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ART. V. An Hiftorical Account of thofe Parishes in the County of Middiefex, which are not defcribed in the Environs of London. By the Rev. Daniel Lyfons, M. A. F. R. S. and F. S. A. 410. 1. 11s. 6d. Cadell and Davies. 1800.

THE four volumes of Mr. Lyfons, containing an Account of the Environs of London, were feverally noticed in our first volume, p. 173; our 6th vol. p. 465; and in our 10th vol. p. 50. The author was induced to the publication of this additional volume from the confideration, that as the defcription of fo large a part of the County of Middlesex was comprifed in his former work, and as no history of that county is extant in any perfect form, an account of the remaining parishes muft of course be acceptable. It was an additional incitement to his undertaking, that there existed no perfect account of the antiquities of the Honour and Palace of Hampton Court, which form one of the most prominent features, to ufe the writer's own words, of this additional volume.. We did indeed object to the former portion of this elaborate performance, that it must be tedious to many readers to toil through many a long page of names, and catalogues of graveftones, which, though ufeful for the purpofe" of tracing defcents and making genealogies", can certainly be deemed of no great importance to the caule of literature, and can at best communicate but a partial and folitary gratification. We adhere nevertheless to thofe praifes which we before have communicated with no fcanty hand, and confirm our affertion, that the diligence, the perfeverance, and the arrangement, which this work exhibits, prove Mr. Lyfons to be peculiarly qualified for the province which he has at once illuftrated and adorned.

A defcription will be found, in this volume, of twenty-two parishes; and it is alfo elegantly ornamented by feventeen plates.

The plan obferved is the fame as in the former work, to which this is a neceffary appendix. Each parifh by itfelf is defcribed; the boundaries defined; and hiftorical, biographical, and local anecdotes interfperfed.

As the account of Hampton Court forms the most material part of the publication; and as this place, according to Mr. Lyfons, has been hitherto very imperfectly defcribed, we fhall here felect our fpecimen of the method which he has thought proper to obferve. This is more peculiarly entitled to attention, because a great part of it is taken from a manuscript, of which but little has been printed.

"After Cardinal Wolfey became poffeffed of the lease of the manor of Hampton," he beftowed (fays Stow) great coft of building upon

it, converting the mansion-house into fo ftately a palace, that it is faid to have excited much envy; to avoid which, in the year 1526, he gave it to the King, who, in recompence thereof, licenced him to lie in his manor of Richmond at his pleafure; and fo he lay there at certain times." It appears that Cardinal Wolfey after this occafionally inhabited Hampton Court (as keeper perhaps of the King's palace); for in 1527, when fome French Ambaffadors were in England, the King willing that they fhould be treated with the greatest respect, fent them to be entertained by Cardinal Wolfey at Hampton Court. The following account of the entertainment will give the reader an idea of the magnificence of that prelate's establishment: "Then was there made great preparation of all things for this great affembly at Hampton Court; the Cardinall called before him his principal officers, as fteward, treafurer, controller, and clerk of his kitchen, to whom he declared his mind touching the entertainment of the Frenchmen at Hampton Court, commanding them neither to fpare for any coft, expence, or travayle, to make fuch a triumphant banquet as they might not only wonder at it here, but alfo make a glorious report of it in their country, to the great honour of the King and his realm; to accomplish his commandment they fent out caters, purveiors, and divers other perfons, my Lord's friends, to make preparation; alfo they fent for all the expert cookes and connyng perfons in the art of cookerie which were within London or elsewhere, that might be gotten to beautify this noble feaft; the purveiors provided, and my Lord's friends fent in fuch provifions as one would wonder to have feen. The cookes wrought both day and night with futtleties and many crafty devices, where lacked neither gold, filver, nor other coitly thing meet for their purpose: the yeomen and groomes of the wardrobe were bufied in hanging of the chambers, and furnishing the fame with beds of filk and other furniture in every degree: then my Lord Cardinall fent me (Mr. Cavendish) being his gentleman ufher, with two other of my fellows thither, to forefee all thing touching our rooms to be nobly garnyfhed: accordingly our pains were not fmall nor light, but daily travelling up and down from chamber to chambers-then wrought the carpenters, joiners, masons, and all other artificers neceflary to be had to glorify this noble feaft. There was carriage and recarriage of plate, ftuff, and other rich implements, fo that there was nothing lacking that could be imagined or devifed for the purpofe. There was allo provided two hundred and eighty beds furnished with all manner of furniture to them belonging, too long particularly to be rehearfed, but all wife men do fufficiently know what belongeth to the furniture thereof, and that is fufficient at this time to be faid."

"The day was come to the Frenchmen affigned, and they ready affembled before the hour of their appointment, wherefore the officers caused them to ride to Hanworth, a place and parke of the Kinges, within three miles, there to hunt and fpend the day untill night, at which time they returned againe to Hampton Court, and every of them was conveyed to their feverall chambers, having in them great fires, and wine to their comfort and relief, remaining there untill their fupper was ready. The chambers where they fupped and banquetted were ordered in this fort: firft the great wayting chamber was hanged

with

with rich arras, as all other were, and furnished with tall' yeomen ta ferve. There were fet tables round about the chamber, banquetwise covered; a cupboord was there garnished with white plate, having alfo in the fame chamber to give the more light, four great plates of filver fet with great lights, and a great fire of wood and coales. The next chamber, being the chamber of prefence, was hanged with very rich arras, and a fumptuous cloth of eftate furnished with many goodly gentlemen to ferve the tables, ordered in manner as the other chamber was, faving that the high table was removed beneath the cloth of eftate toward the middeft of the chamber covered. Then there was a cupboord, being as long as the chamber was in breadth, with fix defkes of height, garnyshed with guilt plate, and the nethermoft desk was garnyhed all with gold plate, having with lights one paire of candleflickes of filver and guilt, being curioufly wrought, which coft three hundred markes, and itanding upon the fame, two lights of waxe burning as bigge as torches to fet it forth. This cupboord was barred round about, that no man could come nigh it, for there was none of all this plate touched in this banquet, for there was fufficient befides. The plates that did hang on the walls to give light were of filver and guilt, having in them great pearchers of waxe burning, a great fire burning in the chimney, and all other things neceffary for the furniture of fo noble a feat. Now was all things in a readiness, and fupper tyme at hand, the principal officers caufed the trumpetters to blow to warne to fupper: the officers difcreetly went and conducted these noblemen from their chambers into the chambers where they fhould fuppe, and caufed them there to fit downe, and that done their service came up in fuch abundance both coftly and full of futtleties, and with fuch a pleasant noyfe of inftruments of muficke, that the Frenchmen (as it seemed) were rapt into a heavenly paradife. You muft understand that my Lord Cardinall was not yet comen thither, but they were merry and pleafant with their fare and devifed futtleties. Before the fecond courfe my Lord came in, booted and fpurred, all fodainely amongst them, and bade them proface; at whofe coming there was great joy, with rifing every man from his place, whom my Lord caufed to fit ftill and keep their roomes, and being in his apparell as he rode, called for a chayre and fat down in the middeft of the high paradife, laughing and being as merry as ever I faw hym in all my lyff. Anone came up the fecond courfe, with fo many difhes, futtleties and devifes, above a hundred in number, which were of fo goodly proportion and fo coftly, that I thinke the Frenchmen never faw the like, the wonder was no lefs than it was worthy indeed. There were caftles with images, in the fame Paul's church, for the quantity as well counterfeited as the painter fhould have painted it on a cloth or wall. There were beafts, birds, foules, and perfonages, moft lykely made and counterfeited, fome fighting with fwords, fome with guns and cross-bows, fome vaughting and leaping, fome dauncing with ladies, fome on horfes in complete harnefle, jufting with long and fharpe fpeares, with

An obfolete French term of falutation, abridged from Boz prou vous face, i. e. much good may it do you. See Cotgrave under the word Prou. The Italians had Profaccia from Buon pro vi faccia.

many

many more devifes. Among all, one I noted was a cheffe-boord, made of fpiced plate, with men there of the fame, and for the good proportion, and because the Frenchmen be very cunning and expert in that play, my Lord Cardinall gave the fame to a gentleman of France, commanding there fhould be made a goodly cafe for the prefervation thereof in all haft, that he might convey the fame fafe into his countrey. Then tooke my Lord a bole of golde filled with Ipocraffe, and putting off his cap, faid, I drinke to the King, my Soveraigne Lord, and next unto the King your mafter, and therewith did dryncke a good draught; and when he had done, he defired the graund maiftre to pledge him, cup and all, the which was well worth 500 markes, and fo caufed all the boords to pledge thefe two Royal Princes: then went the cups fo merrily about, that many of the Frenchmen were faine to be led to their beds. Then rofe up my Lord, and went into his privy chamber to pull off his bootes, and to fhift him, and then went he to fupper, and making a very thort fupper, or rather a repair, returned into the chamber of prefence to the Frenchmen, ufing them fo lovingly and familiarly, that they could not commend him too much; and whileft they were in communication, and other pastimes, all their liveries were ferved to their chambers; every chamber had a bafon and an ewer of filver, a great liverey pot of filver, and fome guilt; yea, and fome chambers had two liverey pots, with wine and beere, a boule, a goblet, and a pot of fylver to drink in, both for their wine and beere; a filver candlefticke both white and plaine, having in it two fizes, and a staffe torche of waxe, a fine manchet, and a cheat loaf. Thus was every chamber furnished through the house; and yet the cupboords in the two banqueting chambers were not touched. Thus when it was more than time convenient, they were conveyed to their lodgings, where they refted that night. In the morning, after they had heard mafs, they dined with the Cardinall, and fo departed to Windfor."

"Henry the Eighth added confiderably to Cardinal Wolfey's buildings, as appears by the preamble to the act for creating the Honour of Hampton Court, which states, that " it had pleased the King of late to erect, build, and make a goodly, fumptuous, beautiful, and princely manour, decent and convenient for a King, and to ornate the fame with parks, gardens, and orchards, and other things of great commoditie and pleasure thereto adjoyning, meet and pertinent to his Royal Majefty." In the latter part of his reign it became one of his principal refidences.

"Edward VI. was born at Hampton Court, on the 12th of October, 1537, and his mother, Queen Jane Seymour, died there on the 14th of the fame month. Her corpfe was conveyed to Windfor by water, where fhe was buried the 12th of November. On the 8th of Auguft, 1540, Catherine Howard was openly fhewed as Queen at Hampton Court. Catherine Parr was married to the King at this lace, and proclaimed Queen on the 12th of July, 1543: her brother, William Lord Parr, was created Earl of Effex, and her uncle, Sir William Parr, Lord Parr, at Hampton Court on the 24th of December following the King was then about to keep his Christmas at this place; where, during the holidays, he received Francis Gonzaga, the

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Viceroy of Sicily. Edward the Sixth being at Hampton Court in 1551, created the Marquis of Dorfet, Duke of Suffolk; and the Eart of Warwick, Duke of Northumberland. Philip and Mary kept their Christmas at Hampton Court with great folemnity in 1558." The great hall of the palace was illuminated with 1000 lamps curiously difpofed; the Princess Elizabeth fupped at the fame table with the King and Queen, next the cloth of ftate, and after fupper was ferved with a perfumed napkin and plate of confects by the Lord Paget; but the retired to her ladies before the revels, mafkings, and difguifings began. On St. Stephen's day fhe heard matins in the Queen's clofet, when he was attired in a robe of white fatin, ftrung all over with large pearls. On the 29th of December, fhe fat with their Majesties and the nobility at a grand fpectacle of jufting, when 200 fpears were broken. Half of the combatants were accoutred in the Almaine, and half in the Spanish fashion." Queen Elizabeth, after fhe came to the throne, frequently refided at Hampton Court. She kept her Chriftmas there in 1572, and again in 1593.

"On the 14th of January, 1603-4, began the celebrated confer ence between the Prefbyterians and the members of the Established Church, held before King James as moderator, in a withdrawing-room within the privy chamber at Hampton Court, on the fubject of conformity. The divines who appeared on the part of the Prefbyterians, were Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Sparks; Mr. Knewftubs and Mr. Cha derton: on the part of the Etablished Church, Archbishop Whitgift, Bithops Bancroft, Matthew, Bilfon, Babington, Rudd, Watson, Robinfon, and Dove; Drs. Andrews, Overall, Barlow, Bridges, Field, King, &c. All the Lords of the Council were prefent, and spoke occafionally on the fubject of the conference, which lafted three days. In confequence of this conference a new tranflation of the Bible was ordered, and fome alterations made in the Liturgy.

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King Charles I. retired to Hampton Court, on account of the plague in 1625, when a proclamation was published, prohibiting all cominunication between London, Southwark, or Lambeth, and this place. On the 11th of July that year, Paul Rozencrantz, Ambassador from Denmark, had his audience at Hampton Court. The Marquis of Bleinville, Ambaffador from France, about the fame time, being very defirous of refiding during his attendance on the Court in this palace, his petition, fupported by the earneft requeft of the Queen, was at length, with much reluctance, granted; for it was contrary to usage for an Ambaffador to be lodged in any of the Royal Palaces. The lodgings affigned him "were all thofe next the river, in the garden, which were fometimes the Lady Elizabeth's." On the 21ft of September, an Ambaffador from Denmark had his audience in the prefence at Hampton Court, although the chapel had been originally affigned for it. About the fame time, an Ambaffador from Bethlem Gabor, Prince of Tranfilvania, had his audience." He as received by Lord Compton at the fecond gate, and there turning up the great flairs through the great hall and guard-chamber, the King was already under the State in the Privy Chamber expecting him." On the 11th of October the fame year, Monf. de Balompierre, Ambaffador from France, was carried through the great hall to his audience in the pre

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