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
[Sidenote: The situation of the monasterie of Bangor.]
This abbeie of Bangor stood sometime in English Mailor, by hither and
south of the riuer Dée. It is now ploughed ground where that house
stood, by the space of a Welsh mile (which reacheth vnto a mile and an
halfe English) and to this day the tillers of the soile there doo plow
vp bones (as they saie) of those monks that were slaine in the quarrell
of Augustine, and within the memorie of man some of them were taken vp
in their rotten weeds, which were much like vnto those of our late
blacke monks, as Leland set it downe: yet Erasmus is of the opinion,
that the apparell of the Benedictine monks was such as most men did
weare generallie at their first institution. But to proceed. This abbeie
stood in a valleie, and in those times the riuer ran hard by it. The
compasse thereof likewise was as the circuit of a walled towne, and to
this daie two of the gates may easilie be discerned, of which the one is
named Port Hogan lieng by north, the other Port Clais situat vpon the
south. But the Dée hauing now changed his chanell, runneth through the
verie middest of the house betwixt those two gates, the one being at the
left a full halfe mile from the other. As for the squared stone that is
found hereabout, and the Romane coine, there is no such necessitie of
the rehersall therof, but that I may passe it ouer well inough without
anie further mention.
Being past the Dée we sailed about Wirall, passing by Hibrie or Hilbrée
Iland, and Leuerpole, Nasse, making our entrie into Merseie arme by
Leuerpole hauen, where we find a water falling out betwéene Seacombe and
the Ferie, which dooth in maner cut off the point from the maine of
Wirall. For rising néere to the northwest shore, it holdeth a course
directlie toward the southeast by Wallaseie and Poton, and so leaueth
all the north part beyond that water a peninsula, the same being three
square, inuironed on two sides with the Ocean, & on the third with the
aforesaid brooke, whose course is well néere three miles except I be
deceiued. Fr[=o] hence entring further into the hauen, we find another
fall betwéene Bebington and Brombro chappell, descending from the
hilles, which are seene to lie not farre from the shore, and thence
crossing the fall of the Beston water, we come next of all vnto the
[Sidenote: Wiuer.]
Wiuer, than the which I read of no riuer in England that fetcheth more
or halfe so many windlesses and crinklings, before it come at the sea.
It riseth at Buckle hilles, which lie betwéene Ridleie and Buckle
townes, and soone after making a lake of a mile & more in length called
Ridleie poole, it runneth by Ridleie to Chalmondlie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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