Remarkable occurrences
AMONG THE REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES which
have happened here, in the year 1129, king Henry I.
kept his court with much solemnity at Canterbury. (fn. 1)
It is said by some, that king Stephen died here in
1154. (fn. 2)
In the 1st year of king Richard I. anno 1189, William, king of Scotland, came to Canterbury, being
conducted thither by the archbishop elect of York,
and the bishop of Lincoln, and made his homage here
to the king, who received him into his favor. (fn. 3)
King John, in the year 1204, kept the festival of
Christmas with much solemnity at Canterbury. (fn. 4)
King Henry III. in his 47th year, anno 1263, kept
his Christmas with great solemnity at Canterbury, and
summoned the prelates and nobility of the realm, to
attend him here to the celebration of it, and to proceed with him afterwards to Dover. (fn. 5)
In king Edward I.'s reign, anno 1272, there happened at Canterbury a great storm of thunder and
lightning, and a sudden inundation; the waters
breaking forth seemingly from the caverns of the
earth, overflowed the greatest part of the city where
they were never before known to come, insomuch
that the violence of the current by its impetuosity
overturned and laid level many houses and buildings
in it, and drowned many men, women and children. (fn. 6)
In the same reign, anno 1299, there was an earthquake, which, though not very violent here, was felt
as far as Hampton, in Middlesex. (fn. 7)
In king Edward II.'s reign, the inhabitants of this
city were thrown into great consternation by the coming hither of Bartholomew, lord Badlesmere, that
great and powerful baron, contrary to the king's inhibition to him, with nineteen knights, having their
armour concealed under their surcoats, and his esquires
carrying their swords openly, in which manner they
visited St. Thomas's shrine; of which proceedings,
some citizens were immediately dispatched to inform
the king. But the lord Badlesmere, being afterwards
taken prisoner elsewhere, was conveyed to this city
in 1322, and was drawn from thence to the gallows
at Blean, and was there hung, and his head being cut
off, was fixed on a pole on Burgate, and then his body
was hung up. (fn. 8)
In the 22d year of king Edward III. anno 1347,
there was a great and famous tournament and justs
held at Canterbury, in relation to which Dugdale says,
that Thomas de Grey, of Codnore, being a very active person, had such great esteem with the king, that
he received at his hands a hood of white cloth, embroidered with blue men, dancing, buttoned before
with great pearls; and being to perform divers military exercises, in a tournament at Canterbury, had
certain accoutrements of India silk, whereon the arms
of Sir Stephen de Cosinton were painted, bestowed on
him by the king. (fn. 9)
In 1361, there was so great a tempest of wind here,
that the trees were overturned, and the roofs and
steeples were thrown down, and so vast was the sury
of it, that it seemed as if the whole frame of the universe was involved in ruin. (fn. 10)
In 1382, on May 21, at mid-day, there was an
earthquake throughout all England Thorn tells us,
it terribly shook and shattered the eastern window of
the chapter-house, and the western window of the
church, as well as other edifices of note, both within
the monastery of St. Augustine, and without. (fn. 11)
It appears by an antient chronicle, that Edward IV.
anno 1469, came to Canterbury, and there was Nicholas Faunte the mayor, and many others executed,
for the aiding the bastard Falconbridge; king Edward went thence to Sandwich, and took Falconbridge there with him; and the lord Denham and
Sir J. Fog and others, were left in Kent to sit on judg
ment of the rebels, of whom there was a great number punished by the purse. Upon this offence the king
seized the liberties of the city, and appointed John
Bromton custos of it, from the feast of Penticost
to the 20th of January following, when he restored
them. (fn. 12)
In the year 1520, being the 12th year of king
Henry VIII. Charles V. then newly elected emperor,
came to Dover, where the king met him, and on
Whitsunday accompanied him to Canterbury, and
were received together, riding under one canopy, at
St. George's-gate, cardinal Wolsey riding next before
them, with the chiefest of the nobility of England and
Spain. On both sides of the streets stood all the clerks
and priests, that were within twenty miles of Canterbury, with long censers, crosses, surplices, and copes
of the richest fort, and thus they rode under the canopy till they came to the west door of the cathedral,
where they alighted from their horses, and were waited
on by archbishop Warham, and having there paid
their devotions, they went into the archbishop's palace adjoining, where, within a day or two afterwards
the archbishop entertained them with a ball, and a
royal and sumptuous banquet after it; of which further mention will be made in its proper place. (fn. 13)
In the year 1573, queen Elizabeth, in her royal
progress, came to this city, and kept her court during
her stay here, in her palace of St. Augustine's monastery; at which time she was magnificently entertained by archbishop Parker, at his palace of Canterbury.
In the year 1593, Thomas Long being then mayor;
a great plague raged in this city; (fn. 14) and it appears
by the parish registers, that the plague raged in it
in the years 1544, 1564 and 1595, and in 1635 again
with great violence, from the beginning of August to
the end of October.
On June 12, 1625, king Charles I. with his queen
Henrietta Maria, of France, came to Canterbury to
his palace of St. Augustine's monastery, and there
consummated his marriage with her.
On Christmas day, in the year 1648, (fn. 15) there were
great tumults raised in this city by the means of Michael Page, the puritanical mayor, who encouraged
the people to insult and molest those who were going
to observe the festival at church, which were with
much difficulty appeased by Sir William Man, alderman Sabine, and Mr. Lovelace, a lawyer; but upon
this the committee of the county sent forces in form
to attack the city; who, though they heard by the
way that all was quiet, chose to march in as conquerors, and finding the gates open, took them down and
burnt them, threw down several parts of the wall,
and committed many to prison upon suspicion, among
whom were the three peace-makers. (fn. 16)
King Charles II. at his restoration in 1660, in his
way to London, lay three nights at the late palace of
lady Wotton, in St. Augustine's monastery, as did his
two brothers the dukes of York and Gloucester.
In the autumn of the year 1798, his royal highness
George, prince of Wales, honoured this city with his
presence, passing through it on Sept. 17, in the evening, towards his temporary residence at Charltonplace, near Barham Downs, in the neighbourhood of
it, where he was waited on next day by the mayor and
corporation, and presented with the freedom of the
city, which be most graciously accepted, and afterwards attended by several of the general officers,
and others, rode to Canterbury, where he was received with every demonstration of loyalty and respect, being welcomed by the discharge of artillery,
the ringing of bells, &c. as he passed through the city,
both to and from the royal barracks, where his own
regiment, and the rest of the military were drawn up
in readiness to receive him; and having condescended
to accept of an invitation to dine with the mayor,
(M. W. Sankey, esq.) on the 29th, being the day of
his being sworn into office, his royal highness on that
day arrived in the city, where the three companies of
Canterbury volunteers were drawn up ready to receive
him, and passed on to the assembly rooms, where the
mayor and aldermen, the lord-lieutenant, the members of the city and county, many of the nobility, general officers, and principal inhabitants of the city and
neighbourhood, were in attendance, ready to receive
him, with whom, in number about 220, he afterwards
partook of a most elegant and sumptuous entertainment, which had been prepared for him by the mayor, (fn. 17)
and departed in the evening, expressing the highest
satisfaction at the reception he had met with, and
having gained the love and admiration of every one
present by his gracious condescension and affability.
After which his royal highness patronized a public
ball, for raising a subscription for the relief of the
wives and children of those brave men, who fell, and
those who were wounded in the glorious naval victory
gained in the Mediterranean by admiral Nelson, over
the French fleet. It was attended on Oct. 15, by a
numerous and brilliant company of nobility, gentry,
military officers, and principal families, and inhabitants of the city and neighbourhood. His royal high.
ness and prince William of Gloucester, condescending
to be present at it, and to promote, by their liberal
examples, the intention of the meeting; and they afterwards partook, with the company, of a most elegant supper, provided for the purpose, the whole entertainment of the evening being conducted with such
taste and regularity, as to give them the greatest pleasure and satisfaction. The prince of Wales during his
continuance in the neighbourhood, also visited the
cathedral, at which he expressed much admiration,
and before his departure sent a contribution of fifty
guineas to the Kent and Canterbury hospital.
On September 8, 1692, a great shake of the earth
was felt in this city.
In 1663 and 1698, the assizes were held in Canterbury; and in 1737, there was a special commission
granted to try John Bell and his wife, the master and
mistress of the city workhouse, for embezzling the
property intrusted to their care, which was opened in
this city before Sir Edward Probyn, one of the judges,
being appointed by it, to try the cause. When the
judge was received in form by the mayor and corporation, and the expence attending it was fifty-four
pounds, and they have been held once since, in the
year 1741.
In the year 1776, on January 8, there happened a
great inundation in Canterbury, insomuch that some
persons were drowned by the vast impetuosity of the
current, which overflowed across the road at the west
end of Westgate-bridge, and directed its course down
North-lane, with great force; and in the autumn
1785, there was a most tremendous storm of wind,
which overthrew houses and barns in the environs of
this city, and destroyed the greatest part of the hop
plantations near it.
IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, vol.
xxi. p. 26, for 1699, is an observation of some parhelia, or mock suns, seen by Mr. Stephen Gray, at
Canterbury, on Feb. 26, 1699; and in vol. xxii.
No. 261, p. 507, is another letter from the same,
dated May 4, following, giving an account of another
phænomenon, still more rare and curious, which happened here on April 7, that year, between four and
five o'clock. He says, that there appeared on each
side the sun a parhelion connected by a halo of the
usual diameter; they had each of them a tail of a
whitish colour, extended opposite to the sun, of about
fifteen or twenty degrees in length; the upper part
of the halo was touched by the arch of a circle, which
had the colours of the iris with greater vivacity than
the former.
On the 19th of December, 1741, another parhelion,
or halo was seen here, being two mock suns and an
inverted rainbow, of the most lively colours; the former were at times almost too bright to look on, and
then they seemed round, but were often fringed with
prismatic colours; the appearance ended about noon.
See an account of it, sent to the secretary of the royal
society, by the Rev. Mr. H. Miles, in Philosophical
Transactions, vol. xlii. No. 462, p. 46. (fn. 18)
On December 11, 1741, a fire-ball appeared soon
after noon-day, and the sun shining, but few people
saw it, and they could only guess at its course; which,
however, was observed to be from north-west by
north, to south and by south, and right over Littleborne from Westbere, and towards Ratling, near
which place lord Cowper, who was hunting, heard but
one explosion (for there were two); the other most
probably happened at such a distance, as to be in one
with that so near him. Mr. Gostling, of the Mint
yard, who gave the account of it to the secretary of
the royal society, says, that he found his house violently shaken for some seconds of time, as if several
loaded carriages had been driving against the walls of
it, and heard a noise at the same time, which he took
for thunder, yet of an uncommon sound; though he
thought thunder, which could shake at that rate,
would have been much louder, therefore he concluded
it to be an earthquake; the sky, he found, was cloudy,
but nothing like a thunder cloud in view, and there
was a shower of rain from the eastward presently after,
the coldest that he ever felt.
The noise, he afterwards found, proceeded from the
above fire-ball, which passed with great rapidity over
our county; how far he could not tell. It began
with two great blows, like the reports of cannon, and
then rolled away till it was heard no more; and he
afterwards heard, the appearance was like that of a
very large shooting star, and the train of light it left
soon disappeared, from its being noon day.
This fire-ball was seen and the explosion heard in
Sussex, and it appeared about three miles from Newport in the isle of Wight, which seems to be the first
land it touched; at the same time its course was
south-west by south, to north-east by north; and its
motion nearly parallel to the horizon. It appeared
different in shape to people at different places. See
Philosoph. Transact. vol. xli. No. 461, p. 872; vol.
xlii. No. 462, p. 60.