Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/16

 PKEFACE. Some parents are so hoodwinked by their excessive fondness, that they see not the imperfections of their children, and mistake their f oUy and impertinences for sprightliness and wit ; but I, who, thon|^ seemingly the parent, am in troth only the step-^ther of Don Qnizote, will not yield to this prevailing infirmity ; nor will I — as others would do— beseech thee, kind reader, almost with tears in my eyes, to pardon or conceal the faults thou mayest discover in this brat of mine. — CxRVAirnBS. ^HE Author of the following pages makes no pretension to the claim of being an original 4 Historian, and would have issued this Work to his fellow-townsmen without either preface or apology, had it not given him an opportunity of saying a few words respecting those from whom he has received much valuable information. In the first place, he acknowledges with gratitude his obligations to Mr. Proud, to whom he is indebted for several useful hints, as well as the loan of many valuable books, documents, &C. To Dr. Thwaites, Mr. Joseph Duff, Mr. 'Nelson, Mr. Edgar, and Mr. Hallam, he is indebted for similar favours. To the Rev. H. A. Mitton his thanks are due for extracts from the Parish Registers of St Andrew's Auckland, without which the Work would have been meagre and incomplete. To Mr. Carlton, of the Copyhold Ofl&ce, Durham, he is also indebted for much infor- mation from the Manor Rolls ; and to Mr. Thomas Bowness his acknowledgments are due for the care and attention he has bestowed upon the work during its progress through the presa And now, just a word or two with respect to the Work itself. Its compilation haa been accomplished amidst the cares and anxieties of an uncongenial business, and by a man whose only education was obtained at the Barrington SchooL Little, therefore, in the shape of polished diction or grammatical accuracy can be expected; and hence, to the critic and scholar, there will doubtless appear many crudities which, had the Author's educational acquirements been greater, might have been obviated or corrected. In attempting to write a history of his native town, the Author's object is not merely to give a collection of chronologically-arranged facts and incidents, but to show, to the best of his ability, the various changes that have taken place in Bishop Auckland, from the time when its inhabitants were in a state of villeinage, to the present day. Hitherto the Parish Registers have been almost the sole record of the Auckland of past days; and, whilst deploring such a state of things, the writer determined to lay hold of and record such scraps of its history as were left floating around him. As a matter of course, the annals of a town like ours are meagre and scant in comparison with those having ancient corporate bodies, incorporated companies, or trade guilds, in whose archives are invariably found such rich mines of matter illustrative of the social and domestic life of our forefathers. But it is with towns and localities as it is with the human family ;' — there ar^ lessons to be learnt from the lives of even ordinary individuals. And so it is with Bishop Auckland. We find matters connected with its history worthy of record and thought, and their consideration cannot fail to convey many important and useful lessons^ which is, really, the true mission and teaching of history. Digitized by Google