is added; the last of whom, ROGER PYLE, with the concur rence of 29 monks, furrendered the Abbey to the King, anno 1537, 28 Henry VIII. and received for his penfion the rectory of Dalton, value 331. 6s. 8d. per annum.--Penfions were alfo granted to the monks, tho' in what proportion does not appear; but fixteen years after the diffolution, there remained in charge, in annuities, 1511. paid out of the revenue of the [then] late diffolved monaftery of Furness.' Chap. V. The following reflections of the Author touching the diffolution of monafteries, may, probably, be agreeable to Some of our readers, who will therefore thank us for inferting them. In the reign of Henry VIII. there were extant the most honourable marks of our forefathers piety, monuments erected to the honour of God, to the propagation of virtue, the encouragement of learning, and help of the poor, fince the highest period of Christianity, religious houfes, monafteries, abbeys, priories, to the number of ******* forty of which were fuppreffed with leave of Pope Clement VII. in favour of Cardinal Wolfey. In 1536, all houfes of 2001. per annum, and under, were, with confent of parliament, given to the king, and fuppreffed, in number 376. The following year, the remaining number * * were alfo fuppreffed, with 96 colleges, 110 hofpitals, and 2374 chantries, and free chapels. Thus the ftately edifices and immenfe wealth, which had been the work of many ages to accumulate, were defaced, deftroyed, diffipated, and fquandered away, in a moment; the annual revenues of which amounted to 160,000 1. being more than one third of all the church revenues in the kingdom; befides the fums made of every article that had a name, even to the hedge-row trees, which were valued and fold. No wonder then that fuch facrilegious rapine astonished the whole Christian world; but the king's paflions admitted of no alterative. A parliament was fummoned, which by its unlimited power might legalife thefe acts of cruelty and oppreflion, by a tranfcendent decree: the act, however, was drawn up with fuch care and circumfpection, as to remove all fufpicion of hard ufage and forced furrenders; and the king was to be folicited by the parties to accept of their furrenders, as is feen in the furrender deed of the Abbey of Furnefs. [Vid. Appen. No. X. art. 6, 7.]-The whole was varnished over with a vaft prospect of advantage to the public: the nobility were taught to believe that they should have large fhares in the fpoils, either by free gifts, eafy purchases, or advantageous exchanges: the gentry were flattered with the hopes of a very confiderable rife in honour and estate; nor were they difappointed, for a confiderable part of the Abbey lands were granted out by leafe, or otherwife, before the meeting of parliament: and thus it was that the minifter fecured his fcheme by interefting many of the nobility and commons in the fupport of it.' -What the parliament did, however injurious to public and private right, was marked with legal authority, the confent of the subject being implicitly underftood, and reprefentatively expreffed; but every antecedent act was arbitrary, oppreffive, and cruel.' -A regular diffolution of fuch incorporate bodies could only be by a writ of quo warranto, to inquire if they had forfeited their incorporate power, as was the cafe with the Furness monks, in the reign of Edward I. or by what warrant they continued to exercife the fame, [after] having forfeited it. But nothing of this [fort] was done: fome were confifcated for neglect, or contempt, of arbitrary rules imposed upon them; others were forfeited for the rebellion of fome of their members; others on different pretexts; and many, with that of Furness, furrendered their franchises into the hands of the king.'-Hence, perhaps, may be formed too juft an idea of the fpirit with which thefe affairs were, at firft, conducted; tho', it must be owned, they have fince been productive of many, and much greater, events, than were thereby originally intended. Chap. VI. treats of the ftate of Furness after the diffolution of the Abbey; which event greatly affected the state of Low-Furnefs, which for the fpace of 400 years had been improving either by the labour of the monks, or by the encouragement given to their tenants; but to this the diffolution gave a fudden check. The large demands for provifions of all kinds, occafioned by conftant hospitality, and the frequent concourse of company reforting to the Abbey, dropped at once. Thus agriculture received a fatal blow; and the inhabitants turned their views [chiefly] to the breeding of cattle. In this ftate the country remained, till the advanced price of grain, and great demand for all manner of provifions from the [now] flourishing maritime towns of Lancaster, Liverpool, and Whitehaven, whither they can eafily tranfport their fuperfluous produce, revived anew the spirit of industry and agriculture. Mr. W. next examines in what ftate and condition the parfonage and vicarage of Dalton [in which parish the Abbey was fituated] were left at the time of the diffolution: in the course of which examination he gives an accurate account of the origin of vicarages; but rather too long for our infertion. The rectory, i. e, the tythes, were impropriated to Roger Pyle, late abbot of the diffolved monaftery, for life; and afterwards granted away as a lay fee. The vicarage was left nearly on the fame footing on which it had been put in the reign of Henry VI. and the vicar's ancient ftipend of 26 marks [171. 6 s. 8 d.] is ftill paid by the lay impropriator.-The fite of the Abbey remained for fome time in the crown; but, not very long after the diffolution, was purchased from the truftees of the crown, by the ancestors of the Prefton family. Thomas Preston of Holker, the laft lineal heir male of the family, left one only daughter and heir, Catharine Prefton, who was married to Sir William Lowther, of Marsk, in Yorkshire, Bart. whofe only furviving iffue was Sir Thomas Lowther, Bart. who married (1724) lady Elizabeth Cavendish, daughter of William, Duke of Devonshire, by whom he had an only fon and heir, Sir William Lowther; who died unmarried 1756, when his title of baronetage became extinct: and, being the laft of the male line of the Preftons (by the mother) he left his eftates, as well in Cartmell as Furnefs, to his coufin, Lord George Cavendish, the prefent proprietor of the Abbey.Next follows a defcription of the boundaries, with a fhort review of the liberties, privileges, and immunities of the extenfive lordship of Furness. Chap. VII. contains an account of the priory of Conishead, which was, in fome measure, dependent on, and paid a rent to, the Abbey of Furnels.-As a reafon occurs in this chapter, why fome parish churches are, at prefent, only ftyled Curacies, we hall extract it, as containing fomething, perhaps, not generally known. The church and rectory of Ulverfton being appropriated to the priory of Conifhead, by William de Lancafter, the founder, and afterwards confirmed by Infpeximus, including a licence of mortmain; in confequence hereof the convent became rector, and held the faid church and rectory to their own proper ufe; and the Curate for the time being was named by the rector, as his substitute, under a licence from the ordinary, without inftitution and induction: nor was the rectory of Ulverton affected by the ftat. 15 Richard II. c. 2. [fhould be c. 6.] or that of 4 Henry IV. c. 12. both of which were made for erecting perpetual vicarages in appropriated churches. But as thefe ftatutes (according to Mr. W.) were intended only for the relief of injured or neglected parishes; and as that of Ulverfton is alleged to have been always regularly ferved; fo it never came under the cognizance of the aforenamed reforming ftatutes nor are there any notices, either in the bishop's office at York, or Chefter, concerning it as a vicarage; but it till continues to be ferved, like many others under the fame predicament, as a perpetual curacy only. Next follows a fynopfis of the most ancient and remarkable families in Furnefs, in which their feveral pedigrees appear to be deduced in an accurate manner: but whatever amusement, pleasure, or inftruction this part of the work may be fuppofed to fford to the people of that country; yet, as most of our readers may, poffibly, think fuch deductions rather too dry for general general entertainment, we hope to be excufed from entering any farther into a subject of so very local a nature. At the end is an APPENDIX, containing copies of many original papers, referred to from feveral parts of this learned and entertaining work. Of thefe we fhall particularife only two numbers, viz. N°. X. and XIII. No. X. contains 1. Copy of a Letter from the Abbot to T. Cromwell, praying Protection against the Earl of Weftmorland.[In the Title it is Westmorland, but in the body of the Letter we find the Earl of Cumberland mentioned only.] 2. Richard Layton's Letter to Cromwell, defiring to be chosen Vifitor under him. 3. Articles of Inquifition, to which the Religious were to answer on the Vifitation of their Houses. 4. Crimes charged on the Monks of Furness.. 5. The Earl of Suffex's Letter to King Henry VIII. relative to the furrender of the Abbey of Furness, 6. The Abbot's Propofals for furrendering the Abbey. 7. Copy of the Surrender itself.-Here dated, XI. Die Aprilis, but in the Tranflation, at p 111. the Ninth Day of April.] 8. General injunctions to all Monafteries. 9. The King's Letter for taking the furrender of Monasteries. 10. A Bill prepared, to be paffed into an Act, for keeping Hofpitality, &c. [but which was never actually passed.] No. XIII. contains an Explanation of the common Seal of the Abbey, with an Engraving of it on Copper, as it appears appendant to the Deed of Surrender in the AugmentationOffice. CONCLUSION. In the course of this work, the reader may fee, on a reduced scale, the rife and progrefs, the establishment and fuppreffion, of religious houfes in this kingdom. The causes of fuch charges and variations are alfo marked out in the copies given of the several tranfactions which preceded and accompanied the diffolution; [which] are fo arranged as to reflect light on each other. In thefe the compiler has not ventured to anticipate the reader's reflections, to advance his own opinion, or fentiment; but, where there is any fpace for reasonable doubt, or farther inquiry, has left the candid reader in poffeffion of his own reflections, judgment, and animadverfions.' Thefe, though the words of the Author, contain so just an account of his work (which has afforded us no small fatisfaction in the perufal) as may fave us the trouble of adding any thing more than our hearty approbation of a performance, fraught with fuch a variety of enlivening and entertaining matter, as is but rarely to be met with in researches of this kind. Q3 P. ART. ART. VII. A Help to English History; Containing a Succeflion of all the Kings of England, the English, Saxons, and the Britons; the Kings and Princes of Wales; the Kings and Lords of Man; and the Isle of Wight. Alfo of all the Dukes, Marquifes, Earls,. and Bishops. With the defcriptions of the Places from whence they had their titles. Together with the Names and Ranks of the Viscounts, Barons, and Baronets, of England. By Peter Heylyn, D. D. Prebendary of Westminster. Since his death, continued with great Additions, to the Firft of November 1773. With the Coats of Arms of the Nobility, accurately Engraved on Copperplates, and properly Blazoned.-To this Edition are now first added, Lifts of the extinct Viscounts and Barons: alfo, the Prætorian Banner Displayed; or, the Arms of all the Lord Mayors of London, accurately Engraved on Copper-plates, and explained by true Blazonry, with a complete Lift of the faid Magiftrates now firft Publifhed, by Paul Wright, B. D. Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London. 8vo. 8 s. fewed. Bathurit, &c. 1773. THE HE usefulness of this work may appear from the fatisfaction which the former editions are faid to have given to perfons curious in antiquities. This was thought a fufficient reafon to justify a re-publication of it, with large additions (particularly the marriages of the extinct peers) by the present Editor; who has brought down the whole to the time of publication, apparently with as much accuracy, as a work of fo complicated a nature, can reasonably be expected to admit. Under the title, however, of Earl Ker of Wakefield, (which was conferred upon the only fon and heir apparent of the then Duke of Roxburgh, anno 1722,) we meet with this note, at p. 381. [N. B. None of the Scots peers, created English peers fince the Union, fit in parliament, but only as they are chofen of the number of the fixteen peers."]-This Note is partly right, and in fome measure wrong; but certainly has no bufinefs here: for the perfon created Earl Ker of Wakefield in 1722, was not, at that time, a peer of Scotland, but fucceeded to the title of Duke of Roxburgh, on the death of his father, in 1740; after which event he continued to fit in the house, as an English peer, as he had done before, and as his fon the prefent Duke ftill does.-The Dukes of Argyll, and Montrofe, and the Earl of Kinnoul, all fit in the houfe, as English peers, (exactly upon the fame principle) under the feveral titles of Baron Sundridge of Coombank, Kent, fo created 1766; Earl Graham of Belford Northumberland, 1722; and Baron Hay of Pedwarden Herefordshire, 31 December 1711. All these titles were conferred, not upon Peers, but upon the heirs apparent of Scots peers. Thus the decifion of the house of Lords, 20 December 1711, That no Scots peer could be created an English one, was plainly evaded.-English titles |