1810.] 
rows are decorated with juxuriant tim- 
ber. The prospect opens as we ad- 
vance, and the windings of\ the road, 
which passes over the steepest part of 
the hill, are seen at intervals through the 
trees. The summit, which is called 
Cleeve Cloud, -presents a lovely view of 
, the vale of Gloucester, bounded by the 
mountains of Malvern and of Wales, 
and affords also to the lover of antiqui- 
ties, the remains of a Roman camp. 
From this eminence we descend to the 
town of Winchcombe, leaving ina se- 
questered nook immediately under the 
hill to the right, a house of ancient ap- 
pearance, called Postliy, near which is 
the source of a considerable brook, on 
whose banks several. paper-mills are 
erected. This manufacture, which is 
the only one carried on in the neigh- 
bourhood, produces a very inadequate 
supply of labour to the surrounding 
poor. : 
Winchcomhe, according to the usual 
custom of the Anglo Saxons, is placed ina 
retired situation, surrounded by hills. 
The town is large, but apparently not 
very Opulent, and wears a cheerless as- 
pect: of its once magnificent abbey. not 
a vestige uow remains, Tradition alone 
has preserved the knowledge of its site, 
which was a‘plot of ground immediately 
below the church-yard, and to this, to- 
gether with an adjoining house, the ap- 
‘peliation of the Abbey is still applied. 
In turning over the soil for agricultural 
and other purposes, many massy foun- 
dations have been removed, and innu- 
merable human bones disturbed. Stone 
colfins have also not unfrequently been 
found ; and indeed several of these are 
now to be seen in the gardens of the cot- 
tagers appropriated to menial uses. 
In this abbey, which was founded by 
Letters from Cheltenham. 
Kenwulph, king of Mercia, in the year. 
800, the remains cf monarchs, and of 
many others of illustrious rank, were 
doubtless deposited, The archbishop 
of Canterbury, and twelve other prelates, 
assisted at its dedication, when the ge- 
nerous Kkkenwulph led to the altar the 
captive king of Kent, and there, in the 
presence of a splendid cancourse of no- 
bility, released him without ransom. 
Kenelm, the son and successor of the 
founder, fell an early victim to the am- 
bitious machinations of an unnatural 
sister, who hoped by his destruction 
to secure the throne. The miracu- 
lous discovery of his body forms the 
subject of an amusing legend, but is too 
long to be repeated here, Kenelm, in 
533 
consequence of this supernatural inter- 
position, was at length canonized; and 
the numerous pilgr' nw’ that were 
made to his shrine, greatly augmented ~ 
the revenues of the house. 
This monastery. was richly endowed ; 
and its abbot was one of those who had 
the privilege of a mitre, and of a seat in 
the House of Lords. The building is 
reported to have been exceedingly mag- 
nificent, but it was speedily demolished 
after the dissolution of religious houses. 
So prosperous however was its state 
previous to that period, that it is said to 
have been “ equal to a little university ;” 
indeed, students from thence were regu- 
larly maintained at Oxford, where cer- 
tain apartments in Gloucester-hall, now 
Worcester College, were known by the 
name of Winchcombe Lodgings. 
An abrupt turn to the right at some 
distance below the chureh, leads directly 
to Sudeley Castle, which forms a pic- 
turesque object fram almost every point 
in the vicinity of the town. This edifice 
was erected in a style of uncommon 
splendor, about the year 1442, by Ralph 
lord Boteler, a statesman of great power 
and influence in the court of Henry VI. 
The attachment of this nobleman to the 
house of Lancaster, exposed him to the 
animosity of the adherents to the rival 
house of York, when that party gained 
the ascendancy in the state. His princely 
mansion was then resigned “into the 
hands of Edward IV. and remained 
vested in the crown until it was granted 
by Edward: VI. to his uncle, lord Tho- 
mas Seymour. This castle, which from 
neglect was rapidly hastening to decay, 
its new possessor completely and mag- 
nificently repaired. He afterwards made 
it his principal residence; and here Ka- 
therine Parr, the widow of the-late king, 
to whom lord Seymour had recently 
been united in marriage, died and was 
buried. After having again twice re. 
verted to the crown, it was at length 
bestowed by queeu Mary upon sir John 
Brydges, who was afterwards further re- 
warded with the title of baron Chandos 
of Sudeley. It continued in the pos- 
session of his descendants until the vear 
1654, when it was carried by a female 
into another family, and is now the pro- 
perty of earl Rivers, 
During the. unhappy contest between 
Charles [. and the parliament, Sudeley, 
which was held for the king, was twice 
besieged. Then it was that this mag- 
nificent edifice, in common with so many 
others, was reduced to a heap of ruins, 
Since 
