## General DESCRIPTION of the COUNTY of HANTS.

Support; for it being an inland town, neither manufactures nor foreign trade are here carried on. The buildings, though not magnificent, yet have a venerable air of Antiquity, and the freets are broad and clean. The city is walled round, having fix gates, and is about a mile and a half in compats within the walls. Out of 32 parishes, which it once had, there are now but eight, besides the cathedral, which is very antient. The fee of Winchelher is one of the richest in England, and contains, besides Hampshire, with the Isle of Wight, the county of Surrey, and the Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. In the suburbs is Winchelher-college or school, founded by William of Wickham, for a feminity to New College in Oxford, with revenues for aarden, 10 fellows, two matlers, 70 scholars, &c. The markets here are on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the city is governed by a mayor, aldermen, &c. and fends two members to parliament.

10. Rumley, eight miles fourth-weft of Winchelher, an ancient town, governed by a mayor, recorder, lix aldermen, &c. and having a good market on Saturday.

11. Waltham, eight miles fourth-weft of Winchelher; is also a market-town.

12. Petersfield, 10 miles north-east of Waltham, a small well-built town in a low fruitful foil, furrounded with hills. It has a market on Saturdays, and fends two members to parliament.

13. Fordingbridge, on the borders of Dorfeshire, has a weekly market, and barges come up to the town by the Avon.

14. Southampton, situate between the two rivers Tees, and Itchin, 62 computed and 78 meafured miles fourth-weft of London. It is the chief town of the county, and gives name to it. The Danilh kings often refortified hither, and it was here that king Canute ordered his chair to be fet on the flore, as the tide was coming in, and forbad it to approach him, or wet the feet and clothes of its lord and mafter; which when it did, he rofe up, and gave a jult rebuke to his courtiers for their blaphemous flattery in making him more than human. It was a flourishing town in the time of the Normans, and was burnt by the French in the reign of Edward III. but rebuilt in a more convenient place, and strongly fortified. It had once a confiderable trade, which is now much decayed. It enjoys many privileges, and is a town and county of itself. It is encompaffed by a wall, and has five parishes-churches. The markets are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it fends two members to parliament.

15. 16. Farham 10 miles fourth-weft of Southampton, and Havant, about eight miles eoft of Farham, are both small market towns. Off the latter lie Haling and Thorny, two islands, with a parish-church in each. Salt is made of the fea-water in several places along this coast.

17. Portsmouth, five miles fourth-weft of Farham, and 60 computed and 73 meafured miles fourth-weft from London, lies in an island, called Portsea, 14 miles round at high water. It is joined to the continent by a bridge, is large, very populous and well built, and the freets fpanicious and regular. For fome ages this has been the place of general rendezvous for our fleets at Spithead, which is near it, when at war with France. It was burnt by the French in the reign of Richard II. but was soon after rebuilt, and fet out several fhipps of war, which very much annoyed the enemy, beat them at fea, entered the Sein, and burnt many of their fhips: after which the fortifications were enlarged by Edward IV. Henry VII. and VIII. and queen Elizabeth; fo that it is now one of the beft fortified towns in England, and of the greatest confequence, being furnifhed both with wet and dry docks, florehoufes, and all neceffaries for building, repairing, rigging and fitting out men of war, with fitable accommodations for a commif former and other officers to look after the navy royal; fo that it is a nurfery for feamen, one of the chief magazines of the kingdom, and a place of great trade. Though the town be well built, its chief beauty confills in the magnificence of its fortifications, harbour, docks, yards, office of ordnance, vietualling office, &c. Over againft it islands Gofport, a pretty large town, which has a market on Saturdays. The markets at Portsmouth are on Thursdays and Saturdays, and fends two members to parliament.

18. Ringwood, on the weft fide of New-Foreft, a long town, with a great market on Wednesdays.

19. Chriſt-church, about feven miles fourth-weft of Ringwood, at the meeting of the rivers Avon and Stour, a large populous borough-town which fends members to parliament.

20. Lymington, about eight miles eoft of Chriſt-church, a small but populous feaport town, flanding upon a hill oppoſite to the Isle of Wight in the narrow part of the freight called the Needles. The market is on Saturdays, and here is made excellent falt, which fupplies in great meafure the southern parts of England.

## GENERAL DESCRIPTION
OF
The COUNTY of HEREFORD.

Herefordshire is an inland county, nearly of a circular form, antiently reckoned a Welth, but now an English county, as well as Monmouthshire. It extends about 35 miles from eoft to weft, 30 from north to fourth, and is about 108 miles in circumference. It has Shropshire on the north, Worcesterſhire on the eoft, Monmouthſhire and Glouceſſhire on the fourth, and Radnorſhire and Brecknockſhire on the weft. Being formerly a frontier county againſt the Welth, it had many forts and caſſes, moſt of them now in ruins. It is divided into 11 hundreds, contains about 660,000 acres, has one city, two parliamentary boroughs, befides five other market-towns, and 176 parishes, and fends eight members to parliament. Its chief rivers are the Monow, Wye, Lug, and Frome, which abound with falmon, eſpecially the Wye, that are always in ſeafon. The air is healthful, and the people commonly live to a great age, infomuch that ferjeant Holfkins of this county, having entertained king James I. at his houſe, gave his majefy the diversion of a maurice dance by 5 old men, and as many women, whole ages together made up 1000 years. The foil is every where exceeding fruitful, producing plenty of excellent grain, and intermixed with rich paſtures, which feed abundance of cattle, eſpecially fheep, whoſe wool is much eſleemed. The wheat and barley are ſo good, that the Lemſter bread and Weobly ale are thought to exceed all in England. Here are alſo ſome medicinal ſprings, and quarries of excellent marble. But what renders this county particularly remarkable is its great plenty of fruit of all forts, eſpecially apples, from which they annually make ſuch large quantities of cyder, as not only to ſerve themſelſes, it being the general drink of the inhabitants, but alſo to furniſh London, and other parts of England; their Red-ſtreak, a fort of apple bear-ing that name, being exceedingly eſleemed. The places of chief note, as mentioned above, are,

1. Hereford, 101 computed, and 131 meafured miles north-weft of London, an antient city, thought to be founded by the Saxons in the time of Edward the Elder, as the name is of Saxon original, fignifying the ford of an army, which well ſuits with the ſituation, the Severn being four hundreds of years the frontier between the English and Welth, almoſt ever at war with each other, in which this place ſuffered ſo much, that at the Norman in-vafation it was almoſt in ruins. They rebuilt it, and for its defence erected a caſſe, which by its ruins, according to Leland, appeared to be one of the largeſt and ſtronſeſt in England. The city is pleafantly and commodiously ſituated amongſt delightful meadows, and rich corn fields, and almoſt encompaffed with rivers, viz. the Wye, and two others, over which are two bridges; that over the Wye being a fine ſtone bridge of eight arches. It had fix parish churches, but now only four, two being demolifhed in the late civil wars, the town being often taken and retaken by Charles I. and the parliament. The cathedral was deflroyed by the Welth in 1050, but rebuilt, as ſome ſay, in the Conqueror's reign, and others, in that of king Henry I. It is a beautiful, magniſcent ſtruſture; and the biſhop's palace, the cloſe with the dignitaries houſes, and the college of the vicars and chorifters, are pleafantly ſituate. The city is pretty large, but the houſes old, and the people ſew, their chief ma-nuſaſtture being gloves. The markets are on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; it is governed by a mayor, fix aldermen, a common council, &c. and fends two members to parliament.

2. Weobly,

## General DESCRIPTION of the COUNTY of HERTFORD.

fare to Cambridge, New-market, and St. Edmund's-Bury. It has a good market on Thursday. There are the ruins of a castle on the east side of the town.

8. Ware, seven miles fourth-weft of Stortford, in a watry foil, on the river Lea, has a fine fleet near a mile long, and many good inns; the high road being turned from Hertford through this town, in the reign of king John, much to the detriment of the former; and the improvement of the latter. Here is a handfome church, with a gallery for the children put out by the governors of Chrift's-Hofpital in London, to be nurfed here. The market, which is well frequented, is on Tuesday.

9. Hertford, two miles weft of Ware, and 21 north of London, situate on the Lea, is the county town, but of more eminence formerly than now; it having had five churches, which are now reduced to two. It is governed by a mayor, high-fleward, recorder, nine aldermen, a town-clerk, a chamberlain, 16 affiftants, and two ferjeants at mace; and the two members of parliament are chofen by all the inhabitants that pay to the church and poor. It has a very good market on Saturday, and the castle, now reduced to a good convenient feat, is thought to have been built by Edward the Elder. Here is a good convenient houfe for the nurfe-children put out by Chrift's-Hofpital, London.

10. Tring, on the weft borders of the county, where it adjoins to Buckinghamshire, has a small market on Friday.

11. Berkhamfted, or Great Berkhamfted, four miles fourth-eaft of Tring, has a market on Thursday, chiefly for malt. The manor and honour of this town are very extenfive, 53 adjoining towns in this and the county of Bucks, &c. being obliged to pay homage, and chufe conftables here.

12. Hempfted, or Hemel Hempfted, four miles eaft of Berkhamfted, has a great wheat market on Thursday.

13. Hodfdon, or Hoddefdon, four miles fourth of Ware, is a great thoroughfare, and has a small market on Thursday.

14. Hatfield, eight miles weft of Hodfdon, has a market also on Thursday, and is chiefly famous for a noble palace antiently belonging to the crown; but king James I. exchanged it with the earl of Salisbury's anceftors for Theobalds in this county, then a flately palace, but ruined in the civil wars.

15. St. Alban's, five miles weft of Hatfield, and 21 north-weft of London, near the antient Verulamium, or Verulam, a large populous city in the time of the Romans, from whose ruins it fprung, and was called St. Alban's from an abbey built in 703, in honour of Albinus, the firft martyr in Britain, who was put to death in the reign of the emperor Diocleefian. Here are three churches, St. Alban's, St. Peter's and St. Michael's: the firft formerly belonged to the abbey, and is an antient, large and beautiful pile, with many remarkable inscriptions and monuments. The market here is on Saturday, reckoned one of the greatest in England for wheat. The town is handfome, large, and populous, and a great thoroughfare; and the inhabitants have a peculiar power in themfelves, and a goal and goal delivery within the town. It is governed by a mayor, high fleward, recorder, 12 aldermen, a town-clerk, and 24 affiftants, and fends two members to parliament.

16. Watford, fix miles fourth-weft of St. Alban's, has a well frequented market on Tuesday.

17. Rickmanworth, three miles fourth-weft of Watford, an antient town, with a small market on Saturday.

18. Barnet, eight miles eaft of Watford, and 12 north-weft from London, flands on a hill, and is a great thoroughfare.

## GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF
The COUNTY of HUNTINGDON.

HUNTINGDONSHIRE, fo called beaufe antiently very woody and proper for hunting, has Northamptonshire on the north and weft, Cambridgeghire on the eaft, and Bedfordghire on the fourth. It is about 25 miles in length from fourth to north, and its breadth from eaft to weft is about 18; and it is about 67 miles in circumference. It is part of the large diocefef of Lincoln, contains 240,000 acres, 8220 houfes, and about 50,000 people; is divided into four hundreds, has 79 parifhes, and fix market-towns, and fends four members to parliament. The air in the north and eaft parts is not very wholefome or pleafant, by reafon of the feveral fens and moors; but in other parts it is very good. The foil in fome places is fruitful in corn, and there is much good pafture-ground in others. They have great plenty of fifh, water-fowl, and turf for firing. The chief rivers are the Nen and the Oufe. This county and Cambridgeghire have but one high-feriff for both, chofen alternately in the different counties, and different parts of them. Market-towns and other chief places of note are,

1. Huntingdon, 57 miles north of London, the chief town of the county, pleafantly situate on the north banks of the Oufe, over which it has a fine flone bridge. It is of great Antiquity, and was once very populous and large, having 15 parifh churches, after reduced to four, and in the late civil wars to two. It is governed by a mayor, 12 aldermen and burgeffes, who chufe the two members of parliament. It is a good place for inland trade, populous and well frequented; and the river is navigable for fmalfer veffels as high as Bedford. The town has a free grammar-school, and is noted for being the birth-place of Oliver Cromwell. Its markets are on Mondays and Saturdays.

2. St. Neots, or St. Needs, fix miles fourth-weft of Huntingdon, a pretty large, well-built town, with a good market on Thursdays for corn and provisions. Here is a large, handfome church, with a fine fleeple, and a flone bridge over the Oufe, by which river coals are brought hither, and fold through the country.

3. Godmanchefter, a little fourth of Huntingdon, fuppofed to be of great Antiquity, now a large country village, and fo remarkable for husbandry, that no town in the kingdom employs ſo many ploughs. When king James I. came through this place from Scotland, the inhabitants met him with 70 teams of horſes traced to handfome new ploughs; with which he was mightily pleafed, and incorporated them by the name of two bailiffes, 12 affiftants, and the commonalty of the borough of Godmanchefter: but it is no market-town, and fends no members to parliament; though reckoned the biggest town in England that has neither of thofe privileges.

4. Hinchinbrook, a little weft of Huntingdon, formerly a nunnery, after that the feat of the Cromwells, and now of the earl of Sandwich, to whom it gives the title of vicfoat.

5. St. Ives,