Bishop of that diocese, in the third year of King Edward the Sixth [1549], to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick (afterwards Duke of Northumberland), who in the same year parted with it to the King, for certain lands in Oxfordshire', and by another exchange recovered it again, in the seventh year of the same King's reign. On the attainder of the Duke of Northumberland (1 Mary, 1554), this town, by the name of the manor of Old Stratford, was granted by the Queen, to Joan his duchess 9; but in the third and fourth year of Philip and Mary, as Dugdale has observed, a new grant of it was made (Nov. 10, 1556) to the hospital of the Savoy in the suburbs of London'.

The learned, and generally most accurate writer above-mentioned, has not traced the property of this manor further: but if he had looked a little lower on the same roll, he would have found that this grant to the hospital of the Savoy (which had been founded by King Henry the Seventh; afterwards, with other eleemosynary institutions, dissolved by his son; and again re-established by letters patent, dated 3 Nov. 3 and 4 Ph. and Mary), he would have found, I say, that this grant, made seven days after the re-establishment of that hospital, was vacated in the following year, the Master and Chaplains of the Savoy on the

"Stratf. Cur. vis fran. pleg. cum cur. dni Jõhs gracia Dei Episc. Wigorn. ibid. tent. quarto die mensis Octobris anno regni Henrici octavi, &c. tricesimo tertio," [1542], &c.

6 Pat. 3 Ed. VI. p. 3.

8 Pat. 7 Ed. VI. p. 8.

13 & 4 Ph. & Mar. p. 12.

7 Ibid. p. 9.

9 Pat. 1 Mar.

p. 5.

12th of May, 1557 (4 and 5 Philip and Mary), having come into Chancery and surrendered the said letters patent; and accordingly the grant was cancelled on the roll. In the year 1562 (April 6), this manor, with all its rights, members, and appurtenances, was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick (eldest son of the late John, Duke of Northumberland), and the heirs male of his body, and for want of such issue, to his brother Robert Dudley (afterwards Earl of Leicester), and the heirs male of his body. By these letters patent, also, the site and capital mansion of the late college of Stratford (of which institution some account will be given hereafter) was granted to the Earl of Warwick, together with all houses, edifices, barns, stables, dovehouses, orchards, &c. within the circuit and precincts of the same site, or thereto appertaining (then, or late in the occupation of John Combes), late parcel of the possessions of the late aforesaid Duke of Northumberland 2. The Earl of Warwick, who was one of the most amiable and respected characters of that age, and a perfect contrast to his brother, the Earl of Leicester, dying in Feb. 1589-90, without issue, and his brother, who deceased about eighteen months before, having also died without lawful issue, a new grant of this manor in fee was made 33 Eliz. (Jan. 27, 1590-91), to Henry Best and John Wells, who afterwards sold it to Lodowick, the father of Sir Edward Grevil, of Milcot, knight, from whom it was purchased, some time, as I imagine, between the years

2 Pat. 4 Eliz.

p.

4.

3 Pat. 33 Eliz. p. 3.

1620 and 1630, by Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middle- ' sex, ancestor of the present Duke of Dorset, in whose possession it remains at this day.

Of the college above-mentioned it is only necessary to say here, that John de Stratford, a native of this town, and Bishop of Winchester, in the fifth year of King Edward III. founded a chantry, consisting of five priests, one of whom was warden, in a certain aisle or chapel of the church of Stratford, on the south side, dedicated to St. Thomas the Martyr; and, for their support and maintenance, endowed it with lands and tenements, which, with the accession of subsequent benefactions, were valued in a survey made in 37 Henry VIII. at 1271. 18s. 9d. per annum. In addition to the original foundation in the seventh year of Henry VIII. [1514,] Ralph Collingwode instituted four children choristers, to be daily assistant in the celebration of Divine service. This chantry, says Dugdale, soon after its foundation, was known by the name of the college of Stratford. For the more

4 From the following extract from the Court of Augmentations made by Mr. Thomas Greene, formerly town-clerk of Stratford, their revenues do not appear to have been adequate to their expenditure. "The College Founded by John Stretford for a Warden, of Stretford. 5 preests, and 4 choristers, and endowed with other lands by Collingwood, value 1277. 18s. 9d.

}

"Resolut. 20s. 3d. In annuities & fees 137. In stipends to divers ministers, videlicet to the Warden for his Stipend yerely, 68l. 5s. 2d. to other ministers for their stipend & dyet, 641. 18s. 8d. Sum 1471. 4s. Rem'. Nill. quia in surplusag.

191. 5s. 3d."

5 Antiq. of Warwicksh. p. 482. Any small foundation for a

commodious habitation of the priests, a large house of square stone was built by Ralph de Stratford, Bishop of London, in the 26th year of Edward III. which, on the suppression of religious houses (37 Henry VIII.), being vested in the crown, was granted by Edward the Sixth to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and afterwards, as we have seen, by Elizabeth, to his son. How the crown was enabled, while that nobleman was yet living, to make a lease of this college, with all its appurtenances, for twenty-one years, to Richard Coningsby, his executors and assigns, 13th Dec. 17 Eliz. [1574], which was surrendered in the following year, and a new grant made to him for the same

select number of priests and choristers, was formerly called a college, according to the maxim of the civil law, "tres faciunt collegium." So in Leland's Itin. iv. 165, a: "On the north. syde of St. James [in Warwick] is a pretty Colledge, havinge a 4 preists that sing in St. James Chappell, and they belonge to a fraternity of our lady and St. George."-Again, ibid. "The suburbe withoute the west gate is called the West end-There was a Colledge of Blacke Frires in the north part of this suburbe." Again: "There is a suburbe in the north syde of Warwike, and therein is the chapell of St. Michaell, where sometyme was a College et confratres; but now it is taken as a free chapell."

6 "The church of Stratford now standinge, as it is supposed, was renewed in building by John de Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the begining of the raigne of K. E. 3, whoe was borne at Stratforde, whereof he tooke his name. He made this of a simple paroche church a collegiate church, augmenting it with some landes.

"There be belonginge to the Colledge 4 preists, 3 clarkes, 4 choristers, and there mansion house is an ancient peice of worke of square stone, hard by the cemitarye. The church is dedicated to the Trinitye." Itin. iv. p. 1, fol. 167, a.

term, reserving a rent of 641. 8s. 4d. I have not been able to discover.

So early as the time of King Richard the First, the burgesses of Stratford are mentioned ; and the town, I believe, was for a long time governed by wardens, or bailiffs, chosen from among them. It is certain, that during the reign of King Henry the Eighth, wardens were annually chosen, to keep the great bridge of Stratford in repair 1; and in the time of Edward the Fourth, they had a steward or town-clerk 2. The town, however, was not incorporated till the seventh year of the reign of Edward the Sixth; who signed the charter of incorporation on the 28th of June, 1553, eight days only before his death. By this charter the principal inhabitants were incorporated by the name of the bailiff and burgesses of Stratford upon Avon, and the corporation was appointed to consist of fourteen aldermen, one of whom was to be elected annually to the office of bailiff, and of fourteen burgesses. The first bailiff named in the charter was Thomas Gilbert, whose trade is not

7 Pat. 18 Eliz. p. 12.

8 Dugdale's Antiq. of Warwicksh. p. 476.

9 The bailiffs of Stratford are mentioned in a patent, 5 Ed. III. p. 3, m. 10.

This bridge, consisting of fourteen arches, was built by Sir Hugh Clopton, Knight, in the time of Henry the Seventh.

2 Thomas Throckmorton, Esq". Steward of Stratford, was admitted into the Guild of St. Mary, 9 Ed. IV. 1469. Registr. Gild. fol. 92, a.

3 The warrant for the grant of this charter is inserted in the Appendix.

4 The other aldermen named in the original charter, were Richard Lord, Hugh Reynolds, William Smythe, Thomas Phi