ROCHESTER. 



tween York and Lancafter, Rochefter fuffered much from 

 the arms of the contending parties, and was more than 

 once vifited by the plague. Henry VIII. was twice here, 

 once in company with the emperor Charles V. and again 

 when he came hither to meet his confort, Ann of Cleves. 

 During the reign of queen Mary feveral individuals fuffered 

 martyrdom here for their religious opinions. Queen Eliza- 

 beth, her fucceffor, lodged upwards of a week at Rocheiter ; 

 and this was the firft city in which Charles II. was publicly 

 received, after his reiteration to the throne in 1660. In 

 1665, Rochefter was vifited with the fame plague, which 

 committed fuch dreadful havock among the inhabitants of 

 the metropolis. From that period nothing worthy of hif- 

 torical record has occurred. 



Municipal Government. — Rochefter probably pofTeffed a 

 corporate community even in the time of the Saxons, but 

 its nature cannot now be precifely afcertained. The firft 

 Norman monarch who granted to the inhabitants any pri- 

 vileges by charter, was Henry II. This prince gave them 

 the°city " in fee, or perpetual ferm, for 20/. fterling per 

 annum., to hold of him and his heirs for ever, with all the 

 appurtenances, liberties, and free cuftoms ; and that they 

 fliould have a guild merchant, and feveral other privileges 

 and immunities." Thefe advantages were ftill further in- 

 creafed by Richard I., who directed his writ to the bailiff, 

 and the whole hundred of Rochefter, ordaining, " that no 

 one, except his fervants, mould purchafe victuals in the city 

 till the monks of St. Andrew had been tirft ferved." This 

 right was afterwards fo far extended, that even the fervants 

 of the monarch were forbidden to make a prior purchafe ; 

 and the monks continued to enjoy the privilege thus given 

 till the dillolution. Henry III. not only confirmed to the 

 citizens all former grants, but remitted to them a portion 

 of their annual fee-ferm, and declared they were to be 

 " exempt from toll, laftage, ftallage, and murage, through- 

 out England and the fea-ports, and mould have a free 

 market within their city, and the return of all writs what- 

 foever." Thefe privileges were renewed by Richard II. 

 in 1 37R ; by Henry VI. in 1438 and 1446; and by- 

 Edward IV., who further extended the bounds of the city, 

 and ordained that the corporation fliould be ftyled " the 

 mayor and citizens of Rochefter." Henry VIII. was the 

 next monarch who confirmed the privileges of Rochefter ; 

 and his fuccefl'ors, to the time of Charles 1., feverally did 

 the fame. By the laft mentioned monarch, the corporation 

 was made to confift of " a mayor, twelve aldermen, (of 

 which latter number the mayor was to be one,) twelve 

 affiltants, or common council-men, a recorder and town- 

 clerk, two chamberlains, a principal ferjeant at mace, a 

 water-bailiff, and other inferior officers." Under this 

 charter the city is now governed; and by virtue of it, the 

 mayor is elected annually on the Monday previous to St. 

 Matthew's day. The mayor and citizens hold- a court of 

 admiralty once a-year, for regulating the oyfter-fiffiery 111 

 thofe creeks and branches of the river Medway which are 

 within their jurifdi&ion. Here are alfo held the county 

 affiles, alternately with Maidltone ; likewife the petty 

 feffions for the north divifion of the lathe of Aylesford. 

 The market-day is Friday, weekly ; and there are two 

 annual fairs, on the 30th of May and the 1 ith of December. 

 Rochefter fends two members to parliament, and has done 

 fo ever fince the 23d year of Edward I. The right of 

 eleftion is vefted in the freemen, who are about 630 in 

 number. Many of the reprefentatives have been naval 

 officers, diftinguifhed for brilliant achievements in the caufe 

 of their country. 



Public Sirutiun rs.~ The buildings of a public defcription 



that chiefly demand attention, an- the caftle, the cathedral, 

 the churches, the town-hall, and the bridge, each of which, 

 is entitled to feparate notice. 



The prefentcaitleof Rochefter wasone of thofe founded by 

 William the Conqueror, to keep in awe his newly acquired 

 fubjefis ; but there feems every reafon to believe that a prio>- 

 one exilted on the fame fcite, as frequent mention is made 

 of the "Caftrum Roffenfe" in the Saxon annals. The 

 Conqueror, indeed, is laid, by fome hiftorians, to have only 

 repaired the former ftructure. Whatever it might be, 

 however, he committed to Odo, bifhop of Baieux, the 

 execution of the new work, and the cuitody of the fortrefs ; 

 but that prelate proving unworthy of his truft, he was 

 afterwards feized, and fent as a prifoner to the caftle of 

 Rouen, in Normandy, where he continued till the acceflion 

 of William Rufus, who reftored him to his dignities and 

 pofleflions ; a favour which he fhortly after ungratefully 

 repaid, by raifing an infurreftion in favour of the king's 

 brother, Robert, duke of Normandy. Rufus, upon this. 

 laid (lege to Rochefter caftle, and having forced the gar- 

 rilon to furrender, bauilhed the bifhop frum his dominions. 

 During t his liege the buildings fuitained confiderable in- 

 jury, which the king enjoined bifhop Gundulph and the 

 prior of Rochefter to repair, perhaps on account of their 

 having fhewn fome attachment to the rebellious caufe. 

 Gundulph accordingly not only renovated the walls, but laid 

 the foundation of the great iquare tower, which yet per- 

 petuates his name, and entitles him to rank among the moll 

 eminent architefts of Anglo-Norman times. About twenty 

 years after this prelate's death, the cuitody of Rochefter 

 caftle was granted to William Corboyl, then archbifhop of 

 Canterbury, and to his fucceflors ; but this grant was re- 

 fumed by Henry II. on his quarrel with the celebrated 

 Thomas a Becket. In the reign of king John, this fortrefs 

 was feized and garrifoned by the rebellious barons, and 

 having been befieged by the king, was taken, after a refill - 

 ance of three months. Lewis, the dauphin of France, 

 who came over to the affiftance of the nobles, however, 

 reduced it again in fubjechon to the barons, by whom it 

 was held till the acceffion of Henry III., when it was fur- 

 rendered to the crown, and granted for life to Hubert de 

 Burgh, earl of Kent, and judiciary of England, who was 

 commanded to repair the buildings. The king's favour 

 afterwards declining, Hubert was difpofieffed ; and Ste- 

 phen de Segrave, John de Cobham, Nicholas de Mot-h, 

 William de Say, and Robert Waleran, were, in fucceffion, 

 appointed governors of the caftles of Rocheiter and Can- 

 terbury. About the year 1264, after the king had occa- 

 fioned much difcor.tent among hia barons, by his refufal to 

 comply witli the ftatutes of Oxford, he greatly ftrengthened 

 the fortifications of this cattle, and furnifhed it with every 

 tiling necefiary to fufiain a liege. Roger de Leybourne, 

 who was constituted chief conltable, had under him John, 

 earl of Warren and Surrey, and other noblemen. Shortly 

 afterwards, Simon de Montfort, chief of the affociated 

 barons, marched hither to befiege the caftle, on which oc- 

 cafion feveral fevere com -its happened in this vicinity. 

 Montfort fucceeded iii getting pollefTion of the city, but 

 failed in his attacks upon the caftle, the fiege of which he 

 was eventually compelled to abandon. After this event, 

 little more occurs in the hiitory of this cattle, than the 

 names of thofe to whom its cuitody has been entrufted. 

 Edward IV. was the laft monarch who paid any attention 

 to the ttate of its buildings, he having " repaired the walls, 

 botii of the caftle and city, about the eleventh year of his 

 reign." Since then they have been alike neglected, and 

 have gradually fallen to their prefent Hate of decay. Se- 

 veral 



