QUE 



longing to the Saxon kings, who had a caftle here, near the 

 welleni entrance of the Swale, which, after the conqueft, was 

 denominated the caftle of Siiepey. This fortrefs being totally 

 demolifhed in the reign of Edward III., that monarch com- 

 menced, in 1360, a more extenfive and magnificent one, 

 which was finifhed in the period of fix years, under the fu- 

 perintendance of the celebrated William of Wykeham, after- 

 wards biftiop of Winchefter. When the caftle was com- 

 pleted, Edward came and refided in it (evcral days, during 

 which time he conltituted the then village a free borough, 

 and ordered it to be called Queenborough, in honour of his 

 confort Philippa of Hainault. By the charter of incorpo- 

 ration, which bears date in 1366, he conferred fundry privi- 

 leges upon the burgeffes, and empowered them to eleft a 

 mayor, two bailiffs, four jurats, a town ferjeant, and a water 

 bailiff, who were to take their oath of allegiance before the 

 conilable of the caftle, and to aft as juftices of the peace 

 within the liberty of the corporation. This charter was con- 

 firmed, with additional privileges, by king Charles I. 



Queenborough confifts chiefly of one ftreet, which is 

 very wide, and is formed moftly of modern buildings. 

 According to the parliamentary returns of 181 1, the 

 borough, which coincides in extent with the parifh, contains 

 163 houfes and 805 inhabitants, who are principally fiflicr- 

 men and oyfter dredgers. The market days are Monday and 

 Thurfday weekly, and there is a well-attended fair on the 

 5th of Augufl. This town fends two members to parlia- 

 ment, who are elefted by the mayor, jurats, bailiffs, and 

 burgelles, about 150 in number, though by the laft decifion 

 of the houfe of commons in 1729, the eleftive franchifewas 

 declared to refide only in the mayor, jurats, and common 

 council. The mayor is the returning officer, and the pa- 

 tronage is in the admiralty and board of ordnance. 



Of the caftle built by king Edward, no traces remain 

 except the moat by which it was furrounded, and a well, by 

 which it was fupplied with water, as the town Hill is. 

 Though a large and mafiive ftrufture, and erefted, as the 

 letters patent exprefs it, " for the ftrength of the realm, 

 and for the refuge of the inhabitants of this ifle," it does 

 not appear to have ever been of any particular ufe, at leaft 

 it is never mentioned in hiftory as having been befieged, or 

 occupied as an important military port. It was neverthe- 

 lefs feveral times repaired ; firft by Richard II., and again 

 in the time of Henry VIII. Queen Elizabeth alfo feems 

 to have contributed to its prefervation and embellilhmcnt, 

 as her arms were difplayed on the cieling of tlie great 

 hall, furrounded by thofe of the nobility, and principal 

 gentry of the county, with the date 1593, affixed to fome 

 panegyrical veries in honour of that princefs. The church 

 here was originally built as a chapel to Minfter, a village 

 fituated about two miles from the town, and deriving its 

 name from the minllre, or nunnery founded there by Sex- 

 burga, widow of Ercombert, king of Kent, about the year 

 6^3. That princefs placed feventy-feven nuns in her new 

 inftitution, and took upon herfelf the office of abbefs ; 

 which file afterwards refigned to her daughter Ermenilda, 

 and retired to Ely, where her fifter Etheldred prefided. 

 During the incurfions of the Danes, this nunnery was 

 deferted and nearly deftroyed ; but when their invafions ceafed, 

 it was again tenanted by a few nuns, and continued to exitt, 

 though in a very mean ftate, till the year 1 130, when the 

 buildings were re-edified by Corbel, archbifhop of Canter- 

 bury, and filled with nuns of the order of St. Benedift. 

 At the diffolution their number was limited to a priorefs 

 and ten nuns, whofe eftates were eftimated at 1 29/. yj. lo^il. 

 annual rent. Thefe, with the fcite of the fupprefled monaf- 

 tery, were then granted to fir Thomas Cheyney, lord warden 



QUE 



and treafurer of the houfehold to king Henry VIII. Of 

 the buildings, a gate-houfc, and part of the church, are the 

 only remains. 1'he latter confifts of two aifles, a chancel, 

 and a neat chapel, with tlic h)wcr divifion of a fquarc tower 

 at the weft end. In conformity with the date of its ercftion, 

 fome of the arches are femicircular in form, but moft of 

 them are in the early pointed ftyle. In the fouth wall of 

 the chancel, under a range of ciiiquefoil arches, is the effigy 

 of a knight templar, faid to reprefent and commemorate fir 

 Robert de Shnrlaiid, lord of .Shurland, who was created a 

 knight banneret by Edward I., for his gallant conduft at the 

 fiege of Carlaverock, in Scotland. Beliind the figure, towards 

 the back of the recefs, is the reprcfentation of a horfe's head 

 in the aft of i wimming, which has given rife to much enquiry 

 among antiquaries, and to many fabulous and luperftitious 

 ftories among the vulgar. On the pavement are feveral brafTes 

 of knights and their ladies ; and under the arch feparating the 

 chancel from the chapel, is a gorgeous altar-tomb in honour 

 ot fir Thomas Cheyney, above-mentioned. Another altar- 

 tomb, near it, bears the recumbent figure of a Spanifh ge- 

 neral, or admiral taken prifoner by fir Francis Drake, on the 

 defeat of the " Invincible Armada." From an entry in 

 the parilh regifter, he appears to have died on board a fhip 

 at the Nore in 1 59 1. Beauties of England and Wales, 

 vol. vii. by E. W. Brayley. 



QUEENSBURY, atownftiipof America, in Waftiing- 

 ton county, New York, bounded eafterly by Weftfield and 

 Kingfbury ; 35 miles N.E. of Albany. 



QUEENSFERRY, South, a royal burgh and fea-port 

 town in the county of Linlithgow, Scotland, is fituated on 

 the fouthern Ihore of the Frith of Forth, at the diftance of 

 nine miles W.N.W. from Edinburgh, on the great road to 

 the north. It is firft mentioned in the charters of king Mal- 

 colm IV. by the dcfignation of " PafTagium Reginje," as is 

 generally fuppofed from the frequent ufe of the ferry here 

 by his great grandmother Margaret, queen to Malcolm Can- 

 more, a princefs highly celebrated in Scottilh hiftory for her 

 charitable and beneficent qualities. At that period, how- 

 ever, it was only a village and port, endowed with fome tri- 

 fling privileges : indeed, its conilitution as a royal burgh did 

 not take place till about the year 1556, when its elevation 

 to that rank wasftrenuoufly oppofed by the corporation of 

 Linlithgow. It is now governed by a provofl, one land 

 baillie, two fea baillies, a dean of guild, and a town coun- 

 cil, who, like moft other counfellors in royal boroughs, are 

 felf-elefted. Formerly this port enjoyed a confiderable trade, 

 and even fo late as the year 1640, it was frequented by above 

 twenty (hips belonging to refident owners ; but its traffic is 

 at prefent confined to the importation of coal, for the con- 

 fumption of the inhabitants, and of the , materials ufed in 

 the manufaftuie of brown foap, whicli, with the fifhery 

 and the bufinefs of the ferry, conftitute the chief fupport of 

 the town. The hai'bour is in good repair, and ii= frequently 

 reforted to as a place of retreat in hard gales, by the fmaller 

 veffels navigating the Forth. The paffage here does not 

 exceed two miles in breadth, and, except in very boifterous 

 weather, may be crolTed at all times with fafety and expedi- 

 tion. Much obfcurity prevails relative to the founding of this 

 ferry. The right of it is private property, and feems origi- 

 nally to have been attached to the lands of Murie Hall, which 

 lie in the vicinity of the town, and are traditionally faid to 

 have been appropriated for " upholding the paffage." The 

 prefent proprietors are feveral gentlemen poffeffing land on 

 either fide of the Forth, who let the paffage yearly by 

 public auftion. As all the northern mails, and moft car- 

 riage travellers, pafs at this ferry, the intcrcourfe between 

 its fhores is conftant and regular. Cattle alfo are tranf- 



ported 



