itself with the aerial distance. Below Har vington is the village of Offenham, which takes its name from Offa, King of the Eaft Angles, who, with Kenred, King of the Mercians, gave to the abbey of Evesham feven Manfæ in this place. Thefe fovereigns died monks at Rome. The remains of an extenfive wall and battlements appear, from the bank of the Avon, to have formed the boundary of this place. OFFENHAM was formerly the favourite retirement of the Abbots of Evesham; but of the nature of their luxuries at this place, we find no veftiges. After the Diffolution it came to Sir Edward Hoby, in the twentythird of Elizabeth, and then to the Hazelwoods. The college of Christchurch, Oxford, now presents to the curacy. A LITTLE below this village, it is said, there was antiently a bridge; the spot retains the name, but no traces of it appear. A little A little below this place, a small brook, called the Fork, empties itself into the Avon. This stream rises upon one of the Cotswold hills, called Weston; and paffing through Honeybourne and Bradfordston, finishes its courfe at this place. At the extremity of this reach of the river, Bengworth church, Dumbleton hills, &c. form a beautiful diversity of objects, confidered as the back ground for a picture. NEARLY on a line with what is called Offenham bridge, to the north of the village, stands a large rude ftone, almost overgrown with ivy: its base is an oblong one foot nine inches by one foot two, rather diminishing towards the top; it has no traces of infcription or ornament, nor is there any marking of a chiffel: it yet appears to have been placed there for fome particular purpose; it ftands between two hills, at about one hundred yards distant from the bank of the river, H h and and on the north-weft fide of the field whereon the famous battle of Evesham was fought between the Barons and the King's forces in the reign of Henry the Third. ABOUT a mile before we reach Evesham, the Avon receives the waters from Willersey, Broadway, and the adjacent hills, which running by Wickhamford, unite below Badsey, and under the name of Pludor Brook, falls into our river, SEC |