Britain, or a chorographicall description of the most flourishing kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Ilands adioyning, out of the depth of antiqvitie : beavtified with mappes of the severall Shires of England / written first in Latine by William Camden ; Translated newly into English by Philémon Holland.

William Camden

Date:: 1610

Credit: Britain, or a chorographicall description of the most flourishing kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Ilands adioyning, out of the depth of antiqvitie : beavtified with mappes of the severall Shires of England / written first in Latine by William Camden ; Translated newly into English by Philémon Holland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

188/1348 page 160

$a ——— a a RE NEN SEED AS eg NE E sw ^ y that in every Countie there fhould be made at the Kings charge , one Capitaine , who with the helpe of the Sheriffefhouldrifiraine thecr ueland outrageom robbers and theevesfrom frealth and rapine, Many therefore being frighted with this terrour gave over, and fo the Kings power began to breath againe andrevive. NNith good forecaft this was done ve- rily by thefe princes : but whether Cazz£u the Dane didmore wifely, who in his Mo- He flourithea Darchie ere&ted a Tetrarchie, let our Politicians and Statifts difpute. Forhe, (Her- inthe yeere, mandusthe Archdeaconismine Author) being aprudent Prince , and watch{ull every eth way, dividing the care of bis kingdome into foure parts, ordained Tetrarchs.[uch as he had found tobe moft feithfulland trusty. Thecharge of the greater portion, to wit of Weftfex, *Made Pe tooke upon bimfelfe yof * Mirchs,which was the fecond portion he committed to one E- drich the third, ufnally called Northumbre, toYrtus sand to Erle T ur bill the fourth Eaft- England , which flowed in plenty and abundance of allwealth. For chisinfiru&ionI am beholdentothe diligence of Francis Thinn,a man, whowith exceeding ereatcom~ mendation hath travelled very much in this Studie of Antiquities. Sheriffe ofthe NOW every yeere, fomeoneof the Gentlemen inhabitants , ismaderuler ofthe Shire. countie wherein he dwelleth, whom we callin Latin Vicecomitem, as one would fay, the Deputieof the Comes or Erle, and in our tongue Sheriffe, thatis, the Reeve of the foire,who alfo may well be termed the T; reafurer of the Shire or Province. Forjtishis dutie,to gather the common monies and profits of the Prince in his Countie, to col- dant uponthe Iudges , and to execute their commandements : to aflemble and em- Twelve men, panellthe twelue men which in caufes doe enquire ofthe fa&,& make relation ther: of and give in their verdi to the Iudges (for Iudges with us fit upon the right onely of acaufe and not upon the fac) to fee condemned perfons executed, and to examine and determine certaine fmaller a&ions. Moreover,there be ordained in every Shire, Inftices of — and that by the inftitution of Edward thethird, certaine Iuftices of peace, who exa- p mine Marders,Felonies,& Tre/paffes,as they call them,yea and many other delinquen- Iuftices of _ ces. Furthermore,the King fendeth yeerely into every Shire of England two Iuftices, Affifes. to give Iudgment of Prifoners, and that Imay ufe the Lawyers terme, to deliver the . As touching Ecclefiafticall iurifdi&ion , when the Bifhops of Rome had affigned England di. feverall Churches to feverall Priefts ; and laid parifhes unto them , Honorius Arch- videdinto. ' bifhop of Canterburie,about the yeere of our Redemption 636. beganfirft to divide Pagfieee England into Parifhes, asweread inthe Hiftorieof Canterburie. But now hath England two provinces, and accordingly two Archbifhops :to wit, the Archbifho of Canterburie Primate and Metropolitan of all England, and the Archbifhop of Bibop, Yorke. Vnder thefe are twenty fiue Bifhops: to the Archbifhop of Canterburie are fubje& twenty two, to the Archbifhop of Yorke , the other three. Now what Bi- fhopricks thefe be, with the fhires and Dioceffes that are atthis day under theiriurif- diGion, that godly, andright reverend father Matthew Parker, [late] Archbifhop of Canterburie, a man very ftudious and skilfüllinantiquitie , anda worthy P atrom of good learning, fheweth in thefe his owne words. 1 IN T hig PROVINCE OF CANTERBVRIE “pts Bifhoprick of Canterburie together with that of Rocheftercontaineth unt derit Kentitfelfe. The Bifhopricke of London hath under it Effex, Middlefex; & part of Hertfordfhire. The Bifhoprick of Chichefter hath belonging unto it Suffex. . The Bifhoprick of Winchefter comprifeth Southampton fhire,Surry and thelfle of Wight,Gernfey alfo & Ierfey Tands lying againft Normandie. The Bifhoprickof Sa- E lisburie,comprehendeth Wiltfhire and Berkfhire. The BifhoprickofExcefter contai- ' neth Denfhire and Cornwall. The Bifhoprick of Bath and Wels joined together,hath under it Sommerfetfhire: The Bifhoprick of Glocefter hath belonging to it Glocefter- fhire.To the Bifhopricke of VVorcefter,isfubje& Worcefterfhire & part of Warwicke fhire.To the Bifhoprick of Hereford, Herefordíhire & part of Salop or Shropfhire.The M ER T DOC, Bifhoprick$

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