The town is on the north fide; confifts of about one hundred and fifty fmall houfes, entirely inhabited by fishermen, few of whom, as is faid, die in their beds, but meet their fate in the element they are fo converfant in. Put myself under the direction of William Camidge, Cicerone of the place, who conducted me to a little creek at that time covered with fish, a fleet of cobles having juft put in. Went in one of those little boats to view the Head, coafting it for upwards of two miles. The cliffs are of a tremendous height, and amazing grandeur; beneath are several vaft caverns, fome clofed at the end, others are pervious, formed with a natural arch, giving a romantic paffage to the boat, different from that we entered. In fome places the rocks are infulated, are of a pyramidal figure, and foar up to a vaft height: the bafes of moft are folid, but in fome pierced through, and arched; the color of all these rocks is white, from the dung of the innumerable flocks of migratory birds, which quite cover the face of them, filling every little projection, every hole that will give them leave to reft; multitudes were swimming about, others fwarmed in the air, and almost stunned us with the variety of their croaks and screams. I obferved among them Corvorants, Shags in fmall flocks, Guillemots, a few Black Guillemots very shy and wild, Auks, Puffins, Kittiwakes*, and Herring Gulls. Landed at the fame place, but before our return to Flamborough, vifited Robin Leith's hole, a vast cavern, to which there is a narrow paffage from the land fide; it fuddenly rifes to a great height; the roof is finely arched, and the bottom

* Called here Petrels. Br. Zool. No. 250.

ITS BIRDS.

JULY 4. FLIXTON.

SCARBOROUGH.

is for a confiderable way, formed in broad fteps, refembling a great but eafy ftair-cafe; the mouth opens to the fea, and gives light to the whole.

Lay at Hunmandby, a fmall village above Filey Bay, round which are fome plantations that thrive tolerably well, and ought to be an encouragement to gentlemen to attempt covering thefe naked hills.

Filey brig is a ledge of rocks running far into the fea, and often fatal to shipping. The bay is fandy, and affords valt quantities of fine fish, such as Turbot, Soles, &c. which during fummer approach the fhore, and are easily taken in a common feine or dragging-net.

Set out for Scarborough; paffed near the fite of Flixton, a hospital founded in the time of Athelstan, to give shelter to travellers from the wolves, that they should not be devoured by them *; so that in those days this bare tract must have been covered with wood, for those ravenous animals ever inhabit large forefts. These hofpitia are not unfrequent among the Alps; are either appendages to religious houses, or fupported by voluntary fubfcriptions. On the spot where Flixton stood is a farm-houfe, to this day called the Spital House. Reach

SCARBOROUGH, a town once ftrongly guarded by a castle, built on the top of a vast cliff, by William le Gros, Earl of Yorkshire, Albemarle, and Holderness, in the reign of Stephen. After the refumption of this, as well as other crown lands alienated by that prince, Henry II. rebuilt the fortrefs, then grown ruinous,

* Camden, Brit. II. 902.

with greater strength and magnificence, inclofing a vast area. From this time it was confidered as the key of this important county, and none but perfons of the firft rank were entrufted with the cuftody. Its confequence may be evinced from this circumftance; that when King John had granted to his fubjects the Magna Charta, and placed the government in the hands of twenty five Barons, the governor of this caftle was to be approved by them, and to receive his orders from them.

In 1312, Edward II. in his retreat out of the north before his rebellious nobility, left here, as in a place of the greatest security, his minion Peers Gavefton. It was inftantly befieged, and taken by Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke; and the infolent favorite, in a short time after, fell a victim to the refentment of the Earl of Warwick.

In the reign of Richard II. in 1378, its trade received great injury from a combined fleet of Scots, French, and Spaniards, under the conduct of one Mercer, who entered the harbour, and carried off feveral fhips. The infult was inftantly revenged by Philpot, a gallant alderman of London, who fitted out a fleet at his own charge, purfued the enemy, and not only retook their prizes, but made himself master of the whole fleet.

Richard III. added ftrength to the place by building a bulwark near the fhore at the fouth-east end of the town; and he alfo began to wall in the town *.

In the religious rebellion, ftyled the Pilgrimage of Grace, in the time of Henry VIII. the leader, Robert Afk, in 1536, layed

Leland's Itin. I. 62,

clofe

CONVENTS.

clofe fiege to the caftle; but was obliged to defift, after its governor Sir Ralph Ewers and his garrifon were reduced for twenty days to live on bread and water *.

In 1557, Thomas Stafford, fecond fon of Lord Stafford, with only thirty-two perfons, came from France, and furprized the fortrefs. It appears that they were encouraged to the attempt by Henry II. It was, probably, only the prelude to an invafion. Stafford published a manifefto against the Queen; and styled himself Protector of England: but the Earl of Westmoreland, collecting fome forces, (in two days) put an end to his dignity +.

At the beginning of the civil wars, the parlement committed this castle to the care of Sir Hugh Cholmley, who soon after revolted to the King. He maintained the place with great fpirit for two years. In 1644, he was vigorously befieged by Sir John Meldrum, from February till the middle of May, when Sir John, in attempting to repel a fally, received a mortal wound. Sir Hugh kept poffeffion of it till July 1645, when he furrendered it on terms to Sir Matthew Boynton . It is at present a large ruin. In the castle yard are barracks for about a hundred and fifty men, at prefent untenanted by foldiery.

In this town were three religious houfes and a hofpital. The grey friers, or Franciscans, began a house here about 1240, which was enlarged by Edward II. and Roger Molendarius. The black friers, or Dominicans, had another before the 13th of Edward I. whether founded by Sir Adam Say, or Henry Earl of Northumberland,

is doubtful. The white friers, or Carmelites, were established here in 1319, by Edward II. and the Ciftertians had in the reign of King John a cell in this town, dependent on a houfe in France, to which was given the church of St. Mary, and certain lands, till the fuppreffion of the alien-priories in the reign of Edward IV. Leland defcribes this church as very magnificent; with two towers at the weft end, and a great one in the centre. It was probably demolished in the civil wars, when Sir John Meldrum forced the royalifts into the caftle; for it lay too near that fortress to be suffered to remain entire, to give shelter to the enemy. The prefent church (the only one in the town) rose from the ruins of the former.

The town is large, built in form of a crefcent, on the fides of a fteep hill; from whence the name, which fhews it to have existed in Saxon times, Scaerburg, or the Burg on a Scar or cliff. Beneath the fouth fide of the castle, is a large ftone pier (another is now building) which shelters the shipping belonging to the place. It is abfolutely without trade, yet has above ten thousand inhabitants, moftly failors, and owns above three hundred fail of ships, which are hired out for freight. In time of war government feldom has less than a hundred in pay.

In 1359, the shipping of this place was very inconfiderable; for, to the naval armament of that year made by Edward III. Scarborough contributed only 1 fhip and 16 mariners; when the following northern ports fent the numbers here recited:

• Itin. I. 62.

Newcastle