Image above © National Portrait Gallery, London
Reprinted from: Saffron Walden Historical Journal No 17 Spring 2009
Among the treasures of Saffron Walden Town Library are various editions of the first-ever topographical survey of the whole country, by William Camden (1551-1623), Britannia (subject of a recent BBC programme by Nicholas Crane). Observations of early antiquarians such as Camden need to be treated with caution in terms of historical accuracy, but his descriptions retain a picturesque charm and offer insights into the impressions of 16th century travellers. This extract comes from his final edition 1607, considerably altered from earlier editions.*
‘A little below standeth upon an hill Walden of Saffron, called Saffron Walden, among the fields looking merily with most lovely Saffron. A very good Mercat town incorporated by King Edward the Sixth with a Treasurer, two Chamberlaines and the Commonalty. Famous it was in times past for a Castell of the Magnavilles (which now is almost vanished out of sight) and an Abbay adjoyning, founded in a place very commodious in the yeere 1136, wherein the Magnavilles, founders thereof, were buried. Geffrey de Magnavilla was the first that gave light and life (as it were) to this place.
For Mawde the Empresse in these words (out of her very Patent I copy them) gave unto him Newport (a good bigge towne that is hard by). For so much as he was wont to pay that day whereon (as her words are) my father King Henry was alive and dead, and to remove the mercat from Newport into his Castell of Walden, with all the customes that beforetime in better maner appertained to that Mercat, to wit in Toll, passage and other customes, and that the waies of Newport neere unto the water banke be directed streight according to the old custome into Waldon, upon the ground forfited to me, and that the Mercat of Walden be kept upon Sunday and Thursday, and that a Faire be holden at Walden to begin on Whitsondy even and to last all the Whitson week. (And from that time, by occasion of this Mercat, for a great while it was called Cheping Walden).
Also, as it is in the Booke of Walden Abbay, He the said Geffrey appointed Walden to be the principal place and seat of his Honour and Earledom for him and his successours. The place were he built the Abbay had plenty of waters, which rising their continually doe run and never faile. Late it is eere the sunne riseth and shineth there, and with the soonest he doth set and carry away his light, for that the hilles on both sides stand against it. That place they now call Audley End, of Sir Thomas Audley Lord Chancellour of England, who changed the Abbay into his owne dwelling house. This Thomas, created by King Henry the Eight Baron Audley of Walden, left one sole daughter and heire, Margaret, second wife to Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolke, of whom he begat Lord Thomas, Lord William, Lady Elizabeth, and Lady Margaret. The said Thomas, emploied in sundry sea-services with commendation, Queene Elizabeth summoned by writ unto the High Court of Parliament among other Barons of the Realme by the name of Lord Howard of Walden. And King James of late girded him with the sword of the Earledome of Suffolke, and made him his Chamberlain; who in this place hath begunne a magnificent building.
Neere to another house of his at Chesterford, there was a towne of far greater antiquity hard by Icaldun, in the very border of the shire, which now of the old Burgh the rusticall people use to call Burrow Banke, where remaine the footings onely of a towne lying in maner dead, and the manifest tract of the very walles. Yet will I not say that it was the Villa Faustini which Antonine the Emperour placeth in this tract, and albeit, It takes not up large ground that yeelds no gaine, But, country-like, is homely rude and plaine, Yet dare not I once dreame that this is the Villa Faustini which in these and other verses is by that pleasant and conceited Poet Martiall depaincted in his Epigrams. The fieldes heere on every side (as I said) smell sweetly and smile pleasantly with Saffron, a commodity brought into England in the time of King Edward the Third. This in the moneth of July every third yeare, when the heads thereof have beene plucked up and after twenty daies spitted or set againe under mould, about the end of September they put foorth a whitish blew flower, out of the middle whereof there hange three red fillets of Safron (which we call Chives), which are gathered very early in the morning before the sunne rising, and, being plucked out of the flower, are dried in a soft fire. And so great increase commeth heereof that out of every acre of ground there are made fourescore or an hundred pounds weight of saffran while it is moist, which being dried yeeld some twenty pound in weight. And that which a man would marvell more at, the ground which three yeeres together hath borne Saffran will beare aboundance of Barly eighteene yeeres together without any dunging or manuring, and then againe beare Saffran as before, if the inhabitants there hath not misinformed me, or I misconceived them.’
* Note: this transcription is taken from P. Holland’s 1610 translation of Camden’s final edition 1607, considerably altered from his original in 1586. The full translation by Prof. D. Sutton can be read online at: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk