Ayde in that county," for making Prince Henry a Knight, sixth of James I. together with "Date of the composition," made in the Hundreds of Norman Cross and Hurstingstone, ex chartis originalibus domini Roberti Bevill," who was collector for those hundreds. In Noble's "Memoir of the Protectoral House of Cromwell," 2 vols. 8vo. third edition, 1787, are several incidental notices of those parts of Huntingdonshire which were in the possession of the Cromwells, who, for upwards of a century, had the greatest sway of any family in the county. "Some account of a family (says Mr. Gough) that made much noise at the beginning of the Civil Wars, and was objected to Laud, as an instance of his affection to popery, may be seen in, The Arminian nunnery: or a briefe description and relation of the late erected monasticall płace, called, the Arminian Nunnery, at Little Gidding, in Huntingdonshire, humbly recommended to the wise considera. tion of this present parliament The foundation is by a company of Farrars, at Gidding, Lond. 1641.' 4to. Reprinted by Hearne at the end of Langtoft's chronicle. Oxf. 1725. p. cxxiv. No. X. It was taken, with unwar antable alterations, 'from a letter signed H. S. written by Edward Lenton to Sir Thomas Hedley, knt. serjeant at law, on his request to certifie as he (the letter writer) found concerning the reputed nunnerie at Gidding, Huntingdonshire; printed also by Hearne in the same book, p. cix. No. IX. and p. 70% of of Caii Vindicia. The editors of the catalogue of Lord Oxford's pamphlets seem to insinuate that Hearne did not res print the former pamphlet with exactness. In p. 679 of the 2nd. vol. of Caii Vindicia are papers relating to this Protestant nunnery, transcribed and given to the publisher by Mr. John Worthington (who preserved those papers), and some historical notes about the Ferrars, particularly that mirrour of piety Mr. Nicholass Ferrar.' Some more particulars of this useless enthusiast may be seen in Barnabas Oley's prefatory view of Herbey's life, prefixed to Herbert's Country Country Parson; in Bishop Hacket's life of archbishop Williams, part II. p. 50; and in Stephens's abridgement of the same 1715, p. 153. Dr. Turner, bishop of Ely, had an intention of writing his life; but what advances he made towards it does not appear. Mr. Peck informs us, that he himself composed a work, intituled, The complete church of England man, exemplified in the holy life of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, of Little Gidding in the county of Huntingdon, gent. commonly called the Protestant St. Nicholas, and the pious Mr. George Herbert's brother." "A true and particular observation of a notable piece of Witchcraft, practised by John Samuell, the Father, Alice Samuell, the Mother, and Agnes Samuell, their Daughter, of Warboise in the countie of Huntingdon, upon five daughters of Robert Throckmorton, of the same towne and countie, Esq. and certaine other maide-servants, to the number of twelve in the whole, all of them being of one house, November, 1589." This, which is the original account of the witches of Warboys, was published in 8vo. black let ter. It was reprinted in 4to. 1693. Lond. under the new title of, "The most strange and admirable discoverie of the three witches of Warboys, arraigned, convicted, and executed at the last assizes at Huntingdon, for the bewitching of the five daughters of Robert Throckmorton, Esq. and divers other persons, with sundry devillish and grievous torments; and also for the bewitching to death of the Lady Cromwell: the like hath not been heard of in this age." "A more tragical story (says Mr. Gough) we have in The whole trial and examination of Mrs. Mary Hickes and her daughter Elizabeth, but of nine years of age, who were condemned the last assizes held at Huntingdon for witchcraft; and there executed on Saturday, the 28th of July, 1716. With an account of the most surprising pieces of witchcraft, they play'd whilst under their diabolical compact, the like never heard of before their behaviour with several several divines who came to converse with them whilst under sentence of death; and last dying speeches and confession at the place of execution. Lond.' 12mo. eight pages. A substantial farmer apprehends his wife and favourite child, the latter for some silly illusions practised on his weakness, the former for the antiquated folly of killing her neighbours in effigy ; and Judge Wilmot suffers them to be hanged on their own confession, four years after his wiser brother had ventured his own life to safe that of an old woman at Hertford." Bishop Kennet's traditional account of the ancient Monument of a Knight, cross-legged, at Overton Longueville, was printed by Peck, in his Desiderata Curiosa, and the monument itself has been engraved from a drawing by Carter, in the Gentleman's Magazine, for July, 1807. Somersham Spaw, which had been neglected for many years, was revived and brought into some degree of credit by Dr. David Peter Layard, who published an account of it, with rules for the management of it, in 1759, and 1767. 8vo. His and Dr. Moris's experiments on this water are inserted in the Philosophical Transactions, Vol. LVI. The great hurricane, which passed through this county, on the 8th of September, 1741, was described by Stephen Fuller, Fellow of Trin. Col. Cambridge in the Philosophical Transactions, No. 461, p. 851. The Beauties of England and Wales," by Edward Wedlake Brayley, Vol. VII. 1808, contains an elegant and correct Topographical and Historical description of Huntingdonshire. A poem, intituled, “Kimbolton Park," was printed in 4to. about 1766, and reprinted in Pearch's Poems, Vol. IV. P. 65. Another poem, called, "The Stilton Herò," Lond, 1745. was written on the celebrated Cooper Thornhill, of equestrian celebrity; but, still more famed through the destruction of his large corn-rick by rats and mice. PRINTS, PRINTS, MAPS, PLANS, &c. Dr. Stukely has given a print of the Statue of Alwyn, the founder of Ramsey Abbey, in his Itinerarium Curiosum, pl. XVII.; and a view of the Abbey among his unpublished plates; Buck also engraved a north-west view of its ruins, 1730. A geometrical elevation of the west front of St. Neot's Church was engraved by P. S. Lamborn, in 1764. Hinchingbrooke Priory, and the north-east and west view of the Palace at Buckden, were published by Buck. Bluntisham Church was engraved by Vertue, from a drawing made in 1738, by Joseph Eayre, "a Huntingdon man who had a very mechanical genius, and was the inventor of the weighing engine for waggons; and after raising an easy fortune by his ingenuity, died under infamy in advanced life." (Gough's Topo.) This county is included in Saxton's map of Northampton, and other shires, 1576, but wants the hundreds, which are supplied in Speed's map, 1610, in which also are plans of Huntingdon and Ely. In the years 1730 and 1731, " An actual Survey of the county of Huntingdon, after a new method, was made by W. Gorden, and afterwards engraved by Em. Bowen; who likewise engraved a second map of this county, in concentric circles. In 1770, a new Map of this county was published by T. Jeffereys, on a scale of two inches to a mile, taken from his own Survey, in six sheets. |