W Y M 



W Y N 



hundred of Forehoe, and county of Norfolk, England, is 

 fituated 9 miles W.S.W. from Norwich, on the great road 

 to London, from which it is diilant loO miles N.E. by E. 

 This place has been fuppofed to be of Roman origin ; and 

 fome writers have confidered it as the Sitomagus of the 

 Itinerary, though there are not the fmalleft traces to fupport 

 that opinion. The name is purely Saxon ; and the confe- 

 quence of the town arofe from the ereftion of a monaftery 

 here in the time of Henry I. A.D. 1 1 30, by William de 

 Albini, who amply endowed it with lands, which were con- 

 firmed with additions and privileges annexed by the reign- 

 ing monarch. From the regifter of St. Alban's, this re- 

 ligious houfe appears to have been originally founded as a 

 cell for black monks of the Auguftine order; and its annual 

 revenues at the diifolution amounted, accarding to Dugdale, 

 to 211/. 16s. 6d. By the inquifition made at that period, 

 the monaftery was found in a regular ilate ; and the abbot 

 and monks in general were declared to have led blamelefs 

 lives. The abbey-church was a large, handfome, cruciform 

 building, erefted foon after the year 1 130. It confifted of 

 a choir, nave, tranfept, north and fouth aifles, with a tower 

 ftanding in the centre, ftill called the abbey-fteeple, and 

 another at the weft end. When the monaftery was de- 

 ftroyed, the fouth aifle, over which were lodgings for fuper- 

 numerary monks, was demoUfhed : but the king granted the 

 inhabitants leave to build another. Anxious to preferve 

 their noble church, they alfo obtained the following parts, 

 which had been condemned by the aft for removing fuper- 

 ftitious buildings : — The abbey, fteeple, veftry, monks' lodg- 

 ings over the fouth aifle, St. Margaret's chapel, the chapel 

 of the Blefled Virgin, the chapel of St. Thomas a Becket, 

 and the choir. Thefe were granted on condition that the in- 

 habitants paid the king for the lead at the rate of 4/. per 

 fodder, of twenty -four fquare feet. 



The prefent church coniifts of a nave with aifles, a large 

 weftern tower, and another at the interfeftion of the nave 

 with the tranfepts. The ancient parts of the building dif- 

 play femicircular arches with ftiort columns, large piers, &c. 

 which appear to be parts of the original ftrufture. At the 

 eaft end, and on the fouth fide of the porch, are fome frag- 

 ments of walls. The north aifle, porch, and towers, are of 

 a much later ftyle than the nave and fouth aifle. The 

 church is curious, and highly interefting to the architeftural 

 antiquary and draughtfman. In it is a large font, orna- 

 mented with bold fculpture, and raifed on tteps. The re- 

 mains of the founder were interred in the choir in 1156. 

 The families of Albini, earls of Arundel, of Knevet, and of 

 Clifton, are depofited in this church. Several guilds were 

 founded here, the revenues of which have been appropriated 

 to other purpofes. Wymondham parifti is extenfive, and 

 comprehends feveral harnlets, which are called the outfoken 

 divifion, whilft the town is divided into feveral parts called 

 the infoken divifion. Many of the inhabitants are em- 

 ployed in various branches of weaving. The diftinguiflied 

 family of Wyndham, or Windham, derives its name from 

 this place. 



North of the town is Kimberly-hall, the feat of lord 

 Wodehoufe. The houfe is feated in an extenfive and beauti- 

 ful park, which contains a fine piece of water, and fome noble 

 mafles of foreft-trees. In the houfe is a portrait of Vandyck, 

 by himfelf, when a young man. — Blomefield's Hiftory, &c. 

 of Norfolk, 1 1 vols. 8vo. Beauties of England, Norfolk ; 

 by J. Britton, 8vo. 1809. 



Wymondham, a parifti in the hundred of Framland, 

 county of Leicefter, England, fituated 6 miles E. from 

 Melton Mowbray, and 104 miles N.N.W. from London. 

 Vol. XXXVIII. 



It is very ancient, and was formerly furrounded with 

 walls : the inhabitants ftill poffefs an exemption originally 

 granted to the duchy of Laucafter. In the return of the 

 year 181 1, the population was ftated to be 437, occupying 

 81 lioufes. 



WYMONDLEY, or Wymondesley, Great, a parifti in 

 the hundred of Brinkwater, county of Hertford, England, 

 fituated within three miles E.S.E. from Hitchin. The 

 manor was given by William the Conqueror to a noble 

 Norman, named Fitz-beck, by the fervice of grand fer- 

 geantry ; that the lords of the faid manor ftiould prefent to 

 the kings of England the firft cup of drink at dinner on the 

 day of their coronation : the cup becoming the property of 

 the faid lords. This fervice has continued with the manor : 

 lieutenant-colonel Cracherood performed the ofiice of cup- 

 bearer at the coronation of George III. The population 

 of the parifli was, in the return of 18 1 1, ftated to be 212, 

 and the number of houfes 46. — Beauties of England and 

 Wales, vol. vii. Hertfordftiire, by E. W. Brayley. 



W^YMONDLEY, or Wymotidejley, Little, is alio a parifti in 

 the fame hundred, adjoining to Great Wymondley, and 

 containing, in the year 1811, 34houfes, and 188 inhabitants. 

 A priory of Auftin canons was founded here by Richard 

 de Auguftine, in the time of Henry III. : the fcite was 

 granted to James Needham, gent., clerk of the king's 

 works, in whofe defcendants it continued till the death of 

 George Needham, efq. in 1726. It was then fold to Samuel 

 Vanderplank, efq., and was lately the property of Chrifto- 

 pher Clitherowlfy, who married Mr. Vanderplank's grand- 

 daughter. 



Wymondley-houfe, in this vicinity, formerly the refidence 

 of a private gentleman, is now an academy for the educa- 

 tion of Proteftant Diflenting minifters. This inftitution 

 originated at Northampton in 1729, by the endowment of 

 WiUiam Coward, efq. a Weft India merchant. The cele- 

 brated Dr. Doddridge was the firft tutor, which office he 

 held twenty-two years. In 1752 the academy was removed 

 to Daventry, and thence back to Northampton ; and 

 finally in 1799 to this place, having been previoufly 

 united with an academy in London, under the fuccefCve 

 tuition of Mr. Eames, F.R.S., Dr. Jennings, Dr. Savage, 

 Dr. Kippis, and Dr. Rees, fupported by the fame fund, 

 and unfortunately for the interefts of literature and fcience 

 difcontinued. The library contains a valuable aflemblage 

 of upwards of 10,000 volumes of the beft authors in 

 divinity, criticifm, clafGcs, mathematics, topographical an- 

 tiquities, &c. with a cabinet of medals, a colleftion of 

 natural hiftory, and other curiofities. This valuable hbrary 

 confifts principally of a rich colleftion of books, bequeathed 

 by the late Rev. Mr. Miles, F.R.S., and appropriated to 

 the London Academy, and augmented by numerous pur- 

 chafes. — Beauties of England and Wales, vol. vii. by 

 E. W. Brayley. And Private Information. 



WYNANTS, John, in Biography, an able and eminent 

 landfcape-painter, born at Haerlem in 1600. Whether he 

 were his own inllruftor or not does not appear, or how he 

 quaUfied himfelf to attain that ftation among the artifts of 

 his country which he fo juftly holds. His piftures are 

 taken from the fimple fcenes of nature which furrounded 

 his birth-place, and which he has reprefented with great 

 vivacity and reality, though they fometimes are over- 

 charged in their contrafts of colouring. A fandy bank, 

 with broken patches of grafs and plants, with ftunted trees 

 befide it, and a winding road paffing over the bank, prefents 

 from his pencil an agreeable and interefting effeft. Some- 

 times we find the entrance of a wood, with a cottage or hovel 

 ^ I befide 



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