VI

EACH DAY'S PRICE OF STOCKS IN FEBRUARY, 1807.

Bank 3perCt. 3perCent. 4perCt. 15 perCt. 5perCt. Long Short Stock. Bk Red. Confols. Confol. Navy. 1797.

61 apr.

2 perCt.difc. 2 perCt.difc.

15.Sunday

22, Sunday

[Printed by J. NICHOLS and SON, Red Lion Paffage, Fleet Street.]

BRANSCOMB and Co. Stock-Brokers, 11, Holborn, 27, Cornhill and 38, Hay-Market,

K

Mr. URBAN, Birmingham, Feb. 6. ING'S NORTON, co, Worceller, is recorded in Domesday Book * as one of the Berwicks, or Hamlets, belonging to Bromfgrove, a manor in the King's demefne; from which circumftance, and its relative fituation (being about feven miles to the North of Bromsgrove), its name of King's Norton, or North Town, is evidently

derived.

The accurate Leland furnishes ns with the following notices of it in the time of Henry VIII. "Norton is a pretty uplandish towne in Worcefierhire; and there be fayre houfes in it of Staplers, that ufe to buy wooll. There is a fayre Church, and a goodly pyramis of flone over the bell frames. There runneth a litle brooke at the Weft ende of the towne. Good plenty of wood and pafture, and meetly good corne betwixt Alchurch and Norton, and likewife betwixt Norton and Ber mingham towne, that be distant about five milest."

Several of the antient honfes mentioned in this extract till remain, though much altered from their original defignation, as the Wool-tiapling has long fince fallen away.

A market on Saturday, and two fairs in a year, were granted by James I. in the fourteenth year of his reign; but the market is quite difafed, and King's Norton now claims only the name of a pleasant Village. The Church, (Plate L.) or, more ftrictly fpeaking, the Chapel (whofe lofty fpire is a very confpicuous object from the road between Birmingham and Bromsgrove, as well as through an extenfive range of country), and its Monuments, have been already deferibed by Dr. Nash, in his Collections for the Hiftory of Worcesterthire, (vol. I. p. 164, &c.) which renders any account of them in this place unneceffary. The living is a vicarage, in a great meafure independent of Bromfgrove, but united to it. The Rev. Thomas Fountain, M. A. is the prefent Incumbent, and the Rev. Hugh Edwards, Curate.

The building in the Church-yard, feen on the right hand in the view, is a School, founded by Edward VI.; the falaries of which are paid out of the Crown Rents, viz. 101. per annum for

* Domesday, vol. I. p. 172, a. Nortune. + Itinerary, vol. IV. part 2, p. 1s6, b. GENT. MAG. March, 1807.

he

an head mafter, and 51. for an undermafter: but as thefe fums are infufficient to provide claffical tuition at the prefent day, they are paid to an induftrious man who inftructs a con- / fiderable number of boys in reading, writing, and accompts. In the upper room of the School-house, are the dufty and neglected remains of a Parochial Library, eftablished by the Rev. Thomas Hall, B. D. who was ejected from the Curacy and School for Nonconformity, and died April 13, 1665. Mr. Hall was a confiderable scholar, and published feveral works, of which a lift is given, with Memoirs of him, in the "Nonconformill's Memorial," vol. II. p. 545. It is there faid, prevailed with his parish to build a public library, and gave his own study to it in his life-time." But I am in clined to think, that the School-house is of earlier conftruction; probably, coæval with King Edward's bounty. This Library (which will, I truft, ere long be put into order) efcaped the notice of Dr. Nafh; and to his account of King's Norton may be alfo fubjoined, that William Wenloke, prior of Worcester, granted to Sir Gilbert Talbot, knt. pro fuo bono et laudabili confilio five auxilio," an annuity of five marks, payable out of the ferm of the rectory. The original grant, bearing date Nov. 7, 14 Hen. VI. 1435, is preferved in the archives of the Earl of Shrewsbury.

The Roman Ikeneld ftreet paffes through this parish, coming out of Warwickshire at Beoley, and re-entering it at Edgbaston. It is thus named in a deed in my poffeffion: "Sciant prefentes et futuri, quod ego Ricardus de Brademedewe dedi, &c. Thome Jurdan, Capellano, unum campuin terre mee, fimiliter cum duabus partibus prati in Kingefnorton, in excam bio, &c. Et vocatur campus ille Afcroft, et jacet inter viam que vocatur Ikeneldeftret, ex unâ parte, et moram meam, et pratum predictum ex altera, &c." Dated 10 Edw. II. 1916. Yours, &c. WILLIAM HAMPER MR. URBAN, Feb. 26. SOME of your Readers will proba bly not be difpleafed at feeing a

SOME

His treatifes again ft "Long Hair," and against " May-poles," have given ' him much greater celebrity than his writings on more important fubjects.

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