East Hundreds on the north and east. Its fee is now in the Crown. On entering this division from East Hundred, the first village we come to is EDITHWESTON, a village of farm-houses, with a very ancient church. The light Gothic spire of this edifice is deserving of notice, and the antiquarian tourist will also observe an ancient mansion close to the church, which seems to have been the manorhouse; it is very low, like most of the mansions of the Elizabethan age, and has some very curious Gothic door-ways. It is probable that the church was in existence at the foundation (or soon after) of an Alien Priory of Benedictine monks, cell to the Abbey of St. George at Banquerville in Normandy, to which it was given by William de Tankerville, Chamberlain to King Henry I.; * and it is not unlikely that the ancient mansion, close to it, is part of the old priory, particularly from its very venerable. appearance. About the 14th of Richard II. this priory was conveyed to the Carthusians of Coventry, and as part and parcel of their possessions was given in the 4th of Edward VI. to William, Marquis of Northampton; and from him it passed through the Herberts to the family of Halford, which had been seated here for nearly two centuries. There is little else here to interest the tourist, unless he has a taste for botany, which may be gratified by a search after the Parnassia Palustris, or Grass of Parnassus, which is found in all the marshy meadows, and also the Dipsacus Pilosus, the small wild teasel, or shepherd's rod. NORMANTON, which once stood near it, is now completely depopulated, nothing remaining but its venerable little church, which stands separate from all other buildings in the grounds of Normanton House. Its appearance is interesting, its little Gothic turret peeping out from a shrubbery; yet it is impossible not to deplore that false taste, which, in order to form a smooth lawn, • Tanner's Monasticon. lawn, will drive away the simple villagers, and level their rustie cots with the ground where their humble ancestors repose. This place was celebrated by Dyer in his " Fleece," as particularly favourable to sheep, Mr. Dyer, however, had not to lament a depopulated village; nor is it perhaps a source of unhappiness to the once humble inhabitants, as the present benevolent landlord seems to have attended to the comfort of his industrious dependents residing in the neighbouring cottages; yet still the impression produced by an isolated church, is of that sombre kind to excite the tear of sympathy, and the sigh of regret for miseries, perhaps imaginary. This place is not mentioned in the Norman Survey, but soon after the Conquest was the property of the family of Normanville, then settled in the county of Kent, and from whom it evidently took its name. Their heiress general carried it to William de Basings about the time of Edward II. whose family had their residence here, part of which was probably in the ancient manor-house, which appears to have been two stories high with two wings, and an advanced porch, the roof being ballustraded *. From the Basings it passed to the Mackworths, afterwards Baronets, and from them was purchased by an ancestor of the present Sir Gilbert Heathcote, Bart. The modern residence of NORMANTON HOUSE stands in a park containing about 400 acres, well planted with about two thousand large timber trees, principally oak, ash, beech, and The ancient town-house of this family, in the metropolis, was situated where Blackwell Hall now stands, and gave name to Basinghall Street and ward. and limes, whose shade and foliage have a very fine effect; and some parts are pleasingly scattered amongst broken grounds, though the park in general is on a dead flat. The mansion is an elegant modern edifice of white stone, with a centre of fine elevation and two wings; both fronts being in a style of great architectural beauty, and the interior presenting a rich scene of modern elegance throughout. From the Hall, which is light and airy, and contains some good statues, we proceed to the Library, an elegant room fitted up with sofas, and the books so covered with handsome chintz curtains that it has more the appearance of a dressing room, than an apartment occupied for purposes of study. Passing through the Small Drawing Room, which is fitted up with studied elegance, we enter a Dressing Room, in a simple style of ornament, and containing a portrait of the late amiable and lamented Mrs. Duff, and four small, but handsome, landscapes. The Dining Room is a very superb apartment, with a vaulted and stuccoed ceiling, in compartments. Over the fire-place is the original painting of the present Lady Heathcote, in the character of Hebe, the engraved copies of which have been so much admired in the London print-shops. Here is also a very handsome painting of Moses found in the bulrushes, evidently by an artist of considerable skill, though unknown. The Drawing Room is a most brilliant apartment, fitted up with embossed gold paper, with gilt borders and mouldings; the chairs are of light blue satin, with white flowers; and the whole is extremely light and elegant, without being gaudy. The State Bed Room is in a style of simple magnificence; the bed of white and gold, with the furniture and ornaments of the walls to correspond; the Dressing Room belonging to it is also a handsome specimen of modern taste, and the ceiling in particular is very fine, being elegantly painted in treillage and foliage. The Back Drawing Room has a pleasant bow-recess, and is fitted up with spotted Chinese paper, with crimson pannels on which are laughing and sporting Cupids in chiaro scuro, and interspersed with pannel slips of plate-glass. Each suite of apartments, on both floors, has doors which throw open a vista from end to end; and as there are large plateglass mirrors at each extremity, the reduplicated effect is extremely fine. The Gardens are modern, and not very extensive; but the Grounds are neatly laid out, and have some very fine prospects in different points of view. The botanist who rambles through Normanton Park, and its vicinity, will be much pleased with the various specimens of a very scarce plant, the Gentiana autumnalis fugax, or later autumnal Gentian. LYNDEN lies between Edithweston and Manton, but is not mentioned in the Norman Survey, though in the reign of Edward II. it was a Royal manor. Edward III. granted it to Robert de Corby and Joan his wife; but in the reign of Henry IV. it was the property of John Deneys, from whom it went through Payton and Hunt, until it was purchased by Sir Abel Barker and Thomas Barker, his brother, who left both the manor and advowson to Sir Thomas Barker, Bart. who appears to have built the house, from the date 1675 on an ancient chimney-piece in one of the apartments. The Hall is now the property of Thomas Barker, Esq. and is an antique edifice, in the style of the early part of the seventeenth century. The interior of the house is a good specimen of old English comfort, without any of the appendages of modern frippery. On an old chimney-piece is carved a characteristic motto of "Aureum quisquis mediocritatem Dilegit, tutus caret obsolete Sedibus tecti, caret evidanda Sobrius aula." and and one of the lower apartments is peculiarly interesting, from containing an original painting of the celebrated Whiston, who was maternally great grandfather of the present worthy possessor of the mansion. He is drawn with his finger lifted, his left hand holding a book, and his countenance deeply in the act of philosophic cogitation. This portrait was executed by a lady, of whom Horace Walpole says, "Mrs. Hoadly, whose maiden name was Sarah Curtis, was disciple of Mrs. Beal, and a paintress of portraits by profession, when she was so happy as to become the wife of that great and good man, Dr. Hoadly, afterwards Bishop of Winchester. From that time she only practised the art for her amusement; though, if we may judge of her talents by the print from her portrait of Whiston, the art lost as much as she gained. She died in 1745." Near him also hangs a picture of his daughter, and of her husband, the learned Thomas Barker, Esq. a frequent and intelligent correspondent of the Royal Society. He, and his learned fatherin-law, seem indeed to have dedicated great part of their time, whilst at Lynden, to philosophical pursuits and observations. Mr. Whiston, in the Phil. Trans. Vol. III. gives an extraordinary account of two mock suns, and a curious halo, seen here in 1721; and in the XLVIIth volume of the same work, there is an account of an extraordinary phænomenon seen here on the 15th of September 1749, which resembled a water-spout, communicated by Mr. Barker. It passed over Seaton field, crossed Glaiston and Morcot, towards Pilton's town end; split an oak tree, sixteen inches in diameter; and passed off between Edithweston and Hambledon. Another mineralogical phænomenon, or rather discovery, took place here in 1780, when, in digging a trench for the laying of a drain, a great number of pieces of Talc were dug up in a stiff blue clay; and we understand, that talc has also been found in various other parts of the county. The church, which is a small Gothic edifice with a neat tower, stands at the back of the hall, and in its simple burying-ground |