was Robert, Earl of Eu or de Auco*, one of the Conqueror's chief counsellors.

We find that the Earls of Eu held sixty-three knight's fees in the rape of Hastings by grand serjeantry, which were then in the king's hands. In the 29th Henry III., the possessions of William, Earl of Eu, were forfeited to the king, who granted rape and Castle of Hastings to Prince Edward.

the

* Robert de Auco, descended from a natural son of Richard, Duke of Normandy; the Conqueror granted to Earl Robert the rape and honour of Hastings; his son, William de Auco, was implicated in a conspiracy of Robert de Molbray, Earl of Northumberland, against King William Rufus, on which account he had his eyes put out; he died in 1096. It appears that his possessions, if they were forfeited to the king, were restored to his son Henry, Earl of Eu. Henry, Earl of Eu, granted the manor of Hou, or Owe, in Sussex, to Bee Abbey, in Normandy, about the year 1120, and, shortly afterwards, an alien priory of Benedictine monks, of that foreign monastery, was there erected. Hou manor had been once possessed by the abbot of Battle, by a grant of William the Conqueror, who, however, also granted the manor of Owe (subsequently, it is imagined,) to his counsellor, Robert, Count of Eu, from whom it descended to Earl Henry. The accidental similarity of name of the possession, and its Norman possessor, cannot escape our remark, and indeed, in some ancient passages, although seldom, we find that noble's name spelled Ow. Its true name is probably Hoe, or Hou; in the Saxon times, the manor was possessed by Earl Godwin, (A. D. 1052.) Henry VI. granted it, along with Preston, to Eaton College, as did King Edward IV. to Ashford College in Kent.

The Prince granted it, shortly afterwards, to Peter of Savoy, Earl of Richmond, who, succeeding to the Earldom of Savoy, and Duchy of Brittany, his son, John de Dreux*, (afterwards John, Duke of Brittany,) had livery of the Earldom of Richmond, of which honour the barony of Hastings then formed a parcelt.

John de Dreux died in 1285; his sons were, John and Arthur. John, Duc de Bretagne, who succeeded him, was killed by the falling of a wall at Lyons, in the 34th of Edward I. at the coronation of Pope Clement V.

+ The Earldom of Richmond was granted, 16 Edward III., by the King, to his fourth son, John of Gaunt; however, in the 46th of the same king, this Earldom was again granted by King Edward to John, Duke of Bretagne, and Joan his wife, (daughter of Charles, King of Navarre). The Duke of Bretagne served the English monarch in his wars with France, but was taken at Nantes by the Earl of Blois, and died in prison. His son, John, Duke of Bretagne, succeeded to the English Earldom; he slew Charles de Blois, and subsequently went over to the party of the French king; the Earldom of Richmond was thereupon seized by Richard II., and was granted to Joan, widow of Ralph, Lord Basset (sister of John of Brittany). Henry IV. granted to John Pelham the rape of Hastings, with the manors of Crowhurst, &c., being a parcel of the honour of Richmond, as amply as John, Duke of Bretagne, or John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, had enjoyed it. The first grant of the Earldom of Richmond to the Dukes of Bretagne, was made by William the Conqueror to Allan VI., surnamed Fergent, who, with 5000 Bretons, joined the army of the invader; he commanded one of the three corps of the Norman army at the battle of Hastings. The honour of

It appears, by the records of the Exchequer, that Hastings, with the assistance of its dependent members, was bound, on receiving a legal notice of forty days, to provide twenty-one ships*, properly rigged and equipped for war, and to man each ship with twenty-one able seamen; these ships were to remain in the king's service, at the expense of the cinque ports, for fifteen days; and, if the duty required their longer continuance, they were detained as long as was deemed necessary, at the expense of the king. In consequence of this obligation, Hastings had, and still enjoys, many privileges; amongst these, is one exercised by its

Richmond was inherited by his successors for a long period. Upon the death of his father, Duke Hoel, he succeeded to the Duchy of Bretagne, in 1084. William the Conqueror having repaired to Normandy, desired Allan VI. to do homage to him for his Duchy, and upon his refusal, besieged him in Dol; the French king having sent succours to the Duke of Bretagne, King William was defeated in a battle, with the loss of his tents and baggage. The Duke afterwards married Constance, daughter of William I. of England, A. D. 1085; he abdicated in favour of his son, Duke Conan, by his second wife, (Hermengarde of Anjou,) who became the son-in-law of Henry I. of England. Allan VI., after passing several years in the seclusion of a monastery, died A. D. 1111.

*These ships were, by the regulations, to be furnished nearly in the following proportion,-Winchelsea, 10; Rye, 5; Hastings, 3; Pevensey, 1; and the others by Bulwarth, Beaksborne, or Greneche.

representatives in parliament, with those of the other cinque ports, styled barons of the cinque ports, who claim the right of supporting the canopy. over the head of the king, on the day of his coronation.

Hastings obtained charters from Edward the Confessor, William the First, and Second, Henry the Second, Richard the First, Henry the Third, Edward the First, Elizabeth, and Charles the Second. The present charter, which was granted by James the Second, vests the government in a corporation, consisting of a mayor, twelve jurats, and commonalty. This town has sent members to parliament from the 42nd Edward III.; they are elected by a majority of the jurats and free

men.

PLATE II.

Ancient Residence of SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL, Hastings.

IN All Saints-street are the remains of a house, formerly occupied by Sir Cloudesley Shovel; and the drawing which describes it will be found to convey a correct idea of its present appearance, which, in point of architectural singularity, as

well as from the interest which attaches to the name of one of our earliest naval heroes, was deemed worthy of the artist's attention.

PLATE III.

Old Town Wall, and Part of the Gateway.— North View.

THIS plate describes the remains of the Old Town Wall, which was of considerable strength and thickness. The ruins on the left appear to have been part of the gateway, and the steps are still visible which ascended to the ramparts. This wall, which is of great antiquity, was probably the work of the Romans, although no account of its building is to be found. It may be traced in several places, and there is no doubt of its having originally extended from East-hill to Castle-hill, thereby contributing a protection to the town from any sudden invasion by sea, while the blockading terraces rendered it equally inaccessible on the land side.-[See plate of Roman Encampments, East-hill.]