plaints by mineral waters, which he afterwards enlarged and
published in Lond. 1746, 4to.; but declining a bachelor's
physical degree, from his objection to certain customary
subscriptions, he removed to the Dutch university of Harde-
rawic, where he with much credit obtained a doctor's degree,
under De Gorter, successor to the celebrated Boerhaave: he
afterwards practised physic at Thetford until his death. His
son HENRY CHARLES MANNING, M. B. was for many years
master of the free grammar school, and is now the incumbent
of St. Peter and St. Cuthbert's churches in this place.

JOHN COLE GALLOWAY, M. A. vicar of Hinckley Lei-
cestershire, was preacher and curate of St. Mary's, Thet-
ford, 1769, and in virtue of that office master of the school
and hospital at that place; sequestrator also, and rector of
St. Peter's, and perpetual curate of St. Cuthbert's, Thetford,
which he resigned, 1774, for the rectory of Honington, Suf-
folk, &c. He was a native of Ely, and admitted of Benet
college, Camb., 1755, and afterwards removed to Queen's
college; he was the author of "Christianity the true foun-
dation of Civil Liberty, an Assize Sermon, preached at St.
Mary's, Leicester, August 12th, 1778;" and a volume of
seventeen sermons, 1785, a work, which to use the words
of his own preface, "neither pride or ambition imposed
on the public, but paternal duty and affection for a nume-
rous family." He was also the author of "A Short Expo-
sition of the Church Catechism," in the same year.
died at Hinckley, January 12th, 1804.-See Nichols' Lit.
Anec. VOL. VIII. p. 46 and 159.

He

JOHN BUNNELL DAVIS, D. D., founder of the Royal
Universal Dispensary for Children," established June, 1816,
by which the deaths of children are annually diminished.
He died on the 28th of December, 1824, and was buried at
Kensington. This amiable philanthropist was one of a
numerous family of the late T. Davis, esq. formerly of
Thetford, and afterwards surgeon-general to his majesty's
customs. See Biog. Index to Ann. Obit. for 1824.

THOMAS PAINE, a native of this place, was the author
of several irreligious and political works, and died in 1809.
GEORGE BURRELL, son of Mr. G. Bird Burrell, the pre-
sent celebrated antiquary of Thetford, is the author of "A
Concise and faithful Account of the Gifts and Legacies of
Thetford.-Vide Guide to the Chalybeate Springs of Thet-
ford, 1819.

So

WRETHAM (EAST) or Great Wretham. Twenty-six miles. St. Ethelbert. P. (with West Wretham) 342. called because it lies most east of the three Wrethams. Wretham Hall is the seat of Wyrley Burch, esq.

WRETHAM (WEST) or North Wretham. Twenty-five miles. St. Lawrence. See East Wretham. In this church are inscriptions to the memory of the Wottons, Coddington, &c. Armstrong, in his History of Norfolk, has given a plate of an armed figure, in cast brass, holding in his hand a sword or hanger, and which he considers of Danish manufacture, and presumes it to have been part of an embossment on a target, it was dug up in Wretham field, 1767.

Wretham Thorpe or Little Wretham, was a hamlet to West Wretham. The great hundred court of the Wrethams is annually kept at a place called Kettle bridge, between Little Hockham, Illington, and Great Wretham, on the Tuesday after Michaelmas-day, in the morning, where all rents due to the hundred are to be paid.*

Rev. SAMUEL WOOTTON, son of the celebrated Antony Wootton, was born about 1600, educated at Eton, and admitted of King's college Cambridge, he was minister of both Wrethams, and died 1680; he wrote a narrative under the following title, "Mr. Anthony Wootton's Defence against Mr. George Walker's Charge, accusing him of Socinianism, Heresie, and Blasphemy, written by him in his lifetime, and given in at a hearing by Mr Walker, procured and now published out of his own Papers by Samuel Wootton, his sonne; together with a Preface and Postscript briefly relating the occasion and issue thereof, by Thomas Gataker, an eye and ear witness of either," Camb. 1641.-See Ward's Life of the Gresham Professors, p. 43.

Rev. JOSEPH WILKINSON, rector of East and West Wretham, is the author of the "Architectural Remains and Environs of the ancient Town and Borough of Thetford, in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, tending to illustrate Martin and Blomefield's Histories of Thetford, &c. from Drawings by himself, etched by H. Davy," 4to. and folio, 1822, twenty-five plates, and letter-press.

In Fabian's Chronicle, fol. 361, is this: "Aboute that season, 1418, the parson of Wortham, Norfolk, which long time had haunted Newmarket Heth, and there robbed and spoyled many of the king's subjects, was nowe with his concubyne brought into Newgate (London,) where lastly he died."

WILBY. Sixteen miles. All the Saints. P. 103. Written in Domesday-book Wilgeby, joins Banham on the north. The church has a low square tower with five bells. Here are inscriptions to the memory of the Wiltons, Pierson, Hatfield, &c. Here are the manors of Wilby Hall and Beck Hall.

HUNDRED OF SMITHDON.

THIS hundred was originally divided into two hundreds, Smithdon and Docking, they are now united. Smithdon, so called from its being interspersed with hills and meadows, consisted at the survey, of Heacham, Hunstanton, Holme next the sea, Thornham, and Gnatyndon, Ringstead Magna and Parva, (now united and consolidated into one parish,). Sedgeford, Snettesham, and Ingoldisthorpe. Docking hundred contained the towns of Brancaster, Stanhoe, Great Bircham, Bircham Tofts, Bircham Newton, Choseley, Barwick Magna and Parva, Shernbourn, Fring, Southmere, and Docking, and the lordship of Titchwell, according to Domesday-book. This hundred is pleasantly situated, commanding the British ocean to the N. Lynn channel and the coast to Lincolnshire to the W., is bounded on the S. by the hundred of Freebridge Lynn, and on the E. by Brothercross and Gallow. The extent in length is about ten or eleven miles, and it is much the same in breadth, taking it from Ingoldisthorpe to Holme and the shore N., and from Stanhoe to Snettesham and the shore W.

BARWICK (MAGNA). Twenty-eight miles. St.

P. (including Little Barwick) 29. Or in the Brakes, was held by the Calthorpes, the Ives, the Parkers, the Townshends, and the Glovers. Here is Buckenham Priory Manor, and the seat of William Hoste, esq.

BARWICK (PARVA). See Barwick Magna. Little Barwic, was formerly a parish, and had a church, the ruins of which are still existing.

BIRCHAM (MAGNA). Thirty-five miles.

St. Mary.

P. 398. In 1740, was passed an act for confirming and establishing an exchange between the lord of the manor and the rector of Great Bircham, and for promoting and facilitating the inclosure of the commons of the said parish.

HENRY BLAND, D. D. afterwards dean of Durham and provost of Eton college, was presented by sir Robert Walpole, in 1705, to this rectory. Dean Bland was one of the few instances of men raised to great preferment from intimacies formed at great schools; he was educated at Eton, and was a contemporary there with sir Robert Walpole-he wrote the elegant inscription on the foundation stone of Houghton hall.-vide that article.*

BIRCHAM NEWTON. Thirty-five miles. St. P. 75. Written in Domesday-book Niwetuna or Newtonhad a church endowed with twenty acres of land. In 1511, it was proposed and brought into the court of the bishop of Norwich, to unite for ever this vicarage to the rectory of Stanhow, on account of its meanness and poverty, there being then only one parishioner living therein, but it never took place.

BIRCHAM TOFTS. Thirty-five miles. St. Andrew. P. 135. Called at the survey Starston or Stony Tofts.

BRANCASTER. Thirty-eight miles. St. Mary the Virgin. P. 770. Called Brannodunum by the Romans, where, when the Saxons first invaded Britain, was a garrison of Dalmatian horse, and two thousand two hundred foot, who had a famous station and castle here, and taking its name from the British word Bran or Bron, signifying a front or head, joined to the great German ocean on the north side, and on the south on an extensive field or heath. The castle and encampment, answering to a description given in Cæsar's Commentaries, took up about six acres of ground, now a ploughed close westward of the church and town; the ditch is visible in many parts, and was walled in, many stones yet appear on the north side, and standing on a rising ground at the head of the sea marsh, has an extensive view and

• Died aged one hundred years, John Mitchel, of this place-See Gent's. Mag. 1767.

prospect. Many parts of its wall were carried away and used in the foundation of the great malt house, many years past, in the town, and are said to have been nine feet thick. The encampment is an oblong square, longer east and west than north and south, on which last side the road to the town and to Burnham runs. It is said to have been erected by the Romans, for the defence of this coast against the invasion of the Saxons; and the care and charge of it was committed to a very eminent commander, who was styled the Count or Earl of the Saxon coast. It is said, says Blomefield, that about a century past many fragments of various sorts of earthenware were found here; and sir Henry Spelman observes, that in his time coins were often found, and some had been brought to him, with two little brass pots, &c.; but of late years nothing curious has been met with, as far as I can find. I have seen, continues Blomefield, a silver coin, about the size of sixpence, on one side JANUS BIFRONS, reverse obscure, seemingly a trophy, &c., and one of copper, the size of a shilling, with the head of Claudius and TI CLAVDIVS CAES AVG. reverse obscure, a gladiator naked, in his left hand a shield, and the right hand uplifted. The church has a large square embattled tower with four bells, and a clock; and here are inscriptions to the memory of Hobbys, Smith, Taylor, Orford, &c. In this town, says Blomefield, is a very remarkable malthouse, three hundred and twelve feet long, and thirty-one broad, wherein are steeped weekly in the season four hundred and twenty quarters of barley;

• Blomefield says here is an epitaph, (which however he has not inserted,) in very rude old English verse, in memory of Robert Smith, who built a free school and two almshouses; he died suddenly, June 13th, in the thirty-eighth of Elizabeth-it is as follows:

Here lyethe for all that please to see,

Robert Smithe, disposed to great charitie,

A free school he built and two almshouses of fame,
Who intended to geve lands to mayntain the same:
But sodainlye he died in this town of Brancaster,

So the right of all was in Elizabethe his sister,

Which building as forever his godly matron did assure

With four-score and twelve acres lands for the purpose to endure,

To the bringing upp of youthe and reliefe of the poore;

Let us praise their proceedings, God send the world more.

In June he dyed that monthe the thirtene,

The eight and thirtie of Elizabethe our queene,

Richard Stubbs, Richard Buntinge, and John Reade,

To this end are enfeoffed all in one decde,

The first of worship, the other of great honistie

As any could be found in all our countrie.—1596.