of this kind in 1643, for the passage of his army, but with this exception the Ferry was the only regular means of crossing the Trent, right up to the last decade of the Eighteenth Century.

There were accidents, as the sad eloquence of the burial registers testifies, and it is possible that the tragedy of December 23rd, 1760, when a man leaped his horse into the Ferry-boat, and caused the drowning of six persons, and the narrow escape of many others, may have strengthened the agitation for a bridge. At any rate, some years later, several private persons formed a company, and in 1787 obtained an Act of Parliament for the erection of a bridge near the ancient Ferry, where the river was about 253ft. wide.

The architect, Mr. William Weston, was by marriage connected with Gainsburgh, his wife being a sister of Mr. John Nettleship. His daughters are spoken of as very accomplished young women, and he himself was a man of great capacity, being largely employed somwhat later by the American Government. The Bridge which he designed for Gainsburgh is distinctly well-proportioned, and is unquestionably one of the greatest architectural ornaments of the town. Of its three well-shaped arches, the central one has a span of 70ft., and the outer ones of 62ft, the total length, with approaches, being 328ft. Mr. Weston brought his stone from Bromley Fall and Meanwood, in Yorkshire, using 51,471 cubic feet at 9d. a foot. The contract price was £8600, and the whole cost, including the approaches, was something over £10,000.

The usefulness of Gainsburgh Bridge needs no demonstration At the time of its erection, and in later times, it was customary for such engineering feats to be undertaken by Companies rather than by the community at large. Many of the bridges over the Thames at London have only within living memory been purchased by the community, and thrown open, free of charge, to the public, and this course will eventually be pursued at Gainsburgh, when a large increase of traffic may naturally be expected. It is to the general advantage of the people at large that the means of communication between one place and another should be easy, safe, and free; and a commercial monopoly cannot permanently be allowed to hinder the natural progress of mankind.

WILLIAM WHARLTON.

At the close of the Eighteenth Century a young man, of whom little is known, sighed and sang far away from Gainsburgh, the fair home to which in all his wanderings his deeper thoughts constantly turned. A printer by trade, William Wharlton had early taken some interest in the history and condition of his native town, contributing a note about the Old Hall to the "Topographer" of 1790. Four years later patriotic zeal led him to enter the service of his country, and he went on board H.M.S. Enterprize, being afterwards transferred to the Diamond Frigate and the Sans Pareil. At Stokes Bay he witnessed the accidental burning of the Boyne, and on June 23rd, 1795, he fought in the naval action off Quiberon.

Life on board ship was often monotonous, even in those stirring times, when Nelson commanded English fleets, and Napoleon threatened our shores. But Wharlton had left his heart in Gainsburgh, and whilst watching for the enemy could not help pouring out his soul in verse:

"Ah! gentle zephyr, ah ! if e'er
Thou find the mistress of my heart,

Tell her thou art a sigh sincere,

But never say whose sigh thou art.

Ah! limpid river Trent, if e'er

Thy murmuring waters near her glide.

Say thou are swelled by many a tear,

But not whose eyes those tears supplied."

After this he served on the Pompée, then again on the Sans Pareil, and lastly on the Juste. In 1799 duty took him to Portugal, Madeira, and the West Indies; but still he always turned in his solitude to Gainsburgh. At length his love found relief in verses entitled "The Wish," from which we can only quote a few

stanzas:

"Mine be a cot at Morton still,

A bee-hive's hum shall soothe my ear,

A willowy brook that turns a mill,

While ships on lucid Trent pass near.

Around my ivied porch should spring

Each fragrant flower that drinks the dew;
Lavinia at her wheel should sing

The charms that first my fancy drew.

Or when the sober evening's nigh

Along the Trent I'd meet the tide,
Or walk with my Lavinia fair,

Or rest me on the flowery ground.

See! Gainsburgh's Church among the trees;
There let my marriage vows be given,
And merry peals shall swell the breeze

From the square tower that points to Heaven.”

In 1801 he returned home, but alas! died soon afterwards, and we are unable to say whether he was so fortunate as to marry the lady of his choice. In 1804 his friends published some of his papers and verses, appending thereto his "Minute Account of Gainsburgh," which is chiefly valuable as giving us an insight into the condition of the town at a somewhat earlier date than that of which Cooper, Miller, and Mozley wrote. He was not entirely destitute of a sense of humour, and his verses, whatever be their merits, at least show that he dearly loved the ancient town.

That William was a poet in the sense of a creator of new thoughts may perhaps be considered proved by a passage in his "Minute Account," for in speaking of the general advantages of the town he says: "The town enjoys a serene and healthful air, free from the damps and nauseous exhalations which infest the Southern parts of this county, and make them unwholesome to breathe in."

We must

reserve further quotations from the "Minute Account" for a later chapter.

I.

It is with regret that we feel obliged to call attention to the fact that a poem very like this, and also entitled "A Wish" occurs among the works of Samuel Rogers. The latter survived Wharlton by half a century, so that those who will may accuse Rogers and not Wharlton of plagiarism.

CHAPTER XVI.

OUTLYING HAMLETS -THONOCK ENCAMPMENT-THE MANOR OF THONOCK-FAMILY OF MONTBEGON-HENRY DE MUNDEN

RICHARD PLANTAGENET- EDMUND PLANTAGENET.

OUTLYING HAMLETS.

HE History of Gainsburgh having now been traced down to the close of the Eighteenth Century, it will be convenient, before continuing our narrative into modern times, to trace the fortunes of the Manor of Thonock, which was held as a separate property from the earliest period until the second decade of the Eighteenth Century, when it came into the hands of the lord of the Manor of Gainsburgh. Ecclesiastically, Thonock appears to have been always attached to Gainsburgh, and we can find no evidence of a private Chapel or Oratory having been granted to the Manor House.

Morton, Walkerith, and Stock with are so seldom mentioned in ancient documents that it will be sufficient to speak of their early history when we tell the story of their erection into modern parishes.

Unquestionably one of the most interesting, though possibly one of the least appreciated of all the ancient landmarks of Lincolnshire is the curious encampment at Thonock, hidden away under its grove of umbrageous trees. Comparatively few persons have offered a serious opinion as to its origin, and those who

have done so have differed from each other. We propose to state briefly our own views, leaving them to be combated or endorsed by others.

The fact that at this point the river approaches closer to the hill than anywhere else between Gainsburgh and Burton Stather was evidently the cause for the selection of this spot as the site of an encampment. The invader from the Northern Ocean, of whatever race he came, disembarked from his ships at Morton, and climbing the steep declivity, encountered the first serious resistance of the natives on the higher slopes of Thonock Hill. The natives, hiding in the swamps beside the river, had perhaps already discharged furtive arrows at the approaching war-ships, and made abortive efforts to prevent the landing of their crews, but their main resistance was concentrated in defence of the circular mounds and trenches at Thonock, made more formidable by the erection of wooden palisades. Within these were gathered such of the women and children as had not previously fled into the woods for safety, and the strongest and bravest of the fighting men. When the encampment at Thonock had been carried by assault, the unfortunate natives who defended it had little else to look to but death, or a slavery that was worse than death. The river bank at Morton must have witnessed many a bloody encounter, but none so bloody as the scenes of carnage that were enacted on the hill side at Thonock, when Northern Pirates had successfully stormed the camp.

Who, shall we say, were the original creators of the Entrenchments at Thonock? To a certain extent we have already supplied an answer. The Entrenchments are not Roman. It was, we believe, the invariable practice of the Romans, who were most systematic in their military arrangements, to make their encampments square, and the Thonock Entrenchments are circular. Moreover Thonock is not upon a Roman road, and there are no other traces of a Roman army in the immediate vicinity. One might expect to find a Roman Camp at Marton, where the great road approached the river, but one would not look for such at Thonock, though of course, if the Romans found a camp already in existence, they might have used it upon occasion, with troubling to change its character. For instance, if they were for any length of time