The History and Antiquities of Nations and Societies have been objects of inquiry to curious persons in all ages, either to separate falshood from truth, and tradition from evidence, to establish what had probability for its bails, or to explode what rested only on the vanity of the inventors and propagators. The first traces of every history were rude and imperfect: better methods of preserving facts succeeded. The unchizeled stone or rudest hieroglyphic accompanied the songs of the bards, to perpetuate the atchievements of a whole nation, or a few individuals; till the life of letters, and the complicated transactions, claims, and interests of men, taught them to multiply memorials, and to draw them up with more skill and accuracy.

In the year 1740, as I was viewing, with a friend, the church at Burton Dasset in Warwickshire, we happened to observe a painted board, placed over the entrance into the chancel, but so covered with dust, that neither we nor the sexton, who attended us, knew what to make of it. But as it seemed to represent something uncommon, we desired we might inspect it something more nearly: And when the sexton had taken it down, and washed it, we perceived it was the picture of a coat of arms, with a Beacon for the crest, as represented in Fig. I. and upon further enquiry we found that by tradition, there had been formerly a Beacon upon the north side of the hill where the church stands, erected by one of the Belknap Family, who was then lord of that manor. The board which contains this picture, is nineteen inches and a half in height, and fourteen in breadth. The draught here given of it, is reduced to the size of one fourth of the original.

First, the hall was prepared with a long table on each side, and forms set by them; on the edges of which tables, and under those forms, were layed carpets, and cushions for her majesty to kneel, when she would wash them (the poor). There was also another table laid across the upper end of the hall, somewhat above the foot pace, for the chappelan to stand at. A little beneath the midst whereof, and beneath the foot pace, a stool and cushion of estate was pitched for her majesty to kneel at during service time.

The dean of Exeter (now bishop of Carlisle) shewed the Society a large parchment roll containing a list of new years gifts presented to queen Elizabeth at Greenwich on the 1st January, 1584–5, signed by the queen, and countersigned by John Astley Esq; master and treasurer of the jewels; by which it appears, that the greatest part, if not all the peers and peeresses of the realm, all the bishops, the chief officers of state, and several of the queen's houshold servants, even down to her apothecaries, master-cook, serjeant of the pastry, &c. gave new years gifts to her majesty.

The church-wardens accompts of a particular parish may in themselves be justiy thought a matter of no great consequence, and not worthy of much regard. But these seem to deserve some consideration, as they relate to a very remarkable period in our history, and prove by facts the great alterations that were made in religious affairs under the successive reigns of Q. Mary and Elizabeth, together with the time and manner of putting them in execution; and may therefore serve both to confirm and illustrate several things related by our ecclesiastical historians.

Dr. Stukely has accurately distinguished two kind of shrines, both equally made for receiving the reliques of saints: but with this difference, that one sort was portable, and used in processions; and the other fixed, as being built of stone, marble, and other heavy materials.

In my journey into the north the last summer, [1736], I passed some days at Lincoln, on purpose to view the remains of antiquity, which that city affords; and indeed none in England can boast of more, or better deserves the labour of a judicious pen.

The registers of the bishops of Lincoln, in the bishop's office at Lincoln, begin earlier than those which are remaining either at Canterbury or York, or perhaps any other in England, viz, from bishop Wells, who was consecrated anno 1209, to bishop William Barlow anno 1608. The series is in good preservation: The institutions of Wells, Greethead, Lexington, and Sutton, are wrote on long narrow rolls; the Mss. of appropriations, confirmation of abbots, priors, &c. being endorsed on the same, excepting Sutton's which are wrote in a vellum book; and all the succeeding bishops institutions and Mss. are down to the Reformation; after which period they are most carelesly written on paper.

In a letter to me from Mr. Symson, master of the works of the cathedral at Lincoln, dated 28 September last, I was informed, that, in digging a grave at the west end of that church, they opened the foot of an ancient sepuichre.—The corpse was sewed up in a strong tanned leather hide, the seam running up the middle of the breast.—I should suppose it to be some great lay lord, before the custom prevailed of laying them within the church itself.

As Rapin has made mention of an old inscription on the shrine of K. Edward the Confessor, in Westminster abby, when first erected; it is to be observed, that that which now is there differeth from it, having, as it is said, been wrote, and put in lieu of the former in the reign of K. Richard II, or later. The inscription, as printed in several books, and particularly to be seen in the print of that monument, engraved for the Society of Antiquaries, from a drawing by the late Mr. Talman, is as follows,

Omnibus insignis virtutum laudibus heros,

Sanctus Edwardus Confessor; rex venerandus,

Quinto die Januarii moriens super aethera scandit.

Sursum corda.

Moritur anno Domini mlxv.

On November 14, 1750, I went to survey the old church at Westminster, called The Sanctuary, which they were then pulling down, to make a new market-house. The building itself is as extraordinary in its kind, as that we have no clear account concerning it, in the history of Westminster abby, to which it manifestly belongs.

Yesterday, I made a most agreeable journey, tho' it may be called a pilgrimage, to visit the venerable remains of Lesnes abby, at Earith in Kent, founded by Richard de Lucie, lord chancellor, and chief justice to Henry II. He was a near relation to your Lordship's neighbour, Lady Roisia of Roiston. It was impossible that I should not think of giving your Lordship the subsequent account of my observations there, for an amusement, during your retirement from business and cares of state.

Although this island must have been peopled from the adjacent continent, yet I think it must have been first inhabited by the posterity of some of the other sons of Japhet (although by which of them no one can at present presume to determine), and not by any of the desendants of Gomer, by what name soever called; and there seems to be good authority to support this opinion.

Dr. Stukely, in his seventh Iter, speaking of a hill a little above Ambrosbury, says, “The Icening-street runs between “this hill and the Bourn river coming from Newbury, as I sup “pose, through Chute forest, where, vulgarly called Chute Cause-“way, at Lurgishall, it makes a fine terras-walk, in the garden “of Sir Philip Meadows; then passes the Bourn River about Tud-“worth, and, so by this place, to the eastern gate of old Sarum, the “Roman Sorbiadunum.”

I Beg the gentlemen of the Society, and Dr. Stukely in particular, would observe the Diverticulum Mr. Taylor has shewn, in his map or accurate survey of Hampshire, of the Ikeneld-street, running from the north east corner of Sir Philip Meadows' park, to a little house to the S. W. called Scots Poor. This Diverticulum is called Chute-causeway.

The great Roman road called the Erming-street, which stretches itself from London into the west of England, having gone through Huntingdonshire, crossed the river Nen, and passed Caster (the Durobrivæ of Antoninus), from thence pushes directly to Stamford about five miles distant from Caster.

I have traced the Roman roads from Manchester wth the utmost care, and find that the Condate of the Romans was Kinderton in Cheshire; the road is visible almost all the way, and the camp yet visible at Kinderton where the Dane and Weaver join: There is a Roman way from thence to Chester, another to Chesterton near Newcastle Underline, and another by Nantwich and Whitchurch to Wroxeter.

Having (as I think) discovered the true situation of Coccium, a Roman station, concerning which writers have been considerably divided; I take the liberty to trouble your Lordship with this Letter, which I request may be read before the Society of Antiquaries, that, from the remarks of that learned body, I may be better enabled to pursue my enquiries on this subject.

In a letter I wrote some years ago to my worthy and learned friend, Mr. Roger Gale, I acquainted him that, in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifteen, a Roman pavement was discovered in Wansted Park; that it was immediately destroyed by digging holes through it, for planting an avenue of Trees, the owner of it having no great taste for things of that nature. But, from the account I got from Mr. Holt, the then surveyor of the works, I found that there was the figure of a man on horseback, plainly to be seen, in the center, and with several borders of wreathed work and ornaments, as are usual in these kinds of pavements.