The church at Hallaton is a large handsome structure, consist→ ing of a nave, ailes, chancel, and tower with a spire. The ailes are as high as the nave, and have large windows with mullions, and elaborate tracery. At the north-east angle is a sort of towerbuttress, ornamented with niches, canopies, and pinnacles. Over these are the arms of Bardulph and Engaine, cut on stone shields, and the whole is surmounted with an handsome crocketed pinna cle. Round the exterior summit of this aile is a perforated ballustrade. In the north porch is an ancient piece of sculpture, which originally formed the impost of a doorway, and represents the patron Saint, Michael, slaying a dragon. In the chancel are three stone seats, gradually rising one above another; and in the south aile are three others, of different shaped arches and ornaments. Here is also an ancient font, of square form, with columns at the angles, having grotesque heads in the place of capitals.

In DRYSTOKE CHURCH (in Rutland), on the eastern border of Gartre hundred, is a fine alabaster monument, with the effigies of a man and woman. The former is represented in plated ar mour, with sword and dagger, ruffles, beard, and curled hair: at his feet is the figure of a lion. Round the edge, in raised letters, is the following inscription—

"Here lieth the bodies of Kenelme Digby, Esquier, which Menelme deceased the 21 of April, 1590: and of Anne his Wife, which Anne deceased ”

On the north side of the tomb are statues of "a swaddled babe, a woman, a man, in a furred cloak, waistcoat, and trunk hose; another in armour, with a falling cape, double collar, gloves in his left hand, his right on a shield; a fleur de lis, and crescent of difference; four females in ruffs, and heads dressed like the larger figure, and another swaddled babe; two women at the head, in the same dress as the others, and between them Digby, impaling, azure, on a chevron, between three roses, slipt azure and vert, three fleurs de lis, Cope, in a garter inscribed

NVL QUE VNG, None but one." This Kenelm Digby was Grandson of Sir Everard Digby, of Tilton, and Sheriff of Rutland, 1541, 1549, 1554, 1561, 1567, 1585; and represented that county in parliament from the first of Edward the Sixth, to the fourteenth of Elizabeth inclusive; and great grandfather of the famous Sir Kenelm Digby †. In this church are other monuments and memorials to different persons of the Digby family.

At HORNINGHOLD, a village a little north-east of Hallaton, the church is entitled to the notice of the architectural antiquity. Its southern door-way presents a curious specimen of the real Saxon style. From two rudely sculptured capitals spring a semicircular arch, the face of which is ornamented with a sort of dia mond shaped work, and this is encircled with a billet moulding, or band. In the church is an old octangular font, supported by four round pillars, with a large one in the centre. Horninghold church, with the lordship, was held by Robert de Todenci, immediately from the Conqueror: and this Norman lord gave the lordship, &c. to the priory of Belvoir, whence it was transferred to the Abbey of St. Alban's.

KIBWORTH is situated on the great turnpike road from London to Leicester, at the distance of nine miles from the latter. This parish consists of the three hamlets of Kibworth-Beauchamp, Kibworth-Harcourt, and Smeeton-Westerby, now considered as one hamlet though actually two distinct villages. The whole parish extends about four miles in length, and comprehends nearly 4000 acres of land. In Kibworth-Beauchamp, Walter de Beauchamp obtained leave to hold a weekly market, from King Henry the Third, in 1221; but this has long been discontinued.

Near the hamlet of Kibworth-Harcourt is an encampment, consisting of a large mount, encompassed with a single ditch, the circum

* Nichols's History of Leicestershire, Vol. II. p. 608.

*See Beauties of England, &c. Vol. I. p. 328, 329. Vol. IV. p. 496.

circumference of which, at the bottom, is 122 yards. The height of the slope of the mount is 18 yards, and its diameter at top is 16 yards. About 200 yards from the Meeting-house is a large Barrow, raised on elevated ground. At Kibworth is a free Grammar School, founded and supported on a liberal plan; but the time of the foundation, and the name of the benefactor, are not satisfactorily defined; whence some litigations have arisen respecting this establishment: but these being settled by a decree from the Court of Chancery, Francis Edwards, Esq. who possessed considerable property in the village, had a new school-house erected in 1725.

On

The church, seated on an eminence, is spacious, and consists of a nave, ailes, chancel, two porches, and steeple. The latter is lofty and taper, and measures fifty-three yards in height. the south side of the chancel are three handsome stone seats, and a small piscina. The pulpit is curiously carved, as is the covering of the font.

LANGTON, a considerable district in the southern part of the county, includes about 3000 acres of land, and comprehends the five chapelries and hamlets, of Church-Langton, East-Langton, West-Langton, Thorpe Langton, and Tur-Langton. The three former, though distinct manors, may be considered as one district; the two latter have separate chapels, but each has an appropriated aile in the mother church. CHURCH LANGTON is pleasantly situated on an eminence, at the distance of four miles from Harborough, and is particularly marked in the annals of benevolence, from the charitable character, &c. of the late Rev. William Hanbury, who was the rector of this living, and resided here for many years. "Amidst the numerous plans," observes Mr. Nichols, "proposals, and schemes, offered to the public, for relieving distress, encouraging merit, promoting virtue, exciting industry, and propagating religion, none has appeared in the present age more extensive, benevolent, and disinterested, than the charities projected, and in some degree established, by the late

Rev. Mr. Hanbury; which justly entitled him to the thanks, esteem, and patronage, of his contemporaries, and have ensured him the veneration of posterity. These charities, as the publicspirited founder informs us, owed their origin to his natural genius and inclination for planting and gardening; and the intentions of this benevolent Divine were so perfectly pure, that one would have imagined that the breath of calumny itself could not have vented the slightest censure on the projector."

The great object and speculation of Mr. Hanbury was to raise and cultivate very extensive plantations: the profits arising from which he intended to appropriate to the foundation of several noble and important charities. When only twenty-six years of age, he informs us, he commenced his plan, in first cultivating an acquaintance with gardeners, seedsmen, &c. and thereby acquiring the best practical knowledge of the nature, properties, value, &c. of seeds and plants. This not satisfying his ardent mind, be established a correspondence abroad, and obtained from NorthAmerica, and other distant countries, a great variety of seeds, &c. "All the time," he observes, "I was employed in settling this correspondence, I was very busy in preparing the ground for the reception of the seeds of all sorts; together with a spot for the planting of such trees as were to be headed down, for what gardeners call stools, in order for their throwing out fresh shoots for layering. Two years closely employed me in the different parts of such necessary preparations; and, by the spring of 1753, the seminary was completed, by containing a very large quantity of almost every sort of seed that could be procured; besides, a large spot of ground was planted over with such trees and shrubs as are propagated in the viminenous manner." Soon afterwards Mr. Hanbury found his plants increased to such an extent, that he wanted additional land to transplant them in. He therefore applied for a small Close, which was part of the glebe, but in which the parish had a right of common after the hay was cleared off. All the parishioners but two, Mrs. Pickering and Mrs. Byrd, agreed to allow the worthy clergyman this piece of land, and the

VOL. IX.

Ff

two

two ladies partly consented. Mr. H. fancying himself secure, prepared the ground, and planted it in the spring with about 20,000 young trees, of different sorts: but, either envy, jealousy, or some worse passion, operated on the two ladies and some of their dependents, and impelled them to claim their right of common; and, "the moment the harvest was in, their tenants' cattle were turned amongst the young trees, and in a little time destroyed them all. Neither was this all. I was served, for a trespass, with twenty-seven different copies of writs in one day*. Not dismayed at this," continues the enthusiastic projector, “ I rallied again, and, in a year or two, my nursery at Tur-Langton was planted all over. Firm and unshaken, I closely pursued the main point in view; and, by the year 1757, my large plantations at Gumley† were all made.”

By such spirited exertions, Mr. Hanbury had raised, by the year 1758, plantations, the value of which were estimated at 10,000l. In this year he published proposals for the sale of a large quantity of these trees, &c. towards the foundation of his charities. He soon afterwards went to Oxford, and there printed his " Essay on Planting," which was dedicated to the University, and in which he gave additional publicity to his favourite plans. Το

* In Mr. Nichols's History of Leicestershire, Vol. II. p. 686, is the following note on this passage. "In two or three years after he had a process entered against him in the spiritual court, by Thomas Buszard, Churchwarden; but Buszard signed his recautation March 31, 1766, in which he acknowledged to have been instigated to act as he did, not by the devil, bat by two ladies of great fortune in the parish-Mrs. Pickering and Mrs. Byrd.” The conduct of these females towards the benevolent rector, appears either excessively illiberal and cruel, or incomprehensible. In our intercourse with society, we occasionally (and with pleasure be it spoken, it is only occasionally) meet with persons who persist in annoying their neighbours, and thereby popularly debase themselves, by conminitting and repeating despicable acts, in defiance of justice, equity, reason, and public shame.

"These remain a glorious monument of the practicability of the plan; and are now the ornament of Mr. Cradock's residence." Nichols's History of Leicestershire, Vol. II. p. 686.