148 Hungerford. 



•which is undoubtedly loose, is as follows : — 



" Edward the iij"'* 



" Father of J. 0. Gaunt whome the 



" Towne had his Franchises and Liberties from by a 



" Charter vi'^^. is missinge." 



Indeed when we call to mind the munificence of Edward, and 



the popularity he acquired by means of the numerous Charters 



granted by him, the inference is I think greatly supported. And 



if this entry be allowed as evidence, a similar entry will serve to 



confirm it ; for in the same book the following is also found, which 



appears to have been written by the same person, and at the very 



same time as the last. It runs thus : — 



" Henry the iiij"". 



" Duke called Henry Bullingbroke 



" Duke of Lancaster gave a confirmacon 



" to the Charter from Edward the iij''''." 



Now if Henry IV, confirmed the Charter, it is reasonable to 

 suppose that he did not grant it ; and that it must have been 

 granted by some prior King ; and if it emanated from some prior 

 King, may we not fairly presume that Edw. III. was that King ? 

 Another fact in connection with this branch of the subject deserves 

 to be noted ; and with that I will conclude an argument which I 

 fear has been somewhat tedious. The impression of the Hungerford 

 Corporation silver seal, though apparently from the character of 

 the letters of more modern date, is precisely similar to that belong- 

 ing to the Corporation of Portsmouth, whose Charter was granted 

 by Edw. III. From the preceding statement then, I think we 

 may reasonably infer that Edward III. and not his son John 0. 

 Gaunt, was the true donor of the right, liberties and privileges iu 

 question, more particularly as no grant, no authentic record, or 

 even mention of a grant by the latter is to be found throughout 

 the whole evidence applicable to the subject. 



The subsequent history of the Borough of Hungerford is exceed- 

 ingly imperfect. Early in the 15th century it was granted by the 

 Duke of Lancaster to Sir Walter Hungerford, who died possessed 

 of it in 1448. It afterwards lapsed to the Crown, and was given 

 by Edward the Sixth to the Duke of Somerset, after whose attain- 



