Thong-Castle. Of Byrsa, a famous citadel of Carthage, a similar story is related; and other parallel traditions are told of ThongCastle, near Sittingbourne, in Kent. Whence the author of the History of England, in Latin heroic verse, has thus parodied the allusion in Virgil: "Accepitque solum facti de nomine Thongum, "He had the spot called from the story Thong, The British name of Caer affixed to a place, always refers to a British or Roman fortress. Its present game is from the Roman Castrum, and a Roman road goes from this place in a south easterly direction, passing a station at Ludford, towards Horncastle."There can be no doubt that this castle was built long before Hengist's time; for I saw enough of the old Roman wall to evince its founders. One great piece stands on the virge of the churchyard, another by a house. There are more behind the schoolhouse in the pastures, and I have met with many men that have dug at its foundations in several places. It is built of white ragstone, laid sometimes side-ways, sometimes flat, in mortar, exceedingly hard, full of pebbles and sand; nor is it mixed to any fineness, so that I conjecture they used to pour the mortar on liquid, as soon as the lime was slaked*." This, which was called boiling mortar, with the herring bone manner of laying some of the stones, is peculiarly characteristic of the Roman mode of building. The soil hereabouts abounds with springs, one of which, called Syfert, is very peculiar. Its waters flow in four directions, be + Stukeley derives the name from the Saxon word Syfer, which he says means, pure, clean, as the stream here deserves to be called." Is it not more probabie, on the doctor's own hypothesis, of its having been a Roman British city, that it comes from the British word syvyr, pronounced syfer, which signifies hard, and is descriptive of this water. tween the joints of large stones, which are laid flat like a wall, and are connected together by rivets of lead. At Castle-hill many bodies have been dug up, and a stone, of irregular or mutilated shape, with an inscription, which the late Mr. Bradley, of Lincoln, read-Cruci spolium, quod Egbert rex in honorem.-This is supposed to have been inscribed in honour, and as a memorial of the victory obtained by Egbert near this place, over Wiglof, king of Mercia, A. D. 827. Castor has a small weekly market, on Saturdays, and three annual fairs. By the returns made under the act for taking an account of the population of the kingdom, the number of houses was 193, of inhabitants 861. A ceremony, respecting a peculiar tenure, not mentioned by Camden, or Blount, takes place at Castor church every Palm Sunday.-A person enters the church-yard with a green silk purse, containing two shillings, and a silver penny tied at the end of a cart-whip, which he cracks three times in the porch, and continues there till the second lesson begins; when he goes into the church, and cracks the whip again three times over the clergyman's head. After kneeling before the desk during the reading of the lesson, he presents the minister with the purse, and then returning to the choir, he waits the remainder of the service. Mr. Gough thinks, that two shillings are probably substituted for twenty-four pence, as the tenure appears to have been antecedent to the coinage of shillings; "which," he observes, were not common till the reign of Edward the Sixth." BRADLEY HAVERSTOE WAPENTAKE contains the following parishes:-Ashby cum Fenby, Aylesby, Barnoldby-leBeck, Beelsby, Beesby, Haverby and Cadeby, Bradley, Brigsley, Caboun, Clee, Cleethorpe township, Coates Great, Coates Little, Coates north, Cuxwold, Fulston, Grainsby, Grimsby Great, Hatcliffe, Healing, Holton le Clay, Humberstone, Irby, Laceby, * The lands held by this, are situated in the parish of Broughton. Laceby, Marsh Chapel, Ravendale East, Ravendale West, Rothwell, Scartho', Swallow, Swinhope, Tetney, Thoresby North, Waith, Woltham, and Wold Newton. GRIMSBY, OR GREAT GRIMSBY, So called to distinguish it from a village of the same name, is a borough, market, and sea-port town, which formerly possessed a considerable share of foreign commerce, and was distinguished for its internal trade. The town still enjoys many immunities, has a weekly market on Wednesdays, and an annual fair on St. Bartholomew's day. It also sends two members to parliament. Of its origin and ancient history much has been written. The story, that it was founded by a merchant named Gryme, who ob tained great riches in consequence of having brought up an exposed child, called Haveloc, who proved to be of royal Danish blood, and, from being scullion in the King's kitchen, had the honour to marry the King's daughter, is ridiculed by Camden, and placed among old wives' fables. The corporation seal, which appears to be very ancient, however, emblematically gives countenance to such a story, whether fictitious or true. Holles supposes this town was founded by a Norwegian pirate; and Macpherson observes, "Grimsby is noted by the Norwegian, or Islandic writers, as an emporium, resorted to by merchants from Norway, Scotland, Orkney, and the Western Islands *." The town is governed by a mayor, two bailiffs, twelve aldermen, and thirty-six burgesses. The mayor and bailiffs hold separate courts; the former on Tuesday, the latter on Friday. The first charter was granted in the reign of King John. It was once rich and populous, and carried on considerable trade. In the reign of Edward the Third, Grimsby furnished eleven ships, and one hundred and seventy mariners, to assist at the siege of Calais. But the trade afterwards forsook it, and the harbour * Annals of Commerce, Vol. I. p. 391. became became nearly choaked with sand. Formerly it was fortified with two blockhouses, of which no traces remain. The spirit of the place has of late revived. The harbour has been improved, and a dock constructed at a great expence, by which means the trade of the port has been increased, and the town extended by many additional buildings. In the town were formerly two churches, that of St. Mary's, which was an handsome building, and its steeple a good land mark for mariners, has been long since taken down. St. James's church is a spacious structure, built in the form of a cross, with a tower, in the centre. Originally it was of greater extent, a part of the choir having fallen down about the year 1600. The steeple is a beautiful specimen of English pointed architecture, and appears to have suffered less from the depredations of time than other parts of the church. The alterations it has undergone at different periods by no means correspond with the style of the original building. In the upper part of the steeple is this inscrip tion, "Pray for the soule of John Empringham.", This person was eminent, according to Gervas Holles. This gentleman was born here in the reign of Henry the Fourth, and was a considerable benefactor to the church. The large west window had figures of the Kings of Judah branching off from the stem of Jesse. In the church are many ancient monuments and inscribed stones, some of which appear to have been removed from the three monasteries that were formerly in the town. Beside a monastery of gray friars, and a convent of benedictine nuns, Grimsby had a priory of Augustine canons, founded by King Henry the First, who liberally endowed, and conferred on it several privileges. These, his son, Henry the Second, confirmed, and further granted, that the monks should enjoy their lands and rentals free from all exactions and secular services; a proof of the power and influence of the religious orders during that period of our history. Stow * He has given a minute description of the monuments and armorial bearings painted in the several windows in this church, among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum. Stow relates, that JOHN WALSH, a native of this place, being accused of high treason by a gentleman of Navarre, did, on St. Andrew's day, in the eighth year of King Richard the Second, A. D. 1385, enter the lists to combat with the " Navarois, named Martileto de Vilenos," that he might, according to the custom of the times, refute the charge, by obtaining the victory over his antagonist; which having gained, his traducer was hanged for false accusation. The brightest ornament of this place was that eminently distinguished prelate, Dr. JOHN WHITGIFT, Archbishop of Canterbury. He received his education in the university of Cambridge, where he became master of Trinity College, and regius professor of divinity. He was first promoted to the see of Worcester, and thence translated to the metropolitan see of Canterbury. A lover of order, he became a zealous assertor of the doctrines and discipline of the established church, against the violent advocate of the puritans, Cartwright, who, with his fo!lowers, were encouraged and supported in their opposition by numerous friends at court. Whitgift, however, conducted the controversy with so much wisdom, moderation, and piety, that he overcame and won over many of his adversaries, though he could not convince those obstinate enemies, who would be satisfied with nothing, except the overthrow of the constitution, and destruction of the hierarchy. This prelate was born in the year 1530, and died February 29th, A. D. 1603. About two miles from Great Grimsby is the small village of CLEE, which has a very ancient church, consisting of a nave, with north and south ailes, separated from the former by round massy columns. These support semicircular arches, variously ornamented with zigzag, cable, and billet mouldings. In this church is a curious font, formed of two cylindrical parts, one placed upon the other; over which, in the shaft of the circular column, is inlaid a small piece of marble, with a Latin inscription in Saxon characters, referring to the time of King Richard, and stating that |