274 



Esq., the Right Hon. John Lord Tiscount Scudamore, the Right "Worshipful 

 Fitz-William Coningsbie, of Hampton Court, Esq., and Cecilia his wife, daughter 

 of R. H. Henry Lord Bergavenie," &c., &c. 



In Nichols' "Progresses of King James the First" Morehampton is spoken 

 of as the place where the King paid a visit to his quondam prisoner, "that 

 being the seat of the witty Serjeant Hoskyns." If local tradition may be credited 

 the "Merry Blonarch" (he was so called before Charles II.) was entertained not 

 only by the performance of the masque, which seems to have been a regular 

 and necessary thing, but also by a morris-dance noted for its dramatis personse. 

 It is described as follows by Dr. Fuller in the introduction to his " Worthies of 

 Herefordshire." 



"There cannot be given a more effectual evidence of the healthful aire 

 in this Shire than the vigorous vivacity of the inhabitants therein : many aged 

 folke which in other counties are properties of the chimneyes, or confined to 

 their beds, are here found in the fields as able (if willing) to work. The injenious 

 Mr. Sarjeant Hoskins gave an entertainment to K i n g James, and provided ten 

 aged people to dance the morrish before him, all of them making up more than 

 a thousand yeares, so that what was wanting in one was supplied in another 

 — a nest of Nestors not to be found in another ijlace." 



The dance nevertheless was not the real Nestorian dance of Herefordshire, 

 though it doubtless might have taken place in imitation of it. The real assem- 

 blage of veteran morris-dancers took place at the Hereford races 18 years before 

 this time. In the " British Bibliographer," (vol. iv. pp. 326, &c.), will be 

 found an account of " Old Meg of Herefordshire for a mayd-marian, and Here- 

 ford town for a morris-dance ; or twelve morris- dancers in Herefordshire, of 

 twelve hundred years old," London, 1609. 



The visitors of rank present were there recorded to have been "Lord 

 Herbert, of Ragland ; Sir Thorn. Somerset, Cha. Somerset, Count Arundel's two 

 sons, Sir Edwd. Swift, Sir Thorn. ISIUdmay, Sir Rob. Yaxley, Sir Ro. Casey, 

 Sir John Philpot, Sir Ed. Lewes, Sir Fr. Lacon, Sir James Scudamore, Sir Thorn, 

 Cornwall, Sir Ro. Bodenham, Sir Thom. Russell, Sir — Bascarvile, Sir Thom. 

 Conisby, and Sir Geo. Chute." 



Tradition and history believes in th«se centenarians and they prebably 

 believed in themselves. But there were no parish registers in those days, and 

 our matter-of-fact Registrar -general might possibly be somewhat sceptical on the 

 point. It is true he makes Herefordshire stiU one of the counties most noted 

 for longevity. But though octogenarians are numerous, and nonagenarians not 

 uncommon, centenarians in our time are certainly but rarely to be met with. 



Serjeant Hoskyns died in the year 1638, and was buried in Dore Abbey, 

 where there exists in the chancel a remarkable monument, on which is inscribed 

 a variety of epitaphs and memorial verses, by Dr. Sharpe, Donn6 and other of hii 

 •urviving friends, but so elaborately and delicately worked on the stone and 

 ■o richly ornamented as only to be legible here and there. 



