Disputed whether a Roman Station—Destroyed by the Danes.

DUGDALE, but most of the great antiquarians, as CAMDEN, BAXTER, STUKELEY, SALMON, and BARTLETT,* admit as credible the account of Rous; and assert not only that Warwick was originally a British town but that it was afterwards a Roman Station. This account, they think, is greatly confirmed by one of its ancient names, CaerGwar, derived, they say, from a British word, signifying præsidium, a garrison: and is still further confirmed by the situation of the place-which is on a fine rocky elevation, such as was usually chosen by the Romanson the banks of the Avon, where, TACITUS affirms several fortifications were actually erected-in the very center, too, of the island, like the Præsidium in Corsica-and closely adjoining to the Fosse Way leading from Cirencester, and uniting with the great Roman Road, called Watling Street. A situation so happily adapted to all the purposes of a military station, it may well be supposed, could scarcely be overlooked;|| and some have even ventured to give it, as their opinion, that Warwick is the Præsidium Romanorum, mentioned in the NOTITIA IMPERII; where, it is said, a cohort of Dalmatian horse was placed, under the immediate command of the Dux Britanniarum. But this last opinion, though supported by most of the great antiquarians, just enumerated, can

STUKE

CAMDEN GOUGH's Ed. v. ii. p. 444. BAXTER'S British Antiquities. LEY'S Itin. Curios. II. 20. SALMON's Surv. of the Rom. Stations, p. 489. BARTLETT'S Hist. and Ant. of Manceter, p. 6.

Dr. STUKELEY thought he discovered traces of an encampment, on the east side of the river, in a field opposite to the Castle. It. p. 20.

§ Not. Imp. Sectio. LXIII. "Sub dispositione viri spectabilis ducis Britanniarum, Præfectus equitum Dalmatarum, Præsidio,”—Præsidium is not mentioned in the Itinerang of ANTONINUS; but Mr. WARD and the learned HORSELEY suppose the Præsidium of the Notitia to be the Prætorium of the Iter, and they fix the place of it, not at Warwick, But at Broughton, in Lincolnshire, New Survey, p. 493, Brit. Aut. 481.

Repaired, and the Castle founded by Ethelfleda.

only be received, and indeed, is only given, as purely conjectural.*

AFTER the establishment of the Saxons in Britain, the town of Warwick continued peaceful and prosperous, till at length it was destroyed by the Danes. It speedily rose, however, to more than its former consequence, under the auspices of ETHELFLEDA, the accomplished daughter of the great King ALFRED, and the inheritor, in a high degree, of her father's genius and enterprizing spirit. By this Princess, who was married to ETHheldred, Earl of Mercia, the town was completely repaired and considerably enlarged and improved: and by her, also, the foundation of the Castle was laid in 915; which soon became the residence of the reputed Earls§ of those times, and proved of important consequence in securing the peace, not only of the town itself, but of the whole surrounding country,

THUS re-edified, enlarged, and embellished, by the cares of that active and spirited Princess, and defended by its newly-erected fortifications, Warwick enjoyed long and uninterrupted repose: till it was doomed once more to sustain dreadful injuries, from the incursions of the Danes, under CANUTE, in the year 1016, This was

* It is curious to observe how very far the strength of confidence is sometimes suffered to out-run the strength of evidence. IRELAND, in his Pict. Views on the Warwickshire Avon, p. 133, thus expresses himself, "Warwick, it is well known, was called by the Romans, Præsidium."

See HENRY's Hist. of Eng. v. iii. p. 93. See also SPELMAN's Life of Alfred. They were either deputies or lieutenants to the Earls of Mercin, or else officers immediately appointed by the King. Gough's Cam. v. it. p. 444. Dugdale, Orig. Edit. P. 298.

Fortified, and the Castle strengthened by order of William I.

the last instance of its suffering from hostile attack: and, in tracing the early history of Warwick, it will be thought not a little remarkable that, from its foundation to the period of the Norman conquest, the town was either greatly injured, or totally destroyed, no less than six successive times; nor can a more decisive proof be de⚫manded of its ancient consequence, than that it should have been so often assailed and destroyed, and as often repaired or rebuilt. From all the injuries it suffered, in the last attack of the Danes, the town quickly recovered: and, at the era of the Conquest, it is not only mentioned,* in Domesday Book, as a borough “ burgus" containing 261 houses; but was also evidently regarded as a place of considerable strength and importance.

Ar that period, the name of its Earl or Vicecount, was TURCHILL, a nobleman of great power and vast possessions in this and the neighbouring counties. As the

conqueror, in order to secure his newly-acquired authority had determined to repair the fortified places, and to erect others in various parts of his dominions; TURchill was directed by him to fortify the town and the castle of Warwick. In pursuance of this order, the town was surrounded with strong walls and a ditch: and the castle was strengthened and enlarged-which, till that time, consisted of little more than the keep or dungeon. On this occasion, four houses, belonging to the Priors of Coventry, were demolished.

For an extract from Domesday Book of all that relates to Warwick, see Appendix, No. 1.

A long catalogue of his numerous Estates, amounting to no less than 48, may be seen in DUGDALE, Orig. Edit. p. 302 and THOMAS's Edit. p. 376-7.

Ancient Churches and other Edifices.

THESE original fortifications were afterwards repaired, and the pavement of the town was begun in the reign of EDW. I. by GUY DE BEAUCHAMP, though not finished till long after; who, in order to defray the expense, obtained from that prince and from his successors, patents for receiving a certain toll upon all commodities, brought for sale at the public markets. Some remains of these fortifications were visible in the time of LELAND, who began his Itinerary in the reign of HENRY VII. 1538. "The towne of Warwick" says he," has beene right strongly ditched and walled, having the compasse of a good mile within its walls. The dike is most manifestly perceived from the castle to the West gate; and there is the great crest of earth that the walles stood on. Part of the walles neere the gates are yet seene. The East and West gates still remaine. The north gate is downe. The strength of the bridge, by

the castle, stood for the South gate.'

THE religious edifices of Warwick, those, at least, established by public authority, were in former times much more numerous, than in the present. But this difference is nearly compensated by the introduction of other places of worship, which, tho' not established or supported, are, however, wisely and liberally protected by the state. Besides the two churches of St. Mary and St. Nicholas, which now remain; there were formerly one dedicated to All Saints, within the precincts of the castle; another to St. John the Baptist, in the market place; a third to St. James, over the West gate; a fourth to Saint Peter, over the East gate; a fifth to St. Sepulchre, where the Priory now stands;

Itin. vol. iv. p. 61.

Religious Institutions dissolved—Represented in Parliament.

a sixth to St. Helen, near the Bridge-end; and two others, to St. Michael and St. Lawrence, the former at the lower end of the Saltisford, and the latter at that of the West Street. There were, also, besides the Priory, a Nunnery, a House of Templars, a Hospital for the reception of strangers, called St John's, all situated near St. Nicholas Church: a hospital for Lepers, near St. Michael's; a House of Preaching Friars, commonly called the Black Friars, near the West-street, and two Guilds, or Lay Fraternities, at the upper end of the same street.

Of the original foundation, and subsequent history of these various ancient edifices, little is known; but it appears that, in the reign of Edw. III. the churches of St. John, St. Michael, St. Lawrence, St. Peter, and St. James were falling fast into decay; and that some of them were, besides, without the convenience of ground for sepulture. It was found, also, that the church of St. Mary, together with that of St. Nicholas, was of a size sufficient to accommodate all that usually resorted to the public services of religion. To these two churches only, by an ecclesiastical decree, bearing date 1367, all the inhabitants were, therefore, required to repair, for the purposes of public devotion. The other churches were then abandoned to their fate; and, in the progress of time, by decay and dilapidation, most of them disappeared, leaving not a trace behind. The other religious or charitable institutions continued till the time of the Reformation, when they were all dissolved.

Ar what period of time Warwick began to send Members to Parliament, cannot be ascertained. From the Rolls of Parliament, however, it appears that it