Feb. 1. VINGHOE, or Ivingo, co. Bucks, seven miles South East from Dunstable, near the Chiltern Hills, is a vicarage in the hundred of Cotslow and Deanery of Muresley, in the presentation of the Bridgewater family; rated in the King's books at 12/. 16s. 1d. and is a discharged living, of the clear yearly value of 361. 16s. 6d. The old Roman road, called the Ikenild Way, which runs through the kingdom from Portsmouth to Tynmouth Haven, passes very near this place, but is impassable in winter or very wet weather for carriages. Ivinghoe is seated low, but dry, on a rock of ragstone, an uninclosed open track of land extending from Dunstable to Tring. The air is pure, blowing continually fresh from the Downs. The town has evidently been of much larger extent than at present. On removing some earth lately by the plough, a scull and bones were dug up on a place called Windmill Hill; and some have been found in cellars in all parts of the town when digging. Henry of Bloys, in France, or Henry de Blois, bishop of Winchester, made this, among others, his place of residence, as we find on record. He built a seat here called Berrystead House, which ich has long been converted into a farm-house; and all that remains is an old kitchen with a two-tunnel fire-place, the tunnels built lozenge ways. It being the manor-house, the court leet and baron is held in a large room in it, twice a year. It is situated in the South East corner of the church-yard, and is now the property of the Earl of Bridgewater, lord of the manor. The above De Blois had the grant of a Market on Thursdays for this town in 1318. The present market, if it may be so called, is held on Saturday, for butchers' meat and straw plat, with two or three stalls. The Market-house is not much superior to a large tiled cow-crib! The first fair, on St. Margaret's, was granted in 1227; and another, on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, by the charter of 1318. The present fairs are held on May the 6th and October 17th for cattle, and several good drapers, shoes, clothes, and other and other stails, shoes, It had originally a gaol, and cris minals were executed at a place. called Gallows Knot.-A large roundhouse, which stood in the middle of the town, was pulled down about 20 years ago, with a cage and stocks beneath, in consequence of a fire in the town, and has not since been erected. The Church (see Fl. 1.) is an antient Gothic structure, ofthe cruciform plan, standing, originally, in the centre of the houses. It is a lofty building, but small. At a distance it looks like a small cathedral, the shell being a fine piece of good-proportioned architecture, as observed by Browne Willis when he visited it. The side ailes are not so long as they are high, being nearly the height of the nave. It consists of a nave, two side ailes, North and South aile, and chancel, with a strong square embattled tower in the intersection of nave, North and South ailes, chancel, &c. surmounted with a moderate spire covered with lead; a handsome lofty porch. at the West end, having an embattled parapet crowned with the arms of Edward, France and England quartered on a plain shield, with crown and supporters, two lions apparently, placed in the front, carved in stone, as also a cross over it. Above this porch is the large West window, containing four lights, with lofty mullions and ramified head, over which is a niche for the Virgin, &c. and above that another stone cross, neatly wrought, and porch North and South. The nave has a series of five windows of three lights each. The whole pile has an embattled parapet, except the side ailes, which are plain, most of them leaded for preservation, as is the roof entirely, buttresses, projections, &c. The tower rises two stories above the nave, of good proportion, with a small square tower at the North West corner, called by the inhabitants the Bushel Tower, having had a bushel measure placed on it, containing a fruit tree. On the spice is a gilt ball and weathercock. The tower story on the East side has two lancet windows, and several circular ones are stopped up. There are four entrances to the church, North, West, and South porches, and small door in the channel. The whole is built with flint and stone grouted; and free stone internal and external angles, windows, frames, and door-cases, all rough caste The internal architecture is not inelegant. The nave is separated from the side ailes by two rows of octagon columns with foliage capitals, four on each side, five pointed arches, plain mouldings, but bold. The nave is open to the roof, and all other parts of the church. The timbers and raf, ters are ornamented with pendant angels, particularly over the part where the rood-loft was, with a block and pulley, originally, I suppose, for a lamp to be suspended. The roof rests on long posts, set on corbels of stone, curiously carved into wry faces, as if they were sensible of the weight of the roof on their shoulders. The posts are between the windows, and are carved to represent the twelve Apostles, not badly executed. The pulpit is against one of the South pitlars near the transept, being hand somely carved oak, with the Resurrec tion on the back; a thick sounding board carved into tracery or fret work, a reading desk and clerk's ds k decreasing in height. The iron crane and frame to place the hour-glass in still remain. There are but few pews, being chiefly very antient stalls, the tops of which are carved in a rude and irregular manner. There is a newly-erected gallery at the West end; on each side of the window over it are two remarkably fine stender columns at the edge, from the spring ing of the arch to the bottom, with capital and base. A stone seat ruus round the back of the side ailes. A very antient stone font stands near the South West corner of the nave; it is of an octangular shape, and has formerly had one round pillar at each corner, as the tops and bottoms plainly shew; they stood clear of the octagon foot it now rests on. The whole of the church is neatly paved, but wants a thorough repair. Yours, &c. J. S. B. (To be concluded in our next.) Foddington, Mr. URBAN, Bedfordshire, March 4. THE small remains of the once THE market-town of FLAMSTED are pleasantly situated on a hill about twenty-seven miles on the turnpike road, leading from Loudon to Ďunstable; antiently called Verlamstedt, owing, it is supposed, to the river Verc, or Verulam, or Verlume, washing the foot of the hill. Cam In the time of king Edward the Confessor, Leofstaue Abbot of St. Alban's gave this manor to three knights, Turnoth, Waldof,and Turman; but in the time of William the Conque ror, Ralph deThony,Todeny, Tony,or Toni, his standard-bearer at the battle of Hastings, held it, as appears from Domesday Book: "In Danais Hund. Ralf de Todeny holdeth Flamstede for two hides of land.” deu states it to have been granted to the father of Ralf. It was the chief place of his residence. He married the daughter of Simon de Montford, and dying left a son Ralf, who mar ried the daughter of the Earl of Huntington and Northumberland, his heir. Roger was his heir, and married the daughter of the Earl of Hainault. Ralf was disinherited by king Joha for assisting the Barons, yet came into favour again, and was restored by Heury H. Robert, his successor in the sixth generation, 27 Edward I. obtained a charter of that king for a market on Thursdays, and a fair on the eve, day, and morrow after the feast of St. Leonard, and five days following. The present fair or feast is kept eleven days before; the market has been long disused. To the manor, as Robert died 3 Edward II. without issue, Alice his sister, widow of Thomas Ley born, was found heir, and married toGuy de Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, whose heir was the famous Guy, who died near Calais 43 Edward 111. His beirs enjoyed this a long time; but male issue failing, and Anne daughter of the duke of Warwick dying young, his sister Anne inherited, who was married to Richard Nevil Earl of Salisbury, who had with her the title of Earl of Warwick. This Richard dying at Barnet field, temp. Edward IV. the estate fell to theCrown. His Countess, 3. Henry VII. possessed it again, after the death of her daughters. Henry VIII. granted it to George Ferrars and his heirs, from whom it came to Sir John Ferrars and Knighton Ferrars of Beyford, whose daughter, Katharine, married to Thomas Lord Fanshawe. Lord and Lady Fanshawe sold it to Serjeant Edward Pecke; from him it descended to William his son, of Stamford in Essex, who left a son William, and he disposed of it to Mr. Pearce, whose second son is the present lord of the manor. The The Church (see Plate 1.) is dedicated to St. Leonard. It is in the hundred of Dacorum and deanery of Berkhamsted, valued in the King's books at 417. 6s. 8d. a rectory impropriate, antiently in the Crown, part in the University of Oxford, and part in the Sebright family of Beechwood Park; the former granted it by lease to them that they should find a curate to officiate in the church. King James I granted the reversion to trustees for Mr. Gunsty, curate therein, in 1618, by lease for forty-two years. The Church stands high. Leland says, that "riding through a thorough fair on Watling street, not far from Mergate (Market Street) he saw in a pretty wood side St. Leonard's on the left hand, &c." It is built in the Gothic style,of flints and courses of tiles (supposed to be Roman) alternately, part plastered, with a square tower at the West end, surmounted with a high leaded spire and vane; and a clock dial où the North side. The building is uniform, consisting of a nave, two side ailes, North and South porch, and a chancel at the end, with a vestry on the North side, lofty ceiling, formerly two stories, in which is a piscina; door into the chance, near which is a handsome monument by Flaxman, close to the altar, Faith and Hope at top, and an urn in the centre, inscribed as follows: "Sacred to the memory of Sir Edward Sebright, third baronet, descended from William Sebright of Sebright Hall, in the county of Essex, and of Blakeshall, in the county of Worcester, in the reign of Henry II. He died December 15, 1702, aged 36 years, and was interred in a family vault at Besford Court, in the county of Worcester. He left issue four children, Thomas, Edward, Anne, and Helen." "Dame Anne Sebright, only surviving daughter and sole heir of Thomas Saunders, esq. of Beechwood, in the county of Hertford, and Helen Sadler, of Sopewell, in the same county, relict of Sir Edward Sebright, third Baronet. She died December 25, 1719, aged 49 years. Her remains are deposited in her family vault in this church." "Sir Thomas Saunders Sebright, fourth Baronet, died April the 12, 1736, aged 44. His remains are deposited in the family vault in this Church. He left issue two sons, Thomas and John." "Dame Henrietta Sebright, relict of Sir Thomas Saunders Sebright, Baronet, "Edward Saunders Sebright, esq. second son of Sir Edward Sebright, bart travelling through France, was murdered by robbers near Calais, December 12, 1723, aged 25. His remains were brought to England, and are deposited in the family vault in this church." "Sir Thomas Saunders Sebright, fifth Baronet, son of Sir Thomas and Dame Henrietta, died unmarried, October 30, 1761, aged 38. His remains are deposited in the family vault in this church." Yours, &c. J. S. B. BY an extract from the Oxford Herald, inserted in your last Sup plement, p. 601, you have given some account of Clarendon House, in which it is stated "that the only trace which the curious Antiquary will now find upon the spot, to indicate the immaculate Clarendon once had possessons there, arises from the modern adoption of a possessor of a small piece of the land lying towards Bond Street, now distinguished as Claren don Hotel." From some papers which I have seen, I am enabled to state why this house is so distinguished. At the beginning of the last century it was the property of Henry Lord Dover, aud was conveyed by him as a security for money to John Chamberlain, and described as part of the ground whereon a Capital Messuage or Mansion House. formerly called Clarendon House, and afterwards called Albemarle House, did then lately stand, or of ground to the said late capital messuage belonging, lying and being in the parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, on the West side of a certain street there called Bond Street," and is mentioned as abutting on other grounds of the said Henry Lord Dover, part of which were let to the said John Chamberlain. It was afterwards conveyed to Henry Edward Earl of Lichfield, in trust for Barbary, Duchess of Cleveland, and by her to Charles Duke of Grafton. in 6 George III. an act was passed to enable the Duke of Grafton to sell the above premises, the same having been intailed by the will of his father, and they were in consequence pur chased by John Earl of Buckingham shire, |