1

Mr. WOOLSTON defires us to fupply the following lines, by way of introduction to his fecond Sonnet, p.1036; referring to the lady it was addreffed to as an example of benevolence :

"My fair, Reader, whosoever you are, whofe tender heart can melt in fympathy, with misfortune and affliction, attend to the words of the Prince of Heaven-Go and do thoù likewife

"Then fhall the Mufe," &c.

Ib. 1. 9, read "pearl drops;" and, "fo foothe."

1. 13,

In the fecond Sonnet, 1. 31, read "The widow's bleffings all thy paths fhall'

:

ftrow."

Mr. URBAN,

TH

HE church of Stoke-Rochford, in Lincolnshire (of which the inclofed fee p. 1106. is a N. E. view), is five miles fouth of Grantham, and about a quarter of a mile on the right hand of the great road leading thence to London. It ferves for the parishes of Stoke-Rochford, North-Stoke, and Eafton, in the laft of which it is fituated, though generally called Stoke church. It is dedicated to St. Mary and St. Andrew, and is in the patronage of the prebendary of South Grantham, in the Cathedral of Salisbury.

a large flat flone measuring 8 feet by 4, with the figures of a man and woman cut thereon with a hield of three fl-ur-delis; Neville, This ftone is reported to have been brought from a field in NorthStoke, called Ganthorpe, where probably there was a chapel.

· Bifbop Sander for thus defcribes it, "a fair and well-built church, a beautiful chancel with three quires, and goodly windows, and fundry monuments" and Mr. Hollis enumerates many fhields of arms in glass of the families of Rochford, Gray, Hillary. Haftings, Ruffel, Tilney, Cromwell, Serope, Tibioft, and Neville. (in all 24 fhields.) The dimentions within are, the nave with the ailes 42 feet by 46-the chancel, including the fide chapels, 38 by 46. The Saxon arches in the nave, and the fharp-pointed arch in the fteeple denote antiquity. The chapel on the fouth fide of the chancel' was built by Ralph Rochford and his wife, in the year 14483; the north chapel, (the windows and pillars of which are extremely light and elegant), appears to have been built in the time of Henry VII. Between the pillars on each fide the communion table, is a large altartemb, with plain fhields, and no infcrip. tions; that on the fouth fide is ornamented with a foliated canopy of ftone. There is alfo an antient altar-tomb in the wali of the north chapel, with a Gothic arch ornamented with toliage, roles, &c, and I Sanderfon's Index, MS. 2 MS. in Museo.

3. Ibid.

There are three monumental flabs inlaid with brafs figures and arms very perfect. For Henry Rochford Efq. who died 1470. Sibella Seyni-John, who died 1493 And the following memorable infeription:

Pray for the foll of Maftyr Dlys entjohn (quiex loune unto y' right excellent hye anh myghty prynces Duchels of Som'let g'ndame unto ou' fove'gn Lorde Kynge Harre the WII, and for the foll of dame Clifabeth Bygod his wiff who dep'ted this tr'nfitore life y' xùi day of june i y’yere of ou’ lord m.cccct and iii.

The fouth-aile of the chancel is now ufed as a burying place for the family of Cholmeley of Eafton. There is a bandfome monument with figures and columns painted to refemble alabafter, and gilt, erected 1641, by Montague Cholmeley Efq. of Eatton, for his anceflors, fince 1632, and feveral other inural monuments of marble for that family. In the chancel are flabs for the Rev. Thomas Naylour, and the Rev. Thomas Lingley. In the north aile of the chancel, within an area paved with black and white marble, is a large marble monument with Ionick columns, and an urn at the top, erected by Sir Edward Turnor during his life-time, for himself and his wife, who died in 1679; to which are added, the deaths of others of the family fince the above period. The only arms in glafs remaining are ❝ Quarterly Or. and Gu, a border Table "Ermines, on a bezants", Rochford. crofs quarter-pierced Argent, four ferde-mortins Sable." Turnor.

Having thus, Mr. Urban, briefly defcribed this elegant country church, I fhall conclude with a fhort account of the family, from whom Stoke derives the appellation of Stoke-Rochford. From the time of Edward III (1344), to the 10th of Henry IV (1409), there were feveral of this family high Sheriffs of In this lat the county of Lincoln. King's reign flourished Sir John Rochford, whom Bale "commends for his noble birth, great learning, large travel through France and Italy, and worthy pains in tranflating Jofephus his anti quities, Polychromicon, and other good 4 De Scriptoribus antiquis.

authors

1794. Stoke-Rochford in Lincolnshire.-Alfreton in Derbyshire. 1185

authors into English ; but the laft of the family resident at Stoke feems to have been Henry Rochford, Efq. before mentioned, who died 1470, leaving an only daughter, Joan, married to Henry Stanhope, Efq. whofe grand-daughter and heir, Margaret Stanhope, married Thomas Skeffington, of Skeffington, in Leicestershire, Efq, who thus became lord of the manor of Stoke-Rochford. It was afterwards divided amongst the daughters of Thomas Skeffington, who, about the year 1638, fold it to Sir John Harrifon, of Balls, in Hertfordshire, Knt. who gave it in marriage, with his daughter Margaret, to Edmund Turnor, Esq. of Milton-Erneft, in Bedfordshire, who was knighted after the Reftoration, and made Stoke the place of his refidence.

Henry Rochford, Efq. the laft of the
family, married Elizabeth daughter of
Henry Lord Scrope, of Bolton, relict of
Sir John Bigod, Knt. She married,
thirdly, Oliver St. John, Efq, ancestor of
the Vilcounts Bolingbroke, who in his
lady's right poffelled the manor of Stoke-
Rochford, and, by will dated 1496," di-
reals his body to be buried in the quire
afore St. Andrew, in the parish church
of Stokes, and gives to Ralph Rochford
fuch lands and tenements as he purchased
in North-Stoke and South-Stoke."
Thus Leland fays, "Stoke a four miles
a this fide Grantham longith now to Maf-
ter Seynt-John," whom in another place
he defcribes "a black and big fe'low,
who died at Fonterabia in Spain." Bithop
Sanderfont, who vifited Stoke in 1641,
fays "the gate-houfe of the old hall was
lately part of it ftanding; and by it, taken
out of the ruins of the other part, a large
fcutcheon, cut in ftone with Rochford's
arms, and a helmet and cret, a man's
head with large curled beard and locks,
covered with a capot a pyramidal forms."
"There is a chapel yet ftanding belong
ing to this hall." This chapel, with a
fine Gothic window at the eail end, was
elegantly fitted up by Sir Edmund
Turnor, and ufed as a chapel during his
life-time, but has fince been deftro.ed.
Bishop Sander fon adds, "a little diftant
from the fite of the old hall, wellward,
arifeth out of the fide of a hill a goodly
fpring of clear water, (the largest that I
have ever feen in any place,) iffuing out

5 Collins's Peerage, Art. Bolingbroke.
6 Itinerary.
7 Index to MSS.

8 This is preferved in a building now erecting at Stoke-Rochford.

9 Sanderfon, ut fupra.

GENT. MAG. Supplement, 1794,

4

in fuch abundance, that it turneth a mill immediately at the very mouth thereof,' and meeting with the river of Witham giveth a good addition thereunto to Thus the antient appendages to a capital manfion, amill, a dove-coat, and a coneygreen, were had here in the greatest perfection. Yours, &c. D. R.

Mr. URBAN,

Dec. 12.

N the town of Alfreton, in De: by

miles from Mansfield, there is an I hire, peafantly fituated about nine excellent inn, built by the late G. Morewood, efq. lord of the manor, whole large poffeffions in this' place are now enjoyed by his relict, fince married to the Rev. Henry Cafe, who has taken the name of Morewood, and refides at the church. Little can be faid at this the hall, fome diftance South-weft of time of the hall, as it is undergoing a complete repair as well as confiderable alterations. The grounds are floping into lawns and, from the abilities of poffeffor, it will doublefs be a magnithe conductors, and liberality of the fcent ftructure when completed.

whether with truth I know not; but it is The town boafts great antiquity; no lefs than having been built by King antiquity. However, Robert was fon Alfred. It certainly retains very un certain memorials at prefent of remote to Ranulph, lord of Alfreton, who was remorte, founded the abbey of Beau one of the affaffins of Thomas-à-Becket; and, in his hoars of penitence and

chief.

St. Mary, and is a vicarage. As I have unluckily milaid or loft my notes of the The church (pl. III.) was dedicated to it as a particular favour if your refpectinfide of the building, I would efteem youred you with Dovedale) would, in able correfpondent H. R. (who has fabis vifit to Alfreton, indulge you with an account of what is remarkable there. His reicarches as an Antiquary have repeatedly enlightened and amufed

Yours, &c. J. P. MALCOLM.

Mr. URBAN,

HE remarkable fact mentioned by Dec. 30. your Cambridge correfpondent, p1000, is by no means novel, although perhaps it, may never have been noticed fending you a pretty long extract from by any of our travellers. But I recollect

1o Sanderson, ut fūprą.

Maffei's

fituati verfo il mare Baltico; il che fu ftudiofa mente riconosciuto da Frederigo IV. re di Dannimarca, che onorò con fua dimefa di dieci giorni la città di Verona nel 1708. Non s'inganna dunque il nostro popolo, quando per immemorabile ufo Cimbri chiama gli abitatori de que' bofchi e di quelle montagne."

Mr. URBAN,

Dec. 29.

Maffer's Verona illuftrata, in which he fpeaks at large of the defcendants of the Cimbrians ftill living in the mountains ncar Verona. This extract I tranfmitted you from Germany, I think in the fummer of 1792; but, not having feen your Magazines for that year fince my return to England, I am uncertain whether you ever received it. I therefore fend you a fhort extract from an abridgement of Mari, by which your correfpondented you with a lift of the porOUR correfpendent J. B, who fawill perhaps receive more accurate information. VIATOR A. traits of Shakspeare, and the engravings that have been made from them (p. 1068), enumerates, among others, that prefixed to Dr. Johnson's edition of that Poet's Works in 1765; but adds, that it cannot be ascertained at what time, or for truly defcribed it as engraved by Vertue; what work, it was engraven. He has and the fact is, that the identical plate was first used for Pope and Warburton's edition, in octavo, 1747; prefixed to which he will find it, it he has the good fortune to get a fight of a copy that has not been robbed of the head. Yours, &c.

"Non è stato fuor di propofito il diftenderfi alquanto nel racconto della fpedizione de' Cimbri, sì per diftinguerne i tempi ed i fatti, sì perchè oltre all' effere di quella famofa guerra il paese nostro stato teatro, un avango di quella gente rimale per fempre nelle montagne del Veronefe, del Vicentino, e del Trentino, mantenendo ancora in questi territorii la difcendenza, ed una lingua differente da tutti i circoftanti paefi. Si

è trovato Tedesco veramente effere il linguaggio, e fimile pure la pronunzia, non però a quella de' Tedeschi più limitrofi dell' Italia, ma a quella de' Saffoni e de' popoli

J. S. H.

The Duke of Bedford endeavoured to imprefs upon the Houfe the impoffibi lity of obtaining any one of the objects for which we are at prefent engaged in war, without a total change of the measures adopted by the exifting Government. He faid that, to make their Lordships more fully acquainted with the grounds to which he this day called