ten pounds; but it was not formed into a regular corporation till the first year of the reign of Edward the sixth,* when it was elevated to the dignity of a city, and incorporated by the style of bailiffs, burgesses, citizens, and commonalty, of the same." The same prince restored to it the privilege of deputing members to Parliament, which it had not enjoyed from the twenty seventh year of the reign of Edward the third. This charter was confirmed, and many other rights and immunities conferred on the citizens, successively by queen Mary, Elizabeth, James the first, and Charles the second, as marks of the high sense they entertained of their steady loyalty, even in the most troublesome and difficult times.†

The city of Lichfield is now governed by a recorder, high steward, two bailiffs, a town clerk, and coroner. The senior bailiff is elected by the bishop, keeps part of the seal, and is escheator; but his colleague, and all the other magistrates and officers, are chosen by the bailiffs and common council, which is composed of twenty one brethren elected from among the citizens. The recorder and steward, are magistrates for life; and, together with the bailiffs and justices, have power to hold courts of gaol delivery, and to award sentence of death, or other punishments, upon offenders. The city and its suburbs form a distinct county from Staffordshire. Within this district

: • Gough's Camden, Vol II. p. 512,

f James the second having procured a surrender of the ancient charters granted the citizens a new one, in which he incorporated them by the style and title of Mayor and Aldermen, but made some arbitrary reservations. In 1688, when the king's affairs began to grow desperate, and he found it necessary to review his arbitrary measures, he published a proclamation for restoring corporations to their ancient privileges. In consequence of this, the new charter, and all proceedings upon it, were rescinded, and the corporation reverted to the charter by K. Charles II. Harwood's Lichfield, p. 349, 351.

The city and county comprise a circuit of about 16 miles, which the sheriffs, with numerous attendants, annually perambulates on the eighth of September, the nativity of the blessed virgin Mary. Harwood's Lich. p. 248. Jackson's Hist. p. 5.

trict the corporation has exclusive jurisdiction. A court of record is held here by the authority of the bailiffs for the recovery of debts, amounting to 40s. and upwards. Such pleas as cannot be determined in this court must be tried before the justices next "Coming into the city, and not out of the city, or before any other justices? There are, likewise, courts of gaol delivery, quarter sessions, and Pie Powdre, besides several annual courts, as the Court of Array, the great Portmote court, and the court of the View of Frank-pledge.

Of these courts, the Court of Array is the only one we deem it necessary to notice particularly. It is held on every WhitMonday in the Guild-hall, from whence it is immediately adjourned to Greenhill, an open mount, situated in the parish of St. Michael's. Here a temporary bower of wood is erected for the occasion. The constables of the city, attended by armed men, morrice (or moresque) dancers, &c. escort the sheriff, town-clerk, and bailiffs, to this place, where the style and title of the court are proclaimed by the public cryer. Then are the names of all the householders of the twenty-one wards of the city called over as owing suit and service to the court; and, if they fail to appear, they are subjected to a small fine. The dozeners or petty constables, likewise, attend with emblems of their respective trades, or other devices, and deliver rolls containing the name of every man resident within their respec< tive districts. During the day the High constables, accompa nied by dancers and armed men, perambulate the city, the lat ter firing a volley over each house. The dancers appear in their shirts, having ribbands of different colours tied round their necks, and flung across their shoulders, dancing sarabands, chacons, &c. in imitation of the Moors. The whole concludes with a procession through the principal streets to the market-place, when the town clerk, in name of the bailiffs and citizens, addresses the constables and others, in a complimentary speech, and exhorts them to be loyal to their king, and to

exert themselves on all occasions, to promote the interests of the city.*

Lichfield enjoys a healthful and agreeable situation, being placed in a fine valley, surrounded by hills of a moderate height and easy ascent, at the distance of 119 miles from London, and nearly in the centre of England. The houses are in general built according to the taste of modern times; and are, for the most part, occupied by gentry, and persons of small independent fortunes. There is here, however, a considerable manufacture of sail cloth, and some others on a smaller scale, which employ a good number of hands. The town is now entirely open, and probably never was walled, at least no appearánces of its having been so are to be discovered at the present day. Neither do any vestiges of the ditches formed by bishop Clinton remain, except the foot path, called Castle ditch, leading from John Street to the eastern division of the town, may be regarded as a portion of one of them; for which supposition, however, the name is the only foundation. The castlet itself has, likewise, been long entirely demolished; and, though known to have, stood near this place, the precise spot is

*The origin of this remarkable court is unknown, having existed long prior to the date of any of the royal charters. Various conjectures, however, have supplied the place of historical record. Some suppose it to be an institution of king Oswy's, in memory of a victory obtained by him over the pagan king Penda, while others conclude that it is founded upon an act passed in the reign of Henry the second, and confirmed by several of his successors, enacting that the high constables of every town should oftentimes view the arms and armour of the men in their franchise or liberty. The latter opinion is certainly more probable than the former.

+ Mr. Pennant thinks it probable that it was in this castle king Richard spent his Christmas in 1397, when he consumed 200 tuns of wine, and two thousand oxen; but Stowe says, he kept it in the close. Here, however, it is sufficiently certain, that he was confined, when on his way to London, as a prisoner. From this fortress he attempted to escape, by slipping down from the window of his room into a garden; but being unfortunately observed by a centinel, he was secured and reconducted to his confinement. Stowe's Chronicle, p. 318, 322. Pennant's Journey, p. 157.

is not exactly ascertained. The town is still divided into two portions, the city and the close, by a large sheet of water, which contributes not a little to its beauty. The close is of exempt jurisdiction, and wholly independent both of Lichfield and the county of Stafford, the residentiary dean and canons being sole justices within its precincts. This district, which stands upon much higher ground than the rest of the town, having been fortified, stood several vigorous sieges, during the period of the great rebellion. The first of these happened in March 1643, when Sir Richard Dyott, and some of the principal gentlemen of the county, under the earl of Chesterfield held it for the king, and were attacked by lord Brook and Sir John Gell, generals in the parliamentary army. The former of these last mentioned officers, a zealous puritan, is said to have drawn up his army within half a mile of the town; and, having vowed the destruction of the cathedral, implored the divine assistance in the accomplishment of his intended purpose. He then advanced into the city, and raised a battery in Dam Street over against the east gate of the close. But his lordship, having stationed himself under the porch of a small house immediately adjoining in order to superintend the progress of the attack, was shot through the eye by a gentleman of the Dyott family, who happened to observe him from the top of the battlements of the chief steeple of the cathedral.* The death of their commander, however, did not much discourage the parliamentary forces, who continued the siege with great vigour under the conduct of Sir John Gell, and shortly after induced the garrison to surrender upon the "condition of free quarters to all in general within the close."+ The rebels having left a strong body of troops to defend this post, these were in their

turn

The spot on which he fell is now distinguished by a pavement of white pebbles, and a marble tablet with an inscription in memory of the event which, having happened on the anniversary of St. Chad, patron of the cathedral, was attributed by the superstitious among the cavaliers to the influence of that saint, as a punishment for the impious vow, noticed in the text.

+ Shaw's Staffordshire, Vol. I. p. 240.

turn besieged the month following by prince Rupert, who marched hither immediately after the reduction of Birming ham. Colonel Russel, the governor, made a brave resistance; but having lost a great number of men in an assault, and being anxious to prevent any unnecessary effusion of human blood, capitulated upon honourable terms, on the 21st of April. From this period the loyalists continued to possess the close, till about twelve months subsequent to the battle of Naseby, when, being satisfied that the king's affairs were desperate, they delivered it up to the Parliament, whose army under Major General Lothian had invested it for a considerable time,

The cathedral church situated in the close is an object of just veneration, and one of the noblest religious fabrics in this country. The period at which this church was originally founded is uncertain; but that event is generally supposed to have taken place about the year 667, during the bishopric of Juraman, the immediate predecessor of St. Chad.* It was rebuilt in 700, by bishop Headda, or Hedda, who dedicated it to that saint, and removed his bones hither from Stowe church, where he had been previously interred. Roger de Clinton, whose beneficence to this city we have already mentioned, demolished this building, and erected a great part of the present magnificent edifice. Walter de Langton, who succeeded to the bishopric, in 1296, built that portion of it, which is called St. Mary's chapel, as well as the cloisters; and, besides, expended 2,000l. in raising a shrine to the memory of St. Chad. This splendid monument, and much of the other riches of the cathedral, were seized by Henry the eighth at the time of the dissolution. The buildings themselves, however, continued in

good

• Upon this supposition the church built by Oswy in 656 (when he constituted Lichfield an episcopal see,) and dedicated by him to St. Peter and St. Mary, cannot have stood upon this spot: if it did, it is clear the original foundation of the cathedral must have taken place then, as the mother church of every bishop's diocese is a cathedral. For our part we are of opinion that the church which Oswy begun was not finished till the time of Juraman.