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
Grane.
And thus much out of the first authour, who commendeth it also, for that
in time past it did yéeld such plentie of sturgeon, as beside the kings
portion, and a due vnto the archbishop of Canturburie out of the same,
the deane and chapter of Rochester had no small allowance also of that
commoditie: likewise for the shrimps that are taken therein, which are
no lesse estéemed of in their kind, than the westerne smelts or
flounders taken in the Thames, &c. The second authour describeth it
after this manner, and more copiouslie than the other.
The cheefe head of this streame riseth in Waterdon forrest, from whence
after it hath runne a pretie waie still within the same, east of
Whetlin, it méeteth with a brooke, whose head is in Ward forrest,
southwest of Greenested, which goeth to Hartfield, and so to Whetlin,
and yer long ioineth with the Midwaie. After this confluence it is not
long yer it take in another by west from Cowden ward, and the third
aboue Pensherst, growing from two heads, whereof one is in Lingfield
parke, the other west of Crawherst; and ioining aboue Edinbridge, it
doth fall into the midwaie beneath Heuer towne, and Chiddingston. From
Pensherst our maine streame hasteth to Ligh, Tunbridge, and Twidleie,
and beneath the towne, it crosseth a water from North, whereof one head
is at the Mote, another at Wroteham, the third at west Peckham, &
likewise another from southest, that runneth east of Capell. Next after
this it receiueth the These, whose forked head is at Theise Hirst, which
descending downe toward the north, taketh in not farre from Scotnie a
brooke out of the northside of Waterden forrest, whose name I find not,
except it be the Dour. After this confluence our riuer goeth to
Goldhirst, and comming to the Twist, it brancheth in such wise, that one
part of it runneth into Midwaie, another into the Garan, or rather
[Sidenote: Garunus, Cranus.]
Cranebrooke (if my coniecture be anie thing.) The Garan (as Leland
calleth it) or the Crane (as I doo take it) riseth néere to Cranebrooke,
and going by Siffinghirst, it receiueth yer long one water that commeth
by Fretingdon, and another that runneth from great Chard by Smerdon, and
Hedcorne, crossing two rilles by the waie from by north, Hedcorne it
selfe standing betwéene them both. Finallie, the Garan or Crane meeting
with Midwaie south of Yalling, they on the one side, and the These on
the other, leaue a pretie Iland in the middest, of foure miles in
length, and two in breadth, wherein is some hillie soile, but neither
towne nor village, so farre as I remember.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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