memorial, on a small lozenge of marble laid over his grave, “Depositum S. F. February 1648.” He was a public-spirited man, and had the character of a scholar. Wood,
a learned divine, was born in
the parish of St. Clement Danes, London, 1594; elected
student of Christ Church from Westminster school in
1601; took a master of arts degree in 1608, served the
office of proctor in 1614, and the year following was admitted bachelor of divinity; and about that time became
minister of Freshwater in the Isle of Wight. In May 1619,
he was installed canon of Christ Church, and the same
year proceeded doctor in divinity, being about that time
domestic chaplain to James I. In 1626, he was made
Margaret professor of divinity, and consequently had a
prebend of Worcester, which was about that time annexed
to the professorship. He was then a Calvinist, but at
length, renouncing the opinions so called, he was, through
Laud’s interest, made dean of Lichfield in 1637; and the
year following, dean of Christ Church. In 1645, he was
appointed vice-chancellor, which office he served also in
1647, in contempt of the parliamentary visitors, who at
length ejected him from that and his deanery, and their
minions were so exasperated at him for his loyalty to the
king, and zeal for the church, that they actually sought
his life: and being threatened to be murdered, he was
forced to abscond. He died broken-hearted, Feb. 1, 1648-9;
that being the very day he was made acquainted with the
murder of his royal master king Charles. He was buried
in the chancel of Sunning-well church, near Abingdon, in
Berkshire (where he had been rector, and built the front of the parsonage-house) with only this short memorial, on a
small lozenge of marble laid over his grave, “Depositum
S. F. February 1648.
” He was a public-spirited man, and
had the character of a scholar. Wood, though he supposes
there were more, only mentions these two Small productions of his; viz. “Primitiae; sive Oratio habita Oxoniae in
Schola TheologiiE, 9 Nov. 1626,
” and, “Concio Latina
ad Baccalaureos die cinerum in Coloss. ii. 8.
” They were
both printed at Oxford in
, a public-spirited man, and a great benefactor to the city of London,
, a public-spirited man, and
a great benefactor to the city of London, by bringing in
thither the New River, was a native of Denbigh in North
Wales, and a citizen tind goldsmith of London. This city
not being sufficiently supplied with water, three acts of
parliament were obtained for that purpose; one in queen
Elizabeth’s, and two in king James the First’s reign;
granting the citizens of London full power to bring a river
from any part of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. The project, after much calculation, w r as laid aside as impracticable, till sir Hugh Middleton undertook it: in consideration
of which, the city conferred on him and his heirs, April 1,
1606, the full right and power of the act of parliament;
granted unto them in that behalf. Having therefore taken
an exact survey of all springs and rivers in Middlesex and
Hertfordshire, he made choice of two springs, one in the
parish of Am well near Hertford, the other near Ware, both
about twenty miles from London; and, having united their
streams, conveyed them to the city with very great labour
and expence. The work was begun Feb. 20, 1608, and
carried on through various soils, some oozy and muddy,
others extremely hard and rocky. Many bridges in the
mean time were built over his New River; and many
drains were made to carry off land-springs and commonsewers, sometimes over and sometimes under it. Besides
these necessary difficulties, he had, as may easily be imagined, many others to struggle with; as the malice and
derision of the vulgar and envious, the many hindrances
and complaints of persons through whose grounds the
channel was to be cut, &c. When he had brought the
water into the neighbourhood of Enfield, almost his whole
fortune was spent upon which he applied to the lord
mayor and commonalty of London but they refusing to
interest themselves in the affair, he applied next to king
James. The king, willing to encourage that noble work,
did, by indenture under the great seal, dated May 2, 1612,
between him and Mr. Middleton, covenant to pay half the
expence of the whole work, past and to come; and thus
the design was happily effected, and the water brought
into the cistern at Islington on Michaelmas-day, 1613.
Like all other projectors, sir Hugh greatly impaired his
fortune by this stupendous work: for though king James
had borne so great a part of the expence, and did afterwards, in 1619, grant his letters-patent to sir Hugh Middleton, and others, incorporating them by the name of
“The Governors and Company of ttfe New River, brought
from Chadwell and Am well to London
” impowering them
to choose a governor, deputy-governor, and treasurer, to
grant leases, &c. yet the profit it brought in at first was
very inconsiderable. There was no dividend made among
the proprietors till the year 1633, when III. 195. Id. was
divided upon ea^h share. The second dividend amounted
only to 3l. 4s. 2d. and instead of a third dividend, a call
being expected, king Charles I. who was in possession of
the royal moiety aforesaid, re-conveyed it again to sir Hugh,
by a deed under the great seal, Nov. 18, 1636; in consideration of sir Hugh’s securing to his majesty and his successors a fee-farm rent of 500l. per annum, out of the profits of the company, clear of all reprises. Sir Hugh charged
that sum upon the holders of the king’s shares. He was at
last under the necessity of engaging in the business of a
surveyor, or what is now denominated a civil engineer, and
in that capacity rendered essential services to his country,
by various schemes of mining, draining, &c. In 1622 he
was created a baronet, and he died in the year 1631; since
which, the value of the shares in this New River, as it is
still called, advanced so much as to create large fortunes
to thje heirs of the original holders. A hundred pounds
share, some years since, sold as high as fifteen thousand
pounds. Of late, however, there have been several acts
of parliament passed in favour of other projects, which
have reduced the value of the New River shares full one
half. It is the fashion now to decry the company as extravagant in their charges for supplies of water; but it should
be remembered, that the shares of this corporation, like
those of other commercial companies, are perpetually
changing their masters; and it is probable that the majority of share-holders, when their value was even at the
highest, had paid their full price, so as to gain only a maderate interest upon their purchase money.