1752. A DESCRIPTION of WARWICKSHIRE. moft dexterity, and very happily threw was cut. And after giving us some extracts from his lordship's writings, our author fays, that while either faction or freedom remains in this country, this great man's writings will have their merit and their use. This they always had; but what I would be understood to mean is, that they will have it now in an advanced and extraordinary degree. Death, in removing him out of the reach of envy, and the rage of jealoufy, has extended the utility, and fixed the immortality of his writings. Their reputation will now reft upon their own merit, without fuffering any diminution from the failings of their author.- My pen has been employed in fhewing you this is no panegyrick; but a juft tribute to merit, and the rest of the world will gradually learn this from the writings themfelves, which will be now read with lefs prejudice and more refpect. His writings are the MONUMENTS which he confecrated to pofterity; and though he is now no more, THESE will laft FOR EVER. 491 try; has one city, one borough, 12 other market-towns, and fends fix members to parliament; thofe for the county being at prefent Sir Charles Mordaunt, Bart. and the Hon. William Craven, Efq; It is divided into five hundreds, and is reckoned to contain 670,000 acres, in which are 158 parishes and about 22,000 houses. The air is pure, and the foil rich, yielding all things necessary to supply the wants of nature in cloathing, firing, and food. It is divided into two parts by the river Avon, which runs thro' it: That called Feldon is fruitful in corn and grafs; and the northern, called Woodland, is woody, and has iron mines. In short, the counB ty abounds with black cattle and sheep, excellent cheese and butter, coals and timber. Coventry is an ancient city, 74 computed and 90 measured miles N. W. from London; and tho' it is fituate within the confines of this county, yet it is exempted from its jurifdiction, as being a county of Citfeif, having feveral towns and villages annexed to it. The city is governed by a mayor, recorder, and 10 aldermen, and fends two members to parliament, who at prefent are William Grove and Samuel Greathead, Efqrs. and gives title of earl to the family of Coventry, who are also viscounts Deerhurft. As a county, they have two fheriffs, a steward, coroner, D two chamberlains, two wardens, and other officers. The markets are on Wednesdays and Fridays. The ftately cross here is well known. Tho' here are buc three parish churches, here are four fpires, there being at the fouth end of the town a tall fpire by itfelf, the only remains of a church that belonged to a monastery of grey friars. (See a large and particular defcription of this city, with the ftory of lady Godiva's riding thro' it naked, in our Magazine for June last, p. 251, 252 where our readers may also see a beautiful Folio VIEW of its SOUTH PROSPECT.) E And our author concludes his account of this great man, with telling us, that he died, Nov. 15, 1751, then wanting but one of fourscore, and after having refided for feveral years, and breathed his laft in the ancient family feat at Battersea, a circumstance he earnestly wished; and took care, by his laft will, to fecure F his writings from oblivion or interpolaion. A Defcription of WARWICKSHIRE. With a new and correct MAP. ARWICKSHIRE has Northampton Whire and Leicestershire on the aeft, Worcestershire on the weft, Saffordshire on the north, and Gloucesterfhire and Oxfordshire on the fouth. It is about 35 miles long from north to fouth, 26 broad from east to west, and 125 in circumference. It lies in the diocefes of Worcester, and of Litchfield and Cover G Warwick, about 9 miles fouth-west of Coventry, is the county town, and gives name to the fhire. It is a very ancient corporation, and by the laft charter granted them, they are termed a bailiff and 12 principal burgeffes, &c. tho' in common they are called the mayor, aldermen, &c. It fends two members to parliament, who at present are the Right Hon. the earl of Hillsborough of the kingdom of Ireland, and Henry Archer, Efq; The town is built on a fteep rock, at the bottom whereof runs the Avon, over which here is a strong, handsome stone bridge. Their cellars are cut out of the rock, whofe height from the river is 40 foot, but on the north fide it is even with 492 A DESCRIPTION of the town. You have a fruitful cham- Its B market, which is very large, is on Satur- ftill fhewn in the caftle, where was for- D The other market-towns are, 1. Shipfton, in the fouth parts, which has a trade in cloth. Tho' but a small town, it has a good market on Saturdays, for corn, provifions, and sheep, from which Jaft fome think it had its name. It has a E bridge over the Stower. wick, a very good town, with a market on Thursday. It has two churches, and is well filled with houses, and inhabitants. Its chief commodity is malt, of which it makes great quantities. It has a stone bridge of 14 arches over the Avon. It 5. Aulcefter, 6 miles W. of Stratford, an ancient but fmall town corporate, and formerly of greater trade than now. has an indifferent market on Tuesday. It was anciently a Roman ftation, and Roman coins, &c. have been dug up here. 6. Henley, 6 miles N. E. of Aulcester, a fmall town, with a mean market on Mondays. 7. Coleshill, 14 miles N. of Henley, a fmall but neat town, feated on a hill by the river Cole, over which it has a large ftone bridge. It has an indifferent market on Wednesday. 8. Birmingham, 7 miles W. of Colefhill, has a dry fituation on the fide of a hill, is large and very populous, and full of iron and steel manufactories, especially of the fmaller forts, which are fent in great quantities to all parts of the world. It is one of the muft noted towns in England in that way, and employs abundance of hands, fo that here is a continual noise of hammers, anvils, files, &c. It has a very large market on Thursdays for live cattle, corn, malt, and other provifions. It is greatly improved and enlarged of late, by many new buildings both publick and private. 9. Sutton-Colfield, 7 miles N. of Birmingham, almoft in the extream part of the county northward, a small town, fituate in an excellent air, and among pleafant woods, tho' but in a barren foil. It has a market, tho' not very confiderable, on Mondays. 10. Atherton, 4 miles S. of Stratford, a pretty good town, with a small market on Tuesdays. 2. Kyneton, or Kineton, 8 miles N. E. of Shipfton, an ancient town, but of no great repute, with a fmall market on Tuesday. Near it lies Edge-Hill, from whence there is a delicious prospect over the neighbouring valley; but it is chiefly remarkable for the first battle fought there between king Charles I. and the parlia-feated on the banks of the Avon, where ment, in 1642, when the victory was claimed by both fides. The valley is called the Vale of Red-Horfe, because the Country people cut out the shape of a horfe on the fide of the hill upon a red foil; and a neighbouring freeholder is obliged by his tenure to keep it clean. 3. Southam, 7 miles N. E. of Kineton, G an indifferent town, fituate in a fertile foil for corn. It has a market on Mondays well furnished with corn and provifions, and alfo confiderable for cattle. 4. Stratford, commonly called Stratford upon Avon, 7 miles S. W. of War 11. Nun-Eaton, 8 miles N. E. of Coventry, a long town, with an indifferent market on Saturdays. Here was formerly a nunnery, from whence the name. 12. Rugby, 9 miles N. E. of Southam, with a flender stream it enters this county. It has a bridge over the river, is a fmall town much inhabited by butchers, and has a good market, especially for meat, on Saturdays. Leamington, about three miles from Southam, is noted for a falt fpring. Newnham Regis, about the fame distance from Rugby, is remarkable for medicinal springs, which feem to flow thro' alum mines: They are diuretick, good for green wounds; drank with falt, laxative, and with fugar, reftringent. JOUR 493 1752. I shall now give you a Debate we had Mr. Prefident, W WHEN I frf, moved for this bill, I gave my reafons at large why I thought fuch a bill neceflary at this time, and I had the good fortune to find, that they were fuch as prevailed with the houfe to give leave for bringing it in; therefore, in order to obtain the concurrence of the houfe with the motion I am now to make, I fhould not think I had any occafion to repeat what I then faid, but that I find there are now feveral gentlemen prefent who were not then in the house; and as they are gentlemen, whofe approbation I hall always be proud of having, I hope the houfe will give me leave to refume, as briefly as poffible, what I before troubled you with upon this head, and to add fuch other reasons as have fince occurred to me. The advantages which accrue to a nation from an extenfive commerce, I can have no occafion to explain, as they are fo well understood by every gentleman in this houfe; but I mult obferve, Sir, that as we are fituated in an ifland, befides all the advantages which we have in common with other nations, we derive from an extenfive commerce, an advantage which no other nation can from thence acquire; I mean that of Mr. AB-.-.. November, 1752. a fecurity againft being invaded or attacked. It is to this we owe our fuperiority in naval power, and whilft we preferve this fuperiority, we can fit fecure at home, at the fame time that we are wracking our vengeance upon any nation that dares to give us offence. It is therefore more the intereft of this nation than of any other, to cultivate an extensive commerce, and to prevent every thing that may dininih our own, or incre fe that of any of B our neighbours. Now, Sir, among all the modern improvements, there is not any one that has contributed more towards the enlarging of commerce, and engaging people even of fmall fortunes to become merchants, than that of an eafy and fate meCthod of infuri..g whatever a man ventures in that way; and in this I rejoice to fay, that we have at prefent the advantage, I believe, of every nation under the fun. There is no country, at least to far as my knowledge reaches, where an infurance for any fum may be fo easily purchafed, or where the lofs, in cafe any fhould happen, may be so fately and so speedily recovered, as at prefent in this country; and of this, I think, it is a plain proof, that all the nations in Euro e are daily fending commiflions to London for infurance. D E |