At Moreton upon the Cardike, much Roman coin found.
[7] Cardike is British: Cæirs is palus
[8] Oslac, ambassador from Athelwolf, king of the West Saxons, anno 851, to Bertulf, king of Mercia, witness to a charter of Bertulf’s to Croyland abbey, Ingulf, p. 490. This was done at a parliament held at Kingsbury, a manor of the kings of Mercia, near Verolanum, and near where Offa had built the monastery to St Alban. I suppose Oslac, often mentioned in charters about 966, in Ingulf and others, to be Oslac, in the time of king Edgar, partner with earl Osul in the government of Northumberland, by king Edred constituted. His hand is at king Edred’s charter to Croyland, anno 948; to that of king Edgar, in 966; and to that of king Edgar to Peterborough, 970. Roger de Hoveden, p. 243. Oslac, butler to Athelwolf, was a Goth by origin, says Rog. de Hoveden, descended from Stuf and Withgar, two earls and brothers, who received the Isle of Wight from their uncle, king Cerdie, and Cinvic his son, their cousin.
[9] Ralf, or Radinus Scalre, son to Goda, sister to king Edward: he is buried at Peterborough. Leofric, lord of Brun, was cousin to him. Earl Rodulf was son to Goda. William Malmsbury, p. 45. b. Earl Rolf was one of king Edward’s admirals against earl Godwin.
[10] Morcar had these manors following, in the time of Domesday book: Colstewrde (Colsterworth) Basingheham, Shillington, Cherchebi (Kirkby) Chime (Kime) Bodebi, Wellingoure, Castre, Cotes, Barewe, Stroustone, Nort Stoches, Carletune, Bredesthorp, Wes-Bitham, Bortone, Brune, and Stapleford.
Bodebi belonged of right to Crowland.
[11] Morchar, or Macher, as William Malmsbury calls him, son of Elgar, or Algar, p. 46. b. was made earl of Northumberland; Tostin, son of Earl Godwin, losing it for his severity: and at the end of king Edward’s life, Tostin coming out of Flanders to invade the coasts of Northumberland in a piratical manner, was repelled by the forces of Morcar, and his brother Edwin. Tostin goes into Scotland, there meets Harold Harfag, the Norwegian, with three hundred ships upon an invasion: they agree to join forces, land in Northumberland, surprise the two brothers overjoyed at their late victory, and shut them up in York city till king Harold relieved them.
Tostin, son of earl Godwin, was earl of Northumberland, and turned out, by instigation of his brother, at the end of Edward the Confessor’s life, and Morchar made earl in his stead. Morcar, and his elder brother Edwin, lived there very lovingly together, and when Harold the king was slain by William the Conqueror, offered themselves to the people, who might chuse one of them for their king. Harold and they were cousins; and they were at London at the time of the battle of Hastings: but William the Conqueror’s fortune prevailed both in getting the battle, and in getting the kingdom. Afterwards they disturbed the Conqueror by little inroads and vexations, and were sometimes taken prisoners; yet he pardoned them, and married them to his relations. At length they were slain perfidiously by their own men, and the king was much grieved at their death.
[12] Hereward married Turfrida in Flanders.
[13] The Duke of Ancaster, 1726, showed me a large brass Hadrian, but defaced, dug up in his garden, near the tumulus at the end: he says more coins have been found about the stone pits in the park. That tumulus perhaps was the burial-place of Grime, who denominated the place Grimsthorp, or Grime’s farm, probably some great Saxon, or Dane. I observe there are a few more tumuli upon hills hereabouts, as one on the heath by Corby. I think the country hereabouts extremely fine and delightful: an excellent kind of stone is dug up in Grimsthorp park; and here and there a vein of good marble of a darkish colour: the blueish marble lies uppermost in a bed of about four foot; then a bed of twenty foot thick, of an excellent whitish stone, with reddish veins where they can cut blocks of any dimensions. Anno 1731, in digging in the court yard, they found an old brass seal, a coat of arms, two bars ermine; the epigraphe, as well as I could make it out, thus: