was the fee-simple of Alwold (Allwood) but, at the conquest,
Fitz-Ausculf seized it, with a multitude of other manors: it does not
appear that he granted it in knight's-service to the injured Allwood,
but kept it for his private use, Paganall married his heiress, and
Sumeri married Paganall's, who, in the beginning of the 13th century,
erected the castle. In 1322, the line of Sumeri expired.

Bottetourt, one of the needy squires, who, like Sancho Panza, attended
William his master, in his mad, but _fortunate_ enterprize, procured
lands which enabled him to _live_ in England, which was preferable to
starving in Normandy. His descendant became, in right of his wife,
coheir of the house of Sumeri, vested in Weoley-castle. He had, in
1307, sprung into peerage, and was one of our powerful barons, till
1385, when the male line dropt. The vast estate of Bottetourt, was then
divided among females; Thomas Barkley, married the eldest, and this
ancient barony was, in 1761, revived in his descendant, Norborne
Barkley, the present Lord Bottetourt; Sir Hugh Burnel married another,
and Sir John St. Leger a third.

Weoley-castle was, for many years, the undivided estate of the three
families; but Edward Sutton, Lord Dudley, having married a daughter of
Barkley, became possessed of that castle, which was erected by Sumeri,
their common ancestor, about nine generations before.

In 1551, he sold it to William Jervoise, of London, mercer, whose
descendant, Jervoise Clark Jervoise, Esq; now enjoys it.

Fond of ranging, I have travelled a circuit round Birmingham, without
being many miles from it. I wish to penetrate farther from the center,
but my subject forbids. _Having therefore finished my discourse, I
shall_, like my friends, the pulpitarians, many of whom, and of several
denominations, are characters I revere, _apply what has been said_.

We learn, that the land I have gone over, with the land I have not,
changed its owners at the conquest: this shuts the door of inquiry into
pedigree, the old families chiefly became extinct, and few of the
present can be traced higher.--Destruction then overspread the kingdom.

The seniors of every age exclaim against the growing corruption of the
times: my father, and perhaps every father, dwelt on the propriety of
his conduct in younger life, and placed it in counter-view with that of
the following generation. However, while I knew him, it was much like
other people's--But I could tell him, th