir con qu ests, theycou ld have form ed lasting set t lem e n ts, w e m ay infer that th is town cou l d n othave b e en founded prior to . the seven th century . At w h ich period I am the

m ore in c l ined to fi x it, a s i t seem s to have risen to som e em in en ce prior ,to its

b e ing se i zedby the Danes in the m iddle of the n in th ce n tury, w hich cou ld nothave b e en the case had i t taken p lace a t a later period .

Afte r the de struction of the town by the Dan es, i t w as a long wh ile b eforei t recovere d its form e r conse qu en ce , for e ven so late as the Norm an conquest ,the num b er of houses w as ve ry sm a l l, ande ve n those few we re in a dilapidatedstate , as appe ars from the fol lowing ex tracts from Doom sday b ook :

R ex ten e t in dom in io R adinge s. R ex Edw ardus te n u i t in R adinges

Hundred. Tun e e t m odo defe ndit se pro x u rr hidis te rrae, e st XL c aru ca rum .

In dom in io e st un a e t Lv v ill i e t xxx b ordarii cum Lv c aragiis. Ib i sun t I I I Im ol in i de x x x v solidis, e t tres piscariaa de xm solidis e t sex de nariis, e t c r.

acra pra t i . S ilva de centum porcis. D e pastura xvr solidis e t vr de n ariis.

Tem pore Regis Edw ardi e t post valeb a t x i. l ibris, m odo XLvrrr l ibris. R ex

habet in B urgo R adinge s xxvru hagas redde n te s rm l ib ras e t 1 1 1 1 sol idos proom n ibus consuctudin ib us. T am en qu i ten e t, reddit c so l idos. He n ri cus deFe rrere s hab e t ib i un am hagam , e t dim idium virgatze terrae in qua sun t quatuora crae prati, va le n tes sex solidis. Godri c v ice com es te nu it han c terram ad

hospit ium , eodem He nricus te ne t.R e inb aldus filius Pe tri episcopi tenu i t unam hagam ib i quam trahebat

adErle i m anorium suum , m odo e st in m anu regis e t va le t xvi denariis.

”

The king holds Reading in de m esne . King Edward h e ld in the hun

Readingi, prim us quodego sciam , A sserius M enevensis, il lustrem in ann alibussuis m en tion e m

fa cit.—Lcla nd.

'i‘ The orthography of this nam e has b ee n freque n t ly changed; at first it w as Rheadynge , thenRadynge , Reddin , andlastly Reading, according to th e presen t m ann er of e xpressing it, w hich tookp lace abou t the beginningof the se ve n teen th cen tury.

TOWN OF READING.

dred ofR eadingm 'Th'

en and now it defended itse lf for fifty three h ides of

land ,

ale There are forty carrucates. The re are in dem esn e fifty five slavesand th irty cottage rs with fifty five p loughs. There are four m i l ls of thirtyfive sh i l l ings value , a ndthre e fisheries of thirte e n sh il l ings andsix- pence, andon e hundred and fifty a cres of m eadow . A woodfor one hundred hogs. In

pasture to the va lue of si xte en shill ings and six pe n ce . In the tim e of kingEdw ard, andsince . it w as worth forty pounds, now forty e ight

Thus far this e xtra ct from D oom sday Book se em s who l ly to refer to the

hundred of Re ading ; what fo l lows be longs to the townThe king has W i thin the b orough of Reading twe n ty- e ight houses,

yie lding. four pounds four sh i l l ings annu a l ly for a ll custom s. Neverthe less, hethat farm s the m pays on e hundre d sh i ll ings. Henry de Fe rrers has there on e

house and ha lf a v irgate-

l'

( fifte en acres of land, ) am ongst wh i ch are four

a cres of m eadow, worth six shillings. Earl G oderic he ld this land for hospita lity, for wh ich pu rpose it is n ow he l d by Hen ry .

R e inb aldus the son of Pe te r the b ishop , he ld one house there, whichhe has a nnexed to h is m an or of E rley ; now i t b e longs to the king, andis

worth sixte en pen ce pe r ann um .

In this descript ion of the town , it is e viden t that on ly the king’

s dem esne

is m ention ed, exce p t in one instan ce , which w as appropria te d to charitab lepurposes. What o ther houses the re were , c annot now b e de term ined ; b utthat there we re m ore , is c le ar from the sub se quen t ac count, in the sam e book,of the posse ssion s in th is tow n b e longing to the abb ey of Batte l .

Ipse Abbot (de la B atailge ) tene t in Re dinge ecc lesiamgt cum V I I I

h idis ib i pertin e n tib us. Leveva A b atissa ten u it de Rege Edw ardi. T un e

defe ndeb at se pro V I I I , m odo pro vrr h i dis te rrm , e t V I I caragiis. In dom in ioe st, u na e t rx v il l i, e t V I I I b ordarii, cum v carragiis. Ib i sun t duo m o l in i § de

XL solidis, e t duo piscariae e t dim idium ,de qu inqu e solidis. In R adinges sunt

x x rx m asurm de xx vrrl solidis e t V I I I den a riis, e t x l i a crae prat i . Sylva de vp ore is. D e e cc lesia 1 1 1 l ib ris. Te m pore Regis Edw ardi valeb at ix l ibris, e t

post vn r l ib ris, m odo x l l ibris.

The hide is a Saxon term , and m eans 1 0 0 acres of stiff land, or 1 20 .0f l ight land, the quan tityon e p lough w as supposedto w ork in a ye ar. The carru cate w as a Norm an term , sign ifying the

sam e qu an tity.A virgate , or yardof land, w as thirty acres.

i This w as, n o do ubt , S t . Mary’s, be ing the o ldest c hurch in the tow n .

It is very doub tfu l w hat kind of m ills these w e re ; but it is probable they w ere on ly handm ills, as w ind, andw ater m illsm ust have be en of a later date .

R

TOW'

N OF READING.

The abbot of Ba tte l ho lds in Re ading a church with e ight h ide s of

land b e longing to i t ; Le ve va the ab b e ss he ld it of king Edward. At tha t

t im ei t defe nded i tse lffor e igh t, n ow for three h ides ofland, andse ven ploughs.

The re are tw o m i lls of forty sh i l l ings, and tw o fishe ries and a ha lf of five

shi llings. In Re ad ing are twen ty- n ine houses in ru ins, worth tw enty- e ight

sh i llings ande igh t pence , andtwe l ve acres of m e adow . A wood sufficien t to

fe e d five hogs.

ale The church is worth thre e pounds. In the tim e of k ingEdward i t w as worth n ine pounds, afterwards e ight pounds, b ut now e le ven

poundsf’

It is prob able , from this e xtract, tha t the Conque ror endowed his newly

e re cted m onastery ca l ledB atte lt Ab b ey, wi th the rem a in ing possessions of the

late ly destroyed n u nnery here , inc luding the church, consist ing of three hides

or 360 acre s, which, n early corresponding wi th the e xten t of Batte l -q arm , I

con ce ive the land h ere describ ed m ust have b e en the“

sam e , and prob ab ly

rece ived its presen t n am e from this c ircum stan ce ; though som e im agine it

took its rise in the c iv i l wars, in the re ign ofCharles I .

The presen t bu i ldings are in gene ral large and b u i l t w i th brick, in ter

m ixe d with a few lath a nd plaster on e s, th e rem a ins of the sixte e n th cen tury .

These are in ge n e ra l low and i ll - construc ted, and we re prob ab ly origina l lycovered wi th thatch } They are e asi ly distingu ishedby the gab le en ds be ingturn ed towards the stre e t, for the con ven ien ce of re ce iv ing l ights in the attics

a m ode of bu i ld ing un iversa l ly adopted prior to the introduction of dorm er

windows.It appears from Speed ’

s m ap ofthe town, pub l ished in 1610, tha t a l though

A corns w ere though t ofso m uch conseque nce , by the Saxons, for fatten ing hogs, that anexpress law was m ade , by Ina, king of the W est Saxon s, for the prese rva tion of

'

t he oaks on w hich

they grew ,andthe regu lations of the pay, for each fat hog to the proprietor of the w ood by w hich

it w asde creed, that a m an , on con vic tion , for havingfe lleda tre e , w hose branche s w ou ldhave givenshel ter to thirty hogs, shou ldbe fined six hundred shil lings ; andif a person re ceived hogs in to hisw oods to fatten , if the fat w as three fingers thick, he wasto have e ve ry thirdhog; if tw o fingers thick,e very fourth ; and

,if one fi nge r thick , e ve ry fifth .

—Sam mes’

B ritannia .

$0 spe l t origin al ly.31 Forasm uch as there are divers hove ls, and thatchedhouses, builded w ithin this borough, w hich

a re veric daungerous if casualtie offire shou ld happe n , n eare to an ie of them , w hich G odforbidde

Therefore it is ordeyned, by the assen t of the w ho le com panie presen t,that all such pe rsons, as have

buildedany hove ll, or buildynge , in any p lace w ithin this boroughe w hich shall bee thought by them aior andburgesses to be in conve nien t , shal l forthw ithe take aw aye all the thatch from suche hove llsor bu ildynges ,

and that no person or persons from henceforthe , shall e re c t or bu ilde , any hove lls orbuildynge w ithin the pre cin cts of this boroughe, e xcept the sam e shall bee coveredw ith tiles, w ithou tthe spe cial license of the m aior andburgesses, upon paine, that everie person w hich shall doe the

contrarie, shal l, for everie such hovel l or buildynge forfeite fortic shillings.”—Corporation D iary.

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TOWN OF READING .

the stree ts covered the sam e space ofground as at pre sen t, the housesw ere notso n um erous. V astern - lane , Boarded- lane , P igney- lane , Kate

’

s-grove - lane,Church - stree t, East- stree t, wi th gre at part ofWe st- stre et, Seven - bridges, Horn

stre e t, Sou tham pton- stre e t, and Cross- stree t, besides m ost of the courts and

e ntrie s were then on ly partia l ly bu il t on.

In the abstract of the popu lation act, the n um ber of births, buria ls,a ndm arriages, within the three parishes, during the last century, isgi ven inthe fo l lowing tab le

l Baptism s.

Ma les. Fem ales Total Males Fem ales Total . Years. Year.

TOWN or READING .

In the census taken in 1810, the num b er of b aptism s, buria ls, and m an

riages, for thelast ten ye ars, w as as fol lows :

M ales

From the da i ly in crease of dissen ters of all de nom in ation s from e sta

b lishedchurch, m any of whom b apti ze the m em b ers of the ir ow n com m un ity,

without hav ing them registe red by the m iniste rs of the se vera l parishes, i t is

e viden t, that the ab o ve l ist of b irths can n ot b e re l ie d on, in form ing a calcu

lation of the n um b er of inhab itan ts at dist an t pe riods in the town , without

m aking an a l lowan ce for th is de fic iency. If, the refore , w e addon e th ird to thenum be r of b irths, in e a ch ye ar, w e sha l l prob ab ly com e pre tty n e ar the truth .

D r. Hal ley found, from the state ofthe popu la t ion ofB reslaw , in 1690,

that 34000 inhab i tants produced, on an a ve rage , e very year, 1238 b irths, b e ingthe proportion of 27% to one ; b ut other write rs, particu larly M essan ce , in

hisR echerches sur la P opula tion des gen era l itésd’

A uverg-

n e, de Lyon , tire . havediscovered, that taking the average from towns of the se con d order, suchas.

Rouen , &c . i t wil l b e foun d to b e as 28 to l .

”

Taking therefore th is da tum of98 inhab i tants to on e birth,and a l lowing

one third in addit ion to the num b er of births, in the foregoing tab le , the num

b er of b irths at the se veral pe riods, wil l b e n e arly as in the fol lowing tab le :

A table, skew ingthe popula tion ofR eadz’

ng, every ten th year, from 1700 to

' 1 Recreations in Mathem atics.

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TOWN or READING .

which the census.

w as at first taken , owing to its b e ing a new m easure , andto

the je alousy of som e of the inhab itants, w ho suspe ctedi t w as inte nded to le ad

to som e n ew syste m of taxation , a nd therefore dim in ished the re a l num b ers

in the ir re turns. B ut, from its b e ing at length b e t te r unde rstood, and m ore

c aution having b e e n take n in co l le cting the last re turns, i t is prob ab le‘ that

those are the m ost c orre ct, a nd tha t the num b er of inhab itan ts e xcee ds, as

the re stated, e le ve n thousand .

According to an accou n t taken by orde r of Card ina l Po l e , in 1 555, the

num b er of inhab itants of'

all de scriptions in the town w as on ly 2500, b e ing in

S t. Mary '

s parish 500, in St . Lawre n ce’

s 850, andin St. G iles’

s 500 Butthese b e ing all roun d num b ers, I am in cl in e d to th ink n o gre a t strength can

b e la i d on the ir corre ctness, e spe cia l ly as the aggregate am oun t of the threeparishes, as here sta t ed, is considerab ly under 2500, the n um b er of the inha

b itants given b efore , andthat the re a l num b er of the inhab i tan ts, at that tim e ,w as ne arer 4000 ; for I find, in 1600 ,

the n um b er of b irths w as 1 68, which,m u ltipl ie d by 28, ( the num ber of dissen ters b e ing at that t im e very incon

siderab le) will give a popu la t ion of4704, which is n e are r the tru th, andcor

responds ne arly in proportion with the forego ing table for e very ten th ye ar.

It is e viden t, therefore , that the town has, for the last tw o or th re e centuries,

gon e on gradual ly in cre asing, and, from th e nu mb er of n ew bu ildings m e ve ry

stre e t and a ve nue in the town, there is re ason to be l ieve i t is stil l in a progres.

sive state ofim provem en t, b oth in its e xten t andin the num b er ofitspopu la t ion .

The site of the town is nearly in the form of an equ ilatera l triangle , ofwhich Friar- stre e t, on the n orth , m ay b e conside re d the b ase . The e aste rnside is form ed by the Marke t—place , High - stre et, Duke - stree t, London - stree t,andSievie r- stree t ; andthe we ste rn , by We st- stre e t, the But ts, S even Bridges,Horn - stre e t, andS outham pton - stre e t ; each of the se side s have stre ets bran ch

ing from them at right angle s, as N ew - stre e t on the e ast, andCastle -stre e t onthe we st, wi th other sm al ler stre e ts, leading to diffe ren t parts of the town ,covering in the who le a space of abou t thre e m ile s anda ha lfin c ircum ference,but the whole e xtent of the borough e xceeds n in e m i les in c ircum fe re n ce .

Beyond the l im its of the borough, are the ham lets of Whi t ley, and

Southcot ; the form er attached to the parish of S t . G iles, the la t te r to tha tof.St . Mary. The inhab itants of these ham le ts are n ot en titled to vote forthe m em b ers for the town , though they are assessed to both the church and

poor’

s rates of the ir Fespe ctive parishes. A n attem pt w as late ly m ade by the

ham le t ofWhitley, to ob ta in a separation from the parish , b ut withou t effect ;andthey con tin ue , as b efore , a constituted part of the parish, with particular

rights, exem ptions, andseparate interests.

Lyson 's,from the Bodleian Library.

TOWN OF READING .

In the year 1 785 an act passe d for the b e tte r p aving, l ighting, andwatch

ing the town , under the superintendance of ce rta in of the inhab i tan ts, who

a re there in nam ed com m ission e rs, with power to le vy a rate ofsix- pen ce in the

poun d on all houses under twen ty pounds per annum , e n cre asing to one shill ingin the pound for larger houses, wh ich is the highe st ra te that can b e le vied .

Unde r the powers gran ted by th is act, the town has b e en m u ch im proved;the stree ts are we l l paved andcle an , the fronts of the houses b e tter arranged.

ande ve ry part we l l l it, by lam ps suspended in fron t of the houses, from Mi

chae lm as to Lady-day.* This is n ot only a gre at con ven ien ce to the inha

b itan ts, w ho m ay have occasion to b e out in dark e ven ings, b u t is a lso in a

gre at m e asure a p reven ta t ive to the com m ission of crim e s and robb e rie s.

These im provem ents we re a t fi rst carrie d on by m eans of a volun taryloan withou t interest, whi ch has sin ce b e en repa id by ye arly insta lm en ts, and

oftw o annu it ies of forty pounds a ye ar e ach , for l i ves grante d to indiv idua lsthese be ing sti l l payab le , have hitherto preve nted the town from re ce ivingall the ben e fit i t o the rwise wou ld, b oth in paving a ndwa tching, ac cording to

the powers gran tedby the act for those purpose s.The old town - b a l li ha ving be e n foundve ry in com m odious for the pun

poses for which i t w as appropriated, w as take n down in 1786, andthe prese n t

e legan t room e re ctedo ve r the fre e school, u nde r the superin te ndan ce ofM r.

a lde rm an Pou lton . Adj oin ing the town - hal l is the counc i l - cham b er ; a l arge

handsom e room , in wh ich the m em b ers of the corporation hold the ir courts,

Am ong the luxuries and com forts of the presen t age , this of lighting the stree ts by m e ans of

lam ps, is n ot the least . I t is un ce rtain w he n they w e re first in trodu cedin this tow n,but it m ust have

be en posterior to 1 656, w hen w e find the fo l low ing e n try in the C orporation Diary. U pon the

pe tition ofRichardReddatt, be l lm an ; agreed, that he be al low edte n shil lings for his pains, in w arn ing

the inhab itan ts, to hang o ut lan thorns and c andles in the dark n ights.In like m an ne r, in 1 466, the lordm ayor ofLondo n o rdain edlan thorns w ith lightsto be hanged

out in the w in te r from hallon tide to c andlem ass.”—Stowe.

“t On a stone tab le t,fixed in the w al l of the o ldtow n -hall, w as the fol low inginscription

A uSpiciis C aro li 2di Regis.

C uriam han c laB an tem refe ci

A ugeri e t orn ari C uraverun t

Sumptu p‘

uB lz'

co Prae tor e t

D e curiones hujus M un icipii

Libe rali ope Job is B lagrave

A rm igeri n on, parum adju ti.

I t appears, from this inscription , that the hal l w as at that tim e repairedat the pub lic expe nce ;

but w he ther thisw asdon e by a subscription am ongthe inhabitan ts, or by any o the r m e ans, is un certain ;bu t there can be no doub t it ought, as in a recen t instan ce , to have bee n at the expence of the

corporation .

”

ass TOWN“

o r READING .

a ndtransa ct all the pri vate com m un ity ; andh ere the grand j ury

asse m ble , . b oth at the assi ze s andqu arter- sessions. I n this room are preserved

the portraits of som e of the principa l b enefactors to th is town , as sir Thom as

t ite , que en Elizab e th, M r. John Kenrick , andarchb ishop Laud . The le n t

assi zesfor the co unty are a lways”? he ld here in the town - ha ll , wh ich is fitted up,

w i th con ve n ie n t c ou rts '

at e ach e nd, for the purpose ; andhere a lso the quartersessions for the

'

county are he l d tw ice in the year.

-The b orough, b e ing by its charter a coun ty with in i tse lf, all offe n ces com

m ittedwith in its l im i ts, e xcept capita l on es, are de te rm in ed at the town session s,w hich

'

are he ldfour t im e s in the ye ar, at wh ich the m ayor, or his locum ten ens,

assisted by the _

re corder, presi des.

"

The m ayor a lso holds a court ‘

of re cord e ve ry Wedn esday, for hearing

andde te rm in ing such com pla in ts am ong the inhab itan ts, as are not of con

seque nce to b e de c ided a t the quarte r session s.

When ' the town sessions are he ld , the jurym en are se le cte d from'

am ong

the inhab itan ts ; b ut they are e xem p t from serving on the jury,'

cither at the

assi zes, or quarter sessions for the county, e ven if he l d in the town ; n eitherdo theypay gao l m oney or county rates.

Eve n so far b ack as the re ign of He nry I I I . th is tow n w as consi dered to'b e distin ct from the coun ty, for. i t w as the n j udged upon com pu tation that

v in'Gayna and a ds. in the fore ign hu ndredof Re ading ough t n ot to b e

a llowed the she riff of Be rkshire , b e cause he had wi thou t them , enough in

assisedlands to m ake up the ful l sum of the body of the county , with vs. over

and ab ove . 1“

i "

At the com m en cem en t of the last cen tury, -

a p erson that hadb e en robb ed

in Southco t- lan e , b e twe e n sun . and sun, su ed the hu ndre d for dam ages, and

having ob ta ineda ve rdic t, the sh eriff of Be rks assesse d the b orough for the irshare of the dam ages, in com m on wi th the oth er parts of the hundred

M r. C oates thinks, from a passage in on e of" lordC larendon ’

s le tters to the lordtreasurer, datedin 1689 , thankinghim forge t tingthe assizes to be kept at A bingdon ,” that bo th the assiz es, prior tothis tim e

,w e re he ldat Re ading, bu t several in stan ces m ight be adduced, of the ir having o c casiona l ly

been he lda t A b ingdon , lo ng before this pe riod, and the refore the passage in que stion , cou ld m ean

n o thing m ore , than to than k him for havinggot that fixed, w hich w as before un certain . \Vhile the

judge s are here on the c ircu it , the ir e xpen ces are defrayedby the corporation , w ithou t any lim itation ,bu t form erly they w e re allow ed o n e m u tto n , on e ve al , thre e barre ls of beer, on e gallon of sack , and

on e gal lon of c laret .”—C orpom tion D ia ry , 1640 .

'l' Satis probatum est , quodv xL. in G ayn z e t x l s. in forinse co hundredo de Rading non deben t

allocari Vice com iti ; qu ia sine il lis hab e t Vice com es in te rris A ssisis unde p lene respondeat adsum m am

C orpus C om itatus e t v solidos plus.—Mcmor. 1 1 . H. 3. Rot. i o . B a ts/tire. Maddox H ist . of theE xchequer, page 652 .

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TOWN OF READING .

Whereupon the corporation resisted the paym en t, and the county justice sc om m i tted the constab le of St . Lawren ce ’

s parish to the c ounty gaol , for not

l evying the fine ; but, on the cause b e ing heard a t the assizes, a ve rdict w as

given in favor of the town .

The corporation l ikewi se reb u i l t the High - b ridge , of a l ight ande legantcon stru ction, with stonefi

“ in the room of the old wooden b ridge , which w as

often dangerous to the pub l i c, anda t all tim es in com m odious.

T he'

a lm s—houseswere a lso m ost ly rebu il t, o rpu t in to the b est state ofrepa ir,to the gre at c om fort of the individuals w ho resided in the m , as we l l as to thec redit oft he m em b ers of the corporation, who thus j udic iously expended thefunds e ntrusted to the ir care , inste ad of squandering them in the ir annua l

fe asts, which had b e en too m uch pract isedby the ir prede ce ssors.

He re are thre e p arish churche s : St . Mary’

s, S t . G ile s’

s, a ndSt . Law

ren ce’

s, which w e shal l spe ak of here after ; and. severa l m e e ting house s for

protestan t dissen ters. Am ong the prin c ipa l of the se , is the inde pendan t m e e t

ing house i n Broad - stre e t , late ly u nder the pastorship of the re v. Thom as

Noon , upon whose de m ise the rev . Arch ib a ld Dougla s w as e le cted pre acher,b y the unan im ous consen t of a resp e ctab le congregation . The m e e ting- house

has b e en late ly reb u i lt, ande n larged, at a considerab le expen ce , with the addi »

t ion ofa b uria l ground, by a sub scription am ong the m ore we a l thy part ofthe

congregation . It c ontain s a num e rous and respe ctable a udience , andis we l l

adapted for the purpose .

The b aptists are a num erous and respe ctab le congregation . The ir prin

c ipal m ee ting house has b e en late ly m -u ch e n larged, andm ade m ore capab le

ofcon ta in ing the m em b ers ofthis soc ie ty, which se em sda i ly in cre asing. The ir

b urian roundis in Chu rch - stre e t .

The quakers, as a se ct, are the on l y one s am ong the dissen te rs in Re ading,

who appe ar to b e on the de cl ine . E duca tion ,tha t gre at po l ishe r of hum an

n ature , m ay in som e m e asure accoun t for th is change . The inte l le ct, purified

and e n l igh te ned , by the study of the b est afuthors, am ong the ancien t and

m odern write rs, spurns a t those fe tters which the ignorance or fanatic ism of

form e r age shave pre pared for it, and prom p ts the younge r m em b e rs of this

re l igious soc ie ty to rise sup erior to e arly prejudice s, and b oldly dare to think

for them se lve s.An othe r reason for this de cl ine , m ay b e given, from the stiff

O n digging the foundation for the n ew bridge , the w orkm en discove red part of an an cien t

pie r, which , from the spring of the arch, shew ed the origin al span to have bee n ve ry sm al l . This

fragm en t b e ing too firm ly cem en tedtoge the r, to be rem ovedw ithou t gre at difficu lty, w as w orkedin to

the n ew on e .From the sm al lne ss of the span , it is probab le the passage of the w ate r in this place ,

w as, in the early ages, dividedin to sm all stream sor brooks, anddidnot flow in one channe l asat presen t .

C HA 9 .

VII .

Ca lvim‘

sls

B aptists.

Quakers.

rlI ethodz’

st

Lecture .

TOlVN OF READING .

n e ss of de m e anor, anddress of the qu akers, so unconge n ial w ith the m ann ers

andhab i ts of the prese n t age , b u t w hich has long b ee n conside red am ong the

discrim in a t ing m arks of the m e m b e rs of this soc ie ty ; i t is no wonder, there

fore , ifwhe n these a re la id aside , a cha nge of re l igious opin ions, in som e m e a

sure foundedupon them ,shou ld fo l low . The ir m e e ting hou se , with the buria l

ground a nnexedto i t, is situa te d in Church- stre e t, and he ld under a l ease from

the corporat ion for n ine ty- n ine ye ars.

In addition to the ab ove , m ay b e e n um erate d the m e thodists, w ho have ,in l ike m anne r, se cede d from the estab l ished church, though they m ake use

of its l iturgy, a nd the o the r offices appo intedin the com m on praye r. They

boast of a stri cte r conform ity to the te n e ts of our first reform e rs, than is ob

servab le am ong the regu lar c le rgy : b ut, if t im e is to b e c onside re d as the

cri terion of re l igious orthodoxy ; ifw e a re stil l to b e tye d down to Opin ionstha t were h e ld in the dark ages, whe n the re form ed chu rches first em e rge d

from the e rrors of pope ry, a ll the b en e fi ts de ri ve d from the inve n tion of prin t .

ing, by which know ledge has b een diffuse d, a nda ll the lab ors of the le arned,

sin ce that tim e , ha ve b e en thrown away . The ir chape l is in Castle -stree t,b u il t , from a plan by M r. Billing, on the site of an an c ie n t re l igious house ,late ly the co un ty gao l . This soc ie ty does not support a constan t preacher,b ut is occasiona l ly supplied wi th on e from o the r congrega t ion s. Mank ind arein gen era l de l ighted with n ove lty, and th is, wi th the ir ho ld ing se vera l ca l vinistic tene ts in com m on with the o ther dissenters, o ccasions the ir chape l to b every m uch crowded .

In Minster- stre e t is an other m e e ting- house, c a l led Sa lem chape l, b e longingto a soc ie ty of m e thodists, w ho have secede d from the chape l in Castle - stre e t .

In London - stree t are tw o m e e ting- house s, on e for the cudw orthians or

disciple s ofM r. Cudworth the other for the un itarians, but whe ther for ariansor socin ians, I have n o t le arne d .He re is a lso a ca tho l i c chape l , late ly ere cted by som e Fre n ch em igrants,

in V aste rn - lan e ; Anda n ewly ere cte d m e e ting- house , for baptists, in Sievierstre et , b u i l t by subscri p t ion .

The m on th ly le c t ure w as estab l ish ed in 1618, in conse quen ce of a le tterto the m ayor and c orpora t ion , from the the n b ishop of Sa lisb ury, requestingthe ir assista n ce in prom ot ing so n e cessary a m e asure th is they very readily'

gran ted, a nd, as a furthe r su pport to i t, they soon after e n tered in to the fo l

lowing agree m e n t

It w as agreed the 2dof Septe m b er, 1628, tha t the le cturer sha l l havetwo shill ings and sixpen ce a day, e ve ry le cture day, pa i d to him that sha l l

provide his die t, andi t shal l b e'

raised of this com pany, after the rate of six

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IVa ter

TOW N OF READING .

stratum of ch a lk , b efore w ate r can b e procured . B ut, though the Tham es

m ay b e the gra n d re se rvo ir, from whe n ce our we l ls are prin c ipal ly supplied,

ye tthere can b e no doub t , that in m any parts ofthe town , th ey de ri ve a partia l

supply of‘

w a te r from othe r source s, b e c ause it is a we l l known fact , that

the springs, in differen t parts of the town , possess ve ry difi'

e ren t qu a l ities,wh ich wou ld not b e the c ase , if they were all suppl ie d from the sam e source .

This difi'

e re n ce in the qu a l ity, consists chiefly in the differen t degre e s of hard

n ess, as i t is t erm ed , of the wa t e r, in som e p arts than in othe rs. A t the n ew

b ride w e l l, I ha ve b e en i nform ed, the wa t e r is of so corrosi ve a qual i ty,tha t

the c ist e rn in w hich i t is preserved, has b e en pe rfora ted l ike a sie ve , thre e or

four t im e s in the space of tw e l ve years. The sam e phenom e n on is observedto take place a ll a long the

'

n orth side of Friar- stre e t, wh ile the pu m ps on thesouth side are on ly part ia l ly a tfe c ted by it , as is the case in Broad- stre e t, and

the n orth side ofM inst e r- stre e t, w hi le on the sou th side of the sam e stre e t,the wa t er in the w e l ls is so fre e from any corrosi ve qua l i ty, th at the le adehpipes ha ve rem a in ed, for a c en tury, un inj ured, as do those in ' G un -stree tandon the sou th side , of Castle - stree t, ab ou t ha lf w ay up ; ab ove which le ve l

andall a long the north side of the sam e stre e t , the wa t er in the we l lsis foun'dto b e m ore or le ss hard . A s the wa te r b e com e s m ore and m ore soft in the

we l ls, the n e are r they approach to the Ke n n e t, i t is p rob ab le tha t they are indebtedto th is rive r for the ir gre a te r degre e ofsoftn ess. This 1 5

easi ly accoun t

edfor, from the difie re n t qua l i ty ofthe wa t e r in the tw o ri ve rs, {vhich no doub t

partakes ofthe so i l thro ugh which they flow ; that of the Ken n e t, from its

spring he ad to Re adin gg , passing through a so il a lm ost who l ly com posedofpe at

andvege tab le m atter, m ust b e ofa softe r n a ture than tha t of the b edofcha lk,

wh ich form s the stra tum ofthe Tham e s, as we l l as the substan ce ofthose loftyh il ls, u nde r wh ich it flow s for the gre ate r part in its course to Ca ve rsham,

andwhich , ab ounding wi th a sul pha te of l im e , prob ab ly im pregnate the wa terwith the sam e c orrosi ve qua l i ty .

The wate r in the se we l ls.

having b e e n found un fi t for m any household purposes, re course has b e en hadto the w ate rs of the Ke nne t, which, by m e ans of

works ere c tedin NIill- lan e , are distrib u ted to m ost of the house s in the town ,

at a sm a l l e xpen ce . Th is n e cessary unde rtaking w as plann ed in 1694, by A mb rose Crowley, Dan ie l B e nn e l l, EdwardDyson , a ndRichard Los

'

vbridge ,with

whom the corpora t ion e n te re d into the fo llowing agree m en tl st . They grant unto the afore sa id undertakers, a term of one thou

san d ye ars, qu ie t ly to e nj oy the sam e .

2d. They sha l l ha ve the l ib e rty to em ploy the ir ow n m en , to m ake andm end the wate r-works, so as they do n ot b e com e charge ab le .

3d. They agree to qu it, fre e, and e xcuse , as far as in them l ies, the

TOWN OF READING .

Waterm arks, from a ll taxes andpaym ents whatsoe ver, e xcept such as are im

posed on the m by a ct of pa rl iam e n t .4th . They e ngage to pre ve nt all other pe rsons from b u i lding any

e ngine , or water work, to se rve any part of the town with wa ter, during the

term aforesa i d .

5th . The gran t to b e un der the ren t of five sh il l ings pe r annum .

6th . The m ayor, a lde rm en ,,

and burge sse s sha ll ha ve l ib e rty, in caseoffire , to op en any ofthe pipe s, for wa ter to extingu ish the sam e the breachesto b e re pa ired at the expen ce of th e corpora tion .

7th . The sa id u ndertakers to b e ob l iged to serve so m any of the in‘

hab itan ts with wate r, as will agre e for, and take the sam e .Tim es of repa

ration , gre at frosts, andh igh floods e xce pted .

8th . Tha t the unde rt ake rs sha l l lay a p ipe to the Coun ter-house , without rent or fine for the sam e , subj e ct to a ll other agre em en ts, and com m on

c ovenants, w hich are to b e inse rtedin the te nan ts’ leases. The pipes to be la ida t the Cou n te r-house ch arge .

“

Unde r the san ction of these c lause s in the ir le ase , the undertakers ere cte d

a sm al l e ngin e in M ilLlane , on the m i l l - stre am , having agre ed with the pro

prie tor of the m i l l for on e hundred superfi c ia l inches of water for the purposeof turn ing th e wate r whe e l ; bu t the supply from th is m ach in e w as, for m any

ye ars, ve ry inade quate to the de m an ds of the town , ow ing to the im perfe ctstate of the e ngin e , and the want of ski l l in the m an age rs, as w e ll

i to the defi

c ien cy of the funds n e cessary for keeping the works in repa ir. The originalshares had, from tim e to t im e , b ee n disposed of, a t low price s, to indi vidua ls,whose in tere st in the proprie taryship b e ing sm a l l , gave the m se l ve s l ittle troub lein the m an agem en t of the conc e rn ; a ndsom e of the proprie tors, or the ir he irs,hade ven left the town , so tha t the works were da i ly ge tting

‘

m ore‘

andm ore

inefficien t, when , ab ou t the com m en cem e n t of the prese n t ce n tpry, tw o respe c

tab le ge n t lem en of the town , ha ving purchased the prin ci pal share s, im m edi

ate ly de te rm in ed to im prove the works, so as to m ake them answe r a ll the

pu rposes re qu ired from them . Accord ingly, they have e re cted, a t a gre a t

e xpence , an engin e of m uch larger dim e n sions than the origina l one , andupon

an e n tire new prin c iple , by which they a re e n ab le d to supply the m ost distan t

and highest parts oft he tow n'

w ith wa te r, at a trifling e xpence to e ach inha

b itant , w ho m ay wish to e njoy’

so gre at an ac com m oda tion ,andwi th so m u ch

regu larity andcerta inty, that the supply is se ldom inte rrupted, except in t im e s

of floods andfrost, wh ich no hum an inge nu ity c an at a ll tim es prov ide for or

p re ven t . The ir c istern is bu i lt on the high ground in . Broad- stre e t, andplugs

Corporation Diary.

TOWN OF READING .

are placed in all the prin c ipal stre e ts, affording a ready supply ofwater when

e ver a fire b reaks out in any part of the town .

It is surprising, considering the gre a t profits the 1nsurance offices m ake ,andthe la rge sum s tha t are ann ua l ly rem itte d to London , for insuran c e s here

from fire , that n on e of the we a l thier inhab i tan ts ha ve h ithe rto institu ted an

ofii ce , which m ight at the sam e tim e se cure the prope rty of individua ls, andprom ote the b e ne fit of the pe rsons insuring in i t .

The advan tage s de ri ved to this town, from a plen tiful supply of water; in

case of fire , rende rs the risk so trifl ing, tha t if e v e ry p erson insured hada

proprie tary interest, as is the case in the Norwich insurance offi ce , the expence

wou ld not am oun t to a tenth part of what it now does, as the gre ate r part ofthe pre m ium wou ld b e re turn edat the close ofthe ann ua l a ccou n ts. A s i t cann ot b e to the inte rest of the office s to m ake kn own the sum s they annua l ly drawfrom th is town for insuran ce , it is im possib le to say what the re a l am oun t m ay

b e ; b ut taking the n um b er ofhouses a t 2000 , andsupposing them to pay, on an

ave rage , for the va lue ofthe prem ises, andstock in trade , &0 . on ly 15s.

‘

ea ch, the

a m ountwou l d b e 15001. per arm . which is som e thing less than ha lfthe loss thathas b een incurre d, by this town , from fire , during the last 60 ye ars, as appearsby the fo l lowing l ist of fires, w ith the gross va luat ion of the dam ages

In 1 754 Six hop- kilns, tw o b arns, and 26 cwt . of hops

, 38

destroyed, in Sievier- stre e t, va lue 300

1 755 A stab le , granary, andon e sm a l l dwe l l ing- house , a tthe El ephant, 200

1756 A workshop, and tw o granarie s, by the Abb ey m i l l, 1 50

1 774 One hay rick destroyed, and three dam aged, at

Hocker’

s-

gre en , 100

1 785 A stab le , work - shop, and one horse , l n the Wharf, 100

1 789 A work- shop, cha ise -house , stable , and barn,at the

sam e place ,

179 1 A range of stables, and n ine horses, in Castle - stre e t,1 798 One house destroyed, and three others dam aged, a t

the entrance of the Forb ury,1799 A work- shop, stab le , soap - house , &c . in the Marke t, 300

1802 A boat house , shed, andabou t 20 tons of hay, i n theWharf, 1 50

1 804 A carpen ter’

s shop , som e de als, &c . in London - stre e t, 150

A work shop, and cottage , 1 n the Islan d , 100

1812 A n outhouse , som e cork, anda horse , in Friar- stree t, 100

1813 The lower part of a dwe l ling- house, in Oxford - road, 70

Tota l 52 3020

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TO ‘WN OF READING .

it as a place ofam usem ent, andexerc ise . This righ t both the corpora tion and

the inhab i tan ts have b e en a lways te nac ious of preserving.. Even , during the

c onfusion of the c iv i l wars, when the rights of indi vidua ls were b u t l ittle

regarded, w e find by the fo l lowing entry in the Diary, that the corporat ion

were n ot n egle c tfu l of the ir ow n rights, or the inte re sts of the pe ople

G eorge Harrison ac qua in ted the c om pany, that co lon e l Ham m ondhad

gi ven 0 1 ders to se t up a ga te andsti le s, a t the en tran ce into the Forb ury, anddesire th to know , whe the r the com pany wou ldforb idhim b ut w as answered,that he m ay se t up a ga te and stiles, so as he do in n o wise prejudice the

l iberties of the tow n, in the sa id Forb ury, for ifhe do, the town w ill endeavorto defend their l iberties.

“

Co lon e l Ham m on d hadthe com m andof the garrison in the abb ey, at thattim e , and w as a lso governor of the town , unde r the parl iam ent ; ye t th is, w e

se e , did n ot de te r the corporation from a dete rm ination to support the ir rightto this fa vorite spot

A b ou t tw o ye ars a fte rwards, w e find th e inhab itan ts ca l l ing upon the

c orpora t ion for the ir assistan ce towards le ve l ing the works which had be enthrown up in the Forb ury, for the prote ction of the garrison ,

to the end the

fa irs m ight be kept, and the inhab itan ts of the town enjoy the ir privileges,

as form erly .

” 2

S hortly after this, M r. Harrison , w ho had b e en so cau tious as n ot to e xe

c u te c olon e l Ham m ond’

s orders, withou t a c qua in ting the corporation withthem , took the l ib erty of b u i lding on som e part of the Forb ury, on his ow naccoun t , withou t giv ing them any n o t ice ofhis in te nt ion s, or of his right so todo ; whereupon they orde redthe serge an ts to rem ove a ll his wood, andto fi l lin his ditche s, and b esides, to forb ide his bu i lding any m ore there , th a t thefa irs m ight b e kept withou t interruption .

”

From these instances, it app ears, that the corporation were princ ipal ly

desirous of prese rving the right of holding fa irs in the Forb ury, while theinhab itan ts were e qual ly an x ious to se c ure the ir form er privileges. The seinde ed we re not open ly dispu ted, ti l l 1776 ; at which tim e , the re ve ren d JohnSpicer, then m aster of the fre e school, conce iving that the pub l ic use of thisplace w as origina lly confine d to the keep ing offa irs in i t

, andthat the pri vilegecl a im ed by the jun ior c lasses of the inhab itan ts

, of playing at cricke t and

othe r exe i cise s, w as a n e n croachm en t on the rights of the lesse es under the

c row n, determ ined, if possib le , to put a stop to the prac t ice , though i t had

been sanction ed by an u n in te rrupted e nj oym en t of m ore than two hundred

C orporation Diary. 9 Ibid. 3 Ibid.

TOWN OF READING.

years, and'

accordingly pub l ishe d the fol lowing advertisem ent, which appearedin the Re ading Mercury, on the 6th ofJun e this year

Whe reas, the pasture land, in the outer court of the abb ey, ca l led theForb ury, and subj e ct to the pub lic use , on ly, during the con tinuance of the

fa irs, as recited in the charter of qu een E liz a beth and king Charles the first,*

to the corpora t ion of Reading, though m any persons have e rroneously asserted

it to b e com m on to the inhab itan ts in genera l , a t all tim e s of the ye ar and,

wh ereas the sa id Forbury has b e e n im proved a t gre a t e xpen ce , w ith the viewof ornam ent, a nd do ing credit to the town , and such in ten t ion is frustrated

,

by p ersons playing there a t cricke t, to the gre at annoyan ce of passe ngers, a nddam age of the pasture ; a ll persons so offe nding, are de sired to forb ear suchprac ti ces for the future , or the ir pretendedcla im will b e dispute d in due courseof law , by m e , JOHN S e re na .

In consequen ce of the ab ove advertisem en t, a m e eting of the inhab itantsw as ca l led , to con side r of the b est m e ans of defe nding the ir right to the use

of the Forbu ry, when upwards of one hundredre spec tab le tradesm en sign ed

a re solution , to defe nd any on e or m ore p ersons w ho m ight be prosecu ted forp laying there , e ithe r by M r. Spice r or any othe r person .

” They a lso agre ed to

take the op in ion ofcounse l , as to the legit im a cy of the ir cla im which b e ing an

sw e redin favor of the town , they adve rt iseda cricke t - m atch to b e played in the

Forb uryin the fo l lowingwe ek . Thisw asnum e rou sly a ttended, e very we l l -wishe rto the town , con ce i v ingit a du ty to support the pub li c righ t to th is fa vored spot,andw asdone w ith the in ten t to give that ge n tlem an an Opportun ity ofb ringingthe m atter to tria l but ashe did n ot think fi t so todo, they appointeda com m i t te eofthre e gen tlem en , to wa it on John B lagrave , e sq . one of the lesse e s unde r thecrown , to. kn ow, if he obj e cte d to the you ths of the town play ing in the For

bury who replied, that he had n o obje c tion to the irplaying, providedthey

askedit a s a m a tter offavor : this they refusedto do ; and added, tha t,if he wou ld try the m atte r in a court of law , the ge ntlem en w ho hadattended

the m e e ting were de te rm in edto defe nd the l ib e rtie s of the town .

In con se quence of th is spiri ted conduct of the inhab i tan ts, n o further

opposit ion w as m ade , e i the r by M r. B lagrave or M r. Spi ce r ; andthe youngpe ople have e ve r sin ce , u n in te rruptedly e njoyed the privilege of playing in the

Forb ury, as b efore , t i l l the prese n t year, ( 1813 ) when the'

follow ing anony

m ous hand- b i l l w as c ircula ted in the town

The re verendgen tlem an,on this

_

oc casion , w as no t ve ry scrupu lous in assertingw hat he knewto be a falshood; for whateve r m ay b e the pow e rs in this respec t gran ted by queen Elizabe th, i t is

ce rtain that n o m en tion is m ade of the Forbury, in that ofpharles I.

TOWN OF READING .

Whereas, severa l acts of m isch ie vous aggression have lately b een com

m ittedon the n arrow part of the Forb ury, re nted for the use of the gram m ar

schoo l, wi th m an ifest injury to that e stabl ishm en t it is with gre at re luctan ce ,b ut from absolute n e ce ssity, tha t notice is hereby gi ven , tha t whosoe ver sha ll

trespass on tha t groun d wil l b e prose cuted—Jun e 9 , 1813 .

In consequen ce of th is notice , the inhab itan ts, frien ds to the prosperity

of Reading, c a l led a m e e ting at the counc i l - cham b er, on the ‘Vednesday fol

lowing, at six o’clock in the e ve n ing, for the purpose of taking in to conside

ration

~

the proprie ty of adopting som e m e asures to preserve as here tofore , with

out infringing on the pri vi lege s of the b orough , part of the Forbury for the

use of. Reading schoo l, and, by tim e ly in terfere nce , preven t, if possib le, any

appe a l to the co urts of law .

Though th is m ee ting se em s to have b een ca l le d by the friends ofthe schoo l,who wished that the part com m on ly usedby the scho lars in the ir am use m ents

m igh t b e pre servedto them , at the sam e t im e infringing as l ittle as possib le on

the privi l eges ofthe inhab itan ts, ye t the n um b e rs that atten ded, b e ing de c idedly

of Opin ion , that in gi ving up on e part of the Forb ury wou ld on ly b e open ingthe door to furthe r e n croachm ents on the ir rights, and m ight hazard the

loss of the who le , cam e to the fol lowing resolutions

READ ING , Ju ly 18, 1813 .

RES OLVE D , l st .—That the inhabi tants of this b orough h ave an esta

b lishedright to wa lk, exercise , anddivert them se l ve s, in andupon the Forbury,ande ve ry part of i t, a t the ir fre e will and p le asure , withou t the inte rrupt ionor disturbance of any person whom soe ve r and that they have , from t im e im

m em oria l, use d ande xerc ised such right.RE S OLVE D, 2dly.

—Tl1at Re ading school has ne ver had an e xclusw e

right to any part of the.

Forb ury.

RESOLVE D , 3rdly.- Tha t a sub scription b e forthwith Opened, to support

and defend th e righ ts of the inhabitants, aga inst any attem pts tha t m ay be

m ade to depri ve them of the sam e .

W . BLANDY, CHA IRM AN .

It n ow rem a ins to b e se e n , should the author ofthe ab ove hand- b il l put histhreats in e xe cu tion , whe ther the corporat ion , as they are b ound to do, will, inthe words ofthe ir predec e ssors, determ ine to defend the liberties of the town ;

or whe ther the inhab i tants at large , will b e left to prote ct the ir right tothe use of the Forb u ry, handeddown to them un im pa iredby the ir ance storsin e ither case , there c an b e n o doub t of the u ltim ate su ccess of the ir cause,founded on a prescrip t ive righ t of m ore than tw o hundred ye ars, and fre

quen tly asserted with su ccess, both by the m agistrates andthe inhabitants.

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140 TOWN OF READING .

Rom an m on ths in Germ any, we re ra isedwith in the ye ar, to supply the wan ts

of the poor. The am oun t of one we ek ’

s pay, in St . Mary ’

s p arish , in th is

town ,appe ars to have b ee n at first ab ou t twe n ty sh i l l ings. This w as t ra

rsed

am ong the inhab itants, w ho were divided into four c lasses, in the follow m g

rat io : The first pa id tw o pen ce , the se con d thre e half- pen ce , the third one

penny,andthe fourth on e half- pe n ny . I t is prob ab le , th at at first, the num

b e r ofwe eks pay to b e ra ised with in the ye ar w as fixed at twe lve , m aking

about twe l ve pounds pe r an num , for the m a in ten ance Of the poor in St . Mary’

s

parish .

* 1 This n um b e r ofwe eks soon b egan to e ncre ase , at fi rst by slowdegre e s, b ut afte rwards ve ry rapidly, as wil l appe ar from the fo l lowing tab le

ofassessm e n ts, take n , e ve ry ten th ye ar, from the parish registers, ti l l the prese nt

m ode of assessm en t, by a pound ra te , w as adopted

Weeks P ay . Years.

1 647”24 1 707

1657 40 1 7 17

1 667 63 1 727

1677+ 156 1 737

1687 208 1747

1 697 338 1 757

The gre a t in crease in the n um ber of we eks pay for the last ye ar, w as

prob ab ly the re ason of the ir adopting the pre sen t m ode of assessing the inhab itants, by a poundra te on lands, h ouses, a ndstock in trade , in the proportionof tw o thirds on hou ses, and the fu l l am ou n t of the ra te on lands. Of lateye ars, these assessm e nts have be en in cre ased conside rab ly, by the paym en t of

the parl iam entary a l lowa n ce s, to the wive s and fam il ie s of m i l it ia m en , wh i leabsen t from the town on duty, andfor bou nties for substitutes, to the fol lowingam oun t in 1812

On houses. on land. on stock.

5 . d. s. d. s. d.

St . Mary ’

s, 7 0 10 6 2 6

S t . Lawre nce ’

s, 6 0 9 0 3 O

St. G iles’

s, 4 2 6 3

Tota l of on e ye ar,

In the year 1 607, the sum leviedfor the use of the poor, w as l 7i, 1 25. 5d.

'l' In 1 674 , the churchw ardens and ove rse ers of S t . Mary ’s parish, a larm ed at the rapidin creaseof the rate s, m ade an orde r, that any pe rson rec e iving strange rs in to theirhouses, andno tgivingse curityto the parish, w ithin forty days, the ir taxes shou ldbe doub led.

” A nd, strange as it m ay appear, thisorderw as enforcedin 1676, on RichardLanders, w ho , for this offen ce , w as ob ligedto pay the p ena lty .

TOWN OF READING . 14]

So m uch andso rapidly has this ’

b urthen e ncre ase d on the inhabitants, theindustrious p art of whom are , by th is m ode , ob l igedto m a in ta in the idle and

profliga te m em b e rs of soc i e ty, as we l l a s the agedand in firm .

Th is subje ct has at tractedthe a t ten t ion of so m any ab le write rs, tha t‘

it

is unne cessary, in this place , to ente r large ly upon it . I sha l l on ly, the refore ,ob se rve , that we re a

“ prope r discrim in ation m ade , in the distribution of the

pub l ic m oney, so tha t n on e but re a l obj ects of chari ty shou ld b e supported,

and the price of labor b e regu la tedby tha t of provisions, the poor wouldb eprom ptedto industry, anden couragedto lay up a sm a l l annua l sum for the irfuture support, inste ad of

,looking, as they n ow do, to that wre tched asylum

forindigence , a pa rish workhouse .

One of the prin c ipa l c ause s of the gre at in crease of the poor- ra tes, of

la te ye ars, i s, I have n o doub t, owing principa liy, to the low pri ce of lab or, inproportion to the h igh price of all the n e cessary artic les of l ife . G i ve a m an

a n adequate rewardfor his labor, e qua l to the support of an hon orab le inde

pende n ce , and he will spurn at the ide a of re l ief from the parish, if vo lun

tarily offe red, as a n in su l t to that spirit offreedom wh i ch the poor, e qua l to

the rich , inhe ri t from n a tu re .

"e

Tha t the pre se nt price ofday lab or is gre atly disproportioned to the highprices of pro v isions, is, I b e l ie ve too e vident to b e c on trove rted; b ut, if any

doub t rem a ins on the subj e c t , the fo l lowing statem en t of the price s of b o thlabor and provisions, in 1 558, prior to the p assing of the a c ts for the re l iefof the poor, com pare d with those of the presen t tim e , m ust satisfy e very nuprejudice d person .

Though there is n o poor’s tax in S cotland, the re is not a people in the w orldam ongw hom re al

obje c ts of com passion findreadie r pro te c t ion andassist an ce . T o the hon or of the low e r c lass of theSco tch, they th i nk it disgrac e ful to beg, and e ve n to ac cept the sm allest charitab le don ation . The ytherefore , for the m ost part, pursu e the ir differe n t paths of industry , as long as they are ab le to craw labou t, andsubsist rathe r upon the private bo unt y , how e ve r scan ty

,of the ir n earest re lations

,than m ake

the ir w an ts know n to the parish . I t is on ly re al andurgen t n e ce ssity, that ob liges the hum b lest Sco tto acc ep t the e lem osynary con tribu tion s of his co un trym en

,w hich are n o t com pu lsory, but vo lun tary .

W he n the late lordKinn oul re tiredfrom public life in England, to hispatern al estate in Perthshire , hew as aston ishedto find there w asn o t on e pauper in the parish . The c o lle c tion at the church doors on

Sundays, w as e itherse n t to othe r parishes, or laidou t at in te rest, as a grow ing fundfor con tingen c ies.His lordship , so le proprie tor of the parish , struck w ith this c ircum stan ce , recom m endedto the k irksession , to distribu te the w e ek ly con tribu tions am ong poor co ttagers. Of these , how e ver, the re w as

n ot one w ho w ou ldaccept a shilling andat last, w hen it w asofferedin the form of flax,to poor, but

industrious w om e n,they didn ot acc e pt it w itho u t h e sitation andre lu c tan ce .

This se n se of hon or am ong th e low e st people in Scot land, is a pow e rfu l restrain t on dissipat ion ,andan in ce n tive to industry ; w hile it is justly rem arked, that the parl iam e n tary pro vrsm ns fo r the

poor in England, e n courage idle n ess, in so le nc e , anddebau che ry, and in c re ase the load of taxatio non the industrious andsober part of the n ation .

—N ew tc'

s Tour in Scotla nd, 1 785 .

TOWN OF READING.

Tradesm en and m echan ics, from the n ature of the ir em ploym ent, be inggenera l ly colle cted, in large towns, in great num bers,

“

have opportun ities ofcom b in ing toge ther for the purpose of com pe l ling the ir em ployers to ra ise theprice of the ir lab ors, which accoun ts for the wages of th is de scription of

persons be ing at all tim es e qua l to, if n ot surp assing, the a verage price of

provisions : b ut day laborers, w ho are se ldom colle cted in great n um bers, and

c onsequently have no such opportun itie s, are com pe l led to labor for a sum

scarce ly adequate to support a m iserab le e xistence . W e sh a l l, therefore, con

fine our com parison to this u sefu l bu t negle cted descri pt ion of persons.

In 1558, the wages of a day laborer w as 6d. per diem , or 33 . per week ;with which sum m ight b e purchased, for his week

’

s consum ption,3 . (1.

Ha lf a bushe l ofwh eat, l 3

Fourte en pounds of m eat, 0 IOéSe ven p in ts ofstrong bee r, 0 35O ne poun d of bu tter, 0 2

On e pound of ch e ese, 0 1

Other articles, 0 4

3 0

In 1813, the wages ofa lab orer, 25. per diem , or 1 23 . perweek ifthere

he were to purchase the sam e articles now , the sum s wou ld b e asfol low

3 . d.

Ha lf a bushel ofwh eat, at 1 183 . per qr. 7 4-5Fourteen pounds of m e at, at 9d. 10 6

Se ven pin ts of strong be er, 1 9'

O ne poun d of butter,One pound of cheese ,O ther articles,

sé’

l I 75

This therefore is nearly the proport ionate pri ce a day lab orer sh ould nowrece ive for his we ek ’

s work, to put him on the sam e footing with his own

class, b efore the e stab l ishm ent of the poor ra te s.Were the l egislature , instead of a ttem pting to am end and im prove, as i t

is ca l led, the poor’

s laws, to ab ol ish the system , andto e stab l ish, in the ir stead,a m ore j ust andadequate rate of wages, a very great bene fit would b e deri ved

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CHAP .

VII .

TOWN OF READING .

the idea of incorporating them in to on e b ody, and, as the Oracle w as at thatt im e in part un occupied, tha t b u i lding, with the consen t of the corporation ,w as fi xedon for the re ceptacle of the un i te d poor, and the fo l lowing article s

of agre em ent entered into, andsign ed by the respe ctive officers ofe ach parish

Art ic le s of agre em en t, had, m ade , andcon cluded the 13th day ofJun e , in

the 12th ye ar of th e re ign of our sovere ign lordGeorge , by the graceof G od, &c . b etwe en the church - wardens and overse e rs of the poor of

the parish of S t . Lawrence , in Reading, in the c oun ty of Berks, of thefirst part , andthe church - warde n s andoverse ers ofthe poor ofthe parish

of St . Mary, in Reading aforesa id, of the se cond part, and the church

w ardens‘

andove rse ers of the poor ofthe parish of St . G i les, in Readingaforesa id, of the th irdpart .

Whe re as, a ce rta in house , ca lle d the Ora cle , in the parish of St . Mary

aforesa id , is agreed upon by the p art ies to the se pre sents, to b e the house and

p lace for m a in ta in ing andke eping the ir poor people . A nd, where as the fi ttingup the sa id house , for the n e ce ssary re ception of the sa id poor, a ndthe pro

viding b eds, b edding, c lothes, a nd all othe r n e cessaries andim ple m e n ts, for theke eping, m a in ta in ing,

and em ploying the sa id poor pe ople , wil l b e a couside rab le charge to the parish ion ers of the se ve ra l parish es.

A ndi t be ing the in ten t and agre em e nt of the parishioners of the saidthre e seve ra l parish es, tha t such ch arge s, and expen ce s, shou l d b e b orn and

pa id , in equa l proportions, a ccording to the num b e r of poor pe ople of e achre spe c t ive parish, w ho sha l l b e pl a ced in the sa id house , by andfrom e achrespe c t ive parish ,

there to be kept, m a in ta in ed, andem ployed, for the b e ne fi t,advantage , and e ase , of the parish ion ers of the parish to wh ich su ch pe rsonsdo respe c t ive ly b e long ; a nd that separate anddist in ct a ccoun ts, b e for thosepurposes kept by a prope r pe rson, who sha l l have the care of such poor people .

For that end i t is agre ed , a nd conc luded, by and b e twe en a ll the part ies tothe se p resen ts

,for them se l v es, and for the respe ctive parish ione rs of e a ch

parish to wh ich they b e long, in m anne r fo l lowing, viz .

Tha t a prope r pe rson shall b e e lected andchose n , by the part ies to the seprese nts, to b e the m aste r and gove rnor of su ch poor pe ople , so to b e ke pt,m a in ta in ed, and e m ployed, in the sa id hou se , under su ch ru le s, orders, a nd

regu la ri t ies, as sha l l b e appro ve d of,by the part ies to these prese n ts, andthe ir

succe ssors from t im e to tim e , andtha t such m aster sha l l have su ch sa lary anda l low an ces, as sha l l b e agreedupon by the part ie s to these pre se n ts, to b e pa idin such m ann e r as sha l l b e for tha t purpose a lso agre edupon .

That the sa id house sha l l b e fitted up with beds, b edding, cloathes,

TOWN OF READING.

brew ing utensi ls, and im pl em e nts ofb rewing, andall oth er n e cessarie s, ofwhat

n ature or kind soe ver, anda lso a ll such n ec e ssaries, as sha l l b e agreed uponby the parties to these presen ts, for em ploying the sa id poor peopl e , sha l l b eforthwith prov ide d, for the ke ep i ng, m a inta ining, and em ploying, such poorpersons, andthat the sam e shal l b e pa id for in m a nn er afore sa id, by the partiesto the se pre se n ts, out of th e rates m ade , or to b e m ade , for the re l ief of thepoor of

‘

the re spe c tive parishe s.And i t is furthe r agre e d , tha t the respe ctive officers of e ach parish,

sh a l l forthwith provide fifte e n b edste ads a - pie c e , to b e place d in th e said house .for the re ception of the poor of e ach respe ct ive parish . In witn ess, &c .

In conse qu ence of this agre e m e nt, the parishe s of St . Mary andSt . Lawren ce sen t in the ir proportion of furn iture , with the ir respe ct ive poor, * b utth at of St . G i les refusing to sen d the ir’

s, for re asons not at present known,

b ut prob ably owing to the a larm e xcited am ong the poor from the com m encem e nt of the m easure , th is e conom ica l p lan w as dropt .

D uring th e short tim e th is e stab l ishm e n t lasted, it se em s to have b eencon

-ducted with gre a t orde r and regu larity : The poor w ho were ab le to workwe re e m ployed in spinn ing of flax for the sa i l cloth m anufacturers, cotton forcandle -wicks, wash ing, and the ne ce ssary du ties of the house . There w as

besides a schoo l e stab l ishedin it, where the ch ildren were taught to re ad.

Whe n any person s were to be adm i tted in to the house , they we re ob l ige d

to b ring an orde r from the m ayor, or a just ice of th e pe ace b e longing to thecorpora tion , and signe d by the church -wardens and overseers of the parish

to wh ich they b e longed, and the ir n am e s, age , and parish were e ntered in an

alphab e tica l register. If found ne ce ssary, they were new c lothed, at the ir

adm ission , and prope rly c le ansed, to preven t the b eds and b edding b e inginfested with verm

’

in e .

A c om m itte e , of the m ost respe ctab le inhab itan ts of the two parishes,m et, e ve ry Friday, a t the house , to regula te the ir affa irs, to hear com pla ints,andto redre ss grie van ce s, whose proce edings were regu larly entere d in a b ookkept for that purpose . Once a fortnight the a cc ounts of the house were regu

larly audited , andpassed, andthe quota of e xpen ce s adj usted to e ach parish .

Prayers we re re ad to the poor every m orn ing, Sundays e xcepted, to all w ho

were ab le to a tte nd ; and on tha t day, they attended m orn ing and e ve n ingservice at the ir parish churche s.

The fo llow ing list of persons sen t in to the house , from the parish of S t . Law ren ce , form s a

just crite rion o f the persons de em ed,at that tim e

,fi t to partake of parish re lief

Six tee n aged, on e n atural child, four w idow s, fourteen orphans, one idiot, o ne lun atic , andone

lam e,in all thirty- e ight .” A t presen t there are upw ards of 1 00 in e ach of the thre e w o rk-houses.

TOWN OF READING.

O n the whol e , the regu la t ions adopted on this occasion, appear to ha veb e en c al culated, b o th for the advantage of the poor, w ho were the im m ediate

obje cts of them ,andof those -who we re to contribute to the ir support ; and

if pe rse ve redin ,m ust have b ee n a ttende d with great b e n e fi t to the town, as

by un iting all the poor under on e roof, m u ch regu larity andorder Wou ld have

b e en produced in the expenditure of the pub l ic m on ey, and m any of the pre

sen t sources of e xtravagan ce a vo ided . The sam e hab itat ion , the sam e office s,the sam e u tensi ls, wou l d have se rved for all a ndthe a ccom m odations afforde d

by the Orac le , would have b e en com pe ten t to any num b er that cou ld havebe en sent in to i t .Som e gen tlem en , we l l inform ed on the subject, are stil l of opin ion , that

a un ion of the thre e parishes shou ld b e aga in resorted to, as the b est m eans,

with e con om y, of redu cing the poor’

s rates ; and such a m e asure , if w e m ay

judge by the succe ss of i t in other p laces, wou ld , no doub t, b e highly b en e

ficial, if conducted on differen t prin ciples from wha t have , for a long courseofyears, b e en invaria bly adopted in e a ch distin ct parish .

Perhaps the plan of appo in ting standing o verse e rs in e a ch parish , m igh t

b e adopted with advan tage . The present system of n om inating n ew overse e rsannua l ly, is a tte nded with gre a t disadvantages, as i t rare ly happ ens tha t the

ge ntlem en, thus as i t we re rapidly succe eding each o the r, have t im e to le arnthe n ecessary du ties of the ir office , ( am ong which a pe rfe ct knowledge of the

characte rs of the poor, w ho apply for re l ief, is n ot the le ast ) b efore they are

succe eded by others, w ho are to pe rform the duties of the office , without b e ingin the le ast acqua inted with the routine of the business.

The appo in tm en t of a standing ove rseer has long b ee n adopted in St .

G ile s’

s parish, with such su cce ss, unde r the discre e t m anage m ent of M r.

Harvey, w ho w as e le cte d in to that office by the parish ion ers, that the rates in

tha t parish have b e en considerab ly reduced, andare n ew l ittle m ore than two

thirds of the ir am oun t in the other parishes.

The nam es of m any of the streets having been changed in the course of

years, the ir ancien t andpresent appe llationswil l b e found in the fol lowing l ist

N ew - stree t, now cal le dChap e l l-hill, Town ’

s- end,O ld- stre e t

,

Wode - stre e t,

Lurkm an’

s- lane ,Cattle ’

s-

grove - lane ,

Friar- stre e t .Friar’

s-

pla e e .

Horn - stre e t .St. Mary ’

s Butts.Hosiers’—lan e .

Kate ’

s-

gro ve - lane .

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TOWN OF READING .

In digging for the pe a t in M r. Stephen s’

s ground, the workm en found

tw o whit e ra ts o n e of wh ich they c aught , and b rough t to M r. C . Toovey, of

th is tow n,w ho kept i t se ve ra l m on ths t i ll i t w as b e com e part ial ly t am e , whe n

i t e scapedfrom its prison ,a ndw as irre co verab ly lost . It w as pe rfe c tly whi te ,

wi th redeyes, a nd som eth ing sm a ller than the com m on rat ; b u t whe the r a

n ew spe c ies, or on ly a varie ty, I m u st le ave to natura l ists to de te rm ine .

A t a place c a l led P lum ’

sa

grove , adj o in ing the b ou ndary of the corpo

ra t ion , in digging sand, the workm e n discove red se ve ra l b a l ls of clay, ca l le dlusus he lm on tize : the se b a l ls w e re of seve ra l si ze s, form ing a she l l of ab out

an in ch in thi ckn ess, in which w a s e n closed a n ucle us of a b lack friab le m a tte r,in app e aran ce l ike the fi l ings of iron .

B ut the gre ate st n atura l curiosi ty discovered he re, is the stratum of se a

sand, at the depth of ab ou t twen ty yards from the le ve l of Bob ’

s- m ount, inKa t e ’

s-

grove- lane . In th is b edof sand, are found a gre a t n um b e r of oyster

she l ls, inte rm i xed with sm a l l sharp po in tedfishes’ te e th . The se she lls, thoughperfe ct when taken ou t of the ground, if not dried by a slow fire , are apt to

crum b le to pi e ces in a short tim e ; b ut with th is pre cau t ion they m ay b e kept

m any years. How they cam e to b e deposited in this pla ce , it is, a t this tim e,

im possib le to discove r with ce rta inty and l i ttle depe ndan ce can b e p laced onthe theorie s, howeve r ingen ious in the ir con struc t ion or appl ica t ion , whichhave b e en form ed , to acc oun t for those phenom ena, wh i ch ha ve for ages be encon ce a led in the b owe ls of the e arth .

By one of the se theories, it has b e en conje ctured, that the she l ls in qu est ion were ove rwhe lm ed by the h i l l ab ove them , at the tim e of the flood: a

supposi t ion tha t has b e e n found ve ry con ven ie nt for de c iding m any.

difficu lt

operations of n a ture , of which our c on fi ned know l edge can afford no b e ttersolution ; b ut, gre a t as the powe r ofw ate r is, I c annot c on ce ive it e qua l tothe t ask i t is here re qu iredto pe rform . Tha t the dry land w as cove red withwa ter, w e are assured from the best a uthority ; b ut i t doe s n ot the reforefol low, that the se a afterwards b e cam e dry lan d ; b u t supposing i t m ight, insom e part icu lar places, this will n ot accoun t for its form e r b edb e ing b uried, asin this in stan c e , under so large a m ass as this h i l l e viden t ly is, andto whichthis phe nom enon is n ot e xc l usi ve ly con fined ; for the sam e appe arances are

disc ove redon digging w e l ls in a n orth we st dire c t ion from this spot, as on the" top of Cast le—stre e t , andat a farm -house in Pig

’

s—gree n , in the parish of Tilehurst, whe re the stra tum cou ld n o furthe r b e t ra ced, from the exten t of thehil l which rises at this place , and from its he ight, which pre ve nts the e arth

TOWN OF READING .

CHAP .from b em g e xplore d to a suffic ien t de pth to de term ine its continuationfi“ From VI I .the ob servations a lre ady m ade , it app e ars c e rta in ,

that this stratum ofsea sand

ab ounding with oyste r she l ls, e xtends m u ch furthe r than is gen eral ly supposed:and 1 5 m ore l ike ly to have b e en the ru ins of anothe r world than the de com

position of thisxl‘ W e m ay the refore say with the psa lm ist,

Gre at and m arve l lous are thy works, 0 LordA ndthy ways past finding out .

Am ongthe differen t theories on this subje c t, the fo llow -ing, from the Natural H istory ofOxfordshire , prin ted in 1 677, is pe rhaps the m ost ex traordinary

“ Re ading having be e n a tow n of very gre at ac tion , during the invasion of the D anes, w ho

cu tting a de ep tren ch cross, be tw een the Kenne t andTham es, and in c losing them se lves, as it w ere , in

an island, he ld it again st king E the lred andA lfred hisbro ther, a considerab le tim e , from w he nce , in

all probability,the Saxons having rem ovedthe ir catt le , ’

tis like ly that they m igh t be supp lied by the irn avy w ith oysters

, w hich , during the tim e of the abode of the arm y on land,m ight be ve ry suitab le

em ploym en t for it : W hich conjec tu re , if al low ed, there is nothingm ore required to m ake ou t the

possib il ity of the bedof oysters com ing thither, w ithou t a de luge , but that C atsgrove w as the p laceappoin tedfor the arm ies repast”.

—Plot ’.r Oxfords/tire.‘l' O n digging a w e l l a t J . E . Liebe nrood

’

s,e sq . a t Prospe c t-hill , in Tylehurst parish, at a ve ry

grea t depth from the surface ofthe hill , the w orkm e n cam e to a large b lock ofston e , w hi ch be ingw ithdiffi cu lty rem oved, they foundu nder it a vast quan tity of cock le -she lls, on a layer of sea- sand thisse e m s toh ave be e n o n a le ve l w ith the she l lsabove m en tion ed, andw hich m ay confirm the ide a, that alarge m ass of e xtraneous m atter had at som e tim e overwhe lm edthis spot

,in the direction above

m e n tioned.

Town of R eading.

C HAPTER vm’

.

_

THE trade ofReading, owing to its situation on the.

confl ux of tw o navi

gab l e rivers, has, from the m ost d istan t p eriod, be en very considerab le . The

wool len m anufa ctory, in part icu lar, to wh ich , in som e m e asure , i t owes its

present conse quen ce , w as estab l ished here soon afte r its first introduction into

this kingdom by Edward I, in whose re ign one Thom as Co le i s sa id to haveam assed a very conside rab le fortune m i t, for the t im e in which’

he l ived .

M r. Kendi ick, who w as afterwards a grea t ben efa ctor to this town , w as

a nother instance of the succ essw hich has a ttende d the .m anufa cturers of R e a

ding, in this b ranch of b usin ess. This gen t lem an is sa i d to have kept on e

h undred andforty loom s in c onstan t em ploy, w hereby se vera l hundred lab ore 1 s,such as pickers, Sorters, carders, spinn ers, w ,eavers dy ,ers te a z ers, &c . werec om fortab ly m a inta in ed. This trade kept e n cre asing here , t il l the re ign of

Charles I , when it appears to h ave b e e n con si deredof so m uch im portance to

the kingdom at large , th a t during the c iv i l w ar in th a t re ign, the governorhaving

“

sum m on ed all th e clo th ie rs of th e town to app e ar at the town—ha l l,inform ed them , tha t his m aje stic granted them ful l libe rtie to trade to London , withou t let or m olestation of h is m aje stie or any of hisa rm ie s, andde

siredthem to ob ta in the sam e lib e rtie from the parliam e nt Afte r whi ch,owing to the shock it hadre c e ived during the civ i l w ar, a ndto the m e ans pro

v idedby M r. Kendrick for its e nc ou ragem e n t andsupport, b ut wh ich unfor

tun ate ly h ada con trary effec t, i t gradual ly de c l in ed, t i l l the b eginn ing of the

e ighte enth c en tury, or soon afte r, w hen i t w as e ntire ly

M r. Thom as C o le , born in Be rkshire , w as com m on l y calledthe rich c lothier of Reading. He

is reportedto hav e be e n a m an of vast w e alth,m ain tain ing on e hundred and forty m en ial servan ts

,

b esides thre e hundredpeop le , w hom he set on w ork, in som uch, that his w ains w ith c lo th fi lled the

highw ay from Re ading to Londo n , to the stopp ing of the k ing in his progress, w ho gratified thise m in en t c lo thie r C o le , w ith a standardyard, the le ngth of his arm —Historical D ictionary 1 692 .

’l' Jan . 6, I7 lg, a pe tition w as prese n ted to the house of com m ons, from the m ayor,alde rm en ,

b urgesses, andc lo thiers, drugge t -m akers, &c . of the borough ofRe ading, in behalf of them se lves and

several thousandsdependingupon them —Voter of the C omm ons.

C orporation D iary.

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TOWN OF READING .

As the bu ilding n ow c a l led the Orac le , w as e ventually the cause of thefa i lure of th is m anufa ctory he re , i t m ay b e n ec essary to give som e account ofit in this pla ce , which w e shal l do, after m aking a few observations on its

pre sen t appe l lation , the incongru ity ofwh i ch m ust have struck e very one w hoha s attended to its presen t appropria tion .

M r. Coates, in his History of Re ading, supposes i t to b e deri ved fromOriolum , a word u sed by Ma tthew Paris to designate a porch or e ntran ce ,andas there is a large gate -w ay

* to the Oracle , he conj e cture s i t took its nam e

from this particu lar. In con firm ation of this opin ion , he quote s Gowe l, w hosupposes tha t Orie l co l lege , in Oxford, m ight deri ve its n am e from som e suchroom , or portico, or cloyste r. How far the latter m ay b e right in th isde rivat ion , I cannot say, b u t i t is certa in the disproportion ed , and rude gate -w ayleading in to the Orac le , cou ld not have b e en of suffi c ien t conse qu ence to have

give n a n am e to the who le b u ild ing, e ven , if w e‘ cou ld suppose that the m em

b e rs of the corporation , at its bu i lding,had looke d in to the history of a b ar

b arons Latin a uthor, wh ich n obody re ads, for a nam e by n o m ean s appropriateto the use of the house , and that they afterw ards corrupte d i t into Oracle ,wh ich has on ly the tw o first le tters of the origin a l wordin its com position .

The diffi cu l ty in this case , I con ce ive , arises whol ly from the m istakem

orthography of the n am e, wh ich w as prob ab ly gi ve n to it accidenta l ly, fromthe prin c i pa l ingredien t use d in the dying b usin ess ; for though the Orac le

w as intended for the con ven ien ce of carrying on e very b ran ch of the woo l lenm anufa ctory, ye t i t w as m ore particu larly so for the b usine ss ofdying ; m anyof

'

the we ave rs b e ing a l lowe d to have loom s in the ir ow n houses, but were

ob ligedto b ring a ll the ir. cloth to b e dyedat the Oracle .

Am ong the artic le s principa l ly use d in the dying busin e ss, as then prae’w

ticed , w as a drug origin a lly brought from the Can ary islands, ca l led Orcha l, .

b ut im ported in to this coun try from Ita ly, whe re i t w as ca l led Oricello, in .

La tin Oricola from e ithe r ofwhich, I pre sum e the Ora cle m ight de rive its

pre se n t nam e . Th is drug w as thought of suffic ient con se que nce to cla im the

atten tion of the legislature , as appe ars from severa l statu te s that were passed .

It is plain that Mat thew Paris didn ot m ean the w ordOriolum to sign ify the gatew ay itse lf, bu t:rathe r a hall or room adjo in ing it. His w ords are

,nisi in rgfecton

’

o v6! orz'

olo, cum Jociis Juir pranderet

(u n less he shou lddin e w ith his com pan ions in the refe c tory or orio lum .) A ndso, in ano the r place ,he says

,U t non in infirm a rié , red reorrim in oriolo, m onoc/ti infirm i ce rnem comederent (that the sick

m onks shou ldn ot din e in the in firm ary, b u t a- part in the orio lum z) . From both w hich passages, it is

plain , he did n ot m e an a porch or e n tran c e , bu t an e ating room andso he e xp lains it him se lf, inan othe r place

,w here he says, Adjacet a trium nobilisrz

'

m um in introita , quadportz'

cus vet artolam appella tur.

(A t the en tran ce is a m ost n ob le hall, w hich is calledthe porch or oriolum .)

TOWN OF READING .

in different reigns concern ing it .

* It w as of su ch genera l use , that there can

b e n o doub t, b u t large qu an ti t ies w e re storedup in som e part of the b ui lding,

which m ight b e ca l led the Orchal- house , andfrom the fre quen t use m ade of

th e term , b e aft e rwards appl ied to the who le ofthe bu i lding. Th is is the m ore

prob ab le , a s from w hate ve r cause i t arose , it is ce rta in the n am e now gi ven

to it, w as wholly acc iden ta l , i t having, for n e arly a cen tury after its ere c t ion ,b e en c a l le d in the corporation b ooks, the work- ho use , and'

so -it is styled in

archb ishop Land’

s d e cre e .

This b u i ldingis e re cte d on the angl e th at d ividesMinster- stre e tfrom G un

stre e t . It is of a quadrangu lar form , inc losing a square cou rt, the longe st sides

of which are ab ou t on e hundred andfifty fe e t, andthe shorter, one hundre d .

The e ntran ce IS in the cen tre of the west fron t, fac ing G un - stree t, andc onsists

of a squ are gateway, on the side s wh ereof are tw o ion i c col um ns, e re cted on

very sle nde r disproportion ed pedesta ls. In the c entre , b e twe en the c ap ita ls, is

a n i ch e , prob ab ly in tended to re c e ive the statue of the founde r; bu t for what

re ason this m ark of respe ct w as n ot fu l fi l led, w e ha ve n ot b e e n ab le to le arn .

The tw o fo lding oak doors, tha t e n close the.

e ntran ce , are loaded with orna

m ents. On the left hand le af, is c arved the im age of a l ion , supposed to b e

M r. Kendri ck ’

s arm s; andon the right, I . K . 1628. O n th e righ t ofthe gatew ay, wi thin the quadrangle , are som e a lm s- houses, and on the sou th side are

the work - shops, form erly occup ie d by the dye rs th is part is bu il t on a n arrow

sl ip of land,whi ch isbounded on the n orth by the Ho ly- b rook, andon the south

by the Back- b rook ; the rem a inder of the qu adrangle con sists of work - shops,andon the south - side , b ehind the bu ildings, is a large plot ofground, form erly'usedas a te n te r-

groundandgarden . The who le w as e xce edingly we l l adaptedfor the purpose s for wh i ch i t w as in tended, andm ight have b e e n ofcon side rab leadvantage t o the trading inhab itan ts of the town , had the funds inte nded forits support,

’

b e e n properly adm in iste red .

Thi s b u i lding w as e re cted in conse quen ce of the fol lowing c lause in M r.

John Kendrick ’

s wi l l, in which h e b e qu eathedthe sum of seven thousan d five

hu ndred pounds, to the m ayor and b urge sse s, in trust, for the b enefit of the

town , ou t ofwh ich they were to purchase to them andthe ir successors fore ver, a fa ir plot ofground with in the town ofReading, or the lib ert iesthere of,

Orchal, m en tion edin the statu tes ofRichard III , Henry V II I , andEdw ardV I , seem s to he

a kindof cork, or rathe r ston e , like alum , w hich dyersuse in the ir co lors.—7acob'

sLaw D ictionary .

Others say, it is a kindof m oss, grow ingin the C an aries, called by the Span iards Ore/vi lla ; butw hether it w as a vege table or m ine ra l , all agree , that it w as used in dying a b lue c olor ; andthe triflingdifl

'

ere n ce in the soundbe tw een Orchal, andOrac le,leave s l ittle room to doub t , but that the latter is

a corruption of the form er, a nd, assa ch, has given the presen t nam e to this building,

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TOWN OF READING .

don , dece ased, ( am ongst othe rs, his p ious andch aritab le works, intending the

good and b e nefi t of the sa id town of Re ading, b e ing the place of his b irth ,

andfor the con t inuan ce and in crease of cloath ing and other trades, andthe

he l p and furthe rance of c lothie rs and other trade sm e n in that town , ) by his

last wi l l a nd te stam e nt, hearingdate the n ine andtw e ntie th day ofDe cem b er, in

the ye ar ofour Lord G od, one thousand six hundre d andtwe n ty four, am ongst

divers other l ega c ies, did give and b e quea th to the m ayor, b urgesses, and

corporation of the sa id town of Re ading, the sum of se ve n thousand five hun

dred pounds, to b uy and purchase land, of the c lear yearly va lue of fifty

poun ds by the year, ab ove reprise s.

Wh ich sum of fifty pounds a year shou l d b e paid , by the sa i d m ayorand burgesses, andthe ir successors, to the overse ers of the sa id town , for the

t im e be ing for e ver.

A ndby them the sa id overse ers for the t im e b e ing, should b e b estowe d

and dist ributed to, andam ongst the poor p eople“

of the sai d town , for ever,according to the n e cessi ty of the se ve ra l persons.

A ndifthe sam e shou l d b e b estowed con trary to his m ean ing, or om itte dand n egl e cted, andn ot pe rform ed, for the spa ce of one who le ye ar, the n thesa id sum of fifty pounds a year shou ld, by the sa id m ayor andb urgesses, and

the ir successors, for the t im e b e ing, for e ver, b e pa id un to the tre asurer ofChrist ’s hospita l , in London , and by the gove rnors of the sam e hospi ta l empl oye d to the re l ief of the poor ch i l dren of the sa id hospita l, or e lse the sa i dm ayor a ndb urgesses shou ld convey the sa id lan d to the m ayor and com onalty,

and citize ns of London, for the use of the sa id hospita l, to b e em ployed as

aforesa id .

A nd, that the will andm ean ing of the sa id M r. Ken e rick w as,that the

sa idm ayor andburgesses, of the sa i d town of R eading, wi th another com petent part of the sa i d sum of se v en thousand five hundre d pounds, should b uyand purchase un to them , and the ir successors for e ver, a fair p lot ofground,wi thin the tow n of Re ading or the l ib ertie s the re of.

And, there upon sho uldere c t and b uild a strong house of brick, fit andcom m odious for the se t t ing of the poor in work there in , or som e o the r housea lre ady b u i l t for the sa i d use , wi th a. fa ir gard en adjo in ing. to be from time tot im e kep t in good reparation , for e ve r, the sam e to b e o ccupied by such as the

sa id m ayor‘andburge sse s, from tim e to tim e , shou l d appo in t, for the em ploying

a nd h andling of the stock of m oney by h im thereby left and de vised to thatpurpose .

Andthat the sa i d land , andhouse andgarden , be ing purchased as aforesaid, with parce l of the sa id seven thousand five hundred pounds, then the

TOWN OF READING .

whole residue and rem a inde r of the sa i d sum of se ven thousand five hundredpounds shou ld m ake and b e a c om m on stock, ,

to b e em ployed in trade of

c lothing, working of w ool, hem p , flax, iron , grinding of brazi l wood, and

o the r stuff, for dying or otherwise,as to the sa i d m ayor and b urge sse s afore

sa id, andthe ir successors, for e ver, shou ld seem conven ient, for the em ploym ent

of poor people , andfor the pre servation andincrease of the sa id com m on stock .

But if the sa id m ayor andb urgesse s, or'the ir successors, should n egle ctto perform the prem ise s according to h is said will, or shou ld m isem ploy thesaid stock, c on trary to his true in t ent and m e an ing, and such n egle ct or m ise m ploym en t shou ld con tinue at any tim e for the space of one who le yeartoge ther, then the who le legacy of se ven thousand five hundredpounds to b eutterly vo id, andof n one effe c t, as to the sa id m ayor and burgesses, and the irsuccessors, andas to the uses b efore expressed .

A nd that the sa id whole com m on stock should b e by them , the sa idm ayor and burge sse s, for the tim e b e ing, forthwith pa idun to the m ayor and

com m on a lty, a ndc i t i zen s of the c ity ofLondon , a ccording as is b efore de vised .

A nd, aswe l l the sa id lands, as a lso the house and garden to b e pur

chased, shou ld, by the sa id m ayor and bu rgesses, b e conveyedby the ir de ed,sufficien t in law , un to the sa id m ayor andcom m on a lty, andc itizen s ofLondon ,andthe ir successors, for e ver, to the l ike u se of Christ ’s hospital, in London,a s afore sa id .

A s, by the sa id last wil l and testam ent, am ongst other th ings there in

conta ined m ore a t large , i t doth andm ay appe ar.

Further shewing that shortly after the m aking of the sa id will , the sa id

John Ken erick died, andthe sa id sum of se ven thousand five hundred pounds

w as pa id, by the e xe cu tor ofthe sa idwil l , un to the m ayor andburge sses ofthe

sa i d town of Re ading, for the t im e be ing,for the uses and purposes in the

sa i d will e xpressed.

And tha t the sa id m ayor andb urgesses, finding, tha t in'

case of any

m is- em ploym e n t of the sa id legacy, or stock of m on ey, the sa i d gift un to them

to b e vo id , andthe b en e fi t the re of who l ly transferred o ver to the m ayor and

com m ona lty, and c i ti zens of the c ity of London ,for the b en e fit of Christ ’s

hosp ital, have , in that re spect, for fe ar of com m i tting a forfe i ture of the sa id

legacy, tied the m se lve s stric tly to the em ploym e n t of the "

sa id stock , to the ve ryle tte r of the sa idwill .

A ndwi th part of the sa id sum of se ven thousan d five hundred pounds,wh ich rem a in ed ove r and ab o ve wha t w as b estowed in the pu rchase of the

lands, of th e ye arly va l ue of fifty pounds, have bu il t or p urchased a workhouse, with a garden adjo in ing to it, andfurnished the sam e with im plem en ts

x 2

156 TOWN OF READING .

for c lo thing,andha ve di ve rted the sa id sum s, or stock , in the hands of several

persons ( that is to say ) , into the hands of the defe ndant , Jam esW'

inch, the

sum of twe l ve hundred pounds, or there ab outs, and to d ivers other pe rsons,whose n am e s are asye t unknown to his. m aj esty ’

s attorn ey -

gene ra l , a nd hav e

appo in ted those pe rsons to em ploy the sa id stock in the sa id houses, w ho , bytha t m e ans are e n ab led to pay de are r rate s for the ir stock, than o ther poor

c lo thie rs of the sa i d town c an affordto give , and to se l l the ir c lo th a t lower

ra t e s than the rest can afford to se l l at, where by they h ave got in to the ir hands

the gre a te st part of the trade of the sa id town , e spe c ia l ly of c lothing, anda ll

the rest of the c loth ie rs of th a t tow n , wh ich is the gre a te st num b e r, are for

the m ost part of the poore r sort, andfor w hose b e n e fi t the sa id legacy w as

prin c ipa l ly inte nded , are m uch prej udicedand im pove rished, andare l ike ly, bythis une qu a l division of the sa i d stock , to b e driven ou t of the ir trade s.

A ndby this m e ans there are n ot so m any c lothe s m ade in the sa i d town,'

b v n ear a th ird part, as were b efore the lega cy w as give n , and those worserwrough t than form erly they we re won t to b e , which turns to his

'

m aj esty ’

s

gre at loss in his custom s, andto the de cay of trading in that flourishing town,wh ich is u tte rly aga inst the m in d of the sa id testator, and the scope and

in te n t ion of his will .A ndsom e of the sure t i‘es w ho b e cam e b oundfor part of the sa id stock,

upon the de l ive ry thereof, a re grown we ak in the ir e states, whereby the sa id

stock m ay in tim e b e lost anddim in ish ed.

F urther shewing the right hon orab le the lords of his m aje sty ’

s privy

coun c i l taking n otice of this gre a t a nd b oun tifu l gift'

to the sa id town , and

of the i l l c onsequence wh i ch hadhappe n ed, andwere l ike ly to grow m ore and

m ore , by t he e m p loym en t of i t in m ann er as afore sa id, andfinding i t fi t inpo in t of state , tha t som e course sha l l b e se t for the rem edying of the se irrcon ven i e n ces.

The reupon the ir lordships desiredthe m ost reverend father in G od, the

l ord a rchb ishop ofCanterb ury ’

s grace , to take conside rat ion the re oftw ho, upon

e xam inat ion of the matte r, and upon gre at advisem e n t thereupon, hadm ade

certificate to the ir lordships. in these words fol lowing

M y LORD S ,I h ave , a c cording to your dire ction , taken adv ice with lVIr.

Attorn ey,andM r. Solic i tor, andM r. Re corde r of London , abou t M r.

John Ke ndrick ’

s

wi ll , a ndhis gre a t a nd chari ta b le gift to the town of Re ading, for the b en e fito f c lo thiers, and other trades, anddo therefore propose to your lordships as

fol lowe th

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TO‘VN OF READING .

m oney, n or everput to the right use andben e fit ofthe town , if i t b e used with

all such particu lars as are m en tion ed in the will, for the com m on workhouse .

My hum b le preposal the refore is, that the rem a inder of th is stock,w hich is ab ou t four thousand pounds, m ay b e la i d out upon lands, by wh i ch

m e ans the stock m ay b e safe , and as m u ch in m on ey as n ow i t is ; the ren t

of the lands m ay b e put to the charitab le use inten ded.

The first ye ar’

s ren t m ay b e pa i d to the town , and kept by them as a

stock, to defen d the title of the land, shou ld it at any tim e b e controve i ted,

andto repa ir the work - house ; for the defe n ce ofwhich ti t le, andreparationo f the house aforesa id, the town sha l l ha ve power to m ake stay of a ye ar’

s ren t

of the said lands, as ofte n as n e ed sh a l l requ ire , after th is one year’

s ren t

rece l vedto the use ab ove m en tion ed , andn o other.

Then the town sha l l, yearly, u pon good se curity, len d out th is m oney,

gra tis, to m en of the town, e spe c ia l ly to poor young b eginn ers, and clo th iers,in the first place , by fourscore pounds a m an, andfor ten ye ars, if the partie sso long l i ve , and n o m an to have this loan m ore than on ce , b ut sha l l, at theten ye ars’

e nd, de l iver in the m one y to the town ; if he die b efore , then hise xe cutors sha l l pay the m on ey within one ye ar after his de cease , tha t an otherm ay m ake use of it, and so for e ver, un ti l i t sha l l appe ar, by the greatnessof the stock , the re are n ot m en enough to e m ploy the m on ey. In which case

,

if by God’

s b lessing, and con tinuan ce of tim e , i t so happen , then the fourscore pounds, per ann um , m ay b e incre ased to on e hundre d pounds, or to tw oh undred pounds a m an , andn o m ore , b e the stock n e ver so grentsi

'

A nd, afte r it is com e to tw o hundre d pounds a m an , tha t b ank sha llc on tinue st il l in Re ading, as the testator in tende d . B ut the n the ye arly proc eeds of the land shal l go for ever to the bin ding of poor ch ildren appren tice ,

In consequence of th is de cree , the sum of 29571. be ing part of the then re m aining sum of

3 6001. w as laidout in the purchase of the fo llow ing estates 1. s. d'.For a farm at Su lham stead, called B raz enhead’

s,or Paris, 80 7 l l 7

For the C row n Fie lds, 1 1 00 0 0

For a farm at G reenm er-hill, G oring, 1 050 0 0

f. 2957 1 1 7

The whole con tain edabou t 200 acres, andw aslet for 1 731. per annum w hich sum, supposing

n o incre ase in the ren t , during 1 70 years they have be en in possession of the corporation, andw ithou tm ak ing any a llow an ce for fines, tim ber, or underw oodso ldduring that pe riod, w ou ld, at the presen t:t im e

,if none of the m on ey had b ee n m isappl ied

, orlost from taking insufficient security, am oun t to

t he sum of twen tym z

'

ne thousandfour hundreda nd ten pound: w hich,if len t according to the de cree

,

w ould have benefittedno less that three hundred and six ty- seven of our poor tradesm en andyoungb eginners.

"TOWN or READ ING .

andthe m arrying of poor m a ids, inhabiting in the sa i d town for seven yearsb efore , andof honest conversation , at the cho ice and n om ination of the m ayorandburgesses ; no on e re ce iving ab ove fifty pounds for her portion or gift,with the appren tice , b ut as m u ch less as they sha l l th ink fi t.

For the se con d th ing, which is the work-house , I wou ld have all the

im plem ents th e re in ,b e longing to c loth ing, sold at the best rate , and, wi th

the m on ey, land b ought, and the ye arly rent of that land em ploye d to se t

young poor fatherless ch ildren to work in som e part of that house , upon suchhandy—c rafts a s are m ost fi t ting for the service of that town .

And the re st of that house m ay stand, andb e al lowed rent free for thehab itation of som e honest tow nsm en , that sha l l te ach the younger people the irh andy- crafts, and ke e p them to work . A nd wh en they ha ve learn ed the irtrades, wh ich m ay b e in som e goodm e asure by that tim e they com e to six te enyears of age , then they m ay b e bound appren ti ces, and m en wi ll, I c on ce ive ,b e will ing to take them wi th l it t le or n o m on ey, b e cause they wil l b e ab le towork at the trade the first day they com e to the ir servi ce .

A nd, ifthe sa i d lands purchased with the rem ainde r ofthe m oney do exc eedthe re nt of one hundred andthree score pounds, per annum ,

the n the sur

p lusage m ay b e con verted to the furthe r m a in ten an ce of trade in the sa id house .

A ndI do the rathe r de sire th e house m ay stand, and b e thus e m ploye d

in pub l i c serv ice , tha t the donor’

s nam e m ay the b e tte r b e kept in m em ory, forthis grea t a nd chari tab le b ounty to the town, the place of his b irth and first

education .

”

Thisde cre e w as con firm ed in the 14th of Charle s I, in the court of ex.

che quer, and in part a cted upon , though n ot to the ful l e xte n t requ ired ;about six h undred pounds of the the n re m a in ing sum having b e en di verted

from its pro pe r applica tion in the purchase of estate s, as we l l as the sum ra ised

by the sa le of the m ate ria ls.Noth ing particu lar o ccurs resp e cting this charity, during the two su c

c eeding re igns of Charle s I I , a ndJam e s I I , but, at the com m e n cem en t of the

fo l lowing re ign ofWil l iam andMary, the c i ty ofLondon , in the nam e of the

gove rnors ofChrist’

s hospita l , w ho hada re ve rsionary right, by the will of the

donor, to the who le of the chari ty, in case of its m isapplication by the co rpo

ration of Re ading, fi leda b i ll in Ch an cery aga inst the m , a l leging, that the

defendants, consc ious of the ir m ism anage m en t of the se vera l legac ie s left in

the will, and n ot doub ting b u t, from the ir m ism anagem en t, the governors of

Christ ’s hospi ta l we re e ntitled to the who le , fo r the b ene fi t of the poor b oys

e ducated there , d id con trive how to pre vent the go ve rnors taking advan tage

of the conditions, and, for that purpose , the m ayor andb urgesses preferreda

TOWN OF RE ADING .

petition to the lords of the c oun c i l , by m e ans of the lord archb ishop Laud,w ho hada kindness for the said town of Reading, whereby a de cree w as m ade

in the ir fa vor, by co lor ofwhich the m ayor andburgesses so ld th e im plem en ts‘

for c lo thing, a nddisposed of severa l sum s of stock and proce e ds to the ir own'

a nd friends’

u ses, and e m pl oyed th e stock, or gre at pa rt of i t, to other uses

t han w ere dire c ted by the wi ll, andre ce ived the profits of the purchased lands,a nd increase of the stock , andem ployed them to the ir ow n u se s.

”

Howe ve r, fortunate ly for the poor of the town , n otwithstanding the a lle

ga tion s in the b i l l were of such a n ature as n ot e asily to be disproved, the’

a rchb ishop ’

s de cre e w as con firm ed by the lord chan ce l lor, afte r a long and

c lose e xam ina tion of witnesses, and inspec tion of all the b ooks and writings

of the corporat ion , re l ating to the subj e ct . By th is de cree , the re ve rsion ary

right of Christ’

s hospita l , in c ase of the m ism an agem en t of the trust by thec orpora t ion , appe ars to b e ab ol ished, andthe whole m anagem en t of the charity

h en ceforwarde ntrusted t o the exist ing corporation, withou t any apparen t re

spon sib il ity or risk offorfe iture .

During the c iv i l w ar, the Oracl e w as converte d in to a barra ck for the

soldiers ; after wh ich i t re verted to its form e r use , ti l l the b eginn ing of the last

c en tury, when a part of it w as appropriated as a work - liouse, ,for the poor

of the three parishes b ut , that sche m e n ot succe eding, i t has e ve r sin ce b e ena ppl ied according to the de c ree , for the use of m an ufa ct ure rs re siding in thet own : b ut so unfortun ate has the donor b e en , in the m eans he took to serve

‘

the inhab itan ts, that th is b u ilding, inste adof a b en e fit, has e ver b een an inj uryt o the greate r part of the industrious m anufacturers, while on ly a few favore d

p articu lars cou ldb e advantagedby i t.W e h ave a lre ady see n , that it w as the first occasion of

'

the ruin of the

w ool len m an ufacture in this town , by e nab l ing su ch as cou ld ob ta in its udvant age s to u nderse l l those w ho were n ot so fortunate . The sam e c om pla in ts sti l le xist, andw il l continu e to do so, as long as the '

sam e causes sha l l rem ain . The‘b est w ay, p e rhaps, to rem ove the presen t com pla ints and je a lousie s am ong the

ri va l trade sm e n , wou ldb e , t o e xcl ude all partie s from partaking of its b e n e fits,by c on ve rting i t to som e o ther u se

“

; or, th e who le m ight b e disposed of, and

the in terest of the m on ey arising from the sa le , which wou ld n o doub t b ec onsiderab le , m igh t b e appl ied, a ccording to the de cre e, t o the use of the

poore r tradesm e n , withou t in te re st, for a te rm of ye ars.

Am ong the m anufa cture s carried on at pre se n t in the Orac le , is on e fort he m aking of pins, b e longing to M r. He nry Dean e , w h ich furn ishes em ploym en t for m any of the industriouspoor, as we l l here as in th e ir own houses,

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corn ,hides, l ea th er, coa ls, &c . these are conveyed in barges from 60 to 1 28

tons burthe n the last arti c le form e rly am oun te d to b etwe en five andsix thou.

sand cha ldrons annua l ly bu t th is quan t i ty is now very m uch reduce d, owingto the in troduct ion ofpit- coa l by the Oxford c ana l , in boats of25 tons b urthen .

The Tham es and~Se vern cana l a lso having jo in ed the Isis at Le tchlade , where

by a com m u n ic ation bywate r has b e en m ade as far as Brim scom b e—port, Bristol,andpart ofWa les, the trade has, in som e instances, qu it te d its form er channe l,and gone th is w ay : bu t the . artic le s of export and im port are n ot very nu

m e rous the form er, consisting ch iefly of pe a t- ashes, corn, wool len rags, fl in ts,&c . andthe la tte r of wrought and unwrought iron, Birm ingham goods, slate ,sal t, andcoa l , con veyed in b arge sfrom 40 to 60 ton s burthe n , m aking the who le

of the export and im port trade am ou n t to ab ou t fifty thousan d tons annua l ly .

A n ew bran ch of trade has late ly b e e n opene d from Bristo l and Bath,by m ean s of the Ke nne t andAvon cana ls, wh ich prom ise s to b e of con side r

ab le b en e fi t to this tow n . At present, the prin c ipa l artic le s deri ve d from th ischann e l of com m un ication , a re , Bath fre e - ston e , and Som e rsetsh ire p it coa ls ;which have b e en introdu ced h e re in conside rable quantities.

The rive rKenn e t, from the High - bridge to its jun ct ion with the Tham es,*

hadlong b e e n placed , by the au thority of parl iam e nt, unde r the m anage m e n t:of the Tham e s’ com m issioners : but, from som e unaccountab le n egle ct, or

from the ir not re co l le cting the ir right to in te rfe re out of the dire c t course of

the Tham es, this part of the Ke nne t , so e sse nt ia l to the prosperity of the town ,hadb e com e n ot on ly difficu l t to n av igate , b ut attended a lso . with so m uch

loss of tim e , and additiona l e xpen ce to the navigator, as to ca l l loudly forim provem e n t ; accordingl y on e of the agents of the n avigat ion com pany, inthe ye ar 1800 , con ce ive d the pl an of im proving i t, by m eans of a cana l to b ecut in a stra ight l ine a long the le athe r m ill stre am , and to fa l l in to the o ld

rive r a l ittle b e low the present staunch lock, anda lso to im prove the in tricatepart of the ri ver abbve the bridge , as far as. the pound - lock.

“ Having c om

m un icated this ide a to som e of the proprie tors, and pa rticu larly to Messrs.

Stephen s, Harris, andWil liam s, these gentle m en we re so conv inced of theutil ity of the plan , that they im m ediate ly took m easures for putting i t in tra in,

It appears, from D oom sday - book , that the river Tham es w as at that tim e navigab le from W allingford, dow nw ards, if n o t through its w ho le e x te n t

,though n o doub t atte nded w ith m any dith

cu lties andde lays, from the w an t of locks,to kee p up a sufli c ie n t de pth of w ate r ; for, in the accoun t

of.

VVallingford, k ingEdw ardis saidto have possessedcc lxxvi hagae , redde n te s x i lib. de gablo e t qu i

ib i m an eban t facicb an t se rvitium regis cum equis, ve l per aquam usque adB lidberia, Reddinges, SudSton e , B CSJN OUC ; C t hOC faCierttibus daban t propositi m ercedem aut corrodium n on de censu regis

~

seddc suis.

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so a s to b e proceeded on as soon as an act cou l d b e obta ined for the purpose,

a nd the supposed sum n e cessary for its com ple tion , w as subscrib e d in a veryshort period. B ut, i t having b e en discovered , in the course , of the proceedings, that this part of the ri ve r Kenne t w as, as is sa id ab ove , under the jurisdi ction of the Tham es

’ com m ission ers, i t b e cam e n ecessary to ob ta in the irc onsen t, pre v ious to go ing to parl iam e n t for the b i ll .

A ccordingly, appl ica t ion for that purpose w as m ade , a t the n ext m ee tingof the Tham e s

’ com m ission ers, he l d at Reading, w ho very wi l l ingly consentedto wave the ir right of j urisdiction o ver the ir part of the l in e , to prom ote theim prove m en t of the who le . This resolu tion w as afterwards con firm ed, at a

m e e ting he ld at Oxford.

In conseque n ce of this un iform ity of consen t of the c om m issioners of

th ese tw o distri cts, the subscrib ers we re en couraged to proce ed in the ir planand, a ccordingly M r. Renn ie w as requ ested to survey the proposed l in e , and

to de l iver in an estim ate of the expen ce ; whi ch he did, at the n e xt m e e tingof the sub scrib ers,

‘

whe n the sam e w as taken in to conside ration , and u nan i

m ously approve d of. Noth ing n ow appe aredto b e n e cessary, b u t to m ake theproposed appl ication to parl iam en t, when tw o gen tl em en , w ho he ldn avigationbonds to a large am oun t, put a stop to th e ir proce edings, by bringing the

question a th ird tim e before the Tham e s’ com m issione rs a t Marlow a t whichm e e ting, the con sen t given at the form er ones w as re voked, and i t w as thenagreed, that the c ana l shou ld b e m ade , unde r the powers the com m ission erspossessed, by v irtue of an act of parl iam e n t a lre ady m ade .

In pursuan ce of th is dete rm ina tion , a cana l has b e en cut, anda pound

lock e re cted ; but, as the powers of the Tham es’ com m ission ers didn ot e nab le

them to inte rfe re with the ri ver ab ove High- b ridge , that part of the n av i

gation , by far the m ost in tricate anddangerous, sti l l rem a ins a disgrace to thetown , andis l ike ly to c on tinue so, un less the c om m u n ica t ion n ow ope n for

water- carriage , from Bristo l to London , by m ean s of the junction of the rive rKen n e t, andKe nn e t andAvon canal , at Newb ury, shou ld induce the gen tle

m en ,w ho are now proprietors of both can als, to form a new l ine , to un i te

wi th the n ew can a l a t the Five Be l ls which m ay b e done a t n o very conside r

ab le e xpen ce , according to the fol lowing plan propose d by M r. Re n n ie , in the

report wh ich he la idb efore the sub scrib e rs

The chan n e l of the n aviga t ion b e twe en the lock and the B ear m e ad,

andthe low er e ndofM r. Sim onds’

s b rewe ry, is so m u ch occupiedw i th b u ildings, and the waste andta i l wate rs from St . G iles’

s m il l are so incon ve n ie n t ,that i t is m uch to he wish ed, th is part cou ld be avo ided; and cou ld funds

suffi c ie nt b e ra ised to defray the e xpen ce , I wou ld advise i t to b e deserted, and

Y 2

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N OF READING .

ke pt en tire ly for the use of ve sse ls frequ e n ting the presen t wharfs, and- for

e vading the floods.St . G ile s’

s m i l l he ad m ay the n b e take n for the trad e .

wh ich passes through Re ading,a lock form ed at the sou th e ndof the m i l l,*

anda new chann e l cut in a stra ight lin e from the tai l ofth is lock to the b ottom

of the eyot b e low the Flum m e ry ditch . By th is sch em e , a ll th e n arrow'

,

crooked, and in c on ve n ien t places wou ld b e e n t ire ly avoidedrl' bu t as the cu t

wou ld b e long,the num b e r of houses to b e pul le d down , a nd prope rty oc e n

pied , gre at, and as a n ew b ridge m ust b e b u il t in London - stre et, and Seven

bridge s, I doubt the e xpence wo uld e xce e d any possib le advan tages, that could,in the present state of the trade , b e de rived from i t .

Such w as the plan proposedby 1\'Ir. R enn ie , and the re asons why it was

not unde rtake n at that t im e b ut , as the se m ay n ot a lways apply, I con ce i vedthat the plan proposed by this e m inen t c ivi l e ngine er m ight b e of servic e tothose w ho a t a future period m igh t undertake to perfe ct this part of the n aviv

gation ; for the im provem ent of a town l ike this, cannot b e the work of a day,

a m on th , or a year, but m ay con t inue for ages.

Next to the advan tage s arising from wate r carriage , are the b ene fits de

ri ved by it to the possessors of large and con ven ie n t wha rfs ; b ut, in thisre spe c t , Re ading is very defi cient, having few pla ces for landing goods, and

those of nogre a t m agn i tu de , if w e ex cept such as be long to the Crown - lands,and the se , be ing le ase d to an unde n tenant, i t is his. inte re st to m onopo l ize thewhole , and m ake the best use of them he can, for the advantage ofhis own

trading con ce rns.

In the re ign of Edward V l th, w e find the corporat ion were in possessionof a wharf, for the b ene fit of the inhab i t ants ; a person having b e en at that

t im e appo inted, at a sa lary offour shillings per a n num , to supe rin t end the

w harf, w harfage , and the This office cont inued, as appears from the

b ooks of the corporation, til l the re ign of Charles Ist a t which tim e , owingpro bab ly to the confusion cause d by the c iv i l w ar, th is privi l ege appears tohave b e en lost to the inhab itants as after that period n o su ch offi cer is m en

t ion ed. This w as ca l led the C om m on Landing P la ca i andw as,I conce i ve,

that part ofM r. B landy’

s wharf in clude d b e twe en the n orth east corner of

High - b ridge , a long the ri ver as far eastward as the posts wh ich are the boun

I t w asM r. Rennie ’s opin ion , that w hen this end of the m ill w as taken aw ay, for form ing the

canal , the rem ainde rm ight be m ade to exe cu te m ore w ork than it can on its prese n t construc tion .

'i‘ On l y abou t six ty po les rem ain n ow un cu t to com p le te thisp lan .

1 Eve n so late as the begin n ing of the last ce n tury, it re tained that nam e, andis so cal ledin the

first act ofparliam en t, for m akingthe river Kenn e t navigab le .C orporation Diary.

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TOWN OF READING .

place, by water carriage , m ay b e added ab out one h undred tons, annual ly, bylan d carriage , em ploying se vera l road waggon s b eside those from Bath and

Bristo l, whi ch fre quen tly take up or pu t down goods here , in the ir passage to

andfrom London .

He re are tw o we ekly m arke ts : one on Wedn esdays, ch iefly for fruit the

other on Saturdays, for corn , b u t che rs’

m e at, frui t, b ut t er, eggs, pou ltry, &c .

The corn m arke t is he ld in a spa cious Open pie ce of ground, of a tri

angu lar form , surrounded by e legan t shops for the accom m odation of people'

a ttending the m arket, w ho m ay b e suppl ied h ere with co lon ia l or m anufa cture d

articles, che aper than in any o ther town in the coun ty. This particular spot

is kept in repa ir by the corporation ; for which they are e ntitledto take one

p int out of e ach'

sack, for all the corn so ld in the m arke t. This tol l isfarm ed,

o n a le ase for years ; the va lue ofwhich has b e e n c onsiderab ly in cre ased of

l ate years, owing to the pre sent h igh price s ofcorn , in c om parison w ith those ofform er tim es.

According to the we ekly re turn s of th e ave rage quant ity andprice of the

severa l sorts ofgra in sold in this m arke t, in the ye ar 1800, the proportionsa re asfol low

Price pe rQr. Value ofC om

Sq s. 2401.

70 1 1 9

24 35

22 40

1 5 30

The prov ision m arke t is he ld in a building late ly e rec ted, with tw o eu

trances ; on e open ing into the Marke t - p lace, the othe r into Fisher- row . The

b u ilding form s a long square , consisting of tw o range s of bu tchers’

shopsfacing e ach other, wi th a passage b e twe en, covere d with a roof, or rath erawn ing, raised on pil lars, suffi c ien tly high ab ove the shops to adm i t the l ight,while it sec ure s the purchasers from the ra in . The se shops take up on e ha lfof the b u i lding, l engthways ; the other halfis, in the sa m e m a nn er, defendedfrom the rain , and has a coveredp ortico, the who le l ength, furn ishe d wi thse a ts, for the m arke t-wom en , w ho b ring, but t er, eggs, pou l try, &c . for sa le .

A t the south endof the b u i ld ing is a squ are open area, for fishm onge rs’

and

h ucksters’

stal ls, and n e xt to th is, and front ing Fisher-row, is a large square

TOWN OF READING.

portico, enclosed with iron gates ; and over i t, supported on Stone colum ns,is the cle rk of the m arke t’s house , w ho is ge nera l ly one of the sergeants at

m ace . The corporation rece ive the sta l lage , to l ls, and rent of the butchers’

shops.

Abou t m ichae lm as, when the corn- m arke t is at the h ighest, the n um berof farm e rs

’ waggons, bringing the produce of the country to m arke t, is n earlytwo hundred per day : som e of these re turn em pty, b u t othe rs carry b ack

stab le dung,ashes, chalk, coa ls, a ndvarious re ta il artic les from the shops b ut

the vi l lage shops are ch iefly suppl ied wi th goods by the higgle rs’ carts, w ho

a tte nd e ach m arke t day, and som e e very day for that purpose these , with thefarm e rs

’

m arke t c arts, fre qu e n tly e xce ed the num b e r of waggons.

There is a lso a we ekly m arke t he re , for store pigs, very conven ien tly situa te d for the purpose , having a com m un ic a tion open ing into Friar- stree t and

Broad -stree t . This is pri vate property ; b u t the corporation re ce ive the to l l.The re are four fa irs, a nnu a l ly : on e on the 2d of February, an other on

the first of M ay, a third on the 25th of Ju ly, andthe fourth on the 2 1 5t of

Sep tem b e r ; the thre e first are ch ie fly for the sa le of horse s and c ows ; butthe last is a lso a statute fa ir for the hiring of servants, andis rem arkab le forthe qu a n ti ty of che e se brought from G louceste rshire and Wil tshire the

num b e r of tons diffe rs a ccording to the se asons, varyin g from thre e to five

hundred, wh ich last it is se l dom known to e xce ed .'

Form erly, the che e se fa ir w as he ld in the Che ese - rewe , n ow Fish er- row ,

andwhe n the ch e e se w as sold, i t w as we ighed off at the woo l - ha l l, adj o in ing,by a person appo in ted by the c orpora tion for tha t purpose but this spot b e ingfound too confined,

i

to re ce i ve the who le that w as bro ught, with conven ience to

the b uye r andse l ler, in the year 1697, the fo l lowing order w as m ade by thecorpora tion , for fix ing it for the t im e to com e, in the Forbury, where it is now

he ldO rde red, that the next St . Matthew’

s fa ir b e kept a t the we ste ende of

the Forb ury, from the pa the leadinge towards the King’

s- m eadow, for the se l l ingof che e se a nd hops ; St . Lawren ce

’

s church wa l k for the servan ts, andthe

town - ha l l for the Upon the who le , the situa t ion ofthe town , andthe

industry of the inhab i tan ts prom ises, n ot on ly to se cure to them the ir pre se n t

trade , b ut affords a prospe ct of a considerab le increase .

Ne ithe r hops n or serges have , for m any ye ars, bee n sold at this fair ; the latter, probab ly, de~cl

i

nedw ith the w oo lle n m anufac tures of this town .

P eerage .

M anor

Town of R eading.

CHAPTER ix .

M I S C E L L A N E O U S .

THE borough of Re ading does n ot appear to have given a t itle of nob ility

prior to the re ign of Charles I . whe n that m onarch , in the twentie th ye ar of

his re ign cre ated sirJacob Astley, a pe er, by the ti t le of baron Astley of Re a

ding“ but, th is fam ily b e com ing e xtin ct, his m aj esty Ge orge Ist. create d

lieu ten ant-ge n era l C adogan , the friend andcom pan ion of the grea t duke of

Marlb orough, in all his cam pa ign s, a peer, by the title of baron Cadogan , ofRe ading ; w ho dying withou t issue , his younger b rother Charles, who had

bee n put into the paten t, succeeded to the title ; from wh om the prese n t lord

C adogan l s de scended.

The m an or of Re ading origina l ly b elonged to the ab b ots, and after thedisso lution cam e into the hands of the crown . Jam e s I. se ttl ed i t upon his

qu een , and afterwards on his son prin ce Charl es, in augm en tation of his re

venue . At what t im e it cam e in to the hands of the corporation , is un certa in .

The m anor is conta ined with in a ring fence ofab ou t ten'

m i les in c ircum fe ren ce,in cluding

'

in i t th e m anors of Bat te l andCo ley . The m anor is con fin ed wi thinthe l im i ts of the b orough and, l ike i t, is b oun ded on the north b y the m anor

ofCaversham , b e longing to Charle sMarsack , esq . on the e ast, by the m anor

of Sonn ing, b elonging‘

to Richard'

Pa lm er, esq . on the south, by the m anor of

W h itley, b e longing to M rs. Je nn ings, and-

on th e west by the m anor of Tilehurst, b e longing to John B lagrave , esq . The m ayor, for th e t im e be ing, is

lord of the m anor ; w ho, with the consent of the corporate body, appo in ts a

gam e - keeper.

The town arm s are a zure ; five ‘

m a idens’- heads in sa l tire , the m iddle '

o n e

c rowned , with the in itials E . R . in com pl im e n t to quee n Elizab e th, w ho fre

q ue n tly resided here , andcontrib uted b y h e r m unificen ce to ra ise the corporat ion to the respe ctable state i n which it has sin ce appeared .

1 ’ Brow n W ill is.

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From this c ircum stance , it has b e e n supposed that they were indeb ted to

he r for the whole of the ir arm s ; but th is supposit ion is unfou nded , as appe ars

from a tab le t am ong the arch ive s of the corpora t ion , preserved in the coun cil

cham b er, 0 11 which a re de lin eated the sam e arm s, with the e xception of the

in i t ia l le tte rs, andthe fo l lowing testim onia l, shewing them to have been of a

m ore an c ien t dateThe se are the aun tiente arm es and se le , apperteyn inge andb elonginge

to the m a ior and b urgesse s of the town e a nd b urrough of R eddyng,in the

coun tie of Berks, andat this m y presen t v isi ta tion w as EdwardButler m a ior ;the right hon ourab l e Rob e rt e ar-le of Le i ce ste r kn ight of the m ost n ob le orderof the garte r, m aste r of the horse to the qu e en ’

s m aj estic , and on e of

‘

her

h ighn esses privie counce l, high stew arde of the tow n e andburrough ; Rob ertBow ye r, Thom as A ldw orthe , Thom as Turner, John Ockham , Rob ert Filb ie,and Richard Watl ington , he ad b u rgesses, a nd la t e m a iors of the sa id towneand bu rrough ; J ohn Oc kham aforesa id, stew arde of the courts of the sa idburrough ; wh ich arm e s I, Clare n c ie ux, hinge of arm e s, have ra t ifiedandcon

t inned un t o the sa idm a ior , andb urge sses of the towne andb urrough of R ed

ding, in the c ountie of B e rks. In wi tn ess whereof, I have he re unto sub scrib edm y nam e, the sixthe of Octob e r, 1566.

‘VILL HENRY C LAREN cn -zux , king of arm es.

On another tab le t, am ong the archive s, the sam e arm s are depicted, wi ththis inscrip t ion u nde r them

“ I nsign ia n atalitia v i l le e t c orporation is de R adynge , in m onum e ntis

C ollegii R egii He raldorum,tem pore visita c ion is ejusdem com ita tii s, anno

sa lutis a Christo, 1623 ; testam ur hoc Hen . C hittinge , Che ster, John Phi lpo t t

de rub eo dra cone , m arescalli, a c depu tati W illie lm i Gam den i C laren cie ux,regis arm orum in p artib us a ustralibus c i tra ri pam fluvu de

In'

A shm ole’

s MS . a t O xford , vol . 851 , page 4 , is a repre sen tation of the

arm s, wi th the five he ads ; the m iddle on e crown ed, b u t wi thou t the E . R ;und ern e a th is the fo l lowing cert ifica te

The se are the arm spe rteyn ingto the m a ior anda lderm en ofR e ading,in the .

c ounty ofBerks and, a t this visitation ,Thom asKe n ton w a sm a ior, Edwa rdD a lby,

e sq. steward, W il liam Broxton , sen . Ge orge Thorn e , Thom as Seake s, Rob e rtCre ede , Jam e sWin ch ,

Edw ardJohnson ,Thom asC o t e s, “

T'

illiam Brox ton , jun .

R ob ertTe rrold, Michae l Re ading, Thom asT illiard, andRichardFe llow-

e s, a lde r

m en . In wi tn esswhere ofI have here unto se t m y handthe five andtwen t ie th day of

The origin al ( n a ta lz'

tia ) arm s of the tow n andc orporation of R e ading, in the archives of the

ro yal co l lege of Hera lds,in the tim e of the v isitation of that c o u n ty , in the y ea r of C h t ist, 1623 .

W itn ess, Hen . C hittinge , C heste r, John Philp o t rouge dragon , m arshal ls anddepu tie s of “ filliam

C amden C laren cieux , kingat arm s, on thisside Tren t.Z

170 TOWN OF READING.

March , in the sevente enth ye ar of the re ign e of our m ost grac ious sovere igne

lord Charle s the se cond, of England, S cotland, France , and Ire land, king,defe nder of the fa ith , A nnoque D

“ 1 665. T’

Hos. KENTON , m a ior.

”

From the ab ove inscription s, i t is e vident that the five m a idens’- heads, in

the a rm s, be ar n o a l lusion to that virgin que en , but m ust h ave be en of an

e arl ier origin ; though,at this d istance of tim e , w e m ay n ot b e ab le , to de ter

m ine , on w ha t occasion they were adopted, or, at what p eriod they were first

in troduc e d into the corporation sea l.Whe re h istory is si len t, w e have n oth ing left b ut conj e cture to gu i deus

in the rese arch of any doub tfu l c ircum stan ce ; to that on ly, therefore , in the

presen t instan ce can w e apply, to a ccount for the origin of the town arm s

and though conje cture a lone , m ay n ot b e qu ite so satisfactory as wri tten tes

tim ony, ye t, whe n founded on prob ab i l ity, i t will at le ast b e en title d to som e

c onsi deration .

The custom of assum ing coats of arm s, is of a very e arly date , as we ll

as ofgen era l practice , in th is coun try they were assign ed to cities andtowns,as we ll as to individua ls, and gene ra l ly took the ir rise from . som e rem arkablecircum stan ce tha t had b efa l le n e i the r ; if, therefore , w e suppose the insign iain que stion to ha ve b e en assu m ed at an e arly pe riod p erhaps in a cen tury ortw o aft e r the foundation of the town , i t is prob ab le som e rem arkab le fe aturein the h istory of its infan cy m ay le ad us to the solution of the diffi cu l ty.

Most of the ci t ies andtowns in the kingdom owed the ir beginn ing to som e

re l igious foundation ; a nd this se e m s to have b e e n m ore parti cularly the casewith Re ading ; i t having b e en indeb te d for its origin to a con ve n t of n uns,

*

founded here by Elfrida , in the ten th ce n tu ry, b u t which w as soon after destroyed by the Dane s, whe n the n uns we re c rue l ly m urdered by these m erci le ssfreebootersd‘ W e are no t inform ed of the n um b e r of nuns on this foun dation ,whe ther five or m ore ; bu t the circum stan ces a tte nding the ir e arly origin, andsubse qu ent de struc t ion , are suffic ie n t to j ustify the supposi t ion, that the five

m a ide ns’- li e ads in question we re introducedinto the town arm sfrom th iscircum

stance , e spe c ia lly whe n conn e c t ed wi th the adjecti ve n a ta l itia, ( native ) u sed bythe he ra lds in the se condtestim on ia l ab ove re c ited . If thisre ason ing b e just, w ecan n o longer b e a t a l oss to a c coun t for the five m aiden s" heads, or to speak 1

m ore prope rl'

y, n uns“

heads, in the arm s. Inste ad, therefore , of the h e ads

The “ ? 55 a farm in Ti lehurst parish, the pm perty of the reverend. do c tor W ilder, called N un

hide , w hich w as, probab ly, part of the possessions of this m onastery, as w as Batte l-farm and m anor,

n ear this tow n .

t In the tim e: ofW illiam I , thism onastery appears,from D oom sday Book, to have rem ain edin

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TOW’N OF READING .

side of the town ofRe ading. The se we re m et by E thelwulph, earl of Berk

sh ire , a t a place ca lled E nglafie ld, th a t is, the fi e l d of the Engl ish . Here

b o th p arties fought w i th the u tm ost a n im osi ty, - t i ll on e of the Dan ish gen e ra ls

b e ing kil led, and the ir arm y b e ing e i the r rou t edor destroyed , the Saxons oh

fa ineda c om ple t e v ic tory . Four days after th is b attle , king E the lred andhis

b ro ther E lfred, having c olle c ted the ir forces, m arched to Re ading, k i l l ing and

destroying a ll b efore them , as far as the ga t e of the fortress. ( a rm’

s) At le ngth

the D ane s, sa l lying out from all the ga tes, at tackedthe victorious arm y ; whenafter a long and b loody b attle , the Dan e s ob ta ine d . the vic tory .

”

From this a c coun t of the tran sac t ion , it appe ars, tha t the Dan esdefe ndedthemse lves by m e ans of a fort ifica t ion of som e sort, but n ot by a castle , in thepresen t sen se of the word. Besides, if w e consider the very fe w re cords tha tcou ld have re m a in ed of this b arb arous age , in which histo ry w as l i ttle kn ownor c ultiva ted, very l ittle re l ian ce c an b e p laced on the test im o ny of an au thorw ho wro te n e arly fou r hundred ye ars afte r the c ircum stance is supposed to

have happe ned . Moreover, it is a llowed , tha t the Saxons were not in the hab it

of erect ing c astles for the defen ce of the ir possessions and, e ven if they had,Re ading cou l d n ot have been , at this pe riod, of sufficien t conse que nc e to haverequ ired su ch a se curi ty ; for, e ven whe n Doom sday B o ok w as com piled

, the

n um b er ofhouses w as bu t sm a l l, andm ost of the se were l ittle b e t t e r tha n ru ins.Pe rhaps this difficu l ty m ay b e sol ved, by an a tte n t i ve e x am ina t ion of the

passage in question , supposing it to b e au then tic . By it, w e le arn , that whileon e part of the D an ish a rm y we re e m ploye d in m i l i tary Ope ra t ions, the re

m a inde r we re b usie d in throwing up e ntre n chm e n ts b e twe e n the tw o riversb ut, as this a lon e wou ld n ot have bee n suffi c ien t to have se c ured them aga inst

any sudde n at tack of the e n em y, i t is re asonab le to su ppose , the whole l inew as strengthe nedby tem porary forts, e re cteda t diffe ren t distan ces ; th is agre e s

w i th Hovedun e’

s a ccoun t, that the Dan es issue d ou t of a ll the ga tes ; m anyof which there n o doub t we re , a long the who le l in e of en trenchm e n t ; butthis cou ld n ot have b e en the case , had there b e en on ly a single cast le , as issupposed, w hich se ldom has m ore than on e e ntran ce . Beside s, the La t in wordarr, seem s to have be en use d by this au thor, in a m ore en larged sense , for e very

M r. Agard, tre atingon the e tym o logy , &c . of castles, sa ys : I re ad, in the historyc of N or.

m andy, w rytten in Fre n che , that w he n Sw eyn e , k inge of D enm ark e n te redthis realm e,againste hinge

A lfred, or A lured, to reve nge the n ight slaughter of the D ean es, don e by the Saxons of Englande , hesubdued all b efore him , be cause there w ere n oforter of Englande , to stop h im . A nd the reason

ye ldedis, be cause the forte: ofEngla nd, for the m ost part, were buylte qfrcr the N ormam foa m ed the

”alert .”

TOWN OF READING.

kind offortifi cations, as m ay b e shew n by m any passages in his work but I

sha l l con fine m yse lf to the fo l low ingThe Danes having b e sieged R oche ster, king Alfred, ( he says) ob liged

them to take refuge in the ir sh i ps ; rel icta ibi arce, whi ch they had bu i lt

b efore the gate s of tha t c ity.

”It is e vide nt , from this passage , the word here

used , cou ld n ot m ean a c astle , such as is now affixe d to tha t ide a, b ut a sm a l l

fort at the he ad of the ir e n tren chm e n ts, with which they had surrounded

the ci ty .

For the se re asons, I am in cl ined to. think, that n o su ch fortified place as

a castle , e xisted he re , a t the in va sion of the Dan es ; or, if it did, that i t could

n ot ha ve b een si tua ted on the spo t m entioned by Le land, as n ot e ven the least

vest ige of such a bu i ld ing rem a in ed in his t im e ; n or has any b e e n discoveredsince , though gre a t part of the hill has late ly been bu i lt upon, andthe rem a inder used as a brick ground .

Hav ing thus e nde avore d to prove , that the gen era l op in ion of a castleh aving b e en b u ilt on this spo t,

'

e i ther by the Sa xo ns or D an es, is errone ous ;

i t rem a ins to she w , at what tim e the one, m e n tion edby historians to have b e endestroye d by H enry I I . w as e re c ted ; andto poin t o ut, as n e ar as possib le , thepre cise spo t ; which I canno t b e tte r do, tha n in the words of tha t e m inen ta n ti q uary, M r. He arne w ho , in his pre l im ina ry ob servation s on BrownW illis

’

s Vie w ofMitred Ab b e ys, says, I can n ot n ow en te r u pon, or inde e dprom ise , an addition to M r. W illis

’

s M itred Ab b eys ; yet, I can not pass byon e part icu la r, (which I am apt to im agine wil l b e acce ptab l e ) and that is,w hat Le la ndsays, in the se con d vo lum e of his Itin e rary, about the

.

old castle,

that w as at Re ading, in the Saxon tim e s, which is m e n tion ed, in Asser Mene

vensis, to have b e e n taken , wi th the tow n of Reading i tse lf, by the Dan e s.After he has to ld us, that it is l ike ly it stood a t the west endof Castle

stre e t, a nd, as som e thought, ab out the pla ce of exe cution ; he a t last ad

vances ano the r opin ion , and that is, tha t perhaps i t stood where the a bbey

w a s. I shal l n ot take upon m e to de term in e , wh i ch of those opin ions is the

t ruest b u t th is I c annot b ut rem ark, tha t wha te ver the p lace be , wh ere thecast le stood; it is m y ow n Opin ion , that a p ie ce of the ab b ey w as b u ilt of the

re m a ins of it . B ut som e worthy gentlem e n, to whom I hav e m entioned thisopin ion, are ple asedto obje ct aga inst it an ob se rva tion in M r. C am bden

’

s B ri

tan n ia , wh ich is this : R eading vero urbecula sive Oppidum , A nglo S axon ice

R eadyge a Rhea i . e . flum in e, e el a B '

rz‘

i'

a n ica dic tim ze R edz‘

n q uodfil ices

denota t, qua? afi‘

a tim h ie proven er un t, hodie pla ica rum elega n tia , radium

splendore, sua Opulen tia , e t la n ai panm‘

texendi glon‘

a , ca l eris lupus agri

appidisprwcellit, licet m axim a o-rn am en ta am isserit, templum scil i‘

cet speci

TOWN OF READING .

osm n ct castrum vctustissim um . Hoe en im D ane s tenuisse prodit A sserius,

qua m vallum inter C u-a ction em et Tam esin duccren t, et in 710 0 se recepisse

qa um ad I nglefielda b E thelw ulfo rege fngaren tur . S edHcm'

t’

cus secundus

a’

ta illud excidz‘

t quad S tephan i m ilitibus perfugium esset, a t n ihil jam

supersit prre tcr n udum w arm in pla tedproxim afi“

Tis l ike ly M r. Cam de n thought, tha t the castl e Le land m entions, out

of Rob e rt B e ccensis, to have b e en fortifi ed by king Stephe n ,and dem o l ished

by the force s of king Henry the se cond, w as the very sam e castle spoke n of byAsser. B ut tha t M r. Le lan d is otherwise to b e understood ; and that fir

m avera t is he re to b e taken for erexera t, is p la in to m e , from the v ery passageof Rob e rt B e cc e n sis : S oluta est itaque obsidio ( sa ith this h istorian ) qua;c irca lVa llz

’

ngford ordina ta fuera t, rege S tephano Craucn ense subverten te .

N am a nno pra terito fam ilz’

a ducts Henr ici, qn ce Wa ll i’

ngford incoleba t n on

solum con tra jus ctfas erexera t apud A bba tiam R adinges pessum dedera t.

The castle w e

'

se e tha t w as dem o l ished, w as bu i l t a t the a bbey of Reading,a nd that it w as not the a m : m en tioned by Asser, I thin k wil l b e a s pla in as

a th ing of this n ature can b e , from a M S. w e have in the Bodle ian l ibrary, ofRobert B e ccensis

,which is pub l ished by du Che sn e , not on ly withou t any

a u thor’

s n am e, bu t l ike w ise ve ry im pe rfe ct ly ; the MS . w e have , b e ing as largeaga in as the prin t ; and, for tha t re ason, i t w as, som e ye ars ago , transcribed

by m e for the use of a ge n tlem an in Fran ce . D u Chesn e him se lf suppose dthe passage w as not e n tire ; upon wh ich a ccount he pu t an asteric b efore the

word a bba tiam ; andthat his suspic ion w as we l l groun ded, will b e unden iab lyc le ar from the words them se l ves, as I have here writ ten them ou t of the lvIS.

S oluta e st ita que obsidio, qua: circa Wa llingford ordin a te fuera t, R ege S te

phano Crauen cnse subverten te. N am an no prre tefrito fam ilia ducts Henrici

q ues Wa llingforte incoleba t, n on solum castrum B retw e lli, quod diu cos im

pugn era t, verum etiam castellum quod rex c tiam S tephanus con tra jus ct

fas e rexerat apud abbaciam R adingt‘

s p essundedera t .

'

l'

R eding, a village or tow n, call edby the Saxon Rheadyge, from rhea a river, or from the

British redin,fern , w hich grow s in great ple n ty in its n e ighborhood; for the e legan ce of its stree ts,

the splendor of its houses, its opu lence , andits m an ufac toriesof w oo lle n c lo ths, exce ls e very o ther inthis coun ty, though it has lost its greatest orn am en ts

,its spacious abbey, andits an cie n t cast le . This,

w e are toldby A sserius, w as possessed by the D an es, w hen they c u t a tren ch be tw een the rivers

Tham esandKenne t, w ithin w hich the y w ithdrew , w hen the y w ere pu t _

to flight at E nglefie ld, by kingE the lw ulph . B u t kingH e nry II, so destroyedit for havingbee n a p lace of refuge to k ing S tephen "fo llow ers, that n o thing n o w rem ain s bu t its bare n am e, in a ne ighboringstree t.

S te phen havingraised the siege of\Vallingford, destroyedC row m arsh. For, in the pre cedingyear, the fo llow e rs ofduke He nry, w ho resided at W allingford, had n o t on ly destroyed the cam p a t

B ritwdl,w hich had long infestedthe ir quarters, bu t also the cast le, which king S te phen, against all

right, hadere c tedn ear the abbey ofReading.

”

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TOWN OF READING .

T o this place , th erefore , w e shou ld turn our attent ion , ifw e wish to dis;

c over the pre cise spot on wh i ch this castle stood, wh ich can on ly b e don e , bytra cing ou t its ve st iges, if any su ch sti l l rem a in . To do th is, I have e xam in ed

w i th a t t e nt ion , e ve ry part of these n ob le ru ins, the ir uses andconn e ctionswith

the princ ipa l b u ilding ; andafter we igh ing e ve ry c ircum stance , am induced to

b e l ie ve , that the rem a ins of this ce l ebrated c astle are stil l in e xisten ce , andthat

it w as ere cted on the sou th - e ast corner of the Forb ury, n ear Blake’

s- bridge ,w i th in the prec inc ts ofthe a b b ey, b ut a t a d istance from , andconsequ en tly form

m g n o pa rt o f the origina l b u i lding. The se ru ins are ve ry m u ch dila pida ted,b ut they e viden tly appe ar to ha ve b e en intended for a place ofdefen ce .

From the ru inous sta te of th is struc ture , i t is d iffic u l t to trace its original

form ,but I conj e c ture i t to have b e en a squ are b u ilding, w i th proj e c ting towers

a t the four corn ers. The side n ext the rive r, th e o n ly one n ow rem ain ing, w as

ab ou t 60 fe e t in length, andhada squ are towe r a t e a ch end, proje c t ing a sm al l

distance b efore the fron t wa l l . That a t the south—e ast c orn er* has b e en la t e ly

rem oved, for the pu rpose ofm e nding the foot -w ay on the b ank of the ri ve r, but

the otherh as two ofitsside sa lm ost perfe c t. The slope ofthe hi l l ha sb e en scarpe d

away from the wa te r’

s edge , to the he ight ofab out twenty fe e t this is fac edwitha strongperpendicu larwa l l offlints, on whic h th is tow er ise re cted, andis ab out

fifty fee t di igh , from the le ve l o f the water, to its sum m i t ; the top seem s

to h ave be en fin ished with b a t t lem en ts, b ut the se are so cove red with ivy, ,that

it is im possible t o discover with ce rta in ty, whe ther they are rea l ly such, or t ather the rem a ins of the b roken wa l l. In the side wa l ls, stil l rem a in ing, are

loop - ho les, som e of wh ich fron t the ri ve r, the othe rs com m and the space b etwe e n the towers, in fron t of the b u i lding. These towe rswe re adm irab ly we llsitua te d, to ~c om m a ndthe river andthe b ridge , wh ich w as the onlye nt rance on

that side of the town to the abb ey. The loop -ho le shada doub le purpose, tha tofgiving l ight to the interior of the bu i lding, andfor the em ission of arrows,andothe r m issi le we apon s ; as a proof of wh ich, they are carrie d through thew a l l in an in cl in edplan e , wh e re as, hadthey b een in te n ded to c onvey l ight on ly,they would have b e en hori zonta l ; in which case , the garrison wou ld not h aveb e en ab l e to have m o le sted, .or e ven se en the b esiegers be low, the wa l ls b eing at

least thre e fee t t hi ck zi‘

S ee plate X'

l . fig. 1 .

'l' Godw in ’sdescription of an cien t c ast le s, corresponds w ith the appearance of this building, as

far as its re m ains w ill e n ab le us to judge . The proje ctor,

” he says, alw ays chose for the site of

his edifi ce , a risingground, in the n e ighborhood of a rive r. Having m arked o u t the lim its of his

in c losure , he the n surrounded it w ith a w al l , te n or tw e lve fe e t high , flank edw ith tow e rs. The

apartm en ts w e re very in adequate ly lighted, those b e low the story , u pon w hich the sta te roo m s w ere

placed, re c e ivedthe beam s of the sun,on l y through chin ks or “loops, ex trem e ly n arrOW ,

andcautiouslyconstruc ted, in such a m anner

,as to afiordno advantage to the besiegers.—Godwin ’

s Life of Chaucer.

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CHAP .

TOWN OF READING .

M en.

London, 1000

Norwich 120 .

Bristol, 00

Oxford, 30

Wi nche ster, 30

G louce st e r, 20

“fore cast-e r, 20

In the ye ar 14 49 , the 20 th of the re ign of Henry VI . th is b orough w as

sum m onedto prov ide thirty m en for the king’

s d efen ce , at the ir ow n e xpe n ce

for wh ich purpose n in e ty ofthe princ ipa l inhab i tan ts w e re divided in to classe s ;e ach c lass w as to provide one m an a t the ir co m m on e xpen ce . At the he a d

of the c lasse s w as M r. “ ’i l l iam Ju st i ce , ‘w ho a lone found tw o m e n , a nd tw o

o ther rich proprie tors w ho provided thre e m e n b e tw e e n th em . The sm al l

num b e r am ong whom the expen ce of le vying th is force h a s div ided, shews.

the b orough to have b e e n ve ry inconsiderab le a t tha t pe riod, in com parisonwith its pre sen t state of popu lat ion .

In the 3i th of Henry VI I I . ( 1543 ) th is b orough w as orde red to ra isetwe n ty- four horse sold ie rs, to b e se n t in to Scotland. On this oc casion , the

expen ces of the m e n a nd horses we re pa id by sixty p e rsons o n ly . Of the se ,the m ayor pa idfor ha lf

'

a horse and his appare l]?the three v icars, ha lf.

a horse e ach, withou t the harn ess and the rem a inde r we re prov idedby thediffe ren t c lasse s into which the who le n um b er we re divided. The expe n c es

for the harn ess were in l ike m anne r di vided am ong n in e ty- tw o in fe rior househ olde rs

,m aking toge the r on e hundredandfifty

- tw o persons on the a ssessm e n t

n e arly one third m ore of th is de scription than we re a sse sse d in this town at

the form er pe riod.

In the fo l lowing ye ar, the town w as ordered to provide twe l ve m e n a nd

horses, and tw e n ty f'

oo t soldie rs, to a t tendthe king t he n go ing wi th an arm y,

in to Fran ce ; and, in 1 553 , they w e re ordered to se nd te n so ldie rs we ll

garn ished a nd w e apon ed,” 3to the assistance of qu ee n hI a ry, w ho w as then

asse rt ing h e r right to the succession , of‘

w hich she had b e en depri ved by herbro the r’

s w i ll .I n the th ird ye ar of th is que en ’

s re ign ,they we re aga in re qu ired “ to

se nd forty m en to a t te nd he r p e rson , we l l appoyn ted, in b le w c o a te s, wy thereddressyngs, tha t cost six sliyllings a nd four

'

p en ce a coa t e, w i th forty n ew

M on tifiori’

s C om m erc ial D ic tionaryC orporation D iary. 3 Ibid.

TOWN OF READING .

b i lls, t hat coste e ighte e n - pen ce a b il l, all w hyche w as payde for by the , inha

b itan ts.

“ This is the first insta n ce of the m i l itary of the town b e ing clothedin a n un iform .

From th is period , w e h ave n o re cord of the n um ber of m en furn ished bythe town ; inde ed the prac t ice , adoptedin the su cce eding re igns, of ke e pingU p stan ding arm ie s, has rende red the form e r custom u nne cessary ; a nd

,a s

the se consist of m en ra ised by enl istm en t , as we l l as by b al lot , the proportionaffordedby th is town can not a t presen t e asily b e ascerta in ed.

At the c om m en cem en t of the last w ar, when p art ie s ran h igh, anddan

geron s opin ions were dissem inated, by the disaffe cted, am ong the lowe r c lassof pe ople , ten ding to produce those sce nes of a n archy and insubordination tha thad o v e rwhe lm ed Fran ce , a nd ove rturn ed the thron e of the Bourb ons, i t

b e ing thought n e c essary, for the safe ty of the country, to ra ise vol unte e r c orps

m m ost of the prin c ipa l towns in th e kingdom ,th is b orough ra ised tw o com

pe n ie s, com m andedby H en ry D ean e , e sq . andthe fo l lowing ofiice rs

Martin Ann esl ey, e sq . Capta ins.John W ilm sliurst, e sq .

John Ste phens, e sq . Lie utenants.

John D e ane , e sq .

Thomas C ow slade , Ensigns.

Jon a than Tanne r,T hom as Lam b , S urge on .

B oth th e officers andm en re ce ive d pay from governm ent, b ut the expen ces

of the m en’

s un iform s we re pa idby pub l i c sub scri ption .

In the ye ar 1 798, whe n the u nparal le lled succe sse s of the Fre n ch hadparal iz edall Europe , andob l igedm ost of th e powers on the Contin en t, to sue fo l"

p e ac e , from th e dire c tory a t Pa ris ; that n ation , u nde r wha te v e r form ofgo

vernm en t, a lways envious of the supe rior industry, we a l th ,

'

a nd com m erce of

this c oun try,ande nrage d by the opposit ion m ade to the ir inordinate am b i t ion,

by the skil l andc ou rage of ou r so ldi ers and seam e n ,during the w ar, turne d

the ir a tte n tion to the m e an s to b e adopted, for the i n va sion of England. For

this purpose , the plunde r of Hol land, G e rm any, and Ita ly, w as e xpended in

fi tting out a fle e t , for the con veyan ce of the troops to th is cou n try, wi th w hichthe ir coasts we re l ined, from the

r

I‘

e xe l t o the S e ine ,a nd, to addto the in su l t,

th e troops we re arrogan t ly st il ed, the ARM Y o r ENG LAN D .

O n th is oc casion , the system"

of vo l un t e e r e nrolm e n ts w as aga in re so rtedto, as the m ost e xp editious m e ans of ra ising a defe n sive force , suffi c ien t to

C orporation D iary.

a A 2

TOWN OF READ I NG .

repe l the invaders, shoul d they a ttem pt to disturb the pe ace of this happycou ntry, by putt ing the ir i nso le n t thre ats into e xe cution and, whe ther i t w as

owing to the dange r b e ing c onsidered m ore im m inen t than on the form er oc

c asion , or m en’

s m inds we re b e tte r re concile d to m ili tary hab its, by. custom ,

wh ich recon c i le s us to e ve ry change , ce rta in i t is, the re w as at this t ime p o

b ackwardness in the form ation of a very re spe c tab le corps, from am ong the

prin c i pa l inhab itan ts, w ho we re no longer a verse from taking the ranks, a ndper

form ing the dutie s of com m on so ldie rs, at the ir own e xpe n ce , The n um be r

origina l ly e nro led , w as ab ou t tw o hundred , but they se ldom m uste red m ore

than on e hundre d andfifty. They were divided into thre e com panies, the gre

nadiers, cen tre, andl ight infan try, with the fo l lowing oflice r

Thom as Newb e ry, e sq . capta in com m andant .

W . B . More ton ,Ross Lewin ,

Thom as G leed,Will iam Watl ington , Lieutenants.John Blandy,

Will iam Parkins,Will iam Will iam s, Ensigns.Wil liam Blandy,

Their un iform s we re b lue , wi th scarle t fa cing, caps, and he lm e ts ; th eywere provide d wi th an exce l le n t b and of m usic , and a pa ir of e legan t c o lors,presented to the corps by a lady, since de ceased; the on e , the u n ion , the othe rthe town arm s

, e n c ircledby a wrea th oflaure ls, with the m otto, G o o SAVE THE

KING the who le e legan t ly em bro idered byM rs. Jesse .

O n the 26th ofJuly, 1799 , the se corps, wi th a ll the other vo lunte er corpsin the coun ty of Be rks, we re re viewe d by his m ajesty, on B ulm arsh - he ath, and

afte rwards re c e i vedhis thanks, for the corre ctness with wh ich they had pe rform ed the difi

'

ere nt m an oeuvre s of an arm y.On this occ asion , they we re drawn up in the fol lowing orde r, according to

the ir se n iority the cava lry form ing the tw o wings, andthe infan try the centre

Capta ins.

C AVALRY .

Oficm . M en . Cm m ondm .

l 33 T . Goodlake , capta in.

3 26 J . Law , di tto .

2 34 Richard Townsend, ditto.

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TOWN OF READING.

the other, ca l led the Loya l Re ading Vo lunte e rs, into e ight com pan ies,

sisting, in the whole , of n early five hundre d efl'

e ctive m en .

These corps were com m ande d by the fo l lowing officers

VOLU NTE ERS .

M artin Anne sley, esq . m ajor com m andan t.

C aptai ns.

John W ilm shurst. Jon athan Tann er.

John S te vens. Henry Marsh, esqrs.

Lieutenants.

Thom as C ow slade . John R ugm an .

R i cha rd R ichards. Will iam W’ i l l iam s

, jun .

Will iam W inkw orth . Rob e rt B oyle D e an e .

Jam e s D o uglas,M .D . Jacob Newb ury.

Tn n LOYAL V OLU NTEER S .

T hom as Newb ery, esq . l ieu te n ant - colon e l com m andan t.

Sam uel Sw'

inf’

e n , e sq . l ie u tenan t- c o lone l.’

W . B . Sim onds, e sq , m ajor.

W i ll iam Pilkington , e sq . adj utan t.

Capta ins.

W . B . More ton .

T hom as G le ed.

W . Wa t l ington .

John Blandy .

E nsigns.

T hom as Ha l lows. Will iam Stephens.RichardPou l ton . Rob e rt Palm er .

B lackal l S im onds. B e njam in Moore .

Da v idLegatt, quarter- m aste r.

'

Thom as Stoke s Sa lm on , M . D . physic ian .

Richard She rwood, surgeon .

Reverend Richard Valpy, chapla in .

Lieutenants.

Charle s ‘B e nwe l l .W il l iam Parkins.

W i l l iam Truss.Thom as Ba th.

John Lam b .

Thom asW'

ilsdon .

John Goodwin .

John M o ore .

J am es S ande rson .

G . W . Joplen .

TOWN OF READING . 183

On the 8th ofJun e , 1 805, the vo lun te ers of the coun ty w ere aga in reviewedby h is m aj e sty , on B u lm arsh - he a th w he n he w as ple ased to expre ss the par

t icula r gra t ifi c a t ion heffe lt in having thus w i tn e ssed the m i l i tary pe rfe ction of

his B erksh ire vo lun te e rs.

The se corps we re dissol ved, as soon as the dange r of th e thre a ten ed inva

sion w as rem o ved, a ndm ost of the m e n , w i th som e of the office rs of the first:b a t t al ion of the Re ading vo lu nt e e rs, ha vm g offe red to se rve in the lo ca l m il i tia,about to b e ra ised, in 1808, w e re e m b odiedin that regim e nt, c om m andedbythe

Righ t ho norab le the m arqu is of Blandford, lie u te n an t colone l.John W ilm shurst. and H . Marsh, e sqrs. m ajors.

J . Tanner, R . Westb rook , and R . Richards, e sqrs.. captains.

W . Rob inson ,T . N Truss, T Ward, and E . Phi l lips, l ieutenants.W . Gun n e l l , andM . Rob inson , ensigns.

W . ‘Vinkw orth, adju tant .

J . Bu lle y, surge on .

F. C owslade , quarter- m aster.

S choo ls.

CHAPTER X .

FR E E - S C H O O L.

I N the ye ar 1445, accordingto Le land, John Thorne , the then abb ot of the

‘C l—IAP .

m onastery of Re ading, suppressed an olda lm s- house for poor sisters, which

X .

had, prob ab ly, b e e n founded by one ofhis andem ployedthe re veh ’ w nues thereof, to the use of the a lm on er ; b u t H en ry VI I, b e ing here soon after,

was offendedwith the abb ot, for con verting the fun ds of a re ligious house, to

purposes so fore ign to th e in t e ntion s of the donor, andordered him to se ttle the

house a nd lands on som e chari ta ble e stab l ishm e n t . In conse quence of th is

tim a tion from his m aj esty, the abb o t m ade i t a fre e gram m ar schoo l , in which

h e w as secon dedby on e Will iam D ene , an officer in the abb ey, w ho gave tw o

h undredm arks towards th e a dvan cem e n t ofthe foundation , as Le land c o l le cte d

from his tom b in the a bb ey church how th is m oney w as appli ed, is not known ,

b ut after the d isso lution , the sum of ten pounds pe r annum , w as pa id to the

m aste r, bythe crown, b ut in the re ign ofqueen Eli zabe th, the corpora t ion undert ook to pay the m aster’

s sa lary, in re turn for ce rta in lands b estowe d on thembyher m ajesty andin re turn they were authorised, by the ir charter, to n om i

n ate, e lec t, appo in t, and rem ove the m aste r, at th e irdiscre t ion .

‘ In the sub se

qu en t reign of Charle s I . archb ishop La ud, by his will, in cre ased the m aster’

s

salary, to th irty poun ds a This w as a ll th e em o l um e n t the m aste r rec e ivedfrom th is inst itu t ion , e xcept, perhaps, a free gift annu al ly, from the

parents of the ch ildre n , wh ich w as afterwards con verte d into a regu lar quarterage , but I b e l ie ve th isn e ver exce ededfive sh i l lings, pre vious to the m iddle of

the last century .

Thishospit al for poor sisters, is not m en tion ed, I b e lieve, by any au thor, prior to Le land, w hodoes n o t m e n tion w he n or by w hom it w as fou nded. There w as an hospital he re , for le pe rs, foundedby A u cherius

,andano the r for strangers andpilgrim s, by Hugh . I t is possib le on e of these m ight

have b een conve rtedto this purpose , but o f this w e have n o ce rtainty .‘l' The farm at Bray , in this cou n ty, given by archbishop Land

,to the c orporation , for this and

o ther purposes, havingbeen late ly le t at an in creased ren t, the m aster's salary w il l, in future, be considerably in creased.

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SCHOOLS.

At the school -mee ting, held at the Bear inn,in the year 1771 , i t w as

U nan im ously agreed, to forward a subscription , in order to ra ise a fun d towardspurchasing or b u ild ing a house , for the m aste r of the free - schoo l , for the tim e

be ing, andto invest the prin c ipa l in the truste es, appo in ted by archb ishop Land,to b e v isitors of the schoo l, andth e m ayor of Re adingfor the tim e b e ing, w ho

w ere em powere d to rece ive the inte rest of the sa id prin c ipa l, so to b e ra ised,’til l a house c ould b e e ither purchase d, or b u i l t therewith .

” With the sum

col le ctedon this occasion , andsom e addition a l sub scriptions in 1 785, the house ,situated at the south - we st corner of the Forbury, wh ere in the m asters of the

schoo l had late ly re si ded, w as purchased of the late doctor Addington , and

ann exedto the schoo l . Pre vious to this house be ing purchased, the m asters

prov ided the irow n re side n ce , and the one h ere a l luded to , w as b u i lt by M r.

Hiley, ab ou t the c om m e nc em e n t of the last cen tury, for the accom m odation of

h is boarders prior to which, i t is doub tfu l if any o ther boys, than n ati ves, or

sons of the inhab itan ts, we re educated in the school, a s the form er m astersse em m ostly to ha ve resided in private houses, or lodgings, andno priorm e n tion

ism ade of b oarde rs.

There are tw o scho larsh ips in St . John the Baptist’s col lege , Oxford, b e

longing to this schoo l , founded by sir Thom as Wh ite , in 1557, c onc erningwh ich I findthe fol lowing particu lars, in the statutes of the col lege , drawn up

by him se lf:

D e q ua lita te el circum stan tiis, 850 .

Of the qual ifica t ions,andc ircum stan cesof the scho lars to b e elected.

S e e ing that there is noth ing in the who le socie ty ofm an m ore divine no

th ingm ore an a lagous to ourn ature , than to b e l ib era l andboun t ifu l towards those ,to whom w e conce ive ourse lves m ost b eho lden . Ne i ther are w e tiedby stric t er

b ondsoffriendsh ip to any, m ore than to the c i t i ze nsofLondon am ongwhom w e

have b e en , not on ly long con ve rsant, andb rought up a lm ost from our infan cy, b ut

bu t a lso have a tta ined and gotten the gre ate st part of such goods andcom m o

dities, as n ow , by divin e pe rm ission ,w e enjoy. Wherefore, b e ing m ovedwith

that love andpie ty, wh ich w e b e ar towards our fe l low citi zens, w e do appo in t,

orda in , andwil l , tha t forty- thre e of the poorer scholars, w ho , e ither wi thin

London , or the sub urbs there of, sha l l b estow the ir tim e dil igen tly in gram m ar,

m ay b e adm itted in to this our co llege , foundedande ndowed a t our c osts and

charges, and they shal l enjoy all su ch advantages, as the presen t scholarsposse ss.

Also , e ach ofthe fo l low ing schoo ls, viz . Coven try, Bristo l , andR e ading,

shal l send tw o scho lars, w ho sha l l partake of the sam e advantages andpriv i ‘

S irThom asW hyte w asm ayor of London in 1553 .

b B

SCHOOLS.

legcs, as the others enjoy . One, a lso, sha l l b e chosen out ofTunbridge school,

in the county ofKe n t .

A ndnow ,to the end that the re m ay b e som e certa inty appo inted

, con

c om ing the nom in a t ing and e le c t ing of these seve n. scholars, whom w e wil l

have equal to the o the rs, in all the advan tages andprivi lege s of the col lege .

As ofte n as any place of these se ven shal l b e com e vo id, w e wil l, thatwith in forty days afte r such vacan cy, that the pre siden t andfe l lows sha l l certify

andadvise , by le tte rs, sign e d wi th the ir ow n hands, the m ayors and a l derm en

( prae tores ct seniores)*of those places, out of wh ich such scholars are to b e

n am e d andchosen, that is to say, Coventry, Bristol, R e ading, and Tunbridge ,o ut ofwh i ch tw o scholars e ach are to b e e le cted, e xcept ou t of Tu nb ridge ,from which, out of respec t to the gre a t love w e b ore to sir Andrew Judd, kn t.

founder of the gram m ar schoo l the re , w e do orda in and wil l, tha t one scho lar

sha l l b e nom inated and e l e c ted, as oft en a s the place assigned for th is schoolsha l l be void. Andthey sha l l take c are to se ndsu ch ou t of the ir schools, to

the col lege , as e i the r they them se lves sha l l know , or in the judgm en t ofo thers,sha l l b e l ie ve to b e fi t to le arn logic ( addia lecticam Andw e

do de cre e , orda in , andwill, tha t this n om in ation , assign ation , e vocation, and

e lec t ion , of forty- thre e scho lars, andsix choriste rs, by the worshipfu l m en, the

m aster, wardens andassistants, a ndthe pre siden t , and vice - presi dent,and tw o

of the ch ief sen ior fe l lows ; and a lso , the nom in ation , e vocation , and e le ction ,of those seve n scholars, by the m ayors anda lderm e n of those place s, ofwhichw e m ade m e ntion b efore , b e m ade and kept for e ver n e i ther sha l l i t b elawfu l at any t im e , for the presiden t andfe l lows, which now are , or for the irsucce ssors, to inve rt, change , b re ak, or w e ake n the form of e le c t ing scho lars,w hichow e have prescrib ed, nor to e xpound, or in te rpre t othe rwise than the

true , natura l, andgram m at ica l sense of the words do b e ar, under pa in of ex

pu lsion out of the co l lege ; ne i ther shal l they a t_

any tim e consent, e ither inword or deed, to them that do o therwise .

Though the words of this. statute are p la in ande asy to b e understood, yet adispute origin ated a few yearsb a ck, b e tw e en the m aste r, andsom e of the m em

b e rs. of the corporation , whe ther a boy, w ho hadb e e n educatedas a b oarder in

the schoo l, wi thout b e ing a n a t ive of the town , w as e l igib le to the scho larship .

A s the issue of this dispute invo lvedthe ge n era l inte rests of all the inha

b itants, it w as thought“fi t to take the op in ion of counse l upon i t, and the fol

lowing case w asdrawn up

Seniorrs, is usedhe re in a ge nera l se nse, for the chief m agistra tes of all the p laces m en tioned,andw hen appliedto those of Reading, w hich at this tim e consistedon ly of the m ayor andburgesses,m ust be consideredto m ean the burgesses on ly.

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SCHOOLS.

Queen Elizab e th , by her charterof the 23dof S eptem ber, 1560, incof

pora tcdthem , by the ti t le of m ayor a nd b urgesses ; and says, that n in e m en ,

of the m ost discre e t inhab itan ts of the b orough , sha l l b e prim ary and h ead

burge sses, andthey sha l l choose twe l ve m ore inhab i tan ts, c a l ledse condary bur

gcsscs ; andthe m ayor ch ief, andse condary burgesses sha l l b e ca l leda com m on

c ounc i l of the b orough, for all th ings andb usiness, o r the ru le andgove rnm en tthe re of, or the pub l i c profits andcom m odities of the sa id b orough, and inha

b itan ts the re of, by the m aj or part of them , to b e don e and handled for the

b e t t e r o rde r andgove rnm en t of m en , inhab i t ing the re in , andof the b usiness of

the sa idb o rough . A ndthe sa idcharte r dire c ts, that the sa i d m ayor andb ur

ge sses sha l l , from the n ce forth , in fu tu re , a nnual ly acqu i t the sa id que en , her

h e irs andsuccessors, from ten p ounds, to b e-

pa id ye arly to the m aste r of‘

the

fre e - schoo l , with in the b orough aforesa id, for his stipend andsa lary. Andin

the sa idcharte r is the fo l low ing re c i ta l

A ndw he re as, a schoo l , or gram m ar- school , founded and b u i l t by our

predece ssors, is in the b orough, for educa t ing the b oys of the inhab i tan ts ofthesam e b orough, ando the rs, in l i tera ture , andfor the b e t te r tra in ing up, o rder,a ndbene fit of the schoo l afore sa id, to b e prac tised, w e will, &c . &c .

’ He re ,the m ayor andcapita l burgesses, are im pow ered to nom inate , e le ct, andappo in t,andto rem ove him , 8

2 0 .

Fourte enth of Charle s the first, 1638. This is the go vern ing charte rof the b orough ; and it is in corpora ted by the t i t le of t he m ayor, a lde rm en , and

b urgesses ; andsays, tha t the re sha l l b e wit hin the b orough afore sa id, of the

fre e b urgesses of tha t b orough, on e , w ho sha l l b e c a l ledm ayor ; thirte en , w ho

shal l be ca l ledalde rm e n, w he re of w e wil l the m ayor to b e one , andtwe l ve , w hosha l l be cal ledassistan ts. A ndthe sa id king thereby gave fu l l powe r to any

p erson or pe rsons, to gi ve , gran t, b eque ath, assign , or a li e n , m anors, m e ssuage s,

l ands, t en e m e n ts, andh e redi tam e nts, to the sa idm ayor, alderm en , andb urgesses,

andcon firm s all form er charte rs ; a nd, am ong o ther things, fre e - schoo ls, powerof n am ing andrem oving a m aste r or m asters of those schools.

Se cond of Charl e s the se cond . This charte r c onfirm s the'

on e of

Charle s the first, ve rba tim , andgive s som e direction concern ing the stewardand town c l e rk .

Ten th of Charles the se cond, con firm s the le tters- patent afore sa id, ande ve ry th ing the re in c on ta ined; and a lso a ll, a nd a ll m ann er of l ib erties, &c .

fre e - scho o ls, powe r of nom inating a ndrem oving the m ast er or m asters.

You a re part icu larly re qu ested to p eruse sir Thom asWh i t e ’

s statutes,and advise w he ther or n ot the righ t of e le c t ion is in the m ayor sol e ly ; in them ayor and a lderm en ; or in the corporation at large

?and Re ading school

SCHOOLS .

be ing in a very flourishing w ay, andch ie fly consistingofboarders,* gentlem en’

s

sons in the country, andb ut a few b oys of the town , you a re desired to ad

vise , whe the r or not the corporation can, consisten t with the ir trust, e le ct ascholar out of the schoo l at large , which som e are desirous of doing, thinkingi t for the b en e fit of the town andschoo l so to do the town, on the other hand,insisting tha t i t cann ot b e don e whe re there is a town

’

s b oy in the schoo l, qualified, though in a lowe r class. A s the corporation wish to do what is strictly.just , you r opin ion is de sire d fu lly.

”

To th is case , the coun se l ga ve the fo l lowing opin ionThe questions in this case , are tw o who are e ntitle d to b e e lected into

the se fe l lowships andw ho are e nt itledto e le ct

I think b oth the quest ions are doub tfu l, e specia l ly the last. . B ut my

opin ion is, as to the first, that ( upon supposition som e facts are true , wh i ch I

sha l l'bye a ndbye sta te , andthere is n o tim e to in qu ire into, ) the free - scho lars,if they b e fi t to go to the un ive rsi ty, are e n ti t ledto b e e le cted, . to the e xc lusion

of the b oarders, though such fre e scho lars b e not so high on the arrangem en t 'of

classes b y the m aste r, as the b oarders.A s to the se cond, I think the m ayor and a lderm en are the e le ctors, in »

e xclusion ofthe burgesses.

I th ink i t ve ry prob ab le , from the haste with wh ich th is case seem s to.a

have b e en drawn up, tha t the re has n ot b e en tim e to c ol le ct, and state accu

rate ly, all the inform at ion upon the subje ct, and th erefore,I ‘

m u st ‘ b e under

stoodto write upon the c ase and papers, as la id b efore m e , expla ined by two !

l e t ters, which I ha ve sin ce rece ived from M r. Andrews, and. which I have re

turnedwith the case .

A s to the first question , I‘ take i t for‘

granted, that'

the b oarders are'

chargedfor the ir school ing, andtha t the fre e - scho lars, or ra ther, those that are

e n ti t ledto b e free -scho lars, are not so charged, b u t m ak e a pre sen t to the m aste r,which is m ere ly discre t ionary, and tha t by custom ,

the son s on ly, of those w ho

are inhab itan ts of the town , are con sidered to b e en ti t ledas fre e schol ars.I m e n tion » this, b e cause , in the very founda t ion of m erchan t taylor ’

s

schoo l , the scho lars, w ho go off. to pay,. as I am inform ed, nothing,

The custom of re ce iving boarders in to the school , is certain ly of a m ode rn date , not, perhapse xceeding a cen tury back , andcon seque n tly m ust b e an in n ovation -ou the origin a l foundation , w he nn o su ch practice w as. in use , and, how eve r ben e fic ial it m ay be to a few tradesm en , requ ires a reform

on the part of the corporation . A s a charitable foundatio n , it w as at first estab lished, and as such,sir

Thom asW hite e ndow edit w ith tw o scholarships,n ot c ertain ly for gen t lem en

’

s,sons

,w ho m ay be

brough t from any part of the w orld, w ith w hich the don or hadno conne c tion , but of the inhabitan tsof the tow n , to w hom b e conceivedbina ry most beholden .

Opin ion .

SCHOOLS.

o r on ly a sm al l custom ary stipe ndto the m aster, andyet board with him ; and,

further, the obj e cts of th isfre e - school are n ot accurate ly poin ted out .

There is n o de ed offoundatio n , and the charter of Elizab e th re ci tes

the school to b e for the edu ca ting ofthe b oys ofth e inhab i tan ts ofthe b orough ,

a ndo thers but in fact, the town’

s b ovs on ly have b e en con side re d as enti t led

to b e free scho lars : thisu sage will supply the wan t of a de ed offoundation ,

and restra in the genera l words in th e recital of Elizab e th’

s charter. These

prem ises b e ing take n for gran ted, I th ink the wordschola , ought to b e applie d

to the sta te of the school in sir Thom a s Why te’

s tim e, w hen there appears to

have been no schotars, but free scholars, andi t shou ld b e taken, th at he m ean tthese to b e the obje cts of his b oun ty, w ho we re the obj e c ts of the boun ty of

the founda t ion ofthe schoo l , tha t is, the fre e scholars, and that no o thers shou ld

b e c hosen , if there b e a fre e scholar fit .This con struction , I think, is strengthened by the reason tha t the founder

'

give s, for his gi ving a scholarship to Tunb ridge schoo l , viz his regardfor the

founder of i t , wh ich shou ldsee m to b e no re ason for exte nding his b ou n ty to

a ny, w ho are n ot the obj e c ts of tha t founde r’

s bounty, tha t is, hisfre e sch olars.

A s to the rem edy that such scholars have , if rej e c ted, i t is a m atter of m ore

c onsideration , than the ve ry short t im e I have hadthis case , wil l a l low m e to

a dvise upon . He m ust b e carefu l to take all steps to de c lare him se lf to b e a

candidate ; andI think it c an do n o harm to him , to t ender him se lffor ad

m ission to St. John ’

s co l lege , with a proper m em oria l andc e rtificate .

As to the se condquestion , I presum e , that by the corporation a t large ,is m ean t the m ayor, a lde rm en , andassistan t b urgesses on ly, and n ot the whole

b ody of freem e n , who, I think, c annot c la im any right to j o in in the e le ction.

”

The words of sir Thom asWhite ’

s sta tutes are very doub tfu l i t seem s to m e,

that the m ayor a lon e m ight at first have had som e c la ini to the nom ina tion,n otwi thstanding the words are in the p lura l num b er, as sir Thom asWh ite is

spe aking of three , if n ot four c orporations ; and I think, that on the qu estion

b e twe en the alde rm en andburgesses, the construction is rather on the a lderm en

’

s side, b ut the un certa inty upon the words is such , tha t I th ink the u sagem ust preva i l, which, in m y opin ion , is in favor ofthe a lderm en , n otwithstandingthe four instan ces wh i ch are the o the rw ay.

The case of doctor Merrick’

s son , in 1 734, w as n ot subm itted to, b ut'b ishop Hoadley, e i ther thinking he hadn o authority, or n ot w ish ing to de cideathe m a tter, seem s to have effe cted a sort of com prom ise The se a l doe s n ot

seem to b e ne cessary to the appo in tm ent, so that a ll argum ents drawn from'

thence fa i l .If the burgesseschoosc to fol low up the ir cla im ,

they should take care,

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SCHOOLS .

longed to the town, andwhen the system ofboardingthe scholarsfrom different

parts of the kiugdom ,andm uch le ss from the colon ie s, could not have e n te red

in to the contem plation of any on e . A s to the word others, so m uch re l ied on ,

i t ought, c erta in ly, t o b e taken in a m ore lim ited se n se , m e an ing nothing m ore

than such others, as m ight com e from the n e ighb oring vi llage s or ham le ts, to

re ce ive the ir da ily education here , wh e re , prob ab ly, from the low sta t e of l ite

rature , at the tim e sirThom as'm ade his don a t ion , it w as on ly to b e had.

B ut that the wordothe rs, in que en Elizab e th’

s charter, m ay appe ar to possess

a greater degre e of conse quence , than it is e n ti t led to, i t is added, as the

schoo l w as founde d for educat ing the sons ofthe inhab itants, a ndothers, in l ite

rature , it fol lows, that the sons of the inhab i tants, ando thers, are e ligib l e , b oth

by the le tter andspirit of the endowm en t . N ow , as the schoo l w as founded

in 1445, in the re ign ofH enry VII, and the charter of Elizab e th w as n ot

granted’til l m ore than a century afterwards, this charter cou ld m ake n o

part of the origin a l founda tion , and therefore , the word o the rs, m en tioned in

the charter, is no proof that the schoo l w as founded for the educating of the

sons of the inhab i tants, andothe rs.

“Afte r all, perhaps, i t wou ldb e b e tter n ot to re ly too m u ch on a singl e word,wh ich , in all probab il ity, w as no t qu ite corre ct at the tim e ofwordin g the charte r.Charterswere gen e ral ly drawn upbythe officersofthe crown , w ho, n ot b e ing residents of the pla ces, for which the charterswe re in tended, i t is not u n like ly, tha tm any thingsofa loca l n ature m ight b e inserted in them , wh ich we re n ot strictlytru e ; as

,in the very doub tfu l passage in qu est ion , where in it is asse rted, tha t

the schoo l w asfounde d andb u i lt by her progen itors, ( kings ofEngland whe nin fact, it w as n e ither founded n or b u i l t by any on e of them . Henry VII , i tis true , w as the prim ary cause of its b e ing founded, by ordering the ab bot tose ttl e the house andlands of a suppre ssed m on astery, on som e charitab le estab lishm en t, b ut he did no t even po int ou t wha t that estab l ishm en t shou ld b e , n ordidhe advan ce on e farthing towards it : aft erwards, w h en Henry VII I . had

se i zed the tem pora l it ies of the a bb ey in to his ow n han ds, he agre ed to pay out

of them, te n pounds per annum , to the m aster of th e schoo l, and i t w as for

the purpose of exonera t ing'

the crown from this charge , that the clause respe cting the schoo l, w as introduced in to the charter, wi thou t any inten t, as it shou ld ,

se em , of in terfe ringwith the origina l founda t ion of the schoo l , no on e clausehaving b een inserted in it for its future regulation andgovernm en t .

4 " C um quaedam scho la sive ludus literarius fundat. e t ere c t. existit in burgo praedicto per progen itor-es n ostros adedu cand. pu eros hom inum e t inhabitan tium ejusdem burgi e t a lios in litera tur.

”

Cha rter (f Eliz aé ctk.Letter to the reverendthe vice chancellor, &c. pag. 1 4 .

SC HOOLS .

In addition to the above argum en ts in fa vor of the e l igibi l ity of strangers,the supporters of this op in ion quote the case ofM r. Pope , w ho , in 1769 ,

though a stranger, w as e le cted in preferen ce to a native of the town, whocla im ed the scholarship .

” Th is case appears, at first sight, to carry with i tm u ch we ight, in fa vor of the argum en t, b ut when prope rly considered, will b efound rather to m i l itate aga inst it, than for it .

The case , as I am inform ed, bygood au thority, w asthis At the vacancy

in 1 769 , M r. Da venport, jun . a n a t i ve of the town , w as a candidate for thesc holarship, b e ing qua l ifiedin e ve ry re qu isite particu lar. It hadhappe ned, tha t

on a form e r vacan cy, his b rother, M r; Dav idDaven port, had b e e n e l e cted to

the scho larsh ip, andw as,

at th is t im e at St . John ’

s col lege . Wh e the r it arosefrom som e of the m e m b ers of the corporation thinking i t n ot right, th a t on efam i ly shou ldengross both the scho l a rsh ips and had, therefore , opposed the

e le ction of the younger b rothe r, or from som e o the r c ause , is un certa in ; b ut

som e disagre em ents e xisting b e twe e n them andM r. D . D av en port, the latte r,under the pre va i l ing ide a

.

that his brothe r a lon e w as e l igib le , pre va i led with

h im n ot to atte nd at the h a l l on the day of e l e ction , i t b e ing,in his op in ion ,

suffi cie n t, tha t he hadde claredh im se lf a c and idate . The se sugge stions of his

e lder b roth e r, the young m an c om pl iedwith, and on his n ot at tending a t the

tim e , whe n the c orporate body w as assem b led, for the purpose of the e le c tion,the town serge an t w as sent to m ake proc lam a tion o n the top of the ha l l sta irs,for the candida t e s to app e ar, and n one o the r answe ring to th e p roc lam a t ion ,

M r. Pope w as e le cted, as a m a t ter of n e c e ssity , not of choi ce . The D ave n

ports, afte rw ards, m ade som e ende avors to set the e le ction aside , bu t wi thout

effe c t . M r. Pop e , howe ver, w as, w e are assured, a lways considered by the

co l legians from Re ading school, as an in trude r.

Wha t steps th e se ge n tlem en took to se t aside the e le ction , w e have not

he ard ; i t is prob ab le , howe ve r, that they applied to the v isitors for redress,

b ut these ge n tle m en are on ly j udges of the fi tn e ss for the scholarsh ips, of the

boys pre se n ted to them , by the corporation ,and not of the l ega l i ty of the

cho ice ; to de te rm in e th is po in t, they ought to have appl ied to the lega l

trib una ls of the co u ntry, which alon e are com pe ten t to de c ide the Quest ion .

Howe ve r, as th is case has b e en c itedas a pre c ede nt for the e le c t ion ofstrange rs,i t b e com es th e c orpora te b ody to b e c au t ious, n ever, in fu tu re , to e le c t any to

these scho larships, tha t are no t inhab i ta nts of the b orough. V ie ha ve t hus

e nde avo red to pl ace this qu est ion ab l e o pin ion in its true ligh t , w i thou t the

sm a l lest w ish to give offe n ce to a ny one : the love of tru th,and the du ty w e

ow e to the inhab i tan ts of the town of Re ading, whose c ause w e ha ve adop t ed,

w ould not pe rm i t us to say le ss, to have sa idm ore m igh t appe ar invidious.

c c

SCHOOLS.

A s to the other question, w he ther the b urgesses had a right to vote, it

m ay be ob served, that though it had b e en n egatived by the alderm en at th is

e le ction ,they we re only a part of the corporation , andhad n o right to de c ide ,

in a case , where in them se lves we re in terested, espe c ia lly as that de cision w as

con trary, b oth to the sta tu te itse lf, andto form er custom .

The on ly diffi culty that hadarisen on this qu estion , w as on the tru e con

struction of the word sen iores, used in the statute , which can on ly b e disco

vered by a re trospe ct to the t im e whe n i t w as writ t en .

Of the four place s m ention ed to partake of these scholarships, ( for Tun

b ridge 1 8 out of the question ) thre e are c ities, gove rned by m ayors anda lder~

m en ; therefore , sir Thom as cou l d n ot, without m aking a separa t e c lause for

Re ading, have b e tte r expre ssed the govern ing part of e ach, than by the words,

prae tores e t sem’

ores, though Reading had n o a lderm e n ,

’t i ll m any ye ars

afte rwards. A t the t im e this statute w as m ade , th is corporat ion consisted on ly

of the m ayor andburge sses ; if, the refore , the burge sses hada right to vote at

the e l e ction of a scho lar, on its first institution, they b e ing the n the sen iores of

the b orough , their subse quen t di vision in to prim ary andse condary b urgesses,andafter tha t , in to a lde rm en and a ssistan t b urge sses, cou ld n ot de pri ve the

latte r of the right of voting, which they b efore possessed, so that n otw ithstanding such great stress is la id ou the word sen iores, i t is e vident the founde rm e ant by that ge ne ra l term , to inc lude all the m em b ers of the corporation , ofw hom the burge sses are an e ssentia l part, as without the ir consent, no act of

the corporation can b e va l id .

*

That the alderm en were n ot j ustified in th e ir de cision by custom , m any

case s m ight b e adduced from the Diaries ; but I sha ll c onte nt m yse lf with thetw o fol lowing, as com ing m ost, pe rhaps, to the po in t at issue :

Le tte rs from St . John ’

s co l lege b e inge reade , Jany. I I, 163 1 , for the

e le ctinge a schollarfrom the fre e schoole : this w as the m ann er of proce edinge

in the e le c t ion , viz : M r. doctor Bird b e inge schoolm aster, w as ca l le d in, and

acqu a inte d wi th the le tters from the co l lege , and requ ired to n am e three of

the m ost fit scho l lars, w h ereof one of them m ay be chosen, and sen t with a

c e rt ifi cate to the co l lege ; andhe n am ed thre e , and affirm e d tha t everie on e ofthem w asfittc . There we re presen t, at th ism e e ting, n ine capita l , andsixteen

seconda ry burgesses ; and the m ayor and burgesses e le cted M r. Creed, theson of John Cre ed, aged si

’

xte e n ye arS .

”

l

A ccordingto the charter ofCharles I . the duties ofan assistan t burgess is to be counse l lingandhe lping the m ayor and alderm en , in all causes, things, andbusiness, touching, or any w ay concern

ingthe saidborough.

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SCHOOLS ,

and fe l lows, in re turned one of the'

two scho lars that had b ee just

e le cted, as unqualified; not b e cau se he w as un fi t to learn logic, as m ight ha ve

b e en supposed, but be cause he hadb e en for som e t im e employedin trade,ale

and

the refore they desired anothe r m ight be se n t . ” Th is is the on ly in stance Iha ve m e t with, of such a charge b e ing a l lege d as a disqua l ifi cat ion, and i t is

m uch to b e regre tte d , that the then exist ing corporation subm itted to i t, not

m ere ly as be ing contrary to the in tent of the don or, b ut b e cause such se n t i

m ents tend to dim in ish the m e rit of industry. wi thout which c i vil ize d soc ie ty

cou ldn ot sub sist, n or the clergy the m se l ve s b e m a inta in ed , for howe ve r usefu l

andne cessary the ir labors m ay b e , i n che cking the l i cen t iousn e ss of the pe ople ,they them se lves addnothing to the genera l stock of industry ,

M A STERS OF THE SCHOOL.

John Long, w as e le cte d in 1503, andw as succe eded in 1530, byLe on ard C ox, A . M . This gen tlem an wro t e a tre at ise on Rhe tori c

, de

dicatedto the last abbot of Re ading. He w as e ste em ed an e loque n t write r,in the tim e s in wh i ch he l ived . Am ong Le land

’

s Encom ia I llustrium Vin »

rum , is the fol lowing to Leonard C ox

I n cly ta S arm a ticce Cra covz‘

a gloria gentz‘

s,

Virtutea n ovit, C ome diserte, tuas.

N ovit ci eloquii phoen ix u triusque M elaucthou,

Quam te P hoebus am et, P ieriusque chorus.

P raga tuas cccz’

n it, cecin itque Lu tz‘

tia laudes,

Urbs erga doctos ofiiciosa viros.

Ta lia quum consten t, genetrix tua propria debet

A nglia te stm ili conce lebrare m odo .

E t fa ciei, n am m e cant an tem n aper adorta ,

Hoe ipsum jussit sz‘

gn zficare am.

In 1541 , Henry VII I . granted him h is office , by patent, with a salary of

te n pounds per ann um , charge d on the re ctory of Cholsey, which hadb e en an

appendage to the abb ey. He w as succe eded by

Leonard Bilson , in 1546, styled, by Wood, in his Fasti, the learned

The boy, w ho w as sen t by the e le ctors to S t . John ’s, at this tim e , w as a n ative o

'

f the tow n , and’

the son of a tailor, andthe reason given , by the he ads of the co llege , for his reje c tioh, w as,his having

bee n know n to have oc casionally assistedhis fathe r on the shop - board. Thus, from the n arrow pre .

judices of the tim es, this poor boy w as pun ishedfor doing that, for which he deserved to have beenrewarded.

3 C orporation D iary.

SCHOOLS. 197

schoolm aster of Reading. He w as unc le to doctor Thom as Bils’

on , bishop of

Win chester. He posse ssed severa l dign itaries in the church, one ofwhich w asa prebendship ofWincheste r. To him succ eede d

Ju l ius Pa lm e r,in 1554 . Th is gen tlem an w as the son . of a re spe ctable

tradesm an at Cove ntry, andre ce i ve d the fi rst part ofhis educa tion at the fre e

school in that c ity, from whe n c e he w as se n t to Oxford, andob ta ined a fellow ~

sh i p in Magda le n co l lege . Educa ted in the te ne ts of the church of Rom e,

ofwh ich he w as a zea lous m em b e r, he refusedto conform to the n ew doc trin es,in the re ign of Edward VI, and was e xpe l led the col lege , andfor som e tim ekept a schoo l in that c ity .

On the accession of quee n Mary, he got him se lf re insta ted in his fel low °

,

ship, which he he ld b ut a short tim e for hav ing,during his expu lsion , asso

c ia tedwith m any of the reform e rs, he b egan to doub t of the orthodoxy of thetene ts he hadhitherto m a in ta ine d with so m uch zea l, and ha ving witnessedw ith what p ie ty and resigna tion m any of the m artyrs suffe red for the ir fa i th,he b e cam e a since re con vert to the n ew princ iple s, andw as aga in e xpe l led .

On lea ving the co l lege , his frie nds procured him the m ast e rsh ip of this

gram m ar schoo l, b ut th is he w as soon afte rwards ob liged to resign, on accoun t

of his opin ions. From Reading, he wen t to E ve rsham in ' Worcestershire ,whe re his m othe r l i ve d, in orde r to ob ta in from her a legacy, b e que a thed to

him by his fathe r, which she refusing to gi ve him up, andupbra iding him with

his change of re l igion , he re turn e d pri va te ly to Oxford, depending on the con

fiden ce of a few frie nds, whe re , through the inte rest of one Allen Cope , a

fe l low of the co l lege , he obta ine d a recom m endation to a schoo l in G louceste rsh ire, b ut he hadnot proce eded far on his journey, b efore he a ltered his reso

lution , andde term inedto go to Re ading, to try if he cou ld ob ta in his salary

tha t w as due , anda t the sam e tim e dispose of the goods he hadleft there .

Im m edia te ly on M r. Pa lm e r’

s arriva l at Reading, he w astake n into custody,

andcarried to prison , where he rem a ine d ten days in the custody of an unm e r

c iful ke epe r ; a t the e xpirat ion ofwh ich tim e , he w as brought b efore the

m ayor of Re ad ing, a nd charged wi th the fo l lowing c rim e s

l st. That he sa id the que en ’

s sword w as n ot put in to her hand to e xe cute

tyran ny, andto kil l andm urde r the tru e servants of G od.

2nd. Tha t the sword w as too‘ blunt towards the papists, but too sharp

towards the tru e Christians.

3rd. Tha t ce rta in servan ts of sir Fran c isKnowles, andothe rs, re sorting to

h is le c ture s, fe l l out am ong them , andhada lm ost com m i ttedm urde r, therefore

he was a sowerof sedition, anda procurer of un lawfu l assem b l ies.

SCHOOLS.

4th .That his lan dlady" hadwritten a l etter to him , w h ic h they had ia

tercepted,whe re in she requ ested him to re turn to Reading, andsen t her com

m endations by the token , that the kn ife lay h id unde r the be am , whereby they

inferred, that she hadconspired with him against her husb and .

5th .Tha t they on ce foun d him alon e with his sa id landlady, by the fire

s ide , the door b e ing shu t, thereby suspe cting him of in contin en cy with her.

Thre e m en who we re suborned for the purpose , swore these th ings against'

h im b efore the m ayor, w ho the reupon sen t him to the to b e an open

sp ec tac le o fc ontem pt to the p eople anda report w asspread, tha t he w as thus

pun ishe d for th e m ost e norm ous crim es and m isdem eanors, which had been

fully prove d aga inst him .

After he hadb een thusn ujnai ly e xposed to pub l i c sham e, the m ayor sen t

for him to answer for him se lf, con cern ing wha t w as la id to his charge . He

Tu”y o verthrew all the eviden ce , by proving the le tter, sa i d to have b een written

t o him b y his landlady, to b e of the ir ow n forging, and in the m ost inconte srt ib le m anner a c quitted him se lf of all the othe r charges b rought aga inst him .

The m ayor w as confounde d to think he shou l d have given such credi t to his

perse cutors, andthough he did n ot chuse to discharge him im m ediate ly, yet hethought of doing i t as soon as a con ven ien t Opportun i ty shou ld offer.

When M r. Palm er w as in prison , he w as v isited by o ne John Galant,who sa id to him , Oh Palm er ! thou hast dece i ved m any m en

’

s e xpe ctations,

From the m ention here m ade ofhis landlady , it is eviden t M r. Palm er, inst eadof possessing a

house for the reception ofboarders, w ashim se lf on ly a lodger ; andas n o no tice is taken of any sum s

b eingdue to him ,from his scho lars

, w hich m ust have b ee n '

the c ase, if any thinghad at that tim e bee npayab le for the ir education , (the on ly m otiv e give n forh is re turn , be ing to re cover his salary, anddispose ofhisgoods,) it m ay reasonab ly be inferred, that the education affordedby the schoo l , w asen tire lyfree , asitsn am e im ports, andhow ever sm al l the salary (m l. per ann um ) m ay n ow appear, ye t, con

sidering the very low price of e very artic le of necessity, at this period, w e m ay not unreasonab ly suppose it to have bee n e qual to .50!. or601. of our presen t m on ey, w hich , though n ot a very p len tifu lincom e, m ight,e ven n ow

,be acceptab le to m an y a poor curate . The tru th is, the n ature of this

foundation , has,for a longperiod, bee n m isunderstood. The origin al in ten tion w as ce rtain ly charityas a charitab le institu tion , it was foundedby the abbot, at the request of Henry V II . the funds for its

support w e re paidfrom lands be longingto a c harity, andas su ch it seem s to have be en consideredfor

m ore than a cen tury, ’till the in troduc tion of the system of boarding boys in the m aster’

s house sin ce

w hich,the origin al institution has bee n gradual ly obscured, by the splendor of large estab lishm en ts ; it

h as n o longer b een consideredas it rea l ly is, a charity schoo l for the be nefit of the tow n , but as a sem i

n ary for the education ofgen t lem en ’5 sons, w hose paren ts beingbe tter ab le to rew ardthe literary abilities

of the m asters, the ir re ce ption has bee n encouraged, to the alm ost total exc lusion of those , for w hom

i t w asdesign ed.

'l' The cage then stoodover the e n trance in to the c hurch yard, be longing to S t. Law ren ce’s pa

rish, andn ow form s part of M r. john B landy’shouse : it was ren ted of the parish, by the corpora

t ion, at the yearly ren t of tw e lve -pence .

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C R AP .

SCHOOLS .

a sked ifhe w as the author'

of th em , rep lied in the affirm ative , declaring, a t the

sam e tim e ,that they con ta ined noth ing b ut what w as founde d on the word of

G od.

Jeffrey th en reviled him ,de claring that such opin ion s were dictate d by no

good spirit, a ndtha t he w as ve ry wicked in slande ring the dead ; and ra il ing

a t a ca thol ic a ndlearn ed m an l i v ing.

M r.Pa lm er repl ied, if i t b e a slander, he slandered him se lf, for I do

b ut report his ow n writings, andexpose absurditie s th e re in con ta ine d ; and I

e ste em i t no t ra i l ing,to in ve igh aga inst Annas andCa ia phas, b e ingde ad .

The doctor, in censed at this reply, assu re d him that he wou ld take such

m e asures, as shou ld com pe l him to re can t his dam n ab le errors andheresies ;

b ut Pa lm er told him ,that a lthough of h im se lf h e cou lddo n oth ing, ye t, if he

andall his en em ies, b o th b odily andghostly, shou l d e xert the ir efforts, they

wouldn ot b e ab le to cfi’

e ct what th eyde sired, ne i the r cou ldthey preva i l aga inst

th e m ighty powe rs of divin e grace , by wh ich he understood the truth, andw as

determ ined to speak i t b o ldly .

After som e furthe r discourse, the m inister of Engle fie ld po inted to the

p ix, over the al ta r, saying to Pa lm er, What se est thou the re ? ” to which he

repl ied, A can opy ofsi lk, em b ro ide red wi th go l d . B ut what is wi thin ? ”

dem anded the priest, A pie ce of b read in a c loth , repl ie d he .

The priest the n upb ra ided him as a vi le here tic , anda ske d him if he did

not b e l ie ve tha t those w ho re ce ive the sacram e n t of the a l tar, do truly e at

Christ’s n atura l body ? He answe red, If the sacram e n t of the Lord’

s sup

per b e adm in iste red as Christ didorda in it, the fa ithfu l re ce ivers do, inde ed,spiritua lly andtru ly e at anddrink in i t Christ ’sb ody andb lood .

On b e ing asked ifhe m ean t , with the holy m o ther church , re a l ly, carna lly,andsub stan tia lly ? He declared, He cou ld not be l ieve so absurd andm on

strous'

a doctrine .

After this, the ce urt adjourned, when on e of the justices took Pa lm er

aside , a ndin the presen ce of se ve ra l p ersons, exhorted h im to re voke his opi

n ions, andth ereb y preserve his l ife , prom ising at the sam e t im e , if he wou ldconform to the church , to

' take him in to his fam i ly, as his chapla in,a ndgive

h im a handsom e sa lary ; or, if he chose n ot to re sum e the cle rica l fun ction,to get him an advan tage ous farm .

M r. Palm er thanked h im for h is kind offer, b ut assu redhim that he hada lready re nounced his l iving, in two place s, for th e sake of Christ , and his

gospe l, andw as re ady to yie ldup his l ife in defenc e of the sam e , if G od, in his

provide n ce , shou ldthink fit to ca l l him to it .When the j ustice foun d he could by no m eans m ake him recant, he sa id,

SCHOOLS

We ll, Pa lm er, I perce ive that one of us tw o m ust b e dam ned, for w e are oftw o fa iths, andthe re is b ut one fa ith that le ads to life and salvation .

Pa lm er ob servedon the occasion , that it w as possib le they m ight b oth b esaved, for that as i t had pleased a m ercifu l G od, to ca l l him -

a t the th ird hourof the day, that is, in the prim e ofl ife , at the age oftwenty-four, so he trusted,that in his in fin ite goodness, he wou ld grac iously ca l l him at the e leven th hourof his oldage , andgive him an e tern a l inhe ritan ce am ong the sa in ts in l ight .

After m u ch c onversation hadpassed, andm any efforts triedin va in, Pa lm erw as rem andedb ack to prison .

The n e xt m orn ing, the com m ission ers required him to subscrib e to ce rta inarticles, whi ch they hadgatheredfrom his answe rs, with the addition of thoseodious epi the ts andte rm s, horrid, he re tica l, dam nab le , and e xe crab le doctrine swhich, when he hadre ad, he refused to sub scribe , affirm ing, tha t the doctrineswh ich he he ldandprofessed, were n ot such, but agre e ab le to, andfounde d on,the wordof G od.

Je tl'

rey b e ing now gre atly in censed, Pa lm e r consen ted to subscrib e , providedthey wou l d strike out those ep ithe ts ; upon which, they gave him a pen,

andb ade him do as he ple ased ; when he had m ade such a l terations as he

though t proper, he then subscrib ed .Having thus se t his hand to the articles, which they had drawn up, they

asked him if he wou l d re can t, b ut he perem ptori ly refusing, they pronoun ced

se nten ce aga in st him , andhe w asde l ivere d over to the se cular power, and af~

terw ards burnt in the sand- pits at Newb ury .

‘

He w as succe eded by Thom as Thackham , in 1556, by m e an s not veryhon orab le to his character, andhavinghe l d the m astership se vera l ye ars, he w as

succe eded byJohn Sm yth, 1569, who, according to Wood, w as a lso vicar of St . Law

ren e e’

s, in th is town, anddied in 1596, but hadresign ed the m astership in his

l ife tim e , andw as succe ededbyHam pton, w ho he ld the school five years, andwasfollowe d

R ev.Thom as Braddock , B . A . in 1588.

Rev. Thom as Charl e ton , A . M 3] 1 596.

Andrew Bird, D'

. D. 1610 .

See Row e Mores C o llec tions.'1' A s n o regu lar register has been ke pt of the m aste rs of the school, it isdiffi cu lt to assign the

exac t tim e of the ir adm ission . M r. C oates says, C arle ton succeeded Braddock in 1 589 , but I find

Braddock w as the m aster in 1 594.

Fox’s Book ofMartyrs.do

SCHOOLS .

Will iam Page , A . M . 1629 . He w as e le c ted a t the particu lar re quest ofCharles I . in consequen ce of a l e t te r, wri t ten in the l ife t im e of doc tor Bird,by M r. secre tary “ ’indeb ank, to whom the corpora t ion vo ted a presen t of

two goodsugar loaves, of thirty or forty shi l l ings va lue bu t w h e the r for

this,~or o the r services, does n ot app e ar. In 1642, hIr. Page w as sequ estered,

by the com m issioners for B e rkshire , a ndthe schoo l - room c on ve rt ed, by the ir

order, in to a m aga zin e for the soldie rs, the n in garrison he re . Afte r th is,M r. S . Pocock got posse ssion of the schoo l, b u t doe s n ot appe ar to have

be en co nside redby the c orporation , w ho a lone hadthe n om ina tion of the m as

tership, in any othe r l igh t, than a s a n in t ruder. Accordingly , m any at t em p tsw e re m ade to rem ove him , andam ong o thers, i t w as a ll eged aga in st him , tha the w as in capab le of instru c t ing the scholars ; and the thre e v icars w e re de

sired to m e e t in the cou n ci l cham b er, to e xam in e him in this part icu lar, b utthe gen t lem en n o t a t te nding a t the appo inted t im e , no th ing w as don e , andhe

he ld the m astersh ip ’ t i ll 161 9, b ut w as n ot a l lowedto re ce ive the tw en ty pounds

per annum , given by archbishop Laud, as appears from the fo l lowinge ntry inthe diary

Upon e nqu iry m ade concern inge the ab illitie a nd di l ige n ce of the

schoole - m aste r, in the fre e - school e in Re ading,i t w as reso lved a s fol lowe th

Upon severa l c om pla in ts aga inst M r. Pocock, the schoo le -m aster of Re ading,

andexam ination of the proficiencies of his scholle rs, in his pre sen ce , ( he himse lf refusing to b e e xam ined, andde cl in ing a ll o the r inge nious w a les of trya l l,by the visi tors, ) w e do con ce ive the sa idM r. Poco ck to b e a l toge ther unab le to

govern the schoo l aforesa id; and, therefore , w e do n ot approve of the sa i dM r. Pocock, a s having a ny right, for the t im e to com e , to re ce i ve the twe n typounds per annum , payab le to the schoole - m aste r of Readinge , by the wil l andgraun te of the late archb ishop of Can t erb ury .

”

I t w as l ikewise thought fitt, that, for the tim e to com e , the m asters ofthe fre e - schoole , in R eadinge , b e e xam in edas fo l lowe th

Artic les of en qu irie , for the v isi ta t ion of the schoo le of R e adinge

l st. What au thors are your scholle rs ab l e to give an accoun t of in theirse ve ra l form s

2nd. How m any schollershave you in the schoole ripe for the un iversity P3rd. t at m e thod doe you use in teaching ?4th . Wha t exerc isesdoe your scho llers da ilie or w e eklie perform5th . D oe you tra in up your schollers in the know ledge ofre l igion and

what course doe you take for tha t purpose ?

Prese n ts of this kindw ere , at this period, com m on ly m ade by the corporation, to the m em bersofparl iam en t for the borough, andto the judges, at the assizes.

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SCHOOLS .

The school w asfounded by M r. Richard A ldworthfi" in 1656, who, by hiswill

, datedin 1646, b e que athedthe sum offour thousand pounds to the cor

poration , in trust, for the pu rpose of m a inta in ing a schoo lm aster, le cture r, and

twen ty b oys. Wi th a part of this sum , they im m ediate ly purchased the le ase

of a house , ca l ledthe Ta lbot, wh e re the schoo l w as first estab l ished, b ut thehouse b e ing o ut of repa ir, they soon afterwards

'

ob ta ined a n ew le ase of M r.

B lagrave , for the term of five hundredye ars, a t the yearly rent ofe ight pounds,a nda fine of e ight p ounds, at the endof e very ten ye ars. In consequen ce of

this e xte nsionof the le ase , the corporation took down the origin a l b uilding,

and'

ere e tedthe pre sen t school - house , on the sam e site , for the sum of thre ehundredpounds, e xclusive of the oldm ateria ls.

The house con sists of a cen tre , and tw o wings e xtending to the stre et ,and e n closed in fron t with a brick wa ll, form ing in the c entre a square plot

for a play ground. At e ach extrem ity ofthe wings, is a c arved figure ofa b oy,wi th a b ib le in his right hand, and poin ting upwards with the fore finge r of

h is left, in appropriate hab i l im en ts, on e b e ingdressed in b lu e , the other in gre en ,

wi th the fo l lowing inscriptions on tw o table ts, placed against the wa l l, on eachside the figures

The blue- coa t boy.

Clad in th is h ieroglyph ic ve i l,Tw o m ystick em b le m s I re ve a l ;The sacred vo lum e in m y hand,Dire cts you to the prom ised land ,

My a zure m antle of the sky,

To heav’

n above dire cts your eye ;

Wh i le to it ’

s sea t I gu ide your look,Your gu ide to find i t is this b ook .

The green - coa t boy .

The Gre at Cre ator at it’

s b irth,D id in m y garm e nt c loath the e arth,‘Vli ose em b lem se ts b efore your eye s,

The scene of the first paradise .

A n ancestor of the prese n t right hon orab le lord B raybrook. The re is a fulLlength picture ofhim in the coun c il cham be r, holding

'

a book in his right hand; on on e side,isrepre se n teda g

lobe , w itha fem ale figure standingon it ove r her he ad, on a scro ll, veritas om nia valet. On the other side, is a

de ath’

s head,andunder it

, m ars m i/u'

salus.

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SCHOOLS .

On the reverse

Qu an tum , V ir optim us, v ivus, vidensque

Quis dixerit .

( Ve l sin istra ejus n e sc ien t e qu i d de xtra fe cerat )Morie ns ce rte plusdecem librarum m illibus,

I n D e i cultum , e t paupe rum le vam en,

Sparsit, dicam , an prodegit.

Quae si tac uerin t hom in es,V e l hi lapide s loqu entur,De us certo ce rtius.

zQuem de substant ia sua , tam im pe nse honoravit

Suum , in die de cre torio n on negab it,

Euge serve b on e e t fide lis.

A b i, Le ctor e t fac sim i l iter.

On the right-hand urn

Qu in iterum cedo o culum , Le ctorU t e t legas denuo, e t lachrym e ris,

N am duplic i urnae , haud sufii cit sim p le x do lor.Thom as Rich Arm iger, Thom as Baron e tti filius

Prim oge nitus e t un ice dile ctusSuavissim us e t m agna spe i juve n is.Am or e t de l icia: paren tum ,

In e adem hac Crypta sepultus est.

C u i ipse pa ter u ltra quadrien ium

E t dolori e t de siderio ejus supe rstes non fuitHu ie en im im m ortuus e st.

Obijt quindecenn is Feb r. xxvr.

A . D . MDCLX I I I .

“On the reverse

A'

nti qua El izabe tha C okayn orum fam i l ia ori undaMaesta, in hoe fun ere , m ater,Conjux, in i l lo, m ae sta,Hoe

, am oris sui parite r,‘

E t doloris, m onum entum ,

Suis sum ptibus erigi curavit ;Et tam charis cineribus, spondet, suos

SCHOOLS .

C um Deus voluerit, soc iandos.

V os in te rim qu i legitis,

Estote e t iam para t i,Qu ia , qua n on pu tatis hora.

I h 1696, M r. John Ha l l ga ve lands, to the va lue of tw enty - five poundsfifte en sh il l ings pe r annum , ve sted in the corpora t ion , for the sup

port of a

school, to b e estab l ishedadj o in ing his a lm s- house s, in Cha in la n e , for the m a inte nance a ndeduca t ion of three po or b oys one to b e chose n out ofe ach pa 1 ish,

but the fundhaving,

'

of la te ye ars, b e e n fou ndin suffic ien t for the ir m a in t ena n c e ,the schoo l - house has be en le t for a d ispensary, andthe b oys transferred to the

b lue - coat schoo l .In 1720 , Nb . John West , am ong o the r chari t ab le gifts, ga ve to the town the

sum of on e thousandpounds, produ c ing a nnua l ly, the sum offorty - n in e po undssixte en sh il l ings, for the m a in te n an ce a nd educa t ion of tw o poor boys out -

of

e ach pa rish, andfor plac ing the sa idboys ou t appren t ice s ; he a lso gave fe e farmrents, to the annua l va lu e of six poundsfive sh i ll ings andthre e - pence , for thesam e purpose , v ested 1n the corpora t ion .

In the sam e ye ar, M r. William Ma l thus, gave by wil l, a re n t charge of

n in e ty- on e pounds pe r ann um, for the educ a t ion a ndm a in te n ance ofe leven boys,

take n by equ a l p'

rOpo'rtz

‘

ons out ofe a ch parish .

* These were original ly dressedin gre en , b u t now all the dresse s are a l ike .

’

Likewise , in the sam e year, B'Ir. John Po ttenger, gave fifte e n pounds pe r

ann um ,towards the m a inte n an ce andeduca t ion of tw o b oys, to b e chose n a l

ternate ly, ou t of e ach parish ; payab le out of an e state at Bl ossom ’

s- endin the

p arish ofTilehurst.A nd in 1 786, M r. John Leggatt , as a m ark of his gratitude for the m a in

tenance andeduca t ion h e hadre c e ivedin the schoo l , left the sum offifty po unds,towards its support, without en ta iling i t w i th a ny furthe r b urthe nsFrom the ab ove l ist of b e n efac t ions to this schoo l , i t appe ars to b e e ndowed

with n o m ore than the annua l sum of 3841. ( a l lowing tw o hundredpounds

to b e the a n nu a l inc om e of the lands pu rchased wi th the four thousandpounds b e que athedby M r. Aldworth, ) for the m a in te nan ce offorty- e ight b oys,indepe nde n t of the m aster’

s salary, re n t of the ho use , repa irs. &c . re du c i ngthe ave rage for e ach b oy, u nde r e ight pounds pe r a nnum . This sum b e ing in

ade qu ate for the purpose , u nde r the pre sen t advancedpric e s of a ll the ne ces

sary art ic les. of l ife , the corporation have a t t im es b e en u nde r the n e ce ssi ty of

reduc ing the num b er of the b oys, b u t, in ge ne ra l, the schoo l is n e arly fu ll ,

Pe rhaps the n um ber of boys is n o t qu ite corre c t , it be ing im possib le to div ide eleven e qual ly inthree parts, w ithou t a frac tion , w hich the su bie c t he re w il l n o t e as1 ly adm it of.

SCHOOLS .

C fl -‘P ow ing to the e conom ica l m anner in which the funds are appl ied, and the in

defa t igab le e xe rt ion s of one of the m e m b e rs of the corpora t ion, under whose

m anagem e n t the affa irs of the schoo l are m ore im m ediate ly placed.

'

A s a.

proof of the de sire of the corporation to rende r thisusefu l chari ty as b en e fi c ia l

to the poorer inhab i tan ts, as w as intended b y the founde rs, they h ave , wi thin

these few ye ars, e xpe nded m ore than thre e thousand pounds, b eside s wha t the

funds for the ir m a in te nan ce have afforded, in ke eping up, as ne ar as possib l e ,the origi na l n um b e r ofb oys. B ut this cou ld n ot b e effe cte d wi thout intrench

ing 0 11 som e o ther chari t ies less b en e fic ia l .

THE GREEN SCHOOL.

Th is schoo l l ikewise take s its n am e from the dre ss ofthe ch il dren educated

in it, w ho are fe m a le s, daughte rs ofde cayedtradesm e n , re side n ts in the town,or orphans, w ho have b e en left u npro v idedfor by the ir pare n ts.

In the ye ar 1779 , the re vere nd Charles S turges, v ic ar of St. Mary ’

s, the

re ve renddoctor Nicho l ls, vicar of S t . Law ren c e’

s,

a nd the honorab le andre

verendW. B . Cadogan , vicar of St . G ile s’

s, c on side ring the advan tage s of a

re ligious andm ora l e ducat ion , to b e e qua l ly, if n ot m ore n e ce ssary for the fem a le sex, for whom no estab l ishm en t had hithe rto b e en form ed in this town ,

than for the b oys, whose educa t ion had long b efore b e en prov ide d for, se t on

foot a plan for the m ain tenance andeducation ofan inde fin ite num b e r ofgirls,to b e supported by volun ta ry contribu t ions the girls to b e chosen e qua l ly, outof each parish, a nd the ir n um b e r to b e incre ased, as ofte n as the funds ap

propria tedfor the purpose wou ldadm it .

This schem e w as so favorab ly re ce i ve d by the pub l i c, tha t they had i t inthe ir pow er to open the schoo l in the sam e ye ar, in a house in the Butts, for them a inten an ce of six ch ildren , from the first subscrip t ions andthese incre asingannua l ly, have since e nab led the trustee s to addconside rab ly to the num b er of

ch i ldren , andto provide a very com m odious house in Broad- stree t, for theirre cep t ion

This institution prom isesto b e of in fin ite advan tage to the objects of the

charity, as, in addi t ion to the ir re ce iving a judic ious education ,they are sim ply

provided, while in the house , wi th dress, ande very other necessary, andat the irleav ing it, they are appren t i ced to som e of the m ost re spe c tab l e fam i l ie s in thetow n ; tha t as the ir infan t days we re re l ie ved from penury and ignorance , so

the ir riper ye ars m ay b e passed in the duties m ore im m ediate ly n e cessary torender them usefu l m em b ers of soc ie ty.

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SCHOOLS.

For the l ast ha lf- year of th e ir cont inuan ce in the school, they are taught,

by-

a proper m aster, to wri te , andcast a ccounts. When they are in the ir fifteen th

ye ar, they are regu larly exam in e d b efore the com m itte e , with respect to the ir

profi cie ncy, andin or a t the e xpiration of tha t ye ar, they are , with the appro

b ation of the com m i tte e , b oun d a ppren tice s to creditab le and respectab le“

house - ke e pers, in or out of the b orough of Re ading, as dom est ic servan ts, or

to learn a trade , for the space of four or five years, u pon . con dition that five

p ounds sha l l b e pa id , or a l lowe d by the charity, for the ir b e ing c lothed, accord

ing to the fol lowing art icles one b onn e t, thre e n ight- caps, thre e day- caps, one

c oloure d handke rchief, one wh ite handkerch ief, tw o gowns, one qu i lted petticoat, one ba ize pe tticoat , three sh ifts, on e pa ir of stays, tw o pa ir of stockings,

one pa ir of pattens, one pa ir of shoe s, tw o co lored aprons, two white aprons,one pa ir of pocke ts, one pa ir of gloves, on e c loak, bu ckl es, andothe r oddar

t icle s. —A ndupon condition that the m aste rs and m istre sses sha l l b e b ound

to findthem in e ve ry thing afte rw a rds, for the te rm of the ir appren ticeship,andat the expiration of that term , to clothe them as we l l as they were cloth ed

at the b eginn ing of the ir apprentice ships, or to pay the sum of five pounds in

trust, to the gove rnors andtruste e s, to b e la i d o ut for the use of the girls.

The girls, upon leav ing the school , are furn ished with a Bib le , and a

Com m on Praye r- b ook, the Whole Duty ofM an, andCrossm an’

s In troduction ‘

to the Knowledge of the Christ ian Re l igion . To en courage them to behavewe l l, anddo credit to th e institution , after they have left i t, the girls, at the

e xpiration of ha lf th e ir apprentice sh ips, u pon produ cing to the com m itte e a

certifi cate , sign ed by the ir m asters or m istresse s, of the ir good b eha v iour, are

rewarded with ha lf- a -

gu in ea ; andat the expira t ion of the whole of the ir ap

pre n ticesh ips, upon the sam e condi t ions, they rece ive a n other ha lf-gu in e a .

A ndw e h ave the satisfact ion to add, that se vera l girls ha ve produced the t e

qu ire d certificates, andre ce ived the rewards at both periods.

Every St . Thom as’

sday, a serm on ispre ached a lte rna te ly , at e ach church,anda col le ction m ade at

'

the chu rch doors, for the ben efit of this chari ty, theam ount. ofwh ich is c arrie d to the origina l fund .

The founda tion de ed, with a de claration of trust, w as enrol led in hism aje sty ’

s high c o urt of Chan ce ry, on the fifth day ofFe bruaryThe governm en t of this chari ty, is veste d in a com m i t te e , com posed ofthe

m ayor of the town , for the t im e be ing, andthe se n ior a lderm an of the borough,andsix ladies, tw o ou t of e a ch parish, as governors andgovernesses, andthe

thre e v icars, w ho ac t as truste e s.

On e of the gre a test prom oters andb en efactors to th is chari ty, at its foundation , w as the la te M r. a lderm an J . Richards, w ho , in addit ion to a don ation inhis l ife t im e , of five hundred pounds b ank stock, left by his will, out of his

SCHOOLS .

personal estate , the further sum of fifte en hundred pounds, subject to the paym e nt of on e guinea to the preacher, andfive sh illings to the c lerk, on St . Thom as

’

s day.

In 1780, the re veren d Jam es Sm i th, re ctor ofWest Bagborough , gave , by

w i l l, to th is charity, the sum of ten pounds te n shi l l ings.

In 1783, a friend unknown, gave the sum of one hundred pounds, for theprom ot ion of this charity .

The re verend John Sp icer, by his will, dated Ju ly 30 , 1 784, gave to thisinstitution , tw o leasehold tenem ents, situated in Cross-stre e t, the annua l ren twhereofw as twe lve pounds andl ikew ise the reversion oftwo hundred pounds,a t the de m ise of one l ife , since de ceased. The who le veste d in the thre e vicarsbut the form er b e quest has be en since set aside, be ing contrary to the m ortm a ina ct.

A lady unknown, gave two b enefactions, am ounting together to thirtypounds ten sh i l l ings.

M rs. Clem en t in a Frognall, in he r l ife t im e, gave to this charity,the sum

of fifty pounds, at its com m en cem en t, to purchase furn iture for the house , and

a t he r de cease, b e que athed the further sum of one hundre d pounds stock, inthe four per cen t b ank annuitie s.

The honorab le and right re verend doctor Shute Barrington , bishop of

Sa l isbury, gave ten pounds towards its e stab l ishm en t.

In 1 786, John Leggatt, esq . of Ipswich, , gave to i t by will, the sum of

twen ty pounds.In 1788, M rs. Coventry, at her decease, gave to the charity, the sum of

ten pounds ten sh ill ings.

In 1789 , A ub ery Flory, esq . gave , by will, the sum of three hundred

pounds, to in cre ase the fun ds of the schoo l .

In 1 790, a frien d to the charitygave twenty pounds, andM rs. Zin z an , an oth er ben efa ctress, gave five gu ineas for the sam e purpose .

In 1792, the right honorable the earl of Radnor, gave th irty pounds to the

charity.The sam e ye ar, M rs. Rach e l Veasey gave to i t, by will, a re version of

three gu in eas per annum , se cured in the South Sea funds.

Se veral o ther sm a l l gifts ha ve sin ce b e en added to it, and the annua l sub

scriptions am oun t to ab ou t e ighty pounds on an average , b ut these are con

tinually varym g, a-s dea ths, or othe r c ircum stan ce s, take place .

The fol lowing is the am ount of the funded stock, be longing to this foun

dation, as certified under the hands of tw o com m ission ers, acting under the

property tax

SCHOOLS .

500l . three per cen t . reduce d . In the n am es of Henry Deane, JohnRichards, Wil l iam Brom ley Cadogan , andCharles Sturge s.

1001. ditto. In the n am es of Charles S turges, Joseph Eyre , andJohn

( } re en .

1001. four per cen t . In the n am es of Richard Mau l, Charles Sturge s,andothers.

3001. dit to . In the n am es of Charles Sturges, John Gre en , andW il

l iam Brom ley Cadogan .

25001. N ew Sou th Se a an nu i ties. In the nam es of Charles Sturges, Wil

liam Brom l ey Cadogan , John Gre en , andJoseph Eyre .

6001 . O ld Sou th Se a annu i t ie s. In the n am e s of John Nicho ls, Will iamBrom ley Cadogan , John Green ,

andJoseph Eyre .

5001 . OldSouth Se a annu it ies. In the n am es of Charles Sturges, Will iam Ta lbot, John Nicho ls, Will iam Brom ley Cadogan , Joseph

Eyre , and John Gre en .

The presen t num b er of ch i ldren educated in th is schoo l, is twenty—one .

THE FOUNDA TI ON SCHOOL.

This schoo l is situate d adjo in ing the Orac le , in Minster- stre e tJand w as

founded in 1 766, in conse quence of the sum of thre e hundred and fourte enpounds five sh il l ings ande le ven - pen ce , Sou th Se a stock, b e ing purchased witha legacy, left byM r. Joseph Ne a le , for that purpose . The vicar ofS t . Mary ’

s,

andtw o othe rs, are the truste es. In this schoo l, e ight m a le, ande ighteen fem ale children are taught to re ad .

THE SOHO0L OF IND USTEY.

Thisschool , forfem a le chi ldre n , w as instituted under the patronage ofM rs.

Cadogan , and is supported by the vol un tary con tribution of se vera l ladies of

the town . The num b er of ch ildre n e duca tedin the sem in ary, are thirty-four

w ho are taugh t re adingandpla in - w ork, andare l ikewise c lothed. Many ladiesin the tow n andn e ighb orhoode m ploy the ir l e isure hours in m aking a varie tyof art ic le s in fa n cy - work, wh ich are aft e rw ards disposed of at fa irs, for wh ichpurpose , a vac an t shop or sta l l is provided, andsom e of the ladies attend the

sa le ; the m on ey arising from which is appropria ted to the m a in t en an ce of the

school . This is a m ost exce l le n t chari ty, a ndworthy of b e ing im i ta tedb y a ll

w ho have i t in the ir pow e r, by a l i t tle industry, to c on tribu t e towards the futurehappin ess of th is too m u ch negle c tedc lass of indi v idua ls

, w ho , inst e adof passing the ir , you thful days in v ice and id len ess, re ce i ve, under the prote c t ing

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SCHOOLS.

to set on foot a subscription, for the purpose of e stabl ish ing a school on hisch e ap and com prehen sive m ode of e ducation . The ir first e xperim en t Wastriedon one hundred boys, w ho were instructed in a room hired by a com

m itte e for that purpose . This tria l having succe eded b eyond the ir e xpe c~

t a tions, andthe subscriptions encre asing, they de te rm ine d to e nlarge the e sta

b lishm ent , and a ccordingly purchased a p iece ofgroun d in Southam pton

.stre e t, in the n am e of truste es n om inated for the purpose , and e re c ted on i t

a spac ious room , suffic ie n t to con ta in from thre e to four h undred b eys, with

desks, se ats, &c . Th is b u i lding, wi th the purchase of the land, cost the

subscrib ers abou t six hundred pounds. Having procured on e ofM r. Lan

c aste r’

s pu pils for a teacher, the schoo l w as ope n ed in Novem b e r, when tw o

h undred children we re adm itted ; since wh ich, the n um b er has e n cre ase d tothre e hundred and twen ty . The annua l e xpenditure , inc luding the m aster’

s

sa lary, is only one hundred and ten pounds, or abou t six sh i l l ings ye arly fore ach b oy, and the ge n e ra l im provem en t of the chi ldren is a source ofgre at

satisfaction to the com m ittee andthe subscrib ers.

”Tw o v isiters are appo in ted

o ut of the com m itte e , m on th ly, who inspe ct the schoo l, and e nte r the iro bservations in a

'

book ke pt for that purpose , which is la id before the com

m itte e at the ir m e e tings. The pub l ic are a lso inv ite d to v isi t the school ;and the m aster has shewn a laudable desire to give e very inform at ion andsa tisfaction to e n qu iri es, A sm a l l b ox is fixed in the schoo l to re ce i ve theb en efactions o

‘

f v isiters, which is afterwards bestowe d am ong those whose

proficie n cy ent itle s them to rewards.

Soon after the first establ ishm en t of the school , the late E . Sim eon, esq .

'who w as e ver ready to contrib ute towards e very charitab le in stitution that prom isedadvantage to his n ati ve town , gave the sum of five hun dre d pounds three

per ce n t . stock, wh ich rem a ins as a fund toward the annua l expence s ofthe

year, if wan ted ; but, as the subscriptions have hitherto e xceeded the out

go ings, it is hoped the c om mittee wil l soon b e e nabled to in crease the funded

property.To su ch of the b oys wh ose good behav ior and im provem en t have at

t racted the notice of the com m ittee , a b ible isgiven, on the ir leaving schoo l .The com m itte e c onsists of twenty- on e, who are e le cted by the subscribers,

a ndto whom , t oge the r with the tre asurer and se cre tary, the m anagem en t of;the estab l ishm ent is entrusted,

Subscribers of on e gu ine a annua l ly, have the privilege of nom inating twoc hildren , to b e instru cted in the schoo l . Those who sub scrib e ten guineasa t one paym en t have the sam e privi lege , andare governors for l ife .

The fol low ing regulations have be en established for the school

SCHOOLS.

F irst. That a school -m aster b e appointed .

Se cond. That the com m itte e sha l l, at e ach m onthly m e eting, whichshal l b e the last Thursday in the m onth , appoint two inspe ctors or visiters fore ach w eek in the ensu ing m onth, who sha l l a ttend at least tw i ce in the weekat the school - room , for the purpose of ascerta in ing the progress m ade by thech ildren in the ir learning. These visi ters, after having rece ived the m aster’

s

report, sha l l en ter any rem arks they m ay deem proper in a book to b e keptfor

"

that purpose t hese rem arks are to b e signed by them , and are to be la i dm onth ly before the com m itte e .

“ Third . That n o b ook of instruction b e introduced in to the school , b u tthe holy scriptures, ( withou t com m ents) e xtracts therefrom ,

. Watts’

s hym ns

for ch ildren , and lessons in spe l l ing andarithm e ti c .Fou rth . That children of five ye ars old and upwards b e re ce i ve d,

by a writte n re com m endation from a subscrib er, who sha l l sta te the nam e :

age , andresidence of the sam e ; and, as i t is de sirable the sm a l l schools a lre adyin the tow n should b e inj ured as l ittle as possib le , i t is hoped that such chi ldren .

will b e se le cted whose paren ts are u nab le to provide them education .

*

Fifth. That the re com m e ndations for the adm ission of children b e '

sen t to the secre tary or tre asurer.

Sixth . That no chi ld b e adm itte d with any infe ctious disorder and'

the parents are requ ire d to se nd them e ach day washed, com b ed, andde cen tin the ir appearan ce for n egle ct of which ( if persisted in ) . the ch ild to b edism issed .

Se venth . That ifany ch i ld be dism issed for improper behavior, or othercause ( after su itab le adm on ition ) the sub scrib er w ho presen ted him sha l l b eim m ediate ly inform ed there of, that the va can cy m ay b e fi l led up.

Eighth . Tha t the ch i ldren attend school from the first day ofN o

vem b er to the twe n ty-fifth day of March, from n ine to twe l ve o’

c lock in them orn ing, and from tw o t ill four in the afternoon ; and from the twen ty- fifth .

day ofMarch to the first day of Novem b er, from e ight to tw e l ve in the

m orn ing, andfrom tw o to five in the afternoon . That Saturday afte rnoon he

considered a ha lf ho l iday, and tha t the re b e tw o vacations in the ye ar : the

tw o first we eks in August, andtw o we eks a t Christm as.

Nin th . That on the children ’

s go ing from school , b oth m orn ing and

afternoon , the m aste r and m on itors do a ttend them to the corn e r of Crown

l-an e , in Southam pton - stree t, from when ce they are to go q u ietly to the irrespe ctive hom es.

Thisregu lation is, w e fe ar, not sufficien tly atteededto.

SCHOOLS .

Tenth .That the school b e open at all t im es during school - hours to

visiters, introduced by a sub scrib er.

Ele ven th. Tha t the annua l sub script ions b e co l le cte d by the m aster,

who sha l l pay them into the hands of the treasurer, andb e a l lowed si xp ence

in the pound.

Twe lfth .That the obje ct of th is institut ion b e ing sole ly to instru ct

the children in reading, writ ing, a ndari thm e tic, thereb y rende ring them m ore

u sefu l m em b ers of soc ie ty, wi thou t any referen ce whatsoeverto se ct or party

in re l igious opin ions, i t is e xpected the ir p aren ts and friends wil l se e they

a tten d som e place of div ine worsh i p on the Lord ’

s day.

Th irte en th . Tha t the com m i t te e , for any just cau se , m ay rem ove the

school - m aste r,upon giving him tw o m onths’

n otice in wri t ing. And, if the

m aste r shou ld a t any t im e b e desirous of le aving his situa t ion , he sha l l b e at

l ib e rty to do so, upon giving sim i lar n otice to the com m itte e .

Fourte enth .Tha t if any additiona l regu la t ion shou ld b e though t

n ecessary for the b e tter m an agem en t of the schoo l , the sam e sha l l, pre vious

to its b e ing acted upon , b e subm itted to, and approve d by, a m ajori ty of the

sub scrib ers spe c ia l ly conven ed for that purpose .

N.B . Eve ry sub scrib er of ten gu ine as, or of on e gu inea per an num ,

will b e enti t led ( th is ye ar) to send tw o b oys, and so in proport ion . The

com m itte e reque st the subscrib ers to nom inate the ir ch ildren as soon as con

venient.

SCHOOL FOR M4TIOJV'AL E D UCATION .

Som e gen tlem en of the town andn e ighb orhood, andparticu larly the cl ergy

of the estab l ishedchurch, con ce i v ing M r. Lancaste r’

s plan to b e defic ie n t, inasm uch as i t did not in cu l cate on the m inds of the ch i ldren any p e cu l iar sys

tem of re l igion , de term ined to estab l ish a schoo l on doc tor Be l l ’s plan of edu

c ation in which, toge ther with re ading, wri ting, andarithm etic, the childrenshou ldb e taught the church c ate chism , and b e brough t up in the ten e ts of thee stab l ishedchu rch, e xc lusive of all o thers.

For carrying th is p lan in to effe ct, a com m ittee w as appo in ted, w ho soon

after con ve n ed a m e e t ing of the sub scrib e rs, to b e he ldat Re ading, on the

1 8th of Apri l 1812, wh ich w as n um erously a t tended, wh en the fo l lowingparticulars we re resolvedunan im ously

1 . That it is h ighly e xpedien t th at a soc ie ty b e h ere constituted, for thepurpose of prom o t ing the educ a t ion of poor ch i ldre n , in th is part of the dioc ese of Salisbury, by instru cting them in su itab le learn ing, andabove all, in the

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SCHOOLS .

10 .Tha t the com m itte e , as ab ove appo inted , sha ll m e e t for the dispatch

of business, whe n the proposed lay vice - preside n ts sha l l have a cce pted the office .

1 1 . That b ooks he opene d for the re ce ipt of b enefactions, andannual

subscriptions, to b e placed to the accoun t of the tre asurer, at the tw o banks in

Reading.

12 . That the thanks of this m e e tingb e give n to the cha irm an .

( Sign ed ) R . NARES, cha irm an andse cretary .

At the c lose of the m e e ting, the sum of fou r hundred and twen ty-four

pounds we re su bscrib ed for the c urren t e xpe n ce s of the e stab l ishm ent, andone

hundred and thre e pounds n ine shil l ings in an nua l paym en ts for its support .With this sum the c om m i tte e e re c tedtw o spac ious room s wi th in the wal ls

of the gre at ha ll in the abb ey, suffi c ient to con ta in from thre e to four hundredchi ldre n ; at the e ast e nd, a partm en ts are fi tted up for the residence of thein aster and m istre ss ; and, how e ve r m uch an ti quarie s m ay regre t this disfigurem en t of the fine st andm ost p erfe ct re m a ins of this once be a u tifu l abbey,it m ust b e a l lowed it cou ldnot ha ve b e en em ploye d to a b e tter pu rpose . The

plan ofth is schoo l differs from that ofthe Lan castrian , in asm uch as i t providesfo r the educa t ion of fe m a le childre n , w hich the o ther doe s n ot, andis so far

p refe rab le ; in o ther respe c ts, the m ode of instruc t ion is n early sim i lar.

Whe the r D r. Be ll , orNIL Lancaste r, w as the inven tor of this sim ple p lanof edu ca t ion , is of l i t t le c onsequ ence to the pub l ic , b ut for the b e n e fits derivedfro m its adopt i on, they a re e qua l ly indebtedto b o th these gen t lem en , by whoseindustry andpe rse ve ra n ce , schoo ls a re e stab l ishi ng in e ve ry part of the kingdom , which prom ise to confe r the gre atest b le ssing on th is country i t has,pe rhaps, e ve r e xpe rie nc ed, by produc ing a tota l cha nge in the m ann ersandcon

duc t of the risingge n e ra t ion a m ong the poor.

This schoo l w as ope nedon the 6th of S eptem ber, 18l3, when nearly onehundred chi ldren were adm itted .

R epresen ta tion .

CHAPTER x i .

R EADING,says Brown Will is, “ hasa lwayssen t two m em b ers to parl ia

'

m en t, without at any tim e pleading e xception , n otw ithstanding the gre at powerof its ab bots, which sh e l tered all the grea t parl iam entary abb ey towns, b eforethe re ign of Hen ry VII I . But he does n ot inform us in whom the right ofe le ction w as vested; whe ther in the corporation a lone , or, with them , in com

m on with the freem e n or inhab itants.The fo l lowing statem ent, co l le cte d from the arch i ve s of the town, wil l

therefore , w e trust, b e a cce ptab le to our re aders

In the e arly periodof parl iam entary represen ta tion , the right of e le ction

w as, m ost prob ab ly, v est ed in the free m e n of the town , they b e ing m ost in

t erestedin the laws ab ou t to be m ade a ndaccordingly w e findthe ir chiefm a

gistrate w asgene ra l ly re turn ed by them , for on e of the ir represen tative s ; not

a s an honor intended to b e confe rredupon him , b ut as a du ty he w as b ound to

perform for the prese rvation of the ir rights and l ib ertie s, as c itizens.Th is right appe ars to have been e xerc ised by them , as late as the year

1504, at which t im e elce ti fu eran t in ojficium burgensium parliam en ti R i

c ardus Sm ith, et C arolus N icholasper om n es com burgenscs tune thidaw exis

ten tes,” 1 Here w e see the m em b e rs are expre ssly sa id to have b e en chosen by

a ll the coburgesses, ( fre em e n ) at that t im e in the town ; how m uch longer th is

right rem a ined e xclusi ve ly in the c oburgesses is uncerta in , b ut from the return of

the pre cept, the thirty- e ighth of Henry VII I . 1545, i t appe ars tha t all the in

hab itan ts,as we l l fre em e n as others, didthen vote for the tw o m em b ers, andso

'

it is e xpressly m entioned in the fo l lowing e xtrac t from the inden ture b e twe en

the parties on the occasionI N D EN TUR E in ter Joham zem B ourne, m ajorem burgi de R adynge,

in com ita tu B erks, burge nses, cl c om i tatus burgi, es: un a parts, 85a. testa t

guodpredz’

ctus m ajor, burgenses et com itatus burg-i, predicti unan im iter con

C orp oration D iary.fF 2

REPRESENTATION .

grega ti, ordi‘narunt, cleger im t, et nom in arunt Thom as Va tch'

ell ct Roger

A my cc, dioti burgz‘

, burgenses

I t is ob servab le , from th is inden ture,that though they m ight n ot a lways

return the ch ief m agistrate of the town , ye t they did n ot look b eyond i t for'

the cho ice of the ir re presen tatives. Bo th the m em b e rs on this occa sion b e ing'

e xpressly m entione d as inhabitan ts of the b orough. Inde e d the n e ighb oring

gen tlem en ,

inste adof so l i c iting the sufi'

rages of the pe ople a t this tim e , appe ar'

to have cautiously a vo ided taking on them se lves an office , wh ich howe ve r ho

n orab le to the individual , w as, from the capri ce and tyranny of the prince ,a lways a ttended with difficu l ty and danger. Th is custom of choosing the ir

representati ves from am ong the m se l ves, gradua l ly ob ta ined the th re e of law on

the m inds of the inhabitan ts, so tha t whe n strange rs, as they we re ca l led , firstsol icited the honor of re presen t ing the b orough, i t w as considereda gross

innovat ion on the an cien t pra ctice , and dange rous to the in te re st of the e le ctors.

In the e arly ages of the representation , it w as custom ary to al low the m em b ers

a certa in stipend, a ccording to the num b er of days they were sum m on ed toattend in parl iam en t ; this sum n e ver exce e ded tw o shi l lings e ach per diem ,

andw as, at the tim e , l ittle m ore than four tim es the wages of the m eanest lab orer of so l ittle va lue w as a t that tim e a seat in the house , n ow conside red oneof the m ost honorab le distinctions that can b e conferred on a com m one r;

Notwithstanding the wages of the m em b ers were so very m odera te , thecorporation founda difficu lty in ra ising the m on ey. to pay them , at the endof

the sessions several instances of th is sort occur in the diaries, from am ongw hich the fol lowing is e x tracted

Att thisday, forasm u ch as M r. Be l l, be ing m a ior, w asat thysetim e one

‘

of the b urgesses for the parl iam en t, for the b orough, begun the tw entie - first

da ie of Octob er, in the yere above written, andcon tinued.un to the disso lu tionof the sam e parl iam ent, whych w as the n ine te en th da ie of De cem ber thenn exte , that is to wit, fiftie daie s ; a nd where as e vrie of the sa ide burgessesough t to have for one da ie , e ndure inge the sa ide parl iam ent, two shyllyngs

ye t n everthe lesse , the sa ide m a ior, se e be inge b urgessfor the sa idparl iam ent,is

con ten tedto rem itte andforge t te , the saide sum , andto take b ut on lie tw entieshyllyngs, which tw en tie shyllyngs to b e borne and paide by the burgesses of

This inden ture m ade be tw een john Bourne , m ayor of'

the borough ofRadynge, in the coun tyofBerks, the burgesses andcom m on alty of

‘

the borough, on the one part , &c . w itn esse th, that thesaidm ayor, burgesse s, and com m on al ty, unanim ously assem bled, have o rdain ed, chosen

,and nam ed

Thom asVatchell, andRoger A m yce, of the saidborough, burgesses ofparliam ent .

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REPRESENTATION.

c lear and b e a cqu itted of and from the paym en t of any wages or duties

payab le in this b usin ess.

This is the first instance I have m et w ith where in the corporation a lon e

return ed the m em b e rs : how long they had pre viously e xercise d this right, I

have n ot b een ab le to discover ; n or can I conje cture w hat gave rise to theinnovation ,

u n less i t w as to re l ie ve the com m ona lty from the ir share of the

e xpence in cu rred, by sending the ir representatives to parl iam en t. But how

e ve r th is m ay'

b e , w e find, on the presen t oc casion , the corporation were as

desirous as the p eople to get ridof the b urthen if possib le all toge ther;'

and

though they did not succeed in the ir first attem pt, they di d not loo'

se sight

of the ir obj ec t ; for at the e le ction which took place in the fo l lowing year,they say, that having rece iv ed the sheriff’

s pre c ept for th e e lecting of tw o

b urgesses for th is b orough, and l ikewise le tters from the right honorab le lord

Wa llingford ( high steward ) con cern ing the choosing of the b urge sses, &c .

w h ich were ope nly re ad and re spected , the m ayor and b urgesses, ac cordingto the ir warran t, didnam e these tw o to b e burge sses, viz . Sir Francis Kn o l lys

a ndM r. John Saunde rs, esq . andthe n fol lows the agreem en t, ne arly in the

sam e te rm s as b efore

See ing that the sa id m ayor and b urgesses, at m y re quest, have nam ed

a ndchosen m e , sir Fran c is Kn o l lys, jun . to b e one of the ir b urgesses for the

n ext parl iam en t, &c . I do he reby prom ise , gran t and agre e to b e , appe ar, anda ttend, in the sa id n ext parl iam ent, a t m in e ow n prop er costs andcharges, andtha t the sa idm ayor a nd b urgesse s sha l l, at all tim es, b e cle ar and a cqu itted,a nddischargedof andfrom the paym en t of any wage s, fe es, or duties payab leto m e in that b eha lf. ” Fran : Knollys.

Anothe r agre em en t to the sam e purport w as signed by M r. Saunders.

Though from th is period the custom of paying the ir re presentati vesc eased, ye t i t w as usua l , for a long tim e afterwards, for the corporation, atthe endof the sessions, to m ake them a pre sen t of som e sugar le aves, wh ich,from the ir n ove l ty, perhaps, at the t im e, m ore than the ir va lue , we re con

side red a re spe c t ab le m ark of a ckn owledgm en t from the don ors. A ccor

dingly, in 1 640 , the fol lowing o rder for this purpose is e n tered in the diaryO rde red, that sir Franc is Kn ol lys, sen . and sir. Francis Knol lys, jun .

shou ldb e presen ted wi th sugar loave s to the va l ue o fforty sh i ll ings at le ast . "

A nd in 1646 “ it w as agree d to pre sen t M r. Ba l l with a good sugar loaf, a

pottle of sack, anda pot t le of c lare t : B ut the se trifling tokens ofgra t itudet owards the ir represen tative s, have long b e en la idaside ; andthe c on sc iousn esscf ha v ing acted wi th upright in ten tions and c lean hands in the fulfi lm ent

REPRESENTATION ..

of the ir duties, is the on ly re com pense they now rece ive, in» return for the irarduous service s.

Though the corporation . w il lingly consen ted to a l low the ir high stewardsthe privi lege of nom ina ting one of the ir representati ve s, while they con finedthe ir cho ice to the town andn e ighborhood, ye t they were

-

so im pressed with thecon viction , that non e o therought to b e adm itted to re prese n t them ,

that whena st range r w as attem ptedto b e forc ed upon them , for the fi rst tim e , by the irhigh st eward , n otwi thstanding the ir form er abj e ct agre em en t , they refused tocom ply with the request, andre turn ed , as they po in tedly ob se rved, “ th e ir ow nn e ighb ours. Thishappen edin 1627 , in the case ofsirJohn Brooke , w ho had

b e e n re c om m e nded by the e arl of Banb ury, at that tim e high steward , “ to

b e on e of the b urge sse s of this c orporation in the parl iam e nt, &c . b ut he

b e ing a strange r, it w as agre ed that a le tter shou ld b e written to his lordship,requ e sting tha t w e m ay con tin ue our n e ighb ours, who at the last parl iam en twe re re com m e nded b y his hon ou r. After wa iting fourte en days for the

earl ’s answer, the m ayor a nd burge sses, on the l‘

8th of February, assem b led

aga in , and having re adhis lordsh ip ’

s le tte r a ndthe an swe r to i t , i t w as the

opin ion of the whole com pany, tha t the e arl w as the re in satisfied, havingre ce ived no le tte r from him sin ce , andso proceeded to the e le c tion , andchose:

the ir form er m em b ers. This exe rcise of the ir just right, so offended the

earl th a t he im m edia te ly sen t in his re signa t ion ; at the sam e t im e re quest ing,

them to choose the e arl of Hol land in his place , which w as by all the com »

pany thankful ly e m b ra ced.

Howe ver, n otwithstanding the corporat ion in th is case had'

e xerted a:

prop er spiri t in resist ing the m anda t e of the ir high st eward, ye t when . arch

b ishop Laud soon after re quest ed the m to re turn Edward He rb ert, e sq . the

king’

s so l ic itor, w ho w as l ikew ise a st ra nger, they a lm ost unan im ously com

p liedwi th his reque st, on ly six of the ir b ody ha ving hadthe c ourage to resist

th is undue use of court influ ence , a l leging tha t b e ing a stranger, he could

b e n o frie ndto the town .

” 2 At the sam e t im e , and prob ab ly under the sam e

influe nce , they chose sir John Be rkley, knt . w ho w as a lso a strange r, at the

re que st of the e arl of Ho lland, their h igh st eward; thus c ou rting the favor

of the archb ishop, by the ab andonm e n t of a p rin c iple they hadso la te ly de t e r

m inedn ot to de part from . So dangerous i t is for the e l ec t ion of the m e m b e rs

to b e gonfided to few h ands, a nd those too a corporate b ody, the m aj orityofwhom have m ostly the sam e v iews and the sam e in te rest, and, from the

C orporation Diary .

3 Ibid.

REPRESENTATION,

sm al lness of the ir n um ber, are e asily b iassed , e i ther from party m ot ives, or

lucrative rem un era t ions, to forsake the true in terest of the people at large .

I n 1645, when the corporation wa s fre ed’

from t he in flue nce of archb ishop

Land, at t ha t t im e a prisone r ’

in t he t owe r, an a ttem pt w as m ade to rev ive

the princ iple ; for o ne l‘VIr. Bal l, a —stranger, hav ing re quested to b e m ade

a b u rgess, o r to b e adm i tteda fre e m an of the b orough , to qua lify him to b e

put in nom ination ,

'he w as

.

answ e red , that the num be r of b urge sses w as fu l l ,and that they did n ot a dm it fre em e n ,

save on ly tradesm en .

” i The custom is

n ow to a dm i t by wh ich m eans, instead of b e ing con fin ed

t o the sm a l l e n c losure of our ow n b orough, w e enj oy the advan tage of choos

ing our -represe ntati ve s from t he great stock ofwe a lth, integrity, andab il ities-of

‘ the who le cou n try .

This opposit ion to i‘wIr. B al l ’s re qu est m ight perhaps origin ate in the

v iole n ce of party ; the sking’

s troops had j ust cap itu lated to the parl iam ent ’s‘fo rces, runder Essex, andhisfriendshere en raged at loosing the irpre ponderance ,ight, on t his occ asion , have e xerted all the ir influence to return a m em b er

of the ir ow n party. M r. Ba l l w as the ge n tlem an fixed upon for th is pu rpose ;d, though a stranger, w as cordia l ly re c e i ved by the m ayor, at the head

of the court party, by whose assistan ce , notwithstanding the ir form er answer,he w as not on ly adm i t ted a b urgess, b ut w as a lso support edat the e le ction bythe m ayor, in so unconstitu t iona l a m anne r, a s to oc casion the inhab itan ts to

petition the house of com m ons aga inst the return .

at

A s th is is the first in stan ce of a c on trove rte d e le ction for th is b orougho n re cord, the fo l lowing particu lars of the case , e xtracte d from the diary,m ay n ot b e unacceptab le to the re ader, as i t throws som e l ight on the m ann er

in which e le c t ions we re condu ctedin those days, and as be ing the first, after

a lapse of se ve ra l ye ars, where in the people we re re instate d in the ir rightof voting for the ir m em b ers, n otwithstanding the opposition of the m ayora ndhis party .

On Nove m b er the twen ty-fourth 1645, another writ w as rece ived fromthe sheriff, to e le ct on e b urgessfor sir Francis Knol lys, with an order of par

liam ent with dire ction for the e le ction , when the corporation proceededto the

There is som e obscurity -attending this e le c tion : W hite lock says, on Nove m ber 1 7, 1 645,t he e le c tion ofM r. Tanfield V atche l l for R eading w as de clared to be vo id, for m iscarriage , and

denying t he poll, anda n ew e le c tion to be there .

" Probab ly there had been a prior con test be tw ee n

the same partie s, as the w rit for this e le ction w as no t rece ived here til l the 2 4th of the sam e m on th,a nd“Mr.

'

V atche ll, after this e lec tion , w as perm itted to take his seat in the house . There seem s

,

,~indeed, to have been a w rit se n t dow n , prior to this, on t he 6ih ofNovem ber, bu t w hat wasdon e init is not m en tioned, perhaps it w ason this first app lication , that they refusedto adm it Mr. Bal l to hisfreedom . 1 C orporation Diary.

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REPRESENTATION .

which the com pany refused, for that he w as for M r. Bal l ; and, at last, afterm ore t im e spe nt, he sa id he woul d re turn the inden ture s him se lf; whereupon ,the com pany presen t prote sted aga inst the a ct don e by the m ayor on M r. Ba l l ’sbeha lf, andsa id, M r. Mayor shou ld loose his fe e for so do ing, withou t the ir

consent andagreem en t . There upon the com pany did rise , and did order and

agre e to pe tition the house of com m ons con ce rn ing th is business, and to

ce rt ify the proce edings there of. M r. Mayor went hom e ; the rest of the com

pany sta id, andfram e d the ir petit ion , then sent to M r. Mayor, to com e to the

ha l l to acqua in t him wi th the contents thereof, w ho sen t word he wou ld consider of it ; aft er som e distance of tim e , they se n t aga in to him , and then

he cam e and dem anded of the m , by what a uthority they sen t for him ? theysa id , to acqua in t him wi th what they had don e ; andso, h e turn ed him se lfab ou t, a ndwent his w ay ; andafterw ards they sign ed the petition .

”

To the right honourable the house ofcom m ons in parl iam en t assem b led.

The hum b le pe tit ion ofthe a lderm en andb urgesses of the borough

of Reading, h um b ly sh ewe th

Tha t , whereas, th e m ayor and a l derm en re ce i veda pre cept from the

sherifi‘

of the c ounty of B erks, he a ring date the 24th of Novem b er 1645,requiring them to choose

“

a b urge ss of parl iam en t for the sa id'

b orough, inste adof sir Fran c is Kno l lys the younger de ceased, in pursuance whereof duen o t ice w as given to the inha bita nts of the sa id borough, to a t tend serviceupon Monday De ce m be r the first 1645, at the town - ha l l in Reading aforesa i d,whe re , aft er the vote s we re give n for e ach party, the poll w as desire d byTanfie ldV a tche ll andW

'

i l l iam Ba l l, e sqrs. that so the e le ction , where it fe l l,m ight b e cl ear andunquestionab le .

Afte r the pol l w as ended, the votes we re n um bered by the m ayor and

a lderm en ; the n um b er of vo t es for M r. V atche ll b e ing 560, and the num b er

for M r. Ba l l 309, andn o m ore . Thereupon the m ayor and a lderm en put it

to the question, in the ir counc i l cham b e r, for whom the inden ture shou ld b ere turne d ? Reso l ved, for M r. V atchell, to whom the right ( wi thout all peradven t ure ) b e longs.

Ye t, n o tw ithstanding, the m ayor of the town giving his vote for M r.

Bal l, a l though he has confe ssed tha t he is con v in ced in his judgem ent and

consc ien ce tha t ’

tis M r. V atche ll’

s right by the gre a t er num b e r of voi ces, andthe reupon did sign, se a l , and de l iver the inde n ture to the use of the she riff,for M r. V a tch e ll

, ye t, by the persuasion of a discon ten ted party in the town ,w ho (as w e c once ive) re sol ve n e ve r to b e satisfied, ke e ps the sa id inden ture inhis hands, protrac t ing tim e , on purpose, (as w e are inform ed)

’ti l l M r. Ba ll

REPRESENTATION.

c an take som e exceptions aga inst M r. V atche ll’

s party, although there are

m ore e xceptions, or as m any, as w e con ce ive , to b e taken aga inst “

M r. Ba l l ’s,insom uch that the div ision in town grows so high, that w e fear the couse

q uen ces thereofwil l b e ve ry sad.

These pre m ises considered, the pe titioners hum bly desire your hon ourswould take the whole carriage of the b usin e ss in to your consid eration ; and

that the m ayor (for preven tion of furthe r m isch ief) m ay b e com pe l ledto shewc ause (if he can ) why he re tards the do ing ofjustice , keeping the indenturein his hands on purpose to cross M r. V atche ll, w ho is a gen tlem an that thet own andcoun try have reason to honour for his constant adhering to the parl iam ent in the cause of the gospe l . Al l which, notwithstanding, w e m ost

h um b ly subm it to your honours m ost grave wisdom and judgem ent, and.

your pe titioners, &c .

W e are n ot inform ed, e ither in the above otherwise m inute statem ent'

of

facts, or in the petit ion itse lf, on what grounds the m ayor founded his except ions to M r. V atche ll

’

s votes, or wh at were the ir nature ; bu t, if w e considerthe very great m ajority in favor of tha t gen tlem an , w e m ust b e convin ced tha t

the question turned upon som e gre at constitutiona l po in t, the de c ision where of

a lone could have afforded him any prospe c t of se tting aside the re turn . This

w as prob ab ly founde d on the distinction b e twe en fre e b urgesses and inhab it

a nts. A long period hade lapse d sin ce the form er had b e e n ca l le d upon to

e xe rcise the ir pre scriptive right of e le ction , and the civil w ar, n ow raging,h ad overturne d all form er distinctions, so that it is n o wonder if the inhab it

an ts at large should c on ce ive them se lves e n titledto vote , or that the m ayor

shoul d wish to bring bac k the right to its ancien t l im its. This appears the

m ore l ike ly, as the pe tition e xpressly states, that due n otice w as give n to the

n ha bitan ts to atten d service , inste adof the freem en , who, had they voteda lone , would n ot have am ounte d to m ore than half the n um be r on the pol l .

I n consequen ce of th is pe ti tion , M r. V atche ll w as de clared du ly e le c ted,t hereby fixing the right of e lec tion , as i t shou ld a ppear, in the householders,a ndnot in the fre em e n as it hadform erly be en .

This de c ision , howe ver, w as of n o im m ediate c onsequenc e , as the repre

sen tative system w as n ow ab out to u ndergo greater changes than any i t had

h itherto e xpe rien ced. In 1649 , his e xce l le ncy, ge n era l lordFa irfa x , wi th the

c ounc i l of offic er-s b e longing to the arm y under his com m and, prese n ted a

pe tition to the parl iam e n t , for an agre em e n t of the pe ople ,” toge ther wi th

som e regu lations for n ew m ode l l ing fu t ure parl iam en ts. By these , the n um b er

of the m em b e rs were redu ced to four hundred, div ided am ong the c oun t ies

a ndprincipal boroughs in certa in proportions, according to which the coun ty

g .G 2

REPRESENTATION .

of Berks, with the boroughs, town s, and parishes there in, except Re ading,were to se nd five m em b e rs ; the town of Re ading, on e .

”

By this agre em ent, the e le c tors were to b e n a tives of England not re ceiv

ing alm s, nor se rva n ts re ce iving wage s, b u t house -ke epers dwe l l ing with in

the ir resp e ctive distric ts. The parliam en t w as to dissolve itse lf on the last

day of April , anda l l the e le ct ions were to take place on the first Thursdayin M ay fo l lowing ; b ut this plan did n ot take pla ce ti l l after Crom w e l l had’

assum ed the re ins ofgovernm en t, w ho, having disso l ved the long parl iam en t;

in 1653, soon after”: sum m on ed a new on e , wh i ch w as ca l led Bareb on e s, or

the con ve n tion parl iam e n t ; b ut, as the m em b ers we re all n om inate d byh im se lf, no e le ction s took place , and con se quen tly no regu lar re turn could

b e m ade . It is im possib le to say, with certa inty, w ho w as the representative

for this place ; but i t is very probab le tha t it w as co lone l Ham m ond, one

of his’

creature s, andat tha t t im e gove rnor of the town .

On the resignation of'

the convention , Crom we l l adopte d the m ode of

e le ction pointed ou t by Fa irfax andthe coun cil of officers, e xcept, that in

the instrum en t ofgove rnm en t, as i t is cal led, on e m em ber for Ab ingdon w as

adde d to the n um b er for the county of.

Berks, and the qua l ifi cation for an

e le c tor w as restricted to the possession of property to the am ount of two

hundred pounds.Th is e le ction took pla ce in wh en colonel Ham m ond w as re turned

for th is town . In 1656 the corporation re ce iveda pre ce pt from Crom we l l, tochoose on e m em b er for the b orough, andthe e le ction b e ing fi xe d for the 14thofJu ly

,i t w as the ir conduc tedwith tha t re ligious en thusiasm so chara cteristic

of the age , when n o b usin ess, howe v er fore ign from the subje ct of re ligion ,

cou ldb e tran sac ted wi thou t first se eking the Lord, as i t w as cal led, by exhorta tion a nd praye r. Accordingly, w e find, tha t, on the day fixed, the

com pany, wi th the m in isters, anddivers o ther pe ople , assem b le d in the town

ha ll , to se ek G odfor a b le ssing, in the ir cho i ce " of a burge ss, for th is borough,to serve in parl iam en t andM r. Jem m att andM r. Ford perform e d the duties

of e xhortation and prayer for th a t purpose . The e xe rcises b e ing don e , thec om pany wen t int o the coun cil cham be r, and upon deb ate p itche d upon sir

John B arkste ade , knt . l ie utenant of the Tower, to b e pu t in e le ction s for the

This pre ten ce of seekingGodto dire c t the ir choice, could be n o thing m ore than a religious

m ockery, as it does not appear they hadany alternative in their choice,there be ing no Opposition , and

e ven if there had, w e are inform ed by Ludlow , that to pre ven t the elec tion of any that w ere disaffe c tedto the court, letters were dispa tchedto all parts (3/Engla nd, to give notice, tha t it would be r;

Jm tfd, andthey w ere too w el l acquaintedw ith Crom we ll 's chara cter, to hesitate one m om ent in their

choice .”

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REPRESENTATION .

Resolved, that Wil l iam Cadogan, esq . i s not du ly elected a burgess toserve in th i s present pa rl iam ent for the sa id borough of R eading .

And Mr. Speaker w as ordered to issue his wa rrant for m ak ing a n ew

w r it for the e lecting tw o burgesses to serve in the present pa r l iam ent for theborough of R eading, in the room ofR obert C larges andFel ix Ca lvert, e sqrs.w hose elect ion for the sa id borough has been dec lared vo id .

”

Th is dec ision of the hou se, in favor of the inhab itants paying scot andlot, has been observed e ve r since. Th i s has considerab ly reduced the num berof electors, so tha t at the c ontested e lection in 1802, onl y 643 polled .

Th is dim inution had been increasing for severa l yea rs, th rough the ope ration of the poor’s laws, whereby eve ry pe rson receiv ing rel ief from the

par ish to wh ich he belongs, is exc luded from the p r iv i lege of voting at

e lections. But, at the e lection in 1 812, such of the poo rer housekeepers

as had n ot pa id up their rates, and even those w ho had been struck off

the books, by having the word poor set aga inst thei r nam es, were adm itted to vote on pay ing their a rrea rs . It w as a lso dete rm ined at th i s elect ion, that persons o ccasiona l ly resident in the town , and pay ing scot andlot,were good voters : andon e of doctor V a lpy

’

s assistants w as a l lowed to vote

( though at the tim e on ly a lodger ) for a house h e had lately resided in , butfor wh ich the doctor w as the rea l tenant andpa id the taxes.

From the above statem ent of facts, it appears, that the r igh t of electionh ere has received considerab le changes, from the fi rst institut ion of regu larpa r l iam ents, i n the reign of Edwa rd I . to th e com m encem ent of the lastc entury. At fi rst, the elect ive fr anch ise w as in the freem en of the bo rough,or such as we re free of som e of the five com panies of wh ich the gu i ldm erchan t were for a long tim e com posed . Dur ing th is per iod, the m em berswere pa id for their se rvices by the free burgesses at la rge, though, i n som efew insta nces, the expenses of the representatives were pa id by the corporateb ody ; and, as the n atura l c onsequence of the representative system , them aster of the gild w as genera lly, if n ot a lways, one of the m em bers ; theo therw as el ected from am ong the pr inc ipal inhab itants of the town or neighb orhood. After the disso lution of the m onaste ry, andthe subsequent appointm ent of h igh stewards, w e find those n ob lem en ( for such they gene rally were )covenanting with the bo rough for the p r ivilege of nom inating on e of them em bers, o n condition of rel ieving the town from the expen se of paying thew ages of such rep resentatives. This w as n o doubt done, w ith a v iew to

pa rl iam enta ry inte rest on the p a rt of the h igh stew a rds, and se em s to havebeen assented to, by the e lecto rs, as a re lief from wha t the y considered a grea tburthen . Thi s innovation in the electi ve fr anchise, soon after led to another,

REPRESENTATION .

a r ising from the sam e cau se for the electors having thu s been relieved fromthe expense attending on e of thei r representa tives, were easily preva i led uponto give up their choice of the other to the corporate body, on the sam e term s,so that the election of both the m em bers becam e vested in the corporationa lone, though the r ight of nom inating on e rem a ined i n the h igh steward .

W e are not certa in at what tim e this a lteration fi rst took place,but it w as

p robably som e tim e in the reign of Henry V II I. or soon a fte r, andcontinued

to be observed til l the c ivi l w ar, in the reign of Cha rles I . dur ing wh ich tim e,

a s wel l as i n the form er pe r iod, the representat ives were a lways chosen froma m ong them selves, or nea r neighbor s .Am ong the changes wh ich took p lace i n th i s town, du r ing the contest

between C ha r les I . and the pa rl iam ent, the a lteration m ade in the e lectiveran chise w as not the least considerable . The electors, being no longerobl iged to pay the wages of thei r representatives, the freem en rea ssum ed ther ight, they had fo rm erly conceded to the corporate body, of electing theirow n representatives, but as the exc lusive p r ivi leges a ttached to the gu ild .m erchant, were becom ing every day of less va lue

, and we re consequent lyh egle cted, few pe rsons th i nking it wo rth wh i le to take up their freedom , the

inhab itants at la rge appea r to have c la im ed the sam e pr ivi lege,wh ich brough t

on the contest, in 1645, betw een hl r. V a tche ll, a na tive of the town, andMr .B all, who w as a stranger . On the day of e lection the form er gentlem an hadthe g reater number of votes inc luding n on - freem en, the latte r, of the freem en .Th is occasioned a doub le retu rn to be m ade to the hou se of com m ons, who,by dec id ing in favor ofMr. V a tchell, extended the right of voting for m embers to those w ho were not freem en . Th is determ ination of the house w as

p roducti ve of another change in the m ode of election ; as, soon after theresto ration, we find pot- wabb ler s, or lodge rs, exe rcising the r ight of votingfor the rep resentatives, and the practice of adm itting candidates from eve rypa rt of the k ingdom became genera l ; any one who desi red it being readilya dm itted a burgess by the co rpo ration . This c la im of the inhab itants at la rgeto vote for representatives of the bo rough , appea rs neve r to have been sanctionedeither by charter, or by any dec ision of the house of com m ons, andm ayb e conside red rathe r as an usu rpation qu ietly acqu iesced in,

’til l, from the

vio lent conduct of the lowe r class of e lectors, on eve ry election, the houseof com m ons w as o bl iged to inte rfe re, and, by thei r dec ision in 17 14, to fixthe r ight of e lection in the house - keeper s pay ing scot a nd lot ; since w hichtim e the elections he re have been conducted with m o re de cency, andthe obj e ctsof thei r choice been m en of the greatest integ r ity, loya lty, andindependence.

REPRESENTATION .

.4 List ofall the B urgesses who have servedin Parliam ent

for the B orough (f Reading.

’3‘ Ti m e ma rked with an asterisk were masters ti theguild- m erchant, ’

till the reign ofHenry VII . after

whichP0 504 they were m ayors, or such ashadpassedt hc chair. Those are not in B rown

Willie ’s list, but are take

-n from the diaries.

"Anna Regni.

Edward the First.

23 a t‘

W e stm inster, G eofi'

ry de Engleys, E l ia s de Ba r ing-by.

30

3 3

34

00OT

Ob

bb

st

és

tn

m

as

w

n

u

nfi

t-a

m

id

)

10

4

65

01

10

10

e

a

s

s

s

w

e

e

e

Linco ln, Thom as Siwa rd, Thom as de Leyce stre.London, W a lter G erra rd , W i l liam B one nfaunt.

Westm inster, Johu de Akatur, Wi l l iam B one nfaun t.

Adam de P ulatur, Thom a s S iwa rd .

C arlisle, Thom as de Farle, Thoma s ~de Arde ne .

Edward the S econd.

Northam pton, Thom a s Siward, John Siward .

Westm inster, Wi ll iam Bonenfant, Thom as S iwa rd.Henry le G reywell, Adam 16 Pulatur.

London, T he sam e .Westm in ster, The sam e .

R oger Cou sin, J ohn de 'Stokes.

The sam e .“Henry de Wo rcester, Wi ll iam le 'Peynteur.

Adam ls Pa lm er, W il l iam T ilktero .

York , Adam le Hom er, John de Stoke .Thom a s “Langton, John B uckhorne .

Adam ls tHorner, W a lte r '

B eyvyn .

Westm inster, fN icho‘

lasa tte Heath, John de Alderm anston.

John S iward, John de Stow.

John Lakatour, John S iward .

Edward the T hird.

Y ork, W i l l iam de Wyttenham , John A-unger.Lincoln, R icha rd Wytote , Hen ry Wycestre .

York, W il liam de Wyttenham ,

“R icha rd Wytote.No rtham pton, John A—unge r, Hen ry de Wyce stre .

W inchester, Adam ls Ho rner, R icha rd V V

ytote .

We stm in ster, ‘Will iam Wyt te nham , 50 hn de Pangbou rne .

John lo G o ldsm ith, W i ll iam de Wyttenham .

York, The sam e.John ls G oldsm ith, Hugh Ughtred.

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CHAP .

X I . 138Anna

4

1“ Those m arked w ith an aste risk in this re i

t itle w as not confe rred on the head of

REPRE SENTAT ION .

at New Serum ,Westm inster,

Johh'

B alet, Richa rd Burton .

Hen ry Ba rbour, W a lte r atte G reen.Thome s Sm ith, John Doub let .Robert atte Lee, W i ll iam Stapper.David atte Hatche , R ichard B edulhJolin

'

B alet, Nicholas Fachell.John Kent, Robert C uppolade st‘

Henry Ba rbour, John Doublet.W il l iam Shortwade , John Ide .

Henry the Fourth.

Westm inster,

Rob e rt Hay, J ohn Hunt.John M erkham , hVflliam Kennett.John Wh ite, Alexander C ollshull .

Henry the Fifth.

William “

W ynton, R icha rd Fa r ley ,Thom asHastinge s, John C lerks.

Thom as Levington , “’il l iam M ustard .

Stephen Strapp ing, John Pue cote .

Phil ip R ich a rds, John Hunt .i'éR ob ert M orys,I R ichard C rowe .Thom as Levington, *John Veyre .John Hunt, W il liam K ing .

Henry the S ixth.

Thom as Levington, *Sim on Porte r .Thom as Levington, W ill iam W i lton.

Thom as Lev ington, *S im on Porter .John Barton, *Thom as Sw ayne.

”

Thom as Levington, *W ill iam Ba rbou r .Thom as Levington, *John Kirhby .

W ill iam Ba ron, Thomas Levington.*John Ki rkby, *S im on Po rte r .Thom as Levington , i“Sim on Po rter.*S im on Po rter , *John Kirkbv.

Henry C leche, lVill iam Justice .

Thom as Levington, *R obe rt hl oris.

'1' O thers say this parl iam ent w as he ld at Rm ding.

‘

gn , w e re only m asters of the gu ild, hot. m ayors ; tha t

the corporation ’t il l the nex t re ign.

REPRESENTATION.

atWestm inster, S im on Kent, S im on Ladbrook.

The sam e.S im on Ken t, C lerk, draper, m ayor.*Thom as Beke, John Orpyd.

*Will iam R ede, John P en icockrf*Thom as B eke,

*William P ern cote .

John P rowyght," William P erncote .

Edwardthe Fourth.

Thom as Beke, *Wi]l iam Perncote .

W illiam R ede, W i ll iam Lynacre .

*John Beke, John W yston .

Stephen Dunster , John Hunt.*W ill iam Rede, *W il l iam Lynacrc.

John B rant, Will iam Lyn acre .

*Thom as Beke, Thom as B este n ey¢R ichardM ore, Thom as B esten ey.

R ichardthe Th ird.

R icha rd More, Thom a s B e sten ey.§Henry the S even th.

Westm inster, R icha rd C leche, Thom a s Bye .R ich a rd Mo re, John W il l iam s.

John S tanw a ll, esq . Rd. Sm i th, generosuflR i chard Sm ith,

" Christian N icholas.

Henry the E ighth.

R ichardCle che, Will iam Justic e .

'* Thom a s C arpen ter, Will iam Justice .

R ichardS m ith, William Jefi'

ord.

*John P ow nser, Edm undKn ightly .

R ichardHyde, R ichardEdm unds.

Thom as Va tchell, John Raym ond.

T hom asV atche ll,*R ichard Justice.

Thom as Va tchell, R oger A myce.

Le land says the m em b e rs for th ispafliam en t w ere , G iles Sain tlo e , and John Penicock, esqrs.

T he tw o follow ing parliam ents w e re seve ral ’t im es adjou rned to Re ad in g.I In the diary they are , Thom as Se lv y n

,Thom as B esten ey.

QThe re w as only on e parl iam en t cal led in the re ign of R ichard 1 1 1 . bu t M r. C o ates m entionstw o

,andplace s the above as m em be rs

,in the re ign ofEdw ard V .wh ich could n o t be , as

‘

no parliam entw as called during his short re ign, or if called, did n ot sit .

ll So styled in the diary, perhaps to distingu ish him from those who we re tradesm en.h n 2

C n i p .

X I .

REPRESENTATION.

13210

7.

Edwardthe S ixth.

l at Westm inster, W il l iam G rey, John Marsh , gent;

5 John S eym s, John M arsh .

6’“John Bo u rne, John W inchcom b, esq.

'l' The first of this anc ient fam ily m en tioned in history, w as Sir Robert Knollys, in the re ign of

Edw ard 1 1 1 . w hom m artial v irtue, says Spe ed,

hadra ise d from the low est rank , to the highestreputation, though som e affirm him born noble .

” He w as buried in the church ofWhite Friars,London, w i th the follow ing ep i taph engraved on his tom b

629 Robertsmanure, per te sit jFranria ments,,

abuse tau touts practise, Dans hunters route.

1 S ir Franc isKno llys, knight of the garter, andprivy conse llor to queen E liz abe th ; one of thisfam ily w ro te a gene ral survey of the Isle ofW igh t , a m anuscript copy w hereo f w as in the library ofthe late earl ofA nglesey.—N icholson’

sHistorical Library , page 14 .

This seem sa m istake, as the diary m entions, for this year, Thom asV atche ll, esq. and JohnRaym ond, esq.

ll Robert Knollys be in g elec ted this ye ar to se rve in parl iam ent for the coun ty ofB recknock,ThomasEgerton, solicitor-general, waschosen in hisroom .

Thom as Va tchell,*J

‘

ohn B ell, esq.

R obert B orvy er, John Lovelace, esq .

*John Bou rne, Edward P lowden .

Thom as V atchell, e sq .

*John Be ll .*Thom a s Aldwo rth, *John Bell . .

The sam e .

E liz a beth.

" Thom as A ldworth, Thom as Turn er.

Hen ry Kno l lys, esq'l‘

. Rober t Robotham ,

Henry Kno l lys, jun . esq . John Hastings, esq .

R obe r t Knol lys, e sq . Franc is A lford, esq ,

R obe r t Knollys, esq .1" Robert Harr is, esq..

The sam e .§o

The same .“

The sam e .H um frey Donnat, C has. W edn este r, gents .Sir Hum frey Foster, kn t . Franc isMore, esq .

Franc isMo re, esq . Anthony B lagrave , e sq . .

Jam es the First.

Sir Jerom e B ow es,. kn t . Franc i s More, esq .

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REPRESENTAT ION .

2 Westm inster, Col . R obert Ham m ond?

3 S ir John B arkst'

ead, kt. Lieut . ofthe Tower .R ichard Crom w ell.

Thom as Rich, esq . John B lagrave, esq.

M ONARCHY RESTORED .

Charles the S econd.

Thos. -R ich , esq. Joh n B lagrave , esq .

Sir Th os. Do lem an , hart }: Rd. Aldworth , esq .

John B lagrave , esq . Nathanie l Knigh t, esq .

The sam e .

Jam es the S econd.

1 W estm inster, John B ree don, e sq. Thom a s Coates, esq .

I N TE R R E GNU M .

A Convention, Jobn Breedon, esq . Thom a s Coates, esq.

William andM ary.

S irW . R ich, bart. SirH .Fane, kt. ofthe B ath .The sam e.

William the T hird.

S irW m . R ich, hart. SirHen ry Fane, K . B .

S ir Owen Buck ingham , k t. John Do lby, esq .

S irO . Buck ingham , kt. Fras. Knol lys, esq .

Auth . B lagrave , esq . TanfieldV atchell, esq .

A nn.

SirO . B uckingham , kt. Auth . B lagrave , esq .

Sir O . B uckingham , Tanfie ldV atche ll, esq.Sir O . Buck ingham , An thony B lagrave, esq .

M r. Coates has inse rted the n am esof tw o m em be rs in this place , b ut it is certain, from the

instrum ent of gove rnm ent, drawn up by Crom w e ll andhiscouncil of officers, in 1 653 , that on ly onem em be r w as appointedfor Reading, but whe the r the person chosen w as co lone l Ham m ond, or M r.Ho lt, is not so certain. This parl iam ent be gan itssit tings the 3d of Septem be r, 1 653, andw as dis

solved in January follow ing, so that it is n ot probable that both could sit in so short a pe riod, and

colone l Ham m ond did n ot die ’till the follow ing year.I Mr. A ndrew Marve ll, m em ber for 'Hu ll, in t his re ign, in a w ork , called, The Seasonable

A rgum ent to all the G rand Juries,”j

says, sir Thom as Dolem an,bart. hada pe nsion of two hundred

poundsper annum , from the cou rt, andw as assisted in the chea ting w ill, w hereby he got Quarle '

s

e state , valued at sixteen hundred pounds, now clerk of the counc il , which isw orth five hundred poundsperannum , andisprom ised to be secre tary ofstate, —History qfB orouglu .

REPRESENTATION .

atWestm inster, Sir Owen Buckingham , kt . John Dalby,es q.

Fel ix C a lvert, esq. Robert C larges, esq .

-

I'

G eorge the First.

The sam e but the e lection being decla rednul l by the house ofcom m ons, C has. C adogan,e sq . andSir O . Buckingham ,

kt . were electedin their stead, but the la tter being ki l led in adue] with Mr . A ldw o rth, in w as succeded by Rd. Thom pson, esq . In th is parliam en t,. the septennia l b i l l w as passed by a

m ajo r ity of264: toAn thony B lagrave , esq .. C lem ent Kent

,carp.

G eorge the Second.

R ichd. Pottenger, esq . Rd. Thom pson, esq . .

Rd. Pottenge r , e sq . Hen ry G rey, e sq .

J. B lagrave , e sqi vice R . Potting-er decea sed.

On the death ofHenry G rey, esq . W . Strode ,esq . w as e lected afte r a very violent contest, .

the m ajo r ity of the vo tes be ing on ly 285 to‘

275, upon wh ich M r. Dodd, the unsuccessfulcandidate

,petitioned the house aga inst the

return, andMr . Strode ’s e l’ection w as dec la redvoid, andMr . Dodd took his seat

‘

for. a fewdays, when the house w as dissolved.

W m . Strode, esq . John B lagrave ,John C onyers, e sq . Rd. Nevi lle Aldworth, esq»;W m . Strode, e sq . R t. Hon . Lo rd Fane .

J . D odd,'

csq . iii-cc W . Strode, esq . deceased.

G eorge‘

the Third.

Sir-

Fras. Kno l lys, ba rt . John D odd,. esq ,

1» There appe ars to have beenano the r e le c tion in for,on the 3d ofMarch , sir O

’

w en :

B uck ingham pe tit ioned the house , com plain ing of an undue e lec tion andre turn ; andin A pril. fo llowing

,he w as pe rm itte d to w ithdraw hispe tition . - Votes~ofthe Comm ons.

1 Parties running h igh in th e tow n at this period, a ve ry strong conte st took place,be tw een

John B lagrave , esq . andR . Manley, e sq . the tw o candidates; at the close ofthe pol l the num be rsw e re ,for M r. B lagrave 269 , andforM r. M anley 236. The po ll w as afte rw ards printed in tw o colum ns,the first forMr. B lagrave ’

s friends in black ink, and the other for Mr. Manley ’

s in red; bu t w hy the

d istinct ion w as m ade , is not know n .

R EPRESENTATION.

C HAP ‘

1&7

”

cMS atWestm inster, Joh n Dodd , e sq . Henry Va ns

’

ittart, esq.-l1 4 John Dodd, esq

'

. Franc is Annesley, esq.

20 The sam e .

22'Rd. Aldworth Neville, esq . viceJ. Dodd dec‘“

“

24 Fras. Annesley, esq. R . A . Neville, esq .

30'The sam e.

3 6'

The sam e .3 7 Joh n S im eon, esq . vice Rd. A . Neville, esq.

c a lled to the ‘House of Lords.

42 F. Annesley, e sq . C har les Shaw Lefevre, esq.47

‘C has. Shaw Lefev re, esq . John S im eon,48 John S im eon, esq . C . S . Lefev re, e sq .

53 C . S . Lefevre, esq . John S im eon, esq .

After the de cission of the house of com m ons, wh ich l im ited the r ight'

of voting to h ousekeepers, paying scot andlot, i t becam e cu stom a ry afte r thee lections, to p r int pol l papers conta ining the nam es of the vote rs, a nd the

n um be rs po l led for each candidate . From these papers we have ext ractedthe fol lowing sum m a ry of the num be r of voters a t each contested e lectionsince t hatper iod ;

"l" M e ansittarth avingbeen lost in his passage to India, Mr. Coates says, M r. A nnesl ey suc

c eededhim in 1 772 , but this is a m istake , a m o tion for a n ew w ri t w as m ade in the house of com m ons abut ne ga tived ; andin consequence no e le ction took place ’t ill the su cce eding gene ra l e lec tion .1 At thise le ction, Mr. A nnesley having de cline d offe ring his future se rvices, from an il l state of

heal th, the m ayor, alde rm e n, burgesses, andinhabitants, asa m em o rial ofthe high se nse they en te rtainedof his long andfaithful services, presented h im w ith an e legant p ie ce of p late , w ith the follow inginscrip tion :

“

Presen ted to”Franc is A nnesley, esq . L. L. D .

Master of Dow ning C o l lege, -in the U n iversity ofCam bridge , and one of the hereditaryTrustees of the British Muse um .

W ho in six su ccessive parl iam entsReprese nted the borough of R eading,

W ith 'honor to h im sel f, andfide lity to his consti tuents.Th is M EMOR IAL

Of the ir private esteem , andpublic grati tu de,Was unanim ously vo ted at a ge neral m ee t ing

Ofthe ele ctorsfor that purpose,The Joth day of Decem be r, 1 807.

T. GLEED, esq. c hairm an.

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R EPRESENTATION.

Nam es of C andidates. Vote s.Franc is Annesley, e sq .

John Dodd, esq .

Hon . Te m ple Luttre l l,

R icha rd A ldwo rth Nevi l le, e sq . 267

John S im eon, e sq . 1 79

N o election .

Franc is Annesley, esq . 394

R icha rd A ldw o r th Ne v i l le , e sq . 3 16

R t. Hon . Ea r l of Barrym ore, 255

N o e lection .

N o elect ion .

Franc i s Annesley, esq.C ha rles Shaw Lefevre, esq.John S im eon, e sq .

N o election .

At th iselection there were three candidates,andthe po l l w as kept open tw o days, forthe fir st tim e withi n the m em ory ofm an.

The num bers wereFirst day. Secondday.

ForMr. Lefevre, 183 256

Mr. Sim eon, 1 98 1 93

Mr. Monck, 1 10 1 76

R e ligious Founda tions.

CHAPTER X I I .

THE M ON A S TE R Y.

THE fi r st rel igio us establishm ent at Reading, is sa id, by som e anc ient historians, to have been a m onaste ry, for nuns, founded by E lfr ida , the m other- inlaw of E dwa rd the m a rtyr, whom she caused to be stabbed by a t ufiian , as

he w as d r inking a cup ofwine to he r hea lth, at the gate of C orfe castle inDorsetsh ire .In the ea rly ages of Ch r istianity, when the power of rem itting or reta ining

the sins of the l a ity, w as supposed to be vested in the hands of the clergy,

the pr ice of the a tonem ent w as estim ated, n ot according to the g reate r or lessdegree of gu i lt incu r red by the offender, but to his rank i n l ife ; so thatw h ile the i nfe r io r o rders of soc ie ty m ight be abso lved for a t r ifl ing pecunia ryfine, the roya l or noble sinne r , could not be reconc ile d to ofi

’

ended heaven,w ithout the endow m ent of som e rel igious estab l ishm ent, tha t m ight inc reasethe power and influence of the chu rch . Acco rdingly, w e find, tha t m ostof our rel igious estab lishm ents o r iginated eithe r from som e rea l or pretende dc r im es, com m itted by thei r founde rs. Thus E lfr ida , stung w i th r em o rse forthe c r im e she had com m itted, w hich w as fu rther aggravated by the repo r tof the m irac les sa id to have been pe rfo rm ed a t the tom b of the deceasedm ona rch , endeavo red, we are to ld, to dep r e cate th e w ra th of offended heaven,by bu i lding and endowing seve ra l m onaste r ies i n diffe rent p arts of the king

dom , am ong which w as this for nunsfii

The re is som e doubt as to whe re this m onaste ry w as situa ted . Le landsays,

i

“ for m o re ce rtente , I knowe n ot whithe r the olde uunn e rie stood n ot

yn the place w her th’

abb aye of B eddinge stonde th, andwh ithe r St. Man e s

be n ot of a new e r foundation . t at reasons Le land could have for thesupposition, that it w a s o r iginal ly bu il t on the site of the abbey, I know not ;

b ut it certa in ly appea rs m o re p robable tha t it rea lly w as whe re St. l‘vIary’

s

chu rch n ow stands.

A sse rius says it w as a m onaste ry for m onks,bu t in this assertion he w as certain lv m istaken.

i r 2

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

P lacesof this description w ere ca l led by our Saxon ancesto rs, mynstrers,”

the sam e as tha t of the st reet leading from St. Ma ry ’

s chu rch ya rd is n ow

ca l led, from whence it m ay be infer red , i t o r igina lly took its nam e ; wh ichwou ld not have been the case had th e m ynstrer bee n situ ated a t so great a.

distance from i t as the Forb ury is. Beside s, we m ay obse rve, as a nothercor

robe rating c i rcum stance of th is op inion , that a fterwa rds, i n the reign of

W il l iam I . when the possessions belonging to th is m onaste ry hadbeen bestowedby tha t m on arch on his newly erected abbey at Battle in Sussex, that quarterof the town, adjo in ing the m onastery, and wh ich w as a m ate r ia l pa rt, if notthe whole of its possessions, w as ca l le d the m anor ofBatte l or Battle .Th is nunnery w as founded in 979 but for what num ber of nuns we have

n ot been able to lea rns!In 1006, on ly tw enty - seven yea rs after its e rect ion, i t w as destroyed by

the Danes, andthe nuns m ost p robably put to dea th, the usua l p ractice withthese m a raude rs, and i t does n ot appea r to have been a fte rw ards rebu i ltindeed the num ber of ru i ned houses here m entioned in Doom sday, is a c on

vin cing proof tha t the town itse lf hadn ot recovered, even so long after, fromthe ru inous state it hadbeen redu ced to by the Danes.

This m onaste ry is exp ressl y m entioned in the cha rter of the abbey foundedby Hen ry I . in 1 12 1 , or, a cco rding to Matthew Pa r is

,i n 1 120 ; so that there

c an be no doub t of its p re - ex istence, or tha t it w as destroyed, as we have sa id,by the Danes but wheth e r, as is therein asserted, for its sins, is n ot so c leari t being com m on, in those days of ignorance, to im p ute the natura l conse

quence s of w ar, or a cc ident, to the inte rfe rence of p rovidence . However th ism ay be, i t is certa in he endowed his new - erected abbey with the revenuesbelonging to the m onaste ry, and i t is very p robab le, that it s ru ins were ap

p l ied to the bu ilding of the abbey, as, even at this tim e, traces of a form er

M r. He arne, in hispreface to hiscolle ction of discourses, speakin g of this tow n, sa ys, I amnot ignorant that th is m ynster of A ssendun e , is com m only reporte d to have been no thing m ore thana church, but for m y ow n part I am w il ling to think it w as som e th ing beside

,v iz . that there w as a re

ligious house the re . The Saxon annals also C al l it by n o o the r nam e than m ynster, w hich I think w illconfirm m y no tion, the m e aning the re of be in g a m onaste ry

,andn o t a church only."

t I t is ve ry probable that anothe r convent for nuns w as subsequently established here, for besidesLeveva the abbess, m entioned in Doom sday book

,as presid ing in the re ign of Edw ard the Confessor,

seve ral yearsafter the destru ction of this by the Dane s, in Tanne r’s N otitia, is the fo l low ing c lause ,7th John , m . 1 1 . Rex v icecom iti B e rchesyre . Pre cepim us quo

d sine dilation e reddi facias priorissae e t m on ialibusde Radynge duode c im solidatas reditus in Wallingford unde desse isitze fuerun t.Pe rhaps these w ere the poor siste rs established he re in the hospital called S t. john’3 house but if soI do not see how they could be styled m om alcs.

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R ELIG IOUS FOUNDAT IONS.

Afte r the dissolution, such of the m ater ials as cou ld be rem oved, weresold by the king ’

s com m issioners, for different pu rposes ; a great pa rt w as used

in the const ruc tion of St . Ma ry’

s andSt. Lawrence’s churches anda quantityw as conveyed to W indsor, suffic ient, we are told, to bu i ld the hosp ita l for thepoo r knights, contai ning th i rteen room s, besides a k itchen , anda past ry . A nd,

of late yea rs, severa l m assive p ieces of th e wa l l , wh ich could n ot easi ly havebee n reduced, have been used by the late genera l Conway, in the construction'

of that stupendous b r idge, wh ich he has caused to be e rected over a part ofthe h igh road le ading from W a rgrave to Hen ley, andwh ich , from its singula rconst ruction, andthe enorm ous m a sses of stones b rought from distant parts ofthe island, a ndhanging togethe r apparent ly without any support or regu la r ity,m ust fi ll the spectator with adm i rat ion andastonishm ent .But what p r inc ipa lly contributed to reduce it to its p resent state

, w as thedam age it susta ined, from the var ious a ttacks m ade upon it dur ing the c iv i lw ar, wh ile in the possession of either of the contending pa rties ; m any of theouter wal ls we re at that per iod destroyed by the a rtil lery and

, at the evacuation of it b y the king

’

s t roops, i n 1644, som e of the m os t considerab le weree ither underm ined or b lown up .

The flints used in the const ruction of the bu i lding, appea r to have been

brought from the ch a lk h ill, nea r Cave rsham chu rch, evident tra ces rem a in ingof its having been form e r ly distu rbed for such a pu rpose, the uppe r st ratum o

'

f

m ou ld being n ow bu r ied severa l feet below the su rfa ce of the h i l l,covered

w ith loose cha lk , from wh ich the fl ints have been carefu lly ext ra cted .

I t is observab le, that both the kinds of stone em p loyed in e recting theabbey, h ave b een apparentl y form edby the concretion of either m a rine or ve

getable substances. The form er ofthese w as em ployed in the exter io r, andn am en tal pa rts ofthe structu re, andappears, on inspection, to be a k ind of testaceous free - stone , the sam e as is found in the qua rr ies of Pu rbeck

, andof Petworth, in Sussex , from whence it w as p robab ly b rough t whe re the stone hasbeen ab raded by the weather, m any m inute shel ls appea r on the surfa ce, wh ichfrom the nature ofthei r contexture, have m ade a stronger resistance to the corroding power of the air, than the sandy pa rts with wh ic h they are com b ined, theshellsbeing p rom inent, andsti ll reta ining thei r o r iginal form andcolor . Th is i sm ost obse rvab le on the p il la rs that suppo rt the a rch ofthe Forb ury gateway, forthese being exposed to a no r the rn aspect, have suffered m ore from the weather,than those in m ore favorable situations.

The other k ind of stone, wh ich w as used only in the const ruction of thearched ceil ings

, wh ich sepa rated the diffe rent sto r ies instead of tim be r floors, i sof a. m ore porou s nature, very l ight, andperviou s to water, being com posedof

RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS.

fi lam ents of vegetable growth , com bined with a chalky substance . Therebeing n o qua r r ies i n the n eighborhood from whence th is stone cou ld have beentaken, it has been supposed by som e to have been b rough t from No rm andy

,

but a w riter'

in the G entlem an ’

sMaga z ine " asserts,tha t the sam e kind ofstone

is found in the quar r ies at W antage if so, we can be n o longe r at a loss forthe p lace of its p rodu ct ion .

The rem a ins of the abbey are in such a state of dilap idation, that it isim possib le to fo rm a co r rect judgm ent of the o rnam ental pa r ts i n its o r igina lstate ; but from the fragm ents of b roken shafts dispe rse d am ong the w a l ls a ndbu ildings, i n various parts ofthe town , it is conj ectu red they were chiefly w ha tare ca lled clustered colum ns, there being few found of a greate r diam eterthan six inches, wh ich m u st have b een too sl ight to ha ve singly suppo rted theroof of such a bu ilding ; if the re we re any large r, i t is p rob ab le they we reem p loyed in bu ilding the churches befo re- m entioned . The on ly cap ita l rem a ining, is th i rteen inches diam ete r at the base, or under side, andsixteen inthe uppe r . It i s divided into four com pa rtm ents, i n each ofwh ich is em bossed a.la rge sca llopshel l, in bo ld rel ief, the sam e as in the abbey a rm s A representat ionofth is cap ital isgiven inpla te 12, fig. 1 , in wh ich wi l l be seen seve ra l othe r o rnam ents taken from stone fragm ents em bodied in the wa lls andbu i lding w h ichsurround the abbey, andare n o doubt pa rt of its rem a ins. In the sam e p latewi l l be found an engraving of a m assi ve ch im ney p iece, found bricked up

with in the wa lls of a la rge stack of chim nies, lately taken down at a house in

B road - st reet, w h ich, from its si z e and o rnam ents, I am inc lined to th ink ori

ginally belonged to th e abbey.

The site of the abbey is equa l, i f n ot supe r ior, to any spot i n thecounty of Berks, for r ichness of soi l, andp leasantness ofsituation . P la ced onthe r idge of a h ill, running east and west, and form ing the north - east ex

trem ity of the town, it com m ands a beaut ifu l view of the adj o ining country .

O n the no r th, the h il l descends by a gentle decl iv ity, to a range of m eadow s,

covered with the cho icest he rbage, andwate red by the m aj estic r iver Tham es,beyond whose boundary the O xfo rdsh ire h i l ls, fr inged with t rees, andva r iegatedwith all the luxu r iance of cu lt ivated nature, form ed a back ground to the p ros

pe ct, suffic iently nea r to afford a distinct v iew of the sur rounding scenery .

Towa rds the east, the view is m o re extensive, com p rehending the beautifu lva le b etw een

’

this town andthe vi llage of Sonning, through wh ich the r iverTha m es is seen gently gl iding a long, ’ti l l it is inte rcepted at the latte r p lace,by the nea r approach of the Be rkshire andOxfordsh ire h i lls, where tu rning to

the left,it aga in appears to v iew, p assing by the beautiful vil lages ofl

fVargrave

Mr. B 1Chen0 0

R ELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS.

and Shiplack ; soon afte r wh ich it disappears am ong the h ills that su 1 round the

p leasant tow n of IIe nley. On the west, the p rospect, although it has sincebeen intercepted by bu i ldings, w as nea rly sim i la r to that on the east ; on the

so uth,i t w as n ot so extensi ve, bu t m o re p ictu resqu e, the r ive r Kennet

ge ntly gg l iding a long its banks. O n the opposite side the r iver w as the park,

inc luding a l l the ground betw een it and the h igh road, from the Back lane,now E ast st reet, to the th i rty eighth m i le stone th is spa ce w as ca lled the Ortes.Beyond this the ground r ises gradua l ly, affo rding a del ightfu l v iew of a finelyw ooded country , bounded by the distant h ills of Ham p shire .

Such w as the spot wh ich Hen ry chose for the erection of th i s once cele

b rated abbey, n ow reduced to a m ass of ru ins, andinvo lved in so m uch confusion

,hy ~the b roken fragm ents which have fa llen in a lm ost all directions, as

a lm ost to preclude the possibility of t rac ing a n outl ine ofthe origina l bu ilding,or the bounda r ies of its enclosu re. SirHe n ry E nglefieldhasfavo red the publ ie wi th the best, if not the only ground p lan h itherto publ ished Of the different bu ildings th at fo rm e r ly com posed this extensive e stab l ishm ent . W ith thea idtherefore of th is, andour ow n obse rvationson the spot, we sha llendeavor toenab le our reade rs to form , if n ot a correct, at least as a ccurate an idea as

possible of its o r‘

igina l state.Though the abbey w as n ot perhap s or igina l ly i ntended for a p lace of

strength, yet, as the safe ty of its sec luded inhab itants m igh t hereafterj beendangered, wheneve r the nation shou ld be distu rbed by civil com m otions, th eroya l founde r , in addition to the m assive W a lls of the bu i ldings, endeavoredto render it m ore secu re from v iolence, by su r rounding it on th ree of its side swith thick and lofty walls, wh i le on the other it w as protected by the r ive r,w hich form ed a natu ra l b a rr ie r on that side , andw as subsequently strengthenedby the castle, wh ich w as e rected , if I rightly conj ectu re, on its banks.

The su r roundin g wa l l com m enced on the northe rn bank of the Holyb rook - adj oin ing the Sa racen ’

s- head inn ya rd, from whence i t w as c a r r ied, in

a st ra ight l ine, a long the back of the Ma rket - p la ce, as far as the Com pter ;he re its o r igina l t races are broken off by the subsequent e rection of St . Lawrence

’

s chu rch , andthe inc losing of the chu rch -yard in the reign ofPhil ip and

Ma ry, but supposing it to have been continued in a stra ight l ine, it wouldh ave crossed the c hurch -

yard to the anc ient bui ldings now partly occup ied

Le land says, in e nteryng the town from Sunn ing, there is a parke longyng to the late m o

n asterie there .

”The park he re m entioned , has bee n supposed by som e to have bee n that at Whitley,

be longing also to the abbots, but this couldnot be, as Le land expressly says i t was at the entrance ofthe tow n from Sonning, w hereasWhitley liesm ore to the south.

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RELIG IOU S FOUNDATIONS. 249

by Mr. Street, from whence it seem s to have turned in a r ight angle w estward,as far asdoctor V alpy

’

s,*andfrom thence aga in northwa rd, asfar as the present

corner of the Forb ury, andpara l le l with the V asterns.O n the north side,

the wa l l w as ca rr ied a long the present l ine to its extrem ity beyond the countypr ison, where it took a southe rn di rection to the river Kennet .This wa l l appea rs to have been o r igina lly su r rounded by a p iece of en

c lo sed ground, about fi fty ya rds wide, l ike the pom aarium that surroundedthe Rom an c ities, andw as not a l lowed either to be cu ltiva ted, or bu i lt upon

,

for fear of endanger ing the safety of the place. Th is boundary is partie nla rly observab le on the west s ide the l ine of the bu ildings next the Ma rketp lace andV aste rn - lane, being in both p laces that distance from the origina lw a l l . Beside th is outer wal l, the abbey, a s m ay b e see n i n Speed

’s m ap, w as

surrounded by another, dividing the Forbury into what were ca lled the outera nd inner courts .

The who le of the ground conta ined with i n the outward bounda ry, c onsisted of abou t th irty a c res of d ry gravel ly so il, exceedingly wel l adapted toin sure th e heal th and secur ity of the persons i ntended to reside within itsc ircu it. The entrances to i t were defe nded by four a rched gateways, withbattlem ents e n thei r t0ps sim ila r to those on the wa lls. The first w as on thebank of the Holy- b rook, w he re the wa l l com m enced, on the south west cornerofthe enc losure ; som e of the ru ins of wh ich , a re still visible on this spot ;another w as situated to the eastward of the C om pter, enter ing into the Forbury, where ', cross ing the road, it abutted aga inst the chance l of St. Lawre nee ’s church , as appea rs both from S peed ’

s m ap, andthe auditor’

s accounts,m entioned in the chu rch register for 1593 + This, therefore, c ou ld not havebeen that wh ich has lately been taken down , i t s situa tion having been m oreto the westward, and consequ ently out of the l ine of the or igina l wa l l, and

n either co rrespond ing, ei ther in strength or b eauty, with the bu ilding to

wh ich it m ust have 'form e d the p r in c ipa l entry . A third gateway w as in thenorth wa l l, le adingin to the m e adow s, at a place now ca lled the Ho le in the W a l l,wh ich nam e it p robably received from - the open ing caused by the destruct ionof the gateway, dur ing the siege in the seventeenth century . The fourth w as

at the entrance from the Forb ury on the no rth s ide of B lake’

s—b r idge .

Beside.

these fou r gates i n the outer cou rt, there w as another , st ill ex isting

,wh ich led to the inne r cou r t. This bu ilding is com posed of an inte r

m ixture of «b r icks, chalk, and stone ove r the a rch- w ay is a flat t im ber floo r,

I th ink it not unl ikely, that insteadoftu rn ing w estw ard he re , it m ight have con trnue in a straigh tl ine to the Ho le in the Wall, excluding that part w he re the che ese fair is n ow kept.

'l' 566 St . Law rence ’

sparish.

RELIG IOU S FOUNDATIONS.

supp

orti

ng the cham be rs above, surm ounted by a m odern parapet wall , instead

of the bat tlem en ts wh ich ex isted in its o r igina l state . At ea ch co rne r of thebu i lding is an octangu la r tow e r , and nea r the sp r ing of the a rch on each side ,

is a squa re butt ress, wh ich ve ry m uch d im inishes the otherwise elegant appea r

ance of the structu re .The front facing th e north is com posed of a beautiful Saxon a rch with

an obtuse p o int at th e top, r ising from three stone c lustered p i l la rs withou t

cap itals, and rounded to the sum m it of the a rch .

*

The south front var ies from the no rth, by the arch being qu ite c ircu la rinstead of po inted at the top. At the ent rance, on the r ight hand side, near

the Spr ing of the a rch , is the m utilated figu re of either a dog or a fox, and,

on the left is a dolph in, w ith the red rose, the badge of the hou se of Lancaste r, in the finny part of the ta i l ; these se rved for spouts to ca r ry off the

rain water, wh ich they discharged at thei r m ouths—P la te 12, fig. 3 85 4 .

The space under the bu ilding, between the tw o outer arc-hes is twentyfeet squa re, div ided into tw o unequal depa rtm ents by a third c ircu lar a rchextending to the cei l ing, i n wh ich a m assive ga te w as. suspended by la rgehooks, that are stil l rem a i n ing, though the gate has been rem oved . Th i sj udic ious posit ion of the gate in the in te r io r of the bu ilding, w as we ll calc ulated to afford a p la ce of shel te r for those w ho cam e the re on business, eitherfrom the outer or inne r court. In the la rger div ision were tw o doo rs, oneon ea ch side, fo rm ing a com m unication with the po r te r ’s lodges, but these ‘

are n ow m ore than ha l f bur ied with r ubbish, wh ich ha s from tim e to tim eaccum u lated in the passage, from the ca re less m anner th e road has been:m ended ; but th i s m ight be rem oved at a tr ifl ing expense, and these e legant .

a rches be aga in restored to their or igina l beauty .

From the position of the gate, andother c ircum stances, I am i nc l ined toth ink, tha t th i s is what w as cal led the portsm outh, in the decree concerning;th e election of m ayor in the reign of Hen ry VI Ith, where the three gooda nd

a ble burgesses were to be p resented to the abbot, for the cho ice of on e to be

m ayo r, andwhe re the fine w as to be pa id eight days prio r to thei r being,

p resented with in the abb eysl'

From the gene ra l style of th is bu i lding, i t is ev ident i t cou ld not haveform ed a ny pa r t of the o r igina l foundation ,

though the p recise tim e of its

In the beginningof the re ign ofHenry V I I I . or rathe r tow ards the endofthat ofHenryVI I,w hen brick bu ildingsbe cam e com m on , a n ew k ind oflow pointed arch grew m u ch in use itw asdescribedfrom four ce ntres, ve ry round at the haunches, andthe angle at the top w as very obtuse .

Thisso rt ofarch is to be found in e ve ry on e of cardinal W oolsey’s bu ildings at W e st Sheen an anc ient gate -w ayat M ile -end

, cal led k ing john’s gate ; andin the great gate ofthe palace at Lam be th—C row ’sAntiquil ics.

See the account of the corporation.

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RELIG IOUS FOUNDAT IONS .

m ents som etim es m e t, is now disfigured by the erection of a nationa l schoo lwith in its wa l ls, w hereby the spectator is in a great m easu r e dep r ived of the

pleasure he m ust otherwise have beenst ruck

owi

th, a t s ight of its m a ssive

wa l ls, n o longe r visible but from the oute r S ide .O n each side of the consisto ry is a passage with an entrance from the

c loiste r

.These passages were fifty fe et long, tw e lve feet w ide, and s ixteen

feet high, with vau lted ceil ing of stone, and ove r them were room s of the

sam e dim ensions, and vau lted i n the sam e m anne r . These a rched ce i l ings

account for the excessive th ickness of the outer wa l ls, as noth ing lesscou ld

have resisted the enorm ou s weight of the arches, however l igh t . the stone of

wh ich they were com posed .

Adjoin ing the passage, on the north s ide, are the ru ins represented m the

p lan, ( e . f. ) wh ich sir Henry Englefie ld m akes a pa rt of the church , ca l led

the south transept ; and som e others on the no rth side the church g.) bu twh ich are i n a m uch m ore im perfect state, he denom inates the north transept

how far he m ay b e r ight in th is conj ecture, I am unable t o say, but certa ini t is, these tw o pa rts do n ot a ssim i late, as m ight be supposed, for the h ighwa l l with a w indow in it, at h, and aga inst wh ich the pre sent cottage w asbu ilt by lord Fane, shews tha t th ispart w as m uch less in length than the oppos ite side, andw as certa in ly without the b ow at th e east end, wh ich the otherhas. At the south - east corner of the south t ransept, i s a c i rcu la r recess, ( 11 )form ed with in the substance of the wa l l, forwhat purpose cannot, perhaps, nowbe ascertained, un less it w as intended for a c i rcu la r sta i rca se, such as are com

m on in anc ient b ildings, and nea r ly sim i lar to tha t at b . Shou ld th is havebeen its or igina l intent, th is pa rt of the bu ilding m ay rather be supposed tohave belonged to the abbey than the church, andindeed, un less th is w as thecase, we do not see how a com m unication cou ld have been m ade with the roomover the vau lted pa ssage ( k) . We have al ready rem a rked that the northtransept does not correspond with the south one , as m ight ha ve been expected:hadthe bu i lding been uniform andas there is a co r responding passage on thesou th side the consistory to tha t on the no r th, i t seem s not un l ikely that abu ilding, sim ila r to the south transept, m ight have been on that side a lso,wh ich wou ld - render th e who le uniform .

The chu rch w as erected on the no rth s ide ofthe abbey, andin a l ine with the

c loister, but w hether i t extended so farwestwa rd asth isdoes, isnow rendered nuce rtain, by the fortifications th rown up i n the re ign of Charles I . having occasion edthe rem ova l of every vestige of a bu i lding

,beyond the part desc r ibed

i n the p lan . Nevertheless, as there stil l rem a in three open ings for windows inthe part of the wal l yet standing on the north s ide the cloi ste r, they afford a.

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R ELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS.

together with a long range of stab l ing, a part ofwh ich is stil l ex isting within

the inne r court.The ground on the r igh t hand, a fter ente r ing the inne r court from the

Forbury, n ow pa r tl y occup ied by Messrs. Bu lley a nd Deane, is supposed tohave been the ga rden b e longing to the abbey, conta i ning about an acre and a

h a lf of land, p leasantly situated on a gentle decl i v ity towa rds the south , andshe ltered from the north winds, by the wa l l tha t d ivided the inner and outercourts.

It is doub tfu l whether there w as any wel l b e longing to the abbey, at it sfi rst erection ; on e has since been

'

discove red in the c lo iste rs, wh ich is now

fi l led up with rubb ish, but it is p robab le this w asofa later da te, a sit isnot, web el ieve, u sua l to find wel ls in such situ a tions ; pe rhaps th is-w as dug for theu se of the ga r r ison in the c iv i l w ar, i n the reign of C ha r les I . as they cou ldn ot be supp l ie d with sp r ing wa ter by any o the r m eans. Befo re the reform as

t ion, th is rel igious house w as supp l ied from the C ondu it, nea r the turnp ike, atth e sou th end of Sivie r- st reet . The n am e given to th is spr ing shews i t to havebeen de r ived from the No rm ans, w ho were the founders of the abbey . A ssom e labo rers we re excava ting a saw - p it

, abou t th e m idd le of the last century,at the easte rn ex t rem ity ofMr . B landy

’

s wha r f, on the south side of the r iver,

theydiscovered a leaden p ipe,abou t tw o inches i n diam ete r , ly ing in the d i

rection of the C ondu it, andpassing u nde r the r ive r towa rds the abbey , pa rt ofwh ich , from its situa t ion under the wa ter, they were obl iged to leave ; the rem ainderw as sold fo r '

o ld lead .

I t w as from th is sourc e, therefo re, the abbey w as supp l ied with sp r ingwater ; andas eve ry th ing belonging to these re l igious founda tions w as supposedto be ho ly, andto be attended with som e m ira cu lous powers, so this sp r ing w as

supposed to be benefic ia l in the cu re of so re eyes.The m i l l is a substantia l fl int and stone bu ilding of great anti qu i ty

,

though the ex a ct e ra of its e rect ion cannot now be ascerta ined . It i s wo rkedby the water of the Ho ly- b rook, wh ich branches ou t of the r ive r Kennet, ata p la ce ca lled Langley -m ead, nea r The alefi from w hence it flows in a ser

pentine course to C o ley, from wh ich p la ce it p u rsues a stra ight l ine eastwardti l l i t app roaches with i n a few ya rds of the r iver, at a p lace ca l led t he OldO rchard, from whence it sudden ly turns to the nor thward, and p reserv ing the

Leland, w ho is fol low ed b y M r. C oates, says, “ it brekith ou t of the p rinc ipal stream of the

Kenne t, above the tow n by W . S .W . abou t the Be re , w he re the abbo t of Reading had a fair m anorp lace Of bricke .

”B ut th is isevidently a m istake

,as B e re C ou rt, the abbot’s residence, is at the dis

tance of a t least three m iles from the pr inc ipal stream , or the Kenne t.

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS;

sam e stra ight l ine , continues its cou rse th rough the town to the m ill, after

passing w h ich, i t unite s aga in with the r iver from w hence it o r igina ted . Fromthe Ho ly- b rook running in a pe rfectly st ra ight l ine from C o ley

,the re can be

n o doubt but th is pa rt of i t w as o r igina lly fo rm ed into a cana l at the expenseof the abbot and m onks, for the exp ress purpose of supply ing not on ly them i ll , b ut even the abbey , with soft wate r, thu s secu r ing the tw o m ost necessa rya rtic les of subsistence to the i nhab itan ts of th is once nob le m onaste ry ; whe re

Tr ium phant plenty, with a cheerfu l grace,

B ask’

d in e ach eye , andsparke l’

d i n each fa ce .

The brook, in its passage through the town, w as p aved a t the b ottorrrwith br icks, and the greater part of i t a r ched over, and its fa l l from Co leyto the m il l has been so gradua l ly p rese rved, tha t the la tter is ab le to wo rk,even in the h ighest floods, withou t being p revented by the back wate r, owingto the m i l l being situa ted so m uch above the leve l of the rive r,

" into wh ich thewate r of the brook fa l ls after passing it .

From the above im perfe ct sketch of the abbey,and its precincts, som e

idea m ay be form ed of the strength and extent of th is once stupendousst ructu re, whose r u ins, though sti l l vene rable from tim e, are fast m ou lde r ing;aw ay, a ndwill, probab ly, in a few yea rs, enti rely disappea r.Hen ry began the foundation of the abbey at the com m encem ent of the '

year 1 12 1 , and, as the cha rte r he a fterwa rds granted them w as not signed ti l l ,

1 125, the i nte rm ediate spa ce of fou r yea rs w as p robab ly spent in com p letingthe bu ilding, wh ich w as afterw a rds dedicated to the honor of the Vi rgin Ma ryand St . John , and endowed , by Hen ry, with an am p le m a i ntenance for a n

abbot, a p r io r, and sub - p r ior, and tw o hund red m onks of the Benedictineo rde r,but th is num ber w as n ot a lways com p lete, for, at the inqu isition takemi n the reign of Edwa rd I II . the re were only on e hund red in a ll . “

In the fo l lowing cha r ter which Hen ry granted to the abbot and m onks,he invested them wi th a lm ost rega l autho r ity, andwith such ex tensive posses

sions, in different pa rts of the k ingdom , as evince the interest he took i n. theadvanc em ent of th i s his favo r ite endowm ent .

A C opy of the founda tion Charter of Henry I .

"

Henr icus, Dei gratia, &c. Henry, by the grace ofG od, k ing ofthe Engl ish,and duke of the Norm ans, to all his a rchb ishop s, —b ishops, abbots, ea r ls,ba rons, andto all Chr istians, as wel l present as future, hea lth .

119111010 ye that th ree abbeys, i n the k ingdom of England, were, for their

C rose’sA ntiqu ities. 2 Dugdale

’sM onasticon.

RE LIG IOUS FOUNDAT IONS.

m anifo ld sins, fo rm erly destroyed that is to say, Radynge , Cholsey, a ndLeo

m inster, w hose lands and possess ions have, for a long tim e, been u surped and

a l ienated iby laym en. I, therefore, by andwith the adv ice of the b ishops and

o thers, my faithfu l subjects, for m y sou l’s hea lth, andthe sou ls ofk ing W i l l iam

m yfather , of k ing W i l l iam m y brother, of m y son Will iam , andof q ueen

Matilda m y m other, of 'queen Ma ti lda m y wife, andof a ll m y p redecessor s

andsuccessors have b u ilt a new m onastery a t Radynge , in honor, and in the

n am e of the eve r b lessed Vi rgin Ma ry, m other of G od,a ndof St . John the

evangel ist ; andhave endow ed -it with the sa id m ona ster ie s of Radynge, C ho lsey

,

*andLeom inste rfi with their appu r tenances, woods, fields, and pastures,

with thei r m eadows andr ivers, with thei r m i l ls and fisher ies, and a lso with

thei r churches, chape l s, cem eteries, ob la tions, and tythes, andwith on e m intat Radynge . I have a lso given to the sa id m onaste ry, Thatcham , and the

ch urch ofWa rgrave, with the sa id fu l l andabso lute power as I m yself possessed them ,

so to rem a in to the abbot and m onk s of R adynge .

N o p erson, either grea t or sm a l l, m ay dem and any thing, by custom or

violence, as due from the m en, lands, or possessions, of the sa id m ona stery,nor the levy i ng ofm e n , on account of an y exped ition, const ruct ion of cam p s,or bu i lding of br idges .

They shal l not dem and of them horse s, ca rr iages, or b oats, labor,tributes, or gifts ; b u t the m onks of R adynge , their servants, andpo s sessions,sha l l be free from al l t r ibute, taxes, and a ll othe r cu stom s, by land andbyw ater, i n passing br idges, andi n the sea ports, throughout all E ngland .

Chaurega, vulgo Cha ney. Erat hie, 8 c. Here w as anc iently a nob le m onastery, but i t fe ll in

that calam ity w here in the Danes destroye d the w ho le province of the A ttrebatii. C ho lsey w as afte rw ards restored to its anc ient dignity, andhad, as I co l le ct, canons, w hom they called prebendaries.The t able of donations in the abbey of Reading

,m ent ions of Roge r the de acon of Cho lsey. This

clearly appears that Henry, sum am edBeauclerc, k ing ofEngland, endow ed his m agnificent new abbey at:Re ading, w ith t he lands ofLe om inster andCholsey, pitying, as it is said, the negle cted state ofreligionin those places. From w hich tim e Cholsey w as an appu rtenance to Reading. N ow it is a sm al l v illage , fam ousfor no thing but the fru itful cr0 ps it affords its bw ne r.—Leland.

The pr iory ofLeom inste r, or iginally a m onastery for nuns, said to have been founded by Merew alcus, k ing ofMerc ia, abou t 1656, thus be cam e a ce ll to Reading

,u nder the jurisdiction of the

abbot andm onks, w ho appo inted the prior andall the office rs be longing to the priory. A t the dissolutien, it w as valued, accordin g to Tanne r, at 660 1. 1 85. 8d. out ofw hich the abbo t andm onksw e re usedto re ce ive 4481. but according

'to Price , in his h istory ofLeom inster, the tem poralities ofthe prio ry, inthe re ign of Edw ard I. 35.r8d. out ofw h ich .the abbot and m onks rece ived 4 80 1.andconsequently at the tim e oft he disso lution, the ir re venue from thispriory m ust have been m u chgre ate r than it is stated by Tanne r.In 1 434 , the corporat ion ofLeom inste r claim ed of the a bbo t andm onks 24 acres of arable land

in Portm an’s-m oor, in the parishes ofLeom inster and Eye , but the cause be ing trie d at the He re fordassiz es that year, a verdic t was given in favor o ft he abbot andm onks.—Price’s History ofLcomim tcr.

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RELIG IOUS FOU NDAT IONS.

He m ay not enfeoff the a ssessed land, ( te rra s censuales )* nor shal l he

m ake knights ; but, in the holy ga rm ent of Chr ist, he m ust be careful in his

acceptation of chi ldren, but he m ay receive aged, and discreet people, as well

laymen as clcrgym enfi

N o pe rson sha ll hold any of the possession s of the abbey of Radynge

w hol ly ( ab solutum ) i n fec, i but sha l l pay to the abbot and m onks an annual

rent andserv ice .None shal l ho ld any office by i nheritance, in the hou se andpo s session s

a t Radynge , belonging to the abbot and m onks, but the abbot and m onks

sh a l l take cogni z ance of every pr i nc ipa l ( przepositer) or other ofiicer, and

rem ove them when they th ink fit .I give, and confi rm for ever, to th i s m ona ste ry of Radynge, and to

whatever belongs to it, a ll the above im m unities, free and undim in ishedwhi ch, for the sake of G od, I recom m end to all those k ings of England whosha l l reign after m e to p reserve that G odm ay p reserve them for ever .

Bu t if any body sha l l knowingly p resum e to infringe, dim inish, or tochange, th i s our foundation charter, m ay the great G odof all w ithdraw and

eradica te him andhisposterity, andm ay he rem ain w ithout any inheritance

Landsguildable , that is, not waste grounds, but m anured lan ds, by no libe rty orfran chise exem pt;but subjec t to taxation .—Antiquarian Discourrer.

N ee faciat vu'

liter. These w ere spiritual, n ot se cu lar knights, or su ch as were created by k ings,as Mr. Tate obse rves, w ho in treating of this c lause in the charter, gives the follow ing explanation ofthe passage : Though I restrain you from m ak ing knights, ye t m y m ean ing is not to restrain youfrom m ak ing all k ind of knights. The m aking of se cu lar knights to de fend the realm , by se rvicedone by them se lves in pe rson, or by o thers in the ir behalf, I wil l rese rve to m yse lf, andsecular m en

but the m aking of kn ights to do service to Christ, w he ther they be clerks or laym en, I leave free to

you , so you m ake none bu t su ch as purpose to take upon them the habit of your profession ,advising

you only to b e ve ry sparing in re ce iving infan ts into the profession of your order, that are unable tojudge them se lves how they shal l have pow er to pe rform the ir vows.” S ir FrancisLe igh also obse rves,that besides knightsof a higher degree , the abbot m ade infe riour ones, w ho w ere alw ays rem aining in

the house of the abbot, andin the B ook (f Reading he adds, the ir die t, w ith the m anne r of theirallowance in the abbot ’s houses, is se t down, andthe ir p lace be fore esqu ires, so that these m ilites therem ade andharboured, could n ot have bee n so ldie rs. —/1ntiguarz

'

an D iscourses.

1 A dam de Sim plingesw as charged w ith ce rta in scutages,+ for half a knight’s fe e, holden of the

abbey of Read ing. The ancient k ings ofEngland hadgranted to that abbey, that they should be qui tof scutage , for the lands they hadalready acqu ired, or shou ld afte rwards acqu ire . King Hen ry I I I .confirm ed to them that freedom , of his spe cial grace

,andso that the sam e m ight n ot be draw n into

conse quence or pre cedent, A ndby virtue of a w rit d ire cted to the barons of the excheque r, test ifying the sa id grants, A dam w as discharged of the said seve ral scu tages ; and the abbey w ere to be

scutage free for the tim e to com e.—M adox’sHistoiy andAn tiquities if the Exchequer, page 468.

Prob ab ly the lege r-b ook of the abbey, w hich I have no t b een ab le to ob tain a sight of.t A scutage was, scrvitum scuti, for every knight’sfee, the service ofone knight - Md.

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

in m isery and hunger ; but, whosoever sha ll preserve the above - m entionedl iberties to the abbey of R adynge , m ay the Mo st High , who ru leth the heartsof m en, confi rm to him a ll good th ings, andpreserve him for ever .

I Henry, Here fol lows the nam es of the queen,the pope ’s legate

,

three a rchb ishop s, eigh t b ishop s, five abbots, andten nob lem en, viz . Robert,

e ar l of Gloucester ; Wil l iam , ea r l of Su rrey ; Roge r, ea r l of W a rwick ; Stephen, ea r l of A lb erm arle ; W i l l iam , ea rl ofTancaville , the cham be r la i nB r ien - fitz - count, counstable of W all ingford castle ; Hum frey de Bohun ;Robert de Ha ia ; W ill iam fitz - Odo ; and Hugh Bigot ; who witnessed thecharter , wh ich i s dated in the yearTh is charte r w as a fterwards confi rm ed by m ost, if not a ll the succeeding

k ings, w ho considerab ly enlarged the possessions and p r i v i leges of the abbo tandm onks, andparticu la rly by the fo l lowing c ha rter , conta ining a ful l accountof all the ir estates, andan enlargem ent of a ll their pr iv ileges

Hen r icus, rex Angl iae , &c . Henry, king of England, duke ofNorm andy,ea rl of Anj ou . To all a rchb ishop s, b ishops, abbots, p r io rs, ba rons, &c .

11311010 ye that we have granted , and‘

by this our cha rter confi rm ed toG od, and St . Ma ry, andto the m onks of R adynge , i n pe rpetua l a lm s, all thelands, tenures, anda lm s, w h ich king Hen ry the grandfather of k ing Hen ry ourfather,

'

l'

and all other benefactors have granted and given ; that i s to say,

R adynge itself, and Cholsey, andLeom inster, with all thei r appendages, withwoods, fie lds, and pa stures, with m eads andwaters, with m i lls and fisher ies,w ith chu rches andchapels, and bur ia l- g rounds, ob lations, and tythes, with a

m int at Radynge or London ; Thatcham a nd the church ofW a rgrave ; th echurch ofH'enneberg, and R okin ton i n W a rwicksh i re with its chu rch ; andW igestan wh ich w as the land ofW i ll iam the A lm oner . And in W iltsh i re,W ycheb er with its chu r ch . And in Bedfo rdshi re, the land of A lbodofHoc

tun, andthe land of Robert the p riest ofHam ton , andthe land wh ich Robert

In addit ion to k ing Henry, the ori ginal founder of the abbey, the abbot and m onks w ere in

debted to the fo llow ing bene factors at diffe ren t periods, for the increase of the ir possessionsM atilda andAdaliz a, queensofHenry I W illiam andR ichard, sons ofHenry I . the founde r ;

B rien tius ; Jocelinus Pe rcy ; Ran ulphus, the k ing’s chance llor, andhis son ; Robe rt A chard, and

A gne s hisw ife ; Ada Hertington ; Ela (countess) ; David, k ing of S co tland ; W illiam ,e arl of Pem

broke ; N icho las de la Ruge ; Roge rus, e arl ; Ida , countess ; Hugo Mort im e r ; W ill iam Hunte rcum be ; Roge r Liiford; Roge r, dean of C holsey ; Osbert

,dean ofLeom inste r ; Re ginald, duke of

C o rnw al l ; W arin,the son of G e rald, &c .

—Leland’s Collectanea, vol. l .fol. 69 .

‘t This charte r,though professed to be granted in the nam e ofHenry I I . m ust have originated

from one of his sons w ho su ccee ded him ,e ithe r R ichard or John ; Henry w as the son of G eoffrey

P lantagene t , e arl of A njou, andthe re fore could no t be the son of k ing Henry, as is he re e rroneouslystated ; andas Richard Spent m ost of his re ign in fore ign parts, I am inclined to be lieve that this w as

the charte r said to have be en granted to the abbo t andm onks by k ing john.

RELIG IOU S FOU NDATIONS.

dc Fe rres hadin the tow n ofRadynge , anda lso w hich. Am alric gave to them

in Karcsw ell a ndin B urgficld; and the land wh ich Wi ll iam e ar l of Bl e ndevi lle gave to them in R e ce nden e . And the land ofWhitley wh ich Pe te r of

Cosham grantedandcon firm ed to them by h is charter . A ndHeston in Hert

fordshire , w i th its church andall its appertenance s. Also the park which the

lord the king o ur father gave andcon firm ed to them . And one fa ir at R a .

dynge on the day of St. Jam e s a nd the three fol lowing days. A ndone fa ir

a t Leom inste r, on the day of the fe ast of St. P e ter a ndSt. Pau l andthe thre e

fo l low ing days. Also the land w hich William e arl of Susse x gave them in

Quindenam . Andthe land w hi ch Will iam e arl of Fe rre rs gave to them in

Stanford . Also the lan d w h ich Henry the son ofGe ra ld gave to them in

Seb riths-w orth . A nd the lan d w hich . Michae l de B aseville gave to them in‘

Lichhroc . And the lan d w hich Law rence the ho lds of m e in Ran cebrig. A ndthe land w h ich Radulfde Ofi

'

en ton gave to them . A ndthe church

of E nglefie ldwith its appertenances. And the land w hich Ste phe n de M or

ton ga ve them in the suburbs ofW arw ic, andwh ich. the em press Mati lda our

grandm other gave and granted to them , tha t is to say, B lew b erry with all .

its appertenan ces, andHendred, andthe church of Be rkley, with its churches,chape ls, and all its appe rtenances. A nd the church of Stan ton with all its

appertenances. A nd the church ofThatcham with its apperte nan ces, .w ith a

m arke t to b e he ld on Sundays in that town, A nd Hyde andUndere r with a ll .

the ir appertenan ces. Le t no person gre at or sm al l dem an d any th ing as of .

right, custom , or vio le nce , from the m e n , lands, andpossessions of the m om s

tory ofRadynge , n e ither horse s n or m essengers, ( expedition e s) ne i therfor building ofbridge s, orform ing c am ps, ne ither c arriages,

~

nor ren ts, ships, works, trib u tes, n or hospita l ity, n or le stage , n or te chinpe ny nor tinpeny, andle t them b e

e xem pt from a ll waste ofwoods a ndofe ssarts.

ale N o on e ofthe king ’

s foresters~

m ay e nte r the w oods be longing to the abbot and m onks which are in the

forest ; but the abbot and m onks m ay have the sam e pow er and l iberty ofe ntering to the ir own woods, wheresoev er they m ay b e , as the king him se lf.A nd the m onks of R adynge , anda ll th e ir m e n and possessions, sha l l b e fre efrom D an ege ltfi ge ldagej,

hydage , § andpontage ,”to l ls, andall other e xa ctionsand custom s, in fa irs a nd m arke ts w h e re soe ve r they m ay b e , in land or bywater, in passing of bridge s andse a -

ports thro ughout all England, Norm andy, ,

andall our possession s. In w itn ess, &c .

Essarts, the grubb ing or c le arin g the groundfrom bushes, &c .

Daneg‘e lt, a tax of one sh il lin g for e ve ry hide of land,im posedby k ing Ethe lred, to redeem the

n ation from the in cursions of the Dan es.1 C cldage , the paym ent of taxe s. Hydage , a tribute raisedon every hide of land.

UTo ll paidfor the passage of bridges,

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262 R ELIG IOU S FOUNDAT IONS.

b ounty ofkings or princes, by the gift of the fa i thful , or by any other j ust

m ethods, with the he l p of the Lord obta ined, sha l l rem a in firm , and un

touched , to you and your su ccessors, am ong which w e though t prope r to

rem ark the se , by ou r e xpress words ; R adynge , Cho lsey, andLeom inster, w ith

the church es, chape ls, church - yards,ten ths, offerings, toge ther with the woods,

fi e lds, pastures, m e adow s, w aters, m i lls, fish -ponds, o r fishe ries, with all other

the appe rtenance s, T hatcham with its appertenances, and the church ofW ar

gra ve , Whitley with its appertenances, W ichb ury with its appertenances,

Blewbury w ith its appertenan ces, the land whi ch you have in Henrede with its

appe rtenance s, R ockenton w ith the church of the sam e v i l lage and all its

apperte nances, the churches of Stan ton , ofHaneborke , and of Inglesfielde ,

with the ir apperten an ces, D udlesfaude with all its appertenances, the land

w hich you h ave in Heitum with its appertenances, a lso the lan d wh ich you

have in Lingeb orehe and in Stratfie ld, which w as Hugh de Mortim er’

s, and

in Ebriche tesw erde with all the ir apperten ances, the lands and ren ts wh ich

you have in London , and B ercham stede with the ir apperte nances, the land

w h ich you are possessed of be low the tenem ent of Hon , in the n am e of the

dow er'

of your church , with its appertenances, the priory ofM ay, with itsappertenan ces, and indgross in Scot land, with its appertenances.

Also, le t no on e presum e to dem and or extort from you , the tenth of

your ploughed lands,’

w hich you til l w i th your own hands, or at your expence ,or of the ten ths of the in crease of your cattle .

B ut whe n there sha l l be a gen era l in terdict of the kingdom ,you m ay,

a fte r shutting your ga tes, and ke e ping out the e xcom m un icated, and interdi cted, without to l l ing the be l l, ce l ebrate divine serv ice in a low vo i ce .

We' do a lso , by our aposto l ica l authori ty, inhib i t any one to publ ish a

senten ce of e xcom m un ica tion , or an in terdict aga inst you, or your m onaste ry,w ithout a m an ifest and reasonable cause, or to oppress you with n ew and

undue exactions.W e c om m and, also, th e chrism , or sacred oil, for the conse cration of

c hurches, or for the ordin ation of m onks, and othe rs of your cle rks, w ho

shal l b e prom oted to holy orders by the b ishop ofyour diocess, prov ided heb e a cathol i c, and has the grace andcom m un ion of the apostol i c see , to be

g i ven to you gratis, and without any abuse .

Fu rtherm ore , w e do, by aposto l ica l authority, forbid any one bui ldinga church or oratory, with in the parishe s of your churche s, withou t the consen tof the bishop of the dioc e ss, and the chapter of R adynge the privileges ofthe Rom an pontiff, n otw i thstanding, be ing preserved .

Also, be ing wil ling to provide for your peace and tran quil ity for the

RELIG IOU S FOUNDATIONS.

fixture, by our fa therly care , w e do, by our apostol ica l authority, forbid anyone to com m i t rap ine or theft, put fire , shed blood, rash ly to se i ze or kill anym an , or act any v iolence, within the l im its or pla ces of your granges ; and,further, w e do, by our aposto l ica l authori ty, con firm , and, by the privilegeOf the present writing, do strengthen all l iberties, and im m un it ies, granted by

our predecesso1 s, Rom an pontifl‘

s, to your m onastery, and a lso all l iberties,im m un ities, andexem ptions, from se cular e xactions, which have been grantedto you , by kings andprinces, andothe rs of the fa ithfu l .

W e do there fore de cre e i t to b e un lawful for any person whatsoe ver,rashly to d isturb the m onastery, or to take away its posse ssions, or to ke ep

them wh en taken away by others, or lessen them , or m o lest them with any

m an n er of ve xa tion , but that they sha l l all b e pre served entire for the governm en t and support, and all other gene ra l uses, of those for w hom they weregiven : the au thori ty of the apostol i ca l see, and the canon ica l power of thebishop of the diocess‘

be ing prese rved .

If therefore any e cclesiastical or se cular person sha l l , knowingly, en .

deavor rashly to controvert the se our constitut ions, after the secon d andthirdadm on ition , and doth n ot am en d his fault , by m aking a proper satisfaction,let

'

him b e deprived of the dign i ty Of his power or honor, and know tha t heis guilty be fore G od, for the in iquity he hath com m i tted, andis debarred fromp artaking of the m ost sacred body and blood o f God, &c . unt i l his punisha

m ent. But the pe ace of our Lord Jesus Christ b e with all those , who preserveall the laws to th is place , &c . to the end. Am en .

Given at the Lateran, by the han d of John ofMary in C orm idin,cardina l deacon, chan ce l lor of the holy Rom an church, the

l 0th of the kalends ofApri l : of the indiction the 9 th of the

in carnation of'

our Lord 1207, andof the pontificate of ourLord, pope Innocent I I I, the 10th ye ar.

David king of S cotland also conferred on the abbot and m onks, the twopriories of Rindalgos andM ay, in that kingdom , which in consequen ce becam e

ce l ls to the abbey : but these priories appe aring to have been form erly ap

p endages to the bishopric O f St . Andrew’

s, they were soon after restored to thatsee , by the abbot of Reading. However, Will iam de Su tton , on e of the su c

c eeding abbots, pre tending the a l ienation hadbeen m ade without the con sen tofthe m onks, presented a pe tition to Edw ard I . requesting they m igh t b e re

stored ; whereupon the bishop app ea led to the pope , and the va l idity of his

c la im be ing adm itted by the court in S cotlan d, to w hich it hadbe en re ferred,the abbot aga in appl ied to Edward in 1293, who, as lord param ount of Scots

land, sum m oned king B a lio l to appear pe rsonal ly before him , fifteen daysafter

RELIGIOUS FOUNDAT IONS .

m artinm ass, but i t doe s n ot appe ar how th e affair w as de term ined , tho ugh

it is prob ab le the troubles, w hich e nsued in that kingdom , put an e ndto the

dispute , andle ft the b ishop in possession of the priories.

‘

The e m press lwaudor M a tilda~

gave the m the m anors of Blew bury andEast I l e ndred, in the hundred ofRe ading, but in w hat ye ar is unknow n .

I n the re ign of Edw ard 1 1 1 . the privi l ege of co in ing m oney, gran ted them

byH enry I . the ir founder, b u t of w hich they h ad be en depri ve d in the late

re ign ,w as aga in restored to them by the fol lowing o rde r from his m ajesty, e n

tered in .the charte r- m in t

R em dilecto sibi Joham zi de Flete, 85C.

The king, to h is we l l be loved John de Fle te , ke eper of our m in t in

London, heal th .

w hereas, by our charter, w e have grante d to our be loved in Christ,the abbot a ndm onks of R adyng, that they andthe ir succe ssors for e ver

,m ay

have one m int, andone die at the a foresa id pla ce ( locum ) of R adyng, th ere ,for m one y, v iz . aswe l l for the co in ing of farth ings, ( obo los) ha lf- farth ings,

( ferlingos) as for pen n ies, (sterlingos) as the m anne r is for co in ing, and as is

m ore fu l ly e xpresse d in our aforesaid charter. ‘Ve com m an d you there fore,that w ithou t de lay you cause to b e m ade andfabricate d, a t the e xpense of the

abbot, three dies, of hard andcom pe ten t m e tal , v iz. one for penn ies, an oth erfor farthings, and a third for ha lf- farthings, for the c o in ing of m on ey at thesa id p la ce of R adyng, andwith whatsoe ve r im pression a nd circum scription

the abbot sha l l order ; and to send them to o ur tre asury a t IVe stm in ste r as

soon as possib le , that from thence , with in fifte en days n ext after the fe ast‘

OfSt . Martin , a t the farthest, they m ay, for the cause a foresa id, b e de l ive red tothe abbot .

T. J . de Shardiche , apud Westm inster, the 18th of Novem ber,in the ten th ye ar Of our re ign .

”

This priv il ege , h owe ver, they seem to have used very sparingly, as on l yon e doubtfu l spe c im en of the ab bey co in is n ow to b e found in the cabine tsof the curious, andn ot e ven on e has been found w ith in the town i tse lf, where ,if they had e ver be en in any num bers, som e of them m ust, in the course Of'

thre e or four centuries, h ave been d iscove red .

*

M r. Coateshas given an engravin g, in hisHistory of Readin g, of what he supposes to be an

abbey penny but there is re ason to th ink , from its sim ilarity to all the pie ces co in edin the re ign of

the Edw ards, t hat it is noth ing m ore than the com m o n co in of the k ingdom , struck at Re adin g, it be in g

usual in those tim es, for such pie ces to be c ircum scribedw ith the n am es of the places they w ere co inedat, as villa Kingston, vil la Carl isle, &c. andin l ike m anner

,vi lla Radinge on this, m ay on ly denote

A ct. Pub.

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RELIG IOUS FOUNDAT IONS .

n eedle, a stee l pen, and table ts to w rite on . Th e ir beds consisted of a m at,

som e straw, anda pil low,the ir c ove ring a blanke t anda p iece of serge .

” i

W e have no accoun t of th e d ie t of the m onks at Re ading, but from the

fol low ing corrody gran ted to John M aw ne by the abbot, out of the’

m anor

of Leom inster, w e m ay conc lude i t w as ve ry am ple .

33311011] all m en, by these presents, tha t w e Thom as, by divine perm ission,

abbot of the m onastery of R adyng, andthe conve n t of the sam e place , to our

chose n in Christ,“ John M aw ne ofA sche ton , esq . for the service he has done

us, andw hat he sha l l do h ere after, have granted him m a in te nan ce in victuals

a nddrink , for his l ife , in our m anor of Leom inste r, v iz . While the sa id John

is w e ll, a ndin the ha l l the re , h e sha l l b e served a t dinn er and supper, as the

fe l low m onks are , e xcept on fle sh days in Advent, Septuagessim a, Sexagessim a ,

a ndQuinquagessim a, on w hich days he sha l l b e served as the other e squ ires

are . Andi f he b e sick, or absen t for any reason ab l e cause , he sha l l have the

sam e m a in tenance in his cham ber within our m anor, and he sha l l re ce ive ,ye arly, during his l ife , on e robe of the su i t of our esqu ires, and four loads of

fuel in our sa i d m anor, a cham ber which W m . Mason , chapla in, inhabited,

anda stable for one horse to b e kept with hay only, andw e further gran t to

the said John , that whilst ' he dwe l ls in the town of Leom inster, or e lsewhere

ou t of the bounds of the sa id m anor, he sha l l re ce i ve e very day tw o white

( m onks) loaves, and on e Wheaten or pricke d loaf, on e flaggon anda ha l f of

the best ale , one m ess anda hal f of flesh or fish, a ccording to the day ; provided that in those days he dines in the ha l l , he sha l l n ot re ce ive the sa i d

a l lowan ce , &c .

A s this corrody w as granted him on occasion ofhis b e ing absen t fromthe hal l at m eal t im es, i t is, probably, nearly the sam e as that allowe d to them onks, with whom , a t other times, he

I n addition to perform ing the regular offices ofthe church, the m onkswere em ploye d in transcribing books for the l ibrary, the m issa ls, andoth eroflices used in div in e serv ice : they a lso kept the leger b ooksfi con ta in ing the

M r. El is, in his antiqu ities of St. Leonard’s, Shoreditch , on the orig in of the te chn ical appel

lation of costard-m onger, observes, it is plain that it w as an apple in repute w ith the m onks of

Reading, as appe arsfrom an article in Cow el’s Law D ictionary. Costard, an apple , w hence costardm ongers, that is, se llers of apples. The article is in a deed, by w h ich the above m onks requ ire as anannual acknow ledgm ent, unum pom un costard.

”

'l' Hearne, in hispre l im inary observationson Brow n W illis

's M itredA bbeys, m entions a register

or le iger-book of the abbey of Reading, in the possession ofthe honorab le Henry W orseley, esq . and

Tanner, in his Notitia Monastica, m entions it as a very considerab le w ork,as no doubt it w as; but I

have searchedthe public libraries in London, asw e ll as the B ritish Museum, without be ing so fortuw

nate as to m eetwith it. C rose’sA ntiqu ities.

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

transactions in the house ; theyhad, m ore over, particu larpersonsam ong them appo in ted to take n otice of and re cord the principa l e vents that took place in thekingdom , which, at the endof the year, were digested andform e d into anna ls.

Am ong the learned m en that th is m onastery produced, m ay b e re ckon ed

Robert ofRe ading, who, with Ade lard ofBath , were the onlytwo Englishm en

in the early period of our history w ho were fam ous for the ir kn owledgeof the Arabian language . They re turne d in to Englan d in the re ign of HenryI . a fter they had spen t severa l years in the East, l earn ing that language and

translating books out of i t into Latin .

’

Robert de S igillo, m ade bishop o f London in 1 142, where he sat e levenyears. G eofry ofM agnaville took him prison er. Dece ased in 1 152 .

William of Re ading, archb ishop of Bourdeau x, - born h ere in the re ignofH enry I I I .

Friar John Lathbury, wh o wrote a com m en tary on the Lam entations, andJohn Holym an , whom Hugh, the last abbot, in a le tter to on e of the

un i ve rsities, chara cterize s as Dom inusHolym ann us, n on vita, m inus quame rudition e , the ologus insign is. Londin i h upe r e suggeste Paul ino con cio

n atus est, &c .

” At the disso lut ion of the abb ey, in 1 535, he re tired toHarborough, n e arWoodstock, where he w as re ctor, andw as afte rwards pro

m oted to the se e of Bristol. By his last wil l, date d the 4th of June 1 558, inwhich year he died, he gave to Win cheste r co l lege the works of St . Augus

tine , St. Jerom e , St. Cyprian, St. Ce cil, Tertul l ian, Iren eus, &c . which were

a fterwards, for the ir be tter preservation , chained to the l ibrary the re .

Leland sa ys, he found at Le iceste r a work written by Hugh, abbot ofReading, intitle d Quaestion es instar Dialogi.

”

The abbot, says Le land, hada fa ir m anor place of bricke, at Bere

Court . Hugh Faringdon, the last ab bot, se em s to h ave pre fe rred it for his

country reside n ce . In the east window ofthe chape l w as his picture in sta ined

glass, habited in his robe s, andkne e l ing before a desk, with a book op en upon

it, out of his m outh proceede d a scrol l inscribe d w ith these words

3m te D emure spa sm."

This house afterwards cam e into the posse ssion of sir Franc is Englefie ld,but lapsing to the crown , in the re ign of quee n Elizabe th, i t w as disposed

of as part of the m anor of Pangb ourn , and is n ow the property of doctor

Sym onds Bree don .

The abbo t is suppose d to have had another seat at Bucklebury, now the

Martin i e t Durand. Thesaur. A n ecdot. p. 29 .

m M 2

'

R ELIG IOU S FOUNDATIONS .

property of Hartley, e sq . b ut lVI r. Grose , w ith m ore probability, th ink-s

i t w as a t Cholsey, th at be ing a lso an appendage to the abb ey, and fam ous for

its great b arn, ye t sta nding . In the ce i ling of the church , ove r the chan ce l‘,are the a rm s ofthe abbey, appare n tly c arved on wood, in exce llen t pre servation .

W’hitley, in ,

the n e ighborhoo d of Re ading, w as a lso a se at b e longing

to the abbey, conta in ing a large park , p le asure grounds, fish ponds, &c . b ut

the se ‘ ha ve long sin ce b e en conve rted into a farm . I t w as gran te d by quee n

b‘

Iary to sir Francis E ngle fie ld, b e cam e afte rw ards the pro pe rty of the V e t

che ls, by w hom i t w as disposed of to the Tho m psons, andis n ow the propertyofMiss Jennings.

From the num ber of these residences, there is reason to suppose, t heywere n ot all be longing to the abb ey, b ut w ere probably the pri vate prope rty

of differe n t abbots, w here th ey o ccasiona l ly retired, whe n ever the ir re ligiousduties wou ld perm i t them to b e absen t from the abbey

,andw h ere they m igh t

e nj oy them se lves withou t that restriction n atura lly attendan t on high situations.

This abbe y w as in the king ’

s gift, or at least no abbot could b e chosenwithout his consent, as appears from the fo l lowing m em orandum , in the Closero l l, when Henry I I I . sa i led to Gascony

R ex om n ibus, &c . salutem . C um gub e rnationem regn i nostri Anglize ,e t terrarum nostrarum W a lliae, e t Hyb ernim , com m iserim us dilectae Regim enostrze A lie no rae, una cum consi l io dile cti fratris, e t fide lis n ostri Ricardic om itis C ornub iae , usque ad reditum nostrum de partibus VVascon im : Vo

lum us, quod cum archiepiscopatus et episcopatus preedicti regn i nostri Anglizee t episc opatus M eneve nsis in Wa l lia, vacaverint, a nobis pe tatur licentiae ligendi ; e t factis e lectionib us, noster super hoe requiratur assensus e t hocidem fleri voltnnus de ab b atiis W e stm onasterii, Wa l tham ,

San ct i Edm undi,R am esiae , B urgi S . Pe tri, S. Alban i, Radingae, Osen eym , C irencestriae, deHida,. G lastoniae vacan te sede , M alm esburiae , S . P-etri G loucestriae , E vesham ,S . Mariae Eboraci, e t S . Augustin i C antuarim . In cuj us, &c .

” t

Madox’sHistory andAntiqu ities of the Exch equer, p. 47,

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AB BOTS.

Roger, in w hose t im e , 1 163, the abbey church w as de dicated by archbishopThom as Be cke t ; king Hen ry I I . and m any of the n obility be ing present ; so

that supposing it to h ave be en begun soon after fin ishing the abbey, the church

w as n e arly forty years in bu i lding h e die d in the fo llowing year, andw as suc

c eededby

I’Villiam , w ho w as e ste em ed a ve ry pious andl earn ed m an , andby the spe

c ial favor ofHe nry I I . w as m ade archb ishop ofBourde au x , in 1 173 , w hereuponJoseph w as appointed to succe ed him , w ho enjoyed his pre - em inence se ven

years, w he n i t de vo l ve d onH ugh I I . a learned w rite r, anda great be n e factor to the m onastery . He

e rected an hospita l w i thou t the gate of the abbey, for the m a inten an ce of

tw en ty- six poor pe ople , anddedica ted it to St . Lawren ce ; the re ason he givesfor

th is chari ty in h is de ed, is, tha t w here asking H enry had appo in ted all p ersons

to b e en terta in ed there , he found that the sam e w as perform ed in a de cent

m ann er tow ards the rich, b u t not a ccording to the king’

s intention towards thepoor ; w h ich m iscarriage , he , as steward of tha t n obl e charity, w as reso l vedto corre ct . For th is reason , and for the re l ie f of the poor and pilgrim s, he

b u i lt an hospita l w ithout the gate ofthe abbey, that such as w ere n ot adm i tte d

to the upper house , m ight there b e w e l l en terta ined , and ann e xed i t to thechurch of St. Lawrence for e ver, for the m a in ta in ing of th irteen poor personsin die t, c lothing, andothe r n e cessaries, with m a in tenance on ly for the sam e

n um ber, out of the u sua l a lm s. He w as au thor ofa work , e n titled s azstz‘

anes

instar D ia logi .‘ In 1 199, he w asm ade a bbot of C luney, andin the fol lowing

year w as su ccede d by

He l ias, w ho a fter enj oying the title about twe l ve years, had for his succ essor, in 1213,

S im on, who d ied in the m iddle of February 1226, and w as succe e de d by

Adam de Latehar, or Lathbury, prior of Le om inster, in Here fordshire, a.

c e l l to the abbey, on whose de ce ase , in Apri l 1238,Richard , the sub—prior of th is m onastery, w as appo in ted his successor, he

e njoyed the se at b u t a short tim e , be ing suc ce ede d by

Adam , who he ld it ’til l 1249 , w hen he resigne d in favor ofAdam , the sacrist of this house , on whose death or resignation, the sam e

Wi ll iam , sub -prior of Coventry, w as insta l led abbo t, but ho lding his seatbut a short p eriod a lso, he w as su cce eded by

R ichard, who dying in 1261 , w as succe eded by

Leland's Co llectanea.

ABBOTS.

R ichard de Banaster, a l iasde Radyng he presided e ight years, andw as

succe eded 'by

Robert de B urghare ,*who in 1287 , resigned the abbotship to William de

Sutton , but he dying in 1305, w as succeeded by

Nicholas de Quaplode , whose e le ction w as con firm ed in Septembe r 1 305.

He la i d the foun dation of the chape l , dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in 13 14,

anddying in 1327, hadfor hissu ccessor

John Apple ford, who dying afte r twen ty years possession, in July 1360, hadfor his successoryl

'

Will iam de D om b le ton , who w as confirm e d abbot anno 1361 Tanner sayshe hadm e t with on e Nicho las, an abbot of Re ading, in 1362, b ut th is m ust b ea m istake , for Will iam D om b le ton died posse ssed of the abbe y in 1368, and

w as then su cce eded by John de Sutton , upon whose de ath in 1378,Richard de Yately w as e lected abbot ; it is un certa in when he died, b ut i t

probab ly w as n ot prior to 1409, in wh ich ye arThom asE arle w ase l e ctedabbot,andcon tinu ed to pre side over the abbey ’t il l his death in 1430, when he w as

succe eded by,Thom as Hen ley, who , dying on the 1 1 th of Novem ber 1445,John Thorne w as preferred to the dign ity on the 7 th of January fol low

ing ; in whose tim e the presen t fre e schoo l w as founded, but dying b efore the

settlem en t c ou ld b e effe cted, anno 1486, in the 2d of Henry V I Ith, w as

succe ede d by anothe r

John Thorn e , who h e ld the dign ity ti l l 1 519, wh en he died, and w as

succe ede d byThom asde Worce ste r, who govern e d the abbey but a short t im e , be ing

succee ded in the fo l lowing year by,

A bout th isperioda Jew , having forgedthe abbey se al of St. A lban ’s,affixed it to tw o de eds,

purporting to b e for on e hundredm arks

,w h ich the Jew hadlent the abb ey, andthat the m onks had

paw n ed, for sums of m on ey certain of the ir valuab le trink e ts, as go lden crow ns, andpre c ious ston es,tw o cups of go ld, of 24 poundsw e ight

,besides three hundred silver spoons. The l ike f1 audw as

foundto have b een com m ittedon the abb ey of Readin g, w he re the Jew be ing take n andprose cu ted,

suffered de ath as a che at and im postor, confessin g the fraud. A nd it w as supposed that som e Jew

hadcorrupted the ke epe rs of the se als here , andby the ir con n ivan ce hadpurlo ined the plate and

jew e ls. -Nezucom be’

s History (fSt . Albans.'i' The m onks of seve ral abbeys b e in g at th is t im e accusedof m an y v ices and irregu lari ties,

Edw ard 1 1 1 . appo inted the abbot of St . A lban ’s to V isit them ,

aspresiden t of the gen e ral chapter,on w hich oc casion , he brou ght back , at Re adin g , m any to the ru le , w ho hadw anderedfar from it ;

andsom e of the m onks, w ho hadform edc on spirac ies against the abbot, be caused to b e sent aw ay tothe c e l ls ; he also brou ght others then ce to his own m onastery, to undergo som e sort ofpun ishm en t,

until they m an ifesteda pen itence—Hid.

ABBOTS .

Hugh Faring-don, the th irty- first andlast abbo t of Reading, underwhose

presidency the m onaste ry w asdisso lved, in 1539 , andthe revenues applied to the

u se of the crown. Tho ugh th is abbot, l ike m ost ofhis prede cessors, cann ot

b e considered a learn ed m an h im se lf, yet he w as a gre a t patron of such as

e xce l led in any ofthe bra n ches of l iterature. When the com m ission ers for

the suppression of th e m onastery a rrived, they cou ld findno e xceptions, e ither

to his m oral or re l igious behav ior, in th e adm in istration of his duties, and

doctor London, o n e of the com m issioners, in a le tte r to sir Thom as Crom we l l,

says, that Le ctures w ere read in the chapter- house e very day in Latin and

E ngl ish , on som e portion of the scri ptures, which were we l l a ttended, as the

abb ot w as com m on ly present at them him se l f ; adding that h e very re adily

gave Up his re l i cs, andthey m ade no doubt but his m aj e sty woul d findhim

as conform able a m an as any in the re alm . Notw i thstanding, howe ver, thefavorable l ight in which his c onduc t is here represe nted by the com m issioners,i t w as n ot suffic ien t to save him from the rage of a m e rci le ss tyrant, when,from an un fortunate prej udice im bibed in his e arl iest ye ars, he conscient iouslyrefused to a cknowledge the king ’

s n ew ly usurpe d suprem acy in ecclesiastical

affa irs. For t his ofl‘

e nce,which ought to have b een who l ly im pute d to a

re l igious adherence to w ha t he c onsidered the tru th, and deserv in g ratherof pity than pun ishm ent, he w as senten ce d with tw o of his fe l low m onks,R ugg and On ion, to be hanged and quartere d, as a tra itor to his king and

country ; wh i ch senten ce w as put in e x e cut ion '

a t“Re ading, in the m onth of

N ovem b er 1539, seven m on ths after the disso lution o f the abbey .

The officers b e longing to the abbot, were

per m m.

The m arshal, or m aster o f s. d. Second and th ird ditt o,the horse, Dean of the wardrobe ,

The panterer, 8 O Hostler,Dean of the cham bers, 8 0 B aker,P orter, 8 0 Sec on d andthird ditto, 4 O

The pages, First "

sm ith, '13 4

The cook , Sec ond ditto, 6 O

The scu l l ion , 1 2 Keepe r ofthe a bbo t’s pa l frey, 4 0

Dean of the cham bers, 8 O Gardener, 4 0

B utler, or m anciple, 4 0 Mil ler 2 0

with o ther in ferior officers.

As a proof of the splendor of this establ ishm ent, i t appears that inabbot Quaplode

’

s tim e , about the ye ar 1305, when gre at e con om y w as thoughtsnecessary

'to be adopted, on accoun t of the m onastery be ing then in debt, and

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AB BOTS .

At the disso l ution, the re venue s be longing to the abbey were est im ated

at tw o thousand on e hundred and si xte en pounds, three shil l ings, and n in e

pence , b ut, a ccording to Burton , on ly on e thousand n ine hundre d and n in e ty

eight pounds, fourteen shill ings, andthre e pence , e qua l, according to the pre

sen t va lue of m on ey, to twen ty thousan d pounds per annum . From th is sum ,

only fifty- n in e pou nds, thirte en sh il lings w ere reserved for the paym en t of the

annuities granted to those m onks w ho, from infirm ities or old age , were in

capable of ga in ing the ir l i ve l ihoods the rem ainder were turned out to provide

for them se l ve s as they could . Those that re ce ived pensions for l i fe were,

I. s. d.

6 O 0 per annum .

6 O O

6 O O

6 O O

6 0 O

6 O O

6 O O

6 O 0

4 6 8

3 6 8

2 O O

2 0 0

59 13 4

The rem a inde r of the ir incom e, am oun ting to 18821 . 93 . w as se iz ed

by the crown, and afte rwards parce l led of}, e i ther in gifts or leases, under the

nam e of crown lan d, to difl'

eren t persons.

A schedu le of the revenues of the late dissol ved m onastery of Read ing,31st of Henry V II Ith : z d.

Cho lsey m anor*andre ctory with the ir appertenances, 20 1 16 O

B lewbury m anor with its appertenan ces 121i

4

East Hendre d m anor, given by the em pressMaud, 38 14 9

B urhideb ury m anor andre ctory, 50 0

Carried forward £41 1 1 5 6

The m anor barn is stil l in ex isten ce , though bu ilt prior to the dissolution . M r. Coates says, itcarries upon it the date of 1 10 1 , andtherefore th inks it m ight have be longedto the anc ient abbe y ofCholsey ; but this idea is too extravagant to be adm itteda m om ent, as in that case it m ust now have

AB BOTs

l. I . J.B rought over 39 41 1 1 5 6

Thatcham re ctory, with Gree nham , Midgeham ,

Crookham andC olethorp,

Pangbourne m anor,*

B asyldon m an or,

Shyn ingfie ld, or Shinfie ld, tenem ents andlandSonn ing, m anor of B ulm e rshe and lands

,

W eregrave re ctory,

B orough of R eading.

Ren t of assi ze ,Custom ary re n ts,Mills. Tw o gra in m i lls andful l ing m i lls, ca l led St .

G iles’

s m i l ls, with the tythes of the sam e ; a

fishery ca lled T an - lock ; tw o other gra in m i lls,anda ful ling m i l l , in St. Mary ’

s parish, ca l led

M ynster- m i l ls, anda fishery ca l led Grey ’

s- lock, 40

R eading D ean ery .

Ren ts in Tilehurst, ‘Vhitley, Co l ley, G reyshull,

Stratfie ld-Mortim er, Su lham sted, Be enham ,

Ufton , Batte l ( farm )The farm ofWindsor U nderore ,

The m anor o f Wh itley,Agistm en t ofWhitley Park ,Ga l e ot m i l l andlands in Tylehurst parish,Fishery of the Ke n n e t,Re ctory of B eenh am ,

Re ctorie s of Tilehurst, Co l ley, andWhitley,

Carried forward

e xistedupw ards ofseven hundredyears,w hich it is im possib le for su ch a bu i ldin g to have done . Had

he considereda m om e nt,he w ouldhave re co l le ctedthat these figures, sa id to be inscribedon on e of

the be am s, w ere no t introduced in com m on use ,

’til l lon g afte r the pe riodthey w e re m ade to com m e

m orate,andthe refore m ust have be en a forge ry bu t the tru th is

,the re is n o such insc ripti m in be in g ,

as I foundon inspe c tion , andfrom the inform at ion of pe rsons l ivin g o n the Spot. It is ho n e ver the

largest barn in En gland, be in g 303 feet long, 54 w ide , and5 1 l igh .

B ere - court, in this parish, w as give n by B in gham ,b ishop of Sal isbu ry , to the m onastery m

1230 , andbecam e subsequently the sum m er reside n ce of the abbots.

AB BOTS .

to

s

No»

I. s.

B rough t over 1 9

Town of R eading.

To l ls of the fa irs, f'

Tol ls of the m arke t,C heapyng

- gave l,Perqu isites ofCourts,Bai l iw ick of the Libe rty,Perqu isites of its Courts,

S ussex.

Duddlesfordm anor, 0 12 9

Warw ickshire .

R owington m anor andrectory, 73 IO 0

Wilts.

M an or ofW hite sb ury, 21 1 9 8

Kent.

Man or ofW indhull, 38 O O

Or an.

Stan ton - Harcourt re ctory,Lands in Sewe ll,

London .

D ivers tenem ents, parti cu larly on e ca l led R edyngplace , in the parish ofSt. Andrew , n e ar Baynard

Castle, reserved to the use o f the abbot,

um m m

Herts.

Seb rightfordm anor,Aston m anor,

B edfordshire.Houghton m anor, 10 15 1 1

Sm al l rents co l le cte d by the ba i l iff, or out- stew ard ,in Tyglehurst andother places, 5 13 10

Carried forward £ 1 192 4 2'

"

f

King Stephen , by his charter, granted or rendered to Robert earl of Le icester, andhis he irs,the burgh OfHereford, andthe castle the re , and the w ho le county ofHerefordscyre , to hold by hereditary right ; except the lands be lon ging to the bishoprick, to the abbey of Readin g, and to otherchurches andabbeys which heldof the k ing in capite .—Madox

’.sHistory ofthe Exchequer, p. 635.

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AB BOTS.

B rought over

Sulham stedrectory,Englefieldre ctory,Com pton v icarage ,Hanborough re ctory,Su lham re ctory,Purley re ctory,Be e nham vicarage,Pangb ourn re ctory,W

'

argrave v icarage,B elonging to the R efectory .

Rent of assi z e in Reading,Custom ary rents there ,

B elonging to the ofiice of Sub-

prior.

Rents of assize,In Blew bury,In She cpb ridge ,

A bu ildin g in the Marke t-place ,R ents of ten ants, copy- ho lders,

B elonging to the ofiice of Granetary .

Ren ts of assi ze,Custom ary re n ts,

B elonging to the ofiice of Woodfolder.

Ren ts of assi ze,Custom ary re n ts,

B elonging to the keeper of the chapel of the Virgin M ary .

Rents of assi ze ,In B urgficld,

In Tilehurst.,Custom ary in Reading,

From the priory of Leom inster,R eserved ann uitie s to the m onks,Pensions to the abbots from re ctories,

Tota l

At the dissol ution, it w as valued a t £21 16 3s. 9d.

‘

Le land.

ABBOTS.

This re venu e , supposing the “

num ber o f the m onks to have be en alwayscom plete, w ould have a l low ed for the ir m a in tenan ce , on an a verage , ten poundsper m an, which , ac cording to the presen t va lue of m on ey, m ust have b e en equato fifty pounds, a sum m ore than sufficie n t, after dedu cting the pensions payable to the a bbot, for m en , who had re nounce d the luxuries of the world, tospend the ir days in m editation and. prayer.

From the savings of the ir re ve nu e , however, after the paym ent of th e irannua l e xpenses, they we re a t tim es e nab le d to assist the ir sove re igns w i thm oney in the ir e x igen ce s, e ither by w ay of gifts or loans, m any instance s ofwhich are on re cord ; but th ey were n ot a lw ays equa l ly a ccom m oda ting, forw hen Henry II I . im posed on them the m a in ta in ing of two Jewish con verts,both wom en , they so far resen ted it, tha t when he a fte rw ards re qu ired a loanof five thousand m arks, to e nable him to pay the portion he hadprom ised on

the m arriage ofhis n ie ce , the daughter of Grey, earl of A ngou le sm e , with

the young e arl ofG louce ster, they re fuse d to com ply, a l leging the ir in abil ityto advan ce such a large sum , and the im possib il ity ofjustifying i t, i f they

did. B ut Edward 1 1 1 , who w as m ore respe c ted, borrow ed at differen t times

large sum s of m on ey of the abb ey, as we l l as jewe ls ando th e r va l uables.

The m onks‘

of Re ading were n ot b ehind the rest of the cathol i c clergy

in the ir supe rstitious re ve re nce for re l ics ; in th is re spe ct indeed , the abbey

m ight have be en conside red the genera l repository of the nation so num erous

were the re l ics con fided to the ir care , tha t the inve n tory of them , is sa id to

have fi l led four shee ts of pape r ; am ong these , the m ost rem arka ble w e re , the

w ing of the angel, who brought over the poin t of the spear, tha t piercedJesus

Christ ; as m any p ie ces of the cross wh ere on Jesus Christ suffe red, as wou ldh ave

-

b e en suffic ie n t to have m ade one of a large si ze ; but what they placed

the greatest va lue upon, w as the handof S t . Jam es, to w hich the gre atest

re vere n ce w as ordered to b e pa id by a particular charte r. Will iam ofMa lm s

bury says, that Henry, from joy at' having got possession of the hand of St .

Jam es the apostle , founde d the abbey in and beside s e ndow ing it w ith

m any good things, placed in i t the hand of the ble sse d apostle but Matthew

Paris says, this circum stan ce did not take place til l 1 133, and that after the

king’

3 de ath, i t w as taken away by the bishop ofWinchester, but the m onks

Rex vero anglorum Henricus, praegaudio m anus be ati Jacob i aposto l i, al lata ad cum per M a.

tildem em peratricem ,filiam suam , fundavit n ob ile m abbatium de Redinges, e t cam bon is m u ltis ditavit,

c t in ca m anum beati Jacob i aposto l i posuit (regis26)—Roger Hovedune.

A ccordin g to Hovedune , th is fam ous re l ic w as presented to He nry by the em press Matilda, his

daughter, after the abbey w as bu il t, andconsequently cou ld not have been the occ asion of this en .

dowm ent.

AB BOT-S .

expressing gre at d issatisfaction on th e ir be ing depri ved of so va luable a re l i c ,

he w as soon afte r ob l iged to restore it . 1

The arm s of the ab bey w e re a zure , three sca llop ' shells, or.

These arm s are sa id to have be e n‘de scribed on the scutcheons on the le ft

side of the we st door of St. Law ren ce ’

s church ; b u t h aving, from tim e , been

n e a rly obl ite ra ted, they have l a te ly be e n ren ew ed This door w ay

-

w aslpro

b ab ly brought from the abbey, w hich suppl ieda gre at part of the m ate ria ls

both for that, andSt. Mary ’

s church .

'

1'

The ir c om m on se a l had, on one side , the figure of the Virgin Mary b e

tw e en St . J am e s andSt . John ,and, on the re ve rse , that of the founde r; H enry

I . sitt ing w ith a sceptre in his right hand, anda repre sentation of the m onas

te rv in his l e ft, be tw e e n St . P eter andSt . Pau l ; the figures we re in three'

separate c om partm ents, w i th goth ic orn am e nts.While the abb ey contin ue d in its pristine sta te , i t be cam e the buria l - place

of se vera l roya l and n oble p e rsons ; am ong whom , m ay b e re ckoned the roya l

foun de r him se lf, who (lying a t Rouen in Norm andy, on the fi rst of De cem ber

1 135, w as brought over to E ngla nd, andcon veyed , in gre a t fun eral pom pfto

th is his fa vorite e stabl ishm en t, a tte nded by Stephe n e arl of Blois, afterw ard

king, Will iam e arl ofWarren , andfour other e arls, the archb ishops of Canter

b ury'

andYork, the bishops, a ndm ost of the nob i l ity, a nd w as so lem n ly in

terredin the abbey chu rch . The body hadbe en pre v iously em b a lm ed, accor

ding to the custom of the tim e s, in a ve ry rude m ann er ; the he art, eyes,’

tongu e,bra ins, and bowe ls, be ing first e xtrac ted, w ere d eposi ted, in a ha nd

som e m onum ent e rec te d b efore the a l tar of the an c ie nt church ofN otre D am e

de P rc‘

s otherw ise de B onn es N ouvelles, at Ro ue n , fo unde d in the ye ar 1060,and destroyed during the siege of tha t c ity in 1 59 2 . Afte r the . b ow e ls

'

w e re

take n out, the body w as sal ted, andw rapped in a tanne d hide , and w as the nplaced

"

in the coflin where in i t w as con veye d to E nglandi A be au tifu l m onu

m ent w as afte rw ards e rected to his m em ory, in the abbey church , on whichw as the king ’

s effigy as large as l ife, with the usua l em blem s of roya lty ; and

w hen Richard I I . in the fourtee n th century, renew ed the abbey charter, it w as

Som e few ye ars sin ce, som e persons em ployedam ong the ru in s of the abb ey, founda hum an

hand, rather sm a ll , the fleshy parts w e re dry andw ithe red, bu t in pe rfe c t pre servat ion ; the pe rsonsw ho

foundit, disposedof it to the late M r. Savage , an em ine n t surgeon of this tow n , on w hose decease itcam e into the possession of M r. Osborn , his successor.

1' S callop she lls, w h ich m ayfitly for the w orkm anship thereof, be calleda rtificium nature . It

seem eth pilgrim scarriedthem , as D ioge ne sdidhisdish, to drink ou t of. —Fullcr’

1 Holy Warre.it Cadaverreg isapudR adingum in e cc lesiae , quam ipse fundaverat, regalite 1 est sepultum , praesen

tibus, archiepiscopis, episcopis, e t m agistratibus regn i.—Ma tthew Paris.

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282 RELIGIOUS FOUNDAT IONS .

of a ve ry e arly period , and there fore m any considered it to have been th at in

w hich the roya l founde r w as in terred th is opin ion w as considerably strength

e ned by the re h aving be e n found in i t a strip of tann ed le ather, anda sm a l l

bit of b rass the form er w as inge n iously supposed to have be e n the rem a ins

of the h ide wh ere in the corpse of He nry had bee n w rapped ; but this alone

is too slender a foundat ion , to prove the ide n tity of the person , w hom I am

rather incl ine d to think w as e i ther on e of the e arl ie st abbots, or som e o ther

re ligious person be longing to the m on aste ry, w ho , a c cord ing to the custom

of the t im e s hadbe en buried in his usua l dress, and the sm a l l strip of le ather

with the pie ce of brass anne xed, m ight b e n oth ing m ore than the rem ains of a

sanda l , with the clasp to con fine i t to the foot. That it could not howe verhave be en the rem a ins ofHenry, is p la ced beyond a ll doubt, be cause he is

expressly sa id to have bee n entom bed in the church , andm ost probab ly be fore

the a ltar b ut th is coffin w as fou nd consi derably to the e astw ard of the

church , in a part wh ere m any other rem a insofbodiesw ere discove red , andwhich

cou ld b e n o othe r than the com m on buria l ground to the m on astery .

Ade li za, Henry’

s se cond w ife , w as interred here , andprobably in the sam e

vau l t ; but it is unce rta in w he ther Mati lda , his form e r quee n . w as not interred

in som e other pla ce , she having diedbefore the church was com plete d .Ade l i za ’

s effigy w as pl aced by the side of Henry ’

s, both crowned and

ve iled, be cause she had be e n a que en anda profe ssed nun . She w as daughter

of Godfrey of Louvaine , duke of Brabant, a descendan t from Charlem agne ,e m peror ofFran ce andsiste r to Joce l ine ofLouvaigne , an cestor of the fam i ly

of the Pe rcys, dukes ofNorthum be rland . Afte r Henry ’

s death, she m arrie d

Will iam D’

A ub eny, created e arl ofArunde l by the em press Matilda, daughter ofHenry, who w as also supposed to have be e n buried here , b ut th is isunce rta in , as som e wri ters assert tha t she w as inte rred a t B e e , in Norm andy . ‘

The em press Maud, or Matilda, w as the daughter of a king, the wife

M r. Coates says that a perfe ct ske leton w as found in it bu t I am very doubtful of the fact,

not hav in g heardof it before ; andthe le ngth of tim e it m ust have la in in the groundprevious to its

discovery, se e m s a con vin c ing proofof the im possibil ity ofsuch a report be in g true, un less the bodyhadbe en em balm ed in a m ore perfe ct m ann er. True it is, a perfect skeleton w as prete ndedto havebeen found in on e of the graves by the w orkm en , w hich probab ly gave rise to the report, but in factth is w asn othing m ore than the scatteredrem ains ofdifferent bodies put together so as to form a w ho lesk e leton ; th is w as shew n to the curious for a penny each—the sole m otive for this rude exerc iseofdeception .

1" Corpus Hen ric i itaque Radingas delatum cum honore deb ito in ipsa ecclesia ante altar:

sepultam ssh—Germ s: «yCanter/m y.

Ashm ole.

RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS.

of a king, and the m other of a king on which account, the fo l lowing distichwas inscribed on her tom b

O rtu m agna, viro m aj or, sedm ax im a parta ,Hic jacet, He nric i filia, Sponsa , pare ns.

The last of the roya l fam ily buried here w as prince Will iam , e lde st sonof He nry I I, and grandson of Henry I , at w hose fe e t his rem a ins were deposited , under a costly m onum en t ere cte d to h is me m ory.

Am ong the nobi lity in terred in the abbey church m ay b e re ckoned C onstan ce , e ldest daughte r of Edm und de Langley, duke ofYork, son of Edw ardI I I . A nn counte ss ofW arwick . A son and daughte r of Richard e arl ofC ornwa l l k ing of the Rom ans, and brothe r of Henry I I I . This prince w as

brie Of the w itne sse s to the charte r granted by the last m ention edm on arch tothe corporation . Regina ld de C urten e a e arl ofCornwa l l

,n atura l son ofHenry

I I, w as inte rred he re Th ere we re doubtless m any m ore interre d here ,a s we l l c lergy as l a ity, whose m em ories h ave pe rished, toge the r with thosefra i l m onum ents inte nde d to hand downthe ir n am e s and the ir honors to pos

t erity, w hose num be r w e c an n ow only c on ce ive from the con tem plation of

sim i lar place s of re l igious worship, that have be en m ore fa vored in the ir

duration. From th e se, the im agin ation m ay trace som e fa in t ide as of this

on ce ve n erable fabric : its e le vated but fan tastic roof, its goth ic w indow s

adorn ed w ith pa intings of the prophe ts and apostl e s, its b e au ti fu l a ltars, its

c rucifixes andthe ir atte ndan t sa ints, its floor in la i d w ith m onu m enta l in script ions, andthe sole m n gloom of the n ave and side a isles crowde d w ith cen o

taphs of departe d he ros. While the im agination is fe asting on the im agin ary

scen e , w e aw ake , as from a tran c e, with addition a l regre t th a t so grand a

structure w as not pe rm i tte d to rem a in to the pre sen t day, andtha t the de struo

t ion shou ld ha ve b e en so perfe ct as to have left on ly a few m assi ve ru ins to

po in t out whe re i t on ce stood .

Tw o coun ci ls w e re h e ld in the abbey ; on e in the re ign of king John ,

sum m one d by order of pope Inn oce nt 1 1 1 . At this c oun ci l, the abbot of R e a

ding w as appoin te d the pope

’

s legate , to prom u lgate the se n te nce of e xcom

m un ica tion aga inst the barons, at tha t t im e at w ar w ith the king. The o the r

w as he ld here by archbishop P e ckha m ,in the re ign of Edward I ; which has

be en m entioned in a form e r part of th is w ork . .

M r. Grose , from B row n W illis’

s Not itia , says, the coun c ils a nd parl ia

m e n ts were he l d in‘

the re fe c tory, which he adds, w as e ighty - fo ur fe e t long by

Hoveden says,he w as un c le to the k ing, and that dy ing at Chertsey he was buried in the

abbey church here , w ith eve ry hon ordue to his e xaltedrank .0 o 2

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

forty- e ight wide ; b ut, a ccording to sir He nry E'

nglefie ld, the re fe ctory w as

o nly seven ty- tw o fe e t long by thirty- tw o w ide th 1s there fore cou ld n ot ha ve

be en the p

lace of assem b ly . I t is m ore probable tha t i t w as the gre at ha l l

w hich w as used for this purpose , that be ing the on ly room answ ering‘to the ‘

dim ensions given by B rown Will is.

The fo l low ing b ishops w ere consecrated in the abbey church : Jocelm e de

Ve l ls, b ishop of Ba th and We l ls, in 1206. William de Cornh i ll, b ishop bf.

C ove n try a nd Litchfie ld, in the ye ar 12 15. Robe rt G roste te , b i shop of Lin

c o ln ,andHugh , b ishop of St . Asaphs, in 1235. Roge r, bishop of Bath and

\Ve l ls, in andRichard B londy, b ishop of Exe ter, in 124 5 .

Afte r the disso lution , the ab b ey reverted to the crow n , andb e cam e the

occasion a l residen ce of the succe eding m onarchs,’ti l l the troub le s tha t arose

in the re ign of Charle s 1 . reduced it nearly to its pre sen t state of dilap ida tion .

Cam den ca l ls i t a roya l seat, w i th fa ir stables and prin ce ly and m ost

gen e rous ste eds. The se stable s, ac cording to Spe ed ’

s m ap, were at the back

of the Saracen ’

s—he ad- yard, j ust with in the gate le ading to the inner court, .

part ofwhich are stil l standing. On the n orth side ofSt . Lawrence ’

s churchyard, w as the great barn n ow o ccupied by M r. Stre et .Jam es I . appo in teda ke eper of the house , with a sa lary of twe nty pounds

per annum , anda ke e per of the stables, at twe lve pounds th irte e n shi l l ingsandfour pe nc e . Before this pe riod, m ost of the possessions be longing to theabb ey hadb e e n disposedofby the crown , e i the r by gift or purchase to diffe rent

persons, b ut the gre ater part of the houses andland in the town w as purchasedb yM r.William Grey, a c itize n of London , w hose widow afte rw ards m arryingJ ohn B lagrave , e sq . the e sta te s c am e into that fam i ly .

The site of the ab b ev, w i th the adj o in i ng lands and fishe ries, w as le t in

the re ign of Charle s I I . on le ase for a certa in n um b e r of ye a rs, at a low ren t

a ndfine un ce rta in . This lease w as a fte rw ards pu rchased by M essrs /B lagrave

a ndVansi ttart , w ho sti l l hold th e m under the crown . At the ren ew a l of thele ase , in 1780, to John B lagrave , andHe nry Vansittart, e sqrs. for tw e nty on eye ars, the fin e pa idw as andthe re served ren t payab le to the crown ,

w as incre ased to forty- four pounds th irte en shi l l ings andtw o pen ce h a lfpenny

pe r annum the w ho le hadbe e n pre viously va lued a t three hundred andfiftyse ve n pounds five shi l l ings and

'

n ine p ence per annum .

The se lands are le t to under- te n an ts a t incre ased rents, but the profits tothe crow n w ou ld b e con side rab ly augm ented, andthe adva n tages to b e deri ved to the town in c a lcu lable , w ere the parts m ore im m ediate ly conn ec tedw i th the tow n,

‘

particu larly those on the banks of the ri ver, disposed of insm a l l lots to the inhabitants.

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RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS.

The state of the abbey, afte r its fina l ruin at the endof the c iv i l wars,m ay b e conjecturedfrom the fo l low ing survey, m ade by order of parliam ent,in 1650, by com m issioners appo in tedfor tha t purpose .

Re ading ab bey . Al l tha t c apita l m e ssuage , m ansion - house or abbeyhouse , with the appurten an ces, cal ledReading abbey, consist ing of tw o se llars,tw o butte ries, a hall, a parlour, a d in ing- room ,

i

ten cham bers, a garre t with ala rge gal le ry, andothe r sm al l room e s, w ith tw o court yards, anda

- large gatehouse , w i th se ve ra l room s adjo in ing to the sa i d house , anda sm a l l gardin e, ,

with an oldsm a l l house , bu i lt with ston e , the re to adjo in ing, anda stable with .

se l l ars ove r the sam e , anda sm a l l te nem e n t in the south endof the said stable,w ith a l i ttle gardine , anda dove - house , w hich said abbey, w ith the site there of,is in the occupation ofM r. Richard Knol lys, andis bounded with the court

ca l led the Forbury north ande ast, Pond- ha ies south , and the gre a t gardinewest, in a ll by m e asurem en t tw o acres, va lue per

“

annum fifte e n pounds.

The re is on the e ast side of the sa id m ansion -house a gre a t old li

all,with a ve ry large se l lar unde r the sa i d hal l, arch ed, w i th som e other de cayed

room s, be twe en the sa id ha l l,andthe m ansion - house , w ith the ru ins of an o ld

large chape l , a kitche n , and se ve ra l other room s, fi t to b e dem ol ish ed ; the

m aterials va l ue d a t tw o hundre d pounds.

The ground on w h ich the ruin stands, is by e stim ation e ight acres and

a ha l f, va lued a t e ight pounds tw o shi ll ings.

Pond - ha ies a l iasWest—ha ies, a sm al l te n e m en t in o ccupation of Henry

Aires, pe r an num si xte en shil l ings. Brow n’

s m e ssuage ten pounds.

Ferm ary gardine , a m e ssu age , ten em en t, m a lt- house , garden , and or

ch ard, so c a l led, boundedw ith the ri ver Kenn e t, sou th, and butting upon the

w ayleading from the Forbury to Orte - bridge one acre ten po le s, per annum

fo urte e n pounds.A sm al l tenem e n t , b ounded with the gre at gardine n orth , and butting

upon the dove - house w e st, twenty pe arche s, per ann um fifty shil l ings.

A large barn , form erly a stable , in length 137 fe e t, in bre adth 30 fe e t,

with a gre a t yard and sm al l gardine , b ounded hy the Ho l low - brook sou th,

andthe sa id gre at gardine n orth, a nd a ll that granary standing ove r the sa idHo l low - b rook butting u pon the sa id gardine ca l led We st - ha ies a l ias Pond

ha iessouth , in the occupation ofM r. Sh arp, per annum six pounds te n shil lings.

All tha t gardine or orchard, ca l ledby the nam e of the gre at gardine ,

one acre , in occupation ofJam es C annb n , bounded by the sa id Forbury n orth,

and sa i d gre a t ya rd sou th , on e acre thre e roods, th e sa id thre e roods lying

now w aste , by re ason of the forti fication , pe r annum e ight pounds,

The porter’

s lodge , at the west gate en tering into the sai d Forbury, .

RELIG IOUS FOUNDAT IONS.

c onsisting of a sel lar, a hal l , a butte ry, three cham bers, three garrets, a sm a l l

yard, and gardin e , w i th an out- house , in the occupation ofWill iam New ton ,bounded with the Forburyn orth, andbutting upon a pr1son ca l le d the Com pter

w est,con ta in ing twenty pearches, pe r annum three pounds. The sa id ten e

m e n t is c la im ed by Richard Evans, a l ledge d by wil l o f sir Fran c is Knol lys,

kn ight, de ceased , b ut n othing produ ce d to m ake i t appe ar.

All that m essuage or te nem ent, with a w ood w harf th ere to adjo in ing,

c al led the G range -w h arf, in the o ccupation of John Blake , situate andbe ing

hy' the O rte - b ridge ; con sisting oftw o se l lars, a kitch en, a hal l,

_

a parlour, and

three cham be rs, w i th a stab le and store - house , bounded w ith the sa i d Kenn et,

sou th ; and a c lose ca l le d the Grange - close , north ; butting'

upon the w ay

le ading from the Orte - bridge to the Forbu ry we st, and upon a m e adow ca l le d

the Grange - m e ad , e ast ; con ta in ing by e stim ation one acre andha lf, va lue per

ann um sixte e n pounds.All tha t pie ce or parce l l o f m eadow groun d in the occupat ion of Jam es

Cannon ,bounded w ith the sam e Ken ne t n orth , the sa i d Orte south, and butt

ing upon Oite- lane we st, contain ing by estim ation six acres, va lue per annum

fifte en p ounds.

Al l those tw o sm a l l te n em ents, with thre e pie ces or parce ls of m eadow

ground , n ow lying in one , in the occupation ofJohn Tirre l l , bounded with the

sa id Ke nne t n orth and west, the Town O rtes south , a nd b utting upon the

sa id Orte - lane e ast, con ta in ing by estim ation five acre s tw o roods, va lue per

ann um sixteen pounds.Al l that p ie ce or parc e l l of ground ca l le d by the n am e of Sh ipton

m ead, al ias the Grange - m ead, in the occupa tion ofMatth ew Turn er, bounded

with the sa idKenne t south , andE ast- m e ad a l ias King ’

s- m ead n orth andeast,and b utting upon Grange - c lose , and the sa i d Grange -wharf, conta in ing bye stim ation e ight a cres, va l ue per ann um e ighte en pounds.

Al l that p ie ce Or parcel of pasture ground, c a l led by the nam e of

Grange - close , in the sa id Matthew Turner’

s occupat ion , bou nde d with the

Little Plum m ery, and the sa id East - m eadow north , the sa i d Gra nge -wharfsouth, andbutting u pon the sa id Shipton - m ead e ast, andthe w ay leading fromthe Orte—bridge to the Forbury west, conta in ing by est im ation four acres anda half, va lue per annum e igh t pounds.

Al l that pie ce or parce l l ofm eadow ground ca lled the Little Flum m ery,in the s a i d Turner’

s occupa tion, bounde d with the sa id East-m e adow n orth,the sa i d Grange - close sou th , butting west upon the Gre at P lum m ery, andeastupon the sa id m e adow, conta in ing by estim ation one acre anda half, value perannum three pounds.

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RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

seven acres andtw en ty perches, whi ch w e value , for the re asons a foresaid, to

b e w o rth pe r a n num b ut tw e nty sh i l lings.

ale

Al l the sa i d severa l pre m isses, and e ve ry part and parce l thereof, are

tythe free , as having ne ve r be e n charged the rew i th .

”

I

The follow ing o rigina l pap e rs respe ct ing - the abb ey are pre served in the

re cord ofiice in the Exch equer

Carta regis Abbati de R adynge de lib e rtatibus. Trin itatis Re corda 1 7

Edw ard I II . Rotu lo .

Cart a Ab b at i de R adynge pro Te rris in com itatibus B erksirae , e t Here

fordim , irrotulata , Trin itatis Re corda 20° Edw ard I II . Rotu lo .

Carta regisAbb ati de R adynge , P asch ze Re corda 20 Edward I I I . Rotulo .

'C arta regis Abb at i de R adynge in com itatu B erksira facta Hillarii R e .

corda 5 Richard I I . Rotu lo. Rem e m . regis.

C onfirm a tio C artarum de lib ertatib usAbbat i de R adynge C om ita tu B e rk

sirae concessa . Micha e l is Re corda . l st Hen ryV th . Rotu lo l l .

Carta regis de confirm ation e l iberta tum Abbati e t C onven tu i de R adynge .

Michae l is Recorda . l st He nry VI . Rotulo 10 .

C arta regis de c onfirm atione de‘

lib e rtatibus Abb ati e t C on ventu i B .

M aria de Radynge fac ta . Hillarii Re corda 8 Henry VI . Rotu lo 1 .

Carta regis de c onfirm a tion e l ib ertatum Abbati de Radynge facta . Hillari i

R e corda 8 Hen ry V Ith . Rotu lo 4 ve l 2 1 .

Carta regis Abba ti de R adynge de lib ertatibus facta . Pascha: Re corda'

1 8 He nric i V I . Rotu lo 7 .

Carta confirm ation is privilegiorum Abb atis e t C onve ntus de R adynge in

C om itatu B e rksirm . Hillarii Re corda 3 Edw ard VI . Rotu lo . 10 .

Fin is solutus per Ab b a tem e t C on ve n tum de R edynge p‘

ro confirm atione

l ibertatum . O riginalia 2 H en ry VII I . Rotulo 57 .

Carta regis de lib ertatibus con ce ssa m onaste rio de Reding A bbati e tMonachis pe r Hen rieum filium regisWilhe lm i irrotulata Michae lis R e c‘orda1 3 Henry VIII. Rotu lo 23.

Carta regis de lib ertatibus Abba t i e t C onven tu i de Red inge con cessa .

Paschas Re corda 18 He nry VI I I . Rotulo 7 e t 1 . pars originalis 34. HenryVIII. Rotulo 75.

The Le igerBook ofthe m on astery issa id to b e in the Harleyan l ibrary.’

From th e low rate of the an n ual value of the Forbury, and the m e n t ion he re m ade of thefa irs he ldin it, as w e ll as the passages le adin g through it, there can b e n o doubt bu t that thec om m ission e rs c onsidered thispart as comm on

, or at le ast ve ry diffe re n t from the othe r portions,on w h ich the y se em to have se t the ir full value .

Mr. Coates'

sHistory . N icholson’s Historical L ibrary .

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RELIG IOUS FOUNDAT IONS .

Augustine , who first undertook the conve rsion ofour-

Saxon progen i tors.

to th e christian fa ith , w as a b en edictin e m onk ; a ll the ab beys m England,previously to the Norm an conquest, we re fi l led w i th the votaries of th i s order,

‘

anddow n to the reform ation , a ll the m itre d parl iam en tary abbots of England,

w ere b en edictines. The friars, through all the ir denom inat ions anddivisions,

were un ive rsa l ly m e ndicants.

The characters of the m onasti c orders n o soon er appe ared to b e on the

vane ,than a n ew race of m en sprung up in the persons of the friars, w ho

spe edily engrosse d as m uch reputation , andwere e ve ry whe re he ld in as gre at

honor ande ste em ,a s the m onks hadbe en , in the days of the ir gre atest purity.

The friars hadn o m agn ifi cen t pa lace s, l ike the m onks ; n o thron es, n o pa inte d

window s, a ndstate ly architecture ; they w e re , for the m ost. part, w anderers on

the face of the e arth. In these respe cts, th ey profe ssed to a ct on the m ode l

ofChrist, andh is apostles, to take no thought for to - m orrow ,

’

to have no

place w he re to lay th ei r h e ads,

’

andt o b e indebted for the n e ce ssarie s of ex

istence to the spontaneous affe ct ion and kindness of the p eople , w hose n e igh

b orhood they ch anced to fre quen t. They freely im parte d to the profan e la itythe ir sp

iritua l gifts ; a nd, in re turn , re ce ivedi'from them those sl ender atten

t ions anddon at ions w h i ch m igh t en able them to support l ife .

They exerc ised the oc cupat ion ofbeggars; andthey unde rtook perem ptorily to m a in ta in in the ir serm ons, that J esus Christ andhis disciples dem anded

a ndsubsiste d upon the a lm s of the ir coun trym en .

Though beggars andw anderers on the e arth , they dete rm ined to exhibit

in th e ir l ive s e very proof of the m ost indefatigable industry. The lazy m onk ’

had be com e a term of gene ra l d isapprobat ion and obloquy . They re so l ved

to b e , in all re spe cts, the re verse of the m onks. They didnot hide within

c loistered wa l ls, and withdraw them se l ves from the inspe ction a nd com m e n ts

of m ankind . They were a lways before the publ ic, and were constan tly employed in the pious offices of counse l, com fort, adm on it ion , pre aching and

prayer. In pursuit of the se obj e cts, they spared n o fa tigue , they hastene d

from pl ace to place, andwhen the ir fram e s m ight b e e xpe cted to b e worn out,

w ith the length of the w ay, they were sti l l fre sh and a lert, without repose ,anda lm ost w ithout a l im ent, for all the offices of disinterested to il and christ ian instruction, and all the duties of m en in cessantly watchfu l for the sa l vat ion ofthe ir fe l low c re atures. Thisw as the ir labor, their study, their refreshm en t andthe irjoy.

”

S uch is the character of these m endicants, andsuch w e find th em to ha vebeen at th is place , without any e arthly possessions, andwithout those couven ien ces and luxuries so observabl e in the abbey . There all was on a great

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

scale , the ir bu ildings m agn ificent, the ir possessions e xtensive, their convenie nces adapted to all the ir wants, and the ir m ode of l i v ing not m ere ly confined

to the ne cessit ie s, but in du lging in all the luxuries of life ; on the con trary,the bu i lding appropria te d to the friars, w as on a sm a l l sca le , su ch as they

m ight b e supposed capable of e re cting from the e leem osynary gifts of the

people , from w hom a lon e they m ust a lso have derived the ir hum b le m ainten

ance, as at the dissolution no re turn w as m ade of any prope rty they possesse d

e xcept the friary, and its appertenance s, which did not e xce e d seven acresof land .

W e have n o accoun t of the bu i l ding, nor of the num ber of the fria ‘

rs

w ho resided in i t ; b ut to judge , from the sm a l l e xten t of the ground it occup ied, andits appearance in Spe ed

’

s m ap of the town , i t w as ne ithe r room y n or

e legant. Conten t with the m e anest accom m odations for them se lve s, the ir prin

c ipal care seem s to have be en to ere ct a house of prayer su itable to the re l igionthey professed, w hich , from its be ing m ore substan tia l ly bu i lt, is the on ly part

o f the ir possessions tha t has withstoodthe injuries of t im e . This structure

w as princ ipal ly com posed of fl ints, put toge ther w ith so m uch pre c ision as

alm ost to appear on e so l id m ass, andis, beyond a doubt, one of the com ple testworks of the kind now existing.This building consisted of the n ave , side a isles, and chan ce l ; the latter

has bee n destroye d m any ye ars, b ut the form er rem a in ne arly in the ir origina l

state . The a isles are separated from the body of the church by l an ce tpo inte d arches, springing from six cluste red stone co lum ns, with c ircu lar

capitals, e xtending on each side the nave from the tw o e xtrem it ie s ; the spaces

b e twe en th e pillars are e ach fourte en fee t four inches, except the tw o at the

e ast end, which are on l y e le ven fe e t a -

part b ut w hy these differ from the

ge n eral plan cannot n ow b e conj e ctured ; som e rem a ins ofpain tings have

late ly be en trace d on the wa l l in th is part, that had b een whitew ash ed ove r,

but too fa in t to m ake out what they w ere in tended to represen t. The w in

( lows on the north and sou th sides we re sm a l l,’

w ithou t any ornam e nts, b ut

th a t at the west e nd is st il l adm ired, as a beau tifu l spe c im en of goth ic ar

chite cture . The e ntrance from the stre e t w as through an arched doorway

w ith c irc ular m ou ld ings, and on the Opposite side w as another le ading into

the cem e te ry, andprobab ly to the convent . The length of the church within

side , exclusive of the chan ce l , w as seve n ty- seven fe e t six i n ches, a nd its

bre adth , inc luding the side a isles, fifty- on e fe e t six inche s, the la tter b e ing

on ly te n fe e t six in che s e ach w ide . The w hole w as covered w ith an e norm ous

he avy tiled roof, re aching ne arly to the ground .

At the dissol ution, all the lands and tenem ents be longing to the friars

p P 2

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

m inors, except the n ave and side a isle s of the church , w ere disposed of byletters pate nt of He nry V I IIth to R ob e rt

'

Stansha'

w e ,for the sum of th irty

pounds, and the paym en t of six shill ings and e ight pen ce annual ly in to the

augm e ntation ofiice of the cro wn ren ts. This e state 1 5 now the property of

Launce lot Austw i ck, e sq . of this place .

The bodv and side a isles, w ith a c om pe te nt w ay there to, w as afterw a rds

granted , unde r the le tte rs paten t of the sam e m onarch to the c orpora tion , on

the ir ow n requ est to m ake a tovi n ha l l thereof, in l ie u of the ir form er on e

in the Y ie ld ha l l , w he re , as they sa id, the c ourts w e re so m u ch annoyed by

the battledores used in w ash ing the c loths in the adj o in ing b rook, as to re nder

i t im possib le for those con ce rne d in the m , e i the r to he ar o r u nderstand w hat

w as sa id; This grant w as con firm ed in the charte r granted to the corporation ,

the 2dof Elizabe th, w ith the l ib erty of m aking w ha t use of it they m ightthink fi t. How eve r, i t doe s n ot appear tha t it e ve r w as con verted to the

intended purpose ; for soon afte r the ab ove grant, i t w as appropriated to theuse of a gen era l w ork - house for the thre e parishe s, or ra ther of the tow n

,

under the superin tendan c e a nd m anagem en t of the corporation , and princ i

pal ly at th e ir expense , from lands p erhaps purchased w ith m oney left for that

purpose by som e charitab le person ,w h ich be ing con trary to the a ct of m ort

m a in , w as probably conte sted, as w e m ay gather from the fo l low ing case inJacob ’

s Law Dictionary

If one devise so m uch a ye ar for the poor, &c . l eaving asse ts in goods ;this is good, and the e xe cu tors w il l b e forc ed to buy as m uch land

, andto

assure it to that use . A nd if a de vise be to the poor pe ople m a in tained in thehospita l of St . Lawrence of Re ading (w here the m ayor andburgesse s

, capab leto take in m ort- m a in, do govern the hosp ita l ) a lbe it the poor, n ot be ing a

corporation , are no t c apable by that n am e to take ye t the de vise is good, andcom m ission ers appoin ted to e nqu ire in to lands gi ve n to hospi ta ls, m ay orderhim that has the lands, to assure i t to the m ayor and burge sses for the m a intenance of the hospi ta l . 43 Eliz .

Afte rw ards, w hen e a ch parish , in consequence of the a cts passed in thisre ign for the be tter regu la tion and m a in ten an ce of the poor, w e re ob lige dseparate ly to provide for the ir own poor, th is place w as m ade the com m onprison for all person s offending the law s within the bounds of the corporationfor which use i t is sti l l appropriated, but to re nder i t m ore a iry, the roof ove rthe n ave hasbe en taken dow n, a ndthe a isle s converte d into ce l lsfor the prisoners.Som e vau ltshave be en d iscove red in the body of the church, w ithout cof

fins, or any m em orials of the pe rsons in terred in them andin 1728, at a sm a lldistance from the east endof the church, in the part which was probably the

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'

294 RELIG IOUS FOUNDAT IONS .

fre ely andwithout any c harge , in consideration of our e xtrem e poverties, to

grant un to e very one of us, his le tters under w riting, and his grace ’

s sea l, to

change our sa id hab its, andto take such m ann er of l iving, as honest secu larp riests b e pre ferred unto. A nd w e all sha l l fa ithful ly pray un to Alm ighty

G od, long to preserve his m ost noble grace . In w itness of the prem ises, and

e very part of the sam e , w e have sub scribed our nam e s unto these presents, and

have put our com m on andcon ventua l se a l un to the sam e , the 13th day of th e

m onth ofS eptem ber, andin the 30th year of the re ign of our sovere ign lord,Henry the 8th .

”

S igned, PETER SCHEFFORD , guardian, andS . T . B .

andten others.

'

The fol low ing re cords are preserved in the e xche qu er, respe cting th is con

vent, since the disso l ution

D e W illielm o Wehb e e t W olstano Dixon , occasion ato ad ostendendum

q uotitu lo tenent situm fratrum m inorum , in R adynge , in com itatu B erksiraa.

Hilarii Re corda Eliz . Rotu lo 61 .

D e Johann i Carle ton , arm iger, occasion ato adostendendum quo t itulo tenet

situm prioratus de Re ading in com itatu B erksirae . Michae l is re corda . 1 2 Ja

c obi l m i rotu lo 1 55. B ut I am incl in ed to think that th is last m ay re fer to

som e other conve nt, p e rhaps the fo l low ing one , as i t does n ot appear that the

con ven t of the friars m inors w as e ver ca l le d a priory, except by Spe ed, thoughp e rhaps in both instan c es i t m ight b e so cal led through a m i stake , arising from

the length of tim e tha t hade lapsed sin ce the disso lu tion .

The l ibrary of the grey friars, as w e are inform ed by Le land , consisted ofB eda de N aturis B e stiarum , Ale xander N echam super M arc ianurn C ape llum ,

Ale xander N echam M ythologicon , Johann isWa leys C om m entarii super Mythologicon Fulgentii. Sm a l l as th is c ata logue is, i t w as prob ably superior in

num ber ofbooks to m any ofthe l ibrariesbe longing to this orde r, in otherplaces;for the sam e author observes, that Apud Fran c iscos sun t te la: a ran earum in

bibl iothe ca , prazterea tin eaa, e t blattae , am plius, qu ic quid a l i i j acten t, n ihil, sispe cte seruditos l ibros. N am ego, invitis fratribus om n ibus, curiose b ibliothecaaforrulos om nes excussi.

”In the library of the fran ciscans, n oth ing w as oh

servable b ut m oths andcobwebs, for whate ver others m ay boast, they hadnot

one le arned treatise in the ir possession , for I m yse lf care fu l ly exam ined e veryshe l f in the l ibrary, though m uch aga inst the wil l of all the brethren.

The Grey Friars in Castle Slreet.

T his convent is m en tioned by Le land, w ho ca l ls i t a late fayre houseofgrey freres, in Castle -strate . This was probably on the spot where the

RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS.

m ethodist’s chape l ‘

w as late ly e re cted . This convent m ust have b een ve rysm a ll, as the whole of the ground a l lotte d for the purp ose , does not appear tohave e xce eded a qua rter of an a cre . The b u ild ing for the a ccom m odation of

the friars, w as on the south - w est e ndfront ing the stre e t, andthe chape l at thesou th - e ast corner fronting the area ; behind this, on the n orth side , is supposedto h ave b e e n the ir burying ground, from thre e or four h um an ske le tons having

b ee n discove re d in that part, on taking dow n the oldja i l,though it is n ot im

possible they m ight b e the rem a ins of som e of the c rim in a lsexe cu ted andburiedhe re, before i t be cam e custom ary to inter the m in the north - w e st c orn er of

St . Mary ’

s church - yard, in l ike m ann e r as they are now buried w ithin the

bounds of the pl e se n t n ew j a i l

Th e ch ap e l w as a ve ry sm al l edi fice withou t any ornam ents. It w as on lythirty- fe e t

'

six in ch es long, by twe lve fe e t six in ch es wide , within the w a l ls ;th e chan ce l w as on ly ten fe e t long, andp

'

roportionably narrow ; the w alls w ere

rather m ore than two fe e t th ink, the h e igh th cou ld n ot b e asce rta ined . The

on ly entrance w as from the stre e t, the door- w ay w as sm al l and low , andon

the right hand on en te ring , w as a n iche in the wa l l for the h e ly waterpot .Under the a l tar, andin the b ody of the chape l , severa l vau lts were discove red.

on rem oving the rub bish , but they hadbe en pre viously em ptiedof the ir con ten ts.

Hutchinson , in hish istory of Dorse tshire , m ent ions on e Margare t Tw in io,of Reading, w ho , byhe r w i ll, date d in the year 1500, ordere d herbody to b e

i nterred in the chape l of St. Franc is, in the grey friars there , n e ar the tom b of

her fathe r andm other. There w as ce rta in ly 11 0 chape l be longing to the conve n t

in Friar- stre et, except th is m igh t b e so called from its form ing a part of the

sam e com m uni ty ; th is the refore w as m ost probably the chape l of St. Francis,m en tioned in the w ill where this lady w as inte rred ; andifso, the re m a ins of

the coffin andbonesfoundin 1728, w i th in the site ofthe ch an ce l of the church

of the grey friars, as suppose d by M r. Coates, cou ldn ot have b e e n h er’

s. From

the ve ry sm a l l space oc cupied by th isfratern i ty, they c ould no t have be e n ve ry nu

m erous, un lessw e suppose the gre a te r part to have been ge n era l ly ab sen t on m is

sions, a supposition not a ltoge the r im probable, when the nature ofthe ir institution

is con sidered. These , l ike the ir bre thren in Friar- stre e t, l iving w hol ly on a lm s,

hadno settled re ve nue to b e re turned by the com m issione rs, n or any prope rty,

e xcept the ir house , w hich , in c onse qu e n ce of the late acts of parl iam e n t in t he

re ign ofH e nry VIII, devol vedto the crow n , w ho soon afte r disposed of i t,

e ithe r by gift or purchase , to the m agistrates of the county, w ho conve rtedi tinto the com m on prison for debtors, and persons com m itting crim e s with in

the ir jurisd iction andso i t continued, w ith som e a l terations,’

ti l l 1 798, whe n

be ing disposed,of to the re l igious society ca l led m ethodists, they caused the

RELIG IOUS FOUNDATIONS .

w h o le to b e taken dow n , a ndthe presen t chape l ere cted on its site. Accordingto Tanne r,i t w as erected in the fourtee nth century.

SI. Edm'

ond’s Chape l.

At the w est e nd ofFriar- stree t, ca l led Chape l - hi ll, w as situate d St . Ed

m ond ’

s chape l , founde d in 1284, by Lawren ce Burgess, ba i l iff of the tow n, by

pe rmission of the abb ot, on condition of his giving an endowm ent for its

support, who bu il t a he rm itage ne ar i t, w he re he died . This chape l w as de

se crated in the t im e’

of abbo t Thorne , as appe ars by a m em oria l presen te d

aga inst h im in 1479 , to king Edward IV . for various instan ce s of m isconduct .

The m em oria l states, that th is chap e l , where in we re la id the bones of m any

Christians, w as the n be com e a barn .

” 1 It w as situa ted on a triangular p ie ce

of ground , form ed by the Chape l - h i l l, andthe road le aving to Caversham , con

ta in ing a bou t half an acre . It had probably, from the ab ove c ircum stan ces,be c om e the propertyofthe crown , b efore the reform ation, w he n i t w as anne xed to

the king ’

s m anor of Batte l . In the t im e of the c iv i l w ar, in the re ign of

Charl es I . th is chape l w as converted in to an invin cible fort , c a l le d Harrison ’

s

barn , andafte rw ards, abou t the ye ar 1750, w as taken down , and re - ere cte d

a t Batte l farm , where i t now is.

Colney Chanlry.*

This chan try or chape l in St . Mary ’

s church , w as instituted in the re ign of

Richard I I . prob ab ly by on e of the Co ln ey fam ily, for the sou ls of king Edw ard I I I . ofThom as Co ln ey, John Co lney, andW i ll iam C atour, andfor the

sou ls of a ll the fa ithfu l de ce ased, w ith a distinct incum be n t, who w as n om ih ated by the chief m agistrate of the borough .

How the m aste rs ofthe gu i ld- m erchan t be cam e posse sse d ofth isright isun‘certa in , b ut there can b e no doubt of the ir holding it

“

from its first foundation ,andthat the m aste rfor the tim e be ing m igh t not b e deprive d ofhis right, in caseof a vac ancy during hism astership, the tre s chartas pertinen te s adcantariamde Coln ey the thre e charte rs or w ritings be longing to Colney chan try we re .

a lw ays de l ivered to him on his en try into office , toge ther w ith the charters ofl iberties, a cerem ony tha t w as con tinued for som e tim e after the disso lution .

Chantriesw e re e ither sm al l churc he s,chape ls, orparticu lar altars in som e cathedral, church,

&c . endow edw ith lands, or o ther re ve n ue s, for th e m a inte n an c e of o n e or m ore pri ests, da i ly tol in g m ass, andpe rform div in e se rvice for the sou ls of the founde rs

,and for such othe rs as w e re

by them appo inted. Of these chan trie s or fre e chape ls, the re w e re at the disso lution 2374 , and

w he n to be so ldin the se c ond ye ar of Edw ardV I . w e re va luedtogethe r at about 25931. pe r an o

lmm , andw ere soldfor 6249 1. 1 45. be in g n e arly e ighte e n ye ars purchase . Stvype’r. Mom .

Lyson ’s Britan n ia .

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S t. M a ry s P a rish a nd C la ire/i .

CHAPTER xv;

THE parish of‘

_

St.Mary is genera lly supposed to b e incl ude d in that part

of the borough which w as first bu i l t upon, and the re fore is considered the

m ost an cient of'

the three parishes of which the town is at presen t com posed . .

It is bounded on the north by the rive r Tham es, which separates it fromCaversham , on the w e st side as far as the bridge , from when ce , taking in a sm all

m ead, now a whiten ing m anufactory, i t passes along the centre of the high .

road, andthe lan e ca l led the W orkhouse lane to the P angb ourn- road, whe re ,

turn ing to the left, i t passes a long the m iddle of Broad - stree t andButcher- row

to the endform erly ca l led Tutte - b ill, from thence down Y ie ld- hal l, now Hil l

ha l l, to a ditch at the bottom ,w hich form sthe boundary on the south , andpassingunder the north end of the Bear inn to the Back - brook, and from thence tothe Kenne t abo ve the Lock, w hich from th is place becom e s the boundary l ine ;

be twe en this parish andSt . G iles’

s, the rem a inder on the west side is in cludedwith in the bounds ofthe borough , b ut the ham le t ofSouthcot be longing to this.

parish, extends beyond the l im i ts ofthe borough . The m aking the river Kenne tnavigable in 1720, hadso con fused the l ine ofdem arcation be tween the parishes.

of St. Mary andSt. G i les, that, to pre ven t any furth er a l tercations respe cting

the ir boundaries, i t w as foun d n ecessary, in 1788, for each of the v i carswith thechurchwardensando the r respe ctable inhabitan ts ofthe tw o parishes, to m ake a

survey of the whole l ine , whe n i t w as agreed , tha t the sl ip of land adj o in ingthe Penlock- m ead, andthe m e ad itse lf, abou t four acres, m ore or less, are in thepossession ofSt. Mary ’

s, anda lso a sl ip n e ar the Wire - m ills, anda m eadow and

coppice ofabout fouracres, cal led in M r. B lagrave’

s m apWa l le t-m ead, ne ar thesaid m ills. A ndi t has since been proved, that a m e adow ca l led Dodd ’

sm ead, ofthree acres, near the sa id m i lls, be longs to St. Mary ’

s parish, whose officershave since rece ived the taxesfor the sam e.

”

Parish Register.

ST . MARY ’

S PAR ISH AND CHURCH .

T he church be longing to th is parish is supposed to have been the‘

first

re l igious fabri c ere cted in this place after the con version of the inhabitants,from which circum stan ce i t has genera l ly be en ca l led the m inster, giving itsnam e to the adjo ining stre e t . I t is a plai

-

n m assive bu i lding without e itherinterna l or externa l ornam ents, e xcept in the tower, w hich is com posed of

sm a l l com partm en ts of Hin ts and ston e place d che cker-wise . Its form ,

issquare , with octangular buttresses at each corner, surm ounted w ith l ight

p innacle s ; in that a t the n orth - e ast corner, is the sta ir- case lead ing to theleads, which are surrounded with battlem en ts. The . body of the church con .

sists of the n ave and side a isle , with the usua l en cum bran ce of pews to ao

c om m odate the parishion ers, which in th is country de tract so m uch from the

o therwise ve n erable appearance ofo ur churches. At the e ast e nd, is a largehan dsom e chance l , w ith som e neat m onum en ts to the m em ory of som e of the

prin cipa l b ene fac tors to the town .

In 1 547 the oldch urch , which w as probably that first ere cted here by

our Saxon an ce stors, be ing found ve ry m uch decaye d, w as taken dow n , and

the present structure e re cted in its stead , except the spire , which w as left

standing ti ll 1 594, when i t w as blow n down in a v iolent storm of w ind . The

e xpense of rebu ilding the ch urch, a ccording to the churchwardens accoun ts,w as on ly 1241. 33 . 5d. in cluding the oldm aterials, andthose de rived from the

interior o f the abbey . The e xpense of ere cting the tower w as in part pa idby a rate on the inhabitants, and in part by the sum of fifty pounds, b e

q ueathedby M r. John Kenrick in 1624 towards com ple ting the pinnacles.

In 1580 the chan ce l w aswa inscote d andfurn ishe d w i th seats at the e xpenseof the parishion ers, as appears from the fol lowing entry

The parish , this ye ar, at the ir own proper costs and charges, andby

the ir own good will , and w e l l d isposed m in ds, and b e cause it is requ isite and

godly, for every christian to com e m ost reverently, orderly, a nd w i th a ll

hum i l ity to tha t e xce l le nt table of the Lord ’

s supper, be ing un to them tha tworthi ly rece ive the sam e , a pearl of m ost pre cious prize ; and se e ing he re

tofore how disorderly, for want of good gove rnm e n t, and lacking of de cent

room , the sa id pla ce w as disorde red , hath c aused the chance l to b e w a inscoted,and seated round abou t, which cost fourteen pounds, saving, and tow ards

w hich , M r. William Powe l l , v icar, of his ow n good wi ll, and so to instiga te

the parishioners in this so godly a de ed, gave towards the sam e forty sh il l ings,

andthere w as la id out of the church stock thirte e n sh ill ings and four pence ,

the rem a inder w as ra ised by a tax on the seats from e ight pen ce to one penny

each, yearly.”

The dissol ution, and consequen t destruction of the abbey, at th is period .q Q 2

ST.MARY ’S PARISH AND CHURCH .

w as a favorable circum stance for the parishion ers, as i t enable d them to furn ish

them se lves w i th a gre at p1 oportion of the m ate ria ls they wanted, from the

spoils of that on ce state ly fabri c, a t l ittle m ore than the e xpense of taking

them dow n andcarrying them away. Am ong o the r charge s for th is purpose ,

in the c l1u 1 chw a 1de ns’

b ooks, w e findthe fo llow ing

Payde for takyng dow n e of the quyer in the abb eye , and 38 , s. d.

the e arryage hom e of the sam e tw en tye one lodes, 0 10 6

Payde for the rowfe in the abb eye , 6 18 8

Payde for tw entye on e lodes e arryage of tym b er out o f

the ab b eye ,

Payde to Se rje ante Hynde for the pyllers,

Payde for the door that stood in the cloyster, and for a

stow e in the church , 0 81 0 .

Payde the carter for a lode of stone carriage out o f theabbey, 0 2 6

It is probable the door here m entioned, is that at the west e ndof the

church, w hich 1 5 evide ntly of an o lder date than the rest of the building ; thej am bs and l inte l are of m assive free ston e , and on e ach side is an escutcheon,l ike those on the sides of the we st door of St . Lawren ce ’

s church, but thearm sare n o longer disce rn ible . Over the door, isa window, in the Norm an styleof archite cture, as h ere represented, with the lettersT. R . three tim esrepeated,

and, near the p o int of the arch , the le tters A . andD the form er of which,from its m ake, seem s of an earl ier date than the construction of th is church.

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ST.MARY ’

S PAR ISH AND CHURCH .

the reve ries of one or tw o m onkish h istorians, w ho wrote long a fter the t im e

the fact is supposed to have happen ed . Rapin says, that Polydore Virgil, a.

fore igner, w as the first that m en t ioned this degrad ing circum stance , de ce i ve dp e rhaps by th e fo l low ing passage in IVI alm esbury, w ho speaking of Henry I .

says, Lu cernarum u sum noctibus in curia restituit, qui fuerat tem pore fratris

interm issus,”i . 0. he re stored in his court the use of lam ps at n igh t, w hich

hadb e en disused in his brotherWilliam Rufus’

s re ign—such is”

the foundation

ofth is foo l ish story, which has be e n adopted by m ost of our h istorians, not

w ithstanding the si lence of contem porary writers, p art ic ularly Matthew Paris,

w ho m akes n o m ention .of it. For th ese reasons, I am incl ined to place i t

am ong those fables which are sti ll suffe red to disgrace our nat iona l h istory .

This is the first m en tion in the -parish books of th is be l l, the ringing of

w h ich at stated hours, w as of singu lar util ity to the m anufacturing part of

the com mun ity, a t a tim e when c locks we re so,

far from be ing o f thatgenera l use they now are , that very few parish churches, e xcept in large

towns, possessed on e ; withou t, therefore , re curring to distant age s for the

in troduction of the curfew he ll, w e m ay con clude , th at its origina l intention

w as m ere ly to regu la te the hour, and serve as a signal for the workm en tobegin and leave off work .

* As som e trades began work e arl ier and left offlater than othe rs, so w e find differen t hours appo inted for ringing the cur

few‘ b e l l . At St. Law ren ce ’

s, as n ow , the hours w ere five in the m orn ing

andn in e at n ight, b ut, at St. Mary ’

s, six in the m orn ing and e ight at n ight

this diffe rence arose from the n a ture f the m anu factures carried on in e ach

parish . In St. Law ence ’

s, they were m ore various than in St . Mary’s, which

se em s to have been alm ost e xcl usi ve ly occupied in the w ool len m anu fa cture ;these , i t is probable , d id not work so m any hours as the othe r tradesm en , as

is observable at the present day, som e m anufa cturers working m ore hours thanothers, and there fore i t be cam e n ecessary for the signa l be l ls to b e rung at

differen t periods. This custom o f tol l ing the be l ls at appo inted hours, is sti ll

Th is idea of the use ofthese b ells is con firm ed by the follow ing passage in Stowe 's’ Survey

ofLondon In the year 1 469, it w as ordain edby a com m on coun ce ll, that the Bow bell shouldben ightly rung at n ine of the c lock . This bell be ing usual ly rung som ewhat late , as seem edto theyoung m en , prem ises, andother in Cheape , they m ade andset up a rim e against the clerke, asfolloweth

Clarke of the Bow be ll, w ith the ye l low locks,For thy late ringing, thy headshall have knocks.

W hereunto the clerke replyin g w roteCh ildren of C he ape , holdyou all still,For you shall have the Bow bell rung at your

ST; MARY ’

S PAR ISH AND CHURCH"

. 303

continued, though the causes for which it w as institute d no longer exist ; them ore certa in d1V1s1 on of t im e, by m eans of clocks

,having rendere d the praca

tice unne cessary .

It w as n ot til l 161 1 that th is parish w as at the e xpen se of purchasing a

clock to be se t up in the church, for which , as t he town did not at that timepossess a clock - m aker, they contra cted w i th a person from Windsor, w ho

agreed to m ake on e for the sum of tw enty- four poun ds th irteen shill ings ande ight pen ce , andto give a bond to the parish , with suffic ien t sure ties, for itske eping tim e bu t, notw ithstanding th is pre caution , the w orkm anshi p does netappear to ha ve be en v ery corre ct, as, in addition to his form er dutie s, M r.

Marsha l l w as ordered to se t i t so as to go and strike, as n ear as he cou ld,

at due hours.

”

In 1614, the arch that divides the ch an ce l from the n ave , w as b u i lt at thee xpense of the parish, andabout the sam e tim e the ring of be l ls w as in creased

by a new one , cal le d the fourth which did cost one and fi fty poundsand sixteen shill ings, whereof M r. doctor Powe l l the vicar

, not on ly of his.

good w i l l, love , andze a l, which he be are th towards. the honor of G od, to havesuch th ings provided, that are n e cessary for the sam e , bu t a lso to stir, in cite ,provoke , and m ove the parish ioners to b e w i l l ing andforward in such a good

action, he did give towards the saidbe l l the sum of tw e nty pounds e ighte ensh il l ings andseve n pence , andthe parish ione rs didpay the rest. .

This stim u lus, on the part of the worthy doc tor, se em s to have haditseffe ct, for, in the fo l low ing ye ar ( 1604) the right worsh ipful lady B enn e tW ebb e , widow of sir Will iam Wehb e , knt . c itize n and ironm onger, of London , and lord m ayor in 1 59 1 , who w as born a t Reading, did give on e grea t

be l l, by the request of the sa i d doctor Pow e l l, to the honor of G od, to fin ish .

and m ake up the w ho le ring, ca l led“

the fifth be l l , w e ighing one andtwe n tyhundre d we ight, one quarte r andn ine te en pounds, andall othe r th ings be long

ing to the sam e , wh ich did cost on e hundred and o n e pounds, a nd si xte en

shillings, which great hell is ca l led our Lady be l l , and i t is worthy to be regis

tered, for to rem a in in m em oriam sem piternam .

” At wha t tim e the present

ring of e ight be l ls w as com ple ted is not m entioned .In 1679, the south window ,

Opposite the pu lpit, was buil t by the church

warde ns, which w as the only thing they did that deserved pra ise .

About the sam e t im e , an order w as m ade for repa iring the roadswith in the

parish, they having becom e a lm ost im passable , by which all persons paying

tw o pen ce a we ek or upwards, should pay or work six days a ll such as pa id

one”penny a. week, were to pay or work four days : and those that pa i d one

Parish Reg ister.

304 ST MARY’S PARISH AND C HURCH .

hal fp

ennyawe ek , or were above the degre e of re ce iving c o l le ctions,

should

pay or w ork two days, and those w ho refuse d to pay were to b e i nd icted at

the sessions.

The reven ues ofthe vicar, consist ofthe gre at andsm al l t ithes throu ghout

the parish , e asterdues, and surpl ice fe e s. The glebe c on sists on ly of the

groun d attached to the parsonage house , anda sm a l l pie ce of ground ca l le d

theLock - m e ad , or the Vicar

’

s orchard, conta in ing fifty- one square or super

ficial po le s, n ow m aking part ofthe garden be longing to the Be ar inn , There

is beside a house , on the sou th side of Castle -stre e t, be longing to the vicarage .

The rectoria l tythes were grante d by que en El izabe th, in 1573 .

In addition to the above , the vicar re ce ive s ten poun ds per a nnum , the

gi ftofM r.

Kendrick, for re ading m orn ing prayers, out of which sum he pays

the clerk th irty sh il l ings. He a lso re ce ives thre e poun ds e le ven shil l ings per

an num ,be ing the in tere st ofS . S . stock purchased with the sum of one hundre d

pounds, left for that purpose by M rs. Thorne . John B lagrave , esq . in 161 1 ,

left te n shill ings per ann um to the vicar for the tim e b e ing, for e ver, for a

sermon to b e preached on Good - friday andM rs. West, in

.

1 7 17, left one

pound per annum for a serm on to b e prea che d on St . Thom as

’

s-day e very year,

at on e of the thre e chu rche s a l ternate ly.Beside th e above gifts for e xtra dutie s, the v icar rec e ive s annua l ly one

pound ten sh ill ings, be ing one th ird of the tenth part of M r. Alle n ’

s gift.

The church is rate d in the king’

s books at e le ven pounds twe l ve sh ill ings

andthree pence h alfpenny, andthe yearly te n ths at one poun d three shil l ings

andtwo pence thre e farthings. The l iving is in the gift of the lord chance l lor.

Vicars of this parish since the erection of the present church.

.M r. William Pow e l l, 157 1

John De nn ison , D . D . 1 614

Thom as Bunbury, D . D . 1628

Christopher Fowler,1' 1 641

Parish Register.OfBal iol college , w as adm itted D . D . j un e 1 0 , 1 64

-

4. He succeededdoctor John Denn ison'ia the v icarage of St. Mary ’s, Readin g, bu t be ing pu t out there by the presbyterians, when that towncam e into the ir possession , he fledto Oxfordfor prote ction . Wood’

r Adam s.

“1 Christopher Fow ler, son ofjohn Fow ler, ofMarlborough, at the age of sixteen, becam e a

servitor ofMagdalen college in 1 62 7, w here continu ing till he w asB . A . he retiredto St. Edm und'shal l

,took the degree of m aster of that facu lty, enteredinto hol y orders, andpreachedfor som e tim e

in Oxford, and afterw ards atW est-w oodhay, near D onn ington - castle,Berks. A t length, upon the

turn of the t im es, in 1 641 , b e closedw ith the presbyterians (havin g before been puritan ically affected)took the covenant, andbecam e a very conce its andfantastical preacher am ongthem . For byhis

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ST .MARY ’S PARISH AND CHURCH.

William Re eves, 1 7 1 1

Francis Fox, M. A .1726

Rob e rt Bo l ton ,D . C . L.

* 1 738

Charles Sturge s, 1 763

R e v.Archdeacon Nares,

1805

d terrier or rent roll ofSt. Mary’s parish in 1556.

A qu i t ren t out of a te n em ent at Tunnyl Lock,-

f~

A qu i t ren t out of a barn in Lurkm an'

s- lane ,A qu i t ren t out of a house in ( n

‘

rrope - lan ejrA qu it re nt for a house in Minste r- stre e t,A qu it re nt of Richard Butler, the mylle r of B urfie ld,

for his house in Minster- stre e t,A ye ar'

s re n t for the house of the hill,A year’

s ren t for the ten em e n t a t C orn ish' cross I ca l le d

the c le rk ’

s house ,A year’

s ren t of the thatched house ,A ye ar’

s re nt for a house Opposite the B e ar,A year

'

s rent for a house in the Butts,

o

o

o

o

h,

To ta l

Terrier in 1 799 .

M r. V a tchell’

s chance l , pe r annum , 1 O 0

Rent of a house in Castle -stree t, in the occupation of

M r. A be ry, baker,

Carried forward

n ext year, w as com m andedby the k ing , in com pl ian ce w ith the request of the ge ntry of Som erset,to go against Monm outh, anddidem in e nt servi ce at the b attle of Sedge m oor w here he m an agedtheartillery, for w hich he w as rew ardedw ith a rich m edal. He w as a pre late rem arkab le for his hospitality, gen ero

sity, justice , and frequent preach in g . He died Novem ber 9 , 1 70 6, aged89, andw as

buriedin W i n cheste r cathedral . Hutchin’sHistory a ndAntiquities ofD orsetshire.

He presented the c orporation of Reading w i th the picture of archb ishop Laud, n ow in the

councrl- cham ber, but w hether it w as an orig inal, taken in the archb ishop’

s l ife tim e,or on ly a copy,

13 uncertain . Seepage 48.

He w as also dean ofCarl isle.'1' Now cal ledLock -m ead

,situatedbeh indthe B ear inn .

site ofthose m arked thus cann ot n ow be ascertain ed; though I am inclined to thinkCornish- cross stoodwhere the we ighin g-engine now is.

ST . MARY ’

S PAR ISH AND CHURCH.

B rought forwardRent o f M r. D i xon ’

s house in the Butts,Re n t o f M r. Earles’

s house in Castle - stree t,Ren t of M r. John Deane ’

s house ,

Tota l

Copy ofan ancient deedre lative to som e prem ises situated in St. Mary’s

B utts, be longing to this parish .

To all fa i thfu l Christians, to whom this present writing sha l l com e , I JOHN ,

by divine pe rm ission ,abbot of R edyng andconve n t of the sam e place ,

gre e ting in the Lord e verlasting.

W hereas, Henry W eb b e and John Wyke , procurators or churchw ardens of the parish church of the blessed Mary of R edyng a foresa id, ho l dof us in right of the aforesa id ch urch of the b le ssed Ma ry

, a certa in ten em en tsi tuate in

\

the town of R edyng aforesa id, in a ce rta in stree t ca l led from an ti

q uity Olde - stre e t, othe rw ise Wode - stree t, in a certa in pla ce ca l led Bernard’

s

hill, con tain ing in length fourscore fe e t, and in bre adth th irty fe e t of l ega lm e asure , yie ld ing the refore ye arly to us and our su cc essors tw o sh ill ings and

si xpe nce per annum , to b e pa id at the fe ast of St. Mich ae l th e archange l , forall se rv ice ; B e it know n , that w e , through re ve re n ce of G od, and for the

hon or of the glorious v irgin Mary, the estate a nd possession , w hich th e

a foresa id procura tors of the church aforesa id have in the afore sa id te n em ent,w ith the appe rte nances, to the m andthe ir su ccessors procura tors of the churchafore sa id , de e m i t m e e t for the re n t of tw e lve pe n ce for the re n t aforesa id, tob e pa i d ye arly a t the fe ast of St. M ichae l the a rchange l, in l i e u of a ll exac tions

andde m ands, to c on firm ,ratify, and for u s and o ur su cc essors, by these pre

sents, to gra nt and approve , a ndfurther for us and our succe sso rs, to rem ise ,re le ase , and qui t cla im to the aforesa idHe nry W ebb e andJohn l Vy-ke , pro

cura tors of the church aforesa id, and the ir successors, a ll our right andc la im

andde m and, w hich , in the aforesa id tene m e n t , w ith the appe rte n ance s, w e and

o ur succ essors can in future ha ve , sav ing a lw ays to us a nd to o ur suc cesso rs,

the sa id ren t of tw e lve pence . I n w itne ss to th is our present de ed, w e ha veaffixed our com m on se a l .

Dated a t Re ading aforesa id, in our chaptern house , the te n th day

ofthe m on th of l‘da rch , in the tw enty—e ighth ye ar 1 Si; of the

re ign of king He nry the sixth .

”

r a t).

ST . MARY ’S PARISH AND CHURCH .

It is probable the land here m ent ioned as m aking -

part of the possessions

of the abb ey, w as a l ienated a t the disso lution , and c onse quen tly lost to thisparish b u t if i t is in c luded in the foregoing ren t ro l l, i t m ight b e tha t now

le t to M r. Dixon , though , from the im prove m en t of the road be fore i t,cannot b e sa idto be situated on a hi ll .

For the be nefactions be longin g to this parish , see the l ist ofcharities,

Rem arkable entries in the churchwardens boo/c.

Payde the m an for wa tching the sepulcher, 0

Payde the m ynstre lls, 1

Payde for a cap andtw o fe thers, 0

Payde to the m ynstre lls andthe hobby horse upon M ay-day, O

Payde to the m orrysdaunsers andthe m ynstre lls m e te and

drynke at W hitson tyde ,Payde to the payn te r for payn ting the ir cotes,Payde upon Ho ly Thursday for the Lords breakfast,Payde for ha llow ing the a l tars,Payde for a pound andhalfe of frankinsense ,

Item for m akyng of the butts,Item for w rytinge of the scripture about the church,Pa id for tw o paxe of cardes,It is agre ed that M r. Pow e l l , vicar, shal l have half the

pasca l l m on ey, b e paying for half the bread andw ine ,according to the agre em e n t m ade w ith the o ldv icar.

Item to the ringerswhen the que ene cam e through the town , 0 18

Item to the ringers when the king cam e through the tow n, 0 7

Pa id the two laborers to playne the grounde whe re the

butts shou ld b e, 0 5

Pa id for carving M r. John Kenricke’

s arm s over thesouth arch of the towe r, O 2

For ringing for the king, at his re turn from Branforda fter the fight

,

Pa id for ringing for the lord prote ctor,I t w as orde red that Lovejoy ’

s boy sha l l b e carried toLondon, to b e touched for the king ’sevill, at thecharge of the parish .

I t w as ordered, that any person receivm g strangers into

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S i . Lawrence’

s P arish a nd Church .

C HAPTER XV I.‘

THE parish of St. Lawrence is situated on the north - east extrem ity of the

& borough, and is bounded on that side by the Tham e s, on the south by the

ri ver Kenne t, which separates i t from the parish of St . G i les, andon the west

by Caversham - road , andthe boundary l in e of St. Mary’

s parish .

Though th is is the le ast extensive of the three parishes, it is nearly equa l

to the othe rs in the num ber of inhabitants, and possesses the greater part ofthe trade of the town , including within its boun daries the wharfs, the m arke ts,and m ost of the prin c ipa l shops for the sa le of goods of e very descript ion .

The church stands on the n orth side of the m arke t- place , a t the entran ce intothe Forbury. It w as e re cted tow ards the c lose of the fi fte enth century,

‘on

the site of the origin a l church dedicated to St . Lawrence . Like that of St .Mary, i t w as indebted to the abbey for som e of the m ate rials used in its construction , con sisting howe ver chiefly ofston e w ork , such as door-ways, w indowfram es, andpillars, i t having b e en pre viously despo iled of its tim be rs

,doors,

&c . for othe r bu ildings. Am ong the parts appropriated to th is b u i lding, m ayb e re ckoned the gre at western door-w ay, com posed of a c irc ular arch

, orna

m ented w ith rich m ou ldings, from w hich we re suspended, on e a ch side, the

a rm s of the abbey, but so obl iterated, by the c orrosi ve power of the air, as

to b e no longer visible .

* O n one of the pi l lars adjo in ing the corpora tionpew ,

is a ve ry ancie nt e scutche on , e ngrave d appare n tly on w ood in tw o com

partm ents, dexter azure , the v irgin Mary w ith the infant Je sus on her leftarm , anda l ighted torch in her right hand—sin ister, on the top a lam b, a ndfinder i t the figure of an ass, rude ly carved. This a lso, probably be longedto

fl' These have been latel y restored.

ST . LAWRENCE ’S PARISH AND CHURCH.

the abbey, the virgin andchild be ing the prin cipa l figures on the ir seal,but

c an have n o referen ce to the c orporat ion .

The'

form of this church very m uch re sem bles that of St . Mary, but issupe rior to i t in the l ightn ess ande l egance of its con struction, n otwithstandingthe latte r is ge n e ra l ly prefe rred for its variegated tow e r, w hose nove l appe aran ce , by its striking effe c t at fi rst sight, obta ins the prefe re nce of the observerbefore the m ind has tim e to form a j ust opin ion ; whereasi t is on ly from a

m inute inspe ction, that w e discover the severa l be au tie s of the form e r, and

a cknowledge , tha t in un i form ity of de sign , sim pl ic ity of style , and e leganceof its de corations, i t is superior to S t. Mary ’

s, in e ve ry particu lar n e cessary

for the construction of a bu ilding appropria ted to religious w orsh ip.

ale

On e ach side the west door, n ext the stre e t, are m itches, for the re ceptionof im age s, but these were taken away, e ith er at the reform ation, or in the sub

se qu ent c ivi l w ar, in the re ign of C h arles I. B eside those on the outside thechurch for ornam en t, the re w e re within , for re l igious worship , those of St.Clem e nt , St . Thom as, St . Law rence , our lady Niary, St. Le onard, St . Vince n t,St . John , St . Ge orge , St . Nicholas, and the twe lve apostle s, with Judas Is

cariot, bu t th is last, w ith the ho ly sepul chre , the coffin , andthe instrum ents of

the cruc ifixion , w ere pe rhaps on ly used at the e aste r fe sti vals, the othe rs served

to de corate the diffe ren t a l tars ; the se were se ven in n um be r. The high a ltar,

adorned with the cruc ifix in the centre , and the im age s of St .‘ Mary and St'

.

John on e ach side , of si l ve r gilt, w e igh ing six pounds se ve n oun ce s, St . Tho

m as’

s+ a ltar, St. George’

s,St . John ’

s, Our Lady ’

s, the Sepul chral a ltar, and

J esus’

a l tar.

In the re ign ofEdward VI . com m ission ers we re appointed to visit all the

chu rch es, to rem ove the im age s, andtake away the supe rfluous pla te a ndorna

m e n ts, le aving on ly on e or tw o chal ice s ofsi lve r, with line n for the com m un ion

table andsurplices. The plate , andall things ofva lue , were to b e brought to the

There is a tradition in the tow n,that S t . Lawren ce ’

s w as bu ilt by an apprentice of the person

w ho constru ctedS t . M ary’s, and that his m aster w as so struck w ith the superiority ofth is bui ldingover his ow n , that in a fi t of ve xat ion he threw him se lf offS t. Mary ’s ste eple andw as k illed.

On repairin g th is church in 1 80 2 , a pain t ing w asdiscove redunder the w h itew ash , on the n orth

e ast side of the al tar, bu t too m uch ob l ite ratedto be m ade ou t. Th is w as probab ly over the al tar of

St .Thom as. As th is custom of w hitew ash in g the picture s in our churche s w as ve ry gen e ral after the

reform ation,it is re ason ab le to suppose ,

that seve ra l of these w orks of art m ay, in like m anner,have

b ee n ob l iteratedin the othe r churches.

In the churchw arde n ’

s book for 1 52 6 is a charge of 61. l gs. 44. for pain t in g the tran sfiguration

on the high altar. I have be en inform ed that th is w as stil l v isib le u nder the whi tew ash, b efore the

pre sent altar-

pie ce w as ere cted.

King Edw ard’s Journ al.

CHAP .

XVI .

ST LAVVRENCE’

S PARISH AND CHURCH .

treasure r of the king

’

s h ouseh old, andthe m on ey arising from the sa le of the

rem a inder, w asto b e distributed to the poor, w ho , saysthe historian, had, how

ever the l east share of i t . " The quan tity ofplate , andothe r th ings, be longing

to this church , give n in the fol low ing inve ntory, w as take n a few years prior

to the reform ation

Im prini is, a crosse of si l ver and gil t, with Mary and John , w eying l xxix

ounce s anda qrt of the gifte of m aste r NichsMore , l ate vicar.

Itm , a sen sor ofsi l ver gilt withou t a pan , w eying xxx ounces and iijqrts of

the gift of

Itm , a nother sensor of si lve r gi lt with an iron pan in bym , w eying xxx

ounces andiij qrts.

I tm , a shipp ofsi l ver, w eying ix ounces.

Itm , a nothe r shipp ofsi l verw eying v oun ces, ofthe gifte-ofm a ister C le tche .

Itm , ij c andle sticks ofsi l ve r w eying xlj ounce s ofthe gifte ofRichdCle ch e .

Itm ,ijboke s a gospe llo anda piste llo the on e side co verd w i th si lver gilt,

w ith im ages vppon the sam e and the other side w ith boces ofsi l verw eyingyn all cxxxiiij ovn ce s, of the gifte ofM r. Richard Sm yth, ye om an of the

robes w ith our sourayne lord the kyng.

I tm , ijbasons ofsiluer w eying xlviijovnces and5 of the gifte ofM r. Smyth ,Itm , a pip of silue r andgilt w ith a siluer pyu, waying xvj ovn ces andiijqrtshangyng in the church .

I tm ,a m onstre of siluer and gilt w eying xxiiij ovnces and iij qrts. fo r the

sacram en t .

Itm , a crism a torye of siluer gil t w eying xxU ovn ces andqrt.

l tm , a pyp of siluer gilt w eying vj o vn ce s.

Itm , ij e rne tts”eofsi lve r w eying vj oun ces andha lfe .

Itm , a be l l of silu er w eying viijounces.

Itm , a cha l ice ofsiluer a ndgi l t w ith a cruc i fix on the fote ennam e lledandthe tryn itie ennam el lydon the paten t w eying xxv ovn ces.

Itm , a n other cha lice ofsilu e r andgilt w i th a crucifix grave n in the fote andan hand on the patent w eying xviij ovnces.

Itm,a n other cha l ic e of silue r andgilt w ith a crucifi x ennam ellyd on the

fote andan hand on the patent w eying xv ounces andiij qrtrs.

Itm , a n othe r chal ice of si l ver and gil t w i th a cruc ifix en nam elledon thefote andy

° trynitys en am e lled on the patent, w eying xvijovn ces andi .

Sm al l urns.

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ST. LAWRENCE’

S PARISH AND CHURCH .

Itm ,a chesib le ofwhite dam ask-e with bran ches of gold, the orfrey of b lew

velve tt, the gifte ofJohn Thorne , abbott of R .

Itm , ijaw ter clothe s ofve lve tt, blew andb lak, of the gifte ofm aster Sm yth .

Itm ,a quyshon , the on e side c loth of go ld, the othe r- s ide crem co lor saten,

the gift ofM r. Sm i th .

I tm , ij pil lows, the on e side of them o f cloth of go ld and si lver, and the

other side gren e saten .

Itm , iij pyllow s of russe tt ray for we ddings.

Itm ,a corpus case , with the sa l utation of ou r Lady .

I tm ,a nother of c loth of b awdekyn , w i th ij lyons.

Itm ,a canapie of crym son ve lve tt im broideredwith g o ld flounc es and the

holy tom be in the m yddle .

Itm ,a pal l of blew ve lve tt im b roide red with donne es of gold, of the gifte

ofTho‘

s. Clarke , hosier.

I tm ,a pa l l ofw hit silke lynedwith lynen cloth for weddings.

I tm ,-a c loth to ley in th e wedding cheyre .

Itm , a baner of red sarsene t fe r the'crosse with im ages of the trin it ie and

of our ladie .

I tm ,v b aners of si l ke with th e arm ys of Englond.

Stream e rs3, one ofsy'

l ke andii of lyn en .

Itm ,ij de xt c lothe s.

I tm ,a knop ofgo ld w ith tasse l ls of b lew e sylke .

Awt e r c lothes of lyn e n 20.

Tow e lls ofdiapper 7 .

I tm , a cotte for m ary m agdeleyn , of cloth’

of gold .

At the a c cession ofque e n Mary, these instrum en ts of papal supe rstitionwere aga in introduce d in to the church , anda n ew Judas w as provided for the

u se of the paschal , w hich cost the parish four- pence . A nd tha t the oldorder

of th ings"

m ight b e m ore q'u ie tly restored , Phi lip andMary honored the town

w i th a. visi t, at the solem n ity of restoring the a l tars to th e ir form er place s.

The high a ltar w as ere cted in the chan ce l ; St . John’

s, in the body of thechurch the m iddle al tar in the south side , as w as a lso that ca l led our Lady ’

s

a l tar of the nativity, and St . Thom as’

s, on the n orth side the chance l . On

this occasion , the ir m aj es’

ties gave the parish a part of the Forb ury to e n largethe c hu rch -yard, which, since the disso lution , w as found too sm a l l for the si zeof the parish ; be fore this period, m any of the parishioners we re interred inthe abbey c em e tery . The n ew ground w as wa l led round at the e xpense of theparish, as appears from the fol lowing entry in the churchwardens accountsfor 1557 .

ST LAWRENCE ’S PAR ISH AND CHURCH»

.

Memorandum " Tha t in the m onth of A ugU st 1557; andthe th irdandfou

rthof Ph i l ip and Mary , king and que e n of England

, Fraunce , of bothS lC l ll eS .

ima Ire land, defende rs of the fa ithe , archduke of A ustrie

, duke of'

Burgund ie, M l l-lay’

ne , and.B

ra

ban

t , cou nt ie s of A spurge , Flande rs andT irole ,

John 136”be ing i 116“ niaJor of R edyng. Hit w as grauntedby the que ny

’

sm aJe stie unto the i nhabita n ts of this parish a ce rtayne grounde n ext unto theparish churche , for to e re ct a ndm ake the reof a churche yard, as by the w a l li t doth andm ay appere , w hich sa ide grounde so graun tedis in re

com pen

ce to

the parishe , for. a n othe r church - ya rde be longing unto the pa rish , lying me xtau nto the late churche of the late m onaste rie there , andfrom the sa id inhabitants taken . The charges of m akyng the sa id n ew e chu rche yarde w as paye d

by the inhabitants in m anner fo l low ing, to w it, fore e ve rie pe rche of the sa idewa l l con taynynge e ighte e n fote s, se ven shil l ings.

”

The new church yard, w i th the a l tars above m en tioned, w as cousecrate d on . the se cond of M ay fol low ing, be ing S unday, by Wi ll iam Fynche,sufl

'

ragan to the bishop of Ba th andWe l ls.

”

I n the fol lowing ye ar, on the acce ssion ofque e n Elizabe th to the thron e,the a l tars we re aga in re m o ved ou t of the ch urch

, and an orde r of counc i l sen t

to take dow n the two pa ir of organs but th is not be ing im m ediate ly com pl iedwith , a m ore perem ptory m andate w as se nt, when i t w as agreedby the w orshypfull of the parishe , tha t the organi cs in St. John ’

s chaunse ll, for that they

shou l d n ot be forfe i ted in to the hands-

of the organ take rs, shoulde b e take ndow ne and so lde , andthe tym b e r of

"

them to b e applied , to se tt up tw o seatshigher for M r Major andhis bre thren , above the seats that they now sit in .

The tow er w as furn ished with five be l ls ; the large st we ighe d 34 cw t.

1 qr. 10 lb . andw as pre se n ted to the parish by M r. Harry Ke lsal, on which

account it w as ca l led the Ke lsal, or Great Harry ; it w as conse crated in 1499,according to the superst itious practice of the age , by the vicar, w ho re ce ived:

six sh il l ings and e igh t pen ce for his fe e ; and o ve r tha t sir Will iam Sym ys,

Richard Cle che , andm a istres Sym ys heying god-faders andgod- m ode r a t the

conse cration of the sam e be l l, andb e ryng al othe r costs to the s ufi'

rygan .

This he ll w as re o cast, by subscription, in 1596, whe n the we ight w as ih

creased to 36 cwt . 2 qr. 2 1 lb . The fol low ing 15 a l ist of the subscribers

I} . s. ( l.

One hundred andthirty two parishione rs, 6 18 49

The b ache lors of the parish, O 16 9 :

Fifty- five parishioners of St. Mary ’

s, 2 l 8

Carried forward, 9 16 9

s s 2

ST .LAWRENCE ’S PARISH AND CHURCH .

Brought over,

Se ven te en parishioners of St. G iles’

s,

The vicar of Shiplake ,

The v ic ar of Sonn ing,

Sir John Radley,Them i lle r ofCa versham ,

Se ve ra l pe rsons in the coun try,

f"

la 9'

7

‘

In 1 663, the five be l ls, with som e additiona l m e ta l, we re re - cast, and

three m ore added to the ir num ber the se have sin ce be en incre ased to twe l ve ,

form ing a ve ry com ple te ring .

I am not certa in at w ha t t im e the first clock w as put up in this church,but it m ust h ave be e n soon afte r its e re ction , as I finda charge , in the church

warden s’

b 0 0ks, for wire for the“

c lock,”

as e arly as 1499 .

The honorable Da ines Barington , in his History ofC locks, supposes them

to have be en in troduce d in to th is country in the th irteen th cen tury,* at w hichperiod he th inks they we re com m on in se vera l parts of Ita ly, and, as a proof,quotes the fol lowing passage from Dan te z1

Im ii com e oro logio, che n e Chia nt i,

N cl hora che la sposa d’

Idclz'

o surge,

A m a ttinar 10 spam , perche l’

am i .

But,the orologio in this place , I con ce ive m eans no m ore than a com m on

be l l , w hich he owns w as fre que ntly ca l led by this nam e , andm ight have be en

used, in the above passage , to e xpress the so lem n sound of the m atin be l l.

A nderson , in hisHistory of Com m erce , says, that clocks w ere n ot introducedti l l the fourtee n th ce ntury andB row n W ill is, in his A c count ofM itredAbbeys, says

,that R ichardofVVal

lingford, abbot of S t . A lbans, presenteda c lo ck to that church in 1 326, the l ike w hereof w as not to

b e seen in all En g land bu t w hether he m ean t for the ingen u ity of its w orkm anship, or as be ing anu n ique in this country

,is doubtfu l . Fathe r Barré

,in his G eneral History ofG erm any , says, that

in the year of Christ 805, Haroun al Rash id, c al iph of the A rab ians,se nt, am ong o ther presents to

Charlem agn e , a w ate r c lo ck of ve ry un com m on m e chan ism,considerin g the age . It w as of brass’

andstru ck the hours : andD u Can ge , in his Ann als, adds,that th is c lock shew ed the hours by

the fall ofballs ofm e tal on the b e ll, and by the figure s of kn ights, w h ich open edandshut doorsac cording to the n um ber ofhours.

” B ut w hatever th is instrum ent w as,it -cou ldnot have bee n such

a c lock as is spoken of above .

Dante w as born in 1 269, anddied in 1 32 1 .

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ST .LAW

’

RENCE ’S PAR ISH AND CHURCH.

A uditor Co in ers his office .

In the act of Lew is Stocke tt, surveyor ofh ir m aje stie’

s works,‘

anno

regn i di

nae Elizabe th. regin a duode cini o , &c. . am onge o ther ys conteyn edas

fo l low e th, v i z . R eparacons don e upo n ye housefi

" barn and‘

stable and garre ts

a t R edyng, wi th fourte en pounds fifte en sh ill ings andfour p en ce . Por m e n d .

ing and repayryng the chaun se ll of the church of St . Law re n ce , adjoynyng to

the sa id house , the sum of six pound thre e shi ll ings andn ine pe nce .

Exd per Jo . Co iners,‘

and.

Ofiice of lVorks.

Upon se arch m ade with in the sa ide oflice , yt appereth tha t in the mon th

of Septem be r 1 568 the re w as be stow e d upon the repa ire ofthe chaunse ll of the

church ofSt. Law re n ce , adjoynyng to the que en’

s m ajastie’

s howse a t Redyng,

the sum e of fourte en pounds fi fte en shill ings and te n pe n ce .

Thom as Fow le r.

An ne xed to these e xtracts from the publ i c oflices, w e find the fo l lowing

entry in the church - warde ns’ books for the ye ar 1593

The chaunse ll w as late ly repa ired at the coste s of the que en ’

s m aj estic

our vicar, M r. Sm yth, fo l low ing the long suite thereo f, and o bteyn ed of the

lordtre asu rer, through the reddye he l pe and counse l l of he r m aj estie ’

s superv isor. A nd the lord treasure r a l lotted tw en ty - n ine poun ds te n shi l l ings, tob e re ce i ved of the que e n ’

s auditors, tow a rds the reparacon the re of : be ingcom ittedto M r. Ellys B urgesse, then m ajor, andthe sa id v icar, to b e bestow edthe reon , w hich w as don e ac cording .

”

At presen t the ch ance l is repa ire d by the parishione rs.

This church , l ike St . Mary’s, w as not com ple tedt i l l m any years after itsfoundation , as i t w as n ot c e i led til l 1637, w hen sir Franc is Knol lys ga ve tenpounds tow ards the expe nse , and, a t the sam e tim e , bu i l t the sm a l l a isle on thesouth side , for a se at and buria l place for him se l f and fam ilyy which, thefol lowing year, w as conse cratedby the b ishop of the diocess.

On the sam e side the church, and in a l ine w ith the above - m ent ioneda isle , is a portico or covered w ay, ca l led the church wa lk, bu il t w ith the sum .

of one h undred pounds, left for tha t purpose to the corporation , by JohnB lagrave , esq . On a stone, over the cen tre pier, is the fo l lowing inscription

JOHANN ES B LAG R AV IU S,G enerosus M a theseos

,

Encom iis ce lebe rrim us,

Libras C . ad am bu lacrumhoc extruendum dedit, quod

The gate -house,at the entrance into the Forbury, which abuttedagainst the church.

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ST . LAVVREN C E’

S PARISH AND'

CHU RCH.

B rought forw ard ,

A ten em ente in the sou th side of the Ne we - stre e t, ( Friar- stree t )

A tene m en te on the sam e side ,Agrow nde lying in G u tter- lane ,

Two gardens, lying in the southe side ofLurkm an’

s- lane , ( Hosie rs

lan e ) let to H e nry Sutton , for a yere ,A qu it ren t of a ten em en te se t in High - stre e t,A tenem en te beside the m arke t, for a yere ,

£ 1 19 8

The last m en tione d ten em en t w as taken down at the expense of the cor

poration , and reb u ilt on the pie ce of ground in Cross- stree t be longing to the

parish as appears by the fol low ing agreem e n t m ade in 1612

Upon spe cia l c onsiderations, w e , the vicar, church - wardens, h e ad

burge sse s, secondary b urgesses, inhab itants, and parishion ers of th is parish,

whose n am es are subscribed , h ave agre ed , that the m ayor and burge sses,with in three m onths, m ay take down , andrem ove one m e ssuage

,parce l of our

church - lands, standing in th e m arke t - place in Re ading, andthe ground w here

upon the sa id m essua g e n ow stande th, to con ve rt to the ir ow n use for e ver ;on condi tion ,

th a t w ith in thre e m on ths after the taking dow n there of, they

sh al l , at the ir ow n co sts, rebu i l d the sa i d m essuage , upon som e o the r conve

n ien t ground in the sam e parish, and m ake the sam e sufiiicient w ith brick

chim nie s and lofts hab itable , as n ow it is, a ndof so good value to the church,a nd shal l convey the sam e to the use of the sa i d church for ever, with all

which w e sha l l b e we l l c onten ted , &c .

Me m orandum , That i t appeareth pla in ly, that th ere was a l ittle garden

plot lying on the w e st side of Gutte r- lane , which t im e beyond the m em oryof m an , did b e long to St . Law ren c e

’

s church ; and true i t is a lso, there w as

a l ittle plot of vo id ground, e nc losed w ith pales ne xt adjo in ing to the sa i d

church - garde n , which didbe long to the c orporat ion , andw as used for a dunghil l, and the so i l w e ekly sw ept up in the m arke t -place , w as carried there bythe ba i l iff, andhis servants, andin perform ance of the above agreem ent, thesa idm ayor and burgesses did re m ove the sa id dw e ll ing- house in the m arke t

place , and m ade the ground w he re on the house did stand, parce l of them arke t- place , andat the ir own costs, did bu ild the sam e house upon the said

The origi nal deed, Signedby the parishioners, 15 am ong the archives of the corporation .

ST . LAWRENCE ’S PAR ISH' AND CHURCH .

garden - plo t, and vo id ground, in Gutter- lan e , and m ade the sam e of m ore

worth than i t w as before , for the use of the sa id church , &c .

St. Lawrence ’s terrier in 1 783 .

Thre e m essuages in the te nure ofthe overse ers for the a ccom m o

dation of the poor, wi th a garden , on the north side of

Friar stree t, per ann um ,

One garde n in Hosiers- lan e , in the ten ure of Thom as Watson ,unde r a le ase andon e m e ssuage , w i th a garde n , on the

sou th side of Friar- stree t, in . the tenure of the sa i d T .

Watson , on l e ase , w h ich e xpire s in 1 835, 13 4

On e p iece of land, w he re on stood tw o te nem en ts, w ith gardens,on the south side of Friar- stre e t, u nder a l e ase , now in

the oc cupa tion of C . Pou lton , expi res 1835, 13 6

Thre e m essu age s, w ith garden s, on the north side ofFriar- stre e t,n ow in the tenure of S . Fren ch 10 0

On e room ove r the gate—w ay le ad ing i nto the chu rch - yard, andadjo in ing the church , in the tenure of Jam e s Hawkes,under le ase , e xpire s in 1879, 1 6 0

Two tenem en ts on the w e st ‘ side ofGutte r- lan e , in the te nureof the rev. John Spi cer, under a l ease ; e xpire s in 1836, O 0

One ten em e n t a nda stable on the w est side ofGutter- lan e , n ow

in the tenure ofMatilda M avhew ,

‘

on le ase ; expires 1836, 2 O 0

Tw o h a l f a cre s of m e adow in Aston m e ad, in the te nure of

Will iam M ay,* 10 0

Fodr ten e m en ts on the we st side of Horn -stree t, in the tenure

of Nath an ie l Sim onds,'

l‘ O O

A qu it - rent ofa m e ssu age , on the w est side ofthe Marke t- place ,in the te nure ofMartha Whiting, 1 O

A qu i t- re n t of a te n em en t on the n orth side of Broad -stre e t,i n the ten ure of Thom asWhite , 1

'

A qu it- rent of a m essuage on the sou th side of Friar- stre et, in

the te nure ofThom as Ha l ifax , 0 1

An annua l re nt for the vau l t of R ichard Curtis, e sq . in the

north chance l of th is church,

One of these half acres w as g iven to this church by E. Ham b l in ,in M r. john

Dean e sets the rent at on e poundper an num .

t Out of this the parish pays tw enty shill ings groundrent tothe corporation .

t 'r

ST . LAVVRENC E’

S PARISH AND CHURCH .

In 1\Ir.John De ane ’

s accoun t of the possessions be longing to th is parish,

the fol lowing m e ssuages are added , wh ich do not appe ar to m ake part of

the above terrier

One ten em en t, on the e ast side of Cross stre e t, le t to J. Cooper, 58. s.

at w ill, pe r annum ,

O ne ditto, adjoin ing, a t will, 6 10 0

On e m essu age , on the n orth si d e of Friar- stree t, w i th l and,bounded by the V aste rns on the n orth , let on le ase for

99 years : e xPn es 1 11 1823,12 0 0

245 16 0

The revenu es of th is vicarage are sm a l l , there be ing, ( says an en try in

the ch urch books) n o gl ebe n or t i thes be longing to i t, e xcept an occasional

t ithe pig.

The vicar is entitled to obla tions at caster, and all the church - dues, but

the princ ipa l part of h is incom e arise th from ben e fact ions, for *By an inqu i

sitiou taken by Edw ard P lowderi, e sq. and seve ra l o the r gen tlem en of the

county of B erks, and re turne d into the e xche quer the 6th and 7 th of que enElizabe th : i t se ts forth, That th e incom e of. the l i vin g of St . Lawren ce ’

s,

be fore the dissolution of the abbey, arose , by the offerings, &c . of ri chclothie rs, andofficers, and servan ts of the abbey, by ha lf the offerings to the

chape l at Caversham —bridge , and a lso by dirges, ob its, cre e ping to the cross,a ndother popish ways b ut the m ost va l uable w as a horse kept in the abbot ’sstab le s, for the v icar to ride to v isitations andw ine, and

,

v ictua ls at his table,

beside the re dundancy of w ax for the church , a nd other lesser contingen t

e m olum e n ts. The com m ission e rs furth er se t forth , tha t the l i v ing, afte r theabbey w as disso l ve d, w as vaca n t thirte en ye ars, though there w ere a t the tim e

a thousand poor inhabitan ts in the parish , occasioned by the ve ry h igh chargesupon the l iving, stil l subsisting, after i t w as d ive ste d of the m eans ofpaying

them . The re b e ing,in the t im e of que en Eli zabe th , on ly the e aster ofie rings

of the poor inhab itan ts left, to discharge the debt to the crow n for the te n ths,subsidies, a nd the arre ars for thirte en ye ai s past, b esides a pension of five

pounds per annum , no m an cou l d b e found to a ccept it. The com m issionerstherefore , re com m en d, the ann e xing the parsonage and tythe s of se vera lm e adows andgrounds the re se t forth to th is v icarage . B ut after th is re com

m endat ion, n o n otice is taken in the decre e , i t on ly sets forth that queen Eli z

MSS . A necdotes relat ive to the v icarage of St. Lawrence ’s,Reading.

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CHAP

ST . LAVVRENC E’

S PARISH AND C HUR CH .

In 161 1 , M r. John Johnson ga ve . te n shil lings, a n nual ly, for a serm on to

b e pre a ched by the v icar 0 11 the fe ast o f St . John ,

the e \ angilist, for e ver.

In 1630, M r.Richard Johnson gave te n shi l lings, annu a l ly ; and M r.

hi althus tw e nty sh i l l ing; for the l ike pu rpose .

In 1 635, l’

v1 r. Roge r Kn ight gave the v icar ten. sh ill ings, annua l ly . for a

se rm on to b e pre ached e ve ry new - ye ar’

3 day and in 1633, M r. John Bagley

gase ten shill ings, per annum , to the vicar.

In 161 0, archb ishop La ud , a m ong othe r charities, le ft [fi fty po ,unds per

annum ,to b e pa

id to the v ic ar of th is parish, o ut of a n e state in the pa rish

of Bray, 1in this coun ty, vested'

ln the co rpora t ion , on condition of his residing

a t the li\ ing.

In 1726, the rev. Phil ipV aughan gave by w i l l to the m in ister andchurch

w arde ns of th is parish, a nd tl1 e i1 succe ssors, a rent charge upon an e state a t

Ka te ’

s—grove , of ten pounds, for'

reading da ily the l iturgy of the Chu rch of

England, in this ch urch , in the afte rnoon . .51

'

o b e pa idquarterly-h Th is be ne

faction how e ve r did not take place t il l, lady day; 1781 ,

M r.Edw ard 11unge rford left, by w i l l, to the c orporation , two hundre d

pounds, in t 1 ust, to pay the inte rest th e re of, 10 1 e- v ,er to the v ic ar of th is

parish , by ha lfye arly paym e n ts, on condition tha t he , or his cu rate , sha lldaily

re ad 1n this ch urch , be tw e e n the hou rs of tw o andse 1 en in the afternoon , the

com m on praye r of the ehu 1 ch of E ngland . O f this legacy, fifty pounds w ere

expended in the e re ct ion of a ga l lery 0 11 the north side of this church , the

re n ts w he reof are re ce i ved by the vica r. The rem a in ing on e hundredand

fifty pounds we re la id ou t in the purchase of on e hundre d a nd si xty se ven

pounds fifte e n shill ings ande ight pence stock, in the oldSouth Se a annu ities,produc ing annual ly five pounds ande ight pence , l ikew ise pa id to the vicar.

In 1 73 1 , M r. John Allen l eft, by w i l l, the sum of one thousand-pounds,

for the purchase of an e state , for the pu rpose of se vera l charitie s the re in

m e ntioned , a nd, am ong othe rs, to pay on e pound four sh ill ings, or a ccord ing

to the prese n t produce , one pound ten shil l ings, to e ach ofthe vi ca rs, a nnua l l y .In 1745, M rs. Haydon gave , in

'

he r l ife tim e, the sum of one hundred and

tw enty pounds, for the purchase of on e h undred a nd tw e lve pounds oldSou th

Se a annu ities, the interest whe reo f, thre e pounds seven shil l ings andtw o p ence ,is divided into five parts, thre e of w hich are pa i d to the vicar for the ren t

of her va ul t, andthe other two parts are reservedfor the repa ir of the sam e ,

w hen n e ce ssary. This m on ey is pa id, by the bursar of St . John’

s co l lege , tothe vicar, ha l f ye arly.

1 11 17 418, 1ll i'

s. E lizab e th Holm es, gave on e hundred pounds oldSouth Se aannu ities, the inte rest wh e reof is pa id to the vicar ha lf- ye arly, by the bursarof St. John ’

s co llege,Oxon .

ST . LAWRENCE ’S PARISH AND CHURCH .

In 1772, M rs. Elizabe th Thorn e gave , by will , the sum of one hundred

pounds, wh ich w as la id out in the purchase of one hun dred and e ighte en

po und six shil l ings and te n pence stock, in the oldSouth Se a annu i ties, producing an annu a l in te rest of thre e pounds e le ven ,

shi ll ings, to b e pa id to the

v icar for re ading the afte rnoon praye rs.

In addition to the above gifts, the v icar rece i ves a lte rn ate ly, every third

yea r, tw enty shillings, for pre a ching M r. West ’s charity se rm on on St . Thom as

’

s—day ; andthe cham berla in of the corpora tion pays him for tw o se rm ons

annua lly : on e a t the e le ction of the n ew m ayor, the o ther on h is entran ce ’ in to

office . He is a l low e d by the parish five shilhngs for his e xpenses a t the visi

ta tioh, and on e pound six shi llings and e ight pence'

annua l ly, in l ie u of the

he rbage grow ing in the churchy ard .

The fo llowing list of the vicars of th is parish is taken from the registers,as they are occasion a lly m e n tioned, under the fo l lowing dates

R ev. Sir John Se rn e , 1480

John A ndrew e , 1 484

Nicho lasMore , 1497

SirWill iam Sym mys, 1499

Thom as J ustice , 1 504

John M ayn esforthe , 1529

John Radley, 1 551

John Sm yth , 1574

Chandler, 1597

Abraham Grey, 1602

John Den ison , 1603

Theoph ilus Taylor, 1618

Thom as Lloyd, D . D .

* 1640

Sim on Ford, 1651

Thom asTuer, 1660

John Brasie r, 167 1

Se rjean—t Hughe s, 1679

Phan uel Bacon ,1 690

E . Ow e n ,1 732

Vl’illiam Boudry, 1 733

Thom as Shute , D . D .

'

l' 1747

Vida fol io 323 .

't On the south w al l of the chan ce l of th is church,on a m arb le table t surm ounted w i th a censer,

the fo l low in g inscription , to the m em ory of th is gentlem an the ide a is evidently taken from Pope’

,

lin es on Gay.They are , I be l ieve , from the pen ofDr. Merrick :

ST .LAW

’ RENCE'S PAR ISH AND CHURCH.

R ev.Jerem iah Nicho lson , D . D . 1763

John Nicho lls, D . D . 1 7721

John Gre en, 1 788

Will iam Wise , 1812

The right of prese n ta tion to th is l iving b e longs to St . John ’

s co l lege,Oxon .

I t is va luedin the king’

s books a t ten poun ds, and the yearly tenths

a t on e pound .

It is prob abl e the foundation of this church gave rise to the grea t fa ir

he l d he re annua l ly, on St . Ma tthew '

s day : the p arish be ing at the e xpense

of b u i lding a booth in the Forb ury, and re ce iv ing the e m o lum ents arising

from the pri ce of adm ission to the re l igious plays tha t were e xhibited on such

o ccasions. This appe ars from the fo l lowing e ntries in the church - wardens’

a ccoun ts for 15073 . d.

Re ce ‘lofthe son day a fore B artym ass, for the play in the Forb ury, l 3 8

Item , re c" for a lder polys, le ft of the play,

"

0 0 5

Payd for n ayles for the sepu l chre , and for rosyn for the resur

rexyon play, 0 2 0

I tem , payd a carter for carrying of pypys and hogshedds in the

Forb ury, 0 0 2

1 tem , payd to the laborers in the Forbury for settyng up of thepolys for the schafi

'

old,

I tem , payd to the b e n m an

'

for he r for the play in the Forbury,Item , payd for 2 cllsé of cre st c lb th, for to m ak E ve a cotefi

‘

Item , for a book of the resurrexyon play,

THOMA S SHUTE, D . D .

V icar of this parish, diedA u gust 1 9th, 1 763.

A ged 56 ye ars.If fa irest honour

,friendship vo id of art,

A nd pure re l igion,captivate the heart

,

If v irtue fled, dem and the silen t tear,A nd the just m an be heave n ’

s pe cu l iar care ;

W hoe ’er by n icest rule s

,thy l ife shal l scan

,

Must, struck w ith rev’ren ce

,say, Here l ies the m an .

The clergy of the fourtee n th andfifte enth centuries w ere n ot dete rred from acting w hat w erec alled m irac le plays, by conside rations w hich m ight influen c e the m ore dem ure andde corous churchm e n of later ages. They unde rstood the race of m en they hadto do w ith.

They knew that theym ight e xh ib it Eve and the se rpe nt ; and G odthe father, andthe Ho ly Ghost ; andChrist and the

Devil, on a pub l ic stage , w ithout, in the leastdegree, shock ing the passive audiences of these pious

days. Godwin'r Life if Chaucer.

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C R AP.

XVI .

ST . LA‘VREN C E’

S PARISH AND CHURCH .

Item ,for l i verys o n our fa ir day,

A nno 153 1 .

Item ,

forfyve e l ls ofcanvasfor a cote forMa id M aryonf at 3d. oh . 0 1 Gi b

The re are a lso charge s for ha ts and b e l ls for the m orrice dancers, and

hobbv horses, wh ich m ad e a part ofthe p age antry e xh ib ited under the san ction

of religion ,in tended , n o doubt, by the con course of p eople brought toge ther

on these occasions, to prom ote the inte rest of the church.

butts, andthe refore cal led the k ing, w ith the addition of the place ofhis reside n ce . This custom

is stil l obse rvedin F lande rs, w he re , at the annu a l shoo t in g m atches w ith bow s and arrow s, the person

w ho w in s the prize , has the title of k ing for the fo l low in g ye ar, w ith the n am e of the soc iety or

place to w h ich he be longs, and is, for that ye ar, e xem pt from taxes.

—He w as, probab ly, the lordofm isru le , m en t ioned in the fo llow ing n ote .

A m on g the pageants e xh ib itedat th is fe stival , w as one from the an c ie nt story ofRob in Hood.

He presidedas Lordof the M ay, anda w om an

,or probab ly a m an equ ippedas a w om an , represented

Maid Marian , his fa ithfu l m istress, and w as stiled Lady of the M ay. Rob in Hoodw as regu larlyfol low ed by the m ost noted characters am on g h is atte ndants appropriate ly hab ited, togethe r w ith a

large bandof outlaw s in coats of gree n . F irst of all,

the w ilde trades of the parish flockyngetoge ther chuse them a graund captayn e of m yschief, w hom they inn ob le w ith the title of Lordof

m isrule , and hym they c row n e w ith great solem nytye , and adopt for the ir kynge . The kynge

annoyn ted chuse th forthe tw e n tye , fortye , three score , or an hundred lyke hym se lf, to w a ite upon

his lordlie m ajestic,andto guarde hys n ob le person . The n eve rie on e ofthese m e n , he investe th

w ith his l ive ries of green , ye l low ,or som e o ther l ight, w anton co lour, and as though the y w ere n o t

gawdie enough, they b ede ck e them se lves w ith scarffs, ribbons, and laces, han ged all over w ith go ldryngs, pre c ious stones, and o ther jew e ls. Th is don e , they tie about e ither legge tw en tie or forticbe lles, w ith rich handkerch iefs in the ir hands, and som etim es la id across ove r the ir shou lders andn ecks. Thus, all thyngs se t in order, then they have the ir hobb ie horses, the ir dragons, andotheranticks, together w yth the ir bawdie pypers, and thundryng drum m ers to strike the de v i ls daun cew ithall. The n m arch th is heathen com pan ie tow ards the church, theyr pypers pypyng, theyr

drum m e rs thundryng, the ir be l les jynglyng, the ir handkerchie l'

s flutte ryng about, the ir heads lykem ad m en ; the ir hobb ie horses and other m onsters skyrm yshyng am ongst the throng : and m thissorte , they go to the church daun cyng and syngyng, w ith such a confused n o ise , that n o m an can

he are hys ow n voyce . A nd thus these te rre stryal furyes spe nd the sabbath dale . Then they havecertaine papers w he re in is payn ted som e babe le rie , or other, of im agerie w ork , andthese they call m ylorde of m isrule ’

s b adges, or cogn izan ces. The se they gyve to e ve rie on e that w ill gyve them m on eyto m ayn tayn them in the ir heathenysh devilerie ; andw ho w il l n ot shew hym se lfe

'

buxom e to them,

and gyve them m on ie , they sha l l be m ock edandflouted sham efullie ; ye a andm an ic tym es carriedupon a cow lstalfe , anddived over head ande ars in w ater, or otherw ise m ost horriblie abused."

Stubb: ana tom ic qf abuser.

S i . G z'

lcs’

s P a m'

a/s a nd Church .

CHAPTER XVII .

T HE p arish of St . G iles, including the ham le t ofWhitley, is ofgre aterextent than e i ther of the oth er parishe s, but the popu lation is ne arly the sam e .

I t is situatedon the sou th side of the river Ke nne t, and is conn ected with theo the r parishes by the High - bridge , and Se ve n -bridges. There are tw o sm a l l

islands be longing to th is parish on the ri ver Ke nn e t, tha t on the west sideofHigh - bridge , is separated from St. Law re n ce ’

s parish by a w ater- coursebranch ing out above the pound lock, which , after passing under the north e nd

of the B ear inn, take s the nam e of the Back - ditch , andre - en te rs the Kenn e t

o n the n orth - e ast e nd of the Island . Th e other com m en ces at the above

m en tion ed lock, and exte nds e asterly as fa r as the m i l l ; i t is d ivided from the

m a in land on the north by the n avigable branch of the river, andon the sou th

by the m i l l - stream . These islands a re ve ry com m odious for wharfs, b ut they

have not h ithe rto be en so m uch appropriatedto tha t u se as m ight have been

e xpec te d from the gre at de m and for su ch place s in e very part of the town .

The chu rch is si tuated on a sm al l rising ground on the e ast side of Horn

stree t, b ut the t im e of its erection cannot n ow b e ascerta ined, as the re cords

of the church -w ardens of this parish , c om m en ce on ly in the ye ar 1 518, which

m ust' have be e n con siderab ly poste rior to its first e rec tion . It is large , and

bu il t in the usual form of our ancient re l igious edifices, with a n ave a nd side

a isles, divided by arch e s supported by m assi ve p il lars, b u t without any orn a

m e n ts to re com m e nd them to the n otice of the spe ctator. From the gre a t

l apse of tim e since its e re ction ,it w as a few ye ars ago conside red to b e in a

v ery da nge rous stat e , from the pil lars, wh ich supported the roof on the n orth

side , be ing obse rved to have de cl ined ve ry conside rably from the ir origina l

pe rpendic ular dire ction . This occasion ed the parish to b e at a very consider

ab le e xpe nse to put them into a condition to support the roof with safe ty a

few years longe r but, as th is could on ly b e done by casing the weaker parts,11 U

ST. G ILES’

S PAR ISH AND CHURCH .

i t is doubtful w hether th is m ode has not rathe r concealed the danger than

rem oved it andperhaps i t wou ld have b e en m ore pruden t to have taken the

whole down and re bu il t i t, than to have w a it e d to a pe riod, w h ich cannot b e

far distant , w hen i t m ust b e done a t an additiona l e xp ense .

In 1 784 a handsom e gal lery w as bu i lt, by subsc ri ption , for the accom mo

dation of the parish ione rs, the church having pre v iously b een v ery m uch

crowded by stra nge rs from the oth er parishes, and e ven from the coun try, w ho

flocked th ith er in gre a t num be rs, to hear the late rev. W . B . Cadogan , then

vicar of this parish .

The chan ce l is very sm a ll “

in proportio n to the size of the church, and

has on ly a few trifl ing m onu m ents in i t.

The tow e r, at the w est e nd, w as origina l ly square , like those of the otherchurche s, with pinnacles at the four corners, and so con tinued prior to the

c ivil wars in the re ign of Charles I . but during the siege of the town by theparl iam ent ’s forc es, in 1643, the king

’

s sold ie rs having pl aced a p ie ce of ord

n ance on the tow er, it so m uch annoyed the besiegers, th at they ra ised a battery

aga inst it, andsoon reduce d it to a heap of rubbish . After the siege it w as re

bu il t in its presen t form , with the m a te rials take n from the ru ins, in the coarsestm anner possible . When the body of the church w as repa ired as above m en

t ioned, i t w as though t ne ce ssary to im prove the app e aran ce of the towe r, and

accordingly som e parts of i t w ere cased w ith stone , a ndthe rest stu ccoed the

top w as ornam e nted with ba ttlem ents, anda l ight sp ire of w ood, l ined withcoppe r, e recte d in the cen tre , anda goth ic porch adde d to the w est entran ce .

A n e ight o’clock bel l w as form erly rung e very e ven ing at th is church,

but, on the de cline of the woollen m a nufactory, that custom w as om itte d inth is parish ; an addition a l proof, tha t whate ve r w as its origin , i t cou ld not

b e the pre tende d curfew establish ed by king Will iam . When the tow er w as

“

repa ired, i t w as found ne cessary to reduce the num be r of b ells to se ven, itbe ing considere d in capable of supporting a gre ater w e igh t .During the papa l h ierarchy, th is church possesse d four im ages for re l i

gion s w orship, viz . St . Christopher, St . Mary, St . John , and its patron St.G i le s. The re w ere a lso tw o a ltars the high a ltar on w hich w as the crucifix’“

andSt . John ’

s a ltar ; th ese , w ith the im ages, w e re rem oved at the re form ation,in order to introduce a form of w orship m ore - congen ia l to the new opin ions,and b e tter ca l cu lated to prom ote that w hich ought to b e the chie f ande nd

ofall re l igions—the reform ing the habits andm ending the m orals of the people .

In the churchw ardens’bo ok for 1 557, is a charge offorty shillin gs ccfor m ak ing a m odwith

Mary andJohn , andfor m ak ing the patron of our church.”

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ST . G ILES’

S PAR ISH AND CHURCH .

m entioned in the parish books, w as a cross ere cted in London - stre et, but this

‘

w as destroyed in 1549 by the re form ers, w hoseo

o

ver ab undan t z

ea l destroyed

m any w orks of art, and e ve n of l ite rature , w h ich m ight otherw ise have do.

l ighted and im prove d the ir desce ndants of the prese n t day.

During the papa l h ie rarchy, san ctuarie s w ere a ttached to m any of our

churche s, and scarce ly any tow n of consequ en ce w as w ithout on e of these

places of refuge , from w hen ce m alefactors of e very d escription cou ld b id defi-

i

an c e to the law s w i th im pun i ty ; andso sacred w e re those re cepta cle s cousid eredat the tim e , tha t no on e , n ot e ven the m onarch on the th ron e , dared to

”

v iolate them ,how e ver tyrann ica l in disposition a ndc onduct tow ards his sub

je cts on other occ asions. O n e of those plac e s, and probably un ited to the

priv ileges of this ch urch , w as, in w hat is n ow ca l le d the C rown - lane ; howfar it extended, is un ce rta in , b ut i t is n ot un l ike ly that it in cluded the Wholespace be tw e en that lane andthe church - yard.

Copy ofa n ancient rank-roll cf this parish,[c lean in 1518.

QUIT- RENTS .

For a te n em e n t on the west side of Lon don - stre e t, for a year,D o . on the sam e side , b e tw e en Mill - lane o n the n orth side , andthetenem en t of T . Pockerige on the south side

,

The ten e m en t ann exed,A ten em en t on the sam e side,A tenem e nt on the sam e side ,A tenem en t on the sam e side ,D o . n ext to the tene m en t of the abbot andcon vent of Reading,D o . annexed, n ow in the hands of the churchw ardens,A ten e m en t on the sam e side next to

'

the vo i d ground of the abbo tandconven t,

A tenem en t on the sam e side ,A tenem en t on the w e st side of Syve ar

-street,The ground annexed, late a tenem ent,A tenem ent, on the sam e side ,A ten em ent on the east side of London - stre e t n e xt the tenem en t

of the abbot and conve nt,A te nem e nt on the sam e si de , n ext the te nem ents of the abbot andconvent, on the north and south

,

Carried forward 3 . 7 3

ST . GILES’

S PARISH AND CHURCH.

Brought up, S .

A ten em ent on the '

sam e side , be tw e en W. G oldore , priest, andthetenem en t of the abbot and con ven t,

A ten em ent ann exed ,A te n em en t anne xed,Of the abbot a nd con ven t for a te n em en t on the sam e side ,A te n em en t ann exed, be tw e en the tenem e n t of the abbo t and

con ven t, on the sou th, and the tenem ent ca l led the Hin d ’

s

head,for a ye ar,

A te n em en t an n exed, ca l led the Hind’

s-h e ad,O f the abbot andcon ve n t,

‘

for the tenem e n t annexed, cal led the Cage,A

’

plot of land on the south side ofMill - lan e ,A te n em e n t n ext the flood ga te s, on the n orth side of Mil l - lane ,A vo id ground on the north sid e of the sam e lane ,A ten em en t on the we st side of the Old -stre e t, ne xt C atelsgrovegates,

Of the sub o cham b erer of the abbey, for a tenem ent in Minster- stree t,Of the abbot andcon ve nt for a te n em ent on the e ast side of London

stree t, cal led the White - horse , 1 0

O f ' the sa id abb ot, for a ten em e nt on the south side* o f the sam e

stre e t, ca lled the G eorge ,O f the sa id abbo t, for a tenem en t cal led Po l lard ’

s sett,Of Thom as B eke , gen t. for thre e te nem ents,A garde n in Syvier- stre e t,An acre of land in Orlengh - field,

RENTS .

A tenem en t on the east side of Syvier- stree t, next the lands of

the abbot andcon vent,A tenem en t on the sam e side , n ext the ground of the abbot andconven t,

A te nem ent on the west side of the sam e street,A tenem ent on the sam e side,

Carried forward

This is n ot reconc ilable w ith the situation of this street, unlesswe suppose it to have been at the

cast endof Crown - lane.

ST. G ILES'

S PARISH AND CHURCH .

Brought up

OfW .

Greene , the priest, for a tenem en t,“

on the we st side of

London-stre e t,

A tenem en t on the sam e side , n e xt the ten em en t be longing to

the a lm s house ,'

For certa in tenem en ts on the sam e side, cal le d The Rents,

For a tenem ent on the west side of the O lde - stre e t,

For a tenem ent anne xed, and j o ining to the ground cal l ed the

Grave l pit,A teneme nt on the e ast side of the O lde - stre e t, be tween the

ground of the vicarage on the north, and a tenem e n t on

the south,

£ 4 1 8

T he fre quent m en tion o f tenem en ts belonging to the abbot and, con ven t,a c counts for the very sm a l l proportion of fre ehold estates within the town ;a ll the ir possessions, ha ving de vo l ved to the crown at the disso l ut ion, and are

now le t on thre e lives.

In consequen ce of an act passed in the 39th ofque en Eli zabe th, entitled,an act to reform de ce its and bree che s o f trust touch ing lands, given to

c haritable com m issioners w ere appo in te d to en qu ire , by a jury, what

lands, tenemen ts, lease s, goods, chatte ls, and sum s of m oney, or othe r th ings,”

had, at any tim e be fore , be en given by any persons to andfor the relie f andm a in tenance of the poor, with in the coun ty of Berks andwh e ther they hadb een em ploye d a cc ording to the m ean ing of the founders. This com m ission’was he ld at Ne w bury in 1599, when the j urors returned the fo llowing pressentm en ta'E to this parish

That before a ll the m em ory of m an , th ere were given and c onveyedt o certa in persons, whose nam es the j urors do not know ,

divers m e ssuages,lands, ten em ents, rents, and hereditam ents, within the borough of Reading

,

that is to say, on e m essuage divided into two dwe l lings, with a backside and

garden thereunto adjo in ing, situate on the e ast side o f London - stre e t, inR eading aforesa id, and n ow in the se vera l tenures ofW . Ma lthus

, and H.

Wa lker. Two cap ita l m essuages adj o in ing together, on the west side of the

N ow am ong the records of the parish.

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ST. G ILES

’

S PAR ISH AND CHURCH .

pence , out o f the m essuage now in the tenure of Conway, Widow , and

situate on the w est si de of London stree t . One annua l re nt of tw o- p en ce ,

ou t of divers m essuages now in the te nure of W . Rowse , and situate on the

we stside of London stre e t . O n e annu a l re n t of tw o p en ce , out of the m es

suage n ow in the te nure ofJ. Aylarde , and si tuate on the west side of Lon

don stree t . One ann ua l re n t of on e penny, out of the m essuage n ow in the

te nure of Martin Russel , and situ ate on the e ast side of London - stree t.

O ne annual ren t of on e pen ny, out of the m e ssuage n ow in the tenure of

W m . A ttw ate r, and situa te on the e ast side of London -stree t On e annual

rent of on e p e nny, out ofthe m essuage now in the te nure ofT . Hedde , si tuate

on the e ast side of London - stre e t One annu a l ren t of sixpe n ce , out of,the

'

m e ssuage now in the tenure ofR . Te n ch e , cal led the Hind’

s- he ad, and situate

on the e ast side of London - stre e t. One annual rent of tw o pen c e , out of the

m e ssuage now in the tenure of J . Mu l l ins, situa te on the e ast side of London

stree t . One annua l ren t of e ight pe nce , out o f the m essuage , andham , now

in the tenure of R . Watl ington, andL . Yorke , and situate on the w est side

of Sivye r- stree t. On e annua l ren t of si xpen ce , p ayabl e out of the m essuage

n ow in the te nure ofP . Lavande r, andsituate on the w e st side ofS i vyer- stre e t .

The inten t ofw h ich gifts w as, that the rents and profi ts thereof shou ld b e,from t im e to t im e , em ploye d to these good and charitable uses fo l low ing

that is, tow ards the reparation of the church of St G i les, the m a intenan ce

of the b e l ls, andseats there , andthe overp lus to the re l ie f of the poor of the

sa id parish . And the sa id m essuages, and rents, and prem ise s, have beenca lled and kn ow n by the n am e of the Church - lands, by all the tim e w hereof

the m em ory of m an is n et to the con trary, and are n ow so ca l led , andthe

sam e charitable uses, by a ll the t im e w he re of the m em ory of m an is n ot to

the contrary, have b e en from tim e to tim e put in use , ande xe cuted, with the

sa i d rents and profits, withou t any in te rruption, un ti l of la te, on e Jeffery

Cow per, ge nt . late of the sai d parish , andsom e tim es churchw arden there, didpre tend, that the sa id m essuages, lands, tenem en ts, rents, a nd here ditam en ts,w ere conce a led from the queen ’

s m ajesty, and procured the m , or some partof the m , to b e passed, as c once a led from he r m aj e sty, in a book of con cea led

l ands ; andso to b e afterw ards con veye d to h im se lf, of purp ose to de fraudthesa id charitable uses, andm ake undue ga in to h im se lf; and upon the sa id

preten ce , and t itle , the sa id Cowper has cla im e d the sam e as h is ow n, and

thre aten ed su it for the sam e . Andthe Sa id j urors say furthe r, that m any of

the e vide nce s tha t shou l d prove the gifts of the sa id lands, andthe charitab leuses, have be en of late em b ezzled aw ay, and taken ou t of a chest standing ina room ca l le d the vestry, w ithin the sa id church of St. G i les, but by whomth ey know not.

ST . G ILES’

S PARISH AND CHURCH . 337

Orders andde cre e s, m ade and e stabl ishe d at New bury, in the county ofBerks, the 18th day of Apri l , in the d1 st year of her m aj esty ’

s re ign,by sir Hum frey Foster, kt . &c . in v irtue of the com m ission, &c.

First, the sai d com m issionersdo order and de cree , that the lands, ten em en ts, andh e reditam en ts, in the sa id in qu isition m en tioned to be ca l ledby then am e of the Chu rch- lands of St . G ile s’

s church in Re ading, andfound, and

pre se n te d, to have bee n give n , to the inten t the rents and profits shou ld beappl ied tow ards the repa ir of the sa id church of St . G i les, in Reading , them a intenanc e of the be l ls and seats the re , and the surplus tow ards the re l ief

of the poor of the sa id parish, sha l l for e ve r hereafter be, rem a in, contin ue ,and b e e m ployed to the sam e u ses, andto n one other.

A nd, for as m uch as i t appe are th to the sa id com m issm ners, by thee xam ination ofw itn esses, sight of le ases, andcoun terpart of le ases, andview s

of the ancie nt registe r book of the sa id church, that the churchw arde ns ofthe

sa id parish a ndchurch have u sed, by a ll the tim e wh e re of the m em ory of m an

1 s n ot to the con trary, to de m ise , and le t to farm , the sa id lands,te nem ents,

and he reditam e nts, and re c e ive , em ploy, and bestow , the rents, issues, and

profits there of, as owners of the sam e ; and no othe r b ut the sa id church

warde ns, have i n term edd led therew ith, w he reby the sa id c om m issione rs are

of opin ion , tha t the sa id churchw ardens are a corporat ion by presc ripti oncapable of esta te s of lands, to the sa id church , as we l l as goods.

The refore the sa i d com m ission ersdo furthe r orde r and de cree , tha t the

sa id lands, tene m en ts, andhered itam e nts, shal l , for e ver he re after, be , con tinue

and rem ain , in the churchw arde ns, and the ir succe ssors ; a nd tha t the sa i dchurchw a rdens andthe ir succe ssors, sha l l not m ake any lease , or dem ise of the

sam e , or any part th ereof, for any gre a te r, or further t im e , than for on e - and

tw en ty ye ars, in posse ssion , and n ot in re version , and sha l l a ccom pt for the

fines, rents, issu es, andprofits there of, yearly, for ever, at such t im es as h ere

tofore they ha ve accustom ed, before the parishioners of the sa idchurch .

And further, that the sa id churchwardens sha l l not m ake the lease, or

dem ise , of any part, or parce l the reof, to any pe rson whatsoe ver, withou t the

c onsent,‘

and agreem en t of the he ad b urge sses and se cond burgesses of the'

sa id borough of Re ading, within the sa i d parish , or the gre a ter n um b er of

them ; the sam e consent, toge the r with the brie f conte n ts of the fin e, re n ts,conditions, andcovenants of the sam e de m ise , to b e first en te red 1n the registerbook of the sa id parish , andthe sam e dem ise to b e m ade by indenture , whe re o f

the counte rpart sha ll rem a in, am ongst other the e v idences of the sa id lands,in a chest to b e provided for that purpose .

X X

Cuar .

XVII .

ST. G ILES

‘

S PARISH AND CHURCH.

And, for the be tter con tinuan ce of the sa id good and charitable uses;

and in tents, the sa id com m ission ers do further orde r and de cre e , that in case

the saidchurchw ardens, or any of them , sha l l refuse to acc om pt for the sa id

issues a ndprofits, or b e ing found in arre arages upon . th e ir ac com pts, sha l l no t.

pay the sam e to the n ext new chosen churchw ardens, w i th in thre e days afte r'

the sam e account, or sha l l b e fou ndobstin ate , w i lfu l , or negl ige nt, in em ploy

ing or bestow ing the issues andprofits of the Sa id lands, tenem ents, andhe re

ditam en ts, in m anner andform as is before l im i ted , that then it sha l l andm ay

b e lawfu l , for the m ayor ofthe sa id borough for the t im e be ing, upon com pla in t»

of the greate rnum be r of h e ad burgesse s, andse condary burgesses of th e sa i dparish, to com m it to prison e ve ry su ch pe rson so offending, un til paym e nt ofthe

sa id arrearages, and the reform ation and sa tisfact ion of any such of the sa id .

abuses w here in he sha l l b e found to offe nd .

”

The revenues of the vicarage arise chiefly from the gre a t andsm a ll tythesof the lands w i th in the parish andham le t ofWhitley, a ve ry sm a l l proportiononly of the origina l p ossessions of the abbey be ing tithe fre e . The vicaris a lso en titled to e aste r offerings, su rpl ice fee s, &c . b ut i t does n ot appearthat there is any gleb e be longing to the parish except the parso nage houseand garden . The pre sentation to the l iving is in the lord chance llor : in theking ’

s books it is va l ued at M l . 178 . and the ye arly ten ths at 1 1. 93 . 8%d.

List of vicarsfrom the parish registers under the following da lesa nno.

Rev. John More, 1540

Em e ry, 1 548

Will iam Webb,Edward Young,

Martin , D . D .

William Burton,John Den ison , A .M .

T his gentlem an w as successive ly v ica r of a ll the three ' parishes. He w as

cried up, says lVood, for an e m inen t preacher, becam e a studen t in Ba l iolc ollege ; in 1 590, took the degre e of A . N1 . and w as m ade chapla in to kingJam es I ch ief m oderator of the fre e school a t Reading, andat

‘ le ngth,

vicarof St. Mary

’

s, the re . In w hich last he w as succe eded by Thom as B unburyo f Bal iol col lege , but thrust out then ce by the presbyterians, in the beginn ingof the c ivi l w ars. D en ison w as a learned m an

, w e l l read in theo logica lauthors, andpubl ished m any works on those subje cts.”

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ST . G ILES'

S PARISH AND CHURCH.

n am ed John , who w as vicar of the sa id church, andthe other Sam uel, whol i ved anddied rector of Eastl ing, in Ken t .

”

From his b e ing ca l led, by Wood, a m utable m an, i t is very probablethat he conform ed aga in , a t the re storation, to the established church, and, in

c onsequence , w as perm itted to ho ld the l i ving ti ll his de ath, and w as then

su cce eded by his son John, as m en tion ed a bove , w ho probably died about theyear 1683, as a t th is period w e findthe vicar to have be e n Will iam Richards,A .M . afterw ards archde a con of Berks. M r. Coa tes places this last, according

to the register, in 1676, the year before the e lder Jem m a tt died w hich can

not b e correct, espe c ia l ly i f his son John succe eded him in the living. as

“ food says, and w hich asse rtion is corroborated by the parish register of

buria ls.

Rev. Sam ue l Torren t, M . A .

Whiting Co lton, M . A .

The Hon . Jose ph Yorke, e xchanged with“ ’illiam Ta lbo t , A . M .

The Hon . William Brom ley Cadogan,Joseph Eyre , A . M .

The C orp ora tion .

CHAPTER XVI II .

R EADING be ing, as w e have before observed, a borough by prescription ,it is im possible to assign the pre c ise pe riod, when it assu m ed the form of a

corporate body b ut it is probable , that it w as soon afte r, if not prior to thefoundation of the abbey, which , n o doubt, caused a rapid in crease to the town

“

by the num ber of tradespeo ple this e stab lishm e n t m ust have attracted fromo the r parts of the coun try . Those of this usefu l c lass of p eople , who firste stabl ished them se l ves here , andwho m ade up the aggregate of the inhabitants, soon grew j ea lous of the in trusion of others, and con ce iving, pe rhaps,tha t they hadan exc lusive right to the advan tages arising from the ir situation ,

w ere de sirous, as m uch as possible , to pre ve n t a ll others from partaking withthem , bu t as this cou ldnot efi

'

ectually b e don e while.

th ey con tinued separate

andun con n e cted, they form edthem se l ves in to a society which they"

denom in ated

the gu i ld m e rchant , o ver w h ich on e of the ir ow n m em bers w as annua lly

appo in ted to pre side , w hom they stile d the m aster of the gu i ld. Such w as,

prob a b ly, the origin of the corporation ; b ut, as th is soc ie ty w as constituted

w ithou t the authority of the crow n , its pow e rs m ust ha ve been con fin ed to

the m aking of by- laws only, for the regu lation of the ir ow n . m ercantile con

c e r’

ns, without a ny c iv il jurisdiction ove r the b orough, w hich w as origin a l lyvested in the abbots, as wi ll be sh ew n here a fter. At present w e sha l l e nde avor

to trace the r ise and progress of the corporation , from this feeble beginn ingto its

.

be ing pe rfe cted by the charter ofCharles I .

I t has a lre ady be en she w n,tha t the origina l corporat ion , i f it m ay b e so

cal led, w as n othing m ore than a soc ie ty of m echan i cs and trade sm en , form e dinto on e body, ca lle d the gu i ld - m e rchan t, for the m utua l advan tage of all its

m em bers, w ithou t pre tending to in te rfere in the go vernm ent of the borough .

That this w as a ll they a im e d at in the ir assoc iation , is e vide n t, from the fi rst ,

charte r they obta in ed from the crow n ,dated the 37th of Hen ry I II . ne arly

tw o ce n turie s later than the charter grantedto the abbot and m onks by H enryI

.By th is ch arter they obta in ed ce rta in privileges and e xem ptions for the

b ene fit of trade , but n o civil j urisdiction over the town , as appears from the

fo l lowing copy, taken from the town records

THE CORPORATION.

«Ebmfll’mwfD e i gratia , &c . Edw ard, by the grace ofG od,king

o f England and France , and lord of Ire land, to all archbishops,bishops, abbots, priors, e a rls, baron s, justices, Viscounts, governors,

m agistrates, and to all our b ailifi'

s, andfa ithfu l subje cts, gree ting.

WE have inspe cted a ch arte r, wh ich the lord H en ry of ce lebrated

m em ory, form erly king of England, our progen i tor, m ade , in the se words

by the grace of G od, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke

ofNorm andy, of A cqu ita ine , ande arl of Anjou ; to a ll archbishops, bishops,

abbots, priors, e arls, barons, j ust ice s, viscou nts, governors, m agistrates, and

to all our ba il iffs, and fa i thfu l subje c ts, gre eting . KNOW YE , that w e w i l l ,andcom m and for ourse lf andour he irs, that al l the burgesses of R adinge w ho

be long to the gu ild - m erch an t in Redinge , m ay b e for e ver fre e from a ll shires

and hundred courts, and from all ple as, (placitis) com pla in ts, to l ls, pas

sages, ways, andcarriage ways, and that they m ay b uy and se l l w he resoeverth ey w il l , throughout a ll ' England, w ithout paying tol l , and no on e m ay

disturb them unde r forfe i ture of ten m a rks. Witness to these presen ts, theven erab le father the archb ishop ofC ante rbury, prim ate of a ll E ngland

, R ichd

earl ofCornw a l l ou r brother, Pe te r de M alund, Richard Fitz nicholas, B ertramde C roill, John de Grey , b l aste r “ ’

illiam do Kilke nn ey a rchde a con of Coventry, Henry de VVe ngh, He nry de B athon , Rob e rt W

’

ale rand, Will iam de Grey,Nicholas de St . l‘dan re , Im bert Pugeys, William G erum , Roger de Bo vin , and

o the rs. G i ven unde r our hand , a t Portsm outh, the fi fth day of J u ly, in the

3i th year of our re ign .

N ow w e grant andc onfirm the above charte r, w i th its con ten ts, to theburgesses of the aforesa id tow n

,th e ir he irs, and succe ssors, be ing burge sses

of the said tow n , for u s and‘

our he irs, so far as the above charte r reasonablyw itnesse s; andin l ike m ann er as the sam e b urgesses and the ir prede c essorshave h itherto used ande nj oyed, by these w ords above m en tion ed, tha t is tosay, tha t the sa id burgesses m ay b e undisturb ed

'

in e ve ry thing, pleas (placitisfio n ly e xcepted .

Witne sses to the se presen ts, the venerable fathers, John , archb ishopof Cante rbury

, prim at e of‘

a ll E ngl and, Richardof London , Richard of Chi-5C hester, bishops ; William de Bohun earl of Northam pton , Thom as de Be l lo

Edw ard 1 1 1 .

P la czta do es in part sign ify pec un iary m atters, su ch as fi n es andam erccm cn ts ; bu t they w ere

also fine s and am ercem en ts se t o r e n te red in to upon the o ccasion, orgroundof ple asdepending.

ox’

rHistory andA ntiguitia ofthe Exchzgucr, p.

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THE CORPORATION.

ofW arwick, Thom asWake de Lyde l l, Ribhardde Stafford stewhousho ld, and others.

G iven under our hand at Westm inste r the ten th day of June ,in the e ightee n th ye ar of our re ign ove r E ngland

, andin .

the fourth over France .

It is probable that our an cestors, e ithe r. conside re d the se charte rs as no

longer in force a fter the dem ise of the gran tor, or, as is m ore l ike ly, that they

w e re c om pe l led to renew them w he n cal led upon fo r tha t purpose by the

re ign ing m onarch , as is e viden t from this charter of con firm a tion of Edw ardI I I .

'

w hereby in ste ad of obta in ing a ny fre sh im m u n itie s, they are curta i ledof som e they be fore e njoyed, which coul d not have b e en . the desire of the

gu il d m erchan t in re n ewing the ir form er charter. So, in the succe eding one

of Richard I I . no other obj e ct appe ars to acc oun t for its con firm a tion of the

form er ones, as i t m e re l y re cites the m , verba tim , and then adds, W e gran t

andcon firm the aforesa id charter andcon firm ation , w i th all that is conta in e d

there in , e xcept as is there im e xcepted, andfor ourse lves and our he irs, as faras in us is, to the burgesses of the aforesa id tow n of R e adinge , and to theirhe irs, burge sse s of the sa id tow n , w e accept, appro ve , ratify, andconfirm the

sam e , as far as they m ay reason ably requ ire , and l ike as the sa id b urgessea ndthe ir. prede ce ssors have hitherto re ason ably used ande njoyed . In w itnessw here ofw e have c ausedth ese our le tte rs to b e m ade paten t . Witness m yse lfa tWestm inste r the twen tie th day ofFebruary, . in the se cond ye ar ofour re ign .

RON LAN D .

At the bottom , in a sm a l le r h and’

, is w ri tten for a fine offive

By these charte rs, . ca l led charters by inspexim us, from the ir le ading w ord;

the gu i ld - m e rchan t be cam e a privi leged but not an exe cu ti ve governm entthey w ere in som e instan ces exe m pt from o ther courts, but possessed. n one:

of the ir own and, though they we re authorized to buy a nd se lllwhere ver

they pleased w i thou t paying tol l , they w ere no t til l long afte r. perm itted tole vy that sm a l l tribute in the ir own m arket.These charte rs we re renewed by Henry IV . in 1399, and

‘

by Henry V . in

14 18“ Hitherto the ch ie f m agistrate w as on ly conside red as the ke epe r or

m aste r of‘

the gu i l d- m e rchant, but, by the charter grante d in the fo l low ing

re ign, ( He nry VI . ) he is styled the m ayor ; the body corporate be ing there incal le d the m ayor andburge sse s, andso i t contin ued andw as con firm ed by the

Hum e observes, that the fin es paidfor the re new al of charters,b e in g a part of the revenu es:

of the crow n,unde r the N orm an .race , the subje ctswere ob l igedto renew them at the com m en cem en t

ofe very new re ign .

”

344: THE CORPORATION.

subsequen t charters ofHenry VII . Henry V II I . andEdward VI . bu t in that

grantedby qu e en Elizabeth , in the se cond ye ar of he r re ign, w ho very m u ch

fa vore d the tow n , the burgesse s w ere , for the fi rst t im e , d ivi de d into cap ita l

a nd secondary, consisting of n ine of the form er, and S i xte e n of the la tter,

a nd the m ayor, prim ary and se condary burgesses were to b e a com m on

c ounc i l for the borough , for a ll things and b usine ss, for the rule andgovern

m e n t th ereof, for the pub l ic profit and c omm odities of the borough andinha

b itan ts the reof, by the m ajor part of them to b e done and handled for the

b e tte r orde r and gove rnm e nt ofm en inhab iting the re in , andof the business

of the borough . She a lso gave to the corporate body, the borough , a ndthe

re n ts of ce rta in e state s ;*le in con sideration whereof they be cam e l iable to the

b u i lding and ke eping in repair the se ve ra l b ridge s within the bounds of the

c orporation, andto finda schoo lm aster for the fre e school , for e ve r, w hom they

w ere entitled to n om inate and discharge at the ir pleasure .

In th e charter of Charle s I. th ey are incorporated by the n am e of the

m ayor, a lde rm e n , and burgesses, andare in ve stedw ith ample pow ers for thegove rnm e nt of the borough , both in a civ il andjudicia l capacity .

‘

A n ew charte r w as grante d by Charl e s I I . b ut as i t w as on ly a c onfir

m ation of that gran ted by h is fathe r, w ith a few im m ateria l a l terations, theform er has a lw ays be e n consid ered , as tha t from w hich the present corporationderive the ir pow e rs, andby w hich they are boundin all the ir proce edings.B eside the charte rs above e n um e rated, one w a s gra nted to the corporation ,

unde r the se a l of the c om m onw e a l th , b u t having b e e n in force on ly duringthe usurpation, i t is n o longer to b e consideredbut as a m atte r of curiosity .

The sam e m ay b e sa idof the last charte r gran ted by tha t unfortunatem on arch Jam es I I . w hose e xi le, andu ltim ate exclusion from the throne

,put an

e ndto its authori ty.

Me nt ion is a lso m ade in the diaries of three oth er charters, cal led thecharters of'

libe rties, w hich w ere form a l ly surrendered by the late, to the new

m ayor on his en tran ce into ofiice . These w e re , probably, copie s of m agna

cha rm , and the two charters of con firm ation gran ted by Henry I II . a t the

com m encem e n t of his re ign . Hum e , spe aking of the se charters, says, Thusthe se fam ous charte rs were brought ne arly to the shape in w hich they havee ver sin ce stood ; andth ey w ere , during m any generations, the p ecul iar favorites of the English n ation, andeste e m ed the m ost sa cred ram part to nationa ll ibe rty and indepen den ce . A s they secured the rights of a ll orde rs of m en ,

they were anxiously defended by a ll, and be cam e the b asis andsupport of the

These ren ts at the tim e am ountedto 4 1 1. 95. 7d. annual ly.See Appe ndix A .

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THE CORPORATION. .

ferent inte rests we re conce rn ed; i t b e cam e th e re fore ne cessary, in the re igm

of Edw ardVI . to forb idthe m aking of any m ore til l the i r the n pre sen t n um m

b e r w e re reducedto th irty, andthe fo llowing by- law w as en te red in the diary.

“

for that pu rposeFo rasm uch as a gre at in cum b rance has a r ise n from the great num ber

of the b u rge sse s, to the grea t pe rtu rb at ion anddisquie tmen t of the re st of thecom pany the re m inding tranqu i l ity and qu ie tn ess, i t is o rde red, that hen ce forth

n o m o re shal l b e m ade til l the p rese n t n um b e r is reduced to thirty. .

How eve r, in the fo l low ing re ign ,they found i t n ece ssa ry, from the state

of the ir funds, to can ce l the ab ove by- law , and, in c onse quen ce , the num b e rofbu rgesses kept in cre asing, t ill, by the charte r of Elizabe th, they we rel im ited to tw en ty- five , in c luding the m ayo r .

The b u rgesses, on the i r adm ission, w e re to take the fo l low ing oathThis heryng the m a ior, ye shal l t rum a n b e to the kyng oursovrayn dorde,

andto his he ires, to the m a ior of the b orough ofKadinge the kyngs lefte nant

a nd b u rges of the gylde m e rchant of the se ide borough for the tym e b e ing,andto all m atte rs that m ay s

'

ow nde to the comyn we e l and prophite of the

se ide gylde ; ye sha l l b e t ru ly ayding, h e lping, andassistyng w ith you r pe rson eand goods to you r p ow er, and if ye know any pe rsone tha t wou ld hu rt ordistu rb e the l ibe rties a ndfra nce ses of the se ide gylde , lab ou r, provoke , or styr,to b reke any acte or ordynan ce , m ade or to b e m ade , by the se ide m a ior or hisb u rge sses for th e c om yn w e e la of the sam e

,tha t sha l l ye discove r, shew and

de cla re to the se ide m a ior, or to his leftenan t, in ope n, or se c re t w ise , (for) the '

com yn profi t of the se ide gyldc, so that ye sha l l tru ly attende at all tym e s, .

not having rega rd to you r single profight in distre sse of the com yn w e e le ~

of the sam e gylde . The com yn c ounse l l of th is se ide gylde and fe lloshipof the sam e , tha t sha l l ye b e e le, and se c re t kepe , and i t to no pe rsone shew n e ~

declare o u t of the se ide gylde ha l l, e x cept it b e to a b u rge ss of the sam e h al l .All the ise thyngs sha l l ye obse rve , andtru ly kepe in all poyn ts to your powe r, .

so he lp yow G od, a nd holy doom e , a ndby thys b ooke .

For the b ette r gove rnm e n t of the tow n, it w as divided into five wa rds,b ut a t w hat t im e this regu lation took place , cann ot n ow b e asce rta ined, b ut :

from the distinction b etw e e n the old, and the new wa rds, i t is e v iden t i t did.

n ot take place a t onc e , though the o r igina l div ision m ust have b een at an e a rly .

pe r iod. Erom Horn - stre e t and the B utts having b een fo rm e r ly ca l led the ~

O ld—street, it is supposed, with great p robab i l ity, that th is part of the town

Corporation diary.

THE CORPORAT ION.

w as fi rst bui l t upon, andw as a ccordingly cal ledthe Old-ward . The n e xt,I

ic onc e i ve to have b e e n High - w a rd, in c luding the Ma rke t - place , as tha t w asm ost l ike ly to ha ve b e en the pa rt of the tow n n ext ’

bu i l t on ,from its vic in ity

to the ab bey ; n ext fol low ed Minste r - wa rd, London - w a rd, and lastly N ew

w a rd. To e a ch of the se w a rds w e re appo in tedtwo wa rdoffice rs or w a rdm e n,

in the n atu re of constab les, to prese rve the peac e in e ach distr ict, b ut the i r

appo in tm e nt occasion ed se ve ra‘

l disputes b e tw e en the m aste rs of the gu i ld and

the abb ots e ach c la im ing the r ight of n om ination , w h ich , by a de c re e m adeby the king 3 justice s in the vea r 1 507, Was de te rm inedto b e in

'

the m ayor and

b u rge sses, and the bu rgesses or fre em en of the town , as w il l b e shew n he re .

a fte r. These office rs are sti l l appo inted unde r the n am e of w a rden s, w ith this

diffe ren ce , that they are now par ish office rs, ra the r than w a rdm en , and a re

n om inated. by the con stab le s on the i r e n tran ce into office , b ut the constab lesthem se lve s are chosen by the m ayo r to se rve w ith him for on e ye a r . The n extregu lation , i f inde edit w as not m ade pr ior to the form e r, w as the distr ibutinga ll the tradesm en and m e chan i cs into classe s or c om pan ie s, in to o ne of w h iche ve ry inhab itan t w as ob l iged to b e adm i tted, or

k

m ade fre e of, b efo re he w assuffe red to exe rc ise h is trade or ca l ling. The se l ikew ise we re five in num b e rc onsisting of the m e rce rs,

’

cu tle rs’

and b e l lfounde rs’

,tanne rs’

, c lothie rs’

, and

v in tne rs’

; each ofwhich com pan ies had the i r app ropr ia te fines of adm ission,a nd we re gove rn ed by ru les or by- laws, e ithe r m ade by them se lves, or by thew hole body of fre em e n assem bled in the i r com m on ha l l .

These regu lation s are con ta in edin the fol low ing re cordb e longing to thecorporat ion ,

and, though without date , m ay, from co l la te ra l

.

c i rc um stance s, be

judged to have b e en w r i tten e ithe r, in the re ign of Edwa rd VI . or in thatof his siste rs que en Ma ry or Elizabe th

A n a ccount of the severa l companies be longing to the guild-m erchant

ofReading, with ihe‘

irfines ofadm ission, andthe rules by which they

were govern ed.

THE MERCERS ’ AND DRAPERS ’ COMPANY,

com pr ising the m e rce rs, drape rs, potuaries,ale haberdash e rs, chapm en, taylors,

and cloth - d rawe rs.

Earthenw arcm en.

THE CORPORATION.

fines of adm ission in to th is com pany we re , fo rl. s.

RU LE$

Any fo re igne r* re ta il ing cloth in the town, t

'

o forfe it ten sh il l ings e ach

N o m e rce r, or taylor; to re ta i l c loth, or wom en’

s hosen , un de r pa in of

th re e shillings andfou r- pe nce e ach tim e .

N o taylo r m ay set a j ou rn eym an to w ork, e xcept he gi ve him m eat,dr ink, w ages, and lodging in his ow n house , on forfe iture of thre e shillingsand fou r -pen ce .

N o hab e rdash e r, e xcept he b e a fre em an , to se l l hats or c aps, by re ta i l,w ithin the borough , e xcept straw hats, on forfe iture of tw e lve pe n ce “

THE CUTLERS ’ BELL- FOU NDERS ’ COMPANY,

inc luding the cutle rs, b e l l -founde rs, bra z ie re rs, pew te re rs, . sm iths, pinn e rs,b a rb e rs, ca rpe n te rs, j oin e rs, fle tche rsj

'

w he e le rs, . b aske t m ake rs, coope rs, ,

sawye rs, b r i cklaye rs, c a rdm ake rs, 1 tu rn e rs, plum be rs, pa in te rs, andglaz ie rs,

The fines of adm ission in to this com pany, we re

00

9

0

0

0

?

10

10o

o

o

o

-oe

w

z~

H

O

O

O

Q

O

O

O

Q

Q

g A non freem an ; “t A rrow i-m aker. 1 W oolcom bers’cards..

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THE CORPORATION.

THE TANNERS ’ LEATHER SELLERS ’ COM PANY,

conta in ing the tanne rs, lea the r -se l le rs, shoe m ake rs, cu rr ie rs, glove rs, sadle rs,j e rkin - m ake rs, b ottle - m ake rs, co l la r - m ake rs, andcob lers.

The fin es payab le for adm i ttance into th is com pany we re , for al . s. d.

4 O . O

3 O O

l O O

0 10 0

O 10 O

l O O

2 O O

O 10 O

0 10 O

O 5 O

2 0 0

RU LES .

N o shoem ake r to m ake any boots, or shoes, in any part'

o f the town,b ut on ly in Shoe - m ake rs’

row , th at is to say, from the e ast 'side of the stree tfrom the Forb ury

- gate u n to the Ha l lowed- b rook, upon pa in of fo rfe iting th re eshillings and four- pen ce e a ch tim e .

N o fo re ign e r to b r ing in to the b orough shoes or boots for sale , e xcept

on fa ir-days, on fo rfe i tu re of th re e shill ings andfou r p ence e ach t im e .

Shoe - m ake rs to b oa rd and lodge the i r j ou rneym en in -the i r ow n housesbe ing unm a rr ied, on pa in of fo rfe iting for each tim e tw e l ve pe n ce .

Th e re sha l l b e no b e a r -b a iting or bu l l- ba iting on the sab bath -daydur ing se rvice , on pa in of twe lve pen ce , to b e pa id

“

by e ve ry househo lde r whe rethe b a iting is.

e xclusive ly usedfor the habitations of the poor. Mr. New com b e , in his H istory of the Abbey of St.Alban , observes, that t iles andbricks ofc lay, andburn t , w ere in ven tedabou t 1 440 . N ow ,

as the tim e

here spe cifiedis on ly three years prior to th is by- law,it is n ot u n like ly, that, to pre ven t in future the

dreadful c licot of fires, so freque n tly at te ndan t on this spe cie s of c overing, the corporation w ere in

ducedt o order t his fine to be paid in tile s,insteadof m on e y

, in hopes of in troducing them in to ’

gene ral practice . A ndto shew they w e re in e arn est,w e soon after find on e John Bristo l w as fin ed

tw o thousand o ne hundred tiles, for shaving seve n persons after the tim e spe cified, bu t w hich, onaccoun t of his poverty, w e re redu cedto tw e lve hundred. This asse rt ion ofM r. New com be is n ot

how eve r q te com “ , as tiles w ere used in a m uch earlier age, though perhaps not before brough tin to general practice .

T HE CORPORATION.

“ THE CLOTHIERS ’

C LOTH~WORKERS’

COM PANY,

in cluding the clothiers,.dyers, weave rs, sh ea rm en , shuttle m ake rsandash-burners.The fin es of adm ission in to this com pany we re , for a

l . s.

O

0

IO

10

O

O

10o

w

w

o

o

w

te

o

o

o

c

o

o

o

?~

RU LES;

Cloth i e rs using, or occupying in the i r houses, m ore than two broad»?

room s, sha l l forfe it, for each l

‘

oom , ten shillings ; . b ut M r . Aldworth to b e '

a llowed fou r .*

N o clothie r shal l we ave in his ow n house cloth for anothe r clothier, on ‘

pa in of paying six shil l ings ande ight pence each tim e .

Any pe rson of the we aving busin ess,w ho sha l l b e p roved fa lse in con .

veying,away, or de ta in ing any yarn , shal l b e for e ve r disfranch ised.If any weave r hasmore j ou rneym en than he can lodge in his house, he

i s to give n otice to the warden of the com pany how m any he has m ore , andthe w a rde n sha l l assign them a m ee te house to dwe l l in , on pa in for not giving

notice tw e l ve pen ce .

Any c lothie r be ing a shearm an , who sha l l work any work of any other ‘

cloth ie r but his ow n , sha l l forfe it e ach tim e th ree shi l lings andfou r pen ce .

Any cloth ie r pu tting his c lo th to bu rle , row e ,’

l"or shea r to any m il l

m an , or any that ke epeth a fu l l ing m ill, . shal l pay for. e ach . thre e sh il l ings

andfou r pence , e xcept M r . Aldworth , w ho m ay have tw o cloths weekly bur leda t Cave rsham - m i l l

,during

'

the t im e he sha l l have any inte rest the re in .

Pe rsons putting wool out to dry, or hanging c loth on the sabbath day,to forfe it twe l ve pen ce .

See the list ofm ayors.

This w ordis stil l in use at the Orkney Islands, for sheraingr or rather pulling the wool 03the sheep by the hand.~ -Enny

’sOrkneys.

THE CORPORATION.

THE VICTU'

ALLERS ’ INNHOLDERS ’ COMPANY,

com pr ising the v intne rs, innholde rs, b ake rs, b rew e rs, b u tche rs, fishm ongers,

Chandle rs, m alt-m ake rs, wood- m onge rs, salte rs, and flax -dresse rs.

The fines payab le for adm ission into this com pany we re , for a

l . s. ( l.

2 0 O

2 O O

3 0 O

2 O O

3 O O

2 O O

2 O O

2 O O

O O

2 O O

2 0 O

The rules be longing to this com pany are m issing ; b ut w e c ol le ct from the

dia r ies, that the v ictua l le rs w e re str ic tly e nj o ined to obse rve le n t, and w e reforb idden to ki l l or dress fle sh m e a t in tha t season ,

w i thou t a l i ce n ce from the

abbot, w hile his author ity existed, and afte rwa rds, of the m ayo r .A nd, to pre ven t im posit ions in the pr ice a nd strength of b e e r sol d a t

pub l i c - houses, tw o ale taste rs we re appo inted to se t the pr ice the re of ; a nd

if the m ayor for the tim e b e ing happenedto b e a victua lle r, the fo l low ingaddition w as m ade to the oa th take n by him on his e n tran ce in to offic e

That he w ould t ru ly andindifi'

erently, a cco rding to the ple n ty or sca rC ity of victuals w ithin the b orough, asse ss andse t the p r ice andassi ze th e reof,for the tim e he shou ld r em a in in the office .

”6

The pr ice of ale and be e r se t by assi ze , w as, for doub l e or strong bee r,eight shil l ings per ba rre l, or tw o pence th re e fa rth ings pe r ga l lon ; a le fou rsh i ll ings the dozen, and sm al l b ee r fou r shill ings the b a rre l ; b ut,for reta il,a ful l qua rt of the b est b e e r on e pen ny, a ndof sm al l be e r on e h a lfpenny.

The n um b e r of fre em en b e longing to the diffe ren t com pan ies in R eading,in the si xteenth centu ry, w as as fol lows

It appears from th is, that the corporation assum ed the power cf se ttinga m axim um on otherartic les ofprovision, as w e ll as on breadandale .

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THE CORPORATION.

sacca , tol and th eam ,and infaugentheft andoutfangentheft, and ham

- socna .

*

And the ab bot and his m onks shal l hold cou rts ofjustice for the t ria l of

a ssaul ts, thefts, m u rde rs, shedding of b lood, and b re aking the pe ace , and all

othe r c r im es, as m u ch as b e longs to the rega l pow e r.”

The powe r thus gran tedto the abbo t andhis m onks m ust b e c onside red

as nea rly equa l to tha t of the sove re ign h im se l f ; and, as the c l e rgy w e re a t

all tim es tena c ious of the i r p re rogati ve s, e i the r in the i r c ivi l or re l igious capac it ies, andas the corporation m ust have b e e n equa l ly anx ious to e m an cipate

them se l ves from the i r j u r isdic tion, w e n e ed not w onde r i f, du r ing the latte rpart ofthe i r gove rnm e n t, frequ ent dispute s a rose b e tw e en them , e ven ofm atte rs

see m ingly of tr ifl ing m om en t . One of these w as

“

on the appo in tm e n t of con c

stab le s and w a rdm en, which both c la im ed the r ight ofdo ing, the on e by

presc ript ion , the othe r unde r the pow e rs give n them by th e i r cha rte r. The

right to the b utche rs’

sham bles, w hich the co rpo ration had rebu i lt, andthe

p r iv i lege of pe rm itting sta l ls to b e se t in the high w ays of the tow n , we rel ikew ise subjects of con tention , inasm uch as they we re sou rces of re venue tow h ich e ve r party cou ld estab l ish the r ight. B ut the princ ipa l c ause ofdis

pute w as, the cla im m ade by the abb ots, ofappo in ting the m ayors andb u rgessesof the corporation by th e i r ow n au thor ity, the reby e ndeavor ing to re nde r themsubse rvien t to the i r j u risdict ion in m a tte rs that on ly conce rne d the inte restsof the corporate b ody, w h ich in fact they den ied them to b e . This inte rfe rence of the abb ot w as conseque n tly resen ted by the corpora t ion ; for on hissubsequen tly putting his c la im in fo rce , by choosing a m ayo r w i thou t the i rconsent, they cam e to the fo l low ing resolution , w h ich is ente redin the i r dia ry.

It is agre ed bye ‘Villiam Jefl'

ord,m ajo r of the b o rough of R edyuge,

andthe bu rgesses of the sam e , that whate ve r pe rson b e e le cted andchosen tob e m ajo r b ye the lord ab b ot, the sam e p e rson n ot to b e put in e le ction by thespace of th ree ye a rs n exte followynge , It is a lso agre ed, tha t n o b u rgess b ec hosen , w ithou t the con sent of the m aj or for the t im e b e ing, or, w ithout him ,

of tw e lve of the bu rge sses.

”

These contentions we re the n atu ra l con se quen ces of tw o pow e rs difi'

er

cntly constitutedpre siding in the sam e place , andwhose supposed r ights m ust

fre qu ently clash w ith e ach othe r. The se dispu tes continuedso long to distu rbthe peace of the town, and to p re ve n t that unan im ity in the gove rn ing au theritie s, w ithout which i t w as im possib le the pub l i c b usin ess cou ld b e ca rr iedon

with p roprie ty, tha t the corporation cam e to the reso lution of laying‘

their

A liberty of tryingpe rsons guilty of burglary (pro ingressa hospitzt violent”) andto be exemptfrom payinga fine to the kingon that accoun t.

THE CORPORATION. 355

com pla ints b efo re doctor Fox, bishop ofWinch este r, andthe lord cham be rla inD aub e ny, who advised them to re fe r the de c ission to sir Rob e rt Rede , kt . andM r . John Kingsm i l l, justice s of the king’

s- b en ch, who, afte r conside r ing a ll

the c i rcum stances, m ade the fol low ing de c re e , w hich is he re inse rted a t la rge ,as i t wil l afford the b est e viden ce of the facts, and of the si tuation of the in

hab itan ts a t this pe riod :I t is to b e hadin m ynde andknowyn, that in the ye re ofour Lorde G od

1507, and in the 23d ye re of the re igne of our sovrayne lo rde king Hen rythe se ve nthe , in the tym e of C hristyne Nicho las the n b e inge m ayre of the

.gylde- m e rchaute of the b u rgh of R edynge , ce rtayn var ian ces andgre van ces

o f lon g tym e w e re dependynge , be tween ab bott John Thorn e lorde ofR edynge

forese ide , andthe m ayre andb u rgesses of the sam e , by the space of n ine tee nye res before the date above w r i tten , for approvynge of the co rpora tion of the

se ide gylde-m e rchan t, for orde rynge of constab le s a nd wa rden s

,w i th othe r

a rti cles. Which grevances andvaryan ces, the aforese ide m ayre with Richa rdC le che andThom as Carpen te r , bu rgesses and late m ayres of the se ide gylde ,withe the assent andconsen t of all the b urgesses of the sam e , by w ay of com

playn te shewydun to docto r Fox lorde pr i ve scale , andbysshopp ofW ynchestre ,a ndlo rde D aub eny, cham b layn to our se ide sovrayn lorde , for the whych, thesam e lorde wyllinge andde syringe the se ide m ayre , Richard andThom as, bur

ge sses, by the syght of the e vyde nce on both parties t’

abyde the dire ction of

Rob e rt Rede, knyght, chie f justice of the com en ben che a t VVe stm ynster, and

John Kynge sm ill, j ustice of the sam e bench e . Whe reupon the se ide j ustices

havynge sight of the se ide evyde nce , firste gave sentence and affe rm yd the

se ide m ayre a ndb u rgesses of the se ide gylde - m e rchan t to b e co rpo rate . And

con ce rnyng a l l oth e r the prem isses for a ful l conc lusion and contynual pe ace ,b e tw een the pa rties aforese ide for e ve r to b e had, the se ide lo rde cham b layn

andjusticesde term yn edandcon cluded in m ann e r a ndfo rm e followynge A s

in such a hyil of papyr to thys b oke a n n e xed, w he re in the ic have subscr ibedthe i r nam es w ithe thoi re ow n e h ands, m o re playnly i t appe rith.

Th’

artycles m ocyon edby the re ve rend fade r in G od Richa rd byshoppofWyn chestre ,

'Gyles D aub eney knyghte , lo rde D a ub eney cham blayn to the

kynge our sovrayne lo rde , Rob e rt Rede knyghte , chief justice of the com e n

b enche a t VVcstm ynste r, and John Kynge sm ill, justice of t he sam e b en che ,

for agre em ente to b e hadd b e tw e e n th’

a bb o t of the m onastry of our lady

seynt Ma ry th e vi rgin of R edyuge of one pa t tie . a nd the kepe r of the gylde

m e rcha n te of R edynge , and the b u rgesses of the sam e gylde of th’

o the rpa rtie .

Fyrst for m akyng of the kepe r of the se ide gylde - m e rchan te, it is

advysedby the se ide lorde and j ustice s, that the bu rgesses of the se ide gyldez z 2

THE CORPORATION.

shal l nam e andpresen t th re e good andab le bu rgesses of the se ide gylde , to the

seide abbot ye re ly, in the fe st of seyn t M ychae ll th

’

archange ll, if the sam e

abb ot b e a t Redynge ,within e ight da les n ext afte r the sam e fe st, and i f he

b e absen t from R edynge by the spa ce of e igh t da ies, next afte r the se ide fest,

the n to nam e andp re sent th re e person e s to the p ryor, cham b re r or sub cham b re r

of the m onaste ry, for the tym e b e ing . A nd in the sam e m ane r desycr and

p ray the sam e abbot, i f he b e prese nt, or in his se ide e bsens the se ide p ryo r,

cham b re r, or sub - cham bre r, to chose andadm ytt one ofthe sam e th re e pe rsons,

at his pl easure , to b e kepe r of the se ide gylde -m e rchante for a ye re then next

ensuing . And the sam e pe rson so chosyn ke pe r, in the prese ns of the se ide

abbot, i f he b e pre sent, b e to bym sworne , or in his forese ide absens, then in

the presens of the se i de p ryo r, cham b re r or sub - cham b re r, or b e fore one of

them , b e sworne accordyngly to the effe c t andw ords con teynedin an o lde fyne

the re of leveyed in the tym e of king Hen ry the thyrde . A nd a lso that a ll

othe r thyngs and a rticles com p r ised in the sam e fyne shal l b e , b e tw e ne the

se ide ab bott, and the forese ide kepe r of the se ide gylde m erchaut andbur

gesses the reof, form ly he lde andkep t, accordyng to th’

effe ct andporte of the

sam e fyne .

A nd for election of two constable s and ten wa rdm en of five wa rds inthe tow n e of Redynge , to b e m ade he re afte r, as oft as nede shal l requyre , i t

is m ovedby the se ide lo rde and justice s, tha t the se ide abb ott sha l l suffe r theke pe r of the se ide gylde , andthe com ona lte how sholdcrs of the se ide town , and

the m ost nom b re of them , to chose one ab le anddyscre te persone of the bur

gesses of the se ide gylde , to be one constab le , a ndfive honest b urge sse s to b efive of the wa rdm en of the se ide five wa rds. A nda lso the se ide kepe r, b urgesses and com ynalte , howsholdcrs of the sam e towne , to chose anoth e r ab lepe rsone of the sam e co

‘

m ynaltie at la rge , b eying n o b urge ss of the se ide gylde ,to b e the othe r con stab le of the se ide tow ii e . A nd othe r five ab le pe rsonsof the se ide com ynaltie at la rge , by the sam e five b urgesses of the se idegylde,andn o bu rge sses the re of, to b e the othe r five w a rdm e n of the seide tow n .

A nd a ll the se ide e le ctions to b e m ade in the le te a ndlaw day of the

se ide abbot ofhis se ide tow n . A nd a lso b oth the se ide constab les andten

w a rdm en to b e adm ytted, and so lem n ly sw orn e , on ly in the sam e le te and

law day, be fo re the stewardof the se id abbott, or his depute , tru ly to do and

exerc ise all th ings tru ly appe rteyning to the i r offices in the se ide tow n .

N‘

“ A nd, as to m akyng of bu rgesses of the se ide gylde , i t is dyre cted bythe se ide lorde and justices, that whensoe ve r any pe rsone sh a l l b e ab le andn am ed by the kepe r andb u rgesses of the se ide gylde , to b e a b u rgess of the

sam e , that then, the kepe r of the se i de gylde , for the tym e be ing, as oft as any

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THE CORPORATION.

any oth e r thyng there ofpaying, b ut on ly the se ide yere

lyfyne ofchepyn gave l l,

so allw ay,that the same sta lle s b e n ot to the

~

prejud1 ce n e n oysance of any

inhab itan t of the sam e town e , na b e any le tt of passage in any high w ay or

strete of the sam e towne . And i f the sta l le s so ,

set b e to the n oysan ce of any

of the se ide inhab itants, or le tt of the se ide highway, then i t is to b e re fo rm ed

only

,by the b ay

lilf of the se ide abb ottf And that of all othe r inhab itan ts

of the se ide town e b eyng no b u rgesses, the se ide abb ott sha l l take and ha ve

such fynes and custom s for th e ir m e rchandies to b e occupied in the sam e

towne , as he and his p rede cessors have had the re ou t tym e of m ynde . A nd

as to the de te rm ination of the ryght of the fl esh sham b ellys or b otcherie in the

se ide town ,which the kepe r of the se ide gylde and b u rgesses of the sam e

c laym ed, it is advysed by the se ide lo rde andj ustice s, tha t th e ke pe r of the

se ide gylde , andthe b u rge sses ofthe sam e h e re afte r, sha l l ‘

shew o the ir e vyde nces

for them the re of, be fore m y lo rde b ishopp ofWyn che stre , andthe se ide lorde

cham b leyn , and that then b oth the se ide parties to b e o rde red furthe r by the

seide lorde, upon Sight the reof.R . B YNTON .

G I LES D AW B ENEY.

R . REDE .

‘

JOHN KI NG E SM ILL.

It appea rs from thisde c ree , that the au thor ity ofthe keepe r andburgesses

w as at this tim e ve ry ci rcum sc r ib ed th ey we re not conside reda body corpora te , t il l i t w as con fi rm ed by this de cision ; ande ven the n , they we re pe rm ittedto enj oy ve ry l ittle of the pow e r which c ivi l m agistrates are usua l ly in vestedwith . They cou ld n ot e ven choose a ke epe r (m ayo r) w ithout sub m itting the i rcho i ce to the approbat ion of the abbot n e ith e r cou ld they adm i t a ny pe rsonto the freedom of the borough, w ithout giving him a fo rm a l noti ce of- theirin ten tion so to do, tha t he m ight share in the fine .

By the m anne r in w hich they are pe rm i ttedto e le c t constab le s andwa rdm en , i t is pla in the a rb itrators c onside red the i r r ight so to do, w as at leastdoub tfu l, e lse they wou ld not have de si re d the abb ot to suffe r i t ; im plyingm ore of a con ce ssion on the part of the ab bo t, than of r ight in that of theco rpora tion .

'

The sam e m ay b e in fe rred from the pe rm ission to se t up stal ls inthe t ow n, which , if the abbot ’s bail iff conside red a n u isanc e , he m ight rem oveat his pl easure ; so that in fact the c orporation possessedn o jur isdiction ove r thetown b e fore the de c ree w as passed, andhadon ly the sh adow ofone a fte rw a rds.

The inhab itants of the tow n , in conseque n ce of the fe uda l syste m , had

a lways b ee n conside red, as the p rope rty of the abbot, who was the i r sup rem e

THE CORPORATION .

lo rd ; e ven at the tim e of th is d e c ision , w e find they we re not p e rm itted tob uy or se l l in the i r ow n houses or shops, without paying an annua l fin e to theabbot ; ne i the r cou ldthe son of a fre em an b e adm ittedto his freedom ,

without

p aying a ce rta in sum to the lo rd; a nd the on ly advan tage he ga ined frombe ing entitled to his freedom by b i rth or se rvitude

, w as,that his fin e to the

lord w as fixed, w hi le that for a fore ign e r w as unde te rm ined.

Notw i thstanding the regulations ab ove p resc r ib ed, respe cting the e le ctionof the m ayor, andthe adm ission of b u rge sse s into the co rporation , the disputew as re vivedin the subsequ en t re ign, and the de c ision re fe rredto the king inc oun cil, by whom the fol lowing dec re e w as m ade, dated a t W

’

indsor, O ctob er26th, 1510

A s we l l by the assent of the abbot of Reading, as of the m ayo r orkepe r of the gylde and his com burge nses, that w he nsoeve r any pe

rsone sha l lb e e nn ab ledby the saide m ayor or kepe r to b e m ade a bu rges

, the sa idm ayo ror kepe r sha l l give m onyc ion u nto the sa ide ab b ot, o r, in his absens, to the

p ryor, cham be re r, or subcham b e re r of the se ide m on astre , to send one of his

com oyne s unto the gu i ld- ha l l of the se ide tow n a t the portsm outh the re to b e

ho lde n the n f n ext a fte r, to surve i andb e p rese nte a t the assessvng of the fyne

of the se ide b u rgesse s, andi f the se ide m onke take any e xception u n to these ide fyne , the n i f the se ide fyne b e th en testyfied and affi rm ed by fou r burgesses of the se ide gylde , by such o th e as they m ade

, w hen they we re m adeburgesses, the se ide m onhe for this tym e on ly, b e cause the re b e p re sente by no

m ore b ut five b urgesses in the se ide b orough , sha l l b e conte nt, and then and

the re forthwith , in the prese n s of the se ide m onke , be fo re the m ayor of the

gylde , the stew a rdor unde r stewa rdof the se ide abb ot, sha l l e n te r the m oye ty

of the fyn e to the se ide ab b ot b e longynge , a nd take then a pledge for thesam e . Andth e n sha l l m in iste r unto

'

the burge s the n m ade , an othe unde rthe wo rds fo l low ing

Thou sha lt t rue m an b e , unto

‘

the km g a ndto his be i re s, kings ; thousha l t t ru ly and dil ige ntly ob se rve and ke ep a ll and singu la r a rtic les con

c e rnynge the gylde- m e rchante of th is b o rough, so he lp thee G od and holy

dom e , andby a ll the e vange l ists.

A ndi f the se ide abb ot, or in his ab sous, the pryor, cham be re r or sub

cham b e re r , at any tym e he re a fte r, re fuse to send the i r c om oyn e upon m onycion

gi ven as is above , or afte r the se ide fyn e so asse ssed or affirm ed, the stewa rdo r u nde r ste w ard, a t a ny tym e he reafte r refuse u nto him the se ide o the , then

i t sha ll b e law fu l to the se lde m ayo r, a ndhis succe ssors for the tym e b eyng, to

m in iste r unto him the se ide othe , and th en tha t pe rson e to b e admyttedfor a

b urges, to enjoye all l ibe rties of the se ide gylde , without any exceptions. And.

THE CORPORATION .

this order to b e obse rvedandkept for m akyng of bu rgesses, andtakyng of the

othehere after for e ve r, so that th e i r fynes, i f any e xcept ion b e take n to them ,

b e testyfiedfrom hence fo rth by six bu rge sse s, ac cordynge to the o lde fyn e .

Andfor m akyng of the m ayo r of the se ide gylde , for th is tym e on ly,

i t. is o rde red by the se ide coun c il], that when those three pe rsons late ly pre

sented un to the p ryor of the se ide m onastre , have b e e n a t the portsm outh

aforese ide , h is fynethe re e nte red, andthe othe taken, as is above , that then

they shal l b e p re sentedunto the se ide abbot w i thin e ight da ies, the n n e xt a fte r

in the se ide m on astre , by Thom as C a rpe n te r, or i f the se ide abb ot be ab sens

from theuse, by the space of e ight da ies, then , the re to b e p resented by the

se ide Thom as, to the pryo r, cham b e re r or sub cham be re r , within the sa id

m onastre, ando ne of them to b e taken andadm ytted for m a io r of the gylde

ti l l the fe st of seyn t Michae l n e xt fo l low ing, and then thensforth such o rder

to b e taken for m akyng of the m a io r of the se ide gylde ye rely, as w as agree d

by m ylorde of VVynche stre , l orde D aub eny, sir Rob e rt Rede and John

Kynge sm ill,j ustice s. A nd the l ike oth e to be gyven by the - se ide abb ot,

p ryor, cham be re r, or sub - cham b e re r, to the se ide m a ior, at the adm ission

he reafte r, at eve ry tym e as is above se ide , for the bu rge sses, andno othe r .

( Signed) TH O M A S SU RREY.

R I C HARD W INT ON’

.

CHAR LES S OM ER S ET .

’

HARRY M ORNEY.

TH OM A S E NG LEFIELD .

F rom the m anne r in wh ich th is de cision is drawn up, i t m ay b e in fe rred,that the prin cipa l cause of the dispute w as, the dist rib u tion of the fine s to

b e lev ied on the adm ission of burge sses. It is p robabl e tha t the abbot, e ithe rwish ing to en crease the fin e above the u sua l rate , or suspe ct ing som e col lusion

a m ong the m em b e rs of the co rporation to defraud him of h is m oie ty, had

refused to a l low any b u rge sses to b e m ade , so long , tha t the i r num b e r w asredu cedb e low six, w hich by the fo rm e r de c re e we re requ i red to swe a r to thet rue am oun t of the fin e given ; on w hich a c coun t the co rporat ion appe aledto

the king in coun c il , w ho by th is de cision au tho r ises the fou r rem a in ing bur

gesses to te sti fy on this occasion, b u t tha t in futu re six on ly shou ldb e a com

pe tent num b e r so n e cessary it appea red in thosedays to,

gua rante e from fraudso tr ifl ing a fin e .

The de lay in the adm ission of the n ew m ayor into office by the abbot,p rob ab ly a rose from the sam e cause— the

" reduced num b e r of b u rgesses, w hom ust, all but one, ha ve re turned them se l ves ; th is i rregu lar ity howeve r was

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THE CORPORATION.

m ayor, alderm en ,

and assistan ts, tha t i f any b u rgess or inhab itan t, sha l l b e

he re afte r e le c ted to b e an assistan t to the sa id b orough, sha l l W i thout any

re asonab le or j ust c ause , refuse to take the oath , for the exe cution of the sa id

office of assistant, b e ing du ly the reun to requ i red, sha l l in cu r and fo rfe it the

penal ty of tw e n ty pounds, or su ch othe r re ason ab le pa in ( not e xceeding the

sum of thi rty po unds) as sh al l b e im posed and in fli cte d upon him by the

m ayor anda lde rm e n of the sa idborough, or the greate r pa rt of them .

”

How eve r , since th is pe r iod, they have hadve ry few occasions to put th is

bylaw in force , pa rticu la r ly of la te yea rs ; the honor a lon e be ing c onside red

by the m ost re spe c tab le ge ntl em e n in the b o rough, a sufficie n t re com pense for

fulfi l l ing the arduous dutie s of an office which u l tim ate ly le ads to the chie f

m agistracy of the b orough .

The fine of an a lde rm an , for re fusing to take the oath , w as, in l ike

m an n e r, at fi rst, inde te rm in ate , and pe rhaps w as ne ve r posit ive ly fi x edat any

pa rticu la r sum ; in som e instan ces i t appe a rs to have b e e n tw en ty pounds in

o the rs m ore , as in the c ase of Edw a rdHam b l in , in 1642, who, re fusing to takethe oath, on b e ing e le ctedan a lde rm an , w as fi n ed on e hundre d m a rks and,

on non - paym ent of the fin e , w as c om m itted to the com pte r prisonfl‘ Thisgentlem an , b e ing a roya l ist, w as afte rw a rds ob l iged to com pound w ith the

pa rliam en t ’s com m ission e rs, for his e state , in the sum of th i rty- six pounds,six sh il l ings, and e ight pe n ce .

Anothe r author i ty e xe rc isedby the corpora te b ody, w as the disfran ch isingsuch of the i r m em b e rs as they con ce i ved had, by the i r m isconduc t , fo rfe itedthe i r freedom , as in the fo l low ing instan ce , w hich w e h ave se le c ted fromothe rs for the pe cul ia r ity of the case , and the se ve r ity of the pun ishm en t, asit appe a rs to h ave b e e n in fl icted w i tho u t tr ia l, and for an Offen ce , i f i t w as

any, that isdai ly com m itted, andn e ve r noticed, in these m ore happy tim es:

Forasm uch as Joseph Saunde rs, one of the sa id bu rgesses, for sedi tionand slande rous and opprob r iou s w ords, by him open ly spoken, aga inst the‘king

’

s ( Edw a rdV I . ) honora ble coun cil, by the ir com m andm en t, w as com .

m itted to pun ishm ent, on the pi l lory, on the m a rke t day, and the re to standa ll the m a rke t- tim e, and then b oth his e ars cut off. A nd afte r, for o therseditious, lewd, and slande rous words, by him , at sundry t im es afte r that,spoke n ,

to the gre at pe rturb erance and disqu ie tn e ss of his honest ne ighbors,it w as the re fore thought fi t, by the sa i d m ayor and bu rgesses, that the said

Over the gateway leadinginto the Forbury from the Marke t-place, lately taken down.

THE CORPORATION .

Joseph Saunde rs b e no fi t m an to con tinue of the sa id com pany ; whe reuponthe said m ayo r and bu rgesses, w ith one assen t and conse n t, for the causes

a fore sa id, the saidday andye a r, have e xpe l ledanddisch a rged the sa idJose phS aunde rs, from the said ha l l and com pany, for e ve r.

B ut the m ost opp re ssive pr ivilege the y possessed, and w hich tendedm ore than a ll the re st, to confine the com m e rce of the tow n , and the num be rof the inhab i tan ts w ithin too n arrow l im its

, w as tha t of refusing the fre edomo f the tow n, and consequen tly, the l ib e rty of t rading w i th in its b ounds, tostrange rs, w ho m ight o the rw ise have conside rab ly in c re ased its popu lation ,a nd im provedits c om m e rc ia l re sou rces.

U nde r th is se lfish andtyran n ica l system of m un i cipa l gove rnm en t, whichfo rm e r ly pre va i led, an Engl ishm an , w ho w as so un fo rtuna te a s n ot to haveob ta in edhis fre edom in any tow n, e ithe r by b i rth , se rvitude , or pu rchase , w as

c onside reda fore igne r in h is n ative land, andc onse qu e n tly l iab le to b e dr ive nfrom b orough to b orough, as an a l ien , or as on e w ho w as e ve ry w h e re cousi

de redan in trude r . Capital, industry, ab il itie s, and those n um be rless shadesw hich m a rk the diffe ren t ch a racte rs of individua ls, we re of n o ava il, when

pu t in com pe ti tion w i th co rpora te r ights, how e ve r absu rd.

If pe rchan ce an indust r ious tradesm an , from be ing o ve r looked, had, fora short tim e , b e en pe rm itted to reside in a ny of the se cha rte red tow ns, theleast prospe ct appe a r ing of his succe eding in his business, or m e rcan ti le e on

'c e rns, w as sufficien t to rou se the j ea lous e n vy of othe rs in the sam e l ine , who,by a prope r info rm ation la id b e fo re the chie f m agistrate , c ould, a t a ny t im e ,

ge t him sen t aw ay with ignom m y, on the shorte st n otice . The pro cess w as

sim pl e , a nd a rbitra ry ; m any e xam ple s of w h ich m ight be produced, fromen tr ies in the dia r ies of this c o rpo ra tion ; b ut, the fo llow ing instance of 0p

~

pression ,though of an ob scu re individual, m ay se rve to shew to what a pitch

this system hadarr ived

July 1 545, Rob e rt Hoope r, a b arb e r, b e ing a fo re igne r, w as thisday aga i n

o rde redto b e gone out of the town a t his pe r i l , w ith his wife andchildren .

”

I f the un fortuna te obj ec ts of the se pe rse cu tions we re , e ven from u n

avo idab le c i rcum stan ces, de ta in eda few days longe r than the te rm spe cified,the tow n se rgeants w e re se nt to shut up the i r sliOps, andto see them beyond

the l im its of the boro ugh .” 2

Corporation diary. 3 Ibid.

3 A 2

C R AP .

XV I I I.

THE CORPORATION.

So tenac ious w e re,e ve n

'

all the low e st m e m b ers of the gu ild m e rchant,

unde r this oppressive system of m unic ipa l gove rnm en t, that no andiv

idua l.

m em b e r of on e c om pany w as a l low edto in te rfe re W i th the e xclusi ve r ights

of another, b u t,

l ike the diffe re n t casts in India , e ve ry m an w as ob l iged to

c onfin e his exe rtions a nd his ingenu ity to his ow n t rade . The ca rpen te r,

thoughqu al ifiedin e ve ry othe r re spe ct, cou ldnot e x

ecute any w orks that w e re

appm pria ted to the j o ine rs’

com pany ; nor. cou ld e i the r of them p resum e to

interfe re with those of the sawye rs. E ve n the shoe - m ake rs w e re n ot pe rm i tted

to m end a pai r of shoes, b e c ause , by so do ing, they intren ched on the r ights

of the cob le rs. In l GfiQ, The c ob lers, b e in g fre em en , pe t ition ed the cor

poration again st the shoe - m ake rs, for m ending o ldshoes cont ra ry to the r ights

of the tow n ; w he reupon . i t w as re com m endedto . the shoe -m ake rs not to offen d

the re in , at the ir.Such w e re the oppressions and

‘

restric ti‘

ons,. that n ot on ly strange rs, but:

e ven fre em e n , w e re subj e c t to, unde r the se m un ic ipa l regulations, in form er

t im es ; regu lation s, adapted, it shou ld seem— to chil l the natu ra l e xe rtions

of the inhab i tants—to para liz e the i r m eans of im p rov ing the i r ta l en ts, and

the i r cond itions—and to rende r them fit obj ects for opp ression .

'

I n con

se quen ce of this e xc lusive system , trade w as stag-nated; the tow n depopu .

‘

lated and, for want of a prope r stim u lon s, the low e r classe s. w e re suffe redtopass the gre ate r pa rt of the i r days, w ithout em ploym en t, in poverty and e ve ry»:

spe c ies ofdistress.

* B ut, thanks to c i rcum stan ces that have in te rve n ed, or.

to the m ore e n l ighte ned system tha t has b e en adopted for n e a rly a ce ntu ry.

past, the se sha ckle s on trade have b een take n off, and e ve ry m an , w he re ve r:

b o rn , is n ow e ntitled to . th e sam e privi lege s as

‘

the n ati ve s, w ithou t its be ingin the powe r of any indiv idua l to m o lest him . in .his. trading con ce rns -

I

In the 1 6th and 1 7th ce n turies, the low er, c lass ofpeople se em s to have bee n degradedto thelow est state ofw ickedness ; robbe ries of

’e ve ry kind w ere com m itted; and scarce ly a clay passed,

w ithou t the c om m ission of som e crim e ; as m ay be see n by the e xam inatio ns in the c orporation

diaries. The fo llow ing en tries, . are proofsh if any w e re w an ting, of this prevale nce of vice am ong

the low er orders

Feb . 2 9 , 1 62 9, The assizes w ere ho lden at Abyngdon at w hich tim e th irtee n m e n andyouths.

died here for the ir offen ces com m it ted.

April - 1 63 1 , A t th is assizes, e le ven m en sufferedde ath for the ir crim es ; three of w hich w ere

of this tow n .

The last instan ce of a stranger ob tain ing the freedom of the borough, w as in 1 757, w hen

Thom as Bram ley, bricklayer, w as adm itteda freem an . B u t this see m s to have b een occasionedby a

doubt that hadbe e n started, w he ther a n on -free m an co u ldpartake of the charitab le gifts be longingtothe tow n for it appe ars, that o n the sam e day that he w as adm ittedto his freedom ,

he gave securityfor six ty pounds, part ofM r. Kendrick'

sgift, to be lcdr to poor tradesm e n , for three years, w ithoutIn terest. Corporation Diary.

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THE CORPORATION.

The co rporation a lso e xe rc ise d a ju r isdict ion ove r pa rt of the r i ve rTham e s, lying e astw a rdof the tow n ; b ut ofw ha t kind, is n ot now known,as the i r powe r, w hate ve r i t w as, has b e e n long since supe rsededby the actspassed for the im p rovem en t of tha t r ive r; How e ve r, as long as they re ta inedthe right, they endeavored, l ike the ci ty of London , to p rese rve it, by ke epinga ce rta in n um b e r of sw ans upon i t, ca l led the gam e of sw ans,

‘

w hich w e rep rote cted by a kee pe r, or fa rm e r, appo inted for that pu rpose , as ia t the ye ar1457, w h en the m ayo r, in r ight of his office , fa rm ed the w ho le , eight innum b e r, to Thom as Benw e l l, w ho agreed to take the stock, andto b e a t all

cha rges attending them , paying ye a r ly to the m ayor three cygne ts b ut th isagre em e n t be ing soon a fte rw a rds cance l led, a ke epe r w as appoin ted by thecorporation , with a sa la ry of twenty shi ll ings, per annum , to look afte r them .

It is unce rta in how far the i r ju risdiction e xte nded, bu t i t w as, prob ab lyas far as Ma idenhead- b r idge , if not fa rthe r for, in 1522 , Richard Bem e , the

ke epe r, cam e andshew ed tha t the re we re at Ham b lede n - m i l l two white swans,at Ke lle rm an th re e , a t Mar low - b r idge on e , a t Cookham on e .

” t

An othe r r ight exe rcised by the corporation , w as the le vying a tol l on

all strange rs passing any of the b ridges within the tow n ; anda lso ofall b arge spassing unde r Cave rsham - b r idge :* The fo rm e r had long been disused, , b ut

the latte r continued till the re ign of Jam e s I I . whe n the paym ent w as opposed.

by on e Wa l te r Chapm an andothe rs, b a rgem aste r-s-of the c ity of Oxford, w ho

a l leged, that sin ce the a l te ration of the bridge , by rem oving se verall oltI

decayed stone and b r ick a rches, which form e rly obstruc ted the passage , bypenn ing up the wate r above the br idge , bo ats cou l d n ow pass without the

u se of the w inch , which a lone they had b e e n a ccustom ed to pay for, and

n ot as a tol l for passing unde r the They m ore ove r c la im ed the i rp r ivilege , as c i ti zens of Oxford, to b e e xem pt from the paym ent of pon tage ,th roughout all England, by a charte r gran ted to the citizens, by Richard I I .

‘ This bridge crosses the Tham es at the v il lage from w hence it takes its n am e , separating the

coun ties of Berks andOxford nearly in its cen tre . The south division , under w hich the barges pass,andthe five brick arches on the north side of this passage , as represe ntedin the plate , are w ithin the

coun ty of Berks, and are kept in repair by the corporation . Ov er one of the arches, ,is a tab let, with

the fo llowing inscriptionW I L L IAM EVERETT ,

Mayor.

‘

Jon N Tn o n rnr

Cham berlain .

1 739 °

3‘ Corporation Diary. .

3 Ibid.

THE CORPORATION.

This cause w as t r ied in the Exche qu e r, and a ve rdic t given in favor

of the b argem aste rs since w hich n o tol l has b e en requ ired for b a rges b e long.

ing to Oxford, or a ny othe r place on the r ive r, on passm g th i s b r idge .

By a late ac t of pa r l iam en t, the c o rpora tion ha ve disused the pow e r

of holding a cou rt of re co rdfor the re cove ry of sm a l l debts, which hadb e fo re

b e en ofgre a t se rvice to the infe r io r c lass of trade sm en , from the che ap a nd

expeditious m anne r they c ould e n fo rce the paym en t of sm a l l deb ts from the

u npr in c ipleddeb to r m ost of w hich are now e ithe r lost, or ob ta in ed at a p r ice

disgusting to hum an ity.

A copy of the origina l oa th taken by the m ayor, as chief m agistrate ,

justice of the pea ce , a ndclerk ofthe m a rke t.

You sha ll sw e ar to b e a r fa ith and troth , and al so ob edienc e un to our

sove re ign lordthe king’

s m aj esty, his he i rs andsucce ssors, and w e l l andtru ly

se rve him in the se ve ra l offices of m ayo r, j ustice of the pe a ce , and quo rum ,

a nd c le rk of the m a rke t of this b orough , and gu ild m e rchan t of R eading,

whe reun to you are e le cted, and chose n , for th is ye a r e nsu ing ; the l ibe rtiesand fran ch ises of the sa id b orough , to the u tm ost of you r pow e r, you sha l l

m a inta in and de fend. You shal l ca re fu l ly endeavor the p rofi t and goodgove rnm en t of th is b o rough, and so far as in you l ie th , take ca re , tha t thestate, stock, andb e qu e sts of b e n efacto rs of th is b o rough, b e m a inta ined, prese rved, a nd e m ployed, a s they ought . You sha l l l ikew ise e nde avon to m a in .

ta in a just and”lega l proc e eding in the cou rt of p leas in this b o rough . You

sha l l n ot”

b e a coun se l in a ny c ause the re depe nding b e fo re you . You

shall w ell andtru ly do, and c ause to b e obse rvedand kept, in th is b o rough,the good assi ze of b read, b e e r, a le , a nd w in e , and a ll v ictua ls, we ights,m easu res, andothe r things the reunto appe rta in ing . You shal l obse rve , m a int ain, and keep, andin all othe rs, so m uch as in you lie th, do,

- to b e obse rved,m a inta ined, andkept, all and singu la r the laudab le a cts, law s

, constitutions,

and o rdinan ces m ade at m e e tings and counc i ls, for the we a l and good governm e nt of this b orough . The consultations, counse ls, se c re t, and good

p assages ofyour b re thre n , and you r ow n, con su lted, c onfe rred on, and happe n ing at you r counc i ls and m e e tings, you shal l u tte r and disclose to no

m an ; b ut the sa idseve ra l offices of m ayo ra lty,justice ofpe a ce , andquo rum ,

and c le rk of the m a rke t, w h e re un to you are e le cted andchosen , you shall, to

th e b e st of you r ski l l a ndpow e r, w e l l a nd du ly dem ean you rse l f. So he lp

you G od, and by the conten ts of this b ib le .

Corporation Diary.

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THE CORPORATION.

A listofthe m ayorsofReading,from the irfirst appointm en t by the charter

grantedin the Ioth year (f the re ign ofHenry VI to the present tim e .

Those markedw ith an asteriskrepresentedthe borough in parliament.

1432

1440

1450

H en ry VI .John Ki rkley.*

Sim on Porte r .ale

Rob e rt M orys.

*

John Ki rkby .*

Thom as Selvyn, or Swaine .

William Hun t .William Russe l.William S e lvyn .

John V eyrd.

Rob e rt M orys.

S im on Porte r .Will iam Se lvyn.

Edwa rdLyn a cre .

Will iam Russe l .William Hun txl'

John Saye rs.

John West .

IThom as Cle rk, sen .*

John Cham b e r la in .

S im on Porte r .Edwa rd Lynacre .

Wil l iam Rede .

*

The sam e.

The sam e .

The sam e .

John C ham be r la in.

Thom as

Thom as Cle rke .’

1460

1470

1480

"Thom as Beke .

Will iam Lynacre .

Edwa rdIV .

Will iam R e de .

Thom as Cle rke .

J ohn Buck.”e

Will iam Rede .

William Lynacre .

Will iam Rede .

John U pston .

Robe rt Quedham pton .

Will iam Lynacre .

John U pston .

Will iam Perncote .

ale

Stephe n D on ster.

Thom as Beke .

William Lyn acre .

John Ba xte r, or B akester.The sam e .

“ ’i ll'

iam Lynacre .

Stephe n D onster.

John Ba xte r.Thom as Bye .

John Langham .

Richa rdCle ch e .

Richard I I I.John Langham .

The sam e .

John Baxte r,

t in the south aisle 0 ! St. Law rence 's church, is a flat stone,in laid w ith brass, on w hich is

inscribedthe follow ing epitaphHic jacet Wil lm s Hun t, quondam m ajor hujus Reding,et uxor ejus. Qui quidem Wil lm s obiit 3 die Martis, annoDm ni i 463. Quorum anim abus propitie tur Deus. Am en .

I Diedin hism ayoralty.

THE CORPORATION .

H e n ry VII .John La’

ngham .

The sam e .

The sam e .

Ch ristia n N iclasfl’

The sam e .

John B akester.

The sam e .

Ch r istian Nic las.

Richa rdCle che .

The sam e .

The sam e .

Chr istian Nic lasRicha rdCle che .

Ch ristian Niclas.John Wilco x .Thom as P uckridge .

Richa rdCle che .

John Tu rn e r.Thom as Ca rpe nte r .Richa rdCle che .

Thom as Ca rpen te r .Ch r istian Nic las.Thom as Ca rpen te r .

H en ry V I I I .

Thom as Ca rpe n te r .Will iam Vi’hite .

Will iam G ifford .

William VVa tte .

William Justice .

J ohn P ow nsar.

ale

John Hopton .

Thom as Bye .

William J ustice .

William Watte .The sam e .

John Hopton .

Will iam Gyfford.

Thom as Be rnard .

Richa rd Hyde .

*

Richa rdTu rn e r .Will iam Gyfi

'

ord.

Thom as Be rna rd .Richarda M an .

Richa rdTu rner .J ohn V ansby.

Thom as Be rn ard.

Richa rda M an .

Richa rdTurne r ,Wil liam Style .

John Rede .

Thom as Be rna rd .

Richa rd a M an .

John White .Richa rdTu rn e r .Thom as M yrth.

Richa rdJ ustice .

"6

Wil liam Edm unds.’le

Will iam Bu rton .

R icha rdB owye re .

Richa rdTu rne r.John White .

Richa rdJustice .

John Bou rn e .

Edwa rdVI .

R icha rdB owyere .

John Be l l .John Buckland.

Will iam Edm unds.

Thom as Aldwo rth .

John B ourne ,

ale

Mary .

Rob e rt B owyere.Edw a rdButle r.John Be l l .*

Thom as Turne r.Thom as A ldworthfi"

TIIE

El i zabe th .

John Bou rne .+Rob e rt B owye re .Edwa rd Butle r .Thom as Turn erfi“

Thom as Conye rs.John Be l l .

John Buckland .

John Phipps.

John Kendrick .

Richard'

VVatlington .

Thom as Tu rn e r .Hum ph rey Jackson .

Richa rdJohnson .

Rob e rt B owyere .

Thom asAldw o rth .

John O ckham , re corder.

William Lydoll.

Richa rdWatl ington .

Edw a rd Butle r.

'i john Bourn e diedin his m ayoral ty, on the i 5th ofDe cem ber 1 558, andwas buried in St.

Mary’s church on a brass plate preservedin the vestry, is the fo l low ing inscription :

John Bourne , of Reading, andalso Alice his w ife ,Con tin uedin m arriage ye ars thirty six andon e

In his thirde m aioraltie dyde ndthe ir hon est life ,A ndlye he re engrav ed u nder thys m arb le stone .

O ne son e they had, andalso daughters five,Of all w hose bodyes fayr issue theydidsee .

1 n seven w e eks space death didtheyr livesdepriveTheyr hon est fam e here live th, theyr sou lsw ith Christ be .

John Bourn e de ceasedthe 1 sth dayof D e ce m b . Ann o 1 558.

A lice his w ife de ceased the 29th dayofOctober An no 1 558.

1 Father to sir \Villiam Wehb e, s

alter, lordm ayori

of London in 1 59 1 , andm aternal grandfatherto archb ishop Laud. Stowe.

§ In the chance l of St. Law rence ’s church , on a grey m arb le slab , is an inscription to the

m em ory ofM r. EdwardButler, andAlice his w ife , w herein he is saidto have b een five tim esm ayor

bu t w e have n ot been ab le to discover in w hat other year he servedthe office, besides the four tim eshere m entioned.

CORPORATION.

1580

Richard Aldworth .‘Villiam 'Finnem o re .

Richa rdJohnson .

John VVebb e IThom as Kendr i ck .

Edw a rd Butle r .§Richa rd Watl ington .

E liz eus Burge s.

Richa rdAldw orth.Richa rd Turne r.\‘Villiam F inne m ore .

Richard Johnson .

Thom as Lydoll.

Richa rdWatl ington .

Rob e rt Ha r r is.

*

Thom as De ane .

E liz eus B urgesse .

Richa rdAldw o rth .Richa rd‘Vatlington .

Richa rdTurne r .

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THE CORPORATION.

RichardHal low ay .

J oe l Stephensxl'

R obe rt Jam es.

Joe l Stephens.

Cha r l es I I .Rob e rt Jam es.

G e orge Tho rne .

Thom as Se ikes.

Thom as Ke n ton .

Rob e r t C re ed.

Thom as Coates.

lVilliam B rackstone .

Rob e rt Tyrre l l .Micha e l Re ading .

Thom as Tilleard.

John Blake .

R icha rdJohnson .

G i les Pocock.

G e orge G osw e ll.

Sam ue l House .

ReginaldThornborough .

H e n ry Heade .

Thom as Ha rr ison .

DavidWe bb .

F ranc is Tyrre l l .b l ichae l Re ading .

John Tho rn e .

J ohn Blake .

RichardJohnson .

Jam e s I I .Richa rdJohnson .

G i les Pocock .

H ugh Cham pion .

“ ’illiam andh’Iary.

He n ry I-Ie ade .

+ Parties ru n n ing very h igh in this gen tle m an’s m ayoral ty, he w as turnedou t of the hal l in a

riotous m an n e r, by a part of his bre thren w ho e le c tedin h is place M r. H . Frew in g bu t w as soon

after resto zed,and his oppon en ts expe l led: som e of w hom w ere afterwards re - adm itted, but the

greater part exclude l for ever.

F ran cis Tyrre l l .John Tho rne .

John Saunde rs.John Tho rne .

Jam e sQuar r ington.

Sam u e l Watl ington.

W’

i l l iam Nl oore .

Thom as Qade s.

F ran c is B row n .

Thom as Ty rre l l .F rancis B’I organ .

R obe rt Noake .

A nn .

John Me rrick, M . D.

William Wilde r .h’i oses G i l l .Luke W’ ise .

John A b ery.

F ranc is B r istow .

Thom as Piercy.

Rob e rt Pa r ra n .

R ob e r t Blake .

Sam u e l Wa tl ington .

Thom as Tyrre l l .John lVIe rrick.

George I .\Villiam ‘Vilder.

M oses G il l .Luke Wise .

John A b ery.

Thom as Pie rcy.Rob e rt Pa rran .

Rob e rt B lake .

Richa rdRichards.John W atts.

CORPORATION.

William Eve re tt.Luke Wise .

John Ab e ry.

Thom as Pie rcy.Ge orge I I .

Rich a rd Richa rds.

John Watts.

William Eve re tt.Je rem iah Ire m onger.

John Thorne .

Thom as Noake .

John Ab e ry.

Ab raham Watl ington .

-

l“

E . Lam bde n .

John Ab e ry.

John Spice r .Thom as Pie rcy .

Richa rd Richa rds.

W il l iam Eve re tt .

J e rem iah Ire m onger.

John Thorpe .

John A b ery.

Ab raham Wa tl ington .

John Spicerf

Richa rdTille ard.

William Arm strong .

John D redge .

John Ha r rison .

Thom as Flory.John Richa rds.John Hocke r .

H .Austin De an e .

Be njam in Arm strong.

Richa rdFishe r .

Ab raham Watl ington .

John Spice r .

"l This gen tlem an w as an apothecary,botaniste

anda friendof A shm ole ; who says, he wasa verygood

Richa rd Tille ard.John Hooker.

John D redge .

John Richa rds.

Geo rge 1 11 .

H . Austin De an e .

Rich a rdFishe r .Richa rdWe stb rook.

F ran c is Whitchurch .R icha rdT illeard.

John Coate s.

Adam Sm ith .

Will iam Blandy.John D redge .

John R icha rds.Richa rdFishe r .Richa rdWe stb rook .

F ran cisWhitchu rch .

Will iam Blandy.John De ane .

John Eve re tt.E . Skate White .

William Knapp. l st.

Thom as De a n e .

Rob e rt M icklem .

Edw a rdM ickle m .

Hen ry De ane .

Ma rtin An ne sley , l st

John De ane .

John Taylor, M . D.

Thom as Hanson .

John B ul ley.Richa rd Maul . l st

Thom as G le ed.

Wil l iam Knapp . 2d

Thom as Deane .

Robe rt M icklem .

H en ry De ane .

H en ry Deane .

1\I artin Anne sley . 2d

John Bu l ley .

RichardMau l . 2d

Thom as G le ed.

Charles Pou lton . l st

Thom asWe st.Will iam Blandy. l st

RichardWestb rook . l st

Richard Richards. l st

CORPORATION .

1810

Launcelot Austwick . Ist;

George G i lbertson. l st

John Stephens. l st

Martin Ann esley. 3d

Richa rd Mau l . 3d

Thom as G le ed .Cha r le s Pou lton. 2d

William Blandy . 2d

Richard Westb rook . 2d

Launce lot Austw i ck . 2d

George G i lbertson. 2d

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THE CORPORATION .

in th at of El izabe th ; the e a rls of Banbu ry and Hol land , in the re ign of

Charle sI;Bu lstrode , lo rd White lock,

unde r C rom w e l’

s usu rpation , andthe

e a r l o I'

C lare ndon ,during the re ign ofC harles I I b u t since the gove rnm e nt has

b e en b e tte r adm in iste red, andthe r ights of the sove re ign and.

the p e ople be tte r

de fined, b y the a c t ofse ttlem en t andthe b il l of r ights, andl ibe rty se cu red on

the fou ndation of im partia l laws, i t has b e e n thought by som e ofthe co rporat ion , un ne ce s

sary to have re cou rse to an office r—w ho is appo inted without the

a utho rity of the gove rn ing cha rte r—w ho is in vested w ith no powe r, nor c an

re nde r the least a ssistan ce to the tow n, from w hich he re ce ive s his honorarytitle . U nde r th is idea , the office w as left vacant a conside rable tim e ; the

inte r va l b e tw e en the de a th of the l ast and the e le ction of the p re sen t high

stew ard, fa ll ing l ittle sho rt of a hundredye a rs a nda t last w hen the que stion

of the appointm en t cam e to b e agitated in the co rpo ration , i t w as

, i f I am

r ightlyinfo rm ed, ca rr ied by a ve ry sm a l l m aj o r ity n ot out of any disrespe c t

to the ge n tlem an conce rned, for w hom e ve ry one hadthe highe st Opin ion , b ut

b e cause such an a ppo in tm ent w as thought unn e c essa ry, unde r the presen tc i rcum stances. The e le c tion m ay the re fo re b e conside red as a

' rev iva l of the '

t itle , ra the r th an t ‘lo introduction of a n ew office .

It is difficu l t to say, w ha t w e re the o r igina l rights of this ofli ce r ; b ut, as

p atron age and prote ction se em to have b ee n the origin a l m o tives for theappo intm ent, i t is probab le these w e re ve ry few , andm ay b e conside red, ra the ras concessions on the pa rt of the corporat ion , than as posi t ive p re rogativesb e longing to, and inhe ren t in th e offi ce ; for this re ason , they w e re e n ab ledto do m uch good, as w e l l to individua ls ofthe tow n , as to the corpo rate body ;

.w h ile , at the sam e tim e , they w e re deb arredfrom the powe r of inj u r ing e i the r .I nde ed, i t is doub tfu l, whe the r they posse ssed any authority that cou l dinte rfe re w i th the r ights of the b ody co rpo rate ; as they n e ve r p resided at

th e i r sessions or counci ls, or cla im ed any sha re in the gove rnm e n t of thebor. ,ough exce pt in on e pa rtic ula r instan ce , w h ich happen ed i n 1622, w hen thee a r l of VVa llingfor(1, the n high stew a id, gran teda l ic ense , on his ow n autho

r ity, to one J ohn B unsday, to ki l l fle sh m e a t in the se ason of lent, tha t ye a r .*B ut, this invasion of the i r r ights, is rathe r to b e im puted to the ove rb e a r ingdisposition of the e a r l , w hich he e v in cedin m any othe r instan ces, than to anya cknow ledgm e n t on the pa rt of the corpora tion, that he , as high stewa rd

,

possessedany such p re rogative .

It w as custom ary for the corporation ,~

ou the approach of len t, to bind all vic tuallers under acertain pen al ty, n o t to kil l flesh m eat during that se ason . The num ber so boundin 1 626, w as one

hundredandfifty-one.

THE CORPORATION.

It is true , that in 1539 Thom as lordC rom we l l , then high steward of the"

borough , w as p re se nt, and gave his consen t to the e le ction of the m ayo r forthat ye a r, as appe a rs from the fo l lowing e ntry in the dia ry Om nes burgen

scs, A l l the bu rgesses of the sa idb orough proce ededto the e lection of

the m ayo r, w ith the assen t andconsen t ofThom as lo rdC rom w e l l , high stew a rdofthe l ibe rties ofthe a fo resa id b orough . It m ight b e in fe r redfrom this e n t rythat the prese n ce andconsent of the high stew a rdw as ne ce ssary to the e le ctionof the m ayor; b ut i t should b e con side red, that pr ior to th is pe r iod, thechoi ce -

of the m ayo r h ad b e e n vested in the abb ot, w hose authori ty in the

tow n be ing ne w at an e nd, by the suppre ssion of the m on aste ry,i t w as natu ral

for the corpora tion to c al l in the i r high steward, to give a sanc tion to this,pe rhaps, the fi rst exe rcise of the i r n ew pre roga ti ve ; espe cial ly as he w as

v isi to r ge n e ra l of all the re ligious houses, andat th is tim e a c tua l ly e xe rcisingthe dutie s of his offi ce in this tow n . His p re sence a nd asse n t the refo re w as

m e re ly acc ide ntal , and by 11 0 m eans im pl ies the r ight of in te rfe r ing on theseo r any othe r e lec tions conn e cted w ith the go ve rnm e n t of the b o rough .

It

m ay a lso b e obse rv ed, that he is styled in this e n try, the high stew a rdof the

liberties of the b oro ugh ; in w hich l ight on ly he w as a lw ays conside red, aswe l l by the inhab itan ts a t l a rge as by the co rporation , w ho equa l ly appe a ledto him on e ve ry oc casion w he re in the inte re st of indi viduals in pa rticu la r

, or

of the borough in'

ge n eral, w e re con ce rn ed.

Thus in the e ase ofship- m oney, in the re ign ofCha rles I . the corporationi nst ructed the re co rde r to lay the i r situation b efore the e a r l of Hol land

,then

the i r high stew ard, and to assu re him ( as they say ) of the i r inab il ity tora ise the m oney, a ndto pray re lief.

“ So in othe r insta n ces, appl i cat ion w as

a lw ays m ade to the h igh ste w a rdfor his prote c tion , which w as se ldom i f eve rden ied a nd i t m ight b e in re tu rn for the b e n e fitsde r i ved from the i r influen cew ith the existing gove rnm en ts, as m uch as from the pen u ry of the b orough

,

that th e pr ivilege of n om ina ting one of the repre se ntative s, as m en tion ed in

a fo rm e r ch apte r, w as grantedthem : th ey m ay the re fo re b e conside redas the

l ink th a t un i tedas i t w e re the m on a rch andthe subj e ct toge the r, and the re byrende red that se rvic e to the i r constitue n ts, w hich it w as beyond the powe r

of th e i r m o re sub ordin ate office rs to afford them .

The high stew a rdw as a lso som e tim e s consu lted on affa i rs that conce rn ed

th e in te rio r gove rnm e nt of the bo rough ; b ut his Opin ion w as n ot in all cases

b inding, e xcept when approvedof by a m aj or ity of the corporation : thus in

the case of sir Edward Cle rke, the re corde r of the borough in 1622, who had

Corporation Diary3 c

THE CORPORATION.

not on ly taken upon h im se l f to exact e xorb i tant fe es of office , but l ikew ise

cal led upon the corpo ration for an addi tion to his sa lary : On this occasion ,

having taken the opin io n of c ounse l, they a fte rw ards e n c losedi t in a. le tte r to

the e a r l ofWal lingfo rd, at that tim e the i r high stewa rd, re que sting him to

fix w h at sa lary the re co rde r shou ld h ave ?” To th is his lordship repl ied,tha t he should have six pounds per ann um , acco rd ing to the opin ion

of the counse l they hadsen t him .

Thisde cisioh of the e a rl, m e e ting w i th the approbat ion of the m aj or ity

ofthe corpo rate b ody, w as im m ediate ly com pliedw ith ; but sir Edw a rd Cle rker em a in ing stil l dissatisfied, and continu ing to e xac t la rge r fe es than they con

side redhim e ntitl edto ,they rem ovedhim from his offi ce , by a m aj or ity of the

p r in c ipa l b u rgesses, and th en p roce eded to e l e ct M r. Saunde rs in to his placewhe reupon sir Edw a rd a lso appl ied to the

'

e arl,

“

to inte rcede w ith the cor

pora tion on his b eha lf, w ho, in compl iance with h is re que st, sent a m e ssageaddressed to the m ayo r andb u rge sses, req ue sting they w ou ldre instate himin his oflice : To w hich they repl ied, they didhope to give his lordship.

satisfaction, but that i t w as n ot in the i r pow e r to do i t N ot satisfie d withthis reply , his lo rdship dete rm in ed to t ry the

-

e xte n t ofhis in fluen ce , a tte nde d

the n e xt cou rt day in pe rson In the m e an while the corporation haddraw nup fi fte en a rtic les of a ccusation aga inst the re corde r, for e xto rtion ; whichb e ing pub l ic ly read in h is lordship

’

s p resence , and the question be ing put tothe vote , i t w as u n an im ously de te rm ined, that sir Edwa rdCle rke w as rightly

pu t out :”

and, notw i thstanding e ve ry effort m ade , by his lordsh ip , on his

beha lf, he w as n ot re—adm i tted to the re corde rship t i l l the ye a r 1625, andthen only in conjun c tion with NIL Saunde rs, w ho, e qua lly w i th him ,

pa rtookof the dutie s andem olum e nts of the ofli ce , ti l l the re newa l of the cha rte r inthe re ign of Charles I . when, p rob ab ly by the assistance of a rchb ishop Laud,b e p rocu red him se l f to b e n om ina ted the sole re corde r.

F rom these , andoth e r instances that m ight b e addu ced, i t is e v iden t tha t;the high steward, though looked up to w ith respe ct by the corpo ra tion , hadl ittle in fluen ce in the i r de cision s; and, that they con sid e redhim on ly in the l ightof a patron or p rote cto r, from w hose high rank they m ight reap advantageto them se l ves in the i r corporate cap ac ity, while at the sam e t im e they we recautious to c onfine his influence within m ode rate bounds.Having thus expla ined the natu re of the high steward ’

s office, andthem ot i ves for the appointm ent, as far as the scan ty docum ents w e are possessedofwil l pe rm it, w e sha l l now give som e accoun t of the gen tlem en who have

Corporation Diary.

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THE CORPORATION .

He is sa idhow eve r to h ave b o rne his e le vat ion . w ith great m ode rat ion

and the pur ity of

‘

hi'

s conduct as a m in iste r, to have b e en such , that his

gre ate st e n em ie s cou ld n ot fix the sta in of

"

c orruption on

o

his cha racte r ; and

e ven the king is sa id, w h e n too l a te , to ha ve lam e ntedh is de ath .

Afte r the de a th of C rom w e l l , a nd du r ing the rem a inde r of th is and the

tw o fo l low ing re igns, th e h igh ste w a rdship of Re ading app e a rs to h a v e t e

m a ined vacan t, as n o m en tion is m ade O f su ch an office r in the corpo ration

r ec o rds, t il l 1 566, a t w hich tim e th e e a rl of L e ic este r w as in possession of the

t itle , w hi ch he re ta in ed tw e nty - tw o ye a rs, to 1 588, w hen b e ing se i z ed w ith

a fe ve r at C ornb u ry—lodge , in O xfo rdshi re , he e xp ireda t the tim e the pate n t

w as m aking for c re ating h im he r m ajesty’

s l ie ute nan t in the gove rnm en t of

I re land. He w as a gre at favor ite w ith que e n El izab e th , w ho exp ressed the

de epest sor row for his dea th ; n otw i thstanding w hich, in con fo rm ity to the

e conom i ca l system ofgove rn m e n t she had la iddow n , she o rde red his effects

to b e sold by pub l ic auction , to pay h is deb ts to the c row n .

He w as suc ce eded in the stew a rdship by Sir H enry Nevi lle , w ho w as

afte rw a rds one of the qu e en ’

s com m i ssm n ers for c oncl uding a pe ace w ith

Spa in ; b ut dying in 1 59i , the c orporat ion n om in ated the r igh t hon . Robe rtDeve re ux, e ar l of Esse x , to b e high stew a rdof the b o rough , w ith the per

m ission ,for the fi rst tim e , of nom inating one of the bu rgesses to b e se n t to

the n ext pa rl iam e n t .*

This nob lem an w ho possessed the sam e ti tl e as th e u nfo r tu n ate C rom w e lf,

th e ir fi rst h igh stew a rd, w as, l ike him , doom edto loose his he adon the scaffo ld.

Th inking him se l f slightedby the quee n , w hose fa vo r i te h e had long b e en , he

a tte m pted, b u t w ithout su c ce ss, to sti r up an insu rre ction in the c ity, andb e ingse i zedin the prosec ution Of his plan ,

he w as com m itteda pr isone r to the Tow e r,from whence he w as b rought to the b ar Of the House of Lords, the 1 9 th of

Feb rua ry 1601 , and‘

b e ing c onv ictedofthe c r im e , w as se n ten cedto b e b ehe aded ;Thus th is gre a t m an—on c e the m in ion offortune—for a long tim e the favo ri teOf the que en—anda lw ays lookedup to by the pe ople— fe l l by the hands ofthee x ecutione r, w ho, w ith th re e strokes of the axe , seve red his head from his

b ody in the th i rty—fou rth,ye ar of"

his age .

He w a s,

”a cco rding to Sm olle t, a n ob lem an possessedO f exce l le n t

and am iab le qua l ities ; b rave , l ib e ra l , and hum an e ; a patron of le a rn ing, iiiwhich he him se l f had

‘

m ade good p rogress ; a wa rm fr iend, and an a vowe d ‘

This appears to have b ee n a personal com pl im en t paidto the earl, or rather to her m ajesty,w ithou t any in ten tion , on the part of the corporation , to con tin ue the privilege, though it afterw ards

b ecam e the ge n e ra l custom to grant the nom ination of one m em ber, as a part of the prerogative of thehigh stewardship.

THE CORPORATION.

en em y . His fo l l ies we re , van i ty, am b ition , andan im pe tuosity of tem p -

er,by

'

w hich he fe ll a sac r ifi ce to the a rtfu l intr igues of those w ho dreadedhis powe randenviedhis goodfortun e ,

The e ar l of Esse x w as succeeded in the Offi ce Of‘

high stew a rd by baronKn ol lys of

_

G rays, afte rwa rd c rea tedViscount Wa l l ingfo rd, and ear] of B an

bu ry . W e have a l ready obse rved, that the re ign ing fe atu res in th is ge n tleman

’

s ch a ra cte r w e re , an inordina te am b ition , anda desi re to gove rn the cor

poration at his ple asu re ; b u t though they had h ithe rto shewn the m ost subm issive re spe ct to the w i l l of th e i r high stew a rd, w h ile he

,

kept within the

bounds of m ode ra tion, ye t when he w an tedto a rrogate to h im se lf, as w e haveseen , the n om ina tion of bOth the m em b e rs, they ve ry p rope rly resisted the

dem and, as te nding to depr ive them of one of the i r dea rest pr ivilege s.

When the y fo rm e r ly sub m itted the cho ice of one of the i r repre sen tativesto the high stew ard, the se nding m em b e rs to pa rl iam en t w as conside red, ra the ras a bu rthen upon the e le cto rs, than as a desirab le Obj e ct of am b i tion . for

any on e ,

'

who, how eve r desi rous he m ight b e of se rv ing his "

coun try, cou ld

not b e e xpected to com e vo lun tar i ly fo rwa rd to sol ic i t the sufl'

rage s of the'

pe ople for an office n e ithe r attendedwith hon o r n or em olum ent, at the sam e

tim e that the pe rson possessing it w as su r roundedw ith difficu lties anddange rs,from e i the r the c rue l ty or capr ice of the tyrant w ho happeneda t the tim e to

possess the th rone . B ut n ow that the repre se nta tive system w as b e tte r unde rstood, a nd candida te s w e re n ot w a nt ing to Offe r the i r se rvice s, e ven without

pay, the corporation b egan to c onside r the pr ivi lege in a n ew l ight, and by

thu s pu tting a stop to the e nc roachm en ts of the high stewa rd, happi ly p re e

se rved the town of Reading from b e com ing, pe rhaps, l ike m any o the rs, a

c lose b orough .

In conse quen ce of the i r Opposition to h is in te r fe rence in this andothe rcon ce rns of the corpora tion , he w as so offended, that he re sign ed the Office indisgust ; b u t w ith the sam e spir it he hadhe ldit‘, he took upon . him se lf to re com

m endhis succe sso r, in the pe rson of sir Hen ry Rich, e a r l of Hol land; w hich,though an en c roachm en t onthe i r pre rogative , the corpora tion re adily, as the y

say, gran ted; b e ing, no doub t, happy to b e re le ased from his in te rfe rence

in th e i r c on ce rns.The cha racte r Of sir He n ry Rich , as given by hiscon tem pories, does not

appea r to have b e en of tha t e xa lted n ature as to have influe n ced the corporation in the choice of him for the ir high stewa rd, had they been le ft to the ir

own Option .

*

Sm olle t calls him one of Jam es I . worth less favorites ; from w hose extravagance he accu

THE CORPORATION.

By his abj ect subm ission to the will andcap r i ce of Jam es I . he accum m

lated a large fortun e . Du ring the re ign ofthism ona rch , he w as sen t am bassador

to Hen ry IV. of F rance , ton egotiate a treaty of m a r riage between the p r in ce

ofWa les, a fte rwa rds the unfo rtuna te Char les I . and the p r in ce ss Hen rie tta

of F rance ; and, though in the e nsu ing re ign he w as m ade groom of the

stole , and re ce i ved othe r fa vors from the m ona rch , ye t at the com m e n cem en t

of the c ivi l wa rs b e un ite d him se l f to the popu la r cause , and in 1642 w as

on e of the com m issione rs appo in tedby the pa rl iam en t to trea t with the kinga t Oxfordfor an a ccom m odation of the e x ist ing diffe ren ces.

In the fol low ing yea r he dese rted the pa rl iam en t, and wen t ove r to theking ’

s ga rr ison at Wa l l ingford, and is sa id to have b eha ved ve ry ga l lan tlyboth at the siege of G louceste r andat the battle ofNewb u ry ; b ut on be ing,on som e occasion afte rwa rds, re ce i vedwith c oolness by h is m aj e sty, he aga in

jo ined him se l f to the pa r l iam ent, from whom he rec e i veda pa rdon for havingfought on the side ofhis be n e fa ctor andsove re ign .

0

Dur ing the tim e o fh is m aj esty’

s im p risonm en t in the Isle ofWight, whenthe royal ists in diffe rent pa rts ofthe k ingdom hadtaken up a rm s for the pu rposeo f restor ing h im to h is fo rm er au thor ity, the ve rsati le e a r l of Ho l land aga info rsook the cause he h ad so re cently e spoused, and ra ised a sm a l l co rps inde fence of the unhappy m ona rch w hom he hadtw i ce b e fore de serte d .With a body of horse , c onsisting of ab out on e hundred m en , he m a rche d

to Kingston o n Tham es, w he re he w as jo in ed by the duke of B u ckingham ,

with his'

b rothe r t he lord Cha r les Vill ie rs, and the e a r l of Pe te rborough ,who hadC ol le cted a sm a l l body o f in fan try . Afte r the i r j unction ,

they dis

patched a m essenge r wi th a le tte r to the lord- m ayo r and’

com m on coun ci lof the c ity o f London, de cla r ing the i r in te ntion of join ing the fo rce s of

Surrey,‘

Sussex, andMiddle sex, in order to se t the king at l ibe rty, andestab l ish

the peace of the n ation .

O n re ce i ving the le tte r, the m agistra tes, ( who, hadthey been so incl ined,could have placedvery l ittle c on fidenc e in the ea r l andhis associates, ) sen t i t to

m ulateda large estate : in corroboration of this assert ion,he gives the fo llow ing an e cdote .

The king be ing one day in the gal lery at Whitehal l attendedby sir Hen ry Rich, andJam esMaxw e ll, som e porte rs happenedto pass, loadedw ith m on ey for the privy purse . The king perC eivingRich w hisperingto Maxw e ll, in sisted on know ing w hat he had said andbeinginform ed,that he e xpresseda w ish that he hadso m uch m oney, the king im m ediate ly orderedthe po

rters to carrythe w ho le sum to Rich ’s lodgings, saying that he hadm ore pleasure in giving, than the other couldpossib ly have in re ce ivm ghis boun ty.

"B ut White lo ck speaks of him

very differe n t ly, observingthat he w as a n ob le gen tlem an

, w ho w as as fu l l ofge nerosity andcourtship to all sorts ofpersons,andreadiness to he lp the oppressed, and to stand for the rights of the pe ople , as any person of hisquality in this nation.

"

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384 THE CORPORATION.

in England, andthe court, that shinedthen in the plen ty andbounty of kingJam es ; and ab ou t the t im e of the infancy of th e duke of Bucki ngham s

favors, towhom he grew in a short t im e ve ry ac ceptab le . B u t h is fr i e ndsh i p

w as m ore inti re to the e ar l of Ca r l isle , who w as m ore of I NS n a tu re and

hum ou

r,and hada ge ne rosity m ore appl icab le at that t im e to his fortun e and

his e nds. A nd i t w as thought by m any w ho stood with in v iew , that for som e

ye ars, he sup

po rted h im se lf upon the fam il ia r ity a nd fr iendship of the othe r

which continu ed m utua l ly b e twe e n them ve ry m any ye a rs, with l i ttle inte r

ruption to th e i r de ath .

He w as a ve ry handsom e m an , of a love l y and w rnn ing p rese nce , and

gentle conve rsation , by w hich he got so e asy an adm ission into th e c ourt andgrace of king Jam es that he gave o ve r the thought of fa rthe r in tending thel ife of a soldie r . He took a ll the w ays he cou ld to e nde a r himse l f to the

duke, andto his con fiden ce , andw ise ly decl ined, the r e ce iving any grace or

favor bu t as his donation : above all he a voided the suspic ion tha t the king

had any kindne ss-for him , upon any a ccoun t bu t of the duke , w hose c reatu re

he desi re d to b e e ste em ed, though the e a r l of Ca rl isle’

s friend. A nd he p rospe red so we l l in that p re ten ce , that the king sca rce m ade m ore h aste to

advance the duke , than the duke didto prom ote the othe r .He fi rst p refe rredhim se l f to a w i fe , the daughte r andhe i r of Cope , by

w hom he hada good fortune , and am ongst othe r things the m an o r and se a t

of Kensington , of which he w as sho rtly afte r m ade b a ron , andhe hadqu i ckly

so e ntire a confidence in him , that the duke '

pre va i led w ith the king, to pu t

him ab out his son the pr ince ofWa les, a nd to b e a ge n tlem a n of his b ed

cham b e r, b e fo re the duke him se l f had re ason to prom ise him se l f any proportion -

ofhis'

high'ness

’

s g race,

and prote ct ion .

He w as then m ade e a rl of Hol land, capta in of th e gua rd, kn ight of thegarte r, and p r i vy counci l ; sen t the fi rst am bassador into F ra nce to treatof the m arr iage with th e qu e en , or ra the r

’

pr i vate ly to t re at ab ou t them a r r iage , b efore he w as am b assador ; and w h en the duke w en t to the Isleof R e e , he trusted the e a r l of Ho l landw ith the com m andof tha t a rm y, w i thwhich he w as to b e re c ru ited a nd assisted.

In th is con fide n ce andth is postu re ha was left by the duke w h en he w as

killed, and having the advantage of the que e n ’

s good opin ion and favo r

( w hich the duke n e ve r had,n or ca red for ) he m ade a ll possib le advances

tow a rds the ob ta in ing his t rust, and succe eding him in his pow e r ; or ra the rthat the que en m ight have the sole pow e r , andhe on ly b e sub se rvient to herand upon this a c count, he m ade a continua l w ar upon the e ar l of Portland,the treasurer, and all othe rs who we re not grac ious to the queen, or desi red

THE CORPORATION .

not the inc rease of her au tho rity . A nd in th is state , and unde r th is prote ction , he re ce i ved e ve ry day n ew ob l igat ions from the king, and gre a tb o im ties, a nd c on tinued to flou r ish , above any m an in the cou rt, whilst the

w ea ther w as fa ir ; b u t the storm did n o soon er a rise, but he changed so

m uch and de clin edso fast, from the hono r he w as thought to b e m aste r of,tha t he fe l l into that condi tion, w hich I sha l l afte rw a rds have too m uchcause to e n la rge upon .

Spe aking of his de ath , he says, “ the conside ration of the pe tition of the

e a r l of Ho l land, took up a long deb ate in pa rl iam en t : the in te re st and the

inte rposition of the e ar l ofW a rw ick his b rothe r w as appl ied, ande ve ry presbyte rian to a m an , w as sol ic itous to p rese rve him . They u rgedhis m e r ittow a rds the par l iam en t, in the b eginn ing of the t rouble s : how m uch he hadsuffe redin the cou rt for his

'

a tfe ction for them ; his age and infirm itics, wh ichwou ld not suffe r him long to e nj oy that l ife they shou ld give him : a ndthe

conside ration of his w ife and chi ldren which w e re n um e rous. B ut the se

a rgum en ts sti rredup othe rs, to e nve igh aga inst his b acksl idings w ith the m oreb itte rness, and to unde rva lue the se rvices he had e ve r don e ; to tax his

van ities, andhis b re ach of fa ith .

Wh en the quest ion w as pu t conce rn ing -him , th ey w ho w e re for then egat ive e xce ed ed the num b e r of the othe rs by th re e or fou r votes, C rom w e l

ha v ing m ore than a n o rdina ry an im osity aga inst him , forh is b ehaviou r in the

b eginn ing of the sum m e r, and for som e wo rds of negle c t and c onte m pt, he

hadle t fa l l con ce rn ing h im se l f.

The e a rl w as b rought upon the scaffo ld b e fo re Vl’e stm instcr- h al l upon

the n in th ofMa rch 1649, bu t by his long sickn e ss w as so spe nt, tha t his

spi r its se rved. n ot to e n te rta in the pe ople w ith a long discou rse . He spoke

of his re l igion as a m a tte r un question ab le , by the education he had had, in

the re l igious fam ily ofw hich he w as a b ranch w hich was thought a strange

dis-cou rse for a dying m an , w ho though a son , kn ew e n ough of the in iqu ity

of his fa the r’

s house , w hich should rather have b e en b u r ied in silence , than

by such an unseasonable te stim ony, have b e e n revived in the m em o ry and

discou rse of m en . He took m o re care to b e thought a good fr iendto pa rl ia

m en t, than a good se rvant to his m aste r, and w as thought to have sa id too

l ittle ofhis havi ng fa iled in his duty to him , w hich m ost m en be l ieved

to b e the sou rce from whence his p re sen t calam i ty sp rung. He w as a ve ry

w e l l b red m an , and fine gentlem an in good tim e s, but too m uch desi red to

e nj oy e ase and ple nty, w h en the king cou ld have ne ithe r ; and did thinkpoverty the m ost insupportab le e v i l tha t could befa l l any m an in the wo rld .

3 n

THE CORPORATION .

He w as then so w eak th a t he cou ld n ot have l ive d long ; andwhen

his he adw as cut ofi’

ve ry l ittle b lood fol low ed

U pon the de c e ase of th is n ob lem an, the‘ corpo rat ion appea r to have bee n

a t a loss on w hom to confe r the vacan t ho no r. The n ob il ity, to w hom they

had hithe rto looked up for prote ct ion, w e re e ither dispe rsed or without

influen ce w ith the rul ing pa rty, and l itt le c on fide n ce could b e placed in

c om m on e rs, w ho, am idst the ja rr ing inte re sts w hich a t that p e riod con vulse d

the repub l ic, w e re e ve ry m om e n t in dange r of b e ing th row n from the p innac le

of pow e r to w hich th ey had aspi red. It w as on th is ac coun t, probably, tha tthe office w as suffe red to rem a in va can t t il l 1634, when th ey e le ctedco lone l

Robe rt Ham m ond, at that tim e gove rnor ofthe tow n,to b e the i r high stew a rd .

The cho ice of th is gentlem an seem s to have b e e n as m uch di ctate d by

p ruden ce as that of any of the ir fo rm e r high stew a rds, he b e ing the c re atureand con fide n t of C rom w el , as w e l l as gove rn or of the tow n , and in couse

quence w as m ore capab le than any othe r of affording them tha t p rote ctionthey hada lw ays sought by the nom in ation .

Colon e l Ham m ondhadbee n appo inted gove rnor of the Isle ofWight,by

th e pa rl iam e nt, in 1647 ; w hich situa tion he h e lda t the t im e Cha r les effe ctedhisescape from Ham pton - cou rt, w i th an intent to le ave the kingdom ; for this purpose his m aje sty di re ctedhis route th rough Ham psh ire to the sea coast

, but

b e ingdisappo in tedof the ve sse l w hich w as to have c onveyedhim to Je rsey, hew as pre va il edu pon by h is a ttendan ts to pass ove r to the Isle of “ ’ight

. B ut

Cha rle s b e ing j ustly app rehe nsi ve of the t reatm en t he m igh t re ce i ve from thegove rnor, w hom he kn ew to b e w hol ly in the in te rest of his en em ies, sen tAshb u rnham fo rw a rdto e xact from him a prom ise tha t ifhe cou ldn ot p rote c the w ou ld not de ta in his m aj esty. Ham m ond exp ressed his in cl ina tion to

se rve the king, b ut added a t the sam e t im e, that he w as unde r the necessity

of ob eying his supe r io rs.

Wh e n he unde rstoodw h e re the king w as, he accom pan iedthem to Titchfi e ld, w ith a gua rdof soldie rs, andsta id in an apa rtm en t be low , w

hilst A shb urnham w en t up to his m aj esty ’

s cham be r . Cha rles no soon e r he a rd thatc olon e l Ham m ondw as in the house , than he e xcla im ed Oh Jack thou hastu ndon e m e andAshb u rnham im m ediate ly, see ing his e r ro r, bu rst into tea rs,andw ou ld have gon e dow n and dispatched the colone l, had n ot his m aj e sty

pre ve ntedhim— on so sm a l l a th read does the l ives of those hang who be com e

agents in c i vi l dissent ions.

Ham m ondconducted the king'

to the Isle ofWr ight

, and confined him in

Sm olle t’

sHistory ofEngland.

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THE CORPORATION.

his favor, andw as, not long afte r , sen t in to hono rab le banishm ent unde r the

pre text of an em b assy to Sw eden .

“’hite lock w as a m em be r of the lon g pa r l iam ent, but i t doe s not appea r

tha t he took any par t in the k ing’

s death . He w as a fte rwa rds nom inated

by thehouse on e of the c ounc i l ofstate , consisting offorty m e m be rs, appo inted

for the governm ent of the new com m on -w e a lth . He w as a lso a c om m ission e r

of the treasu ry, a nd a fte rw a rds ke e pe r of the gre a t sea l . Afte r the resto

rat ion ,he re ti redto his se at n e a r He n ley , w he re he resided til l his de a th .

On the fifth ofFe b rua ry 1674, the office ofhigh stew a rd for this b orough

w as con fe rredon the e a r l of Cla re ndon , son of the chance l lo r , w hose fathe r

had don e and suffe red so m u ch for his ung rate fu l m aste r Cha r le s I I . w ho

pe rm itted him a t last to die an e xile in F ran ce . He w as b rothe r- in - law to

Jam es II . and unc le to the que ens hI ary andA nn . He w as appo inted lo rdl ie u te n an t of I re land by Jam e s I I . b ut b e ing a p rote stant, and she w ing an

unw il lingness to prom ote the king’

sdesigns aga inst the chu rch, he w as soon

a fte r supe rseded by the e a r l of Tyrcon ne l, a r igid papist.At the r evo lu tion in 1688, he jo ined the frie nds of the fo rm e r gove rn

m en t, and re fused to take the oaths to king lVilliam . In 1 690, he e n te re dinto

(

the c onspi racy for the restora tion of the abdi ca ted m ona rch to the

th ron e , bu t the plot be ing discove red, he w as com m i tted p r isone r to the

Tow e r, w he re he rem a in ed se ve ra l m on ths, b ut w as a fte rw a rds, th rough them ediat io n of que en Ma ry , pe rm i tted to reside in his ow n house, w he re hedied in

He w as succe ededin the office of high stew a rdof Re ading, by the e a r lof Cadogan in This n ob l e m an w as a gen e ra l of the king ’

s forces ;c o lone l of the fi rst regim en t of foot gua rds ; gove rno r of the Isle of Wightm aste r of the rob e s, and a m em b e r of the p rivy coun c i l . His tit les w e rein 17 16, fi rst; b a ron of R e ading, a fte rw a rds, b a ron Cadogan of Oakley,v iscount Cave rsham , a nd e a r l of C adogan . He died J une 3d, 1726 ; fromw hich pe riod the office of high stewa rd for Re ading w as sufi

'

e red to lie

do rm ant til l the ye a r 1 798, w hen i t w as confe rred on the p re se n t h ighstewa rd, the r ight honorab le lord v iscount S idm outh , soon a fte r m ade on e

The last of th is fam ily in the fem ale lin e,w as M r. John Hyde Badger, a ge n t lem an farm er at

Shinfie ld, in this ne ighborhood, w e l l know n for his know ledge in the m athem atics. The fam i ly housein w hich he residedw as m oatedroundin the an cie n t style , andthe hall w as hung w ith e ve ry spe c ies

of offe nsive anddefensive arm or, the rem ains of the c ivil w ar in the seven tee n th cen tury.

Be ing a

descendan t of the great lordClarendon , he possessedm any re lics of the fam ily, am ong w h ich w e re a

c urious pair ofgloves w orn by the chance llor w hen he we n t to court,and se veral artic les that on ce

be longedto quee n A nn . Thisgen tlem an diedin 1 790 , andw as buriedin the fam ily vault at Shinfield.

THE CORPORATION.

of‘

his m aj esty’

s’ '

p r in cipa l se c re ta r ies of state , and a m em be r of the p r i vycounci l . Pre vious to his e le ct ion , he w as prese nted by the corporat ion withthe fre edom of the borough in an e legan t go ld b ox.

STEWARD o n RECORDER .

The stew a rd, or as he is n ow sti led the re co rde r, d iffe rs from the h ighstew a rd, in b e ing e xp re ssly appo intedin the cha rte r, and the cho ice confinedto his be ing a disc re e t m an, le a rnedin the law , andfit, w hich is not ne cessa ry in the high stewa rd; they are a lso rem ovab le at the ple asu re of a m aj ori tyof the corpo ra tion , which the othe rs are n ot ; at le ast no instan ce of the kindappea rs with r espe ct . to the h igh stew

‘

vards, while , in addition to tha t of sir

Edw ard C le rke a l re ady m e nt ioned, m ay b e adde d tha t of Dan ie l B lagrave ,e sq . who w as a lso dism issedfrom h is office of re corde r, by the co rpo ration .

In the sixth ofEl izab e th , the c orpo ration drew up the fo l low ing schedu leof the duties to b e pe rfo rm ed by the stewa rd, which they caused to b e en te redin the i r jou rna ls

I m prim is, Tha t he , or his suffi c ien t depu ty, shall b e p resent at e ve rycou rt, to se e justice indiffe rently adm in iste redto a ll pa rtie s.

I tem ,Tha t he m ake ou t, in the m ayo r’

s nam e , all pre cepts, warrants,a ttachm en ts, distr ingas, and le vies acco rding to the o rde r of the law .

I tem ,Tha t he , as in him sha l l lie , sha l l fo rese e , tha t the sa id m ayor in

all th ings b e sa vedha rm le ss, as we l l conce rn ing the e xe cu tion of the c ou rt, as

the exe cution of the c le rk of the m a rke t, anda lso as j ust ice of the peace , sothat the sa idm ayo r w i l l b e advisedby him .

I tem ,Tha t h e in all c auses, con ce rn ing the com m ona l t‘y of the ha l l , as

retu rn ofw r its for the pa rl iam e nt, suppl i cations and le tte rs, be ge n e ra l so l ic itor, andin a ll causes c on ce rn ing the m ayo r and b u rge sses and com m ona ltyof the ba ll, as we l l w ith in the town as w ithout, so tha t a lways i f he be about

any such b usin e ss fo rth of the town his costs a ndch a rge s a lways to b e b orne ,tha t is to say,for e ve ry day, tw o shi l l ings a nde igh t p e nce .

I tem ,tha t he sha l l we l l registe r a ll proc e sse s of cou rt, inqu isitions take n

b efo re the c le rk of the m a rke t, a nd all o the r th ings re qu isite to the sa id

m ayo r, in any office w hich to him doth appe rta in ; and tha t he shal l m ake

out e xt ra cts the re of acco rdingly .

I tem ,Tha t he sha l l ke epthe audi t b e longing to the sa i d ha ll, and the

sam e sh a l l registe r andengross from ye ar to ye a r .I tem , He sha l l m ake proc lam ationsdi re ctedto the sa id m ayor.

I tem , He sha l l e n te r and registe r a ll ac ts and e le ctions of m ayors, and

all othe r office rs from tim e to tim e year ly .

THE CORPORATION.

The salary of this office r w as o r igina l ly forty shil l ingsper annum , but in

1624 i t w as ra isedto six pounds in addition to which he w as en titled to the

fo l lowing fe es

He shal l take of e ve ry inhabitan t w ithin the b orough, for entry of his

pla in t o ne penny.

I tem , For e ve ry strange r for the sam e tw o pence .

I tem , For putt ing in of any d e cl a ration whe re the a ction is unde r fortypence , and for the answ e r of the sam e , he sha l l take n oth ing .

I tem , For putting in of any de c la ration wh e re the a ction is forty penCe

and above, i f he b e a tow nsm an on e penny, i f a strange r tw o pen ce . A ndfor

a n answe r of a townsm a n one p e nny, of a st rangertw o pen ce .

“9

I tem , For m aking e ve ry levy fou r pen ce .

I tem , For m aking e ve ry distress of a town dwe l ler one penny, of a

strange r tw o p ence .

I tem , For m aking e ve ry wa rrant of the p e ace fou r pence .

I tem , For e ve ry re cogn i zance tw enty pence .

I tem , Of e ve ry burge ss at his first ent ry, for registering his nam e, four

p ence .

“

Most of these fun ctions are n ow pe rfo rm e d by the tow n c le rk , who is

ne ce ssar i ly a law office r . He atte nds the co rporation in all the i r sittings, and

advises the m ayo r in all c ases of im po rtanc e tha t com e b e fo re him as a m agist rate . The re corde r ’s dutie s are n ow p r inc ipa l ly confin edto a tte nding on the

chie f m agistrate at the‘

quarte r sessions for the bo rough , wh e re he presides asj udge, and is on a ll oc casions conside red as standing counse l for the corporation . A t his en tranc e into office he w as re qu i red to take the fo l lowing oath

I sha l l du ly and justly do and e xe cute ‘

the oth ee -

of the stewa rdshipof the b orough of Re adin g, and the l ibe rties of the sam e ; and I shall:we l landfa i th fu l ly e xe cu te a nddo, a ll th ings con ce rn ing the cou rt ho lden b e forethe m ayo r andhead b u rge sses, th a t b e longe th to m y office , dur ing the . tim e

that I sha l l continue ste w a rd the re . A nd to all matte rs th at m ay b e for the

com m on -w e alth andp rofit of the sa id b o rough andgu i ld , I shall t ru ly a iding,h e l ping and assisting b e , to the u tm ost of m y pow e r, a cco rding to my kn ow .

l edge and c unn ing . The sec re t c oun se l and com m on

,

c ounse l of the said

gu ildandfe l low ship of the sam e I sha l l ke ep close and se c re t, n or it to any

p e rson publ ish , sh ew , or de c la re , e xcept it b e to the he ad b u rgesses of thesa idborough , all the se things sha l l I do, so G odhe l p m e , andby this book .

“

Corporation Diary. Ibid.

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THE CORPORATION.

B y the rul ing charte r the co rpo rat ion are e m powe re d to appoint four

other law office rs ca l led a ttornies of the cou rt, “ to prose cute andde fenda ll

action s com m e nced and com pla in ts le v ied in the sa id cou rt of re cord, but

this exclusive r ight 15 now done aw ay by the e xisting law s respe cting attor

nie s—the cou rts b e ing n ow fre e to all indisc rim in ate ly Insign ifican t as th is

p r ivilege m ust have b e e n a t a ll tim es, i t wa s thought of so m uch consequen ce

in the re ign of Cha rles I . tha t i n 1642 , w h en the king’

5 t roops w e re in pos

session of the tow n , he sen t by sir A rthu r Aston the go ve rn o r a pre re m ptory

m essage to the m ayo r and b u rgesses to discha rge Hen ry B radley from be ing

an atto rney in th e ir cou rt, andto e le ct F rancis Sykes l n his room , wh ich w as

don e a ccordingly .

The in fe r io r office rs appointed by the co rporation are the c r ie r of the

c ourt, who 1 3 ge nera l ly one of the se rge an ts, th re e se rge an ts at m ace , the town

c r ie r, w ho a lso co lle c ts the tol ls on m a rke t andfa i r days, e xcept that of co rn,w hich is usual ly fa rm ed to the best b idde r ; a ke epe r of the town b r idew ell,a nda gam e - kepe r .They have a com m on se al on w h ich the tow n a rm s are e ngraved, insc r ibe d

round the ve rge + s. C OM M UN ITATI S R a m xe rs, b ut of no pa rti cula r in te rest

e xcept for its anti qu ity.t

The m ace is si l ve r gilt, em b ossed w ith the king’

5 a rm s surm oun ted w i th

a c rown . Afte r the e xe cution of Ch a rl es I .[

the old m ace w as o rde redto b eso ld, and a new on e m ade w ith the a rm s of the com m on - w e a l th ; this w as

aga in disposedof at the re storation , and the p rese nt one subst ituted in itsplace . I t is a lw ays ca rr iedb efore the m ayo r on pub lic o ccasions andw hi le

the cou rt is si tting at the quarte r sessions, i t is placed on a tab le be fo re the

p residing‘

m agistrate , on a velve t cush ion .

F rom the a bove view of the r ise , progress, andpowe r of the co rpo rat ion,i t appea rs to have b e e n foundedon the str ic test p r inciples of the constitutionof the c oun try, and cal cu lated to secu re the r ights and p r ivileges of the

inhab itan ts from vio lence .

In n o pa rt of the country is j ustice m ore fa irly and im pa rtial ly adm i

nistered, o r the pol ice conducted w ith less expense to the com m un ity,as e xcept

M ay 2 2 . The lady M ainw aringse aledm e a lease of the park at B radfield, w ort h per arm

2 9th. The ladyM ainw aringse aledm e a le ase ofthe fie ldm ead,w orth fiftypoundsper annum .

Novem ber the sixth, havingseveral tim es before m ade appl ic ation to the lady M ainw aring in'

w ay of m arriage , this day, e leven li ar seven m inu tes a nte merid she prom isedm e no t to m arry anym an , un less m yse lf.”

Novem ber the sixteen th, e ight hor : an te m erid I m arriedthe ladyMainw aring.Corporation

.

Diary.

THE CORPORATION.

the appointm ent of the n ight watch, which is pa id by the volun ta ry sub'

sc r i ption of the inhabitants in each par ish, the whole is de frayed by thecorporation .

A ll that is re qu ired from the inhabitants, is to se rve on pa r ish offices,and jur ies at the town sessions, as we l l as the m a rke t and coron e r’s j uri es,for w hich, as the town is a county within i tse l f, they are exem pt from se rving on ju ries e ithe r at the assi zes or county cou rts, w hich are frequen tlyattende d with gre at in conve n ien ce and e xpe nse to the pa rties, who m ay b e

cal led to a distant par t of the county to a ttend them . They a re l ikewise

exem pt from paying the coun ty rates, w hich are at a ll tim es ve ry con

siderable .

Charita b le D ona tions.

CHAPTER XX .

03 7 71056 markedwith an astcrisli are not in the returns m ade toparliament the threeparishes.

FEW coun try towns in the un ited kingdom c an, w e be l ie ve , b oast ofgreate ror m ore bene fi cia l cha r ities than the bo rough ofRe ading, wh e the r w e conside rthem in the aggregate , or in the i r sepa rate application . I n e ve ry instancethe donors have conside red e ithe r the p re se n t advantage , or future b enefitof a lm ost e ve ry class of its inhab itan ts : schools and e xh ib it ions ha ve bee n

p rovided for the j un ior classes, loa ns w ithout inte rest, wo rkshops ren t fre e forthe industr ious, and a lm s- houses for the aged and in fi rm .

The greate r pa rt of the cha r ities b eque athed a t diffe ren t pe r iods sti l l

rem a in , andare appl ied according to the in ten tions of the respecti ve dono rsb ut som e have b e en lost in the c onfusion of the c i v il wa rs, andthe change sin the gove rnm ent sub sequen t to the re fo rm ation ; and som e , i f w e b e l ieve

Mr . alde rm an Watts, in a wo rk which he pub l ished ca l led The Black Sceneopen ed, have b een dive rted from the i r o r igin a l application , for the pu rposeof e nr i ching som e of the m e m b e rs of the then e xisting corporation ; but th isgentlem an

’

s statem ent ought n ot to b e im pl i c itly re l ied on . The cha rgesof pe culation which he has b rought aga inst his b re th ren in the corporationcou ldn ot a ltoge the r have a r isen from a con v iction of the i r tru th, b e cause hem ust have known , that m any of them we re without foundation , a ndothe rs,a ccording to his ow n accoun t, took th e i r r ise as far b ack as 1643, for whichhis b re th ren cou ldnot b e answ e rab le . When he n oti ces the deficiences thathave from tim e to tim e a r isen in the diffe rent cha r i tab le funds, he ought infa i rne ss to have sta ted, that in the re ign of Cha r les I. while that m ona rchkept a ga rr ison he re , the corpo ration, to re l ie ve the distresses of the inhabitants, m ortgaged the gre ate r part of the i r e states, am oun ting to upwa rdsofth ree thousand pounds, wh ich cou ld on ly have be en rede em e d afte r a lengthof tim e by the su rplus re venue a r ising from the diffe rent cha r it ies. M r .Wa ttsought ce rta in ly to hav e m ade him se lf b e tte r acqua inted with the facts be forehe b rought his charges aga inst the corporation , whose greatest de l inquency

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CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

These alm s-houses are in the Butts. Those for the m e n we re re-bu ilt

in 1 775, andthose . for the wom e n in 1 790 . The latte r are in c rease d to fou r,

andthey a ll re ce ive twenty p e n ce per week .

S ir I hom as \Vhyte , lord . m ayo r of London , anda na ti ve of th is

pu rchased G lou ceste r Hal l in Oxford, for schola rs and'

students to re ce i ve

there the bene fit of le arn ing , b ut his p r ivate thoughts ve ry often so l ic iting

him that he shou ld ( in tim e ) m ee t w i th a place w he re tw o e lm s grew, and

that the re his furth e r pu rpose shou ldtake e ffe ct . At length he foundout the

place w he re ( at his own costs and e xpense) he .founded the fam ous college

cal led . St. John the baptist ’s col lege , a nd whe re'

these tw 0 '

elm s ( as I have

lea rned) are ye t standing.Though this gentlem an w as

.not the founde r of the fre e -school , as som e

have supposed, he w as a grea t be ne fa ctor to i t; by en dowing i t with tw o

exhib itions to th is co l lege bu t as w e have a l re ady given an accoun t of the se

in an othe r pa rt, ’ w e sha l l n ow on ly m en tion a fu rthe r instan ce of, his m un i

ficence , as re lated by Stowe , as extraordinary for the m agn i tude of the cha r ity

as unp recede n tedin the m e thodb e adoptedto exten .d. its bene fi t to e ve ry place

w ith w hich he hadb een any ways conne ctedThe n according to his will, which rem aine th ye t to b e se en , out of th is

boun tifu l gift to B r isto l , these m em o rab le b ranches andb ene vo len ce s we re byh im se l f de v ised, and thus orde red, b eginn ingjn the ye a r 1 577 , andso thence

fo rwa rd they w e n t on ,a c cording to his ow n dire ction . Then on the fe ast

of St . Ba rtholom ew, w as b rough t to M e rchant~ taylors~ hal l on e hundred and

fou r pounds, the hundred pounds to b e len t forte n ye a rs space to fou r pooryoung m en in the city ofYo rk, fre em e n and inhab i tants, be ing c lothie rs, andthe fou r pounds ove rplus, to b e em ployed abou t the ch a rges andpa ins, that n om an u se d in the business m ight re ce ive discon tentm entnl

'

. Then in 1578 the

f Fuller, .in the 30 mpage ofhis secondalphab et of hisWorthies of England, printedat London1 662, fo lio ,~ -

m akes him to be born at Rixm answ orth,or Rixm eresworth, in Hertfordshire , and is

fol low edin this error by sir Henry Chan n ey, in his H istory andAn tiquitiesof that Coun ty, pag. 481 .

B ut, contrary to these tw o, M r. G rifiin Higgs, at first fel low of S t. John ’s co llege, andafterw ards

fe l low ofMerton college , in Oxford, who w rote sir Thom as White ’s Life (w ho died the 1 1 th of

February 1 566) has fixedthe place of his nativity at Reading. Ashmole.

Fu l ler probab lyfo llow edS tow e in his Survey of London , w here in he says, SirThom asWhite ,m erchan t - taylor, sonne to Thom ayWhite , of Rickm answorth, in Hartfordshire .” He w as sheriffof London in 1 547, andlordm ayor 1 553.

'l' The 41. surplusw asform erly e mployedto defray the expenses of the m ayor in going to Londonto receive the legacy, but as the m oney is n ow paidw ithout being attendedw ith any e xpense , them ayor, it is said, ought n ot, to appropriate it to his own use

, particu larly as the persons to w hom the

twen ty-five pounds e ach are le n t, now pay the expenses of the ir bonds, con trary to the w il l of the

donor, who expressly says, the m on ey sha ll be len t w ithout deductions.S towe 's Survey of London .

9 Fo lio 1 85.

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CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

will be in 1822 andthe on e hund redpounds p r in cipal m oney, acco rding to the

ab ove rotation of tw en ty- fou r ye a rs, supposing n one of i t to have b een lost or

m isappl ied, would re tu rn to the corporate body, to b e re - lent to industr ious

tradesm en , at the foll ow ing pe r iods. viz .

Ofthe l st hundred pounds in 1819 Ofthe 6th hundred pounds in 1822

2d 1823 7th 1816

3d 1817 8th 1 820

4th 1824 9 th 1824

5th 1818 l 0th 1818

In the coun ci l cham b e r is the portra it of sir Thom asWhyte , in his a lde rm an

’

s gown andgold cha in, w i th the fol low ing insc r iption

Thom as t ite, m iles, a lderm anus c ivita tz‘

s London .

n a tus apud B eddinge in com ita tu B erks. Funda tor

C ollcgz‘

i S an cti Johann is B aptisti et A ulre G loucestriaz

Or an . C um 24 civita l es et villas hujus regn i A nglic

suz’

s ditasset operibus, obiit anno D om ini 1566.

E ta tis saw 72 .

A uxilium m eum a D om ino.

U nde rneath ,

A worthy ben e fa ctor, who gave to this town of Reading

andto othe r c ities andtow ns, e ve ry 24 ye a rs, a? 104 . and

m ore to this town he gave tw o fe l lowships in St . John

Baptist’s Co l lege , O xon , for e ve r .

M r. Robe rt Boye r, tanne r ofReading, by wil l date d Jun e 24th 1 576,gave to the m ayo r andbu rgesses, in trust for the use ofthe poor, all his lands,ten em ents andhe reditam en ts in the par ish ofB urghfield; the p roce eds ofw hichare n ot now known , or how applied.

Mr . August in e Knapp of R otherfield Peppa rd, Oxon , ye om an, by w i l ldatedNovem b e r 26, 1602, gave to the m ayo r andbu rgesse s, in t rust, the sum

of twenty pounds, to buy a stock for the em ploym en t of the poo r for e ve r inwork . He also gave twenty shill ings yea rly, out oflands at Rotherfie ldGrays,to the chu rch-wa rdens of the pa r ish of St. G i les, to b e b estow ed by them on

the cloathing of poo r, lam e , bl ind, or im poten t pe ople , w ith in the sa idpar ish,on the eve of the feast of All Sa in ts, for e ve r .

Will iam Pa lm e r, of Southstoke , Oxon , esq . gave by will an annua lrent of forty shill ingsfor the use of the poor. Vested in the corporation .

CHAR ITABLE DONATIONS.

M r. John Noyse of Shinfield, Be rks, by will date d the 24 th ofJune1605, gave to the corporation a ren t cha rge of tw enty shil lings a ye ar ou tof the rent of a m eadow ca l led Lovaa ’

s- m ead, a lias Lott'

an’

s- m ead, for w hatpu rpose is not m ention ed .

M r . Thom as Lydall, by will, datedMarch the 6th 1606, gave to thechurch-wa rdens of St . Lawrence ’

s pa r ish , ten shill ings annua l ly, out of a tenem ent in F r ia r-stree t, towa rds repa ir ing the chu rch - seats, andb e l ls ; and a lsoten shi ll ings annua l ly to the p re ache r, out of the sam e tenem en t ; andfor the

paym en t the re o f, he vested in the corpo ration s all his othe r ten em en ts in thesam e stre e t, and the su rplus of the p rofits to be b e stow ed u pon the '

re lief of

such poo r people , and fa the r less child ren , a s from tim e to tim e sha l l b ere l ie ved and kept in the hospita l .*

M r . Thom as Dean e , clothie r of Re ading, by w i l l, dated June the 25th1606, gave a ren t cha rge of thre e pounds, o n an estate , now b e longing to ther ight hon . lord B raybrooke , at Ruscom b e Be rks, to b e bestowe d on the poo rof Reading, in b re ad, for e ve r ; that is to say, upon St. Thom as

’

s day, tw en ty.

doze n, on Good - F r iday tw e n ty dozen, and upon Ascension - eve twenty dozen .

Vestedin the chu rch - wa rde ns of St . G i le s.M r. John Ba ll, of Shinfie ld, Be rks, yeom an , by wil l dated Septe m b e r 26,

1608, gave to the poo r of this town twen ty pounds, to pu rchase stock for.

the i r em ploym en t. Vestedin the corporation .

M r. Joseph Ca rte r, of Reading, b e ll- founde r, gave by wil l to thecorporation , twe nty shil l ings a yea r, for the -

use ofthe po o r, ando rphans in thehospital, payable out of two ten em ents, ove r aga inst St . Edm undChape l, in ‘

Reading .

Mr . Edwa rdKem ys, of London, m e rchant, by w i ll da tedM ay the 15th,

1609 , ga ve to the m ayo r and bu rge sse s fifty pounds, to pu rchase an annu i ty to

b e distr ibu tedam ong tw en ty - fou r poor pe ople , at th re e shi ll ings andfou r pence

ea ch per annum . This sum of fi fty pounds w as la id . out on the pu rchase of

land, which produ ces fou r pounds per annum .

M r . Thom as Dean e , by indentu re dated the 25th ofMa rch 1610, gave

one hundred and sixty pounds, to b e la idout in the pu rchase of land, for the

support of tw o poor m en , not less than fifty- five ye a rs of age ; andof th re e

fathe r le ss child ren , unde r the age of ten , andto rem ain til l they w e re sixte en .

The m en andb oys we re to b e kept and placed in the hospita l (now the tow n

br idewe l l) ca l led the Grey F r iars, and w he n a va cancy happe n ed, i t w as to

b e fil led up by the corporat ion, in whom the gift w as vested, within the spac e

N ow the town bridew e ll.

1606

CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

of ten days. The m en to have fifty- tw o shil lings per annum each, and the

rem ainde r to b e for the m a in tenance of the ch ildren . The lands purchased

p roduce the annual sum of ten pounds e ight sh il l ings.

M r.

Jam es Pocock, by will da ted Septem be r 25, 1610, gave to the m ayor

and burgesses tw enty- five pounds, for the pu rchase of lan d the ren t and

p rofits w he reof we re to b e e xpended in the pu rchase of e ight shi rts ande igh t

shifts, of tw o shi ll ings va lue e ach ; of w hich , five sh i rts a ndfive shifts we re

to b e distr ibuted to te n poor people of Reading, ofthe best cha racte rs, on the

se cond Sunday in De cem b e r, yea r ly,’

andthe rem a in ing th re e sh i rts andth re e

shifts we re to b e given to the poor of F r i lsham , Be rks, the first ye a r, andto

the poo r ofYattende n the se cond yea r, andso on in te rchange ab ly in futu re .

The m ayor or his assigne es to have six-pence , and the chu rch -wa rdens of

F r i lsham or Yatten don four pen ce e ach, to se e the sam e p rope rly e xe cu ted .

With th is sum of twen ty- five poun ds, anda pa rt ofM r . Deane ’

s m oney, som e

houses we re pu rchased in Sieviers’

- stre e t ; b u t th ese soon a fte r be ing bu rntdown a t the siege of Re ading, the num be r of sh irts and sh ifts w as reducedto six.

Mr . Richa rd Turn e r, of Reading, c loth ie r, by wil l da te d O ctober2oth, 1610, gave ten pounds

'

to the co rpo rat ion , a te n em en t in the Old-wa rd,andfive pounds to fu rn ish the hospita l for the ben e fi t of the poo r .M r . Nicholas Russe l , of Shinfield, Be rks, by his w i ll dated Februa ry 25,

161 1 , gave a ye arly annu i ty of th i rtee n shi ll ings and fou r pen ce , ou t ofa housein Minste r - stre e t, anda ga rden plot in Hosie rs

’- lan e , to b e pa idon St. Thom as

’

s

day, for e ve r, to the chu rch -wa rdens of St. Ma ry ’

s, to b e by them im m e

diately bestowedon the poo r of that pa r ish .John B lagrave , e sq . by w i l l date d 30th ofJune, 161 1 , gave a ren t cha rge

to the corpo rat ion , in t rust, to pay annua l ly on e shill ing e ach to twen ty poo r

people of St. Mary ’

s pa rish , twenty ofSt . Law rence ’

s, andsix ofSt. Giles’

s.

He l ikewise gave fifty shil l ings ye a r ly, to be div ided am ong tw en ty poo rhouseke epe rs, and forty shi l l ings a yea r am ong twenty poor widow s of the

par ish of St . Mary.

He m oreove r gave in trust to the corporat ion a rent cha rge of ten pounds

yearly, \

for eve r, on a n estate a t Sw allowfield, to b e pa id on Good Fr iday ; out

ofwhich they are to pay to the v ica r of St. Lawren ce’

s par ish, ten shi l l ingsfor a se rm on on that day ; six pounds thi rte e n and fou rpence to one poorm a i d se rvan t, out of e i the r of the thre e pa r ishes, to b e de cided

~

by the castof dice ; twenty shill ings to b e distr ibuted, a fte r the se rm on, am ong si xtyof the poorest househo lde rs of St . Ma ry’s pa r ish, who are to accom pany the

poor m aid, who bath the twenty nob les that day to her house andthe ringers

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CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

ion ers, by subsc r i ption , added twenty pounds m ore , for the sam e pu rpose ; b ut

in the ye a r one Edwa rd B urren, a m a l tste r, andsen ior church -wa rde n ,

dying inso l vent, the w ho le of this~ fu nd, which hadbee n en trusted to his m an

agem e n t,for the b ene fi t of the poor, w as lost .

He also gave tw enty pounds, to b e l en t fre e of in te re st, to appren tice poo rchildren b o rn in Reading and n o on e to hav e m ore than five pounds to hol d

duringh is app re n ticeship .

Mo reove r he gave fou r pounds towards the m aking of a fair pum p, or

condu it, in the Ma rket - pla ce , and five pounds m o re towards e n larging the

gui ld- h a l l ove r the school .’

M r.G eorge Lan e , ofRe ading, woo l len drape r , gave by w i l l, in t rust

to the corpo ration , for the b e n efi t of the poo r, for e ve r , a c e rta in m essuage , in

“ ’hitchurch , Oxon : the re n t of the p rem ises is n ot e xp ressed; and, as no

return is m ade of i t to pa r l iam en t, th is gift has p rob ably b e en . lost .M r

.Ba rna rd Ha rr ison , of Re ading, b rew e r , by wi ll dated Septem b e r 2,

1617, gave fou r ten em ents, in the pa rish ofSt . G i les, b u i l t on land be longing

to the corporation , for the use of the poor and im poten t pe rsons, a lso a

ten em en t on the sou th side of C astle - stre e t, and the re ve rsion of a plot of

ground at Henw i ck, for the b en efit of the sa idpoor, for e ve r ; out ofwhich

the m ayor is to re ce i ve five shill ings annual ly for his pa ins, on condition, tha t

the corporat ion does not raise the rents of the sa idte ne m e n ts for e ve r ; andno

m an to b e put in who. has a w ife unde r fifty yea rs of age .

He l ikew ise gave them a ren t cha rge of fou r shi ll ings, per annum , for

the sam e pu rpose .

These a lm s- houses are situated in Southam pton- stree t, and have b eenlate ly re - bu i lt. They are e ight in n um b e r, and are n ow whol ly app ropr iate dto wom e n, w ho have six shi llings andth ree pence qua rte rly .

M rs. W im b leton gave a lso sixty pounds to the sam e ch ar ity, wh ich produces th re e pounds, per annum , in the 3 per cent. consols.

M r . Shi r ley le ft forty shil l ings, per annum , to be div ided on M ay-dayam ong the sam e a lm s-pe ople . These thre e cha r i tiesare veste d in the corporation .

F rom the su rpl us a r ising from the se sum s, tw o hundre d and twe l vepounds se vente en shil l ings and th ree pence has be en purchased in the SouthSea annu it ies, produc ing six pounds seven shill ings andth re e pen ce per annum .

M r. An thony Thorne a lias Legg, ofMortim e r, byw i l l datedJuly 8, 1619gave fifty pounds to the corporation, in t rust, for the re l ie f of e ight poorpeople , of th is town andM rs.Mary W orsely gave forty pounds m ore for thebenefit of sixty poor widowsof the sam e place. These sum s have been placed

CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

in the public funds, in the nam e of the corporation, and p roduce ten pounds

per'

annum .

M r . Pe te r Wyboe , ofLondon, m e rchant, gave by wil l twen ty poundsto the poo r ofth is town , to b e disposedofa t the disc retion ofthe corporation .

ale

Mr . Gab r ie l Barbe r, gen tlem an , agen t for the coun c il andcom pany

ofVi rgin ia, gave to the corporation fo rty pounds, to b e len t to six poort rade sm en ,

at the rate of six pounds thi rteen sh il lings andfou r pen ce e a ch, forfive yea rs, gra tis, andso on from t im e to tim e for e ve r, on condition thatthey do n ot ke ep an inn or ta ve rn , or reside ou t of the b orough .

This gift, in the dia ry, is c a l led the lotte ry m oney.

”One having been

draw n this ye ar for the b ene fit of the n ew settle rs in Vi rgin ia, andm ight b egiven by the ir agent for the pr ivi lege ofdisposing of the ticke ts within the

b oroughxfM r . Robe rt Ree ves, cloth ie r, gave twe l ve penny loaves, to b e distr ibuted

e ve ry Sunday am ong the poor of St . Ma ry ’

s pa r ish, by the churchkvarde ns,

whom he invested for the pu rpose w ith tenem ents on the south side of Castle

stree t, late in the te nu re ofM r . Fran c is Lockey andM r .Will iam C ockell.

M r . John Mills, by will, gave six pounds, per annum , to b e paidto six

householde rs of St. Ma ry ’

s pa r ish who do n ot re ce i ve a lm s of the parish, . ou t

of houses in Castle - stre e t, ve sted in the chu rch -wa rden s.M rs. Elizab e th Elwe s, of London , by will da te d Ma rch 4 , 162 1 , gave to

th e chu rch—wa rde n s of the par ish of St. Law ren ce , the sum of one hundredpounds, in t rust, to pu rchase lands ; the produce whe re of to be distr ib u ted

annua l ly towa rds the re l ie f of the poor of the par ish for e ve r . This, w i th

othe r legacies, w as la idout in the pu rchase of te n em en ts in Re ading .

M r . RichardI ronside , c itize n ofLondon , le athe r seller, by‘

w i l l dated

in Ap r i l, 1 621 , gave to the c orporation ,in trust, twenty pou nds, to pu rchase

lands, the p roduce whe reof to b e distr ibutedannua l ly am ong the poo r for e ve r .

Probab ly this tw enty poundsw as addedto the forego ing, for the purchase of annu ities, o therA

w ise w e can no t con ce ive, how they shouldhave producedten pounds i n te rest.

'l' In the year 1 61 2 , kingJam es, in especial favor for the present plan tation of Engl ish co lon iesin V irgin ia, granted a lo ttery to be draw n at the w est end of S t . Pau l ’s, w he reof on e Thom as

Sharplys, a taylor, of London , hadthe chiefprize , w hich w as four thousandcrow n s in fair plate .

B aker’s Chronicles.

Perhaps M r. Barb er hadbeen an other of the fortunate ho lde rs of a ticke t, w hich occasionedthis

to be Called lotte ry m on ey.

When this lottery w as ce nsured in parliam en t, it w as saidto have supplied the food that

nourishedVirgin ia.”—M on thly Review .

1620

CHARITABLE DONATIONS .

He a lso gave one hundred pounds, to b e lent gratis, for fou r years, am ongfour tradesm en , w ho we re to findsecu r ity for the re - paym e n t of the p r incipa l

at the expi ration of the sa id te rm ; afte r which it w as to b e len t to fou r

othe rs, andso on , e ve ry fou r yea rs, for eve r .

(t) The rev.

Will iam Swadde n , D . D . anda rchdeac on ofWo rceste r, gave

bywil l fou r pounds, out of seve ra l estate s, to b e distr ib uted am ong the poo r

ofRe ading, at the discre tion of the corpo ration .

M r. John Newm an ,gave four - pen ce e a ch , to e ighty poo r pe ople of the

par ish ofSt. Law ren ce , to b e pa idthem e very M id—len t Sunday, by the churchw a rdens and ove rsee rs, in w hom he vestedprope rty for the pu rpose .

M r . RichardAldwo rth , by w i l l dated the 14th ofApr i l 1623, added th re e

pounds to the gift of his fathe r- in - law , M r . Thom as De ane , (1606) to b e dis

t r ibutedin the sam e m ann e r, andvestedin the church - wa rde ns ofSt . G iles.Mr . John Kendr ick of London, c lothie r, by will dated Decem b e r 29,

1624, gave to the c o rporation , in trust, the sum ofseven thousand five hundredpounds, to b e dispose d offor the bene fi t of the cloth ing m anufa ctories inthis

He a lso gave one hundred pounds, to b e b estowe d by the co rpora tion on

poor m a ids of this town, on the day of the i r m a rr iage , a t the ra te of fortyshill ings e ach b ut n o one to re ce ive it who had n ot se rved e ithe r m aste r orm istre ss, or dam e , fa i thful ly for se ven succe ssive ye a rs.

He a lso gave to th e chu rch - wa rdens of St . Ma ry ’

s par ish , the sum of

fifty pounds towa rds fin ishing the pinnacles on the towe r of the chu rch .

He a lso gave to the corpo ration , the sum of five hundredpounds, in t rust,to b e by them lent gra tis, from th re e ye a rs to th re e yea rs, for e ve r , to tenhone st industr ious poo r cloth ie rs of the tow n , afte r the rate of fifty poundse ach ; they giving se cu r i ty for the re - paym en t of the sam e a t the expi rationof the three yea rs ; they w ho em ployed m ost workm en to b e p refe r red and

in de fau l t of cloth ie rs, to b e lent in the sam e m anne r to othe r tradesm en, fre eof inte rest .

He ga ve m o reove r to the corporation , in t rust, the furthe r sum of two

hundred andfifty pounds, to pu rchase landand he reditaments, to the annua l

value of ten pounds, to m a inta in divin e se rvice to b e sa idin the pa r ish churchof St. Mary, by the vicar or his curate, e ve ry m orn ing of the week, at six

of the clock , for e ven t

In the church~wardens’ accounts for 1 626, is a charge of two shil lings and sixpence , forcarvm g M r. john Kendrick’

s arm s over the south arch of the tower ; but there is no appearanceof the arm s at present.

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C HARITABLE DONATIONS.

Will iam Martin, of London, esq. b y will dated the 7th of Ap r i l,

1 629, gave forty shil l ings per ann um , to the poor of—this tow n, for e ve r,a r ising from lands andtenem e nts n ea r Re ading . Vestedin the co rpo ration.

Mr . Richa rdWinch , of Re ading, cloth ie r, by will datedNovem be r

1 3, 1629, gave forty pounds to th e corpo ration , in trust, to b e le n t to fou ryoung c loth ie rs, from se ven years to seven yea rs, for e ve r, fre e of in te rest, onthe i r finding secur i ty.

h 'Ir. Richa rd Johnson , ofReading, m e rce r, gave by wil l dated Ma rch 28,1 630, the sum ofone hundredpounds, to the co rporation , in t rust, to pu rchasel and; also se ve ral fre eho ld ten em en ts in R e ading, on condition that, on the

feast day of St. Thom as, e ve ry year, they sha l l pay, to the chu rch-wa rdensof St . Law rence ’

s pa r ish, the p roceeds the re of, w ho, on the day ofSt . John ,the e vange l ist, sha l l pay, to the vica r of the sa id par ish, ten shillings. for a

se rm on, andgive to the poor tw e nty dozen of b read, and tw en ty shill ings in

m oney ; and, to the c le rk ,andsexton, tw e l ve pen ce e ach, and the residue to

go to the repa i rs of the chu rch .

He gave a lso on e hundred pounds to the corporation, in t rust, to b e bythem len t to fou r trade sm en of the tow n , fre e of inte rest, they giving se cur ityfor ten years, and so on e ve ry te nth yea r . Tw enty pounds to app ren ticeo rphans, at five pounds e ach, and te n pounds m ore to bu i ld a condu it in theMarket-pl ace , andsix pounds, to b uy a sil ve r bowl, to rem a in from m ayor tom ayo r, for e ve r .

He a lso gave to St . Law ren ce ’

s pa r ish, a ren t cha rge of fou r pounds.Vestedin the corporation .

Mr. Will iam B rackston e , of Re ading, tanne r, by w i l l dated the 2l st ofD ecem be r 1630, gave sixty pounds, in t rust, to the corporation , to pu rchase a

ren t cha rge of fou r poun ds a ye a r, to b e dist r ibuted on Good F r iday annua l ly,am ong one hundred ande ighty poor wom en, andtwenty poor m en ; that is tosay, four pence e ach to the wom en , and twe lve pen ce e ach to the m en : one

hundred and tw en ty of the wom e n to b e those appo inte d to have the groatsgiven by M r . John B lagrave , and the other

'

sixty to b e chosen ou t of S t.G iles

’

s pa r ish, by the chu rch -wa rdens ando ve rsee rs, andthe twenty poo r m en

to b e nom inated by the m ayor ; seven from St. Ma ry ’

s par ish, seven from St.Lawren ce ’

s, andsix from St . G i le s’s.Randulph W arcupp, ofEngl ish, O xon , esq by w i ll , ga ve to the corpo

rat ion a sum ofm oney w ith w hich they purchaseda tenem ent i n the Old- ward ,of the year ly ren t of forty shill ings, for the use of the m ost poor andneedy .

On ly forty shillingsofthisgift is accoun tedfor in the return m ade to the house of com m ons.

CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

M r. W i ll iam Taylo r, a lias P lonk, gave to the poor of this town CHAP ‘

.

twenty shi l l ings, per annum , to b e pa idto the church -wardens of the th re e xx .

par ishe s, on St . Thom as’

s-day, out of the lease of a house in the par ish of St . w

G i les, of w hich ab out sixty ye ars we re unexpi red .M r . Hen ry Mor ley, ofReading, yeom an, gave to the chu rch-wardens

andove rse e rs of the poor of St. Lawren ce’s pa r ish, five pounds, to addto -the i r.stock for the pu rchase of fue l for the poor .*

Mr . Nicholas Gunte r, ofReading, by will date d Ma rch 9 , 1 6341, 1634

gave , in trust to the corporation , one yea rly ren t cha rge of fou r pounds, ou tof lands andtenem ents in the pa r ish of St. G i les out ofwhich they w e re to

pay fo rty shill ings, per an num , to the su rveyo rs of the h ighways of the parishof St. Lawren ce , for the repa i r ing of Cave rsham w ay which goeth from the

V asterns to the e ast e ndof Frogm arsh - m ead,”

and tw en ty shil l ings to the

surveyors of St. G iles’s par ish, for the repa i r ing ofMill- lan e,”

and ten

shil l ings for the re l ie f of the poor wom en 1n Be rna rd Ha rrison ’

s a lm s-houses,

andthe rem a in ing ten sh ill ings, to the rel ie f of the poo r wom en in the al m s

house on the north side of St. Ma ry ’

s chu rch gate , in the Butts.

Mr.Will iam Kend r ick, of Re ading, clothie r, by will da ted August 30,

1634, gave five ten em ents, on the west si de of Sieviers’- stre e t, for a lm s- houses,

for two m en of St . Lawren ce ’

s par ish, two of St. G iles’s, and one wom an

of St. Ma ry ’

s, to b e e lectedbythe corporation . He a lso endow ed them with

a ren t ch arge of tw en ty pounds a yea r, on lands a t Ha rtley, and fifty pounds

to pu rchase land to ke ep the a lm s- houses in repa i r ; a lso the re nt of a house

and ham . adjo in ing the a lm s- houses. E ach poor m an to have on e shi ll ing

andsixpence we ekly for h is support, and the w om an on e sh ill ing per qu a rte rfor w ashing for the m e n .

With the re m a inde r of the m oney, they w e re to

pay fo rty shillingsi a yea r to the chu rch -wa rdens of St . Ma ry ’

s pa r ish , for the

l ights usedat the m o rn ing p raye rs, ten sh ill ings to the v ica r for his vau l t

the chan ce], and ten shil l ings to the corporation , to b e spen t by them a t the i rm e e ting to se ttle the ac counts of this ch ar ity, andto p rov ide a gown for e ach

of the a lm s-

pe ople e ve ry thi rd ye ar ; and should any surplus rem a in , i t w as

to b e d istr ibutedto the poor of Re ading .§

Thisw as probab ly lost in 1 657 see folio 40 2.'i' I t shou ldseem ,

by this legacy, that Mil l - lan e w as n ot at that tim e consideredprivate property,

o therw ise the m on ey w ou ldnot have be e n left to the repair of it.

1 In the re turn to the house of com m ons, on ly 1 91. 45. ismen tion ed.

Early prayers have long bee n disusedat St. Mary’s : but how the 40 shil lings, for the l ights,

have been since em ployed, w e have not heard.

CHARITABLE DONATIONS .

Si r Thom as'

Vatchel,- inderiture , dated January 6, 1635, gave to

the corporat ion , one b r ick tenem en t on the south side of Cast le - stree t, be tw e en

the in n cal led‘

the‘Castle , on the we st, and the lane leading to the m eadows

ca l ledPinckney, on the e ast ; a lso the ye a rly rent of fo rty pounds, per an num ,

on a rab le , m eadow , andpasture lands, calledi

'

G re at andLittle Ga rston , in the

parish of'

Shinfield, to be pa idquarte rly. The said house to b e an a lm s-house

for six agedand im pote n t m en , without wive s, to b e placed th e re in , du r ing

his li fe - by sir Thom as him se l f, and afte rw a rds by the co rporation ,and the

p roprie to r of the Coley e state . Fou r to b e out of St. Ma ry ’

s pa r ish , o ne out

of St. Law rence ’

s, and on e ou t of St . G iles’s ; e ach t o have tw o shill ings per

w e ek, to b e paid them e ve ry Satu rday ; andw h en eve r the su rplus wou ldadm i t

of it, to have a gow n e ach , and tw o loads of w ood annu a l ly.

Mr . Roge r Kn ight, of Reading, gen tlem an, gave by w i l l a r en t charge

of th ree pounds, per annum , on two'

ten e m en ts in C ross- st re e t, to the chu rchw a rdens of St . Lawren ce’

s pa r ish, in trust, to pay yea r ly, on n ew ye a r ’s day,tw enty- fou r shill ings to

'

forty-e ight poor people ofthat par ish equa l ly. Tw e n ty

fou r shill ings towards the r epa ration of the chu rch , be l ls, &c . ten shil l ings to

the p reache r ( i f the re b e a se rm on on that day) and the rem a ining two

shil l ings to the cle rk and se xton .

'

M r,

’John'

Ayre , a lias Eyres, of Shinfie ld, yeom an , gave , by inden ture , tothe ‘

corporation , a ren t cha rge of five pounds, per annum , on lands a t Shin‘

fie ld, in trust'

for tw o poo r young m en of the pa r ish of St. Law re n ce , w ho havese rved ‘ the i r app re nt iceships, forty shi ll ings e ach to b egin trade with and, one

fsh il l ing each to twen ty poor lab oring m en ; seven to b e out'

of the par ish of'

St. Lawrence, se ven out of the pa rish of St . G iles, andsix out of St. Ma ry ’

s

par ish to b e se lec te d by the co rporation .

M r . Wil l iam Ironm onge r, of Re ading, by wi l l datedM ay 4, 1637, gave

forty shil l ings, per annum , ou t of a ten em en t in Min ste r-stre e t, towa rds providing ten wa istcoats for fou r poor people of St. Ma ry ’

s parish, th re e of S t .

Lawrence ‘

s, and th ree of St . G iles’

s, to b e distr ibutedon A ll Saints-day in

e ve ry yea r . Ve sted in the corporation .

M r. William Elkins ga ve , by will, ten shil l ings, per annum , to th ree of

the poorest aged m en, at easte r, andten shil l ings, per annum , to th re e of the

poorest aged widows at whitsun t ide ; all to be of St. Ma ry ’

s par ish, and

e m ployedin the cloathing t rade . This gift w as a re nt cha rge upon Chaseyfarm , in Mapledurham , O xon , andhas b een dispu tedby the p resen t p rop r ie tor .Mr . Regina ld Bu tle r, gave , by will, a re nt cha rge of tw en ty shillings,

per annum , on an estate cal led Field~farm , in the pa r ish of B urghfie ld, now

in the possession of the earl of Shrewsbury, to be distributed every Good

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ciIARITAB'

ILE DONATION'

S.

Am ong dive rs Opinions of th isgift, one is, that they wil l soon want boys

to bind apprentices in the town . I am su re the annua l num be r of ten w i ll

swe ep them sufficiently . The gen e ra l gr ievan ce and want of this town is,that they have fa i r and state ly b road stree ts, i f they hadm eans to p itch the m

N ow i f you think good to m ove m y lord’

s gra ce , that the fines afte r the first

m ay b e ex pendede ve ry e ighth yea r upon p itching the stre e ts with stone, and

the b r idges, andso successi ve ly to repa i r these , and the ne a r highw ays, the

inhabitan ts, I am su re , will he m o re sensible , andre ta in a swe eter savounof’

his

grace ’

s m agn ifi cen ce from the n ce than from all the othe r l ibe ra l ity .

’

On the re ce ipt ofth is cha r i table donat ion, the corpora tion sent the fol low

i ng le tte r of thanks to the a rchb ishop, supposed to have been w r itten by sirThom asMa inwa r ing, at that t im e the re corde r

Most reve re nd lord,lVe h ave re ce i ve d from you r grace , so gre a t a gift for m easu re, andso

j udic ious an one for m an ne r, that noth ing cou l d m ore suit w i th the am ple

cha r ity of so pious an h eart, or m o re com port w ith the oc casions and n eces

sities of th is you r nati ve place, n ow m ade joyfu l by this large add ition , which

suppl ies our p re sent, and p re ven ts our future pove rty . For w h ich so m un i

ficent a don ation , w e c an re turn n oth ing b ut thanks to you r grace tha t gave it,o ur p ra ise s to a lm ighty G odfor ra ising us up so g rea t andgood a fr ien d, and

our p raye rs to the sam e G od, to continue so fa the r~ l ike a pat ron to us, so

strong a pil la r t0 '

ou r chu rch ; andso ab le a p rop to the com m on - w e a l th .

t ere in, shou ld w e or our successors fa i l in the fa ithfu l distr ibutionof w hat is so w ise ly andw o rth i ly di rected by you r grace , the ve ry stones of St .Law ren ce ’

s chu rch , the scho la rs ye t unborn, andthe poo r of both se xes, m igh tjustly r ise in judgm en t aga inst us. B ut grat itude e qual to so am ple a bene fi t

b e ing n ot to b e re pa id in words,'

w e hum b ly e ntreat you r grace , ( as physic iansj udge the dispositions of the hea rt by the be ating of the pu lse , by this sm a llm an ifestation , to con ce ive the a rden t desi res and afl

’

e ctions of our he a rts and

sou ls, e ve r to appea rYou r grace’

s m ost dutifu l andgrate fu l servants.

Richa rd Aldwo rth , e sq . by wil l dated De cem be r the 2 1st, 1646, gavefou r thousand pounds, to pu rchase a conve n ient spot for a schoo l , in whichtw e nty poo r b oys of Re ading we re tobe c loth ed, boa rded, andeducated , andtwo of them e ve ry ye a r to be appre nt iced out, at the age of si xte en ye a rs.

Vestedin the co rpora tion : w ho, from the sam e legacy, we re to be stow tw enty

gow ns annua l ly to so m any agedm en andwom en of this town, andto give toea ch of them a loaf e ve ry Sunday . Of this sum of fou r thousand pounds,

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( il l .\ P o

CHAR ITABLE DONATIONS .

"

hl r. J .Cham b e r layne ga ve a re n t cha rge of on e pound per a nn um , on

a n e sta te a t Strattou, W'

ilts, to b e give n to the poo r of St. hI ary’

s pa r ish , 0 11

A sh W'

edne sday.

(a) M r. Franc isMitch e l l , or London , by w il l , dated Ju ly l st, 167 1 , gave

o ne hundredpounds to the co rpo ra tion , in t rust, to pu rchase a house for the

m aste r of the fre e schoo l to l ive in re nt - fre e , on condition he does not ‘ take

m o re th an tw o shi ll ings a nd six-

pen ce , per qua rte r , for teach ing any ch il d

b o rn in Re ading ; bu t if he refuse the se te rm s, then the m on e y to b e la i d ou t

in appre nt ic ing poo r b oys of the tow n . A s the m aste r ’s house w as n ot pur

chased til l m o re than a c entu ry afte r th is donat ion , i t is p rob ab le the m on ey

w as appropr iatedto the appre n tic ing poo r boys.

lVI r. Stephe n Atw ate r, of Re ading, c loth ie r, ga ve tw enty sh ill ings, per

a nnum , ren t cha rge , on a fre ehold e sta te in l 'Vhitley, to the chu rch - w a rde nsof St . G ile s’

s pa r ish , in trust, to b e divided am ong fou r poor age d m en, em

ployedin the c lo th ing t rade , on the fe ast of St . Stephe n, the m a rty r .M r . Sam ue l Jem m a tt gave tw e n ty sh i llings a ye a r , out of an estate at

Shiufield, to the chu rch - w a rdens of St . G ile s’

s p a rish , in trust ; to b e dist r i a

b utedon the fi rst day of Feb ruarv e ve ry yea r, am ong fou r poo r house - ke e pe rsb e longing to tha t pa r ish, e qua l ly.

M r . John Bacon , of Re ading, wool le n drape r, by w i l l , dated Sep.

tem be r the l l th , 1 681 , gave to the co rpo ration , in t rust, the sum of on e hun

d red pounds, to b e l e nt ou t a t in te rest, a ndthe produce th e reof to b e la id outat th e i r disc re tion , a t the i r qua rte rly m e etings.

He a lso gave to the chu rch - w a rde ns of St . Ma ry’s pa r ish , ce rta in ten em en ts in Hosie rs’

- lane , in t ru st ; w ith the p roduce the reof, to distr ibute on St .Thom as

’

s-day, a nn ua l ly, six shi rts to six poo r m en of tha t pa r ish .These

houses p roduce fo rty shil l ings per a nnum .

M r . John Ha l l, of R e ading, apoth e ca ry,by w i l l dated June 30th, 1696,

gave a re n t cha rge on lands and te nem e n ts at Cave rsham , O xon , of five

shil l ings per w e ek, for five poor a lm s pe ople, andten shi ll ingsper ann um , for

fue l , du ring the l i fe of his wife ; and, at he r de ce ase, he gave to the corporation, in trust, a re n t cha rge of tw enty—five pounds, per a nn um , on m essuagesandlands at C ave rsham , and a lso seve n te n e m e n ts on the e ast side of Cha inlan e . andall his m essuage s a ndlands a t Englefie ld, a lso his m essuages andlandsa t Sylche ster, toge the r with a ten em en t in the Ma rke t- place , Reading, ca l led theElephant, andthe rem a inde r ofthe le ase ofanothe r ten em ent cal ledthe Ancho r,to dispose ofthe two last, andwith the am oun t ofthe sa les the re o f, to take dow nthe tw o lowe rm ost of the se ven house s in Cha in- lane, andon the sam e si te , tob u ild on e tenem en t for a schoo l - m aste r

, to m a inta in and instruct three poor

CHARITABLE DONATIONSL.

boys, gra tis, in reading,‘

wr it i ng, and accoun ts, one to b e out of each pa r ishfor which he w as to b e a l lowede ighte en pounds per annum , to b e pa i d qua rterly ou t of the above m entioned estates ; and twenty shill ings, per annum ,

to p rov ide them with shoes and stockings, and e ve ry se cond yea r he w as toha ve a n ew cloth c loak of forty sh il l ings va lue ; and ea ch boy to have six

pounds, on leaving the schoo l, as an app rentice . fe e .

The five rem a in ing ten em ents, to be’

fo r the bene fit of five poor singlea lm s- pe ople : one out of St. Law re n ce ’

s pa r ish , two of St. Ma ry ’

s, and two

of St. G iles’

s to b e a l lowed e ighte e n pence per we ek e ach, and tw e lve shi l

l ings per ann um for fue l , and ten sh i ll ings for c loth ing. The a lm s- houses tohave the fo l lowing insc r i ption

E x dono Johcmm’

s Ha ll P harm acope z‘

.

To the tow n - cle rk he le ft tw enty sh il l ings per annum , for his ca re inke eping the a ccounts, ofwhich the th re e vica rs, with the corpo rate body, we reappo inted auditors ; and, i f any su rplus rem a ined at the endof the ye a r, i tw as to be appl ied tow a rds the in c re ase of the cha r ity, which a t tha t tim ep rodu ce d fifty- five pounds fi fte en shil l ings, per ann um .

The fund app ropr iated by the w i l l for the support of the schoo l , be ing

l ate ly found inade qu ate to the m a inten ance of the m aste r a nd boys,the latte r

have be en added to the b lue - coat school , and the house con ve rted into a

dispensa ry th is is the m o re to b e regre tted, as the co rpo ration is saidto havesin ce discove red , tha t a M rs. Norwood, w ho appea rs to ha ve de ce ased abou tthe vea r 1780, le ft by wil l to the co rpo ration the re ve rsion of th re e thousandpounds stock, for the inc rease ofM r . Ha l l s schoo l , in Reading, a fte r thede ce ase of a M rs. Whiteho rn ; i t is the re fore p robab le that this legacy wil lsoon ,

i f i t has not a l re ady, com e into'

the possession of the corporation , w henthe in te re st in wha te ve r stock it m ay he , wou ld have e nable d the m to cont inue

the schoo l on its oldfoundation, andto have doubledthe num be r of the b oys.

M r . Thom as Har r ison, by will, gave to the chu rch - wa rdens andove rse e rs

of St . G iles’

s p ar ish, a rent charge of twe n ty shill ingsper annum , on a n

'

e state

in that p ar ish , for the b ene fi t of the e ight poor wom en in M r . Ha rr ison ’

s

a lm s- houses.M r . Wil l iam M althus, by wil l dated Novem b e r the l6th, 1700, gave to

the co rpora t ion a rent charge of n in e ty~ on e pounds per annurnfin trust, for

the purpose ofm aintaining e leve n boysof th is town, in the blue - coat schoolfi“

M r. Mal thus also endoweda schoo l at B lewbury, for thirty boys andthirtygirls, with landsat Noke, in Oxfordshire.

CHARITABLE DONAT IONS.

CM r

.John Pottinger gave , by will , a rent cha rge of fifte en pounds per

HAP .

XX. a nnum ,on an estate at North -stre e t II] the pa r ish of T i lehu rst, for the m ain

V N t enance of two boys in the above school , to b e taken a lte rna te ly out of e ach

o f the three p a r ishes.Mr

.Thom as Hussey, by a de ed datedAugust 3 1 , 17 12, conveyed a

piece of groun d in Woodle y, in the l ib e rty of Sonn ing, B e rks, to a ce rta in

t ruste e the rein n am e d, for the sole use and b ene fit of the poor of St . Ma ry ’

s

eparish Va lue andapplication unkn ow n .

M rs.Ma ry Ken r i ck, by w i l l da ted D e cem be r the 1 5th , 1 7 12, gave all her

e states, situate d in the count ie s of B e rks, O xon, andWilts, in t rust to four

pe rsons n am e d in the wil l, to dispose of the sam e , and from a pa rt of them on ey a r ising the re from , to purchase an estate of the value of e ight pounds

per annum , to be given by the t ruste e s to poor people of the th re e p a r ishes,w ho do not re ce ive a lm s, in the fol low ing p roportion : th re e pounds to St.Mary ’

s pa r ish,th re e to St . G iles’

s, andtw o to St. Lawre n ce’

s. A n estate w as

a ccordingly pu rchased at Lawren ce “ ’a ltham , consisting of a cottage, barn,

o ffices, ga rden and o rcha rd , toge the r w i th a bou t n in e a c res of land. With

the su rplus m one y a r ising from the ren ts of this estate , above the e ight poun ds

per annum , given am ong the poo r, the truste es have purchase d on e hundre dp ounds South Se a annu ities. The p re sen t trustee s are Messrs. Maul, Deane,Sowdon , andDe ane .

M r . John W e st, andM rs. F rances West, his wife , by in dentu re date dJanuary 25th, 1 7 17, conveyed to the gove rnors ofCh r ist ’s- hosp ita l in Lon don ,houses and lands the re, to the value of on e hundred and sixty- th re e pounds

per annum , in trust, to pay the sam e to poo r anc ient pe rsons, at the rate offive pounds each , per annum , for l i fe : th re e of the sai d p e rsons a lways to b einhabitants of St. M a ry ’

s pa r ish in Reading, andto b e e lec te d by the vestry ;w h ich e lec tion m ust b e ce rtifie d by a wri tten voucher, sign e d by the m ajor

part of them .

And, by anothe r inden tu re, date d M ay 24th, 1 7 18, they conveye d to thedoth-worke rs’ com pany, houses and lan ds at that tim e le t for fifty- fou r poun dsn ineteen shil l ings and four pence per annum , . r

ptrust, to pay the rents and

profits the reof to poo r blind people of e ither'

s

'

ex, at the rate of five poundse ach, per annum . Those of Reading, Newbury, or the donor

’

s kind red, tob e p re fe r red .

By anothe r indenture dated Novem b e r the 1 9th, 1 720, they conveyed tothe gove rnors of Ch r ist’s- hospital, houses and grounds le t for tw o hun d re dand forty- one pounds e ight shill ings, in trust, to adm i t into the hospital,m aintain, clothe, educate, and apprentice, as m any poor boys andgir ls as the

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CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

CHAP .

c hu rch -wardens of St. Law re nce’

s "parishr andrthe ir successors; a rent charge

, XX.t upou an e state a t Kate ’

s- g rove , of ten pounds, per annum ,

‘ for reading da i lyw

ith e l i turgy of the chu rch of England, in tha t church , in the a fte rn oon .

T o be paid qua rte rly. This b ene fa ction , howe ve r, d id not take place ti ll

Lady-day, 1 781 .Mr

.Edw ard Hunge rfo rd le ft, b y w i l l, to the corpo rat ion, tw o hund re d

pounds, intrust, to pay the in te re st the re o f, for e ve r, to the v ica r of St. Law

re n e e '

s pa r ish, by h a l f ye arly paym ents, on condition tha t he or his cu ra te sha l l

dai ly read in tha t chu rch ,‘ be tw e e n the hou rs of tw o and seven in the after

n oon , the com m on p rayer.

1\I r. John Alle n , by w i l l dated Fe b rua ry 2 , 1731 , ga ve the sum of one

thousand pounds, for the pu rchase . of fre eho ld lands in B e rks the ren ts

w he reof w e re to b e applied, am ong othe r pu rpose s, to the ;app rent icing of one

poo r boy annua l ly out of e ach pa r ish in Re ading.

A n e state w as in consequence purchased, in the p a r ish ofTilehu rst, in

1 736, for the sum of one thousand andfi fty pounds, part of the p r in c ipa l andin te re st a r ising from the o r igina l sum ; and, w i th the rem a inde r, the sum of

tw o hun dre d and fi fty pounds w as purchased in the o ldSou th Se a annu it ies.

The w hole is veste d in the th re e v ica rs, andothe r truste e s. The e state w as le t

in 1 779 , for forty - five pounds per an n um ; n in e te nths w h e re o f are em ploye d

in app ren tic ing poor boys, pu rsuan t to the w il l ofthe dono r, andthe rem ain ing

ten th is di vided yea r ly b e tw e e n the th re e v icars, for the i r ca re a nd t roublein the e x e cu tion of the i r t rust, w h ich am oun ts annua l ly to abou t the sum of

on e pound fou r shil l ings e a ch .

The rev. “ ’illiam Boud ry andJohn Rich ards, e sq . ga ve , by deed, lands tothe va lue ofse ven pounds fou rte e n shill ingsper an num , the p roduce whe re of tob e c ast lots for by th re e poor m aids ( one to b e out of e ach p a r ish ) on the fi rstMonday afte r St. Ba rtho lom ew ’

s-day, e ve ry yea r ; e ach gir l m u st have l i ved fiveye a rs in on e se rvice to b e e n titledto a chance . This landis si tuatedon the westside of Horn - stre e t, andin the o ccupation ofMessrs. Hew lings, Tom kins, and

Fulb rook, ga rden e rs, with a pa rt a tta ched to the row of h ouses la te ly bu i ltbyM r . B ill ing, in Southam pton - stre e t. .The w ho le is ve ste d in the co rporat ion .

F rom the com m encem ent of th is gift ti l l n ea r ly the p rese n t tim e , the suc

c essful candidate w as pa id e ight pounds ; b u t the rents of the lan d havingbeen late ly in c re ased ve ry conside rab ly, she n ow r e ce ives twen ty- e ight poundsandthe gi rl who th rows the n e xt highest n um be r re ce ives fou r pounds, and

the othe r th re e pounds, the gift ofMa rtin An nesley, esq .

M r . Joseph Nea le , by w i l l datedO c tob e r 8, 1765, gave towa rds the sup

port of al

charity school, a sum of m oney, wi th which w as pu rchase d th re e

CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

hundredandfourteen pounds, five shill ings, ande leven pence, South Sea stock,vested in the rev. Cha rles Sturges, late vica r of St . Ma ry ’

s, and tw o othe rs.

M rs. Ma ry Love le ft, by wil l, the sum of th re e hundred pounds, to thecorporation , in t rust, for the purchase of stock in the pub li c funds, and the

inte rest a r ising from the sam e to b e d istr ibuted qua rte rly am ong the poor ofReading, in b re ad .

M r . J . Richa rds t ransferred five hundred pounds consol idated reducedannu itie s, to fou r t rustees, nam e ly, H . Deane , esq . J . Richa rds, esq . hon . and

rev. W . B . Cadogan, and the rev. C . Stu rges, for the benefit of the gir ls’

cha rity school, of which he w as the p rincipa l p rom ote r .The rev. J . Spice r gave , by wil l , a leasehold esta te in C ross- stree t, du r ing

the rem a inde r of the te rm , for the b ene fit of the gi rls’ char ity school, am oun t

ing to e ight pounds six sh il l ings per ann um ; also the re ve rsion , after the de athofM rs. Spice r, of tw o hundred pounds, for the sam e char ity .

M r . John Leggatt, by wi ll dated Ma rch 24 , 1 786, gave to the corporationthe sum of two hundred and te n pounds, in t rust, wi th the inte rest the re of,to app ren tice one poor b oy out of the th re e p ar ishes a l te rn ate ly . He l ikew isegave them fifty pounds towards the suppo rt ofthe boys in the b lue - coat school .

M rs. Clem en tin a Frognall gave , by will, the sum of one hundredpou ndsstock in the fou r per cen t. bank annu it ies, in trust, for the bene fit of the gi rlscha r i ty school.

A ub ery Florey, esq . gave , by wil l, th ree hundred pounds for the b en e fi tof the above schoo l .

M rs. Rache l Veasy, bequeathed, in 1790, the re ve rsion of e ight hundre dandfive pounds, new Sou th Sea stock, ve stedin the vicar a nd chu rch -wa rdensof St . Lawren ce ’

s pa r ish, to pay. out of the in te rest a r ising the re from annua l ly,to five poor m en and five poo r widows of that pa r ish n ot rece iving a lm s

,ten

guin e as, in e qual propo rtion s ; and th re e gu in e as, per annum , to the girls’

cha ri ty school in th is tow n . This cha r ity has since fa l le n in .

Ab out the ye a r 181 1 , Mr . Thom asCooke , ofPe ntonvi l le , Middlesex, le ft,

by w i l l, the sum of six thousandth re e hundredpounds, 3 per cen t. conso ls, for

the pu rpose of en cre asing the we ekly pay of all the poor in the a lm s-houses at

Reading, in the fo l low ing. p re po rtions ; to b e pa id from the inte rest of thediffe ren t sum s approp r iatedto each a lm s- house

T o John a La rde r ’s £ 1400 3 per cen t. to 8 m en andwom en .

William Ken dr i ck ’

s, 875 ditto, to 5 ditto .

S i r Thos. V atchell’

s, 1050 ditto, to 6 m en .

Ca rried over 3325

CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

B rought ove r s€ 3325

John Ha l l’

s, 875 3 per cent. to 5 m en .

Ba rna rd Ha rr ison ’

s, 1400 ditto, to 8 wom en .

John Webb ’

s, 700 d itto, to 4 d itto .

58 6300, inte rest 1891. or 51. 53 . e ach, annua l ly}

H itherto pe rsons leaving charitab le don ations to the poor ofReading hadbeen e ither natives,or inhab itan ts, or such as by trade or o therw ise hadbee n conn e ctedw ith it ; bu t this w as not the case

in the prese n t instan ce , M r. Cooke appearing to have been an e n tire stranger to the tow n . All w e

have bee n ab le to learn respe cting him , is, that he began the w orldas an officer of exc ise , andhavingb ee n for som e years em ployed in taking the stock

,am ong o thers, of a w idow ,

w ho carriedon the

business of a distil ler, he prevailed w ith her, for prudential reasons, to m arry him . Having thusbe com e m aster ofher property, w hich w as very conside rab le , he con tinued the busin ess w ith suchsu ccess, as to accum u late a property of one hundredandthirty thousandpounds, the w ho le ofw hich

(w ith the exception of tw en ty poundsper annum , left to a poor re lation ) he bequeathed at his deathtow ards the im provem e nt ofthe incom es ofsuch alm s- houses, as, from the great advan ce in the price ofall the n e cessary artic lesoflife , w ere be com e in adequate to support the poor for w hose be n efit theyw ereo riginal lydesign ed. The be tter to accom plish this plan , he sen t, a few yearsb efore hisdecease , a con

fiden tial person to visit differen t tow ns, andto send him the n e cessary inform ation respectingde cayed

alm s-houses, such as—the n am es of the founders—the sum s left for the m ain tenance of the poor

the ir n um ber in e ach house—andthe state of repair of the se vera l bu ildings. In all these particularsthe returnsw ere so corre c t w ith respe ct to this tow n , that he seem s to have been asw e l l acquaintedw iththe w an ts of the poor in the alm s-houses as if he had bee n a re siden t in it ; andso nice ly has heapportionedthe diHeren t sum s to the n um be r of the inhabitan ts in e ach house

,that e very on e w ill

in future,re ce ive just five pounds five shil l ings annual ly in addition to his prese n t pay. Whe ther it

w as acciden t ordesign that brought the visitan t to this town , is n ot know n , but the o ccurrence w as a

veryproviden tial on e to the poor inhabitan ts ofour alms- houses, w ho , prior to this in crea se ofincom e ,

w ere in capab le of existingon the sm al l pittan ce appropriated to the ir use by the original fo unde rs.I t appears from som e pape rs left behind him at his dea th, that, after leaving Reading, his age nt

proceededto New bury, from w hen ce he states the alm s-house (w e be lie ve M r. Kim ber’s) to be in ve ry

good repair, andthe funds appropriatedto the charity sufficien t for all the purposes designed. In

con sequen ce of this favorab le report, this alm s- house is n ot m e n tion edin the w ill, his in ten t be ing toim prove those on ly w hich stoodin im m edia te w an t of an in crease of in com e . He afte rw ards visitedDevizes, &c . in his w ay to Bath andBristol , til l he hadgiven his em ploye r an ac coun t of a sufficien t

num ber of alm s-ho uses, w hose incom es w ere inadequate to the m ain ten an ce of the ir ten an ts, to em ploythe great sum s he hadappropriatedfor the purpose of estab lishingfunds for their future be tter support .The fu lfi lm e nt of the various trusts m en tion ed in the w ill

,be ing c onsidered by the executers as

like ly to be attendedw ith difficul ties, they appliedto the lordchan ce l lor to pu t in a new trust and,accordingly his lordship has appoin tedthe corporation of Reading the trust, for the execution ofsuch

parts of the w ill as re late to the borough.The sum s left byMr. Cooke for charitab le purposes, e xc lusive of legacies, w ere forty-four thou

sandfive hundred pounds, three per cent. stock, as fo llowKing

’

s Lynn,590 0 Paradise,

1 050 V allenger’s,

2 1 00 W ol laston andPauncefort,

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CHARITABLE DONATIONS}

se asons.

This fund w as ra ised by -v'

olunta rysubsc r iptions of five gu ineas from

e ach su

bsc rib e r, for wh ich th ey we re en titled to a ce rta in num b e r of t icke ts,

to b e distr ibutedam ong the poor a t the disc re t ion of e ach sub sc r ib e r, as soon

as the frost shou ld se t in . The coals w e re purchased a t an e a rly se ason in the

sum m e r, and re s-sold, to the holde rs of ticke ts, a t p r im e cost . The diffe re n ce

b etw e en these andthe re ta i l pric er in 1803, w as as th re e to fou r, or sixo

pence

in the b ushe l ; and, n otw ithstanding th is grea t dim inution in the pr i ce , the

sub sc r ib e rs we re enabled to ~deliver e ighte en hund red bushe l at the p rofi t of

forty-five pounds to the consnm ers, with the ve ry tr ifling loss to .them se lves

offoiir sh il l ings on ly on ‘

e ach ' subsc r iption .

Am ong the schem es which have ~of late «

years b eem ad'

opted, for thevb enefit

of the poore r c lasses of socie ty, none has be e n foundm ore c ongen ia l to the i rfee l ings of independence , when un de r the ne cessity of sol ic iting the a idof

the i r fe l low m e n who have b e e n m ore favore d by fo rtun e , than this m e thod

of e nabl ing them to -pu rchase the n e cessar ies of l ife , at all se asons, in propo rt ion to the i r m eans. It is - th erefo re with great sat isfac tion , w e congratu late

the town on having set the e xam ple of so useful and so b eneficent an insti

tution , andhope that its success, in the -p resent instanc e, m ay recom m end the

adoption of‘

a sim ila r plan , whene ve r the ne cessaries of l i fe sha l l have r ise nab ove that m edium , at

'which on ly it is in the powe r of the industr ious labore rto pu rchase them .

Whil e speaking of the cha r itie s which do c red it to the dono rs, w e m ust

add, the ve ry gene rous donation s forw h ich the poo r of the pre sen t day are

indeb ted to the philan th ropy of E . Sim eon , esq . w ho has don e m ore for theben e fit of the poo r than they e ve r e xpe r ien ced from any form e r b en e fa cto r .In the winte r se ason , sinc e the yea r 1802, till

'

his death , this gent lem an hasb een

in the hab it ofdistr ibut ing, am ong poor fam i l ies, blankets, andunde r-ga rm en tsfer the wom en , b esides c lothing a num be r of ch i ldren of both sexes, in nea t

dresses be fi tting the i r situat ion in l ife ; and e ve ry ye a r, on the e le ction of a

new m ayo r , they, toge the r with the school char ity chi ldren, we re pa rade d in them arke t- place , and rega led with a large plum b - cake : this, though i t . m ayappe ar a trifl ing c ircum stan ce in the eyes of som e, isa higher gratifi cation tothe infan t m ind than even the ir new dress, whereby they appear e le vated abovethe ir e qua ls.

A DD ITIONS .

H'

z'

story, folio 20 .

R ICHARD I I. he l d a great coun c i l of pee rs at Reading, where the dukeof G louceste r a nd the lo rds of his party w e re b rought to cou rt by the dukeof Lancaste r, and recon ci le d to the king th rough his m ediation . Wa lsing

ham , page 342 .

Folio 59 .

The fol lowing are the reasons given by sir Edwa rd Wa lke r in his Historical Discou rses, page 1 1 , for his m ajesty ’

s sl ighting the fortifi ca tion s of R e a

ding His m ajesty, that he m ight draw the gre a te r n um be r out of his

ga rr ison s of O xfo rd andReading, gave instan t orde rs for com ple ting the c i tyregim en t, and ra ising two regim e nts of auxil iar ie s, consisting of gen tlem en

schola rs and the i r se rvants re side n t in the city of Oxford, unde r the com m and

of the e ar l of Dove r and the lord Lyttle ton , lord keepe r, a ndfor the raisinganothe r regim ent ofauxil ia r ie s in the ga rrison ofReading, u nde r the com m a nd

ofco lonel Richa rdNe ville , high she r iffofBe rks. Those regim ents in O xfordwe re ra ised and com ple tedto conside rab le num b e rs, and have done constan t

duty e ve r since , to the i r gre at honor and the m an i fe st pre se rva tion of thisc ity

, b ut the othe r regim en t at Reading w as n o soone r ra isedb ut i t w as dis

banded, the works abou t that town sl ighted, a ndthe ga rr ison draw n out a nd

j o inedto the rest of the arm y . To give satisfactory re asons for qu i tting tha t

place of so g reat im po rtan ce m ay b e ve ry difiicu lt, bu t the a rm y b e ing qua rt eredat Newbu ry, as the m ost apt situation in rega rdto Re ading, Wa l l ing

ford, andO xford , andwhe n ce , i f i t shou ld b e reso l ved that Reading shou ld

b e qu itted, w e m ight with our a rm y sl ight the works before the rebe ls shou ld

possess i t .”

Folio 1 15.

The p r ince regent be ing on a visit to R . Boroughs, esq . at Basi ldon -house ,

now sir Richard Bo roughs, ba rt. the m ayo r, a lde rm en, andbu rge sses, a ttended

by the m em be rs of the borough, andthe m ayor ’s chapla in , wa itedon h is roya l

3 n 3

422 ADD ITIONS .

highn ess there , andwe re introduced by M r . Boroughs and lord Charles B en

tinck into the grand sa loon , whe re h is roya l highness the p r ince regen t, attended by his roya l highness the duke of Cla ren ce , anda la rge c irc le of nobi

lity andgentry, re ce i vedthem in the m ost gracious m anne r .The m ayor and co rporation having advan ced to the top of the room ,

w he re his roya l highn ess hadtaken h is station, the m ayo r supporting the m ace

in his r ight hand , the town - cle rk read the fol low ing add ress, and afte rwardde l i ve red i t to the m ayor, ( Lan ce lot Austwick, esq . ) w ho, upon one kn ee,p resen te d it to his roya l h ighness the p r in ce regent

The hum b le address of the m ayor, a lde rm en , andb u rgesses ofthe ancie n tborough ofR eading, in the county ofBe rks, in com m on hal l assem b led.

M ay it please your roya l h ighn ess,

We , his m ajesty ’

s m ost dutifu l andloya l subj e cts, the m ayor, a lde rm en ,

andburgesses of the an cien t b orough of Reading , approach you r roya l h ighn ess w i th our sin ce re congratu lations on you r sa fe a rr iva l in our v ic in ity .

’

W e rejo ice that the condescension of you r roya l h ighness has afi'

orded

us this opportunity of ren ewing the assu rances of an unva ried attachm en t tohis m aj esty’s pe rson and gove rnm ent, and to his i l lustr ious fam ily, andin an

especia l m anne r to you r roya l highness, unde r whose w ise andene rge tic adm inistration , dur ing the lam en te d in disposition of his m aj esty, the rank and

cha racte r of the un ited kingdom have b een supported am ong fore ign nations,and its m i l ita ry glo ry ra ise d to an em inence of which the history of th iscountry afi

'

ords few exam ples.

Allow us to add our hum ble hope andcon fidence , that the exe rtionsofhis m aj esty’

s fa ith fu l people , unde r the w ise andv igo rous gu idance of you rroya l h ighness’s counc ils, m ay, through the b lessing of divine p rov iden ce, bec rowned, at n o distan t pe r iod, w ith a safe and lasting pe ace .

Done unde r our com m on seal, this fou rte enth day of Septem ber, inthe fifty- th irdyear of his m ajesty’

s re ign .

”

To which his royal highn ess read the fol lowing answer

M r. m ayor, a lderm en, andburgesses of the borough ofR eading,

I rece ive with t rue gratificat ion the renewe d e xp re ssions ofyou r affectronate we l com e to the v icin ity of your ancien t b orough .

I fe e l sensib ly the renew ed exp ressions of you r loya lty and attachm en tto his m ajesty and m y fam i ly, and no one can so de eply deplore as m yse l f thelam ented indisposition which has been the occasion of transferring to m e thehigh funct ions of our be loved andvenerab le king.

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424 ADDITIONS .

M ilitary, folio 1 79 .

Exe ter be ing b esieged by an insu rre ction of the people , on account of

the change of re l igion and the e nclosu re of com m ons, the l o rdGray w as des

patchedto its re l ie f w ith som e Ge rm an andIta l ian m e rce n a r ies, toge the r w ith

200 m en se nt him from Reading . Hayward’

s Life andR eign of Edward

VI .fol . 295.

Gre en School, jb lio 2 1 1 .

Mr.B rookm an gave by w i l l the sum of 200 pounds, in andM r. .

Edw a rd S im e on , the sum of 180 pounds, in 1813, w hich has sin ce been .

em ployed in the pu rchase of sto ck for. the ben e fit of th is school .

R epresenta tion , folio 239 .

Ma rch 30, 17 1 5, a p e tition , from di ve rs inhab itan ts of. Re ading paying~

scot and lot w ithin the b orough , w as pre sen tedto the house , c om pla in ing of~

an u ndue e le ct ion and re tu rn . A nd, on the 1 9 th of Jun e , 17 l6, a pe tit ionfrom Fe l i x Ca lve rt, esq . w as presentedto the house , com pla in ing of an undue

e le ction . Votes of the com m ons.

Oc tob e r 28, 1772 , a pe tition w as presented to pa rl iam ent by Cha rlesCadogan , esq . andRicha rdThom pson, esq . com pla in ing of an u ndue e le ction .

for the b o rough . I bid.

A ntiquities, folio 281 .

I n a l e tte r pr in ted in the ge n tlem an’

s m agazine fer 1786, this c oflin is

repre sentedto have b e e n 8 fe e t 7 . inche s long, roofed at the top, the r idgefluted and re m a rkab ly th ick w ith le ad; the lido rna m e n tedw ith a few studs

in form ofdiam onds, w i th an insc ript ion in b rass, w hich w as sen t to the an ti

quarian soc iety, b ut on ly tw o in itia l le tte rs-we re distingu ishab le .

Corpora tion, folio 353 .

WVe have a lre ady not icedhow far the pre rogat i ve s of the corporate b odywe re sub ordinate to the abb ot and m onks : and this r‘em ark is furthe r corroboratedby the fo l lowing extract, w hich she ws that the fo rm e r w e re not

e ven a l low ed to have the m ace carried'

b efore the m ayor i t be ing conside redan usurpation on the r ights of the ab bey

Lre reg. _Henrici S exti directe custodi gildfe de RadingW e lb e loved

'

w e gre te you w e], and how b e hit tha t w e calle to ovrerem em b rance how that a tt ou r last be inge at the towne of Radynge w e ~

l icensedyou to be re on ly the m ase befo re us, so tha t yt b e n ot prejudicialli o .

ovr churche and m onaste rys of Redyng, yet ne ve r the less ye use i t othe rwise

ADDITIONS.

than was or is ac cording to ovr inten t. In so m uch that as w e sithence h avec lerely pe rce i ve d by shewing of e uidence and c redib le report m ade un to us

of the ant ique usage andcustom e hadin the sam e towne that yt is contraryeto the franch ise and l ibe rties of ovr sa ide chu rch andm on aste rye by our n ob lean ce

shtors grauntedandby us con fi rm ed, you to b e ca l ledor here oth e r in nam e

or w sign e othe rwise than as ke epe r of the gilde of R edyng adm itted by theabbot of our sa ide m on aste r io andn ot by us for to have any m ase or any o the rsigne of office to b e born by you or any othe r m an w ithin the sa id tow n and

fran chise of R edyng sav ing on ly tw o t ipped stafis to b e born by the b aylifl'

e

of the abbot of our sa idm ona ste r io graun ted and given to the abbot and

con ven t of the sam e o -

ure m on asterie at the fi rst foundation thereo f oute of

cou rte of m archalsiei

e ldest ofr e corde w i th all m ann e r of cou rt ple e s ofde tteof trespasse and othe r andall e xe cution of the sam e to b e don by h is b aylifle

and by non othe r, as in the i r charte rs ofgra unte and confi rm ation m ore

e viden tly yt appeare th . W e th e re fore wil l andcha rge you st ra itly that ye me

u se nor he re any m ase n or othe r signe n or do to b e b orne by n one othe rpe rsonne within the sa id

'

tow n e and franchise th e reof whe reby the inte resse

and r ight of our sa id m onasterie m ight in any wise b e inte ruptedor hurted

w h ich e lse w e wolde n or neve r e ntend ed sa ving only the tw o tipped stafis in

m ane r andform e as is above rehersedas ye de sire to plese us andwill eschew

the contrary.Ge ven unde r ou r S igne t at Eltham the 30 day Juille

R egistra nt Cartarum A bba tice de B a tting.

Castle Street Chape l, folio 1 30 .

A n ew chapel w as e re ctedin Castle - street, in the ye a r of our Lord 1 799,

andopen edu nde r the to le ration a ct, though the worshippe rs the re do n ot ca l lthem se lves dissente rs they before a ttendeddivine worship at St . G iles

’

s chu rch,

but n ot h ear ing the sam e doctr ine preached that they hadb e en accustom edto

he a r, they e re cted this n e at andcom m odious chape l , whe re a ve ry large con s

gregation has worshipped e ve r since .

Folio 249 , line 34.

Forbury Ga te. U pon the le ft open door of the gate - house is this

inscr iption : A ngeli qu i custodian t m uros ejus. andthis coa t 3 esca l lop she l ls.

In the windows of a la rge uppe r room adjo in ing the gate - house , n ow usedas a

din ing room , arethose ofque en Elizab e th andofSeym ou r with its5 qua rte r ings.

”

In th is room h ang dive rs old pictu re s of the fam i ly of Kn o l lys. S ir

F ran cisKnol lysdid l ive he re . The fathe r andson chosen b u rgesses ofReading.

The son dying in th is town when the E ar l of Essex andhis reb e ls w ere 9 0 3

sessed of the town in 16433?

425 ADDITIONS .

’

The last quotation is taken from the Topographer for 1 789 , and was

extracted by the e dito r of that work from notes taken by R ichard Sym onds,

w ho w as in the king’

s ( Cha r les I . ) a rm y dur ing the c i v il w ar, andtook n otesin

sm a l l pocke t b ooks, of rem a rkab le transactions, &c . that took place , du r ing

the t roub les, e igh t or te n of w h ich he says are in the Ha rle ian library,'

t‘

w o

w e re in D r . hl e ad’

s, andtw o or th re e in the He ra ld’

s- office . Among the books

in the Ha rle ian l ib ra ry, N o . 964 and 965 con ta in Oxford, Worceste r, Be rks,and Shropshi re ; for 1644, N o . 939 , De von, Dorse t, Som e rse t, W i lts, and

Be rks.

The Abbey Church ,fol. 252 .

In 1815, som e w orkm en digging in se a rch of gra ve l in the n ave of the

abb ey chu rch discove red ab ou t six fe e t unde r the p re se n t su rface the rem a ins

of a stone sa rcophagus, re sting on tw o col late ra l b r ick w a l ls a t a sm a l l distan cefrom e ach o the r . The sa rcophagus had be en appa ren tly wi l fu l ly dest royed,on ly the b ottom anda sm al l proportion of the side s r em a in ing . The stone is

sim ila r to Bath stone , andhad b e en e xcavated in form of a ch est or ciste rn .

The bottom w as se ven in ches thick, andw as furn ishedwith th re e holes aboutone inch diam ete r pla ced longitudina l ly in the cen tre , and at e qua l distan ces,appa ren tly for the pu rpose of carrying offthe m o istu re from the co rpse . The reare two i ron r ings ab out fou r inch e sdiam e te r on e ach side , andone on e ach e nd

these are m uch co rroded b ut one of them stil l runs in the eye of the iron pinw h ich is square andle t into the ston e ab ou t six in ches. These r ings, by th e i rposition, se em inte ndedfor the pu rpose of re c e iv ing b a rs or rope s for the m o ree asily rem ov ing the sa rcophagus. The side s ande nds appe a r to have b e en o rnam ontod w ith slende r pil la rs in b ass re l ie f resting on sm a l l pedesta ls with ci rcu la rm ou ldings, from which the sha ft r ise s. The re we re si xte e n ofthese p il lars one a ch si de andseve ra l at the en ds. The length of the bottom is seven fe e t th re einches, b readth th re e fe e t five inches at the head, andtw o fee t n ine at the b ot

tom . This ston e w as found in the ce n tre of the nave of the chu rch , n ea r theskre en which prob ab ly divided the n ave from the ch ance l and from its be ingo rn am en te d as above desc r ib ed, w as p robab ly int ended to have b e en ex

posed to view ; in wh ich case i t m ight have stoodon the pa vem en t. N o t e

m a inswe re founde xcept a sm a l l p ie ce of bone m uch de cayed, nor any'

m'

emorialof the de ce ased ; the re fore n o conj e cture c an be form edforwhom i t w asdesign ed.Like the le aden coffin disco v e red a few ye ars since , as m entionedin the fo rmer

part ofthis work, (fol . 280 ) th isw as supposedto ha ve con ta inedthe rem a ins ofH en ry I . but tha t m onarch w as inte r red n e a r the high a l ta r , a s w as a lw ays thec ase w i th the founde rs of re l igious houses ; and i f m y conjectu res are r ight int racing the ru ins of the chu rch , as shewn in pl'ate XV . the spot wh e re th is

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4728 ADDITIONS .

m eadow and othe r plow ing ground round ab out it, bu i l t by John B lagrave ,

w ho has a fair n ew w rough t m onum en t w ithin the south wa l l of the chu rch

of St . Law rence of R e ading, n e a r the pulpi t . His n ephew‘

and he i r Dan ie l

B lagrave didl i ve in the house ’

ti l l the kings fo rce s fr ightedsuch gu i lty reb e ll ious spi rits aw ay . He w as an a tto rn ey of Staple s Inn . This house stands just

b e twee n Cow ley ( Coley ) house b e l onging to Vatchel andsir John B lagrave s.”

TOPOs'

Tapher, fol. 4 14, for 1789 .

The gre ate r part ofth is b u i lding has b een since dem ol ished, andthe rem a in

der conve rtedinto a farm -house . I t is now the p rope rty of M essrs. Stephens.

Folio 332 .

S t. Giles’

Church. The king has th e gift of the v ica rage of St. Giles,and he tha t is vica r is a lso pa rson . Most .of the par ish w as the abb ot ’sdem esn e , v i z . The m ano r ofW

‘

hitley, a ham le t be longing to th is par ish , and

the park ofWhitley w as th e abb ot ’s park, and the fi e lds lying tow a rdsSonn ing, eastward, w e re the re fore ca l le d the and w e re the abbot ’s

w arren, and w e re for the provision of the abbot ’s househo ld, and the refo refree from tythes .

”I bid.

Corpora tion ,folio 374 .

M AYORS .1814. Will iam Andrew s, e sq .

1815. John Blandy, e sq . vice M r . Will iam Ga rra rd, the sen ior a lde rm an

in rotation , who refusedto se rve on the ground of e xcessive d eafn ess.

A LD ERMEN .

1814. John Blandy, e sq .

1815. John Bu l ley, esq . vice M r. Richa rds, resigned .

T . Sowdon, esq . vice M r . William Garra rd .

B U RGES SES.

1814. Mr . Thom asGa rra rd.M r . Hen ry Sim onds.

1815. Mr . Thom asW a rd, jun .

High Stewards, folio 39 1 .

Whitlocke hada sala ry of on e thousandpoundsper annum , as com m ission er of the t reasu ry ; and, on the e ven t of C rom w el ’s b e ing m ade king of

England, w as to have b e en on e of the forty- th ree m em be rs in tended to forma house of lords. Harleian M iscell. v. 3, p. 460 .

ADDITIONS. 429

Folio 408.

S ir Thom as Va tchell. In the n orth window of the north a isle of St .Ma ry ’

s chu rch in Re ading, these a rm s a re late ly set up for Vatchell. Bendyof 6 B . and E rm , qua rte r ing O , a chevr. int. 3 cocks S, im pa l ing Kno l lyswith this m otto : B e tter saf er than revenge. A . D . 1 632 . A ga in st the w a l lof th is ch ape l hangs the coa t a rm ou r he lm , m antle anda penon w ith the c rest,and the ab ove m otto . M r . Tanfie ldV atche ll w hom the king (Cha r les I . )m ade she r iff of Be rks in 1643, andwho le ft his se rvice , a nd w e n t to rebe l lion( whose house on the n o rth side the tow n newly bu i lt upon the oldpriory n ow

pu l leddow n) is he i r to the sa idSi r Thom as V atche ll his u nc le . The re asonassigned for th is fam i ly adopting the ab ove m otto, is, a ccording to the tradition

'

of the inhab itan ts of Re ading, on a c coun t of a dispute which a roseb e twe en one of the ab bots of the tow n and a p rop r ie tor of this estate of the

n am e of V a tche ll . It seem s the form e r c la im eda r ight of passage for theCa rr iage of his hay th rough M r . V atche lls ya rd, w hich he resisted, andafte rm any m e ssages hadpassedbe tw e en the tw o, the abbo t sen t one of his m onks

to force a passage th rough, whi ch so in censed M r . Vatche ll tha t in a viole n t

passion he slew the m onk, and afte rwards, on repenting the act, he took the

above m otto . Topographerfor 1789, fol. 415.

M rs. Ve asey’s Charity, fol. 4 1 7.

The inte rest a r ising from the e ight hundredandfive pounds SS . annu ities

is to b e div ided on St. Thom as’

soday, as fo l lows : To five indust r ious houseke epe rs andfive w idow s ofSt. Lawre nce ’

s par ish no t re ce iving a lm s, on e gu in ea

e ach . To tw o se rvan t gi r ls of the b orough, w ho have l ivedtw o ye a rs in one

place to the satisfaction of the m aste r or m istress, two guine as e ach . T o the

gree n gi rls cha r ity schoo l , th re e gu ineas. T o the Sunday schools, for the

pu rchase of books, one gu ine a andto ten poor pe rsons of that par ish m a le or

fem a le , ten sh il l ings andsi xpen ce e ach .

At the endof the arduous con test whi ch this n at ion hadbe en engagedin

for m ore than tw enty ye ars, b y the tre aty of pe a ce con cluded with F ran ce , on

the restorat ion of the an c ie n t dynasty, in 1814, the p eople not on ly solem n ised

the e ven t by e ve ry dem onstration ofjoy usua l on such occasions, but w ishingthat e ve ry class of the inhab itan ts who had expe r ie n ced the p ressu re of the

tim es past, m ight partake , in a pa rticu la r m anne r, ofthe joy m an ife stedon the

occasion , de te rm ined to ce leb rate the h appy e ven t hi a m an n e r to b e rem em

b e re d by the latest poste r i ty . For this pu rpose , the poor of e ve ry town and

vil lage we re rega led, at the expense ofthe supe r ior classes ofthe inhab itan ts, by

430 ADDITIONS .

voluntary subsc riptions. In this cha ra cte r isti c display of ben e volen ce pecul ia r

to th is country, the weal th ie r inhabitants of Reading we re not beh ind- han d

w ith the i r ne ighb ors. A sub scr i ption w as se t on foot, and a suflicient sum

of m on ey col le ctedto ente rta in all the low e r c lass of inhab i tan ts, w ith the i r

w i ves and chi ld ren, to the num be r of ne a r ly six thousan d individua ls, w ho

partook of a sum ptuous ente rta inm en t, d re ssed at the houses of the p r incipalinhab itants. On this occasion tables we re set out a long the stre ets, de corated w ith branches of lau re l and o the r insign ia of pe ace . These tables

extendedfrom the top of London - stre e t, ove r High - b r idge , Duke - stree t, Kingstree t, the Ma rke t- place, andthe gre ate r part ofFr ia t -s tre et, form ing a continuedl ine of n ea rly one m ile in length . At the endofthe Ma rke t-p la ce , nea rSt. Lawren ce ’

s chu rch , a canopy w as e re cted at the head of on e ofthe tables,unde r which Ma rtin Ann esley, esq . the depu ty-m ayo r, p reside d ; e ach of the

othe r tables, e ighty in num be r , and forty fee t e ach in length, with som e

sm a l le r ones, w as supe r in tende d by 480 of the p r inci pa l inhab itants, who, asstewa rds, attended , to carve and supply the w ishes of the i r guests, andwho

'

conducted the whole of the ente rta inm en t so as to give un ive rsal satisfactionto the n um e rous spe ctators a ttra cted by cu r iosity to the spot, as we l l as to theindividuals who pa rtook of th is t ruly c ivic feast, and whose de corum of

behavior cannot b e too h ighly p ra ised . In the e ven ing seve ra l rura l sportstook place in the Forbury, and the festivities concluded w ithout the slightestcircum stance taking place to disturb the harm ony of the day.

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APPEND IX.

Know ye there fore that of our especial grace , and certain know ledge andm ere m otion , w e have

nedandde clared, andby these presen ts, for us, our he irsandsu ccessors, w e do ordai n anddec lare,

that the said boroug

h be , and from he nceforth for e ve r rem ain , a free borough of itse lf, term inated

by itsw on ted l im its andbounds ; andthat the m en and free burgesses of the borough aforesaid, by

whatsoever nam e or in corporation they are called, known , o r in corporated, be andfor ever hereafter

shal l be , a body corporate andpo

l itic , in deedandin n am e , by the n am e of the m ayor, alderm en , and

burgesse s: of the boroug

h ofR eading, in the county of Berks. A nd by these presen ts, w e do rea llyand fu lly, for us, our h e irs, andsuccessors, m ake , c reate , andde c lare them ,

a body corporate and

Int-

07 Grail“ !Po rdal

politic, in deed andin nam e , by the n am e of the m ayor, alderm en, and

.

burgesses of the borough ofReading, and that by the sam e n am e they m ay have perpetua l succession , and that they and their

successors, by the nam e ofm ayor, alderm e n , andburgesses of the borough ofReading, in the coun tyPM " tape)

"

of Berks, be, andfor ever hereafter shal l be , perso ns ab le andcapab le in law , to have , take , purchase ,“ gm 1mm

,

“andpossess, m anors, lands, tenem en ts

,re n ts, liberties, privileges, jurisdictions, fran chises, and here

ditam en ts, ofw hatsoe ve r kind, nature , n am e,or sort they shal l be of, to them or their successors, in

fee and perpetuity, or for any te

rm s w hatsoe ver, and also goods andchatte ls, andw hatsoever o ther

Power to dis thingo fwhatsoever kind, n ature, n am e or sort andalso to give, gran t , assign , anddispose of m anors,

{7055 lands, tenem e n ts,hereditam ents, goods andchatte ls, andby the n am e aforesaid, to do and execute all

8 6.andsingu

lar other things, touch ing the saidborough andthat by the sam e n am e ofm ayor, alderm en ,andburgesses of the borough ofRe ading in the coun ty of Berks, they m ay pleadand be im pleaded,answ er andbe answeredun to, defendand be defe nded, in all andsingu lar actions, pleas, suits, com

plaints, causes, m atters, anddem ands, real, person al , or m ixed, w hatsoe ver, andofw hatsoe ver kind,in whatsoever court , and before w hatsoever judges, justices, or o ther officers, of us

, our heirs, or

successors, m ovedor to be m oved, in the sam e m anner andform as other our subje cts of our kingdom

$010" ”PleadofEngland, be ing persons ab le, or capab le in law ; or any o ther body corporate and po litic, w ithinC'

our kingdom ofE ngland, m ay or c an poss ess, give , gran t, dem ise , assign , or dispose, pleador be

im pleaded, answ er andbe answ ered un to, defe ndor be defe nded, do, or e xecute .

To have aA nd that the m ayor, alderm en , andb urgesses of the borough aforesaid, andthe ir succe ssors, m ay

common seal. for e ver have a com m on seal, to serve for all their causes andbusiness, any w ay concerning the said

borough ; andthat it shall andm ay be lawful, for the said m ayor, a lderm en, and burgesses, andtheirsuccessors, from tim e to tim e at the ir pleasure, to break, change, andm ake n ew the sam e sea]

,as it shall

seem e xpedien t to them .

A ndfurther, w e w ill, and’

by' these presents, for us, our heirs, andsuccessors, do de clare , that for

7713 5077070 " ever hereafter, the re m ay andshall be w ithin the borough aforesaid, of the free burgesses of thatbad) “

borough , in m anner hereafter in these presen ts m entioned to be e lected,viz . one who shal l be ca l led

m ayor, thirteen w ho shall be calledalderm en (w hereofw e w il l the m ayor to be one ) andtwe lve w ho

shall be called assistants of the sam e borough , w hich said assistan ts shal l be from tim e to tim e coun

se lling and he lping to the m ayor and alderm en of the borough aforesaid, in all causes,things, and

businesses, touching or any way concerning the said borough, as often as they shal l be thereun torequired; andfor the be tter eflbctingof our business in this behalf, w e have assigned, n am ed, con

stituted, and m ade, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, w e do assign, nam e,

constitute , and m ake, our w ell-be loved RichardBurren , the first andpresen t m ayor, and our w e l lbe lovedThom as Turner, gen t. Robert M aulthus, gent. Christopher Turn er, gen t. John Newm an ,gen t . Robert Ben t, gen t. john D ew ell, gen t. G eorge Thorne, gen t. A n thony B rackston , gen t. the

aforesaidRichardBurren , gent . above constitutedm ayor ofthe borough aforesaid, John jennings,gent.Robe rt Dee , gen t. W il liam Jacobs, gent, andThom as Harrison , gen t. the first andpresen t alderm en

andourw ell- be loved Peter Burningham ,Thom asThackham , G eorge Woo ldridge , Richard jeyes,

Edward Baker, William Turner the e lder, W illiam B rackstone, Edward Ham lin, Christopher

APPENDIX.

B lower, W illiam Turner the younger, George Thorne the younger, and Thom asDewell, the firstand present assi stants of the said borough. W ill ing, and by these presents ordaining

,that the said

R ichard B urren, before he be admitted to exerc ise the office of mayor with in the said borough,shall

take h i s corporal oath before our wel l- beloved sir Edward C lerke, kut. and John Harrison, esq.-or

either of them, to execute the said office of‘mayor, j ustly and faithful ly, .in al l things touching thatoffice, and after that oath so taken, he may exercise the same offi ce of mayor of the said borough

,

u ntil the last Monday in the month of August next ensu ing the date of these presents,and unt il ‘

another shal l be duly elected, preferred, and sworn in the same place, according to the provision hereafter in these presents dec lared, if the said R ichard B urren shal l live '

so long.And further, we will, and by these presents, for us, o ur heirs, and successors, we do grant unto

Mayor to be“ 0 07 71 .

When tothe said mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of'

R eading aforesaid, and their successors, choose the

that yearly from hen ceforth for ever, upon the last Monday in August; it shal l and may be lawful, asw el l for the mayor and aldermen of the same borough , for the time being, or the greater part of them,to name three of themselves, whomsoever they please, as' to the mayor, the rest of

'the aldermen andthe assistants of the same borough, for the time being, or the greater number of them, to elect oneof these three aldermen, so n amed to be mayor fer the same borough

,and that

,he that shall be so

elected mayor of the borough aforesaid, before he be adm it ted to exerc ise the office of m ayor of thesame borough, viz . upon Monday - nex t after ~ the feast of St. M i'chael the archangel nex t followinga fter such election , shall take h is corpora l oath, before the last mayor, predecessor '

of the mayor soelected, the rest of the aldermen , a nd the assistants of the said bo rough , for the time being, or somany of them as will be present to execute the office of “mayor of the borough justly and faithfully

,

in all th ings touching that offi ce, and after that oath so taken, may exerc ise the office of mayor of thesaid borough, until the last Monday in the month of August, then ne x t fol lowing, and until another“shal l be duly elected, preferred, and sworn into the same office, andso from year to year, every year,for ever ; as often as any one elec tedto be mayor shall die, or refuse to b ear the office of mayor of thesame borough, before he hath’ taken such oath

,we will

,and by these presents do ordain, t hat the

nomination and election be made anew,and that he that i s newly elected (his oath being first taken as

aforesaid) may execute the office of 'mayor of the borough in form aforesaid.

m yon

And if it shal l happen, that the said mayor before constituted, or any other mayor of' the aforec On the deaf/3

said borough hereafter to be chosen , by virtue of these presents, for the time being, shall ~ die after his (f the m ayor,

oath so taken, and before another is duly named and elected mayor, we will, and by these » presents, forus, our heirs, and successors, do gran t unto the said mayor, aldermen, and burgesse s of the boroughaforesaid, and their successors, that after the death of such mayor (to wit) with in a conven ient and ,

fi t t ime, and not procrast inated by unnecessary delay, it may and shal l be law ful, as wel l for the restof the aldermen of the same borough

,for the time being, surviving the said mayor, to name three of

themselves whomsoever they please, in form aforesaid, a s for the aldermen not named, and the assistants of the borough, for the t ime being, or the greater part of

' them, to elec t and prefer one of thethree aldermen so named

,to be mayor of the said borough

,in the place and offi ce of the mayor so

dead ; wh ich said alderman so elected and preferred, to be m ayor fof‘the said borough, h i s oath being.

t aken before the rest of the aldermen,and the same ass istants of the same borough , or so many of

them as shall be present in form aforesaid,m ay have and exerc ise the ofiice of mayor of that borough,

un til another be duly elected,preferred

,and sworn in the same office, in form aforesaid and i n the

m ean time,and in every other vacancy of the mayoralty of the borough aforesaid, the senior alderman

for the t ime being shal l ofiiciate in the mayoralty, and so from time to time, as often as the case shal lhappen

,for ever.

We will further, and by these presents do declare, that every one of the said aldermen beforeconstituted by these presents

,before he be adm itted to exerc ise the cflice of one of the

.

alde rm e

gof the borough aforesaid, shal l take h is corporal oath, before the m ayor afore con stituted, sxr Edwar

toproceedto a.new electwn.

Hen na : wbe sworn .

APPENDIX.

C lerke and john Harrison, or either of them, to exerc ise the ofii ce of one of the aldermen of thesame borou

gh,justly and faithfully

,in all th ings touching that office, andafter that oath -so t aken , may

exerc ise the office of one of the aldermen of the borough during 'h is natural life, unless in the interim,in the manner and for the cause hereafter ment ioned

,

-he shal l be removed from that cfiice, and if i tshall happen, that any of the aldermen of the borough , before cons tituted , by these p resen ts, or byvirtue hereof hereafter to be chosen, shall die, or b e removed from h is cfii ce , we will, and by thesepresents

,for us, our heirs, and successors, do gra nt unto the sa id mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and

their successors,that after the death or removal of such aldermen (to wit) a t a fit and convenient tim e,

and not procrastinated by unnecessary delays, i t shall and may be la u l for the mayor and the rest of1

2521

3:s the aldermen aforesaid

,for the t ime being, or the greater number of them, to elec t andp refer one

of the assistants of the borough for the time being, to be one of the aldermen of tha t borough in theplace of such a ldermen so dead or removed, to supply the said number of aldermen aforesaid, and that:the assistant w ho shal l be elected one of the aldermen of the borough aforesaid, before he be adm ittedto exerc ise the office of one of the aldermen of the borough , shall take h is corpora l oath before themayor and the rest of the aldermen of the sam e borough for the time being, or so many of them asshal l be present

,to execute the office of one of the aldermen of t he borough,justly and faithfully, in

al l things touch ing that office, and after that oath so taken, may exercise and use the office of oneof the aldermen of - the said borough, during h is natural l ife, unless in the interim

,in the form

,and

for the cause, hereafte r declared, he shal l be removed from tha t office, and so from time to time, asoften as the ca se shal l so happen

,for ever .

We will fu rther, and by these presents do ordain, that every of the aforesaid assistants beforeAssistant, to constitu tedby these presents, before he be admitted to exerc ise the cfiice of one of the assistants of thebe sworn. borough aforesaid, shall take h is corporal oath, before the mayor so constituted as aforesa id, s ir Edward

C lerke a ndJohn Harrison, or a ny one of them, to execute the o ilice of one of the assistan ts of thesame borough well and faithfully in al l th ings touching that offi ce, and after tha t oath so taken, mayexercise the ofli ce of one of the assis tants of the same borough , durin g his natura l l ife, unle ss in theinterim he shall be elected or preferred to be one of the aldermen of that borough, or in the mann er,or for the cause hereafter mentioned, he shal l be removed from that cflice andif i t shall happen, anyof the assistants of the borough, before constituted by these presents, or by virtue hereof herea fter tobe chosen, do die or be elected and preferred to be one of the aldermen of the borough

,or be removed

from his offi ce, we will, and by these presen ts, for us, our heirs and successors, do grant unto thesaid mayor, alderm en, andburgesses, and their successors, that after the death, preferring, or rem ov in gof such assistant, viz . a t a fi t and convenient time

,and not procrastinated by unnec essary delays, i t

m ay and shal l be lawful to and for the mayor and aldermen of the sam e borough for the t ime bein g,t

a”or the greater number of them, to elec t and prefer one of the burgesses of the said borough to be oneof the assis tants of the same borough, in the place and offi ce of such assistant so dead, preferred, orremoved, to supply the sa id number of ass istants of that borough

,which said burgess so elected to be

one of the ass istants as aforesaid, before he be admitted to exercise the office of one of the ass istantsof the borough, shal l take his corporal oath before the mayor and aldermen of the same borough for thetime be ing, or so many of them as wil l be present

,to execute the office of one of the ass istants of the

borough justly and faithfu lly in al l th ings touch ing the same offi ce,and after that oath so taken, may

likewise have and exerc ise the office of one of the ass is tant s of the said borough during h i s naturall ife, unless in the interim he shal l be elected and preferred to be one of the alderm en of the sameborough, or in manner, or for the cause hereafter men t ioned

,he shal l be removed from the same

office, and so from time to t ime, as often as the c ase shal l so happen,for ever

.

Steward. And, further we will , and by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, do grant unto thesai d mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid

,and their successors

,that for ever

here after they shal l andm ay have in the borough aforesaid, one discreet m an sk ilful in the law, and

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chamberla ins.

APPENDIX.

p resen t chamberlains of the borough a foresaid ; will ing, and by these presents ordain ing, thateach of the a foresa id chamberl a ins so const i tuted, before he b e adm i tted to execute the ofi c e

o f chamberlain w ith in the sai d borough, shal l t ake h i s corpora l oath before the mayor anda ldermen aforesaid, const itu ted in form a foresa id, or any two or more of them, right ly and.

fa ithfu l ly to execut e the sai d offi ce in al l th ings tou ch ing tha t office ; and after that oa th sot aken

,may exerc ise the offi ce o f one o f the chamberla ins of the same borough , un t i l the las t

Monday in the month of Augu s t nex t ensu ing after the date of these p resen ts , or unt i l h imself,or another

,be in due manner elec ted, p referred , and sworn in tha t office ; and ou r p le asure

further is,and by these present s

,for u s

,our he irs , and successors, we do gran t to the aforesai d

mayor,aldermen

,and burgesses

,and the ir suc cessors, that upon M onday wh ich shal l happen las t

in the month of August,yearly, for ever, i t may and sh al l be lawfu l for the mayor and aldermen

o f the borough aforesa id for the t ime be ing, or th e greater number o f them , to name and el ec ttwo of the burgesses of tha t borough to be chamberla ins of the same borough ; each of wh ichchamberl ains so elec ted, before he be adm it ted to exerc ise the office o f the ch amberl a ins of th esaid borough , with in that borough (to wit) upon the Monday nex t fol lowing after the feast ofS t. M ichael, the archangel, nex t after such elec t ion made, sh al l take h i s corporal oath , beforethe mayor and aldermen o f the same borough for - the t ime being, or so many of them as wil l bep resent

,r igh tfu lly and fa i thful ly to execu te that office i n al l th ings touch ing the same, and t ru l y

and justly to account, in manner hereafter dec lared in these presents ; and after that oath sot aken

, m ay have and exerc i se the ofiice o f one of the chamberla ins o f the sai d borough , unt i lthe last Monday in the mon th of Augu st then nex t ensu ing, and unti l tw o o thers, or h imsel f an do n e o ther, shal l b e duly elec ted, p referred, and sworn in the same offi ce, un less in the interimhe shal l d ie

,or in the manner

,or for the c ause hereafter men t ioned

,h e sh al l be removed from

tha t o lfice : and so from year to year, every year, for ever. And, as often as e i ther of the saidchamberlains so elec ted shal l die

,or refu se the office of one o f the chamberl a ins of the borough

aforesa id , before he hath t aken h i s oath , we will , and by these p resent s do ordain , tha t the l ikee lec t ion be made anew, and that he tha t i s new ly elected, h i s oath be ing as aforesa id taken beforethe mayor and aldermen o f the bo rough aforesaid for the t ime be ing

,or so many of them as wil l

be presen t, may execu te the office of one o f the chamberla ins of the same borough , in formaforesaid ; and, if i t shal l happen, that e i ther of the aforesa id chamberl a ins before const itu tedby these presen ts, or any o ther chamberl ains hereafter to be chosen by v irtue o f these p resen t s,for the t ime being, sh al l die, or be removed from h i s office, before another shal l b e elec ted tobe chamberlain of the same borough , ou r p leasure i s, and by these p resent s, for u s, our he i rs,and successors, we do gran t unto th e said mayor, al dermen , and bu rgesses o f the sa id borough,andtheir successors, that after such death, or remov al, to wit, a t a fi t and conven ien t t ime, andn o t procrast inated with unnece ssary del ays, i t may and shall be l awfu l for th e mayor and al dermen of the sam e

‘

borough for the t im e

'

b e ing, or the greater number of them, to elec t, pre fer,andswear another of the burgesses of the same borough , to be one o f the chamberl ains of tha tborough , in the pl ace and office of such ch amberla in so dead or removed, and tha t he so elec ted,preferred, and sworn to be one of the chamberla ins of the same borough , may h ave and exerc iseth at ofi ce , unt i l two other, or h imsel f and one other, shal l be du l y e lec ted, p referred, and swornin to the same ofiice , in form aforesaid ; and, in the in terim , the surv iv ing chamberla in m ayalone ofliciate , and execute that offi ce, and so from t ime to time, as often as the case shal l sohappen, for ever.And, our p leasure further i s, and we do hereby orda in , that the aforesa id chamberlains shal l

ye arly, when they shal l be thereunto requ ired,fa ithful ly g ive a t rue and ju st ac coun t to the

m ayor and a ldermen Of that borough , or the greater part of them, of al l th ings by them respe ct ively rece ived and done, as chamberla in s of the borough aforesaid, to the use of the mayor,

APPENDIX.

al derm en , andburgesses o f the sam e borough , will ing that the sa id ac coun t so m ade be publ ic lyA

read upon the morrow after the ending of that account,in the gu i ld-hal l o f the sai d borough

, to

ccountr

before the mayor, aldermen, and ass istant s, and a l l other burgesses o f the borough, or so manyof them as will be p resen t, and so from year to year, for ever.‘And, our p leasure fur ther i s, and, by these present s, for u s, our he irs, and successors

, w e

do gran t un to the said mayor, a ldermen, and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, that the mayor and a ldermen o f the same borough for the t im e being, or the greaterp art o f them for the t im e be ing, shal l and may, from t ime to t ime, for ever hereafter, elec t andconst itu te one of the burgesses of the borough a foresaid

,to be the coroner o f the same borough

wh ich sa i d coroner so elec ted and const itu ted, h is corporal oath be ing before fi rst taken beforethe mayor and a ldermen o f the borough aforesa id for the t ime be ing

,or so many of them a s wil l

be presen t, we ll and fai thful ly to execute tha t office, may and shal l have ful l power and au thor i tyto do and execu te al l th ings wh ich appertain to the office of coroner

,to be done with in the

borough a foresaid, the l ibert ies, and p rec inc t s thereof, during the good p leasure of the saidm ayor and al dermen of that borough for the t ime being, or the greater p art of them, in as amp lemanner and form as any other coroner or coroners with in any coun ty, c i ty, or borough of ou rk ingdom of Engl and ; may or c an exerc ise, or execu te, h i s or the ir office or offices, so that n oo ther coroner or coroners, of us, o ur he irs , or successors, do en ter o r presume to enter into theb orough aforesa id, the l ibert ies andprec inc ts thereof, to do any th ing that be longe th to the ofli ceo f coroner or coroners.And

.

al so, we h ave granted, and, by these p resent s, for u s, ou r he irs, and successors, we dogrant , unto the sai d mayor, aldermen, and burgesses o f the sa id borough, and to the ir successors,tha t, for ever hereafter, they may a nd shal l have with in the borough , three m in isters, to benamed and appo inted by the mayor of the same borough for the t ime being, who shal l be cal ledsergeant s at mace ; every w h ich sergean t s a t mace shal l be, from t ime to t ime, at tendan t uponthe mayor o f the same borough for the t ime be ing, and shal l bear and c arry a s i lver, or s i lver - gil tm ace, engraven and adorned wi th ou r roya l coa t of arms, every where with in the said borough ,the l imi t s and prec inc t s thereof, before the mayor of the same borough for the t im e being , andalso shal l serve in the cou rt s o f u s

,ou r he irs, and successors, o f the sa id borough, to be holden

with in the said borough , to make procl amat ions, and to do a l l other th ings wh ich be long to theoffi ce of a sergean t a t mace

,there to be done and also shal l execute and serve al l and s ingular

p rocesses to h im direc ted,and what soever o ther p recept s given h im i n charge, and al l o ther

th ings wh ich belong to the oflice of a sergean t a t mace with in the borough aforesa id, the l ibert iesandprec inc ts of the same, and shal l answer in the sa id court s for the execut ion thereof. W i ll in gand orda in ing by these present s, tha t every one of the , sa id sergean ts a t mace, before he beadm itted to exerc ise the office of sergeant a t mace, shal l take h i s corpora l oath before the mayorandaldermen o f the borough aforesai d for the t ime being, or so many of them as shal l be p resen t,to execute his office ju stl y, and fa ithfu l ly, in al l th ings touch ing the same ; and, after that oathso taken, he may execute the office of one of the sergeant s a t mace of the same borough , dur ingthe p leasure of the mayor of the borough for the t ime be ing .And ou r pleasure further i s

,and by these present s, for u s, our he irs, and successors, we do

gran t unto the sa id mayor, aldermen, andburgesses of the borough aforesa id, and their successors,

Coroner.

a t mace.

i t does not appear that this regulation, though so necessary to insure a proper application of the corporate fund,w as ever acted upon The b urgesses, or w hat m ay now b e calledthe inhab itants at large , having ne ver b e e n considered

by the corporation as b eingin the least connectedw ith them ; though , from the distinction m ade he re , andin other partsof the charter, b etw ee n the free b urgesses and assistants, the re can be no doubt that, at the tim e of fram ing the charter,the form er w ere considered, if not a com ponent part of the corporation , at least as inte re stedin its concem a.

3 1 2

Other ofirersm ay be

appointed.

Ma yor to

AP PEND IX:

tha tthe m ayor

and alde rmen of t he same borough for the t ime be ing, or the greater part o f them ,

may elec t and pre fe r such , and so many o ther offi cers and m in isters, what , a nd how many, 11 3V?h ither

unto b een won t , or b een ac customed “ to be e lected and p re ferred i n the s ame borough , if

to them i t shal l seem exped ient .And

,

in what soever n om inat ion , or ele ct ion , of ‘ any offi cer or m in ister o f the boroughafores

aid

,from henceforth to be made

,and ‘ in al l ' other th ings and bus inesses whatsoever, any

havc a ( “ tingw ayconcern ing the said corporat ion

,wherei n th ese who h ave vo i ces are equ al ly dw idedi n the i r

vote.

Power tofine

such a: refuseto serve as

mayors, 8 c.

To commiton

Gal lu to be

“ 023113 !”d

Power toframe oat/ufor (filter.

vot e s, the may or of the -same borough for the time be ing , shal l in that c ase h ave ' a c ast ing vo ice.And

,if i t shal l~ happen , tha t the mayor o f the same borough for the t ime be ing shal l be s ick ,

or employed

,or otherw ise bus ied in the servi ce o f u s, ou r he irs, and successors , so that he c annot

a ttend the n e ce ssaryb usin e sse sof t he same b orough - touch ing the ofi ce of mayor of that borough;

then,and so often

,i t shal l '

and'

m ay be lawfu l for the same mayor, so si ck , employed, or bus ied,to pu t and const itute in h i s p lac e, one of the sen ior alde rm en of

’ the same borough for the t imebe in

g,h is deputy ; wh ich said depu ty, '

so to be pu t and - const itu ted, before he be adm i t ted toexerc ise the office of depu ty mayor with in the borough aforesaid , sh al l “ t ake h i s corpora l oath;before the mayor and aldermen of th e same borough for the t ime be ing, or so many of them as

w ill be present,for the fa ithfu l execu t ion of the same offi ce and, a fter th at oath so taken, may

be present a t al l c auses or businesses any w ay touch ing the borough a foresa id , and may do andexecute al l th ings wh ich belong to th e office o f mayor of the same borough , to a l l purposes, andin as ample manner and form as the mayor h imsel f, dur ing h is sickness or absen ce, and so fromtirno to t ime, a s often as~the case shal l -so happen , for e ver."

And,further our pleasure is

,and by these presen ts

,for u s

,our heirs, and

'suc ce ssors w e dc?

grant unto the sa i d mayor, alde rm e n , :ind burgesses of the - borough aforesa id , and to the i r succ essors, tha t if any one that shal l hereafte r be dul y elec ted to the offi ce o f

‘mayor, alderman, andassistan t

,or to any other offi ce w ith in the borough aforesa id be ing a member of the sa id cor0 0 o

rat io n , ~andp artak ingof the l ibert ies, and h av ing not ice of such e lec t ion , sh al l refuse to exerc isethe same offi ce un to wh ich he sh al l be e lec ted , that then ,

and so often , i t ‘ may and shal l bel aw ful for the mayor and alderme n of th e same borough for the t ime be ing, or the grea ter numberof

‘

~them ,to impose a rea sonable fine or amerci amen t upon every one refus ing, for such h i s refusal

and,i f such perso n so refusing sha l l ‘ deny to p ay the fine

,or amerc iamen t , so imposed on h im ,

then and so often to commit - every such person so denying to our p ri son with in the borough '

aforesa id,

-and to c au se -h im to be there de ta ined, un t il he hath pa id h i s fi ne or amerc iamen t .And

,

‘ ou r! p leasure further i s,and w e do by these presen t s ordain , tha t i t sh al l and may b e

lawful for the aforesaid s ir Edward C lerke and Joh n Harri son, or e i ther o f them, to c au se theoath to be taken by th e afores a id mayor - above const i tu ted by these p resen t s

,to be adm in i stered

to h im, and for the sai d mayor s ir Edward C lerke a ndjohn Ha rrison , or any one o f them, toc ause the oath s to be respect ively taken by the sa id a ldermen and ass istan t s before const i tu ted bythese presen t s, to b e respec t ively a dm in istered to the sai d aldermen and ass i stan ts, and to the sa i dmayor and aldermen, or any two or more of them to c ause the oa ths respec t ively to be t aken bythe aforesaid steward and chamberl ains before hereby cons t i tu ted

,to be adm in iste red‘

to the sai dsteward and chamberlains, withou t any further warran t or comm ission to be pro cured er ob tainedfrom u s, our he irs,-o r successors, in that behal f;And , our pleasure further is, a nd we do by these presents orda in , tha t i t shal l and may be

l awfu l , as we l l for - the mayor and s teward of . the sam e b orough for the t ime be ing, to make, frame,and orda in fi t forms of oaths, to be from t ime to t ime for ever hereafter respec t ive l y taken by theofficers and m in isters of the same borough hereafter to be chosen , by v irtue of these p resen ts ;and the said deputy mayor, as to al l others, before whom such oath s ough t to be taken, to causethe same oaths to be adm in istered from - t ime . to t ime, to the saidofficers, m in isters, anddeputy,

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to reside inthe borough.

Power 0

APPEND IX.

b e covere d with straw ,stover

,or any other combust ible mater ial s and, i f any one shall presume

to offend here in contrary to the form and effec t of these our letters p atent, he shal l al so in cu rthe pains and penalt ies to be orda ined by the mayor, a ldermen, andass istan ts of the said boroughfor the t ime be ing

,or the grea ter part of them, in their sa id assemb l ies, i n tha t behal f.

And,that the in t r us ion of fore igners may herea fter be the more eas ily p reven ted, ou r p leasure

is,and w e do hereby orda in

,that no person whatsoever, be ing a fore igner from the l iberty of the

aforesaid borough , do hereafter int rude h imsel f in to the sa id borough , the l ibert ies, or p rec inc t sthereof

,with an inten t the re to make h is abode And, that no burgess of the same b orpugh , nor

any o ther,do rece iv e such foreigner into h is house with in th e sa id borough , the l ibert ies, and

prec inc ts thereof, nor do let any hou se to any such foreigner, withou t the l i cense o f the mayorandaldermen of the borough aforesai d for th e t inie be ing, or the greater number of them firs thad and ob ta ined in that behalf. And, i f any fore igner shal l henceforth int rude h imsel f in tothe sa i d borough , the l ibert ies, or prec in ct s thereof, con trary to the form and efl

'

e ct o f these ou rletters pat en t, i t shal l and may be lawfu l for the mayor and al dermen o f the borough aforesaidfor the t ime be ing

,or the greater numb er of them, whereof the sa id mayor t o be one, to c au se

such persons int rud ing, to be ex truded, expe lled, and removed ou t of the sa i d borough , thel ibert ies and prec inc t s thereof ; and, if any burgess of th e sa i d borough , or any o ther, shallwithou t such l icense rece ive such fore igner into h i s house with in the sa id borough, the l ibertiesand prec inc ts thereof, with the in ten t aforesa id , or shal l , for tha t end, dem i se any house to suchforeigner, the receiver of such person , or letter of such house, shal l in cu r such pains andpenal t iesas by the mayor, aldermen , and assi stant s of the borough aforesa i d for the t ime be ing, or thegreater number of them

,shal l, in the ir said assemb l ies, be orda ined in that beh al f.

And,our p leasure further i s, and we do, by these presents, for u s, ou r he i rs, and su c cessors,

ing laws.gran t unto the said mayor, a lde rmen , and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, andto the i r suc

8 c. cessors, that , from t ime to t ime for ever h ereafter, i t shal l and may be l awfu l for the mayor,aldermen, and ass istan ts of the borough aforesa id for the t ime be ing, or the greater number o fthem

,to mee t toge ther in the gu i ld-hal l of th e sai d borough , or any o ther conven ien t p lace

with in that borough , and there to have assemb l ies ; and in those assemb l ies so h ad, to con fer,consul t, and d iscourse on th e statu tes, law s, a rt i cles, and ordinan ces, any way touch ing the goodrule,state, and governmen t of the same borough and, al so to make, frame, const i tute,ordain,andestabl ish good, honest, wholesome, profitab le, necessary, and reasonab le l aws, const i tu t ions,o rdinances, and p rovi s ions, according to the ir sound discret ions, for good ru l ing and governingof th e same borough , and of all and singu lar oflicers, m in isters, tradesmen, inhab i tants, and

res idents w ith in the borough, the l ibert ies and p rec in c t s thereof, and o f others com ing to thesame borough, and for dec lar ing in wha t manner and order th e sai d mayor, al derm en, and ass ist an ts, and a l l ands ingular other oflicers and m in i sters of the borough shal l respec t ively bear andbehave themselves w ith in the borough aforesa id, the l ibe rt ies and prec inc ts thereof, and wi th w hatgarment s and ornam en ts they sha l l be c lad upon the Lord’s days, fast days, and o ther solem nt imes, for the greater honor of the sai d borough , and a l so, how the sa i d mayor, al derm en , andassistants, officers and m in isters, and all and singul ar the burgesses, t radesmen , inhab itant s, andres ident s of the borough afores aid, the l ibert ies and p rec in c t s thereof, sh al l beh ave and disposeof themselves 1n their offices, m in i stries, fu nc t ions, mysteries, trades, and respec t ive m annersof l iv ing with in the same borough

,the l ibert ies and prec inc t s thereo f

,for th e pub l i c good and

c ommon wea l of the said borough ; and, for the discovery o f frauds and soph i st icat ions u sed a tm ak ing and compounding o f wares, and for th e reform ing thereof ; and al so for v ic tual l ing o fthe said borough, andfor better restra in t of the bu i lding of cot tages, the div iding and subdividingof one messuage in to two dwel l ings

,for the hab i tat ion of two fam il ies i n one and the sam e

m essuage ; ando f covering houses w ith straw , or o ther combustib le m atter, w ith in the said

APPEND IX.

borough, the l ibert iesandprec incts thereof andfor the restraint ofthe intrusion and re cep t iono f fore igners into the said borough , the l ibert ies and p rec in c ts thereof ; andthe lett ing o f anyhouse there to any such fore igner ; andal so for the be tter p reserving, ordering, disposing, p lac ing,anddem is ing of the lands, tenements, possess ions, revenues, andheredi taments, heretofore given,gran ted, or assigned un to the burgesses of the same borough , or to the mayor and burgesses ofthat borough , in their pol i t ic c apac ity, by whatsoever name or names, or hereafter to be given,granted, or assigned to the sa i d mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and also for other matters andth ings wh atsoever, touch ing or any way concern ing the sa id borough, the l ibert ies or precin tsthereof, to pu t the same l aws , const i tu t ions, ordinances, and p rovisions so framed, ordained, andestab l ished, in due execu t ion wh ich l aws, const i tu t ions, ordinances, and p rov is ions we commandshal l be observed, under such pains and penal t ies, to be infl ic ted upon offenders aga ins t them, byimprisonmen t of body, or by reasonable fines or amerc iamen ts, or both , to be con ta ined in thesame l aws, ordinances, andp rovisions, as to the sa i d mayor, a ldermen, and assi stant s of the boroughaforesai d for the t im e bein g, or the greater number of them, shal l seem necessary to be imposed,for the better ob serv ing of the same l aw s, const i tu tion s, ordin an ces, and provi sions, and that theymay c au se the same fines andamerc i ament s so imposed to be lev ied by distress or di stresses

,or by

any other l awfu l m anner, so tha t those l aws, const i tut ions, ordinances, and p rovi s ions, and thep ains and penal t ies to be con ta ined in the same, be not con trary to the l aw s, statutes, or customsof our k ingdom of England.And, ou r p leasure further is, and, by these presents, for us, our he irs, andsuccessors, we do Finasfor a“gran t un to th e sa id mayor, aldermen , and burgesses of the sa id borough , andto their successors, use (ft/re

that they and the ir successors may take, and have to the use and be tter support o f the said corporation.

corporation, al l ands ingular fines, amerc iament s, and sums o f money, by v irtue o f these p resentsimposed, or to be imposed upon w hatsoever burgess, for wh a t c au se soever, with in the sai dborough , the l ibert ies and p rec incts thereof, withou t the occasion or impediment o f u s, our he irs,or suc cessors, and w ithou t any accoun t to be therefore rendered to u s, our heirs, or su ccessors, sothat the common stock of the sai d corporat ion be no t converted to pr ivate u ses, but be ing safelykep t by the sa id chamberla ins, be di sposed o f, for the discharging of the pol i t ic affa irs of theaforesaid borough , for the common benefit of the burgesses of the same borough, and no o therwi se

, in any w ise .And

,a s often as any burthen sh al l opp ress the sa id town

,or any ex t raordinary occas ion E arthen;

shal l h appen,for di scharging whereof the common s tock o f the same town wil l no t suffi ce, our oppressing the

p leasure i s,and we do by these p resent s orda in, that, so often, i t may and shal l be

‘

lawful for theP o

f

";$6115m ayor and aldermen of the sai d borough for the t ime be ing, or the greater number of them , common stock.

whereof the mayor of the sa id borough for the t ime being,to be one

,to assess every burgess

of the aforesai d borough , ac cording to h is estate or fam i ly, toward s that burthen, or occa sion ,and if any bu rgess sh al l refuse to pay it, to levy the money assessed upon h im , by distresses, orby any other lawfu l way

,and to d ispose of that money be ing paid or lev ied

,to the u se for wh ich

it w as asse ssed .And

,tha t ful l and speedy just ice may be the be tter adm in istered, with in the said borough, j usrim .

to al l our subjec t s there residing, and com ing th i ther (as the l aw requ ires) our pleasure i s, andw e do by these p resents orda in , tha t the mayor and depu ty mayor of the sa id borough , and theri gh t reverend father in Christ, the lord b i shop of S arum , and h is chancellor or comm i ssary, thesen ior al derman

,and he that was or sh al l he

,yearly, the last mayor of the same borough for th e

t ime be ing, may and shal l be ourjustic es, and every of them may, and shal l be the just ice of u s,our he irs, and successors, for the keeping of the peace of u s, ou r he irs, and su ccessors, w ith inthe borough aforesa id , th e l iberties, and prec inc t s thereof ; and, al so for the keep in g of thest atutes

, andordinances made at W in chester, N orth ampton, and Westm inster, for the keep ing

To inquireinto m isde

77256 71075.

Countyjustices not to to hear and determin e suchintrrfirc.

APPEND IX.

of the same peace,and the statutes andordinances m ade the re, concern ing hunters, l aborers, artifice“ ,

servants, innkcepersg b eggars, vagabonds, and other b eggars who cal l themselves travellingm en , and

also of another statute m ade in the parl iamen t of k ing Henry the fifth, holden a t Westm insteraforesaid, concern ing the counterfeiting, c l ipping, wash ing, and o ther

'

falsities of the money of our

l and, and for the keep ing Of al l other statu tes andordinances, in all their articlesmade, and to be made,for the good of the peace of us, our he irs, and successors, and for the quiet rul in g and governing ofthe people

, of us, our h eirs, and successors, w ith in the borough aforesaid, the l im its, and precinctsthereof, according to .

the'

force , form, and effect thereof, and to cause al l those whom they shall findto offend against t he form of th e said ordinances , and statu tes, t0 'b e chastised, and punished, and tocause al l those who shall threaten any of the pe ople of us, our he irs, and successors, of hurt ing theirbodies, or burn ing their houses, to find sufi cien t security for their peace, and good b ehavior towardsu s

,and al l the people of us

,our heirs, and successors ; and, i f th ey shall refuse to find such securi ty,

to cause them to be safely kep t in the pr ison of u s, our heirs, and successors, u ntil they shall findsuch security.

Andfurth er, that ithey or any tw o of' them

, (whereof the mayor or'

deputy mayor of the aforesaidb orough for the time b ein g tob e On e )

'

sha'

ll have full power andauthority-

for everhereafter, to enquire,as well by the o ath of good and 1m m men of the

“

borough aforesa id, the libert ies and precinctsthereof

,by whom the truth may be the better known, of al l manner (if felonies, trespasse s, fore'

stallers, regraters, and ex tortions,’ by whomsoever and' howsoever done, and perpetrated, or that

shal l happen hereafter to be done with in t he borough aforesaid, the l iberties, ‘

andp recin cts thereof;and also of al l and singular other ‘

things’

how soever

' done,attempted, or perpetra ted, within the

borough aforesaid, the l iberties and prec incts" thereof, and wh ich shal l there

'

happen to be'

done ,

attempted, or perpetrated, that are inqu irable by ihe' keepers of ' the peace, of us, our heirs, and

successors,and by the justices of u s, our heirs, and successors, a ss igned, or to be assigned, to enquire

of such like felonies,trespasses, and offences, in a ny coun ty of our

'

kingdom of England,'

by virtueof the aforesaid ordinances and statutes

,or other ordin ances, or statutes heretofore made, or hereafter

to be made, according to'

t'

he‘

force and cfie ct of the “

l et ters p atents of us, our heirs, and successors,to them for that pu rpose made, -

or to’ be made and to hear, and determ ine accordin g to the law andcustom of our kingdom of England, and the form of the aforesa id ordinances and statutes be forethem, the said mayor, deputy-mayor, lord bishop, h is chancellor or commissa ry, the senior alderm an,and that alderman, who, as aforesaid, was, or shal l be las t mayor, or any two of them, whereof them ayor, or deputy m ayor for the t ime bein g to be one ; all and singular the prem ises and otherth ings, w hatsoever done, attempted, or committed, or to be done, attempted, or commi t

—

ted,within

the borough aforesaid, the liberties and precinc ts thereof, wh ich may be discussed or determ ined by thekee pers of the peace, of u s, ou r heirs, and successors, and the justices of us, our heirs, and successors,assigned, and to be assigned, by virt ue of the aforesaid ordinances, statu tes, and letters- paten t, to hearand determine such felonies, trespasses, and offences, in any county of our k ingdom of England, sot hat al l wri ts, precep ts, and other warrants to

' be made for the premises,and every of them to be

directed to the m inisters of the aforesaid borough , and be by them executed, withou t any writ,p recept, or .warrant, to be dire cted to the sheriffor coroners of ou r county of B erk s.

So also, tha t the keepers of the peace of us, our heirs, and successors, assign ed or to be assign ed,felonies, trespasses , and offences, done, or committed in our county of

B erks, or any of them, do not enter into the aforesaid borough, the l iberties and prec incts thereof, todo any thing which doth belong to such keepers of the peace

,or jus tices

,or intermeddle therein , inany mann er.

(iommanding that every one of the said mayor, depu ty mayor, lord b ishop, his chancellor orco

tnrmssary, senior alderman, and that alderman wh ich was or shal l have been last mayor for the t im e

being, before he be admittedto exerc ise the office of justice of the peace, within the said borough,

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« former.

Sm all debts.

APPENDIX .

for the t im e be ing, or any two of them, w hereof the saidm ayor or hisdeputy to b e on e, to proceed

to the fu ll hearm g, disc ussing, andfinal de term in ation the reof.A nd

,our pleasure further is, andby these presen ts w e do dec lare , that the m ayor andalderm en ,

or th e deputy m ayor and a lde rm e n of the aforesaid borough for the tim e be ing, b efore w hom the

aforesaid court m ay be ho lden for e ver he reafter, take andhave to their own prope r uses, so m any, sogreat, su ch, the sam e

,andthe like fees, em o lum en ts, andprofits

, of the sam e court, how m any, how

gre at, w hat m anner

,andw hat, have b e longed, appertained, b een in cide n t, or incum be n t to, w hatsoe ver

the judges of any the like courts of re cord, here tofore he ld w ithin the aforesaid borough , andhow

m any, how gre at, w hat m anner, and w hat, the sam e judges in like cases have taken and had, or

ough t or w e re w on t to take andhave .

A nd,our p le asure further is, andw e do hereby ordain , that, for e ver hereafter, there m ay and

shal l be in the borough aforesaid, four attorn ies of the afore said court, to b e n am edandappoin tedbythe m ayor and a lderm en of the borough for the t im e be ing, or the gre ate r n um ber of them ,

to prosec u te anddefe ndall ac tions c om m en ced, andcom plain ts le vied, in the saidcourt of re cordas aforesaid,

andalso , to do ande xecu te al l o ther things w hich b e long to the oflice of attorn ies to be don e and

e xe cuted; every on e of w hich attorn ies so n am edand appoin ted, b efore he b e adm ittedto exercise

the offi ce of attorn ey of the court aforesaid,sha l l take his c orporal o ath before the m ayor of the

borough aforesaid for the tim e being, for the faithfu l e xe cu tion of his office of attorn ey of thatcourt ; to w hich m ayor w e do by these presen ts give pow er to fram e and adm in ister such an oath ;and, after that oath so take n , he m ay exe rc ise the offi ce of on e of the attorn ies of that court, duringthe good pleasure of the m ayor and a lderm en of the borough aforesaid for the t im e being, or the

greater num be r of them and, for the e xercise andexe cu tion of the sam e office or m in istry, m ay takeand have the w ages, fe es, and rew ards, by the sam e m ayor

—

and a lderm en , or the grea ter num be r

of them,to be ordained

,se ttled, or appoin tedin that behalf.

A nd, that co n te n tions and con troversies begun , and hereafter to be b egun , be tw ee n the poorerburgessesof the sam e borough for pe tty m atters, m ay b e the m ore e asily com posed, if they be n ot

u tterly take n aw ay our p leasure is, andw e do ordain by these prese n ts, that from tim e to tim e , fore ve r he reafter, it shall , andm ay b e law ful for the m ayor andalde rm e n

,o rde pu ty m ayor andalderm en ,

of the sam e borough for the tim e be ing, or any tw o of them,w hereof the said m ayor orde puty

m ayor to be on e , to cal l before them bo th parties, as w e l l the p la in tiffasdefendan t, in w hatsoe ver p lea ,su it , cause , or ac tion , m oved, or to be m oved be tw e en such poor burgesses, in the court of recordof the sam e borough, so that the deb t, dam age, or value , supposed or dem anded in the sam e p lea,suit, c ause , or action , do n ot exceed the sum of five shillings ; and

,if they can

, to com pose the con

ten tion , andcon troversy thereupon ; and, if they c annot , the n the w itnesses b eingproducedon bo thsides, and e xam ined viva w et , to hear, and final ly to de term in e , such p lea

,suit, cause or ac tion,

according to the ir sound discre tion , w hich said de term in ation , m ade in form aforesaid, shal l bedefin itive , and shal l c on c lude bo th parties in e very such plea

,suit

,cause

,or ac tion

,so he ard and

de term in ed, that so, that w hich is go tte n by the ir labor, for the ir subsistan ce , m ay n ot be exhaustedin con tending andthat, as m uch as m ay be , con cord, am ongst the m em bers of the sam e body, m aybe kept firm

,for e ver.

A nd, further of our spe cia l grace , certain know ledge , and m eer m o tion , w e have given and

gran ted, andby these presen ts, for us, our he irs, and successors, w e do give andgran t un to the said

m ayor, alderm e n, andburgesses of the borough aforesaid

,andto their suc cessors, that for ever here

after, there be had, w ithin the borough aforesaid,a ce rtain court to be ho lden before the m ayor and

a lderm en , orde pu ty m ayor and alderm en of the sam e borough, for the tim e being, or the greate r partof them ,

w hereof the said m ayor, or his de pu ty,to to be o ne

,in som e con ve n ie n t p lace , in that

borough, on ce in e very w eek , at the m ayor’s or depu ty m ayor’

s appoin tm en t, for the gove rnm en tof orphans of freem en and free w om en of the sam e boro ugh , w ho, by w riting, or by their last wil ls

APPENDIX .

in w rit ing respective ly m ade in the ir lives, or at the tim e ofdeath, shal l com m end their orphans to

the tuition of the m ayor, alderm en , and burgesses of the sam e borough, w hich court shal l be cal ledthe court oforphans of the borough aforesaid

, and that it shal l andm ay be law fu l for the sam e

court, to se t tle anddispose of the custody ofgoods and chatte ls, rights, credits, and m on ies ofsuch

orphans, in such m anner andform as the court of orphans in London , by an an cien t custom of the

sam e c ity,ought, andis w on t to se ttle anddispose the sam e .

Providedalways, that the saidcourt shal l al low tow ards the education andm ain tenan ce ofsuch

orphans, ac cordingto the rate offour pounds at least in the hundred, for e very ye ar, so longas theyshal l rem ain in the tu ition of the m ayor, alderm en , and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and thatthe sam e m ayor, alderm en , andburgesses, andthe ir successors, shal l be from tim e to tim e responsible

,

and shal l b e chargeab le to the aforesaid orphans, of and for all sum s of m oney, goods, and chatte ls,re ceived in to the ir hands, andof the profits of the sam e , after the rate aforesaid

,to w hat person or

persons so e ver the said court shall com m it the sam e , or any part thereof: A nd,that the m ayor,

alderm en,andburgesses of the borough aforesaid, and the ir successors, shall , from tim e to tim e , give

se curity unde r the com m on se al of the sam e borough, for restitutib n of all goods, and for the safe

paym en t of all sum s of m oney so by them rece ived, so that the saida rphansdo apply them se lves forsatisfaction in that b ehalf, to no o ther person or persons than the m ayor, alderm en , and burgesses

of the saidborough, to w hose tuition they are com m itted.A nd, our p leasure further is, and for us, ou r he irs

,andsuccessors, w e do gran t u n to the said

m ayor, alderm en , and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and the ir su ccessors, that the m ayor of thesam e borough for the tim e be ing, or his depu ty, m ay, and for eve r he reafter shal l be c lerk of them arke t of us

, our heirs, andsu ccessors, w ithin the borough aforesaid, the lim its andpre cincts of thesam e , andasw e l l in the presen ce as in the absen ce ofus, our he irs, andsu cce ssors,m ayhave andexerciseassize , andassay ofbread, w in e , ale , and b eer, and also the custody and assize ofw e ights, m easures,

andall o the r things appertaining to the c lerk of the m arke t there , and m ay in a due m anner pun ishthe transgressors of the said assize of bread

,w in e , ale

,and beer, and m ay corre c t and am end the

defe c ts ofm e asures andw e igh ts, ando ther things be longing to the old-ice of c lerk of- the m arke t, andas often as need shal l require , m ay there do and exe cu te all things as fully ande ntire ly as the c lerkof the m arke t of the househo ldof us, our he irs, andsuc ce ssors m igh t or ought , if this prese n t gran thadn ot be en m ade

,so that the c le rk of the m arke t of the househo ldof us, our he irs, andsuccessors,

or any o the r m in ister of us, our he irs, and successors, do not en ter in to the sam e borough, the lim itsor pre cin c ts thereof, to do any thing w hich doth be long to the office of c lerk of the m arke t, ordoin any w ise in

term eddle there in , andif any on e shal l in term eddle , then it m ay andshal l be lawfu l forthe m ayor, alderm en , and burgesses of the borough for the tim e be ing, in a law fu l m an n er, to resisthim so in term eddling, and in no w ise to perm it him so in te rm eddling to exe cu te the office of c lerkof the m ark e t, andthis w ithou t the im peachm en t of‘

us,our he irs, or successors, or any o ther w hom

soever, andthat each of the said m ayors, andthe ir deputies for the tim e being, before he be adm ittedto exercise the office of the c lerk ofthe m arke t w ithin the borough , shal l take his corpora l oath, beforethe alderm en of the sam e borough for the tim e being, or so m any of them as w il l b e presen t, faithfu l ly to exercise the office of clerk of the m arke t w ithin that borough, the l iberties, andprecinc tsthereof; to w hich alderm en w e do by these presen ts give fu l l pow er and au thority to adm in istersu ch an oath w ithou t further w arran t or com m ission to be procuredor ob tainedfrom us, our he irs,

or successors, in that behalf.A ndfurther, w e have gran ted, and, by these presen ts, for us

,our heirs, and succe ssors, w e do

gran t u n to the said m ayor,alderm e n

,and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, and the ir successors,

that the m ayor of the sam e borough for the tim e being, together w ith the clerk de puted for the

takingof re cognizan ces, accordingto the form of the statu te of m erchan ts and the statute ofA c ton

3 x 2

Water ba z’

lzfl'

.

Pontage.

APPENDIX .

Burne ll , m ay, for ever, have fu l l power andauthority , to take and receive w hatsoe ver recogn izances

fordeb ts, accordingto the aforesaid statute of m erchan ts and statu te of A c ton Burne ll , and also tom ake exe cutions thereupon, and to do all o ther things respec tive ly b e longing to such m ayor and

c lerk , according to the form ofthe said statute , and the stew ard of the sam e borough for the tim ebeing, m ay, andfor e ver hereafter shal l be the c lerk of us, our he irs, and su ccessors, to take re cog

niz ances ofdeb ts according to the form of the aforesaid statu te , and that the said m ayor andc lerkm ay have a seal consistingof two parts, to w it, a greater anda less, for the sealingof all recognizan cesto be taken w ithin the saidborough, the lib erties andprecin cts the reof, accordingto the form of the

aforesaidstatute , and that the saidgreater part of the sam e se al shal l rem ain in the custody of the

m ayor, andthe lesser part thereof in the custody of the stew ardfor the tim e being.

O ur ple asure further is, and, by these prese n ts, forus, our he irs,and successors, w e do ordain,

that the m ayor of the sam e borough, for the tim e being, m ay, andfor e ve r hereafter shal l be thebailiffof us, our heirs, andsuccessors, of all andsingu lar rivers, stream s, and w aters running w ithinthe saidborough, the lim its and pre cin c ts thereof, andshal l have the survey, andconserva tion of the

sam e ; andw e w ill, and by these presen ts for us, our he irs, andsuccessors, w e do gran t un to the saidm ayor, alderm en , andburgesses of the borough aforesaid, and their successors, that they m ay take andhave all m ann er of fines, and am erciam en ts, hereafter to b e im posed upon any on e w hom soe ver,offendingin or abou t the saidrivers, stre am s, or w aters, andall forfe itures to be forfeitedby any such

delinquen t, to the use andsupportation of the saidcorporation , w ithou t the le t, or hinderance , of us,

our heirs, and successors, or of any officer or m inister of us, our he irs, or successors, and w ithoutany accoun t, or other thingwhatsoe ver, to be rendered, paid, ordon e, to us, our heirs, or successors,

in that behalf.A nd

, w hereas the bridges w ithin the borough aforesaid, the lim its andpre cin cts of the sam e , areso ru inous andbroken , that great danger m ay easily happen to m en passing over those bridges, andw e , consideringhow great a charge it w il l be to the m en andfree burgesses of the sam e borough, w ho

ought andare w on t to repair and m ain tain the sam e,of our spec ial grace , certain kn ow ledge , and

m eer m o tion ,w e w ill, andby these presen ts, for us, our heirs, and su ccessors, w e do gran t un to the

saidm ayor, alderm en , andburgesses of the borough aforesaid, andto their successors, that for e verhereafter they m ay andshal l have pon tage of our subje c ts, be ing fore ign ers from the liberties of the

sam e borough, passing the sam e bridges w ith a w ain or horse loaden , that is to say, for e very wainladen

,tw o pence ; and for every horse loaded w ith a pack , a half penn y. A nd, if such foreign er

shal l refuse such pon tage , it m ay be lawfu l for the sam e m ayor, alderm en , and burgesses, and theirsuccessors, to restrain him tha t shal l so refuse paym e n t of passage ; or ifhe shal l pass over, to le vythe pon tage of the w ain or horse w herew ith he hath passedover.

A nd, w hereas a certain bridge cal ledC aversham bridge , w here of one halfis in Reading, andtheother half in C aversham ,

in the coun ty ofOxon , is bu il t across the river ofTham es, the foundationofwhich bridge is often shaken w ith barges passing under that bridge , so that those foundations, byreason of the sam e shak ing, do ofte n tim es becom e ru inous and broken , andas often as the said halfin Reading is ruin ous andbroke n in any part the re of, the m en andburgesses of the borough aforesaid

ought, andare w on t, to repair the saidhalf so ruinous or broken . Therefore w e w ill, and by thesepresen ts, do gran t, un to the aforesaid m ayor, alderm en

,and burgesses, and their successors, that, for

the be tter repairing and m ain tain ingof the sam e halfof the saidbridge in Reading aforesaid, it m ay,

andfor e ver hereafter shal l be law fu l for the sam e m ayor, alderm en,andburgesses, andtheir successors,

to take , andhave , for e very barge passingunder the saidhalf of the sam e bridge , in Readingaforesaid,of the own er, or hirer of that barge , four- pence , of lawfu l m on ey of England, in the n am e ofpassage .A nd, if. such owner, or hirer, shal l refuse to pay the saidfour- pen ce for the cause aforesaid, it m ay be

lawful for the sam e m ayor, alderm en, andburgesses, andtheir successors, to hinder any one so refusing,

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APPENDIX .x v i ii

successors, byvirtue of any charters or le tte rs pate n t here tofore gran ted, m ade , or confirm ed, or by

w hatsoeve r other lawfu l m eans, r

igh t, title , custom ,prescription , or use , here tofore law fu l ly used,

had, or ac custom ed, although for any cause w hatsoe v e r, the y are forfe ited,or n ot forfe itedun to

us, orany of our proge n itors, or prede c essors (e x cep t all and singu lar th ings con trary to these

pre se nts,or any c lause , or gran

t,c on tain edin the sam e

,or ex cep tedin any charter of gran t or

c onfirm ation , h e re tofore m ade to th e b urge sses of th e b orough aforesaid, by w hatsoe ve r nam e ,

by an y of ou r p rogen itors, or an c estors, to b e had, h e ld, e x e rc ised, and enjoyed, by the aforesaid

m ayor, alde rm e n , and burge sses of th e b orough aforesaid, and the ir su c ce ssors, for e ve r, to the

o n l y p rope r u se and b ehoof of the sam e m ayor, alde rm e n , and burgesses, and the ir successors

unde r the an c ie n t form the refore du e , or accustom ed,andto b e re nde redto us. )

W il ling that th e said m ayor, alde rm e n , andburge sses, andthe ir successors, m ay for e verhave , ho ld, e njoy, e xerc ise , anduse , all those m an ors, m essuages, lands, te n em en ts, w aste s, w aste

grounds,tyth es, ob lation s, c om m on of pasture , purpre stures, re n ts, re ve nues, serv ices, fairs,

m ark e ts, courts of pye powder, ve n ue offran k p ledge , ando the r courts, re turn ofw rits,.fishings,

w aters, conse rvations of w ate rs, b anks, w harfs, ke ys, to l ls, p iccage , sta l lage , po n tage , m urage ,

goods and chatte ls, w aifes, strays, treasure found, fin es, am erc iam e n ts, profi ts, com m odit ies,advan tages, em o lum en ts, he reditam e n ts, gao ls, fre e schoo ls, pow e rs to n am e andrem ove a m aste rorm aste rs, te acher or te achers, of those schoo ls, au thorities, privileges, righ ts,jurisdic tion s, im m u

n it ies, e asem e n ts, and e xem pt ion s, e xc e p t as is b efore e xcepted, according to the true in te n tof these pre se n ts, w ithou t the le t, or hinde ran c e , of us, our he irs, and suc cessors, or any the

justices, sh e riffs, b ail iffs, offi ce rs, or m in iste rs, of u s, our he irs, o r su ccessors w hom soe ve r.W il ling th at the m ayor

,alderm e n

,andburgesses of th e b orough afore said, or any of the justices,

offic e rs, orm in iste rs, of us, our h e irs, or suc c essors, of the afore said b orough , b e n ot im pe ached,m o lested

,or com pe l led to answ e r for the due use , c laim , or abuse , of any l ib erties, fran chises, or

jurisdic t ion s,he re tofore m ade .

W il l ing furthe r, andby these prese n ts, u n to the saidm ayor,a lde rm e n

, andburgesses of the

b orough afore said, and the ir su c ce ssors, that th e y and the ir suc c essors m ay, for e ve r hereafter,have , ho ld, take , use , ande njoy

, the fu l l ande n tire profi t and b e n e fi t of all and singu lar, gifts,gran ts, bargains, re cogn izan ces, ob l igat ions, an n u itie s, and sum s ofm one y, b efore the date of

these prese n ts, any w ise give n , gran ted, b e queathed, a ckn ow ledged, disposed, or appoin ted byany person or person s to the aforesaid b urgesses, and the ir suc cessors, by w hatsoe ve r n am e or

n am e s, or by w hatsoever in corporation , to w hatsoe ve r use o r uses,

toge the r w ith pow er of re co

vering and re ce iving the sam e , in w hose hands soe ve r the sam e do or shal l happe n to rem ain ,

asfu l ly ande n tire l y as the burgesses of the sam e borough , by w hatsoe ve r n am e or n am es, or by

w hatsoe ver in corporation,m igh t have , re cover, and re ce ive the sam e , if these prese n ts hadn ot

b e en m ade furthe r com m anding, andby th e se prese n ts gran ting, that the said m ayor, a lde rm en ,

and burgesses of the borough aforesaid, m ay and shal l have,these our le tte rs- pate n t in due

m anner m ade andsealed, unde r our gre at seal of E ngland, w ithou t fin e or fe e, great or sm al l,

to b e the refore rende red, paid, or m ade to us, our han aper, or o therw ise to our u se . Last ly, w e

w il l , andby these presen ts, for us, our he irs, andsu ccessors, w e do gran t u n to the said m ayor,a lde rm en , and burgesses, of the aforesaid borough , and the ir successors

,that these our le t ters

paten t, or the enro lm en t of the sam e , andall and singu lar c lauses, andgran ts there in con tain ed,m ay andsha l l be good, firm , val id, andeffe ctual , in all things, according to our re a l in te n t ions,andshal l b e take n , con strued, repu ted, andadjudged, in all courts, and b efore w hatsoe ve rjudges,Justices, ofi ce rs, or m in iste rs, of us, ou r he irs, or successcirs, m o st strongl y, andb e n ign ly, in favorof the said m ayor, a lderm en

, and burgesses, and the ir successors, against us, our he irs, andsuccessors

, n o tw ithstanding the n o t particu larly m en t ion ing the m an ors,m essuages, lands, te n e

m en ts, w astes, w aste -

grounds, tithes, purprestures, ren ts, hereditam e n ts, fishings, w aters, con

APPENDIX .

servation of w aters, banks, w harfs, quays, to l ls, au thorit ies, libert ies, custom s, im m un ities,privileges, or exem pt ions, had, used, or e njoyed, by the burgesses of the aforesaid borough, byw hatsoe ver n am e , or in corpora tion , and n o tw ithstanding the n ot taking or n ot finding any

inquisition by virtue of any w rit of adquaddam num , to be dire c ted to the sheriff of our coun tyof B e rks, to e n quire of the dam age , prejudice or harm of the prem ises, or any of them , or any

o ther un ce rtain ty, or im pe rfe c tions in these prese n ts, or in any c lause , or gran t in the sam e

c on tained, andal though e xpress m en tion of the true ye arl y value , or any o ther value , orc ertain tyof the prem ises, or of any o the r gifts, charte rs, or gran ts, m ade or gran tedby us, or any of our

proge n itors, or prede cessors to the aforesaid m en , and fre e burgesses, and the ir successors, byw hatsoe ver n am e , or n am es, in these prese n ts, is n o t m ade , or any statu te , act, ordinance , provision ,proc lam ation , or restrain t he re tofore m ade

, pub lished, ordain ed, or provided, or any o ther thing,

c ause , or matte r w hatsoever to‘

the con trary thereof, in any w ise n o tw ithstanding.

In w itnesswhereof, w e have causedthese our le t ters to b e m ade pate n t .

W itness ourse lf at W estm inster, this seven te e n th day ofDecem ber,

in the fourte en th ye ar of our reign .

C . REX.

x x APPENDIX .

Appendi x B .

Translation of a deedofgift m ade by John Leche, a l ias John a Larder, to

the m ayor and corpora tion of R eading.

Scia nt presente: ctfit turz'

, 8 c. KNOW all m en prese n t andto com e , that I , john Le che ,john a Larde r, e sq . have give n andgran ted, andby th ese pre se n tshave con firm ed, to M r.

R ob ert G ery, ge n t lem an , john H ange r of Lo ndon , ge n t lem an,W il liam A spu l l , ge n t lem an , john

B rim inge r, of London , drape r, john D ry, c it izen of Lo ndon , W il l iam Pe rnco te , john U pston e ,Thom as jam es, and john N orfolke , of R e ading, all tha t m y capital m essuage , w ith i

ts app

.

“

te nances, and m y five sm al l te n em e n ts w ith the ir appe rt e n an ces adjoin ing to the sa id cap i talm e ssuage , situatedand bu il t toge ther, and upon a c e rtain spo t ofw aste land, l ying in Re adi ng

aforesaid, in the coun ty of B e rks, in a ce rtain stre e t cal ledO ld-stre e t,in the parish of S t . M ary

in Reading aforesaid, that is to say, be tw e e n a c ertain t e n em en t be longing to the abb ot andc o n ve n t of S t. Mary in R e ading afore said

,be longing to the offi ce of kee pe r of the chape l of the ‘

aforesa id in on astery on the sou th part, anda c e rtain te n em e n t o n the w est part of the saidt e n em e n t, b e longing to the aforesaid chape l of S t . M ary on the n ort h part , andcon tain ing in lengtho n e hundred and thirty -five statu te fe e t, and seve n te e n statu te fe e t in bre adth

,w h ich saidplot

of w aste land, by the n am e of the p lo t of w aste land, I the said john Le che bough t for m yse lf,m y he irs, andassigns, by a pe rpe tua l e xheriditation , dem ission , andfe offm e n t

,and by

.

the con

firm at ion of john , abb o t of the m o naste ry of S t . M ary in R e ading afore said, and the con ve n t.of the sam e

,as m ore fu l l y w il l appear by refe rri ng to a ce rtain inde n ture .

Moreo ver I have given andgran ted, and by the se pre se n ts have con firm ed, to the aforesaid

Roge r G e ry, j ohn Hanger, W il liam A spu l l,john B rim inge r, john D ry, W il liam Pe rn co te ,

john U pston e , Thom as jam e s, andjohn N orfolke , on e w aste p ie ce of land, W i th its apperte

n an ce s, lying in the sa id tow n

, v ia . a garde n b e lo nging to the said church of S t. Mary, con

tain ing, tow ards the n orth part , in le ngth , thirty e igh t statu te fe e t , andtw e n ty- six statute fe e tin breadth, w h ich said pie ce of w aste ground, toge ther w ith the o the r p ie ce of w aste grou ndafore said

,w ith their apperte nan ces, I , the said john Le che , have purchased by exhe redation ,

dem ission , andfe ofi'

m e n t, and by the c on firm ation of the saidjohn, the abbo t andthe con ve n t

,

as m ay appe ar m ore fu l ly con tain ed in the aforesaid inde n ture . A nd, m ore ove r I h ave give n

andgran ted, andby this m yde edhave con firm ed, to the saidRoge r Ge ry, john H ange r, W il liam

Aspu l l , john B rim inger, john D ry, W il liam Pe rn co te,john U pston e , Thom as jam es, and

john Norfolke , all that te n em e n t situatedin the tow n of Re ading, in a c ertain p lac e oppositethe C orn - che aping, be tw e e n the ten em e n t of Thom as B e ke on the sou th side , andthe te n em e n tlate in the occupation of john Saw ye r, bu t n ow of C hristopher D unster, on the n orth side

, andalso tw o acres anda half of arab le land, lying in a c e rtain fie ld

,in that part ofR e ading aforesaid

cal led Erle -fie ld, w h ich te n e m e n t , w ith its apperte nan ces, and the said tw o acre s anda half of

arab le land, I the saidjohn Le che , alias john a Larder, late l y purchasedfor m yse lf, m y h e irs,andassigns, for e ver, by the dism ission , re le ase , andc on firm ation of the aforesaidjohn D ry, andR ob ert C ow per, as appe ars from a ce rtain w ritingfor that in te n t m ade .

A lso, I give andgran t to the aforesaidR ob ert G ery, john Hanger, W il liam A spu l l,john

B rim inge r, john D ry , W il liam Pe rn cote , john U pston e , Thom as jam es, andj ohn N orfolke

,all

that m y tenem e n t andgarde n adjace n t, w ith the ir apperten an c es, situatedin Re ading aforesaid,in a certain stree t c al led London -stre e t, o n the w est side of that stre e t

,be tw ee n a te n em en t

belonging to the church of S t . G iles, in Re ading, on the sou th part, anda te n em e n t be longing

to Rob ert Mansfie ld, esq . on the n orth part ; w hich te n em e n t, w ith the adjo in ing garde n , and

their appertenances, I, the saidjohn Le che, alias john 3 Larder, bough t of the aforesaidjohn

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

A PPENDIX.e m

A nd, m oreover, I w ill, that m y afore said exe cu te rs, out ofm ydeb ts so to b e receivedby

them , shal l buy landsa nd ten em en ts to the yearl y value of m arks sterlingover andabove

all incum bran ces andre prisals.A nd I w il l, that after the said lands and te n em en ts shal l be thuspurchased, that then m y

saidexe cu te rs shal l prov ide and ordain , that the aforesaid e igh t poor p eop le m ay e n ter and

rece ive am ongtthem se lves, of pure a lm s

, e igh t m arks ste rling, to pray for m y sou l, and for thesou l of the il lustrious prince R ichard, late duke ofYork , father of our lord the king, that is tosay,that each of the saidpoor pe rsons m ay e n te r, andre ce ive thirtee n shil lings andfour-pe n ce ,

o r m ore , if it can be don e , ye arly, for e ve r, to be paidin equal proportions, on the four usual

q uarte rly days of paym en t, out of the re n ts, perquisites, andreve nues arisingfrom the saidlands

a nd te nem e n ts, andfrom all m y lands andten em e n ts, w ith the ir appert enances, in the saidtow nofRe ading, how e ver arisingandin cre asing.

A nd, m y w il l is, tha t m y e xe cu te rs ob tain leave of our said lordthe k ing, to ho ldthe saidt enem en ts and lands in m ortm ain , to the in te n t that m y w ill in the form e xpre ssed m ay b e

fu lfi l led.A nd, if m y exe cu ters, in defau lt of paym e n t ofm y deb ts aforesaid, canno t fulfi l m y w ill

c on cern ing the aforesaidlands and ten em e nts, the n , I w il l , that m y said exe cu te rsm ay se l l theabove -m e n tionedfive alm s-houses by m e buil t, andall o ther m y lands and tenem en ts, and thatm y said exe cu ters m ay dispose of anddistribu te all the m on ey arising from the sale thereof

,in

m asses to b e said for the poorest of the poor, and in o the r pious uses, and charitab le w orks,according to the discre tion ofm y aforesaid exe cu ters.

A ll the rest andresidue ofm y effe c ts, n ot hereb y disposed of, when m y deb ts are paid, andm y w ill ab ove-m e n tion ed fu lfi l led, I w ill that they be disposedoffor the goodofm y soul at

the discre tion ofm y execu ters, &c.

Appendi x C .

E xtractfrom M r. John Kendrick’

s w ill, asfar a s rela tes to the boroughs ofR eading andN ewbury .

IN the nam e ofG od, amen. the n in e andtw e n tie th day ofD e cem b er, anno D om ini and

in the tw o and tw e n tie th,

year of the re ign of our sove re ign lord k ing jam es, &c . I , johnKe ndrick, of the c ity of London , drape r, be ing sick in body, but ofgood andpe rfe c t m em ory,(for w hich I give m ost hum b le andhe arty thanks to A lm igh ty G od)do m ake , ordain , andde c larethis m y last w il l andtestam e n t, in m ann er andform fo l low ing, that is to sayFirst, andbefore all things, I com m e ndand com m it m y sou l to A lm ighty G od

, m y cre ator,trusting m ost assuredly to be savedby the death, passion, andon ly m erits, ofjesus C hrist, m y .

saviour and rede em er

A ndI w il l, tha t m y body b e de cen t ly in terred, in christian burial, in the parish churchof S t. C hristophe r,‘ w here I dw e l l, asm y exe cu ters here in after n am edsha l l orde r andappoin t .

I tem, I give andbequeath to three-score poor m e n , to e ve ry of them a gow n ofbroad c loth,

to w ear on the day ofm y burial , and tw e lve pe nce a pie ce in m oney to pay for the ir dinners.The sam e poor m en to be such as m y exe cuters shal l appoin t .

Tow ards the endof the last century, the church ofSt. Christopher was taken dow n by an agre em en t en tered intoW e“ ! the patron , the re ctor ofSt . C hristophe r’s, and the directors of the bank, under the sanction of an act

°fW M : at w hich tim e the site ofthe church andchurch-yard w as incorporatedw ith the b ank buildings, andlb.R m ofMr. Kendrick w ere rem ovedfrom the vault in which they hadfirst been deposited, and re-interredin (3“ NM ! Of“ 4 Margaret, Lothbury.

APPEND IX. xxiii

Item, I give andbequeath black gow ns and cloaks, to be worn at my buri

al by my kindred,friends, and Servan ts, as m y executers shal l thin k m e e t, n ot exceeding the sum ofsix hundred

pounds in the saidgow ns andc loaks, and the rest of the charges of m y funeral.

Item , I give andbeque ath the sum ofthree -score pounds, to be bestow edupon a dinner, to be

providedform y frie nds, andthe inhabitan ts of the parish ofSt.C hristopher, where I now dw ell,upon the day ofm yburi al, andin such p lace asm y executersshall think m ee t andconven ie n t.

I tem, I give andb equeath to the m ayor andburgesses of the tow n of Reading, in the coun tyof B erkshire (I m e an to the body corporate or c orporation of the said tow n ofReading, byw hatsoe ver n am e or addition the sam e is m ade kn ow n ) the sum of se ven thousand andfive

hundredpounds, upon espe cia l trust, andconfide n ce , that they shal l therew ith perform the uses

fo l low ing, that is to say,

The said m ayor and burgesses shal l buy, andpurchase un to them andthe ir successors, fore ve r, (I say to the body c orporate of the said tow n of R e ading, by w hatsoeve r n am e or additionthe sam e ism ade know n ) lands andhe reditam e n ts, of the c le ar value of fifty pounds, by the ye ar,o ve r and above all charge s and re prises.‘ W hich sum of fifty pounds a year, m y w il l andm e an ing is, shal l be paid by the said m ayor and burgesses, andthe ir successors, u n to m y siste r,A n n New m an

, ye arly, during he r n atura l life ; and, afte r her de ce ase , the sam e yearl y sum of’

fifty pounds, shal l b e paidby the saidm ayor andburgesses, and the ir succe ssors, to the ove rse e rsof the poor of the said tow n of Re adingfor the tim e b e ing, ye arl y, for ever ; and, by the m ,

the

said o ve rse ers for the tim e b e ing, shal l b e bestow ed and distribu ted to and am o ng the poorpe op le of the said tow n , for e ve r, to w it, the m oie ty the re of e very halfyear, in such sum s, and

to such pe rsons,as the said ove rse e rs for the t im e b e ing shal l think m e e t

,according to the

n e cessity anddese rt of the sam e se ve ra l pe rson s.Provided a lw ays, and m y m e an ing is, that this m y ye arly gift shal l n o t any w ay abridge the

said poor of the ordin ary a l low an ces usual l y assessed and co l le c tedof the w e al th ie r sort of theinhab itan ts of the said tow n

,tow ards the re l ief of the said poor pe op le , but shal l be un to the m .

as an additam e n t, andc le ar in cre ase of re l ief, ye arly, for e ver.

A nd, if this m y gift and prov ision shal l happe n (w h ich I t rust it shal l n ot) to be by thesaid m ayor and burgesse s, or by the saidove rse e rs for the t im e b e ing, o rde red anddisposed,c on trary to m y m ean ing, thus de c lared: or tha t m y w il l and de sire above ex pre ssed

,touching

the b estow ing anddistribu tion of the saidsum of fifty pounds,yearly, b e om it ted andn egle c ted,

o r left un pe rform ed, by the spac e of on e w ho le ye ar, after it is by this m y w il l appo in tedto bedistribu ted, and b e stow ed

,as aforesaid, the n m y w il l and m e an ing is, that the said sum and

re ve nue of fifty pou nds a ye ar, shal l b e by the said m ayor and bu rgesses, and the ir suc cessors

for the t im e b e ing, for e ve r, paid in to the tre asurer of C hrist Hosp ital , and by the gove rn ors ofthe sam e h0 5pital , em p loyed and bestow edin the re l ief and educatio n of the poor childre n of

the said hospital,or e lse , that the said m ayor and burgesse s for the t im e b e ing, shal l , by the ir

de edin law ,c o n vey andm ake over the lands andh e reditam e n ts of the saidye arly va lu e o f fifty

pounds, un to th e m ayor and com m on a lty, and c it ize ns of the c ity of London , and th e ir su cc essors, for e ver, un to the use of the said hosp ital , to be em p loyedas aforesaid.

Provideda lw ays, that the saidfifty pounds a ye ar b e ye arl y paid to m y siste rA nn N ew m an,

duringhe r n atural l ife , and, afte r he r de ce ase , to the charitab le uses afore said.

M ore over m y w il l andm e an ing is, as also m y trust and con fiden c e in the sa id m ayo r and

burgessesof the tow n of Re ading, is, that w ith an o the r com pe te n t part of th e saidsum of se ve nthousand five hundred pou nds, so by m e de vised as afore said, th ey, th e afo re sa id m ayo r a nd

burgesses, shal l buy andpurchase un to the m , andthe ir succ e ssors, for e ve r, a fair p lo t ofground,

North-street farm ,in the parish ofTilehurst , w as purchasedw ith p art ofthis m oney.

xxiv A PPENDIX.

w ithin t he said tow n ofR eading, or the l ibe rt ies thereof, and thereupon shall erect and builda s tronghouse ofbrick, fit andcom m odious for se t ting the poor to w ork the re in ; or e lse sha llbuy andpurchase su ch a n house b e ingalready buil t, if they can findon e already fit ting, or that

m ay w ith a reason ab le sum be m ade fi t for the said use . The sam e house to have a garde n

adjo in ing, and to b e from tim e to tim e kep t i n goodandsumcie nt re paration , by the saidm ayorandburgesses for the

tim e b e ing, for e ver. W hich house and garden , m y w ill i s, shall b e used,

ando ccupiedby such as the said m ayor and burgesse s, andthe ir su ccessors, from t im e to t im e ,

for ever, shal l appoin t, andorda1n , for the em p loying and handlingof the stock ofm oney bym e h ereby left , anddev ised, to that purpose .

A ndm y w il l andm e an ing is, that the said lands and heredi tam en ts of the yearl y value of

fifty pounds,and also the saidhouse andgarde n , be ing bough t and purchasedas aforesaidw ith

parce l of the saidSum of 7500 pounds, the n the w ho l e residue andrem ainde r of the sam e 7500

pounds shal l m ake , andb e a com m on sto ck , to b e e m p loyedand bestow edin trades ofc lo thing,e ithe r in m aking c o loured c lo th es or w h ites, as the tim es shal l re qu ire , .andalso in w orking of

w oo l, hem p, flax, iron , grinding of Brasil w oods, ando the r stuffs for dying, o r o the rw ise , as tothe said m ayor andburgesses aforesaid, and the ir suc cessors, for ever, .shall se em m e e t andcon

v e n ie n t, for the em p loym en t of the poor pe op le , andfor the preservation andin crease oft he

said com m on stock .A nd, the saidm ayor and burgesses, and their successors, for e ver, shal l have t he e le c tion ,

p lac ing, andordering, as a lso the disp lac ing, if cause b e , of al l and e ve ry person and personsto b e em ployedi n the handling and husbanding oft he c om m on s tock , in the house aforesaid,

according to the ir, the saidm ayora ndburge sse s, gooddiscre t ion ,from t im e to tim e , for e ve r.

W here in ye t m y desire is, that they shal l prefer the poor of the said tow n to the saidwork

and em p loym en t, b efore o thers of o ther p laces.A nd

,for the p erform an ce of these prem ises, m y w ill is, that the sum of se ve n thousand

andfive hundredpounds, b efore , for this e nd, by m e bequeathedt o the saidm ayor a ndburgesses,andthe ir succ essors, shal l be paidu n to them , or the ir su cc e ssors, in m an n er andform fo l low ing,that is to say, tw o thousand pounds the re of, at th e e nd of o n e ye ar n ex t afte r m y dece ase ;

Other tw o thousand pounds thereof, at t he e ndof tw o years n ex t after the day of m y de cease ,

andthe residue of the saidw ho le sum , b e ing t hre e thousand and five hundred pounds, at the

e ndof thre e years n ex t en suing, after and from the day of m yde cease .

B ut, if it should happe n

,as m y trust is it w i l l n ot, that the said m ayor andburgesses, or

their su ccessors, shal l n egle c t, om it, or fail t o p e rform the prem ises, ac cording to m y w il l andm e an ing above de c lared: or shal l m isem p loy the said sto ck, con trary to the true in te n t andm ean ingof this m y de vise , anddisposition , for the goodof the poor and the ir hon est em ploy.

m en t, andm ain ten an ce , as aforesaid, and that such their n egle c t shal l con tinue at any tim e byt he space of one w hole ye ar toge ther, th en m y w il l andm ean ing is, that m y saidw ho le legacyof 750 0 1. and e ve ry part and parce l the reof, shal l b e then ceforth u tterly void, frustrate , andof n on e effe c t , as to, for, andcon cerning the saidm ayor and burgesses andthe ir successors, andas to

,for

, and con cern ing the use s thereof b efore lim ited and expressed. A nd,tha t the said

w ho le com m on sto ck shal l b e by them , the said m ayor and burgesses, and the ir su ccessors for

the tim e b e ing, forthw ith paid u n to the m ayor and com m onal ty, and c itize ns of the c ity of

London , to the use of C hrist. Hospita l in London , according as I have ab ove de vised, anddisposed, touching the revenue of fifty pounds a ye ar for e ver, b e qu eathedto the use and re liefof the poor p e op le of the tow n ofR eading.

A s also m y w il l and m e an ing is, that in this case of n on perform an ce by the said m ayor

and burgesse s, the house and garde n to be purchased in R eading, as aforesaid, shal l b e ,by the saidm ayor andburgesses, andthe ir successors, con veyed, andm ade over, by their de ed

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APPENDIX .

bu t su ch as have w e l l and hon est l y se rved w ith o ne m aster, m istress, or dam e , by the spaceof se ve n years at the least . A nd th is fifty pounds to be paidto the said m ayor, alde rm e n , and

burgesses w ithin on e ye ar afte r m y de ce ase .

I tem ,I give and b eque ath tow ards the fin ishing of the p in n ac l es of the ste ep le of the

parish church of S t . Mary, in Re ading, in Be rkshire , fifty pounds, to b e paidto the church .

w arde ns of the sam e parish , w ith in o n e m on th afte r th e sam e pin n ac les shal l b e fin ished.

I tem ,I give andb e qu eath , to the m ayor andburge sses of the tow n of Re ading aforesaid, the

sum offive hundred pounds, to b e first le n t to these parties, and in the sum s here after n am ed,

for se ve n ye ars, gratis. That is, to jam es W in ch, tw o hundredpounds ; andto W a l ter Rye ,R ichard S tam p, and W il l iam B lackn a l l , c lo th ie rs, o n e hundred pounds a - pie ce , e ach of themgivingbond, w ith tw o suffic ie n t sure tie s

,for re paym e n t the re of to the said m ayor andburgesses,

a t the e ndof th e saidse ve n ye ars. A ndafte rw ards the sam e five hundredpounds sha l l b e le n tto te n se ve ra l hon est industrious poon c lothie rs

,fre e m e n of the sam e tow n , by fifty pounds

a- pie ce , grate} , for thre e ye ars, u p‘on l ike goodse c urity, andn o m an to have the use of this m on ey

tw ic e , but if the re shal l n o t be c lo th ie rs e n ow found in the sam e tow n to e njoy th is loan inm an n e r aforesaid

,that then the saidm on e y sha l l be le n t also u n to o the r trade sm e n

,fre e of the

saidtow n , by the sum s andterm s of ye ars last b efore appo in t ed, to such as se t m ost poor p eop le tow ork

,a ccording to the discre tion of the said m ayo r and burgesses. A nd this saidsum of five

hundred pou nds shal l b e paidto the said m ayor andburgesses, to the use aforesaid, at the e nd

of on e ye ar n ex t afte r m y de ce ase .

I tem,I give and beque ath to the m ayor, a lde rm e n

,and burge sses of the tow n ofNewbury,

in the co u n ty of Be rks the sum offive hu ndred pounds, to b e le n t first for the term of se ve nye ars gra tis, u n to the se se ve ral c lo thie rs he re n am ed

,that is to say, to Thom as Newm an , one

hundredpo unds ; to Richard A ve ry , o n e hundredpounds; to Mart in B roaker, fifty pou nds ; to\Villiam G oodw in the e lde r

,fifty pounds ; to Tim o thy A ve ry, fifty pounds ; to Robert Bacon ,

fifty pou nds ; andto G riffi n Forste r,fifty pounds. E ve ry of the said several p art ies e n tering

in to bond,w ith tw o suffi c ie n t sure tie s, for re paym e n t of the said sum s to the said m ayor,

alde rm e n , and b urge sses at the e ndof se ve n years. A nd afte rw ards, the sam e five hundred

pounds shal l b e le n t to te n se ve ra l industrious poor c lo thie rs, fre e of the saidtow n ofNew bury,by fifty pou nds a- pie ce , gra tis, for thre e years. A nd afte r that

,in like m an n e r, from thre e ye ars

to thre e ye ars, for e ve r, andn o m an to have the sam e m on ey tw ice . B ut if the re shal l n ot bec lo thie rs e now , foundin the sam e tow n of N ew bury, to e njoy th is loan , in m an n e r as afore said

,

the n the sam e m on ey sh al l be le n t a lso u n to o the r tradesm e n , fre e of the sam e tow n , by the

sum s andterm s of ye ars last b efore appo in ted,

‘ to su ch as se t m ost poor pe o p le to w ork , accordingto the disc re tion of the said m ayor, a lde rm e n

,and burgesse s, to w hom this said five hundred

pounds shal l b e paid, to the use afore said,at the e ndof o n e ye ar afte r m y de cease .

I tem , I give andb equ eath to the m ayor andburgesses of the tow n of R e ading, in the cou n tyof Be rks, the sum of tw o hundred and fifty pounds

, to b e paid them at the e ndof o n e yearn ex t afte r m y de ce ase . The rew ith to purchase landandhe reditam e n ts, to the c le ar ye arly valueof te n pounds, for e ver, to m ain tain divin e service to b e said in the parish church of S t. Maryin that tow n

,by the parson or his cura te , e ve ry m orn ing ofthe w e ek

,at six ofthe c lock , for ever.

I tem , I give andbequeath to the m ayor, alderm e n , andburgesses of the tow n of New bury ,in the coun ty of B erks, the sum of tw o hundred andfifty pounds, to b e paid them at the e nd

of on e ye ar n ex t afte r my de cease , therew ith to purchase lands, or hereditam e n ts, of the c learyearl y va lue of te n p ounds, for e ve r, to m ain tain divin e service , to be said in the parish church

of that tow n, by the parson or hiscurate, every m orning of the w eek, at six of the clock , to

con tm ue for ever, &c .

APPENDIX, m i,

Appendix D .

Copy of an indenture concerning sir T. White ’

s gift to the town ofR eading.

MEMORANDUM .

THAT in an inden ture , tripartite , m ade the first day ofju ly 1 566, andthe e ighth of quee n

E lizab e th, b e tw e e n the m ayor, burgesses andcom m onal ty of the c ity ofBristo l on the on e part,and the pre side n t and scho lars of S t . John , the baptist's co l lege , foundedin the un iversity ofOxford

, by sir Thom asW hite, kn t. and alderm an of the city of London , on the se cond part,

andthe m aste r andw ardens of the m erchan t taylors of the fratern ity of S t . John , the bapt ist,

in the c ity of London , on the thirdpart. A m ong o the r things is con tain ed asfo l low s. A n n

ru a'

r rrs R , the said m ayor, burgesse s, and com m on al ty of the c ity of Bristo l, do gran

t andcon se n t , w ith the saidsir Thom asW hite , kn t . that they, or the ir su cce ssors, shal l

, on the fe astday of S t. Bartho lom ew , the apost le , w hich shal l b e in the ye ar of our Lord 1 579 , at the c om m on

hal l of m e rchan t taylors in London , b e tw e e n the hours of tw o and six of the c lo ck in the

afte rnoon , pay the m ayor and burge sses of the tow n of Re ading the sum of on e hu ndred andfour pou nds, on condition tha t they shal l at the fe ast of S t . M ichae l, n e x t after the re ce iptof the saidsum

, pay, or cause to b e paid, to four poor youngm e n of the said tow n of R e ading,of hon est n am e and fam e , occupiers or inhab itan ts w ithin the saidtow n , and fre em e n of the

sam e , and c lo th ie rs to b e preferred above all o thers, to b e n am ed and appo in ted by th e saidm ayor and burgesses for the tim e b e ing, the sum of on e hundred pounds of law fu l m on e y ofEngland, that is to say, to eve ry of them tw e n ty-five pounds

,to have andto oc cupy the sam e for

the te rm of te n ye ars n ex t fo l low ing, w ithou t paying any thing for the loan of the sam e , so

as they dw e l l w ithin the said tow n or the suburbs of th e sam e , the y ande ve ry of them findingsuffic ie n t sure ty or paw n for the re paym e n t of the sam e , at the e ndof the saidte n ye ars.

To the in te n t and u pon condition that the m ayor, burgesses, and cham b e rlain , or o therheadoffice rs of the tow n of R e ading, o r the ir assign s, u po n the re ce ip t of the said o n e hundred

pounds, shal l de live r the said sum o n the fe ast of St . M ichae l , the archange l , to four o the r pooryoungm e n , ofgood fam e and n am e

,of the said tow n of Re ading, to b e n am edandappo in ted

,

as aforesaid,to e ve ry of them tw e n ty-five pounds, to ho ldthe sam e fo r te n ye ars n ex t e n su ing

the re c e ipt thereof, finding suffi c ie n t se c u rity or paw n for the sam e, for the true repaym e n t

the reofw ithou t paying any thing for the loan the re of; and, at the e ndof e ve ry te n years,th e

said sum of on e hundred pounds to b e de live redto four o the r young m e n, in m an n er andform

as aforesaid, for e ve r, provided that n on e of the young m e n that have on ce had the be n e fi tof occupying the re of shal l be adm it ted to have it any m o re .

A ndfurther it is agre ed, b e tw e e n the said partie s, tha t the said four pounds, re sidue of the

one hundred and four pounds, shal l b e em p loyed, afte r the re ce ipt there of . y the i z idm ayo r

and burgesses, as by them shal l be though t good, for the ir pains to be take n in and abou t therec e ip t and paym e n t of the saido n e hundred pou nds.

A nd the said parties to these inde n turesdo further agre e , tha t the said m ayor, burgesses,and com m on alty of the c ity of Bristo l (afte r the sum above m en t ion ed in form aforesaid

de live red and paid) shal l,yearly, o n the fe ast day of S t . Bartho lom ew ,

the apostle , in the

c om m on hal l of the said m e rchan t taylors, in Lo ndon , be tw e e n the hours afore said, from ye arto ye ar

,from he n ceforth , for eve r, de l ive r andpay to e ve ry of the c ities, com pan ie s, and tow ns,

b efore in these inde n tures n am ed and p lac ed, begin n ing first w ith the saidcity of Bristo l, the nthe said c ity ofYork , and to the m ayor and com m onal ty, o r o the r he adoffice r, of five r}, thesaidc ities, com pan ies, and tow ns

,or to the ir sufficie n t ly au thorised fac tors and attorm cs

,unde r

the ir com m on se al , the sum of on e hundred and four pounds, of the ren ts, profi ts, andissues

xxvi ii APPEND IX.

of the said lands, yearly arisingof the sam e , for the in ten t that the m ayors and o ther headoffi ce rs, shal l , o n the fe ast of S t . M ichae l , the archange l , n ex t , after the re ce i pt the reof, paythe said sum of on e hundred pounds, to four o ther poor young m e n, i n m an n e r as aforesaid,

for e ver.A nd furthe r it is agre ed, that if the said m ayor, burgesses, and comm on al ty of the C i ty

of Bristo l do m ake defau lt of paym e n t of the said sum of on e hundred and' four po unds, toa ny of the saidc ities or tow ns above n am ed, at the days, t im e

,andp lac e the re of above lim ited,

in part or in all, c on trary to the form aforesaid, that the n the said m ayor, burgesses,and

c om m onal ty of Bristo l , and the ir suc c essors, sha l l forfe it, loose , and pay to the sa idpre siden tandscho lars, andto the ir successors, the se veral fin es, rat es

,and pe n al ties e nsuing. That is to

say, for the first t ime of n on - paym e n t of the saidon e hu ndred and four pounds, to any of the

saidc ities, com pan ie s, or tow n s, as it sha l l be du e , to forfe it one hundredandte n pounds: forthe second t im e of the l ik e forfe iture , on e hundred andfifte en pounds : andthe th ird t im e toforfe it one hundred and tw e n ty pounds : and for the fourth t im e o n e hundred and thirtypou nds 1 and the fifth t im e on e hundred and forty pounds : andthe six th tim e on e hundred

and fifty pounds, provided alw ays, that if the said lands or prem ise s, as b efore spe cified“

,b e

n o toriously de cayed, by any sudden m isfortune,by reason

-

of fire , or other l ike o ccasion , or

b e law full y e vic ted by orde r of law ,andtak e n from th e possessio n of the sa idm ayor, burgesses,

andcom m on al ty of Bristo l , w ithou t fraudor covyn , andn o t - b e ing by the w ill , n eglige n ce , or.

suffe ran ce , of the saidm ayor, burgesses, andc om m on al ty, w he reby upon de c laration of accom p tthere of m ade , and c ertified, upon the o aths offour a lde rm en of the c ity of Bristo l

, of all the

saidde cays, to the pre side n t andvice preside n t, and tw o of the an c ie n t fe l low s of the said

c o l lege of S t . John , the baptist , in the un ive rsity ofOxford, for the t im e being, and to the

m ayor of the c ity of G lou ce ster aforesaid, and on e of the alde rm e n of the sam e , so as it shal landm ay tru l y appe ar to the said persons, that the re n ts

,perquisite s, re ve nues, andissues of the

l ands, te n em e n ts, and he reditam e n ts purchased, and to b e purchased,by the m ayor, burgesses,

and com m onal ty of the c ity of Bristo l aforesaid, shal l no t be sufi c ie n t to b ear the charges before

an d h e reafter m e n t ioned, the said paym e n t to c e ase,and n o t to b e paid un til such de cay b e

reform ed, and am e nded, any thing in the inden ture before -m en tio n edto the con trary there of,n otw ithstanding.

Provided a lw ays, and it is. by these prese n ts fu l ly agre ed and gran ted, b e tw ee n the said

parties, that w ithin the te rm of tw e n ty ye ars n ex t afte r the date he re of, tw o discre e t andhon est

persons, on e on andfor the saidtow n of Bristol, to be nom in ated,chosen

, andappo in tedby them ayor, burgesses, and com m on al ty the o the r of and for the said co l lege , to b e chosen by the

preside n t andfe l low s of the saidco l lege , to ride , andto view , at the e qu al andindifferen t costs

andcharges of the saidm ayor, bu rgesse s, and com m on al ty, and the said preside n t and fe l low s

aforesaid, w hich shal l ride andtrave l un to all ande very of the saidc ities andtow ns afore an am ed,to the in te n t to kn ow ,

andshall duly e n quire, kn ow , andse arch, w he ther the -disbursion s aforesaidbe du ly paid, de live red, used, ordered, andcon tinued, w ithin e ve ry of the said c ities, com panies,and tow ns, as it ough t to be , according to the true m e an ing of the said sir ThomasW hite , . and.

according to the art ic les and covenan ts he rein -b efore m en tion ed, andde c lared.

A nd, such of the said c ities and tow ns as they shall, upon due proof, findneg

ligen t in theperform anc e here of

, to have the sam e on e hundredandfour pounds no m ore everafter that, but,the saiddisbursion of m on ey shal l be de live red to som e o ther tow n , com pany, or city, . as thesaid m ayor, burgesses, and com m onal ty of the city of Bristo l

, and the president and fe llows

Of St.John’

s college, at Oxford, shall deem meet andconvenient, in m anner. aforesaida

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INDEX .

Bradl ey H e n ry , at torney ofthe court dischargedfrom his offi c e 39 2 .

B rado ck re v. T hom as, schoo lm aste r 20 1 .

B ram l e y Thom as m ade a fre e m an 364.

B racksto n e W il l iam ,h is legacy 40 6.

B re m b e r, sir N icho las 18.B l ide w e l l 2 9 2 .

B ridge H igh 77, 1 2 9 .

Bridge s xv i.Bu ck ingham ,

sir Ow e n 2 39.

Bu ildings 1 2 2 .

Bu l le y john ,m ayo r, 85, 1 0 4.

B u n‘

uury re v . Thom as, v ic ar 30 4.

Burde tt sir Fra n c is 1 0 1 .

Burge ss of the ha l l andchair 2 2 1 .

M aking of, 356. Num b e r of, 359 .

Expe l led, 362 .

Bu rge sse s, c apita l andse condary, 344.

N um b e r of, 345, 359 .

Burghfi e ld 7

2 60 .

Burre n Edw ard40 2 .

Bu t le r Regin a ld h is legacy 40 8.

C adogan \Vm . e sq . n o t du l y e le c ted2 30 .

C adogan e arl of, h igh stew ard388

C adogan W m . B rom l e y , vic ar 340 .

C aesar’

sde sc ript ion of Britain 1 1 7 .

C age , the situ at ion of the 1 98.

C a le va, an c ie n t 1 1 6.

C a lve rt Fe l ix ,e sq . re pre se n tat ive 2 29 .

C alve rly C harle s fin edC anal to Mon ke y Island7 1 . N ew 1 62 .

K e n n e t andA vo n 1 62 .

C an n o n s, re port of 99.C au tio cygn i

’

5.

C an u te k ing o f E ngland7.C ap ita l of a c o lum n 2 47 .

C arisbro ok c ast le 387 .

C arte r Jose ph his legacy 399 .

C ase on the scho larsh ips 1 87.

C ast le 8, 1 7 1 , 2 48.

C athe rin e ’

s church co nse cra ted 49.C a tho l ic chape l 1 30 .

gave rsham bridge to l l xvi .ave rsham - hil l 1 . Brid e 2 6

Ge rdie ’s-ford

g 37, 4 i 3 5

C ham b e rlain Jam es, his legacy 4 1 2 .

C ham b erlains v . E le c t ion of,an n ual l y vi.

C ham be rlains m ay b e re m ovedix .

C han ce l S t . Law re n ce ’s 3 1 7. R e pairedby the

qu e en 3 1 8.

C han try,C o ln ey 2 96.

C hape l ofgrey friars 2 95. S t. Edm ond’s 2 96.

C harit ies 394.

C harles I . 27 . I I . his re ception 61 .C harl ton rev . Thos. schoo lm aste r 20 1 .

C harte r, gran ted 1 3. Of the abb e y 2 55. Ofkm g John 2 59 . Of C o ln e y chan try 2 96.

OfH e nry I I I . 342 . OfRichardI I . 343.

OfC harles I . 344 . Of liberties 344. Inthe e xchequ er 288.

C harter of Charles I . i.

C hau ce r’s description of the fe ast 1 6.

C he aping-

gav e l 2 76, 357.

C he e se fair 1 47 , 1 67 .

C ho lse y abb e y 2 55. Barn 2 74.

C hrism ,o r sacredo il 262 .

0 0

C hrist ’s Hosp ita l gove rn o rs of, file a b i l l 1 11C han c e ry 1 59 , 1 60

C hure h , S t. Law re n c e’s 3 1 0 . S t . M ary ’s 2 99.

S t . G iles’

s 3 29 .

C hu rch - w a lk 3 1 8.

C hu rch -w arde n s a corporat ion 337 . N o t to

gran t leases w ithou t co nse n t of b urgesses337

C hu rc h - yard3 1 4, 33 1 .

C him es 331 .

C lare ndo n e arl of, h igh stew ard388.

C large s Rob e rt , e sq . n o t du ly e le c ted 2 29 .

C le rgy , asse m b ly of 1 2 .

C le rke,sir Edw ard

,re c order 377.

C le rk of S t . Mary ’s 30 1 .C le rk of the m arke t xv .

C lo ck,S t . M ary ’

s 30 3. S t . Law re n ce’s 3 1 6.

C lo iste rs,ab b e y 2 5 1 .

C lo thie rs’

c om p any 351 .C oals, pit, in troduc ed 1 6° Fundfor 4 1 9 .C ob le rs, righ t of 364 .

C oHin . found 281 , 4 2 4.

C o le y c ross 2 2 . King of C o ley 327.C o le

,po e t 9 2 .

C o l lege , S t . John ’s 396.

C o m bat single in the Island8.

C om b - ban k 5.C om b arton John , triedhe re 1 9 .

C om m o ns, righ t of 1 35.C om pan ies 347 .

C om pou nde rs 61 .

C om pte r prison 362 .

C om to n vicarage 278.C on u it 2 54.

C o nstab le s,righ t of choosing 354, 356.

C onstitu tio n s, the ope ’s 2 63.

C onve n tion , at Lodde n -b ridge 1 0 . Or Barebo n e

’

s parl iam e n t 2 28.C on ve rts Jew ish 2 79 .

C on vocatio n h e ldhe re 1 4.

C o nw ay , ge n e ral 2 46.

C ooke M r. Thom as, his legacy 4 1 7.C o ron e r vii.C orporation 341 . Lands p ledged29, 30 . On

the c ho ice of re presen tatives 2 2 9 . Pow erof 361 .

C orrody 2 66.

C ostardapp le 266

C o t tage in th e abb e y 252 .C o un ty rate s, tow n n o t liab le to 1 28.C oun cils 1 0 , 1 1 , 1 4, 2 83, 42 1 .

C ourts, hundreds 257.

C ow ick m e ad 2 77 .

C ow per Jefie ry, church- warde n , em b e zzledthew rit ingsof S t . G ile s’

s parish 336.C ow slade , M r. Thom as 1 82 .

C ox Leonard, schoolo m aster 1 96.

INDEX.

C rave n lord, his seat 37. C harles I . confinedthe re 60 .

C rom w e l O l ive r e n ters R e ading 59 . Opin ionof C harle s I . 60 . A ppo in ts the schoo lm aste r 2 0 3 .

C rom w e l l lordThom as, high stew ard377.

C row n in n 2 77 . Fie lds 277.C udw e rthian s 1 30 .

C urfew 30 1 , 330 .

C u t lers’ com pan y 348.

D anes, iratical in cursions 2 . U n ite the Tham es

an K e n n e t 3. House 4.

D avid,k ing ofS co tland 263.

D ave n port M r. n o t e le c ted to the scho larship1

D ean e

gf-l e nry, esq . 75, 81 , 83.

D e an e John , e sq . 77 .

D e an e Thom as 399 .

D e n e W ill iam,his tom b 1 84.

D e bating soc ie ty 8 1 .D e c re e , archb ishop Laud’

s 1 56. Of c om m is

sion ers con ce rn ingSt. G ile s’s chu rch s lands

D itto , ke e e rs ofth e u ildD e c l arat io n of loyalt

p

y 81 . O n

gthe 13231301

52)

th e c om m on s 1 1 1 .

D e edan c ie n t c on c ern ingS t . Mary ’s parish 30 7.

D em on ium m e ridian um 30 5.

D e n n ison , re v . D r. 30 4. Mode rator of the

fre e schoo l 338.D ies for c o in ing 2 64.

D in n e rs pub lic , u n con stitu t ion a l 1 0 3. O n the

p e ace 4 26.

D ispe n sary 1 39 .

D oddJohn , e sq . con testede l e c tion 2 4 1 .D odd’

s-m e ad 2 98.

D om b le ton W i l l iam,abb o t 2 7 1 .

D oom sday book 1 2 0 , 1 2 1 .

D uddle sfo rdm an or 2 76.

E arle Thom as, abb ot, 2 7 1arthqu ake at Lisbon 69 .

dm u nd Iron side 7 .

Edu c ation n at io n a l 2 1 6. Lan castrian 2 1 3 .

Edw ardthe c onfessor 7 .

Edw ard I I . 1 5. I l l . 1 6. IV . 2 1 . V I . his

re c eption 2 1 .

Edw ardabbo t , 269 .

E le c tion , righ t of66, 2 1 9, 2 2 1 , 2 2 7. C on trov e rted2 2 4. V o id 2 2 9 , 2 39 .

E lfrida, he r m on astery burn t 7 .

l izab e th que e n 2 2 , 3 1 7. G ifts to the tow n 344E lk ins W ill iam , his legacy 40 8.

lw e s E lizab e th , he r legacy 40 3 .

nglefie ld3. Batt le of 45. C hurch of 260 .

E ngle fie ldsir H e n ry 2 48

n trie s re m arkab le 30 8.

E scu tch e on an c ie n t 3 1 0 .

Esse x , Rob e rt D e vereux , e arl of 380 .

sse x , e arl of,lays siege to Re ading 3 2 .

Essex, He n ry de , due l w ith Robe rt de Mon tforde 9.

Estates, c orporation , m ortgaged 2 9, 30 .

the lw u lph, e arl of B e rks, 3.

E the redb esieges Re ading 3. Hisde ath 4.E the redl I. flie s to Norm andy 7 ;E ve 3 26.Ev ide n ces, S t . G iles’s em b ezzled336.

Fairs 1 67, 260 , 265, 326, 327.Faringdo n Hugh , abbo t 2 7 2 .

Fe e s, pow e r to take x iv .,

Fe es to the king’

s o iiic e rs 2 2 .

Fe l low s, S t . John , the b aptist’s xxvm .

e rm ary garde n 2 85.

e rre rs Roge r de 2 60 .

Fie ldfarm 40 8.

Fie lding, go ve rn or 37. Triedby a court m ar

t ia l 40 .

Figh t, Re ading63.

Fin ch H e n ry 79 , 85.

Fin e s ofburge sse s 345, 361 . Ofc om p an ies348.

Of a lde rm e n 361Fin es, how to be app l iedx

Fishing- p lace 287.F l e sh sham b le s 358.

F l in ts 2 46.

F lore y A ubre y, e sq . h is l egac y 2 1 1 , 4 1 7.Forb ury 2 7, 1 35, 2 87. G ate 396.

Fort - roya l 34.

Fore ign e rs n o t to reside h e re 363.Fou ndat ion s re l igious 2 43.

Fow le r,re v . C hristophe r, v icar 30 4.

Fox,re v . Fran c is, vicar 30 6.

Fox C harl es,e sq . 76.

Fran ch ise e le c t iv e 2 30 .

Fre e m e n , n um be r of, 353.

Fre e schoo l 1 84.

Friars l ibrary 2 94. C hurch 2 9 1 . G rey 2 4.

Friary su rre nde red 2 93 . Re c o rds of 2 9 4.

Frogn al M rs. he r legacy 3 1 1 , 4 1 7 .

Frogm arsh 2 77 .

Fue l,fu ndfor 40 1 .

G al le ry,S t . G ile s’

s 32 9 .

G arrard,W m . e sq . 1 0 4.

G arrardThom as 2 0 3, 4 25.

G ate Forbury 2 49.G au n t J ohn of, m arriage of 1 6. Escorted ta.

R e ading 1 8.

G errardThom as,schoo lm aste r 2 0 3.G ifts to the re pre se n tative s 2 2 2 .

G ift,sir Thom as VVhy te

’

s 397.

G ilb e rtson G e o rge , a lde rm an 1 0 4.

G ile s’s S t . parish 2 2 9 .

G le edThom as,alde rm an 1 0 3.

G ostw ick Vv'

iiliam , scho o lm ast e r 2 0 3.G o ve rn ors of the free schoo l 2 teG range w harf 2 86.

G re e n scho o l'

2o8.

G rey, lady E l izabe th 2 1 .

G rey W il l iam ,esq . 284.Grey friars 2 94.

Gun s, report of 99 .

xxxnINDEX.

Gun te r N icho las, his legacy 40 7.Gu ild- m e rchan t 34 1 .Gu thrun , a Dan ish ch ief6.

Halden m akes a pe ace w ith A lfred 6.

Hal l , tow n 7 7.

H a l l John , his schoo l 2 0 Legacy 4 1 2 .

Ha l l M r. his fin e redu ce 361 .

Ha l l o r consistory 2 51 .

Ham b l in Edw ard c om m it ted to the c om pte r362 . C o m pou ndedibid. His charity 40 1 .

H am m o ndc o l. 1 36, 2 28, 386.

H and, hum an , fo und 2 80 .

H and- b i l l on the Forbu ry 1 37.

H arriso n ’s barn 34 .

H arriso n G e orge , his re qu est 1 36.H arrison Barn ard’sgift 40 2 .

G e o rge , h is legacy 4 1 3.H arris Rob e rt , e sq . 96, 1 0 4.

Harve y M r. Standing ov e rse er 1 46.

H aydon M rs. her legacy 32 4.

H e l ias; abb o t 2 70 .

H e n ley take n by the parl iam e n t’s forces 30 .

H e n le y Thom as, abbo t 2 7 1 .H e n n e b e rg church 2 59 .H e n ry I . bu ilds the abb ey 7 . M onum e n t 8.Buria l 2 80.

H e n ry II . 9.

He m y l l l . kept his christm as he re , 13 .

H e n ry V th . his pro c lam at ion 2 0 .

H e n ry V l th inst itu te s a n ew orde r 2 0 .

H e rac lius the pope ’s l egat e

H e rbert Edw ard,esq . the hing’

s so lic itor re

turn ed to parl iam e n t 2 2 3.H eston , church of 260 .

H igh stew ards 2 2 1 , 375.H ighw ays 30 3.

Hi ley , re v. Hav ilandJohn , schoo lm aster 20 3.Hinguar, a Dan ish chief, 3H istory n atu ra l 1 47 .

Ho l land, e arl of2 2 3, 377.H o lm es E l izab e th , h er legacy 324.H o l t sirThom as

, re corder 39 1 .H o ly brook 2 55.Ho ly sepu lchre , the keys of 9.Holym an John , abbo t 267.H oodRob in 32 7.Hoope r Robert com pe l led to leave the tow n

3.3

Hosp i ta l Christ’s xx iv.H oughton m an or 2 76.House exchanged320 .

House , the fl e tcher’s

Houses gre at, n ot to be divided in to te n em e n ts ix . N ot to b e thatchedx .

Hovede n , his accoun t of the tren ch cut bythe D an es 3.

Hubb a, a D an ish chief,H ugh , abbo t 2 69.Hungerford Edw ard, his gift 4 1 6.Hussey Thom as, hisgift 4 1 4,

im ages 31 1 .

In co rpo ra t ion of the borough 1 1 .

l nde n tu re parl iam e n tary 2 25.

l ndepe ndan ts, m e e t ing of 1 2 9.

I ndustry , schoo l of 2 1 2 .

form atio n , b il l of 1 53.

qu isitio n o n St . Law re n c e'

s church lw m g:

3 2 2 . A t N ew bury, on S t. G iles’

s church

lands 334.

In stitu tio n 1 39.

Insu ran c e offi ce w an ted 1 34.

n te rdi c tion , the pope ’s 2 62 .

rish troopsfiredo n by the inhab it-an ts 64.

re land, rev . Thos. schoo lm aste r, a lun atic 20 3.

ro n m o nger, W m . h is legacy 40 8.ro n side Richard, his legacy 40 3,slands 32 9.var, a D an ish chief 2 , 6.

Jacob on de v ise e s 2 9 2 .

J am e s,the ap

i

ostle,h is re lics andhand8, 2 79 .

a e s Richar his lo ac 4 1 1 .

Jeibm att , re v . “ 7m .gic zii‘, 339.

Jem m at t Sam u e l,his legacy 4 1 2 .

Je nk in s G riffin , his legacy 40 5.Je n n ings Rob e rt e xpe l led the fre e school 20 3.Je rusa le m ,

the royal bann ers ofg.esse M r.

Jew ,forgei?

9of a 27 1 .

Jew e ls ple gedto the m on ks 1 6.

jew 1s

l

h co

b

s

gve rt

; quarte i

fdon th e abbey 1 3,

ew e s, a ey, orrow e 2

Jo ce l in e,b isho p of Bath ,

7c

gonse crated 1 0 .

Johni;pdin ce

’ cal ls a con ve n tion at Loddonri go 1 0 .

Je

l

l

inson

iihhar

lii"h i

f

s

t

legacy 32 4, 40 6.o nso n n

,is 1 2 , 40 1 .

John son ’

s yard40 38.

3 4

Jon e sW il l iam,his legacy 41 1 .

Joseph, abbo t 269.

Ju b i cc 1 0 4.

Judas 3 1 4.

Just ice , courts of 257.

Justices, c oun ty , n o t to in terfere 31 1 1 .

To be sw orn x ii.

Katesgrove , a re n t charge 4 1 6.Kem is Edw ard

,his legacy 399.

Ke ndrick John 1 50 , 1 53, 40 4.

Ke ndrick John , his w il l xx ii.K e ndrick sir W il liam , 2 29.Ke ndrick W il liam , 40 7.

Ke ndrick , M rs. Mary 4 1 4.

Ke n n e t riverm ade n av igab le 67.Ke n n e t andA von can a l ope n ed67.Ke n ric ,, a D an ish chief 1 .

K itchen - e nd 2 1 .

Kn app A ugusti n e ,. his le ac 8.Knight Nathan , esq . hisEledi igrgi 2 29.Kn igh t Roger, his legacy 324, 408.Kn i hts sp iritual m ade by the abbo t 258.Kno lys,.sir Francis, e lec tedby the corporation

2 2 1 .

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INDEX .

N icho l lsdoc tor, v ic ar 75, 3 26.

Nobil ity, t it le of 1 68.

N o r-

w ood M rs. he r legacy 4 1 3.Nun n ery 2 43.

Oath m ayors’ 366. Burgesses 346, 359 .

Offi c ers of the c row n,fe es of 2 2 .

Ofli ce rs of the abb e y 2 72 .

Offi c e rs of t he borough , by w hom e le c ted V 1 1 1 .

O ld- stre e t, o n the S e ve n - b ridges xx i.

Opin ion o n the scho larships 1 89 .

Orac le,o r w ork -house

,2 8, 1 44, A

barrack 1 60 . Expe n se of bu ilding 1 53.

M ade a w ork -house 1 44. D e rivation of

1 2 .

O rch il la 1 52 .

Orchard,v icar’

s 30 4.

Order for th e regu latio n ofshops on Sunday 1 0 1 .Organ s 3 15, 33 1 . Tak ers 3 1 5.

Orn am e n ts of the ab b e y 2 47.

Orphans,c ou rt of x iv.

O rte s,the tow n , m ortgaged29, 2 48.

Orte b ridge 286.O tto , the pope ’

s legate 1 2 .

Oxfordu n ive rsity re m ovedto Reading 1 1 .

O yste r-she l ls, b edof 1 48

Page W il l iam , schoo lm aster 20 2 .

Pain t ings in the frie ry church 2 9 1 . On glass4.

PaingM atthew 2 8.

Pa lm e r Ju l ius, schoo l - m aster 1 3.Palm e r W il l iam

,his l egacy 39

Pangb ourn re c tory 2 78.

Pape rs co n c ern ing the abb ey 288.

Parish , S t . Law re n ce’s 3 1 0 . S t. Mary's 2 98.

S t . G ile s’s 3 2 9 .

Parishe s, u n ion of 1 44.

Park , abb e y 2 48, 260 .

Park insW il liam 1 80 .

Parl iam e n ts h e ld he re 9 , 1 4, 1 9, 2 0 . F irste stab l ish ed 1 4.

P aving, ac t forPay w e ek ly to the poor 1 39.Pe ace justic es of 345.

Pe ac e sign ed96.

Pe at 1 47 .Pe ckham , John de , archb ishop ofC an te rbury,c on voke s a synodhe re 1 4.Pe n al ty o n n on - paym e n t of the 1 0 41. xxviii.Pe n n y, abbey 2 64.

Pe nsio ns to the abbo t 2 73. To the mPe ram bu lation of the b orough x vii.Pest -h ouse 2 5.Pe tition to C harle s I . 29 .

Pe t 1 t 1on s to p arl iam e n t 67, 68, 75, 79, 87, 1 09,1 1 0 , 1 1 4, 3 26,Pew s, tax on 2

Pigo tythe 32 2 .P i n m anufac tory 1 60 .

Pgn n acles, S t . Mary’s xxvi.Pipe

, leaden , found2 54.

onks 274.

Pit t W il l iam , e sq . thanks to 78.Plagu e 2 4.

P la te,S t . Law re n ce

’s 3 1 2 .

P lay o f the re surre c tio n 326.

um m e ry ditch 3, 2 86.c o ck Jam es, his legacy 40 0 .

co ck Sam u e l, scho o lm aster 20 2.Po l l - pape r 2 39 .

Pond-haies 285.

Po n tage x v i.

Pon tes n ot R e ading 1 1 8

Po or 1 39 . Of S t . Law re nce’s 1 45. In the

orac le 1 44.

Po or siste rs a lm shouse 1 84.

Poor to re c e ive M r. Ke ndrick’s gift xx 1 1 1 .Pope the , con firm s the abb ey charte r 261 .

Pope M r. e le c tedto a scho larship 1 93.

Po pu lat ion abstrac ts 1 2 3.

Pordage J ohn 30 5.

Portm an’

s b rook 1 35.

Portraits in the c ou n c il - cham ber 1 28.Po rt ’s- m ou th 2 50 .

Possession s of the abbey n o t to b e al ie n ated263.

Po t te nge r Joh n , h is gift 2 0 7 . Legacy 4 1 4.Po t -w abb le rs 66.

Pou l ton , M r. C harle s 1 0 4, 1 08.Pow e l l , do c tor, v icar 30 3.

Praye rs, e arly 40 7.

Pre se n tm e n tsjurors 334.rio r of the abb ey 2 57, 2 94.rivilege s 1 65.

roc lam ation, kingHe nry ’s 20 .

rov isions, price s of 7 1 , 1 42 .un tfie ld

,roadto 66.

Quake rs’ m e e ting 1 2 9 .

Qua l ific a tio n of scho lars 1 95.

Quarte r-session s 1 2 8.

Radn or, e arl of 2 1 1 .

Radyn ge , chapte r of 262 .Radynge - p lac e

,London , 2 76.

Radynge , Robe rt of 267.Rate s, am oun t of 1 40 .

a ts w hite 1 48.eading, h istory of 1 . Origin z

'

bid. Burn t 7.Siege of30 . E vacua tedby Essex 45. B ythe king’

s forc e s 59 . Figh t 62 . A c oun ty1 2 8. Tow n of 1 16. E tym o logy of ibid.

R e ading to have the re version of the legacyleft to New bury o n m isapp l ication xxv.

R e cogn izan ces xv .

Re cord, court of 1 28.

Re cord, C ourt of x iii.Re corde rs 375, 389 . Du ties ibia’. Salary 3781

390 . Tw o appo in ted 378. Fe es 390 .

L ist of 39 1 .Re eve sW il l iam

,vicar 30 6.

Re e ve s Rob e rt , gift of 40 3.

Reform of parl iam e n t 1 0 1 .Regin ald, abbo t 269 .

Reginaldde C urten ea 283.

INDEX. m ,

R e lics 2 79 .

R e n n ie M r. his p lan of the can al 1 62 .

R e n ts,St . G iles’

s 333. Qu it 332 .

R e prese n tat io n 2 19 .

R e prese n tatives, pay of2 20 . How chosen 2 2 1 .

List of 2 32 .

R e qu isit io n for a hal l 1 0 4, 1 0 8.

R eso lu t ion s 78. O n the duk e of York 1 0 2 .

O n the jubile e 1 0 6. O n the VValche re ne xpeditio n 1 0 8. On the righ t to the Forbury 1 38.

Re turn pe tition ed against 2 2 6.R e ve n u es of the abb e y 2 74.

R ichard1 1 . 1 8. E arl ofC ornw al l 1 2 .

Rich, sir H e n ry , e arl of Ho l land, high stew ard

381 . Hisde ath 383 .

R ich , sir Tho m as 2 0 5, 4 1 1 .

R ichards, R ichard 1 0 4. John 2 1 0 , 4 1 6. Hislegac y 4 1 7 .

R ichard, abbo t 2 70 .

R ichardde B an aste r a lias Radyng 2 7 1 .

R idalgos priory 2 63.

R igh t to posse ss m an ors,lands, &c . ii.

R io ts 70 .

R ob e rt de S igil lo 2 67 .

R obe rt de B u rghare , abbo t 2 7 1 .R ob in Hood32 7.R o ckingto n church 259 .

R oge r, abbo t 269 .

R ow e l l Joh n 94.

Row ingto n m an or 2 76.

Russe l N icho las, his legacy 40 0 .

Sail - c lo th m an ufac tories 65.

Sale m chape l 1 30 .

San c tu ary 332 .

Saunde rs, sir John , re corder 2 2 1 , 2 78.

Saunde rs Jose ph, a burge ss, pillored and

pe lled362 .

S ax on sdefe ated3. A t M e ran tem 4.

S cal lop she l ls 280 .

S cho o ls 1 84. Fre e 2 1 , 1 84, 395. B lue - coat2 0 3. G re e n girls 2 0 8. Fo undation 2 1 2 .

Su nday 2 1 3. Lan castrian 2 1 3. N at ion a l2 1 6. OfI ndustry 2 1 2 .

S choo l fre e , l ist of m asters 1 96.

S choo l house , subscription fo r 1 85.

S choo l gre e n , fundedSto ck 2 1 2 .

S cho larships 1 85.

Scu tage 2 58.

Se a l , abbe y, forged 2 7 1 , 280 . C om m on 39 2 .S e al in tw o parts xvi.S eal com m on ii.

Se brigh tfordm an or 2 76.S e rge an ts at m ac e 39 2 .Se rvan ts of the ab bo t 2 7 2 .

S erv ic e , divin e , at six o’c lock xxvi.

S ession s, quarte r, pow e r to ho ldx iii.Shaile R ichard, his legacy 405.Sham b le s 354.

She rfi e ldfarm 2 0 5.Ship m on ey 26.

Shirley, M r. his le ac 0 2.Shu t e D r. his epitaghSickn ess of the garrison 42 .

Sidm ou th v iscoun t 388.

S im eon Edw ard 2 13. His legacy 41 9.Sim e on John , e sq . 1 0 3, 2 40 .

Sim onds Jam e s 75. W . B lackal l 1 04.S im o nds He nry 425.

Sim on , abbo t 2 70 .

Ske le ton s found 2 53, 2 82 , 295.Skipton , m ajor-

ge n e ra l 33.S lave b il l 79 .

Sm ith , re v . J am es 2 1 1 .

Sm yth Joh n , schoo lm aster 20 1 .

Soc ie ty, debating 81 .Soup shops 96.

So u thco t , ham le t of 1 26.Sow do n Thom as 1 0 4.

Spice r, rev . John 1 37, 20 3, 2 1 1 . His legacy4 1 7.Spire , St . G ile s’

s 330 .

S trange rs n ot adm itted363.

S tal ls 357 .

tan fo rd,lands in 260 .

tanshaw e Rob ert 2 9 2 .

S tan to n church 260 .

S tan ton H arcou rt re c tory 2 76.S tap le of w oo l 2 5.

S te phe n s Joh n , e sq . 1 0 4, 1 82 .

’

vVilliam 1 0 4.S tew ardh igh 375. L ist of 39 1 .S tew ard389 .

S t ew ard iv . E l e c t ion of v .S to ck , com m on xx iv.Ston e usedin th e abb ey 2 46.S tre e ts

,n am es of 1 47 .

S trode \Villiam , e sq . e le c tion void239.S turges, rev . C harle s, v ic ar 30 6.Subsidy, how lev ied 2 1 .

Sugar- loave s prese n ted 20 2 .

Sun - lan e w ide n ed68.

Surve y of the abb e y 285.

Su t ton John de , abbo t 2 7 1 .W il liam de , abbo t z

'

bid.Sw adde n , rev . W il l iam

,h is legacy 40 4.

Sw allow fie ld, estate at 400 .

Sw an s, gam e of 365.

Sw e yn,king of D e n m ark , lands 6.

Sykes Fran c is, appo in tedat torn e y ofthe court39 2 .

Syn od 1 1 , 1 4.

Tann er Jon athan , esq . 79, 1 1 4, 1 82 .n u ers

’c om pan y 350 .

Taylor,doc tor 80 .

Taylors’

,m e rchan t , hal l xxvn .

TaylorW il l iam , a lias P lon k , his legacy 40 7.Tax es u nde r the com m onw e al th 61 .Te n em e n t in the m arke t - p lace ex changed320 .

rm he ldhere 1 4, 2 4, 2 5.

rrie r, S t . Mary’s 30 6. S t . Law re n ce

’s 3 1 9,

32 1 . S t. G iles’

s 332 .

ackham Thom as, schoo lm aster 20 1 .Tham es un itedto the Ke n n e t 3.

INDEX .

Thatcham church 256. Marke t 260.The atre 1 3 1 .Tho rn e ohn, abbo t 2 7 1 , 395.Thorn e lizabe th, he r legacy 325.Thorn e Thom as fin ed361 .Thorn e A n thon y alias Legg, h is legacy 40 2 .Tile s first used

349 .

To l ls of fairs 2 7 Mark e ts tl zd. Bridges

M ortgaged 2 9. QfC ave rsham -bri ge di s

pu ted365.

Tow e r,S t . G iles°s “

330 .

T ow n 1 1 6. Form of 1 26. The abb o ts 356.Tow n -hal l 1 2 7 .

Tow n - c le rk 390 .

Trade of the tow n 1 50 , 1 61 .

Transe pt 252 .

Tre ache r \Villiam , c om m itted for Spe ak i ngagain st the o rac l e 1 53.

1

T resilian , judge 1 9 .

Tunbridge scho o l 1 86.

Turn e r R ichard gran ts a lease of C o ln eychan try 2 97.

Turn e r R ichard, his legacy 40 0 .

T w in io Margare t 295.

Tw yford, ske le ton s disco veredat 63.

Tyle r’s re be l l ion 1 7 . Jo in ed by the inhab i t

an ts ofR e ading 1 8.

U n itarian chape l 1 30 .

V alpy, rev . Dr. 83, 86, 96, 99, 10 3.V an sit tart H e n ry 73.

V atche l M r. h is e le c tion dispu t ed 2 25.

V atche l sir Thom as,hisgift 40 8.

V aughan rev . Philip , h is legacy 32 4, 4 1 5.V au l t, sir F. Kn o l lys 3 1 8.

V e asey M rs. Rachae l , he r legacy 2 1 1 , 4 1 7.'V e rn ic le 3 1 3.

V e stm en ts 3 1 3.

V icars, ofS t . Mary’s30 4. S t. Law ren ce

’s325.

S t . G iles’s 338.

V icarage of S t. Law re n c e 32 2 .V ic tual le rs’

c om pan y 352 .

V in esEdw ard99 .V iscoun ts, first c re atedat Reading 2 0 .

V isitat ion by the abb o t ofS t . A lban s 2 7 1 .V isitors of sir Thom asW hite ’

s gift xxv iii.V o lun te ers 83.

‘

Ex tendthe ir servi ces 90 . D ism issed 1 0 4.

V o te , c asting v iii.

V o te s for re presen tatives 2 29, 241 .V o ting, righ t of 2 1 9.

W addon W il liam , schoo lm aster 20 3.W al lingfordburn t 7 .

W alk , the church 3 1 8.W a l lingforde arl of 2 2 1 , 376.W al ls, in terior, of the abbey 245.

F I N I S .

Snare andM an, Printers, Seven B ridger, Reading.

W alter John , esq . a candidate 74.W a l te r Jac ob 85, 99 .

W arc o p Randu lph , h 1s legacy 40 6.W ardThom as 10 4. His legacy 41 1 .W ard-m e n 347.

W ards 346.

W argrave church 256, 278.

W arran ts n o t to b e dire c ted to the shen ff or

coro n e r of Be rks x ii.

W a t lington W il liam 1 80 .

W arw ick , lands in 260 .

W ate r,n ature of 1 3 1 .

W a te r-w orks 1 32 .W a t ts a lderm an 394W e l ler John , the art ist 92 .W ehb e lady B e n n e t 30 3.

W ebb John ,h is legacy 4 1 1 .

W e bbo sirW il liam 30 3.W e st I lsley registe r 60 .

W e st John , h is charit ies 20 7, 397, 4 1 4. Serm on 30 4.

W e st M rs. Fran ce s, he r l egacy 41 5.

he at , price of in 1 80 0 , 9 2 .

harf pub l ic 1 64.

hite sirThom as, his inden ture xxvu.

W hite Thom as, esq . 1 0 8.'Wh itesb ury m an or 2 76.

W hit le y ham le t 1 26.

W hit ley, lands in 2 60 , 268. M anor 275.W hit lo ck , high stew ard 387, 425.W hy te

,sir Thom as 1 85, 396.

W ick e n s, his se n t e n c e 51 .W ilde W m . v icar 339 .

W il liam ,rin c e , bu riedhere 8.

V Villiam oi)

Radynge 2 67.W il l iam ,

abbo t 2 69 .

W il liam sW m . 1 80 , 1 82 .

W illiam shurst John 1 82 .

W im ble ton M rs. her legacy 40 2.W in ch Jam es 1 57 .

W in ch Richard, hisl egacy 406.W indhull m an or 2 76.W indow s abb e y 2 53.

W indow,S t . Mary ’s church 30 0.

W ire -m il l 2 98.

W ise , rev . W il liam , schoo l -m aster 20 3.W orce ste r Thom asde , abbo t 2 7 1 .W orkhouse 1 59, 29 2 .

W orkhouse , pe rson s placed there in m ay bidisp lacedxx iii.

W orse ley Mary , he r legacy 40 2.W rit

,m o tion for 73.

Wyboe Pe te r, his legacy 40 3.Wycheber church 259.

Yately Richardde , abb o t 27 1 .Yat te ndon , poor of 400 .

Yie ldhal l 2 92 .