declared to consist of an alderman, twelve capital burgesses, and twenty-four assistants; the alderman being endowed with the powers of a justice of the peace. Charles II. seized all the charters of the borough by a writ of quo warranto; but they were returned and confirmed by his successor. After the revolu tion the alderman and burgesses having neglected to subscribe a "certain association in an Act of Parliament passed November 22, 1695, intituled "An Act for the better security of his ma. jesty's person and government," they lost their civic privileges, and became extinct in a political view. Lord Wharton, however, pleaded the cause of the repenting burgesses so successfully, that a new and more ample charter, than any previous one, was granted in 1696; and under the same the town is now governed. It added to the limits of the ancient borough the parishes of St. Paul, Malmsbury; St. Mary, Westport; and the precincts of the monastery, now called the Abbey-parish: it gave the right of using a common seal; regulated the election of the former officers, and directed the nomination of a high steward, whose duty it is to act as counsellor to the corporation. It also constituted the alderman, high steward, and their deputies, justices of the peace, and declared many other privileges. The inferior members of the corporation are styled Landholders and Commoners. The former are fifty-two in number, and are entitled by their offices to the possession of one acre of ground for life, and the vacancies among the assistant burgesses are filled up from this class. The commoners, or free burgesses "must be sons, or sons-in-law of capital burgesses married, and parishioners inhabitant; and their chief privileges are the liberty of turning cattle upon the common of King's Heath, and the elegibility to the office of landholder."

Malmsbury originally sent members to Parliament in the reign of Edward I.; but the earliest separate summons for the borough is dated the thirty-third year of Henry VI. The second distinct return was in the time of Queen Mary, from which period all the returns have been of a similar description. Since the Revolution,

however,

however, there have been violent contests on several occasions relative to the extent of the elective franchise; the alderman and capital burgesses contending that it rested in them only, to the exclusion of the landholders and free burgesses. By the last decision on a petition presented by Mr. Vassar, against the sitting members, Thelluson and Smith, the exclusive right of the capital burgesses was so clearly and unequivocally recognized that it is probable the popular party will never again dispute the point. Joseph Pitt, Esq. M. P. is the present high-steward,

The principal manor or lordship of Malmsbury, previous to the Conquest, seems to have been vested in the king, and consequently became part of the possession of William I. and by that monarch was granted to the Bishop of Coutances, as appears from Domesday-book. In the reign of Henry II. it was held by Robert Fitzharding, first Lord Berkley, but shortly afterwards reverted to the Crown, and was given by King John to the abbot and monks of Malmsbury, by whom it was held till the Dissolution. Henry VIII. conveyed it with the abbey and its buildings to William Stumpe, the rich clothier already mentioned. From his family it passed to Henry Knyvett, Esq. Ann Warneford, widow, died, seized of it in 1631, when William Plomer, son of Ann, wife of Plomer, and third daughter of the above Mrs. Warneford, was found to be heir. Thomas Ivye, Esq. held it in 1656, but in 1691, it had passed to Godwyn Wharton, Esq. How long it continued to be posesessed by that gentleman's descendants is uncertain: but there is reason to believe that Thomas, Marquis of Wharton and Malmsbury, and also Philip, Duke of Wharton, so noted for his talents and his profligacy, were both lords of the manor; and it is not improbable that it was alienated by the latter.

About the year 1750, it was purchased by Sir John Rushout, Bart. who, in 1760, gave it to his son, Lord Northwick. The late lord, who died in 1800, bequeathed it to its present possessor, Lady Northwick, relict of the late nobleman.

Malmsbury, as was stated before, is built on a commanding

eminence

eminence peninsulated by two streams. It was formerly sarrounded by a wall, parts of which are visible, especially at the entrance of the town from Cirencester. These remains, though much dilapidated, are nevertheless sufficient to testify the strength of this bulwark in its original state. By whom it was built is not recorded; but conjecture points with much plausibility to Roger, Bishop of Sarum, the founder of the castle. In this wall were four massive gates, now entirely destroyed; they were called the east, west, north, and south gates, and were standing but" ruins al" in the time of Leland. At a short dislance from the base of the wall, about six feet beneath the surface of the earth, a substance has been discovered, which having the appearance of vitrification, an idea has been entertained that this place was, in more remote times, encompassed by a vitrified bank or vallum; but that opinion appears absurd, as the substance in all probability is a natural production.

From the old records of the town it is manifest that Malmsbury was much more extensive and populous during the period of its monastic celebrity, and even after the Dissolution, than at present. Many streets are there mentioned, of which not even the foundations can now be traced. It was early distinguished for the greatness of its clothing trade. Stumpe, the entertainer of King Henry VIII. was one of the richest woollen manufacturers of his age. Leland * says, "the hole logginges of the abbey be now longging to one Stumpe, an exceeding rich clothiar that boute them of the king. This Stumpe's sunne hath maried Sir Edward Baynton's doughter. This Stumpe was the chief causer and contributer to have th abbay church made a paroch church. At this present tyme every corner of the vaste houses of office that belongid to thabbay be full of lumbes to weeve clooth yn, and this Stumpe entendith to make a strete or 2 for clothier in the back vacant ground of the abbay that is withyn the town waulles. There be made now every yere in the town a 3000 cloths."

Itinerary, Vol. II. p. 26.

Cloth

Cloth weaving, however, declined after the period of the common wealth; and before the middle of the last century it was entirely abandoned till about twenty years ago, when the manufacture was revived upon a small scale, and has progressively increased under the management of Francis Hill, Esq. who probably employs as many hands as old Stumpe ever did. The other principal branches of trade in the town are the making of leather, gloves, parchment, and glue.

It has been already remarked that Malmsbury consists of three parochial divisions, which, according to the Parliamentary returns of 1811, contained 322 houses, and 2009 inhabitants: this includes the borough and parish, the abbey parish, and the parish of Westport, St. Mary. The following detached hamlets are also within the parish of Malmsbury :-Cole and West Park, Corston, Milbourn, and Rodbourne. The houses of the town are chiefly disposed in three streets, called the High Street, Oxford Street, and Silver Street. The first and last run parallel to each other, and are intersected by Oxford Street near their northern extremities. There is besides, however, a considerable street called the Abbey-Row, because commencing near the site of the monastery. Here is a weekly market on Saturday for butcher's meat, and other provisions, which has long been very inconsiderable; but there is a market for cattle, swine, &c. held on the last Tuesday of every month, called the "great market," which is usually well attended. There are likewise three annual fairs for horses and black cattle on the 28th of March, 28th of April, and 5th of June. The great fair formerly held in St. Aldhelm's Mead has been long discontinued. Leland mentions it in these terms: "The toune hath a great privileg of a fair about the fest of Sainct Aldelme; at the which tyme the toune kepith a band of harnesid men to se peace kept; and this one of the bragges of the toun, and thereby they be furnished with harneys."

It appears that formerly there were several churshes belonging to the establishment, in Malmsbury, but only one, St. Mary's

of

of Westport now remains. The old parish church of St. Paul was partly demolished when the nave of the abbey church was appropriated for divine service. St. Mary's is a chapel of ease to Charlton, a village about two miles distant from the town, and has been built within the last 150 years. The places for the public worship of Dissenters here are a Presbyterian meetinghouse, built in 1788, a chapel for Anabaptists, rebuilt in 1802, and a Moravian chapel. The Methodists, though tolerably numerous, have no proper chapel, but they have a house in Silver Street fitted up for the celebration of worship.

The charitable institutions in this town are two almshouses, one endowed by the corporation, and the other by Robert Jenner; two free-schools and a Sunday school. One of the freeschools was endowed with a salary of thirty pounds per annum by Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges of Shipton Moyne, in the county of Glocester. None of these establishments are remarkable for their buildings; but in the corporation alms-house, at the south-east end of the town, is a curious ancient arch, and other architectural ornaments. The workhouse, situated in Holloway, is an old edifice, and was most probably formerly a hospitium to the abbey. Here, according to tradition, Henry VIII. and his retinue were entertained by Mr. Stumpe; and here also King Charles I. was sumptuously banqueted by the corporation in the time of the grand rebellion, which terminated in the execution of that unfortunate monarch.

But if Malmsbury be unproductive of modern objects of interest, it possesses several calculated to excite the regard of the antiquary and the moralist. Among these the most conspicuous are the remains of the Abbey Church, the Abbey House, and the Market Cross. The first is certainly a most interesting display of ancient ecclesiastical architecture, and is thus described in the first volume of "The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain."

This once spacious and magnificent structure serves to shew that architecture was successfully studied and practised in Eng