crown, the tenth being annexed to the Margaret professorship of divinity at Oxford, though we believe not finally settled before the third year of Charles I. when an act of parliament passed on that subject.*

The attention of the stranger is now drawn towards the

CASTLE,

which once stood in this vicinity, but which, even as early as the reign of Henry VIII. was in a state of complete dilapidation. Leland, speaking of it, says, " the castle stood hard on the south part of the cathedral church, almost in Severn. It is now cleane downe, and half the base court or area of it, is now within the wall of the close of the cathedral church. The dungeon-hill of the castle a greate thinge, at this tyme overgrown with brushwood. The castle fell to ruine soon after the conquest, and half the ground of it was given to the augmenting of the close of the priory." It is evident therefore, that there can be little left to gratify curiosity; indeed with the exception of some remains of the ancient walls, which may be traced in the county jail, there is nothing left but the dungeon, or donjon-hill, mentioned by Leland, which is upon a very large scale, now enclosed in a pleasant garden, and generally known by the name of Castle-hill. Urso d' Abtot, the first hereditary sheriff of the county, is generally considered as its founder; and notwithstanding the complete state of ruin in which

No. 464. 29 of the Harl. MSS. contains a succession of all the deans, down to Dr. William Talbot; also a succession of the prebendaries. In No. 604. 48. is part of an inventory of the plate, vestments, utensils, &c. belonging to the priory of Worcester; time of Henry VIII.

Ayscough's catalogue of MSS. No. 856. 112. contains a curious recommendation from Charles II. to the dean and chapter of Worcester "to increase the salaries of vicars choral; in order that they might more fully praise God for his miraculous restoration; and also enjoining the chapter to a strict observance of the different statutes of his royal predecessors."

Though the castle was abandoned at such an early period, yet its guard was still annexed to the sheriff's office, which descended from Urso in the female line, to the Beauchamps, Earls of Warwick, and from them again by a female, to the Nevilles, who also enjoyed the same title; but on the death of the great earl, the king-maker, at the battle of Barnet, all those rights fell to

which it is, or rather of almost total obliteration, it is evident from the castle hill, which is of unusual dimensions, and from what were its ancient limits, that it must have been a magnificent structure according to the style of those early times. The visitor may even yet, though with difficulty, trace part of the ditch, and he will not fail of being struck with the judiciousness of the situation, so well adapted not only to protect the church and city, but also to command the navigation of the Severn.* Some further notice of it as a Gaol, will be found in another section; in the mean time, we shall proceed on our tour round the several

CHURCHES,

the first of which on leaving the cathedral is

ST. MICHAEL'S the archangel, or Bedwardine, standing at the north-east angle of that building, but notwithstanding considered as out of the city. Its parish includes the college church-yard, and is sometimes called the college precincts. It is a very ancient specimen of ecclesiastical architecture, but its inside having been fitted up and repaired, a few years ago, it appears not only in good preservation, but is now extremely neat, decent, and commodious for the auditory. Much praise is due to the parish for those exertions; for it cannot be doubted that the frequent dampness and want of comfort in the house of God, often deters the aged and infirm from attending, and send many of them to the well floored, and well aired tabernacle of the Sectary. Here, however, that excuse is wanting; and this church is now ornamented with a new altar-piece and communion-table, and a pulpit extremely well carved; to these must be added, a new gallery and pews, so that it can scarcely be surpassed in respectability of appearance,

Some years ago, when the burying ground was found to be so full of corpses as to preclude further interment, the bones of those which were in the most decayed state, were dug up, and disposed of in the charnel-house, which is a large vault under the court of a house

the crown, since which, as in other counties, annual sheriffs have been appointed, who still take charge of the castle, as it is at present the county gaol.

• In the Cottonian MSS. JUL. F. VI. 387, are some extracts from the an. cient register of the cathedral, respecting this castle.

a house which stands near to the palace, the entrance to which is from the vaults of the cathedral, and here, as Dr. Nash observes, lie promiscuously, the bones of many thousands, lords, monks, and fair ladies. In the gift of the dean and chapter.

Keeping along the London road we now see to the right hand, ST. PETER'S CHURCH, between the china manufactory and the high road, near to the Diglis meadows. This is a very ancient church founded as early as 1280, being theu parcel of the abbey at Pershore. It has, of late years, been put into a thorough state of repair, both inside and out, and the tower in particular has been very judiciously attended to. In the south aisle near the door is the family vault of the Wyldes, long resident at the Commandery, which stands in this parish; and it has been customary for this aisle to be kept in repair at their expense. middle aisle also depends on private care, and is in charge of the family of Ingram, as impropriators of the great tythes: their charge extends from the east end to the cross arch of that aisle. In the gift of the chapter.

The

ST. HELEN'S CHURCH cannot fail of attracting the attention of the stranger as he passes from the College-yard to the HighStreet; it is on the left hand, in the range of building, and is worthy of notice for its antiquity, for Leland says" there be eight parish churches in the town, whereof St. Hellen is counted the most ancient, and it was a prebend before King Edgar's days to the cathedral church of Worcester, and Bloxham in Worcester, was mother." Notwithstanding the ravages of time marking its extreme antiquity, yet it possesses great respectability, and an evident good state of repair, in addition to its venerable appearance. The tower is still sufficiently strong to bear the weight of a modern set of eight well-toned bells, whose inscriptions are intended to immortalize some of the most splendid victories of Queen Anne's reign. The inside contains a number of monuments well worth examining, and is kept in very neat order: the body is divided into three aisles by two rows of pillars, and the altar-piece has lately undergone a thorough repair. In the gift of the bishop.

ST.

ST. ALBAN'S CHURCH stands at the back of St. Helen's, towards the river, at the corner of Fish Street; but contains nothing remarkable beyond its style of architecture, being amongst the oldest in the city. In the gift of the dean and chapter.

ST. ANDREW's CHURCH cannot fail of being noticed on the right hand, as the visitor is on his way to Messrs. Barr and Flight's china manufactory; indeed its extremely beautiful spire must excite his curiosity in almost every part of the city. The church itself is of considerable antiquity, as early as the eleventh century, and is much admired, not only from its ancient style but from the very handsome modern improvements in its interior: the most striking feature, however, is the lofty spire, considered not only as a real ornament to the city, and as a convincing proof of the skill and ingenuity of the architect, but in fact as one of the most perfect, both in form and construction, of any in the kingdom. This ingenious architect was a common stone mason, a native of the city; his name, Nathaniel Wilkinson: and it is considered by good judges, that he has improved even upon the so much boasted spire of Salisbury cathedral, inasmuch as this rises from its base according to the most correct gradual diminution, terminating in the finest point, whilst the former is brought abruptly to its apex, as if the builder had been afraid to carry it to the height required by its proportions. The admeasurement of the various parts is as follows:

the whole terminated by a Corinthian capital, surmounted with a gilt weather cock. In the gift of the dean and chapter.

ALL SAINT'S CHURCH, which is noticed in the opening on the left hand going down from Broad Street to the bridge, has been rebuilt in the year 1742, the old structure having been so much damaged in the civil wars, as to require taking down. This is

now a handsome edifice in the modern style, very spacious in consequence of the great extent of the parish, which is the most populous in the city, and fully equal to their accommodation; and is besides sufficiently elegant to demand the meed of approbation. With a praise-worthy attention, some, indeed we hope all, of the ancient monuments have been preserved; but the only one particularly deserving the notice of a casual visitor, is one near the communion table, and placed at the east end of the south aisle, of Edward Hurdman, Esq. and his wife, with their effigies in the attitude of prayer. He was the first Mayor of Worcester. On the outside also, may be noticed a carved head of the pious Hough, included in a circular cavity over the east window. The tower also deserves attention, being terminated with battlements and pinnacles at the corners, and having a very musical set of ten bells. In the British Museum,* is a very curious fragment of a letter, written during the civil wars "by Robert Finchett, Pastor of the church at All-hallows, Worcester, and subscribed in the name of the church at Elkington, by Timothy Jordan, pastor, and Robert Brown, Teacher," in which they state to Cromwell,

"The noble acts that the lord hath enabled you to do for him, and his royall cause in the day of his imprisonment and declension, hath not made you more terrible to the adversaries of Zion, than that spirit of meeknesse and readinesse to help forward the righteous desires of the poore among the flocke, (especially where layd in a way of subserviency to the rise of poor Zion, and the kingdom of our dear Lord,) which Jehovah hath crowned you with, hath rendered you beautiful and honourable amongst the prince's children. It is purely this that hath encouraged us to present these few lines to your honour, on the behalfe we trust of Christ and his cause. That this is a day of darknesse, and distresse, wherein the children of darknesse are digging deep, and that more industriously than ever, to undermine the interest of the Lord, and

to

.

Ayscough's MSS. 4155, p. 9.