424 CHIC H 
rebuilt by Seffrid, (the fecond of that'name, and the fe- 
venth bilhop of Chichefter,) together with the palace, 
the cloifters, and the common houfes; and finilhed the 
whole within the fpace of fourteen years. 
Though it is certain that Chichefier is an opulent, po¬ 
pulous, and flourilhing, city, yet it is undeniable that 
there has been no manufactory in it till very lately, and 
that the trade of it is but fmall: its fituation upwards of 
two miles from the quay, being unfavourable for exten¬ 
five trade. In the reign of James I. an a£l of parliament 
was Obtained to remedy this inconvenience, by making 
the Lavant navigable up to the city j but it was never 
put in execution. A manufactory of baize, blankets, 
and coarie cloths, has lately been eftabliflied. There 
was a confiderable manufactory of needles here, but which 
is now nearly annihilated. In this city, which is diftin- 
guilhed for the multiplicity of its charities, is an excel¬ 
lent difpenlary for the relief of the Tick poor, fupported 
by voluntary fubfcription. The arm of the fea, near 
which the city Hands, is fpacious, well fheltered, and ca¬ 
pable of receiving drips of great burthen. Many of its 
banks are fteep; where wharfs and warehoufes might be 
■ereCted. at a fmall expence. The entrance lies at a place 
called Cock Budi, near Weft Wittering, (where it is lup- 
pofed Ella firft landed,) and a fmall illand on the oppofite 
fide called Hayling. The channel is not difficult; but 
there are fand -banks off the mouth of the harbour, which 
render it impoffible for fliips of heavy burthen to come 
in ulilefs at fpring tides. Merchant veffels are frequently 
built and repaired here, and fometimes drips of war. The 
prefent flourifhing ftate of the city is owing to feveral 
caufes; the principal of which is its fituation, being in 
•the midft of a fruitful and opulent country for many 
miles round ; whofe wealth, if it does not finally center 
here, at leaft circulates through it, and, by a conftant and 
regular influx, feeds and invigorates that trade, which 
without firch a l'upply, would foon droop and decay. 
Another great advantage it derives from the falubrity of 
its air ; being fheltered from the north by a long ridge of 
adjoining hills, and refrefhed from the fouth by the breezes 
from the fea; and Handing on fomething of an elevation, 
it is free from fogs and damps; whence it is frequented 
and inhabited by many people of independent fortune. 
The corporation confifts of a mayor, high-fteward, al¬ 
derman, common council, &c. The mayor has a court 
of requeft for the recovery of fmall debts. In his public 
capacity he is attended by four ferjeants at mace, with a 
crier, &c. For the. city there are four juftices of the 
peace, chofen out of the aldermen. Five annual fairs 
are held in this city and its fuburbs, viz. St. George’s- 
day, Whit-Monday, St. James’s-day, Michaelmas-fair at 
that term, and Sloe-fair, which is ten clear days after. 
The weekly markets are on Wedneldays and Saturdays, 
which are plentifully fupplied from the country for many 
miles round, with all kinds of provifion, efpecially fifh of 
various kinds. Every Wednelday fortnight there is a 
large market for (heep and black cattle. 
On the Broil, near the city, is the veftige of a Roman 
camp, in the form of an oblong fquare, being about half 
a mile in length, and half as much in breadth. It is fur- 
-rounded by a ftrong rampire inward, and a Angle graff 
•outward ; which, confidering the nature of the foil, being 
a hard gravel, mult have been a work of much labour. 
As it is well-known that Vefpafian refided long among 
the Belgian Britons in the reign of Claudius, antiquari¬ 
ans are of opinion, that it was he who railed this camp 
for the l'ecurity of his forces, as the country was then in 
a very unfettled condition. Four miles north of Chichef- 
teris Goodwood, the noble feat of the duke of Richmond. 
It is very agreeably fituated in a fpacious park, and com¬ 
mands an extenfive and delightful profpech Goodwood 
formerly belonged to the family of Percy ; but was pur- 
.ehafed by the prefent duke’s'anceHors, who pulled down 
the pljd Gothic ftrudtyre, and erefied a very neat manlion 
ESTER. 
on its feite. His grace, the prefent duke of Richmond, 
however, is now erecting a very noble and extenfive man- 
fion-houfe, the expence of which is eftimated at 6o,oool. 
The walls are cafed with flint, and the four angles or cor¬ 
ners of t he building are finiflied with round towers, which 
have all together a very majeflic and elegant appearance. 
The ftabling is a very fine building, inferior to few, if 
any, in England. The fea, and the Iile of Wight ter¬ 
minates the fouth profpeft, and St. Roche’s-hill covers it 
from the north. 
Eight miles fouth of Chichefier, is the pleafant penin- 
fula of Selfea, improperly called ijland, where the fee of 
Chichefler was firlt founded. Bede derives the name of 
it from feals— eia, fignifying, in the ancient Saxon, the 
Ifland of Seals. The fame author fays, “it is furrounded 
on all fides by the fea, except on the north-weff, where 
there is an entry into it of about a Hone’s throw (jattus 
funda) over.’’ When Adelwach gave this place to Wil¬ 
fred, it contained eighty-feven families, which, reckoning 
fix perfons to a family, amounted to upwards of 500 fouls. 
The prefent church is a flately Gothic firufture, fituated 
at the north-eafi end of the parifti. By the munificence 
of the fouth Saxon kings, a monafiery was founded here; 
but which, with the ancient pity of Selfea, was fwallovved 
up by the ocean, fome remains of the monafiery, and 
alfo of the city, Camden fays, “ are vilible at low water, 
the fea having encroached confiderably upon the land 
here.” Though we are of the fame opinion with this 
learned author, yet it is difficult to fix upon the exadt fpot 
where the city Hood ; as, about half a mile out at lea, 
there are feveral places having the ruins of buildings un¬ 
der water. The belt anchoring ground off the ifland is 
to this day called the Park ; and the rocks between the 
ifland and the flioals farther out bear the name of the 
Streets ; where, we have been told, a tomb-Hone, with an 
infeription thereon, was fome years ago drawn up by the 
filhermen. The fame author mentions Selfea as being fa¬ 
mous for “ producing moll excellent wheat, and the bed' 
cockles in Englandto which we may add, that the 
belt prawns are caught here, the greateft part of which 
are fent to London by land carriage. 
About five miles fouth-wefi of Chichefier, on the con¬ 
fines of Hamplhire, is Bofenham, or Bolharn; where it 
is faid, a daughter of Canute the Great was buried; and 
where Harold, Ion of earl Godwin, (the mofi powerful 
fubjeft that ever was in England,) had a manfion of re¬ 
tirement. We are informed from Tefia de Nevil (which 
was the inquifion of lands made in king John’s time), 
that the conqueror. “ gave Bofeham to William Fitz-Au- 
cher, and his heirs, in fee-farm, paying out of it yearly 
into the exchequer forty pounds of filver, tried and 
weighed: and afterwards William Marlhall held it as his 
inheritance.” The church of Bolham is a fpacious, ve¬ 
nerable, Gothic edifice, built at the foie expence of 
William Warlewafi, bilhop of Exeter, about the year 
1119 ; in the reign of Henry I. it was made collegiate for 
a dean and prebendaries, and endowed with many privi¬ 
leges which it enjoyed till the general dilfolution, when 
it was made parochial. The Hails lor the prebendaries 
are Hill Handing, and over them are carvings of great an¬ 
tiquity. 
Stanflead, the elegant and rural feat of Mr. Barwell, 
is four miles difiant from Chichefier. It was formerly 
the feat of the earl of Scarborough, afterwards of the 
earl of Halifax, who left it by his will to his daughter, 
(Mrs. Donaldfon,) fince Mrsj. Archdale. Stanfiead is 
confeffedly fituatein one of the mofi delightful fituations 
in the kingdom: the houfe has been lately rebuilt by 
its prefent munificent poffeffor in thefirfifiile of elegance, 
and commands a complete view of Portfmouth, the Me 
of Wight, the fhips at Spithead, together with an ex¬ 
tenfive profpedt of the fea. The gardens are delightful, 
the walks in the park extremely rural, and the many vif- 
tas in them, which terminate in fome agreeable profpeft 
1 lb 
