KENELWORTH, corruptly called KILLINGWORTH, (Warwickshire) on the S. W. side of Coventry, had a mon. which was founded by
Jeffery de Clinton, Ld.-Chamb. to K. Hen. I. who also built a castle here, which was encompassed with a chace and park,
and the glory of all this part of England; but his grand-nephew sold it to K. Henry III. who granted it to Simon de
Montfort Earl of Leicester, with Eleanor his sister, for her portion; but the castle being taken by that K. in the Barons
wars, he gave it to the family of Lancaster. At this time came out the edict, which our lawyers call dictum de Kenelworth,
by which it was enacted, that all who had taken arms against the K. should pay 5 years value of all their lands; and balls
of stone 16 inches diameter are still found here, which are supposed to have been thrown in slings during the wars above-
mentioned. K. Edw. II. was one while kept prisoner here. At the Diss. the site of its mon. was given by K. Hen. VIII. to
Sir And. Flamock, by whose daughter it came to John Colborn, Esq; who, having bought horses that had been stolen out of
the stables of the Earl of Leicester, was frighted into a surrender of it to the said Earl, who obtained a grant of it
from Q. Eliz. who also granted him the castle. He is said to have laid out 60,000 l. in rebuilding and adorning it, and to
have entertained that Q. and her court here 17 days, in a most gay and splendid manner, with the greatest variety and
magnificence of feasts and shews, there being drank no less than 320 hogsheads of common beer, which is mentioned only to
shew the largeness of the royal retinue. From that Earl it passed to Sir Robert, his natural son, who sold it to Prince
Henry, on whose death without issue it came to Prince Charles, who committing the custody of it to Ld. Carey, his elded
son, and Tho. Carey, Esq; the inheritance was granted to Lawrence Hide, afterwards created Baron of Kenilworth-Castle and
Earl of Rochester; but the castle, in the late civil wars, was demolished by those who purchased it of the Pt. in order to
make money of the materials. Before the Conq. Kenelworth was a member of Stoneley, being an ancient demesne of the crown,
and had a castle on the bank of the Avon, in the woods opposite to Stoneley-Abbey, which stood upon a place called Horn-
Hill, but was demolished in the wars bet. K. Edmund and Canute the Dane. The aforesaid Earl of Leicester, who got the
grant of the second castle, as above, obtained a Mt. here of Q. Eliz. for W. and a Fair on Midsummer-day, but the former,
if not the latter, has been long disused. Upon a survey of the castle before the purchase of it by Prince Henry, it was 7
acres in com, within the walls, which were in many places from 15 to 20 feet thick. The castle and 4 gatehouses were all
built of hewn free-stone. By the castle-walls runs a pool of 111 acres, through which run several pretty streams,
abounding both with fish and fowl. The circuit of the castle, manors, parks, &c. all together, is 19 or 20 m.