General History of Bath. 57 



met him here, that there is no necessary or even probable 

 inference that it was written in 1604, and unless this date 

 can be fixed, the letter has no significance. The general 

 contemporary opinion was that Monteagle was quite inno- 

 cent, and he received not only praise but even reward from 

 the King and Cecil for communicating to the Royal ofiScers 

 a warning he had personally received not to be present in 

 Parliament on the fatal day. 



We have already mentioned the right of common of the 

 free citizens over the Barton estate. This was denied by 

 Sir George Snigge, who had become the owner of the 

 estate. A tedious litigation of twenty years ensued, and 

 every legal artifice and terrorism which Sir George (himself 

 one of the Barons of the Exchequer) could devise or execute, 

 was unblushingly made use of to defeat the undoubted rights 

 of the citizens. In the end, and after the death of Snigge, 

 the matter was referred to the arbitrament of Sir Nicholas 

 Hyde, the Recorder of the city, and afterwards Chief Justice. 

 Hyde made an award in 1619, and decided that the free 

 citizens should, in lieu of their commonable rights over the 

 whole estate, have the fee simple of that portion which, 

 under the name of the Bath Common Estate, now forms so 

 useful and beautiful an adjunct to the city. 



Queen Anne (of Denmark) visited Bath in 

 Denmark ^^^3 ^'^'^ 16x5, and was received on each 

 occasion with all the state the citizens could 

 provide. An organist, trumpeters, drummers, coachmen, 

 waynemen, littermen, and footmen were all feted and fed. 

 A little fountain on the bridge, which on very great occasions 

 of festivity was made to run wine, was put in order, and a 

 piece of plate was presented to Her Majesty. Dr. Theodore 

 de Mayeme, the Court physician, accompanied the Queen, 



