Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/272

 310 peverell's castle in the teak. possessions descended about the middle of the twelfth cen- tury to his son William, who, as is reported, having poisoned Raniilph earl of Chester, about the latter end of Stephen's reign, and dreading the severity of Henry 11. , fled to the religious house of Lenton for refuge, where he took the habit of a monks. He was not able, however, to remain long in this seclusion, as the monarch passing by to York, he was compelled to cast aside his monkish habit, and privately escape from the punishment of his crime. The king imme- diately seized upon his castles of Nottingham, Bolsover, and the Peak, together with all his other estates, and henceforward they remained in the hands of the crown, even as the last does, under lease to the duke of Devonshire, to the present day. These great possessions having once reverted to the king, we shall experience very little trouble in tracing their subse- quent history or descent when necessary, as the Great Rolls of the Pipe will now throw considerable light upon their actual value, and declare Avho became their respective possessors. Independant of the attraction of novelty, the charm of ancient renown, and the perpetual accession of new stores of informa- tion, which they disclose, there is a freshness and truthful charac- ter about the entries on the sheriff's accounts, which contrasts most agreeably with the often sifted narratives of monkish histo- rians ; and as the enquirer searches through the invaluable national records of the Pipe, he draws in a degree of satisfaction and pleasure strongly differing if he wishes to have nothing but the truth, from the distrust, suspicion, doubt, and uncertainty which must ever attend his enquiries, when they rest upon the mere testimony of these credulous annalists. Yet from these imperfect authorities English history has been written. As, however, the ideas of men progress, and their perceptions become more philosophical, they will grow justly dissatisfied with such defective chroniclers, and whatever concerns the past will be treated more as a science than a crude specula- tion and fable. Facts that are in themselves essentially in- controvertil)le, must form the basis, and from this knowledge so abiuidantly stored up in the treasury of our national re- cords, all sound historical learning must be distilled. This vast amount of reality, though possibly susceptible of various interpretations, according to the various turn of individual g Gcrvase Dorobern, 1377. n. 40.