such attractions to the place in the eyes of all those who visit it, and especially of him who has this opportunity of acknowledging their friendship.

§. 7. ORDER AND SUCCESSION OF THE VICARS OF BAMPTON.

To form a complete list of the vicars of Bampton from the time of Leofric, is a task which the absence of early records renders totally impossible. It is difficult to say what circumstance first led to the threefold division of the vicarage, and I believe the instances of a similar arrangement are extremely few. The institution-books of the diocese of Oxford, and probably of most dioceses, extend back only to A. D. 1548, and there are few notices of vicars of Bampton before that period. The materials, from which I have formed this list of vicars, are principally the following.

1. The institution-books, preserved in the Registrar's office at Oxford.

2. Tomb-stones and monuments still existing in the church. 3. Wood's Athens Oxonienses.

4. Walker's Sufferings of the clergy, fol. London 1714 — a curious work, the second part of which contains a "list of some of the loyal and episcopal clergy, as likewise of the heads of Houses, fellows, scholars, &c. in the two Universities, who were sequestrated, &c. in the late times of the great rebellion."

5. A 4to paper vol. preserved in the Bodleian among Brown Willis's MSS, entitled Miscellanea of abbats &c. Taxatio 1291 com. Oxon.*

6. Steele's collections for the county of Oxford, No. 46 among Gough's MSS in the Bodleian Library.

* I copy the following extract concerning Bampton, but leave the expounding of it to wiser heads than my own.

"Archidiaconatus Oxon.

Decanatus de Witteney. Ecclesia de Bampton, deducta
Portio Rectoris de Bampton in eadem............ V

portione [LXXX Kn.] XX marc.

Marc, [Kn]."

7. Grandison's and Stafford's Registers, in the Ca thedral Library at Exeter.

8. The Rawlinson MS. in the Bodleian library.

A. D. 1337, April 8, Robert de Bu kyngham, rector of Bliston in the diocese of Exeter exchanged with Robert Pod dyng vicar of Bampton. [Register of Grandison, Bishop of Exeter, vol. III.]

A. D. 1401, Oct. 28, Thomas Plymneswode, vicar of Heavitree, was allowed to exchange with John Wydelond vicar of Bampton [Bp. Stafford's Register, vol. II, fol. 55.] See Plymmyswode's epitaph on a brass in the chancel.

A. D. 14. . Sep. 23, died Thomas Kavi, A. M. vicar of Bampton. [Rawlinson MS, quoting from a brass now destroyed.]

A. D. 1500, Robert Holcot vicar of Bampton died this year, on Oct. 25, as appears by his epitaph on a brass in the chancel. A. D. 1534, John Dotyn, B. M. vicar of Bampton. [Wood, v. I, p. 686.]

In the Rawlinson MS. I find this notice:

In that vicarage-house, which belonged to Mr. Thomas Cooke, (since to Dr. Phillips, who married his daughter and heir) I find somewhere this written AN. 1456, JOHANNES DOTYN VICARIUS.

Either this date is wrong, and should be 1556, or there was a previous John Dotyn vicar of Bampton.

A. D. 1547, April 22. Edmund Crispin, was instituted to one of the vicarages of Bampton, vacant by the death of John Dyer the last incumbent.

As a specimen of the form of institution, I give the following extract from the 1st Institution-book of the Diocese of Oxford, page 123.

VICARIA DE BAMPTON.

Vicesimo tertio die mensis Aprilis, anno Domini 1547, magister Edmundus Cryspin clericus, ad vicariam perpetuam ecclesiæ parochialis de Bampton Oxoniensis diocesis per mortem naturalem Magistri Johannis Dyer

ultimi incumbentis ibidem vacantem ad præsentationem decani_et capituli ecclesiæ cathedralis beati Petri Exoniensis patronorum ejusdem admissus fuit, ac vicarius in eadem legitime institutus, et recepta ejus legitima obedientia scriptum erat domino archidiacono Oxon. pro inductione ejusdem.

A. D. 1548, March 7, John Dayle, by the resignation of Edmund Crispin, M. A.

In the entry at page 130 of the 2nd Institution-book the dean and Chapter of Exeter are called veri et indubitati dicta vicaria patroni the true and undoubted patrons of the said church.

A. D. 1549, Jan. 31, Thomas Yonge, B. C. L. by the resignation of Robert Allington.

A. D. 1558, Feb. 28, Henry Dotynge by the resignation of John Dotynge.

Carved on the screen in Mr. Cooke's Hall,-"1577, Hen. DOTYN VICARIUS. He was M. A., some time fellow of Exeter College, and perhaps nephew to the former. Ascending into a chamber, was cut in stone, in 1664, this, as well as the above-mentioned,-"HEN. DOTYN, VICARIUS 1577."

On a garden-wall, in cap. [i. e. in capital letters] "1569 VICARI. HENRICUS DOTYN SUCCESSOR JO. DOTYN PATRUI SUI HUNC MURUM SUIS UPTA [should be suo SUMPTU] PERFECIT"-RAWLINSON M S.

A. D. 1561, Sep. 5, William Levenson, by the death of Walter Wright, D.C.L. The entry in the Institution-book (p. 211.) is as follows:

Willelmus Leveson, clericus, ad vic, perp. eccl. par. de Bampton Oxon, dioc, per mortem naturalem Walteri Wright legum doctoris, et incumb. ibid, jam vacantem, ad collationem reverendissimi patris Matthæi Cantuariensis archiep. Londini admissus et institutus die quinto mensis Septembris A. D. 1561, et regni Elizabethæ nunc reginæ quarto. die Sabbati, videlicet 19 die ejusdem mensis, anno Domini prædicto, virtute mandati dicti Reverendissimi pattris in dicta ecclesia parohiali de Bampton cum suis juribus et pertinentiis et in ult. inductus fuit, anno Reginæ Elizabethæ prædicto.

A. D. 1569, Feb. 24 [secundum computationem ecclesiæ Anglicano.] Thomas Fisher, by the death of Thomas Yonge.

In the Inquisition-book [p. 249] the dean and chapter are again styled veros et indubitatos (ut asserunt,) &c.

A. D. 1580 [about], John Howsen Vic. of Bam. about 1580. -John Howsen, D. D. vic. of Brightwell, about 1601 : consec. Bishop of Oxford 1618. [Steele, and Wood, v. I. p. 481.] A. D. 1601, Aug. 19.

[Extract from the parish Register of Black-Boreton]. “Mr John Howsen, one of the vicars of Bampton and Elizabeth Floyd of the same parish, were married in this parish church the tenth day of August 1601 by Mr. John King Archdeacon of Nottingham."

A. D. 1581, John Underhill, B. D. also vicar of Witney, and consec. Bp. of Ox. Dec. 8, 1589. [Steele, and Wood, I, 609.]

A. D. 1614, July 17, John Prideaux, D. D. by the death of Henry Walmesley.

A. D. 1617, July 9, Antony Blincowe, Legum Doctor, by the death of Mr. Wormeseye.

A. D. 1620. "Edw. Wilson, B. D. about 1620. Balliofergus, p. 125." [Gough MSS, No. 46.]

In Rymer's Fœdera, Vol. VIII, pt. 3, page 34, is a dispensation, dated Sep. 20, 1628, empowering "Edwardus Wilson, S. T. B.," to hold the vicarage of Bampton together with the rectory of Stonefield.

A. D. 1634, July 5, William Hodges, M. A., by the resignation of John Prideaux.

W. Hodges compounds for first fruits in the 10th year of Charles I, 1634. [B. Willis].

William Hodges was of Exeter College and in 1661 became D. D.; on May 30, 1645, was admitted to the dignity of Archdeacon of Northampton by Dr Prideaux, Bishop of that see whose daughter he married some time before. There seems to be some ground for believing that he lost the vicarage of Bampton on the ordinance concerning pluralities. He was also rector of Ripple in Worcestershire and kept that living during the whole period of the commonwealth. He died in 1676 He died in 1676 - [Walker in his account of the Worcestershire clergy].

Steele, quoting from Wood, II, p. 824, and Kennet's Regist. and Chron. says W. Hodges died Aug. 1675 and was buried in the church of Bampton.

A. D. 1648, John Osborne, first portion-Rous Clopton, third portion, compound for first-fruits this year. [B. Willis].

Rous Clopton, about 1640 [Walker, Pt. II, p. 224]. John Osborne M. A., about 1632, ejected 1662. [Wood, II, p. 233.]

A. D. 1658, Rob. Sawer, 3rd portion, and Samuel Birch, 2nd portion, compounded for first fruits [B. Willis].

Of the second of these gentleman I find the following notice. in the Nonconformist's memorial by Dr Calamy, edit. Palmer, 1775, vol. II, p. 302,

The Rev. Samuel Birch, M. A, of Corpus Christi Coll. Oxon, one of the 3 vicars of Bampton, was silenced by the act of uniformity in 1662, although he had formerly not only (to use his own words) utterly refused all compliance with the wickedness of the army under Cromwell, (opposing their most unrighteous and horrid practices) about King and parliament, but had given what assistance he could to the King, when he came to Scotland. He was ejected Aug. 24, 1662, [B. Willis's MS. says July 30] having 7 children. He first removed to Shilton, but was there much molested. In 1666 he was placed by the gentlemen of the county in a mansion-house at Coate in that neighbourhood belonging to Hoard Esq. and they sent their sons to him for education, a service for which he was peculiarly qualified, and he remained there till the time of his death, having his house continually full of young nobility and gentry from many parts of the nation. Fourteen of those that had been his scholars, were in oue session of parliament, in the reign of Queen Anne; and some of the chief of her ministers of state were of that number. He died Jan. 22, 1668, and was buried at Shilton.

A. D. 1660, Thomas Cook, B. D. ob. Ap. 6, 1669. He was also archdeacon of Salop. (Steele; and Wood, I, 813.]

A. D. 1662, Dec. 23. Joseph Maynard.

A. D. 1669, Nov. 15, William Burley, M. A., by the resignation of Dr. Edward Cotton.

A. D. 1669, Stephen Phillips, M. A. afterwards D. D., by the death of Tho. Cook. S. Phillips was also archdeacon of Salop, and died 1684 [Steele; and Wood, II, p. 878.]