The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-12 00:00:00

SALE of the KEYNSHAM ESTATE

The estates of Keynsham cleave not to their master
Though they have been in the hands of the Chandos
Dukes since the time of the Sixth Edward, they are now
evanishing from their possession, fading like the subtle
illusion of the Arabian mirage from the sight and remem -
brances of Buckingham. Nevertheless, the prices
realised by the Duke for his broad acres were certainly
fine equivalents, as will appear on statement that the
Keynsham property, consisting of 1,183 acres of land,
laving. on its superfices sundry farm-buildings, public-
houses, quarries of limestone, and two wharfs, the yearly
rental of which is estimated at 3,0001. per annum, pro-
duced, even though some few lots were bought in by the
proprietor, the handsome sum of 70,000/. One lot, which
consisted of no more than 44 acres, number 47 in the
Auction Catalogue, sold for the golden heap of 4,000 5
while lot 56, containing only a couple of roods and two
and twenty perches, realized no less than 3001. Soil of
Golconda could scarce fetch more.
The property thus disposed of on Wednesday and
Thursday last at Bristol, lays claim to no trivial an-
tiquity.
In the time of William the Conqueror, Keynsham had
the following description :
" The Kingholds CAINESHAN. In the time of King Ed-
ward it gelded for forty hides. The arable is one hundred
carucates. Thereof are in demesne fifteen hides and a
half, and there are ten carucates, and twenty servants,
and seventy villanes, and forty cottagers, with sixty-
three ploughs. There are six mills of sixty shillings
rent, and one hundred acres of meadow, and one hun-
dred acres of pasture. Wood one mile long, and as
much broad. It renders one hundred and eight pounds
by tale. It did render fourscore pounds."
The legendary history of this estate will perhaps be
read with interest.
Keynsham, say the Monkish Chronicles of the four-
teenth century, derived its name from one Keyna, a Bri-
tish virgin, in the year 490, daughter of Prince Bra-
ganus. This charming lady, when she arrived at years
of maturity, attracted multitudes of admirers, and manswere the noble persons who sought her in marriage. All
overtures, however, fell unheeded upon her ear, for sh*
had consecrated her virginity by a perpetual vow:.
Therefore the Britons called her Keyn-Wyryf, which,
means, by interpretation, Keyna, the Virgin. With a
mind prone to sacredness and solitude, Keyna deter-
mined to seek some solitary spot or wilderness where
she might fence herself round about with a holy privacy,
and dedicate her days to praise and devotion. Tying on
her broidered sandals, 'she journied along till she came to
the blue waters of the Avon, and after searching about
the greenwoods of these parts, found a woody and se-
cluded spot, which pleased her greatly. Whereupon she
forthwith made a request to the Prince of the country,
that she might there be permitted to pray and live holily
in peaceful retirement. " Ready am I," said the Prince,
" to grant you your request, fair Virgin, but, truth to say,
the place so swarms with deadly serpents, that neither
man nor beast can live therein." To which the Virgin
replied that she firmly trusted she should be able to
drive all the venomous brood out of the country. Here-
upon the place was granted her. Now Keyna was a
chaste and holy maid, abounding in the viours of
prayer, and strong in the fervencies of the spirit. As
Aaron lifted up the serpents in the wilderness, :o Keynas,
by the mighty efficacy of her prayerfulness and continual
implorations, was invested by heaven with supernatural
gifts over the serpentry that glided about the place like
flames of fire, and the celestial spells with which she
thus became armed extirpated the entire brood of deadly
amphisbwna.s. Thus, continues the Chronicle, Keyna
drove out all the serpents, and to this day, continues the
Monk, the stones in Keynsham resemble the windings
of serpents through all the fields and villages, as if they
had been so framed by the hand of the engraver, going
by the name of Cornua Ammonis, or snake-stones.
Keynsham came into the hands of the Chandos family,
of which the present Duke is the last representative, in
the time of Edward the Sixth, in the sixth year of his
reign (1552), it being then granted to Thomas Bridges,
in consideration of the sum of 9221.25. 2ad. This Thos.
Bridges was the second son of Sir Giles Bridges, of
Coberley, in the county of Gloucester, and brother of
Sir John Bridges, created Baron Chandos, of Sudeley
Castle, in Gloucester, April 8, 1554—a family which de-
rived their origin from a younger branch of the old
Montgomeries. This Sir Thomas was of the Court of
Henry the Eighth, and one of those who attended the
King's funeral, bearing the dragon-standard,
In the sale which was made on Thursday, besides the
stone quarries, particular reservation was made of the
tithes and advowson of the parish, and from parcels in
the original deed of conveyance, which was that time
given by the King to the above-mentioned Thomas
Bridges, and which, up to this time, have remained in
the hands of the Duke of Buckingham, will be seen of
what this reservation consisted. Accordingly we find
therein conveyed, " All that the rectory and church of
Keynsham, and right of patronage of the same, and all
tithes called the Strewe-Tything ; also all houseq, lands,
barns, tithes, glebes, tithes of grain and hay, and all
other tithes, as well as oblations and profits belonging to
the said rectory; also all the tithes of Chewton," &c. &c.
When, therefore, it is considered that so great a reser-
vation of patronage and monetary profit is still retained
by the Duke of Buckingham, this, and the simulta-
neous transfer into his coffers of so rich a plomb as
70,0001., will very materially tend to stifle many hard
longings after the mills, quarries, and cavitiesb of Keyn-
sham.

JAMES HATFIELD AND THE BEAUTY OF
BUTTERMERE.—We are old enough (says a Contem-
porary) to remember when the fate of James Hatfield
and the Beauty of Buttermere made a greater sensation
in England than any public event. All were interested
in it. The story is new revived, and although facts are
not literally adhered to, they are' not more departed from
than might have been expected, and the whole are corn-
bined,and the subject is altogether managed with such
skill and talent as to produce a very entertaining work,
which, from its nature, will, we have no doubt, be most
extensively read. Mr. Cruikshank has been in his hap-
piest mood in illustrating the work, and he evinces more
than ever his usual taste and judgment. The reader
will find much amusing matter respecting the highest
personages of the period in which the catastrophe hap-
pened. Lord Camelford figures appropriately in the
work, and the Prince Regent, Tom Moore, &c. appear
on the scene, with that celebrated beauty, wit, arid dis-
sipated lady, the Duchess of Devonshire.