Born in America, in Europe bred, In Afric travelled, and in Afia wed; Where long he liv'd and thriv'd-in London dead. Where bleft in peace, the actions of the just The prefent church at Wrexham was finifhed, except the tower, before the year 1472: the latter, from a date that there is upon it, does not feem to have been completed till about thirty-four years afterwards. In 1647, during the civil wars, this venerable building was used for fome time as a prison, and several of the committee-men were con fined in it by the parliament's foldiers, who had mutined for want of pay *. At this town there is a noted annual fair, held in the month of March, which lafts nine days. This is frequented by traders from various, and even very diftant parts of the kingdom. The com. modities brought by the Welsh people are chiefly flannels, linen, linfey-woolfey, and horfes and cattle in abundance. Traders from other parts bring Irish linen, Yorkshire and woollen cloths, and Manchester and Birmingham goods of all kinds. For the accommodation of those who have goods to fell, there are two squares, or areas, furnished with little fhops or booths t. Whitelock, 243. Aikin's Manchester. The The two principal inns are the Eagles and the Red Lion, both good houses. At the former I had excellent accommodations, and experienced the most obliging treatment. In the neighbourhood of Wrexham there are feveral manufactories of military inftruments; and in particular a large cannon foundery not far from the town. CHAP. XV. EXCURSION FROM WREXHAM TO HOLT. Village of Holt.-Cafle.-Hiftory of the Cafile. FROM Wrexham I made an excurfion to Holt, an obfcure village on the weft bank of the Dee, about fix miles diftant. This was once a market town, and a place of fome confequence; and it ftill continues to be governed by a mayor and aldermen. The former is usually fome gentleman of respectability who refides in the neighbourhood.-The town was incorporated in the year 1410, by a charter of Thomas earl of Arundel, which, however, reftricts the burgeffes from being Welfhmen:-the charter runs in this fingular form: "To the burgeffes of our town, and to their heirs and fucceffors, being Englishmen." This arofe, no doubt, from the hatred which the lords marchers entertained towards the Welsh people, on account of the infurrection of their hero Glyndwr, at that time fcarcely fup. preffed *. This place has alfo the name of Lyons. The caftle was anciently called Caftrum Leonis, which Pennant, i. 210. appel appellation Camden conjectures to have been derived from the Roman twentieth legion having been stationed at a little distance higher up, and on the other fide of the river. The two villages of Holt and Farndon are divided only by the Dee, and have a communication by a very ancient bridge of ten arches.-All the fcenery of this neighbourhood is flat and unpleasant. The Dee flows through meadows, without any of the beauty or grandeur of rocks, or foliage, that adorn its banks in the more mountainous parts of the country. HOLT CASTLE Was fituated clofe to the river, and defended on three fides by a moat forty or fifty yards wide, cut out of the folid rock: the prefent remains confift of little else than rock, for this originally feems to have formed the first eight or ten yards of the castle. The ftone ufed in the building appears to have been that obtained in making the moat.-The fortrefs confifted of five baftions, of which four were round, and the remaining one, facing the river, fquare. The entrance was by a drawbridge on the weft fide. So little of the mafonry is left, that in the prefent ftate it is impoffible to form any idea of its ancient ftrength. The fite is by no means extenfive; and as it flood on a piece of ground level with the town, it must have had its principal ftrength in the deep and perpendicular fides of its moat. The The lands of Holt and Chirk, in the reign of Henry III., and the commencement of the reign of Edward I. were the property of Madoc ap Griffith, a native of Wales who had efpoufed the English caufe. On the death of Madoc, two fons were left, both of them under age; and Edward gave one of them to the guardianfhip of John, earl of Warren*, and the other to the care of Roger Mortimer, the fon of lord Mortimer of Wigmore. To the former boy belonged the lordship of Bromfield and Yale, in which Holt ftands, and the castle of Dinas Brân; and to the other the property of Chirk and Nanheudwy. The villainous guardians, to difburthen themselves of their charge, and get poffeffion of the eftates of the children, caused them both to be murdered. Their inhumanity, fo far from meeting its just reward, was freely pardoned by Edward, who came in for a share of the spoil. He confirmed to Warren the castle of Dinas Brân, and the lordship of Bromfield and Yale; to Mortimer he gave the property of Chirk; and the caftle and demefnes of Caergwrle, or Hope, he referved to himself. Warren and Mortimer immediately began to fecure their poffeffions by erecting on them places of defence. The latter built Chirk castle, and Warren com Camden is wrong in ftating that John earl of Warren was guardian to "Madoc, a British prince;" as it was the fon of Madoc that had been entrusted to his protection. menced |