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Sunday 24 March 2013

'Annales of England' by John Stow: Essex Extracts


Annales of England – John Stow

The following are extracts from a book published in 1605, the year of John Stow’s death.  The book is introduced as “A BRIEFE DESCRIPTION OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES AND CORNWALL”, set out in chronological order and running to 1437 pages, abruptly ending in July 1605.

The book has recently been accessioned to the Library of The Essex Society for Archaeology and History in the Albert Sloman Library, University of Essex.

Page 1166
“1581
Mice devour the grasse at Danesey.
About Hallowtide last past, in the marshes of the Danesey Hundred in a place called Southminster in the countie of Essex, a strange thing hapned: there sodainlie appeared an infinite multitude of mice, which overwhelmed the whole earth in the said marshes, did sheare and gnaw the grasse by the rootes, spoyling and tainting the same with their verimous teeth, in such sort, that the cattell which grazed thereon were smitten with a murerine, and died thereof, which vermine by policie of man could not be destroyed, till, at the last it came to passe that there flocked together all about the same marshes, such a number of owles as all the shire was not able to yield: whereby the marsh-holders were shortly delivered from the veration of the said mice.”

Page 1169
“1582
John Paine executed at Chelmeford
John Paine priest, being indicted of high treason for words by him spoken to one Eliot, was attained and condemned at Chelmesford on the last of March, and was there executed on the second day of Aprill.”

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