LEICESTER. 
la tlie year 737. At this period the Saxon kingdom of 
Mercia had, according to fome authors, three epifcopal 
fees: Lichfield, Dorchefler, and Leicefter. From the 
Saxon annals it appears, that Ethelfrid king of Northum¬ 
berland, being an avowed enemy to Chriftianity, inarched 
an army to Leicefter, ,where he made a great (laughter of 
the inhabitants. Jowallenfis relates, that Ethelred king 
of Mercia, and his queen Elfreda, who was daughter of 
Alfred the Great, repaired the town about the year 901, 
and rebuilt and enlarged the walls, which were now made 
to iuclofe the caftle; previous to that period the caltle ap¬ 
pears to have been on the outfide of the town. On the 
conqueft of England by William the Norman, Leicefter 
foon became part of the royal demefne; and a caftle was 
either newly erefled or enlarged and ftrengthened, to en- 
fure the fubmifiion of the inhabitants, and thole of the 
furrounding country. On the death of the conqueror, 
Leiceltercitadel, being held by the adherents of duke Ro¬ 
bert, was nearly demoliflied by the fuccefsful partifans of 
William Rufus. In the reign of Henry I. Robert earl of 
Leicelter repaired, enlarged, and fortified, the caltle, which 
lie made his principal refidence. He was very liberal-to 
the town; as was alfo bis fon Robert Boil'd ; but the arro¬ 
gant behaviour of the latter to the king involved this place 
in broils and war; it being the praftice in thofe times for 
fovereigns to revenge themfelves, for the offences of the 
nobles, on the people and places immediately under the 
patronage of the offenders. This was fatally experienced 
in the reign of Henry II. when, earl Robert Blanchmains 
(Whitehands) leaguing with the king’s foil in his unna¬ 
tural rebellion, Leicefter, the chief refort of the difaffefct- 
ed, was, after a longfiege, almolt deftroyed, and the caftle 
reduced to a heap of ruins. Scarcely any thing now re¬ 
mains of the latter building, but an artificial mound, or 
the earth-work of the keep, near which is a part of the 
town with fome ancient buildings, called the Newark, or 
New-work. This name appears to have been given to 
diflinguifh it from the caltle with its original buildings, 
■which was confidered as the old work. The Newark is 
faid to have been founded by Henry, third earl of Lan- 
cafter, and his fon Henry, the firft duke of that name. 
By thefe two noblemen fome large buildings were ereifted 
here; and John of Gaunt, who wasearfof Leicelter, added 
confiderably to the pile. When completed, the whole 
mult have formed a grand difplay; but nearly all of thefe 
have fallen beneath the devaftating hand of man, and the 
fiowly-devouring tooth of time. From the remains of the 
furrounding walls, it is prefumed that the Newark was an 
inclofed area, bounded on the north by the caftle, on the 
fouth by fields, on the weft by a branch of the river Soar, 
and on the eaft by a flreet of the fuburbs. At this fide is 
Itill remaining a large caftellated gateway, called the ma¬ 
gazine, which name it obtained in 1682, when it was pur- 
chafed by the county, and applied to the ufe of the train- 
hands. This gateway has a large pointed arched en¬ 
trance with a finall poftern doorway, and communicates 
with an area nearly furrounded with buildings. 
The names of the churches (landing in 1220 were, St. 
Mary, St. Nicholas, St. Clement, St. Leonard, All Saints, 
St. Michael, St. Martin, St. Peter, Chapel of the Holy Se¬ 
pulchre, and St. Margaret, ten in number. At this time 
there are but five. The church of St. Mary, as a build¬ 
ing, cannot be diftinguiflred by the appellation of either 
chafte or beautiful; it is the patch-work of a variety of 
periods. The chancel is Saxon, perhaps the finefl'remains 
of that period in the county. The fpire of this church 
was partly demolifhed by a ftorm in 1763 and 1783. St. 
Nicholas’ church is l'uppofed to be the oldelt in Leicefter; 
it is a plain Gothic building, which formerly confided of 
three aifles, but, in the year 1697, the north aide was 
taken down, it being found in a ruinous condition, and 
the parifh was then unable to rebuild it. There is an old 
wall here called the Jewry-wall, ccmpofed of rag-ftone 
and Roman brick; and aot far off is a place, called Holy- 
Vat XII. No. 844.. 
437 
bones, where have been dug up the bones of many oxen, 
fuppofed to have been facrificed there. St. Clement’s has 
been long deftroyed. St. Leonard’s had been rebuilt but 
a little time before its final dellruflion in the civil wars. 
The church of All Saints is a fair ftruFlure, built of free- 
ftone; it has three aifles, a good chancel, and is very well 
pewed. St. Michael’s was totally demolifhed fome time 
about 1400. St. Martin’s church (lands nearly central ; 
it is one of the larged, and efteemed the principal church 
in the county. The bifhops of the diocefe, and the judges 
of a (fife, attend divine fervice here. There is a remarka¬ 
ble epitaph in this church, fnowing, that Mr. Herric, who 
died in 1589, aged 7 6, lived in one houfe with his wife 
fifty-two years, and in all that time buried neither man, 
woman, nor child, though there were fometimes twenty in 
family; and the widow, who died in 1611, aged ninety- 
feven, faw, before her death, one hundred and "forty-three 
children, grand-children, and great grand-children. To 
this church a valuable chime of bells has lately been 
added, which play every three hours. The chapel of the 
Holy Sepulchre ftood near where the prefeirt infirmary 
hands. St. Margaret’s was once a cathedral church ; and 
it is very "vifible that this church, like fome others in the 
town, is the patch-work of different ages. Near this 
church is a piece of ground (till called the Bifbop’s Barn- 
clofe, and a royalty called to this day the Bifhop’s Fee. 
Leicefter-abbey was founded in 1143, by Robert Boflu, 
earl of Leicelter, in honour of the Virgin Mary. The 
death of cardinal Wolfey happened at this abbey Novem¬ 
ber 29, 1530, on his journey from York to" London. 
This abbey, at the time of the fuppreftion, was eftimated 
to expend 1062I. per annum. The Gray-Friars houfe 
was lituated near Sr. Martin’s church. King Richard III, 
who was killed in the battle of Bofworth, was interred in 
the church of the Gray-Friars ; his coffin was afterwards 
converted into a trough for horfes to drink out of, at the 
WhiteHorfe inn; but it has been deftroyed fome years. The 
collegiate-church, which ftood in the Newark, was a beau¬ 
tiful little church, once the admiration of all ftrangers 
who palled through the town : it was founded by a noble 
Piantagenet, Henry, created earl of Derby in his father’s 
life-time, and who lucceeded at that prince’s death to the 
title of duke of Lancafter. The Holpital of St. John the 
Baptill was given by queen Elizabeth to the corporation; 
it was afterwards tiled as a wool-hall; but, at the latter 
end of the reign of James I. a benefaction was railed of 
feventeen pounds a-year, and fix poor widows placed in 
it. Bent's Holpital was endowed in 1703 by Mr. Bent, an 
alderman ; it lupports four widows. Simond’s Holpital, 
Countefs’s Hofpital, and Spittle Houfes, are places of in¬ 
ferior note. Trinity Holpital was founded by Henry 
duke of Lancafter, (whodied in 1361,) in which lie placed 
one hundred poor and weak men, and ten able women to 
affift them. Wigfton’s Holpital was founded in the reign 
of Henry VI. it is a regular building, with feparate apart¬ 
ments for the members of the holpital; it confifls of a 
mailer, confrater, twelve men, and twelve women, by the 
rules of the houfe all fingle. The Confanguinitarium is 
a building of ftone, finiflied in 1792, named by and erected 
at the expenfe of John joknfon, el'q. a native of this place; 
the rooms are neat and convenient, and the windows are 
glazed with fine ftained glafs. Leicefter Infirmary was 
built in 1771 by voluntary fubfeription, and opened the 
fame year for the reception of patients, lick a’nd lame, 
from any country. The Female Afylum is a more recent 
inflitution. 
Befides the churches, here are chapels or meeting-houfes 
for different feels of difienters, prelbyterians, independents, 
and bapfifts. The county-gaol, ereFted in the year 1791, 
at the expenfe of 6000I. occupies the fite of an old pri- 
fon, and is built after the plan recommended by Mr. 
Howard, with folitary cells, &e. The town-gaol is a 
commodious ftone building, defigned by Mr. Johtifon, a 
native of this town, and executed by Mr. Firmadge in 
6 A 
