F r ODESHAM.
A r c h e r y .
compofed of the fame friable ftone as that near Chejier, but veined
with yellow. Hence a view o f the junction o f the Weever and the
Merfey, and an extenfive trad o f marlhy meadow, with fome good
and much ruihy grafs; and beyond is the beginning o f the wide
eftuary that flows by Liverpool.
Crofs a little brook, called Llewyn, and reach.Frodejham ; a town
o f one long .ftreet, which, with its caftle, was allotted by.Edward I.
to David, brother to Lewelyn, laft Prince ofWales, as a retainer in
his double perfidyagainft his own blood, and his own country. Not
a veftige is left of the caftle, which flood at the Weft end of the
town ; was latterly ufed as a houfe by the Savages, and was burnt
down in 1652, when one of that name, an Earl Rivers, lay dead in
it.
This, as well as moft other towns and villages in Chejhire, ftands
on an eminence o f fand-ftone, and by that means enjoys a fituation
dry, wholefome and beautiful.
The church ftands at a vaft height above the town. In the re-
gifter are thefe two remarkable inftances o f longevity : March the
13th, 1592, was buried, Thomas Hough, aged 14 1 ; and the very
next day was committed to the earth, Randle Wall, aged 103. I
obferved alfo, that in the Winter o f 1574, the peftilence reached
this fequeftered place, for four are then recorded to have died of
it. In early times that avenging angel fpread deftruftion thro’ all
parts of the land ; but her power is now ceafed by the providential
ceflation of the natural caufes that gave rife to that moft dreadful o f
calamities.
Above the church is .Beacon hill, with a beautiful walk cut along
its fide. A t the foot are four butts (archery being ftill prattifed
here)
here) for an exercife in which the warriors o f this county were o f
old eminent. The butts lie at four, eight, twelve, and fixteen
roods diftance from each other : the laft are now difufed ; probably
as the prefent race of archers prefer what is called lhort-lhooting *:
Crofs the Weever, on a good ftone bridge : from a neighboring
warehoufe much cheefe is fhipped off, brought down the river in
boats from the rich grazing grounds, that extend as far as Nantwich.
The river, by means o f locks, is navigable for barges as high as
Winjlow bridge; but below this admits vefiels o f fixty tuns. The
channel above and below is deep and clayey, and at low water very
difagreeable.
On the North banks are the ruins o f Rock-favage, fuffered,
within memory, to fall to decay ; once the feat o f a family of the
fame name •, and not far remote, on the fame range, is Aft on, a good
houfe, finely fituated, but rendered- too naked through the rage o f
modern tafte.
About two miles farther, on the right, is Dutton-Lodge, once the
feat of the Duttons; a family in pofiefiion of a Angular grant, having
Magifterium omnium Leccatorum et meretricum totius Ceftrejhire. This
privilege came originally from Randal, 6th Earl of Chejier, to Roger
Lacy, conftable of that city, who, when the Earl was clofely befieged
by the Welch in Rudland caftle, colleited haftily for his relief a band,
of minftrels, and other idle people, and with them fucceeded in the
attempt; after which his fon John afligned it to the Duttons., one of
that name being afiiftant in the affair.
* I think myfelf indebted to Mr. Roiertfon, librarian to the R o y a l - S o c j e t y ,
an old archer, for the correction of this paffage.
R o c k - s a v a c s .
D u t t o n - L o d g e .
R e a ch