cracking and peeling off, gives it a very ragged and shabby appearance; at the west end is an uncouth dwarf tower, the upper part framed and weather boarded, and covered with a shingle roof, meeting at a point in the centre, and surmounted with a weather vane, which appears very insufficient to support the swing of six bells, notwithstanding the assistance that has been given to it by the buttress on the south side. The interior is divided into a nave, side aisle and chancel, and contained originally a small chapel, dedicated to St. John the BAPTIST. Husted says "In 1763 this church, was beautified by subscription, at the expence of 961. 3s. 9d." but no traces of embellishment or of its having been beautified are now perceptible: the pews are wretchedly mean and the altar-screen is of the most homely kind. On the north side of the chancel is a splendid monument to the memory of John Cole, Esq. of Sprivers, (erected by his desire), and at the east end of the south aisle, a plain mural tablet of statuary marble, in memory of Mary, wife of John Andrews, L. L. B. The cap of the pillar adjoining the font, (on which is the date 1662) has been originally much ornamented, but which is now little observable, owing to repeated white-washings, and the uncourteous attacks of TIME.

A small estate in this parish, formerly belonging to Mottenden priory, claims an exemption of tythes.

MEREWORTH. The situation of the village of Mereworth, or as it is usually called Merrud, * differs little from that of Wateringbury, from which it is distant about two miles, in the direction of Tunbridge; the place is very inconsiderable and has to boast but few tolerable dwellings. The chief object of attraction in this parish, is MEREWORTH HOUSE, the seat of Lord le Despencer, begun about the year 1737, by John,

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* In the Textus Roffensis, it is called MÆRUURTHA, and MERANWYRTHE; in Domesday Marourde.

seventh Earl of Westmoreland, under the direction of Collin Campbell, from a design of Palladio.* It is erected on the scite of the old mansion, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile southward of the turnpike road, standing on an easy ascent, and backed by extensive woods, through which some pleasant avenues and other ornamental improvements were made by the last Earl. In the low ground, in front of the house, is a large sheet of water formed by the stream, which rising near Yokes-place flows through the park, and following the course of the valley, unites with the Medway at Bowbridge. Few private buildings have been more panegyrised than MEREWORTH HOUSE, and yet it may be fairly asserted, that but few of equal magnitude, have more meagre claims to applause. Whether the design is considered abstractedly, or with reference to its situation, it is equally indifferent and objectionable; it is costly without elegance; extensive and yet inconvenient. Towards the beauty of this place, NATURE has done much, ART but little; the following advice by Pope, in his epistle to the Earl of Burlington has here been overlooked;

The situation of the house, is by no means happily chosen, nor is the kind of building suited to the humid atmosphere of England; on the whole, this place affords a striking proof,

This design may be seen in the 13th plate of Ware's Palladio. It was built by the latter for Paolo Almerico, near Vicenzor in a delightful situation, on a small hill, watered on one side by the Bacchiglione, and on the other encompassed by rising woods and vineyards.

that something more than expence, and classic taste, are re quisite to form an agreeable and consistent composition. The house contains a small collection of paintings, among which are several family portraits.* At the time of the Domesday survey, Mereworth (Marourde) was among the possessions of Hamo de Crevequer, sheriff of Kent, (Vice-comes), which office he held until his death in the reign of Henry I. In the reign of Henry II. it was held as two knight's fees, of the Earls of Clare by a family who assumed the surname of Mere. worth, and in whose possession it continued, until late in the reign of Edward III. a period of more than two centuries; by one of these, Roger de Mereworth a grant of free-warren was obtained in the reign of Edward I. and license to hold an an nual fair within the manor, on the day of St. Lawrence. From this family it passed through those of Malmains, Brembre, Hermenstorpe, Fitz-alan, Beauchamp, Neville, Fane and Dashwood, to Sir Thomas Stapleton, Bart. of Grays, in Ox- fordshire, who succeeded to the title of Lord le Despencer, in the year 1788, at whose death the estate and title devolved to his eldest son, the present possessor.

Towards the western extremity of the parish is the delightfully situated residence of Mrs. Master, called YOKES-PLACE, the scite of which, in the reign of Henry III. was held of the Earl of Gloucester, as the third of a Knight's fee, by Fulco de Sharstede: it is a respectable brick building, principally erected in the year 1771, by William Daniel Master, Esq. who also considerably altered and improved the grounds. The views: from the house, which lies on the southern slope of the quar ry-hill, are extensive and pleasing. There are two other good estates in this parish, Fowkes, which is esteemed a manor, belonging to Sir Charles Style, Baronet; and BARONS PLACE, the property of David Papillon, Esq.

* A catalogue of these is given in Sprange's Tunbridge-Wells guide.

The parochial church formerly occupied the scite of the present stabling of Mereworth House, but from this once retired and appropriate situation it was removed by the desecra ting influence of vanity, during the dominion of classic rage and tasteless extravagance. The situation now allotted it, strickly accords with the spirit of its removal, and the taste of its projectors; obtruded on the public way and without a solitary tree near, to veil its peerless beauties, it boldly and confidently challenges the applause and admiration of the passing traveller, while its gaudy spire serves as a land mark, to guide the curious to this region of TASTE and lordly magnificence. To enter into its merits as a design, would be needless, suffice it to observe, that it is misplaced, utterly unsuited to its situation and ill calculated to further the sacred and impor tant purposes for which it was professedly intended. The style of architecture adopted in this structure is the tuscan✶ and not the corinthian, as Hasted states, from which it will be found to differ, as widely as the well dressed gentleman from the clown. At the west end is a semicircular vestibule or porch with columns of this order, and within the building are two rows of doric columns, dividing the area into a nave and side aisles: the spire is not unlike that of St. Martin's in the fields,. London. This fabric was begun in 1744, and consecrated by the Bishop of Rochester in the year 1746. On the alteration of the feast day of the dedication of the church of Mereworth in the year 1439, the Bishop of Rochester, as an encouragement to the parishioners and others to observe the alteration, granted to those who did, forty days remission of their sins!!!

According to the example given by Vitruvius. Its principal characteristic is simplicity; the shaft does not diminish from the base, but begins to contract curvilinearly about one third up, thus giving to it a gouty and unsightly appearance; the cornice projects two diameters, supported by mutules at the distance of one diameter apart.

NETTLESTED, was at the time of the survey of Domes.

day, among the possessions of the Bishop of Baieux, on whose disgrace this manor, with those of Hylth and Pimpe, became confiscated. In the reign of Edward I. they were held of the CLARES, Earls of Gloucester, (chief lords of the fee) by Richard de Pimpe, and in that name they continued until the 18th of Henry VII. when Sir Thomas Scott, of Scotts-hall became possessed of them. They were afterwards purchased by Sir Philip Boteler, Baronet, together with Pimpe's Court in East Farleigh, and are now the property of Lord Barham. Some considerable repairs and alterations were made to the Place-house by Sir John Scott, probably about the year 1587, that date appearing on a part of the building, evidently of more recent erection than the rest. A part of this once splendid residence, is converted into an oast for drying hops, and the residence of a labourer, while what else remains of it, serves but as a melancholy memento of its former consequence.

The MANOR OF LOMEWOOD, was settled on the priory of black canons, at Tunbridge, by one of the Earls of Gloucester, but falling to the crown by the dissolution of that establishment, it was granted to Cardinal Wolsey, towards the endowment of his college, with which it remained but a short time, for on the disgrace of that prelate, it was again seized by the crown, and shortly after given to Sir Edward Neville.

The parish of Nettlested, is bounded on the east by the Medway, and southward by the parish of Wateringbury, and though generally low, is not only rich in soil but in scenery. On the east of the village stands the CHURCH, a small building (dedicated to ST. MARY,) containing some memorials of the Scotts, and in the windows a considerable quantity of

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