"How to account for this is difficult; but I am apt to think such accounts and every thing relating to Croydon, were wilfully destroyed in the time of the grand rebellion, when this house fell to Sir William Brereton, from this very remarkable and extraordinary clause at the end of the survey of this house and manor, taken 16th March 1646, viz. That all charters, deeds, evidences, or writings, any ways touching or concerning the same, are to be excepted.'

"Under these disadvantages, it is no wonder, if the following account appears so imperfect, and no ways adequate to the pains that have been taken about it.

"Very little is mentioned by any of our historians concerning this town or palace. The great Camden only says, that Croydon is particularly famous for a palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury, whose it hath been now a long time;' and a little further, they tell you that a royal palace stood formerly on the West part of the town near Haling, where the rubbish of buildings is now and then dug up by the husbandmen, and that the Archbishops, after it was bestowed on them by the King, added it to their own palace nigher to the river. This indeed he quotes as a tradition; and it

can be no other, for I believe no historian has ever told us that the Saxon Kings had any palace near this town.

"It is certain from Domesday Book, that this manor had belonged to the See of Canterbury ever since the time of Archbishop Lanfranc; but when a manor-house was built here, is no where at this time to be discovered, no records have as yet been found to give us any assistance or knowledge in this matter; and the Register preserved at Lambeth goes no higher than Archbishop Peckham, who came to the See of Canterbury, A. D. 1278, which occasions an hiatus from Archbishop Lanfranc of above two hundred years. However that a manor-house was built here in that interim, and that Archbishop Kilwardby (Peckham's immediate predecessor) was once there, appears by a mandate dated from Croydon, 4th of September A. D. 1273.

"I shall now mention the names of such Archbishops as appear from the Registers and history to have resided in this house, and therefore begin by

66

(1278) Archbishop Peckham who during the sixteen years that he held the See, appears principally to have resided at Croydon, South

Malling, Mortlake, and Slyndon. His suc

cessor,

66

'(1294) Archbishop Winchelsey, Chancellor of Oxford, resided chiefly at Lambeth, Otteford, South Malling, and Croydon; but not so long at this latter as his predecessor.

“(1313) Archbishop Reynolds dwelt chiefly at Lambeth, Otteford, Mortlake, and sometimes at Croydon.

"The Registers of Archbishops Mepeham, Stratford, Ufford, and Bradwardin + being lost, make another irreparable hiatus, and bring me to

* According to Camden, the palace at Maidstone was begun by this Archbishop, and finished by Islip. Bishop Gibson says, "Since the Romans' time it (Maidstone) hath been esteemed a considerable Town in all ages, having had the favour of the Archbishops of Canterbury, who had a palace here, founded (as our Author and some others say) by Archbishop Ufford, who (if so), must certainly be very early in it, he not living after his election much above six months, and never receiving either his Pall or Consecration; insomuch that he is seldom numbered amongst the Archbishops."

Gibson's Translation of Camden's Britannica.

+ Respecting this distinguished Prelate we beg leave to offer a few particulars to our readers. He was born about

X

'(1349) Archbishop Islip, who does not appear to have resided here at all, but at Lambeth, Mortlake, Maydenstone, and mostly at Maghefeld.

(1366) In the short time that Archbishop Langham enjoyed that See, which was only one year, I find him once at Croydon.

the year 1290; was educated at Merton College, Oxford, and in 1325, was proctor of the University. He was deeply read in the philosophy of Aristotle and Plato, but was particularly renowned for his knowledge in theology and mathematics. Sir Henry Savile, the munificent founder of two professorships in Oxford, had in his possession a large M.S. volume of astronomical tables composed by him. That patron of learning published in the year 1618 a work of the Archbishop, entitled De causa Dei, in refutation of Pelagianism. Bradwardin was Professor of Divinity at Oxford. It is said that whilst attending Edward III. during his wars in France, he frequently preached to the army with such effect that he restrained that spirit of violence which is too often the result of successful enterprise. He was consecrated Archbishop of Avignon in the year 1349, and having died at Lambeth in the course of a few months afterwards, was buried in Canterbury Cathedral. The following mention of him is made by Camden. "The Wye rolls by Bradwardin Castle, that gave both original and name to the famous Thomas Bradwardin Archbishop of Canterbury, who, for the great variety of his studies, and his admirable proficiency in the most abstruse and hidden parts of learning, was in that age honoured with the title of Doctor profundus." (The profound Doctor.) He was author of

"(1367) Archbishop Witlesey does not appear to have been here: and

"(1375) Archbishop Sudbury was here but four times: but his successor

"(1381) Archbishop Courtney

soon after

his election, came here, and received his Pall with great solemnity in the great hall of his house on the 4th of May, 1382. He resided here a good deal, as did also

Geometrica Speculativa; Arithmetica Speculativa, both printed at Paris in the year 1512; and of Tractatus Proportionum, printed at Venice in 1505,

* This prelate was the fourth son of Hugh Courtney, Earl of Devonshire, and was born in the year 1341. He was educated at Oxford, and very early in life arrived at large preferment, at the age of twenty-eight he was made Bishop of Hereford, and was afterwards translated to the See of London, where he became a zealous supporter of the authority asserted by Pope Gregory XI, who issued a Bull for taking the reformer Wickliffe into custody, and for examining his opinions. He was cited by Bishop Courtney to appear before him in St. Paul's Cathedral. The Duke of Lancaster encouraged the principles of the reformer, and gave him all possible countenance by appearing with him before the Bishop's tribunal, he even insisted that Wickliffe should sit in the Bishop's presence; the people of London revenged this insult to their prelate by attacking the Duke and Lord Piercy, the Mareschal, who escaped but with difficulty. And when the populace soon