nunnery

And I have redde that there was another wher now is a poore hospitale,1 about the south bridge without the toun the way to Chippenham.

Going out of Malmesbyri by the south gate I turnid on the lifte hond, and so passid over Avon by a fair bridg of stone having 3 arches.

And then conscending an hillet, even ther by left, a chapelle2 or paroch chirch hard on the lift hand; and then leaving the park and the late abbates maner place3 on the lift hond, I came to a village about a mile of, caullid Fosse, wher was a bridge and a good streame renning undre it.

Thens to Chippenham a vi. miles.

FROM MALMSBURY, BY CORSHAM, HASELBURY, AND SOUTH WRAXHALL,

TO BRADFORD. [II. 54.]

Riding between Malmesbyri and Chippenham al the ground on that side of the ryver was chaumpain, fruteful of corne and grasse, but litle wood.

Thus rydyng, I lefte Avon streme aboute a 2 miles on the lifte hand. I markid 2 places betwene Malmesbyri and Chippenham notable. Draicote, wher Sir Henrye Long hath a fair manor place and a park, about a mile from Avon streame. Draicot is a 5 miles from Malmesbyri, and a 2 miles from Chippenham.5

1 66 Hospital." Of St. John of Jerusalem, near the south bridge, on the way to Chippenham: now used as an almshouse. An early pointed arch formerly the doorway, but now blocked up, still remains.

2.

Chapelle." Burton Hill chapel alluded to above.

3 "Park and Maner-place." Then called Cowfold Park. It was part of the abbot's own demesne, and the name is spelled in this way in the oldest documents. It was afterwards corrupted into Cufold Park, then into Cold-park, and finally into Cole-park; by which it is now known as the property of Audley Lovell, Esq.

4 Leland's ear deceived him. The name of the village is Corston.

5" 2 Miles." The reader will often observe a considerable difference between Leland's measurement and the actual distances. As he appears to have used figures and not words, it is possible that the injured state of the manuscript, already alluded to, may have misled the copyist in many instances.

On the other side of the Avon river I saw Bradenestoke priory ruines on the toppe of an hille, a mile and an half from Avon [Gualter, Erle of Sarum, and Sibylle, his wyfe, founders of

ryver.

Bradenestoke, a priory of black chanons. VIII. 107.]

Bradenestoke is about a 4 miles from Malmesbyri.

Al the quarters of the foreste of Braden be welle wooddid, even along from Malmesbyri to Chippenham ward.

One told me that ther was no notable bridge on Avon between Malmesbyri and Chippenham. I passid over two bekkes betwixt Malmesbyri and Chippenham.

[III. 135. There is a place in Wyleshir caullid Combe Castelle, a 4 miles towards est from Chippenham: and to this place longe diverse knightes services and libertees. And this lordship now longgith to one Scrope.]

[Stanlege abbey. St. Mary. White monks. VII. 65].

I left Chippenham a mile on the lifte hand, and so went to Alington1 village about a mile of, and thens 3 miles to Cosham, a good uplandish toun, wher be ruines of an old maner place: and therby a park wont to be yn dowage to the Quenes of Englande. Mr. Baynton, yn Quene Anne's2 dayes, pullid down by licens a peace of this house sumwhat to help his buildinges at Bromeham. Old Mr. Bonhome told me that Coseham apperteinid to the erldom of Cornwalle, and that Cosham was a mansion place longging to it wher sumtyme they lay.

Al the menne of this tounlet were bond: so that apon a tyme one of the Erles of Cornewalle hering them secretely to lament their

1 66 Allington." Leland had thus far kept the high road from Malmsbury to Chippenham. He now turns off at the foot of Hardenhuish Hill on the north side, and follows an old lane that leads from Langley Burrell to Allington, and crosses the high road at that point.

2 "Queen Anne." As the Bayntons, of Fallersdon (in Bishopstone, hundred of Dounton), did not succeed to the Bromham estate until A.D. 1508. Leland must mean Anne Boleyn, who was executed A.D. 1536: about 4 years before his visit.

state manumittid them for mony, and gave them the lordship of Cosham in copiehold to paie a chiefe rente.

From Coseham to Haselbyri about a 2 miles,

I left on the lift hand on the toppe of a litle hille an heremitagel withyn a litle as I turnid doun to Hasilbyri.

The manor place of Haselbyry stondith in a litle vale, and was a thing of a simple building afore that old Mr. Bonehom father did build there. The Bonehomes2 afore that tyme dwellid by Lacok upon Avon.

[Plumber's lands (a manor in Lidlinch, hund. of Sherborn, co. Dorsets) be com unto the Bonhomes of Hasilbyri. VI. 50].

[Of the Bluets and their successors the Baynards, of Lackham near Lacock, Leland says: vol. VI., p. 53].

Silchester lordship (in Hants) after the conquest came to one Blueth, and then one of the Blueths leavyng no sons, the land not

Generale

entaylid to the heire ma[le] came by mariage to one Peter de Cusance, Knight, and after to one Edmunde Baynard, cumming out

"Heremitage." The building called "Chapel Plaster": by tradition, a wayside chapel for pilgrims travelling from Malmsbury to Glastonbury. Aubrey calls it "the Chapel of Playsters." The meaning of the name is uncertain; but it has nothing to do with the material of plaster; being built of stone. It may either have been built by some one of the name of Plaister or playster may be an old word for pilgrim: or it may mean the chapel built on the "Plegstow," play place or village green: as the "Plestor Oak" in White's Selborne.

2 "Bonhome." Bonham. The principal Wiltshire family of this name lived at Great Wishford, hund. of Branch and Dole, A.D. 1315-1637.

Haselbury is in the parish of Box. It is now a farm-house with very spacious premises, the remains of its former importance. It had a church, of which there is no trace: but there is still a payment by the lord of the manor of £10 a-year to a rector. Out of the freestone quarries of Haselbury, which belonged to the Prior of Bradenstoke, Malmsbury Abbey is said to have been built. The vicarage of Box had belonged to the priory of Monkton Farley: John Bonham, of Haselbury, Leland's host, was patron in 1541. The Haselbury estate belonged about 1660 to a branch of the family of Speke (Bart., extinct 1682), of Whitelackington, co. Som.: and the house, which the Bonhams appear to have built, was probably enlarged by the Spekes. The coat of arms of Speke is still to be seen on the pillars at the garden entrance. It now belongs to the Northey family.

3 See Hutchins' Dorset, II. 357.

of the house of the Baynards, of Essex, whose name is now ther obscured. The lands of the Blueths entaylid to heyre male of that name yet remayning in Devonshere. Leccham (Lackham) longgid to Blueth... ..arde as his principale how......1

Ther is a feld by Lacok wher men find much Romaine mony: it is called "Silverfeeld."2

From Haselbyri to Monkton-Farley a mile dim. where by the village there was a priore stonding on a litle hille, sumtyme having blak monkes, a prior, and a convent of 12.

Monketon-Farley among other thynges was a late gyven to th Erle of Hertford.3

From Haselbyri to Monkton the countre beginnith to wax woddy; and so forth lyke to Bradeford about a 2 miles from MunketonFarley; and also to part into hilles and valeys.

Sir Henry Long hath a litle maner about a mile from MonketonFarley at Wrexley.4

The original setting up of the house of the Longes cam, as I lernid of Mr. Bonehom, by this means:

One Long Thomas, a stoute felow, was sette up by one of the olde Lordes Hungrefordes. And after by cause this Thomas was

1 The defective words probably were that Lackham was used by Baynarde as his principal house.

2 The Roman Road from Bath to Marlborough ran about a mile south of Lacock. Near it is a place called Wick, at which traces of a Roman Villa have been found.

3 "Hertford." The Protector Somerset. The Manor was afterwards transferred to the Bishopric of Salisbury. Between 1647 and 1651, in the days of confiscation, it was sold to Wm. and Nath. Brooke, and F. Bridges, for £2,499 11s. 6d. It has since been held under the See of Salisbury by (amongst others) the families of Webb, Long, and now, Wade Browne. The editors of the new Monasticon mention that no seal of the priory had been met with. In 1841 a circular silver seal, of about the size of a sovereign, was found by the late Mr. Wade Browne in clearing part of the site of the priory. On it is the head of St. Mary Magdalene, exceedingly well cut; with the Legend "CAPUT MARIE MAGDALENE.' At the same time was discovered an effigy of a Dunstanville of Castle Combe.

4" Wrexley." South Wraxhall: which at this time had not been severed from the Draycote property, but belonged to one and the same owner, Sir Henry Long, above-mentioned. Of this interesting old manor-house, now the property of Walter Long, Esq., M.P. of Rood-Ashton, the greater part is still left. In Aubrey's MS. Collections for North Wilts in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, drawings are preserved of the numerous armorial shields in stained glass, which

U

caullid Long Thomas, Long after was usurpid for the name of the family.1

were once in the windows, but have now entirely perished. Its history and antiquities have been described in a volume upon the subject by Mr. Thos. Larkins Walker; with views of the exterior, and of the principal apartment upstairs, containing a very fine chimney piece and ornamented ceiling, together with details of the architecture, and of various devices sculptured in stone. The oldest parts are the Hall and Porch. The original builder is not particularly known, but some additions were made by Sir Robert Long, about 1566. There is a carefully-written Memoir both of the House and Church in the GENT. MAG., June 1835.

1 "Long." There certainly is a tradition appurtenant to the ancient family of Long of Wraxhall, that, at some remote period which their Pedigree does not fully elucidate, the name was PREUX. To this some countenance is given by a resemblance in the arms of Long to those of Preux, and by the use of the motto "Preux quoique pieux.” But Mr. Bonham's story of the first introduction of the name of Long by a Lord Hungerford, does not appear very consistent either with fact or probability; for the name of Long occurs in the lists of Wiltshire landowners, before that of Hungerford. The connexion of the Hungerfords with Wiltshire, as a recognized family, does not date earlier than 1350: and the first of them who became a Baron, lived A.D. 1440-1449. The public records of the county, on the other hand (See the Inquisitions P.M. and Wilts Fines), show Longs as landowners in several places at a much earlier period: as at Alton, and Ablington, near Figheldean, in 1258; at Coulston near Lavington, in 1267; at Bratton and Westbury, in 1279. Being then an already appropriated name, it is not likely that a stranger would adopt it, unless he had some substantial right to do so, either by a marriage or other intelligible process.

The next part of the story (viz; as to the advancement of some earlier member of this family by one of the Hungerfords) perhaps contains more, though it is now difficult to say how much, of truth.

The first Long who appears in the authenticated account of the family as owner of Wraxhall, is Robert, A.D. 1400-1440. His son John Long married Margaret Wayte, and by that marriage obtained the Draycote estate. Wraxhall therefore, of the two, came first into the Long family: but in what way Robert had obtained it, whether by marriage, purchase, or inheritance, is unknown. The names of his wives have been given in the pedigrees with some variety, as Bradley, Popham, or Hering, but none of these alliances throws any light upon the acquisition of South Wraxhall. It is, in fact, not exactly known whose property it was immediately before the Longs. In the Beauties of Wilts (11. 226.) the Hungerfords are named: but no authority for this is given, nor do the evidences of that family (very ample at this period) allude to the manor as theirs. There is some reason for believing that it may have been part of the estate of the St. Maurs, who had property near Bradford; that from St. Maur it passed to Berkeley, and from Berkeley, by marriage, either to the father of Robert Long, or, perhaps to Robert Long himself: and that this alliance may have been in some way promoted by the first Lord Hungerford, who had himself married, for a second wife, a Berkeley of Beverstone. In the church of South Wraxhall there is a monument which from the peculiarity of its character and situation seems to favour this suggestion. At any rate it testifies to an