Oakingham is a corporation, consisting of an alderman, high steward, recorder, town clerk, &c.; the forest courts for Windsor, are also kept here. The market house is a very antient building, framed with timber. Lord Braybrooke is lord of the manor of Ashridge, formerly belonging to the Lacies, earls of Lincoln. The Rose inn is celebrated in the well known song by Gay, in praise of the daughter of Mr. Mog. "This cruel fair," says Mr. Lyson's, "died a spinster at the age of sixty-seven. Mr. Standen, of Arborfield, is said to have been the enamoured swain alluded to in the song. The current tradition is, that Gay and some of his poetic friends having dined at the Rose, and being detained by the weather, proposed that each should contribute a verse to a song in praise of the Fair Maid of the Inn. By mistake they praised Molly when they should have praised Sally, who was the greater beauty. A portrait of Mr. Gay is still at the inn*. * Lysons's Magna Britannia. The song, printed in Swift's works, Vol. XXIV. 1803, and intitled Molly Mog: or, The Fair Maid of the Inn, is as follows: Why you pine and you whine like The milkmaid's delight is on May Will-o'-wisp leads the traveller a gadding Thro' ditch, and thro' quagmire and bog: A Molly much better than Mog. But no light can set me a madding, III. I know that by wits 'tis recited, VOL. V. No. 119. Like the eyes of my sweet Molly BINFIELD, is a pleasant village, surrounded by elegant seats, and situated in the midst of that part of Windsor Forest, called The Royal Hunt. A small neat brick house in the road to London, was possessed by the father of Mr. Pope; the poet himself spent the early part of his life, and continued to reside here till he purchased the villa at Twickenham. The surrounding scenery suggested the idea of his juvenile but fine poem, WINDSOR FOREST. The house is now inhabited by Thomas Neate, Esq. In the church are contained memorials of the families of Blount, Dancastle, and Lee; Henry, earl of Stirling, 1739; But I envy them none of their And at court all the drawing-room When she smiles on each guest, like her liquor, Then jealousy sets me agog; If I would not give up the three To be sure she's a bit for the Graces, I wish I were hang'd like a dog, vicar, And so I shall lose Molly Mog. admiral admiral Sir Edward Vernon, who commanded the English fleet at the taking of Pondicherry, and died 1794; and of the famous historian Mrs. Macaulay Graham, who died here in 1791. LAWRENCE WALTHAM, ten miles west of Windsor, appears, by the several Roman coins that have been dug up here, especially of the later emperors, and by the ruins of bricks, &c. to have been once a considerable Roman fort. It stood in a field now called Weycock Highrood, which contains one hundred and fifty acres, entirely open and free of trees, on the most elevated spot of which was the Roman fortress called Castle Acre, where also a variety of Roman antiquities have been ploughed up. The church is very antient; it contains several tombs of the Neville family, the first representative of which, by a female heir, is the right honourable Richard Aldworth Neville Griffin, lord Braybrooke, high steward of Wokingham, &c. whose seat is at Billingbear, in this neighbourhood. In WHITE WALTHAM, the adjoining parish, were discovered many Roman bricks and tiles. THOMAS Hearne, the architopographer of the university of Oxford, and a famous collector of antiquities, was born here in 1680, and died at Oxford in 1735. The small parish of Shottesbroke, claims the honour of being the residence of the pious and learned Henry DodWELL, Camden professor of History at Oxford, the friend and patron of Hearne; in the churchyard is the tomb of Francis Cherry, Esq. the friend of both those eminent men. The inscription on his monument is singular: "Hic jacet Peccatorum maximus. Obiit anno dom. 1713, Sept. 13. Anno ætatis 48." On the banks of the Thames is seated BISHAM. The manor was given by William I. to Henry de Ferrars; whose grandson Robert, earl Ferrars, bestowed it, in the reign of king Stephen, to the Knights Templars, who are said to have had a preceptory in this place. Upon the suppression of that order Bisham passed to Thomas, duke of Lancaster, Hugh le Despencer, and Eubulo L'Estrange. Ed312 ward ward III. granted it to William de Montacute, earl of Salisbury, who erected a monastery for canons regular of the order of St. Augustine, which was surrendered to Henry VIII. Within the precincts of the monastery were interred several of the noble family of Montacute, earls of Salisbury, particularly Thomas, "the mirror of all martial men, who, in thirteen battles, overcame, and first trained Henry V. to the wars."* Yet this could not check the destruction of his tomb, nor those of his house, who had shone in the battle of Poitiers, and other great actions, for the service of their country! To shew the versatility of Henry's disposition, after the dissolution of this monastery as a minor religious house, the king restored it, increased its possessions, and changed its establishment to an abbacy; it soon, however, was finally dissolved, when its revenues were estimated at 6617. 14s. 9d. The site was granted by Edward VI. to the Hoby family, the last of whom died in 1766. It was purchased by George Vansittart, Esq. one of the knights of the shire, of the widow of Sir John Hoby Mill, bart. who died in 1780, and is now his residence. The only remains of the abbey is the doorway to the house. In a chapel of the parish church is a window richly ornamented with the arms and quarterings of the Hoby family; the church contains many memorials to the same family. STUBBINS, in the parish of Bisham, is the property and residence of the earl of Dorchester. MAIDENHEAD is a corporation town, distant from London twenty-six miles. It is said to have had its name from an head worshipped there before the Reformation, of one of the eleven thousand virgins, that, the legends tell us, were martyred with St. Ursula; yet it was incorporated, in the twentysixth of Edward III. by the name of "The Fraternity or Guild of the Brothers and Sisters of Maiden Hithe;" the * Shakespeare. more more antient name was South Ealington. It lies in two parishes, Bray and Cookham. The chapel in th etown is a neat modern building, not subject to episcopal visitation, and the minister is appointed by the inhabitants. The market is on Wednesday; it has also three fairs, on Whit Wednesday, Michaelmas Day, and St. Andrew's Day. The stone bridge over the river Thames, with thirteen arches, six brick and seven stone, was begun in 1772, and cost upwards of 20,000l.: the architect was Sir Robert Taylor; it was originally of timber. This town, now so considerable, did not begin to flourish, till, by the building of its bridge, travellers were brought this way, who before used a ferry at that time called Babham's End, two miles north of it. The barge pier bridge is maintained by the corporation, for which they are allowed the tolls both over and under it. The barge pier divides Berks from Bucks. There is a great trade here in malt, meal, and timber, which they carry in their barges to London. As this is the great thoroughfare from thence to Bath, Bristol, and other southwest parts of England, the, adjacent wood or thicket has been noted for many robberies. James II. incorporated it by the name of Mayor and Aldermen, with liberty to chuse a high steward and a steward; so that their present magistracy consists of a mayor, a high steward, a steward, and ten aldermen, out of which last two bridge masters are chosen every year; but they send no members to parliament. The mayor and his predecessors, and the stewards, are justices. The mayor is also clerk of the market, and coroner, and is judge of the court, which he must hold once in three weeks. He, likewise, holds two sessions in a year. Here is a gaol both for debtors and felons. Eight almshouses were erected in the town by James Smith, Esq. citizen of London, in the year 1659, for eight men and their wives, who are allowed four shillings a week, and one pound ten shillings a year for coals; also a coat and gown once in two years. BRAY, a village on the Thames, between Maidenhead and |
