WINDHAM, (Norfolk) or WIMUNDHAM, 85 cm. 99 mm. from London, has a Mt. on F. the jurisdiction of which bel. to Ld. Hobart
(E. of Buckinghamshire) who is Ld. paramount in right of his leets bel. to his manors of Cromwells and Grishaugh in this
T. K. John first granted the Mt. here in 1203, and a Fair on Nov. 25, which is now removed to Febr. 2. Another Fair was
granted here for May-day, which is removed to May 6; and the other Fair, which was granted for Sept. 8, and the days
before and after, is now kept Oct. 12. The men, women, and children here, are continually employed in the making of
spiggots and fossets, spindles, spoons, and the like wooden wares, and for all idle persons, here has been a bridewell for
many ages, the keeper of which in the R. of Q. Eliz. had 40 s. a year paid by the Co.-treasurer. The inh. enjoy their writ
of privilege, as ancient demesne, from serving at assizes, or sessions, &c. This T. was set on fire, June 11, 1615, by
certain incendiaries,when above 300 dwelling-houses, &c. were consumed, to the damage of above 40,000 l. In 1631 it was
visited with a severe plague. The flourishing family of the Windhams had their name from this T. On the other hand, it is
as infamous for the birth of those execrable rebels, the Ketts, who so much harrassed this Co. in the R. of Edw. VI. one
of whom was hanged upon the steeple of its Ch. Dr. Deye has an estate here, which has bel. to the family above 400 years.
Here was a priory founded in the R. of Hen. I. by his butler, who endowed it with the p.-Ch. and all the tithes and
revenues of it, together with his manor-house, &c. and it having been dependent on the abbey of St. Albans, was afterwards
made an independent abbey. After the Diss. the scite, &c. with the abbey-manor was given to Thomas Howard, E. of Surry,
during the life of his father, Thomas D. of Norfolk. It coming afterwards to the crown, was granted by Q. Eliz. to Walter
Haddon, to be held by the fee-farm of 11 l. 3 s. 8 d. a year. In 1574 it bel. to Sir Hen. Cobham, by marriage of Haddon's
widow, and was sold that year to Edw. Flowerdew, sergeant at law; from whose descendants it came to the Cleres, and passed
with the manor ever since. Here is a fr. sc. founded and well-endowed by the son of the founder of its priory; and Matth.
Parker, Abp. of Canterbury, gave to this T. a scholarship to his college of Corpus Christi in Cambridge, in favour of a
scholar born in this T. provided he continued in this school 2 years without interruption, and that he was 15 years old.
As for Windham-Regine, or the abbot's manor, which was given by the founder to that mon. and passed with it at the Diss.
it reverting to the crown, was assigned in 1622 to the Prince, who came to be K. Cha. I. and afterwards bel. to Phil.
Harbord of Besthorp; whose widow carried it in marriage to Fr. Howard, Ld. Effingham; and it has gone with Besthorp ever
since, and is now owned by the heiress of Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Paston. The whole T. including all its hamlets, except one,
was one manor in the Conqueror's hands, who gave it to his butler above-mentioned, to be held by the service of being
butler to the Ks. of England at their coronation, but it did not continue whole long; for on his founding the aforefaid
priory, he gave about a third of it to that convent. Here is a ch. sc. for teaching 30 children.