Page images
PDF
EPUB

714

The Brerewood Family, of Place Houfe, Bucks.

whom they were redeemed. Among this collection are many articles, fome of which, probably, may be deemed worthy of the public eye, as well as the originals of others that have received the public admiration in Mr. Urban's Mifcellany more than fifty years ago. Such as in vol. VII. p. 760, Verfe to Charles Lord Baltimore, written in Gunpowder Foreft in Maryland; vol. XIV. p. 46, Winter; vol. XVI. p. 157, Spring; ib. p. 265. Summer: by Thomas Brerewood, Efq. clder and only brother of the above, who died in 1748.

Thomas, the father of these two brothers, the younger of whom, Francis, died ten years ago, at the age of eightytwo, was the grandfon. by a fecond mar. riage, of Sir Robert Brerewood, Knight, who was chofen Recorder of his native city, Chefter, 15 Car, 1. 1639; and in 1643 was created one of the Judges of the Common Pleas.

The ancestor of this family were citizens of Cheft r, and for fome time had held large poffeffions there. They had repeatedly filled the offices of Mayor, Aldermen, and Sheriffs of this city; wherein Robert Brerewood, the grandfather of Sir Robert, died in the year 1600, in his third Mayoralty. He is denominated Wet-glover. The following very excellent character is given of him by William Webb, in Daniel King's Vale-Royal of England, or County Palatine of Chester, folio, 1656, Part II. P. 43:

"Upon the South fide of the chancel of this church (the Abbie of St. Werburgh's in Chefter) ftandeth a fair chappel. At the upper end of this chappell lyeth the body of a late famous citizen, Robert Brerewood, Alderman, and thrice Maior of this city; of whom I find no other monument there, fave onely his coat, creft, and ftreamer, advanced over him, the words whereof are, Labore, Prudentia, Equitate, which were well fitted to him, in whom thofe virtues were all eminent. And I fuppofe that I can here lay a foundation for as lafting a monument of him as can be made of mettall or ftone to make it more knowen, that he was the happy father of a well-known fon, that learned Edward Brerewood of Oxford, whofe furpaffing progreffe in the ftudies of all manner of learning, the Univerfity doth yet, and for ever will, ring loud of; and Gresham Colledge in London, where he was Mathematisal Reader, will to the world's end bewail

*Some Antiquities touching Chefter, by Sir Peter Leicester, Eart. London, 1672, p. 187.

[Auguft,

the want of: whom, by an untimely death, it pleafed God to deprive the world of, before he had finished, or at least before he had taken order for prefervation of, fuch learned labours of his, as, if they were publied abroad, fhould make the world be

bolding to Chefter, the nurse of fuch a father which begot fuch a fon."

The fecond fon of Robert Brerewood laft-mentioned was Edward, the famous fcholar, of Brazen-nofe College in Oxford, who was afterwards chofen the firft Profeffor of Aftronomy in Gresham College, London, the author of feveral learned works, fome of which were publied by his nephew Sir Robert after his deceafe, which happened on the 4th of November, 1613, by a fever, in his 48th year. Edward Brerewood is mentioned in high encomium by Dr. Fu ler †, in his "Worthies of England;" where his name is fpelt Bierwood.

An elder brother of Edward was Jon 1, the father of Sir Robert, who, as Sir Peter Leicefter § tells us, was Sheriff of that city, though his name ap

*The following books, written by him, are taken from Ward's "Profeilors of Grefham College," fol 1740, 74, 75

1. De Ponderibus et Pretiis Veterum Nummorum, eorumque cum Recentioribus Col

latione, Lib. 1. Londini, 1614, 4to.
2. Enquiries touching the Diversities of
Languages and Religions through the chief
Parts of the World. Lond. 1614, 23, 35,
4to; 1647, &c. 8vo.

3. Elementa Logicæ, in Gratiam ftudiofæ Juventutis in Academia Oxonienfi. Lond. 1614, 15, &c. 8vo.

4. Tractatus quidam Logici de Prædicabilibus, et Prædicamentis. Oxon. 4to, 1628; 1638, &c. 8vo.

5. Tractatus duo: quorum primus est de Meteoris, fecundus de Oculo. Oxon. 1631, 38, 8vo.

6. A Treatife of the Sabbath, 1611. Oxf. 1631, 4to.

7. Mr. Byfield's Anfwer, with Mr. Brerewood's Reply. Oxford, 1631, 4to.

8. A fecond Treatife of the Sabbath; or, an explication of the Fourth Commandment. Oxford, 1632, 4to.

9. Commentarii în Ethica. Ariflotelis. Oxon. 1640, 4to.

10. A Declaration of the Patriarchal Government of the Antient Church. Oxford, 1614, 4to.; Lond. 1647; Bremen, 1701, 8vo. +Folio, London, 1662-Chester, 190.

Not the fon of Robert, as is reprefented by A. Wood, Athenæ Oxon. vol. 1.

Some Antiquities touching Chester, by Sir Peter Leicester, bart. London, 1672, P. 187. pears

pears to have been omitted in the lift of thofe officers. Sir Robert Bierewood was twice married; firft, to Anne dau. of Sir Randle Mainwaringe, of OverPever, in that county, who died in 1630: his fecond lady was Katherine daughter of Sir Richard Lea, of Lea and Dernhall, in Cheshire, and left feveral chil dren by each of them He died in 1654, at Chefter, aged 67 years, and lies buried in St. Mary's church there. Lady B. * furvived him thirty-feven years.

The large property of which Sir Robert Brerewood died poffeffed, which was faid to be not lefs than 8,000l. a year, was fecured by him in tail male, on the iffue of both marriages. The laft heir by the first marriage died in 1748, without fuffering any act to bar the entail; a furviving fifter took poffeffion of the property, to whom Francis Brerewood, it would feem, was unknown. She took the most quick methods to alienate the property, regardless of the remonttrances of her friends, or the will of her ancestor. That Mr. Brerewood was neceffarily involved in various fuits at law, in queft of his right, is a fact well known, I believe, to many learned gentlemen of the last, as well as of the prefent age; and which may be feen from ftated cafes, anfwered in his favour by fome of the firth names in this century, and now in my poffef fion. How hard is his cafe? Some doggrel verfes, I have fomewhere seen, are not inappofite to his fate :

"Nor Blackstone any pleafore brings; His rights of perfons and of things Would make us beggars were we kings." Plate II. prefents a Weft view of Place-houfe, in Horton, near Colebrook, Bucks. The manor of Horton did belong to the Scawens, who fold it fome time ago. Sir Thomas Scawen, knt. Alderman of London, appears to be the Jaft owner of it of that family. It is now in a widow lady of the name of Hickford, whofe hufband's father is faid to have kept an affembly-room in Brewer ftreet, Golden fquare, and to have purchafed the manor of a Mr. Cook, of Beaconsfield. This manfion was occupied by Thomas Brerewood the elder, the beginning of this century; it appears to have been built about the early part of Elizabeth's reign, and was moated round. The Brerewoods laid out

a

See Doctor Edmund Mainwaringe's Letters, where he mentions Ladic Brerewood, Topogr. vol. 1. p. 74.

large fum of money in improving the houfe, garden, and canals, which lie below the bed of the river Coln, from which they are feparated only by a bank. They purchafed from the proprietors of the adjoining mills leave for an opening to feed the canals from the main river, at the expence of no lefs a fum than 3ool. In the extremity of the garden, from the earth dug out in forming thefe canals, they made a mount, whofe perpendicular height is about 18 feet; at the bafis of which is a leaden canifter, containing fome coins of the time, with the names of the family and friends who were prefent at the ceremony; and, be ing young men of fpirit and fashion, they did much improve this old manfion to the taste of the times. Across the priacipal canal they threw an arch, on which they built an elegant pavilion, which was fitted-up with mach expence of furniture, carving, and gilding, as a library. This edifice did not long furvive the old houfe, being quite cleared away fome years. The garden walls are built of remarkably large brick, 15 inches by 71, made from a bed of clay found there at the time of digging and enlarging the canals, which the gardener facs, are deemed in measure equal to an acre of land. After this family left Horton, the houfe, wanting repair, was occupied by Mayhew, a gardener, for near forty years, who rented the garden-grounds.

Six years ago the houfe was taken down, being in ruins; the fite of it and the gardens is fix acres, let to Mr. Cox for 22. 10. per year.

The houfe did join, as may be feen by the plate, to the South fide of the tower of Horton church.

The church is an old building. From the Roman femicircular arch on the front door, which is well preferved with its waved or zigzag mouldings, we may venture to pronounce this church to be built in the twelfth century, if not be fore, as, what we now call the early Norman architecture, was totally difused arter the time of Henry III. viz. 1250; when the Saracenic pointed arch, commonly called the Gothic, prevailed.

church, with a boarded floor which opens In a chapel on the North fide of this in the middle, is the family vault of the Scawens; but, from its prefent decayed and neglected state, we may infer that this family allo is no more.

In the centre of the chancel lies the mother of our immortal Milton, who

716

Fête at Gibraltar in Honour of Prince Edward.

died in the 29th year of the Poet. On a blue fab are thefe words. Heare lyeth the body of Sara Milton who died 3d of April 1637; and, on her right-hand, a worthy and much-efteemed clergyman of this parish in thefe words, Robert Nanney, 1734

From a drawing in my peffeffion, I find the arms of Brerewood thus blazoned: Ermine, two pails vairé, Or and Arg. on a chief, Az. a bezant between two garbs, Or. Creft, on a wreath, two fword in faltire, Gules, pomels and hilts Or, piercing a ducal coronet proper.

I

Yours, &c.

C. P.

[Auguft,

attachment to their Sovereign and his family, in the perfon of their roval guest, as well as their efteem and regard to His Royal Highnefs himself, their comrade and fellow foldier; and thefe teftimonies in the prefence of the commanders and officers of the fquadrons of the principal maritime, and the confuls of the commercial, nations of Europe.

IN

A CONSTANT READER.

Mr. URBAN, Gibraltar, May 30. Na corner of Europe fo remote from England as this is, we cannot account for the unfavourable reprefentations which are faid to have been circulated

there refpecting his Royal Highness Prince Edward; we, however, know that theie calumnies can only find credit

amongst thofe who are ftrangers to a character which pronrifes to be an ornament to the nation. His condu&t, whilst

menito

here, has been tranfcendently
rious; and, were we to enquire what
young man in Gibraltar has fhewn him-
felt to be the melt correct, attentive, and

Mr. URBAN, Gibraltar, June 3. PROMISED you an account of any thing remarkable that occurred here. The very evening of my arrival in the Refiftance man of war, in company with the Ulyffes, prefented a fcene, new not only in this part of Europe, but rarely feen even in the most populous cities; and I am very glad to have an opportu nity of tranfinitting you an accurate and authentic defcription of the Fete given on that evening to His Royal Highnefs Prince Edward, upon his being about to depart hence for Canada. The account is drawn up, and the drawing made, by Capt. Fyers, of the Royal Engineers, an old and valuable friend of mine, well known to many of your friends in Eng-deferving their applaufe, was very conland for his fervices in America, and who was the projector of that part of the entertainment given in the ruinous barrack, which was fitted-up by him agreeable to his own elegant defign, a copy of which I fend you to be engraved (Jee pl. III.); and which fhews him to be equal ly adroit in the faloon of Apollo as in the field of Mars*.

The entertainment coft 1,800 dollars, or about 250!. fterling, and the expence of converting the ruinous barrack into a fupper room amounted to Soo dollars, or about 1121. ferling; both together making an expence of only two guineas to each officer: an offering made with the utmost alacrity upon this occafion, where at once was to be thewn their refpect and

*As the difpofition of the niches and pilaftres on the fides of the room were neceifarily adapted to the doors and windows of the ruined walls, it was impoflible to attain uniformity; and, as the general effect only was attended to, it is not calculated to país the ordeal of criticifm as if the edifice had been meant for permanence. W. FYERS.

diligent, in the di'charge of his duty, as well as the most regular and temperate in his private hours, the aniwer must be "Prince Edward." That he poffefies equally the art of conciliating the affections of his brother-officers, with that of

picuoufly manifefted by the fplendid compliment they paid him previous to his departure for Canada. They had agreed, as a mark of their attachment to, and refpect for, His Royal Highness, to give him a ball and fupper; for the conofficer. The Hotel de l'Europe being ducting of which each corps deputed an fixed on for the place, a temporary communication was contrived between that

The

and the ruins of an adjacent barrack,
which was fitted-up with fingular ele-
gance for the fupper-room at the expence
of the fubfcriber. (fee plate III.).
ball-room (of itfelf an extreme handfome
one, and which was befides decorated
with the colours of ten regiments,) was
crowded with company a little after
eight o'clock. It was remarkable, that
the fhips, deftined to carry the Prince and
his regiment to Quebec, arrived, with a
confiderable number of officers from Eng-
land, on the very day appointed for this

entertainment. The whole of the officers
of the British navy and army here, those
of the Dutch and Portuguese fquadrons,
and all the ladies in the place (who ap
peared

[graphic][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Temporary Building erected at Gibraltar in honour of Prime Edward

« PreviousContinue »