There are some abbey lands in this parish, as appears from a licence granted to Phillip de Aungre, and Alice his wife, by Edward the Third, in the year 1348, empowering them thereby to give to the custos, and chaplains of the guild at the altar of St. Mary de Thele, in the county of Hertford, and their successors for ever, twenty-six acres of arable, one of meadow, and five of pasture; together with three messuages, all lying and being in the parishes of Chelmsford and Broomfield. But upon a representation of mismanagement and other gross behaviour in this chantry Sir Thomas Mildmay, knt. on the 23d day of June, 1591. The book from whence it was taken is in the possession of the late Sir William Mildmay, bart. "Chelmersforde is one ancient goodly manor scituate in the heart of the county of Essex, in good and wholsom air, conveniently and well housed, and well built for timber and tile. The chief manor house was in the time of king Edward the thirde brent and wasted with fire; and be fore that time it seemed to have been some ancient barony. This manor hath very fair demesne lands, woods, and wastes, and also a great ser vice, more than two hundred tenants, that hold of the same manor their lands, tenements, and hereditaments, by reasonable rents, customs, and services: of which number above thirty are noblemen, knights, esquires and gentlemen of good countenance. Within this manor, upon parcel of the same, upon the common road vay, is situate the town of Chelmesford, sometime written the burrowe of Chelmesford, well situated, with more than three hundred habitations, divers of them seemly for gentlemen, many fair inns, and the residue of the same habitations for victuallers and artificers of city like buildings, and are all holden of the said manor of Chelmesforde, mediately or immediately, by reasonable rents, customs and services. This town is called the Shire town, not only by the statute of 11 of king Henry the VII. for the custody of weights and measures, but so reputed and taken long time before by the keeping of all assizes and sessions of the peace, and many other certifications of the inquisitions there. It is also a great thorough-fare, and market town weekly upon the Fridaye. "In the upper face of which town-shipe is situated the parish church of the same town, a goodly, seemly and large building of stone, covered with lead, meet for the receipt of two thousand people, or more. And in the steeple is a convenient ring of four bells. Not far distant from which parish church is one other fair building, called the Marketcross, or Session-house: And there was then the common goal,” to to William bishop of London, sole patron of this college in the reign of Henry the Sixth, he requested that monarch to grant to John Howeden, clerk, then custos thereof, power of transferring the lands and impropriations in Essex and elsewhere, unto Henry Hoddesden, prior of the hospital of Elsing Spital, London. In the year 1765 a proposal was made to make the river Chelmer navigable from Moulsham Bridge to the port of Maldon. An act of parliament was obtained for that purpose, and a certain number of commissioners was appointed to see it carried into execution. But the opposition set on foot by the inhabitants, and the supporters of the borough of Maldon, on account of its being thought injurious to that town, totally set aside the plan, by which the town of Chelmsford was deprived of a navigable river, and the interior country, for upwards of twenty miles, lost many advantages which it would certainly have derived had the proposed improvement taken place. We cannot quit Chelmsford without giving some account of a dreadful calamity which occurred there in the year 1804, extracted from an interesting pamphlet published at the time, denominated A general and circumstantial Account of the truly melancholy and dreadful Fire, that happened at Chelmsford, in Essex, on Monday, October 22, 1804; by which thirteen Hanoverian Soldiers fell a Sacrifice. "About two o'clock on the 22d of October, 1804, a party of afflicted and distressed Hanoverian subjects of our most gracious sovereign's dominions, to the number of one hundred and twenty, who had escaped from the cruelty of the French, and were entered as recruits for his majesty's German legion, marched into the town as far as the Spotted Dog in the Back Street, where it was intended they should take up their night's lodging. About seventy of them very early in the evening retired to the stable assigned them; happy in the possession of so humble a shed, after the fatigue they had suffered from their march, a bed of straw was to them a luxury, which, when the ostler brought, he remarked they lay very "snug:" this expression they were much pleased pleased with, and, in their imperfect manner, repeated snug! snug! which was echoed by them all. He then left them, and, by some means which cannot be accounted for, about half an hour after, part of either the building or fodder was perceived by them to be on fire; the alarm was instantly given by one of the Hanoverians, who ran out into the yard for assistance. The ostler, and Mr. Pearson, jun. immediately repaired to the place with pails of water, and it was quickly extinguished. After this this they all lay down again; but a poor woman, one of their wives, whose head was near the part where the fire had been quenched, found herself so uneasy and restless from the fright she had experienced, that she was unable to sleep, and determined to get up, which, upon attempting, she discovered another part of the premises in flames. All were, of course, immediately aroused from their slumbers; and, in their first consideration to save themselves (from the horrid fate that appeared to await them), rushed to the door, but found it latched on the outside, and not being used to that kind of fastening (which opeus by putting the finger through a hole, and lifting it up), or forgetting the method in their fright, were unable to extricate themselves from their dreadful situation. In this state their feelings can be better imagined than described; all that were in the stable would inevitably have perished, had it not been for the timely interference of their corporal, who was at supper in a room of the Spotted Dog; and, upon the alarm of fire being given, instantly rushed down the yard to rescue them, but hearing their cries and struggles at the door, his terror and confusion, for some time, disabled him, and prevented his efforts to open it, which he, at last, happily succeeded in, by the assistance of his sword, and thus fortunately saved fifty-eight of his fellow-creatures (from a fate, the very idea of which every one must shudder at,) who would, otherwise, all have fell victims! The instant the door was burst the poor unfortunate creatures flew out, many of them enyeloped in flames, running about in the most distracted and tortured state; others, imagining they should share the same fate, still followed them, but knew not where to fly, imploring protec tion with looks the most piteous and afflicting. "By the opening of the door a current of air was admitted, when the fire burst forth with the greatest violence and rapidity, spreading so quick that it threatened the adjacent houses with im mediate mediate and inevitable destruction; and, in a very short time, the eyes of the beholders could compass nothing but a vast sheet of flame, which had an effect amazingly grand and awful. In a moment the alarm was spread through the town; the drums beat to arms; the volunteers, with an exertion and promptitude that did them honour, were instantly on the spot to assist, together with the soldiers from the garrison, who rushed down from the barracks with the greatest alacrity; and the inhabitants almost instinctively hastened to the relief of they knew not whom or what, but by following the direction of the fire, which had a tremendous appearance over the tops of the houses, and which, in spite of the strenuous exertions of all present, gained ground, and continued to rage with incredible fury, from the quantity of straw contained in the stable, and parts adjacent. The engines were soon ready, but for sometime were totally unable to repress the progress of the devouring element. Captain Turner, of the royal engineers, blessed with a truly philanthropic spirit, and most humane disposition, hurried to offer his assistance during this dreadful calamity; but the fire had now caught the next stable, where another scene of misery and distress was witnessed, several horses belonging to the royal wag. gon train were observed struggling to get out of the stable; and, when the heat reached them, kicked and tore up the ground with their feet, till exhausted and writhing in all the agonies of death, they dropped down, and groaned; then started up again: their tortures now were too acute to contend with; they gave one more bitter groan, started upon their legs, dropped down, and expired! In the mean while, the men who had escaped (but in a manner too dreadful to describe) ran about the streets, their very flesh quivering with anguish; one of them went into Mr. Weeden's, a shoemaker, in the Back Street, in this horrid state, and "sat himself down in a chair; the only way in which he could express his tortures was in his broken language burny! burny his inability to speak in ours must have been still more affecting. After sitting a few minutes, he, with some difficulty, tore him-self from the chair (to which his very flesh adhered), ran again distractedly into the street, and sat himself down upon a step. Here he was discovered by a soldier, and from thence led to brigade-major Roberts, of the regimental staff; who had the poor -creature conveyed to his own lodgings, put into his own bed, and every every care and attention paid him which a feeling heart could de vise, and which human assistance could afford. The major that night most charitably resigned his bed; to preserve the unfortu nate man's life was of no avail; for, after lingering in all the miserable tortures of the most shocking death till the following morning, he was happily released from his sufferings. "About twelve o'clock, by the assistance of the engines, and the united efforts of the soldiers and inhabitants, the flames were nearly got under, and the fears of those most contiguous to the spot had subsided. When the labourers began to clear away the rubbish, what must have been that man's feelings who first turned up the hot and mangled limb of a human being? And this pierc ing sight, followed by the remains of eleven more! This addi tion to the calamity of the last evening, struck such a visible horror, confusion, and agitation in the souls of the inhabitants, that they were unfit for business the whole day." "The fragments of the dissevered and mutilated bodies, scarce retaining the feature or form of human beings, were conveyed in litters to the adjoining outhouse, and presented a shocking spectacle. One of these miserable wretches was found fixt in the act of praying, with his hands clasped together, and his head lifted up, in the posture of imploring assistance from Heaven; it is supposed he sat down against a wall, and resigned himself to the fate that awaited him. "On Wednesday morning the coroner's inquest was taken on the bodies, and brought in their verdict-Accidental Death. After the coroner's inquest, preparations were made for their interment; many of the gentlemen of the town, animated by the most humane sentiments, had determined to follow their remains to the grave. An express was immediately sent off to his royal Highness the duke of York, who evinced the greatest concern for their unhappy fate, and, at the same time, testified his regard for their loyalty, by directing the funeral to he attended with every mark of his and the country's concern, by the attendance of the whole garrison. "On Friday morning about ten o'clock the garrison, the vo Janteers, and the poor remaining Hanoverians, were in readiness to attend. Soldiers were stationed from the Ship Inn to the church gates, and formed a double line for the procession to pass VOL. VI. No. 132. ९ through I i |