year 1221. In falling they destroyed the prior's hall and part of the church. The body was repaired in 1273, by the parishioners, but chiefly at the expence of one Henry Chedde.

Within the church are a number of curious monuments; many of them belong to the CHEW family, whose benefactions to this town have caused their names to be repeated with reverence. In the middle aisle was formerly a very long slab, the inscription on which was so quaint and barbarous, that it gave rise to the incredible report of one woman having had nineteen children at five births! viz. three several times three children at a birth, and twice five two other times. shire, gave currency to the

Fuller, in his Worthies of Bedforderror, and the tradition of the place The slab was inlaid with the figures

has ever since confirmed it.
of a man and a woman in brass, both dressed in gowns, with their
hands in the attitude of prayer; and at their feet an inscrip-
tion. Beneath the latter, two groups, one of boys, the other of
girls, with the types of the evangelists at the corners.
scription was in these words:

Hic William Mulso sibi quem sociavit & Alice,
Marmore sub duro conclusit mors generalis.

Ter tres, bis quinos hæc natos fertur habere

Per sponsos binos. Deus his clemens miserere.

The in

This, literally translated, is as follows: "One general fate has shut up here, under a hard marble, William Mulso, and Alice his wife. She is reported to have had three times three, and twice five, children, by two husbands." This conceited mode of informing the world that a woman had nineteen children, undoubtedly gave rise to the mistake of their having been produced at five births; but how Fuller, who was a man of considerable learning, could assert that it was so represented in the epitaph, is indeed surprising: yet our surprise at his error is somewhat lessened, when we reflect on the conduct of Bishop Gibson, who, we are told by Mr. Gough, repeats the story implicitly. How easily would the exertion of a little common sense, have enabled the bishop to rectify this gross misrepresentation! Who for a momen:

can believe, that such an uprecedented circumstance, happening so lately as the reign of Henry the Sixth, and some years subsequent to the invention of printing, would have been unrecorded and forgotten, except from the intervention of an obscure epitaph. If the story had been a fact, it must have rung through every quarter of the country. Who was the second husband of this fruitful woman, we are not informed: he was probably of Dunstable, where, Fuller says, "she lived and died."

Above the altar is a large and handsome painting of the last supper, executed by Thornhill. This, with the plate, and a rich pulpit-cloth, was given by two sisters, named Carte and Ashton.

Mr. Willis informed the society of Antiquarians, 1745, that at the east end of Dunstable church, about two feet underground, was found a stone coffin; the lid composed of four stones; the piece at the foot a separate one; the head, sides, and bottom, of one stone; under the head an eminence instead of a pillow, in an hollow or niche corresponding to the head. The skeleton was entire, except the ribs, which had fallen in; the head inclined to the left: between the upper bone of the left arm and the backbone was a glass urn, fallen down, and the lid off, stained with deep brown on the inner side of that part which lay over the stone: about the feet were pieces of leather, very rotten, which by the holes appeared to have been sewed together.

In the collections made for a history of Dunstable in 1714, by Mr. Edward Steele, a remarkable funeral pall is thus described: "It is made of the richest crimson and gold brocade imaginable; and so exquisitely and curiously wrought, that it puzzles the greatest artists of weaving now living to so much as guess at the manner of its performance. It is six feet four inches long, by two feet two inches broad; from whence hangs down a border of purple velvet thirteen inches deep, whereon is lively and most richly worked with a needle, St. John the Baptist, between fourteen men and thirteen women, all kneeling. Under the foremost is written Henry Fayrey, and Agnes Fayrey, between the arms of the mercers. Thus are the sides: at the ends is only St. John between a gentleman and his wife. Under them is written John and Mary Fayrey.

This was the gift of the above mentioned Henry Fayrey and Agnes his wife, to a fraternity or brotherhood of this town, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The said Henry, as appears from a monumental stone in the middle aisle of the church, died the 28th of December, 1516; yet, notwithstanding its age, the pall is as fresh and beautiful as at first making. "The east part of the chancel (says the same gentleman) is raised by two steps, and was formerly the choir of the church, the ancient stalls still remaining, where, under each seat (visible upon turning them up when kneeling to prayers) is carved some extravagant fancy, plainly discovering the humour of those times: but I must not omit, that, under the seat of the east stall, on the south side, is neatly cut, a woman spinning, with a rock and spindle; and on the ground lies a sneering friar-preacher, whilst his busy and inquisitive hand is searching under her petticoats; a very improper and scandalous decoration for so sacred a place." However improper, or however scandalous, these kind of ornaments for religious structures may be now considered, their frequent use in former ages, would almost induce us to suppose that they were then regarded as appropriate embellishments. Cathedrals, priories, abbeys, and chapels, have all, more or less, been decorated with grotesque, ludicrous, and impure representations; and numerous places of solemn worship might be mentioned, wherein they may still be found, The corrupt display of this vitiated taste was not confined to the interior of buildings; for even the external ornaments of many fabrics were intermingled with the images of those subjects, which the more delicate feelings of modern times have justly denominated obscene. The outside of St. George's Chapel, at Windsor, and the roof of the cloisters at Lacock Abbey, in Wiltshire, may be given as instances of the various edifices, wherein the prevalence of gross conceptions is thus manifested. The cause of this depravity of taste we shall endeavour to unfold in a future part of the work.

When Henry issued his proclamation for repeopling Dunstable, he offered an acre of land to all settlers for twelve pence per annum, with the same privileges to them, and their heirs, as were possessed by the citizens of London, or any other town in England. He' also

C4

also built a royal mansion in the neighbourhood, which he called Kingsbury. This residence was presented by King John to the Priory; it is now converted into a farm, where the bleating of sheep, and the cackling of fowls, are the harsh and discordant substitutes for the soothing melodies of the lute and the harp.

Seventeen years and a half, Henry kept the town as a free borough in his own hands. The burgesses were free throughout England, and possessed the privilege of not answering before the justices itinerant out of the town and liberty. Those judges were to repair to Dunstable, and there determine all suits, without foreign assessor, by the oath of twelve of the inhabitants.

When the Monarch founded the Priory, he bestowed upon it vast privileges. The whole manor of Dunstable, with the lands pertaining to the town, together with the church, market, schools, liberties, revenues, &c. were all included in the grant; with the exception only of his own palace. He also exempted the monastery from all taxes of whatever kind, from fines, tolls, customs, secular exactions and worldly services through the realm. So distinguished was his favour, that even murder, that blackest, deepest crime of which man can be guilty, might be committed by the professed with impunity. Succeeding Princes confirmed the charter; and many of the inhabitants were tenants in capite,* and others tenants in fee, to the Prior,

These extraordinary privileges caused many disturbances between the townsmen and the Abbey; and on some unequal assessments being made in 1229, the people were † so provoked, that, out of resentment to the church, they withdrew their tithes and offerings, scattered the Prior's corn, and pounded his horses; and though, at the Prior's request, the Bishop of Lincoln caused the offenders to be excommunicated in the neighbouring towns and deaneries, all would not do: the townsmen declared they would sooner go to the devil than be taxed; and had even treated with William Cantilupe, for forty acres in his field, to build booths on, and

quit

*Holding their lands immediately from him.

+ Cronicle of Dunstaple.

quit the town. This difference was at last adjusted by John, Archdeacon of Bedford; the town paying sixty pounds sterling to the Prior for the renunciation of his right to all tollage, except the Misericordia of 4d. and fines in cases of violence.

The last prior was Gervase Markham, who, with his canons, subscribed to the King's supremacy in 1534; and, on the dissolution, had a pension of sixty pounds a year for life. His reward was the greater for having taken an active part in the divorce of Henry the Eighth, and Catharine of Arragon; his convent being the residence of the commissioners. The unjust sentence was publicly read in the Virgin's chapel, within the Priory church, by Archbishop Cranmer.

Besides this religious house, there was one of Friar-preachers, who settled here about 1259. The inhabitants of the Priory, it seems, did not like such insinuating interlopers, as Chaucer describes this order to have been, who were sure to win the affections of all the penitents.

"Ful fwetely herde he confession,

"And plefent was his absolution."

The site of their church is known by the name of St. Mary Over. It lies on the west side of the town, near the Baptist meeting-house.

There are several charitable establishments at Dunstable. The principal of these are the charity-school at the south end of the town, founded in pursuance of the request of Mr. William Chew, by his sisters, and coheirs, Jane Carte and Frances Ashton, for 40 boys and 15 girls, who are educated, clothed, and apprenticed. Six houses for as many decayed maiden gentlewomen,' founded by Mrs. Blandina Marshe, and endowed by her with an income of 721. per annum. This sum, a few years since, was augmented with the interest of 10001. bequeathed by another lady. These houses are neat and commodious, with small yards before them. They were built and endowed in the year 1713. And, lastly, two alms-houses for the relief and maintenance of poor widows; six in each building. These were founded by Mrs. Carte and Mrs. Ashton, the benevolent females already mentioned.

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