94 A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



several charters and immunities were granted to this city, which 

 it is hoped will stimulate them to the performance of their duty to 

 the King and their fellow-citizens. He concludes with advising 

 them to retire peacably to their homes, and pursue the paths of 

 industry and virtue, that they may always be worthy of the peculiar 

 privileges they enjoy as free-born Englishmen, and inhabitants of 

 this loyal and respectable city. The dozeners then deposit their 

 colours under the belfry in the adjacent church of St. Mary. 



The origin of the court of array has excited the inquiry of anti- 

 quaries, some of whom suppose that it was first instituted by Oswy, 

 King of Northumberland, in memory of a victory obtained by him 

 over Penda, King of Mercia, in a battle fought near this city. 

 Others, with greater probability, trace its origin to an act passed 

 the 27th year of the reign of Henry II. in the year 1181, by which 

 it was enacted, that the high-constable of every town should often- 

 times view the arms and armour of the men in their jurisdiction. 



The Rev. Dr. Falconer throws great light on this institution, and 

 on the manners and customs of our ancestors in the remote ages of 

 ignorance and superstition. " By having recourse to the history 

 of former times/' says he, " it will be no difficult matter to account 

 for this uncommon ceremony ; it is a mixture of religious and civil 

 institutions ; the bailiffs are lords of the manor, and hold a court- 

 leet at their Guildhall, on Whit-Monday, annually ; but in former 

 times, that room being too small for the accommodation of the num- 

 ber of inhabitants who were bound to pay suit and service to them, 

 they adjourned the court to the more spacious place on Green-hill. 

 The town was then divided into distinct wards ; the names of the 

 inhabitants in each ward were enrolled, by which means it was 

 known with certainty the number of inhabitants each ward con- 

 tained ; and by appearing personally, it was discovered how many 

 of them were capable of bearing arms in defence of their country. 

 To this was joined the religious institution : a representation of 

 the tutelar Saint was formerly exposed to the view of the populace 

 annually, to excite veneration, and likewise it was exhibited on 

 some particular emergent occasions to ward-off some threatening 

 evil. This being a time when all the inhabitants were assembled, 

 it was deemed most proper to exhibit the effigy of their favourite 

 Saint ; and after it had answered the purposes of the day, what 

 more proper place could be thought of than the belfry of the church, 

 and where they might have an opportunity of holding a synod ? 

 However absurd and ridiculous these ceremonies may appear in the 



