Map|Names of Places. | County.| Number of Miles From | +--+----------------------+--------+------------+-----------+ 28|Badby[A] pa|Northamp|Daventry 3|Banbury 14| 39|Baddesley-Clinton pa|Warwick |Warwick 7|Solihull 6| 39|Baddesley-Ensor pa|Warwick |Atherstone 3|Tamworth 6| 16|Baddesley-North pa|Hants |Romsey 4|Wincheste 8| 16|Baddesley-South[B] ham|Hants |Lymington 2|Yarmouth 5| 7|Baddiley[C] pa|Chester |Nantwich 3|Malpas 9| 7|Baddington to|Chester | 2|Tarporley 9| 14|Baddow (Great)[D] pa|Essex |Chelmsford 2|Witham 10| +--+---------------------+---------+------------+-----------+ |Dist.| Map|Names of Places. |Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population. +--+----------------------+--------+------------+-----+-----+ 28|Badby[A] pa|Northamp 13| 75| 583| 39|Baddesley-Clinton pa|Henley in A. 6| 97| 110| 39|Baddesley-Ensor pa|Coleshill 9| 108| 568| 16|Baddesley-North pa|Southampton 7| 70| 297| 16|Baddesley-South[B] ham|Beaulieu 6| 88| ...| 7|Baddiley[C] pa|Tarporley 9| 167| 267| 7|Baddington to|Malpas 11| 166| 132| 14|Baddow (Great)[D] pa|Maldon 9| 31| 1719| +--+----------------------+---------------------+-----+-----+
[A] BADBY. This extensive village is situated on the brow of a hill, in the large uninclosed district of Badby-Down. Here are numerous springs, and several quarries of flag-stone, which, from its excellence, is very extensively employed for the purposes of building and paving. On the summit of Arbury Hill, in this parish, is a large encampment, which is attributed to the Romans: the ramparts are very steep, and the whole is encompassed by a very wide and deep foss.
[B] BADDESLEY. This village was celebrated a short time ago for a singular tree it contained, from which was frequently heard to issue groans as though uttered by a person in acute agony. The tree was an elm, young, vigorous, and to all appearance perfectly sound; and what is most wonderful, naturalists could assign no physical reason for the phenomena. Its fame spread far and wide; a pamphlet was written with an account of it, and persons came miles to visit it. The tree, however, it would seem with the fickleness attendant too often upon those who have gained celebrity, would not always groan, yet no cause could be assigned for its temporary cessations, either from seasons or weather. Many superstitious tales were raised by the country people and alleged as reasons for this singular occurrence; and for eighteen or twenty months it continued an object of considerable interest; a gentleman of the name of Forbes, making an experiment to discover its cause, by boring a hole in its trunk, put a period to its agonies, it never groaned again. It was afterwards rooted up with a further view to make a discovery, but in vain. It is universally believed that there was no trick in the affair, but that some natural cause really existed, though never understood.