Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/123

 96 HISTORY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. to William all his leasehold lands, &c., in Bolam, held under the Hospital of Jesus in Ouisbrough,^ and he now devises to him all his free lands in Bolam. To Samuel he gives £10, and a like sum to his third son, Thomas, a major in the army. It will be seen from the following entries, taken from the Register for Burials, that two centenarians were interred in the churchyard of St. Andrew's during the year 1762 : — 1762.— June 19.— Jane Todd, aged 107, of Byers Green. December 18. — ^Maiy Dnnn, 104 years old, of Bp. Auckland. 1766. — ^October 24. — ^Anne, wife of the Revd. Abraham Smith, minister, of Bp. Auckland. 1769. — ^December 23. — William Apedale, and also Frances, his wife, of Bp. Auckland. 1778. — October 14. — Anne, daughter of Captain Robert Agnew, of Bp. Auckland. 1779.— October 6. — Hannah and Eleanor, daughters of Christopher Allan, of Bp. Auckland. 1780. — June 29. — ^Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Henderson, of Pitt Lane. 1781. — June 21. — Robert Chaloner, Esq., of Howlish. July 6.— John Wyld, of Pictsly Hills. 1786. — March 18. — ^The Revd. Abraham Smith, Minstr. of Bp. Auckland & Escombe. CHAPTER IV. During the latter part of the last century the western extremity of the town, now known as " Town-head/* was frequently called " Little London," and is referred to as such in the Parish Registers. It was at that time inhabited principally by the Pattersons, Cunninghams, and Stewarts, the half vagrant tribes already aUuded to. Their habits and riotous kind of life were supposed by the " Bondgaters" to resemble life in London ; hence, the name, " Little London," was given to that locality. The Registers, also, about this time, and for half a century- previous, are remarkable for the number of illegitimate births recorded in them; and this, perhaps, may be accounted for by the fact, that companies of soldiers were frequently stationed in Bishop Auckland at that period — a time when war was raging between France and England. The fifes and drums of recruiting parties were seen and heard daily in its streets, and the place partook, in some degree, of the reputed immorality of a garrison town. The Batts was then used as a parade ground ; and some of our oldest inhabitants have there witnessed the flogging of soldiers for insubordination, or other breaches of military discipline. The following are from the Register for Baptisms : — 1794. — February 1. — Alice, illegit. dr. of Alice Chayters, Little London. Febraary 2. — Elizabeth, dr. of Robert Wilson, Little London. May 11. — Robert, son of Joseph Robson, P., Little London. June 4. — John and Robert, twins, sons of James Watson, Little London. July 29. — Isabel, dr. of John Stewart, Little London. 1795. — March 4. — ^Alexander, son of Alexander Ross, Little London. Going back a few years in the Registers, we find the following entry : — 1786.— February 25.— Thomas Wright, Esqr., of Byers Green. The above entry records the death of one of the most profound philosophers of the age in which he lived. The Rev. Professor Chevallier, of Durham University, writing to R. H. Allan, Esq., says, " The attention of the scientific world has been recently directed to the works of a remarkable man — Thomas Wright — who lived at Byers Green, and died about sixty years ago. It appears that he anticipated many speculations of much later date, and such writers as Arago and Sturm are engaged in vindicating Wright's literary and scientific claims. I perceive Humboldt refers to Wright in his * Cosmos.' " We extract the following sketch of his life from Fordyce's " History of Durham" : — endowed them with his lands, tenaments, rents, and services in Bolam. This property, consisting of aboat 400 acres, still belongs to the institntion, and gives to the six beadsmen of the hospital, in right of their hfe interest, the privilege of voting for Members of Parliament for the Sonthem Division of the Ooonty of Durham. Digitized by Google
 * By letters patent, June 5, 1561. Bobert Parifflove, the last Prior of Gnisborongh/ ionnded a school and hospital at that place, and