HISTORY and DESCRIPTION of ANCIENT and EMINENT SEATS COUNTRIES. EMBELLISHED WITH TWELVE ENGRAVINGS. VOL. I. LONDON: Printed for ROBSON and CLARKE, New Bond Street, and J. WALKER, Pater-nofter Row. M DCC LXXXIX., DIRECTIONS to the BOOKBINDER for PLACING the PLATES. Plate I. Figure and Arms in the Window of Ofpringe Church, II. Upminster Hall, Effex. III. Denton Court, Kent. IV. Curious old Seals. V. Wootton Church, Kent. VI. Hadley Church, Middlefex. Page. 169 235 244 307 358 VII. Grefeley Church, Derbyshire, facing title page of No. VII. 2-18-32 IN PREFACE. this preface we shall firft fay fomething of the use and amusement of Topographical Knowledge; we fhall then endeavour to fhew that the fubject, notwithstanding the numerous publications on it, is ftill very far indeed from being exhaufted, and we shall lastly attempt to explain the advantages that we hope may attend our own plan for filling up part of the ipace, in this branch of learning, ftill unoccupied. The immense political advantages to be derived from a knowledge of the produce, &c. of each particular part of our kingdom, have been thewn by Dr. Campbell, in his moft laborious and admirable" Survey of Great Britain." And numer ous have been the discoveries, eminently useful to fcience as well as politics, which have been made by naturalifts who have confined their obfervations to particular districts. The importance of this fort of learning, moft will allow. But there are those who underftand, by Topography, fomething narrower than this. Yet furely it is effentially connected with it. We will confefs however, that our book will not in general confift of A difcuffions |