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WARVVICK-SHIRE (so called from her Shire-towne) is bounded upon the North with the Countie of Stafford;* 1.1 upon the East, with Watling-street-way is parted from Leicester-shire, and the rest border∣ed upon by North-hampton-shire: the South part is butted by Oxford and Glocester-shires; and all her West with the County of Worcester.
* 1.2(2) The forme thereof is not much unlike to a Scallop-shell, growing from her Western-head, and spreading her body wider, with many indents. The length thereof from Newton in the North,* 1.3 to Long Compton in the South, are miles thirty and three: and the broadest part of this Shire, is from Hewell grange in the West, unto Hill-morton in the East, distant a∣sunder twenty-five miles; the whole in circumfe∣rence, about one hundred thirty and five.
* 1.4(3) This Shire is sited neere unto the heart of all England, & therfore participates with her in the best both for aire and soil, wanting nothing for profit or pleasure for man. The South part from Avon (that runneth thorow the midst of this County) is called the Feldon,* 1.5 as more champion and tractable to be stirred for corn, wch yeerly yeeldeth such plentifull harvest, that the husbandman smileth in beholding his pains, & the medowing pastures with their green mantles, so imbrodred with flowers, that frō Edg-hil we may behold another Eden,* 1.6 as Lot did the Plain of Iordan, before that Sodom fell. The Woodland lieth upon the North of Avon, so called in regard of the plenty of Woods; wch now are much thinner by the making of Iron, & the soil more churlish to yeeld to the Plough.
* 1.7(4) The ancient people that possessed this Province, are by Ptolemies descriptiō called the Cornavii, wherin after were seated the Mercian Saxons, a part of whose Kingdome it was, & greatly sought after by the West Saxons, whose King Cuthred about the year of Christ Jesus 749. in battle slew Ethelbald at Seckington neere unto Tamworth.* 1.8 And not farre from thence King Edward 4. as unfortunately sought against that stout make-king, Richard Nevil Earle of Warwicke: neere unto which, upon Blacklow hill, Pierce Gaveston (that proud and new raised Earle of Cornwal) was behead∣ed by Guy Earle of Warwick assisted with the Earls of Lancaster and Hereford. And surely, by the testimony of Iohn Rosse and others, this County hath been bet∣ter replenished with people; who maketh complaint of whole townships depopulations, altogether laid waste by a puissant Armie of feeding sheep.
(5) Notwithstanding, many faire Towns it hath, and some of them matchable to the most of England. The chief thereof is Coventree, a City both stately for building, and walled for defence: whose Citizens ha∣ving highly offended their first Lord Leofricke, had their priviledges infringed, & themselves oppressed with many heavy tributes; whose wife Lady Godiva pi∣tying their estates, uncessantly sued for their peace, and that with such importunacy, as hardly could be said whether was greater, his hatred, or her love: at last overcome with her continuall intercessions, he granted her suit, upon an uncivil, and (as he thought) an unacceptable cōdition, which was, that she should ride naked thorow the face of the City, and that o∣penly at high noon-day. This notwithstanding she thankfully accepted, & performed the act according∣ly enjoyned: for this Lady Godiva stripping her self of all rich attire, let loose the tresses of her faire haire, which on every side so covered her nakednesse, that no part of her body was uncivill to sight, whereby she redeemed their former freedoms, and remission of such heavy tributes. Whose memory I wish may re∣main honorable in that City for ever, & her pity fol∣lowed by such possessing Ladies. This City had grant to chuse their yeerly Magistrates, a Maior & two Bai∣liffes, and to build about and embattle a wall, by K. Edward 3. whom Henry 6. corporated a County of it self, & changed the names of their Bailiffs unto She∣riffs: and the wals then were built as they now stand; thorow which open 13. gates for entrance, besides 18. other Towers thereon for defence. At Gofford gate in the East hangeth the shield-bone of a * 1.9 wild Bore, farre bigger then the greatest Oxebone: with whose snout the great pit called Swanswel was turned up, and was slain by the famous Guy, if we will beleeve report.
(6) Next unto this City in account & commerce, is Warwick, upon the North-west banke of Avon, built by Gurgunstus the sonne of Beline, as Iohn Rosse, Monk of the place, saith, 375. yeares before the birth of Christ: by Ninius called Caer-Guaruic and Caerleon; by the Saxons, Warryng-wyc; and by learned Cambden judged to be PRAESIDIUM, the Roman Garisons Towne. The situation of this place is most pleasant, upon a hill rising from the River, over which is a strong and faire Stone-bridge, and her sharpe streame upon the Towne side checked with a most sumptu∣ous and stately Castle, the decayes whereof, with great cost and curious buildings, the right worthy Knight Sir Foulke Grivel (in whose person shineth all true vertue and high nobilitie) hath repaired: whose merits to me-ward I do acknowledge, in setting this hand free from the daily imployments of a manual trade, and giving it full libertie thus to expresse the inclination of my mind, himselfe being the Procurer of my present estate.
It seemeth this Town hath been walled about, as appeareth by the Trench in some places seen, and two very faire gates whose passages are hewed out of the Rock, as all other into the Town are: over whom two beautifull Chapels are built; that towards the East cal∣led S. Peters, and that on the South-west, S. Iames.
Two faire Churches are therein seated, called S. Maries, and S. Nicholas: but these in, and about the Towne suppressed, S. Laurence, S. Michaels, Iohn Baptist, and Iohn of Ierusalem, beside the Nunnery in the North of the Town: whose North-Pole is eleva∣ted in Latitude 52. degrees, 45. minutes, and is sea∣ted from the first point in the west of Longitude, 18. degrees and 45. minutes, being yearly governed by a Bailiffe, twelve Brethren, twenty-foure Bugesses for Common Counsel, a Rocorder, a Town-clerke, and one Sergeant their Attendant.
(7) Places of most memorable note observed in this Shire, are Shugbury, where the precious stone Astroites is found: Of-Church, which was the Palace of great Off a the Mercian, and the buriall-place of S. Fremund his sonne: Chesterton, where the famous Fosse-way is seen. At Leamington, so far from the Sea, a Spring of Salt-water boileth up: and at Newenham Re∣gis most soveraigne water against the Stone, Greene wounds, Vlcers, and Impostumes, and drunk with Salt looseth, but with Sugar bindeth the body: and turn∣eth wood into stone, as my selfe saw by many sticks that therein were fallen, some part of them Ash, and some part of them Stone: and Guy-cliffe, where the famous Earle Guy, after many painfull exploits at∣chieved, retired, and unknown, led an Hermits life,* 1.10 and was lastly there buried.
(8) The chiefest commodities in this County grow∣ing, are corn, wherof the Red-horse Vale yeeldeth most abundantly; wools in great plenty; woods and iron, though the producer of the one will be the destu∣ction of the other. Such honorable Families as have bin dignified with the Earldome of this Shire-townes name since the Normans Conquest, in the Map it selfe are inserted, and by their severall names expressed.
This County is strengthened with eight strong Ca∣stles, traded with fifteen Market-towns, inriched with many faire buildings, and by the devotion of many Nobles, had many foundations of religious Monaste∣ries therein laid. The chiefe were at Stoneley, War∣wick, Thellisford, Roxhall, Balshall, Killingworth, Coven∣tree, Combe, Nun-eaton, Asley, Atherston, & Pollesworth; all which came to their period in the reign of King Henry 8. when their rich Revenewes were alienated to his use, and those stately buidings either overtur∣ned or bestowed upon his Courtiers: but yet to Gods glory, and his divine service, one hundred fifty eight Parish-Churches therein remain, dispersedly seated in the five Hundreds of this Shires division.