Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of BritaineHolinshed, Raphael
History
Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of Britaine
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
Being past the Lee (whose chanell is begun to be purged 1576, with
further hope to bring the same to the north side of London) we come vnto
[Sidenote: Rodon or Rodunus.]
the Rodon, vpon Essex side in like maner, and not verie farre (for foure
miles is the most) from the fall of the Lée. This water riseth at little
Canfield, from whence it goeth to great Canfield, high Roding, Eithorpe
Roding, Ledon Roding, White Roding, Beauchampe Roding, Fifeld, Shelleie,
high Ongar, and Cheping Ongar, where the Lauer falleth into it, that
[Sidenote: Lauer.]
ariseth betwixt Matching and high Lauer; and taking another rill withall
comming from aboue Northweld at Cheping Ongar, they ioine (I saie) with
the Rodon, after which confluence Leland coniectureth that the streame
[Sidenote: Iuelus.]
is called Iuell: for my part, I wot not what to say of it. But héerof I
am sure, that the whole course being past Ongar, it goeth to Stansted
riuers, Theidon mount, Heibridge, Chigwell, Woodford bridge, Ilford
bridge, Barking, & so into the Thames.
[Sidenote: Darwent.]
The Darwent méeteth with our said Thames vpon Kents side, two miles and
more beneath Erith. It riseth at Tanridge, or there abouts, as I haue
beene informed by Christopher Saxtons card late made of the same, and
the like (I hope) he will doo in all the seuerall shires of England at
the infinit charges of sir Thomas Sackford knight, & maister of the
requests, whose zeale vnto his countrie héerin I cannot but remember, &
so much the rather, for that he meaneth to imitate Ortelius, & somewhat
beside this hath holpen me in the names of the townes, by which these
riuers for the Kentish part do run. Would to God his plats were once
finished for the rest! But to procéed. The Darwent therefore, rising at
Tanridge, goeth on by Titseie toward Brasted, and receiuing on ech side
of that towne (& seuerall bankes) a riuer or rill, it goeth on to
Nockhold, Shorham, Kinsford, Horton, Darnhith, Dartford or Derwentford,
[Sidenote: Craie.]
& there taking in the Craie on the left hand that coms from Orpington by
Marie Craie, Paules Craie, North Craie, and Craiford, it is not long yer
it fall into the Thames. But after I had once passed the fall of the
brooke, it is a world to sée what plentie of Serephium groweth vpon the
Kentish shore, in whose description Fuichsius hath not a little halted;
whilest he giueth foorth the hearbe Argentaria for Serephium, betwéene
which there is no maner of likelihood. This neuerthelesse is notable in
the said hearbe, that being translated into the garden, it receiueth
another forme cleane different from the first, which it yéelded when it
grew vpon the shore, and therevnto appeareth of more fat & foggie
substance. Which maketh me to thinke that our physicians do take it for
a distinct kind of wormewood, whereof controuersie ariseth among them.
The next water that falleth into the Thames, is west of the Wauie Iles,
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