The greater part of the houses at present in this borough belong to Joseph Pitt, Esq. who is M. P. for the borough and hundred of Cricklade. His influence in the corporation of Wotton Basset gives him a great interest in the return of the members for the borough.

LIDDIARD-TREGOOZE, or LYDIARD-TREGOSE, is a village and parish, situated at the distance of three miles north-east from Wotton-Basset. According to the population returns of 1811, the parish contains ninety-five houses, and 613 inhabitants. At the time of the Conquest the manor was called Lidiar, and constituted part of the royal domains; but it was soon afterwards granted by King William to the Earl of Ewe, or Ewias, one of whose descendants, Sibilla, carried it, by marriage, to Robert Tregoze, or Tregooze. This gentleman left it at his death to a son of his own name, whose daughter and heiress married one of the Lords Grandison. Mabel, daughter and heiress of William, Lord Grandison, conveyed it to her husband, Sir John de Patishul, Lord of Bletshoe. From that family it passed by another female heir to Roger, Baron Beauchamp, of Bletshoe, whose posterity continued in possession till the reign of Henry VI. when Sir Oliver St. John obtained it, by his marriage with Margaret, daughter of Sir John de Beauchamp, and sister and sole heir to John, Lord Beauchamp. From that period to the present it has remained in the same family, and is now the property of George St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke,

The Church, an ancient structure, is divided into a nave, two side ailes, and a chancel, with a square tower at the west end, surmounted by an open balustrade and angular pinnacles. The chancel is separated from the nave by a wooden screen, ou which are carved the royal arms; and, against the pillars supporting the arches, are hung several old helmets and fragments of flags. Some of the windows also contain fragments of painted glass. But what chiefly renders this church worthy of attention, is its inscriptions and monumental erections, in honour 2T3

of different members of the family of St. John, some of which we shall transcribe at full length, as we believe they have not hitherto appeared in any publication.

On folding doors, at the north side of the chancel, are two genealogical tablets, exhibiting pedigrees of the St. Johns, with their portraits, and representations of their respective arms, and of the arms of the various ancient and noble families from which they derived their descent. One of these tablets is intituled "The ten lineal descendants of ye 2 families of St. John of Lydiard Tregoze, and St. John, of Bletsho, brought down to the present year 1684:" and the other thus: A Genealogical Table, with the ducal line of the family of St. John, explaining their alliance, as well in affinity as consanguinity to King Henry VII. and also to Queen Elizabeth, of most glorious and ever blessed memory."

"When Conquering William won by force of sword,

This famous island then called Britains land,

Of Tregoze then was Ewias only lord,
Whose heir to Tregoze linkt in marriage band.

That Tregoze, a great baron in his age,
By her had issue the lord Grauntson's wife,
Whose daughter Patshull took in marriage,

And Beauchamp theirs, which Beauchamp's happy life,
Was bless'd with a daughter, whence did spring

Au heir to St. John, who did Lydiard bring;

This course of time, by God's almighty power,

Five hundred and forty-nine years, and now more,

Hath kept this land of Lydiard in one race.

Where at this day is St. John's dwelling place;

No! no! he dwells in heaven, whose anchored faith
Fixed on God, accounted life but death."

On these folding doors is likewise a monumental memorial in honour of Sir John St. John, Knt. and his Lady, whose figures are painted on the entablature, in the attitude of kneeling, At the feet of the lady are six children in mourning habits, and

under them are depicted the respective armorial bearings of St. John and Hungerford, with this inscription:

"Here lieth the body of SIR JOHN ST. JOHN, KNT. who married Lucy, daur and coheir of Sir Walter Hungerford, of Farley, Knt. by whom he had issue Walter, that died young, Sir John St. John, Knt. and Baronet, Oliver, that died young, Catharine, Anne, Jane, Elinor, Barbara, Lucy, and Martha, that died a child; he deceased 20th Sept. 1594. She was secondly married to Sir Anthony Hungerford, Knt. by whom she had Edward, Bridget, and Jane, and then died the 4th June, 1598. This was erected by Sir John St. John, Knt. and Baronet, in the year 1615, the 20th of July.”

Under a canopy stands a statue of EDWARD ST. JOHN, habited in armour with great boots and spurs on the legs, and an iron glove on the left hand: the right hand resting on a shield. On the pedestal, supporting the statue is a bass relief representa. tion of a troop of cavalry in marching order, four abreast, with a trumpeter and an officer in front; and at either end of the pedestal are represented a variety of emblematical trophies; the inscription is as follows;