NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Original by W. Nellis from an original drawing by N. Turner.

Dated from May, 1757, by S. Walter, Nt., Rosemary Street, London.

PETERBOROUGH.

PETERBOROUGH

IS a small city in the county of Northampton, on the river Nen, 81 miles N.W. from London. In this place (then a village called Medefhamfted) Wolphere, king of Mercia, A. D. 655, laid the foundation of a flately monaftery, dedicated to St. Peter, which, after his death, was carried on by his brothers Penda and Ethelred, and their two sifters Kinaburgha and Kinefwith. In this monaftery the Abbot of Croyland and his monks, flying for refuge from the Danes in the year 870, were overtaken and murdered in a court, afterwards called the Monks' Church-yard, on account of their having been all interred there, and to this day may be seen the tomb-flone, with their effigies, which was erected over their common grave. In the Danifh defolations, however, this building was demolifhed, its inhabitants deftroyed, and it lay in ruins for above 100 years, when it was reflored in greater beauty by Ethelwold Bifhop of Winchefter, with the affiſtance of King Edgar, and of his chancellor Adulph, who became abbot of it. Thus it continued an abbey-church till the Diffolution, when Henry VIII. made the village a city, the abbot a bifhop, and the monaſtery a cathedral, with a chapter, confifting of a dean and fix prebendaries, who are lords of the manor, and elect all the city officers. Though formerly in the diocéſe of Lincoln, it now became a diocéſe of itself, comprifing the counties of Northampton and Rutland.

PETERBOROUGH has one parifh church befide the cathedral, which is a moſt noble Gothic fabric, and was much more fo before it was defaced in the civil wars. The weſt front, which is 156 feet in breadth, is ſupplied by three of the talleſt arches in England, and is particularly to be admired for its column-work. The cloifter is large, and the windows ſtained with ſcripture-hiftory, the hiftory of Wolphere the founder, and the ſucceſſion of its abbots.

In this cathedral is a memorandum of one John Scarlet, the fexton, who interred Queen Catharine, wife of Henry VIII. and 50 years afterwards, Mary Queen of Scots. He lived 95 years, and is recorded as having buried the whole parifh twice over.

The city is governed by a mayor, recorder, and aldermen, by a charter of Henry VIII. dated September 4, 1541, and fends two members to Parliament. The prefent repreſentatives (1797) are, Richard Benyon, Eſq. and the Hon. Lionel Damer.

After the town of PETERBOROUGH became a city, it was dignified with the title of an earldom in the perſon of John Lord Mordaunt, created Earl of Peterborough by Charles I. 1627. This title ſtill remains in the family of the Mordaunts, who are Earls both of Peterborough and Monmouth.

As a bifhopric PETERBOROUGH is the pooreſt, as a city the ſmalleſt, though as a town one of the oldeſt in England.

The river Nen, over which it has a wooden bridge, is navigable to it by barges, which bring coal, corn, &c. The air is faid to have been formerly unwholſome on account of its vicinity to the fens, but theſe having lately been drained, a better circulation of air has been procured, and the country, of courſe, rendered more falubrious.

The ſtreetes are well built, and there is a handſome market-houſe, over which are held the affizes and ſeffions. The market is on Saturday, and the fairs for horſes held on the 10th of July and the 2d of October.