Ramsey, Huntingdonshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1750.

RAMSEY:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1750.

"RAMSEY, (Huntingdonshire) 55 cm. 67 mm. from London, has still part of the old gatehouse of its once famous wealthy abbey, and a neglected statue of Ailwin, the epitaph of whose tomb in it, which is reckoned one of the oldest pieces of English sculpture extant, stiles him kinsman of the famous, K. Edgar, ald. of all England, and the miraculous founder of this abbey. It was dedicated to St. Dunstan, and its abbots were mitred and sate in Pt. and so many Ks. of England were benefactors to it, that its yearly rents, says Camden, were 7000 l. The T. was then called Ramsey the Rich. But by the Diss. of it the T. became poor, and lost its Mt. for many years, till about 80 years ago it recovered the Mt. which is on W. a great one for cattle, as well as water-fowl, for which it is reckoned one of the most plentiful and cheapest in England. In the year 1721 a great number of Roman coins was found here, supposed to have been hid by the monks, on some incursion of the Danes. A fire happened in the T. May 21, 1731, by which 100 houses were consumed. Its situation is as it were in an island, being every where encompassed with fens, except on the W. where it is separated from the Terra firma by a causey for 2 m. The neighbouring meers, especially that of its own name, formed by the Nyne r. that runs thro' it, abounds with fowl and fish, particularly eel and large pikes, called hakeds. In the T. of Ramsey there is a ch. sc. for poor girls. The Hon. Mrs. Titus has a seat here."