P L U 
709 
P L U 
RLUM'PER, f Something worn in the mouth to fwell 
out the cheeks ; 
She dext’roufly her 'plumpers draws, 
That ferve to fill her hollow jaws. Swift’s Mifcell. 
In colloquial language, when at an eleftion a man has 
the privilege to vote for two or more feparate candidates, 
and votes for one only, it is called giving him a plumper; 
the perfon alfo, who fo votes, is called a plumper. 
PLUMP'LY, ailv. Roundly; fully. 
PLUMP'NESS, /. Fulnefs ; difpofition towards fulnefs. 
—Thofe convex glaffes fupply the defeat of plumpnefs in 
the eye, and by encreafing the refradlion make the rays 
converge fooner, fo as to convene at the bottom of the eye. 
Newton’s Opt. 
PLUM'PY, adj. Plump; fat. A ludicrous word. 
Come, thou monarch of the vine, 
Plumpy Bacchus, with pink eyne, 
In thy vats our cares be drown’d. Shaltefpeare. 
PLUM'STEAD, a townfhip of the United States, in 
Buck’s county, Pennfylvania, on the weft: fide of the 
Delaware. Population 1407. 
PLUM'STEAD, a fmall town of England, in Kent, is 
on theeaft, the adjoining parifh to Woolwich, and through 
it is a high road to Erith, feparating the marfhes from 
the upland. The fouthern part of Plumftead, which is 
hilly, and much covered with wood, reaches to the Dover 
road, taking into its bounds the whole north fide of 
Shooter’s-hill. It has a very neat church ; it formerly 
had a market on Tuefday, and a three-days fair from the 
eve of St. Nicholas. Population 2116. 
One mile nearer London is Welling, or Well-end, as it 
was formerly called ; and, according to Mr. Hafted, thus 
properly denominated, from the fafe arrival of the travel¬ 
ler at it, after having efcaped the danger of robbers 
through the hazardous road from Shooter’s-hill. The 
fouth fide of this fmall village is in the parifh of Eaft 
Wickham, fo ftyled to diftinguifh it from Weft Wickham, 
near Bromley. The fmall church in Eaft Wickham is 
not more than a mile from Welling, and is to be feen 
from the road. Anciently it was only a chapel of eafe 
to Plumftead ; and, though it has for many years been a 
feparate parifh, no inftance occurs in which the fame 
clergyman has not been the incumbent of both churches. 
The corn-tithes of Eaft Wickham are a part of the poffef- 
fions of the hofpital, which fir John Hawkins, in the 
reign of queen Elizabeth, founded at Chatham for the 
relief of decayed mariners and fliipwrights. 
At a fmall diftance from Welling, on the fouth fide of 
the road, is Danfon-hill, upon which ftands the feat of 
fir John Boyd, bart. The original defign for this ftruc- 
ture was given by the late ingenious Mr. Taylor, well 
known for the great works executed by him at the Bank; 
but feveral alterations are faid to have been made in the 
plan whilft the houfe was building. There are, upon the 
principal floor, three lofty, fpacious, and elegant, apart¬ 
ments ; viz. a dining parlour, a drawing-room, and a 
library. From the diminutive fize of the w indows of the 
next ftory, it fiiould feem that the architedl did not ima¬ 
gine the fleeping in airy chambers might contribute to the 
health of the family who inhabit this manfion. The 
grounds behind the houfe are beautifully difpofed, and 
adorned with a grand fheet of water; which, with woods, 
plantations, and agreeable inequalities of furface, compofe 
a delightful fcene. 
Not far from fir John Boyd’s, but on the north fide of 
the great turnpike-road, is one of the lanes leading to 
Erith, omitted in our feventh volume. In the church 
of this parifh, in the 17 th of King John, a treaty' was held 
between feveral commiflioners, appointed by his majefty, 
and Richard earl of Clare, and others, on behalf of the 
difcontented barons, refpeftinga peace between the king 
and them ; for which purpofe the latter had a fafe con- 
du£V, dated November the 9th in that year. Erith is 
Vol. XX. No. 1403. 
mentioned by Lambard to have been anciently a corporate 
town ; but from what king it acquired this privilege, and 
when it ceafed to enjoy it, cannot be traced. Bartholo¬ 
mew lord Badlefmere, a powerful baron, who was poffeffed 
of this manor, certainly obtained from Edward II. the 
grant of a weekly market to Erith : this has, however, 
been long difcontinued. 
On the Thames, oppofite the town of Erith, the Eaft- 
India fliips, in their paffage up the river, frequently 
come to an anchor, and lie fome time there in order to 
be lightened of part of their burden, that they may pro¬ 
ceed with greater fafety. This makes a great refort to 
Erith, not only of the friends and acquaintance of the 
officers and feamen belonging to the ffiips, but for fome 
continuance afterwards, in the carrying on a traffic 
between the inhabitants and their country neighbours, 
for the feveral kinds of Eaft-India commodities which 
have been procured from on-board. This, no unprofit¬ 
able branch of trade, together with the conveyance and 
delivery of goods to and from London, and fome few 
fifhing-veffels, employ the generality of the labourers 
in this place. Large quantities of corn and W'ood are 
yearly fhipped here, and it fupplies the country for fome 
miles round with coals. The large plantations of fruit- 
trees are alfo a lucrative article to the inhabitants of this 
parifh ; and the more fo, as the cherries are obferved to 
ripen very early. 
Erith is in many ancient writings denominated Lefties ; 
but this latter was properly only a manor in Erith parifh, 
and feems to have affumed the leading name from the fa¬ 
mous abbey of canons regular, fometimes called Weft- 
wood, which flood upon the demefnes of the manor of 
Lefnes. It was fituated about a mile and three-quarters 
to the weft of Erith church, in the road leading to Plum¬ 
ftead and Woolwich. Richard de Lucy, one of the grand 
judiciaries of this kingdom in the reign of king Henry II. 
was the founder of this religious houfe ; he was defervedly 
eminent as a foldier, a ftatefman, and a lawyer, which 
different employments he executed with fidelity to his 
prince, and a confcientious regard to the interefts of the 
nation. It was begun by him not quite two years before 
his death ; and, after he had finifhed it, he retired from 
the adlive world, and, it is faid, became the prior of his 
own convent. The king, unwilling to lofe the counfel 
and affiftance of fo able and experienced a fervant, en¬ 
deavoured to diffuade him from entering into this idle 
and ufelefs fcheme of life, but it was a vain attempt. 
Richard de Lucy, his only fon Godfrey, bifhop of Win- 
chefter, and others of the family, were buried in the 
church belonging to this religious houfe. Some of their 
tombs and coffins were difcovered in the year 1630, by 
workmen employed to dig out Hones from the rubbilh of 
the decayed fabric ; and there was one monument in par¬ 
ticular, which, from its being placed in the choir on the 
north fide of the altar, is judged to have been that of the 
founder. It was forced open; and within a ftone coffin, 
on a fheet of lead, the remains of a carcafelay enwrapped, 
whole and undisjointed; and upon the head fome hair, 
or fomething like hair, appeared. By the direction of fir 
John Epfiey, at that time lord of the manor, the monu¬ 
ment was again covered, and he planted a bay-tree over 
it. In 1753, when Dr. Stukely made his pilgrimage, as 
he terms it, to this abbey, he thought the tree to be by 
far the fineft of the kind he had ever feen ; but the two 
principal ftems of it are fince perifhed, and, from the 
weaknefs of the root, it is not likely long to put forth 
any branches to ferve for a memorial of the place of inter¬ 
ment of this once-eminent perfonage. Dr. Stukely was 
of opinion, that the farm-houfe Handing upon the premifes 
w>as the original manfion or feat of the founder, in which 
he and his fucceffors the priors, or abbots, (as they were 
generally ftyled,) ufed to refide ; it is however clear, that 
all the religious buildings were fituated towards the 
fouth of the houfe. Whilft it was inhabited by the 
occupier of the land, the area of the church and cloifters 
8 S was 
