and is illuminated. James the Second, We find, in 1687, 
in the middle choir of the cathedral touched for the evil, 
as vve know queen Anne did afterwards 3 the form of 
the certificate for which may be feen twice over in Har¬ 
wood’s Hift. of Lichfield, p. 309 and 476. 
The government of the cathedra! is veiled in a dean 
and four refidentiary canons. The diocefe of Lichfield, 
joined to Coventry, contains all the county of Stafford 
(with the exception of Brome and Clent), all Derbyfhire, 
and nearly one half of Shropfhire. The archdeaconries 
are thofe iff Coventry, Stafford, Derby, and Salop. The 
bifhop’s palace is fituated at the north-caff fide of the 
Clofe. The original building is laid to have been fqunded 
by bifhop Clinton, but it was probably of earlier date. 
This palace was quite deilroyed in the civil wars; when 
bifhop Racket, having expended 1000I. on the prebendal 
houfe, fixed upon it as his refidence. Whether the pre- 
fent palace is the fame, or another wholly ereffed by bis 
fucceffor billiop Wood, is uncertain. It is now inhabited 
by different families; the bifhop’s refidence having been 
for many years at Ecclefliall cafile. 
The next building worthy of notice is the church of 
St. Chad, now called Stowe-church, and generally con- 
fidered as the oldeft foundation in or near the city. By 
fome writers it is even fuppofed to have been eredled by 
the Romans, towards the end of the fecond century. The 
interior of this fabric lias been lately repaired and beau¬ 
tified. It contains a number of rent monuments. The 
church of St. Mary’s ftands in the market-place, near the 
Ghild-hall. The body of the prefent building is very 
neat, and is adorned with a hand fome altar-piece, and 
a few ancient monuments to the memory of the family of 
the Dyotts. St. Michael’s church is flationed at the 
fouth-eaft extremity of the city, on the fummit of Green- 
hill ; and is remarkable for the extent of its burial-ground, 
which is fcarcely to be paralleled in England. It con¬ 
tains within its limits not lefs than fix or feven acres of 
excellent pafture land. This hill is remarkable for a court 
held here annually on Whit-monday, in a temporary Hand 
of wood eredfed for the purpofe. This court was anci¬ 
ently called the Court of Array, or view of men and arms. 
The high conftables having affembled a'il the inhabitants, 
they perambulate the city ; and the whole concludes 
with a proceff.on through the principal ffreets to the mar¬ 
ket place, where the town-clerk, in the name of the bai¬ 
liffs and citizens, delivers an oration or charge to the high 
conftables, thanking them for their attendance, and urg¬ 
ing them to the due execution of their office. The origin 
of this remarkable cuftorn is uncertain. On the top of 
the fame hill, a fmall edifice has been eredfed by fubfcrip- 
tion, with feats; from this fpot there is a very beautiful 
and extenfive view of the circumjacent country, and of 
the many interefting objedfs it affords. South of Green- 
hill is Folly-hall, which alfo commands a very fine profpedf. 
Not far from hence is the hofpital and chapel of St. John, 
which was originally a monaftery. When it was firft 
founded is unknown. The front of the prefent building 
is remarkable for the number and antique form of its 
chimneys. According to. an infcription over the door, it 
was erected by bifhop Smith, who was alfo the founder of 
Brazen-nofe College, Oxford. The free grammar-fchool, 
built at the fame time with the hofpital, ftands nearly op- 
pofite to it. 
This city is uninfluenced in the eledfion of its members 
of parliament. The right of eledfion is of a very complex 
kind, being in the bailiff, magiftrates, freeholders of forty 
fniliings a-year, and all that hold by burgage-tenure, toge¬ 
ther with fuch freemen only as are inrolled. Having fent 
to parliament anno 33 Edw. I. 4, 5, 6, 7, 20, Edw. II. and 
1, 14, 27, Edw. III. it intermitted fending till the reign 
of Edw. VI. who reftored it, and conftituted it a city by 
charter in the year 1549. This charter gave the corpora¬ 
tion power to appoint bailiffs and other chief officers, who 
fhould be entitled to hold all pleas within the precindts 
of the city. Queen Mary, with the authority of parlia¬ 
ment, confirmed thefe privileges in the year 15J5, and 
added feveral others of importance. The city, which be¬ 
fore that time formed a member or parcel of Staffordfhire, 
was then declared to be a county of itfelf for ever, from 
and after the enfuing feaft of St. Thomas. All adlions of 
whatever denomination arifing within the city, were or¬ 
dained to be held by the bailiffs and citizens, if they could 
determine them, and if not by the juftices next coming 
into the city, and not on any account by any authority 
out of the city. Thefe great privileges were conferred in 
cenfequer.ee of the faithful fervices of the citizens in the 
time of rebellion. Both thefe charters were ratified by 
queen Elizabeth, and afterwards confirmed by her fuccef¬ 
for James I. who granted Hill further immunities to this 
city. Charles II. confirmed all the privileges of this city, 
by a charter dated the 5th of November, 1664. The go¬ 
vernment at prefent is veiled in two bailiff's, defied from 
the common council, one' of whom is named by the bi¬ 
fhop, and the other by the council themfelves, a recorder, 
a fheriif, a Reward, and other inferior officers. The bur- 
gefles are twenty-four in number. Lichfield fends two 
members to parliament; the number of voters is eftimated 
at 620. The returning officers are the (heriff and the bai¬ 
liffs. 
Lichfield may boaft of having been the place at which 
fome of the brighteft ornaments of the two laft centuries 
were educated: among others, the unrivalled Garrick, 
and his friend Dr. Johnfon, the Hercules of literature: 
the latter was born in a ftuccoed houfe fituated at the 
corner of Market-ftreet, where his father kept a bookfel- 
ler’s (hop. In the yejir 1793, a monument was erefted to 
the doflor’s memory in the w'all of the dean’s ancient 
confiftory-court; it is of mixed marble, with a buft not 
much like the original, and a fliort infcription. 
The market-days at Lichfield are Tuefday and Friday; 
fairs, the three firll Thurldays after Twelfth-day, Alh- 
Wednefday, May-day, and the Friday before St. Simon 
and St. Jude. The Guild-hall, the theatre, and the free 
Englilh fchool, are fituated in Broad-ftreet: the latter is 
an ancient building, erected and endowed by Thomas 
Minors about the year 1670. At the back of the Guild¬ 
hall is a gaol for the confinement of debtors and felons 
apprehended within the boundaries of the city. 
To the weft: of Bird-ftreet is a very pleafant feat called 
the Friary, having been formerly a monaftery of Francif- 
can or Grey friars, founded about the year 1229. The 
refidence of the late celebrated Dr. Darwfin is fituated in 
a ftreet called Beacon-llreet, which was nearly burnt to 
the ground during the civil wars. Oppofite to the fhrub- 
bery which furrounds Dr. Darwin’s houfe is an hofpital, 
built by Dr. Milley in the year 1504, for the fupport of 
fifteen poor women. Contiguous to this fpot there form¬ 
erly Hood a very ftately edifice, once the rdidentiary-houle 
of the archdeacon of Chelter. Lichfield contains, befides 
thefe, many objedls which deferve the attention of the in- 
quilitive and curious. The mufeum and the botanic gar¬ 
den of Dr. Darwin are particularly interefting to all who 
have the flightelt tafte for the fubjedls of natural liiftory. 
Lichfield was long the refidence of Mifs Seward. By 
means of canals this city communicates with a variety of 
rivers, fome of which difcharge themfelves into the Ger¬ 
man Ocean, and others into the Irifli Sea and St. George’s 
Channel. 
At Elmhurft, near Lichfield, is an echo, which returns 
a hum, or clap with the hands, if the weather be calm, 
ten or twelve times; yet fo thick and clofe, that it admits 
of nothing articulate but a monofyllable. In this parifti 
is a Roman tumulus. 
Longdon is a village four miles from Lichfield, in the 
road to Chefter, on a brook that runs into the Trent. 
Wall, fouth of Lichfield, has the remains of walls en- 
compafling two acres of ground, called Caftle-crofts, 
wherein have been found two ancient pavements of Ro¬ 
man bricks. The inhabitants have had a tradition, time 
out of mind, that by this field there was a city, but demo- 
3 li filed 
