became Prime Minister, in which capacity he had to acknowledge the independence of the United States, and was eventually created Marquis of Lansdowne.  Mr. Greatrake was known to have been an inmate of his lordship’s house when the letters were being published, and the motto on them was Stat nominis umbra—­the words which appeared on the tomb of Mr. Greatrake; and his autograph bore a stronger resemblance than any other to that of Junius; so what was a secret in his lifetime was probably revealed in that indirect way after his death.

The old church of Hungerford had fallen down, and a new one was built, and opened in the year 1816, the ancient monument of the founder, Sir Robert de Hungerford, being transferred to the new church—­though, as usual, in a damaged condition.  It dated from 1325, and had been somewhat mutilated in the time of the Civil War.  The inscription over it in Norman-French almost amounted to an absolution or remission of sins, for it promised, on the word of fourteen bishops, that whoever should pray for the soul of Sir Robert de Hungerford should have during his life, and for his soul after his death, 550 days of pardon.

The list of the vicars of Hungerford showed that most of them for some reason or other—­my brother suggested hunger—­had served for very short periods, but there was one notable exception—­the Rev. William Cookson, son of William Cookson of Tomsett, Norfolk, doctor, who held the living for the long term of forty-eight years (1818-1866).

The constables of Hungerford were elected annually, and the extracts from their accounts were very interesting, as references were made to instruments of torture:  “Cucking stoole, Pilliry, Stocks, and a Whippinge Post,” the last-named having been most extensively used, for the constables had to whip all wandering tramps and vagrants “by stripping them naked from the middle upwards, and causing them to be lashed until their bodies be bloody, in the presence of the Minister of the Parish, or some other inhabitant, and then to send them away to place of birth!” Women were stripped as well as men, and in 1692 the town Serjeant had even to whip a poor blind woman.  The whipping of females was stopped by statute in 1791.  As Hungerford was on one of the main roads, many people passed through there, and in 1678 the whippings were so numerous that John Savidge, the town Serjeant, was given a special honorarium of five shillings “for his extraordinary paines this year and whippinge of severall persons.”

Prince William with his Dutch troops halted at Hungerford on December 8th, 1688, on his way from Torbay to London, where, three days afterwards, he was proclaimed King William III.  He was armed on his back and breast, and wore a white plume, and rode on a white charger, surrounded by nobles bearing his banner, on which were the words: 

   THE PROTESTANT RELIGION AND THE LIBERTY OF ENGLAND.