is removed. This estate is the property of Samuel Salter, Esq. of Rickmersworth, Herts. It has been observed in the " Beauties of England and Wales," that "persons accustomed to modern luxury of entertainment will find a difficulty in believing that the Parliamentary Commissioners could be 'fairly' accommodated in a building of such moderate proportions, and of so rude a character." This remark is not founded upon facts. For the house was considerably larger than now appears. There still remains, notwithstanding all the alterations that have been made, one spacious room which was formerly used for many years as a dissenting place of worship, and the County-Court is still held in it. Though the Inn appears now but as a second-rate house, yet, a very slight inspection of the premises would show that they were able to afford ample accommodation to the Parliamentary Commissioners. There is at the present day stabling for upwards of sixty horses. Many of the rooms are turned into corn lofts, and the whole appearance is materially changed from what it must have been at the time of the treaty. The Garrison. From the situation of Uxbridge as a frontier town of the county of Middlesex, there is every reason to believe it must have been very early fortified, and most probably was considered, during the state of feudal government, a very important station. Standing quite at the extremity of the county, which was the seat of the Middle Saxons, commanding, in later times, the high road to the Capital, and being fortified by the river Coln, we may reasonably infer that in earlier ages, it was a post of great importance, and kept in a state of defence. Nothing however remains, but a part of the borough ditch, before alluded to, to show that it was a fortified town. From documents still in existence we are able to determine that in later times it was fortified, and appears to have possessed a regular garrison. In the beginning of the civil troubles it was under the government of Captain Lampton*, and the troops under his command were called "the garrison." It is related in an old manuscript, that the Governor of the town, for the preservation of the cities of London and Westminster and places adjacent, caused "the moiety of High-bridge to be taken up t." It affords but a contemptible idea of the mode of warfare in those days, that so inconsiderable a circum * Manuscripts in the possession of the Lords. stance could be supposed to contribute to the safety of the metropolis. The river Coln, which divides the counties of Middlesex and Bucks, is easily fordable in every part, and would hardly interpose a momentary obstacle to modern warfare. In the year 1645 the town was under the government of Captain Crompton, as appears from the following entry in the register of burials: Sam'. Coomes, a soldier in the garrison under Captain Crompton, governor of Uxbridge, buried Oct. 2a. 1645." In the year 1647, while the parliamentary army was stationed in a long and formidable line on the west of the metropolis, through the parishes extending along the western side of the county, namely Riselip, Ickenham, Hillingdon, Cowley, Drayton, Harmondsworth, Stanwell, and Staines, their head-quarters were fixed for some time at Uxbridge. This is dated by Lysons the 25th of June 1647. "The General (Sir Thomas Fairfax) lodged at Mr. Henes, the Major-General at Mr. Gettin's, the Lieutenant-General (Cromwell) at the Crown, the Commissary General (Ireton) at Mr. Matthew Baker's, Colonel Lambert at Richard Styles's, Col. Fleetwood at the Chequer, Col. Lilburn at W. Nichols's, Col. Rich at Philip Brabourn's, &c. &c.*" During that year the army was * Lysons. again quartered in the neighbourhood of Uxbridge. In the years 1688 and 1689 the accounts of the chapel-wardens and overseers of the poor, contain several items of expenses for repairing the guard-house. After the restoration there was no longer any necessity to maintain a garrison or a guard-house, and since that period, therefore, both have been unknown. SECTION 6. ROMAN ROAD ;-HIGH-BRIDGE. Roman Road. It appears from the best authorities, that a Roman road passed from High Wycombe in a direct line towards Uxbridge. This road has been traced, according to Camden, and others, to some distance out of Wycombe, towards Beaconsfield; and from its direction, may be inferred to have proceeded towards the Coln. Whether it crossed that river has not been ascertained. And as far as we know, no traces have ever been discovered of this road at Uxbridge but at Breakspear, about four miles north of Uxbridge, the seat of J. A. Partridge, Esq. the remains of Roman sepulchres have been recently discovered*; and from the well known fact of the Romans burying by the sides of their roads, it may be fairly conjectured, that the road from Wycombe passed by Breakspear, either across to ancient Verulam, near St. Albans, or onward direct to London, and so fell into that branch of Roman ́ road, which came from Staines towards our present road at Shepherd's Bush, from whence it turned direct to London. But the more probable conjecture appears to us to be, that the road from Wycombe by Uxbridge, led to Verulam; this at least may be conjectured from the northerly direction which it appears to have taken towards Breakspear, High-bridge, A bridge has existed for many centuries either at or very near the spot where the present High-bridge stands. We have not been able to ascertain any particulars of its origin, but it is most likely as ancient as the town itself. The earliest fact we have discovered relative to the bridge is, that in the year 1377, the first year of Richard II. one Gomme was indicted as the holder of land adjoining the bridge, upon * Communicated by J. A. Partridge, Esq. |