Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-02-22

tnan hermitage, eXcept ne cnouiu poinVVu'"
churchyard: hermitages, in times past, being
not only places of religious retirement, but Of
burial, too and it has scarcely ever been heard
Of but that every cell known contains, or con-
tanned, these relics of humanity; some mutt
lated, and some entire. do mot inform, but
give me leave sto remind your lordship, that
here sat solitary sanctity, and here the hermit,
or the anchoress, hoped that repose for their
bones, when dead, they here enjoyed when liv-
ing.
"l. The bones, as was supposed, Of the Sax
on st. Durbritius were discovered buried in his
cell at Guys Cliff, near Warwick, as appears
from the authority of Sir William Dugdale.
so. The bones thought to be those oi the
anchoress of Rosia, were but lately discosered
in a cell at Royston, entire, fair, and spndecay-
ed, though they must have lain inferred for
several centuries, as is proved by DR.. Sukeley
"3. But our own county, nay, almost this
neighborhood, supplies another instance; Tor,
in January, l747, were found by Mr.. Stovln,
accompanied by reverened gentleman, the
bones in part of some recluse, in the cell at
Lindholm, near Hatfield. They were believed
to be those of William of Lindholm, hermit,
who had long made this cave his habitation.
"a. In February, l744, part of Woburn
Abbey being pulled down, large portion Of a
corpse appeared, even with flesh on, and which
bore cutting with knife; though 1T is Ger
tain this had lain above two hundred years, and
how much longer is doubtful; for this abbey
was founded in las, and dissolved in 1888 or %.
"What would have been said, what believed,
if this had been an accident to the bones ia
question!
Further, my lord it is not yet out of liv-
ing memory, that, a little distance from Knares-
borough, in field, part of the manor of the
worthy and patriotic baronet who does that
borough the honor to represent it In Parliament
were found in digging for gravel, not one hui
man skeleton only, but FIVE Or six deposited side
by side, with each an urn placed on its head,
as your lordship knows was usual in ancient
intcrments.
" About the same time, and in another field
almost close to this borough, was discovered,
also, in searching for gravel, another human
skeleton but the piety of the same worthy
gentlemen ordered both pits to be filled up again,
commercially unwilling to disturb the dead.
is the invention of those bones forgotten,
then, Or industriously concealed, that the dis
covery of these in question may appear the
more singular and extraordinary whereas, in
fact, there is nothing extraordinary in it. My
lord, almost every place conceals such remains.
In field in hills, in highway sides, in CON-
mons, lie frequent and unsuspected bones. And
our present allotment Of rest for the departed
is but Of some centuries.
"Another particular seems not to claim o
little of your lordship's notice, and that Of the
gentlemen of the jury which is, that perhaps
no example occurs of more than one skeleton
being found in one cell; and in the cell in ques-
ton there was but one; agreeable in this to
the popularity of every other known cell in
Britain. Not the invention of one skeleton,
then, but of two, would have appeared sus-
picious and uncommon.
" But it seems another skeleton has been dis
covered by some labourer, which was full as
confidently averred to be Clarke as this My
lord, must some of the living, if it promotes
some interest, be made answerable for all the
earth has concealed, or chance exposed And
might not place where bones lay be mentioned
by person by chance, as well as be found by q
labouror by chance! Or, is it more criminal
accidentally to name where bones lie, than acci-
dentally to find where they lic1"
He then advorts to the damage found to
have been inflicted upon the skull, which he
shows might have been occasoned in tho course
of the rsvages committed at the Reformation
Moreover, what gentleman here is ignorant
that Knaresborough had la castle, which, though
fallen to ruins, was once considerable, both fol-
its strength and garrison! All know it wal
vigorously besicged by the by the arms of thC
Parliament; at which siege, in sallies, conflicts
fights, pursuits, many fell in all places round it
and where they fell were buried for every
place, my lord, is burial earth in war ant
many, questonless, of these rest yet unknown
whose bones futurity shall discover.
81 hope, with all Imaginable submission
that what has been said will not be thought i'm
pertinent to this indictment and that it viii
be far from the wisdom, the learning and thu
integrity of this place, to impute to tho liyiRs
what zeal in its fury may have done; what ma
ture may have taken off and piety,interred ; OIL
what war alone may have destroyed, alone de-
posted. .....
"As to the circumstances that have been raket
together, have nothing to observe but tina
} all circumstances whatsoever are precarous, ,ant
have been but too frequently found amentabl,
fallible; even the strongest have failed. The,
may rise to the highest degree of probability
J yet are they not probability still. Why need
, name to your lordship the two Harrisons, re
, corded in DR.. Howell, who both suffered upol
| VI
, circumstances, because Of the sudden disappear
, ance of their lodger, who was in credit, ha'
contracted debts. borrowed money, and went Of
unseen, and returned again great many year
after their execution! Why name tho intrieat
affairs of Jacques de Moulin, under King Charlie
H., related by gentleman who was counsel 70
the crown and why the unhappy Coeman,w ,wb
suffered innocent, though convicted upon posi-
t tive evidence and whose children persisted fror
want, because the world uncbaritably believe
0 the father guilty. Why mention the perjur
: Of Smith ,incautiously admitted king sevdence
9 who, to screen himself, equally accused Fail
3 cloth and Loveday of the murder OF Dun, th
1 first of whom, in l749, was executed at VIII
chester, and Loveday was about to suffer q
Ir, II III