silent tomb, the supernatural agent which formerly announced the approaching death of the members of that family, must be supposed loath to resign his occupation, and to continue his pranks that he may amuse himself with the alarm which he occasions to his lodgers.

Certain it is that within the last twenty years the same house has borne a suspicious character, and often caused the sobriety of its inmates to be called in question for the scampering up and down the stairs and other noises, which have taken place in it. A gentleman, not very far advanced in years, who was occupying it as his residence, has been known to rise from his bed, and to ascend to the upper-story, aroused by a sound of footsteps, as of some one pacing to and fro in the room above: but on his entering, the noise has ceased, and every thing partook of the silence and tranquillity of the night.

rose

The same gentleman, or another for the most common events of history are liable to doubts and contradictions on another occasion, in the middle of the night, alarmed by a noise in the garden. "Forewarned is half-armed" says the proverb, but the hero of this adventure determined to be wholly armed for this supernatural warfare, and had the precaution to carry with him a great stick - or a sword-for here again report has spread different versions of the story and when he reached the garden, brave in conscious innocence and fortified by the justice of his cause, he resolved to assume the offensive. At the same instant a ghostly whiteness revealed to him the position which his foe had taken up: he summoned his resolution and raised on high his weapon, which, true to the mark, descended with unerring might, and felled to the ground-a large sun-flower.

About the same time the game-keeper of the Lord of the manor chanced to sleep alone in this house and the adventure, which

happened to him, was fatal—not to the honest yeoman, who is still alive after all his dangers-but to the unoffending gate of the premises, which was riven and shattered to pieces by the bullets which the terrified yet brave retainer discharged, in the dead of night, from his blunderbuss, at the ghost which he said assailed him.

At a later period the owner of this fearful house caused the old roof to be removed, and to be replaced by a new one. This catastrophe was unexpected and fatal to the ghost, — for ghosts like to have a decent house over their heads, as much as Christians and as nearly a thousand rats were seen scampering off in all directions and no noises have since been heard, it is believed that the supernatural occupier must have taken advantage of so large a marching army, to cover his own retreat and to escape in such good company.

§ 15. BAMPTON CASTLE.

At a short distance to the westward of the Church and Dean

ery, from which it is separated by the brook that supplies the mill, stand the ruins of Bampton Castle: sometimes called Ham Court, and at present forming two farm houses, which belong to the Earl of Shrewsbury and Thomas Denton esquire, the lords of the manor. These ruins are very scanty and unimportant in their existing state, being nothing more than the gateway, which is now divided by a floor into an upper and lower chamber, and a fragment of wall furnished with loopholes and battlements in the usual manner of such fortresses. Yet notwithstanding its mutilated state, there are two or three interesting portions still existing. The groined roof of the upper chambers, the spiral stone stair-case, and the nitches in the walls with narrow slits for the discharge of missiles, are still curious.

It has been said that this castle was built by King John, but there is no record of his having been the founder. On the contrary, when the reader shall have perused the narrative of facts which will presently be related in chronological order concerning the manor of Bampton and the famous family de Valence, he will, I have no doubt, agree with me in the opinion that Bampton castle was erected in the year 1314-15, by the famous Aylmer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. The following observations on Bampton castle are from Skelton's Antiquities of Oxfordshire.

"In Wood's MSS in the Ashmolean Museum this castle is stated to have been of a quadrangular form, moated round and to have had towerst at each corner, and a gate-house of tower-like character on the west and east sides. Of these Wood's imperfect representations, engraved by Michael Burghers, and published in Hearne's Life of Wood, may af

ford some idea.

Robert Veysey, of Chimney, near Bampton, had a parchment roll, containing an inquisition concerning the manor of Bampton, in which mention was made of the building of this castle, when and by whom. Dr. Langbaine, sometime provost of Queen's college, Oxon, had a copy of it. After his death Wood saw it in the possession of Dr. Lamplugh, bishop of Exeter.

When Wood visited Bampton castle, on the 7th of Septr. 1664, nearly the whole western front was standing.

In the "Beauties of England and Wales," also, I find the following passage concerning the remains of Bampton castle :

"It had a round tower at each corner, which had an ascent of stone stepps; and for speedier conveyances up to the said wall, there were, besides those four towers, a large and high gate-house (tower-like) on the west and east sides, (some say on every side) of which what remained was the west tower." RAWLINSON MS.

There are in this book many curious notices of different places. As Bampton and Witney are much connected, some of my readers may be amused with the following extract about the latter town.

WITNEY DAILY JOURNAL, MAY 1, 1728, WEDNESDAY "We have the following remarkable account from Witney in Oxfordshire, viz. that some days since, the child of one John Marriott being baptized, there were present no less than five grandmothers, the child's father's father was Godfather, the father's father's mother was one Godmother, and the father's father's mother was the other Godmother, whose name is Ursula Townsend of Staple-Hall in Witney: she is upwards of 100 years old, a hearty woman, and has now above 150 children and grandchildren living."