surprised at this single instance of his bold and enter- › prising spirit.

1708. QUEEN ANNE granted to the burgesses of this borough, five different fairs, to be held on certain days in each year, with a court of Pie Poudre, (q. d. Dusty-Foot Court) a court held in fairs, to redress disorders committed in them. The burgesses were also entitled to the toll of corn and grain sold in the market, which they enjoyed in rotation, till the year 1748.

AT the breaking out of the rebellion, in the year 1745, the gentlemen of this county, ever distinguished for their loyalty and steady attachment to the rights and liberties of English-men, entered into an association for the public defence; amongst whom, William Thornton, esq., of Thornville, distinguished himself in so particular a manner, (by raising a company of soldiers, and marching at their head, against the rebels, into the mountains of Scotland), as procured him the thanks, applause, and esteem of every well-wisher to the constitution. The inhabitants of Knaresbrough, desirous to testify their gratitude for such eminent services, entreated his acceptance of a silver table, on which was engraven as follows:

SUMPTU SUO NON MEDIOCRI

SUSTENTATA

PRO REGE ET PATRIA

CONTRA SCOTOS MONTICULOS

BELLUM INTESTINUM MOLIENTES

IMPROBISSIMA HYEME

RELICTA CONJUGE

BELLI PERICULIS

SESE MAGNAMITER

OBTULIT

ANNO D'NI MDCCXLV.

BURGUS KNARESBURGENSIS

EBOR

O:M:E

DD

THE table is two feet in diameter; and now in the possession of lieutenant colonel Thomas Thornton, son of the above gentleman.

1756. The fairs, which had for several years been discontinued, on account of a distemper amongst

After the defeat at Culloden, Mr. Thornton and his lady went to court, where being seen by the king, who had noticed Mrs. Thornton, he was thus accosted by the monarch, "Mr. Thornton, I have been told " of the services you have rendered to your country, and your attach. "ment to me and my family, and have held myself obliged to you for "both; but, I was never able to estimate the degree of the obligation till now, that I see the lady whom you left behind you."

E

horned cattle, were this year, by an order of sessions opened again, and, have ever since been held as follows:

The first Wednesday after January 13.

The first Wednesday after March 12.

May the sixth, unless the same happen to be on

a Sunday, and then the day after.

The first Wednesday after August 12.

The first Tuesday after October 11.

The first Wednesday after December 10.

The Statutes, for hiring servants, on Wednesday before November 23.*

ABOUT the year 1700, two men clearing a piece of ground in a place called the Castle-Ings, on the south side, and near the edge of the Castle-Moat, discovered a piece of metal, which proved to be part of an iron helmet; after being carefully dug up, they found it to contain a large quantity of silver coin; and, in the midet, carefully wrapt in wool, were a number of gold coins.

* Fairs and markets, says Sir John Spelman, were first instituted by Alfred the Great; before which time, it was common for the Danes and Saxons, after the former had got footing in this country, to steal not only cattle, but also, to carry women and children from each others' lands, and sell them as slaves; and, it was frequently very tedious, if not impracticable, to find out the offenders, and bring them to condign pu nishment, by the sufferers proving their property.

ABOUT the year 1756, a large quantity of silver coin was found in a field near the high-road, about half-way betwixt Knaresbrough and Scotton-moor.

1758. A human skeleton was discovered by a man digging for lime-stone on Thistle-hill, near this town, which led to the discovery of the long-concealed murder of Daniel Clark, by Eugene Aram, and others; the circumstances of which, being too long for insertion here, may be seen in a separate pamphlet.

In the year 1762, as a workman was digging a cellar, on the north-side of the market-place, he discovered a small earthen vessel, filled with gold coins, chiefly of Henry VIII., and Edward VI.

SOME few Roman coins have been found here, particularly of the emperors Claudius and Constantine. As they were found in the vicinity of the castle, it confirms the opinion, that here was a fortress, in the time of the Romans. Copper and brass coins, or tokens, of different sizes and impressions, are frequently found in the gardens about the town, several of which appear to have been struck at Nuremburg, and probably brought into England in queen Mary's reign. Tradesmen's tokens are also very frequently found here, whose different inscriptions and devices, shew them to have been the particular coinage of individuals in this borough: In the centre of one of them is a crown,