JOHN LELAND. 475 



Ejects of antiquity in the libraries of all cathedrals, 

 abbeys, priories, colleges, &c. as also all places 

 in which records and public writings were deposited. 

 In consequence he spent above six years in travel- 

 ling through England, suffering no part to escape 

 his researches ; nor did he confine himself to the 

 objects particularly mentioned in his commission, 

 but visited all the remains of ancient buildings and 

 monuments of every kind, with a view of collecting 

 every thing that could illustrate the histories and 

 antiquities of this nation. At the dissolution of the 

 monasteries he was much affected with the probable 

 loss of many of the manuscripts they contained, 

 and made application to secretary Cromwell, to get 

 them conveyed to the king's library. He retired 

 with his great collections, to his house in London, 

 for the purpose of digesting them, and preparing 

 the great publications he had promised to the world ; 

 but either too intense study, or some other cause, 

 brought upon him a derangement of mind, about 

 the year 1550, from which he never recovered. He 

 died 1552, and was buried in the parish church of 

 St. Michael le Quern. His manuscript collections, 

 after passing through various hands, came for the 

 most part into the Bodleian library at Oxford, and 

 great use have been made of them by Bale, Cam- 

 den, Burton, Dugdale, and other antiquaries. 



His Itinerary was published by Hearne at Oxford, 

 in 9 vols. 8vo. 1710, since which it has gone through 

 everal editions. See Aikin's Biog. Diet. 



With regard to the other distinguished characters 

 of the district, many of the most interesting traits 

 in that of the second duke of Buckingham have 

 been already given in the article upon Kirkby- 

 Moorside ; to which, had the limits of the present 

 work admitted, I purposed adding Biographical 

 sketches, of the first Duke of Buckingham of 

 Helmsley; Laurence Sterne of Coxwold ; the 

 Rev. John Clark, of Kirby-Misperton, &c. which 

 I am reluctantly compelled to omit. 



