The Right Hon. Hugh Earl Percy Mr. Thomas Pierfon, Whitby Mr. George Pierfon, Hull Capt. William Popplewell, North Shields Mr. Chriftopher Preffick, Whitby Mr. Samuel Preffick, Whitby Mr. Coverdale Richardfon, Mile-End, Mr. Chriftopher Richardfon, Whitby Mr. Richard Richardfon, Darlington S Sir George Savile, Bart. 2 Books Mr. Ifaac Scarth, Stakefby, near Whitby Mr. John Seaton, Littlebeck, near Whitby Capt. Chriftopher Preston, Carhall, near Robert Shafto, Efq; Whitworth Rev. Mr. Shafto, Brancepeth Rev. J. Sharp, D. D. Archdeacon of Nor- Mr. Robert Shaw, Whitby Mr. George Smith, York Mr. George Smith, North Shields b Francis Francis Smyth, Efq; F. A. S. Newbuilding | Mr. Geo. Walmsley, Rochdale, Lancashire Mr. Henry Sotheran, York Mr. John Spink, near Whitby John Stephenfon, Efq, North Shields Mr. Will. Sturton, Aislaby, near Pickering Capt. John Swales, Wapping, London Christopher Sykes, Esq; Wheldrake Sir George Allanfon Winn, Bart. Mr. Paul Benedict Wagner, Liverpool Mifs Polly Ward, Whitby, 3 Books Mr. Thomas Watfon, North Shields. Mr. John Webb, London Mr. Henry Wilkinson, Whitby THE PREFACE. MON ONASTERIES here in England were formerly not only the principal feminaries of learning, but also the great repositories where all hiftory, whether facred or prophane, was preserved. In most of them writers were continually employed, whose business it was partly to make out fair copies of fuch books as were to be used by the Monks in their daily devotions, and partly to transcribe those authors that were then of great fame and esteem in the learned world. Many of the Monks likewife, who were men of real genius and ability, having much spare time on their hands, were affifting to these fcribes in their labours, and alfo directed them in what manner they were to note down every material occurrence that happened, whether relating to the religious houfes in which they lived in particular, or to the affairs of the nation in general. Hence it comes to pass that, from the records compofed by those men, we are acquainted with many anecdotes and incidents that happened in former ages, which otherwise could not have come to our knowledge: But for them the history of England would have been very imperfect, and all the transactions of our Saxon ancestors would have been as much loft to us as are thofe of the Celts and Druids before the coming of Cæfar into Britain. As for particular towns, we could have known no more about them than what had happened there within the memory of man, or fince the invention of printing at fartheft whereas by the care of thefe venerable fraternities we yet have it in our power to make out regular histories, for many ages backwards, of almost all those places where their Monafteries were formerly fituate, the reading of which must give a fecret pleasure and fatisfaction to every liberal mind who lives near them, or is intimately acquainted with what they are at prefent. And it were to be wifhed that, even in these our days, the Clergyman established in every parish throughout his Majesty's dominions, in imitation of these Monks, would ftill make it his business to preferve, in the church to which he belongs, regular accounts of every material transaction or occurrence that happened among his parishioners during the time of his refidence there, with all their improvements and discoveries in agriculture, the progrefs made by them in the arts and fciences, and every thing elfe that was fingular or worthy of the public notice; we fhould then have many curious and inftructive hiftories, from which fucceeding generations might reap confiderable advantage. b 2 It It is true only a few are properly qualified to peruse these records left us by the Monks, but all will readily own that it would be a great pity to have fo many noble remains of antiquity moulder away into duft without being communicated to the world, and preferved for the benefit and fatisfaction of future generations. It was this confideration that firft induced me to fet about writing the Hiftory of Whitby, than which few towns in Europe have better or more antient memoirs belonging to them. I muft own many of - these have been perused by two or three very noted Antiquarians before me; but that was in fo tranfient and fuperficial a manner that almoft nothing feems to have been done by them. Their ignorance alfo with regard to the places mentioned in our records, was another great ftumbling-block in their way, not to be removed by any thing but a long refidence upon the place. To enable me to undertake this hiftory, it may not be improper to acquaint the reader of the fecret delight I had in this kind of ftudy, even before the time of my going to the University, and of the pleasure I have ever received from the knowledge of any thing relating to antiquity. This inclination I have always indulged, and find it grow ftronger and stronger upon me as I advance in age. During the thirty years I have refided at Whitby, I have (I prefume) perufed every thing material that is now extant relating to the place: Alfo my business as a furveyor of land has rendered me perfectly acquainted with every tract of land, and almost every field belonging to Whitby-Strand: While my frequent excurfions into other parts of the county have familiarifed to me almost every name and place that occurs in our records. Add to this, a diligent perufal of these records for several years, through the indulgence and encouragement of N. Cholmley, Efq; the prefent worthy Lord of our Manor; which has made me fo much mafter of the fubject I propofed to write about, and fupplied me with fuch a profufion of materials, that whatever faults may be espied by the Critics in the following sheets, mult entirely be imputed to my want of abilities, and the not knowing how to digeft the feveral particulars contained therein more properly. About this I fhall leave the impartial public to determine, and here only proceed to add a few articles not inferted in the body of the Hiftory, which it may be neceffary the reader fhould be informed of beforehand. And to begin with the Benedictine Monks who inhabited our Monaftery, we muft obferve that they were obliged, by the rule of their order, to say their prayers feven times a day, viz. 1. at cock-crowing, or about three in the morning 2. at fix in the morning, when the mattins began: 3. at nine in the morning 4. at twelve o'clock, or high-noon : 5. at three in the afternoon: 6. at fix in the evening, when the vefpers began and 7. after feven at night, before they went to rest. As for the Ravenhill infcription, inferted at page 43 of this hiftory, the ftone is now in my poffeffion, and is certainly the nobleft remain of British antiquity that the age to which it refers can produce, being quite compleat, and every letter thereon very fair and legible, except the fecond letter in the laft laft line, which I apprehend was defaced by the workmen in taking up. Its being fo well preserved, seems in a great measure owing to its lying more than a yard under the earth's furface. That it refers to the Emperor Juftinian will hardly admit of a difpute, especially when it is confidered that the epithet of P. P. or Pater Patriæ, was in thofe ages never given to any but the. Emperor; and that the second and third lines of the infcription contain the remaining titles of that Emperor, feems to me equally clear; nor is it poffible to make out any reading for the third line without allowing every fingle letter therein, except IV PR, to ftand for a word; and we learn from thofe hiftorians who lived foon after the reign of Juftinian, that he was honoured with all the titles we find here afcribed to him, except Britannicus; but we prove by this infcription, and the caftle where it was found, that in reality he was dignified with that title also. As for the reading in the last line of the infcription, it seems not fo much upon a certainty: I was formerly of opinion it denoted the intention for which this cattle was erected, and ought to be read ad navigantium opus; but, upon a clofer examination of the ftone, I am inclined to think the fecond letter in this line is G, and that the reading ought to be A. G. ominibus; where the two letters A. G. ftand for the name of the General who acted under Juftinian here in Britain, by whofe direction and management this maritime caftle was built for the protection of our coaft. However that may be, I do not fee in what manner the credit of our English history can be faved, which this old Roman ftone fo palpably contradicts. It will be eafy for any one to perceive that my chief defign in writing this hiftory hath been to oblige my neighbours the inhabitants of Whitby, and the country adjacent, by informing them of every material occurrence that hath come to my knowledge which happened there in former ages. All the charters are carefully and exactly tranflated into English; and to have added alfo three or four hundred Latin pages more in quarto, would indeed have obliged a few readers, but it must have been at double the expence they will now be at, without having one tittle of more information conveyed to them. It is for the fame reason I have been very fparing in my references to other authors, though many have been confulted; and that I have not annexed to each charter the chain of reafoning I have made ufe of to fix the date of the year when it was wrote, which could have been of very little or no fervice to the reader, and would have more than doubled the fize of this volume. Suffice it to fay, that much pains and labour hathbeen taken about this particular, and many books of antiquities read over to have the æras of each properly adjusted; though my greatest help to do that hath been a comparing the names of the witneffes by which every charter is attefted, and carefully confidering the times in which they lived: And I am really of opinion that every charter is referred, or very nearly referred, to the year when it was firft wrote. But fhould there any where be fome small mistakes committed in this refpect, I hope to have the pardon of every indulgent reader, who will confider what an arduous task I had here to en counter |