Old Hampshire Mapped

Blome's Geography

Ext ... shap... land.

ENGLAND is divided from Scotland, by the Rivers Tweed and Solway, a line being drawn from the one to the other. It is on all sides encompassed with Water; and stretcheth in length, from the Promontory of Weymouth in the County of Dorset, to Barwick, a Town on the confines of Scotland, about 275 miles; and in breadth, from St. Davids head in the County of Pembrook, to Yarmouth in Norfolk, about 260 miles; and its more Northern parts about 100. and makes in circumference, its several Inlets, Promontories, Capes, and Bayes considered, about 1600 miles; but otherwise not above 1000. And its shape or form is Triangular.

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This Kingdom may be divided into two, though unequal parts, to wit ENGLAND and WALES, seperated each from other by the Severn, and a Line drawn to the River Wye. But the more certain and particular division was by a huge Ditch (which beginning at the influx of the Wye into the Severn, reached Chester, where the Dee disburthens itself into the Sea) 80 miles in length, made by Offa King of the Mercians, and by the Welch called Claudh Offa, that is Offa's Dike. In the time of King Herald, no Welsh-man was to pass this Ditch with a Weapon, on pain of loosing his right hand.

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ENGLAND may again be subdivided into forty Shires or Counties, or into six parts, according as these Shires are alloted for the Circuits of the Itinerary Judges.

This Kingdom was first divided into Circuits by King Henry the Second, who twice every year appointed, that two of the chiefest Judges of the Land, should in each Circuit, in the principal and most convenient Town in each County, sit to hear Causes, and to administer Justice, for the ease of his Subjects. One of these Judges was to determine criminal Offences, and the other for Controversies, Debts, and the like; which said Custom to this day is observed. And according to this division, the first Circuit will contein the Counties of Wilts, Somerset, Devon, Cornwal, Dorset, and Hantshire. The second, those of Oxford, Berkshire, Glocester, Monmouth, which according to the division of the Saxon Heptarchy, is a Welch County, Hereford, Worcester, Stafford, and Shropshire. The third, those of Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Essex, and Hartford. The fourth, those of Buckingham, Bedford, Huntington, Cambridge, Norfolk, and Suffolk. The fifth, those of Northampton, Rutland, Lincoln, Nottingham, Darby, Warwick, and Leicester. And the sixth, those of York, Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire. And in these six Circuits there are but 38 Counties, the two remaining, to wit, Middlesex and Cheshire being exempted; the first for its vicinity to London, and the last, as being a County Palatine, and having its peculiar Judges.

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Again, every one of these Shires, are subdivided into Hundreds, Wapontacks, or Wards, and those again into Parishes, which comprehendeth Boroughs, Villages, Hamlets, Endships, or Tithings.

King Alfred was the first who ordained the division of this Kingdom into Hundreds or Wapontacks, and Tithings; to the end that every Englishman, living under law as a liege Subject, might be of a certain Hundred or Tithing, out of which he was not to remove without security; and if a man was accused of any Crime, he was forthwith to bring for his surety one of the said Hundred or Tithing, to answer the law inflicted on such an Offendor; and in case an accused person did make an escape, then there was a fine levied by the King upon the Hundred or Tithing where the Offendor dwelt. He also appointed in every shire a Vice Comitee, or Sheriff, whose office was, and is to look after the peace and welfare of the Shire for which he was chosen, and to do and act several things for the King; an Office to this / day