Review of Waylen’s History of Marlborough. 119 
In the succeeding reign, Wiltshire, it is well known, formed the 
central battle-field of the prolonged contest for the Crown, which 
was carried on between Stephen, of Blois, and the partisans of the 
Empress Matilda, Henry’s daughter, and possessing at that time an 
extraordinary number of flourishing towns, religious houses, and 
feudal fortresses, it was proportionably exposed to the alternate 
ravages of both parties. The castle of Marlborough was held 
during the greater part of this period for the Empress by her half- 
brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and his castellain John Fitz- 
Gilbert. The latter seems by a want of due respect for monastic 
property to have incurred the special wrath of the monkish 
historians of the day, one of whom, William of Malmesbury, speaks 
of him in the following terms :—“ A very firebrand of wickedness 
was this John of Marlborough, who appeared to rule in that castle 
for no other purpose than to scourge the realm with his ceaseless 
injuries. By means of outlying fortalices skilfully contrived to 
communicate with himself, he brought within his power the lands 
and possessions not of civilians only, but of religious houses of what 
order soever ; and though often excommunicated, this only added 
to his fury; for, compelling the heads of the monasteries to assemble 
at his castle on stated days, he practised the unparalleled effrontery 
of assuming in his own person the episcopal function of levying 
contributions either in the form of ready money or compulsory 
services.” The extreme indignation here shewn at the assumption 
by a lay baron of episcopal privileges of taxation, is amusing at a 
period when so many bishops were in that very neighbourhood in 
arms, and playing the part of baronial warriors—the Bishop of 
Salisbury holding Malmesbury and Devizes, the latter built by 
himself, and considered the strongest fortress in the realm—the 
Bishop of Ely acting as his lieutenant—while the Bishop of 
Lincoln fortified and manfully defended Castle Howard, and the 
Bishop of Winchester the chief fortress of his see. Mr. Waylen 
recounts several of the events of which Wiltshire was the theatre 
during this intestine struggle, and we cannot but express a hope 
that either he or some other equally competent writer will before 
