In this enquiry he has difplayed his ufual ingenuity and penetration, and given his hypothefis a very great appearance of probability. Yet, we do not fuppofe, that the controverfy will be determined by this letter.

IN

The Hiftory of the Isle of Wight.

[Concluded from p. 8.]

N our last Review we traced the progrefs of the historian, through the three firft chapters of this work. The fourth contains an account of the wardens, captains, and governors of the island, with the principal events under their administration. The author obferves, that the perfons honoured with this charge were generally selected from among the principal gentlemen of the ifland, and ufually commiffioned by the crown, though fometimes appointed by by the lord of the island, or, with efpecial permiffion, elected by the inhabitants. The first inftitution of this office was during the minority of Baldwin the Third, grandson of William de Vernun, earl of Devon, foon after the acceffion of Henry the Third. The perfon entrusted with it was Wal leran de Ties, famous for his defence of the caftle of Berkhemftead against Lewis, the eldest fon of Philip, king of France. We cannot pass over this part of the work without, remarking the extraordinary pains which have been taken to fupply it with materials from ancient records: for the only evidence that proves this Walleran to have been warden of. the island, is his appearing a fubfcribing witness to a grant made to the Abbey of Quarr, which is thus figned, Tefte Wallerano Teutonico cuftode infule. He lived till the reign of Edward the Firft, when dying without iffue, his manor of Ringwood, in Hampshire, efcheated to the king.

The hiftorian obferves, that

The office of warden appears not to have been incompatible with the monaftic profeffion, as in the thirteenth of Edward the Third, it appears to have been held by the abbot of Quarr, who received inftructions to array all the able men, and to fupply them with arms, and alfo to caufe beacons and other fignals to be erected on the hills, to convey fpeedy notice of the approach of

an enemy.

The office was alfo occafionally elective, as is inflanced in an order entered on the rolls of parliament, in the fourteenth of Edward the Third, when an invafion being apprehended, the fheriff of Hampshire, together with the conftable of Carifbrooke cafle, were directed to convene the inhabitants of the ifland to elect a warden, who fhould take charge of the defence of the

inland

and during the king's pleafure; inftead of one, three were elected, fir Bartholomew Lifle, John de Langford, lord of Chale, fir Theobald Ruffel, lord of Yaverland.'

Three other wardens are found in the fixteenth year of the fame king, when a precept was directed to Bartholomew Lifle, John de Kingston, and Henry Romyn, cuftodes of the island, commanding them to make inquifition what fervices were due from the inhabitants in time of war, of what nature, and from what lands and tenements.”

On the death of Humphrey, duke of Gloucefter, lord of this ifland, in the twenty-fifth year of Henry the Sixth, the king appointed Henry Trenchard to the office of conftable of the Cattle of Carifbrooke, with a falary of twenty pounds per annum, as keeper of the foreft of Parkhurst, and four pence per day for the pay of the porter of the caftle.

In the third year of Henry the Eighth, the government of the island was conferred on fir James Worley, keeper of the king's wardrobe, and mafter of the robes.

This gentleman being probably an ancestor of the refpectable family to which the public is indebted for the prefent work, we think he has a just title to be particularly noticed in the hiftory of the island, and shall therefore present our readers with the following part of the narrative.

He was the younger brother of a very ancient family of that name in Lancashire, and had been many years page to Henry the Seventh; he was conftituted captain of the island for life, with a falary of fix fhillings and pine pence per diem for him. felf, two fhillings for his deputy, and fix pence each for thir teen fervants; he had befides a reverfionary grant of the office of conftable of Carifbrooke caftle, when it should become vacant, and was by the fame commiffion made captain of all the forts in the ifland. He was fteward, furveyor, receiver, and bailiff of all the crown lands; and was either to retain his falary and ailowances out of the moneys he received, or to take the fame from the king's receiver in the county of Southampton. He was likewife confiituted keeper of Carifbrooke Forest and Park, with a fee of two hillings per diem; and warden and mafter of the duckcoy of wild fowl, as well within the faid park and forest there, as within and throughout the whole itland. He was cm. powered to leafe any of the king's houtes, demeine lands, and farms, either by leafe of years, or by copy of court roll for lives, where the lands have ufually been paffed in that manner : the old rent being referved by fuch leafe or copy. He had the return of all writs, the execution of procefs, and the office of sheriff within the faid ifland, the fheriff of the county, or his of ficer, being excluded from acting there, unlefs in default of the captain; he was alfo clerk of the market, and coroner in the inland,

14

Richard Worsley, efq. on the death of fir James his father, in the twenty-ninth of Henry the Eighth, fucceeded him in the office of captain, and foon after had the honour of entertaining the king at his feat at Appuldurcombe. The king was attended by his favourite the lord Cromwell, then conftable of Carisbrooke caftle, which office was, on his lordship's attainder and execution, conferred on Mr. Worley.

Five years after, the French, having failed in an attempt against our fleet, notwithstanding their fuperiority at fea, made a defcent on the island, which they intended to take poffeffion of; but were, by the bravery of the illanders, and good conduct of their captain, foon driven back to their fhips, with the loss of their general, and a great many of their men. It was on this occafion that new forts were ordered to be erected for the protection of the ifland, which were executed under the direction of the captain; one of them was called Worley's Tower: by his reprefentations the inhabitants were prevailed on to provide a train of artillery for the defence of the ifland, at their own charges. He continued in office till the death of Edward the sixth; but being zealous in promoting the Reformation, as appears by his acting as a commiffioner for the fale of church plate on the fuppreffion of religious houfes, at the acceffion of queen Mary he refigned his offices, and Mr. Girling, a man of low extraction, fuccreded him; of whom, although no particulars are recorded, yet it is to be prefumed, that he was no ways unfavourable to a reftoration of the Romifh religion. On the queen's death, Richard Worfley was again reinftated. He was previously fent with lord Chidiock Paulet, fon of the marquis of Winchester, and governor of Portsmouth, with a commiffion to furvey and repair the fortifications there, and was joined with a gentleman of the name of Smith, in a like commiffion to put the forts in the Ifle of Wight in a state of defence, as a French invafion was then apprehended; four months after this he received his commiffion as captain of the iland, and among other inftructions was ordered to introduce the ufe of harquebuffes among the people; he was alfo to fignify to the queen and council, wherein his legal authority proved deficient, that it might be taken into confideration: but this was unneceffary, he conducting himself with fuch affability and prudence, that the people readily complied with his directions, in whatever appeared to him neceffary to guard them against an enemy; as is inftanced by their providing the field pieces before mentioned, which were supplied by feveral of the parishes. He was likewife employed by the queen in fortifying the fea-coafts, being afterwards fent with fir Hugh Paulet, captain of the Ifle of Jerfey, and others, to furvey and order forts for the protection of Jerfey and Guernfey. In conformity with his inftructions, he introduced the ufe of fire-arms in the Ifle of Wight, and an armourer was fettled in Carifbrooke cafile, to make harque buffes, and to keep them in order.'

The government of the Isle of Wight feems to have been ufaally confidered as an office of great truft, and to have been

ob

obtained only by particular accefs to the favour of the court. On the death of the former captain, the command of the island was bestowed on Edward Horfey, efq. foon afterwards knighted, a gentleman of an ancient family in Dorfetfhire, and the great confidant of the earl of Leicefter. We are informed, that the great plenty of hares and other game, with which the ifland is stored, is owing to his care: he is reported to have given a lamb for every hare that was brought to him from the neighbouring countries.

Sir Edward Horfey was fucceeded by fir George Carey, afterwards lord Hunfdon, nearly related to queen Elizabeth i Henry, lord Hunfdon, his father, being nephew of queenAnne Boleyn. He was lord chamberlain of the household, one of the privy council, and a knight of the garter. He is the firft captain, or warden, of the island that affumed the title of governor. It was fufpected, from this alteration in his ftyle, and from his general behaviour, that his intention was to fubject the inhabitants of the island to the military power; but perhaps it may have proceeded entirely from the haughtiness of his difpofition, by which he appears to have given general difguft to the gentlemen of the island. The hiftorian juftly obferves, that his confcioufnefs of fupport from government made him adopt the prudent orders given for the defence of the island in the reign of Edward the Third, not confidering that those orders were iffued with the confent of the inhabitants. On this occafion, the latter laid® before the lords of council a reprefentation, which, as our author remarks, may be confidered as a little bill of rights of the island. It is entitled, Demands by the Gentlemen of the Isle of Wight for Reformation of a certain abfolute Government lately affumed by the Captain there, tending to the Subverfion of the Law, and to the taking away of the natural Freedom of the Inhabitants. This is faid to be the first inftance of any complaint exhibited by the inhabitants of the Island against their captain, for exerting his authority in the caufe of their protection. The remonftrance, however, procured the defired effect; for we are informed that the obnoxious powers, to which the inhabitants objected, were never afterwards claimed by any governor.

We are informed by fir Richard Worfley, that fir John Oglander, in his Memoirs, commends fir George Carey for reiding in the caftle of Carifbrooke, and for his great hofpitality there; fpeaking alfo of the time of his government as the period when the island was in its most flouthing fate. From thofe Memoirs we are favoured, in a

note,

note, with the following extract, exhibiting a very striking defcription of the manners of the times.

"I have heard, fays fir John, and partly know it to be true, that not only heretofore there was no lawyer nor attorney in owre ifland, but in fir George Carey's time, an attorney coming in to fettle in the ifland, was, by his command, with a pound of candles hanging att his breech lighted, with bells about his legs, hunted owte of the island: infomuch that oure ancestors lived here fo quietly and fecurely, being neither troubled to London nor Winchester, fo they feldom or never went owte of the land; infomuch as when they went to London (thinking it an East India voyage), they always made their wills, fuppofing not trouble like to travaile."

Sir John, in another part of his Memoirs, obferves, that "The Ifle of Wight, fince my memory, is infinitely decayed; for either it is by reafon of fo many attorneys that hath of late made this their habitation, and fo by futes undone the country, (for I have known an attorney bring down after a tearm three hundred writts, I have also known twenty nifi prius of our country tried at our affizes, when as in the queen's time we had not fix writts in a yeare, nor one nifi prius in fix yeares) or else, vanting the good bargains they were wont to buy from men of war, who alfo vented our commoditys at very high prices; and readie money was eafie to be had for all things. Now peace and law hath beggered us all, fo that within my memorie many of the gentlemen, and almost all the yeomanry are undone.

"Be advised by me, have no fuites at lawe, if it be poffible: agree with thine adverfary although it be with thy loffe for the expence of one tearme will be more than thy lofle Belides the

neglect of thy time at home, thy abfence from thy wife and chil dren, fo manie inconveniences hangeth upon a fuite in lawe, that I advife thee, although thou has the better of it, let it be reconciled without law: at last twelve men or one muit end it, let two honeft ones do it at firfte. This country was undone with it in king James his reign. Hazard death and all quarrels rather than let thy tongue make his matter a flave." MSS. Me moirs.'

Sir John Oglander alfo relates, that in the government of the earl of Southampton, who immediately fucceeded fir George Carey, and was univerfally esteemed for his affable and obliging behaviour, he had feen thirty or forty knights and gentlemen at bowls with his lordship on St. George's Down, where they had an ordinary twice every week.

In that part of the history which treats of the confinement of Charles the First in Carifbrooke Caftle, we are prefented with feveral interefting anecdotes not generally known; but for which we refer our readers to the work. We shall only in-.

form