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intended as a country-seat for the bishop, and, being locally situated within the diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, was, by the act of 33 Henry VIII., ordained to be within that of Chester; the manor of Abbots-Cotton in Cheshire; various other lands and impropriate. rectories, which had belonged to the dissolved monastery of St. Wer burgh, and the revenues of the archdeaconries of Chester and Richmond.'

With respect to the nobility and gentry of the county, we are told that not many counties of similar extent can be mentioned, in which the number of wealthy landholders is so considerable, not fewer than fifty noblemen and gentlemen being resident in it, who possess property from 3 to 10,000l. a year; and at least as many others who have from 1 to 3,000l. a year. We have also a list of forty families still resident, whose descent has continued in an uninterrupted male line for more than three centuries, and some of them a much greater length of time; and a list of nine more such families as represent, and have taken the name of, other antient families. Of each of these families the volume contains extended accounts, which will render it particularly valuable and interesting to the inhabitants of the county. The list of seats of gentlemen, which are confined chiefly to halls, parks, and manerial residences, comprehends 77, to which are annexed the names of the occupiers; and 19 antient halls are enumerated, which were formerly occupied by the gentry, but now are either taken down or converted into farm-houses.

The

The authors inform us that the staple commodities of this county are cheese and salt.' The number of cows kept for the dairy is computed to be about 32,000, and the quantity of cheese annually made from them is about 11,500 tons. annual average of white salt sent down the Weever from Winsford and Northwich, for the last ten years, is said to be 139,317 tons. Among the products of Cheshire is also mentioned that of Potatoes; it being calculated that in Frodsham alone, 100,000 bushels have been raised annually for several years past. Great quantities of early potatoes are also reported to be grown in the hundred of Wirral by a peculiar process, and brought to market early in May, when they have been sold sometimes at 3s. a pound, frequently at 2s. 6d. The process is stated to consist in transplanting the sets, (which should be of the earliest kind) during winter; carefully guarded from the frost, in a warm place, where they may sprout at least three inches by the beginning of March. As soon after that time as the weather happens to be favourable, they are, with the sprout on, to be carefully planted in a dry soil, in drills, with a small rib of earth between each drill, and the end of the

sprout

Sprout just under the surface of the ground. The plants should be kept covered with straw, or rushes, every night as long as the frost continues, and uncovered every favourable day."

In the account of Roman Stations, among a variety of interesting particulars relating to the city of Chester, it is ob served:

Chester is one of the towns, which, like London, York, Bath, and a few others, is universally allowed to be Roman; it was called by this people Deva, from the river which runs by its walls and as early as the time of Agricola, or at least not long after, they fixed here the head-quarters of the twentieth legion, which, according to the military practice of the Romans, remained at Chester for upwards of two hundred years. It is not meant that the main body of the legion did not march into the field, whenever its services were required; but here they returned in winter, leaving detachments of their auxiliaries, to secure the proper posts in the conquered country; here their wives and children remained in security during the campaign; and here a numerous and warlike race of young men were continually growing up to fill their ranks, who, though natives of Britain, had no religion, interest, or manners but their's, and in fact no country but the camp of the legion itself. The different fortresses in Cheshire were garrisoned by the legionaries; the more distant de pendencies, as I have said, by its auxiliary cohorts: the whole amounting to near 13,000 men, a force fully sufficient to keep all this part of the country in complete subjection: but the natives of Wales may reflect with some degree of pride, that the spirit of their gallant ancestors appeared so formidable to their conquerors, as to make them quarter one of the three legions which formed the British establishment, on their southern, and another on their northern borders, while the third was thought sufficient to repel all the efforts of the other Britons.'

In the section on Antient Church-Architecture, the various modes of building in the several churches are described, classed according to the centuries, in which they were erected, and illustrated by plates, as mentioned in the account of Cambridge; the Antient Sepulchral Monuments are also described, and explained in the same interesting manner.-The subject of Parochial Topography is given much more at large (as before observed) than in the account of Cambridgeshire; and we think that this extension of the plan will add considerably to the value of the work. The several parishes are not only arranged alphabetically, but the townships of which they consist are enume rated, and each is alphabetically described. The sources whence the information was procured for these accounts are thus stated:

The principal MS. sources from which we have derived the information contained in the following brief parochial histories, are the collections of the Randal Holmes and others, in the British Museum;

the

the records at the Tower; abstracts of the records in the exchequer at Chester; the collections of John Woodnoth, Esq. of Shavington; Smith's, and various other heraldic collections; Dr. Williamson's Villare Cestriense; Bishop Gastrell's Notitia Cestriensis; and the answers of the Cheshire clergy to the inquiries of Bishop Cleaver and Bishop Porteus, relative to various parochial matters in 1778 and 1789. We had an opportunity of purchasing several of the above MSS., which had formerly been the property of Mr. Francis Bassano, deputy-herald for Chester, who was sheriff of that city in 1734, and afterwards of Mr. John Orme, organist, who was sheriff in 1773. The abstract of records in the exchequer at Chester is now in the record-office at the Tower; Dr. Williamson's Villare Cestriense, and Woodnoth's collections, we have deposited in the British Museum; Smith's collections, and a book of pedigrees, drawn up, as it appears, from deeds and pleadings, by Mr. John Booth of Twemlow, and Mr. John Woodnoth, in the heralds' college, as well for the convenience of public reference, as a slight mark of gratitude for the valuable materials which we have from time to time obtained from those ample sources of information. We have been favoured by Miss Harwood of Nantwich, with the loan of the transcript of Bishop Gastrell's Notitia, which was made by the Rev. Mr. Harwood her father, for Dr. Gower's use, and returned after his decease; from the same lady we have been favoured also with the loan of a MS. narra. tive of the siege of Chester, which had belonged to her father, and some other papers. For the history of Chester we have had the use of Archdeacon Rogers's MS., now the property of William Nicholls Esq.; we have had access to the corporation muniments and journals, and have taken notes from some copious annals of Chester among the Holmes's MSS., and from a journal of the siege by one of those antiquaries. With respect to the more modern history of the county and city, we have personally visited every parish and several of them a second time: for the descent of property within the last century, and for various other matters relating to the general history of the county, and to that of the several parishes, we are under great ob. ligations to William Nicholls, Esq. deputy registrar, who, with indefatigable industry and zeal has circulated queries for the purpose of our work, and collected a great store of information from every part of the county; and we have to express our obligations both to those of the gentry and clergy who, through his hands, have favoured us with such information, as well as to those who have honoured us with immediate communications."

From the several accounts, we select, for the information of such of our readers as are not acquainted with the city of Chester, the following particulars of the singular construction of its streets:

The city of Chester, still surrounded by its ancient walls, is divided into four principal streets, called Eastgate-street, Northgatestreet, Bridge-street, and Watergate-street. The carriage road in these streets is on a level with the under-ground warehouses: over taese are open galleries, called rows, for the accommodation of footpassengers,

passengers, which occupy the space between the front of the tradesmen's shops and the street; the upper rooms of the houses project over the rows, so as to be even with the warehouses beneath. The general appearance of these rows is as if the first stories in front of all the houses had been laid open, and made to communicate with each other, pillars only being left for the support of the superstructure the foot passengers appear from the street as if they were walking along within the houses, up one pair of stairs. At the intersections of the streets there are flights of steps leading to the opposite rows. Some of the rows are so wide that the proprietors of the houses place stalls between the footway and the street, which they let out advantageously to other tradesmen, particularly during the fairs. Mr. Pennant thinks that he discerns in these rows the form of the antient vestibules attached to the houses of the Romans who once possessed this city: many vestiges of their edifices have certainly been discovered at Chester, as we have already noticed, but there seems to be little resemblance between the Chester rows, and the vestibules of the Romans, whose houses were constructed only of one story. Some have attributed the origin of the rows to the period when Chester was liable to frequent attacks from the Welsh, which induced the inhabitants to build their houses in this form, that when the enemy should at any time have forced an entrance, they might avoid the danger of the horsemen, and annoy their assailants as they passed through the streets.'

At the close of the volume are some Additions and Corrections, for which the compilers acknowlege themselves principally indebted to the Rev. Hugh Cholmondeley, D.D. F.R.S., Dean of Chester, the Rev. Joseph Eaton, Precentor of that Cathedral, and Holland Watson, Esquire, of Congleton. Similar Additions and Corrections for the county of Cambridge, with an Index of Names, and a General Index, (which are given for this county,) are printed; and the purchasers of the work are desired to apply for them to the publishers.

We have hitherto reserved for separate mention an account of the numerous plates of this volume, which contribute much to the value and importance of the work. Their subjects are not picturesque scenery, as is frequently the case in similar publications, but illustrations of interesting particulars in the history. On this department, we must quote the statement of the authors at the commencement of the volume; premising that what is here said of the part belonging to Cambridgeshire is in some respects applicable to the rest :

The number of Plates in this part of the second Volume will be greater than in the two others, in consequence of the numerous remains of Gothic architecture, which are to be found in Cambridgeshire; such of these as serve to exhibit a series of the styles of different centuries, have been selected with the friendly assistance of Mr. Robert Smirke, by whom the greater part of the drawings has been

made,

made, with that skill and accuracy which are well known to those who have had opportunities of examining his Architectural Drawings; and it is but justice to Mr. Lee to say that his Etchings are executed with the utmost fidelity.

Many of the subjects are expressed by little more than an outline, in order to shew the several parts distinctly, which are often in a great measure lost in more laboured engravings. We think it necessary here to observe, that our plates are intended to convey correct ideas of the forms of curious objects, for the purpose of information; and not to produce a picturesque effect; besides, when executed in this manner, they not only answer our purpose better, but we are enabled at the same time to give a much greater number of them. We have made such a selection of the Brass Plates from ancient gravestones, as shews the greatest variety of the dresses of former ages; these have been engraved with the most scrupulous accuracy, and some of them under the most favourable circumstances; as we have been favoured by Craven Ord, Esq. with the use of impressions printed off from the originals.'

The plates in this part of the volume are 33 in number, several of which are double the size of its page. The first is a map of the county, delineated from a trigonometrical survey by the late Charles Mason, D.D., Fellow of Trinity College. The subject of Antient Church-Architecture is illustrated by 14 plates, most of which are representations of parts of Ely Cathedral. Antient Painted Glass is represented in colours in one plate, and Antient Fonts in another. To Antient Sepulchral Monuments are allotted nine plates. The subjects of the remainder are a Plan of the University and Town of Cambridge; an Antient Cup belonging to Pembroke Hall; Plan of King's College Chapel, and a Design for its Tower; Plan of Ely Cathedral; a View of St. Mary's, Whittlesea; and an Antient Chapel in Willingham Church.

The part containing the Account of Cheshire has 35 plates, the first of which is a Map of the County; four of them contain representations of Roman Altars, and other antiquities found at Chester: seven are illustrative of Antient ChurchArchitecture, according to its different styles and centuries; and four relate to Antient Sepulchral Monuments, in the same manner. Antient Mansions are represented by five plates of very curious specimens of Antient Domestic Architecture; and several other plates delineate interesting subjects, among which are Views and a Plan of Chester Cathedral, and also a Plan of the City.

Of these engravings, several, particularly the maps and plans, are very neatly executed; and those which are not highly finished are sufficient to give clear ideas of the objects. We think that considerable judgment has been displayed in select

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