Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11 / Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.

by Thomas Dugdale

[A] BARFORD, (Great). At this place is a piece of land, called White Bread Close, left, as is generally believed, by one of the Shepherd family, formerly residents of considerable opulence in the parish, for the purpose of purchasing loaves of white bread, to be thrown among the populace from Curious custom. the church porch. This whimsical custom at last became such a scene of scrambling, fighting, and disorder, that it was prohibited by the curate, and the money applied towards the purchase of coals for the poor, at Christmas. The boys, and even men, seemed to have participated in this sport, the same as at a game at foot-ball, or other play; and an old gentleman in the adjoining village fully remembers taking an active part in the scramble, and bearing off the wheaten loaf in triumph.

[B] BARFORD, (Little), is situated in the hundred of Biggleswade, and is chiefly celebrated as the birth-place of Rowe, the dramatic poet, who was born here in the year 1673. His father having designed him for the study Rowe, the Dramatist. of the law, took him from school at the age of sixteen, and entered him a student in the Middle Temple. He made considerable progress, and was called to the bar, but Homer and Virgil had more charms for him than either Coke or Littleton. He was strongly solicited by his friends to practice, but nothing could overcome his affection for the muses; and his play, the "Ambitious Step-mother," having been received with great applause, he resolved to make poetry his profession. He had imbibed in his youth the most noble sentiments of liberty, of which he gave a specimen in his Tragedy of "Tamerlane." This was the second play that he wrote, and until of late years it was usual to perform it on the 4th and 5th of November, in commemoration of the gunpowder treason, and the landing of King William. Mr. Rowe being out of all employment, went one day to wait on the Earl of Oxford, Lord High Treasurer of England, when, among other things his Lordship asked him, whether he understood Spanish. He replied in the negative, and his Lordship said he would advise him to learn it as soon as possible. Rowe took his leave, applied himself to the study of that language, and expecting some lucrative employment, again waited upon him. How great was his disappointment, when his Lordship, on being informed of his acquisition, merely exclaimed, Anecdote. "How happy are you, Mr. Rowe, that you can now enjoy the pleasure of reading "Don Quixote" in the original!" His death took place on the 6th of December, 1718, in the 45th year of his age, and he was buried with great funeral pomp, in Westminster Abbey, where a handsome monument is erected to his memory.

Map	Names of Places		County	Number of Miles From						Dist. Lond.	Popul ation.
21	Barfreston	pa	Kent	Wingham	6	Dover	8	Canterbury	10	65	114
19	Barham	pa	Huntingdon	Kimbolton	6	Alconbury	4	Huntingdon	10	68	73
21	Barham	pa	Kent	Canterbury	7	Dover	9	Sandwich	11	62	1053
36	Barham	pa	Suffolk	Ipswich	5	Needham	5	Debenham	9	74	825
24	Barholm	pa	Lincoln	M. Deeping	4	Stamford	6	Bourn	8	94	155
23	Barkby	pa	Leicester	Leicester	5	Melton	11	Houghton	5	100	806
23	Barkby-Thorpe	to	Leicester	...	4	...	12	...	5	100	72
4	Barkham	pa	Berks	Wokingham	4	Reading	7	Bagshot	11	35	247
14	Barking[A]	m.t. & pa	Essex	Romford	5	Woolwich	4	Ilford	2	7	8036
36	Barking	pa	Suffolk	Needham Mt	1	Stow Market	4	Ipswich	10	70	1884

[A] BARKING, in the hundred of Beacontree. The name is derived, according Origin of its name. to some writers, from the Saxon words Beorce—a birch tree, and Ing—a meadow; but the most natural presumption is, that it takes its name from Berging, signifying a fortification in a meadow, and which seems to be borne out, as there is an encampment still to be traced, of the most extensive dimensions, being more than forty-eight acres in the area; near to which is a spring of fine water, which no doubt supplied the inmates. In 870, Barking was burnt by the Danes, and the abbey destroyed, and Burnt by the Danes. the nuns either murdered or dispersed. Soon after the conquest, King William retired to this place, while the Tower of London was being erected, not deeming it safe to continue in that city; and here he was visited during the preparation for his coronation, by Earl Edwin, of Mercia; Morcar, Earl of Northumberland; and many others of the nobility, who swore fealty to him, on the restoration of their estates. It is situated on the river Roding, which branches off in two different streams, and unites with the Thames about two miles distant. Barking Creek is navigable for ships of 80 tons burden, and the coal and timber, together with the fishing trade, is carried on to a considerable extent. About a hundred fishing smacks sail from this town. Near the creek is a large flour mill, formerly belonging to the abbey; and in the vicinity of the town are extensive potatoe grounds for the supply of the London market. Barking is rather a dull town, from the want of a main thoroughfare; it has the appearance of antiquity stamped upon it, particularly the market-house, which is an extensive and ancient building of timber and plaster, of the age of Elizabeth. Here is a town-hall and work-house. A free quay for landing goods, subject to a table of regulations, and a spacious new road from the Commercial-road, through Eastham and Wallend to Barking. The church is dedicated to St. Margaret, and is a spacious ancient structure, with a lofty embattled tower at the west end, having a beacon turret at one corner. A free-school, which now occupies part of the work-house, was founded by Sir James Campbell, in 1641, who bequeathed a sum of £666. 13s. 4d. for that purpose. John Fowke, Esq., bequeathed certain lands for the maintenance of eight boys in Christ's Hospital, two of whom are chosen from this parish. The importance formerly Once a town of importance. attached to the town of Barking was almost entirely to be attributed to the magnificent abbey that was established here in the year 670, by Erkenwald, Bishop of London, for nuns of the Benedictine order: it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This abbey was governed by a succession of Abbesses, of noble, and even royal descent After the destruction of the establishment by the Danes, in the year 870, it was again rebuilt in a style of greater splendour than before, and on the death of King Edgar, in 970, his queen became Abbess. From the earliest period to the time of its dissolution, it may be said to have been a seminary for the principal gentry of England. Its revenues amounted, at the suppression of the religious houses, to £1084. 6s. 2-3/4d. Destruction has done its worst to this beautiful abbey, for at present little or nothing remains but the gateway, an interesting object, and in good preservation; over which is a room, called the Chapel of the Holy Ghost. This gateway was denominated the fire-bell gate, from its having anciently contained the curfew; it is a square embattled structure, with an octagonal turret at one of the angles. The arch of the entrance is finely pointed, and enriched with deeply receding mouldings; above is a canopied niche, under a fine gothic window of three lights. Among the ruins of the abbey were discovered a fibula, and a gold ring, on which were engraved, the Salutation of the Virgin Mary, and the initials I.M. The tyranny exercised over the tenants of this manor by the fraternity, would almost create a feeling of surprise in our present liberal and enlightened age, were they not perfectly well known in a thousand other instances. The manor of Clayhall was held under the Abbess and convent of Barking, by the following services: viz. that every tenant should come in person to the Abbey Church, on the vigil of St. Ethelburg the Virgin, and there attend and guard the high altar, from the first hours of Vespers till nine the next morning; and that he should be ready at all times, with a horse and a man, to attend the Abbess and her steward, when going upon the business of the convent, Singular services by which the manor of Clayhall was held. any where within the four seas. And, lastly, that the Abbess should have by way of herriot, upon the death of every tenant, his best horse and accoutrements: these services, however, did not exempt them from the quit rents. Besides the above tenure, there were other vexatious contingencies; viz. one (Robert Gerard) was among other services, to gather a full measure of nuts, called a pybot, four of which should make a bushel; to go a long journey on foot once a year to Colchester, Chelmsford, Ely, or the like distances, on the business of the convent, carrying a pack; and other shorter distances, such as Brentford, &c., and maintaining himself upon the road. He was to pay a fine upon the marriage of his daughter, if she married beyond the limits of the manor. If his daughter had an illegitimate child, he was to make the best terms he could with the Abbess, for the fine called Kyldwyte. It appears also, that he could not even sell his ox fed by himself, without the Abbess's permission. Some of the tenants, according to Blount, were obliged to watch and guard thieves in the Abbess's prison. A few miles distant, in a glade in Hainhault Forest, formerly stood an oak, famed through many centuries, and known by the Fairlop oak. name of Fairlop Oak. Its age is traced by the traditions of the country half way through the Christian era. Part of this noble tree has been converted into the pulpit of St. Pancras new church. Its rough fluted stem was 36 feet in circumference, and about a yard from the ground, divided into eleven immense arms; yet not in the horizontal manner of an oak, but rather that of a beech. Beneath its shade, which formerly overspread an area of three hundred feet in circuit, an annual fair was held on the 2nd of July, and no booth was suffered to be raised beyond the extent of its boughs. The fair is still continued on the same spot the first Friday in July.

Market disused.—Fair, October 22, for toys. It lies within the three-penny post delivery.

Map	Names of Places		County	Number of Miles From						Dist. Lond.	Popul ation.
45	Barkisland	to	W.R. York	Halifax	4	Huddersfield	8	Rochdale	13	196	2292
23	Barkston	pa	Leicester	Melton	12	Belvoir Cas.	4	Bingham	7	115	297
24	Barkstone	pa	Lincoln	Grantham	4	Sleaford	9	Folkingham	11	114	430
46	Barkstone Ash	to	W.R. York	Tadcaster	6	Abberford	5	York	15	185	265
18	Barkway	to & pa	Herts	Hertford	15	Puckeridge	8	Cambridge	17	35	1108
24	Barkwith, East	pa	Lincoln	Wragby	3	M. Raisin	8	Louth	12	147	187
24	Barkwith, West	pa	Lincoln	...	3	...	8	...	11	146	113
35	Barlaston	pa	Stafford	Stone	4	Newcastle	6	Cheadle	8	145	514
38	Barlavington	pa	Sussex	Petworth	5	Chichester	12	Arundel	8	54	111
10	Barlborough	pa	Derby	Chesterfield	8	Worksop	7	Sheffield	17	150	713
46	Barlby	chap	E.R. York	Selby	2	York	13	Howden	12	183	348
23	Barleston	chap	Leicester	Bosworth	3	Leicester	12	Ashby	9	109	582
18	Barley	pa	Herts	Barkway	3	Cambridge	14	Ware	16	37	704
22	Barley	to	Lancaster	Colne	5	Clitheroe	5	Burnley	5	217	707
32	Barleythorpe	chap	Rutland	Oakham	2	Melton	9	Stamford	13	96	....
14	Barling	pa	Essex	Prittlewell	5	Rochford	5	Southend	6	45	317
24	Barlings	pa	Lincoln	Lincoln	7	Wragby	4	Bardney	8	140	280
46	Barlow	to	W.R. York	Selby	3	Snaith	6	Howden	8	179	225
10	Barlow, Great	chap	Derby	Chesterfield	4	Dronfield	3	Sheffield	10	154	581
10	Barlow, Little	to	Derby	...	5	...	3	...	10	155	58
46	Barmby on the M.	chap	E.R. York	Howden	5	Selby	6	Snaith	6	180	525
46	Barnby on Don	to & pa	W.R. York	Doncaster	6	Thorne	7	...	9	168	617
46	Barmby on Moor,	to & p	E.R. York	Pocklington	2	York	11	M. Weighton	8	210	440
53	Barmele	to	Flint	Chester	7	Holywell	12	Flint	8	196	115
27	Barmer	pa	Norfolk	Burnham	6	Fakenham	7	Lynn	18	115	43
21	Barming[A]	pa	Kent	Maidstone	3	Tonbridge	11	Chatham	13	33	565
55	Barmouth[B]	to	Merioneth	Dolgelly	10	Harleigh	11	Towyn	11	222	1980
13	Barmpton	to	Durham	Darlington	3	Stockton	9	Durham	18	244	90
13	Barmston	to	Durham	Sunderland	5	Durham	10	Newcastle	7	269	73
43	Barmston	pa	E.R. York	Bridlington	7	Driffield	10	Hornsea	8	200	223
39	Barnacle	ham	Warwick	Nuneaton	5	Coventry	7	Rugby	12	95	219
30	Barnack	pa	Northamp	Wansford	4	Stamford	4	Peterboro'	11	88	812
22	Barnaker	to	Lancaster	Garstang	3	Lancaster	12	Preston	15	232	519
13	Barnard Castle[C]	t & p	Durham	Middleton	10	Darlington	17	Staindrop	6	246	4430

[A] BARMING. Of this village the learned antiquarian, Mark Noble, was rector. His principal works were a history of the College of Arms, a Mark Noble. Genealogical History of the Royal Families of Europe, Memoirs of the Protectorate House of Cromwell; and, also, of the illustrious house of Medici. On St. Thomas's Day there is an annual solicitation for charity, and with the money raised loaves of bread are purchased, and distributed to the resident poor. Great quantities of hops, cherries, and filberts, are grown in this parish.

[B] BARMOUTH, near the conflux of the river Maw, or Mawddach, is a village singularly situated; the houses are disposed, either among the sand, in a low situation, or at different heights on the side of a huge A very curiously built town. rock, like a part of the city of Edinburgh, and are said to resemble the town of Gibraltar. These houses form eight tiers, to which there is no approach, but by steps cut in the rock. The floors of one row are about level with the tops of the chimnies immediately in front; so that a person standing at his door may look down the chimnies of the neighbourhood below. The first range regales the second with its smoke, the second the third, &c. till we arrive at the uppermost, which, in a westerly wind, takes the mixed perfume of all. Barmouth is the port of Merionethshire, not far from which the river Mawddach has its commencement. "Proceeding along the banks of this river towards Dolgelly," says Mr. Bingley, "when it was high water, the whole bed of the river being filled, made the different landscapes in the scene appear truly picturesque. The first two miles which lay along, what the inhabitants of Barmouth call, the Beach, formed the most interesting part of the journey. In the composition of the views, scarcely any thing appeared wanting; there was every requisite of mountain and vale, wood, water, meadows, and rocks, arranged in beautiful order. Beyond the beach, the road winds at a little distance from the river, among the low mountains; and from different stations, I had views of the most elegant and picturesque landscapes, the river partly hidden by intervening mountains. This stream is much diminished in width and depth: at present it will not admit so much as a pleasure-boat to reach Dolgelly, which obliges company to walk three-quarters of a mile to the town."

[C] BARNARD CASTLE. The castle from which the town appears to have derived its name, was founded by Barnard, son of Guy Baliol, who Guy Baliol. accompanied William the Conqueror to England, and to whom William Rufus granted the noble forests of Teesdale and Marwood. Edward the First, determined to mortify the Bishop of Durham and to abridge his power; he, therefore, gave this castle to Guy Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in whose family it continued for five generations. It afterwards came to the crown, and the tyrant Richard III. who took very great delight in this place, contributed much to its beauty by the most tasteful embellishments; his armorial bearings still appear, not only on the castle but over many parts of the town, and it has been a crown domain ever since. Hutchinson in his history of the county of Durham, describes the remains of the castle as covering about six acres and three quarters of ground. The parts which were of chief strength, stand on the very brink of a steep rock, about eighty feet above the level of the river Tees, commanding a most beautiful prospect up the river. The area on the side of the market-place, appears not to have had any communication with the chief strongholds and bulwarks of the fortress, and is separated from the interior buildings by a deep fosse which surrounds the rest of the castle. In an adjoining ground called the Flatts, is a large reservoir cut in swampy ground; water was collected and conveyed to the castle in pipes, to supply the garrison and cattle enclosed within the walls of the outer areas in times of public danger. This area is now a pasture for sheep, and other parts enclosed by the walls have been converted into orchards.

Market, Wednesday.—Fairs, Wednesday in Easter and Whitsun Week, St. James's Day, and July 25, for horses, cattle, and sheep.—Bankers, W. Skinner and Co. draw on Barclay and Co.—Inns, King's Head, and Rose and Crown.—Mail arrives 6.40 morning; departs 2.40 afternoon.