up the castle, the lady, his mother, above named, who was the
celebrated beauty of the age, was it seems there, and the Conqueror
fell in love with her, and whether by force or by consent, took her
away, and she became his mistress, or what else you please to call
it. By her he had a son, who was called William, after the
Conqueror’s Christian name, but retained the name of Peverell, and
was afterwards created by the Conqueror lord of Nottingham.
This lady afterwards, as is supposed, by way of penance for her
yielding to the Conqueror, founded a nunnery at the village of
Hatfield Peverell, mentioned above, and there she lies buried in
the chapel of it, which is now the parish church, where her memory
is preserved by a tombstone under one of the windows.
Thus we have several towns, where any ancient parks have been
placed, called by the name of Hatfield on that very account. As
Hatfield Broad Oak in this county, Bishop’s Hatfield in
Hertfordshire, and several others.
But I return to King Edward’s merry way, as I call it, of granting
this forest to this Ralph Peperking, which I find in the ancient
records, in the very words it was passed in, as follows. Take my
explanations with it for the sake of those that are not used to the
ancient English:
The Grant in Old English.
IChe EDWARD Koning,
Have given of my Forrest the kepen of the Hundred of CHELMER and
DANCING.
To RANDOLPH PEPERKING,
And to his kindling.
With Heorte and Hind, Doe and Bocke,
Hare and Fox, Cat and Brock,
Wild Fowle with his Flock;
Patrich, Pheasant Hen, and Pheasant Cock,
With green and wild Stub and Stock,
To kepen and to yemen with all her might.
Both by Day, and eke by Night;
And Hounds for to hold,
Good and Swift and Bold:
Four Greyhound and six Raches,
For Hare and Fox, and Wild Cattes,
And therefore Iche made him my Book.
Witness the Bishop of WOLSTON.
And Booke ylrede many on,
And SWEYNE of ESSEX, our Brother,
And taken him many other
And our steward HOWLEIN,
That BY SOUGHT me for him.
The Explanation in Modern English
I Edward the king,
Have made ranger of my forest of Chelmsford hundred and Deering
hundred,
Ralph Peverell, for him and his heirs for ever;
With both the red and fallow deer.
Hare and fox, otter and badger;
Wild fowl of all sorts,
Partridges and pheasants,
Timber and underwood roots and tops;
With power to preserve the forest,
And watch it against deer-stealers and others:
With a right to keep hounds of all sorts,
Four greyhounds and six terriers,
Harriers and foxhounds, and other hounds.
And to this end I have registered this my grant in the crown rolls
or books;
To which the bishop has set his hand as a witness for any one to
read.
Also signed by the king’s brother (or, as some think, the
Chancellor Sweyn, then Earl or Count of Essex).
He might call such other witnesses to sign as he thought fit.
Also the king’s high steward was a witness, at whose request this
grant was obtained of the king.
There are many gentlemen’s seats on this side the country, and a
great assembly set up at New Hall, near this town, much resorted to
by the neighbouring gentry. I shall next proceed to the county of
Suffolk, as my first design directed me to do.
From Harwich, therefore, having a mind to view the harbour, I sent
my horses round by Manningtree, where there is a timber bridge over
the Stour, called Cataway Bridge, and took a boat up the River
Orwell for Ipswich. A traveller will hardly understand me,
especially a seaman, when I speak of the River Stour and the River
Orwell at Harwich, for they know them by no other names than those
of Manningtree water and Ipswich water; so while I am on salt
water, I must speak as those who use the sea may understand me, and
when I am up in the country among the inland towns again, I shall
call them out of their names no more.