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GLoucestershire is made Fruitful by the River Severn, Branching almost unto all parts of it; it contains much Woodland and Gradual Hills, Feeding great store of Tame Cattle, and Venison. It abounds in Corn, Wool, Cheese, and Butter: On the North it is bounded with Worcestershire, and Warwickshire; on the East, with Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire; on the South, with Somer∣setshire, and part of the Severn; on the West, with Here∣fordshire,
and Monmouthshire. It Contains one City, a Bishops See, viz Gloucester, 30 Hundreds, divided into 280 Parishes, 27 Market Towns and 12 Rivers. It sends members to Parliament 8, viz Cirencester 2, Gloucester 2, Teuksbury 2, and 2 Knights of the Shire.
Gloucester City is the antient Gelenum of the Romans; In it Robert Brother to the Empress Maud, was kept Pri∣soner, being taken in the War against King Stephen; its Cathedral is of Excellent Architecture and much noted for its Whispering Place, wherin the least sound may be dis∣tinctly heard at a considerable distance: It was won from the Britains by Chewlin King of the West Saxons Anno Dom. 570 and in this City a Monastery of Nuns was Founded by Osrick a Saxon, wherin 3 Queens of the Mer∣cians were successively Prioresses.
In Alny-Isle, a place near Gloucester, was fought the Combate between Edmund Ironside the Saxon King, and Canute the Dane, and the division of the Kingdom ther∣upon made, as in his Reign will further apear. Ciren∣cester or Circester was an antient Station of the Romans; in it was born the Learned Thomas Rutham, some time Bishop of Durham. The next places of note are Dursly, Cam, Todington, Yate, Westbury, Sudly Castle, Tewksbury, in whose field the Fatal Battel was fought which ruined at that time the House of Lancaster Anno 1471, in which Prince Edward was slain, Queen Margaret taken Prisoner, and the Duke of Somerset Earl of Devonshire &c. Were Beheaded. At Aderly on the top of certain Hills are found Stones in the form of Oy∣ters, Cockles &c. and near Puckle Church is a Vein of blue Stone. At Lessington are Stones that represent Stars, of the circumferance of a single Penny, and the thickness of half a Crown, they grow together in Columns about 3 or 4 Inches long, and being singly put into Vinegar, they naturaly move, and tend towards union. The Seats of the
Nobility are Badminton and Wallastons Grange, seats of the Duke of Beaufort; Stowel, a seat of the Earl of Strafford; Berkely-Castle, a seat of the Earl of Berkley's; Campden-House in Campden, a seat of the Earl of Gainsboroughs; Overnorton, a seat of the Lord Viscount Say and Seal's; Corfe-Court and Cockbury, seats of the Lord Coventry; Glocester Pallace, the Bishops seat: It has in it also a great many Parks, Forrests, and all accom∣modations for Recreation, &c.