purest taste. Bulstrade formerly belonged to the abbess and convent of Burnham, and afterwards to that of Bisham. It was purchased of Sir William Bowyer, by Sir Roger Hill, and by him sold to lord chancellor Jeffries, from whom it was purchased of Mr. Dyve, his son-in-law, by the earl of Portland, about the latter end of the reign of William III. His son, created duke of Portland, in 1716, was grandfather of the present noble owner.

4

BURNHAM, a village four miles from Eton, had a nunnery, built by Richard, son of king John. Part of the building is now a farm house, known by the name of Burnham Abbey. In the church are memorials for judge Willes, and the families of Eyre, Evelyn, Hawtrey, and Sumner, Mr. Cole, the Cambridge antiquary, was vicar of this parish; of which Robert Aldrich, bishop of Carlisle, was a native, BRIGHTWELL COURT formerly belonged to the family of Cage, whence it came by marriage to that of Hastings. It was for some time the seat of the accomplished Charles, earl of Orrery; afterwards of lady Ravensworth, lord; Grenville, and at present belonging to the honourable Mr. Irby, eldest son of lord Boston.

STOKE, is twenty-one miles from London; it is called. also Stoke Poges, from its antient lords, named Poges. Edward lord Loughborough founded here an hospital, with. a chapel in which he himself was interred. Henry, third earl of Huntingdon, is supposed to have erected the mansion in Stoke Park, afterward the seat of lord chancellor Hatton. Sir Edward Coke next resided here, and was visited, in 1601, by queen Elizabeth, whom he sumptuously entertained, presenting her with jewels, &c. to the valueof 1000l. and here, in 1634, he died. It became afterward the seat of Anne viscountess Cobham, on whose death it. was purchased by Mr. Penn, one of the late proprietors of Pennsylvania. John Penn, Esq. his representative, took down the antient mansion, and has erected a noble seat, in a more elevated situation. In the park is a colossal statue of judge Coke. Among the pictures are portraits of admiral Penn, and his son the founder of Pennsylvania, painted

in armour, et. 22. He has likewise rebuilt lord Loughborough's hospital, on a more convenient spot. In lady Cobham's time, Mr. Gray, whose aunt resided in the village, often visitedi Stoke: Park, and, in 1747, it was the scene of his poem called, A Long Story; in which the style of the building in Elizabeth's reign is admirably described, and the fantastic manners of her time delineated with equal truth and humour:

The churchyard must ever be interesting, as the scene of Mr. Gray's celebrated Elegy; and, at the east end of it, he is interred; but without even a stone to record his exit. In an adjoining field Mr. Penn has erected a monument with the following inscription:

"This monument, in honour of THOMAS GRAY, was erected A. D. 1799, among the scenery celebrated by that great lyric and: elegiac poet. He died in 1771,, and lies unnoticed in the adjoin ing churchyard; under the tombstone on which he piously and pathetically recorded the interment of his aunt and much lamented mother."

In this parish is the handsome seat of the late field marshal Sir George Howard, K. B. now belonging to general Vyse; and, at the west end of the village, the neat residence of the rev. Dr. Browning.

TAPLOW, near Maidenhead, is twenty-five miles from London. It is finely elevated above the Thames, is distinguished by its noble woodlands and picturesque appearance, and is adorned with many handsome houses. Taplow House, the antient seat of the late marquis of Thomond, stands on the summit of the hill. On a fine eminence in the park, is an oak, said to have been planted by queen Elizabeth, when in confinement here. "But I sus

pect," says Mr. Ireland, "that it must at that period have been of sufficient growth to afford ample shade to her majesty, which could not have been the case had she planted it herself. It is the noble remains of a very aged tree,

"Whose antique root peeps out

Upon the brook that brawls along the wood!"

This delightful village is adorned with handsome houses.

CLIFDEN HOUSE, formerly the seat of the countess of Orkney, and built by George Villiers, second duke of Buckingham; it came by purchase to the earl of Orkney. It was a favourite residence of his royal highness Frederick, prince of Wales. This stately mansion, which had a noble terrace in front, supported by arches, was totally destroyed by fire, on the 20th of May, 1795, together with all the furniture and paintings, and the fine tapestry hangings, representing the victories of the great duke of Marlborough, in which the earl of Orkney himself had a conspicuous share*.

GREAT MARLOW

is pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Thames, over which a new wooden bridge was erected by subscription of the nobility and gentry in the neighbourhood in 1789: the inhabitants have likewise paved the foot-paths of the town by voluntary subscriptions. The chief manufacture of the place is black silk lace, and paper.

The town lies under the Chiltern hills, in a marly soil; it is a considerable borough, though not incorporated, and

* Pope has commemorated this place, in the celebrated lines, in which he records the wretched end of its founder:

In the worst inn's worst room, with mat half-hung,
The floors of plaster, and the walls of dung,
On once a flock-bed, but repair'd with straw,
With tape-ty'd curtains never meant to draw.
The George and Garter dangling from that bed
Where tawdry yellow strove with dirty red,
Great Villiers lies. Alas? how chang'd from him,
That life of pleasure, and that soul of whim!
Gallant and gay, in Clifden's proud alcove,
The bower of wanton Shrewsbury and Love.
Or just as gay, at council, in a ring
Of mimic statesmen, and their merry king.
No wit to flatter left of all his store!

No fool to laugh at, which he valued more.
There, victor of his health, of fortune, friends,
And fame, this lord of useless thousands ends?

has

has a handsome church and town hall, with a charity school for twenty boys, who are taught and clothed.

This borough sent fourteen times to parliament before the 3d Edw. II. and then ceased sending for four hundred years, until it was restored 21 James I. when it began again to send members. The right of election was resolved to be in those only who pay scot and lot. The returning officers are the constables.

The Thames brings goods hither from the neighbouring towns, especially great quantities of meal and malt from High Wycomb, and beech from several parts of the county, which abounds with this wood more than any in England. In the neighbourhood are frequent horse-races; and here are several corn and paper mills, particularly on the river Loddon, between this town and High Wycomb. It has two fairs, one on the 29th of October and two following days, for horses, cattle, hops, cloathing, and toys; also a statute for hiring servants: and the other on the 1st and 2d of May for cattle and toys. Market day is Saturday. There are two good inns in the town, one, the Upper Crown, the post and excise office, the other the Lower Crown.

The manor, which originally belonged to the earls of Mercia, was given by William L. to queen Matilda; it was bestowed by Henry I. on his natural son Robert, earl of Glocester, from whom it descended through the noble families of Clare, Despencers, Beauchamp, and Neville, when it reverted to the crown till Mary I. granted it to William lord Paget; it afterwards came by purchase to Sir Humphrey Winch, lord Falkland, Sir James Etheridge, Sir John Guise, and Sir William Clayton; whose descendant, Sir William Clayton, bart. is the present proprietor: his house at Harley ford, beautifully situated on the banks of the Thames, was built after a design of Sir Robert Taylor.

WIDMER formerly belonged to the Knights Templars; part of the manor house, (now a farm, is very antient. The chapel is desecrated to a brewhouse.

The parish church of Marlow contains a fine screen of chalk, with Gothic tracery, and a monument to the me

mory of Sir Miles Hobart, one of the members for the borough, who was killed by the overturning of his coach in going down Holborn Hill, 1632. Also for the families of Clayton, Chase, &c. Among the curious brasses is one for the children of Sir John Salisbury, 1383. Part of the antient rectory house, appropriated to the abbot and convent of Tewkesbury by Russell, bishop of Lincoln, in 1494, is still standing; the great hall is now used as a kitchen. Anthony Ellys, bishop of St. David's, was vicar of Marlow in 1753. The register book exhibits lamentable and horrid specimens of civil war; among the churchwardens accounts appears the sum of five shillings paid to the ringers, when, the unfortunate Charles I. passed through the town as a prisoner in 1647!

The fecond departments of the Royal Military College for the instruction of such who at early age, are intended for the military profession, has been placed at Marlow for some years; and is intended io remain here, till its final removal to Sandhurst, in Berkshire.

LITTLE MARLOW, two miles north-east of Great Marlow, had formerly a small convent of Benedictine nuns founded before the reign of king Jobn. The manor belonged to the family of Borlace. Sir John Borlace, bart. died in 1688, leaving a daughter married to Arthur Warren, whose great grandson, admiral Sir John Borlace Warren, bart. K. B. sold the manor in 1781 to the guardians of William Lee Antonie, Esq. M. P. (then a minor) the present proprietor, and patron of the vicarage.

The parish church contains an altar tomb with brass plates, for Nicholas Ledwich, founder of the church or chancels; he died 1430. Also memorials for the families of Chase and Warren. The present vicar is the rev. Thomas Martyn, regius professor of botany at Cambridge.

HIGH WYCOMBE,

is also called CHIPPING WYCOMB, from cwm, a British word for valley. It is a large handsome town, consisting of one great street, branching out into divers small ones.