WARWICK. 



Great Britain," which contains a plan, feftions, and views 

 of the building. 



St. Nicholas church is a recent ftrufture, though a reli- 

 gious edifice flood on the fame fpot at an early period. 

 The old tower was taken down in 1748, and the prefent, 

 crowned with a fpire, erefted on its fcite. In 1779 the 

 body of the church was taken down, being in a ftate of de- 

 cay, and the prefent tditice raifed in its ftead. Befides thefe 

 places of worlhip on the cllabHihment, here are meeting- 

 houfes for the various claffes of Diffentcrs ; Prelbyterians, 

 Independents, Baptifts, Methodills, and Quakers. The 

 public buildings are numerous : the court-houfe, or town- 

 hall, is a refpedable ftone building on the fouth fide of the 

 High-ftreet, eretted about 1 7 30, at the expence of the cor- 

 poration. The county-hall is a fpacious and magnificent 

 edifice, erefted about 1 776, by Mr. Hiorne, a native of War- 

 wick. A plain but large ftone building, adjoining the hall, 

 has lately been eretled by Mr. Hakewill, for the accommo- 

 dation of the judges at the aflizes. The county gaol ad- 

 joins the great hall, and is a large, fubftantial, and well- 

 defigned modern fabric, furrounded by a ftrong wall, twenty - 

 three feet high, which inclofes nearly an acre of ground. 

 The county bridewell is alfo a fpacious modern ftrufture, 

 of a very judicious character. The market-houfe is a fub- 

 ftantial ftone building : the lower and open part is appro- 

 priated to the ufe of thofe who attend the markets. Lei- 

 celler Hofpital is an ancient edifice, fituated at the weftern 

 extremity of the High-ftreet, and was originally the hall 

 belonging to two guilds which were founded in the time of 

 Richard II., but were afterwards united. After the diffo- 

 lution of this fraternity by Henry VIII., the building be- 

 came the property of Robert Dudley, earl of Leicefter, who, 

 in the twenty-eighth of Elizabeth, converted it into an hofpi- 

 tal for twelve poor men, and one mafter, a profeffor of di- 

 vinity. The land with which it was endowed was at that 

 time valued at 200/. per annum; but in 181 1 the clear an- 

 nual value amounted to nearly 2000/., owing to the augmen- 

 tation of the rents of land ; and each of the penfioners re- 

 ceived about 130/. from tlie furplus. In 1813 important 

 changes were introduced by aft of parhament, by which the 

 number of penfioners was to be incrcafcd to twenty-two, 

 with an allowance of Sol. pi-r annum to each, and the falary of 

 the mafter was to be progreffively advanced to 400/. per an- 

 num. The appointment of the mafter and brethren is in tlie 

 heir-general of the founder, who is, at this time, John Shelly 

 Sidney, efq. of Penftiurft-place, in the county of Kent. The 

 buildings of the hofpital confift of lodgings and a public 

 kitchen for the brethren, ranged in a quadrangular form, a 

 chapel, and a fpacious hall, in which the guild is fuppofed 

 to have held their meetings, but which is now converted into 

 apartments for the ten additional brethren. Various charity- 

 fchools and alms-houfes have been erefted and endowed ; 

 and a new inftitution is now eftabhftied for providing a re- 

 fuge for juvenile delinquents, who are brought to the bar 

 of juftice at the feveral gaol-deliveries for the county ; and 

 for bringing them up ( after the term of their imprifonment ) 

 in habits of induftry and virtue. The eftates and monies ap- 

 propriated to charitable and public ufes for the benefit of 

 the town are alfo very confiderable. In 181 1 a fubfcription 

 was commenced for paving the ftreets, and was fupported 

 with great fpirit and liberality. All tlie principal ftreets 

 have by this means been haudfomely flagged ; and the work 

 has been completed (at the expence of about 6500/.) to the 

 j*erfeft fatisfaftion of the fubfcribers and the public in ge- 

 neral. Warwick has a weekly market on Saturdays, which 

 was formerly inconfiderable, but it is now large, well fup- 

 phed, and numeroufly attended. Here are alfo twelve an- 

 nual fairs ; and horfe-races take place twice in the year. 



Manufaftures are eftablifhed here to feme extent, partfcnlarlr 

 thofe for worfted and cotton ; and one of lace has been re- 

 cently eftabliftied from Nottingham. The civil government 

 of the town is veftcd ( under a charter granted by William 

 and Mary, in 1694) in a mayor, a recorder, 12 aldermen, 

 and 12 principal burgeffes, with a town-clerk. It appears, 

 from the rolls of parliament, that Warwick was reprefented 

 as early as any of the boroughs. It returns two members, 

 chofen by the inhabitants paying fcot and lot, the mayor 

 being the returning officer. But for many years paft, one 

 of the members has, by tacit agreement, been returned by 

 what is called the independent intereft, and the other by the 

 Warwick family. According to the enumeration under 

 the aft of 181 1, the population of Warwick was 6497 ; the 

 number of houfes 1283. 



On the fouth-eaft of the town is Warwick eajlle, built OB 

 a rock, to which it feems united rather by the hand of na- 

 ture than by human art. It is not known, with precifion, 

 at what period a caftle was firft built on this fpot, but the 

 foundation is fuppofed to have taken place by Ethelfleda, 

 daughter of king Alfred, in the year 915 : nothing, how- 

 ever, is thought to remain of this ereftion, except the mound 

 of earth on which the keep, or dungeon, is fuppofed to have 

 ftood. From the period when William the Conqueror gave 

 this fortrefs to his adherent Henry de Newburgh, whom 

 he created earl of Warwick, it became of confequence in 

 Englifti hiftory, and fo continued during the union of its 

 fortunes with thofe of the fucceeding earls, through the lines 

 of Beauchamp, Neville, Plantagenet, and Dudley. The 

 latter family being extinft, James I. granted the caftle with 

 all its dependencies to fir Fulk Greville, afterwards lord 

 Brooke. At his time it was in a ruinous condition, and 

 the ftrongeft part was ufed as the county gaol. This pro- 

 prietor reftored it, and, it is faid, expended in repairs and 

 embellifhments the fum of 20,000/. ; and in his family it has 

 continued, without interruption, to the prefent time. During 

 the civil wars of Charles I. it was converted (as before no- 

 ticed ) into a garrifon for the parliament. In confequence 

 it was befieged in 1 642 by lord Northampton, who alfo fur- 

 prifed the artillery difpatched from London for its defence. 

 Notwithftanding this misfortune, fir Edward Pete had the 

 gallantry to defend it with a fingle piece of ordnance, until 

 it was relieved by lord Brooke. In the time of Charles II. 

 Robert lord Brooke greatly embelhftied the ftate apartments. 

 Francis, his fucceflbr, was created earl Brooke of Warwick 

 caftle in 1746, and earl of Warwick in 1759. The whole 

 caftle confifts of a connefting feries of walls, towers, and 

 other buildings, furrounding a large irregular court. At 

 the fouth-eaft angle is Csfar's Tower, the moft ancient part 

 of the whole. Of its exaft date no trace however remains, 

 but it is ftill in the moft perfcft ftate of ftrength and repair. 

 Guy's Tower, at the north-eaft angle, is named after the 

 legendary champion, and was erefted in the reign of Ri- 

 chard II.: it is 128 feet in height. In the centre of the 

 eaft front is the great arched gateway, leading into the 

 inner court, flanked with towers, and fucceeded by a fecond 

 arched gateway, with other towers and battlements above it. 

 Before this whole front is a moat, over which an arch is 

 thrown, where the drawbridge formerly was. Paffing the 

 entrance tower, the difplay is truly magnificent. Tlie area 

 is clothed with verdure ; but the mighty remains of an- 

 cient fortifications are fpread around. The habitable 

 part of this immenfe ftrufture lies to the left of the great 

 court ; and in the progrellive ameliorations of feature ef- 

 fefted in latter ages, every deCrable attention has been 

 paid to confiftency of charafter. The interior furpafl"es 

 the expeftation raifed by the external view ; for with the 

 ponderous towers, and ramparts of ftone, we aflbciate only 



ideas 



