Johannes Gerveis de Thorpe Langton, Anno 20 Henry VIII, who married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Goodman de Luffinham, in Com. Rutland, whofe eldest fon Thomas, married Alicia, daughter of Holyoke, by whom he left John and Thomas*. The iffue of the fecond branch, William, feemed to live at Peatling Magna, in Com. Leic.

We come next to Eaft-Langton. In 20 Edward III, Robert de Westlangton held lands here, of the honor of Leicester. In 25 of that reign, Warine de Latimer was Lord of this Manor. Ralph, Lord Baffet, of Weldon, was feifed of certain lands here; and in 42 Edward II, took upon him a religious order. This is likewife in the parish of Church-Langton.

Not far from this, and ftill nearer the road, is Weft-Langton. At this place was born the renowned Walter de Langton, before fpoken of, who was confecrated Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, in 1296; was Lord Treasurer of England, and much favour'd by King Edward I; who granted him liberty of Free Warren here, and at Thorpe-Langton. He was a great benefactor to the Cathedral of Lichfield, and built our Lady's Chapel there, a stately and sumptuous piece of work. He compaffed the cloyster with a ftone wall, and beftowed a coftly fhrine to St. Chadd, which coft .2000. He ditched and walled the church all round, made a great gate at the weft end of the close, and another on the fouth fide. He built a great bridge in 1310, and a new palace at the caft end of the clofe. He repaired his caftle at Ecclefhall, his palace in the Strand, in London, and his manorhoufe of Shutburrow, and Haywood, in Staffordshire. He gave plate, jewels, copes, and vestments of great value to the church, and procured thereto many charters and privileges. He died 16th November, 1321, and was buried in the Lady's Chapel, Lichfield.

In the time of Ed. III, Thomas de Langton was feised of cer tain lands here. Of this family was John de Langton, a Carmelite Friar in London, brought up at Oxford. He lived in 1400, (1 H. IV.) and was the author of feveral books in Divinity.

This village is alfo in the parish of Church-Langton, which we now come to treat of.

In the reign of Ed. III, Tho. Lord Astley, Sir Ralph Hastings, Kt. in the right of Ifolda his wife, daughter and heir of Robert de

• Vifitation of Leicester, 1619, Muf. Brit. Bibl. Harl. 1180, fol.

57:

Sad

Sadington, and Sir Wm. de Burton, Kt. were feifed of lands here, held of the honor of Leicester.

In the 2d Hen. V, Tho. de Langton held lands here of the faid honor, who bore," azure, an eagle difplayed with two heads, or, a bend fable."

Turlangton is likewise in this parish, and has a Chapel.

The Church of Langton anciently belonged to the Abbey of Leicester. The Patron in Burton's time was George Afhby, Efq. of Quenby.

In the church is a monument of Tho. de Langton, with his arms above blazoned, and this, " argent, on a bend, fable, 5 bezants, or."

This has fince been remarkable for its worthy and charitable Rector, Mr. Hanbury.

"This excellent perfon, with a firmness of mind equal to the benevolence of his heart, feems to have brought to the utmost degree of Maturity and Stability, human affairs are capable of, this fingular undertaking, of railing from a plantation of all the various Trees, Plants, &c. the World produces, a yearly fund of near Ten Thousand Pounds, fufficient to relieve the diftrefs'd, inftruct the ignorant, affift the curious, adorn the parish, and benefit this and the neighbouring County of Rutland, as long as Integrity and Public Spirit fubfift in Britain, or dare to defy fingularity and cenfure. This generous defign claims a place here on a double account. We Antiquaries have great obligations to this liberal founder, who has appropriated part of this fund to the Compiling and Publishing a History of every County in England by a Profeffor appointed on purpose. An Effay upon Planting and Gardening, printed át Oxford, 1758, was his firft Publication. He propofes fpeedily to publish for the Benefit of this Charity, A Complete body of Planting and Gardening, in two Volumes Folio, Price Four Guineas. Plans for a Public Library and Garden at Church-Langton were published by the Rev, Mr. Hanbury, at Northampton, 1760,+ 8vo.t"

Such were the expectations raif'd by thefe immense designs! But they are fince alas! come to nothing. See Gough's Additions to Camden, Vol. II. p. 197.

But let us indulge for a moment in the vifions of the Poet.

This is fince done, and may be had of E. and. C. DILLY, in the Poultry.

See hiftory of the rife and progrefs of charitable foundations at Church Langton, by Mr. Hanbury, 1767, 8vo.

Anecdotes of British Topography.

On

"On yonder broad circumference of ground,
Where chilling clay diffus'd its damp around,
Within whofe bounds no luring charm was feen,
No tree to shelter, and no bush to screen,
*The rich Plantation now falutes our eyes,
And waves its foliage of enchanting dies."+

"On yon proud eminence where LANGTON ftands,
That yields a profpect of the richest lands,
There fhall the grand Collegiate CHURCH arife,
A welcome, free-will off'ring to the skies.
Gothic the ftyle, and tending to excite
Free-thinkers to a fenfe of what is right,
With length'ning ailes, and windows that impart
A gloomy steady light to chear the heart,
Such as affects the foul, and which I fee
With joy, celestial Westminster! in thee.
Not like Saint PAUL'S, beneath whofe ample dome,
No thought arifes of the life to come:
For, tho' fuperb, not folemn is the place,
The mind but wanders o'er the distant space,
Where 'ftead of thinking on the Gon, moft men
Forget his presence to remember Wren‡.”

"Now be the spacious HOSPITAL my theme,
Where Pity will diffufe its mildest beam.
There shall the aged meet with due relief,
And wipe, with joy wipe off the tear of grief§."
The grand MUSEUM there fhall ftrike the eye,
And furnish ftudents there with large fupply;
Teach 'em the virtues of the plants to know,
How beft to cultivate, where beft they grow;
Teach 'em the various properties, and pow'r,
Of every herb, and medicinal flow'r.

What Nature yields throughout her wide domain,
The wood, the rock, the hill, the vale, the plain,
Whate'er her fprings, and foffil mines produce,
There shall they learn, and learning teach their ufe.

There fhall a fpacious TEMPLE rear its head,
And o'er the walls immortal Painting spread

*Gumley Plantation.
Ibid. p. 140.

↑ Woty's Poems, p. 129.
Ibid. p. 145.

Her

Her facred Canvas. Pious pupils there
For meditation calm fhall oft repair,

And, to each martyr's fate familiar grown,
Learn from their ills in life to bear his own.

The SCHOOL fhall train each rude unletter'd youth,
His morals guide, and point the way to truth;
O'er the young thought its genial spirit pour,
And spread its bloffom to a beauteous flow'r.
As diff'rent minds with diff'rent parts are bleft,
Some dimmer, and fome brighter than the rest,
Improv'd by time, and form'd by culture's hand,
Here fhall they ripen, flourish, and expand:
And here fhall MATHESIS look Nature through,
Untwist eath knot, unravel ev'ry clew;
ANTIQUITY perufe Time's old records,

And GRAMMAR nicely poife her fcale of words.
Here too fhall BOTANY her task fulfil,
And give her rare proofs of vegetable skill;
Whilft Music, foaring to th' ethereal plain,
Defcends, and with her brings a nobler ftrain.
Here Art fhall reign, and Science ever grow,
And future ftriplings bend the Poet's bow,
Or tune his harp, and in harmonious lays
Sing their immortal benefactor's praise.

And oh ! my HANBURY! fhould they deign to join
(Tho' in the loweft breath) my name to thine,
My Name, which elfe might in oblivion lie,
Shall then revive-revive, and never die.

:

Proceeding forward we next pafs thro' Kibworth, in the fame hundred of Gertre. Here are two manors, distinguished by the names, Kibworth Harecourt, and Kibworth Beauchamp.

The former was fo called from the Harecourts, who were once Lords of this place; Sahere de Harecourt died feifed of it 50 Henry III. "Ecclefie de Kibworth patronus Willimus de Bello campo; Perfona H. de Mortuomari Inftitutus per H. Epifcopum Linc. percipiens totum et folvens dicto H. viginti nomine penfionis: Monachi Sancti Ebrulfi percipiunt de dominico Willielmi de

Harecourt."

This manor came afterwards to Merton College, in Oxford, 18 Edward II. The living is a Rectory, and is valued high in the king's books, viz. at 39. 155.

The church is a maffy old fpire, built of a reddish-coloured ftone, and is pleasantly fituated amidst fome trees, on a bold eminence, a little fouth of the village.

Here are no monuments, &c. worthy notice.

Kibworth Beauchamp, fo called, as being the ancient inheritance of the Beauchamps, Earls of Warwick; who (as it appears by inquifition in the Tower of London, 9 Edward II, after the death of Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and 2 Edward VI, after the death of Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick,) held the fame manor of the king, by Grand Sergeantry,* viz. to be chief Pantler to the King upon the day of Coronation. After that family became extinct, Queen Elizabeth gave this manor to Ambrofe Dudley, Earl of Warwick, to be held by the fame tenure. It is in the parish of Kibworth Harecourt. About the middle of the village ftands a large brick mansion within a spacious court, now appropriated to the use of a school.

Paffing onward we foon leave on our right the village of Carleton Curlew, fo called from the Curlews, formerly Lords thereof. In the 6th of Edward I, Roger le Zouch was seised of certain lands here. In 20 of Edward III, Henry Fitz Roger held lands here of the honor of Winchester. And in 44 of the fame reign, William de Wefton was Lord of this Manor. The Abbot of

This tenure is defined by Judge Littleton, to be where a man holds lands or tenements of the king, by fuch fervices which he ought in his proper person to perform unto the king; as to carry his banner, to be fewer, carver, butler, or fuch like office at his Coronation; and it is called grand, because it is a high fervice to be done to the perfon of the king. It is a fpecies of Knight fervice, for the king shall have wardship, marriage, and relief, 24 Ed. 3. (Tenures B. 19) but it differs from the common Efeuage (or Knight's fervice) in thefe points. Efcuage is not limited to any fpecial fervice, but this tenure is. Efcuage is to be done out of the realm, this with in it. Tenant by Efcuage fhall pay for a relief the fourth part of his yearly revenue, if he hold by a whole fee: this the full value, 11 Henry IV, 72. Efcuage may be held of a fubject, this of none but the king. Tenant in Efcuage fhall pay reafonable aid, for making the eldest son of the Lord, Knight, and for marrying his daughter; this tenant not. Tenant, by Efcuage fhall pay Efcuage, Tenant by Grand Sergeantry fhall not. There are of this tenure many feveral fervices, which are to be performed at the Coronation of the King; which (as appears by a long record, in Leland's Coll. Tom. I. fol. 299.) were performed at the Coronation of King Richard II.

St.