pat 
competent informaticn fhould undertake 
to jupply the deficiency. 
Although I cannot promife complete fa- 
tisfaction on every point that the curious 
mnquirer may defire to obtain it, I fhall 
probably be capable of furnifhing forse 
etches by which any perfon of more lei- 
fure and minuter information may after- 
wards be enabled to complete the piture. 
here fend you a@ Sketch of the early Hi/- 
cory of Hull: if you approve of this, others 
thall fpeedily follow in due erder. 
There are few fubje&ts of early hifltory 
that have not been involved in a fort of 
€immerian ob{curity. “ven the moft un- 
queftionable faéts therein become fo en- 
vironed with abfurd traditions, and impro- 
Gable conjectures, that they could never 
be brought to light, if thefe obftructions 
were not firft removed, 
Refpecting the origin and antiquity of 
Hull (or Kingfton upon Hull) I fhall then 
notice fuch remarkable fa&s as have been 
refcued from the rubbifh of tradition, and 
do at leaf reft on the bafis of probability. 
‘The town of Hull appears to have had its 
rife as early as the year of Chrift 1296, at 
the inftance, and under the immediate auf- 
pices, of Edward I. Hiftory records, 
that the monarch, returning from his fuc- 
ee(sful expedition againft the Scots, hay- 
ing forced the fervile Baliol to refign by 
charter the fovereignty of ali Scotland, 
pefied fome days at the feat of Lord Wake, 
in the vicinage of Cottingham. Here, in- 
duiging in the relaxation of the chace, he 
“was led, by the direétion of the courfe, to 
the banks of the river Hull, and being 
fruck with the fingular advantages of its 
fituation, conceived the thought of found- 
ing @ town, and forming a commodious 
arbour for fhipping. He immediately 
made inquiry concerning the depth of the 
fiver, the height of the tides, and the pro- 
prietors of the adjacent foil. The necef- 
‘ary lands were purchafed by the King of 
the Abbot of Mcaux’s Monaftery ; for 
which others, of at leaft equal value, in 
Eincolnfhire were given. Whoever pleaf- 
ed was invited, by royal proclamation, to 
build and refide there, with a pramife of 
extraordimary privileges and immunities. 
Ax manor-houfe was ereét<d for the royal 
wfe, and the place commanded to be called 
by the name of Kingiton upon Hull, The 
harbeur was fhortly after completed by 
the King’s direétion, when a royal char- 
ter was granted for the incorporation of 
the town, and its entire civil government 
gelted in a warden, and its own burgefles, 
er body of freemen, with various other 
gxteniive rights and grants. 
Sketch of the early Hiftory of Hull, 
[April f, 
The account given of Hull by Camden 
proves, that it-was then a place of great 
importance, and had rifen into an empo- 
rium of the moft extenfive celebrity. 
That it could boaft, in addition tothe un- 
rivalled advantazes of its fituation, that 
of beif'e poflefled cf ftately edifices, ftrong 
fortrefles, thips mott excellently equipped, 
a great number of merchants, and abun- 
dance of all kinds of wealth*. 
The original {cite of the town, forming 
nearly a triangular figure, terminated by 
the confluence of the river Hull and the 
Humber, was anciently a low fwampy 
{pot, fuppofed to have been, at length, 
confiderably improved by the centinual 
overflowings of thefe currents, which 
caufed fuch a quantity of earth and fand 
to be thrown up, as ultimately raifed it to 
a fufiicient height and drynefs for human 
fecurity and comfort. This peninfulated 
tract had the Humber on the fouth, the 
River Hull on the north eaft, and on the 
other fide a low open country, at that 
time, peshaps, little elfe than am entire 
morafs. 
The ftate of Hull, in the reign of Ed- 
ward IJ. had become greatly improved, 
and, rifing in confequence and fplendour, © 
already eclipfed the neighbouring towns, 
whick were gradually declining in thetr 
condition ; its charter was now renewed, 
and confiderably extended ; provifion was 
made for its fortification and fecurity, and 
the building of the High Church was be- 
gun and finifhed, 
The chief magthracy of the town, - 
which was at firft inveited in a warden, 
was, in the following reign, committed to 
a bailiff; and in that of Edward iI. it 
was again transferred to the more digni- 
fied authority of a mayor, and four affiftant 
officers called bailiffs, who, in the reign of 
Henry VI. werg changed for thole- of 
twelve aldermen, to whom was. at- the 
fame time added the important civil power 
of a fheriff. 
The firft whe enjoyedthe high office of 
mayor was William De la Pole, merchant, 
who gained the royal favour and honour 
of knighthood, by the fplendid hofpitality 
with which he entertained King Edward 
II]. and his attendants, and was the caofe 
of the King’s adding fo much new power 
and dignity to the government of the 
——— 
* Ut magnificis zedificiis, firmis propugnas 
culis, navibus inftructiffimis, mercatorum, Co- 
pidet rerum omnium affluentia, fit nunc em~ 
porium hujus tra€tus longe celeberimum. 
CAMBEN, D. 579 
towns 
