Evesham.

Droitwich.

Grandfon, who is alfo Duke of Beaufort, is in Poffeflion of.

Evesham, on the Avon, is a good trading Place, which gave the Title of a Baron to the late Lord Sommers; now extinct. Droitwich, on the Salwarp, is noted for its Salt-Pits. Sturbridge, for its School and Library. And Kidderminster for its Stuffs.

YORKSHIRE.

Northern Maritime County, in York Diocefe, is 360 Miles

Ain Compafs, and contains about 3770000 Acres, and

105151 Houses. 'Tis divided into three Parts, viz. the North, Eaft, and Weft-Riding; the last the largeft. 'Tis generally a most fruitful Country, yielding Plenty of Corn, Cattle, Fish, and Wild-Fowl. Here are alfo abundance of fine Horfes, LimeStone, Jett, and Allum. Sureby is noted for its Goats, Sheffield for Iron, Richmondshire for its Lead, Copper, and Pit-Coals. Its principal Rivers are the Humber, Are, Calder, Dun, Derwent, Nyd, Oufe, Swall, Youre, Warf, and Tees.

York.

York, Lat. Eboracum, ftands upon the Oufe, 150 Miles from London. 'Tis the Epifcopal See of the Archbishop of York, and the most confiderable City in England next to London. A fair, large, rich, and populous Place; in which are reckon'd 28

Churches

Churches and Chapels of Eafe. York was in fuch Efteem among the antient Romans, that Severus the Emperor had a Palace in it, in which he ended his Days. But it has fuffer'd much by the frequent Revolutions of the State, in the Time of the Saxons, Danes, and Normans. In the Reign of King Charles I. his Army being routed at Marfton-Moor, York was forced to fubmit to the victorious Army. In 740. Egbert, Archbishop of York, erected here a large Library, out of which Alcuinus, Tutor to Charles the Great, and Founder of the Sorbonne at Paris, got moft of his Learning. But the greatest Ornament of this City is its Cathedral, which deferves to be put in the first Rank of the Cathedrals in Europe. There are two Things more, which raife the Glory of this City: One is, that the Mayor of York bears the Title of Lord, as the Mayor of London does, there being but thofe two Mayors all over England, who have that Title given them. The other, that this City has given the Title of a Duke to many Princes of the Blood; particularly to the late King James, before he came to the Crown; and lately to his Royal Highnefs Earneft Auguftus, Bishop of Ofnabrug, now dead, created Duke of York by his late Majefty King George I.

Hall, or Kingston upon Hull, is a good Port, and a well forti- Hull. fy'd Town. 'Tis a Place of great Trade, and of a large Extent, tho' there be but two Parishes. But it is not of great Antiquity, Edward I. being the Founder of it. The Inhabitants being grown Rich, wall'd the Town, and raised their chief Magistrate from a Warden to a Bayliff; till at laft Henry VI. made it a Mayor Town, and a County of it self.

Beverley, five or fix Miles North of Hall, is noted for being Beverley. the Birth-place of the famous Prelate John de Beverley, Archbishop of York, a Man of great Learning, and exemplary Piety; who in his old Age refign'd his Arch-bishoprick, and retired hither to spend the Refidue of his Life in holy Meditations. He died in 721. Ethelftan, one of the Saxon Kings, had fuch a Veneration for the Memory of fo great a Man, that for his Sake he granted great Privileges to this Place, and amongst others, a Sanctuary, which made the Town grow rich in a fhort Time.

Rippon, the Rhidogunum of the Antients, is a good Town upon Rippon. the Youre, where a great deal of Cloth, and the best Spurs in England are made. Here is a Collegiate Church, that has three very lofty Spires. In the Romish Times, St. Wilfred's Needle was then in great Repute: So was call'd a narrow Hole in a Vault under the Ground of this Collegiate Church, through which Womon's Honesty was tried. Those that were chafte, fays the Legend, could easily pafs thro' the Hole; but the polluted, it feems, fuck by the Way.

Scarborough is a good Harbour, fortify'd with a Castle, where- Scarbo na Garrifon is kept. This Town is almoft inacceffible by rou Land, furrounded as it were with the Sea, and very steep Rocks,

G 4

ex

Richmond.

Pontefra&.

North Allerton.

Leeds.

Halifax.

except on the Weft-Side, which has a narrow Paffage into it, and that fenced with a strong Wall. The Town is not large, but very well inhabited, and a good trading Place. It has a commodious Key. Formerly there was a fine Tower, which served as a Land-Mark for Ships, before it was destroy'd by our Civil Wars. On the Top of the Hill is a fair Spot of Ground, of about 60 Acres, with a fresh Water Spring coming out of a Rock. This Place is also noted for its famous Spaw, which occafions many of the Nobility and Gentry to refort here to drink the Waters. It gives the Title of an Earldom to Richard Lumley, the prefent Earl of Scarborough.

Richmond, upon the Swale, in the North Riding, is the chief Place of a Diftrict, hence call'd Richmondshire, a fpecious Name for a barren and hilly Country, except fome Places, where it yields good Pasture. Alan Earl of Bretagne, who built this Town, was created Earl of Richmond, by William the Conqueror: Which Title being extinct in his Family, was conferr'd upon others. Lewis Lord Stuart, and Duke of Lenox in Scotland, was made Earl, and afterwards Duke of Richmond, by James I, Charles Lenox was the last of that Family who enjoy'd that Title, who died without Iffue in the Court of Denmark, Anno 1672. where he was Ambaffador Extraordinary from the late King Charles, who, in less than 3 Years after, revived this Title in the Perfon of Charles Lenax, the prefent Duke of Richmond's Father, a Natural Son of that Prince by the Dutchess of Portf mouth.

Pontefract, or Pomfret, is a neat Town, that had formerly a ftrong and stately Caftle, which was destroy'd in the Civil Wars in the Reign of King Charles I. 'Twas in this Caftle Richard II. was barbarously murder'd, after his Refignation of the Crown to Henry IV. his Coufin. This Town gives the Title of an Earl to Thomas Farmer, Lord Lempfer.

North Allerton is noted of late for the Title of Viscount it gave to his Royal Highness Frederick Prince of Wales.

Leeds, on the Are, is one of the best Towns of this County, and was in the Heptarchy the Royal Seat of the Kings of Northumberland. Noted befides for its great Manufacture of Cloth, and for giving the Title of a Duke to Thomas Osborne, whose Grand-father Thomas was raised to that Dignity by the late King William.

Halifax, formerly call'd Horton, is a good large Town, with Stone built Houses. It ftands upon the iteep Afcent of a Hill, in a barren Soil. The Woollen Manufacture is the principal here. In the Reign of the late King Charles, George Savile was firft made a Viscount, afterwards an Earl, and at laft Marquis of Halifax: Which laft Title paffed from him to William his eldest Son, who did not enjoy it long, and by whofe Death the Title was extinct. But King William dignify'd Charles Mountague

with the Title of Baron of Halifax, and King George I. created him Earl of Halifax; which Title is now defcended to George Mountague, his Nephew.

Duncafter, on the Dun, is a Town in which there was former- Duncaster. ly a Caftle, whence the Name of Duncafter. Here is a fair Church, with a stately Steeple. Its chief Manufactures are Stockings, Gloves, and knit Waftcoats. In the Reign of King James I. this Town gave the Title of Viscount to James Hay Earl of Carlisle, both which Titles expir'd with his Son. King Charles II. made the Duke of Monmouth, his natural Son, Earl of Duncafter, who was beheaded in King James's Reign; and fo the Title is extinct.

Wakefield, upon the Calder, is noted for the Battle fought Wakefield. near it between Henry VI. and Richard Duke of York, his Rival for the Crown. Richard was flain in it, but his Son Edward fucceeded better than his Father, and got the Crown at last. It gives the Title of an Earl to Robert Ker, Son to the Duke of Roxburgh.

Sheffield is noted for Smith's Trade; Knaresborough for its Li-Sheffield, corish, and Medicinal Waters; Rotheram for its three Schools, i one for Writing, another for Languages, and the third for Mufick; Ripley for Licorish; Sherborn for its Free School; Burlington for its Bay, and the Title of an Earl it gives to Richard Boyle, the prefent Earl of Burlington, defcended in a direct Line from Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork in Ireland, who was created Earl of Burlington by King Charles II. in 1664.

Befides the Places aforefaid, there are four Tracts of Land in this County, all which give Titles of Honour, viz. Cleveland, Holderness, Derwentwater, and Craven.

In that Part call'd Cleveland, there is an antient Castle, with Danty. a Park, bearing the Name of Danby, which gives the Title of an Earl to the Duke of Leeds,

There is moreover Bolton in this County, a Castle in a Park, Bolton. upon the Youre, which gives the Title of a Duke to Charles Paulet, which Title his Grand-father Charles was dignify'd with by King William and Queen Mary, April 8, 1689.

Mulgrave, another Caftle near the Sea, has given the Title of Mulgrave. an Earl to feveral Families, and laft to the Sheffields; Edmund, Lord Sheffield of Butterwick, being made Earl of Mulgrave by King Charles I. in 1625. Edmund, his Grandfon, fucceeded him in the Title; and John to Edmund his Father; which John was by King William advanc'd to the Dignity of Marquis of Normanby; and by Queen Anne, to that of Duke of Buckinghamfaire and Normanby, which Title is now extinct.

Six Miles from Halifax, in the Weft Riding, there was, of old, a famous Town, call'd Cambodunum, fome Ruins whereof are ftill to be feen near Almondbury.

Laftly, there are in this County two Boroughs that fend Members to Parliament, which are no Market-Towns; Alborough in

the

the North Riding, and Boroughbrigg in the Weft Riding. Near this laft are to be feen Four prodigious Pyramidal Stones, a remarkable Monument of Antiquity.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the COUNTIES of WALES.

Subjoin Wales to England, as being incorporated with it in the Reign of King Henry VII. and living under the fame Laws; tho' the Countries differ very much, and the Welsh have a very different Language from the English.

This Country is for the moft part mountainous, yet it yields wherewith to fubfift its Inhabitants; and fome Parts of it are as fruitful as any part of England.

It is call'd in Latin Cambria, or Cambro-Britannia, and Britannia Secunda, by the antient Romans; who divided Britain into three Parts, viz. Britannia Prima, containing the South of England; Britannia Secunda, containing Wales; and Maxima Cafarienfis, the North Parts of England. Then Wales was inhabited by the Silures, Dimete, and Ordivices.

Hither most of the Britons fled from the invading and victo- rious Saxons; and their Pofterity, the Welch, have ever fince inhabited that Country.

Some Authors are of Opinion, that the Name of Wales came from Idwalle, Son of Cadwallader, the laft King of the Bri

tons.

Its Situation is Weftward, towards Ireland, the Eastern Parts of it bordering upon Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Monmouthshire in England; and the Weltern, water'd by the Irish

Sea.

Its Extent is about a fifth Part of England, and does hardly exceed the Compafs of the four Eaftern and Maritime Counties of England, viz. Norfolk, Suffolk, Effex and Kent. In which Compafs it contains 751 Parifhes, 58 Market Towns, and above 300000 People; who pay to the Land Tax 43752 which thews they are almost equal to half the Number in Scotland, and that they paid near as much Taxes as the whole; tho' more under-rated in Taxes, and easier in Excife, than Scotland, before the Union: All which may ferve as an Argument against those who imagine, that Wales is not better'd by its Union with Eng

land.

Its Air is clear and fharp; the Cattle fmall, but all Provisions good and cheap. Here is, particularly, abundance of Goats, which naturally delight in hilly Places: And for Fewel, great plenty of Wood, Coals, and Turfs.

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